Courtesy Zumtobel GroupZumtobel Group's new Lichtforum, a little more than 5,000 square feet, will be located on the the top floor of the UP Building in Amsterdam.
Austrian lighting company, Zumtobel Group is set to open Lichtforum (light forum) in Amsterdam by the end of January. The new facility, on the top floor of the UP Building, one of the city’s tallest buildings, will host programs dedicated to architecture, light, and technology. It will also include LightLAB, an innovation incubator for the Group’s brands: Zumtobel, Thorn, and Tridonic.
The concept for such a gathering spot stems from discussions with the company’s customers and technology partners and the desire for a space that would foster collaboration between architects, lighting designers, universities, and technology experts. “Amsterdam is an extremely attractive location for our industry,” said Ulrich Schumacher, Zumtobel Group CEO. “As well as engaging in intensive dialogue with some of the world’s leading architects, at this international hub we will also be able to work alongside some exciting technology partners. Our declared aim in this era of the Internet of Things is to develop new and innovative business models in the field of lighting. In pursuit of this goal, our new Amsterdam Lichtforum with its international team will be an important innovation driver for Zumtobel Group as a whole.”
Additionally, Thorn will have its own luminaire concept development team at the Amsterdam location, allowing for a short commute--an hour flight--to the brand’s main factory in Spennymoor, County Durham, United Kingdom.
“In the age of LED technology we need to study the latest trends more closely than ever – be it in terms of new materials, software solutions, sensor technology or communications electronics,” said Van der Heide. “In the new LightLAB we have the ideal place to develop concepts for the future, for knowledge transfer and to inspire our development teams around the world. But we will also be realizing very special, customer-specific lighting projects in Amsterdam that will pave the way for whole new business models for us.”
Elizabeth Donoff is Editor-at-Large of Architectural Lighting (AL). She served as Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2017. She joined the editorial team in 2003 and is a leading voice in the lighting community speaking at industry events such as Lightfair and the International Association of Lighting Designers Annual Enlighten Conference, and has twice served as a judge for the Illuminating Engineering Society New York City Section’s (IESNYC) Lumen Award program. In 2009, she received the Brilliance Award from the IESNYC for dedicated service and contribution to the New York City lighting community.
Over the past 11 years, under her editorial direction, Architectural Lighting has received a number of prestigious B2B journalism awards. In 2017, Architectural Lighting was a Top Ten Finalist for Magazine of the Year from the American Society of Business Publication Editors' AZBEE Awards. In 2016, Donoff received the Jesse H. Neal Award for her Editor’s Comments in the category of Best Commentary/Blog, and in 2015, AL received a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Media Brand (Overall Editorial Excellence).
Prior to her entry into design journalism, Donoff worked in New York City architectural offices including FXFowle where she was part of the project teams for the Reuters Building at Three Times Square and the New York Times Headquarters. She is a graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Me., and she earned her Master of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.
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