Lyceum Alpinum, Zuoz (GR) 06. April 2021

The Swiss International Boarding School in Zuoz, Graubünden, is one of Switzerland's well-known and renowned international private schools - and has been for over 100 years. For the dining room of the recently opened campus extension «Chesa Urezza», RIBAG was able to supply a new and contemporary lighting solution.

The autumn red buildings of the two St. Moritz architects Karl Gottlieb Koller and Nicolaus Hartmann still dominate the appearance of the campus in Zuoz today. Based on the existing architectural values, the architecture firm Renato Maurizio from Maloja designed the campus extension «Chesa Urezza». In order to preserve the architectural unity, traditional elements were adopted and reinterpreted in keeping with today's zeitgeist.

Local materials such as larch wood and Bergell granite give the «Chesa Urezza» its local character. At the same time, the new building radiates generosity. The eight-storey extension is home to bright and spacious boarding rooms, classrooms and art and music rooms. The heart of the building is the renovated dining room, which has been supplemented with an Usteria and a terrace with a mountain view.

Roberto Albasini from Futuraluce in St. Moritz implemented the lighting design for the dining room and chose RIBAG as partner for the new lighting solution. «The building is architecturally perfect for the ARVA pendant luminaire. The design and the choice of colour harmonise perfectly with the interior design. The high indirect light component opens the room upwards and the pleasantly wide-angle ARVA light illuminates the dining room tables in an ideal way,» says Mr Albasini, explaining the choice of luminaires.

«The suspended ARVA version makes the room's boundaries disappear»

Roberto Albasini, Light planner

The dining room, which used to be green/white, was given a light coat of paint and a new parquet floor. This gave the renovated dining room a friendly, stylish and inviting character. In the renovated part the existing lights were replaced by the black ARVA pendant lamps. In the extension building, Mr Albasini rearranged the ARVA pendant lamps with their own lighting calculations. He implemented this in such a way that the room remains flexible in its furnishings. «The lighting mood fits whether the table stands directly under a luminaire or not. Since the rooms are very high, I chose the suspended ARVA version. It makes the room's boundaries disappear», explains Mr Albasini. The luminaire arrangement is particularly effective when you look into the building from the outside, for example from the newly built terrace or as you pass by - a well-proportioned luminaire design that optimally supports the architecture.

With the energy-saving LED lighting solution from RIBAG, the Swiss International Boarding School is sustainably supported on its way to a CO2-neutral campus.