LIGHT + TECH 099
LANZHAI VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT, BEIJING LIGHTING DESIGN: BEIJING PRO LIGHTING DESIGN
Shortlisted for an FX Award, Lanzhai is a high-end vegetarian restaurant located in what was originally the Beijing Elementary Industrial School, built in 1907. A quiet oasis in a busy area, the restaurant has three floors, two above ground and the kitchen below ground. Private rooms are mainly on the first floor, while the hall is on the second floor.
Despite a long tradition of vegetarianism, influenced by both Buddhism and Daoism, it has been variously enouraged and discouraged over the centuries in China by various regimes. However, there is a growing trend for vegetarianism and veganism, especially among younger people, linked to health and also ecological awareness. According to Beijing Pro, it is associated with an afinity with nature, a concept which has influenced the thinking behind the lighting scheme.
As with many BPLD schemes, there is a poetry to the concept, designed to evoke an emotional response. Light sources are hidden and illumination seeps out from concealed crevices, nooks and niches.
Small, frameless, black-embedded spotlights were selected for the ceiling to create a perforated effect. ‘We strive to minimise the use of ceiling spotlights – reducing the total number to around 10 in public areas – so that the appearance of the holes appears random,’ says BPLD.
Two different sizes of holes were drilled into the walls of the corridors and bathrooms on the first and second floors, into which custom-made plaster-shaped lamps were installed. Light sources were concealed within the holes, animating the space by producing soft, scattered light on the ceilings and floors. ‘Light is not the subject, but is hidden within space or integrated into objects – linear light sources are hidden in various places, such as wall corners, window curtain boxes, and recessed niches, to create a dynamic and three-dimensional atmosphere,’ says BPLD. ‘The use of warm grey micro-cement also contributes to the organic feel of the space by creating a skin-like texture when lit up. Light is sometimes used as a material, a means, or a reflection to provide a comfortable and unparalleled dining experience.’
The balance of different lighting levels is also crucial to the scheme, precisely calibrated to particular areas. ‘The key to achieving this environment is the precise coordination of brightness levels and rhythms throughout the different spaces, including the relationships between the building, landscape and interior lighting,’ says BPLD. ‘The brightness ratios are set according to the different needs of each space, with the main entrance and the lobby being the brightest and the corridor being the least bright.’
are cast into the concrete deck. The light fittings are discreetly moulded into the deck and integrated into the doorframes, made of steel and hardened glass. Each toilet cubicle has a specially made bollard in steel and acrylic, produced by the metal workshop Størksen in collaboration with UK company Stoane Lighting. This acts as a floor lamp, providing a soft light in the room and balancing with the light in the doorframe.
The lighting is controlled by sunrise and sunset times as well as sensors in the lock box on the toilet doors so that the light intensity increases when the toilet is in use. ‘This limits energy consumption and unnecessary lighting when the rest stop is not in active use, and lets the fjord and mountains set the stage,’ says Olsen. —
Architecture: Code Arkitektur Key Suppliers: LightGraphix, Stoane Lighting, Fagerhult, iGuzzini
FOVEA STUDIO
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