Night Architecture

Results announced

Winner: City lights guide us into the night by Jaya Eka

Honorable Mention: From day to night... by Ileana Thais

 

Participants can still submit their entries for this theme till 31st January 2022. Check Schedule for more details.

 

‘Night Architecture’ is a theme that is part of the contest series ArchWeekly, a new brand of journal competitions inviting participants to engage in critical conversations on selected themes from several disciplines of architecture and design.

Discover the other themes and take part in multiple contests to experience the joy of writing over a range of subjects. Check out the schedule to find reward incentives and key deadlines!

 

---

 

Architecture by Night

Humans invented buildings to cater to the basic shelter necessity. With time, monumentality became an underlying definition of building in architecture. The character of a building was evident during the daytime and it went missing at night. With this, a trend began in the 19th century to give buildings a unique expression at night.

The concept of night architecture was introduced by combining light with architecture to provide an expression to building at night time.The definition of night architecture has evolved over years with advancement in technologies. It can be temporary or permanent depending upon the function or event. With evolution and advancement, lights led to ramification and created a new issue about its liability.

The brief aims to open a dialogue that fosters the concept of night architecture through stories, accounts or even observations.

 

---

Questions

1. What is night architecture?

In the 19th and 20th century, night architecture flourished in many parts of the world. The concept was evolved to enhance the image of building at night. Who started it? What qualities does it add to the design? How does it provide a different identity to building at night?

 

2. List examples where it is broadly used?

Various architectural elements can be enhanced through lighting. How is it done? What are the different techniques? What are the building types that can incorporate it?

 

3. How are the lighting systems designed? 

Every building element requires a specific kind of lighting and effect. Why study light and its effects? What type of lighting system to use in night city architecture? What types of software can be used? 

 

4. What are the concerns related to architecture at night?

Creating a perfect effect at night to give a special effect is very critical. The lighting effects and fixtures can have adverse effects during daytime. How to create a perfect balance? How efficient is it? 

 

5. How does night architecture contribute to defining the visual character of a space/place?

Some lighting effects enhance the character of a space? How does it exaggerate certain architectural features? Explore some places and cities. How is lighting used? (Eg. Singapore)

 

6. Why is the concept losing popularity in the 21st century? 

We usually take things for granted. Similarly the night lights were used extensively with time. What were the drawbacks? How did it contribute to pollution?

 

7. What are the different modes to document and understand architecture by night? 

Application of this knowledge in future is possible only if we document a movement or style for the coming generation. (Eg: Night architecture photography)

 

---

Deliverables

Participants shall deliver a written article of about 1000 - 1500 words with no more than 3 images, in a cohesive piece that answers the above questions or arguments presented. A cover of size [2000px x 1000px] must also be uploaded with the writing submission. 

The images must be copyright free or the participant must own the rights of the images used. 

 

---

How to submit?

Read all the challenge rules and details from the sidebar, and hit register. You can pay the entry fee and book your registration right away. Once you are ready with your essay - begin uploading via your journal tab – and add images and text in the sequence you are asked in. Once done, go to the competitions tab and link this journal.

Check the full tutorial below on how to make the submission: 

You can also watch it fullscreen here: Upload Tutorial