NEWS

MPM ARCHI

Open-air playground in silk-screened Danpalon“We wanted to get away from the usual standard for school playgrounds, which tend to be dark, hemmed-in and noisy.”

T-DEC, Sérigraphie Thietry

New forms of decorative printing“Used as both interior and exterior decoration, silk-screening provides a real plus.”

Agence Nathalie Larradet Architectes

Coppery effects for a gymnasiumextension“The competitive pricing of this material let us take our concept a step further.”

Agence d’architecture Le Houx – Phily

The interplay of colors at the Gymnase de l’Oseraie“The color contrasts make the façade seem to vibrate; it never quite looks the same.”

Architectes ADPi

An aluminum look: Pointe-à-Pitre Airport“We opted for Danpalu because its translucencyand aluminum-like appearance allowed us to design a slim, airy roof with an attractivelysmooth quality.”

Architectes ADP

Illuminated interior siding at Roissy CDG Airport“Danpalu is opaque enough to conceal themasonry components and reflective enough to playwith the light.”

S’pace Architectes associés

Shedding light on waste reclamation“The decision to use Danpalon allowed us to producethis effect of transparency and elegance right from the preliminary sketches.“

Atelier d’architecture Rolland

A lively façade for a superstore in China“Danpalon was an integral part of the concept we proposed.”

Sasha Lukich architecte

“Glasnost” train station in Moscow“Outside roofing with Danpalon, a new experience for me.”

P. de Benoit et M. Wagner architectes SA

Luminescence and lightness: a junior high school in Switzerland“Inside the school, Danpalon becomes a luminescentsurface, both restful and vibrant.”

Scanlight AB

Roof with sunlight admittanceregulator, SwedenControlite is the first construction system to have abuilt-in sunlight regulator, with adjustable light-cuttingslats.

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Thanks to the imagination of architecture professionals, thearchitecture of light is becoming more and more established andexpanding into new creative realms. Whether for stadiums,schools, factories or offices, throughout the world, archi-tectural projects from thesimple to the adventurousare making increasing useof all the advantagesoffered by natural light:personal well-being, work-place comfort, enhancedproductivity and more.

A new generation of technologyAs part of its ongoing efforts to broaden the expressive possibilities open to designers,Everlite Concept is using its expertise in the field of polycarbonates to promote advancesin engineering as well as aesthetic innovation.

Advances in engineering include higher-performance thermal and acoustic insulationsystems, enhanced use of solar energy and better monitoring of the greenhouse effect,and simpler and more durable building technology.

Aesthetic innovation comes with richer and newly diversified colour palettes, newdesign methods and inventive reinterpretations of materials—the result of an ongoing dialogue among architects and clients.

As a consequence, building facades are becoming more vibrant than ever, withcrystalline and opalescent effects, colours made to order, transparency and opac-ity, silkscreened patterns and interplays of light and shadow. Architecture is keep-ing pace with changes in peoples’ lives and environments—even fulfilling their dreams—in daylight and nighttime alike.

From a school playground boasting a transpar-ent bamboo-patterned roof to a gymnasiumwith multicoloured facades, this issue of TheArchitecture of Light Newsletter is primarilydevoted to the array of new options providedby Everlite building technology. Anything is possible!

Alain Chambron

A palette of colours and effects… for designers working with light

Architecture of Light, now distributed internationallyThe Architecture of Light Newsletter editorial team is pleased to welcome its new readers. The magazine dedicated to lighting designers is now available in English translation for broader international distribution. This issue is being distributed in six European countries: France, Britain, the Netherlands,Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden. As the architecture of light continues to break through new geographical and design barriers, subsequent issues will target an ever wider readership. Our adventure is just beginning.

number 14 / 2004 / april

Constructed in accordance with High Environmental Quality procedures, the BessouSchool in Béziers, France, makes maximum use of natural light, right through to theplayground with its panoramic view of the sky: the innovative silk-screened roof is virtually transparent.

uilt in the heart of Béziers, in an areathat lacks any guiding architectural

principle, this new 600-student school

offers an opportunity to create a hub forthe surrounding neighbourhood—andeducate passers-by as well! The building is

fully integrated into the urban settingby means of both an upper and loweresplanade that provide students withsafe access to the road and publictransport. These two levels are inte-grated into the natural slope of thesite. The building is designed to fulfilan educational role inasmuch as it pro-vides light, colour and plant life. Theexemplary result reflects the HighEnvironmental Quality (HEQ) processthat governed its design.

