Putting a White Jade on the Silk Road - Façade Lighting for the Xi’an Silk Road International Conference Center

The Silk Road International Conference Center sits on the right bank of Bahe River, northeast of the ancient town Xi'an, holding hands with the Xi'an Silk Road Exhibition Center to form a cluster. The conference center has a total ground area of 128,000 square meters, with 200 meters in width and 52.8 meters in height. It serves as a multi-purpose facility for conferences, exhibitions and other functions, hosting international forums, bilateral and multilateral summits as well as banquets.

The convention center inherits the characteristics of traditional Chinese architecture: the square and symmetrical roof, the well-proportioned horizontal wall and the measured column pattern etc. Meanwhile, the all-glass façade brings a touch of modernity, and invites in abundant natural light. The concave roof, supported by a suspended construction, opposes to the convex canopy of the ground floor, forming a spectacle where two crescents turning backs to each other or like dunes in a desert, which adds a dynamic beauty to the dignified structure. A grid of steel beams spans the venue to create a large space without columns. The building, surrounded by water, connects with the outside through bridges, which invents a sense of weightlessness and makes the architecture seem to float.

Combining practicality and aesthetics

Based on analysis of architecture, Toryo International has formulated a lighting design for the convention center with three major objectives:

To begin with, the scheme aims to accentuate the spectacle of “crescents in mid-air” formed by the roof and the lower canopy to give the building a signature feature. The project integrates OSRAM customized LED floods on the columns and the canopy to upwards illuminate the roof with uniformity and thusly illustrate the crescents. Through repeated calculations, the quantity and power of lights are arranged with meticulousness to limit the impact by column pattern on illumination. All installed LED fixtures are housed in anti-glare louvers to improve waterproofness and eventually achieve invisible lighting.

Secondly, it is necessary to enhance a crystalline sense to clothe the structure with gracefulness. To realize the idea of placing a jade on the Silk Road, the scheme sets the color temperature of the façade lights at 5000K, in tune with the interior lighting of 4000K to create a subtle transition from warm to cold from inside out and a sense of expansiveness.

The third and final goal is to ensure adequate functional lighting. In line with architecture style, the scheme utilizes OSRAM tailor-made LED linears and LED downlights to offer ambient illumination for the ground floor. The continuous light strip, 300mm in width and 200m in length, is fully concealed into the structure gaps. At 4000K, it tunes and dances with the interior illumination, making the building appear with weightlessness and extreme grace, which further enhanced by the reflected lighting from the ground.

Ensuring energy efficiency with smart control

The facade lighting for the Xi'an Silk Road International Conference Center is managed by e:cue, the control brand of OSRAM Traxon. The networked lighting across the entire structure is supported by three sets of Lighting Control Engine 2 fx and a series of Butler S2. With event-trigger time-based on/off and dimming functionalities, the system allows for the right lighting on demand. In addition, the convention center’s well-lit exterior is able to synchronize with the system of the adjacent exhibition facility to form an orchestra of lights.

In collaboration with Toryo International and HES Group, OSRAM Traxon e:cue has helped created a signature feature, crescents in mid-air, for the Xi'an Silk Road International Conference Center, adding a view not to be missed over the Bahe River. Whenever night falls, the moon spectacle appears in sharp contrast to the dark, enhancing the charisma of the architecture. Overall, the connected lighting solution improves the value of the establishment and its surroundings, elevating it into the leading world-class conference facility in northwest China, and an engine driving trade and industry development in the region.