The Velux Symposium, held in Paris in 2019, is the eighth in a row. The topic of forums held by the company every year is natural light and the role in creating sustainable development projects - from the city to the apartment and office. This time, among the Russian participants in the Velux symposium were architects, co-founders of DNK ag Natalia Sidorova and Daniil Lorenz. They told us about stories and impressions, long-term planning, biorhythms, the demand for high-tech solutions in Russia and much more.
Typology of the future
The work of the DNK ag bureau is well known. Among the latter, one can note such weighty and effective ones as the project of a residential area in Skolkovo, houses in ZILART, the club complex “Rassvet LOFT Studio”. We can add to this the victory in the competition for the project of a campus on the roof of a building on the former territory of the Sevkabel plant in St. Petersburg. Architects in 2019 also oversaw the PRO intensive "Re (New) Workshop on Building Renovation" at MARCH School, and this course attracted more than twice as many students as expected.
How did the discussion in Paris intersect with your experience? - I asked Natalia Sidorova the first question
We had no idea what kind of conference it would be, but it surpassed our expectations in terms of the information content of the professional, the breadth of coverage of the problem. We chose speeches according to our interest - starting from the research part, practice, some experimental work, design examples. All discussions are around natural light, with which Velux is directly connected. With an ecological approach to everything related to design in the field of architecture, urban planning. It's about air and climate, landscapes and greenery. Statistical data, engineering and technical developments. About architectural typologies of the future, which are directly related to social aspects, human health. Big respect to the organizer of this global event! And the very place for the conference was not chosen by chance - a reconstructed building in the Mare district: the halls were permeated with daylight, and this was inspiring and in line with the spirit of the conference.
You said "typology of the future." What is meant?
I remembered the performance by Carla Cammilla Hjort. This is the kind of woman fire, the creator of the Space 10 creative laboratory in Copenhagen, which is doing research for IKEA. The task was set before her: to think 20-30 years ahead in order to answer the question: what could be the strategy for the future? It is important for a home improvement company to understand what the home will be like. And Carla Camilla talked about her sociological research, about how people from different generations see themselves in the future, what they are ready to share with each other. The focus of her interest is on the formation of a new community, useful for each participant and for the entire planet.
Is she an urbanist?
Not. Introduces himself as a DJ, artist, designer, just such a creative person. Her laboratory has developed a project - not about furniture! - with wooden modular houses, where it will be possible to live like on an urban farm, growing some plants … In fact, the way of life of people is generated in 20 years. What will people do, what interests will they have, how will they interact, in what spaces?
Perhaps this is marketing development?
Not. This is due to long-term forecasting. And since the job is for a large company, you have to be extremely responsible. It's not just marketing.
Scenario approach? Is this definition appropriate?
Scenario approach - we also work with this. You need to understand what communities arise, where they gather, what it will result in when they grow. Either they grow into clusters or, conversely, people gradually become isolated. One of the global trends of today: architects work not only with the form, and all this is far from only the form. First of all, everything revolves around people, the scenario of their life, their behavior. At the same time, two questions are being resolved: analysis of the form and in parallel - who are the people who will come here? Maybe in a year everything will change, and it is necessary to design not from bricks, but, maybe, something temporary, and then again temporary, and only then something permanent. One of the main tasks now in every project is to understand the course of the game.
Different biorhythms
A variety of experts spoke at the Velux Paris meeting. For example, one speaker talked about the circadian clock. Two years ago, the Nobel Prize in Physiology was awarded to scientists who studied the so-called "circadian rhythms", and now this topic has been brought to the attention of designers.
Daniel Lorenz reports:
This is about how natural light affects human biorhythms. Within the same time zone, light comes in differently: at the beginning - earlier, and people there get up earlier. At the end of the time zone, you have to wake up when the light is not yet so bright. And this greatly affects the mental state of a person, his health. At the conference, the results of a study were presented on the example of Germany, but it can be noted that at those distances, the difference is still not as pronounced as if the calculations were carried out between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Each person has a circadian clock, and at the same time, the outer rhythm of an ordinary clock is set. At the same time, the sun is at different heights at the same time within the same time zone …
How can this affect the work of an architect?
You just need to consider this aspect. Everything is connected with light. For a person, both daylight and a sufficient amount of darkness are important. You need to understand for what purpose the building is being designed. Light plays a different role in different situations. The day-night transition in humans is associated with the production of different hormones: some for relaxation, others for vigor. In order for a person to fully work and rest, he needs to provide appropriate conditions. At night - darken the windows, during the day you need a bright light.
And it's not just about windows, - continues Natalia Sidorova … - There were performances related to engineering, technological solutions, when some overhead lamp turns into a work of art. When, during the reconstruction of an old building or an architectural monument, it is necessary to include new elements, including large glazing so that the structures are perceived as neutral as possible. One example was demonstrated by a French architectural engineer, design engineer: he makes glazing at an enchanting level! In the project for the reconstruction of the 18th century administrative building, the Hotel de la Marin on the Parisian Place de la Concorde is an architectural monument - the courtyard, which never gets the sun, was blocked, but so that it was illuminated, the main entrance was organized. The idea was conditionally designated as a "daylight chandelier". The original image is a crystal, therefore this upper lantern has a complex solution of glasses: they redirect the light. Indeed, the lantern resembles a huge crystal chandelier hanging from a skylight: a conceptual idea is expressed through precise engineering.
Do we have an order for such solutions?
