Some light tailoring: Regent Lighting

Find out how the Bespoke Team at Basel-based luminaire manufacturer Regent Lighting provides unique solutions for lighting concepts.

By Regent Lighting, Herzog & de Meuron, and Gerrit Terstiege for

Regent Lighting

May 16, 2021 | 10:00 pm CUT

The TORUS ceiling luminaire by Regent Lighting was specially developed for the Biozentrum of the University of Basel. It boasts the special feature of combining direct and indirect lighting components

A popularly held notion today asserts that the boundaries between art and design are dissolving. We only have to think of the light objects by Olafur Eliasson, for example. But a fundamental difference remains: works of art are usually one-off pieces for which completely different conditions apply than for serially manufactured products. What both fields have in common, however, is the relevance of innovative creative ideas at the beginning of the realisation process.

In design, the path from the initial concept to serial production is often challenging. It is important to preserve the defining aesthetic properties, and at the same time to think of everything required to make a design a reality, such as with regard to technology, energy consumption, feasibility and safety.

The drop-shaped TEA luminaire has been used in buildings designed by the world-renowned Basel-based architects Herzog & de Meuron for years

Special design ideas require special skills, and an attitude and perspective that sees possibility where others might be dismissive. Regent Lighting has created its own department precisely for such extraordinary individual projects. The Basel-based lighting manufacturer’s Bespoke team enables customised solutions for the illumination concepts of architects, lighting planners and interior designers.

The TEA pendant light looks like a glistening droplet, seeming to float in mid-air. The light guide enables the light to ‘flow’ to great effect, from the ceiling along the pendant and into the droplet-shaped body of the luminaire

The motto of the 20-person team of engineers, designers and project managers is ‘You dream it and we will build it’. Depending on the nature of the project, very different planning steps are necessary, but the Bespoke team is always on hand, offering just the right advice and support. Whichever the situation, team members, with their solid foundation of experience in the development and production of special lighting, are always ready to listen.

Thanks to its ring-shaped design, the TORUS ceiling luminaire fits in with numerous room types and building styles. It can be installed almost anywhere and in various different combinations, for example in rows leading through long corridors

If, for example, products from the existing Regent Lighting portfolio are considered an ideal fit for a particular architectural space, but the client prefers a different colour or level of luminous intensity, the Bespoke team does its utmost to make this possible. After all, lighting objects and their aesthetics are defining elements in giving an interior its identity and it’s important to get it just right.

TORUS' unique silhouette evokes futuristic associations as well as allusions to the design traditions of the 1970s, which were characterised by round contours and exceptional clarity

In addition, Regent Lighting’s strengths also include implementing the customer’s design specifications, such as when pieces from the existing range are individually configured or combined to satisfy the desired dimensions or technical construction requirements. Or the team can also design an entirely new and independent lighting solution, which is customised for a specific interior situation from the very first sketch.

The length of the TEA light guide can be adapted to the respective architectural conditions – several TEA luminaires can even be suspended at different heights

Regent Lighting has excellent in-house resources at hand. From design and manufacture to production and international shipping, every step is handled at the site in Basel, where the company’s accredited and independent testing laboratory is also based. This always allows for comprehensive quality assessments and monitoring of all delivery dates and costs.

For example, experts from the design department are brought in at the very start of a Bespoke project: any challenges in the handling of a particular project are identified at an early stage and analysed with the aim of eliminating problems and finding optimal solutions.

Two extraordinary luminaires that were developed or further refined by the Bespoke team are TEA and TORUS. The TEA pendant light looks like a glistening droplet, seeming to float in mid-air. The light guide enables the light to ‘flow’ to great effect, from the ceiling along the pendant and into the droplet-shaped body of the luminaire.

The Bespoke team's motto is: ‘You dream it and we will build it’. Depending on the project, very different planning steps are necessary, but the team always offers the right level of advice and support

For years, TEA has been featured in various projects by renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, such as the striking Roche Tower in Basel. Here, the Bespoke team has elegantly embedded the complex lighting technology into the building in close dialogue with the world-famous architects. And good to know: the length of the TEA light guide can be adapted to the given architectural conditions, and multiple TEA luminaires can also be suspended at different heights.

TORUS, on the other hand, combines direct and indirect lighting components and suits numerous room types and building styles, thanks to its organic, ring-shaped design. Its unique silhouette evokes futuristic associations as well as allusions to the design traditions of the 1970s, which were characterised by round contours and exceptional clarity.

Glass meets concrete: the TORUS ceiling luminaire, seen here in use at the Biozentrum in Basel, illuminates rooms in all areas while also complementing them architecturally

Owing to its skilful integration of both direct and indirect light components, it can be installed almost anywhere and in highly varying combinations, for example, in rows leading through long corridors, as an individual luminaire accentuating an apartment entrance or as a group creating appealing lighting atmospheres in a café or restaurant.

When it comes to lighting, architects and lighting designers like to think ‘outside the box’, to risk trying something new in pursuing their own creative visions. The Bespoke team from Regent Lighting is there as a reliable and inspirational partner, one that speaks their language, and who can shed light on complex technical issues and help to implement their creative visions. All it takes is a little daring!

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Regent Lighting

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Basel, Switzerland