What role do light and shadows play in architecture? In the new Archiproducts Design Talk, four masters of the poetics of light share their thoughts and personal experiences concerning the dualistic nature of light and shadows in architecture and design.
Chad Oppenheim, founder of Oppenheim Architecture; Marius Myking, Director of Product Design at Snøhetta; Barry Richards, Principal and Studio Head of the US-based Rockwell Group; and Lucie Koldova, Product Designer and Art Director at Brokis, took part in the discussion. Each, through their singular visions and sensitivities, describes the central role of light in designing and shaping space.
View the full video of the Archiproducts Design Talk on Light and Shadows in Architecture.
Chad Oppenheim, Oppenheim Architecture
Chad Oppenheim is a Miami-based architect known for monumental projects in perfect harmony with nature. A graduate of Cornell University and a member of the AIA, Oppenheim has lectured and taught extensively at architecture schools, including Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and, most recently, Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning.
In 1999, he founded Oppenheim Architecture, a firm that has gained worldwide recognition for work ranging from urban architecture to private residences. The firm has received over 80 industry awards, including over 50 from the AIA and the 2018 National Design Award from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
Marius Myking, Snøhetta
As strategy designer and director of product design at Snøhetta, Marius Myking works on projects that push the boundaries of sustainable design and innovation.
Snøhetta is an international architecture, landscape architecture, art, product design, graphic and digital design practice. Founded in Oslo in 1989, the office advocates a multidisciplinary approach to refining perceptions of the environment, identity, and relationships with others. Snøhetta has received numerous awards, including: the Aga Kahn Prize for Architecture for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt; the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture; the Mies van der Rohe Prize for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet; the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture; the AC Houens Diploma Fond; and the Grosch Medal.
Barry Richards, Rockwell Group
With degrees in Art and Architecture from the University of Washington and in Architecture from Princeton University, Barry Richards is a principal and leader of the Rockwell Group. The interdisciplinary architecture and design firm fuses theatre, craft, and technology to create multiple narratives for hospitality venues, cultural institutions, offices, transportation, housing, stage sets, products, exhibitions, and festivals.
Major projects include the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta and the Walt Disney Family Museum, the Imagination Playground initiative, prototypes for the Capital One Café, and product design for a range of high-end collections with Knoll, Paola Lenti, The Rug Company, Bisazza, Stellar Works, Rich Brilliant Willing, Maya Romanoff, Jim Thompson, Gessi, and Shaw Hospitality Group.
Lucie Koldova, Brokis
Born in the Czech Republic, Lucie Koldova is a product designer and art director at Brokis. After graduating from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague in 2009, she moved to Paris and began working with several international brands.
In 2012, she opened an office, now based in Prague, where her personal style blends with inspiration from different cultures.
Her work ranges from everyday objects to limited series for art galleries, while her creative interest is mainly focused on glass and lighting, aiming to develop new approaches to technology and solutions in the field of light. She bases her emotive style on stunning colours, unusual proportions and exaggerated contrasts that push the boundaries of what is possible.