CASE STUDIES | CHINESE ART GALLERIES Fusheng Art Gallery Pure and simple Two of this years IALD Award of Excellence-winning schemes were new art galleries in China. Both are minimal, monochromatic spaces, and both are masterclasses in combining natural light with subtle white-light schemes to poetic effect Fusheng Art Gallery, Wuhan, Hubei, China The capital of Hubei province in central China, Wuhan was once known as the city of a hundred lakes. Urbanisation has reduced this to 30 lakes, but the oating life theme persists and informs the architectural concept of the citys latest art gallery. The lighting scheme for the interior of Fusheng Art Gallery not only creates the spaces atmosphere, but also presents the power of silence, said the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) award judges. Core to the scheme is natural light, which is balanced with, and minimises the use of, articial light. The rst-oor exhibition space and second-oor experience space have oorto-ceiling glass curtain walls and are connected by a void atrium. Sunlight has an intense inuence, and balancing the impacts of daylight on the space became the most difcult part of this project, says lead designer Lili Zhou. The team carried out simulation tests to establish daylight intensity and penetration. This enabled the designers to develop a system of light that used minimal electric light by combining it with the natural effects of daylight. Light strips in the oor and wallwashers along the ceiling and on luminous surfaces form the spaces boundaries. The exhibition space has a shallow pool at its centre where water drops from the ceiling. Daylight is softened by diffusers on the glazing so that the boundaries are softened but clearly dened. Inverted images of the space are reected on the waters surface. The lighting is designed to make a statement while remaining a backcloth to exhibits. The light in the exhibition space and the atrium void is congured to shape the space while leaving full potential for various exhibition forms, explains Zhou. The light is gentle, yet it creates a strong visual presence in the blank space. In the experience space, there are ashing faades and hidden light strips on the oor. In the seating area, downlights are arranged in sets that combine wide and narrow light beams to create a restful atmosphere. The light is centrally distributed and gentle. This project is an ode to daylight, said one judge. Truly poetic. Xu Wei Art Museum, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China Xu Wei Art Museum was built for the 500th anniversary of the 16th-century artists birth. It is located in his hometown, in what was 48 December 2022 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Dec 22 pp48-49 Case studies- white light and daylight Supp.indd 48 25/11/2022 16:12