Hotel Intercontinental

The effect is one of an intimate glow, gently flowing from the edge of every floor, creating a layered multi-story curtain of light across the entire volume of the tower.

Fasada hotela Intercontinental OFIS Arhitektov je ena izmed najbolj markantnih novih silhuet v mestu. Podnevi, kovinske plošče odbijajo naravno svetlobo s fasade, da bi stolp zadobil značaj svetlobnega telesa, ki sije na vstopu v središče mesta. Izziv za oblikovalce svetlobe je bil, kako ustvariti ekvivalentno močan vtis tudi ponoči. The facade of the Intercontinental hotel in Ljubljana, by OFIS architects, is one of the most striking in the city. During the day, the metal cladding reflects sunlight, turning the tower into a body of light, shining at the entrance to the city. The challenge posed to the lighting designers was how to achieve an equally striking effect during the night. At this point, Arcadia had to tackle the limitations posed by one of the most restrictive light pollution laws in the world – the one passed by the government of Slovenia in 2007. In order to simultaneously comply with the law and still bring to life the vision of the Intercontinental as a tower of light above a river of traffic, Arcadia’s interdisciplinary team developed and built a custom light fitting from the ground up, to be installed into the double-layer glazing of the facade. As dictated by the regulations, the lamps are not directed horizontally outwards, but vertically upwards, trapping the light between the exterior and the interior window pane.