Design-report projectreport
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Feel the night.
[part I: Test-report] [part II: Research-report] part III: Design-report
Projectreport R.J.R. de Haan
Windesheim University of Applied Sciences Projectcoach, A. van den Pauwert
Clafis Engineers Client, A. ter Velde
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Contents Preface
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Context current situation
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Design-guidelines
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Ideation
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Reasoning and purpose Concept explanation Details Context future situation
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The district ‘Bothoven’
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Clafis
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Restaurant
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Vitens
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Model
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Conclusion and considerations
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Appendix
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Appendix A:
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Appendix B:
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Appendix C:
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Sources
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Preface As a group of five international productdesign-students of Windesheim University of Applied Sciences we participated in the Light-Challenge 2018. This challenge stood for respecting the darkness and creating a landmark with eco-responsible materials. We were allowed to create a design for the watertower ‘Hoog en Droog’ in the Bothoven, Enschede. Last year this watertower was purchased by a company called Clafis and via them we carried out the Light-Challenge. For me the watertower sounded very interesting cause I grew up in a small rural village called Rouveen. and this town can be recognized by its watertower ‘Koperen Hoogte’, which characterises the end of its main street. The ‘Koperen Hoogte’ has a long history but for as long as I know it, the tower has been a luxurious restaurant and hotel from which you could see our house if it’s a clear day. So yes, this project attracted me from the start and I hope that this report will attract you, the reader, the same way.
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Context current situation
By designing a landmark context is crucial. All the surroundings involve and effect the way it gets represented. All these nearby, direct factors are shown below. The context-guidelines that shaped the ideas and concept can be seen in the researchreport.
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The concerning watertower (1) is the visual centre of the neighbourhood. It is forty meters high and almost twelve meters wide. Nowadays it does not carry out a function but in the short future there will be a restaurant, offices and apartments in it. The tower stands on a recently renovated, brick squarei (2) which is surrounded by houses and buildings of the district ‘de Bothoven’ (3). There are three grass fields near the tower. The northern one (4) is located on top of a waterbassin of the watercompany ‘Vitens’ and is being used as a park. The fenced field directly south of the tower (5) is also property of ‘Vitens’. Next to it is a smaller park (6) which is used by children of the primary school (7) during breaks or spare-time. The students from the primary school cross the square daily because the access road (8) is on the other side of the tower. Source of image ii
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Design-guidelines Concluded from the research-report
People from the district: • • • • • • •
Don’t want a red-light district. Want a safe surrounding area. An environment that doesn’t attract young people to hang out there late at night. Minimal light after the restaurant is closed. Want a vandal-proof situation with minimal maintenance. Want a situation that look good. The light shouldn’t shine in the surrounding buildings.
Light challenge: • Circular raw materials. • Fit with the surrounding people. • Sustainable • The fit with Clafis. The building: • The tower is mainly build in classicistic style with neo-gothic elements. In the following designs this style should be handled with respect. • The outside horizontal concrete widenings, windows, vertical pillars and small decorative elements should be kept in mind when thinking of lights and shadows. • The upcoming design may not demand major adjustments to the historical construction. • The lights have to fit with the new windows. Flora and Fauna: • • • Light: •
• • Clafis: • • •
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smart light– light affects animals very much, so we have use it wisely and for a short time red and green light – these colours are less harmful for animals than the others. blue light – this colour spectrum of light is most damageable for flora and fauna. colour of the light must match the ambience - every light colour and its temperature has a specific effect on human, so we have to choose the one, which is the most suitable for that place LED – is the best solution, this because of the low voltage and the many optimisations think about: dimming, materials, colours, size, warmup time and lifetime. Fluorescent paint is also a possible solution. The tower shouldn’t be a Clafis billboard. The tower has to accentuate the old feeling of the building. Keep in mind, the old function of the building.
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Ideation
As starting point for the idea-phase three examples are visualised and their influence on later ideation and conceptation described. Secondly the selected ideas, as result of the idea-phase, are included. Moodboard about ideation can be seen in
appendix A.
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Bridges across ‘Prinsengracht’, Meppel 52.695745, 6.195106 The reflection of the light on the water gives a really aesthetic sight that is well compatible with the concept for ‘Hoog en Droog’.
