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Lights in Alingsås, Sweden

This year’s Lights in Alingsås festival welcomed participants from 27 different countries: ten workshop heads from seven countries, 45 student designers spanning across 23 countries and 25 electrical students from the local high school, Alströmergymnasiet. The event was again organised by Alingsås Energi, who took over the festival in 2017, and the route for this year’s event took visitors out of the town centre and into the wilderness of the Nolhaga park. This route has returned by popular demand from both residents and visitors alike, after first appearing in 2014. The theme for this year’s installations was based around Be The Light – a chance for designers to interpret as they wish a message of how each of us can make the world a brighter place by being the light, whether on a small or large scale. “We had excellent feedback from this year’s workshop heads. We’ve firmly convinced them that it’s easy to make the world a little brighter through small, consistent efforts, and we hope that our Be The Light theme will spread that idea far and wide,” explained Event Manager at Alingsås Energi, Angelica Larsson. 

“Be The Light was a concept developed by advertising agency Femti5 and is a manifestation of the Eleanor Roosevelt quote about how it is better to light a small candle than to curse the darkness,” added Creative Director Christer Andersson. 

“It’s a powerful and evocative idea that we believe can spread and be very effective. Even if only a few percent of the 70,000 visitors make an effort to ‘Be The Light’, it could have a significant impact locally as well as globally.” 

As part of this year’s anniversary celebrations, two lighting designers who helped launch the event back in 2000, Kai Piippo, Head Designer at ÅF Lighting, and Torbjörn Eliasson, Lighting Designer at White Arkitekter, returned to the Swedish town again to present a permanent Jubilee lighting installation in the heart of Alingsås. Along with the help of ÅF Lighting colleagues Seren Dincel and Helena Johansson, the team installed multiple fixtures along the river Lillå, which runs through the central town square. 

The annual festival, with its many visitors, is close to the hearts of the two designers and has helped them build their professional network and spread light culture in Sweden. The inspiration for the installation came from the site itself. It is a defined space without invasive light from buildings, shop windows or glaring street lights. 

It was important that the installation was to make better use of the space, both aesthetically and for safety. The sides of the poles that the fixtures are mounted to have highly polished steel on each side that mirrors the nearby trees and water, allowing the whole installation to blend seamlessly into its surrounding environment.

Sustainability was also high on the priority list, with sustainable materials used, along with a versatile design that allows future events and designers to take full advantage of adapting the installation to fit different celebrations. 

“The site of the installation will change character during the year, with seasons, weather conditions and shifting temporary installations. It will be a popular and famous changeable Instagram-view for the citizens and visitors of Alingsås to enjoy for many years to come,” explained Eliasson. 

“Lights in Alingsås has changed the Swedish lighting culture and spread the knowledge of good lighting around the world,” added Piippo. “We wanted to give the citizens of Alingsås something back. A place to be proud of, to visit and to tell the world about.” 

As part of Lights in Alingsås this year, local primary school students were the first to utilise the flexibility of the structures by stringing across the river a selection of painted milk bottle lanterns, creating a magical effect of light reflections across the water. 

Jan Olofzon, CEO of Alingsås Energi, remarked upon the impact the light festival has had over the years: “Lights in Alingsås has spread knowledge about light and lighting to many. The city has taken this into consideration and in many ways developed the event into its own. It’s the best month of the year for hotels, restaurants and cafés, with schools, associations and local companies creating their own events during the five weeks. The people living in Alingsås have understood the importance of light for a safe and pleasant city.

“The lights have had a positive impact in Alingsås for many years. It is extra fun to use it for this year’s theme as a metaphor for everyone to contribute and make the world a little better – Be the Light!” 

In order of appearance, the seven sites that featured this year were: The Energy Hill with workshop heads Vladan Paunovic of Denmark and Juha Hälikää of Finaland; The Eye with Claire Tomara and Natalie Redford from Scotland; The Grove by Jackson Stigwood from Australia; The Pond Köllera with Erin Slaviero in the UAE; The Castle Avenue by Kapil Surlakar from India; The Source with Johanna Enger and Cecilia Cronelid from Sweden and finally The Mother Tree by Malin Wallin in Sweden. 

During the event, we spoke with Vladan Paunovic, workshop head of site one and Creative Lead at Ramboll Architectural Lighting Design, about his experiences of being a lighting designer in Scandinavia. Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the transition to a Scandinavian region highlighted both naturally and culturally influenced shifts in the approach to lighting. 

“Denmark has a very distinguished lighting culture, which can also be found in neighbouring Nordic countries. People in the Nordics appreciate sensibly designed visual environments. Regardless of the type of installation (indoor, outdoor, public or private), 100% glare-free environments are always the ultimate demand,” he explained. 

