Project Pierlite

Light is the tool to measure darkness. And to put it inversely, darkness is best measured through the intervention of controlled light. Light defines and signifies a volume, its scale. The penetration of light into a form is a phenomenon that has manifold interpretations, each portraying a different dimension of light and the surroundings that behold it.

To revamp an abandoned structure spanned across about 4650 Sq. ft. into a Lighting Display Centre for a Multinational light manufacturing company opened up possibilities for the design to explore and experiment with light. The structure specifically had an open-to-sky rectangular cut-out on the southern side and a lower level slab on northern side. The cut-out was strategically filled to just keep a circular opening to let light in.

The northern side sunk slab converted into an entrance passage leads way to the main hall through a centrally pivoted door in solid wood. The interior is wrapped in tones of grey; a specific region of light. A direct ray of sunlight draws a sharply outlined silhouette from an oculus, which moves and lengthens with the movement of sun. The space is filled with drama as the beam of light falls onto differently positioned surfaces a separate spatial impression is perceived in each situation, displaying its pliant quality. Every moment is lit surprise with the chiaroscuro the light band displays.

Responding to the light entering through the oculus, a solar position diagram is embedded in the flooring pattern, according to the astronomical fundamentals. This sundial is illuminated based on the position of the Sun and thus measures time through light, not the shadow.

Pierlite as a brand believes that, "...if you happen to notice the source of the light - it will also impress you." Responding to which the Sun, as an ultimate source of light, is metaphorically used in design as the only source of natural light entering the dark volume. As rightly said by Mies van der Rohe, "God is in the detail"; the brand, its ideologies and its logo are deliberately reflected abstractly in the design of the elements in the interior. On an overcast day, the quality of this light is gentle but uplifting; when the sun is strong outside, the space of light internally is dramatic and depending on the time of day and season, the circular form of the sun is directly imposed as a logo of company or is stretched and corrupted into an elongated oval form.

The ceiling is adorned with the hanging display of white textured Modular boards. Significant lighting parameters and calculations of mean illumines are displayed on the wall with hanging canvases for better user experience. With just the required light entering through the oculus, the volume sets the perfect tone for a controlled light environment.

The design of the innovation centre for Pierlite brilliantly puts light under the spotlight. It is a unique design intervention where light itself is the object whereas darkness is the background for it. Light evokes emotions and adds dynamism in an otherwise static situation and as Michael Graves experiences -

"Views are overrated; its light that counts. I have an apartment in Miami's South beach and I get tired of looking at the ocean. Even that view gets old after a while. Sunlight streaming into a room never gets old."

"Even a room which must be dark needs atleast a crack of light to know how dark it is."