Natural light,recyclable materials“A major element of our approach wasto make maximum use of natural light”explains Pierre Morel, the project’sarchitect. “The architectural handling,spatial organisation and use of recycla-ble materials were all the result of ourextensive study of visual comfort andlight control”. The school’s entry hall,which functions as its nerve centre,offers a clear visual overview of thebuilding’s three levels and external sur-roundings on both the esplanade andcourtyard side, and allows visitors toorient themselves with respect to theopen areas (access to the classrooms,administrative areas, media resourcecentre, etc.). The hall is enhanced by a bamboohedge extending into the playgroundarea, which is partially protected by a fully translucent 500-sq.m roof. This area, boasting a Danpalon cove-ring, ensures excellent lighting forrooms on the ground floor and

reflects the HEQ approach. With itsMakrolon polycarbonate base, the productcan be incorporated into other products,such as new translucent panels, when itreaches the end of its service life.

Bamboo—a masterstroke!Pierre Morel notes that “We wanted to getaway from the typical school recreationarea—dark, closed-in, noisy. So we opted touse Danpalon Cristal because its virtualtransparency provided natural light and thefeeling of being outdoors”. The problem washow to make use of this transparencywhile minimizing the powerful direct sun-light characteristic of Béziers. “Our solu-tion was to silkscreen the Danpalon with abamboo design that would provide shade tothe playground underneath and at the sametime make reference to the bamboo hedge. Wedesigned the pattern and then had the serig-rapher prepare three successive samples, inorder to obtain the exact colour and patternthat we wanted. This covering provides aview of the sky overhead through the protec-tive bamboo and at the same time ensuresclear daylight below.”

With silk-screened Danpalon

A school playground opens up to the sky

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One advantage of this approach is durability, sincethe silkscreen motif is applied to the underside ofthe covering; this offers a wide range of opportu-nities for creativity. The architects behind theBessou school are currently designing new façadesfor use in a retail shopping centre: “translucent,silk-screened façades based on the same principle”.says Morel. “They’ll serve as both retail signs anddisplay windows, animated day and night by theinterplay of light generated by the Danpalon”.More to come…

UPDATE...

Boasting years of expertise in thedecoration of glass (serigraphy,sandblasting, acid etching), T-DEC isnow on its way to becoming a spe-cialist in Danpalon as well! Thecompany’s director, BernardThierry, is constantly on the look-out for new techniques and effectsand for forty years has been work-ing single-mindedly to “make yourwildest dreams a reality”!

SerigraphyNew decorative printingusing Danpalon

General architect: MPM ARCHI – Morel Pierre et Matthieu

65, avenue Jean-Jaurès, 30000 Nîme Frances, FrancePhone: +33 (0)4 66 29 13 74

Associate architect: Thierry Lissandre

Playground covering: SIA,Saint-Just (Hérault)

Client: Hérault General Council

The HEQ processAs the first educational building to be includedin the High Environmental Quality buildingprocess adopted by the departmental govern-ment of Hérault, the Bessou School meets anumber of requirements:• maximum use of natural light,• the adoption of environmentally friendly

products and materials,• extensive landscaping throughout the site as

well as on the flat roofs, • facilities that are energy-efficient and reduce

water consumption,• enhanced thermal and acoustic comfort (solar

protection and reinforced slabs, acoustic insu-lation and a high level of ventilation).

A reliable procedure“We have been studying polycarbonates for more than 15 years(for interior partitions, lift ceilings, etc.). They’re highly inventivematerials and still evolving, especially with the creation ofDanpalon, which is what led us to contact Everlite to try out sometests with silk-screening. The results were conclusive. Serigraphyis perfectly adapted to the entire range of Everlite products,because it bonds more closely with these materials than withglass. This discovery led to the silk-screened playground coveringfor the Bessou School in Béziers. We’re currently working on threeother projects using Danpalon, including the future TGV stationfor high-speed trains in Nancy”.

