This memorial hall was constructed as a site for commemorating the victims of the bombing and preserving accounts of atomic bomb experience for future generations. While the facility has been built entirely underground, the design of the aboveground entrance area features a monumental water basin 29 meters in diameter. Inlaid into the black granite submerged in the basin are 70,000 light fibers, representing the number of people who died from the bomb’s effects.
For the approach staircase, we used ambient, indirect lighting built into the handrail to guide the eye from the aboveground entrance into the underground area, with narrow, warm-white fluorescent lamps.
Although the Remembrance Hall, is located underground, from the light from its skylight one can sense the passing of clouds and even the slow movement of the sun. Augmenting the natural lighting effects in this area are 12 pillars of light. The light pipes are lit by stark white metal halide lamps to create a symbolic contrast with the warm lighting of the surrounding space. The day-night inversion—from natural light during the day, to the illuminated walls stretching up into the outdoor water basin at night—characterizes the straightforward overall concept behind the lighting design for this building.
Although the Remembrance Hall, is located underground, from the light from its skylight one can sense the passing of clouds and even the slow movement of the sun. Augmenting the natural lighting effects in this area are 12 pillars of light. The light pipes are lit by stark white metal halide lamps to create a symbolic contrast with the warm lighting of the surrounding space. The day-night inversion—from natural light during the day, to the illuminated walls stretching up into the outdoor water basin at night—characterizes the straightforward overall concept behind the lighting design for this building.