Luminescence Modularity

This building is the headquarters for Zumbtobel Lighting, a company who focuses on creating radiant and luminescent lighting concepts. Lighting concepts are determined in terms of space. The building consists of two zones, a kinetic sculpture garden and private offices. Therefore, order to achieve corporate transparency, both zones must coexist in the same space. The formal breakdown of the building is through a modular system which is repeated to fill the given square footage to create a monolith. The systematic repetition of the modules lends itself to various scalar shifts which then create four distinct public spaces: an open space, canopy space, pin - up space, and the show room. The scalar shifts not only create opportunities for each space to be unique, but it also gives each of the aggregates a different treatment of light. Using a panelized system from repetitive modules, the panels enable openings to filter natural light. This allows it to have control over the blurred boundary between natural and artificial lighting throughout the day. Eventually, the modulation would lend itself to create an atmosphere of constant natural lighting.

Status: School Project
Additional Credits: Collaboration : Chadi Hakim

Floor plans

Primitive Deconstruction - Light not only became a perimeter in the investigation, but also a generator of new ways in thinking about form. The investigation drove the concept towards modulation, which studied the surface as structure. The idea of modulation also pushed forward into a revolutionized thinking of mass production and when combined with light will create provocative spaces. The structural surface will allow different modulations of spaces to manifest various emotions dictated through light. These spaces will allow various light manipulations through the public, artists, and companies. These Light manipulations will then generate various spatial explorations and create ones understanding of form and light.

Building Mechanics - The building is a steel building and the panel system responds to the structure and the geometry. The panel connects itself to the structure. There are two types of panels created from the connection between the steel framing and the panel system. Depending on the curvature of the geometry the panels are either square panels or become triangulated to avoid steep curvature. Imbedded in the panels are fixed windows for natural light and mechanical windows for natural ventilation. The panel system in the public zone is a thin layer of thermal metal sheets that peal up when it gets too hot outside. This process of the material acting in response towards the environment creates natural ventilation when the space gets too hot.

Light model - representing contours of light.

Structural logic - The building geometry of the surface is based upon a ruled surface. Ruled surface is the idea that every point is a straight line and when the lines are connected from end to end in a series they create the surface. The ruled surface not only creates the surface but when it is subdivided into smaller surfaces it creates a grid. The grid of the surface becomes its structure. The grid makes the structure more rigid, and allows it to resist lateral loads. Since the lines derived from the subdivided surfaces are all straight lines the surface has no problem transferring loads from the various floors above. The structure provides an exoskeleton for mechanical, skin, and electrical systems to attach to