ROMLAB – laboratory of space

DLA Annual Conference 2024
Parallel session J

Friday, 31 May 2024
from 10:00 to 11:30

Lead
Prof. Barbara Szybinska Matusiak, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
Ms Marzieh Nazari, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway

Description
Spatial full-scale experiments started at the NTNU university campus in 1957 by internationally recognized Professor Arne Korsmo in a small room on the roof floor of the Main building. First in 1962 a separate room of about 47 m2 has been intended only for this purpose and called ROMLAB. For over 40 years it functioned as a space laboratory where students of architecture experimented with room, light and colour under guidance of assistant professor Liv Arvesen. In 2006 the ROMLAB has been moved to a new and much larger room (125 m2), designed by Barbara Szybinska Matusiak, and especially constructed for the purpose.

The ROMLAB is nowadays a unique facility in the international scale. It gives the possibility for qualitative and quantitative research; and enables testing of different design ideas including room shape, daylighting, electric lighting, and surface colour.

Objectives

During the workshop in the ROMLAB participants will have the opportunity to

  • propose few design alternatives of a window wall in a room being an abstract version of a small cubic room (2,5 x 2,5 x 2,5m), and build/test the alternatives it in full-scale, two cubic rooms will be prepared for the occasion,
  • visit one black and one white room (constructed in advance) having exactly equal dimensions and equal but movable daylight opening. The visit may give raise to interesting discussion about the perception of space and the modelling by daylight in architectural spaces.


This parallel session will take place at NTNU and a bus shuttle will be organised.