He was delighted when Tulux was awarded the contract for realising their vision, as he already knew of the Tuggen-based company’s stellar reputation. “We were already familiar with the Tulux consultant, Urs Suter, and we knew we could always rely on deadlines and budgets being adhered to.” Speaking of budgets, the reasonable quote was a welcome surprise to the project team. As a long-established family business, Tulux has the resources and expertise needed to implement custom solutions on attractive terms. Everything is produced in house, the business structures are streamlined and the decision paths are short, making Tulux an extremely flexible partner.

Elegant and subtly perplexing
Developing the custom luminaires was a special kind of challenge. From a design viewpoint, the architects were looking for a collection of luminaires that would bring a sense of elegance and warmth to the spaces while being subtly perplexing. The latter effect was to augment the unusual ambience in the stairwells. “Our goal was for people coming into the space to want to stand still and look around,” explains Michael Meier. He is very satisfied with the result. It was possible to reduce the number of light sources compared to the initial calculations, with the luminaires that were developed having an impact that was all the greater. Through the two-armed wall luminaires and one-armed batten luminaires the light comes into the space indirectly, flowing over the raw concrete walls. The slightly conical “chandeliers” are truly remarkable, creating a fascinating play of light and shadow on the ceilings and walls. As construction work progresses in Uptown Mels, the luminaire collection will also continue to grow. There is a justifiable sense of anticipation over the ongoing development of this exceptional custom solution and its future applications across the various areas of the project.