Natural light

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about natural light

Project • By Milena VillalbaApartments

La serpiente del Botànic

One of the housing typologies that we most frequently come across in València for renovation is that of the mid-20th century extensions: elongated pieces between the street and the interior of a large block, with narrow façades and small courtyards attached to the sides. These dwellings generally invite major changes with small improvements.  Milena Villalba In this case the aim was to renovate an inheritance that had modified the original dwelling by lowering its ceilings and concealing the floors, which made it somewhat dark and labyrinthine. However, the final result should not stray too far from its origin in order to preserve the memory of the house in which the grandparents had lived and of which many of the f... More

Project • By Flad ArchitectsHospitals

Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System’s (SMHCS) new greenfield hospital provides a growing community with a new and convenient source of high-quality, advanced emergency and medical services in a modern hospital environment. Flad Architects master planned and designed the hospital campus, the system's most significant expansion in nearly a century. Edward Caruso Photography Edward Caruso Photography Edward Caruso Photography Edward Caruso Photography With extensive use of high-performance glass on the building's exterior, interior spaces are filled with natural light and feature strong indoor-outdoor connections, views to the landscaped campus, local artwork, and natural materials – resulting in a unique atmo... More

Product • By Solatube InternationalSolatube Brighten Up Series Bringing New Light to Dark Spaces

Solatube Brighten Up Series Bringing New Light to Dark Spaces

Smaller commercial spaces—corridors, restrooms, nooks, and others—often suffer from a lack of natural light because light from windows can’t reach them. Solatube’s Brighten Up Series is the perfect solution for bringing daylight to unexpected, hard-to-reach areas. Solatube International Caption Caption Caption More

Project • By kalbod design studioPrimary Schools

Digging For Light (Qanat Oasis Villa)

“… perhaps we may be allowed at least one mansion where we can turn off the electric lights and see what it is like without them.”― Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows Caption “Tabula rasa” may be the most appropriate term to describe our confrontation with the project. With only one rule, the infinite freedom urges to create boundaries. Firstly, the site as the anchor point was chosen to make settings for our ideas. To pick a location, we tried to interpret the “rule” in another way and looked at where darkness matters the most. Being familiar with the deserts of Iran and the mesmerizing view of the night sky, we narrowed our focus on areas around the ancient city of Yazd, located at t... More

Project • By AAANPrivate Houses

Terphouse Rotterdam

In the open polder landscape of dikes and small islands near Rotterdam, the Terphouse is situated as a solid volume on a mound in the landscape. The means used to make the house sustainable and ready for more extreme climate conditions became the main elements of the design, most apparent in the characteristic canopy and underground level with the protruding patios. Caption The house is dug in the artificial mound on the island, situating the living spaces on the first level and the bedrooms and secondary rooms underground. This makes that from the living spaces the open landscape is perceived over the dikes. By folding the landscape around the house, a connection with the garden is made possible and the house is perceived as a modest... More

Project • By LoCa StudioApartments

1859_Lopez Socas

After many years as a rental property, this apartment has been tailored to the requirements of the new owner, an independent woman who wants the space ready for her retirement near the beach. LoCa Studio LoCa Studio Pleasant natural materials help facilitate the entry of natural light through the patios, while the south façade is protected from the sun and covered in plants that can be viewed and enjoyed from the main bedroom. LoCa Studio LoCa Studio Team: Architects: LoCa Studio Collaborators: María Lordán, Aina Alemany, Daniel Ciritel, Botond Váradi, Andrea Botta LoCa Studio LoCa Studio Materials Used: Bosch: Range hood and microwave, CampanasFARO Barcelona: Lights, PLAT, INV... More

Project • By Realrich Architecture Workshop RAW Architecture -Hotels

Rivoli Hotel

Rivoli Hotel located in crowded area next to Kramat Raya street, east Jakarta, with street’s length of 50 m. It standing on a 1500 sqm land in hook position, with only 16 m width facing south and 97 m length facing west. Within early construction phase, this area had already have existing main stake columns on one floor high construction. The plan was business hotel that yet to be discussed in detail about its program. Kafin Noeman The Hotel were designed to inject new design by splitting building masses from north-south side. The splitting achieved by few lightwell corridor, placed in linear manner that allows light to penetrates from transparent roof to first floor. Each lightwell designed in 1.0 m x 4.5 m size, installed on t... More

Project • By Ector Hoogstad ArchitectenOffices

SRON

                                                                                                                                                                        The new headquarters for the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), designed by Ector Hoogstad Architects, is inspired by the heavens and earth. The new... More

