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Roman Catholic parish church of St. Ambrosius, Erstfeld
Striking church luminaire
ROMAN CATHOLIC PARISH CHURCH OF ST. AMBROSIUS, ERSTFELD | PUBLIC BUILDING
A new lighting concept was developed for the Roman Catholic parish church of St. Ambrosius in Erstfeld (canton of Uri) as part of renovations to the building. The lighting design firm Lichtblick AG from Buchs (Zurich)
worked with the Tuggen-based luminaire manufacturer Tulux AG to create a truly inspiring concept. The church now has a unique appearance thanks to the festive luminaires, leaving visitors to the church delighted.
The Roman Catholic parish church of St. Ambrosius is located at the northern end of the village of Erstfeld’s historic centre. The church architecture is dominated by simple wall and window decorations. Dark walls and ancient fittings led to a comprehensive renovation of the church. As part of this project, the outdated lighting was scheduled to be replaced with LED luminaires. A unique lighting concept was created by Lichtblick for the large, dynamic church nave. The lighting planners had specific requirements for its implementation. Their vision called for a modern, festive and decorative pendant luminaire. As well as providing optimal lighting conditions, the luminaire had to offer fresh emphasis in a way that complemented the church’s architecture.
Development of the custom festive luminaire
The Lichtblick team took its inspiration from the colourful, geometric images in the church’s stained glass windows. A rhombus pattern was integrated into the design of the new, large pendant luminaire, which appears as an ornament in the decorative casing. To achieve an initial “live effect”, a paper prototype was built by the planners and hung in the nave. The shape and character suited the church and the proportions and dimensions were ideal, meaning that the production of the luminaire together with Tulux could begin. Tulux proved to be the perfect partner for implementing this high-quality custom luminaire, says Thomas Schoch, Managing Director and owner of Lichtblick AG.
Tulux promptly developed a prototype in miniature format, which was constructed in consultation with Lichtblick. This was greeted with enthusiasm not only from the lighting planners, but also the architecture firm responsible for the project, the Altdorf-based HTS Architekten. After consulting with the architects, the custom luminaire was then developed and brought to life. The large format, decorative casing and ‘sparkle’ effect that the lighting planners wanted to see in the pendant luminaire were all delivered by Tulux to a high professional standard. The area between the luminaire fitting and the casing was filled with acrylic glass granules, which – together with the rhombus ornament and its integrated plastic lenses – has a twinkling, magical effect. Project manager Ulli Dittrich was able to rely on Tulux at all times during the project:
In the church nave five pendant luminaires are hung on each side (left and right) to provide unobtrusive lighting. The light produced is free of any glare, providing optimal conditions for reading the prayer and hymn books. Ceiling luminaires were developed for the lighting in the entrance area of the church and the choir, and they have a decorative casing with the same rhombus ornament as the pendant luminaires. The new combination of architecture and lighting gives the church a light, elegant appearance that has left the congregation amazed.
