CAST SHADOW LIGHT AS A JOURNEY
JACOB GRAHAM A1718302
CONTENTS PART I SITE OVERVIEW HISTORY AND PROPORTIONS MOVEMENT & SHADE STUDIES LIGHT STUDY I: LUMINOSITY
PART II 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8
PART III PLAN, SECTION, ELEVATION SPACIAL & EXPLODED ISO LIGHT STUDY III: LUMINOSITY
INSPIRATION & POSSIBILITIES PRECEDENCE AND VISUALISATION LIGHT STUDY II: REFLECTION
9-10 11-12 13-14
PART IV 15-16 17-18 19-20
DETAIL & MOVEMENT DIAGRAM INTERNAL RENDERS SPACIAL RENDERS MOBILITY DIAGRAMS LIGHT STUDY IV: FILTRATION
21-22 23-24 25-26 27-28 29-30
SITE OVERVIEW PART I The University of Adelaide Math Lawns is located within the North Terrace Campus situated between the Braggs Building on the Northern Part of the site as well as the Engineering North building Located southern. A main aspect of the grassed area is its relevance with the Barr Smith Library, with the building and grassed area being aligned with one another. while the grassed area isn’t utilised overly well the paths between the buildings and the gate leading towards the botanical gardens get used lightly during daily uses. While the lawns are used for everyday use, on certain days of the year such as orientation week it is used heavily, being an area where students can sign up for different clubs that the university offers. The grassed area gets fully utilised during the RCC (Royal Croquet Club) Fringe Festival, focussing heavily on live music, visual art and gig theatre whilst featuring cabaret, theatre, and comedy. The Math Lawns offer an extensive area of 30m x 150m which is large enough to host a multitude of events throughout the year while introducing a submerged architectural piece offering different experiences and opportunities for the Maths Lawns. While the site gets used at different seasonal events throughout the year, whenever no events are on it gets minimal use which an underground light pavilion could benefit from. Further Study of the Lawns and surrounding areas will be conducted in order to design a suitable light pavilion for the area, while accommodating all previous events and uses such as O Week and the RCC Fringe Festival.
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HISTORY PART I The Math Lawns have had an extensive past with renovations to the buildings around the main site which was completed in 2014 giving the site a much need modernisation and bringing it into the design language of today, as well as heritage buildings such as the Barr Smith Library. The library was officially open to the public in 1932 financed by Barr- Smith himself. Barr Smith is one of three Australian libraries that were built in the classical style at this large of a scale with the other two buildings being located in both Victoria and South Australia. The library offers and an extensive amount of books that can be used by all Adelaide university students which may be an attractor towards the Math Lawns. Keeping in mind the importance of the Barr Smith Library, being able to visually see the entrance of the library from the Frome Road entrance is especially important to the significances of the Math Lawns.
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PROPORTIONAL PART I Proportion and scale in the design are one of the most important key factors that go into a site and determine how somebody feels and experiences the space that they are in. By having appropriate scales and proportions it may possibly encourage users of the site to feel more comfortable within the space. Having a somewhat open area between the two taller buildings being Braggs and Engineering North is essential in keeping that feeling of an open spacious site without being too cramped.
While the design of the light pavilion will be to a scale of the surrounding buildings, once inside the space a change in proportion may be present creating a unique and abstract experience that may be intriguing to some and potentially uncomfortable for others. While proportion with wall sizes entrances and other architecture could be adjusted the furniture can also be adjusted to the same scale to create a balance within the site which may bring back that sense of familiarity.
Architectural styles, color palettes, and lighting within the design can all be subjective to the user and their preferences but as far as design proportions and scaling, certain basic rules must be considered to create a comfortable space. Will these basic rules must be followed exceptions can be made by altering other aspects of the design such as entrance size, wall size, and furniture to balance out the effects within the space. These options could be considered for the final design of the pavilion.
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SITE STUDIES PART I
Movement throughout the site as described in the site overview is mainly constricted to the footpaths and walkways highlighted in green in the above diagram. Besides the odd event on the grass space, the only space that gets used daily is the areas created for movement. The main areas of movement towards the site are from the Barr Smith direction where most of the uni is situated beyond. Besides Barr Smith’s other areas of movement onto the site consist of students leaving the Braggs and Engineering North buildings towards the center pathway through the Maths Lawns. Few exits through Frome road which is usually used as an exit.
