ERCO × JUNG

Better together

If you ring the bell at the bank branch in the Ledigenheim in Munich’s Westend today, you won’t find an ATM or tellers counting money. Instead, you step into a space where light, material, and human interaction come together. To find out what this feels like, we visited the showroom and experimental playground by ERCO Lighting and JUNG, the premium supplier of modern building and electrical installation technology.

The perfect match

The collaboration, which saw the building open its doors for the first time last fall, brings together two companies whose headquarters sit less than ten kilometres apart in Sauerland. Still, the partnership took time to mature. What now feels obvious (lights and switches: without one, there cannot be the other) is the result of a longer process of discovering shared values, building trust, and finding a willingness to think beyond individual brand experiences.

“We weren’t simply interested in showing our products in isolation,” says Tommy Rube, who leads Field Marketing at ERCO. “What mattered to both companies was the experience that emerges when everything comes together: space, light, control, and the people moving through it. That was the real opportunity. Something entirely new that we could only do together.”

Tactile triggers

Designed by Theodor Fischer in the 1920s, the Ledigenheim’s open floors, high ceilings and panoramic windows feel made for exactly this type of experience. The openness of the space simply feels perfect for its purpose. And it works. Neighbours wander in. Clients and partners gather for coffee. Curious passers-by drop by and ask questions. All are met with switches, dimmers, configurable lighting systems, installations, material samples, and more.

When it comes to discovering how lights and controls work together, exploration here is profoundly tactile. Switches are pressed. Scenes are triggered. Light changes character. We only walk around for a few minutes, but it feels like the options are limitless. And that’s exactly the point.

“We didn’t want to create any barriers,” says Jürg Meier, Regional Sales Director at JUNG. “If people feel welcome, they’re more willing to explore and to ask questions.”

A bright idea

What makes the Munich showroom distinct isn’t novelty alone. Many brands run showrooms and talk about collaborations. What’s different here is how deliberately experimentation is built into the concept.

Take the basement: the old bank vault, still complete with walls of personal safes. Now it serves as an immersive light environment. Guests are met with a range of light figurations and controls, allowing them to play, learn and discover how light changes mood and atmosphere. Upstairs, a sealed-off scene with a simple installation as its anchor allows guests to play with lights, changing temperatures and directional framing. Overall, the space is created to play around, but with an afterthought of what this kind of interaction can do for those who try it out. And for the way they connect with both brands.

“Experimentation only works when there’s trust,” says Wiebke Becker, who leads Pre Marketing at JUNG. “Not just between brands, but between people. You need openness, honesty, and the freedom to say: let’s try this and see what happens.”

In an age of speed, slow down

The conversation inevitably turns philosophical. In a world shaped by acceleration, AI, and screen-based abstraction, what role do physical spaces still play?

“Digital tools are essential,” says Mariusz Furtak, Regional Manager at ERCO. “But they don’t replace presence. You can describe light endlessly. But until you’ve experienced it, it remains theoretical.” The showroom offers an antidote to how one might otherwise connect with brands and their products. The space asks for time and attention. In return, the tactile and immersive introduction stays longer with visitors. “People remember what they’ve touched,” Becker adds. “What they’ve felt. That’s what stays with them.”

Stay curious

Asked whether the collaboration makes both brands braver, the answer comes quickly: courage was always there. What has changed is how it’s come to life. “We develop things together now,” says Rube. “Ideas get better through exchange. You challenge each other, respectfully, and arrive at stronger solutions.”

The Munich space may well inspire others. There are discussions, ideas, possibilities. But for now, the focus remains on what’s already happening: a place where light is not just shown but felt; where technology becomes an experience more than a tool; and where collaboration is less a strategy than a daily practice. In the end, the success of the space doesn’t come down to square metres or systems. It comes down to people. And more than anything else, the desire to spark one of the few things that cannot simply be switched on and off: curiosity.

The article on ERCO × JUNG also appears in mcbw magazine 2026.

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