The design of Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, TX by Louis Kahn is transformed and perfected through the integration of daylight. Kahn specified that "natural light should play a vital part" in the design and that "light is the theme". I ventured out to the Kimbell this week to observe and study how Louis Kahn successfully incorporated openings for natural light into the architecture to create an environment that provides elegant lighting conditions for the pieces of art.
The distinct vaulted ceilings of the Kimbell are rimmed with glass skylights, allowing in natural light to the galleries. In order to diffuse this light, Kahn placed wing-shaped aluminum reflectors below that illuminate the concrete vaults and provide an illusion of a continuous vault. Regardless of the time of the day, position of the sun or weather conditions, the skylight within the vault distributes an even amount of light. On the particular day that I visited the Kimbell, it was rainy and grey skies. However, the galleries remained immaculately lit by the skylights.
Inspired by Roman arches, Kahn created the concept of the gallery with vaulted ceilings that allow natural light in from above. To construct these vaults, Kahn chose grey concrete with a smooth texture. Within these concrete vaults, an opening is slit that slices the vault into two symmetric halves. The middle slit holds the wing-shaped aluminum reflectors that hold the electric lighting for the space. All in all, the combination of daylight and electric lighting result in a color temperature of 3500K to 3800K, which experts deem near perfect for viewing color.
My site study of daylight at the Kimbell will further inform my research and final design of my thesis project. As I am further developing my physical trial models of my sacred space, I was heavily inspired by the architectural models of the Kimbell that live on the bottom floor of the museum. These carefully constructed models will inspire my final 3D printed model as I continue to develop my series of trial models that explore my scheme in plan, elevation, and perspective.
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