Brandston Partnership has produced a lighting scheme for a sacred religious space in China.

Meilizhou Church sits in a wooded village, and was built to a design intended to explore the unity and purity of space and nature. The lighting adds texture with an interplay between light and shadow.

Inside, the translucency of photoelectric glass behind the altar can be changed to balance indoor brightness according to sunlight levels, while the silhouetted cross appears lit at the end of the ceremony to represent faith, purity and eternity. Two sets of lighting are hidden at the bottom of the sloped ceiling to enhance the space and provide a comfortable lighting environment for prayers

To the exterior, landscape lamps have been added to the retaining wall of the backyard, alongside different lighting solutions for individual plants to show respect for nature.

This project has been longlisted in the architectural lighting design category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

Designer: Brandston Partnership

Project: Mei Li Zhou Church Lighting Design