LIQUID LIGHT

The primary idea for the pavilion was to bring daylight inside the underground levels of the Undergraduate Library at UIUC campus, particularly the south side where the classrooms are located by creating a reflective surface on the ground that would reflect light down through the opening. Since the site is highly symmetrical, the design started with a circular form, and then proceeded to break that symmetry by making it more fluid. This gave rise to a lofted structure, which spreads out near the bottom with concentric rings that can be used for seating, and becomes gently tapered toward the top.The lofted surface is divided into diamondshaped panels, whose surface perforations gradually decrease in scale toward the north of the courtyard. This ensures a denser array of reflective surfaces on the north to reflect light downward. The concentric rings are also made reflective to bring light down to the sub-basement level through a clear glass surface cut into the ground floor just under the structure. The goals are to bring in daylight, reduce cooling loads, have minimal daylight obstruction on the adjacent Morrow plots and increase pedestrian wind comfort around the courtyard.