With this 22,000 m² shopping centre, which is named “Žilina’s new heart”, the architect has managed to create a fascinating mix of traditional and contemporary architecture. The shopping centre is essentially composed of a circular structure with adjoining rectangular building parts.

In close collaboration with the architect, state-of-the-art luminaires and lighting control systems have been installed to provide maximum convenience and a feel-good atmosphere in passageways, lounge areas and restaurants. In the individual areas, light has been used for varying purposes: providing a brilliant interplay of colours, soft ambient lighting or visual guidance. For the core of the façade, an unusual special LED solution was developed, which reveals itself only when darkness falls. Then, some 2000 LED spots create a magically luminous shell around the entrance. Via DMX control, each compact LED spotlight can be controlled separately.

The interior lighting system features energy-efficient luminaires with daylight-based control and high lighting quality. Uniform ambient lighting in the large hall is provided by downlights. Light lines guide customers through the passageways. For the general illumination of corridors and passageways, the Cielos modular lighting system has been installed: clusters of 2 x 2 luminaires in intermediate light colour create a superior feel-good ambience as well as a seemingly airy ceiling.

In addition to Panos Infinity LED downlights, which cannot fail to impress on account of their excellent lighting quality and colour rendering, the Supersystem LED lighting system has been installed. By integrating them into the LUXMATE Professional lighting management system, individual luminaires or luminaires arranged in various groups can be switched on/off or dimmed as required to optimise the quantity of light and thus energy consumption. Even the state-of-the art LED emergency lighting system is controlled and monitored by the intelligent system.

With its new shop concept, SPAR has set an example: almost at the same time, the first climate-protection supermarkets were opened in Austria. For these supermarkets, Zumtobel developed a uniform lighting concept based on LED luminaires only. In combination with other innovative structural measures, the branches save 50% of energy and up to 80 t of CO2.

It was the first time that the Tecton continuous-row lighting system used for general lighting had been fitted with LEDs, resulting in numerous benefits for the client: good thermal management inside the luminaire ensures a long service life of the light-emitting diodes, thus dramatically reducing maintenance efforts and related costs. In addition, the LEDs’ IR- and UV-free radiation is gentle on groceries. Tecton LED’s visual appearance, a consistent narrow light line of extremely high lighting quality, uninterrupted by dark zones at the luminaire ends, is also quite impressive.

In order to highlight shelves and products, LED spotlights were installed in the multi-functional trunking unit. The result is a consistent appearance of the lighting solution in the retail area, while swivelling spotlights enable staff members to flexibly illuminate product displays subject to seasonal changes.

The cash point areas are brightened up by square CAREENA LED luminaires. Arranged consistently above the individual aisles, they facilitate orientation. Even for side rooms and emergency lighting, LED luminaires were chosen, and with good reason: the Panos Infinity LED downlight, for example, is over 70% more efficient than downlights fitted with conventional compact fluorescent lamps. As to the Resclite LED emergency luminaire, the client benefits from its low installed load.

Sustainable lighting attracts customers forever

With its store in Frankenthal, Douglas, Europe’s leading beauty store chain, has set standards in terms of resource saving. Following thorough analysis of its power consumption, Douglas has chosen a highly innovative and future-oriented approach to set up an energy management system for the new 300 square metre store. For the first time, the entire lighting system has been implemented using LEDs only. Compared with the reference store in Speyer fitted with conventional lighting technology, it has been possible to save 50% of energy costs by the new lighting solution alone.

Furthermore, saving resources also means using luminaires with longer service lives, so that complicated and costly replacement and storage of lamps become redundant. With their average service life of 50,000 hours, Zumtobel's LED luminaires are the perfect solution. Nearly free from UV and IR radiation, the light emitted by the LED also guarantees gentle illumination of delicate goods on display.

Another benefit of LED luminaires is the option of creating dynamic lighting scenarios. Using the LUXMATE Emotion lighting control system, brightness levels can be adjusted depending on daylight and room situation. Preprogrammed lighting scenes follow a meaningful concept. The levels of lighting intensity can be changed individually at any time, allowing salespersons to personally adjust dynamic colour sequences.

