The metaphor of light in the new Chinese center for health

Studio Joy Season gives a new face to the lobby of the China Healthcare IoT Innovation Center, a governmental center in charge of coordinating the diagnostic and pharmacological policies of Chinese hospitals, companies and national experts. Developed together with the British design and innovation consultancy PDD, the project is entitled “A Future Poem of Light”: a metaphor which underlines the trust given to medicine as a tool to make the world a better place, and which unexpectedly turns during the current pandemic into an optimistic message on the possibility of finally seeing a “light at the end of the tunnel”.

To multiply the brightness of the whole space, backlit surfaces wrapped in a grid expand throughout the room, incorporating walls and ceiling. The only note of color is relegated to the corner used for controlling the bags, which is animated by an energizing shade that fades purple into red. To the right of the entrance, an integrated screen hosts a "media wall" where promotional videos can be viewed. A strong linearity pervades the entire space, enlivened only by small cantilevered volumes on the ceiling that accentuate the futuristic character – almost like a spaceship, we might say – of the lobby.

The synesthetic power of light doesn’t only concern the institution as a whole, but is also invoked by Joy Season on an individual level through the invitation to experience the regenerating effects of the “glowing moments” offered by this intense bath of light.