2018 AL Design Awards: Sangha by Octave

Commendable Achievement: Exterior Lighting. Entrant: UnoLai Lighting Design & Associates.

2 MIN READ
Sangha Chapel

Pedro Pegenuate

Sangha Chapel

This story was originally published in Architectural Lighting.

The Sangha Resort, on Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, China, features a series of hotels, villas, and spa facilities that are surrounded by outdoor spaces meant to create a holistic and natural environment for guests who are seeking a retreat-like experience away from Shanghai. To illuminate the vast scale of the complex and diversity of its architecture and interiors (a dozen firms were involved with the project), UnoLai Lighting Design & Associates approached the project as an opportunity to create a lighting master plan. This way, the lighting serves as the unifying element, while still allowing for individual designer expression.

Sangha Chapel

Pedro Pegenuate

Sangha Chapel

Sangha Chapel interior

Pedro Pegenuate

Sangha Chapel interior

Lighting calculations and site studies determined appropriate light levels across the site taking into consideration time of day as well as seasonality. Illumination is treated as a textural element–dot, lines, and glowing surfaces–to respond to the surroundings. To eliminate any visual disruption, the lighting team prohibited the use of pole lights and instead opted for bollards and in-ground fixtures to illuminate pathways.

Sangha Village

Pedro Pegenuate

Sangha Village

Sangha Village

Pedro Pegenuate

Sangha Village

The Chapel serves as the physical and spiritual center of the resort. Situated among native grasses and trees, it resembles a “light box” that glows from within due to its illuminated glass curtain-wall. Throughout the resort, lighting serves as the connection point for the architectural elements and the guests as they commune with nature and one another.

Sangha Village

Pedro Pegenuate

Sangha Village

Jury Comments:
Sophisticated • The lighting helps tie the architecture and landscape together. • There’s a lot of complexity happening behind the scenes to make the lighting appear so simple.

DETAILS
Project: Sangha by Octave, Suzhou, China
Client: Octave, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
Architect: Tsao & McKown, New York
Lighting Designer: Unolai Lighting Design & Associates, Shanghai City, Shanghai
Team Members: Uno Lai, Jenna Liu, Jerry Han
Interior Design: Neri & Hu Design and Research Office, Shanghai
Additional Consultants: Landscape Architect: Design Land Collaborative (DLC); MEP Consultant: Aurecon & SLD; Signage Consultant: Pentagram; Facade Consultant: Buro Happold
Photographer: Pedro Pegenaute
Project Size: 1 million square feet
Project Cost: $20 million
Lighting Costs: 20 million Chinese Yuan (US $2,993,721)
Watts per Square Foot: 0.7
Code Compliance: Three-Star Rating Building System (Chinese National Building Energy Code)
Manufacturers: Aldabra, Bega, iGuzzini, KKDC, Kreon, Luci, Osram

To read more stories like this, visit Architectural Lighting.

About the Author

Elizabeth Donoff

Elizabeth Donoff is Editor-at-Large of Architectural Lighting (AL). She served as Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2017. She joined the editorial team in 2003 and is a leading voice in the lighting community speaking at industry events such as Lightfair and the International Association of Lighting Designers Annual Enlighten Conference, and has twice served as a judge for the Illuminating Engineering Society New York City Section’s (IESNYC) Lumen Award program. In 2009, she received the Brilliance Award from the IESNYC for dedicated service and contribution to the New York City lighting community. Over the past 11 years, under her editorial direction, Architectural Lighting has received a number of prestigious B2B journalism awards. In 2017, Architectural Lighting was a Top Ten Finalist for Magazine of the Year from the American Society of Business Publication Editors' AZBEE Awards. In 2016, Donoff received the Jesse H. Neal Award for her Editor’s Comments in the category of Best Commentary/Blog, and in 2015, AL received a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Media Brand (Overall Editorial Excellence).Prior to her entry into design journalism, Donoff worked in New York City architectural offices including FXFowle where she was part of the project teams for the Reuters Building at Three Times Square and the New York Times Headquarters. She is a graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Me., and she earned her Master of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.

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