On reflection

Reflective screens were the key to comfortably lighting dealers’ desks in an imposing 22 metre-high trading floor

Across the street from the imposing red brick Beurs van Berlage building in the centre of Amsterdam – the city’s old commodity exchange – is the securities exchange building. It was built in 1914 and is still used today.

Nearly eight years ago the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the Brussels Stock Exchange and the Paris Bourse merged following the harmonisation of the European Union’s financial markets. The product of the merger was Euronext, the first international securities and derivatives exchange.

Light for the interior
At the same time, the securities exchange building was updated to meet the demands of computerised trading.
Designers had to choose the best way to light the interior of the refurbished building, given its abundance of computer monitors. Things were complicated because the average ceiling height is a dizzying 22m, so most conventional direct or indirect lighting techniques were ruled out.

The client also wanted to ensure its traders were comfortable, a tall order considering that many are surrounded by up to nine computer displays. They are exposed to intense visual strain, which can quickly cause fatigue if there are distracting reflections in the displays.

Desk-mounted luminaires
So two-stage switchable Waldmann Tycoon desk-mounted luminaires with the RX1 reflection screens from Structurelab Architekten were specified for all the working areas. The illumination of the workspaces blends with the overall design and ensures that the employees can perform their visual tasks in comfort. It is particularly unusual to let employees individually set two different lighting levels at their workstations.

And all the while, the low energy consumption of the scheme was able to meet the client’s specifications.

Project details

Project: Euronext, Amsterdam
Architect: Alberts en van Huut
Installer: GTI, Amsterdam
Principal suppliers: Waldmann
Reflection screens: Structurelab Architekten, Düsseldorf