For general lighting, square CAREENA LEDs were arranged in clusters of six luminaires each. Similar to a skylight, these luminaires brighten up the room, attracting customers' eyes into the depth of the room. The special feature of the CAREENA luminaire is its accurate mix of yellow and red high-performance LEDs, producing a pleasant colour temperature of 3500 K that remains stable throughout the entire service life, achieving optimum colour rendering values. Accent lighting and shelf lighting were implemented using gimbal-mounted semi-recessed LED downlights, the luminous flux of which exceeds a 35 W high-pressure discharge lamp and meets Douglas' high demands on colour rendering quality.

Natural beauty

The “Body Shop” chain of cosmetics stores makes a point of keeping to environmentally compatible and sustainable methods in manufacturing their product lines. In doing so, the international brand relies on naturalness, not only with respect to cosmetics. Eco-friendly aspects are also taken into account when it comes to shop design and illumination. In Switzerland, the first shop concepts featuring LED-only illumination have now been implemented. The benefits: owing to their compact design, LED luminaires enable unobtrusive installation, especially in smaller shops, while CO2 consumption and costs are reduced thanks to energy-efficient, low-maintenance light sources. All this is combined with gentle high-quality lighting – without any harmful UV radiation and without high levels of thermal output.

Even shops with a rather small retail space of 50 m² convey a pleasant atmosphere, which is particularly obvious in Emmen. This ambience is created by the LED lighting system including PANOS Infinity LED downlights and DISCUS LED spotlights. Recessed versions of both luminaire ranges have been installed unobtrusively in the grid ceiling. The uncluttered interior design is enhanced by the uniform arrangement of the luminaires. In addition, a large shop window allows passers-by to have a look at the products on display from outside. Thus, the harmonious feel-good atmosphere prevailing indoors is extended towards the street, inviting window-shoppers to enter the store.

Thanks to the LED downlights’ superior lighting quality and very good colour rendering, the retail space is provided with pleasant ambient lighting. Nevertheless, the LED spotlights can be rotated through 360° and pivoted through +/- 90° to provide the shelves at the side walls with exactly the right accent lighting, skilfully putting the focus on the products. Both LED product ranges feature a modern stylistic idiom, very good lighting quality and high energy efficiency. Thanks to luminaire efficiency of up to 77 lumens per watt, which has no equal on the market, PANOS Infinity in particular shows that high-quality LED technology has by now outcompeted traditional compact fluorescent lamps in terms of efficiency and lighting quality. This makes the LED downlight more than 70% more efficient than conventional compact fluorescent lamps.

Levi’s Green Store situated at the heart of Paris showcases a compact brand world that wholly incorporates the criteria of sustainability into the brand image. Recycling materials and reducing the consumption of energy required for operation are aspects that have been fully integrated into the design concept of the LEED-certified store.

Consisting of steel sections and plain wooden boards, the robust shelves obviously do not resist their patina. Some of the wall elements and free-standing partitions were taken from previous Levi’s stores and recycled at the Green Store. In line with this vintage look, the naked walls in the retail space are bare of any plaster or paint. In terms of ceiling design, the team of designers opted for a reduction of materials and opted against environmentally questionable varnishes or optical covers. Yet, all those technical cables and suspension cords that are visible do not at all interfere with the overall design concept, but rather complement it.

At the Green Store, special importance is attached to reducing power consumption. The store’s lighting system has been developed with a clear focus on LED technology. LEDs allow flexible adjustment to changing seasonal requirements, set new standards thanks to reduced power consumption, and boast a considerably longer service life than conventional light sources. The LED spots installed in the shop window add bright highlights to the jeans models on display. A daylight sensor dims the lighting points depending on incident sunlight and weather conditions. In addition to daylight, the retail space's ambient lighting is achieved by means of four square LED light fields suspended from the ceiling. Moreover, special accents are created by spotlights flexibly mounted on a continuous track fixed on the ceiling. The spotlights can easily be rotated and pivoted to realign them to a new collection as required.

In order to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's high environmental standards, it was necessary to ensure environmental compatibility also with regard to other aspects of everyday life, apart from technological and aesthetic solutions – whether it is using recycled paper in the office, purchasing electricity from a green supplier, or setting up a recycling box for used jeans in the store.

Serbia's most recently opened and biggest shopping centre, the Ušće in Belgrade, combines 140 shops, a number of cafés and restaurants, a multiplex cinema, ninepins alleys and gambling halls and, last but not least, a supermarket with a floor space of 4000 m² to form an integral whole.

The Ušće architecture is characterised by striking contrasts. The dominant façade in signal red attracts customers like a magnet, while the clear, calm and bright interior invites them to stay. “Our task was to create a setting to incorporate many different stores. Therefore we used lots of white – so that all attention remains focussed on the products offered in the retail and food areas”, architect Gerardo Sannella describes the design concept.