“Poul Henningsen [designer who collaborated with Louis Poulsen during the early to mid 1900s] was on the forefront of this preference when he designed his iconic PH lamps as response to the new/modern light source – the incandescent lamp.” 

Along the light trail in Alingsås, a noticeable feature of the town was the small lamps in nearly every residential window. We asked Paunovic about this: “This is mainly a Swedish tradition, which occasionally can be seen in Demark. What is common all over Scandinavia is the preference for pools of light around the room, rather than one luminaire centred in the room to illuminate everything evenly.”

Another notable bond with lighting the Scandinavians share is the love for warm candle light. “In Denmark it is hard to find a dining experience without candle light being a part of it, even if it’s July and the sun is still high in the sky. This is not only the case for fine dining; when a middle-class family enjoys a low-key dinner on a Tuesday evening, you will most likely find a candle or two lit somewhere in the dining room. The invisible bond between dining and candle light is one of the most sublime cultural elements here,” added Paunovic.

The lighting trail for Lights in Alingsås took visitors and residents out of the town and into the darkness of Nolhaga, a park close to the town centre that follows the river. The site installations could take advantage of the natural darkness that can be experienced in many areas of Scandinavia. Paunovic elaborated: “The landscapes and cityscapes are darker here than they are in more populated parts of Europe. This is a natural quality that we tend to preserve in our lighting projects. We are careful with what we illuminate and what stays intentionally dark when completing outdoor projects. We always go for the less is more concept.” 

This respect for light is a sentiment that is also shared by Kai Piippo. “We talk about light as others talk about the weather,” he noted.

“Every day we comment on the grey sky or the amazing sunsets we experience the night before.

“We love light, especially the warm light. Nordic light is slow in movement with long sunsets, the blue hour and long shadows. During the summer we have long hours of sunlight, with sunlight even at midnight. During the winter we experience arctic light, which is a total lack of daylight. We refer to it like walking into a tunnel and coming out of it in six months’ time.” 

Paunovic’s site one – The Energy Hill – is a celebration of sustainable living and a comment on the current climate crisis. 

“You are in Sweden. Greta Thunberg is Swedish. The importance of sustainable living cannot be communicated too much. This installation is another cry for climate justice,” explained the site’s team. The light-loop takes visitors through four different energy sources; sun, wind, water and bio fuel. It is also a nod to Alingsås Energi and its incredible achievement of supplying 100% renewable energy to the entire town. Sponsors for this site included: Fergin, iGuzzini, Martin Professional, Meyer, Traxon, Osram, and Wireless Solution Sweden. 

Site two – The Eye – is the first that takes visitors into the Nolhaga park. “When the eye receives light, it captures all events and experiences we encounter, and as it has been said before, is the mirror into our souls,” explained the team. 

A central fountain is reminiscent of a stage with an audience waiting in anticipation for a performance. In the centre of the fountain is a mirrored sculpture, which reflected the soul of the surrounding area – acting like the eye of the site. This site was lit by Fergin, Lumenpulse, Meyer, Mike Stoane Lighting, Stockholm Lighting, We-ef and Wibre. 

Site three, named The Grove, was headed by Jackson Stigwood. This area invited audiences to experiment with different perceptions of the space’s depth through light; inviting you to enjoy the scenes from both inside and outside, creating different ambient atmospheres. “At the centre of the grove, individuals compose the unity community. We encourage you to commence an adventurous journey to explore the unknowns,” explained the team. Fixtures from Cameo, Gantom, Fergin and Meyer were used to complete this installation. 

Site four – The Pond Köllera – brought the trail up close and personal with the river’s edge, with Erin Slaviero as the workshop leader. “In a world where many negative things surround us, positive energy is fragile and easily lost. This energy weaves and bends and appears unexpectedly from all directions,” describes the site’s team. 

“Our site is a reminder to take that energy that surrounds us and always reflect it on to others to make a positive change. A change that can carry and impact others no matter how many months and years beyond your time at Alingsås.” 

Fixtures were compiled from Cameo, EcoSense, Fergin, Meyer, Stockholm Lighting, Traxon, Osram, Uplight and We-ef. 

The Castle Avenue – The Diurnal Rhythm titled site number five, headed by Kapil Surlakar. Taking audiences through a scene of sunlight, which transmits energy to create life, this installation depicts a time lapse experience of a day condensed into a two minute sequence. Sponsors for this site came from Cameo, Fergin, Griven, Meyer, SGM and We-ef. 

Site six, The Source, was headed by Johanna Enger and Cecilia Cronelid. This site is split into three sections, the source, which provides the energy; the connection is the meeting point where we experience and become a part of that energy; the environment is the point of contemplation, where we can see ourselves in the larger context both as a human and as part of the universal cycle – it is a place of clarity, reflection and enlightenment. Sponsors for this site included Griven, Fergin, Fox Belysning, Led Linear, Luxlight, Meyer, Traxon, Osram, Uplight, Wireless Solution, Sweden AB. 