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Shading on the Math lawns is essential because little cover besides building shading and the 26 medium-sized trees are available and are located close to the edges of the site leaving the majority of the grass open to the sun and its elements. Shading during the Winter is at its highest practically covering the whole site during the later hours of the day and the opposite being present in summer mainly being exposed for the whole day to the sun with the only shading hugging theWBraggs and engineering buildings. An underground light pavilion will provide adequate shading for the grassed area during the summer and offer a unique experience in the site.
SUMMER
WINTER
9AM
9AM
12PM
12PM
3PM
3PM
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LUMINOSITY PART I TRANSPARENCY / TRANSLUCENY Luminosity in relation to architecture, is the overall quality of an object that radiates light or gives off reflected light in a space. The more energy generally put into an object the brighter the object will be “illuminated”. This can also be related to an object that gives off a glowing light. Luminosity has been referred to and studied as a direct metaphor as truth in philosophical meaning. The greater the luminosity of an object generally the brighter the object will appear. An object luminosity can appear luminous in a multitude of wavelengths of light ranging from visible light and infrared to radio and gamma rays. It generally depends on the intensity of the light which is a direct function of the energy the object is giving off. An example of this is our sun in our sky. The sun is extremely luminous and appears glowing due to the unimaginable amounts of energy being produced, where as a frosted light bulb gives off a similar effect but at a much smaller scale. While
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luminosity can be used at an architectural scale within design it is also heavily researched and present within our astrological discoveries. Architecturally speaking the inclusion of luminosity can drastically change a design and the way a space is interacted with. Zaha Hadid luminous legacy proves how luminosity can be a design driver and change the way a space is interacted with. Her earlier work often neglected the use of light on her architecture, using minimal light lines to display her work. Three decades later with a move from minimal light with her Vritra fire station to the worlds tallest atrium “Leeza SOHO Skyscraper”, Zaha’s use of light has enormously changed, with a large amount of daylight entering the atrium portraying the changes Zaha has made within her architecture. We experience a material within a space with our eyes however our view is changed through the use of reflected light and the use of light throughout a space. Zaha abused this concept by using luminous lines or windows through out her designs as a graphical piece which also changes the emotions of the users when within the
site. As mentioned earlier Zaha’s Vritra Fire Station used minimal lighting solutions using non parallel lines to create the from of her design. Light lines in the ceiling walls and ground reinforced her sharp and angular design by accentuating those already existing elements. These lines within a design can create a deconstructivism architecture style, breaking up the space with the use of luminance lines and lighting. The use of luminosity in the fire station diffused the indoor and outdoor lighting creating a soft lighting effect which also accentuated and contracted the energy of her heavy concrete formwork. Throughout all of Zaha’s work using luminance lighting concrete or heavy material is used to contrast as seen in the Vritra Station, SOHO Tower and the Phaeno Science Centre where luminosity was used as an art piece on the ceiling above. Overall as seen in Zaha’s work, luminosity can change the emotions within a site especially when pair with something suitable such as thick, heavy, concrete.
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INSPIRATION PART II LIGHT AS A JOURNEY
A
B The light pavilion to be designed for the Math Lawns will ultimately be inspired from the idea thinking of “light through a journey”, which can be interpreted in multiple ways. The definition of a journey is an act of travelling from one place to another, which to most would mean going from A to B represented in the diagram above. Although this is true a journey may not also be so straight forward.
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While the same idea works with this second diagram the only difference is that a journey may have multiple endings which may not be clear to who may be on the journey. The journey is ultimately decided by the actions of the user which will be similar to the design journey throughout the light pavilion at the Maths Lawns. Multiple pathways and experiential experiences will determine this.
Although the journey will have multiple endings those journeys can overlap and branch out also known as a “cross road” being a key intersecting point throughout the journey. Visually this idea of branching and intersecting pathways could create for an interesting design and when in the space may physically depict a journey with no clear route or pathway to go down.
