architectural photography

Faux Sunlight by stephanie calvet

Interior space illuminated by high tech LED skylight from Coelux Here is a technologically innovative light fixture that simulates the look of sunlight through a skylight. It is made from a material that mimics the light scattering achieved through the Earth's atmosphere. CoeLux wants to change our experience in spaces cut off from the outside. Different models recreate the warm, grazing light of Northern Europe or the dramatic light of the Tropics. It is currently being used in 'iceberg homes' —mega basements for the wealthy in London. But imagine it being used in hospitals, gyms, offices, and carparks. It could have some real impact when the price comes down...

Below is the full article from the blog PetaPixel. Photos by Michael Loos.

Interior space illuminated by high tech LED skylight from Coelux

There’s an innovative new light technology that’s trying to shake up the way people think about “artificial light.” In Italian company called CoeLux has developed a new light source that recreates the look of sunlight through a skylight so well that it can trick both human brains and cameras.

It’s a high tech LED skylight that’s designed to provide “sunlight” for interior spaces cut off from the outdoors. One of the main ideas behind it is that to create realistic sunlight, you can’t just simulate the sun… you need to recreate the atmosphere as well.

CoeLux turns a basement washroom into a passable alternative to a Mediterranean spa.

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The scientists who invented the light figured out how to use a thin coating of nanoparticles to accurately simulate sunlight through Earth’s atmosphere and the effect known as Rayleigh scattering. It’s not just the color temperature that is the same — the quality of the light feels the same as well.

People who have had a chance to experience the skylight so far have been fooled into believing that there was an actual hole in the ceiling, and the sample photos on the CoeLux website come with a cautionary note: “The photographs on this site are real and unretouched. They are not computer renderings.”

The technology is designed for providing the appearance of sunlight to spaces that could use it (e.g. hospitals, gyms, offices, underground parking structures), but it seems photographers could also make use of it as well for an artificial sunlight source in a studio — especially people who work in places with unpredictable or limited sunlight. However, the price would need to come down first: CoeLux currently costs £40,000 (~$61,000) to buy and up to £5,000 (~$7,600) for installation.

CoeLux says future improvements will include the ability to change the position of the sun in the frame and dynamic color temperature of the sunlight.

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Wired magazine also has an article on this: A Nanotech Skylight That Looks Just Like The Sun Shining Overhead.

World Photo Day + Architectural Photographers by stephanie calvet

World Photo Day hosted its first global, online gallery in 2010 with the goal to unite local and global communities in a worldwide celebration of photography. This year's event, held August 19th, marks the 175th anniversary of the first permanent photographic process patented and freely released to the world on August 19th, 1839. It encourages businesses, organizations and social groups across the world to leverage the power of photography by engaging their communities as part of a worldwide photography celebration held over August.

The gallery is open for submissions between August 19 - 26. Upload away!

In honour of World Photo Day 2014, ArchDaily, an online source of architectural news and inspiration, posted  "The 13 Architecture Photographers to Follow Now." Here is a small sampling from the talented bunch...

Awasi Hotel, San Pedro de Atacama, Patagonia. Architect: Felipe Assadi & Francisca Pulido. Photo by Fernando Alda.

Hotel Eso, Atacama Desert, Chile. Architect: Auer + Weber. Photo by Erieta Attali.

Guangzhou Opera House. Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

Edificio de Viviendas con Proteccion Publica. Olalquiaga Arquitectos. Photo by Miguel de Guzmán.

MIT Media Lab, Cambridge. MA. Architect: Maki & Associates with Leers Weinzapfel. Photo by Anton Grassl.

Shaker Heights Private Residence, Ohio. Dimit Architects. Photo by Brad Feinknopf.

Natural Swimming Pool, Riehen, Switzerland. Architects: Herzog & de Meuron. Photo by Leonardo Finotti.

Casas na Praia da Baleia, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Architect: Studio Arthur Casas. Photo by Fernando Guerra.

Museo de la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain. Architect: Juan Navarro Baldeweg. Photo by Thomas Mayer.

Serpentine Pavilion, London, UK. Architect: Smiljan Radic. Photo by Cristobal Palma.

Vitra Haus, Weil am Rhein, Germany. Architect: Herzog & de Meuron. Photo by Fran Parente.

Photo by Christian Richters.

Rey Juan Carlos Hospital, Móstoles, Madrid. Architect: Rafael de La-Hoz Castanys. Photo by Duccio Malagamba.