Swarovski Headquarters Shines in Martin Light

Luxury crystal glass brand Swarovski recently graced its headquarter building in Wattens (Tyrol), Austria in a nearly 250 meter long transparent metal curtain. The fabric, made of 26,250,000 flexible stainless steel rings, rises ten meters in height and is dynamically illuminated by 133 Martin Professional Inground 200™ color changers.

The Martin Inground 200 fixtures, whose stainless steel enclosure rings, glass and cover met Swarovski’s high material and design requirements, are embedded in the ground along the inner path of the curtain.

The unique curtain’s sleek, sculptural fabric, which defies weather and corrosion, interacts with the sun and passing clouds in a fascinating play of light and shadow. At dusk, the light show begins as static color scenes interact with the shifting shades of the evening sky.
Through gentle color changes, the visual impression of the curtain material is transformed. Sometimes the curtain is lit in a rich gold-tone; at other times in a mystical blue or a clear, bright white. At times it is illuminated in a variety of colors, like a light refractive crystal, continuously changing the curtain’s appearance.

"The main task was to illuminate the stainless steel curtain in the evening and to that end powerful and visually appealing inground luminaires were sought,” commented lighting designer Stephan Löper. “The fixture had to have a color and a dimmer feature and after a market analysis the Martin Professional Inground 200 was chosen as the best fixture. We were able to verify our choice by a 1:1 test.”

The 150 W Inground 200 is a robust and corrosion-resistant IP 65/67 luminaire available in full spectrum CMY color mixing, six-color, or single color versions. The system provides programmable dimming for 0-100% intensity control. Designed for outdoor use, it is perfectly suited for the dynamic illumination of facades, buildings, structures, and landscapes. Ideal for applications where drive-over ability is important, the fixture’s high quality steel and tempered glass holds loads of up to 5 tons, and a double glass cover keeps the surface temperature low to enable unproblematic use in pedestrian zones and green areas.

Lighting Design: FOUR TO ONE: scale design GmbH, Hürth, www.4-to-1.de

Project Management: Michael Schmidt (m.schmidtQ4-to-1.de) and Stephan Löper (s.loeper @ 4-to-1.de)

Programming / Operator: Marcus Boßdorf, mbossdorf@t-online.de  

Architect: Design Studio Regina Dahmen-Ingenhoven, Dusseldorf, www.drdi.de  

Lighting Supply: NEXT Move, Münster

Installation: Fiegl & Spielberger, Innsbruck

Electrical Design: A3 Jenewein Ingenieurbüro GmbH, www.jenewein-a3.at