To create the final inspiration for the design of the light pavilion, leaves were added to the pathways which I felt represented a tree extremely well. These leaves in architectural thinking could be rooms where the user could inhabit. This design leaves for many iterations and will be a good basis to experiment further. The idea of broken light could be included similar to the shade of a tree.
LAYOUT POSSIBILITIES RECEPTION
SEMINAR
The only structure with this design layout is an initial reception area where the user walks through a large area towards a central courtyard where the main light pavilion will be located.
LIBRARY
SITTING
A reception at the entrance of the underground pavilion suited best in all designs. Similar layout with all spaces being located around a central pavilion which will be open to the elements.
TOILETS
PAVILION
STORAGE
A rectangular design similar to the shape of the Math Lawns was worth testing to see how it could work in this area but was unsuccessful. A central unrestricted design worked better.
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PRECEDENCE PART II The precedence behind my design was the idea of a tree branching out past the Math lawns towards the Bontanical school and the Bontanical gardens. Stemming from the Barr Smith Library the tree expands and grows through the Math lawns where a unique desing of a tree could be implemented in which many branches continue on as seen in the diagram. The basis of the tree trunk is trunk of a euculyptus tree which is native to the area and creates a strong connection with the land. Many planting options seen in the bontanical gardens could be used of the Math lawns site to create interest as well as creating a stronger connection of the gardens to the university. Overall the idea of a tree as a design inspiration worked really well.
VISUAL REFERENCES Visual reference and precedence were inspired by Jean Novel’s Lovre in Abu Dhabi which is a museum encased by a complex dome that controls both lighting and temperature for the building below. While random geometries are used for the shell it creates an overall uniform look due to repetition. Lovre could work well within my design at the Math Lawns representing similar shading to that of a tree. While Lovre is at a much larger scale than the design at the Maths Lawn, the proportion could be used to scale with the wall and interior to create a balanced feel.
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EXPERIENTIAL VISUALISATIONS
While approaching the math lawns from the Barr Smith side of the lawns, I wanted to make the design easily distinguishable by having a grand entrance which interfered with the existing path to hopefully create interest and intrigue. Having the primary entrance facing the library is a smart design because that is where the majority of the foot traffic is coming from. While the design is not final,
having a large roof on the main entrance creates a extensive amount of shading which isn’t present on the central parts of the lawned area. Lighting and vegetation could be used to complement the design language of the building as well as a selection of materials that will be discussed in part IV. Overall the experimental visualisations of the primary entry into the underground pavillion was a success.
My second experiential visualisation is the central light pavilion which features randomised geometries inspired by Jean Nouvel’s Lovre. Free-flowing organic seating will be used in the space to create a feeling of continuity through the design towards the multiple exits. The unexpected geometries could potentially contrast with the flow of the seating to create interest and clash between the two. Through-
out the site smalled cutouts of these forms could be implemented so the design can continue throughout the whole site. While natural airflow and the elements can come through these cutouts alternate windows with tinted glass could be used to create a controlled environment where exhibition spaces and seminars can occur. Implementing these design into the final decisions would be beneficial.
