AALBORG MUSEUMS LIGHT AND EXPRESSION

Ana Malaianu To: Carl Redmond Pages according to characters: 05.10.2012

Light, Gods eldest daughter is a principal beauty in a building

Thomas Fuller Light as a central element in designing a museum Light is the main element of all buildings, it gives the building depth, personality and atmosphere. In different architectural programs light has to be used in suitable ways, as to obtain the desired effect. Museums are very special buildings when it comes to light, because light is strongly related to the exhibits shown, the type of exhibition, the message the museum has to transmit and the type of exhibiting. For example, for art galleries it is necessary that the paintings do not reflect, that the colors are perceived as they are, that the viewer does not leave shadows on the painting. For museums with many showcases, light has to focus on the elements shown, not to reflect in the showcase, emphasize the details of the exhibits, not as much as the room they are in. In museums in which exhibits are different and they are both two-dimensional and three-dimensional, light has to be both diffuse and directional, however, these two kinds of light have to be combined in a way that does not become confusing for the viewer. In the case of art galleries, (Kunsten Museum) it is important that light is constantly present, but also that the pieces of art are accentuated. So the light that is used in an art gallery has to be both diffuse and directional light. The diffuse light or backlight is an essential component to the lighting in any museum. If there is no backlight, the space will become tiring for the eye and the visitor will have the impression of an unlit space. Also, the back light in an art gallery prevents the appearance of glaze and reflection, especially in the case of oil paintings, or glass covered paintings. The directional light has to be processed as not to be punctual but spread on the painting. If the light in an art gallery is artificial, the color of the light must be neutral, as not to modify the original colors of the exhibits. In the case of museums with exhibits in showcases (Nordjyllands Historiske Museum) the light has to emphasize the depths and edges of the objects, so a diffuse, stop reflection kind of light like the one used in an art gallery will not be suitable because it will flatten the volume. Thus a directional light must be used, but also a light incorporated in the showcase and general lighting for the overall effect of the room. This kind of light produces a theatrical effect, and provides the object with particular points of emphasis and adds dynamics to the objects. However, for glass objects being displayed, the light has to be modeled and the most common solution is diffuse light, so as to avoid glaze. The showcases must not reflect the light, so a nonreflective glass has to be used.

In the case of a museum which requires a special kind of atmosphere and only certain emphasis on some exhibits (Grbrdrekloster Museum) the light is mostly composed of directional light and very little diffuse light. This effect is best obtained in dark rooms black box effect and it is a very dramatic effect that is used in small quantities as not to become tiring. This kind of effect is searched for when the exhibits need to pop-out. The darkness of the room provides a dark background that contrasts with the light on the exhibit.

Kunsten Museum Aalborg Designed by Aalvaro Aalto, Elissa Aalto and their associate Jean Jeaques Baruel, the Aalborg museum of art is one of Aaltos masterpieces, and the only one in Denmark. The Finnish architect started working on this project in 1958 but due to several problems, the building was only finished in 1972. The way Aalto used natural light, terrain and materials, makes the art museum in Aalborg a very good architecture example.

The almost square footprint of the building does not determine a static space, but a dynamic one, due to the interior walls

The art museum in Aalborg was one of Aaltos pure projects from the 1950s and it lays somewhere in between brutalism and classicism, however conforming to the International Stile and free spaces that were much used at that time. The building has a monumental look, and the white marble adds to the coldness of the building. The spaces flow from one to another without a specific limit (there are also movable walls installed for free transformation of the museum for various exhibitions), the delimitations between spaces are permeable and the

space is easy to comprehend from the guests point of view. Even though the form of the museum is square (static, central) the interior is dynamic and it invites to movement. This museum has been the only museum ever designed by the Finnish master. To begin with, the terrain for the museum has a slight slope so, Aalto chose to place the main floor on the lowest ground level of the slope and place the parking lot and the secondary functions in the buried part of the building. So, instead of using the buried floor for main parts of the building (fact that would have meant that the halls would have needed special, powerful artificial illumination) he chose to have the main hall on a level that would benefit the most from natural daylight.

