Prize(s) Winners in Religious & Spiritual Site Lighting Design
Lighting Design/Product Company Sergio Boccia & Light Me
Lead Designers Sergio Boccia
Other Designer's names Riddhi Bhootda
Client Bardmid Az Foundation & Amarbayasgalant Monastery
Photo Credits Courtesy NCD Group
Completion Date 2024
Project Location Mongolian | Siberia border
Entry DescriptionOn the secluded North Mongolian border, Amarbayasgalant has been a monastic home for over 300 years with an attitude of simplicity & purity.
The local culture of light is a variant of the Himalayan Buddhism. Natural light is modeled for limited contrast and drama, dense darkness and soft shadows.
With deep symbolic and religious implications, if at West light comes from the top, here it comes from the side.
Our project aimed to be respectful of this concept.
The main focus & challenge was to preserve Buddha’s peaceful expression by replicating the smooth, natural light field spread by the windows. So the artificial scheme keeps intact the ratio of illuminance between face, cheeks, torso as casted by the windows.
No harsh shadow is compromising the mood on face.
1m linear spotlights are used to cast a soft penumbra.
16 miniature IP66 gobos are positioned at shallow angle and mimicking, with no glare, the window light.
On secondary artworks, concealed large luminaires with louvers, provide a gentle side wash of light.
No adjustable spotlight is used on sculptures.
General illumination is providing scenes at 3, 75 & 150lx at floor.
An indirect system glorifies the painted ceiling and provides ambient light that penetrates under the giant monks' hats.
Outdoors, spotlights are located at almost 100m distance and on elevated position to illuminate the roof horizontally.
Sustainability ApproachIndoor, we set the illuminance levels, during ordinary use, at 3 average lux.
Minimizing the quantity of light, we minimized the use of energy.
All the gear is of high quality production for the maximum durability.
Even indoor, all the valuable gear is suitable for exterior use, in order to survive the harsh climate.
We believe the use of robust equipment is an effective approach limiting the impact on the environment, as fabricating and installing the lighting gear one time is surely less demanding than installing economic gear multiple times.
Company DescriptionLight Me is in an independent lighting design firm, handling projects from the outset till the final opening, mostly in Europe, Middle and Far East.
Those include urban plans, university campus, office buildings, hi-rise façade, exhibitions, religious sites and a wide collaboration with hotel operators like Four Seasons, Accor, Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy.
Partnering with some of the most prominent architects, clients and hospitality operators, the firm built a solid understanding of the cultural and environmental conditions proper of each market.
We are confident in light changing people™.
