[Construction in] "Apartment Lighting's Role is to Create a 'Scene' That Provides Rest in the Evening"

Interview with Lee Hyung-woo, Daewoo Construction Landscape Lighting Manager

Editor's Note'Construction in' is an interview series that focuses on individuals active in the construction industry. We aim to deliver vivid stories from the industry by meeting construction professionals who stand out in various fields such as core business areas and new growth engines of construction companies.

Lee Hyung-woo, head of landscape lighting at Daewoo E&C, is showing the landscape lighting of 'Ansan Prugio Bre Park' during an interview at Daewoo E&C headquarters in Euljiro, Seoul on the 5th. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

"The role of apartment lighting is to create a single 'Scene' that can provide peace of mind when residents come home in the evening after a day's work. It is about filling the empty spaces within the complex with light and letting the light flow to create a story. The residents' 'life with evenings' can be enriched through this kind of lighting."

On the 5th, at the Daewoo E&C headquarters in Seoul, Lee Hyung-woo, the person in charge of landscape lighting at Daewoo E&C, explained this while showing a nightscape video of 'The Beach Prugio Summit' in Busan. Within the complex's reed forest, line lights similar in height to the reeds were placed here and there. As gentle piano music played in the background, the lights flowed in rhythm.

Busan 'The Beach Prugio Summit' Landscape Lighting (Photo by Daewoo Construction)

Lee said, "We custom-made the lighting fixtures on-site to harmonize with the reed forest," and explained, "We created a 'Scene' where gentle or brilliant lights wrap around the reed field in sync with the music." The story was designed so that residents could feel emotion and rest when strolling through the complex in the evening and staying in this space.

They also made sure that residents could enjoy the view from inside their homes looking outside. A representative complex is 'Prugio Bri Park' in Ansan. In the space in front of the teahouse within the complex, lighting expresses scenes of petals scattering, leaves falling, and snow falling. In summer, the plaza is shallowly filled with water, and at that time, it shows fish playing. The lighting plan is designed to showcase the complex throughout the year according to the seasons.

At 'Dalseong Park Prugio Hillstate' in Daegu, a moonlight fixture was installed inside a circular pergola. He explained, "It is a work created after considering what kind of lighting would feel like natural light that best suits the night."

Daegu 'Dalseong Park Prugio Hillstate' Landscape Lighting (Photo by Daewoo E&C)

Lighting became important in apartments starting from 2010. Lee said, "In the past, 'first-generation lighting' was simply about illuminating properly and brightly," and added, "But when light-emitting diodes (LEDs) became widespread in the late 2000s, we moved into 'second-generation lighting,' and from then on, the era of lighting in apartments began."

He continued, "LEDs are electronic devices, so they can be made in various shapes and are efficient," and explained, "Because of this, indirect lighting started to be attached continuously to the exteriors of apartments built after 2010." Lee said, "What I am currently creating is 'third-generation lighting' that contains content," and added, "Now lighting should be able to provide stories to people."

Ten years ago, the focus was on the exterior appearance visible from outside, such as lighting up rooftop or walls of apartments, to make residents feel pride. Now, more attention is paid to elements that allow residents to enjoy the lighting. The idea to have music flow in sync with the lighting was also his.

Lee said, "Since it is a multi-family housing complex, I was worried about complaints due to the music, but one day when we turned off the music for inspection, residents actually filed complaints saying 'the music is not playing'." He introduced, "At that moment, I realized that the residents understood the 'lighting with a story' and were sincerely enjoying it."

Nowadays, apartment complexes specializing in landscape lighting are emerging one after another. Residents' awareness of lighting is also gradually increasing. He emphasized, "In large complexes with over 1,000 households, they request to make the landscape lighting more special even if it costs more," and added, "The charm of landscape lighting is something you realize after living there."