Fashion retail, Zara Barcelona

In 2019 Light Cognitive worked with Fagerhult Spain to deliver a one-of-a-kind circular skylight for Zara’s Barcelona store — an entirely bespoke installation creating a luminous center piece of light in the ceiling of the store.

The project was shortlisted for the Dezeen Awards in the Architectural Lighting Design category. Since gaining visibility through Dezeen, Light Cognitive’s oculus has inspired clients worldwide.

Zara envisioned a space of elegance and calm influenced by nature - an organic stage upon which to spotlight their products. The ambition was to welcome customers into the store for a transportive shopping experience in an oasis of natural light and serenity. To bring this vision to life, Zara’s lighting design firm, Fagerhult, selected Light Cognitive.

Together, we conceived the oculus, a circular dome of light a circular skylight situated in the entry hall of the store, providing an aesthetically pleasing and memorable lighting feature replicating natural daylight and the beautiful Barcelona sky. Light Cognitive is the perfect fit for a client seeking to recreate natural light and the beauty of the sky. Light Cognitive’s exceptional colour rendering index (CRI up to 98) is an especially impressive solution as it allows the customer to see the clothing and colours as they would appear outside in natural light. The extraordinary craftsmanship and engineering of the Light Cognitive installations deliver realistic sky and horizon views that follow the circadian rhythm from dawn to dusk, with the precise spectral qualities of natural light.

The diffuse light feels comfortable without creating disturbing shadows and has no glare. The result of the project is a classic architectural element that meets state-of-the-art lighting technology. Remarkable technological and engineering innovation means LC can accurately recreate the sensation of openness and connection to nature in any size or shape the client desires, adaptable to any space.

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Light Cognitive has achieved a stunning light window that simulates the sky and elevates the customer experience in the heart of Barcelona.

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