Water of Life
A semester project conceptualised and designed while studying MSc in Architectural lighting design in a group of five students.
How can we use the windows and light to support people to take a digital break and stimulate mind refreshment?
-
How can increased exposure to daylight and windows contribute in our health and well being to create a more sustainable environment?
-
How can views and more exposure to natural light help us to take a break from learning environment?
-
How can we extend the qualities of light and create an interaction point between the inside and the outside of the building?
This vision sparked the intention of the design which relied upon a transdisciplinary approach, bridging humanities, natural science and social science.
These fields represent different aspects of the qualities, potentials and understandings of the effects of exposing people to light, for which this project has sought to bring together in a design solution.
Inspiration to the humanistic perspective was drawn from how Tregenza and Wilson (2011) describes the qualities of daylight as something people are drawn to, prefer to work in, or when taking a break to seek out daylight. People have a desire for daylight and “… evidence implies that changeability is crucial: the continual variation of brightness in a daylight room is, literally, stimulating because our senses respond to change, not to unvarying conditions” (Tregenza & Wilson, 2011: 5).
This quote has been a central foundation to creating the conceptual design intention to bring people to the daylight and refresh their minds as the project vision aims towards.
“ Windows are often called the eyes of the building.
They add character to the facade;
you both look out of them and into them ”
- Villum Window Collection, Søborg
Using Richard Kelly’s principles, the design proposal is constructed into different layers. Supporting the double dynamics of lighting which is, maximising the use of daylight and using artificial lighting to support and complement it, all these components work together to create an immersive atmosphere for the user of the space to experience, while taking a 10 minute coffee break, making a phone call, or taking a walk and to organise their thoughts and refresh their minds.
The inspirational component of the proposed design is water, and how one experiences and associates their emotions with water. The theory of The Blue Mind guides the proposal to integrate the relationship between relaxation of the mind and water. This design concept is named ’The Water of life’ to remind the user to give themselves a break in their everyday life and appreciate their surroundings and enhanced attributes of water that surrounds them.
“As one of the two occupants I can say that our everyday lives are enhanced as, sometimes subliminally, but sometimes quite consciously, we sense and observe the movement of light from morning to night and from summer to winter and back again.With the light we also enjoy the warmth of the sun, particularly when it shines deep into the house in the winter months. This is the most potent mechanism by which we make connection with nature and its effects are profound”
- (Hawkes, 2012)