Guaranteed durability“We use pigments that have high light absorption, so they’re verydurable when used outside. Indoors, the colours are guaranteedto remain fast for decades. So there’s a wide range of possibilities.Serigraphy offers real added value, in both aesthetic and engi-neering terms, for interior and exterior design alike”.

A quick and easy process“Above all, our know-how is based on a good understanding ofthe products and on our ability to do four-colour printing on verylarge panels (up to 4 m x 2 m). Installation is very easy. The archi-tects e-mail us theimage they want;we then enlarge theimage and preparea sample. The subse-quent printingprocess takes verylittle time. Forexample, the 400panels used for theschool in Bézierswere screen-printedin just one week”.

T-DEC Thietry SerigraphyBernard Thietry, Bertrand Valroff

3, impasse de la Colline, 54000 Nancy, France - Phone: +33 (0)3 83 95 16 16

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PERSPECTIVE

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In this school expansion, Danpalon was used on a wide scale as a delib-

erately minimalist response to the monolithic, block-like architecture of

the existing buildings. The contrast of materials encourages diversity

and provides easy identification of building functions.

School gymnasium, Pau

Minimalism and contrasting effects

uilt in the 1950s, the gymnasi-um at the Lycée Louis-Barthou

in Pau had two separate spaces (forteam sports and gymnastics) that

had becomeobsolete andno longercomplied withstandards. Thea r c h i t e c tdesigned ane x p a n s i o n ,

offering area for contact sports,that incorporated a range of mate-rials to create a contrast betweenthe various sections of the building.

Danpalon, woodand masonryThe 200 sq.m expansion is in greenDanpalon and “resembles the pre-oxi-dized copper finish used on another

of our renovation projects nearby,”explains Nathalie Larradet, the proj-ect architect in charge of renovat-ing a portion of the existing school.

“The entryway to the gym-nasium, which serves asthe link to the buildingexpansion, has been cladwith wood and includesgenerous amounts of glass.The two sports halls stillpresent a solid façade,with white-painted brick-work. We had to work withthe architecture of the exist-ing buildings, which isespecially monolithic andblock-like. The result is aminimalist architecturethat, in its volume anduse of materials, clearlyexpresses the functions of

the three spaces contained in thebuilding”.

With money left over!Inside, the walls dividing the exist-ing facilities (storage, washrooms,changing rooms) have been redis-tributed. The roof was reconstruct-ed with Danpalon Ice, extendingover 850 sq.m. “The large-size pan-els meant that we were able to reducethe number of joints and thus ensurethe best possible waterproofing”.

The new hall’s translucent façadeswere equipped with metal andwood brise-soleils to the west and

east. “The natural lighting is softand pleasant, not blinding. Light ispresent and evenly distributedthroughout the day”. Hmm…aneducation in Zen? “The studentscan’t be seen from the outside, so theycan concentrate more effectively. Inaddition, the competitive cost of thematerial allowed us to take our ideaeven further. We had enough moneyleft over to upgrade the acoustics inall the halls. The new space incorpo-rates a perforated curved wall madeof Triply, while the other rooms areprovided with Acoustichoc soundabsorption panels”. A minimalistsolution with maximum effect!

Agence Nathalie Larradet Architectes65, avenue Trespoey, 64000 Pau, France

Phone: +33 (0)5 59 02 68 68

Client: Aquitaine Regional Council,Bordeaux

Contracting authority: SEPA, Pau

Engineer: GETEC, Pau

Partner businesses: LARRIEU – 64 Montfort (roof)

CAMPS – 64 Nay (façades)

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Nathalie Larradet, `architecte.

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The architects selected crystal, opal, blue and green shades from the

Everlite colour swatch to ensure the vibrancy of the translucent skin

enclosing this gymnasium. An interplay of colours, with more besides…

rawing on their past workfor the Lycée Paul-Emile

Victor in Osny—nominated forthe silver Prix de l’Équerre—thearchitects designed a gymnasiumthat offered full compliance withthe necessary standards withoutcreating the kind of imposingmass normally associated withsuch buildings.

