THE IMPOSSIBLE GALLERY | London, England | Unit 21 | 2015

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The concept was conceived by using lines from the existing site light studies to generate enclosures and boundaries for the impossible Gallery proposal. The gallery is only made by slits, there are no windows on this narrow and long building. This simple method distinguishes the outline of the entire figure and abstracts the stance of the architecture. The slits make us more sensitive to light. The interior space is light beyond expectations. Light through the slits varies its appearance momentously accordingly to  weather, season and time.

Through the light studies it became easy to read the predominating brighter area in the middle of the site. This links to the concept of two separated buildings with the same function but interconnected with different directions, just like the platforms at the station, westbound and eastbound, interconnected by separate, same use  but  with different directions.

Since the original roof  is  gone,  the  benefit of  having abundant natural light during the day is one of the positive points of the  Barbican Station. Although, during the evening, or even while late afternoon during winter the platforms can become very dark, very grim. The slits on the floor of the gallery allows not only natural light in, as they also have artificial lighting in place to provide a well lit platform, sheltered not only from the weather but also with a welcoming bright feel.

Creating anticipation: The exhibition spaces are small, but with strategically places walls, dictated by light. Those exhibition spaces are on separated levels, users are encouraged to explore the building in case they decided only to use the services. The design generates a series of experience for the user through a play of scale and light, which helps users to orient themselves in the space. The light-filled transparent nature of the glass skin is contrasted against the steel solid cor-ten steel walls and rectilinear opening of the private interiors.

On this design, the aim is to allow the commuters to experience the gallery even if they are the station platforms, the platforms would work as an extension of the galleries. The freedom of controlling the gallery light conditions directly from the platform through the counterweight pulley system. Therefore, the commuters would impact on the platform’s lighting conditions. The shading device composed of tensile sails, which are controlled manually via counterweight system which the public has access via the platform. Using a pulley system to tension the steel cables, easily one can open and close the sails above the gallery and station to achieve more or less lighting.