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Koperen Hoogte, Lichtmis 52.583889, 6.191447 The majesty and shape definition of the tower by its light is something that could be direct implementable. iii
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The War On Drugs, AFAS Live, Amsterdam 52.311499, 4.944712 ivThe
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very slight movement and difference in direction of the light give a really peaceful but interesting effect on the spectator.
The selected ideas that followed after the research-report and the guidelines related to that report.
1. Movement. Create movement by applying effects like different light-intensity, shades or colour.
2. Focus on architectural shapes. Accentuate the defining curves and edges of the building to express its style and history. As an example, the Galata tower.v
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3. Environmental. A concept to create space for plants on and around the tower. With the national beeproblem this could offer a local solution. Lighting and environment designed for the insects. Besides the lighting-part also the fauna-part.
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Reasoning and purpose After the ideation-phase we went on from a common starting point; one idea chosen by our employer Clafis, projectcoach and projectgroup. The strong features of the concept that argued this decision are: the reflection-effect of the tower in the pond that will raise curiosity by the viewer, the return of the historical water-aspect of the tower and the possibilities for a sustainable solution. In the individual continuation the focus was on curiosity since this was the most ‘vague’ yet strongest aspect of the concept. The link with water was already clear; a pond with water that referred directly to the old function of creating water-pressure. Besides that, the sustainable solution was an open aspect and could be implemented in a later stage, after further ideation. So, first focus is on curiosity and how to achieve it.
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Curiosity is something untouchable, but most of time it is visible in small, contrasting elements; a hole in a wall, a bottle in the ocean or a star in the black sky. Curiosity has something mysterious because it is unknown and new.vi This is logical because you won’t be curious about something you have seen before and therefore is familiar to you. Keywords that are close related to curiosity are novelty (new things), contrast and mysteriousness. To achieve curiosity in the lighting of the tower these keywords will form practical guidelines during sketching and further ideation. Out of a whiteboard full of potential experience-goals curiosity got the preference. Curiosity is something every human and every animal has. It is a strong psychological feature of which its goal is to bring new information. The aim for this concept is to let all the spectators of the watertower be attracted by this curiosity and make them wonder what is inside. vii In this way as soon as the visitors arrive at the top of the tower, in the restaurant, their curiosity gets satisficed and transformed into a warm feeling. Cause curiosity is the first step to attraction and affectionviii.
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Concept explanation In the selected concept the square gets adjusted. The structure and pattern of the bricks will remain the same in the future situation but the three inner shapes around the tower will turn into a low, tiled pond. LEDs are situated in the upper edge of the tower (1) and in the edge of the pond (2). Details will be explicitly described in this chapter.
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Lights reflect on the tower via the water in the pond. All of this to generate a correct experience for the spectators. The results of further research found out that the viewer will experience the playful effect the water in the pond induces. Details of this can be found in the test-report. The pond has a historical reference due to its old function and the focus the light will put on it. Besides that, the pond has a sustainable charge because water as a material is everywhere, harmless and completely eco-neutral. So, the concept is all about the complete experience the viewer gets when visiting the tower. Source of the imageix
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Details Based on the reasoning and purpose of the concept, the research-report and testreport practical aspects and details are described.
The pond 1. Inner organic shapes of bricks surrounding the tower, as they are situated in the current square, get removed. 2. Inner organic shapes get excavated and lowered. 3. Inner organic shapes concrete foundation. 4. Inner organic shapes get tiled and sealed. 5. The pond gets finished with LEDs in metal strip. The LEDs that illuminate the water inside the pond are located in the edge of the pond. This context must be complete vandalise- and waterproof. Nearby the pond there must be a water-circulation system to regulate and clean the water.
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The lights All lighting will be realised with LED-technology. LED is concluded by the researchreport as the best when it comes to the most relevant factors: efficiency, colourvariation, size, shock-resistance and dimming. All these factors play an obvious role in the concept and therefore LED is the most fitting option. Detailed argumentation for this is described in the research-report.
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Currently the square has some curved organic shapes. These shapes are paved in elbow-structure which is visualised below.
