Umbra: An Architectural Choreography of Shadows

Abstract

Shadow, it seems, has been displaced from contemporary architecture. There are few places for shadows to dwell and even fewer spaces of shadows in which we can dwell. The European spatial psyche attaches negative connotations to shadow, darkness and dimness, favouring ‘lightness.’ This thesis takes the position that this obsession with ‘lightness’, prevalent since Modernism, has resulted in homogenous lighting standards and a ‘general luminosity’ in many incidents of contemporary architecture.

Light, as an essential constituent of our perception of space, is a fundamental architectural consideration. Accordingly, light is well represented in architectural discourse. Shadow as the antipode of light, however, receives little attention. Yet light and shadow are inextricably intertwined. As a prerequisite of light, shadow and darkness provide the grounding from which ‘powerful’ experiences of light can arise.

Familiar with architecture of light, this thesis engages with architecture of shadow and looks to ‘shadow hunters’ for inspiration. Positioning shadow as pivotal to the creation of architectural atmospheres, this thesis sets out to destabilize the prevailing dichotomous relationship between light and shadow. It seeks to understand the agency of shadow in the creation and representation of architecture, but above all this thesis investigates the role of shadow in the experience of architecture.

Employing a theoretical framework matrix, informed by the research of Arden Reed and Henry Plummer, this thesis follows a firm, yet inherently abstract methodology. The design of a bath house, sited around abandoned bunkers from WWII, on Miramar peninsula is informed by Reed’s shadow categories of temporal, affective, ontological, perceptual, and logical. This provides a means of organizing the design research as well as dictating the primary spatial separations within the design.