Prize(s) Winners in Heritage Lighting Design
Lighting Design/Product Company Studio Illumine
Lead Designers Azlan Nazam
Other Designer's names Erna Ghazi
Architecture Company Arkitek LLA
Interior Design Company I-Partnership
Client Creador
Photo Credits David Yeow
Completion Date 2024
Project Location Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Entry DescriptionIn Kuala Lumpur’s Old Market Square, a refurbished heritage shophouse has been transformed into an intimate private dining and event space. Reflecting Malaysian, Moorish, and European influences, the building retains high ceilings, tall windows, and façade details, now reimagined as a lounge for dinners, performances, and talks.
Our team designed the lighting to blend the 1930s jazz bar character with architectural elegance. Rich woods, polished brass, exposed brick, and Art Deco furnishings are enhanced by layered lighting that creates a warm, social mood.
On the façade, discreet LED profiles crown the roof, uplights mark columns, and up-and-down lights emphasize structure. At the entrance, wall grazers and ceiling floodlights highlight details.
Inside, indirect lighting traces the timber roof pitch, track lights provide general light, and custom sconces add accents. Concealed lighting at the bar and mirrors adds depth, while a stage uses PARs, moving heads, and RGB washes on trusses. A four-zone control system enables custom scenes with 40 programmable sequences.
A terrace adds in-ground wall lights and discreet plant lighting, creating a serene oasis. The lighting design strives to bridge heritage and modernity, preserving history while inviting new narratives.
Sustainability ApproachFor the Medan Pasar project in Kuala Lumpur, exceptional care was taken to implement a lighting design that respected the heritage value of the pre-war shophouse in the heart of the old city center. The façade lighting was meticulously planned to subtly highlight the building’s architectural features without overpowering its historic charm. Given the delicate nature of the late 19th-century materials, fixture positioning required precise consideration to ensure no damage to the structure, both internally and externally, while maintaining a balanced and refined illumination.
Company DescriptionStudio Illumine is an international team of lighting designers with a passion for light, architecture and art. The design practice was founded in 2012 and is based in Shanghai. The highly-skilled team come from a variety of design backgrounds and specialise in architectural lighting design solution for high-end corporate, retail, commercial, healthcare and education projects. Its independent and professional status ensures that its services are unaffiliated with manufacturers. Studio Illumine is design focused, crafting holistic designs through close coordination with other design thinkers.
