Two main design ideas were used to eliminate this feeling
of basement “compression”, high spaces and access to light on more than one
side. On this lower level of the house the ceilings are 10’ as opposed to the
8’ ceilings on the upper floor. In this way the house opens up more as you
descend into the lower level. For light, providing large windows on the open
end of the basement was the first step for providing good light but for the
side that is buried below ground we made use of skylights from above to provide
a wash of light across the back wall.
I have been interested in the use of light wells and skylights
for some time having experienced their use in other projects around the world.
One project that I found exceptionally compelling is Renzo Piano’s Atelier
Brancusi in Paris. The project was designed to house the works of Brancusi and
it is meant to mimic the set up and quality of light that his original studio had.
The majority of the space is top lit with a series of saw tooth clear story
windows or skylights. I found the quality of light to be sublime and the work
of Brancusi to be equally elevated by the quality of the light.
This same effect is used in our home by using the
northern light. The light quality is more subdued and consistent. A southern
exposure would have heated the house to extreme temperatures in the summer
months. I explored different expressions of the skylights through the exterior
massing of the house in early design iterations but in the end I chose to
simplify the roof and articulate the openings up to the skylights in a more
dramatic approach.
The skylights tie into a series of windows on the main floor elevation and frame an opening in the floor to the lower level.
We have incorporated an operable skylight into the combination
of skylights to allow the light well to function as a heat chimney where rising
hot air can be evacuated out of the house and allow the air flow thru the house
during the hot summer months.
