The art of natural light
Whimsical, unpredictable,
changeable, beautiful, magical, mysterious … complex light can be. Countless academic
articles referring to light can be found, magnificent architectural treatises
on this subject. I will give you my humble opinion about the topic. Light in
architecture has life and creates forms, environments, perceptions.
Light is
a material.
We must take into account the
geographical position. For example, in Cuba we try to isolate ourselves from
the sun and sun protection must be more powerful than in Ireland where we open
to the south with large windows with little solar control. In any case, we like
to have visuals and natural light. The interaction of light with different
materials is important: how the simple fact of a “coarse” curtain can change
the interior atmosphere, how that light at three on a summer day can be dyed
through a golden organza cloth and generate more warmth.
Light, as well as the passage of
time in general, endows the building with an almost mystical mystery. Architects
like Gehry in his tireless search for new materials almost by coincidence found
materials such as titanium. Thus, men like him fill their facades with life and
movement with help of the light, the rain, and the seasons.
What sensations do you have when
entering a cathedral or church? Withdrawal and smallness probably, beauty
everywhere, you realize the insignificance of the species helped by the
imbalance of the human scale within the enclosure. These are just
"tricks" that our ancestors already knew, to give magnificence to
these religious buildings with the help of those windows tinted with scenes of
incredible miracles, that controlled light opens up, distorted through rosettes
or large lead windows, surely, causing the belief for many that there is that
higher being called God.
Leaving religious architecture and
its natural lighting tricks aside, I can't speak of light and not refer to a
master of natural light control inside your buildings. I guess you know who I
mean, Louis Khan. He knew perfectly how to deal with that whimsical architect,
the light. In the Philips Exeter Academy Library 1965-1972 the light generated
in the interior space is delicious, it leaves concrete for the heart of the
building - remember that the facades are made of exposed brick - the concrete
helps to reflect the light more than the brick in contact with light. The
vaults of the Kimbell Art Museum 1972 have an ingenious way of controlling
natural light as well. We could talk about each of the Kahn buildings and the
importance of the correct use of natural light would be clear to us.
How can we represent all this in 3D?
Currently the render engines are quite powerful and most programs are true to
reality. If you are doing an interior render, you choose the best day of the
year to illuminate. Mental-Ray has the
option of sun, exact geographical position; selection of the time you prefer
and time of year. The problem is for example, with Corona Render where you have
to try to simulate the closest thing to reality, that is, it’s not very exact.
On the other hand you can choose environments, or skies that work as HDRI with
great skies that illuminate you and reflect on the windows of your building,
always having a clear intention of your project. Actually, what has worked for
me is observing my surroundings and analyzing what happens to light on
different materials, studying by observing shadows and infinite tones of light
in different situations. We have great tools at our disposal to create
fictional realities and show the world our way of seeing through architecture,
let's use them.
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Phillips Exeter
Academy Library Louis Khan
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