Skylight Installation | INABA

New York-based firm INABA has completed ‘skylight‘, a permanent Skylight Installation for KORO Public Art Norway. The 6.6 m (22 ft) diameter, 11.5 m (38 ft) long structure hangs from the foyer of the New Concert Hall in Stavanger, Norway. It is visible from the adjacent public plaza, and surrounding neighborhood and harbor, serving as a light beacon for the complex.
Responding to the region’s extreme atmospheric conditions, Skylight emits a range of pure color light patterns that contrast and complement the blended luminous tones of the dawn and twilight Nordic sky. Conceived as an inverted chandelier, Skylight’s light fixtures are mounted to face inward and illuminate the structure’s interior surface. Its programmable LED system is animated to change in brightness and hue, and produce distinct patterns during arrival, theater calls, intermission, departure, and after hours.

Photography by © Ivan Brodey

The 8m diameter and 13m tall cylindrical structure will hang from the top of the hall’s five-story high lobby and be visible from the adjacent public plaza, surrounding neighborhoods, and city harbor. Clad with translucent exterior panels, Skylight will emit artificial light digitally composed to act as a programming beacon for the center’s events. It will respond to the region’s extreme atmospheric conditions by creating a range of luminous effects including extended twilights in winter and surreal auroras in summer. The lighting is also designed to change in hue and intensity in sync with performances, forming distinct patterns during arrival, theater calls, intermission, and closing.

Photography by © Ivan Brodey

The competition jury commented that Skylight “plays on the familiar and the unknown… The shape itself carries few references or ways of being specifically interpreted. What are recognizable lies in the light… As you move around the foyer the volume will change as your eye traverses … to the other side.”
The new concert hall, designed by Oslo-based Medplan AS Arkitekter, will be located at the heart of the city’s planned arts district, positioned centrally among several buildings dedicated to music performance. Skylight will be completed by the building’s scheduled opening in 2012.

Photography by © Ivan Brodey

Project Team:
Architect: INABA, New York
Client: KORO Public Art Norway
Competition Phase: Jeffrey Inaba, Darien Williams, Karin Nelson, Yasmeen Khan, Micael Duran, Eugene Park, Sorayos Tang Chuenchomphu, Kristoffer Miller
Commission Phase: Jeffrey Inaba, Alan Kwan, Steven Tsai, Stephanie Lee
Fabrication: DAMTSA, Buenos Aires; Dante Martinez, Esteban Ehrlich, Carlos Fatturini, Lucia Martinez
Structural Engineering: Buro Happold, New York; Cristobal Correa, Jeff Thompson
Photography: Ivan Brodey
Animation: MTWTF, New York; Glen Cummings, Alec Donovan
Lighting: Ljusarkitektur, Stockholm; Kai Piippo, Paul Ehlert
Project Name: Skylight Installation