Work Portfolio
Heritage Conservation Lighting Design: Kolese Kanisius Chapel Jakarta (3)
The restoration of sacred architecture is not only about preserving walls, roofs, or ornaments. It is also about restoring atmosphere, emotion, and spiritual experience. In churches and chapels, light plays a profound role in shaping how people perceive holiness, silence, contemplation, and transcendence.
One remarkable example of this approach can be seen in the restoration of the Canisius College Chapel, a historic colonial-era chapel originally completed in 1931. The project demonstrates how architectural lighting design, building physics, and heritage conservation can work together to recover the spiritual quality of a sacred interior.
The Challenge of Lost Daylight in Historic Sacred Architecture
Like many heritage buildings in rapidly growing cities, the chapel gradually lost its original daylight quality due to surrounding urban development. Buildings constructed around the chapel blocked portions of the natural light that once entered through clerestory and stained-glass windows. Over time, the sacred atmosphere intended by the original architects became diminished.
In an earlier renovation during the late 1980s, attempts were made to improve illumination by lowering the ceiling and introducing fluorescent lighting systems. Although the intervention aimed to increase brightness for worshippers, the result created several unintended consequences:
Uneven visual comfort
Flickering fluorescent light
Darker ceiling perception
Increased glare
Reduced architectural grandeur
Loss of spiritual ambience
Instead of experiencing soft heavenly illumination, visitors encountered a flatter and more artificial visual environment.
This issue is common in many historical worship buildings where lighting retrofits prioritize illumination levels alone without considering architectural psychology, visual hierarchy, circadian comfort, or sacred spatial perception.
Before
Lighting as a Spiritual Architectural Element
In sacred architecture, light is more than a technical requirement. It is a symbolic and emotional medium.
Historically, churches and chapels used natural daylight to create:
A sense of transcendence
Visual connection to heaven
Dramatic spatial hierarchy
Gentle emotional calmness
Sacred focus toward the altar
Architectural lighting in religious buildings often relies on contrast, softness, vertical illumination, and controlled shadow to shape contemplation and reverence.
The restoration strategy for the chapel therefore focused not simply on “making the room brighter,” but on recovering the original spiritual experience of the space.
Integrating Heritage Conservation with Modern Lighting Design
In 2015, due to deterioration in the timber roof structure, renovation planning and supervision were undertaken collaboratively by ALTA Integra and Atelier Cosmas Gozali. The project aimed to:
Replace deteriorated roof structures
Restore the original architectural interior
Improve daylight quality
Introduce modern architectural lighting
Enhance worship ambience without compromising heritage character
Rather than overwhelming the chapel with excessive artificial lighting, the design approach emphasized balance between daylight and warm ambient illumination.
The restored design reintroduced visual openness by recovering ceiling height and allowing architectural forms to breathe again. This strategy significantly improved perceived brightness while maintaining a calm and graceful atmosphere.
After
The Importance of Building Physics in Heritage Renovation
Lighting performance cannot be separated from building physics. The interaction between daylight, material reflectance, thermal comfort, glazing, ceiling geometry, and surface color all influence the quality of interior space.
A successful heritage lighting renovation therefore requires multidisciplinary collaboration involving:
Architectural lighting consultants
Building physics engineers
Heritage architects
Electrical engineers
Conservation specialists
In the chapel project, the restoration strategy balanced historical preservation with contemporary environmental performance, ensuring that the building remained both spiritually meaningful and functionally comfortable.
Preserving Sacred Atmosphere for Future Generations
Historic worship spaces are cultural assets that embody collective memory, spirituality, and architectural identity. Renovation should therefore preserve not only physical structures but also experiential qualities such as silence, reverence, light, and acoustics.
Studies on historical worship spaces emphasize the importance of preserving sensory and atmospheric characteristics during restoration efforts.
The Canisius College Chapel renovation serves as an example of how thoughtful lighting design can revive the emotional and spiritual essence of sacred architecture while adapting heritage buildings to contemporary needs.
Conclusion
The restoration of holy and graceful lighting ambience inside the Canisius College Chapel illustrates how architecture, lighting, and building physics can work together to recover the soul of a historic space.
Rather than relying solely on brighter artificial lighting, the project focused on restoring harmony between daylight, architecture, and worship experience. The result is a chapel interior that feels brighter, calmer, more dignified, and spiritually uplifting.
