City: Vienna
Country: Austria
Lighting Design: podpod design
Photo: www.digitalimage.atThe new lighting system in the historic art deco Amalienbad swimming pool in Vienna is the result of the Federal Monuments Office desire to use light to enhance one the most beautiful and famous thermal baths with a flexible system that can manage the various daily activities as well as temporary events. The lighting project, commissioned by MA 44 – Bäder, was developed by the famous podpod Design Studio in Vienna, who masterfully integrated the architecture of the building with the most sophisticated lighting systems, returning to the Vienna city an environment usable for different activities. 774 light fixtures were used, 60% of which were LEDs with an energy saving of 57% and a considerable increase in the lighting levels compared to the previous system.

The heart of the building is the multilevel space of the indoor pool. By using balanced, soft lighting the designers at podpod Design wanted to revive the monumentality of this building. The roof rises and comes to life through the use of grazing light, the curved glass skylights even light up in daylight thanks to a LED backlight and the diving board becomes a sculptural element which contributes to defining the monumentality of this unique environment. This project underlines the ability of the Viennese designers to manipulate light to enhance the beauty of architecture for the enjoyment of everyone.