Luisenhöhe Health Resort, Black Forest

In Horben, near Freiburg, is a multi-award-winning health resort. It is harmoniously nestled amid the natural landscape of the Black Forest UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This unique setting is designed to be experienced throughout the resort, offering a retreat for enjoyment, rest, and relaxation.

The architectural firm geis & brantner johannes klorer – independent architect integrated the new building, completed in 2023, into the terraced site with smooth transitions, creating an impressive panoramic view while preserving the existing trees.

Guests arriving by car are greeted with a spectacular welcome the moment they arrive. From the underground parking garage, they enter an impressive space inspired by the rock formations of the Black Forest. Exposed concrete walls form a gorge-like passageway leading from the parking garage to the hotel. The walls rise upward at a dynamic angle, occasionally offering a view of the sky. This striking architecture is highlighted by the light contours, which further emphasize the linear structure of the concrete surfaces.

The lighting design firm Tobias Link GmbH developed and implemented the concept, which required a custom solution. To elegantly integrate InstaLighting’s LEDLUX LX LED lines, a special profile made of flexible silicone material was developed. Unlike rigid aluminum profiles, this could be seamlessly installed into the exposed concrete joints. The inner core of the silicone profile is transparent, while the outer layer is opaque. The LED-lines LEDLUX LX can be controlled individually and are equipped with RGB technology, making it possible to experience, for example, the glowing evening glow of the setting sun over the Black Forest mountains within the concrete structure through the light. The color temperature of real daylight can also be reproduced there in shades of white.

This exceptional lighting concept received an award at the 2024 LIT Lighting Design Awards in the “Visitor Experience & Museum Exhibition” category.