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COLI Universal World Tower, Hangzhou

The Architecture locates by Qiantang River. The architect is inspired by containers on freighters, and forms the façade into assembly of various containers, while strengthens the dimension of the building through various blue glass panes.

These buildings contain prominent features, but can lighting interfere with them? Before conducting actual design, we attempted to analyze through the business requirement of the client. Regardless of architectural or lighting design, one has to fulfill and satisfy the client’s business requirement.

The core issue is to increase the renting rate. How can it be done? There are two concerns. One is to exhibit the building itself, enabling the structure to form its own beauty and contrasts in order to attract attention. The other is to generate connection between building and site. Through the assistance of the site, people may project their emotion for the site onto the building.

The structural beauty of the architecture is formed by contrasting façade based on containers, while the characteristics of the site are the current and colors of Qiantang River. We attempt to combine them into one design. We find linear light-receiving surface on the bottom of certain buildings through the contrasting surface, and the lighting installation surface on the top of sunken buildings. We are also inspired by the changing waters of Qiantang River for linear lighting, while the color of water inspires us to choose the color on the building. We combine them and install lights on the sunken part to illuminate certain bottoms. Thus we create the bright water marks of three difference shades of blue on the building façade. We are also inspired by the waving light on the surface of river, and install lighting spots on the façade in order to produce wave-like lighting.

When people view such architectural lighting at night, they could comprehend the significance of such design rather swiftly. May they don’t understand the details, yet they could feel how site features convey emotion toward the building, enabling them to fall in love with it.

The visible features of architectures tend to be visible, and could be used as the focus on lighting. But in our design, it is simply a phase. What we aim for is to present the hidden value behind it: the subtle connection between emotion and architecture.