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REFLECTION PART II REFRACTION / IRIDESCENCE The linguistic definition of reflection is the bouncing of light between objects that has a smooth “glossy” surface that creates a mirror effect. The light reflects at the same angle at which it hit the surface. Common materials which reflect light are materials such as water, polished metal and glass. All visible light consist of continuous ranges of wavelengths or frequencies and reflection is no different. When a single frequency meets an object, a multitude of outcomes could occur. The light could be absorbed being transferred into heat, as well as transferred and finally reflected by the object. In philosophical terms reflection is an essential property of matter, while consciousness is the highest degree of development of that property. As far as reflection in philosophical sense can be best described between the relationships of different materials within our world. Reflections can cause us humans to have a different view
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or perspective of an area ultimately changing the experience within, and possibly also triggering reflection without our brain. Mirrors can facilitate reflection which may encourage an altered view of the world making us second guess our surroundings and even ourselves. While reflection is deeply impacted at the philosophical level it also impacts an architects design heavily and emotions he’s trying to create. Glass architecture especially throughout the 21st Century has increased in its overall presence within the construction industry which promotes movement as well as breaking up the façade with glass panes. Although these structures work, many have gotten use to the uniform structural glazed skyscrapers that we see in every major city around the world. Architects discovered that through the use of this reflective material, expression and emotion could be shown as seen in Herzog & de Meuron’s Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. This Glass façade has an extraordinary texture with the indirect gold reflections of Berlins Philharmonic by Hans Schroon. Curved glass elements distort the perceptions of the surround suburbs, water and sky creating a unique contrast
compared to the traditional, uniform glass faรงade. While glass can be used as a reflective material in architecture, stretched metal gestures to that of Messe Basel New Hall by the same architects, Herzog & De Meuron can also be used to achieve a different effect and emotion. The building uses the twisting of aluminium to avoid the monotony of windowless exhibition spaces. These stretches moderate the amount of light coming into the exhibition space allowing for an adequate and acceptable amount of light no matter what the time is. Depending on the orientation of the aluminium depends whether copious amounts of light enter of a contrast of darkness when pointed towards the ground. In Australia Woods Bagot conducted a similar design for the Australian Health and Medical Research Institute with aluminium sun shading but with a triangular design that also acts as a faรงade. Due to the many angles on the building reflection is unpredictable with a hue of colours across the complex faรงade. With all of the buildings mentioned in the study, every building has been impacted by reflective materials and the reflection in which they create. The use of reflection in design
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FORM PART III
FUNCTION
Tested in possible layouts a deconstructed layout with a central courtyard was ideal for space and while symmetry isn’t applicable with the floorplans in appears balanced from the outside.
FORM
DEPTH
Constructing the program into a series of branches was done by simply connecting all programs to one another and adjusting the scale as the design neared the exit, similar to a tree.
Adding depth (volume) to the design was achieved by dragging the form down into the earth potentially unifying the design with the environment surrounding it as well as the gardens.
PAVILION PLAN 1:500 1
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2 3
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2. Reception
3. Seminar Room
4. Exhibition Space
5. Internal Courtyard
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1. Ramp Entrance
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6. Toilets
7. Sitting Area
8. Library
9. Storage
NORTHERN SECTION 1:500
WESTERN ELEVATION 1:500 As seen in plan an effective layout and use of space are applied to the underground pavilion. Geometrical shading inspired by Lovre is implemented throughout the design besides a few cutouts where tinted glass is used as seen above both of the exhibition spaces on either side of the central courtyard. The design is extensive and runs the full length of the site as seen in the section above. In the section the design is mostly concealed underground with earth built up around the cutouts to create an interesting and irregular ground surface unlike the pre-existing leveled grassed areas. Variation in the levels of landscape correlates with the roofing of the
structure being organic and free-flowing which contrasts with the cutouts. Existing trees remain on site with the 26 existing trees remaining and more varieties of vegetation to be planted in the future with inspiration from the design and botanical gardens. Views of the Barr Smith Library remain present from Frome Road which was a necessity of the site. Areas within the design are large and spacious in size but the lighting will ultimately determine the feeling or mood of each zone of the underground pavilion. Overall I feel the scale, design style, layout and execution of the pavilion was generally a success by the inclusion of lighting and conforming to the brief.
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SPACIAL QUALITY PART III
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EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC GEOMETRICAL CUTOUTS Geometrical cutouts allow a unique design style throughout the whole pavilion while letting natural sunlight, wind, and rain into the design space. These cutouts are scattered throughout the pavilion and are an effective way to show continuity throughout your journey towards Frome Street.
MULTIPLE EXITS While the underground pavilion has a singular entrance it has multiple exits, exaggerating the idea of a journey that has multiple endings. Towards the entrance of the design it obvious to where you must go but towards the end of the design its not so obvious which will result in the user exiting out of one of the exits.
SINGULAR ENTRANCE By having a grand singular entrance it shows the scale of the design hidden beneath the Math Lawns grassed area. A large roof also implies the shading and lighting revealed as you walk down into the design. The entrance also lines up with the pre-existing Barr Smith Library.
