ABSTRACT
The subtleties of place-making can be submerged beneath a preoccupation with style, sculptural form and mechanical planning formulae. There is a lot more to shadow in architecture than graphic effect. Shadow plays an important role in place-making. Since ancient times one of the primary purposes for rudimentary architectural construction has been the creation of shade. This may be through choice or necessity. Shade can be the bonding medium that holds people together. The deep overhanging eaves of the low-pitched roofs create shadow containers shrouding the living spaces in privacy. Some fifty years later, setting down ‘Principles’ for ‘The New Architecture’, Frank Lloyd Wright identified shade as an essential component in lending ‘charm’, ‘style’ and ‘significance’ to architecture. All architecture with roofs and walls casts a shadow. But it is rare for the primary and dominating purpose of a work of architecture to be to cast a shadow.
