“Beginning with childlike interest”, according to the architect, is the concept behind the building of the Rongcheng Youth Centre. If interpreted with regards to lighting, it means, creating a space for discovery.
A mirror pool is embedded in the ground of the entrance space, and a bridge above the pool connects the front square with the hall inside. The lighting there is inspired by the themes of water and mirror effects. The indoor light on one side of the hall is transmitted from a curved glass curtain-like wall and mixes with the mirrored ambient light, giving a romantic and charming concept of the mirror.
The moving light emitted by the hidden Be Water lamps on the ceiling of the entrance hall illuminate the bottom of the round holes, forming attractive artificial ripples, swaying and dancing together with the underwater lights in the mirror pool.
The swimming pool is a place where you can feel the light changing. At noon, the sun shines through the holes in the ceiling, flooding the pool with vitality and clarity. At night, the diffuse light comes in through the holes, spreading throughout the space with a touch of softness, just like moonlight. The ceiling of the swimming pool is designed with discs of different sizes, some of which are openings for skylights, others are installed artificial light sources. These discs are identical in appearance and have a diffuser film on their underside. When the external light is insufficient, the light in the film shines down. Both the bright lights in the centre of the discs and the diffused halos add a lively element to the ceiling.
Library, theatre, science and technology museum, training centre and swimming pool, all these five functional areas are connected on the ground floor. Their lighting concepts too are linked. Ambient lighting for the circulation and shared spaces is provided by illuminating the arches of the passages connecting all functional areas. Each traffic flow is not equipped with the commonly used overhead lighting, and as a result, your sight will not be suppressed when roaming in such spaces, and you definitely could fully experience a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere.
