An obstructed window is recast as a broader collector of the surrounding environment.
PERISCOPE WINDOW
PRIVATE RESIDENCE
1997
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DIRECT MORNING SUN GENERATES THE GREATEST NUMBER OF PHENOMENA
WINDOW DURING INSTALLATION
EXTERIOR VIEW OF THE WINDOW
DETAIL OF THE LAYERED LENSED IMAGING, SHADOWS AND PINHOLE PROJECTIONS
DETAIL SHOWING THE WINDOWS DYNAMIC RESPONSE TO VARYING LIGHT CONDITIONS
Description
The architect responded to the client’s desire for a calm and secluded residence in a densely populated neighborhood by significantly re-grading the site, thereby establishing a ground plane for the house that would selectively frame views, especially of an adjacent lake. One window on a staircase leading up to the second floor promised views of light filtering through the trees but was blocked by a fence and the neighboring property. Commissioned by the client, JCDA saw an opportunity to transform the experience and expectation of a window view.
The Periscope Window selectively reveals tree shadows layered with upside down lensed projections of trees and sky, some of which are reverted by mirrors. The Periscope Window redefines the singular idea of the window, as prescribed by its frame, and instead extracts light that exists in the environment well beyond the window frame’s limit. The result is a highly responsive and richly textured layering of variously scaled phenomena which dynamically represent the depth of information found in light.
Client: Private
Architect: VJAA