The slope and the shape of the museum invites natural light to come through

It was common practice in the beginning of the 1900s to take advantage of natural light when designing large halls, museums or public spaces, due to lack of experience and technology in the artificial illumination domain. Thus, architects had to be able to play and experiment with different light effects. Very famous buildings benefit from this kind of light effects that underline the idea behind the design or enhance different characteristics of the building or its components. For example, the famous Notre Dame du Haut by Le Corbusier (the accent falls on the building and on the different curves it has, it enhances the buildings shape underlining the beauty of concrete and its structural role), Ch. R. Mackintosh in the Glasgow school of Arts, where the architect used natural light as to create a good environment for art students ( colors in daylight show their true color, however, when painting in artificial light there is the risk of using more powerful tones because the perception of the color changes), or Adolf Loos in the American Bar in Vienna, where light is filtered through colored glass to create an intimate atmosphere and then it is reflected in the mirrors on the ceiling and on the walls, to create a uniform type of light that does not bother the human eye, and the list can go on.

In all of his buildings, Alvaro Aalto uses the effects of light and darkness to create different kinds of spaces or architectural effects. Aalto also adapts the light to the function of the building and creates many opportunities for it to take different forms, reach either higher or lower intensities, and emphasize one object or the whole space. In Kunsten Museum in Aalborg, the main focus of the architect was to capture the northern light and use it at its maximum potential. In this direction the architect thought of installing different light-enhancing devices and materials that would take direct sunlight and transform it into a light suitable for a gallery. The museum is built to resemble a ziggurat, thus creating the opportunity for gaps and differences of levels in the roof which allow light to come through at any time of the day. The roof rises in steps around the central hall where the architect placed a large skylight and the other skylights of different forms allow sunlight to come through at different angles but not to fall unfiltered on the exhibits. One of the systems the architect used was placing two-sided elongated skylights, which have uneven sides: the wider side is orientated towards the north and the narrow openings towards the south (northern light is softer and less powerful than southern light, thus making it suitable for an art gallery). Almost all lights in the gallery come from the ceiling and first reflect on a white parabolic panel which then reflects the light in a uniform way (creating the effect of back light-a light that does not determine shades to appear) on the artwork. This kind of light transmission offers a soft, background illumination that gives no reflections, no shadows, nor strong lights. For the music room the architect chose a more focused kind of light with smaller skylights, which give les light than the previous mentioned ones, and create a more personal, private space.

Nordjyllands Historiske Museum Brief description of historical Aalborg Aalborg is a city of history, being first recorded back in 700 AD. The settlement has originally been a Viking trading post due to its position by the sea. The first name of Aalborg was Alabu, name stamped on a coin found in the area. However, it is known amongst Aalborg citizens that the name of the city came from the eels being fished in the area for which the Danish word is aal. During the Middle Ages, Aalborg was one of the most prosperous cities in Denmark, being a major trading center, this prosperity came from the heavy fishing happening in the area. Merchant and trade union was established in 1481, and after a long trade with the Hanseatic League, Aalborg was granted monopoly over the salt herring. This created links across the North Sea to England, but also trade in Norway and western Sweden. During this time Aalborg became one of the biggest cities in Denmark fact which lead to a cultural exchange between Aalborg and the rest of Europe, which transformed the city into a cultural spot as well. A large number of Medieval buildings are still being kept in good condition, especially in the central part of the town, where most of the cultural and trading activities took place. Some medieval buildings are still standing or have been uncovered. For example the Franciscan monastery which was probably built around 1240 on the east side of ster. The monastery was closed in 1530, before the Reformation of the Catholic Church. The ruins of the building can be seen now in the underground museum in the center of the town. Another monastery, Helligndsklosteret was founded in 1451. It has been redone into a hospital during the reformation. Nowadays, the building is being used as a nursing home.

