Urbis Interview: Ravensbourne's Architecture and IDEAs lookbook URBIS 2017 GRADUATE BOOK | Page 90

The Lux
The building sits adjacent to
Hoxton Square Gardens, and the
proposal has responded to these
surroundings. The facade is clad
in polycarbonate to allow for a
translucent finish, a conscious
effort to exude a sense of
subtlety so as not to overwhelm
the gardens that the building
overlooks. The translucent finish
allows for the manipulation of
light, and light is a central element
of this design; as the historical
epigrams of the adjoining building
proclaimed ‘E Pulvere Lux et Vis’ -
From Dust comes Light and Power.
Silhouettes can form behind the
facade, allowing for a glimpse of
what is inside, the manifestation of
the Light and Power, in this context
the power being the allusion to
the artists working, creating their
own energy. The emphasis of
the interior revolves around the
encapsulation of the theme of
complementary contrasts, in the
sense that every decision aims to
be enhanced by the presence of a
counterpoint, e.g. horizontal and
vertical masses, tall and bright
and low and dark. The building
is articulated around the at rium
which sets the tone of the interior
spaces. The floor plates are
an extension of the sight lines/
built environment that projects
through the site, and the design
is a reaction to this context as it
morphs, wraps and trajects itself.
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[01] Diagram Explaining the Scheme of the Design [02]
Section AA and Facade Breakdown
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