Flexible, perception-oriented, sustainable: ERCO light in the Stiehl/Over/Gehrmann office

For its new office in Osnabrück, brand communication agency Stiehl/Over/Gehrmann opted for sustainable lighting with ERCO. The light can be adapted flexibly and individually to changing office layouts. Kai Alexander Gehrmann, one of the agency's three-person management team, was also keen for the lighting to have a high level of visual comfort, consume as little energy as possible and blend well visually into the prestigious interior.

A lighting solution with track proved to be the perfect solution for the agency for two reasons. On the one hand, the power grid of the rented office space could not be changed, meaning an adaptive infrastructure for the lighting was needed. And on the other, the most important requirement could be met: maximum flexibility.

How light remains flexible

Flexibility is part of the DNA of an agency. Applied to the office scenario, agile working and togetherness must be made possible – be it for individual or group work or informal conversations over coffee. This in turn requires different workstation constellations that can be quickly adapted to new teams. In order to be able to quickly implement a changed desk arrangement or a new office layout, the lighting also has to be flexible. Downlights for track are the ideal solution to the need for adaptability, as required by today's modern working environments.

In the Stiehl/Over/Gehrmann office, an infrastructure of suspended Hi-trac track was installed for the purpose. Hi-trac has a higher profile compared to standard track, which means that suspension points can be up to 4m apart. As in any other track, the luminaires can be repositioned and aligned without tools. This allows users to rapidly modify the lighting to changed settings. In the office, ERCO Jilly downlights for track provide standard-compliant lighting for office workstations. This luminaire model combines the local flexibility of track luminaires with the visual comfort of downlights. Special oval light distributions geared to the linear arrangement of desks also permit wide spacing between luminaires.

A conscious use of light as a resource

Track systems are ideal for implementing a zoned lighting concept in offices. Light is only used where it is needed, and in the agency, aligned to the desks. This also means that it is omitted where it is not needed – a lighting design approach that promotes the resource-saving use of light and thus energy. With zoned lighting, energy consumption can be reduced by around 50%, as opposed to illuminating the entire room.

Parscan spotlights with flood distribution (approx. 30°) illuminate the walls extremely uniformly, thus providing general lighting. Since vertically illuminated surfaces create a higher impression of brightness in human perception, a better and subjectively brighter impression of the space is created. The general lighting is combined with accent lighting. For example, Parscan spotlights with narrow spot distribution (approx. 8°) emphasise the agency logo at the entrance above the reception desk. The combination structures the space, creates hierarchies of perception and makes the rooms more attractive.

Incidentally, a connection between the brand communication agency and the luminaire manufacturer also exists on another level. The agency manages the iconographic pictograms of Otl Aicher (1922 - 1991), who also created the corporate design for ERCO in the 1970s.

For further information about the sustainable lighting strategy, see: www.erco.com/greenology.

Project data

Project: Siehl/Over/Gehrmann Office, Osnabrück / Germany
Architecture: Plan Concept Architekten, Osnabrück / Germany
Photography: Lukas Palik, Düsseldorf / Germany
Products: Jilly, Parscan
Photo credits: © ERCO GmbH, www.erco.com, Photography: Lukas Palik