The Light
A new office complex in the Politehnica area
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They don’t care much for rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. The only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
― Rob Siltanen
That’s the world we were in when we created ” The Light “—we were so brave and optimistic; read the whole story below.
The past few months have meant many, many hours spent watching interviews and documentaries featuring and about Bjarke Ingels and Sir Norman Foster. I’ve become obsessed with these two architects and with the idea of spaces for living—true temples where people can rediscover their freedom and happiness. Fate gave us the chance to meet a passionate man who was involved in the Apple Campus project and who, together with his team in Switzerland, brings to life the wonders of Apple Stores—all of them, every single one that matters. We’ve come across books, articles, news stories, and documentaries about the architecture of today and tomorrow. We’ve attended national conferences on this topic and have discussed and reflected on it at length.
That’s where ” The Light ” comes from—and from helping to create a brand.
If your travels take you to the Politehnica subway station area, you’ll see The Light. Right now (November 2017), it’s just the fences surrounding a large plot of land. In the near future, you’ll see an office building bearing the name The Light.
The Light is a unique project, one designed to change the way office buildings are perceived in Bucharest.
The name “The Light,” along with a creative concept, were developed by Toud for the developer of the project in the Politehnica area. Below you can see an excerpt from the strategic concept and a series of visual proposals. We should note that the current visual identity selected for the project is not the one proposed by Toud. Toud provided only the name for this project; for the visual identity, a different direction and a different designer were chosen.
We strongly believe in this project, and we also believe it can bring about positive change in Romanian architecture and in the lives of the several thousand people who will come here every day.
Why The Light
1. Location —higher elevations receive the most sunlight. The complex will be situated on higher ground relative to the eastern side, capturing and reflecting light. In addition, to the west is the street, a space that shields the building’s facade from shadows at sunset. The twilight will bathe the building’s facade, creating infinite shades of color and an endless array of warm reflections.
2. Construction —the building is designed to be in harmony with light; you’ll see more once the project is completed.
3. Purpose of the building —this complex is a model complex that brings about change through what it offers and aims to serve as a model.
4. The Light —by connecting with the surrounding academic community (Politehnica) and the most innovative sectors through the companies that will choose this space for their development—aims to become a “beacon” of the city, a “beacon” of innovation.
The Light’s Visual Identity—I sought out simple, repetitive shapes to suggest purity, but also diversity. Repetition symbolizes the sun’s rays, which fall in infinite numbers onto the earth, forming beams. We opted for a dynamic logo—one that retains only its shape, not its colors—and can be adapted to any color scheme depending on the context and purpose of the communication.
Since too many words are unnecessary, we’ll end here and let the photos tell the whole story on their own.
***The photos used in the renderings are taken from unsplash.com; they do not show what the building will actually look like, but rather express our vision for this project.
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