Nice and bright, please

ewo is regarded as an expert when it comes to lighting in the public domain. Jyske Bank chose various new Cortensteel models from the FA System for the grounds of its headquarters in the Danish town Silkeborg.

12/12/2016

Årstiderne Arkitekter designed the Jyske Bank headquarters in Silkeborg, Denmark, which is so very bright thanks its numerous windows. Outside lighting units by ewo illuminate the surroundings.
Photo: Niels Nygaard

Denmark, as we all know, is in the far north. Not without reason have Danes have been preoccupied with lighting, regardless of whether inside or outside, ever since electricity was invented. And they have long since been concerned not just with the quality of the luminaires’ design, but also with issues such as energy saving, sustainability, and climate protection, because the time the luminaires are in use, in particular those outside, is in some cases extremely long.

Based in northern Italy, the family-run company ewo has specialized in energy-saving LED luminaires for illuminating all size of projects. The bollard and column lighting units in its “FA Systems” have recently gone into operation in Silkeborg, where the Danish firm of architects Årstiderne Arkitekter built new headquarters for Bankdata, a Jyske Bank affiliated company. Clad in white brick, the building looks like a friendly castle. The facade has numerous windows, some of them surrounded by a rust-colored steel frame. The outside lighting units in the “FA System” reflect precisely this element.

The bollard and column lighting units from ewo’s “FA System” illuminate pathways and parking spaces. No light points upwards, thus avoiding the phenomenon of “light pollution”.
Photo: Niels Nygaard

A rusty patina gives rise to the red hue. It forms on the Cortensteel which, through the addition of copper, chrome, and nickel, boasts a corrosion-resistant alloy insulating layer. This insulating layer makes the steel weather-resistant, and as such suitable for long-term outside use. The high and low “FA” models illuminate the forecourt of the company HQ and the parking spaces. The effect is very harmonious, as if there were a single source of light: “Our aim was to emphasize the building’s special character and create something suitable,” landscape architect Susan Honoré Nielsen says. “The ewo system is perfect for the building.” The “FA System” luminaires are fitted with modular LED light units. Each luminaire can be equipped individually and aligned as needed. This enables light to be distributed to suit the given circumstances. The effect in Silkeborg is extremely harmonious; this is due on the one hand to the lighting concept, and on the other to the materiality. (ua)