Light Touch installation by Haptic

Amy Frearson | 8 February 2013 1 comment

Visitors to an exhibition of work by architects Haptic can take a rest inside a wooden cabin filled with coloured light and smoke (+ movie).

As the centrepiece to the Working the Land exhibition, the Light Touch installation combines an illuminated walkway with a secluded seating area and was designed to demonstrate the craftsmanship that is key to Haptic's architectural practice.

A kinetic mechanism is attached to the top of the structure, lifting a chain of lights up and down in a wave-like motion. One side of these lights shines onto a wall of images in the corridor, while the other projects shades of pink, purple and blue through the slatted facade of the cabin.

Visitors sitting inside the cabin can make themselves comfortable amongst a collection of reindeer skins. Smoke is emitted from openings at their feet, clouding the light as it gradually filters in.

Haptic worked with artist Ruairi Glynn on the complex assembly of the installation, which involved piecing together CNC-milled slats of black MDF then ensuring the mechanism fitted exactly.

"The precise nature of the installation, with every two intersecting pieces having multiple finger joints held together by friction, took a large team effort working to very fine tolerances," Haptic director Nikki Butenschøn told Dezeen. "It took three grown men with an artillery of mallets to pound the damn slats into submission."

The architects compare the effect to the "dramatic lighting conditions found in the Norwegian landscapes", a reference to the nationality of many of the Haptic team.

Working the Land is on show at the London office of consulting engineers Buro Happold until 15 March.

Tomas Stokke, Scott Grady and Timo Haedrich launched London firm Haptic Architects in 2009. They have since opened a second studio in Oslo, headed up by Nikki Butenschøn. Recent projects include a forest-like hotel lounge and a Norwegian hunting lodge.

Photography and movie by Simon Kennedy.

Here's a description of the exhibition from Haptic Architects:

Working the Land - an exhibition by Haptic Architects

Working the Land presents the recent work of Haptic and provides an insight into the practice's ethos, to work carefully and strategically with the site context, whilst focusing on materiality and craftsmanship.

Haptic is a London and Oslo based architectural studio, established in 2009. Our designs are conceptually driven, inspired by nature and formed through a critical, iterative design process. A strong emphasis is given to user experience; how one interacts with the buildings and spaces. The term "Haptic" refers to the sense of touch. We believe a shift from the optical to the haptical is a move that benefits the users of our buildings.

Haptic are currently working on a wide range of building typologies. These include airports, hotel and conferencing facilities, urban design and mixed-use residential, exhibition spaces and private dwellings. Presented here is cross-section of projects, at early stages to completed works.

The installation "Light Touch" takes its inspiration from the dramatic natural lighting conditions found in the Norwegian landscapes. The slatted timber box draws from vernacular architecture and the way in which the low-lying sunlight filters through the forests, whilst providing a tranquil breakout space for Buro Happold and visitors.