The fascinating contrast between inside and outside is continued in the lighting design resulting from close collaboration between lighting designers and electricians. While the façade of the shopping center is brightly illuminated by high-intensity light sources, calming accent lighting is provided by the luminaires inside. The galleries are spanned by wide atriums incorporating three “naves” and four floors. In the evening, daylight is replaced by a combination of XENO spotlights and MIROS projectors/mirrors providing soft light flowing downwards. Suspended ceilings, recesses and protrusions create spaces to accommodate a continuous-row system where relaxing zones alternate with stimulating areas.

Above the main entrance and in the central areas, warm and bright light is provided by luminous ceilings. In addition, downlights provide pinpoint accent lighting to guide visitors along the shopping streets. Now and then, narrow light lines reminiscent of illuminated bar codes have been added. Most luminaires can be dimmed, which is perceived by visitors as more attractive than illuminance levels that never change. The entire installation is controlled via the LUXMATE Professional lighting management system.

At the Ušće shopping centre, architecture and lighting have been matched perfectly to supplement each other in an ideal manner. It is not the individual luminaires that are put centre stage, but the overall impression.

The dramatic composition of telecommunications

The telecommunications provider with the magenta-coloured T opened one of eight European pilot shops in Vienna. A special shop-fitting concept was developed for these stores: thanks to new furniture, the barrier effect of conventional shop-fitting is a thing of the past. Individual counters were placed in the centre of the room, while the customer advice areas were turned into small conference booths with high backrests or seating cubes in the shop window. Touchscreens integrated into table tops and counters allow a multimedia-based dialogue between customer and sales staff.

Upon entering the new world of T-Mobile, there is one thing you notice immediately: the entire branch on the first floor of the splendid T-Center is ablaze in the company's corporate colour. The magenta shines more intensely now, since the illuminance level in the surrounding space has been reduced. “It was a deliberate decision to strengthen the brand identity and create an exciting contrast to the white surfaces for presentation and customer advice”, explains the lighting designer. The crucial design feature is, however, not the colour, but the dramatic composition. While in the past most stores had been uniformly, if little enthrallingly, lit, the concept now implemented in Vienna boasts decidedly targeted illumination. Wherever light is required to illuminate task areas, customer advice areas or products, it shines brightly; everywhere else it fades into the background, allowing for high levels of contrast. The most difficult part was the illumination of the various screens. Thanks to detailed planning it has been possible to avoid reflections on the surfaces so that the information displayed remains clearly visible.

The architectural design is enhanced through diffuse illumination combined with targeted spots, which calms down the overall shop design. Arranged in a regular pattern, 2LIGHT square recessed luminaires are integrated into the ceiling. Moreover, VIVO spotlights, which are often used in display windows, and RESCLITE emergency luminaires have been installed. LEDs were mounted above the conference tables as well as in the acoustically muffled seating cubes – providing high-precision lighting and saving energy, which is proved by the shop's energy balance: with an output of 15 W to 20 W per square metre, more than half of the energy costs can be saved thanks to this concept.

All their lives, Armand and Martine Hadida have strived for perfection. The visionary couple has now opened their sixth showroom. Claiming to be more than a simple retail store, the most recent offspring perfectly fits into the chain of existing stores. Whether selected designer fashion or the highly coveted Microsoft Surface Table, there is room for everything at L’Eclaireur – except for boredom.

“It is not a store, it is an experience”, is how Arne Quinze describes the most recent branch of L’Eclaireur. On a floor space of 450 m², collections by renowned designers from all over the world are presented. At L’Eclaireur, it is the combination of state-of-the-art high-end technology and recycled materials that creates a fascinating field of tension. Two tons of untreated wooden planks, ancient printing plates and card-boards sprayed with gloss paint provide a marked contrast to the 147 animated video screens showing the eyes of shop designer Arne Quinze's wife, Barbara Becker.

The interplay of light and shadow has been choreographed by a skilful master. The person responsible for this is lighting designer Aysil Sari, who, in collaboration with Zumtobel, developed the SUPERSYSTEM lighting system, which allows focussed illumination also from great heights. The track-mounted 2.5 W LED spots boast UV- and IR-free lighting without producing any heat – qualities which are especially important for the presentation of clothes. The elevated areas and the changing rooms are illuminated in a multi-facetted way by a further developed version of SUPERSYSTEM, a square 4-spot module. “Someone who chooses an extraordinary shop concept like that is not looking for a ready-made lighting solution, but a futuristic solution. In collaboration with Zumtobel it was possible to develop and implement such a solution”, the lighting designer explains.

