Bright Moon & Gentle Breeze | Lighting Design of Xitan Hotel Beijing

Preface

Xitan, transliterated from the Sanskrit word Siddham, means achieving good fortune. Xitan Hotel is located in Tanzhesi Town, west of Beijing. Built against mountains with scattered buildings, it features layered rocks, greenery, birds singing and flowers blooming. It’s bright in daytime and suitable for stargazing at night; yin and yang alternate, and light nourishes all things. The nighttime lighting pursues truth, goodness, beauty and magnificence, just like a bright moon and gentle breeze.

 

In the wonderful land of Xitan with bright moon and gentle breeze,

Guests from all over the world enjoy feasts and pleasures,

Light and shadow accompany you, free and unrestrained,

May you be at ease and achieve good fortune.

Lighting Creation

Lighting creation is explained step by step:

Dao Xin → Ge Wu → Yi Guang → Qi Fa → Cheng Guang → Hua Xin

2D lighting and shadow map

main gate

Dao Xin

With an upright and open mind, comprehend people’s needs for the use and appreciation of light.

Hotel guests are adults with time and interest to appreciate the environment through rich life experience, so they have higher requirements for use and appreciation.

Use: Spatial identification and guidance, clear visual task surfaces, and clear recognition of each other’s faces.

Appreciation: For experience-oriented spaces, artistically handle the degree of visibility and rhythm, allowing people’s observation and imagination to naturally participate in spatial cognition. This process forms personal visual impressions and memories.

Lighting creation starts from here.

Lane dragon scale light

Donggou Waterfall

Waterfall Red Pavilion

Look down at the waterfall from the water platform of Tianxian Palace.

Lobby entrance

Ge Wu

From a lighting perspective, explore people’s physical and mental state in the physical environment (gardens, architecture, interiors), including spatial factors (circulation, form), visual tasks, and emotional psychology.

Circulation: Winding paths, scattered heights, and changing views. Lighting shall ensure road safety, spatial recognition, and human identification at nodes.

Form:

Outdoor—Oriental garden style with stone waterfalls, rock walls, streams, pools and plants.

Architecture—Rammed earth walls, hard hill roofs, bamboo fences, wooden walls, with rich and unified styles.

Interior—Luxurious and exquisite with mountain or courtyard views.

Subtraction is necessary for lighting—weaken buildings as dark backgrounds to highlight gardens and interiors, and treat interiors like gardens with coherent spatial transitions.

Mr. Masatoshi Izumi's Stone Wall Ripples

Tianxian Palace Mountain Gate

Lower Court of the Celestial Palace

Viewing the ancient pine tree to the north of Tianxian Palace

Yi Guang

Generate and construct the concept of light, transform it into light imagery, and then into a light image matching objects and people.

The core imagery of this project is "Bright Moon & Gentle Breeze", which describes a noble and open-minded spirit. Translated into Xitan’s light environment, it has three features:

① Kind and friendly, No glare, comfortable for eyes.

② Free and adaptive, Light responds to the environment, either dim or bright as needed.

③ Harmony between man and nature, Warm light that nourishes people.

Small garden landscape outside the gym

gym

Close-up of bamboo weaving artwork in the gym

Qi Fa

The process of realizing light images through technology. Ideal lighting relies on three parts: 1/3 lighting equipment, 1/3 illuminated carriers, 1/3 users.

Technical key points:

① Glare control strictly enforced.

② Brightness: Garden 1–3 cd/㎡ (daily), 2–6 cd/㎡ (festivals); Interior bright 50 cd/㎡, soft 10 cd/㎡, dim <1 cd/㎡, night wake-up 0.2 lx.

Color temperature: Interior 2400K–2700K; Garden 2400K–3500K.

Equipment: Standard equipment for most areas, customized for key waters and interior details.

Carrier: Optimize proportions, dimensions and materials of interiors and gardens.

Commissioning: Adjust light focus and scenes based on circulation, sight line and time.

Main road ramp in the park

Close-up of architectural lighting

Entrance to Lancui Courtyard

Central Plaza Water Feature

Bar

Bar

Bar

KTV

Caviar restaurant

Cheng Guang

The completed light environment integrates with people’s body and mind to form a harmonious light realm.

Key space interpretation:

Main gate: Soft light on pines and stones, light changes with the gate to welcome guests.

Ramp: Edge light outlines the road, dragon-scale light echoes driving sounds.

Lobby courtyard: Pine forest with dappled light, two waterfalls with shimmering light, red pavilion by the east waterfall.

Lobby: Dim wall washing light for murals, warm atmosphere with fireplace.

Stone wall: Light reflects water ripples on the wall, creating a pleasant effect.

Tianxian Palace: Moonlight-like light on the gate; uplight highlights ancient pines; indoor indirect light creates a hazy atmosphere.

Bar square: Bright foreground and dark background, layered light for water features, deep spatial sense.

Bar: High-quality dark space with shimmering crystal and metal, dreamy atmosphere.

Gym: Functional lighting plus uplight for bamboo art, casting vivid shadows on the ceiling.

Guest rooms: Prioritize comfort and anti-glare; light outdoor scenery to avoid "black hole effect".

Old street alley

Viewing ancient pines in Nuancui Courtyard

Lancui Guest Room

Lancui Guest Room

Lancui Guest Room

Garden on the south side of the gym

Hua Xin

The light realm internalizes into beautiful impressions and memories, nourishing the spirit subtly. This is the ultimate goal of lighting creation.

Light is designed for people, flexible like water, shaping all things without competing for merit. When people feel joy and ease in the light environment, they achieve good fortune!

 

 

 

 

Project Information

Project Name: Lighting Design of Xitan Hotel Beijing

Scope of Design: Garden, architectural and interior lighting design

Design Area: Garden 15,000 m², Interior 6,000 m²

Project Address: Yangpoyuan Village, Tanzhesi Town, Mentougou District, Beijing

Construction Client: Beijing Xitan Hotel Management Co., Ltd.

Project Management Team: Wang Zunmin, Jiang Yongpeng, Lin Xianlong, Liu Guohua

Lighting Design: Beijing Zhou Hongliang Lighting Design Co., Ltd.

Lighting Design Team: Zhou Hongliang, Liu Meng, Wang Wenwen, Fan Pei, Ran Weiyang, Zhou Wenfei

Landscape Design: Kanji Nomura (Japan) + Nikken Sekkei (Japan) + Beijing Sunvalley Landscape

Artistic Stone Wall: Izumiya Stone Shop (Japan)

Interior Design: TOFU INC. (Japan)

Landscaping Construction: Beijing Sunvalley Landscape Co., Ltd.

Photography & Videography: Pan Shaoqing

Lighting Construction: Beijing Cestar Technology Co., Ltd.

Fan Lipeng

Special Lighting Coordination: Jiali Lighting

Lighting Equipment: Tons, VF, ET, GL, GUOYIN, ThinkGis, IGUZZINI, RICARDO

Custom Lighting Components: Beijing Baihong Taihe Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.; Liu Jiaquan