Westfield Černý Most, Czech Republic

The Westfield Černý Most extension introduces 9,000 sqm of new retail space, enriched with fresh stores, dining concepts and renewed entrances and façades, strengthening the centre’s presence as a cultural and commercial anchor for the region. Guided by the client’s Better Places commitments, the project embraces sustainable construction and is designed to achieve a BREEAM “Excellent” rating.

From the very beginning, light was imagined not as an accessory, but as an essential architectural voice, an element capable of shaping memory, atmosphere and a sense of belonging. The ambition was to craft a warm, grounded environment inspired by local materials, colours and cultural nuance: a place that encourages people to slow down, gather, dine and linger. Daylight, greenery and layered artificial illumination intertwine to soften edges, dissolve boundaries and gently draw nature into the building.

At the heart of the extension, the iconic skylight becomes a luminous landmark, a sculptural presence that anchors the entire composition. By day, it pulls natural light deep into the plan; by night, it glows as a floating beacon, its geometry celebrated through subtle integrated illumination. Its linear language continues throughout the project, seamlessly connecting the elevated Grand Kitchen with the quieter retail world below.

Interconnecting voids carve vertical moments of drama, clarity and orientation. Bespoke slotlights trace these openings, wrapping them in a delicate halo that reinforces the visual dialogue between levels. Beneath the escalators, warm light brushes the timber slats, enriching their texture and offering a sense of crafted intimacy within the broader architectural volume.

In the lower mall, luminous forms recall the proportions of the skylight, echoes rather than replicas, offering elegance without overpowering the space. Light plays across reflective floor finishes, generating fleeting patterns and soft, kinetic glimmers that animate the environment with a quiet, poetic rhythm.

The Grand Kitchen adopts a more intimate, atmospheric language. Decorative lighting creates human-scaled pockets of warmth within the open dining hall, evoking the character of a neighbourhood restaurant rather than a traditional food court. At night, discreet track and accent lighting recede into the black open ceiling, appearing like a sparse constellation hovering above the life unfolding below.

Materiality remains a guiding force throughout. Light reveals the richness, colour and depth of locally sourced finishes, most notably along the “Social Wall,” where layered materials and tones are brought alive through balanced illumination. Soft backlighting behind the sunblocks adds a sense of mystery and layered depth, inviting people to slow their pace and explore.

Externally, the façade lighting gives the building a distinct nocturnal identity. Vertical ribbons of light bring rhythm and dimension to the elevation, while concealed terrace lighting grazes textured surfaces and landscape elements, extending the warmth, atmosphere and human scale of the interior into the night.

Together, the lighting design weaves a cohesive narrative, one that binds architecture, materiality and social life into a single, resonant experience. The result is a vibrant, human-centred destination where light does more than illuminate: it welcomes, guides and gives Westfield Černý Most its renewed sense of place.