The final site was The Mother Tree. Led by Jim Farula, this team’s site took inspiration from the Ancient Greek name Gaia, to be one with the universe and our planet. “We cannot deny our planet is a living organism, which we are affecting in an extremely adverse way,” explained the team. “Mother Tree is a visualisation of this synergy, with light, feel the emotion, BE THE LIGHT!” Sponsors for this site were Colour Kinetics, Informationsteknik and Signify. 

An added highlight to the light trail this year was located at Alingsås Energi’s Pumphus and Momenti bridge, also known as Site-Luke. The site, designed by Luke Farula, was made interactive with an app, supported by Signify, where residents or visitors could book a time slot then choose one of three different lighting scenes that ran for three minutes.

www.lightsinalingsas.se

by dbell

Citybanan City Station, Sweden

The recently completed Citybanan is a new commuter railway tunnel running beneath the city of Stockholm. Running 7.4 kilometres in length, the Citybanan is a vital project for the long-term rail development in the city, and for the creation of an efficient public transport system that meets city requirements.

The system, used by Stockholm Commuter Rail, has greatly improved travel into and out of the city through its two stations; Odenplan and City Station. The City Station is located under Stockholm Central Station and the Metro lines passing through T-Centralen.

City Station, designed by Ahlqvist and Almqvist Architects, features lighting designed by WSP Sweden. The design parameters surrounding the lighting mainly consisted of creating a facility with robust, maintenance-friendly solutions, with lighting design that creates a good visual guidance, while creating interest and intrigue in the various rooms of the station, adding a feeling of character while improving the orientation around the station.

Staffan Abrahamsson, one of the lighting designers at WSP that worked closely with the architects from the initial concept stage, collaborating with them to create a cohesive lighting scheme that harmonises with the surrounding architecture.

A primary factor in this harmonised approach was the way in which lighting was seamlessly integrated into the fabric of the building – something that was discussed with the architects at the initial concept stage. “Most of the stations here in Stockholm are very old and very technical, they don’t hide the construction and the luminaires that well,” said Abrahamsson.

“In the early stages, there was a thought that this should have more of an approach of an airport than a train station. So we worked with different kinds of ceilings, and integrated the luminaires and so on to get a more exclusive feeling compared to other stations nearby.”

However, while there was an ambition to create something new and unique for the Citybanan, Abrahamsson said that, because of the regulations set by the Swedish Transport Administration, there were some limitations to what they could do when it came to lighting.

“We had a great deal of restrictions. First of all, all the luminaires had to be at least IP65 rated, and when you’re trying to find suitable luminaires, you don’t have as many to look at when it has to be IP65.

“But it was a very technical project, and we had lots of discussions regarding maintenance, and about lux levels. There were precise restrictions regarding the lux levels in different areas. In the escalators, for example, the first and last steps had to be highlighted with a certain light level, and the colour temperature had to be 4000K in all areas.”

Such limitations meant that WSP had to rethink a number of lighting scenarios that were planned for the station. “From the beginning, there was an idea to have different colour temperatures to underline the movement from when you come down into the station,” Abrahamsson explained.

“It was meant to be a cooler light temperature at the surface, when you had more contact with natural light, and then a warmer light when you descend further down into the station. It was intended to create a visual effect, where visitors could psychologically find the cooler light temperature closer to the surface, but the client didn’t want to have different areas with different colour temperatures at that point.”

Despite these restrictions regarding colour temperature, there are areas where more flexibility was allowed, thanks to the inclusion of a series of art installations.

The appearance of artwork is a common occurrence in underground stations throughout Stockholm – since 1957 artists have played a key role in the design of new stations in the city, while older stations have also been adorned with new statues, murals and installations over time.

The City Station is no exception, and WSP worked with several of the artists whose work is featured in the station. “There were some artworks that didn’t have any special lighting – they consisted of other things like screens, or they just made patterns on the wall – but for others, we worked very closely with the artists from the beginning. We had discussions with each of them at an early stage, and we conducted tests, made 3D renderings and so on, working our way forward from there.”

Alongside the many artworks on display, the station features a unique, swirling ceiling detail in the approach to the main escalators. The detail creates a sense of movement from above, accentuating the feeling of transportation as passengers enter and exit the station. 

Again, WSP were involved with this from an early stage, and as Abrahamsson explained, they had some clear ideas in mind for the lighting design. “The thought was to have a cooler light on one side, and a warmer light on the other, so that you get the shapes in the ceiling with a different colour temperature on either side.

“We wanted to highlight the structure, to underline the movement in the ceiling – so we worked with the designer of the ceiling to do this. We created a 3D model of the ceiling, and made some renderings so that we could figure out the positions of the luminaires.”

