Dr. Mallory-Hill suggested that we check out the work of the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. So i did. He creates some very interesting structures, of which I have explored mainly two.
The Turning Torso (Malmo, Sweden) is a 45 story biulding consisting of 9 cubes (5 floors per cube) that twist on a centre axis much the same as a human’s back as one turns to the side. Not to mention the mathematics of design required for this structure, the thing that i really like is the concept. The inspiration for this design is a human back, such a simple thought, but translated into a unique and complex design. The Turning Torso is a residential building mainly of appartment spaces, but the top few floors are used for meetings. All apparetments have windows showing off the view, the floor plan of which I find very suitable and aesthetically pleasing. A great website that shows many aspects of the Turning Torso is: http://www.turningtorso.com/
The World Trade Center Transportation Hub located in New York City is another one of his works. Calatrava’s works have a wide variety of purposes including residential, bridges, school, museum, and in this case a transportation center. One of his signature shapes is that of a fin, this shape is used here in the hub which somewhat resembles a bird landing (two wings/fins). I again like the simplistic shape, and allowance for natural light into the interior space. A wall consists of a row of beams with windows on the outside which allows large amounts of light inside. I found some great images (computer generated) at he following web site: http://architecture.about.com/od/worldtradecenter/ig/World-Trade-Center-Plans/Transportation-Hub.–4-.htm
Santiago Calatrava has a rich variety of work. I encourage you to look into it.
I found the presentation by Dr. Shauna Mallory-Hill quite enjoyable and informative. I learned many things about lighting such as the human need for natural light, and its effect on melatonin levels and sleep. Melatonin hormone is required for sleep, and can only be produced when little light is present. She also introduced some simple design considerations such as transition zones for lighting so the eye has time to adjust to dark or bright conditions, the value of different light bulbs and the effects that bulb choice has on color, appearance, and taking photos. Light pollution is an extreme waste of energy and an issue. I now realize the value of daylight and how it provides beneficial light into a space. Daylight is cheep, effective, and environmentally friendly if it is well utilized. I enjoyed her presentation style because it contiuously engaged my attention and brought forward useful appliable information.
I found the lecture by Shauna to be quite interesting. It’s great to hear something so simple directly linked to architecture. In order to design even the smallest of buildings, a lot of thought is put into lighting the interior. Many buildings are designed around the whole aspect of how the natural sunlight and daylight will hit specific areas of the structure at specific times. This same design technique is also pit into the creation of smaller structures. The way the natural light hits the space can determine the size of a window or the angle of the wall. Light also plays a part in the texture of surfaces. If bright light predominately shines on a surface, the surface is more likely to be flat. Deeply carved surfaces are placed in spaces with indirect, faint light. Light can even affect colour choice. In order for a colour to be seen, it must be present in the light source itself. So, the amount of natural light versus artificial light illuminating a room can play a huge role in the colour selected for the space. It is incredibly important to consider every aspect of light in the design of a space. I learned a lot about this in Shauna’s lecture and find it all to be very valuable information that I can use now as well as later in life.
