Fritz Thyssen Foundation, Cologne (GER)

The former Amerika Haus in Cologne is the new headquarters of the Fritz Thyssen Foundation. The sensitive refurbishment of the building complex according to plans drawn up by the Stuttgart architects at Cheret Bozic restored the building's original openness – and thanks to new technology, including LED luminaires from Nimbus, the listed complex from the 1950s has taken a leap into the 21st century. Besides being thrilled with the idea of using small and, above all, aesthetic lighting elements that do their job very effectively, the client, after some initial hesitation, was also eventually convinced to go for Nimbus LED technology by an economic viability analysis – despite the relatively high price of the initial investment. And it is not only visitors to the building who appreciate the consistency in the luminaire design: depending on the differing lighting requirements, various luminaires from the discreet Nimbus Q range can be found both indoors and out, with L 120 suspended luminaires fitted in the conference and meeting rooms. "We didn't want a lamp shop or a design reminiscent of the 1950s," was how the Stuttgart architects explained their choice of Nimbus LED luminaires. "We were not only on the lookout for small lighting elements with an outstanding performance but also for luminaires which are very discreet but nevertheless have beauty of form and feature 21st century lighting technology".