Brainbox Restaurant, Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands

Architect:  Heineken architectural and design division
Lighting Design:  Timo Verhoeven, Fairlight


Located in Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport’s World Trade Center, Brainbox has provided a welcome respite for travelers since 2003. Conveniently located on the trek between airport and parking lot, Brainbox is a restaurant and bar made even more enticing by dynamic Martin Architectural colored lighting.

Owners of the popular restaurant are Europe’s largest brewer, Heineken, who hold a number of real-estate properties such as bars, hotels, restaurants, etc., and consequently employ their own architects and builders.

Martin Architectural’s representative in the Netherlands, Fairlight, maintains a close relationship with Heineken’s architectural and design division, so when Heineken sought to enhance Brainbox with a color changing solution that was both dynamic and visually powerful, they turned to Fairlight for a solution.

“Brainbox is basically a lounge yet is very classy, so what the client was looking for was flashy looks without being overwhelming; visible looks without being disturbing,” explains Walter Jaegermann of Fairlight’s architectural sales division. “Heineken did not want to go with LED due to the expense, and initially we had discouraged them from using fiber optic because of the light output, but then Martin demonstrated 3M high output fiber working together with full CMY color changing Martin FiberSource CMY 150 illuminators. We showed this to Heineken who were pleased with the output and gave us the go ahead for the project.”

Fairlight’s architectural representative Timo Verhoeven was responsible for integrating the fiber into the restaurant’s architecture and traced the various curves and recesses of the ceiling with approximately 120 meters of side emitting 3M high output fiber optic. Powered by Martin FiberSource CMY 150 illuminators located in the ceiling, 3M’s high output fiber optic is bright enough for cove lighting applications such as Brainbox and represents an effective replacement for neon or linear fluorescent tubes. Looped from each FiberSource CMY 150, the fiber proved flexible enough to follow the contours of the ceiling, despite a number of tight curves.

Seven Martin FiberSource are used to power the fiber with color changing control from a Martin 2510 playback controller. The 2510 is easy to control by bar personnel who can choose a static color look or more dynamic changes for Happy Hour or other times. If separation between the bar and restaurant areas is required, separate colors can be projected in each space, or even each recessed ceiling space can be individually colored. Installation was by

Burgers Ergon BV

with programming by Fairlight’s Piet Oostendorp and René van Loon.

The result is a tasteful yet dynamic environment that creates a constant sense of newness and sets Brainbox apart from other venues in the area. The FiberSource CMY 150’s have reportedly worked well and based on the success of the Brainbox installation Fairlight have worked further with Heineken.