LIGHT
REPRESENTATION II TYLER SCHMIDTKE A1705674
CONTENTS 4.
PLACE
- Documenting your site description, modelling, & analysis - Measured plans | sections | elevations | perspectival views | detailing - Luminosity
14.
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IDEA
- documenting the process of your idea formation - Measured plans | sections | elevations | perspectival views | detailing - Reflection
24.
FORM
- documenting your design development – form and space - Measured plans | sections | elevations | perspectival views | detailing - Opacity
34.
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MATERIAL
- documenting your materials and surfaces - Measured plans | sections | elevations | perspectival views | detailing - Filtration
PLACE The site for the project is the Maths Lawns, part of the University of Adelaide. It is an extended lawn area between the Barr Smith Library and Frome Road. The vista of the Barr Smith Library from the street is herritage listed.
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SITE ANALYSIS
ACCESS AND MOVEMENT The Lawn area of the site goes largely unused, however is occupied by a large gazibo at certain times of the year for open days etc. The site has multiple access points, mainly for pedestrian access however sevice vehicles do access the western side by the Barr Smith Library. Most of the movement throughout the site is people getting from A to B, with very few people using the area as a place to stop and sit or hang out.
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SITE MODELLING
SITE PLAN | 1:1000
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NORTHERN ELEVATION | not to scale
WESTERN ELEVATION | not to scale
SOUTHERN ELEVATION | not to scale
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SHADING 12PM DECEMBER 22ND
9AM JUNE 22ND
12PM JUNE 22ND
3PM DECEMBER 22ND
WINTER
SUMMER
9AM DECEMBER 22ND
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3PM JUNE 22ND
AMBIENT LIGHT
DAY
SKY REFLECTION ON GLASS
TREE REFLECTION ON GLASS
LIGHT REFLECTION ON GLASS | page 9 |
LIGHT SHINING ON BSL ENTRY
NIGHT
3D VIEWS
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LUMINOSITY LINGUSTIC DEFINITION
The dictionary definition refers to luminosity as something that is luminous. It also relates the word to someone being intellectually bright or inspired. Along with this it is an astronomical term relating to the brightness of stars. However, in architecture we can look at luminosity as being illuminated through the presence of light.
PHILOSOPHICAL DEFINITION
The term Luminosity has a philosophical meaning which relates to illumination. This idea comes from a theory from Plato of “Divine Illumination” which in layman’s is that light bulb moment. Plato along with many other thinkers of the time referred to this spark of understanding in the mind as a “flood of light”. The theory suggests that we as human require assistance from an external source such as a God, nature, etc when completing cognitive tasks. The theory is quite often looked at in a religious regard, suggesting the inspiration comes from God. However the theory can be looked upon in a way that is not religious and seen as the inspiration coming from other sources.
FLUID LUMINOSITY: THE ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING OF ZAHA HADID
Through reading the case study “Fluid Luminosity: The Architectural Lighting of Zaha Hadid” you begin to get an understanding of luminosity in and through architecture. Zaha uses and incorporates light in many creative ways through her design’s but over her career her design style changes from sharp hard edges to flowy luminous spaces. In some of Zaha’s earlier work such as the Vitra Fire Station she used many straight, sharp lines in the form of the building. However, the use of light through windows and luminaires provides diffused light almost softening the
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sharp concrete edges inside and out. After some time Zaha began designing with very different forms from the sharp edges seen in the Vitra Fire Station. More fluid designs featuring curvaceous edges and free flowing forms became her style first seen with the Phaeno Science Centre. The building is built above ground creating a dark shaded area beneath it. Similarly, to the Fire Station she uses luminaires to contrast the environment, this time however she is contrasting the dim atmosphere. These fluid forms continued with buildings such as the Nordpark Railway Station, Heydar Aliyev Centre and the Museum of XXI Century Arts. Within the Nordpark Railway station Zaha plays with reflection with a glass exterior reflecting the icy landscape of which it is nestled in. At night, the building glows through the choice of lighting around the building. With these building Zaha begins using lighting in a way that further emphasises her curvaceous designs while also
being concealed within the design where possible. Luminosity in architecture can be used in many different ways as can be seen through Zaha Hadid’s work. However, all of these ways provide the same outcome; the emphasis and contrast of the form of the building by the manipulation of natural light through windows and cut outs or through luminaires. The presence of light is the key factor within many of Hadid’s works, however this doesn’t mean the light is dominant. More often than not the key to Hadid’s designs are the indirect lighting, be that from the sun or from luminaires. The
key difference between the buildings towards the start of Zaha’s career and now in regards to light is that the earlier buildings used snippets of light whereas her later buildings have moved into being luminous, continuous spaces with no start or end both in form and the lighting within.
