9/5/2017 Light Matters: Louis Kahn and the Power of Shadow | ArchDaily

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Light Matters: Louis Kahn and the Power of Shadow

00:00 - 23 April, 2013 | by Thomas Schielke

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Light matters, a monthly column on light and space, is written byThomas Schielke.Based in Germany, he is fascinated by architectural lighting,
has published numerous articles and co-authored the book Light Perspectives.

Does shadow have the power to give form to architecture? The increasing number of transparent buildings and LED installations would enforce
the impression that light has eliminated the relevance of shadow. But to answer that question, lets look back to a master of light whose
architecture was shaped by shadow: Louis Kahn.

More Light Matters, a er the break

As identified by Leonardo da Vinci, we o en encounter three types of shadows: Attached shadow, shading and cast shadow. The attached
shadow falls on the body itself like a cantilever roof causing a shadow on the faade. The second type belongs to bright and dark contrasts,
which are inherent to the form and depend only on the source of light, e.g. a ball shaped pavilion, which even under a cast sky shows a darker
zone in the lower part. The third, cast shadow, could be the result of a high house generating shadow on the street due to the projection of the
building outline.

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Kahns archetypical forms go back to Greek architecture, which he studied in the 1950s: Greek architecture taught me that the column is
where the light is not, and the space between is where the light is. It is a matter of no-light, light, no-light, light. A column and a column brings
light between them. To make a column which grows out of the wall and which makes its own rhythm of no-light, light, no-light, light: that is the
marvel of the artist.

However, light was also a central element in Kahns philosophy because he regarded it as a giver of all presences: All material in nature, the
mountains and the streams and the air and we, are made of Light which has been spent, and this crumpled mass called material casts a
shadow, and the shadow belongs to Light. For him, light is the maker of material, and materials purpose is to cast a shadow.

And because Kahn believed that the dark shadow is a natural part of light, Kahn never attempted a pure dark space for a formal e ect. For him,
a glimpse of light elucidated the level of darkness: A plan of a building should be read like a harmony of spaces in light. Even a space intended
to be dark should have just enough light from some mysterious opening to tell us how dark it really is. Each space must be defined by its
structure and the character of its natural light. As a result, the light as a source is o en hidden behind louvers or secondary walls, thus
concentrating attention on the e ect of the light and not on its origin.

The mysteriousness of shadow was also closely linked to evoking silence and awe. For Kahn, while darkness evokes the uncertainty of not
being able to see, of potential dangers, it also inspires deep mystery. It is in the hands of the architect to evoke silence, secret or drama with
light and shadow - to create a treasury of shadows, a Sanctuary of Art.

Thus, walking through the sequence of openings at the portico of the Salk Institute brings to mind the dark silence of a cloister. Dark shadow
lines and holes, from the precise defined moulds, o er a fine texture on the massive walls. The white stone and the grey concrete walls present
a monotone three-dimensional canvas for the play of shadows. Shade turns into an essential element to reveal the arrangement and the form
of Kahn's monolithic volumes.

And even though Kahn erected many buildings in regions exposed to extreme sunlight (such as India and Pakistan), he did not design his
buildings to protect users from the sun, but rather to protect the sanctity of the shadow. He didnt believe in artificial shade, such as the brise-
soleils, explains Ingeborg Flagge, the former director of the German Architecture Museum who curated the exhibition The secret of the
shadow. Instead he used windows and doors in his double walls to direct the light into the interior. As Kahn describes the large open windows

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and doors of the Indian Institute of Management: The outside belongs to the sun and on the inside people live and work. In order to avoid
protection from the sun I invented the idea of a deep intrados that protects the cool shadow.

Kahns path of designing with shadow attracted numerous followers, like Tadao Ando with his Church of Light, Peter Zumthor and his Therme
Vals or Axel Schultes with his Crematorium. They all include shadow as a form giver for silent spaces. This perspective presents a pleasant
counterpoint in todays architecture that strives for dynamic and bright icons.

For further steps towards the treasury of shadow visit the Louis Kahn exhibition Power of Architecture in Germany or listen to Kahns lecture
at the School of Architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zrich from 1969: Louis I. Kahn Silence and Light. The new
released audio-CD from Park Books comes along with multilingual transcripts from his famous talk. This is an excellent opportunity to step
onto the path of shadow with Louis Kahn.

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For further reading:

Bttikger, Urs: Light and Space. Birkhuser, Basel. 1993.

Flagge, Ingeborg: The Secret of the Shadow: Light and Shadow in Architecture. Wasmuth, Tbingen. 2002.
Johnson, Nell E.: Light is the Theme. Louis I. Kahn and the Kimbell Art Museum. Yale University Press, New Haven. 2011.
Lobell, John: Between Silence and Light: Spirit in the Architecture of Louis I. Kahn. Shambhala, Boston. 2008.
Plummer, Henry: Masters of Light. First Volume: Twentieth-Century Pioneers. A+U, Tokyo. 2003.
Vassella, Alessandro: Louis I. Kahn Silence and Light: The Lecture at ETH Zurich, February 12, 1969. Park Books, Zrich. 2013.
Light matters, a monthly column on light and space, is written by Thomas Schielke. Based in Germany, he is fascinated by architectural lighting,
has published numerous articles and co-authored the book Light Perspectives. For more information check www.arclighting.de or follow
him@arcspaces

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Cite: Thomas Schielke. "Light Matters: Louis Kahn and the Power of Shadow" 23 Apr 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed 5 Sep 2017. <http://www.archdaily.com/362554/light-matters-
louis-kahn-and-the-power-of-shadow/>

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Wall Panels - Flat lock

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gowthem 4 years ago

Is there any power in shadow..? In thermodynamics we were considering heat..,shape(area)...,we are calculating the amount of heat
emitted,absorbed in an object but not the shadow.. Why??
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Ellen Fisch 4 years ago

The darks and lights create form. They also establish the form in its environment which creates composition. Furthermore, the darkest darks
create the brightest lights and the converse is true. In any visual art (photography, art, renderings, etc.) there should be a balance of shadow to
light to create composition and tension. The lihts and darks are one underlying principle of all the visual arts. Kahn was a genius who fully
understood and could define the essentials: light/dark being one of them
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Ellen Fisch 4 years ago

The darks and lights create form. They also establish the form in its environment which creates composition. Furthermore, the darkest darks
create the brightest lights and the converse is true. In any visual art (photography, art, renderings, etc.) there should be a balance of shadow to
light to create composition and tension. The lihts and darks are one underlying principle of all the visual arts. Kahn was a genius who fully
understood and could define the essentials: light/dark being one of them.
Reply Share

shane 4 years ago

light and shadow are not mutually exclusive events. they are co-dependent. In art and architecture, the term that describes the controlled,
precise relationship between these two contrasts is "chiaroscuro". It is strange to think of Kahn's formation of shadows as distinct from his
intentional control of light. He was obviously as sensitive to light as he was to shadow. i think it complicates the issues to distinguish them as
such is presented in this piece. Form isn't the product of light, or the product of shadow. It's the measured relationship of both that provides the
necessary components that may constitute form.
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