Another important historical building dating from the Renaissances period in Aalborg is the Aalborg Svane Apotek situated next to Nytov street. Although the building was originally a for merchants house (Jens Bang), the pharmacy has been in the building since 1671. Jens Bang's

House was built in 1624 in blazed, dark red brick at the order of Jens Bang, who was a typical Renaissance figure and one of the city's wealthiest men. Houses often faced the street with the gable end. Jens Bang's house was made of stone and it was larger than the contemporary average house. The stone house is a Renaissance building, inspired by the Dutch Renaissance, which consists of five floors. The living room was on the first storey, the second floor consisted of chambers and the top floor was used as a granary. The main faade is inspired by the French and Italian faades of the time and it is divided by horizontal sandstone bands. The octagonal bay window with a dome on the facade has been added later. Parts of the stone house were restored in 1917by the architect Harald Lnborg-Jensen, who recreated the missing decoration. In 1666, Swan Pharmacy opened on the ground floor, after Jens Bang had died in 1644. The house was thus divided into several parts for hire, and John Frederick Friedenreich rented the ground floor and opened the pharmacy. The swan symbolizes the goods fine and pure quality. Upon his death in 1690 he owned the house. Nowadays the pharmacy has been renovated, so it is suitable for modern pharmacies use and modern standards. The pharmacy also has a collection of old pharmaceutical bottles. In the old part of Aalborg, there are a lot of stone or brick houses dating from the same period as Jens Bangs House, and most of them still keep their charm and add to the old-city feeling that Aalborg has. Most of these buildings now serve as residential buildings, with commercial areas on the ground floors. Around 1800 there was a decline in the herring fishery, which had a negative impact on the city's economy. It was further aggravated by the loss of Norway which lead to the city losing its important role as a hub for Norway trade and the establishment of Limfjord Western 'output', which meant that the city lost control of Limfjordsegnenes trade. Aalborg continued to be Jyllands-largest city until the 1850s, when this status was acquired by Aarhus. After rapid industrialization in the 1890s Aalborg became an industrial city, known as

the city with the smoking chimneys and home to several large companies in particular cement (Aalborg) and Danish Andels Cement (DAC), tobacco (CW Obel ), shipbuilding (Aalborg Shipyard) and spirits (Danish Distillers). The great wealth that was accumulated in the city is reflected in the residential neighborhood Hasseris and especially Hasserisvej, as well has the largest concentration of palaces and patrician from around 1900. Nordjyllands Historiske Museum The Nordjyllands Historiske Museum is situated next to Budolfi Church, close to the historical part of the city, in a Renaissance house. The museum hosts many items from all the ages of Aalborg, most of them placed in showcases. The building in which the museum operates was not designed to be used as such, so there was a need of functional adaptation to reach the required standards for a museum. Some of the alterations the building went through were: the installment of an elevator, lowered ceilings, lights in the ceiling and darkened rooms. The entrance to the museum is very well emphasized, both by the light and by the architectural qualities of the building. The entrance area to a museum is very important, for it serves as an adaptation area from the outside light to the darker light. The uniform and general light in any entrance hall has to offer the visitor the feeling of safety. Not only must this guide the visitor towards the exhibitions but it has to point out the direction in which the visitor should walk through the museum. The sequence of spaces is accentuated by the gradually lower or higher ceilings, depending on the exhibits.

The museum consists most of showcases and the light used is mainly directional light, however, there are many reflections in the glass

However, from a lighting point of view, the museum has rather poor illuminating. In a showcase museum the glaze should be avoided, large windows should be covered, or the light coming from them ought to be filtered. In this case almost all showcases in the museum reflect either outside light or spot light, and the view on the exhibits is not as good as it should be due to the bad positioning of spot lights and lack of integrated lights in the showcases. There are some methods that have been used to diminish the effect of daylight on the showcases. For instance,

