De Krakeling, Amsterdam: from 19th century gymnasium to modern office space
Lukas Palik
Lighting enriches history and supports good visual comfort
ERCO has helped set the scene for the transformation of a 19th-century Amsterdam building, De Krakeling, into a contemporary office space for Dutch property investor Wereldhave. Built in 1888, originally as a gym, in more recent years it was a celebrated small theatre.
The challenge of lighting such a characterful interior was to meet contemporary office needs – including sustainability, flexibility and visual comfort – while respecting and revealing the heritage of the building.
The De Krakeling building was sensitively restored and converted by Kodde Architecten, with interiors by Casper Schwarz Architects. In addition to workstations around the periphery of the ground level area, a sculptural two-level timber-slatted and glass structure was inserted into the center of the space. Echoing the original wooden interior, this houses further offices and meeting rooms.
Lukas Palik
The architectural intention was to preserve and celebrate the building's history while creating a contemporary workspace. Traces of the original paint colors have been left in many places, for instance, while the new timber structure respects the shell of the building by not touching it. 'Our aim was to both respect the monumental details and appearance, and the main concept as created by Kodde,' says Schwarz.
Lukas Palik
Light not luminaires
Initially an installer devised the lighting solution, involving cable trays with spotlights and general lighting, all of which looked intrusive in the space. Casper Schwarz switched to ERCO for a more considered, contemporary and discreet solution that harmonized with the historic interior.
ERCO's minimalist concept concentrates on light, not on fixtures. From a heritage point of view it was vital to minimize any intervention in the fabric of the building. In the architecturally sensitive areas, light sources are concealed where possible using structural details such as the ornate elevated wooden walkway.
Lukas Palik
The key luminaires here are around 100 Optec track-mounted spotlights with wallwash and wide-flood lighting distributions. The track systems that uplight the curved ceiling element are attached to the juncture of walkway and ceiling, while those that wash the walls at high level are located on the pillars of the walkway. This allowed unobtrusive mounting without drilling or cutting the structure.
The use of indirect lighting on both vertical and horizontal surfaces in the main building illuminates the space softly but more fully, and celebrates architectural details such as the original wooden ceiling.
Lukas Palik
Lukas Palik
Lukas Palik
With a range of different optics, Optec covers the complete gamut of display lighting requirements offering high-contrast accent lighting, floodlighting, uniform illumination of walls, or sharp-edged beams for striking effects. Using innovative photometrics, Optec also enables high efficiency without compromising visual comfort.
Lukas Palik
Lighting only where it's needed
Reflecting ERCO's Greenology philosophy, the essence of the scheme throughout is only to light what is necessary to avoid wasted energy. The functional lighting provides precise illumination to workspaces and circulation areas. To create visual interest, ceilings and walls are lit to brighten and balance the space, bringing all three dimensions of the architectural interior to life.
The track-mounted Jilly downlights – additionally available in surface-mounted, suspended, recessed and pendant versions – were used for the private office spaces on the first floor of the new timber structure. Here their purpose was to increase flexibility, meeting the varying configurations of the modern office by allowing for easy customization and repositioning as working positions change.
Lukas Palik
Elegant and minimal, the Jilly downlight features a flat, rectangular housing making it ideal for low room heights. It combines an extremely efficient lens system with an anti-dazzle louvre, combining visual comfort and high luminous efficacy. The wattage and light distribution enable wide luminaire spacing for standard-compliant but economical lighting concepts.
Versatile and visually pleasing
Elsewhere ERCO's Iku, Parscan and Pollux luminaires were used in a range of applications. Iku downlights, for example, were also installed in the downstairs meeting and waiting rooms, providing ambient lighting with high visual comfort. Available in five sizes and five light distributions with applications ranging from large public areas to smaller spaces such as restaurants, Iku features tunable white light. In wallwasher and double-wallwasher distributions it is ideal for creating a sense of visual width in rooms and corridors, increasing the impression of brightness.
Lukas Palik
Lukas Palik
Pollux, a versatile compact spotlight, was ideal for providing a warm accent light in the waiting room, among other areas. Parscan, a compact but powerful spotlight, supplements the Optec fittings in the main building and, designed into the structure of the highly glazed 'greenhouse' lunch area, provides a cozy ambience for evenings and winter days.
ERCO worked very closely with Casper Schwarz Architects to design the lighting scheme, when the developer’s original plan fell short. 'I fought hard to create a lighting plan that would make the monument sparkle and that would contribute to the overall design,' he told interior magazine Pi. As well as accentuating the rhythm of the original structure, the lighting has created a sophisticated, modern office environment. 'The light level in the workplaces is very pleasant,' says Schwarz.
Lukas Palik
