Member Article

Knowledge Museum in Germany installs Eyrise dynamic solar shading glass to preserve exhibits in first for museum conservation

The University of Göttingen’s Forum Wissen, the Knowledge Museum, has installed Eyrise dynamic solar shading glass throughout its historic building to preserve exhibits. It is the first time a museum has used the technique to help conserve antiques and artwork.

The Knowledge Museum, based in Göttingen, Germany, houses approximately 1,400 objects from academic collections across the university. As historical buildings prefer not to fit external shadings for aesthetic reasons, Eyrise was appointed to provide innovative liquid crystal switchable glass in 200 existing arched wooden window frames, covering 173 m2, preserving the integrity of the building’s facade and protecting its contents from deterioration.

To further maintain the aesthetics of the original windows, Georgian bars were embedded within the dynamic glass.

Eyrise’s Licrivision technology enables the facade to be adaptive. The glass can be switched on-demand for instant shading to control solar glare and keep the temperature stable, protecting museum exhibits and improving employee and visitor comfort. The glazing is colour neutral and does not compromise on natural daylight, enabling viewing of exhibits in their natural state.

The Knowledge Museum is equipped with an automatic control system. Activated by incoming light, a sensor communicates with the system to alter the state of the glass and allow it to shade. Switching speeds are less than a second, including from maximum to minimum shade.

“Antiques need thermal and light control for optimum preservation. The wrong climate can cause irreversible damage to many materials, so the idea was to create something unprecedented,” said Marie Luisa Allemeyer, director of the Knowledge Museum. “With Eyrise glass we are tackling two main challenges: maintaining a stable temperature and comfortable environment for employees and visitors through all seasons, and preserving our exhibits for generations to come.”

A low light transmission is required for conservation of artwork and antiques. Eyrise glass was customised using the darkest mixture of liquid crystal, allowing 33% of incoming daylight to enter the space in the lighter shading state and only 3% in the darkest state.

“Innovation can prevent deterioration of important historical objects. The Knowledge Museum is the first of its kind to use our bespoke liquid crystal glazing to enhance and conserve its building and assets,” said Celine Glipa, CEO of Eyrise. “The exhibition space feels alive as it is not impeded internally or externally via conventional physical shading. The glazing is also helping to reduce energy consumption, meaning less air conditioning, heating and lighting is required throughout the year.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Eyrise .