Breaking down the volumeThe specifications were standard and therefore straight-forward: a building 50 metres long by 30 metres wide by9 metres high; a 44 x 22-metre multisports centre; chang-ing rooms; and space for maintenance personnel. Tobreak down the building volume, explains Pierre Phily,“We sunk the gymnasium two metres below the naturalground level and then broke up the scale by placing thechanging rooms on ground floor level along the mainfaçade, to a height of three metres. The portion of the build-ing that’s visible is no more than four metres high. That’swhere we used the Danpalon in a range of colours, to givethe façade a real vibrancy. The taut curve of the roof alsohelps to mitigate the building’s volume and at the same timeadds visual interest to the building, whose major axis cul-minates at the gymnasium entrance”.

Bringing life to the volumeThe architects made great use of Danpalon, in terms ofboth colour and the panel dimensions. “The array of dis-tinct colours makes for a vibrating façade that’s constantlychanging", says Phily. “This vibration changes with theintensity of the sun during the day and the hues of the build-ing itself when it’s lit up at night. Inside, the translucencyof the polycarbonate and the combination of colours helps tofilter out light and reflections so that the building’s usersaren’t blinded. Although we used an array of colours, thelighting is uniform. In addition, working from a singlemodule, we varied the size and shape of the translucentstrips, to create a mosaic effect that compliments the wood-work. For the opaque roof, we used Kalzip rather than stan-dard aluminium roofing to create a smooth curve whoseslope fully complies with France’s DTU regulations”. With askin like that on both the façades and the roof, the 900students in the Osny school have just the right environ-ment to excel in sport!

The Oseraie Gymnasium

A high-performance skin for high-performance sport

Le Houx – Phily architecture firm39, rue Copernic, 75116 Paris, France

Phone: +33 (0)1 53 64 98 00

Client: Syndicat d’Agglomération de la Ville Nouvelle de Cergy-Pontoise

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PARTENARIAT

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Air terminal in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe

Protection from the Caribbean sunThe adoption of new security standards at the Pointe-à-Pitre airport

meant that more space was needed for baggage sorting.

Now the building

boasts an additional

3,000 sq.m, all

protected by Danpalu!

Jacques Gouillart, Dominique Chavanne, Eugène Szkaradkiewicz,architectes ADPi.

n response to new security stan-dards governing civil aviation, the

Pointe-à-Pitre chamber of commer-ce awarded a contract to Aéroportsde Paris Ingénierie (ADPi) to expandthe baggage sorting area at thecity’s airport. The new standardsrequire that all baggage to be loa-ded into the aircraft hold must beinspected; as a result, additionalfacilities were needed to housedetection systems, scanners,conveyor belts and workstations.

An elegant, airy solutionThe ground floor facilities havebeen enlarged by a Danpalu canopydeployed around the south side ofthe terminal building facing therunways, and along the building’seast and west sides as well.“The covering projects beyond the firstlevel of the building, which has aglass façade laid out along a grid ofstrongly defined support columns, soit had to be very carefully designed”,explains Jacques Gouillart, an ADPiarchitect. “The canopy is the firstarchitectural element that travellerssee from the passenger gangways. Wechose to use Danpalu because of itstranslucency and resemblance to alu-minium, which gave the building anelegant, airy covering with a beauti-fully smooth surface finish”.

A comfortableworking environmentAssembled in 0.60 x 10 m strips,the roof was designed to resistcyclone-force winds and at thesame time echo the grid in the faça-de. The work areas are open to therunways, so they’re naturally venti-lated by the trade winds. “Danpaluprovides a soft light that is effectivelydistributed across the entire handlingarea”, explains the architect. “Witha 20% light transmission coefficientand a solar factor of 0.28, Danpalufully meets the specification require-ments. A glazed solution with itsattendant framework would havebeen heavier and more complicated toinstall, and would have required aprotective covering as well. Initiallythe client was sceptical but now they’re completely satisfied with theresults, especially in terms of the morecomfortable working environment”.The only concern, which was quic-kly resolved in cooperation with

Everlite, was that, up until thatpoint, Danpalu had only receivedformal technical approval in main-land France. An experimentalassessment procedure was conduc-ted to obtain approval for the useof Danpalu in a tropical climate. Thenew facilities have been operationalsince last July, after winning theapproval of the regional civil avia-tion board and the relevant airlines.They were designed to provideadded baggage handling capacityin anticipation of the arrival of thefuture Airbus A380.

