Amsterdam, The Netherlands – The monumental facade and inner courtyard of Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam, is now lit by new, custom-designed LED lighting from Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA). The outdoor lighting accentuates the characteristic features of the historic building.
The premises in which the luxury hotel is located date back to the 15th century, and in the past the building has served as Amsterdam's town hall and as a monastery. Following the switch-over to Philips LED lighting for the indoor lighting inside the luxury hotel a number of years ago, the exterior of The Grand is now also being illuminated by LED lighting. The purpose of lighting the inner courtyard is to highlight the aesthetic features of this impressive building. The new LED outdoor lighting offers a seamless solution.
Robert-Jan Woltering, General Manager of Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam, had this to say about the new lighting design from Philips: “The new LED lighting accentuates the historic aspects of this monumental building even more strongly. The result is quite astonishing.”
Petra Hulst, lighting designer at Philips Lighting, adds: “The LED lighting has been specially designed to be in keeping with the hotel's calm inner courtyard, in the very heart of the busy city center. The challenge was to link the inner courtyard with the hotel's entrance gate. The warm-white colored LED lighting has been installed in the ground in a specially designed lightline, which runs from the entrance gate to the facade. This creates a 'carpet of calm' for visitors. The warm light that is projected up from the ground onto the facade makes the historic building look radiant.”
The LED lightline starts with a number of ground spots immediately below the hotel's monumental entrance gate, bringing out the warmth of the old bricks in the gateway. The asymmetrical line illuminates the building from below so that the light source does not shine directly into the eyes of the passers-by. The facade is illuminated by comfortable warm-white light that is directed in such a way as to prevent any glare. Because the light can be directed effectively, it only illuminates the actual building and doesn't spill out into the surrounding area. The luminaires are fitted behind the shutters and shine directly upwards, highlighting the authentic vertical elements in the facade. The terrace in the inner courtyard is framed precisely by the light and the overall design ensures an appropriate shadow effect.