Elsewhere, the lighting on the station platforms consisted of integrated Hoffmeister downlights in the ceiling, used in combination with Norka’s linear Brunn luminaires among the platform edges, while the ceiling is also illuminated through Lumenpulse’s Lumenfacade RGBW luminaires.

The lighting nearest to the platform is dynamic, with spotlights illuminating rock walls encased behind glass when no train is in, which serves to show and clarify the entire size of the room. When a train arrives at the station, these spotlights are dimmed down, and narrow-beamed downlights light up the floor area at the glass doors, alerting travellers to the presence of an incoming train.

“We tried to change the way of lighting the station in different areas,” explained Abrahamsson. “In some areas we have normal, direct lighting with recessed luminaires in the ceiling, and in some cases we also have light tubes that illuminate the wall, while in other areas we have backlit glass.

“These were the three main components that we worked with, and we tried to change these as you move through the station to different areas. For example, the backlit glass was good to have at the end of a long corridor to visualise and highlight the end of the corridor, and the change of direction and so on, while the artworks also act as a guidance in this system of tunnels and escalators.”

Completed in 2017, WSP’s involvement in the Citybanan project began back in 2009, and Abrahamsson added that the length of the project did, at times, complicate proceedings.

“When we started planning it in the beginning, we used very few LED luminaires – only some spotlights and downlights were LED, but even then, they were a very early type of LED luminaire.

“It was a very technical, complex project, and because it ran on for such a long time, we had to change our initial choices to LED luminaires at quite a late stage, so in some cases it was hard to make it work with our initial thoughts.”

However, Abrahamsson concluded that despite the challenges that he encountered during the life of the project, he is very satisfied with the outcome. “I think the end result is good, and the client was pleased,” he said.

“I think that what we were talking about initially, that it should have more of an airport feeling than that of a train station, I think that works really well.”

Indeed, by being involved from such an early stage, WSP were able to create an interesting, striking lighting scheme that expertly blends into the unique architecture of the City Station, helping to create a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere for Stockholm’s commuters.

www.wsp.com

by dbell

Blixen, Denmark

While the focus on creating circadian or “Human Centric Lighting” in workspaces has become a fairly common trend in the lighting industry over the last few years, it is particularly pertinent in the Nordic region, where natural lighting can be at a premium.

In Aarhus, Denmark, the local municipality has recently opened Blixen, a new office building, that takes these considerations into action through a series of interesting, dynamic lighting configurations.

Jørgen Kjer, lighting designer at multidisciplinary consultancy group COWI worked with Arkitema Architects to develop new lighting solutions for the office space. He explained how he got involved with the project: “Around a year before commissioning, the Aarhus municipality contacted me to make sure that the lighting in their new building was sufficient.

“They were afraid that it would be getting too little light, not in terms of lux levels - that was predetermined in the scope of the tender - but in terms of there being enough well-lit meeting rooms and office spaces. They also had a number of areas that needed extra attention and special lighting.”

Following two workshop sessions with the municipality, Kjer was brought on board with a brief to upgrade the planned lighting to incorporate more circadian, human-centric fixtures in the office areas and meeting rooms. Alongside this, there was a desire to make the meeting rooms appear brighter and more inviting, while adding individuality to each space, giving them a sense of variety. “The brief also asked us to look at areas that required special lighting; the main entrance, the reception area, the rooftop area, the vertical garden, a couple of atriums and the food court area,” added Kjer.

As COWI Lighting Design came on board once the project had already commenced, it caused some logistical difficulties when it came to placing fixtures, which in turn caused some tension on site. 

“All fixtures for the office space and meeting rooms had fixed positions, and therefore couldn’t be moved,” explained Kjer. “Due to the short time before commissioning, we had to make some quick decisions regarding fly points and fixture positions, because we had to use the present scaffolding.

“It was a friendly fight with the  contractors to place some extra wallwashers, alongside the special lighting. The contractor was, to begin with, quite negative, so during the first couple of months it was a bit of an uphill battle. I did some diplomacy work - everything from bringing cakes to meetings and showing my willingness to cooperate.

“After all this hard work, the contractor was ‘looking forward to seeing all my crazy ideas’, was helpful, and we had a good process for the rest of the project.”

One area in particular that Kjer cited as particularly challenging during the course of his work on the project was the main entrance. The building’s entrance features dramatic artwork on its ceiling, greeting those entering the building. The artwork is an interpretation of downtown Aarhus,corroded into a reflective metal surface. These graphics create very distinctive, beautiful reflections on the pavement, giving a lasting impression to visitors. 

However, lighting this artwork was a challenge for Kjer. “The task was to light up the metal artwork on the ceiling without creating any light spill through the windows, as there were office spaces just on the other side of the glass,” he said.

