Curating light in the future museum

BUIL 1074: Architectural Design Technology III Curating Light in The Future Museum Unit Tutors Shaun Murray, Simon Withers, Yorgos Loizos Course Coordinator Max Dewdney

Abstract

The aim of this Technical Dissertation is to develop an understanding of the dynamic systems in architecture and how they can be used in relation to occupation of the building.

The technical focus of my dissertation is based on the building envelope and its abilities to control light conditions in relation to the purpose of the building. The Future Museum Curator introduces new development in museum field through 3D scanning and 3D printing technologies. The purpose of the museum is to become more adaptable and meet the requirements of the modern world. Light has become a very important tool in the development of the collection in the Future Museum. A tool that creates an atmosphere between objects through glare, shadows and defused light.

I am going to show detailed investigation of the facade study in relation to my building and how my design have changed throughout the investigation.

Introduction

The technical focus of this project is scale and distance of museum artefacts in relation to facades. I am going to look at the facade construction and its abilities to control the atmosphere, both the visual appearance of the structure as an architectural object from the outside as well as the appearance of a spiritual atmosphere on the inside related to the purpose of the building. The idea behind controlling light in my museum is based on the scale of artefacts and its distance to facades. Two different types of light controlling facades will be introduced in this technical study. Rooms with small artefacts will have facades that create spot light effect to highlight displayed objects and attract visitors attention. Small artefacts often could be unacknowledged due to its small scale, therefore an opportunity to guide visitors attention through the use of outside environment and facades can be very significant for small collections.

Meanwhile rooms with larger scale objects don’t need the same approach, the facade system can be a simple panel that rotates to control the amount of light enters the building.

Investigation started through the development of shading devices placed on the South, East and West sides of the Museum to enable the control of light. The Museum is located at the end of Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, surrounded by only a few houses on the South side of the building but being completely exposed to the environmental conditions of the West, East and North sides. The North side of the building doesn’t receive any direct sunlight, therefore there is no need to place adjustable facades on that part of the building.

Throughout this document I have studied sun movement around my site and how it hits the building at different times of the day and year. I have created physical and three dimensional models to test out lighting conditions inside the museum. By taking photographs with open and shut shutters I have got a clear understanding of what the rooms will look like, which has led to some design changes in my project. I have changed the location of rooms in my museum, there are now rooms that are only available at certain times of the day, for best lighting effects. The idea of facades being able to control light conditions has also inspired me to create skins inside of the museum with different translucency to create light and dark spaces.

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facade atmosphere artefact scale distance innovative structures dynamic system skins

Table of Contents

abstract introduction rms site location case study 01 Arab World Institute case study 02 Al Bahar Towers technical investigation GA annotated Plans & Section bibliograhy A2 Axo Drawing A2 1:50 section 2x 1:10 / 1:5 typical details references

Research Method Statement

Research Method Statement Subject Area The technical focus of this project is scale and distance of museum artefacts in relation to facades. My interest in facade study has started with understanding the abilities facades can offer; not just to the architectural design of the building but also its occupants. The relationship between artefacts and facades play a significant role in my project. The ability of facades being able to control the amount of light enters the building can create a personal representation of artefacts in my museum.

Type of Technology The technological type of my facade focus has a strategical relationship with the occupation of the building. Different types of facades are located at different parts of the building depending on the scale of the presented collection. For small collections facades with spot light effect would be placed to highlight the objects. Meanwhile the larger scale exhibitions will have different type of facades.

Type of Materials “The sun is the great luminary of all that lives. It should be used as such in the design of every house�.(F. L. Wright) Light is an important aspect in architectural environment, to be able to represent my idea of adjusting light qualities in the building through facades I will need to look at transparent materials for the building skins. The idea behind creating different atmospheres involves having spaces with different light conditions, light to dark. To create this effect I would have to design translucent skins on the inside of the building, which would play a role of a filter. Those skins would filter the amount of light enters each zone.

Current Research Method My current research method is computer modelling. Modelling digital elements allows me to understand how building works by designing the building layer by layer, starting from the frame working through towards facades.

Understanding the relationships between facades and other building elements is an important part of my chosen topic.

Testing the technology/ materiality To test the technology against my design I am going to apply the researched information intoscaled drawings to show the relationship between the elements. I am also making physical model for testing.

How does the technology relate to the design of my building?

The development of my technological focus has had an impact on the development of my design. The design of the building is based on the occupation; the transparent zones, artefact collections, and morning/ evening exhibitions. The different time exhibitions have been selected due to the location of the rooms, the morning room located on the east side if the building has morning sun, therefore visitors will get the best experience in the morning. Adjustable facades will only be located on the east, south and west sides of the building, because they are more exposed to the sun during the day, therefore the collections have to be located in those rooms, unlike in most museums where the rooms are usually facing north to avoid direct sunlight.

