INABA has completed Skylight, a permanent installation for KORO Public Art Norway. The 6.6 m (22 ft) diameter, 11.5 m (38 ft) long structure hangs from the foyer of the New Concert Hall in Stavanger, Norway. It is visible from the adjacent public plaza, and surrounding neighborhood and harbor, serving as a light beacon for the complex. Responding to the region’s extreme atmospheric conditions, Skylight emits a range of pure color light patterns that contrast and complement the blended luminous tones of the dawn and twilight Nordic sky. Conceived of as an inverted chandelier, Skylight’s light fixtures are mounted to face inward and illuminate the structure’s interior surface. Its programmable LED system is animated to change in brightness and hue, and produce distinct patterns during arrival, theater calls, intermission, departure, and after hours.

Skylight is based on a simple cylinder. Areas along the surface of the cylinder were removed to create views from the five-story high foyer to the city. The form was refined so that when the 6.5 tonne work is suspended from its two supporting pin connections, its distributed weight causes the structure to rest at an inclined angle and align with the sun’s angle of incidence during key moments over the course of the year.

Generating the form from a basic object helped to manage costs and to utilize the limited production time efficiently. Having an unchanging cross section along the length of the cylinder affords cost savings in the cladding that is applied to its surfaces. It reduces the number of steps required to fabricate and shape parts. On the outside, 2.25 cm (1 in) square profile aluminum tubes are mounted to run parallel to the axis of the cylinder. Applied to the object in this way, the tubes cover the surface without requiring them to be bent or cut at complex angles. Since the curvature of the surface is constant, it was possible to bend all of the interior aluminum panels to the same arc radius or curve, and as a result reducing the fabrication time and simplifying the assembly connections with standardized details.

INABA was selected by KORO from a field of five invited international teams who participated in a competition for the commission. The New Concert Hall was designed by Oslo-based Ratio Arkitekter. It is located at the heart of Stavanger’s planned arts district, positioned among several buildings dedicated to music performance and study.

Project Team:
Design: INABA, New York
Competition Phase: Jeffrey Inaba, Darien Williams, Karin Nelson, Yasmeen Khan, Micael Duran, Eugene Park, Sorayos Tang Chuenchomphu, Kristoffer Miller;
Commission Phase: Jeffrey Inaba, Alan Kwan, Steven Tsai, Stephanie Lee
Fabrication: DAMTSA, Buenos Aires
Dante Martinez, Esteban Ehrlich, Carlos Fatturini, Lucia Martinez
Structural Engineering: Buro Happold, New York Cristobal Correa, Jeff Thompson
Animation: MTWTF, New York Glen Cummings, Alec Donovan
Lighting: Ljusarkitektur, Stockholm Kai Piippo, Paul Ehlert

Credits:
Photographs: All Rights Reserved, Copyright, Ivan Brodey, 2013
Drawings, Diagrams, Video: All Rights Reserved, Copyright, INABA Inc, 2013