Vkhutemas 100. Faculty of architecture. Portals to tomorrow's cities
Status:
Finished, 2021
Finished, 2021
Lightning designer:
Valery Gorelova, Irina Dmitrieva, Leonid Lomakin
Valery Gorelova, Irina Dmitrieva, Leonid Lomakin
Type:
Exhibition/Museum
Exhibition/Museum
Client:
Museum of Architecture (MUAR), Moscow
Museum of Architecture (MUAR), Moscow
Architecture:
Anna Zamri, Elena Alekseitseva
Anna Zamri, Elena Alekseitseva
Photogragh:
Evgeniya Baranova
Evgeniya Baranova
On February 26, the Shchusev Museum of Architecture hosted the grand opening of the exhibition "VKHUTEMAS: Portals to Tomorrow's Cities."
A pristine white wall, resembling a ribbon, gracefully encircles the exhibition space and unites various workshops of the VkhUTEMAS Architecture Faculty, showcasing a retrospective of works by both faculty members and students. This architectural design serves as the perfect backdrop for the play of reflected light.
At the heart of the exhibition lies the essence of VkhUTEMAS creativity. As planned, this area was intended to capture the attention of visitors, with strategically placed accent lighting emphasizing this concept. The stark contrast between the darkness of the walls and the brightness of the exhibits allows visitors to focus on what truly matters.
A pristine white wall, resembling a ribbon, gracefully encircles the exhibition space and unites various workshops of the VkhUTEMAS Architecture Faculty, showcasing a retrospective of works by both faculty members and students. This architectural design serves as the perfect backdrop for the play of reflected light.
At the heart of the exhibition lies the essence of VkhUTEMAS creativity. As planned, this area was intended to capture the attention of visitors, with strategically placed accent lighting emphasizing this concept. The stark contrast between the darkness of the walls and the brightness of the exhibits allows visitors to focus on what truly matters.
It was impossible to ignore the impressive architecture of the ruins and the beautiful, authentic staircase. Our goal was to connect the entrance area with the exhibition on the second floor, creating an aesthetically pleasing, visual lighthouse.
When entering the building, visitors see a red light in an arch behind the steps, as well as a red arrow on a poster visible through a grille on the ground floor.
When entering the building, visitors see a red light in an arch behind the steps, as well as a red arrow on a poster visible through a grille on the ground floor.
During the work on the exhibition, we faced several challenges. First, we had a limited selection of lighting fixtures available, consisting only of 18-watt spotlights. The light output of these fixtures was too strong for the space, and their beam did not offer enough flexibility to work with the exhibits.
To address this issue, we decided to use wider-angle optics and reduce the light output by half and quarter using Frost filters. Next, we shaped the beam using a cinefoil, a black foil commonly used in cinematography. This helped eliminate glare and create a more comfortable environment for visitors.
Another challenge was the reflection of light from the fixtures on the glass displays. To minimize this reflection and reduce glare, we aimed the lights in the "away from the visitor" direction, considering the navigation scenario.
To address this issue, we decided to use wider-angle optics and reduce the light output by half and quarter using Frost filters. Next, we shaped the beam using a cinefoil, a black foil commonly used in cinematography. This helped eliminate glare and create a more comfortable environment for visitors.
Another challenge was the reflection of light from the fixtures on the glass displays. To minimize this reflection and reduce glare, we aimed the lights in the "away from the visitor" direction, considering the navigation scenario.
Lamps of lower power and with variable angle of light distribution were rented especially for this project. We used wide-angle optics to illuminate multiple objects with a single light source and a focused, narrow beam for key exhibits only.