This technological focus has changed the strategies of my design in terms of circulation and rooms location.

On the first image of the cutaway axonometric I have highlighted my proposed facade systems in relation to the rest of the building. Three dimensional model shows two different types of facades. Spotlight effect facades at the front, which is the South facing side and rotating panels on the East and West sides of the building. The second image shows the internal translucent skins, that work as a filter to control the amount of the light enters each section.

Scale 1:1250 at A3 Site location

direction of summer movement of the sun

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direction of winter movement of the sun

summer sunset

summer sunrise

winter sunset

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winter sunrise

winter 14degrees

spring/autumn summer 62 38 degrees degrees

the optimum angle varies throughout the year, depending on the seasons and location

To get the best performance the angle of the facade system should be placed according to the position of the sun. I have sketched a diagram of the sun path during different times of the year showing the angle of the sun and how it hits the building.

Based on the diagram I have sketched ideas of how facade systems may open at different time of the year.

Case Study 01 Arab World Institute

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For my first case study I have been looking at Arab World Institute and its fascinating facade system.

The Institute became famous for the unique control of light through the use of 30,000 light sensitive diaphragms.

I found interesting about this project the relationship between the design of kinetic elements which formed the facade system around the whole building and the beautiful atmosphere inside the institute, which has been created through the dynamic use of facades.

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The idea of creating spot light effect has a direct link to my design, highlighting the exhibits to draw the viewers attention using natural light and facade elements.

To begin my investigation I have studied the mechanism of the facade system to have a clear understanding of how it works. The facade consists of small square parts, each one of them has a large circular opening in the middle and 14 small openings around it. Each opening has the same principle as a camera lens, which can be opened or closed, controlling the amount of sunlight that enters the building.

The images on the right are showing the location of the facade wall. It is located on the South side of the building, where the facade has a direct contact with sunlight.

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south facing facade with round openings highlighted exhibits E

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opened structure

I have made quick tests of how light conditions will behave. Because of the movement of the sun light that comes through the openings will move accordingly.

There are two choices of how to keep artefacts at the same place as light, first move the artefacts with light by creating moving floors and working out the direction of movement. Second, open different openings at different time of the day, for example in the pictures above the top part of the facade is open, when sun moves the first row of openings will close and the following row will open its shutters that way the artefacts would continue being the centre of attention.

closed structure

By creating the sketch of the facade system I have realised how useful this idea of the lens like facade system can potentially become for my museum. Only certain lenses can be open at ones to highlight the small exhibits of the museum to draw the visitors attention, however when the sun slightly moves and the spotlight is no longer highlighting the elements the lenses would shut and open different lenses.

museum artefacts

Overall to conclude this case study I have learnt a lot of useful information about facades and how they can be used as a guidance tool for the museum visitors. The investigation of this case study has created some changes in my project. First I have decided to have different facade systems based on the scale of the objects. Originally I was only going to have one type of facades. Second by looking at the structure of facade and the effects it produces to the interior atmosphere of the building I have decided to enable only certain openings at the time to highlight the exhibits of the museum.

Referring to the case study I am also going to place this type of the facade system on the South facing wall of the building, this will allow me to have the best possible light during the day.

Case Study 02 Peter Salter Walmer Yard For my second case study I have studied Peter Salters project Walmer Yard. I have chosen this case study because of its interesting design approach in terms of materials and how they are being used. The part of the building I am looking at are facades that are facing the court yard. Those facades have an ability to move to allow sunlight enter the building. The facade system has a simple strategy, each individual facade panel operates on a shaft system that allows to manually rotate the position of the facade. Unlike the previous case study the operating system in this project is a lot simpler and more practical.

For my Project I have adapted an idea of the facade that can be adjusted manually from the inside of the building. I like the idea of being in control of the building structure despite the environmental conditions.

Having larger scale openings in the building will create a very different atmosphere compare to the first facade system method. This facade will be placed with large museum artefacts, when facades are open, light will be forming a rectangular shape, where the artefacts will be positioned.

sun movenemt

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summer sun movement winter sun movement

On this physical model of Peter Salter’s Walmer Yard I have highlighted parts of the building I am looking at

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In the first sketched I have shown the principle of the facade structure and how it operates. The shutters are made of a thick wood panel which is attached at the top and bottom to the rest of the facade. The structure then rotates to the left and right, allowing quick and easy operation.

