Reviving Ancient Charm: The Sunac Wanda Realm Kunming

Alex Xu and Partners Illuminate Ancient Architecture with Modern Lighting Design

The project, spanning a vast 70,000 sq.m., is a unique blend of the past and the present. The buildings, inspired by the axially symmetrical sense of ancient Chinese architecture, are brought to life with warm white lighting, reflecting the local culture and the architecture itself. The lighting color temperature is uniformly set at 3000K, with brightness graded based on different nodes, creating a refined, warm atmosphere at night.

The design team faced a significant challenge: how to incorporate modern lighting without disrupting the overall ancient charm of the architecture. The solution was to customize the luminaries to match the architecture's ancient charm. This approach resulted in a nightscape that is both evocative of the past and distinctly modern.

The project, which began in January 2018 in Shenzhen and was completed in December 2019 in Kunming, Yunnan Province of China, required meticulous planning and execution. The designers had to ensure that the brightness level was determined according to different nodes, avoiding monotony and dullness due to similar brightness. This careful attention to detail resulted in an overall focused, bright, dominant, and subordinate night landscape that provides the most comfortable visual experience for the human body.

Such a unique blend of ancient architecture and modern lighting design has not gone unnoticed. The Sunac Wanda Realm Kunming project was awarded the Golden A' Lighting Products and Fixtures Design Award in 2021. This prestigious award is granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics.

In conclusion, the Sunac Wanda Realm Kunming project by Alex Xu and Partners is a shining example of how modern design techniques can be used to illuminate and enhance the beauty of ancient architecture. It stands as a testament to the power of design to create a symbiosis between architecture and people, and to bring the past to life in the present.