Reasonable and Beautiful
Founded in 2012, Zurich-based Lukas Imhof Architektur has built a reputation for projects that balance reason and beauty. Known for his sensitive renovations and his teaching at ETH Zurich, where he authored Midkomfort, a reflection on architecture beyond uncritical progressivism, Imhof’s work reinterprets historical context through craftsmanship and cultural continuity.
Today, his twelve-person team focuses on educational, infrastructure, and residential buildings that combine ecological awareness with architectural depth.
The Horn nursery school, overlooking Lake Constance, is a striking example. Commissioned after a competition win in 2014, the project integrates renovation and new construction within a local ensemble. Although the new building was initially rejected by referendum, the community’s growing need for nursery spaces led to its realization in 2020, allowing Imhof’s thoughtful design to finally come to life.
“We enjoy working with existing structures, reinterpreting historical references, and creating spaces with their own unique character. We are not interested in spectacle, but in carefully considered design and precise craftsmanship.”
Lukas Imhof
A Dialogue with Context
Echoing the aesthetics of the surrounding complex, the new nursery features a floating concrete roof, dark structural elements, and a compact footprint that frames a green, playful garden. Inside, the spatial composition draws from early modernist typologies: a central hall surrounded by smaller niches for crafts, reading, and family interaction that encourage both function and discovery.
Rather than façade windows, natural light enters from above through VELUX flat roof windows, giving the main room its serene, daylight-filled character.
“Children experience architecture differently. They look up, discover corners and plays of light. That is the magic of building for them: creating a framework for discovery.”
Lukas Imhof
Light as Architecture
Daylight is the defining element of the design. Eleven circular ceiling openings flood the central space with soft, even light, complemented by three more in the adjoining rooms. Although Imhof originally envisioned round skylights, he turned to VELUX flat roof solutions, developing a custom transition that elegantly morphs the square window frames into circular ceiling openings. The result is both technical and poetic.
“The light from above is perfect. During the day there is hardly any need for artificial lighting. When the sun is strong, the integrated shading ensures comfort, and on cloudy days, reflections of light gently move across the room.”
Lukas Imhof
The result is a luminous interior that feels both grounded and uplifting: a temple of play where light defines space and space defines experience.
Craft, Colour and Comfort
The colour palette draws from early modernist interiors, blending bold hues with subtle gloss contrasts. Red ceilings highlight the alcoves, and glossy tiles alternate with matte surfaces to animate the light that enters from above.
Magnetic white walls become galleries for children’s artwork, while every material, from parquet to paint, supports the architecture’s tactile richness.
“I deliberately used different degrees of gloss to shape how light moves through the space and to create subtle spatial effects.”
Lukas Imhof
VELUX as a Design Catalyst
For Imhof, light is not an afterthought but a structural principle. The VELUX flat roof windows (CVP-CFP) were not just functional solutions; they became central design elements that shaped the architecture’s rhythm, mood, and meaning.
“VELUX offered reliable solutions that open and close automatically and integrate shading perfectly. They allowed us to achieve our aesthetic vision within the project’s constraints.”
Lukas Imhof
In the Horn nursery, light, form, and material come together in harmony to create a playful, nurturing environment that inspires curiosity and calm in equal measure.
Project Data
Location: Horn, Switzerland
Client: VSG Horn
Architecture: Lukas Imhof Architektur, Zurich
Landscape Architecture: Martin Klauser, Rorschach & Winkler Richard, Wängi
Construction Management: Gemperli Stauffacher, St. Gallen
Competition: 1st Prize (2014)
Realisation: 2020–2023
Skylights: 11 × VELUX CVP-CFP 80×80 cm, 3 × VELUX CVP-CFP 120×120 cm
Photography: Hannes Heinzer, Christoph Egli, Kasia Jackowska