Architectes ADPi: Dominique Chavanne,

Eugène Szkaradkiewicz, Jacques Gouillart.

Phone: +33 (0)1 49 75 10 93

Engineers: GEC ingénierie Guadeloupe

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Paul Andreu and the architects

of ADP have designed Paris's

new hub terminal for Air

France and the Sky Team

alliance. The spacious, light-

filled building, complemented

by a range of materials

(Danpalu, wood, glass and concrete), redefines the concept of

public space.

Roissy CDG airport, Terminal 2 E

A bright space means greatercomfort for travellers

SITE

ncreased air traffic and the needfor a modern hub facility prompt-

ed construction of the new termi-nal, which has been in the workssince 1996. Intended for long-haulflights, Terminal 2E is designed tocomplement 2F, which is used forshorter routes. The new terminaloffers numerous quick transit connections from a single location.

It includes a main ter-minal, 450metres long,linked bybridge to acurved gateb u i l d i n g ,650 metres

in length, that houses the depar-ture lounges.

A light-filled bridgeThe choice of materials was animportant part of the project. “We wanted to give these public areasa new aesthetic and comply as

effectively as possible with the specifi-cations, which were highly demand-ing in terms of the budget andtimetable,” explains Jean-Paul Back.“We used wood, especially in themain terminal as a replacement forthe false concrete ceiling, to provide awarm and friendly environment andreduce the project timeframe andcost”. The gate building, designedto handle jumbo jets, is built entire-ly of concrete and glass, withoutany interior columns. “There’s amultitude of exterior views. The concrete is used as both a structuraland an architectural element”. The bridge comprises two buildingsseparated by a central axis, with a raised roof, through which pas-sengers must travel to reach thedeparture gates. “Along each side ofthis passageway we created two interior façades made of Danpalu,65 metres long by 11.50 metres high.Our goal was to ensure that the link to the gate building wasn’t com-pletely opaque”.

Interior finishes“We raised the roof by four metres toallow light to enter through two glassstrips. This provides a source ofinterplay with the Danpalu. It’splaced below the glass, slightly offset,so as to reflect enough light to helpilluminate the entire public area. Up until now, we had only usedDanpalon as a roofing element.Thanks to Paul Andreu, we thoughtit would be interesting to useDanpalon as an interior finish. Itlooks like aluminium, and yet it’ssufficiently opaque to mask themasonry elements while generatingreflections that create an interplay of light. It also complied with thespecifications, since it’s inexpensiveand easy to install”.

Architectes ADP: Paul Andreu, Jean-Michel Fourcade,

Anne Brison (main terminal), Jean-Paul Back (bridge)

and Gilles Goix (gate terminal).

Project Manager, Client:Aéroports de Paris

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The bridge: practically a small townThe bridge houses the passport and security checkpoints, duty-free shopping centre, Air France lounges,numerous offices, a company restaurant and, in the basement, the passenger baggage handling system.

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DEVELOPMENT

Waste recovery plant – Onyx UK

Danpalon sheds a bright light on a high-tech processGiving waste treatment a new look: that’s the successful gamble taken by

Jean-Robert Mazaud and his architectural firm S’pace in their design for

the waste recovery plant in Chineham, Great Britain. The plant is a verita-

ble showcase, structured around a guided tour for the general public.

or a year now, this ultra-modern plant, which meetsthe latest environmental standards, has been con-

verting the household waste produced by the town ofBasingstoke (40 km north of Southampton) and thesurrounding area into electricity. In this case, the indus-trial objective was combined with a concern for trans-parency with respect to the local population. The con-tract concluded between Onyx-Hampshire WasteServices, the waste treatment contractor, andHampshire County Council stipulated that the plant

layout shouldinclude an itineraryfor a tour open tothe general public.The goal wastransparency, inboth the literaland the figurativesenses.

Nothingto hide!“Chineham is ashowcase, not onlyfrom the outsidebut from the insideas well, with itsimmense, light-filled exhibitionhalls and a tourlayout that showsvisitors all aboutthe high-tech processof waste treatment.

