Light

Electric light

Our aim is to use light as a material to create conditions of perception and spatial effects that speak to the needs and activities of people. In approaching this aim, we are concerned to enable a sense of well-being and to create a virtually infinite source of aesthetic impressions. Equipped with an extensive physical and technical understanding of the field, we develop innovative solutions that distinguish themselves in terms of clarity and simplicity.

Illuminating rooms and spaces

Light design and planning in interior and exterior spaces. In order to reach this goal, we work together with the architects, developers and users to complete all of the tasks from a holistic and sustainable point of view. We develop light vision in a dialogue with the architectural context. This includes the following services:

• Ascertainment of needs and wishes
• Functional specifications document
• Services as per SIA 108/112 Phase 1-6

Quality

The knowledge that we have acquired over the years enables us to create value for developers, architects and users in the capacity of a consultant. As consultants, we aim to engage our clients in a constructive exchange of ideas that brings the project forward and secures the desired quality.

• Support for the development and perception of unique visual spaces
• Project consulting and management
• Consulting for lighting design and its technical implementation
• Quality assurance and control
• Cost-benefit analyses
• Cost-effectiveness calculations
• Support in connection with the development of colour projection in buildings and on objects
• Technical lighting measurements
• Expert reviews
• Training programmes
• Life-cycle cost calculations

Natural light

«A space can never find its place in architecture without natural light. Artificial light is the light of night expressed in positioned chandeliers not to be compared with the unpredictable play of natural light.»
_{Louis I. Kahn}

Daylight is the best source of light for us as human beings, and is available to us every day free of charge. The thoughtful use of this valuable resource is a key to creating spaces in which we have a sense of well-being. Daylight, however, is not only a source of light; it is also a source of heat. It is therefore especially important to calibrate and steer light so as to benefit as much as possible from it.

The optimal use of daylight is also directly connected to the achievement of overarching energy goals in Switzerland. Thanks to our know-how and experience, we are in a position to dial in project details at a very early stage so as to ensure an optimal use of daylight throughout a given building's entire life cycle. Indeed, many important measures are implemented in the very first architectural drawings. The need to make highly inconvenient and costly downstream changes can be avoided.

• Calculation of key variables such as daylight coefficients, global and diffuse radiance, operating times and energy consumption
• Digital daylight simulation
• Daylight autonomy
• Daylight optimisation (sun and glare protection, light control)
• Solar angle diagrams
• Expert reports
• Daylight domes

Light & energy

We live in a world that is increasingly exposed to volatility. When developments prove unfavourable or even threatening, we are suddenly aware of a responsibility that we should actually be more mindful of at all times: sustainable practices in thought, word and deed. As an enterprise, we are committed to this responsibility and let it inspire us in our daily work. As a guiding principle, this can be expressed as follows:
«Energy efficiency is an integral part of our processes and is our top priority. CO2 emissions must be minimised or eliminated altogether whenever possible.» We also take this guiding principle very seriously in the area of lighting design. The aim of the SIA's Guideline 380/4 on Electrical Energy in Civil Engineering is the rational use of electricity and the optimisation of the consumption of electricity in new and renovated buildings. In keeping with the aim of the SIA, we offer the following services in the area of lighting design:

• Consulting for building measures that ensure the rational use of energy
• Review of building measures in terms of their conformity with the principles of rational energy use
• Verification calculations for lighting as per SIA 380/4
• Drafting of MINERGIE verification reports, including other necessary documents such as lighting plans for submission to the certification agency
• Liaising with Minergie inspectors
• Drafting of verification documents for LEED, Breeam and DGNB

Our lighting design specialists: www.reflexion.ch
A subsidiary of Amstein + Walthert Holding AG