“After a lot of thinking, cracked the nut and realised that the only way to go was to use profile fixtures and framing projectors recessed into the ground, because placing fixtures on the walls was a big no go from the architect.

“However, the concrete construction on the ground was only 60cm deep. Because of this, we developed three inground boxes, each fitted with a Brother, Brother & Sons (BB&S) Force7 profile spot and a mirror system, which guided the light upwards to the ceiling above.”

Due to the customised solutions, using profile spot technology, there is no ambient light or glare in the office spaces that are situated just on the other side of the façade windows.

On entering the building, visitors are greeted with an impressive ‘artificial sun’ in the reception space. Situated on the ceiling of a large, double height lobby, the large, mirrored disk fills the vast space with a warm, natural-feeling light - in keeping with one of the original parameters of trying to integrate natural lighting alongside artificial light.

“Part of our initial workshop discussions looked at creating bright and welcoming spaces and areas,” Kjer continued. “I suggested a couple of possible solutions for the reception area, but quite quickly the client fell in love with the idea of ‘bringing the sun inside’. After the client had experienced another ‘indoor sun’ that I had made some years previously, it was decided to have the indoor sun in the welcome and reception area.”

The reception area is lit from the ‘sun’ at 500 lux, according to Danish regulations. Illuminated by a secondary reflector and sixteen narrow beam fixtures from Projekleuchten and Delux Denmark, it follows a natural circadian rhythm that Kjer feels the staff are very satisfied to work under.This circadian lighting effect continues throughout the building, with the meeting rooms and office spaces now fitted with a more natural feeling lighting system, complemented in some cases with asymmetric wallwashers that add an interesting, dynamic flair.

One of the main focal points in the new Blixen building is a vast, living vertical garden in one of the central atriums. The addition of living walls or vertical gardens is an emerging trend in office spaces, but such features come with their own special requirements. And at 23-metres in height - one of the largest vertical gardens in Europe - illuminating this vertical garden was another challenge for Kjer and the lighting designers.

“[Lighting the vertical garden] started out before I came into the project,” Kjer said. “The contractor and the architects had a couple of sales reps come up with some suggestions to get the illumination for the garden to the right lux level. Their only solution was to place fixtures on the balconies of each floor.

“When I heard about that, I suggested using some more powerful LED fixtures from the film industry, and to only illuminate it from one point with a very narrow beam, just like the sun. The architect got rid of all the fixtures, and I have been his best friend ever since!”

To ensure illumination was even from top to bottom, COWI used some fresnel-type fixtures on the top to get the distance, and then very narrow beam fixtures on the remainder of the wall. Through a close collaboration with BB&S, COWI developed a lighting set-up made specifically for illuminating the plants with 1200 lux evenly from top to bottom. The setup consisted of 48 CBL Beamers, alongside four LEDheimer fixtures mounted on a customised rig. These fixtures have been configured to dynamically change colour temperature from 2700K to 6500K, thus following the natural lighting pattern throughout the day.

“I have done a couple of vertical gardens before, and I know from plant experts and experience from other projects that 1200 vertical lux is sufficient for the plants that are used in this project,” Kjer added. “However, the 1200 lux needed across twelve hours every day will only occur if there is a skylight. Without this, more artificial light is needed.”

Throughout the Blixen building, COWI has created a natural feeling, subtle lighting design, with the majority coming from hidden or integrated fixtures, whether this is through recessed spotlights, integrated handrail lighting, or fixtures that blend into the fabric of the building. 

These decisions help to bring a clean, crisp feel that complements the sharp lines and minimalist aesthetic of the building’s architecture. While such minimalist design can at times feel cold and impersonal, the focus on circadian light brings an added warmth to the space, creating a pleasant, comforting working environment.

www.cowi.com

by dbell

Radisson Blu Scandinavia, Sweden

Situated in the centre of Gothenburg, Sweden, the Radisson Blu Scandinavia has undergone a dramatic interior renovation, dominated by a remarkable new lighting feature created by Lighting Design Collective (LDC).

The renovation centred around the heart of the hotel – a vast interior atrium overlooked by guest rooms and surrounded by perimeter skylights. The atrium features a bar and café, alongside multi-purpose areas and pre-function spaces.

The interior design, developed by Lundwall Architects, started with darkness as a base material, and the designers worked with LDC to craft a balanced atmosphere, revealing transparencies, integrating lighting into latticed furniture, highlighting textures and playing with reflections.

Barbara Rodriguez, lighting designer at LDC, explained: “Our job was to dialogue with the existing design and find the right balance. Because the interior designers chose a lot of dark and reflective surfaces, this was very interesting for us because as lighting designers we usually try to find some darkness so that we can create some drama, and so there isn’t homogeneity. So we worked with them to try to reveal what was hidden.”

