This year at Light+Building in Frankfurt, XAL is showing what technical lighting can deliver today: rooms are staged according to respective user needs in a smart, networked, and flexible way. When entering Hall 3.0, the attention of visitors is immediately drawn to the almost 800m2 XAL stand. A striking, seven-metre high monolith of matt black Alucobond piques their curiosity. Some 428 circular openings serve as a showcase and allow glimpses into the future of lighting. Oversized, almost surreal entrance doors made from oak signal openness and hospitality, and at the same time, they recall the Austrian roots of the company. “We wanted to create a space in which innovations and their potential can be felt. This calls for areas where you can interact with these innovations”, said Michael Engel, manager at XAL, about the design of the stand. Judging by the activity at the stand, it seems to have been a success: everywhere, people are standing together in small and large groups, discussing the technical innovations presented.