18/09-12   -   Press releases

Custom-made signs for 47 gates

Danish architects C.F. Møller Architects have designed the fashion wear company Bestseller’s new distribution centre located in Haderslev in southern part of Denmark. The façades are made of vertical wood lamellae, which help to give the extensive buildings a light and elegant appearance.

Together with Modulex, C.F. Møller Architects and Bestseller custom-made the signs for the distribution centre’s 47 gates.
The wood lamellae give the façades a unique look which the architects were unwilling to disturb with large number signs. Instead, C.F. Møller Architects designed an innovative solution whereby the gate numbers are formed of vertical LED rods incorporated in the façade between the lamellae.

The LED rods are handmade from UV-resistant acrylic. They are produced in four different lengths, which makes it possible to produce any number or letter.
“This solution ensures that the signs are an integrated part of the façades," explains architect Michael Sebber Colfelt from C.F. Møller Architects. “We could have chosen ordinary signs and illuminated them with spots, but that wouldn’t have harmonised with the façade’s overall look. Instead we have created a project which is innately beautiful."

The signs are constructed with the latest generation of LEDs from General Electric, and the project is the first of its kind to use this generation of LEDs in Denmark.
“It was a challenge to design the LED rods so they could function with wood, a natural product," says Key Account Manager Susanna Ølgod from Modulex. The wood lamellae expand and contract depending on the air humidity and temperatures.

Another challenge was that the LED rods had to be easily replaceable. However, thanks to a special click system, it is easy to tilt the LED rods out and replace them with new rods in a matter of minutes.

At C.F. Møller, the architects say the solution fully lives up to expectations. “We are extremely happy with the solution which we have created together with Bestseller and Modulex. The signs are easy to maintain, and they tie in with the light and elegant design of the façades just as we wanted," says Michael Sebber Colfelt in conclusion.