Bespoke glass installations manufacturer and lighting designer Lasvit has created a unique chandelier for a Hong Kong building development project by Winy Maas, co-founder of Dutch design firm MVRDV.
The dynamically-lit glass sculpture titled The Concurrency produced by Czech designer Lasvit uses an intricate ceiling cable system intentionally exposed as part of the design. It creates a spider-like composition that resembles the printed-circuit-boards familiar from electronics.
Winy Maas transformed the former Hong Kong industrial building into unique offices, filled with light and topped by a roof garden. Implementing his ‘honesty principle’ in design, its interiors expose all wiring and pipes, contrasted by glass and steel.
133 Wai Yip Street resulted in an entirely see-through building, aiming at ultimate transparency. This includes its functional technical components, such as glass lifts shafts and interior furnishings – glass tables, shelves, floors, speakers, computers and walls.
Maas said: “We are moving into a transparent society where businesses are becoming more open to the public, and people care more about what goes on behind closed doors. Nothing hidden generates trust. But it is also an opportunity for the building to become a reminder of the industrial history of the neighbourhood, a monument encased in glass.”
The Concurrency chandelier was completed in the Czech Republic and began with a full-scale drawing, according to which stainless steel cuts were prepared and welded together.
Molten glass was then gently folded into the form and hand blown until it completely filled all spaces. Once cooled, both ends were cut to a specific size and finished with course grinding, micro sanding and polishing.
The result is a striking blend of raw industrial structure and tactile, handcrafted design.
The individual glass elements pay homage to classic industrial fluorescent tubes that repeat at regular intervals in the surrounding areas.
Lasvit’s bespoke lighting tubes appear to swirl into a vortex in the middle of the lobby. The intentionally raw design of the building translates into exposed wiring, as well as rough-textured glass surfaces.
Its effect is enhanced by dynamically programmable lighting that heightens the vortex effect and references the neon lighting typical for a city.
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