Tencent Binhai Tower — Open-Plan Office Relighting
Project: Tencent Binhai Tower — Floors 17–22 open office relighting Location: 33 Haitian 2nd Rd, Nanshan, Shenzhen Scope: 11,400 m² · 1,860 luminaires · Casambi mesh + sensor-driven daylight harvesting Delivered: Q3 2025
What the Engineers Were Asking For
Quora and Blind threads from Tencent employees in 2024–early 2025 surfaced three repeating complaints: eye strain from glare on dual-monitor workstations facing the south façade; "flickery" recessed panels showing up on Zoom and on screen-recorded code demos; and unequal task light on the north side after 16:00 when daylight harvesting over-dimmed the perimeter. Facilities also needed to hit Tencent's 2025 internal "ESG-A" energy target for the tower.
Design Response
| Pain point | Fix |
|---|---|
| Glare on monitors | UGR <16 linear pendants over workstation rows, batwing optic 90°×60° |
| Zoom flicker | Drivers <1% PstLM at 10–100% dim, verified per fixture |
| Uneven dim at perimeter | Per-luminaire daylight sensor + Casambi adaptive curve (not zone-averaged) |
| ESG energy | 51% kWh reduction vs. 2019 baseline (metered) |
Photometric Plan
- Workstation rows: 500 lx maintained, UGR 16, CCT tunable 3500–5000 K
- Collaboration pods: 300 lx, UGR 19, CCT 4000 K fixed
- Phone booths: 200 lx, UGR 19, CCT 3000 K for video calls
- Corridors: 150 lx, motion-on at 30% standby
Circadian Programme
Following WELL v2 Light Feature 4: melanopic EDI ≥250 lx at desk plane between 09:00–13:00, dropping to ≤50 lx after 19:00. The Casambi schedule blends with daylight harvesting so the artificial contribution scales smoothly — no visible step changes that employees would notice during the workday.
Gallery
Meeting room with tunable white pendants
Meeting room — 4000 K daytime, 3000 K evening. Camera-ready CRI 95.
Open-plan workstation row
Open workstations — UGR 16 linear pendants on a 1.5 m grid, batwing optic.
Collaboration pod
Collaboration pod — 300 lx vertical for whiteboarding.
Tower exterior at dusk
Tencent Binhai Tower — façade lighting is on a separate DALI-2 line, not part of this retrofit.
Verified Outcomes
- Energy: 51% reduction kWh/year (1.42 GWh saved across 6 floors)
- Employee survey "lighting comfort" score: 6.2 → 8.4 / 10 (n=842)
- Zoom flicker complaints to IT helpdesk: dropped from 31/month to 0 over 90 days
- WELL Light recertification: passed on first audit
Designed and commissioned by XHLWX. Photometric reports and Casambi network export available on request.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Did the Project Address Camera Flicker During Video Calls?
The retrofit used drivers delivering less than 1% PstLM across a 10–100% dimming range, verified on a per-fixture basis. This directly resolved visual flicker issues on Zoom and recorded code demos, reducing related IT helpdesk complaints from 31 per month to zero over 90 days.
What Control Strategy Solved Over-Dimming at the Perimeter?
Instead of zone-averaged dimming, the system deployed per-luminaire daylight sensors paired with Casambi adaptive curves. This setup controls the artificial light contribution smoothly alongside daylight harvesting without visible step changes or uneven task lighting.
What Energy Reductions Were Achieved Across the Retrofitted Floors?
The project achieved a metered 51% reduction in annual kilowatt-hours compared to the 2019 baseline. Across the six retrofitted floors (Floors 17–22), this totaled 1.42 GWh saved, satisfying Tencent's internal ESG-A energy targets.