Apr 1 2008
Beijing has become a hot spot for avant-garde architecture as the world pays more attention to the city's building boom. Many of the world's great architects have bold structures sprouting all over the city, with such descriptive nicknames as the bird's nest, twisted doughnut and eggshell.
Even surrounded by such ultra-modern marvels, the New Poly Plaza in Beijing stands tall as a bold landmark building. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), it is recognized as one of the most innovative architectural designs in the world. The building incorporates 24 stories of office space built around a 90-meter-tall atrium enclosed by the world's largest cable-net-supported glass wall.
The challenge for lighting designers was to enhance the magnificence of the building and ensure it would stand out as a distinct addition to the city's nighttime landscape, while combining traditional Chinese culture and modern technology with energy efficient lighting.
Beijing Hao Er Sal Lighting Engineering Co., Ltd. chose GE Consumer & Industrial to help meet its ambitious lighting objectives. The lighting design firm wanted to highlight a number of interesting architectural features, such as yellow stone walls at the front of the building that form a “triumphal arch,” vertical stone layered windows and an open brass curtain wall that represents the more traditional Chinese culture.
Luminaires with GE 400-watt and 1000-watt Lucalox® high-pressure sodium lamps highlight the “triumphal arch” of the yellow stone walls. The lamps are carefully aimed to minimize light pollution.
On the west and south facades, the vertical stone-layered windows and brass curtain wall presented a unique lighting design opportunity. The lighting designers used waterproof and dustproof luminaires with GE 28-watt T5 Starcoat® Ecolux® 2700 K lamps, a product of ecomagination. The luminaires with GE fluorescent lamps create a textured look that is energy efficient and visually striking.
“The GE T5 Starcoat Ecolux lamps offer outstanding light quality with high lumens per watt for high output and high energy efficiency,” says Mary Beth Gotti, manager of the GE Lighting & Electrical Institute, GE Consumer & Industrial.
In the center of the 90-meter-tall atrium is a “floating floor” 7 meters above the ground. The lighting on the floor creates the look of a massive traditional Chinese red lamp.
Beijing will undoubtedly continue its quest to be a world capital of architecture projects with its track record of approving some of the world's most avant-garde architecture projects. With its innovative design and a lighting design that adds to the building's magnificence, the New Poly Plaza is destined to maintain its mark as a landmark building on Beijing's rapidly changing landscape.
GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to staging a successful Olympic Games. GE works closely with host countries, cities and organizing committees to provide infrastructure solutions for Olympic venues including power, lighting, water treatment, transportation and security, and to supply hospitals with ultrasound and MRI equipment to help doctors treat athletes. In addition, NBC Universal, a division of GE, is the exclusive U.S. media partner of the Olympic Games, with its partnership also extending through 2012.
This lighting project is among several recognized during the 2006 GE Edison Awards held in May 2007.