Forsthofalm Hotel

MEGAMAN^® sets the perfect scene for Austrian Alpine hotel

As a way of celebrating the amazing environment in which it is located, the beautiful Forsthofalm hotel, set 1,050 metres above sea level in the Austrian Alps, is the first timber hotel to be built in Salzburg, Austria. Now, with the latest in LED lighting technology from MEGAMAN^® used throughout the hotel, the entire 1200 m² floor space delivers savings of €38,973 in electricity costs and 120038 kg in CO₂ emissions per year compared to traditional equivalents*.

The Forsthofalm hotel originally began life as a small restaurant in the mountains in the 1970s. Seeing the popularity of its location, the Wiedauer family built on the restaurant’s success, adding overnight accommodation. A hotel was then built on the site, using only locally-sourced timber, and a large extension was completed and opened in late 2013.

With a strong organic and ecological ethic, the Wiedauer family were keen to light the hotel in a way that was sympathetic to the surrounding natural environment. As well as being highly energy efficient, the lighting of the hotel needed to bring out the warmth of the wood’s natural grain and provide an inviting, comfortable welcome to Forsthofalm’s many guests throughout the winter and summer months.

Working alongside Leopold Rokos Ltd, the Wiedauer family chose to use MEGAMAN^®’s range of LED lamp technology in the original hotel as well as the new extension. Markus Wiedauer, owner of the Forsthofalm hotel, explains further: “The original hotel and the extension have both been built on passive construction principles. This means that every step of the way, we and our architects have looked at the ecological footprint of the construction materials used and chosen those with the least environmental impact. Our choice of MEGAMAN^® for the hotel’s lighting supports our passion for sustainable, energy efficient materials and technology.”

Leopold Rokos, MD of Leopold Rokos, MEGAMAN^® lighting distributor, comments: “The architect and the owners of Forsthofalm didn’t just want to have a highly energy efficient lighting scheme, they also wanted to ensure that the lit environment was appealing to the guests no matter the time of day or night. They were very keen to show off the natural sheen of the timber and for it not to look artificial. They also wanted low heat emissions from the lamps and there to be minimal lighting glare, so guests could easily see the panoramic views of the 30 mountain peaks from the hotel.”

To create a soft, wall wash lighting effect on the timber, 740 MEGAMAN^®’s LED PAR16 6W GU10s with a wider 35° beam angle were used, as well as 470 MEGAMAN^® LED Classic Dimmable 11W E27s, throughout the public and private spaces. The entire scheme was linked into a Beckhoff Lichtsysteme light control solution for the ultimate in mood creation and to maximise the energy saving potential of MEGAMAN^®’s LED lamp technology. In addition, due to the unique axial geometry and patented Thermal Conductive Highway™ (TCH) built into MEGAMAN^®’s lamps, precise light direction was possible, minimising glare on the glazed areas and maximising the exterior viewing experience for guests.

Markus Wiedauer, owner of the Forsthofalm hotel, concludes: “The end result is exactly what we hoped for. We have a stunningly lit hotel that is highly energy efficient, offers guests a warm welcome, yet does not detract in any way from our panoramic views of the Alps.”

* Based on calculation of:

740 x LED 6W GU10’s (running 12 hours/day, 7 days/week) compared to 35W halogen lamps.

470 x LED Classic 11W E27’s (running 12 hours/day, 7 days/week) compared to 60W incandescent lamps

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