ING UK’s new London office accommodates approximately 650 people, over nine floors of high-quality workspace. The brief presented to lighting designers, Nulty, was to create a scheme that worked seamlessly with the tp bennett-designed interiors, while complementing the daylight which floods through the expansive glass frontage and delivering a concept that balanced the bank’s heritage with its drive for innovation.
 
Nulty specified a range of standard and made-to-measure Optelma solutions in areas including the reception, meeting rooms, the gym and the café. Within the 7th floor reception, Optelma’s bespoke Circus pendant was adapted to provide the required aesthetic. The design called for a series of ring pendants with direct and indirect lighting, which could be positioned to form one distinct element. The side walls of the pendants were increased, while the width was decreased, to provide a narrow aperture for the direct lighting. The result is a striking feature which draws the eye through the space. 
 
Bespoke pendant luminaires by Nulty create a cosy atmosphere over the tables in the fifth-floor café/restaurant, while continuous lines of light, provided by Optelma’s recessed Quad 100, add dynamism and contribute to the spacious feel.

Within the gym, Optelma’s Quad 46, in a number of continuous linear structures, with turns and angles, adds to the vibrant, geometric design. Further Quad 46 linear sections in the studio area provide a good level of light; positioned within the ceiling, these complement the downlight arrangement. Continuous rectangular Quad 46 structures illuminate many of the meeting rooms – their shapes mirror those of the tables, creating a distinct feature.
 
Throughout the building, in areas such as corridors, Nulty specified Optelma’s Quad linear profiles to create perimeter lighting. The profiles provide functional light, which accentuates the interior in both contemporary and traditional spaces.
 
Phil Copland, Senior Lighting Designer, Nulty, comments: ‘Working closely with Optelma, we created various feature luminaires for use throughout the building. The large feature cluster of pendants in the reception made a fantastic focal point in the space, thus creating an elegant and dynamic feature. The bronzed finish of the fittings complements the interior design and fuses the space together.’

ARCHITECT: TP Bennett
LIGHTING DESIGN: Nulty
MANUFACTURE: Optelma 
PHOTOGRAPHY: James French