The main Swiss National Bank building at Bundesplatz in Bern has been renovated numerous times since it first opened in 1912. As part of the complete renovation of the SNB premises, the meeting rooms as well as entrance- and corridor lights were redesigned in line with technical and operational optimisations.
The aim of the renovation was an architectural and structural upgrading of the object, taking into account aspects of historic preservation and in recognition of its special cultural value.
In this context, the illumination concept and luminaires were designed by vogt partner and developed together with Aebi & Vincent Architekten. BURRI won the invitation to tender and was tasked with implementing this challenging assignment – from technical development and electrical engineering, all the way to installation.
Two different basic typologies of luminaires were developed in the course of the project. Chandeliers for the conference rooms as well as corridor - and entrance luminaires.
Depending on the shape of the interior, the lighting situation and the furnishings, the chandeliers for the conference rooms each feature an individual geometry in a modular design, giving off both indirect and direct light. Alongside the electronics and lighting engineering, the implementation of the design specifications of the chandeliers (up to 4.5m metres in width, few suspension points) was particularly challenging. The cleaning and maintenance concept was incorporated already in the development phase.
The basic structure of the large ellipses was milled from a tension-free aluminium block and gloss nickel-plated. This allowed the milled dual-arch segments to be screwed together to form high-precision, dimensionally stable rings. The over 500 structured glass components were inserted from above through slots. The light bar, which was likewise milled and fitted with custom-made LED prints, with different lenses illuminating upwards and downwards, was inserted between the upper and lower rings.
A further and particular challenge was the luminaire for the legendary “Salon bleu”. This consists of two differently sized ring structures with eight suspension points, all of which is arranged to match the historic ceiling stucco. A total of 388 upwardly-emitting LEDs and 208 downwards-emitting LEDs were installed, each with different special lenses and 876 structured glass components.
The entire value chain was implemented in Switzerland, from the design to the engineering, all the way to construction, industrial production and traditional art of glass blowing.
