#G1.Omondi.Edward.Rep2.17.

The Adelaide University Maths Lawns is an open, grassed space situated between the Maths and Engineering buildings, and overlooked by the heritage listed Barr Smith Library.

The space acts as a refreshing, quiet outdoor study spot, as well as an ideal location for a coffee catchup with a friend. It then transforms into a hive of activity suring Open Week and other events, buzzing with excitement.

The beauty and versatility of the space makes it a key part of the university.

PLACE S TA G E

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D AY T I M E

N I G H T T I M E

THE SITE

STUDY OF AMBIENT LIGHT

PLAN FULL SITE

maths buildings

engineering buildings

ELEVATIONS

MATHS + ENGINEERING BUILDINGS

ELEVATION BARR SMITH LIBRARY

VIEWS

THE SITE IN 3D

summer 9:00 am

winter 9:00 am

summer 12:00pm

winter 12:00 pm

summer 3:00 pm

winter 3:00 pm

THE ELEMENTS

SHADE, SHADOW AND THE EFFECTS OF THE WEATHER

ACCESS + MOVEMENT ACCESSIBILITY

LUMINOSITY L I G H T

S T U D Y

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The term “luminous” describes the characteristic of radiating a glowing light. Objects that glow in the dark or reflect a bright, ambient light are described to have luminous qualities, and thus we get the term luminosity – the state of being luminous.

Whilst in a linguistic case, the term luminosity refers to an object’s light properties, philosophers have a very different idea upon which they attach the term ‘luminosity’.

According to Zardini, the term ‘luminosity’ describes the philosophical idea that “one is always in a position to know” . This means that, if one is feeling a certain way e.g. hungry, then one is inclined to know that they feel hungry. Neta and Rohrbaugh concur that the term luminosity describes the notion and the idea that one can “possess the requisite cognitive capacities” to always consciously know, with certainty, exactly how they feel.

As far as the definition of luminosity in an architecture context, this is captured well by the work of Zaha Hadid, who was incredibly creative and innovative in how she used light in her architecture. She often used luminous lines of light in much of her early work, allowing the observer to gain a new sense of the forms and shapes within the space, enhancing the experience. Luminous light plays a key role in her first building, the Vitra Fire Station. From the use of light lines in the ceiling to the glowing light situated between the outer walls and the flooring, the use of luminous light turns an ordinary concrete structure into a dynamic piece of art, bursting with energy. Hadid gained inspiration from abstact paintings and everyday transport patterns, such as road markings, and used them as inspiration to create strips of luminous light in an enclosed concrete carpark by creating open slits in the roof of the carpark. She goes on to move past concrete structures and build an incredible form at the Nordpark Railway Station in which luminous light is not absorbed, but instead reflected by glass, creating a glossy finish that radiates energy and can be spotted a mile away. Much of her use of luminous light created a sense of energy in the space, as is evident in the Guangzhou Opera House. She was also able to allow light to move freely and seamlessly through the organic shapes of her buildings, allowing the luminous light to emphasise the sheer fluidity of the walls and the ceiling that enclosed the space, and indeed this is evident in many of her projects, such as the Heydar Aliyev Centre and the Museum of XXI Century Arts. She used luminous light subtly in the former, but then in buildings such as the Nanjing International Youth Cultural Centre, she used it quite strongly, creating an incredible brightness within an indoor space.

Over the course of Hadid’s career, she experimented with new ways to use light, and showed how luminosity ca be used in a variety of ways to create different feelings or convey different ideas within a space.