ArchShowcase 
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Toshiba Milano Salone in Milano, Italy by DGTMay 26th, 2011 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: DGT This project was initiated by Toshiba, a corporate citizen of planet Earth, wanting to create a light installation featuring LED lights at Milano Salone 2011, the world’s largest design trade fair. Since its commercialization of the incandescent light bulb in 1890, Toshiba has continued to contribute to the development of lighting culture through its cutting-edge technology, consistent innovation and passion for light. The company entered the European LED market in 2010. It is committed to the development and creation of innovative next-generation products that are based on the understanding of the unique cultures and diverse values of different countries and regions, in harmony with people and environment.  Images Courtesy Daici Ano
 Images Courtesy DGT
 Images Courtesy Francesco Niki Takehiko DGT was Toshiba’s partner for their light installation for Milano Salone 2011. The installation venue took place in Cortile di Via Savon, in a context that was built over a century ago. In the ruins of a building that has been a witness to the history of Milano. It was only after gaining a thorough understanding of the building that DGT considered how this site could be imbued with greater values through intersecting creativity and technology into a unique experience of light. The project composed 3 specific experiences of “Light”:  Images Courtesy Francesco Niki Takehiko APPROACH – A seamless white tunnel, an entrance to the installation. The single line of 5mm gap light stretching along the ceiling is reflected onto the stream of water on the floor to become yet another line of light. COURTYARD – The constant ripples created on the water’ s surface are illuminated by the sun during the day, and by LEDs at night. The ripples are then reflected on a single wall that has survived over 100 years. The shimmering, swaying body of water imbues the remaining wall with moments of light. INSIDE – A fantastical space made by the wall of light in which multiple layers of water are constantly transformed as a result of countless lighting particles. This installation explores the possibilities of LED in conveying emotional resonance. The installation was experienced by over than 30 000 visitors and attracted the attention of international media and press.  Images Courtesy Francesco Niki Takehiko TOSHIBA LIGHTING PHILOSOPHY Toshiba is no longer just a Japanese company, but a “corporate citizen of planet Earth.” Rather than supplying the world with products reflecting Japanese tastes and preferences, Toshiba continues to make a contribution to a “lighting culture” that is in harmony with people and the environment, delivering safe and comfortable lighting designed to alleviate the load on the global environment through its initiatives to “innovate for the next generation” .  Images Courtesy Francesco Niki Takehiko These initiatives are based on an understanding of the diverse cultures unique to each country and region. Towards a prosperous and comfortable lifestyle for all people, Toshiba continues to look to the future in developing its lighting products with the same commitment that resulted in the development of the incandescent light bulb 120 years ago. Looking forward to an experience that represents the coming together of the creativity of internationally active artists and Toshiba’ s commitment to lighting, its lighting technology and its philosophy.  Images Courtesy Francesco Niki Takehiko MEASURING LIGHT AND TIME ‘Light-time correction’ is scientifically defined as a displacement in the apparent position of a celestial object from its true position (or geometric position) caused by the object’s motion during the time it takes its light to reach an observer. Light-time correction occurs in principle during the observation of any moving object, because the speed of light is finite. The magnitude and direction of the displacement in position depends upon the distance of the object from the observer and the motion of the object, and is measured at the instant at which the object’s light reaches the observer. It is independent of the motion of the observer. It should be contrasted with the aberration of light, which depends upon the instantaneous velocity of the observer at the time of observation, and is independent of the motion or distance of the object .It can be applied to any object whose distance and motion are known. By convention, It is not applied to the positions of stars, because their motion and distance may not be known accurately. Light skews out preception of reality concerning time, as we always see our reality in the past, due to the time it takes for light to reach us, and thus the image to reach us.  Images Courtesy Francesco Niki Takehiko CAPTURING LIGHT IN WATER As together they form the 2 necessities of life, light and water interact together in many ways. Reflection: of light is either specular (mirror-like) or diffuse (retaining the energy, but losing the image) depending on the nature of the interface. Furthermore, if the interface is between a dielectric and a conductor, the phase of the reflected wave is retained, otherwise if the interface is between two dielectrics, the phase may be retained or inverted, depending on the indices of refraction. Refraction: the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its speed. This is most commonly observed when a wave passes from one medium to another at an angle. Refraction of light is the most commonly observed phenomenon.  Images Courtesy Francesco Niki Takehiko ON TIME / OFF TIME AS LED TECHNOLOGY One of the advantage of LED light is the extremely fast switching On / Off response with an almost 0 second of delay. DGT focused on this simple point and attempted to visualize the time of light when on a short time or on a long time by using water. By setting the constant frequency 50Hz with sequencing transition of on/off time from 5μs to 2000μs in a program, the shortest time of 5μs (ex. 0.432s of light / 24 hours) can be seen as a point of light and can be transformed into a line of light in 2000μs in a refraction of water.  Images Courtesy Daici Ano SITE AND MEANING After visiting several potential venues in Milan, the site that DGT chose is Cortile 37 via Savona. The place is currently used as a parking lot but has the great potential to transform into ‘the place of being’ for Toshiba LED lighting installation. The main yellow building on the street front dates to the end of the 19th century. It is characterized by its symmetry and its compactness. The space which is defined by the wall, was previously used as a warehouse. With each change of aforementioned function, the use of this space also changed according to the function of the main building. It was built and used as a German school and after the war it became an office of the socialist party. More recently, due to poor management, the building fell into disrepair. Several incidents marked its history during this time including several fires and squatting. Today the restored building is owned by the Municipality of Milan and it’s used by an association for disable people.  Images Courtesy Daici Ano SITE SPECIFIC INSTALLATION The project composed 3 specific experiences of “Light”: APPROACH – A seamless white tunnel, an entrance to the installation. The single line of 5mm gap light stretching along the ceiling is reflected onto the stream of water on the floor to become yet another line of light. COURTYARD – The constant ripples created on the water’ s surface are illuminated by the sun during the day, and by LEDs at night. The ripples are then reflected on a single wall that has survived over 100 years. The shimmering, swaying body of water imbues the remaining wall with moments of light. INSIDE – A fantastical space made by the wall of light in which multiple layers of water are constantly transformed as a result of countless lighting particles. This installation explores the possibilities of LED in conveying emotional resonance.  Images Courtesy Daici Ano
 Images Courtesy DGT  Plan
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