It is definitely not a stage for large-scale global politics. But what has been created below the princely palace in Vaduz has however garnered much attention:  the Liechtenstein State Parliament, designed by Göritz Architects and colleagues from Hanover, Germany. The interior of the construction accommodates the “High House” (parliamentary building), the “Long House” (building for the members of parliament and their party offices), the “Hortus” (garden grounds) and the Peter-Kaiser-Platz with underground garage. Siteco lighting solutions illuminate the current state of affairs for the 25 peoples’ representatives.

Lighting for this impressive project was planned by the creative designers of Licht Kunst Licht. They decided upon lighting solutions from Siteco for various areas of the representative building. The aim was to integrate luminaires harmoniously into the holistic context of the architecture and also to underline the unique character of the construction. This corresponds to the overriding design approach of the architects. The Vaduz parliament is intended not only to express the importance of the political institution but also to function as a continuation of existing structures and to form a backdrop for these.

Siteco luminaires were deployed for the offices of the members of parliament and parties in the Long House, the foyer, the conference rooms, the library and corridors as well as the directional booths of the High House. It was required that the luminaires become integral components of the surrounding architecture. Optically, a monochrome homogeneity dominates the materiality and colour design of the building, achieved with use of over a million kilned clinker bricks. The ochre-sand coloured bricks contrast unobtrusively with their surroundings – urban structures and the backdrop of the Rätikon mountain range.

A dark brown tone forms another contrast and characterises all exposed metallic constructional components. Quadrature luminaires, installed in the offices of the Long House in suspended form as twin-length luminaires also catch the eye. A slimline design lends them a very filigree appearance, and their minimal pendant tubes give them a floating appearance below the timber cavity ceiling. This places focus exclusively upon their excellent lighting effect. As part of this, the direct light component is directed homogenously and without glare via ELDACON® microprismatic structures onto the working plane.  The balanced contrast creates a pleasant atmosphere and illumination that satisfies current standards for computer screens, independent of the arrangement of luminaires within a room.

The foyer, conference rooms and library area presented themselves as a further challenge with the achievement of both functional as well as integrated lighting solutions. A Siteco custom solution was installed for all-purpose lighting, creating interesting light that also attracts attention. The systems consist of rows of three Lunis recessed downlights alternating with two Hexal® a luminaires featuring highly specular reflectors, resembling the appearance of a dotted line. The rows are concealed behind matt plastic covers flushly inlaid into the timbered ceiling. Downlights with directed light and linear fluorescent luminaires with more of a wide distribution characteristic in combination with variable lighting control allows the creation of differing light scenes that can be adapted according to individual requirements within specific areas.

Requirements for lighting of the corridor areas of the Long House were met with a simple but clever trick. The corridor, in line with the ground plan of the building, follows the contour of the castle hillside. Construction is not flush to the hillside surface but incorporates a light gap on the mountain side. The corridor is separated from this illuminated courtyard by an uninterrupted glass front. This constellation supplies the rooms behind with natural light, but presents particular demands upon artificial lighting: a simple, almost “invisible” lighting installation was desired. These demands were solved with Siteco battens for T16 lamps with wallwasher reflectors integrated into the face ends of the suspended ceiling, so that grazing light as far as possible was emitted flatly to the glass front. Because the smaller the angle of beam entry the larger the reflection factor, corridor glazing become a part of lighting technology to reflect approximately 30 percent of light to the floor. The remaining light component illuminates the hillside-supporting wall of the inner courtyard. This ensures visual contact to the outside, even during nocturnal hours.

architect: Hansjörg Göritz, Göritz Architekten und Werkgefährten

lighting design: Licht Kunst Licht

photos: Lukas Roth