For heritage buildings, especially sacred architecture, successful renovation is not merely about preservation of form — it is about restoring human experience through light.
#worship #chapel #church #catholic #school #kapel #gerejakatolik #katolikindonesia #lightingdesign #interiordesign #renovation #renovationproject #architecture #arsitekindonesia #architecturallighting
Heritage Conservation Lighting Design: Kolese Kanisius Chapel Jakarta (2)
The Canisius College Chapel was completed in 1931. Due to the growth of surrounding buildings around the chapel, the natural daylight that was originally intended to enter through the windows gradually became reduced.
To improve illumination in the congregation area, the chapel was redesigned in 1988 by lowering the ceiling and installing fluorescent lighting so that the artificial light could better reach the worshippers. Unfortunately, after the renovation, the space did not become significantly brighter and instead created flickering issues caused by the fluorescent lamps. (image below)
Before Renovation
In 2015, due to the deteriorating condition of the timber roof structure, ALTA Integra together with Atelier Cosmas Gozali carried out the planning and supervision for the renovation of the Canisius College Chapel, with several key objectives: replacing the deteriorated roof structure, restoring the original interior design, and introducing a modern touch to the lighting design. (image below)
After Renovation
#worship #chapel #church #catholic #school #kapel #gerejakatolik #katolikindonesia #lightingdesign #interiordesign #renovation #renovationproject #architecture #arsitekindonesia #architecturallighting
Heritage Conservation Lighting Design: Kolese Kanisius Chapel Jakarta (1)
Canisius Collegium Chapel was built in 1931. Along with urban development, the chapel become surrounded by multi-story buildings. This caused the visual perception of not enough light in the chapel. With the thought that the light installed at the high ceiling was not effective to light the congregation area, in 1988 the chapel was renovated by lowering the ceiling and linear neon light along with it.
Before renovation lighting quality is poor we can see glaring from window and some area is underlight.
Unfortunately, the renovation result did not make them happy, in the daytime space became darker because the new ceiling did not allow the light to come in and the neon light is not bright enough. (image above)
In 2015 ALTA Integra lighting designers did research and study to bring back the goodness in natural light, reveal the real architecture beauty of art-deco colonial-era architecture, improve visual acuity and peaceful sacred ambiance. (image below)
After renovation the chapel look holy, grace and beautiful
#worship #chapel #church #catholic #school #kapel #gerejakatolik #katolikindonesia #lightingdesign #interiordesign #renovation #renovationproject #architecture #arsitekindonesia #architecturallighting
Strategi Desain Daylight Sport Hall Kolese Kanisius untuk Kebugaran Tubuh dan Penghematan Energi
Desain Daylight adalah upaya mengoptimalkan cahaya matahari dan cahaya langit yang menerangi bangunan dan ruangan. Secara garis besar terdapat dua keuntungan daylight yaitu:
1. Bagi manusia yang menggunakan ruangan
Penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Mardaljevic pada tahun 2012 menyimpulkan bahwa pada ruangan yang diterangi dengan cahaya daylight, seseorang menjadi lebih sigap dan segar dibandingkan pada ruangan yang kurang pencahayaan alami. Hal ini didukung dengan penelitian oleh Robbins 1986 yang mengatakan bahwa “daylighting” dapat diasosiasikan dengan perbaikan mood, meningkatkan moralitas, membantu mata agar tidak cepat Lelah, serta mengurangi iritasi mata. Daylight dapat memberikan kesadaran akan waktu pagi, siang atau sore (circadian), serta meningkatkan interaksi sosial.
2. Mengurangi penggunaan energi listik yang dihasilkan oleh bahan bakar fosil
Selain memberikan banyak keuntungan bagi pengguna ruangan, daylighting dapat membantu dalam mengurangi penggunaan energi listrik berbahan bakar fosil yang digunakan untuk pencahayaan buatan sehingga akan berdampak langsung pula pada pengurangan jumlah polusi udara yang dihasilkan sebagai akibat dari pembakaran.
Berlandaskan pada kesadaran ini, pada tahun 2013 dimulai proses desain renovasi SPORT HALL Kolese Kanisius Jakarta yang bertujuan agar murid, dan guru yang menggunakan SPORT HALL merasa lebih segar dan bugar. Pekerjaan desain daylight dimulai dengan membuat gambar skematik yang memperhitungkan Daylight Coefficient (Tregenza et al. 1983) yang berinteraksi dengan Daylight Element, dalam proyek ini kami menyarankan Light Shelves dan Light Baffles.