First LINARIA project implemented
Due to its extremely slim-line design and excellent colour rendition, the LINARIA batten luminaire is especially suitable for use in prestigious areas. Installed to form a continuous row on the ceiling, the individual LINARIA light lines brighten up the main rooms of the specialist store as well as the lower corridor area. Thus, LINARIA’s linear design is perfectly in line with the specialist store’s modern architectural and interior style.

Light and space in harmony
Upon entering the store, the customers’ full attention is drawn to the products by perfectly positioned LED spots. Customers are directed into the store in a sophisticated way by architecture and light. A corridor lined with dark shelves leads customers along CD systems and loudspeakers by all relevant manufacturers. In this area, the multifunctional SUPERSYSTEM lighting system and HEDERA LED light lines are the only sources of light.

Various rooms branching off the corridor add a pleasant living-room ambience to the store: walnut-design floors, thick carpets and white leather sofas invite customers to stay for a while, to look, listen, and try. Stairs lead further down to the lower floor, where other small, yet elegant rooms branch off an all-white L-shaped corridor. The living room-style cubicles are pleasantly illuminated by CARDAN-SPIRIT recessed luminaires. On the lower floor, Zumtobel's lighting solution package is supplemented by PASO II floor-recessed LED luminaires and 2LIGHT MINI recessed downlights with built-in Revox loudspeakers.

The largest and up-to-date shopping centre in the east of Switzerland is located to the west of the city. A remarkable construction has been completed two years after building work first commenced.
Visitors have a choice of 50 fashion, jewellery, electronics and sports shops as well as food outlets in total, on the sales area of 30,000 m² of the Shopping Arena St.Gallen. The area also includes an IKEA furniture shop and the FC St.Gallen football stadium, conveniently located between two motorway routes. Ideal utilisation and accessibility of the three-store building complex is ensured by synergic use of the car parking facilities by shoppers during the day and football fans in the evenings, coupled with the central connection to the local traffic system. The Shopping Arena’s football pitch is however the architectural highlight – an impressive feature above the shopping centre located underground. This unique example of multiple usage of space combines impressive design and extravagance.Visitors have a choice of 50 fashion, jewellery, electronics and sports shops as well as food outlets in total, on the sales area of 30,000 m² of the Shopping Arena St.Gallen. The area also includes an IKEA furniture shop and the FC St.Gallen football stadium, conveniently located between two motorway routes. Ideal utilisation and accessibility of the three-store building complex is ensured by synergic use of the car parking facilities by shoppers during the day and football fans in the evenings, coupled with the central connection to the local traffic system. The Shopping Arena’s football pitch is however the architectural highlight – an impressive feature above the shopping centre located underground. This unique example of multiple usage of space combines impressive design and extravagance.

On the ground floor, the floors are white and brightly illuminated while the ceiling is dark, giving the shopping arcade a floating character. The colour scheme of basement level 1 located underneath is completely white.

In cooperation with the renowned lighting specialists at Bartenbach LichtLabor, the architects opted for a special lighting solution. The 'slotlight series’ is based on the idea of a multifunctional lighting system that allows diverse lighting to be produced using identical ceiling mirrors and a uniform lighting geometry. Fitted with energy-efficient metal vapour lamps that are remarkable with respect to long operating life, high luminous efficacy and good colour rendering, the lighting concept can be said to be a highlight from an economic point of view as well.  With a power input of only 20 W/m², the Shopping Arena has a significantly lower energy requirement compared to other shopping centres.

Narrowed light outlet openings concentrate the light to form decorative islands of light on the floor. A stylish interaction of shadow and light is achieved by the precision of this illumination, positively opening up the entire Shopping Arena premises for visitors to make use of. The slotlights used here, also known as 'artificial suns’ make use of 4,200 K to create sunlight effects, in conjunction with a true-to-life- colour rendering, achieve an ideal indoor atmosphere.  In contrast to the sophisticated floor lighting, the downlights make the ceiling look like a bright starry sky. This makes the Shopping Arena a stage transporting visitors to stimulating and fascinating worlds by means of a highly engaging combination of light, colour and material.