Between Silence and Light: Tom Livingston

Posted At : December 23, 2008 1:00 AM
Related Categories: Science & Social Science

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Taken from Between Silence and Light: Spirit in the Architecture of Louis I. Kahn by John Lobell, published by Shambhala Publications.

Read by Tom Livingston: "As a life-long Alaskan architect, I am especially attuned to the seasonal changes of daylight in the North: sometimes so abundant and sometimes so scarce." An Alaskan since Statehood, Tom enjoys engaging Alaska while skiing, biking, fishing and hiking. Jan, his wife of 37 years, and their daughter Annie lend much-appreciated support to his lifelong pursuit of fine architecture. Two organizations he is involved with: the Aurora Waldorf School and Anchorage Youth Symphony.

Architect Louis Kahn's writings about daylight resonate with me. Here he talks about the nature of a room and its natural light:

"The room is not only the beginning of architecture: it is an extension of self. If you think about it, you realize that you don't say the same thing in a small room that you say in a large room. If I were to speak in a great hall, I would have to pick one person who smiles at me in order to be able to speak at all.
...
Also marvelous in a room is the light that comes through the windows of that room and that belongs to the room. The sun does not realize how wonderful it is until after a room is made. A man's creation, the making of a room, is nothing short of a miracle. Just think, that a man can claim a slice of the sun."

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