The atrium includes a series of canopies, intended to look like a collection of arches, that lower the height of the space in some areas to create a more intimate feel. Tracks fitted with Reggiani’s Yori projectors have been integrated into the canopies, providing gentle illumination to the spaces below. “Because it is a very big space, the canopies help to create open rooms within the space, and we integrated lighting into them,” added Rodriguez.

The dominant feature of the new renovation, though, is the huge suspended light structure that sits above these canopies. Designed to suit the large scale of the atrium, while functioning as a data-driven ambient communicator, the structure generates luminosity through light patterns, forming an abstract landscape with smooth movements linked to real-time meteorological data.

“The prime generator for the lighting concept was natural light,” explained Rodriguez. “We all live and are influenced through it. The relationship of its movement across the sky sets our body clocks. Flowers crane their heads on a daily cycle to maximise its life-giving benefits. Natural light is an ambient communicator giving us information about the weather, but importantly, also the time of day.”

The feature therefore was born out of a desire to lower the height of the atrium, and bring a sense of the outdoors into the vast, open space.

“It was born because first of all, it was very difficult to light all of this big space, because the ceiling is very far away,” she continued. “So sometimes we did have these canopies and some furniture to attach lighting to, but sometimes there was nothing at all. We thought we could design a feature that could have a double function – functional lighting, but also providing some brightness and flexibility to the space.

“Also, we wanted to create a symbol for the renovation, because it’s an existing hotel – I think the interior façade is from the 1980s, and it has a very strong geometry, which is not necessarily in fashion right now. It’s the central space that all of the rooms look into, and because a lot of activities take place there, we wanted to give it a new look.”

Although there is some connection to the outdoors through the perimeter skylights, Rodriguez also felt that having a large, central feature would connect guests to the sky further. “The atrium is a rectangle, and it has a skylight on the perimeter, and then an opaque ceiling,” she said.

“It’s connected to the outside, so you have views of the sky, which always makes your space feel dim, because the sky is always going to be brighter somehow. But, because it has this huge scale, we thought it would benefit from having a bright object.

“One of the reasons why we proposed to have this luminous surface in the atrium is because on a winter day at 4pm it will be a dim space with a connection to a dark sky, so the daylight in Scandinavia is one of the reasons that we proposed this.”

Furthering this connection to the sky, LDC wanted to make sure that the feature worked well both in daylight and at night, while retaining a very simple design.

“We wanted it to have a very simple geometry, as opposed to the geometry of the existing façades, because it had all these angles and details, so we knew that whatever we designed there, it had to be very clean and minimal. It had to look almost like it was not designed,” said Rodriguez.

“It had to work with daylight and during the night, so we proposed to have these backlit textiles, because if the lighting is not on they just look like clean surfaces.

“In the beginning, it was way bigger, we had to reduce the size of it. Because the space is so big, I think we overdid it. But it’s nice to see that even if you cut it in half, because the ideas are so strong, it still works.”

The feature, controlled by Skandal Technologies’ Poet software, also acts as a digital infrastructure that opens a new revenue channel for the operators, making it easy to create, commission and execute immersive content within the space and renting these as ambient branding for the corporate customers.

In the end, the lighting integrates brand colours together with graphical elements and custom generative content, all brought together in an artfully curated whole, while the feature creates an additional layer of lighting in the space.

“The tables, canopies and the functional lighting for these are on ground level, and the feature piece is always above it, so they work on different levels,” Rodriguez added. “So it feels like it’s part of a ceiling or an artificial sky, part of the ambient, and then the rest of the lighting is at your level. The functional lighting and the light for the tables, is closer to you, and this feature is like a cloud.”

Lighting can have a great impact on the feeling of comfort, while promoting an identity and sense of excitement, creating lively spaces and inviting destinations. The lighting scheme for the Radisson Blu strived for these qualities in an attempt to drive guests’ engagement and sociability to help turn the space into a destination. By introducing a dynamic volume driven by data yet created by light, the hotel’s night time image symbolises its newly renovated and contemporary character, conceptually connecting the atrium with its environment, its happenings and its purpose.

And, Rodriguez believes that the balance achieved through the architectural lighting at the ground level, and the vast structure overhead, helps to create a unified, cohesive scheme. “The architectural light brings balance, so all of this darkness and these surfaces are rendered, and have come to life through light, but it is also functional, so you don’t get lost in that maze,” she said.

“And the feature, I think it brings a lot of flexibility to the space, because if someone rents out the ballroom for an event, they can personalise it, so it makes people feel attached to it. And on the day to day, it’s spectacular. It creates a focal point within the space that before was lost. It was like a little piece of sky, and now they have something to look into every day.”

www.ldcol.com

by dbell

The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, Iceland

For many in the profession, American designer Richard Kelly is considered a pioneer of architectural lighting design, with his three tenets of lighting design - focal glow, ambient luminescence and the play of brilliants - remaining the core theoretical statements of lighting design.

