Client: Trident Park, Malta
Architect: ritchie*studio, London
Lighting Design: Ulrike Brandi Licht
Completion: 2023

What transforms an elongated brewery from the 1930s—with kettles, fermentation tanks, and vast bottling halls—into a building for offices, exhibitions, and gastronomy?
Plenty of light.

For the conversion of the former brewery into an office building, our studio designed both the daylighting and the artificial lighting. The architects at ritchie*studio reimagined the building so that it is now divided into Trident Park and the Brewhouse.

ritchie*studio interrupted the continuum of the 200-metre-long structure to create gardens between the newly formed office wings. Trees, shrubs, and fixed perforated “shutters” soften direct sunlight while offering varied views. These architectural cut-ins extend down to the ground floor, supplying the individual office levels with daylight. Even the large basement area receives sufficient natural light to allow office use. With its full spectrum, daylight supports healthy workplaces.

Artificial lighting reinforces the character of the site, creating a welcoming atmosphere. Some of the historic luminaires were refurbished, upgraded with modern LED technology, and reinstalled in the Brewhouse.

At night, the lighting is subtle and blends naturally into its surroundings. The exterior façade is illuminated only at the main entrance.
Behind the historic façade, ritchie*studio introduced a modern external wall, forming a colonnade. Only this element is lit from within, allowing visitors to perceive the layers and transparency of Trident Park.

The ceilings of the flexibly divisible office floors are relatively low in proportion to the floor area. As lighting designers, we referenced Malta’s bright, radiant sky within the interior. This creates a uniform ambient light that, together with the light-filled ceilings, visually enhances height and spaciousness. This effect was achieved through specially designed luminaires that distribute light evenly across the ceiling over large spans. Despite the high proportion of indirect light, the ceiling wash provides energy-efficient, uniform, and glare-free illumination. Task lights complement the office lighting individually and only where needed. The LED colour temperature of 4000 K introduces a sense of freshness in contrast to Malta’s outdoor heat.

The entire building was conceived to achieve BREEAM Excellent certification. Trident Park is exceptionally sustainable and resource-efficient in both construction and operation. It is one of the few examples of contemporary architecture in Malta that integrates harmoniously with the historic fabric and landscape.