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IDEA
LIGHT IS A SEAM
The design idea for the project originally came from nature, the idea of a crack in the ground letting a single slither of light enter and illuminate the space. After pondering on this idea for a while I discovered that this was something that happened all the time in both nature in architecture. Whether it be the feeling within a valley, cravase or canyon or the light that slips through the crack in the door, as well as more and more architects using this thing slither of light as emphasis within their buildings and environments. It was this idea and the whichbecame the driver for the project, Light is a Seam.
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PRECEDENT
TEATRINO OF PALAZZO GRASSI
When looking into precedents looking into precedents of buildings that use this similar idea of a “Seam of Light” I came across the ‘Teatrino of Palazzo Grassi’ by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The building is an auditorium built within the facade of a 18th century palace. This building while above ground deals with many similar issues to the project regarding lighting due to the closeness of surrounding building making it difficult to bring natural light into the building. The building brings natural light into the building through an array of angled skylights. These angles are replicated inside the building with the buildings light fixtures hidden by a suspended ceiling creating soft light reflected down the concrete walls filling the building with a rather ambient light. These hidden light fixtures follow the line of the walls creating a seam of light where the wall and ceiling meets.
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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT IDEA 1
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IDEA 2
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IDEA 1
CLEAN CUTS
PLAN | 1:500 | page 18 |
SOUTH ELEVATION
NORTH ELEVATION
ELEVATIONS
WEST SECTION
NORTH SECTION
SECTIONS | page 19 |
IDEA 2
CRACKED EARTH
PLAN | 1:500 | page 20 |
SOUTH ELEVATION
NORTH SECTION
NORTH ELEVATION
ELEVATIONS
SECTIONS | page 21 |
WEST SECTION
VEILED IN BRILLIANCE: HOW REFLECTIVE FACADES HAVE CHANGED MODERN ARCHITECTURE
PHILOSOPHICAL DEFINITION
LINGUSTIC DEFINITION
The dictionary definition refers to reflection as “the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it”. An everyday example of this is the mirror which reflects back what is in front of it.
In philosophical regards the term reflection generally relates to a person’s thinking when they are giving serious thought or consideration to an idea or a past occurrence. As defined by the Kant Dictionary, reflection is “the going back over [of] different presentations, how they can be comprehended in one consciousness.” To further this, as humans we have the capacity for self-reflection which is our willingness and drive to learn about the way that we as humans behave as well as our purpose. Through reflection the goal is to better understand ourselves and our choices to be better equipped to make choices into the future.
Reflection has become more and more readily used in architecture over recent years. This is addressed in the article “Veiled in Brilliance: How Reflective Facades Have Changed Modern Architecture”. In the article, it is suggested that light and brilliance help to make iconic, recognisable architecture which in turn is pushing away from architecture being the internal space towards being the external skin and form of the building. This idea of transparent and reflective surfaces originated at the start of the 20th century. Modernism prompted this idea of transparency although people such as Mies
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van der Rohe were cautious believing that these largescale glass facades would become monotonous and hence not interesting and appealing to look at. As a counteract to this, it seems as though reflection in architecture is not just simply to do with materiality such as glass, or metal however the melting pot of both material and form. Building such as the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg by Herzog & de Meuron display this through the use of both convex and concaved glass on the skin. Not only does this glass reflect the water and sky surrounding the building but it abstracts
these reflections creating visual interest. Similarly, Frank Gehry did the same type of thing with his design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. This building unlike the Elbphilharmonie is made with a titanium shell which reflects the light giving the building an appearance like fish scales. The dynamic curves that are used throughout the whole building complimented by the titanium shell result in a surface and appearance that changes dramatically during the day with large contrast between light and shade as well as colour. For a local example, the South Australian Health and
REFLECTION Medical Research Institute in Adelaide utilises a dynamic aluminium skin which through the angles produces to provide shade to all windows reflects the sun and light in different angles. The Selfridges Birmingham department store also uses aluminium in the form of 16000 discs creating a mesh like appearance to the building. The discs provide a diffuse reflection, avoiding reflecting surrounding buildings however providing an abstraction of the sky and light surrounding the building. Much like the Guggenheim the whole appearance of the building can change depending on the brightness
and colour of the sky. From this it can be clearly seen that reflection in architecture is not just about providing a mirror like surface to reflect exactly the surroundings of the building. However, through the uses of dynamic forms and surfaces along with these highly reflective surfaces such as glass, titanium, aluminium and other metals, it is possible to create an interesting and highly aesthetic building, which abstracts the light and its surroundings.
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