Light As Space
Above the Ark, skylight and glow from windows
Mike was the Owner's Representative for the Beth-El Temple Renovation in Belmont, MA. He worked closely with Bob Luchetti, the Architect, in creating a sensitive and respectful renovation to the worship space. One of the aspects that Bob understood intuitively was that the space would not only be transformed or activated by light, but the space was the light.
At a recent service, this became very present as the light entered the space through the stained glass windows and hit all the surfaces. The light not only glowed, but reflected the stained glass to become spatial.
We think that Bob must have known intuitively that the space would undergo this transformation through reflectivity through the detailing, colors, and careful insertion of design elements such as the wood eyebrows above the stained glass to catch light and reflect more surface. This careful attention to detail is a great example of how to stitch a room together with architectural elements that use light as the binder.