Reclaimed Light

What to do with a leaky underground water cistern? The City of Houston was ready to demolish theirs and donate the land to the new Buffalo Bayou Park already underway directly above. But after one look, Lawrence W. Speck, principal of Washington, D.C.–based architecture firm Page, said “Don’t destroy it.” The space is now a venue for immersive art installations, relying on 2700K RGB LED rope lights, fitted into the handrails of the walkway that encircles the hypostyle hall, as the main illumination source. Two existing skylights and four new egress doors can be opened to let natural light filter in. “It was more about designing darkness than light,” Speck says. “Part of what is so beautiful about the space is how mysterious it is—if you light it too much, it takes the magic away.” Read more: bit.ly/BuffaloBayouPark •