Illuminating Through Ceramics is a research-led teaching project taking place within the MArch Programme of the Liverpool School of Architecture. This project forms part of the Ceramic Tile Studies Departments, led by Rosa Urbano, sponsored by ASCER, and coordinated through ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade).
This publication shows new concepts of sustainable ceramic facades that improve the distribution of daylight in buildings by transforming the standard ceramic lattice wall into a dynamic lighting interface. By means of light-control techniques, geometrical analysis, and contemporary digital design tools, they aim to shape the ceramic surface to generate a system that captures, transports, and/or deflects daylight through the building skin.
The book shows displays visuals of the thirteen students’ proposals of the 2011-12 class, ranging over a variety of strategies: one natural chandelier, one performative shading facade, one light-deflecting rod screen, two systems of light-shelves, two systems of light-deflecting louvers, two rotating and mobile curtains, one light-transporting ceiling, two screens of vertical shading fins, and a dynamic shading ceiling. In short, all these projects reflect on materiality and tectonics as an instrument to promote ideas and develop new sustainable design methods.
