ARCHITECTURAL
project architect manufacturer
JDDK Trilux
64 MEDIA
Rivergreen, Aykley Heads,
FACADE
Durham
HONG KONG
THE BIG W
KAORU MENDE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
FLUTTERING FACADE LIGHTING OF HONG
KONG’S W HOTEL
Kaoru Mende used Hing Fat Lighting International custom
made LEDs to simulate fireflies in the façade lighting
With the opening of W Hong glass façade at each podium ing the façade with thousands being seen from a distance
Kong in the burgeoning West corner, there would be a flutter or of LED points of light to simulate as one solid concentration of
Kowloon district, luxury has finally glimpse of a few fireflies and, if fireflies.” light. All of these elements took
caught up with 21st century at- you blinked your eye, it would be- 14,700 custom made LED fittings cooperation and coordination to
titude. Boasting the talents of come an overflowing accumula- from Hong Kong manufacturers achieve our envisioned design.
two interior design firms and a tion of firefly light,” states Mende. Hing Fat Lighting International Ltd “We believe that this was also a
lighting designer , the hotel offers These layers of light exist between were used resulting in a curtain of result of selecting suitable light
guests a feel that is refined as well the inside and outside of the branches decorating the façade sources, accurate luminance level
as being contemporary. hotel, acting like a filter. Inside, with thousand of LED points of calculations, being conscious
As the third Asian W property to guests view the nightscape of light to simulate fireflies. about glare control, and numer-
open within the last five years, Hong Kong through the stand Under natural daylight the façade ous experiments. But as the con-
W Hong Kong had to distinguish of trees and fluttering fireflies. expresses two similar planes of struction schedule started to get
itself from the starkly minimal Outside, while the activities inside glass, but at night these two glass behind, all of the team still wishes
style of W Seoul and Maldives. the hotel are transparent through boxes glow like huge lanterns in that we had more time to do a
Developer Sun Hung Kai Prop- this filter of light, the entire façade different way, as In the back- proper mockup on site so that
erties retained Sydney-based becomes a mega-scale, glowing ground of the lanterns, different we could have achieved a more
Nicholas Graham + Associates lantern, mesmerising those at the activities of twin towers are visible delicate representation of light.”
and Osaka-based Glamorous Co entrance and in the driveway. through the layers of lighting ele-
www.lighting.co.jp
to achieve its goal. During the preliminary stages of ments.
It was Glamorous that was the façade design, through many At night, the interior lighting
responsible for the triple height discussions with Glamorous, was needed to be low-key so as not
lobby with a series of suspended mentioned keywords like ‘forest’ to interrupt the night view from
tree branches above the glass and ‘nature’ so Mende’s ideas inside out, along with applying
entrance. Kaoru Mende’s Light grew from there. suitable brightness for various
Planners Associates were em- “We imagined the light from fire- activities on each floor. However,
ployed to create the lighting for flies looming in a dark forest,” re- this tricky space is also visible
the distinctive W logo on the membered Mende. “Our lighting from the outside as the initial face
facade of the building. design concept originated from of the hotel.
“The image we envisioned was the natural world and continued “We imagined this entire facade
fireflies floating between stands to develop. The final product is as a giant lantern, showing the
of forest trees. Sometimes, in the a curtain of branches decorat- activities on each floor, but also
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124