The materials used for the outer shell of the building weresupposed to carry a connotation of both transparency, inthe sense of ‘nothing to hide’, and elegance in terms of theirvisual impact”, explains Jean-Robert Mazaud. “Thedecision to use Danpalon, a system we have alreadyworked with on several other projects, allowed us to pro-

duce this effect of transparency and elegance right from thepreliminary sketches. Danpalon is combined with othermaterials to form a protean outer shell that expresses thetransformation of matter.” The architectural plan followsand imitates the industrial process through which inertwaste is transformed into steam and electricity, with theby-products (scrap metal and clinkers) being recycled.The different façades express this process of demateri-alization: opaque at one end (the waste pits), theybecome increasingly translucent thereafter, thanks to2,800 sq.m of Danpalon panels, from the Opale version(near the incinerators) to Cristal (the fumes processingarea) and lastly to stretched “open door” tarpaulinsleading outside to the open air! QED.

Natural lightingInside, the itinerary for the public tour offers access tovarious halls and vantage points. Project managerPhilippe Quetteville explains: “The entire reclamationprocess is illuminated by natural light. The pit is kept inpartial shadow, and then, as the process gradually pro-gresses, the light increases in intensity. At first it is milkyand somewhat soft, but becomes crystal-clear later on. Inaddition to its light-transmitting properties, Danpalon

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offered us perfectly smooth surfaces, owing to its broad span andits system of connectors. The architectural concept was based onsmooth, light and luminous materials reflecting cleanliness, puri-ty and a pathway to the ephemeral.” A new industrial aesthetics,and a fresh look at waste treatment and reclamation. Welcome to Chineham!

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Architect and project consultantS’pace Architectes Associés – Jean-Robert Mazaud, Catherine Parant,

Philippe Quetteville, project manager111, rue Molière – 94200 Ivry-sur-Seine – France

Tel.: +33 (0)1 45 15 51 11

General contractorMartin Engineering Systems (MES), CNIM

(Construction processes and civil engineering)

Project ownerHampshire Waste Intégra Onyx Aurora

Guided tourAfter the imposing entrance hall with a presentation ofthe stages involved in energy recovery from householdwaste, visitors climb a stairway to a large platform 7mabove ground level, looking down on the generator tur-bines. The stairs then go up to the level 15m aboveground, with a view into the fumes processing area. Thetour continues via a catwalk: air-cooled condensers, a ter-race filled with plants and a panoramic view of the siteas a whole. From there, visitors reach the conferenceroom, offices, staff restaurant and control room. Afterthat comes the waste unloading pit. Visitors thus followthe entire industrial process upstream to its source. The factory operates 24 hours a day and has a processingcapacity of 11 tonnes of waste per hour.

Installation of curtain wallsThe Danpalon panels were assembled in the usual manner,using double-notched aluminum connectors fixed inside thebuilding. The attachments do not pass through the panel.The system as a whole is thus perfectly watertight with nolongitudinal joins, which makes it quicker to install. The cur-tain walls are perfectly flat, as the architect wanted. The spe-cifications study was conducted jointly by Everlite’s technicaldepartment and the engineering and design department ofthe company handling the installation. The results speak forthemselves!

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Carrefour superstore in China

An illuminated wall, like a beacon in the city

For this extension built out from the main façade, the archi-

tects opted for translucency. The use of Danpalon makes

the building lighter, less “substantial” and livelier, the better

to communicate with consumers.

arrefour ise x p a n d i n g

rapidly in China,opening manynew stores eachyear either in exist-

ing buildings or constructing its ownnew premises. In the city ofKunming (population 3 million),located in Yunnan province, nearTibet, the retailer has set up shop ina modern building, which it has hadextended by the architectural firmRolland.

Visual comfort“The whole idea was to bring the sitein tune with the wishes of consumers,to arouse their desire to buy by pro-moting the product range and thesuperstore concept as soon as they sawthe façade”, explains Polly Rolland.“The new structure opts for translu-cency and transparency, in contrastto the massive stone towers that framethe building.” Apart from thewealth of goods on offer (food,items for the home, fashion etc.)spread over its four storeys, thestore was designed to offer maxi-mum visual comfort, whetherviewed from the street – it is locat-ed in the centre of town – or frominside. An extension 5 meters deepwas built out from the façade tomake room for the checkout lanesand conveyor belts needed to letshopping carts through. Whereasthe old façade was a blind wall, thenew one is a curtain wall of over1,000 sq.m of Danpalon Cristal

16 mm, interrupted here and thereby glass boxes that serve as sus-pended display windows.

