New Light Forum for the Zumtobel Group: Long-term investment in its home location Dornbirn

New Light Forum for the Zumtobel Group: Long-term investment in its home location Dornbirn
15.03.2019

• New space for light on 4,000 square metres at the group's headquarters in Dornbirn
• Long-term investment in the company's future
• Design concept by Snøhetta in cooperation with internal project team
• Co-creation space as a central element of the new Light Forum
• Completion by 2020 to kick off 70-year anniversary

Dornbirn, Austria - With a new Light Forum on 4,000 square metres at its headquarters in Dornbirn, Austria, the Zumtobel Group is investing in the long-term success of the lighting group. To this end, the company's old factory hall at Höchsterstrasse 8 will be refurbished. The planned completion in March 2020 will mark the kick-off to the '70 years of Zumtobel' anniversary year. The investment in the company's home location will total roughly EUR 8 million by the time of the opening. The design concept, developed in cooperation with the Innsbruck studio of the renowned Norwegian architectural practice Snøhetta, creates space for a unique world of light that customers can experience with all senses, where the strong brands of the Zumtobel Group will present their comprehensive lighting expertise.

'We consider this long-term investment in our home location an investment in the future and the success of the Zumtobel Group. With the new Light Forum at the headquarters in Dornbirn, we aim to further expand the dialogue with customers and strengthen the network with our partners. By revitalising the old factory hall, we are making a contribution as a company to the sustainable development of the regional economic area,' says Zumtobel Group CEO Alfred Felder.

Co-creation space: central element of the space concept
Once the new Light Forum has been completed, the old factory hall will be home to a whole 'conglomerate of light' and is more than just a product display area: the central element is the creative implementation as a co-creation space, allowing a dynamic stimulation of the open space and inspiring a casual exchange between all users. The new Light Forum will be a lively place of dialogue for customers and employees of the Zumtobel Group, a platform and meeting place whose different areas will promote exchange and networking. The display area for the brands will be a place of inspiration, conveying the experience of light in all its facets. At the same time, it will offer space for the presentation of the latest product and system innovations and smart lighting solutions.

'During our many years of cooperation, I have experienced the Zumtobel Group as a company that successfully meets challenges. By developing the new Light Forum as a co-creation space, a place of exchange and inspiration, the company is once again setting new standards in the lighting industry,' says Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, founding partner of Snøhetta.

Design concept inspired by Snøhetta
The open space concept was developed in the style of Snøhetta's company culture, which has centred on a central and open space for decades, where people get together, talk, work and where new things can be created. In the extensive factory hall, a generous staircase made of wood will provide this central space. Next to a lounge area, it serves as a meeting point and atrium. Situated at the centre of the hall, it gives the 4,000-square-metre area a spatial structure. Cubes for product presentation set additional accents and allow for a flexible and dynamic utilisation of the hall.

'The concept for the Light Forum provides for a flexible setting for different types of use and for change. The spacious hall offers plenty of opportunities for interplay between open zones serving as a stage and meeting place, and thematically defined spaces, as well as a dynamic interaction of light and space. The new Light Forum will be a source of inspiration for customers and invite them to consider the possibilities that light offers,' says Patrick Lüth, Managing Director of the Snøhetta studio in Innsbruck.

Opening 2020 kicks off 70 years of Zumtobel
An international customer event will mark the opening of the new Light Forum in Dornbirn in March 2020 on the special occasion of Zumtobel's 70-year anniversary celebrations in the coming year.

'My father started to work with light in 1950. 70 years later we still want to show how light shapes the world around us. We count on technological expertise and innovation as drivers of our company success. At the same time, we have to succeed in creating worlds where the experience of light can be conveyed, where our products tell stories. We need an 'emotionalisation' of our products. And this is exactly where the new Light Forum comes into play,'Jürg Zumtobel, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Zumtobel Group says about the corporate philosophy.

Walter Zumtobel founded 'Elektrogeräte und Kunstharzpresswerk W. Zumtobel KG' in 1950. The company started as a family business 70 years ago producing ballast for the then new fluorescent lighting technology. Today, the company is an internationally operating lighting group with roughly 5,900 employees and ranks among the leading suppliers of innovative lighting solutions, lighting components and the related services in Europe.

Media Contact Zumtobel Group
Marina Konrad-Märk
Head of Corporate Communications
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Media Contact Snøhetta
Peter Zöch
Communication & Business Development
Snohetta Studio Innsbruck GmbH
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