Casa Cavalier Pellanda

Lead Designers Michela Bonzi

Entry Description

The Casa Cavalier Pellanda is a magnificent construction dating back to the 16th century, located in Biasca, Canton Ticino, Switzerland, protected by the Cantonal Cultural Heritage Office. The building received a first renovation in the years 1976-89 by Architects Bruno Reichlin, Fabio Reinhart and Gabriele Geronzi.
In 2023 the Municipality decided to transform the building into a contemporary exhibition space—demanding sensitive updates in standards, accessibility, and, critically, lighting. The limitations in terms of intervention (given by the local Cultural Heritage Office) on the building itself were significant and directed the project (both architectural and lighting) in very clear direction.
Our lighting concept comprised two main interventions: restoration and compliance of the historic 1980s Reichlin-Reinhart luminaires, and new lighting for the new exhibition spaces.
With strict heritage restrictions—prohibiting ceiling interventions in cross-vaulted ground floor rooms—we developed fully portable, tailored floor lamps delivering both ambient and accent lighting, allowing flexibility for changing displays. In the upper levels, discreet miniature tracks and spotlights with interchangeable optics were suspended from historic wooden ceilings for precise artwork illumination. All existing “old” lamps were meticulously cleaned and restored, 100% refitted with energy-saving, dimmable LED technology to meet modern standards and Swiss code compliance.

Sustainability Approach

Recylcle of all exhisting "old" lamps in terms of materials: lamps have been cleaned, brushed, renewed and new LED fittings have been replaced, to be code compliance and to reduce the wattage consume. 50% of the lamps have been refitted.
New lamps are LED, DALI dimm, and therefore dimmed to min 40% during they day, when sunglight enter the many windows of the building.