Since 1976, William Artists has shaped Hong Kong’s skyline and beyond — proving that light, at its finest, is an act of care, craft, and conviction.
“We didn’t just bring lights to Hong Kong. We brought a way of seeing — that architecture deserves to be felt, not just seen.”
In 1976, Hong Kong was a city finding its stride — a skyline ascending, an identity crystallising. It was in this restless, ambitious landscape that William Chui founded William Artists, with a belief that would define the next five decades: that light is not merely functional, but fundamentally human.
From the very beginning, William Artists looked beyond the local supply chain. Chui sought out the world’s finest architectural lighting — forging exclusive partnerships with Germany’s BEGA, ERCO and the world’s foremost makers — and introduced a standard of precision and craft that Hong Kong had never seen.
The work spoke for itself. When Norman Foster’s HSBC Headquarters needed lighting that matched its engineering ambition, William Artists answered. When I.M. Pei’s Bank of China in Hong Kong and Beijing demanded precision at every elevation, the team delivered. Project by project, landmark by landmark, the company became inseparable from the city’s most defining structures.
But this was never simply about prestige. Behind every specification sheet and every installation was a founding principle: that lighting should serve people first. Spaces should feel warm, welcoming, and alive. Every beam, every fitting, every carefully calibrated angle was — and remains — an act of care.
Fifty years on, that conviction still guides every project William Artists undertakes. The craft has evolved, the technology has advanced, but the founding vision endures: to illuminate spaces that move people, connect communities, and honour the architecture they inhabit.
Every landmark has a story that never made it to the press release — the late nights solving an impossible specification, the moment a façade lit up for the first time, the partnerships forged over handshakes that lasted decades. This is where we open the archive and revisit the moments that shaped who we are.
For fifty years, our team has been on the ground at every stage — from specification to final commissioning. The precision that defines a finished project begins long before the switch is flipped — in the careful selection of each fitting, in the mock-ups tested and retested, in the conversations between our engineers and consultants and the architects who trust us with their vision. These are the moments we rarely share. This year, we’re changing that.
Great lighting doesn’t begin with a product — it begins with a relationship. For fifty years, William Artists has served as the bridge between Asia’s most ambitious architectural projects and the world’s finest lighting manufacturers. These are not supplier agreements. They are creative alliances, built on shared values, mutual respect, and a common belief that light has the power to elevate the built environment. Here, our partners speak for themselves.
Beyond our anchor partnerships, William Artists works with a carefully curated network of lighting brands, each chosen for their design philosophy, technical innovation, and commitment to quality and sustainability. Our role has always been the same: to match the right light to the right space, with the precision and care that every project deserves.
Across every project we undertake, we are actively prioritizing solutions that reduce energy consumption, extend product lifecycles, and minimize waste. From LED retrofit programs to intelligent control systems, we ensure light is used only when and where it is needed. By weaving glare control into every solution, we balance precision with human experience, ensuring illumination enhances rather than overwhelms. Sustainability is no longer an add‑on — it is embedded in every recommendation we make.
This is not about compromise. The most sustainable lighting is also the most considered, the most precise, and ultimately the most valuable.
Years in lighting
Iconic projects
Global lighting partners
Light is never just about what you see or making a space visible. This is the fundamental philosophy behind everything we do. For me, light is about how it makes you feel. It’s deeply human — it draws people in, lets them experience a space, and create the silent stories that stay with people long after they’ve left the space.
Founder & Chairman, William Artists International Ltd.
When I started this company in 1976, Hong Kong was a city alive with energy and ambition. Everywhere you looked, there were opportunities waiting to be seized — and a shared conviction that anything was possible if you were willing to work for it.
William Artists actually began as an advertising creative agency. The turning point came when I saw a magazine cover showing a European shop window display, beautifully lit with track lighting and spotlights. It struck me immediately — the lighting was doing more than illuminating a product. It was shaping the viewer’s entire impression and experience. Track lighting was still relatively new at the time; its flexible mounting was revolutionising commercial spaces. And spotlights, I realised, were more than functional hardware — they were the union of engineering and art. I saw the possibilities, and from that moment I believed that the spaces we build deserve to be lit with the same care and intention with which they are designed. That was the start of our architectural lighting business.
That conviction took me to Europe — first to Germany, where I discovered Hoffmeister, BEGA, and ERCO; then to Austria for Zumtobel; and to Italy for Flos, Leucos, Fontana Arte and eventually extending to internationally renowned, design classic furniture brands such as Cassina and Tecno. As our reputation grew, so did our network — bringing NERI and Planet Lighting into the fold. Each brought something distinct to architectural lighting, and together we introduced innovative solutions to Hong Kong — a region that had never experienced this standard. One defined by technical excellence, by minimal and timeless design, and above all, by respect for the people who would live and work within these spaces.
Over fifty years, I have watched our work become woven into the fabric of this city. From the HSBC Headquarters to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, from the Bank of China in Beijing to the M+ Museum, from hotel lobbies to public waterfronts — each project has been a conversation between light and architecture, between technology and the human experience. These are not just projects to us. They are relationships, built on trust and sustained over decades.
What makes me most proud is not any single building or accolade. It is the team we have built, the partnerships we have nurtured, and the knowledge that our work has quietly improved the way people experience the spaces around them. Because when you sculpt light with care—guide it, soften it, let it play—you do so much more than illuminate. You make people feel seen, safe, alive. The eye naturally follows light, and when we direct it thoughtfully, we’re really directing emotion, memory, connection.
As we enter our next chapter, our commitment deepens. Sustainability is not merely about how much energy you save — it is a responsibility that must be understood across the entire integrated ecosystem of lighting. From the way we source and manufacture, to how light is designed and applied in architecture and cities, to end-of-life responsibility for the products we specify — and further still, to education and policy alignment that will shape the industry for generations. This is a commitment we have embraced from the very beginning, and one that now guides every decision we make.
To our partners, our clients, and the communities we serve: thank you for walking this path with us. The best light is still ahead.
50th Anniversary
Whether you’re an architect, designer, or developer — we’d love to explore what light can do for your next project.