An illuminatedexteriorIn sharp contrast to traditional super-stores, built as opaque boxes, thearchitecture here is suggestive andrevealing: “We were trying to giveCarrefour a distinc-tive image in China.Danpalon was anintegral part of theconcept we put for-ward”, explains proj-ect manager Jérômede Croze. “Its light-ness means that itcan be adapted toany kind of load-bearing structureand can therefore beused to give a certainuniformity to thefaçades of differentstores. Moreover,while retaining theidea of transparencyand having naturallight inside the store,Carrefour wanted toavoid a glass façade,which is costly bothin terms of the initialinvestment and heatloss. Danpalon thus emerged as theobvious choice owing to its light-transmitting properties but alsobecause of its translucency, since it

blocks the view sufficiently to be usedfor the entire façade: walls, serviceareas and public spaces alike.”Installation took very little time:about two weeks in all. The storeopened for business in January2003, and it has been revealingitself to the gaze of passers-by eversince – an iridescent mirror by dayand a lantern by night, always thereto alert the consumer.

Atelier d’architecture Rolland53, rue Toussaint – 49000 AngersFrance – Tel.: +33 (0)2 41 88 15 34

Frédéric Rolland and histeam have also designedanother building in China

that is roofed withDanpalon: Suzhou

Stadium, one of the mainsports facilities to be usedfor China’s Tenth National

Games in 2005 2005 (see Les Nouvelles

de l’Architecture Lumière, no. 12 / November 2002).

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Renovation in Moscow

A “Glasnost” train station in Moscow

Sasha Lukich,architecte.

The huge renovation of the railway

stations in Moscow began with a

project signed Sasha Lukich, a Serbian

architect who chose Danpalon as the

basis of his concept.

n October 2002, Russian Ministry ofTransport asked a few high tech design

offices in Moscow to project the mod-ernization of one of the seven main com-muting railway lines in Moscow region.For the pilot project, the Ministry chosethe 9 station-line to Mitischy, a suburbwith about 150 000 citizens. SashaLukich decided to take up the challenge,held by PSP-Farman office. “ I took atrain ticket and did the way, to feel theproblem throughout the eyes of passengers.In Mitischy, I walked around and tried toevaluate all the duties. But when I startedto take pictures, I was arrested by thepolice! As a foreign citizen, I was treatedlike a spy ! " After a call, the vice-presi-dent of Moscow Railway personallyguaranteed for him.

Putinagreement...Mitischy station was composed of a 140year-old building, ruined platforms,kiosks and a bridge. The bridge gaveSasha the general idea for the site : easytransit, connection between industrial

and residen-tial areas intown, shop-ping area too. Based on an elliptical tube,the project has been translated in 3D andlightly modified to fit with technical andpolitical duties, until Vladimir Putin him-self gave his agreement. The work is of ahigh importance, because it is part of awidest project of a high speed train,called Sputnik. From that day, Sasha hada short time to prepare the whole projectfor the nine stations of the line Moscow-Mitischy. And here interferes theDanpalon… “My basic idea was to usepolycarbonate material to roof all publicspaces to ensure the maximum light. Forthe three first stations, I decided to applytotally different solutions. It was the perfectsituation to experiment new materials andconstruction concepts that could demon-strate optimal solutions for the future.”

One material to cover all requirementsFor the first step of Mitischy station host-ing information system, booking hall,technical spaces, shops, for a total of 6 000 m2,“ I needed a homogeneous sur-face to roof it but with light substructuregrid, optimal light transmission withoutgreenhouse effect nor condensation, maxi-mum waterproofing, neutral color, easycleaning solution because of the aggressiveenvironment and rough climate.” He final-

ly chose Danpalon Multicell 16 mmavailable in very large panels that reducethe use of aluminum profiles. Outsideroofing with polycarbonate was a newexperience for him, even though he usedsimilar material for inside walls or roof.To cover the bridge and tubes to the platforms, he wanted a blue Danpalon togive a kind of toy effect. “Everlite wasready to produce all our extraordinaryorders in a very short time”, says Sasha.For the steel substructure, the PSP-Farman firm worked 24 hours aday… with a train crossing every sevenminutes ! Started in July 2003, the construction was achieved last January.From that day on, Moscow Railwayincomes increased twice thanks to thenew control system, the center of thecapital can be reached within a 18 mntrip, so the real estate in Mitischyincreased of 30%… and Moscow hasnow his “glasnost” (transparency) station.

