Zumtobel Group Campus and New Light Forum
Commissioned by Zumtobel Group, Snøhetta has developed a Campus Masterplan for the lighting company’s headquarters in the City of Dornbirn, Austria. Distinctive architectural features are intended to strengthen the brand image of the Zumtobel Group and newly created public spaces will reconnect the companies’ facilities to the city structure of Dornbirn.
The first step in the realization of this long-term investment is the refurbishment of an old factory hall and its conversion into a new Light Forum. The dynamic space concept for the Light Forum provides for a flexible setting for different types of use with the central element being a co-creation space. The large hall offers plenty of opportunities for interplay between open zones, serving as a stage and meeting place, and thematically defined areas. The unique architectural space will provide a platform promoting exchange and networking, and will function as a lively place where customers, partners, employees and the public can meet and exchange thoughts and ideas.
Based on the initiative and conceptual idea of Herbert Resch of Zumtobel Group, the overall Campus idea reimagines the company’s dual role as international player in the lighting industry, as well as a historically based family business strongly rooted in the region. This forward-thinking approach documents the company’s commitment to its home location. Moreover, the re-use and the re-qualification of existing structures interwoven with Dornbirn’s urban fabric is an important contribution to a sustainable and long-term development of the city’s area.
In the extensive old factory hall, a generous staircase made of wood will provide a central space, where people get together, talk, work and where new things can be created. Next to a lounge area, it serves as a meeting point and atrium. Situated at the center of the hall, the space gives the 4,000-square-metre area a spatial structure.
Cubes create a flexible framework for the presentation of new technologies, products, and lighting expertise.
This flexibility and mobility in utilisation characterise the new Light Forum as a place of interaction which can respond to a wide range of requirements. With an art and culture space as part of the new Light Forum, the Zumtobel Group will also open up to external exhibitions in the future. Cultural initiatives are intended to strengthen the social context and the company’s dialogue with the public.
