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Walls made of light

There's a trend happening in interior architecture that I absolutely adore: I'm talking about embedding lighting into the architecture of a building. I don't mean the recessed light fixtures that have been around for a long time now; no, I'm referring to lighting, often in long bars or strips, that is not only functional illumination, but also actively in conversation with the architecture or even wayfinding of an environment. Let me show you what I mean:

One of the most striking examples of this trend is at the newly opened Moynihan Train Hall. Whereas riders are accustomed to descending into the dark tunnel that is the typical escalator to the typical train platform, at Moynihan Train Hall it instead gets brighter as you descend—a really refreshing difference that's pretty striking when you experience it. The light appears as a layer below the floor you're descending beneath. Though I know that this light can't possibly extend as a true layer everywhere, it creates a visual impression that almost leads you to think that, were you to get a pickaxe and hack away at an arbitrary part of the floor, you'd uncover this light layer everywhere. This effect—the light layer beneath the floor tile—is so omnipresently applied that it truly feels to be a part of the very construction of the floor, not just a light fixture.

The light layer beneath the floor sells this effect. The horizontally-marbled rock creates a cool effect too, as if this tunnel has been carved out of existing sedimentary rock.

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And the more you look for it, the more of this effect you notice:

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In this example from MP Lighting, the light appears to just exist as naturally as the rest of the building. It seems to come out of the walls. And it's brighter and more direct where the hallway has the affordance of a door to a room.

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When light is applied continuously along a wall, it often appears that it is the wall itself that is the light source. From ArchDaily.

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If done right, lighting can appear to exist as a result of stripping away the wall obscuring an omnipresent backlit layer in the wall. Image via Sculptform.

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Field Notes

Walls made of light

There's a trend happening in interior architecture that I absolutely adore: I'm talking about embedding lighting into the architecture of a building. I don't mean the recessed light fixtures that have been around for a long time now; no, I'm referring to lighting, often in long bars or strips, that is not only functional illumination, but also actively in conversation with the architecture or even wayfinding of an environment. Let me show you what I mean:

One of the most striking examples of this trend is at the newly opened Moynihan Train Hall. Whereas riders are accustomed to descending into the dark tunnel that is the typical escalator to the typical train platform, at Moynihan Train Hall it instead gets brighter as you descend—a really refreshing difference that's pretty striking when you experience it. The light appears as a layer below the floor you're descending beneath. Though I know that this light can't possibly extend as a true layer everywhere, it creates a visual impression that almost leads you to think that, were you to get a pickaxe and hack away at an arbitrary part of the floor, you'd uncover this light layer everywhere. This effect—the light layer beneath the floor tile—is so omnipresently applied that it truly feels to be a part of the very construction of the floor, not just a light fixture.

The light layer beneath the floor sells this effect. The horizontally-marbled rock creates a cool effect too, as if this tunnel has been carved out of existing sedimentary rock.

‍

And the more you look for it, the more of this effect you notice:

‍

In this example from MP Lighting, the light appears to just exist as naturally as the rest of the building. It seems to come out of the walls. And it's brighter and more direct where the hallway has the affordance of a door to a room.

‍

When light is applied continuously along a wall, it often appears that it is the wall itself that is the light source. From ArchDaily.

‍

If done right, lighting can appear to exist as a result of stripping away the wall obscuring an omnipresent backlit layer in the wall. Image via Sculptform.

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