The office furniture manufacturer Blaha in Austria is one of the foremost suppliers in its field. At its headquarters in Korneuburg, the company operates a showroom displaying furniture systems and acoustic systems with eye-catching effect. At once presentation and sales area, communication forum and workspace, the architecture requires a sophisticated lighting system. ERCO’s Opton spotlight with flexible Spherolit technology lends itself perfectly to the implementation of a complex lighting concept.

Since its opening in 2001, the Blaha showroom, introduced as an ‘Office Ideas Centre’, has served both business and private customers.
It is located in a remarkable building, which is based on plans drawn by the architectural office of Eichinger oder Knechtl. In premises with a floor space of around 4000 sqm extending over three levels, the furniture brand presents a diverse mix of high-quality products. Its range includes assorted furniture and acoustic systems offered with a variety of textiles, surface options and colours.

The lighting in the showroom was behind the times and needed upgrading. A new lighting concept was required that would meet a diverse set of requirements to the high standards of Blaha. The lighting was to give structure to the spacious facilities, yet accentuate
individual products and product ensembles effectively. This comprehensive undertaking stipulated a minimum number of luminaires with the lowest possible wattage to achieve this end – without compromising on the visual comfort.

LED light for perfect colour rendition
The central criterion, however, was to ensure optimal colour rendition. The products by Blaha feature a remarkably wide selection of textiles and surfaces, most of which are available in a variety of colours. Blaha promotes these materials and their colour variety with attention-grabbing installations. The contract award, therefore, hinged on natural and brilliant colour reproduction that would reveal the wide array of colours with its many subtle nuances – especially in the pastel range. With a luminaire range based completely on LED technology since 2015, ERCO offers light of a brilliance and precision that predestined it for this lighting task.

Flexible lighting situations with a single spotlight
ERCO prevailed in every aspect with a single lighting tool – the Opton spotlight. As the ideal tool for shop lighting, Opton combines flexibility and efficiency with high lumen packages and excellent light quality. In the showroom, the luminaire masters the diversity of tasks with 18W and variable distribution options. The warm white light maximises the colour rendition, sets off the surfaces in optimal ways and creates a welcoming ambience. Accent lighting with different focal points structures the open room and illuminates the products in diverse choice settings – similar to the illumination of museum artefacts. The Spherolit lenses, specially developed by ERCO, enable the different light distribution patterns of the spotlight with very precise and uniform beams.

Focused lighting for professional consultations
The heart of the showroom, the bar area and communication forum extending over three levels, is illuminated by Opton 18W with narrow spot characteristic. Thanks to ERCO photometrics specially developed for LED technology, the light bridges the distance of around 25 m effortlessly here. The spotlights offer optimal visual comfort with excellent glare control for concentrated talks. Mounted above the consultation tables they create a communicative, pleasantly bright and friendly working atmosphere. As a result, Opton combines perfect light for professional consultations and concentrated dialogue.

Images copyright ERCO GmbH
Photography by Gustavo Allidi Bernasconi