See the light in Sweden’s most beautiful office 
 
Currently, Sweden’s largest office relocation in a decade is in progress as SEB (one of Swedens four big banks) establishes itself in its new office in Arenastaden next to the Mall of Scandinavia. In May 2016, 2,500 employees moved in to the new location and the remaining 2,000 will arrive this spring. But this is not just Sweden’s largest office. In a contest organized by Lokalnytt.se, it has been named Sweden’s most beautiful office 2017.
 
In this newsletter you will get to see the building from a lighting perspective.

Click on the pictures to see them in larger format with all the details.
 
Enjoy!

Facade lighting creates identity

The luminaires of the decorative mid-section of the facade are modified so that they can change from white to “SEB green”. Another effect appears at the top of the high section facing south. During late evenings and at night the entire room is lit in green.

 

Light exists without taking up space

Lighting is discreet and contributes to a calm environment but without taking up space. In the public areas and meeting rooms there are raking lights that light up and reflect the walls and drapery. It is complemented with recessed downlights and spotlights for accent, and functional lighting that creates life and contrast.
 
To find a solution that works for such a large building, many of the solutions were tested in full scale on built-in test sites. The rent includes traditional general lighting, but despite the fact that the lighting solution has changed radically, it has not increased either the cost or the energy consumption. One contributing factor was minimizing the number of suppliers and types of luminaires. For example, 8,000 downlights were purchased, which made the procurement cost effective.

 

The best light is free

SEB goes against the trend of activity-based offices and provides all employees with their own workplace, from level 4 and upwards. In the open plan solution, the daylight flows from the windows and is regulated using intelligent control. Along the outer walls there is a row of recessed general lighting and where the office spaces open up towards the center there is a parallel row.
 
Over the workplaces, the light has been set to at least 300 lux. When the sun is on the facade, the outer row of lighting dims so that the light in the room is still perceived as even. The direct sunlight is dampened manually with sheer curtains, and if someone needs extra light it is complemented with a desk lamp.

 

Flexible atriums over-flowing with light

In the four atriums, the lighting generally has a cooler blue tone to blend in with the generous daylight. They are furnished with a varied range of meeting places of different sizes, with the largest atrium occupying 2,000 people. The environmental lighting has been given a warmer tone to enhance the immersive feeling of the interior.

 

Lunch is served for 3,000 people

The buliding’s internal restaurant has the ability to serve 3,000 lunches a day. Instead of a large dining room, seating is divided into a number of rooms that can easily be separated by sliding doors and drapes. In the larger rooms, different types of hanging luminaires are used to create variation and space in the room.

 

Nice lighting details in the auditoriums

The large auditorium (above) is located between two atriums in the mid building. A particularly nice detail are the windows that emit daylight and create a connection between the two atriums. The window sills have angled slats that can be steered along with the various preset lighting scenarios.

 

The only question is ... where do they keep the money?