TINTED GLASS CUTOUTS Similar to the geometrical cutouts these cutouts let light in but nothing more. Areas below the tinted glass will be used as exhibition spaces letting light into space for an ambient dim lighting experience. This will provide 2 large areas where exhibitions, art events, and gathering can occur.
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OPACITY PART III DARKNESS / SHADOW The dictionary Definition for opacity is the obscurity of sense, which makes sense as architecturally and philosophically. Architecturally speaking opacity is the quality or state of a body that makes it impervious to the rays of light, resulting in an obstruction to the transmission of radiant light energy. This ultimately means that a persons view is blocked by a material while some light is able to pass through, similar to frosted glass. Philosophically speaking opacity can be seen as a representation of uncertainty or an element of surprise with multiples stage of obscurity ranging from a blurred image to distortion and ultimately confusion being the worst. Opacity can be referred to a humans mental state being opaque due to a belief which may be correct or incorrect. This can be cause when an individual believes something is correct whereas another individual may believe it is false creating a confusion with the truth which can be similar architecturally with certain materials concealing a space. By using a strong opacity object in an architectural sense, a space can be easily
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manipulated creating a certain mood within the space. Doing so may result in the occupants becoming uncertain and questioning their own uncertainties such as their beliefs and coming to a conclusion because of the space that provoked deep meaningful thought. As mentioned in the case study Scandinavian countries have effectively incorporated opacity into their designs due to the lack of light in the winter and the long hot days over summer. Professor Henry Plummer at the University of Illinois have studied the phenomena in these Nordic countries, with analytics, writing and photography. While his studies research the practical use of the lighting in these designs, Henry is more intrigued with the lighting effects of the spaces and the effect it plays with the nature and the human soul. The whiteness is Nordic architecture is in response to the local environment, maximising reflectance to get a bright room during winter as well as the white snowy landscape outside. Early examples of white architecture had already been found in Denmark’s medieval churches with their designs still influencing the Nordic regions .
The concepts of these white diffusion spaces inspired Alvar Aalto for the Paimio Sanatorium resulting in his Nordjylland’s Art Museum in 1972. The space is completely white with an expressive light intake bringing in the Nordic environment to the indoors. The space also brings Nordic traditions in by vibrant colours and patterns as well. The use of opacity in religious spaces also shows time concepts. These range from materials to glass features that change the image throughout the course of a season. A good example of this feature and the use of light to represent the time in the Nordic Regions Is Pirkkala Church by Kapy and Simo Paavilainen. One aspect all these architects have in common is the avoidance of harsh sunlight into the space as it distracts from the purpose of the space. As Aarno Ruusuvuori stated “Light originates somewhere, but man does not need to know where. Lighting is not an end in itself. But its meaning is to create a feeling of the infiniteness of eternity”.
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MATERIAL PART IV
PLYWOOD
Plywood will be used for the internal walls of the light structure concealing all structural steel leaving the horizontal cutouts visible letting in natural light. This will be light in colour.
CONCRETE
Concrete works well within the pavilion by contrasting with both the plywood and steel cutouts above. The raw, clean polished look exaggerates the formwork of the interior spaces.
The tinted double glazed glass will be used in 50% of horizontal roof cutouts allowing for indirect natural sunlight to enter the interior. These spaces will be used for exhibition events.
GLASS
STEEL
Black satin steel will be used as sheeting for the cutouts adding a premium finish and a contrast in the interior with the light materials being used. Other colours may be applied.