Project • By DEFERRARI+MODESTIBars

LA PETITE

A small room has been transformed into a cosy, yet airy space.On the ground floor, the cocktail bar is a space for movement, suitable for cocktails or a quick lunch. The quality of the space suggested working on the wall, creating a wall sculpture in light-coloured stone to brighten up the space and become its focal point. Caption Caption On the upper level, the room offers a cosy atmosphere, almost like a domestic living room: a large bench covered with cushions emphasises the central wall, a system of shelves at table height balances the proportions of the frescoed room, large mirrors magnify the environment by reflecting the light coming from the large openings, and a woven vinyl floor on the floor gives the sensation of a lar... More

NewsNews • 9 Feb 2022

New Moët Hennessy workspace in Paris integrates company values with a contemporary working environment

Covering a floor space of over 10,000 m² in the heart of Paris, Moët Hennessy’s new offices by the Barbarito Bancel practice offer a contemporary model of today’s workspace as informed by the Moët Hennessy teams themselves.   Alessandra Chemollo The design approach of Barbarito Bancel was based on listening. As such, embodying the company’s group values into the architecture was the first step in the project. These values include enhancing the site’s Art Deco heritage, ensuring build sustainability, and initiating a cultural transformation of operations by providing contemporary workspaces that take into consideration different working styles as well as remote work.   ... More

NewsNews • 8 Oct 2021

Mosque of the Late Mohamed Abdulkhaliq Gargash masterfully employs form, materiality and controlled natural light

The Mosque of the Late Mohamed Abdulkhaliq Gargash (Dubai, UAE) is a contemporary place of worship that quietly and masterfully employs form, materiality and controlled natural light to evoke a sense of calm and spiritual connection as the worshipper transitions from the outer material world to an inner sense of being. The Mosque is one of the first in the UAE to be designed by a female architect – Principal Architect and Founder Sumaya Dabbagh of Dabbagh Architects. Gerry O'Leary Simplifying the traditional typology of Islamic form and stripping it away to its essence, Dabbagh Architects sought to avoid multiple blocks in the building’s overall form. In the process of design development, the main building volume was separ... More

Project • By WR-APHousing

Dainton Cottage

An extension by Richmond based architects practice WR-AP revitalises an early 20th century ‘Arts and Crafts’ style cottage, marrying traditional design with sleek modern architecture to create a light filled living space that remains sympathetic to the charm of the property’s original features.  Caption Caption The intention was to renovate the existing cottage to a high standard, whilst retaining its character and the best of the original attributes, along with the addition of a new double storey living space. The extension strives to compliment the cottage through the use of traditional building techniques along with “The deliberate use of exposed raw materials such as concrete, brick, timber and co... More

NewsNews • 28 Aug 2021

Snøhetta’s new extension and landscape for the Ordrupgaard Museum in Denmark inspired by the Impressionist masterpieces it houses

North of Copenhagen in Charlottenlund, Denmark, the Ordrupgaard Museum houses a comprehensive collection of French and Danish art from the 19th and early 20th-century. The original museum building is a three-winged, neoclassical style mansion dating back to World War I. Laura Stamer In 2005, a modern 1,150m2 black and lava concrete extension designed by Zaha Hadid was added. Largely subterranean and partly excavated from the landscape, Snøhetta’s latest addition of a new extension and landscape offers additional exhibition space while forming a critical link between Hadid’s extension for special exhibitions and the museum’s original building and permanent collection. Laura Stamer Taking on the exterior a... More
Light shape
Riverside face
Entrance gap
Vertical rhythm

Project • By studio mojo architecturePavilions

hidden face

The cabin echoes our early construction experiences. Here, we are developing the shelter around a unique material: wood. The material allows integration and discretion in the landscape. The rhythm is mimetic. The composition is enough to shelter from the wind, looks, or rain. This simple gesture creates a limit, an invitation and a panorama. The trees and the shelter don’t touch each other but interact and create vertical and horizontal limits. Caption The gap in between the two walls invites the walker to enter the shelter. Inside, the atmosphere is warm, you can stand, sit, lie down, rest. The trees foliage filters the sun rays. Our imagination is summoned, reminds us of childhood memories. Sitting, leaning against the wall, o... More

NewsNews • 10 Jun 2021

Two wooden blocks gently harmonize with their lakeside surroundings

On a rocky outcrop overlooking Lake Memphremagog, Quebec, two blocks of wood gently harmonize with their surroundings. The two rectangular volumes, positioned one atop the other, form the volume of the house by YH2_Yiacouvakis Hamelin Architectes. Maxime Brouillet The lower volume acts as a plateau, straddling a natural gully that accommodates runoff from heavy rains. The upper volume, which appears to float above, is a solid looking white cedar clad volume with pierced vertical openings that contrast with the expansive windows of the lower ground level volume.   Maxime Brouillet The upper block rest on the lower, but it is offset, hovering the lower volume on two side and thus enabling the provision of sheltered outdoor sp... More