Pantheon of Wonder

Essay

This is the 'Pantheon of Wonder', a journal with over 550+ essays on the poetic design of architecture, art, music, and meaning. It is a growing chronicle of over 25 years of research and innovation by Maria Lorena Lehman that helps you develop your creative projects for advanced beauty, function, and transcendent experience.

Journey of Light, the Underground Building

by Maria Lorena Lehman

Architectural Design

Experiencing an underground building can be quite different from the usual above-grade architectural building types that often take light for granted.

Underground, light becomes a high commodity.

Light can be sculpted like clay underground — it can be molded, filtered and juxtaposed. Play with light in subterranean buildings can serve to guide, prepare and surprise occupants experiencing the space.

In addition, it is always an interesting experience to exit an underground building — natural daylight always seems different (with its vibrancy). It would be nice if above-grade portions of buildings would pay attention to their use of light (the way well-designed subterranean buildings often have to).

Of equal importance is the transition between the two — perhaps light can become and experiential journey from high to low, and visa versa.

Try imagining your current building having to exist underground. This just might jolt you to think about using building technologies and nature in whole new ways.

Image Credit: © matteo_dudek | Flickr

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If this essay stirred a question, illuminated an idea, or touched something deeper in your own creative journey, I invite you to continue the conversation.

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Warmly,

Maria Lorena Lehman

Founder of MLL ATELIER

Author of PANTHEON OF WONDER