An Architectural Experiment Responding to Urban Heat Through Light and Shadow

At the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 in Venice, Italy, Deggendorf Institute of Technology presents the architectural installation "Flight into Shadow." The project explores how light and shadow influence perception, relief, and comfort within heat-stressed urban environments. Developed as part of "Keep Cool! – Workshop for Cool Cities," the installation is realized in collaboration with HFT Stuttgart Interior Architecture and the University of Stuttgart (IBK2).

Photo credit:
Jacopo La Forgia

At the core of the project is a bold architectural gesture: inviting the sun indoors. By creating a controlled solar experience independent of external weather conditions, light becomes both subject and medium. At the center of the space, a powerful artificial sun composed of individually controlled luminaires generates continuously shifting atmospheres. Visitors move between zones of intense brightness and areas of gentle refuge, experiencing light as a dynamic and living presence. Living mycelium structures act as organic filters, forming delicate canopies that soften and scatter light. Shadow emerges not as a by-product but as an active spatial element. Through this interplay, the fragile balance between exposure and protection, sensation and perception becomes perceptible.

Inspired by the "Komorebi effect"—the fleeting play of sunlight filtering through leaves—the installation translates this natural phenomenon into an immersive architectural experience. What is typically momentary becomes spatial and tangible through form, material, and light. Carefully composed light choreography enables the space to transform continuously, unfolding a sequence of moods and scenes over time. In the context of climate change, "Flight into Shadow" proposes strategies of adaptation and coexistence. It positions shadow, material intelligence, and perception as essential tools for shaping more resilient urban environments.

Photo credit:
Jacopo La Forgia

Photo credit:
Jacopo La Forgia

Photo credit:
Jacopo La Forgia

Photo credit:
Jacopo La Forgia

About Deggendorf Institute of Technology

Deggendorf Institute of Technology is a modern, internationally oriented university of applied sciences based in Bavaria, Germany. The institution offers practice-focused education and applied research across engineering, technology, and interdisciplinary fields, supported by strong collaboration with industry.