These three concepts, intended to establish a hierarchy and sequence throughout a space, to evoke a relaxing atmosphere and to stimulate the body and spirit with the interplay of light and shadow, have been captured beautifully at the Retreat at Blue Lagoon, a new resort opened at the stunning Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland.

Designed by Basalt Architects, the Blue Lagoon was named one of the 25 wonders of the world by National Geographic in 2012, and since its opening it has promoted the benefits of geothermal seawater for health and wellbeing. 

Continuing this promotion, the Retreat features a subterranean spa carved into the volcanic earth, a terraced geothermal lagoon, a restaurant intended to reinvent Iceland’s culinary heritage, and 62 elegant guest suites, surrounded by the area’s stunning mineral-rich landscape, therefore bringing mind and body into harmony with nature through a journey of relaxation, rejuvenation and exploration.

Because of the beauty of the surrounding environment, a large emphasis was placed on the balance between the natural and the artificial, the buildings and the nature, the indoors and outdoors. With architectural designs that include an abundance of full height windows to connect the interior and the exterior, and the integration of naturally formed lava walls throughout the site, the Retreat is firmly placed within its beautiful surroundings.

To preserve the enchantment and inspiration manifested by Iceland’s natural lighting and the night sky, the architectural lighting, designed by Icelandic studio Liska, was intended to create a relaxing and revitalising atmosphere, complementing the architecture and as such articulating the relationship between nature, human biology and architectural design.

Guðjón L. Sigurðsson of Liska has worked alongside Basalt on the Blue Lagoon since the very beginning. He explained: “Lighting was part of the design conversation from project initiation. Basalt Architects’ design emphasis was on the interaction of modern technology and nature.

“Views into the natural lava fields, the lagoon and the sky were crucial. The architecture is mainly comprised of full height windows, except at the spa and wine cellar, all other areas within the Retreat afford a distinctive view of the outside.”

The central idea of the lighting design was to introduce an elevated and intimate approach to hospitality. A holistic approach was employed, unique to the overarching architectural directive, to bring shape and clarity to the nuanced spatial composition.

This spatial composition is one that, intentionally or not, changed and developed as the project progressed, as Sigurðsson explained: “The Retreat sits deep in the lava, as envisioned by Basalt, to allow the lava formations to mark the perimeter of the lagoon, also forming interior walls of the Spa,” he said.

“We were faced with unforeseen situations uncovered by digging into the lava, but the design followed suit. The wine cellar that sits deep underground wasn’t originally planned for, but only after a massive hole was unearthed while the lava was being dredged up, it was then decided to create a cellar surrounded by the natural lava walls.”

When working on unpredictable grounds such as this, such improvisation may be expected, and while the lighting concept remained constant throughout, Sigurðsson revealed there was a great deal of making things up on the spot. “Even with a firm concept, the design was more or less accomplished on the fly,” he said.

“Almost every aspect of the design was dependent on the lava formation, and how well we could nestle in the Retreat. Nature was given much emphasis. The lighting concept, and the architectural directive, was to underscore the interaction between man-made elements and nature. We only wanted to illuminate the man-made architectural structures and interior elements, leaving the natural lava walls untouched.”

However, at the base of the wine cellar, Liska installed iGuzzini’s LineaLuce fixtures at the perimeter of the walls to showcase the natural iridescent colour of the rocks.”

Such interaction can be also be found in the Moss Restaurant, where interior design consultants Design Group Italia (DGI) designed a large-scale ornamental chandelier above the Chef’s table, comprising 106 individually controllable OLED panels, designed to resemble the multifaceted, columnar structure of volcanic rocks.

Despite the improvisatory nature of some of the spaces, Sigurðsson explained that Liska had a “clear vision on the architectural lighting and overall choreography,” working alongside DGI throughout the project. This was particularly pertinent in the blend between architectural and decorative lighting fixtures.

“It was vital for us to support and fulfil Basalt’s design directive while working our way through our design endeavours,” said Sigurðsson. “The overall lighting (architectural and decorative) was designed to fit our concept, envisioned in collaboration with DGI. The decorative fixtures were decided by DGI - we at Liska peer reviewed their selection for lighting quality and technical aspects.

“We collaborated closely with DGI and Basalt on the decorative elements, their placement and integration within the space to attain a balanced choreography throughout the project.”

Even with the various decorative and architectural elements, light levels throughout the Retreat are carefully controlled and balanced, taking into consideration the amount and availability of natural light. 

