SBB Centre Loewenberg, Murten, Switzerland

Restoration of existing furniture

SBB AG’s versatile seminar and event centre, which is a listed building, was completely refurbished with a focus on sustainability, with Girsberger being commissioned to restore the well-maintained furniture.

The listed SBB AG campus, built by architect Fritz Haller, includes a restaurant, two hotel blocks and the training building itself. The complex, including the historic buildings of the 16th-century castle, has been completely refurbished with a focus on sustainability. Against this backdrop, Girsberger embarked on the complex project of restoring the well-maintained existing furniture in line with the owner’s wishes.

In the process of several design decisions, it soon became clear that replacing the furniture with new items would be neither sustainable nor meaningful. After all, architect Fritz Haller had personally selected the existing furniture for the listed complex.

Large quantities of stackable chairs for the seminar and event areas were restored, and the seminar tables with solid wood tabletops were sanded down and re-varnished.