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS The first construction detail is a 3D isometric view of the hallways or passageways throughout the design. This is a generalised detail and in present in all walkway areas throughout the site. The second detail is the central courtyard and is the organic seating arrangement. It’s constructed completely out of timber in which a steamed piece of plywood is molded to create the edging of the seats 200mm in height.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Double Glazed Glass Top Soil Surface Soil (earth) Concrete Window Cutout I Beam Plywood
Produced using SketchUp
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HALLWAY DETAIL
PLYWOOD SITTING AREA
1 2 5
1
3 4
3
6
2 4
7 1. Curved Plywood 2. 90x200 frame 3. Plywood wall sheet. 4. 18mm Plywood
MOVEMENT DIAGRAMS
INTERIOR
EXTERIOR 22
INTERNAL PART IV
SITTING AREA
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LIGHT PAVILION
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INTERNAL PART IV
SITTING AREA
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EASTERN EXIT
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MOBILITY 1 DIAGRAM PART IV
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MOBILITY 2 DIAGRAM PART IV
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FILTRATION PART IV DIFFUSION / POROSITY Filtration is a physical, biological or chemical operation that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture with a filter medium that has a complex structure which only the fluid can be passed. While this cannot be directly related with architecture, the idea can still be conceived with the filtration of light into a space. Obstacles or objects can be used to achieve this outcome. Philosophically speaking filtration can be seen as the way we choose to receive certain information either choosing to block it out or receive small increments which we choose to let through. Humans do this everyday whether it be blocking out negative information to not ruin their day or simply to ignore the information at hand. This can be seen in architecture as well with a design choosing to amplify or ignore certain aspects to create different emotions. This barrier also helps to create privacy or intimacy because it normally involves a low lit area with only small amounts of light coming in.
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When the choices we make are more important, the effort and filtration increases meaning less comes into play and only the important things are filtered. By utilising filtration in a design forces the user to normally step out of their comfort zone and question what’s important within themselves. Filtration helped aid Le Corbusier is the designs for his 3 distinct buildings being Pilgrimage chapel at Ronchamp, Monastery of Sainte Marie de La Tourette and the Parish Church of Saint Pierre in Firminy. One aspect all these designs have filtered lighting with an inclusion of divinity and holiness with a variety of different religions. As both an Architect and Artist Le Corb expresses sensitivity with the interaction of colours and lights in his sacred designs. Using filtration he also creates beams of light which flood the religious spaces which ultimately is the most direct connection to the heavenly above. In contrast to Le Corb Henry Plummer describes light as a tool that can eat away and weaken a discipline, so Henry intends to use the natural light to consecrate the universe.
This is seen in Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut at Ronchamp. The natural dawning sun illuminates the alcove making the colour in the chapel even brighter, which in the morning believes represents human birth. This cycle continues throughout the day until night where the cycle of life continues and restarts. Finally at Saint Pierre small windows on the eastern faรงade generate dots of light which eventually turn into waves of light as the day progresses. This luminous pattern appeared unexpectedly in the design process when cylinders were mounted ultimately enhancing the character of the building. As seen in these sacred places lighting plays a huge effect in the way someone interacts with the space and ultimately wLe Corbusier lighting techniques change depending on the building style, whether its night or day, overcast of clear and depending on the structural elements in the building. All these elements come together to create a unique lighting style which can only be achieved through filtration.
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REFERENCES “85 Years Of The Barr Smith Library”. 2019. Rare Books & Special Collections Blog. https://blogs.adelaide.edu.au/special-collections/2017/03/02/barrsmith85/. “Adelaide Botanic Garden”. 2019. Botanicgardens.Sa.Gov.Au. https://www.botanicgardens.sa.gov.au/visit/adelaide-botanic-garden. “Fluid Luminosity: The Architectural Lighting Of Zaha Hadid”. 2019. Archdaily. https://www. archdaily.com/868157/fluid-luminosity-the-architectural-lighting-of-zaha-hadid. “Light Matters: Whiteness In Nordic Countries”. 2019. Archdaily. https://www.archdaily. com/542503/light-matters-whiteness-in-nordic-countries. “Light Matters: Le Corbusier And The Trinity Of Light”. 2019. Archdaily. https://www.archdaily.com/597598/light-matters-le-corbusier-and-the-trinity-of-light. “Veiled In Brilliance: How Reflective Facades Have Changed Modern Architecture”. 2019. Archdaily. https://www.archdaily.com/796974/veiled-in-brilliance-how-reflective-facadeshave-changed-modern-architecture. “Louvre Abu Dhabi / Ateliers Jean Nouvel”. 2019. Archdaily. https://www.archdaily. com/883157/louvre-abu-dhabi-atelier-jean-nouvel.