Selected Bibliography Architecture - Form Space and Order | Page 190

LIGHT

Fallingwater (Kaufmann House), near Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania ,1936–37, Frank Lloyd Wright

Penetrating a space through windows in a wall plane, or
through skylights in the overhead roof plane, the radiant
energy of the sun falls upon the surfaces within the room,
enlivens their colors, and reveals their textures. With the
shifting patterns of light, shade, and shadows that it creates,
the sun animates the space of the room, and articulates the
forms within it. By its intensity and dispersion within the
room, the luminous energy of the sun can clarify the form of
the space or distort it. The color and brilliance of sunlight can
create a festive atmosphere within the room or a more diffuse
daylight can instill within it a somber mood.
Since the intensity and direction of the light the sun radiates
is fairly predictable, its visual impact on the surfaces, forms,
and space of a room can be predicated on the size, location,
and orientation of windows and skylights within the enclosure.

Equinox: Mar. 21
Sept. 21
Winter Solstice:
12 Noon
Dec. 22
12 Noon

Summer Solstice:
June 21
12 Noon
2 PM
4 PM
W

10 AM

Sunset

S

8 AM
6 AM
E

6 PM

N

Sunr
ise

Sun-Path Diagram for the Northern Hemisphere

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