A land, Umbria, and the story of two historic families that – together – traverse a hundred locations. Here, Centumbrie is not simply a name but a place that conceals a profound bond with the territory, sealed through the creation of a site where “matters of the heart” are worked. Indeed, Centumbrie is a latest-generation, innovative and technological oil mill, where high-quality extra-virgin olive oils are produced. But this mill is also home to a café-pâtisserie-bakery, where the organic flours used in the recipes of the baked goods take form. It is an Evo Bistro, located within the oil mill, where Umbrian cuisine meets unusual and exotic flavours yet where the absolute protagonist is oil.

Centumbrie was built on the foundations of a very large and complex project at the hand of Architect Gianmarco Balucani, who designed a real destination, perfectly integrated into the surrounding Umbrian countryside. The result is a complex structure comprised of several buildings, equipped with high energy efficiency and an electricity supply hailing from renewable sources. The amount of waste of water has been reduced to a minimum for the oil production phases. The olive pits (as waste from the olive processing) are exploited to heat the structures, whilst electricity is produced by transferring the pomace to a biodigester. Even the materials used – such as the weathering steel which, with its particular burnished chromatic shades, becomes one with the countryside – have been carefully chosen to minimise the impact on the environmental and landscape. Perfectly in line with this philosophy, the lighting study developed by Prait, an integrated engineering company that carries out installation and lighting design, saw the use of numerous professional solutions from Linea Light Group.

The main objective of the lighting project, for both indoors and outdoors, was to exalt the architectural aspects of the buildings that comprise Centumbrie and, within, to illuminate the work areas and spaces dedicated to hospitality with a precise yet soft and elegant light as needed. Thus, chosen for the two rooms of the Evo Bistrot was the Gypsum Cell downlight with a black finish and 9 power LEDs, capable of ensuring a soft and elegant illumination that can be dimmed to create truly evocative atmospheres. For the pâtisserie-café, the Optus was installed, again with a black finish and suspended on an electrified track. This is the perfect device for highlighting the products displayed on the counter. Specifically for the work area inside the olive press, the Flamp suspension lights guarantee maximum visual comfort and safety. Indeed, they are equipped with new-generation diodes for bright and uniform light and are even feature a heat dissipation system and overheating protection for a long life, high efficiency and top performance. Finally, in the office area is the LV54, a versatile and practical downlight that is perfect for illuminating large spaces. Outside, the lighting project saw the installation of the Periskop for the green areas surrounding the various buildings, the Peak bollard for the area outdoor the pâtisserie-café, along with Mini Parkers to emphasise the rear perimeter of the buildings and the area around the silos containing the flour. The ceiling version of the Alux was then installed to illuminate the external canopy where the tractors unload the freshly-harvested olives. Great care has also been taken to exalt the architectural details of the walls of the buildings themselves. Thus, the Archiline profile was utilised to illuminate the perimeter and also the sign installed on a reinforced concrete wall, in line with the industrial style of the whole site. The Suelo uplight then highlights the various walkways along with the perimeter around the building. Finally, there is the Cicada wall light in the single-emission version, installed at the entrance to the café for its diffused light, and the Alcor, an IP67 recessed uplight with extremely compact dimensions, here used along the perimeter of the main entrance, the display area in the Evo Bistro and the perimeter of the pâtisserie-café.

Credits:
Architectural design: Architect Gianmarco Balucani
System and lighting design: Prait, Simone Suriani
Designer: Miriam Cinaglia
Products: Gypsum Cell, Optus-T2 and Optus-Ex2, Flamp, LV54, Periskop, Peak, Mini Parker, Alux, Archiline, Suelo_R, Cicada, Alcor
Photo: Matteo Canestraro
Year: 2021