In the second sketch I have shown my initial ideas of how my structure will operate. I liked the idea of panels, however for my museum I am going to use small, thin panels, which then will be hinged in the middle and attached to the rest of the facade. Having a very similar principal as in Peter Salter’s Walmer yard my panels will open and close manually, however they will work horizontally rather than vertically.

Technical investigation For my technical investigation I have studied the movement of facade panels in relation to the sun positioning and its effects on the atmosphere of the building environment. I have tested two different kinds of facade systems in relation to light.

The diagram shows the amount of light that enters the building through the series of structures throughout the building

The structure of my building consists of three main elements. Concrete foundation, steel frame and the envelope of the building with adjustable facades. The idea of the structure of the building plays a role of a filter itself. The envelopes wrap around each other, each envelope defuses natural light creating different atmospheres at different parts of the building.

To begin my investigation I have asked myself what is a facade and what is the purpose of the facade. Facade plays a role of a story teller to the visitor. It gives us an impression of what kind of space we are about to enter. The purpose of the facade however is to keep the environmental conditions away from the occupation and its occupants. Designing a facade system in a way that can become a part of occupation and not just a separate layer of many skins of the building has really interested me.

Now when the building has an ability to response to the environmental changes it has become a performance based design. However designing responsive facades is challenging and needs to be tested carefully to understand all the challenges that may occur. In my case I have learnt that positioning of the building plays a significant role in facade performance and building occupation due to occupation being linked to facades. UnderKEY standing the positioning of the sun, creating models and testing them has made some significant changes in my design in terms of how the collections are presented in my no natural light access museum. The occupation of the museum is now linked to the environmental conditions. defused light Throughout model testing process I have gained knowledge of how light hits the building slightly defused light at different times of the day, which has led to the changes such as relocating facades from the lightest parts of the building the South facing parts of the building and replacing them with a different type of system, which is more efficient in relation of achieving best light conditions in the building

first layer of skins - transparent material, defusing natural light that enters the building

facade system two transparent suspended floor transparent suspended floor transparent suspended floor transparent suspended floor

facade system one

primary structure steel frame system attached to the concrete basement, supporting secondary structure and holding suspended flooring system

second layer of steel frame system, followed by the second layer of transparfacade system two ent skin, then followed by adjustable facade system steel frame that regulates the amount of light that enters the first layer of the building

transparent skin

concrete basement with piles foundation 600 mm concrete walls 600 mm concrete floors pile foundation

To begin my investigation I have 3D modelled a part of my building on the East side, where the building interacts with the morning sunlight. The facade system I have modelled consists of small panels, which can be manually opened or closed.

During the testing of these facade structures I have realised that when they are open the sun will only be able to enter the building when its low down. Therefore the positioning of these facades has to be on the East and West sides of the building, where the sun rises and sets.

The pictures of the model show two different stages of light entering the building in the morning. First picture shows the shutters being closed. Second one shows the shutters being open letting the light in. The light hits parts of the building frame creating a pattern on the floor. The pattern then becomes a guide for placement of large artefacts.

The main purpose of these facades is to cooperate with the scale of the exhibition inside of my museum.

parts of the facede system

Model Scale 1:50 Images not to scale Referring back to my case study of Peter Salter’s Walmer Yard I have started testing my ideas by making a three dimensional model of dynamic facade parts.

Making three different hinge systems, only one of them has worked in relation to fully opening and closing.

Model Scale 1:50 Images not to scale

After testing the model out I realised the facade needed more coverage, so I have extended each panel on both sides with an extra panel, which can be used to create a complete black out effect.

However if there is sunlight needed small panels can slide behind the bigger elements leaving a gap for sunlight to make it way through the building

Model Scale 1:50 Images not to scale

To continue with the investigation I have made a physical model of a part of the building. To create the model I have used different types of materials.

For the concrete basement I have used cement mix to make the model as realistic as possible. I have laser cut individual panels for the model, testing out different ways of attaching panels to each other. The most successful way was to create a pivot where both panels meet and make it open up and down.

After assembling the model I have experimented with light conditions. I have simulated evening light conditions and photographed the model with open and closed shutters to make sure my idea works. The evening light has successfully entered the building while the shutters were open and the shutters did their job when they were shut too. However when the shutters where moved to a south fading facade the angle of the light was a lot higher and when the shutters were open, no light could enter the building because of the way the facades were positioned. Both experiments have successfully proven that this type of facades can only be placed where the angle of the sun is low to the ground, which means East and West walls.

