Nestled in the heart of Xi’an’s bustling urban core, the Xi’an Information Tower stands as a modern digital landmark — a fusion of architectural brilliance and cutting-edge lighting technology. With its striking cylindrical structure and towering silhouette, the building has become an icon in the city’s skyline, especially after dark when its façade comes alive in a dynamic symphony of color and light.
The core design concept draws inspiration from digital pulses and data streams, fitting for a building dedicated to information services. The lighting design team embraced the tower’s cylindrical shape, treating it as a 360-degree digital canvas to deliver stunning visual storytelling through light.
From the early design stages, EXC Lighting worked in tandem with the building architects, ensuring lighting systems were embedded into the tower’s form with both aesthetics and function in mind. This integrated approach allowed for zero-exposure fixtures, seamless architecture-lighting fusion, and precise control of luminous effects.
A total of over 400,000 RGB LED pixel lights and beam lights and other fixtures were employed across the tower’s vertical and horizontal structural bands. All fixtures were custom-engineered by EXC, designed with narrow-beam, anti-glare lenses to limit light spill, and installed in grooves along glass curtain walls and perimeter edges to maintain architectural integrity. The lighting modules were matched in color and finish to the curtain wall materials, rendering them invisible during the day. This attention to detail preserved the tower’s clean appearance while allowing a full spectrum of color displays at night.
The façade lighting system was programmed to function on a dual-mode basis. During weekdays, the tower displays a calm monochrome blue or white palette, symbolizing professionalism and information flow. On holidays or city events, it shifts to colorful animation sequences, including text patterns such as “I ♥ Xi’an,” radial beam shows using green and orange light rays, and dynamic strip waves that scroll up and down the cylindrical body. An innovative fifth facade lighting layer — the rooftop — features laser-like beams that radiate into the sky, forming a visual link between the building and the urban nightscape. These beams were synchronized via the EXC Lighting Control Engine for seamless show programming and timed operation.
To support sustainability, all lighting fixtures are low-power and long-lifespan, with smart dimming features. The entire lighting array is controlled through a centralized DMX512 system that allows real-time brightness adjustments, scene switching for different occasions, and remote diagnostics and maintenance alerts. These systems ensure low energy usage, high reliability, and ease of control, aligning with Xi’an’s vision for a smart and green city.
Through meticulous design, customized engineering, and creative programming, the tower not only illuminates the night but also speaks to the future of urban lighting in China.
