When dinner time comes around, and it gets dark outside, the lighting concept, also created by the two Viennese architects, immerses the restaurant in a very special atmosphere, whereby all of the Nimbus luminaires used are based on the concept of "invisible light". That is to say, the light source remains almost invisible to the eye, and the light only illuminates the surfaces it strikes. The luminaires skilfully showcase the tables and the bar, with V8cht's guests seeming to dine on their own island of light.

Wagner and Illichmann describe their lighting concept as follows: "The light from the luminaires above the tables places the focus firmly on the food and drink." Elegant suspended Nimbus Lighting Pads have been installed above the tables, where they serve as glare-free light sources with their special LED lenses. Furthermore, the Pads are laboratory tested sound absorbers that ensure optimised room acoustics with their pleasant-to-the touch fleece surfaces. As Wagner and Illichmann underlined: "The Nimbus products look beautiful and the Lighting Pads also perform an acoustic function."

Luminaires from the Nimbus Q FOUR range are also installed in the V8cht. They too are characterised by perfect glare suppression and a precise, focused lighting effect. The special lenses in the minimalistic body of the Q FOUR luminaires direct light to precisely where it is needed, whereby the lenses themselves remain almost invisible as the source of light. Q FOUR surface-mounted luminaires illuminate the corridors in the V8cht, for example. Special Q FOUR TT TRACK luminaires are mounted in two conductor rails above the bar. The tilting and turning ceiling spots can be moved around within this system to highlight the extremely well-stocked bar, whereby the V8cht's "liquid refreshment menu" includes around 200 alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails.

The architects chose Q ONE wallwashers from Nimbus to illuminate the works of art hanging in an inviting seating alcove. In terms of design, these surface-mounted luminaires are a perfect match for the Q FOUR range. They use their free-form reflectors to direct light in a targeted fashion onto the pictures on the walls. Nimbus's Q FOUR, Q FOUR TRACK TT and Q ONE luminaires give lighting designers a coordinated, sophisticated lighting kit for high-quality, focussed light.

Thanks to the luminaires' special glare suppression – which applies to both the Q FOUR range and the Lighting Pads – they cause hardly any reflection in the restaurant's large windows, allowing guests to let their gaze wander freely across the view of the night-time city lights while they enjoy dinner or a cocktail. This special effect, this "invisible light", recently received recognition in the form of the Baden-Württemberg International Design Award, with the Q FOUR range winning Focus Open 2021 in Gold.

Client: Clemens Stiegholzer, Vienna
Architecture, interior architecture and lighting concept: Matthäus Wagner, Vienna and Sebastian Illichmann, Vienna
Implementation: 2016–2021
Photos: Kurt Kuball, Vienna

Stuttgart, January 2022
Reprint free of charge / File copy requested

Nimbus has belonged to the Häfele Group since 2019. Located in Nagold, the internationally operating specialist for furniture fittings and lighting is indispensable for furniture production and the carpentry trade, while the Stuttgart-based Nimbus Group is held in high regard in the architecture sector. Two target groups, two different worlds. And yet they have come together and boast a broad joint portfolio of lighting systems for rooms and furniture as well as integrated lighting and acoustics solutions. Product development in the fields of light and acoustics is centred in Stuttgart.

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