INABA was selected to design a permanent artwork for the New Concert Hall in Stavanger, Norway from a field of six invited international teams. The 6.6 m (22 ft) diameter, 11.5 m (38 ft) long structure hangs from the entry foyer, and is visible from the adjacent public plaza, and surrounding neighborhood and harbor, serving as a light beacon for the complex.Responding to the region’s extreme atmospheric conditions, Skylight emits a range of pure color light patterns that contrast and complement the blended luminous tones of the Nordic sky.
Conceived of as an inverted chandelier, Skylight’s light fixtures are mounted to face inward and illuminate the structure’s interior surface. Its programmable LED system is animated to change in brightness and hue, and produce distinct patterns during arrival, theater calls, intermission, departure, and after hours.Skylight is based on a simple cylinder. Areas along the surface of the cylinder were removed to create views from the five‐story high foyer to the city. The form was refined so that when the 6.5 tonne work is suspended from its two supporting pin connections, its distributed weight causes the structure to rest at an inclined angle and align with the sun’s angle of incidence during key moments over the course of the year.Generating the form from a basic object helped to manage costs and utilize the limited production time efficiently.
Having an unchanging cross section along the length of the cylinder affords cost savings in the cladding. It reduces the number of steps required to fabricate and shape parts. Since the curvature of the cylindrical surface is constant, it was possible to bend all of the interior aluminum panels to the same arc radius, simplifying the assembly connections with standardized details. On the outside, 2.25 cm (1 in) square profile aluminum tubes are mounted to run parallel to the axis of the cylinder. The tubes cover the exterior without requiring to be bent or cut at complex angles.Photographer: Ivan Brodey