We are observing fewer and fewer stars in the night sky. It's too bright to see many of them. We bring light wherever our eyes fail us, we light up the spaces in which we function every day. We are blurring the line between bright day and dark night. According to the International DarkSky Association, 99 percent of people in Europe and the United States do not have adequate darkness at night. Can we still talk about the balance between light and darkness in this situation? The main protagonist of this project is light analyzed in two ways: as an aesthetic measure that shapes the image of a space, and as a factor that affects the health of users.
scheme
© Julia Graczyk
The key to understanding the role of light in the context of human health is the circadian cycle. This is a series of processes in the body to prepare the body for seasons of activity and rest. These processes are controlled by regulating the secretion in the pineal gland of melatonin, also known as the sleep hormone. Its production, in turn, is dependent on ambient light levels. The less light there is, the amount of melatonin in the blood increases - the body gets a signal about the upcoming resting time, body temperature and blood pressure are lowered. As the amount of light increases, melatonin production stops, and the body prepares for the time of activity. Nowadays, with ever-increasing levels of light pollution, when we light up the spaces in which we function in the evening and at night, this cycle is disrupted. As research shows, this is associated with a wide range of health consequences: from sleep problems and mental health disorders, to obesity, diabetes and cancer.
cross sections
© Julia Graczyk
The project asks the question of the role of interior architecture in the human relationship with light and darkness. The answer became a space shaped by light, actively promoting the well-being of users, created with light in mind from both an aesthetic and functional point of view. Thus, an integrative and therapeutic complex was designed to help regain balance. Aircraft shelters at the disused post-military airfield Kluczewo in Stargard were adapted for its purposes. The facilities were divided into three types: recovery shelters, with hotel rooms, a restaurant shelter, and an integration shelter, with a conference room and multipurpose spaces for work and exercise.
visualization
© Julia Graczyk
Based on the melatonin production cycle, lighting was designed in each of the shelters to help regulate circadian rhythms. In the morning, as the body prepares for activity time, a large amount of sunlight is let in, supplemented by artificial light that is close to white in color. As the day progresses, this light reduces in intensity, and its color becomes yellow. In the evening, light sources are reduced so as to provide darkness for users at night. To offset the effects of light pollution outside, skylights are covered.
visualization
© Julia Graczyk
The interior is designed to be a field for light and become a space for painting images through chiaroscuro itself. The dominant feature of the shelters is a form created to dialogue with light, shaping the shadows cast on the floor and walls and distributing the reflections throughout the interior. Its shape is inspired by the design of the MiG-17 aircraft that was stationed in Kluczewo, a direct reference to the history of the facilities.
visualization
© Julia Graczyk
Functioning in the shelters is dictated by a balance of light and dark, which helps one find harmony with oneself and one's surroundings, something we increasingly lack. Shelters become shelters in a different sense than the one we can find in dictionary definitions. We don't shelter in them because being outside threatens us with clear danger - we shelter in order to draw attention to ourselves and to others who function harmoniously with us.
visualization
© Julia Graczyk
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Illustrations: © Author
