A former textile-manufacturing complex in Lodz, Poland, has a new lease on life as a shopping/entertainment destination. ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls, Middleton, Wis.) installed lighting in one of the development’s refurbished buildings that’s designed to respect the space’s former identity as a factory, while also reflecting its new use as a shopping center.

To achieve that balance, ETC installed 56 of its Source Four HID 26-degree spotlights throughout the building, which is home to more than 200 shops. The spotlights’ fixtures are painted white to blend into their surroundings. The lights illuminate signage and artwork on the walls and are used for special-event lighting throughout the year.

“More and more, architectural venues such as shopping centers are integrating theatrical lighting effects into their design, to enhance the look and feel of the building and to improve the experience of visitors,” notes ETC architectural market manager Joe Bokelman.

The Lodz site was first developed in the 19th century, when fabric magnate Izrael Poznanski opened a textile factory that grew to become one of the largest in Europe. The manufacturing complex contained living quarters, its own power plant, railroad, fire department and school. At is peak, thousands of employees worked and resided there.

However, in recent decades, the factories began shutting down, culminating with the end of all manufacturing at the site in 1997. A few years after that, the French design firm Apsys Polska began rebuilding the area, preserving most of the original structures so their exteriors now resemble the textile plants of a century ago. The largest of those buildings houses the three-story shopping center where ETC installed its lighting system.

Photography: Prolight, Warsaw, Poland