Proses desain dimulai dengan membuat gambar skematik desain Daylight dengan Light Shelves dan Light Baffles
Setelah proses optimasi skematik desain Daylight Light Shelves dan Light Baffles terhadap Daylight Coefficient, pekerjaan dilanjutkan dengan menghitung parameter Daylight Performance Rating seperti Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) dan Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) sesuai dengan publikasi Illumination Engineering Society (IES) tahun 2012.
Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) adalah daylight performance rating yang menunjukkan persentasi waktu ruangan mendapatkan cahaya lebih dari 300 lux selama satu tahun yang dihitung selama jam kerja. Parameter sDA300,50% mensyaratkan ruangan mendapatkan pencahayaan alami lebih dari 300 lux minimal 50% dari total jam kerja selama satu tahun.
Annual Sun Exposure (ASE) adalah daylight performance rating yang menggambarkan besaran cahaya matahari langsung yang sampai ke permukaan lantai ruangan. Masuknya cahaya matahari langsung ke ruangan dapat menyebabkan ketidak nyamanan visual seperti silau serta meningkatkan kebutuhan energi untuk mendinginkan ruangan. ASE 1000, 250 adalah standarisasi daylight mensyaratkan bahwa persentase luas area yang mendapatkan sinar matahari tidak lebih dari 1000 lux dan tidak melebihi 250 jam kerja dalam setahun.
Permodelan Sebaran Cahaya dengan variabel Daylight Element: Light Shelve dan Light Baffles
Tantangan terbesar desain daylight adalah bagaimana membuat sebuah ruangan terang namun tetap nyaman. Tujuan dalam desain ini adalah bagaimana membuat cahaya daylight yang masuk ke ruangan tidak menimbulkan efek silau untuk mata maupun membuat ruangan panas sehingga dapat mengurangi kenyamanan termal atau meningkatkan penggunaan energi listrik untuk mendinginkan ruangan. Untuk mencapai hal tersebut kami mengunakan Acrylite Heatstop yang dapat mengurangi panas 70% dan mendifusi cahaya menjadi lebih lembut.
Untuk melihat bagaimana tampilan ruangan setelah dipasangkan Acrylite Heatstop kami melakukan permodelan Interior serta Permodelan Ulang Daylight untuk melihat efektifitas pengurangan area yang terlalu bright karena kaca transparan.
Permodelan yang memperlihatkan pemasangan Acrylite Heatstop pada bukaan jendela dapat mengurangi direct glare dan radiasi termal.
Berikut adalah foto Sport Hall yang sudah selesai terbangun pada tahun 2017 yang memperlihatkan Light Shelves, Jendela Acrylite Heatstop, dan Light Baffle yang berupa plafon berundak.
Foto facade bangunan sport hall yang memperlihatkan Light Shelves di bawah jendela dengan material Acrylite Heatstop
Foto plafon sport hall yang memperlihatkan Light Baffles berundak untuk memantulkan cahaya ke lapangan olah raga
Renovasi Sport Hall ini dapat terlaksana karena donasi dari para alumni Kolese Kanisius. ALTA Integra bekerja sama dengan Atelier Cosmas Gozali secara Bersama melakukan renovasi SPORT HALL dengan harapan murid dan guru menjadi lebih bersemangat belajar dan berolah raga.
#buildingphysics #architecture #architect #lightingdesign #daylight #daydesign #daylightsimulation #daylightmodeling #wellness #energysaving #greenbuilding
Passive Building Design: Sport Hall Kolese Kanisius
ALTA Integra has succeeded Upgrade Building Physics Performance of Sport Hall Kolese Kanisius Jakarta. Performance of Acoustic, Lighting, Daylighting, Natural Ventilation and Thermal Insulation was renovated for Better Education.
Thermal - Daylight - Natural Ventilation Optimization
For Better Education
Arsitektural Akustik
Berikut adalah Rekaman Audio Canisius Wind Ensemble yang memperdengarkan karakteristik akustik ruang Sport Hall Tokyo Kolese Kanisius Jakarta
Acoustic Noise Control Design: Exodus Club Kuningan City
Working together with Julio Julianto Architect, ALTA Integra designed Acoustic for Exodus Club. An Integrated Cafe, Dining, and Club located at Kuningan City