All lighting products specified allow for a superior level of comfort, meeting the functional requirements, while at the same time creating a mood and atmosphere for guests to relax and rejuvenate. This has been achieved through the use of indirect, soft and diffused lighting, which serves to reveal the essence of materials, and their delicate textures, while providing an emphasis on the architectural volume.

Liska called on iGuzzini for the majority of the architectural fixtures, with the Italian manufacturer’s Laser Blade providing general lighting at the foyer and restaurant areas, while its Underscore provides a gentle, integrated linear light in the corridors, restrooms and showers, as well as illuminating outdoor steps. Elsewhere, iGuzzini’s Trick was used in window thresholds, and to provide a grazed lighting effect at the lagoon, alongside exterior pathway lighting, installed at the bottom of bollards to graze the motorway and highlight the lava walls that follow the motorway.

Hierarchy is achieved through precise control of light and carefully choreographed light levels. By punctuating carefully controlled lighting, visual contrast was achieved wherever desired. Throughout the spa, lighting was carefully employed to avoid any direct light on guests.

In the guest rooms, biodynamic lighting was employed through the use of iGuzzini’s SoleLuna fixtures, which were especially designed to meet the wellbeing aspect, while achieving all other functional aspects of lighting within the suites.

“We conducted innumerable tests and mock-ups to assess the installation and the appearance, in addition to the lighting quality, visual comfort and controls possibility,” said Sigurðsson. “During one of these tests, the installation was finally settled after a circular luminaire was inserted behind a Clipso membrane. We wanted to achieve a sharp, illuminated edge around the fixture, as well as soft penumbra as perceived around the sun on a cloudy day, in addition to making the fixture completely disappear into the ceiling.”

The fixture was also custom-designed to replicate the effect of the sun and the moon with a faint, diffused halo around it. Programmed to reproduce various phases of the day and night, along with the dark shadows that are perceived on the moon’s surface.

“The guests are afforded the flexibility to tune the light levels and colour temperature of the light, and are able to activate different lighting atmospheres from the keypad installed near the bedhead. A wake up call can also be set to gently and gradually wake up guests with light, not sound,” continued Sigurðsson.

Creating lighting that is beneficial for health and wellbeing was paramount to Sigurðsson and Liska, and he explained that, in a previous project at the Blue Lagoon, he had done some research into this area to find the most beneficial lighting conditions.

“One of the projects at the Blue Lagoon was the medical centre that I designed the lighting for. This centre is mainly for people with skin disease,” he said. “We conducted subjective assessment on the patients’ preference for colour temperature and CRI. From this test we were able to deduce that more warmer colour temperatures were much relief to the patients’ psychological wellbeing, as their skin appeared healthier, not pale or sickness stricken. We specified 2200K cold cathode fixtures back then.

“Here at the Retreat, we have therefore specified fixtures with higher R9 values to allow for better rendering of skin tones. Most light fixtures are warm dim as well. The lighting is designed so that the guests are able to see their surrounds but are not directly illuminated.”

The role of lighting on health and wellbeing is well established, and is something that has been discussed in previous issues of arc. Nowhere is this more apparent than in countries such as Iceland, that feature long summer days with 24 hours of daylight, and the exact opposite in the winter. Such drastic weather conditions meant that special measures had to be taken in the lighting design.

“As many of us are aware of Iceland’s long summer days, we wanted to attain complete darkness in the guest rooms, blocking out any natural light permeating into the rooms, and no indicator lights from appliances that would disrupt guests’ sleep. While in the case of those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, they can have artificial daylight in the rooms when It is dark out during the long winter nights of Iceland.

“First and foremost though, visibility and visual comfort were important considerations, as on most projects. The balanced interplay between daylighting and electric lighting, between quantitative use of light and its distribution, its interspatial relationship and colour temperature of lighting were some of the major lighting considerations at the Retreat.”

Although technology was used to facilitate the design intentions throughout the Retreat, the concept was to establish a seamless connection, and to integrate the elements of the design with nature, human biology and architecture, therefore creating sublime, experiential spaces where lighting and architecture are conceived as one and the same.

This, Sigurðsson feels, comes through the overall use of subtle and minimalistic lighting, while not compromising on functional aspects. “With architecturally concealed light fixtures, working with colour temperature of light as opposed to colours, and careful integration of natural and electric lighting to preserve the quality of light, with light underlining the architectural planes and interior elements, utilising concentrated cones of light to create drama while avoiding lighting up the ceiling planes, we were able to create a cozy and intimate ambiance.”

Richard Kelly’s three concepts have become a common mantra for lighting designers around the world, and for good reason. When effectively implemented, they can create beautiful, inspiring environments, and this is perfectly highlighted at the Retreat at Blue Lagoon, with its subtle yet moving lighting scheme that greatly contributes to the resort’s feeling of relaxation and rejuvenation, health and wellbeing.

www.liska.is

by dbell