1. ILLUMINATING GROWTH
Caitlin Collins & Janaki Douillard
Concept
The focus of this design is to maximize the use of light in the process of growing and cultivating a living building. A living
building is not alive solely because of the plant life that engulfs and pervades the building but in its ability to create a sup-
portive environment for its human and animal inhabitants. Light is a guiding source for plants to grow and people to find
their way. It has a remarkable tendency to find its way into the darkest of corners of a space and fill it with luminescent
warmth. This phenomenon provides the foundation for a space that glows and in doing so brings light and life to the nature
inside. Natural light nourishes plants and thus provides living scenery that has been shown to be a powerful tonic in helping
people recover from illness. But why wait for illness to take hold before immersing oneself in a living world that bestows
health and vitality? Why not accept the reality of the biophilic relationship between plant and human life and then choose to
live, work, and play in this natural utopia? Light is the mother of the living landscape and our remedy to the harsh concrete
world around us. Natural Light and Vertical Gardens
In the section above, the paths that natural light will take through the
building is shown. Large atriums and skylights will allow light to venture to
almost every section of the building and surrounding areas. The curtain
walls and seemingly endless windows will permit light to enter at different
floors as well. This will ensure that in the summer months less electricity will
need to be used and heating will be lessened in the hours that sunlight is
present in the winter months.
The elevation to the left shows the vertical gardens on the building. The
vertical gardens create a way to make the building feel more connected to
the surrounding area. This allows the building to not stick out like a sepa-
rate entity, but become one with the park. The vertical gardens also pro-
duce a protection barrier for the building. This makes the structure stron-
ger and insulated.
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