The redevelopment of the Parliament House in New Delhi, India, was part of the Central Vista Project, which involves the reconstruction of government buildings and public spaces by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Government of India.

Leading architectural Indian lighting manufacturer K-LITE was selected by the CPWD to supply lighting fixtures and poles for the redevelopment of external areas in the parliament complex. As a well-known brand in the designers’ fraternity, renowned for its customization capabilities, K-LITE were appointed from the initial concept design, working closely with the lighting consultant and architect to create a design to meet the brief.

The original Parliament building, constructed in 1927, featured a number of issues including limited space, poor infrastructure, structural safety concerns and the outgrowing of its Heritage Grade-I status. The new building design aimed to resolve these issues, alongside showcasing India’s dedication to sustainability by securing a platinum-rated green building. The new Indian Parliament building has a triangular-shaped layout covering 65,000 sq m, with the ability to host the lower and upper houses of Parliament alongside offices and other commercial facilities. Six gates lead to the building, named after creatures, evoking Indian culture and mythology at its entrance. One of the key objectives of the designer’s, was to replace the Victorian aesthetic with an Indian expression.

K-LITE manufactured the complete lighting system inspired by the traditional stone pole, which had been used in the Parliament and President’s House. The poles have an upper and lower part which provide different lighting effects- the upper illumination is RGBW, whereas the bottom ring provides general ambient lighting. These poles were installed along the landscape and internal road lighting of the Parliament building. The colour-changing lighting allows the government greater flexibility to play with colour schemes and set dynamic displays to celebrate special occasions such as Independence Day, Republic Day, and Gandhi Jayanti.

The redevelopment of the new Parliament building is incredibly significant in India, symbolizing the country’s power and cultural heritage harmonizing with its dedication to modern, sustainable design. The architectural lighting design from K-LITE offers warm, welcoming aesthetics guiding staff and visitors through the symbolic gates and acts as a vibrant beacon to celebrate the country’s national days.

Our sincere thanks to the landscape architect M/s. Design Cell and lighting designer M/s. Design Matrix for their support and guidance in this complete journey to make this project a success.

Project credits: Client Central Public Works Department, Government of India.

Landscape Architects: Design Cell Lighting Consultant: Design Matrix