Essay

Featured Image Takeaway Design Strategy:

When your occupants look upward, what do they feel? A sense of awe? Amazement? A yearning to continue on their journey through your building? Designing a ceiling is of critical importance — and not just because this is from where much of the lighting may come. A ceiling can be sculpted to reveal masses and voids which complement what goes on below. Wonderful domes often connect occupants to the heavens, and lower ceilings often create great spaces of intimacy. I urge you to think creatively about your ceiling designs as they are more than a “topping” — rather, they are expressions that help your architectural design sections to come alive.

To Apply This Strategy, Ask Yourself:

WHEN WORKING IN SECTION TRY THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU MIGHT “SCULPT” YOUR CEILING. IS THERE A POINT WHERE IT TRANSITIONS INTO A WALL OR COLUMN? IF SO, HOW CAN IT DO THIS IN KEEPING WITH THE LANGUAGE OF YOUR GRAND DESIGN GESTURE? ALSO, KEEP IN MIND THAT CEILINGS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY DIMENSIONS OF HOLISTIC SENSORY DESIGN: FROM VISUAL TO AURAL ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI, CEILINGS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN FEEDING YOUR OCCUPANTS’ SENSES.

Image Caption: National Museum of the American Indian

Image Credit: ©  o palsson | Flickr