This is a laborious, expensive and high-tech business. Complex design, modeling, development, special material and technical base. I do not deny that we have Kulibins, but high technologies in construction are still rare.
Maybe the request has not been studied?
It is not only about external effects, but about understanding what such "complications" are for. There was a project showing how air naturally cooled the space: the flows were redirected to passages with a lot of glazing. The holes were calculated … Most often, no one sets such tasks for us. Because it takes a long time to design. It doesn’t have to do with a quick payback. Environmental issues are long stories.
How long?
At least 10 years. Ecological houses - 20-30 years. In our country, no one thinks about such terms. The perspective is designed for 5-7 years. Otherwise it is not interesting.
Time has already invested something in this territory
The Velux Symposium on Natural Light and Healthy Homes was held in a former market building. The history of the Carrots du Temple in the historic Marais district in the center of Paris is an example of a successful and quality redevelopment. This market on a metal openwork frame was built in 1868, received the status of a monument in the 1980s, and at the beginning of the 21st century it began to be converted in accordance with the request for a cultural and sports center. In 2014, the Carrot du Temple was reopened after renovation, and this was reported in all popular travel guides around the capital.
At the meeting in Paris, the architects of the DNK bureau paid special attention to redevelopment projects. There were many examples: from Belgium to China. In the Celestial Empire, in one very wide large-span building, individual fragments of tiles were removed from the roof in order to provide overhead light in the halls. Somewhere attics were added, glass domes were erected.
Since the topic of redevelopment is relevant in Russia as well, are there any of our peculiarities and differences?
Natalia Sidorova:
In our country, this topic is relatively new. We can focus on what has already been passed and done in the world over the past 10-15 years. Many customers do not even know how to deal with the old territories, do not think that history adds significant value to the place, and this is in demand. Nothing else can make up for such a cost: time has already invested something in this territory. It is important to convince and captivate the customer - and in the West too, only there are many ready-made examples around: competitors are ready for bold decisions. We have “short money”, there are few examples to follow, no one wants to take risks. This is not only in redevelopment - and in the rest of the architecture. Although, on the other hand, sometimes we can have more unusual moves that you find trying to solve the problem "cheap and cheerful". Non-trivial ideas are needed everywhere.
Are you looking for solutions on your intuition or at the expense of some of your incredible creative abilities?
We use everything to the maximum: both intuition and incredible creative possibilities. And we also connect specialists of different profiles, various consultants who calculate the program and content. Synergy of the customer, ours, and other specialists.
Did you manage to get inspired by something else in Paris besides the symposium?
Yes finally got to
Philharmonic in La Villette. Nouvel always reads an artistic gesture, clearly manifested, but the function of the building does not suffer. Out of disappointment: the Eiffel Tower has become a space excluded from the city with a walk-through mode. And this is unpleasant. But the Institute of the Arab World seemed not at all outdated: the timeless building looks very relevant. We went inside, because there, too, everything is tied in the world: square panels on the facade with photocells that can change the level of illumination and the pattern of openings in the interior. Despite the fact that titanium diaphragms require repair for a long time, and we remember how it all looked in the 90s, the sun was revealed in this genius space!
Will your redevelopment course continue at MARSH?
We took a break. Teaching is hard work, but we are very satisfied. We worked out the system: we invited specialists, introduced us to the tools, creative solutions. Not only architects were trained, but also several representatives of customers, builders. There was a female engineer from a bureau that designs solar panels for aircraft.
Intersections
A well-known world trend - houses with landscaping, the inclusion of nature. Rasmus Astrup from the Paris bureau of SLA spoke at the symposium about the research of plant species that can be included in architecture, in the city, what structures are important for this, how to plant the plants correctly. Bureau SLA offers such a house - with a large number of green terraces, different levels, public areas. The house is already under construction.
A similar project was developed at a special course at MARSH: redevelopment of the Moscow plant "Pluto" - with an ecological cluster, active "greening" of the external and internal space. Training project, but taking into account the possible implementation.
At a meeting in the DNK ag workshop, at Krasny Oktyabr, Daniil Lorenz showed an old tablet with a 2002 presentation: "The whole world from your window." For one exhibition, they came up with such a thing: a screen in a window, by subscription you can order any kind online. It was interesting ourselves, we made a concept, we didn't even think that it would be a reality. However, in the report about that exhibition there was information: the company DNK ag is developing new technologies. Should have been patented … Surprisingly, now, almost 20 years later, at the Paris meeting in 2019, a successful project was presented to develop window views - with recessed panels. By the way, the same idea flashed in some recent domestic film, where such windows were shown to the hero of Mikhail Efremov.
One of the talks at a symposium in Paris raised the question: can natural light shape architecture? The answer is obvious, especially when it comes to buildings with glass facades that melted beautifully into the sky on the presenter's slide. But light vibrations can be observed not only on glass, but even on a brick facade. Create something that convinces in their presence.
This is how DNK ag bureau designed the beam. Intuitively, they put it into the project, arranging a seemingly ordinary lantern. Ray is like an artistic statement, but it lives an independent life. This ray - the circle of the sun - became the logo of the LOFT * STUDIO Dawn project, and it is reflected in the design of the central entrance area. The ribbed visor, cut through by the upper lantern, casts a "striped spot" on the walls, which moves along the facade following the sun. The evening illumination of the entrance area repeats the same theme, and in the vestibule it is duplicated by a pendant lamp that illuminates a circle on the surface.