From a distance the curves look smooth, however from a closer angle these curves will appear to be jagged due to the paving-pattern. This isn’t practical for the construction and the sealing of the pond. That’s why some sort of strip is needed to cover the transition from bricks to tiles. In this way most of the square remains intact and an absolute minimum amount of materials is needed. In this strip the lighting can be located and installed. Depending on the type of pump the strip could also grant access to the circulation system of the pond.
So, the shallow pond is feasible with just minimum adjustments to the square. The only incoming materials will be the covering strip, tiles and fixings. If these things are purchased conscious a sustainable solution is offered.
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Accessibility Depending on further architectural developments access to the restaurant will be granted with the separate elevator-building on the east side of the tower. If the apartments and/or office will make use of the old access door on the west of the tower an interruption of the pond or bridge will be necessary. Conceptual this won’t affect a lot of technical features.
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The tower Conceptual there are few adjustments for the tower required. LED’s highlighting the interesting architectural elements are located on the tower itself and could only require – at most - wiring and fixation by drilling. The lights are located under the wide edge on a height of around 32,8 meters, in between the vertical pillars covering the complete circumference. The orientation of the light is vertically downwards to avoid light pollution and disturbance of birds and insects. At this location it is unreachable for all unwanted humans or animal contact, which grants safety for all parties. Maintenance requires external machinery (basket crane or similar). The low horizontal architectural parts of the tower are accentuated by the reflection of the lighting of the pond.
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The lighting context The colour of the lighting will vary from purple during the evening (the hours in which the restaurant is open) to red during night-time (the hours most insects and nocturnal animals are active). The choice for these colours and timing is based on: the research-report in which the effects of lighting on animals and plants are described, various literature described in appendix B and, third and last, the testing and experiment with coloured lighting on water. The light-dynamic-circle will look like this (with a proviso):
Bright purple Summer: 20:00 – 22:00 Winter: 16:00 – 17:00
Calm purple Summer: 22:00 – 23:00 Winter: 17:00 – 22:00
Bright red Summer: 23:00 - 01:00 Winter: 22:00 – 23:00
Calm red Summer: 01:00 - 02:00 Winter: 23:00 - 02:00
According to the experiences of Neufert, da Vinci and Scott-Kemmis, humans interpret and experience purple as dignity, order and mystery. Though all three are from different time and age, the interpretation and essential meaning remain the same. In the conceptual context purple would be the most appropriate colour imaginable for the tower at opening hours of the restaurant. Subtle curiosity in combination with class. If visitors of the restaurant refer purple to mystery and order that will fit the need perfectly. Further information about meaning of light can be seen in appendix B. In the shown light-dynamic-circle there is a lot of ‘spare-time’ for complete darkness, as desired by most parties (light-challenge, Clafis, nature and district). The future restaurant will have input about this as well and will possibly desire more lighting for commercial purposes. Besides that, there could be need for a day-to-day light-program or a division between week and weekend.
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Context future situation The future experiences of the involved parties. Besides that, this gives an answer to the question that every party involved has: “What does it mean for me?”.
Animals and nature In most humanmade buildings nature is the losing party when it comes to lighting. Though through the explicit research a fitting light situation can be realised. This means as less disturbance as possible by: - correct light-colouring. - directed light that only illuminates the desired locations. - no unnecessary illumination during night. - no lights pointing upwards in the sky.
The district ‘Bothoven’ They are the main-spectators of the exterior of the tower during both day-time as night-time. In the future situation the tower gets inhabited again and that will also mean that the tower and its surrounding ‘will come alive again’. The neighbourhood should only experience this as positive, for it will create a safe, clean and illuminated surrounding. The perceived colours will vary from purple to red. These colours are close related to prevent it from an annoying flashing disco effect.
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Clafis Clafis will get an office in the tower so they will be daily spectators of in- and outside of the tower. The experiences of the employers of Clafis will be similar to that of the district because of their similar routine except for the weekends. As a company Clafis is well involved in the lighting-theme with subjects like light-pollution. So, they should be close concerned with the lightplan of the tower.
Restaurant The visitors of the restaurant in the top will only visit it once or rarely. For them the experience of the lighting can be exuberant to give their dinner a memorable ‘wow-factor’. For the restaurant the lights have a big commercial role.
