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| "Responsible Lighting" products featured in Gingko Bacchus  When CD+M Lighting Design Group needed to specify energy efficient, high-performance lighting fixtures for an intimate restaurant environment in Chengdu (capital of Sichuan Province), China, the design firm contacted WAC Lighting for Responsible Lighting solutions in a variety of architectural task and ambient applications. The project received an IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) Award of Merit. WAC Lighting, a leading manufacturer and designer of track, recessed, undercabinet, monorail and decorative lighting, develops nearly all of its Responsible products in the family owned, ISO 9001-certified manufacturing campus with in-house UL approved testing labs and zero landfill status.Gingko Bacchus, known for its surrealistic blend of western and Chinese restaurant decor and food culture, was designed by Graft Design to create unique experiences and looks with each visit to the space. To blend with the design concept, CD+M Lighting Design utilized WAC Lighting to add to the mystique by supplying high-performance lighting that could be concealed within the architecture. WAC deployed a combination of energy efficient, low voltage 2-circuit and linear track luminaires, xenon light bars and recessed halogen downlights. The WAC Lighting brand was specified for its broad selection of innovative styles, finishes, sizes and mounting options, for several unique applications, The design firm used blacked out space as the focus, while guests "float" through "a river" created by undulated wood ceiling and the stainless steel intarsiate floor patterns. Along "the river" are enlarged photographic reinterpretations of traditional Dutch still-life paintings, which are displayed as murals on the walls. Lighting functionality and appearance needed to be dynamic since the images on the walls changed through time-controlled lighting systems. The images are placed behind one-way mirrors and certain elements of the images are highlighted and fade over time. The entire hallway appears to be set in slow motion- when the lights fade, the images disappear, and the patrons appear to be reflected in the one-way mirrors. WAC's low voltage, two-circuit track system and luminaires were used for spot, ambient and general lighting applications. For hard to light display areas, swivel "Flex" fixtures were utilized with low voltage MR16 halogen lamps for pure, white light. Low voltage xenon Recessed Light Bars and diminutive Linear reflectors were used for undercabinet applications. Eight private dining rooms are located like "boulders" along "a stream"—each is color coded and themed by food and famous Bacchus depictions. Each private dining room offers its own customized wallpaper featuring images of simple foods like carrots, mushrooms, walnuts, broccoli, beans, peppers and artichokes. WAC Spotlights were used with framing projectors to highlight the artwork by creating the appearance of self-illuminating surfaces. The fixtures' adjustable metal shims form square and rectangular beams while projecting light on the paintwork. Along the eight dining rooms, scenes from the myth of Bacchus are represented, from Caravaggio's depiction of Bacchus as a young "Boy with a Fruit Basket, " to the "Triumph of Bacchus" by Velazquez. The paintings are used in pixilated abstraction, with graphics that are laser cut out of stainless steel sheets. Through the laser-cut Bacchus paintings, customers see the illuminated background of the vegetable wallpapers and Arcadian landscapes. Through pixilated and laser cut images of grapes, Nymphs – playmates of Bacchus- can be viewed from different angles on the ceilings. The sexual undertone is repeated in the custom designed counters, tables and sofas, which are composed in various forms of embrace and separation. To create unobtrusive, soft warm light above mirrors and in dramatic displays, WAC Lighting provided miniature low voltage recessed downlights, including gimbal rings, slot trims and step baffles. WAC fixtures illuminate dark tinted mirrors and reflective surfaces to create surrealistic extensions of space; blurring guests' orientation. Interplay of illusion and reflection is represented throughout the restaurant. The fixtures were also used to light all of the dining areas, as well as decorative architectural pieces such as the mirrored walls down the main corridor, and the floating perforated metal panels in the private dining rooms. For the mirrored walls, WAC 2-circuit track and luminaires were controlled separately on timed control systems that were set at different intervals. The track system created a random effect that gave guests different experiences when walking past each of the installations. ? Miniature low voltage surface mounted and track mounted luminaires were used to highlight artwork and accent pieces, and deliver dramatic theatrical effects. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |