We were asked to create a spatial installation near the waterfront next to Chelsea Piers. When I visited the site in person, I was immediately captivated by the view across the pier, being embraced by the river and the sun. I wanted to call attention to the audience’s experience of feeling compelled by the sunlight and the water.

Research

The most important light source we are provided is the sun. Using the sun, we can do many things in architecture to improve a person’s well-being, save energy, create better aesthetics and functionality, and analyze a site.

A sun path shows an arc-like trajectory to indicate the traces of the sun’s position through times of the day, month, and year. There are different traces according to the season, which also affect the shadows that form.

Caustics are light rays that are either reflected from a body of water or refracted from a glass of water. These effects create moving patterns.

User & Site Analysis

After observing some users at the pier, I noticed that certain user groups would arrive and depart at specific times.

This was taken into consideration in the installation’s design, since the wall would need to be perpendicular to the best angle for sunlight reflection, resulting in the strongest caustic pattern, and the time of the day when the caustics show must align with when most user groups would show up at the pier.

The installation would be most effective on pier 62, given the pier’s longer exposure to sunlight throughout the day. After creating a sunpath of the site, I found that the best hours for the installation to project caustics would be from 1 pm to 5 pm on a summer solstice.

Materials

As for my materials, I wanted to utilize a white surface that would best project the caustic pattern animation. For this, I would use white concrete for the walls, as it reduces energy use for lighting and cooling through its reflectivity and is very durable. In addition to the white concrete, I will use granite for the bench, as it is load-bearing and cool to the touch, providing users with a pleasant cool feeling while observing the caustics above them.

Plans & Sections

Renders

Physical Model

Thank you for reading about my phenomena project!