"Less is more - light only where it is wanted".

This idyllic harbor pier is located at the end of the Hornweg in Küsnacht ZH. A cozy place that invites you to linger - and is also a landing stage for boats. So that this beautiful place also feels good after darkening, the lighting systems on the lake and along the Hornweg were replaced and unwanted stray light is now a thing of the past.

Before the renovation, the light came from two classic top lights. Thus, not only the jetty was illuminated, but also the lake and the houses in the immediate vicinity.

"During the refurbishment, we were concerned that we only have light where we want it. Today, we only have light on the jetty and no longer on the lake," said Thomas Meier, the project manager responsible for the works on Lake Zurich.

The animals also benefit from the conversion, because the unwanted light pollution could be virtually eliminated. So that the new Tuscan luminaires, which illuminate the footbridge at the harbor, can be switched and dimmed as needed, they were additionally integrated into the Interact City light control system. Along Hornweg, decorative Jargeau surface-mounted luminaires now provide a homey ambiance with warm light.

To convince ourselves of the result, we visited Küsnacht before and after the renovation and captured the effect of the renovation with pictures. In a conversation with the responsible project manager Thomas Meier (specialist planning electricity, Werke am Zürichsee), we learned why the decision was made to use indirect lighting on the lakeshore and the Jargeau luminaires along the Hornweg.

For the sake of nature and fauna, we should avoid lighting near the shore, if possible.

Unfortunately, this is not always possible. Nevertheless, we wanted only as much light as really necessary. Previously, there were two top lights mounted on the harbor pier, which also illuminated the lake. We wanted to improve that by only having light in the harbor and at the jetty to the boats. That's why the idea came up with the indirect lighting on the harbor pier.

Gallery: before and after shots of the harbor pier

Before (left) - After (right): No more unnecessary light in the water or in residents' living rooms   

Today we only have light on the forecourt as well as the jetty. It is no longer illuminated everything around.From the lake, the lighting is now no longer perceptible, which corresponds to the desire of many residents and users.

To integrate the Tuscan wall sconces into the existing Interact City lighting control system as well, a Connector Kit was installed at the Jargeau luminaire on the lakefront and connected to the Tuscan wall sconces along the walkway

Before-and-after: horn path illuminated selectively and with minimal stray light into the surrounding area

We have therefore decided together with Dieter Wieser from ELEKTRON for the Jargeau luminaire, which is comparable in terms of lighting technology with a commonly used street light and can be intergiert in our control system, but visually meets the requirements of the municipality. We are all very pleased with the luminaire choice.

Many thanks to Thomas Meier for the interview.

"We like to try out new developments like Interact City and are very open to them. In the end, after all, we benefit from it."

In this interview with Andreas Ausborn (Head of Electricity), you can find out more about how, in addition to the ongoing, step-by-step refurbishment to LED, the plants on Lake Zurich went one step further and decided to use the Interact City lighting management system.