Prize(s) Honorable Mentions
Lighting Design/Product Company Ada & Refined Lighting Design Consultants
Lead Designers Shenglin Hung
Other Designer's names Huayu Tseng
Client Longyou County Government,YXDesigners,Fengyuzhu
Photo Credits YXDesigners,Fengyuzhu
Completion Date 2023.8.1
Project Location Longyou County, Zhejiang Provinc, China
Entry Description"Artificial Tree"
The tower's form embodies a metaphor for the relationship between humanity and nature, the added steel grid symbolizes human rational control, while the "large tree" being constructed within the grid represents nature produced and disciplined under that control. It creates an ambiguous image resembling a tower and a tree, provoking broad associations and multiple interpretations. The adversarial relationship between the grid and the "large tree" is an abstraction and metaphor for reconstructing nature through infrastructure. The contrast between the grid and the tower invites reflection on opposing concepts such as tradition versus modernity, craftsmanship versus machinery, and agricultural versus industrial civilization.
The lighting design enhances the geometric beauty of the steel structure and the grid membrane, subtly revealing the original sluice management building through precise lighting angles and reflections, illustrating the relationship between the new and the old. A strong industrial green light emphasizes the "Artificial Tree's" non-natural attributes in the basic lighting mode. In the water-themed lighting mode, blue lights combined with water ripple effects bring the imagery of the river into the tower, transforming the "Artificial Tree" into a mysterious water creature by the riverside.
Sustainability ApproachThe design draws inspiration from infrastructure, carefully selecting simple and practical materials while avoiding overly intricate construction details to ensure ease of assembly and future maintenance. The grid membrane material is lightweight and breathable, providing excellent ventilation during regular use and reducing wind loads to ensure structural safety in extreme weather, such as typhoons. Silver powder paint serves as the primary coating, applied uniformly to all steel components and the existing sluice house façade, enhancing the overall sculptural quality of the "Artificial Tree" and creating a strong visual identity in the naturally understated entrance area. Additionally, the silver paint aids in light reflection, working in harmony with the translucent grid membrane to produce a richly layered lighting effect.
