Denisa Badoi

Competition: Velux- the light of tomorrow 2014

Program: freeTitle: The Seed of Light

Collaborators: Alexandru Barbu

 

Brief: The competition called for new designs that would best make use of natural light for addressing various architectural matters. The exact problem to be addressed as well as the site could be chosen by each team in particular, with no limitations other than it being a relevant case for the purpose of the competition, with natural light being the main focus or means.

 

Summary: “The Seed of Light” did not consider a specific site but a universal problem independent of location: crowding. Underdesigned spaces and increasing crowds are becoming more and more common, with people struggling to make their way through what are deemed to be public spaces, be it train stations, airports, squares, etc. To address this, the project proposes the insertion of small retreat spaces which make use of the therapeutic qualities of light . These are in the form of capsules that define a space around them and so act as crowd-relievers. The capsules absorbe natural light through their flourescent membrane, when open and in use, and they store the light when closed.