Mr Wash

In Duisburg, industrial architecture is part of the city’s collective memory and continues to shape its landscape. It is within this context that the lighting design for the new Mr Wash, located near the Landschaftspark, a landmark of German industrial archaeology, takes shape.

The project does not treat the car wash as a neutral space. In fact, the architecture draws on certain characteristics of the surrounding landscape and translates them into the interior through a technical language composed of exposed structures, glass surfaces, and, above all, light.

The Mamba lighting system appears as a continuous series of lines, direction changes, and height fluctuations beneath Mr. Wash's large roof. Large, bright circular components blend with the linear layout to create a composition that can be seen from all angles.

The composition's construction itself makes reference to the neighbouring Landschaftspark. Above the car wash bays, a kind of three-dimensional illuminating map reinterprets the pipes, walkways, and infrastructure typical of Duisburg's industrial landscape.

This geometry is visible from both the inside and the outside because of the massive glass façade. As a result, lighting becomes an integral aspect of the building's architecture, organizing the sense of space, directing the viewer's gaze down the car wash, and making the project identifiable even in urban settings.

360° light emission for a geometry visible from every perspective

Mamba's technological qualities help to create the architectural image in the Mr. Wash project. With a 10 cm diameter and 360° light emission, the technology maintains the luminous surface's visibility across the luminaire's whole length.

This is crucial since the light pattern needs to be visible from the front, the sides, and at different distances in a room this size.

The 360° light emission also reinforces the connection to the language of industrial facilities. Mamba retains the characteristics of a technical and functional element, yet the sequence of its segments simultaneously creates a luminous graphic suspended above the operational areas.

White light and RGB elements

RGB elements are added to the main structure to introduce chromatic variations into the composition. Green, purple, yellow, and blue run through the large suspended rings, interrupting the continuity of the white light.

The glass surfaces extend this visual system beyond the building’s perimeter. In the evening, the lines and rings remain visible from the outside and turn the interior lighting into a tool through that help Mr Wash blend in with Duisburg’s urban landscape.

In the project, light thus functions as visual infrastructure: it draws on the industrial vocabulary that characterizes the city and, through Mamba, translates it into a contemporary structure defined by geometry, function, and perception.