in the ground-floor levels the ceilings have been lowered, in order to reduce the quantity of light in the room, and the original ceiling has been painted in a dark color to prevent light from reflecting. Still, the spots placed on the fake ceiling do not have good orientation, and the light creates shades on the exhibits. Generally spots have to have a reflecting coat around them that has to diffuse the light so as to avoid the white spots or the reflection, or, in order for reflection to be avoided, the showcases must be made of non-reflective glass. Nevertheless, there is one room in which the lighting is done immaculately, and that is the bottle and glass room. Here, the lights come from the back of the showcases and the light in the room is separated by white vertical panels which absorb the extra light, so as one case does not reflect in the one opposite to it. Here, the natural light is not as powerful. Grbrdrekloster Museum In 1994 the Aalborg Historical museum conducted the excavations of the Franciscan friary underneath Alegade Street. The first Franciscan priests arrived to Aalborg in 1232. They preached a life of poverty and sacrifice. The land on which the friary was built was very close to the center of the town, so people were attracted easily to the sermons. The friars built a first small, single-naved, 9m by 10 m church before 1300. Due to bad foundation and unstable soil, the first establishment was damaged and so the friars decided to build a new church. The foundation of the first building and the building itself were removed completely by 1300 when the new church was built. From this period only two coffins were preserved. The second church was bigger than the first one, but still having a single nave. At the end of the church a porch was added later on. Due to the foundation problems the friars experienced with the first church, they decided to make certain the stone foundations of the new church would be placed on solid soil. The load-bearing walls rested on a high granite base. The church had adjacent buildings, where the friars would live. After the excavations the remaining foundations of the church were placed in an underground museum. There is no natural light in this museum and most of the exhibits are small objects recovered from the site during the excavations. In this kind of museum the best type of lighting is the directional light, with very little diffuse light as to preserve the atmosphere. In the case of Grbrdrekloster Museum the lights are very well oriented towards the exhibits, and enhance the three-dimensional effect of the objects. The dark background offers a powerful contrast, thus making the effect of the lights dramatic, and creating a dark, gloomy atmosphere.

Horizontal surfaces reflect less than vertical surfaces, so the showcases are slightly tilted towards the viewer. All of the showcases in the museum have an integrated lighting system, which prevents reflections to occur, makes it easier to avoid direct glare for the observer due to bright light sources. The colors of the objects are emphasized by the lights(both spots and lateral lights), making it easier to notice the tones, the materiality of the objects, and gleams of metal objects. The room lighting is not powerful, so it does not compete with the shown exhibits. The central piece of the exhibit is the coffin which has a golden light on, that attracts the viewers sight from the first moment.

The largest part of the museum is the foundation of the church which is illuminated by diffuse colored light that only delimits the silhouette of the building, so as not to compete with the other elements shown in the exhibition. The higher walls that have been excavated and are included in the walls of the museum are being illuminated by spots that bring out the texture of the stone, and its age. The colors are very contrasting so the human eye perceives it very clearly as a part of the exhibition and not as a part of the new museum building. The text panels are very legible and properly lit. The lights in the entrance hall guide the visitor towards the gallery, and create suspense while dimming as one walks towards the main hall of the museum. They are divided into ceiling lights and floor lights, the prior focus on the showcases inside the walls, the latter acting as guiding light. The passing from outside light to almost complete darkness underlines the going back to the dark ages and adds a dramatic effect to the museum. Compared with other museums I have visited, the three museums in Aalborg focus mainly on one type of lighting, with only one type of exhibits. Except for Kunsten Museum which has both directional and natural background light, the other two museums focus on smaller exhibits, mostly three-dimensional objects, so the light used is mostly spot directional light So, for example, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen has more than one type of exhibits: both three dimensional objects and paintings. Not only this but the building itself is a piece of art. So there are used many techniques in the museum to emphasize the objects on display: the black box

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effect- for light colored paintings together with directional light, to highlight the pale colors. In the interior courtyard, the light comes from a translucid ceiling, which gives light in all the space (the same technique used in the Kunst museum, only that the light in the Glyptotek is not processed-it does not need it). Wall-washers are used in the newer part of the building to underline the clear lines of the extension. In the rooms which show statues, there is general lighting with more directional light to produce the volume effect.

Interior light and the way it is processed

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