Internal Sunrise
Lighting design concept Internal Sunrise, created for the Miami Heat Arena for L’Observatoire International, 1997
The sensorial transformation from day to night, and its opposite, is one of the most exciting occurrences in nature. This rising energy can be compared to a game played in a stadium where passion grows and modulates in intensity for the duration of the event. The intention of the design is to bring this inspiring moment in nature into the architecture of the stadium by employing the circular form of the stadium—a crystal ring—as a horizon that can be viewed from all sides. An inner sunrise manifests two different dimensions: the internal one, as the light gradually changes in corridors and changing floor levels inside the stadium, and the external one, seen on the façade—a sunrise in the middle of the night.
Through a sound detector system, the public's emotional reaction to the game will be captured and displayed on the stadium exterior.
The light of the outer ring will become brighter and more intense during impassioned moments of the game. It will appear as if the sun were rising during such instants.
The blue light refers to the passive state of no game.
Miami Heat Arena
1 and 5 © Arquitectonica
2, 3 and 4 © L’Observatoire Internationalimage credits