Lighting Design for a Modern Museum with Cultural Heritage Integration
Nestled in the heart of Sarawak, the Borneo Cultures Museum invites visitors to embark on a journey through time, exploring traditions and stories of indigenous communities that have shaped Borneo’s identity.
This five-storey building is designed in a modern style, incorporating black-and-gold diamond pattern cladding inspired by Sarawakian craft motifs. To create eye-catching pulsations of light on the three-dimensional cladding, and accentuate the warm glow to the arch façade, FLC141 projectors in combination with the RAIL66 mounting system and FLC141 with flat surface fitter were the ideal choice for their ability to highlight detail from afar. The result is perfect harmony where the lighting fixtures blend seamlessly with the environment while enhancing the architectural features as intended.
The RAIL66 system was selected for its utmost flexibility; the design allows it to be freely positioned, aligned and readjusted, allowing the lighting designers to make any adjustments on-site.
Entering the museum’s main building, visitors are greeted with Sarawak’s unique wall-pinned traditional hand-woven fabric, ‘songket’, illuminated by FLC141 projectors on a RAIL66 sharp cut-off optic to precisely highlight the art display. As visitors wander on the upper floors, a welcoming modern museum gallery hall is lit with wall-mounted projectors delivering two combined functions – wall grazing and visual guides along the large corridor.
At the centre of the elevation, glass panels forming the façade allow natural daylight to illuminate the indoor gallery spaces — a cleverly designed architecture to maximise daylight, thus consuming less energy.
The cultural heritage concept has also expanded into the landscape design, where native plants are bridged with historical backgrounds. FLC141 projectors’ medium beams are installed on all sides, uplighting the ‘totem pole’ monumental carvings and highlighting the finest details of a large carving.
Along the pathway, CTY150 bollards in warm white were added to capture the cosy ambience while providing visibility for passersby. The 65 VFL540, [S60] asymmetric side throw in neutral white was scattered throughout the large garden area up to the car park, to ensure safety and uniform light output for visitors.
All in all, a well-thought-through concept from both the architectural aspect and the landscape planning, bringing this historical site back to life where heritage stories are being retold for the younger generations to enjoy.
Project name: Borneo Cultures Museum
Location: Sarawak, Malaysia
Owner / Client: Jabatan Muzium Sarawak
Distributor / Sale partner: Joe Electric / Jascom Kuching
Lighting designer / Lighting consultant: Elena (WE-EF)
Architect: Arkitek KDI Sdn Bhd
Landscape architect: Landscape Design Associates
Contractor / Installer: PPES Works (S) Sdn Bhd / Bumihua Sdn Bhd
Electrical specifier / Electrical consultant: Perunding UZL Sdn Bhd
Completion: 2021
Products: FLC141 RAIL66, FLC141 Projector, CTY150 Bollard, VFL540 Pole mounted, STL134 Steplight, VLS410 / QLS410 / PIA230 Wall Luminaires, and DOR130 / SBI130 / DAC220 Downlights
Photographer: Beersingnoi