Light Diffused Through Structure

In Henry Plummer’s book The Architecture of Natural Light (2009) I was able to understand and to see different various examples of the way designers and architects diffused the intensity of natural light through creative smart well designed strategies. Two particular case studies that caught my immediate attention were the ‘Lattice Light House’ designed by Shoei Yoh 1981 and the Christus Pavilion designed by Meinhard Von Gerkan.

The ‘Lattice Light House’ consists of vertical and horizontal thin slabs pierced into the structure of the house itself that allows natural light to penetrate the interior from that small area as an access point creating a pattern of interesting shadows in the interior.

Lattice Light House. 

The grid like pattern formed on the interior walls change drastically with the sun’s path during the day creating rhythm and pattern throughout the space. The elegant lines create a minimalistic look to the interior. The interior orientation of the space consists of a living area as seen from the photographs yet unfortunately no information was available to be able to understand how the designer came to such a conclusion; by creating such diffusers and by applying that strategy for a living area. I was able to add this particular case study in my essay due to the indication of space that was orientated in that area yet I could not share any insight of why it was orientated that way.

Reference List;

Henry Plummer, HP., 2009. The Architecture of Natural Light. 181A High Holborn, London :Thames and Hudson Ltd.

New Materials - Industrial Revolution

As time passed; natural light evolved and was used mostly through access points that were prominent in that time such as the vaults in the Gothic Revival and so on. An era that is crucial in natural light’s evolution is the Industrial Revolution.

The Industrial Revolution drastically shaped society with its advantages and disadvantages through the new developed materials that were being mass produced. As history shows new materials such as iron and glass and so on were developed in the Industrial Revolution; these materials created endless possibilities for access points, the ideology created easier natural light intake. One can look at the Crystal Palace 1851; constructed solely out of glass and iron the interior would be flooded with natural light creating a more open space and due to the fact that the light would be accessing from more than one point of the building the intensity of the light would balance itself out, one side from the other reducing glare conditions yet not completely erasing them as the light would reflect and bonce from the glass into one’s vision that could still create glare.

Crystal Palace 1851 

 The disadvantages of this era is that due to the mass production of materials the quality of work lessened and the art of hand made objects was forgotten. Artificial Lighting was also introduced in the mist of all and due to the fascination of such an invention many architects and designers were overwhelmed with the endless possibilities one can produce; therefore when issue was risen due to the poor intake of natural light instead of fixing such an issue or finding possible solutions many turned to artificial lighting thus overlooking natural light.  

Roman Pantheon

While the Greeks utilized a measurement tool to be able to calculate how sunlight penetrates the interior, the Romans executed a bold design that resulted in a well natural lit interior and a monumental building whose natural light’s application is still prominent to this very day. A Monumental architectural prominent building that has an effective strategic natural light application is the Roman Pantheon.

The Pantheon’s dome consists of an oculus that is pierced in the centre of the dome itself. By having natural light access the interior from the dome not only does this avoid any glare consequences but due to the movement of the sun due to space and time; the natural light moves across the planes of the dome creating a path and revealing different details of the interior at different times of the day. This strategy also gives a sense of hierarchy and dominancy to the building itself and by having the access point as the oculus in the highest peak of the building creates an open space as well.

The well executed design and natural light strategy for the Pantheon is an international treasure that shaped natural light’s historical context. 

Reference Links ;

Daylight Design of Buildings: A Handbook for Architects and Engineers - Nick Baker, Koen Steemers - Google Books. 2015. [ONLINE] Available at:https://books.google.com.mt/books?id=Eg6AAgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false. [Accessed 24th April 2015].