Virtual Atrium

My design process is driven by curiosity and experimentation. Seeing inspiring work, I want to understand the processes and techniques involved and try my hand at them. Lighting installations are one such source of inspiration, which was the catalyst for this project.

Without lighting installations, much of what we consider culture would not have the same impact. With a push towards a more developed night-time economy and more opportunity emerging for innovative lighting design in our urban environment, we are at an inflection point regarding the city's night landscape. Designed lighting strategies have the power to create spaces where we not only feel safe but can serve as somewhere to spend time, socialise and enjoy ourselves.

Light can have a variety of effects on our well-being. We spend most of our time in built environments that provide poor natural light in the day and are artificially over-lit at night.

Virtual Atrium creates additional "sunlight" during the day, and at night it dims, giving off no more light than we need. It serves as a piece of social infrastructure and offers the safety benefits of good urban lighting.

Here, the pavilion acts as a light at the end of the tunnel, extending its beam of sunlight into an otherwise dark place. One piece of feedback which multiple people echoed was the feeling that they wanted to go inside it. When placed in a transitional space such as a tunnel, the "Sun" illusion at an apparent infinite depth behind the lens would offer a unique experience to the viewer.

More practically, it is making the area safer as public lighting does, but without an unpleasant and unnatural floodlighting effect.

People spend 90% of their time indoors. For those living in built-up areas, depending on their geography, this can mean there is a very short window to experience any direct sunlight in their day to day lives.

Additionally, the Virtual Atrium can function as a centrepiece for a square or pedestrian street. It can offer a place to meet outdoors in an age when a diminishing number of people have gardens.

It would make its vicinity safer and would have a diminishing effect on antisocial behaviour.

Here is a scenario where it has been in situ for a number of years, it functions as social infrastructure. The pavilion would more than likely be used to display posters and other ephemera. Due to the durable and cheap nature of the side panels, this would be a net positive.

Serving as a place to advertise events or display art. Virtual Atrium would benefit the night-time economy in more ways than just providing somewhere to be at night. It would be the catalyst for many future interactions between people, acting as a beacon and a signpost.

In this example, the pavilion is installed in an indoor space such as a train station or an airport. These are places that we visit early in the morning, a time when studies have proven our brains to be more susceptible to light therapy.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.