Shown in the best light

In the picturesque village of St. Gilgen on the shores of Lake Wolfgang, architect Peter Dokulil has transformed a former commercial property into the perfect office space as a way of literally showcasing his work in the best light.

Anyone passing through the Austrian village of St. Gilgen by Lake Wolfgang cannot fail to notice a three-storey ensemble of buildings, centrally located on Mozartplatz, with eye-catching painted details. The left section of this complex has been owned by the architect’s family for several generations and is characterised by traditional Austrian balconies in dark wood against a yellow-painted façade. In the past, the commercial premises on the ground floor have housed all kinds of businesses, from shops to banking service providers.

Different lighting moods in modern offices

When the previous occupier, a bank branch, moved out in 2020, the owner decided to transform the premises – which benefit from being situated in a highly visible central location – into around 85 square metres of office and presentation space for his own architectural practice.

The architect and lighting designer, who specialises in premium-quality lighting systems for structures with high aesthetic design requirements, such as churches, art spaces, conference rooms, restaurants and façades, had one important mission in mind: to present a range of different lighting moods in the open-plan office that would give potential customers an instant impression of the versatile possibilities offered by lighting design.

In the new offices, this is achieved using understated glare-free LED light sources integrated into the ceiling, which subtly supplement the natural light flooding in through the windows with artificial daylight-colour light during the day. When dusk falls, individually adapted control technology is used to ensure that the lighting, and hence the lighting mood, changes to warm, cosy tones. This new office setup offers customers and partners the opportunity to experience the advantages of optimised lighting scenarios tailored to specific requirements in a single space.

Combining light, design and optimal acoustics

The combination of acoustically effective ceilings and integrated lighting is becoming an increasingly important part of the lighting designer’s work. In fact, he has already successfully blended sophisticated lighting schemes with design-oriented acoustic ceilings in several projects – an aspect that is crucial to user acceptability of architectural designs.

By installing the Troldtekt® line design solution in his own office, the architect has once again succeeded in combining exclusive lighting design, superior acoustics and a healthy indoor climate with characterful aesthetic appeal.