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Vitens The concept will not result in much changes for Vitens. Their buildings remain untouched. People from maintenance will see the exterior of the tower regularly.
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Conclusion For most involved parties a subtle light is preferred. People who get in contact with the tower daily don’t want some impressive lightshow because it will be experienced as annoying and exaggerated. However, the visitors of the restaurant may want some more spectacular lights since they will see it very little and expect a special experience. The ultimate situation will be a time-variable installation that is suited for both ‘daily-visit’ as ‘once-visit’.
“In the right light, at the right time. Everything is extraordinary.” – Aaron Rose
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Model The final model consists of a wooden laser-cut square and a birchwood tower made with a turning lathe.
The model is made to give a glimpse of the experience desired in the concept. It makes the concept touchable and sets up an ambience. The tower is made from a one-piece turned fresh birch trunk. With a chainsaw the length got determined and with a table-saw the whole piece was prepared for the lathe. The square is made from lasercutted hardwood multiplex. The complete detailed process can be found in appendix C.
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Conclusion and considerations
The process of making the pond and lighting as in the new situation will cost decent effort and money. One of the consequences is that the square will get adjusted, despite it has been renovated in 2016. x Continuation should focus on precise timing of the lighting and further materialisation of the pond and lights. But for now, this concept offers a solution that is in reach and does not have to be very complicated or require impossible situations. It respects the tower, its history and the people and nature that surround and inhabit it.
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Appendix Appendix A:
Moodboard watersquare
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Appendix B:
Colour associations and experiences Neufert, E., The effects of colours according to Neufert, Bauentwurfslehre, 1984.
Eger, A, M. Bonnema, E. Lutters & M. van der Voort. Colour, associations of humans according to Leonardo da Vinci, Productontweren, 2010.
Judy Scott-Kemmis, Colour psychology of violet and purple, 2014.xi “In the meaning of colors, purple and violet represent the future, the imagination and dreams, while spiritually calming the emotions. They inspire and enhance psychic ability and spiritual enlightenment, while, at the same time, keeping us grounded.�
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Appendix C:
Realisation of the model Complete process described in words and visuals. Square: Multiplex hardwood laser-cut and treated with wood-oil. Shape raised and kept in place with glued laser-cut wooden pieces on multiplex surface.
Tower: Birchtrunk sawed in desired length. First shaping done with table-saw and circle-saw until it was fairly circular. All rough and detailed shapedefinition done with chisels on a lathe and details carved in with knives. The complete shape is sandpapered (80 and 120) and finished with stain. Lighting: 120-5V RGB LED-strip 10mm placed between square and wooden surface.
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Sources Information about developments in ‘the Bothoven’. 2016. http://debothoven.nl/site/de-wijk/wijkontwikkelingen/wijkontwikkelingen-vitensterrein/ ii Google Maps 2D and 3D information and data from ‘Hoog en Droog’, Enschede. 2018. iii Information about image of ‘Koperen Hoogte’, Rouveen. 2009. http://zoom.nl/foto/architectuur/koperen-hoogte-lichtmis.1151231.html iv Article about review of The War On Drugs in Afas Live, 2017. https://oor.nl/concerten/the-war-on-drugs-amerikaans-sprookje/ v Article about Philips’ lighting of Galata tower http://www.installation-international.com/philips-lighting-illuminates-istanbuls-iconic-galata-tower/ vi Colour psychology, Judy Scott-Kemmis. 2014. http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/meaning-of-colors.html vii Psychological information about curiosity, Iresearchnet. http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/personality/curiosity/ viii The importance of curiosity, Cody Gough, December 2017. https://curiosity.com/topics/the-importance-of-curiosity-curiosity/ ix Image of light-reflection on bridge. http://www.allaboutweybridge.co.uk/aaw/weybridge/surrey/weybridge-photos/wey-bridgelight_reflection-rtalibart550.jpg x Information about developments in ‘the Bothoven’. 2016. http://debothoven.nl/site/de-wijk/wijkontwikkelingen/wijkontwikkelingen-vitensterrein/ xi Colour psychology, Judy Scott-Kemmis. 2014. http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/meaning-of-colors.html i
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