Löwen-Pharmacy

Built in 1241, the „Löwen-Apotheke“ in Trier is the oldest pharmacy in Germany and is protected as a historic monument. The stuccoed ceiling in the entrance area was designed by Italian artists in 1690.
Now, for the redesign of the interior space, the architect contrasted the historic heritage with clear structures, a minimalistic furniture design and natural materials.
 
For the lighting design, the main principles were:
- structuring the different functional zones by light, for instance by illuminating the shelves exactly from edge to edge.
- determining different areas by different colour temperatures: main areas and historic elements in warm white (3.000 K), sales areas in fresh neutral white (4.200 K), and the stuccoed ceiling in cool 5.000 K (CRI 95) with an extraordinary white rendering quality.
- supporting the optical illusion of spatial depth by light.
- making the materials “glow”, i.e. matching light and materials in a way that the beaten gold surfaces shimmer brightly, without causing glare by reflection.
- no glare in general: light reaches the architecture, not the eyes of the beholder
- avoidance of undesired light cones which would otherwise disturb the clearness of the architecture.
- great flexibility by eight different light scenes – from everyday sales lighting to seminar lighting – using a DALI lighting control system.
- high efficiency by using LED light sources and having dim functions
 
One of the most outstanding luminaires is the 23 m long pendant luminaire which crosses the whole sales space and even pierces through the glass facade. Containing the illumination of the counters, the ancestor’s gallery, the historic Medusa relief and the ceiling illumination, the luminaire also supports the optical illusion of great depth. It is one of the 85% custom-made luminaires in the pharmacy.
At night-time, the brightly highlighted gingko tree in the end of the visual axis can be perceived, emphasizing the depth of the whole space.