The future of the construction industry is circular
When we talk about the future of building, there is no way around circular economy. Resources are finite, and the pressure to handle them responsibly is growing. For us as lighting designers in Berlin and Antwerp, this means rethinking lighting design—moving away from linear processes toward a circular strategy that places reuse and longevity at the center.
♻️ Reuse instead of Replace
In many projects, we have shown how luminaires can be reimagined instead of discarded. Rather than replacing products after a few years, we examine how existing luminaires can be adapted to new requirements. Interchangeable components, flexible controls, and modular systems make this possible. In this way, we extend the lifecycle of luminaires and significantly reduce the ecological footprint.
🏢 Projects with a Signal Effect
Impact Hub Berlin – Circular Thinking as a Design Attitude
At the CRCLR House, sustainable philosophy meets creative lighting design. On 1,800 square meters, a co-working space was created for companies that live social and ecological responsibility.
Circular design: About 70% of the materials come from recycled or upcycled sources. Many luminaires were deliberately selected from leftover stock or adapted for the new location.
Daylight as a basis: Studio De Schutter carried out detailed daylight analyses to develop switching groups and timers that only activate artificial light when truly necessary.
Light Hacks: Semi-custom luminaires made from reclaimed wood, LED strips, and textile coverings demonstrate how standard components can be transformed into tailor-made solutions.
Participation: Mock-ups and material tests were part of an open, iterative process—the result is luminaires with character and history.
Thus, Impact Hub becomes a best-practice example of circular building: technically smart, aesthetically consistent, and uncompromisingly sustainable.
Full Node 2.0 – Flexible Scenes for Digital Pioneers
Full Node is both co-working and event space, housed in a listed post office building from 1927. The place was meant to reflect the innovative spirit of the blockchain scene—flexible, international, and future-oriented.
Block & Chain as a design concept: Dark gray, linear luminaires run like chains through the rooms, breaking up walls or connecting them.
Versatile scenarios: Café and meetup areas are equipped with RGBW light lines that can switch from workshop brightness to atmospheric event moods.
Teleboxes with video conferencing light: Specially developed diffuse panels create soft light on faces—perfect for pitches or investor meetings.
Co-creation with architects: The planning was developed in close collaboration with LXSY Architects and combines functionality with a clear, digital aesthetic.
Here it becomes clear how office lighting today can be more than just work light: it becomes a cultural code for a community.
Pro Veg – Making Sustainability Visible
The offices of Pro Veg are a statement: light creates a warm, open atmosphere that spatially conveys the core of the organization—commitment to sustainable nutrition.
Use of durable, resource-saving luminaires
Emphasis on openness and transparency through bright, soft light zones
Atmosphere as a medium to make values tangible in space
Ahrend x Office Group – Modular Future-Proofing
In cooperation with Ahrend x Office Group, the principle of modularity was the focus.
Lighting systems that can be easily replaced, expanded, or adapted
Circular thinking in everyday life: less replacement, longer lifecycles
Focus on flexibility as the most sustainable resource
🌍 More than Technology: An Attitude
Circular economy in lighting design does not just mean saving materials. It is about an attitude: designing spaces so they are allowed to change—without having to produce everything anew each time. In this way, light becomes a cultural statement.
“Reuse creates new identity.” – In circular economy, this sentence gains a new dimension: perception arises not only from atmosphere, but also from the story of the materials and luminaires that shape a space.
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Pictures: Circular lighting at Impact Hub Berlin, the Full Node office, and the ProVeg office.