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Curating A Future Museum 1. Staff only staircase 2. Stock Room 3. Storage Cabinets 4. An opening between floors to allow easy access to the materials from the workshop

Underground level two floor plan Scale 1:100 200 at at A1 A3

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Curating A Future Museum 1. Staff only staircase 2. Workshop 3. Lift 4. An opening between floors to allow easy access to the materials from the workshop 5. VR cinema room 6. Staircase to the ground floor

7. The Royal Museums of Art and History archive, 14 objects 8. John Young Museum of art archive, 8 objects 9. MSU Broad Art Museum archive, 7 objects 10. Museo Arquelogico National, Spain archive, 16 objects 11. Tibicena Gran Canaria archive, 13 objects 12. Chiang Mai National Museum Cultural Artifacts, Thailand, archive 27 objects 13. Entrance to the Gardens

Underground level one floor plan Scale 1:100 200 at at A1 A3

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Curating A Future Museum 1. Main Entrance 2. Staircase to the first level 3. Lift 4. Cloak Room 5. Circulation leading to the Garden view/ Painting gallery 6. VR waking experience

7. Dining area 8. Kitchen 9. Entrance to the Gardens 10. Transparent painting 11. Smart facades adjustable to light conditions 12. WC

Ground floor plan Scale 1:100 200atatA1 A3

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Curating A Future Museum 1. Circulation/ temporary art collection 2. Temporary collection Italy/ Mexico 3. Lift 4. Permanent collection 5. Venus de Milo statue 6. Zeus statue 7. Discobolus statue 8. Doryphoros statue

9. Transparent painting observing place 10. Smart facades adjustable to light conditions

First floor plan 200atatA1 A3 Scale 1:100

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adjustable facade system

glazing envelope followed by kinetic facades adjustable to sunlight

steel frame construction gypsum board as interior finish steel studs 139mm (2x6) mineral wool insulation sheating board thermal insulation exterior finish- 4mm steel skin

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8 truss corrugated steel deck concrete floor tile heating and air conditioning vent inside truss 9

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steel staircase

concrete exterior wall 150mm sprayed insulation concrete interior

concrete floor 50x50 floor battens floor finishing 11

600 mm pile foundation

Curating A Future Museum 8. Dining Area 9. Workshop 10. VR walking experience 11. Stock Room 12. VR cinema 13. Smart Facades

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1. Circulation/ temporary art collection 2. Temporary collection Italy/ Mexico 3. Permanent collection 4. Venus de Milo statue 5. Zeus statue 6. Discobolus statue 7. Doryphoros statue

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Scale 1:200 at A3

Current Reading S. Hart (n.d.) Facade Engineering Emerges as a Highly Specialised Science and a Striking Art Form I. H. Seeley (1995) Building Technology, Macmillan Press LTD E. Allen (1985) Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods H. Siedler (2011) Sunlight and Architecture, Architectural Science Review Accessed 28 Dec 2016 [http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00038628.1959.9695975?journalCode=tasr20] N. Baker, K. Steemers (2002) Daylight Design of Buildings: A Handbook for Architects and Engineers, James&James LTD N. Lechner (2015) Heating, Cooling, Lighting: Sustainable Design Methods for Architects, John Wiley&Sons Inc E. Lee, S. Selkowitz, V. Bazjanac, V. Inkarojrit, C. Kohler (2002) High-performance commercial building facades, The Regents of the University of California P. Salter (2016) Walmer Yard Accessed 20 Mar 2017 [http://www.archdaily.com/800485/walmer-yard-peter-salter] T. Winstanley (2011) Accessed 17 Mar 2017 [http://www.archdaily.com/162101/ad-classics-institut-du-monde-arabe-jean-nouvel] M. Sharadin (2014) Kinetic Facades: towards design for environmental performance

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steel frame construction glazing envelope adjusting facade panels suspended floor steel frame and glass

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external concrete wall insulation internal concrete wall

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truss corrugated steel deck concrete floor tile heating and air conditioning vent inside truss concrete floor 50x50 floor battens floor finishing 600 mm pile foundation

Curating a Future Museum Scale 1:50 at A1 Second itteration of the design based on the changes made by technology

steel frame construction

glazing envelope

facade system

direction of movement

hinges to allow facades to move

steel farme on the external part of the buiding attached to the primary steel construction connection bolts attaching the facade to the steel frame

Detail 1 Scale 1:5 at A2

concrete blocks load bearing frame

floor finishing 50x50 floor battens concrete floor

insulation

timber load bearing farme

damp proof membrane

concrete footimg

Detail 2 Scale 1:5 at A2

external concrete blocks

timber load bearing farme 102 mm lightweight cast in situ concrete 76mm rib deck support

steel truss support

ceiling

insulation

internal concrete wall

Detail 3 Scale 1:5 at A2

Curating a Future Museum Cutaway Axo Building Development after Technlogy investigation