Architect: Sasha Lukich, 32 years old, graduate from

the faculty in Belgrade (Serbia). E-mail: sasal@psp-farman.com

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School expansionAn ingenious,luminous solution

QUICK STUDY

The architects commissioned to addfour classrooms to the Collège del’Esplanade in Begnins, Switzerland,

were confrontinga twofold chal-lenge: a budgetthat had been cutto the bare mini-mum, and ashortage of landon which tobu i ld—exceptthe school play-ground! “Aside from thefact that thebudget con-straints requireda simple, effec-tive and veryinexpensive solu-tion”, says Pascalde Benoit, thearchitect for the

project, “the playground was actuallythe roof of an underground car park”.It was therefore necessary to design alightweight structure that wouldexpand the car park structures. Withthe creation of two structures on pil-ings, the entire playground area couldbe retained in the form of large, cov-ered play areas”.

Luminous walls The new buildings are connected tothe main part of the school via cov-ered walkways. “The use of Danpalonfor the façades offered the advantageof meeting the budget and weightrequirements. Visually, it breaks downthe solid volumes through the use oftranslucency, reflection and differentintensities of light. Danpalon was theonly covering used for the entryways,at thicknesses of 8 mm or 16 mm thatprovide extra insulation, and seenfrom the inside it offers a restful yet

lively surface of light. On the rest ofthe building, the Danpalon is linedwith chipboard panels (OSB)”.

Pascal de Benoit and Martin WagnerArchitectes SA (Lausanne, Switzerland)

Phone: + 41 216 47 30 80 E-mail: debenoit-wagner@bluewin.ch

Engineers: Charpente Concept Thomas BüchiSA (Perly-Geneva, Switzerland)

In order to ensure the best possibleplaying conditions for the 2003 DavisCup, the Helsingborg, Sweden, city

authorities decided to renovate thesomewhat dilapidated and old-fash-ioned roof on its Idrottens Hus sportscentre. For many years, athletes, visitors and television crews had com-plained about the direct lighting,uncontrolled light reflection, excessiveheat from sunlight and poor insula-tion from winter cold.

A customized solutionAs technical expert and project man-ager for Scanlight AB, MorgensFolmer-Petersen proposed the use ofControlite, the first building system tooffer integrated control of naturallight, with dual-surface translucentpolycarbonate panels equipped withrotating slats. The system works muchlike a blind, with automatic or manualrotation of the slats for full controlover light and heat transmission.

In this case, engineers chose a manual-ly operated system with which eachpanel can be adjusted individually. The result is a comprehensive, cus-tomized system that can be adaptedto any event, regardless of weatherconditions.

With the help of ControliteA roof with intelligent light controllers

THE ARCHITECTURE OF LIGHT NEWSLETTER is published by EVERLITE CONCEPT (3, rue du Maconnais, CE 1721, 91017 Evry Cedex, France - PHONE: +33 (0)1 64 97 08 07 - FAX: +33 (0)1 64 97 07 03 - E-mail: everlite.concept@everlite.fr.)for Votec Systems B.V. (Overresseliijksestraat 3 4751 TR OUD-GASTEL HOLLAND - PHONE: +31 (0)165 518 200 - FAX: +31 (0)165 512 424 - E-mail: info@votec.nl) - Print run: 22,000 copies - Publisher and Editorial Director: Alain Chambron,Consultant. Editorial Board: D. Doré, B. Sanz, N. Quiviger. Editorial Services: Agency SEMIOS, 101-109 rue Jean-Jaurès, 92300 Levallois-Perret, France. Illustrations courtesy of Everlite and the architecture firms and contractors cited; p. 5: IsabelleTabellion, p. 7: ADP, p. 8: Jon Banfield-Photograph, Ph.Quetteville, p. 11: Sasha Lukich.

The Architecture of Light Newsletter and Everlite are members of AFEX (Architectes Français à l’Exportation).

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Scanlight AB, Morgens Folmer-Petersen