AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.03.2003, Page 50

6. Skugginn er eignaður jörðinni, heimur án hans er staður án efnis.
The shadow belongs to the earth, a world without it is a plaoe without matter.
floor-swimming pools. The former is
based on attracting light and the
latter on continuous rubbing.
Collection takes place in both
instances through condensation.
Electrical light, which is situated in
the screens, is turned on when the
daylight begins to fade. The areas
used during the night are only lit
with these partitions. The other
spaces disappear and cease to
exist - as Sverre Fehn states in his
book, “Has doll a life? The shadow
belongs to the earth; without it the
world is a place without matter.”
The light and shadow play against
each other.
Walking through the Centre, visitors
sense how light is carried through
all the floors where treatment takes
place. You sense light everywhere.
The movement of the sun and the
seasons result in varying location of
used spaces. Light defines what
swimming pools should be used
and the Centre follows the move-
ment of the sun in this way. The
movement depends on the strength
of the light. Its influence is so
strong that visual sensation
appears to make light so real that
you can touch it.
The healing power of light and
water work together in therapy, cor-
responding to bathing in a hot
bath. They supplement each other
by influencing the mentality of the
person in treatment to divert the
depression. To this end, water is
very important in catching the light.
As is common in traditional baths,
a certain ritual is carried out in the
Centre.
Technical equipment is used to pre-
pare the change in the perception
of light, which takes place at the
border of the landscape and the
swimming pools. Space is created
between light and shadow and
there people sense dístances
depending on the ability of the eye
to perceive strength of light and its
contrast.
The Líght Treatment Centre also
provides the same services as
other spas, with a reception, provi-
sion of bathrobes, showers and toi-
lets, wardrobes, service areas and
a laundry. Here the same rules
apply as in the planning of the
building, light gives space its char-
acter. In the reception, skylights
light the wardrobes where the-
bathrobes are kept and in the
showers light fall as the water.
Daylight illuminates the ramps that
point to the swimming area with the
electric iight, situated behind the
partitions and the daylight swim-
ming area. During the night, the lat-
ter disappears completely into
complete darkness. As space fol-
lows the movement of the sun, it is
sensitive to light and defines the
edge of the movement of the sun.
The partitions face south, east, and
sunset during the winter solstice. In
this way, they touch the light-area
of the sun movement all the year.
The ramp which points to the area
of the daylight-swimming pools has
the same slope to the south as the
sun at winter solstice: 3°11 ’. This
has the result that when you walk
down the ramp you become a per-
son without shadows walking
around an area without matter.
What is the conclusion? The Light
Treatment Centre, 63,3° N is a the-
sis of an architectural student
receiving the highest marks. It took
two years to finish with the assis-
tance of specialists in solar power
and communications. It is also pos-
sible that this new type of building
is realistic and has its proper place
in lceland. It must be a question of
attitude, sensitivity, and experience
of the surroundings. It often hap-
pens in human communication
the one of the parties seems to be
spiritually stronger than the other.
The same appears to apply where
lcelandic nature is concerned. It
has the upper hand. Architects and
others who create environment
must try to work with nature and
use its qualities and properties like
the light. This makes the Light
Treatment Centre 63,3° N so spe-
cial. It uses material both from the
country and the influence of light
instead of capitulating to the power
of the lcelandic elements. It looks
up to meet the spiritual needs of
humans. ■