..Dimensions..

 

..Designers..

Glass Design
Kenneth vonRoenn

Architect:

..Location..

Houston, TX

Throughout the history of architecture, entranceways into sacred buildings have been elevated in prominence by the use of portals, which are deep archways with rich ornamentation and sculpture. Some of the most elaborate portals were in Egyptian, Greek, Islamic and Gothic religious architecture. The portals in each of these periods were articulated with symbolic imagery relevant to the belief system for which the architecture was constructed. The intent of the portals was to celebrate and make more significant the entrance into a space of reverent importance.

For the elevator entranceways at the Methodist Hospital, this historical precedence is continued with the introduction of illuminated glass portals, which serve the purpose of elevating the visual impact of the entrance onto each floor. These portals contain visual representations of fundamental components of natural life, which is depicted by a variety of imagery. The images contained in the portals are as follows:

-Water and light are primary to all of life and are represented in several different ways. There are images of light sparkling on the surface of water as well as of microscopic photographs of water molecules. These images of water molecules are from the research by the Japanese scientist, Dr. Emoto, who has studied the effect of prayer on water through microscopic photography. He has discovered that water molecules become more complex and ordered in their structure after the water is the recipient of prayers.

-Spirals represent the natural growth pattern of many forms of life, which are represented in the portals by several different forms including nautilus shells, flower seed patterns, animal horns, sprouting ferns, as well as stellar constellation formations. These spirals are referred to as Fibonacci spirals after the 13th century Italian mathematician who discovered the mathematical progression that was common to many forms of nature.

-Flowers are depicted in the portals as x-ray imagery, which illustrate that the beauty of the internal structure of a flower is as attractive as its exterior visual manifestation. This also a serves as an association with the work of the hospital in its investigation and treatment of the internal operations functions of the human body.

These images are depicted as transparent collages over a field of cool and warm soft pastel colors. The compositions were created to provide a quiet, relaxed feeling with the intent of relieving stress and anxiety while providing an interesting imagery that represents a more holistic perspective on the principal objectives of health care.

More importantly, ‘The Portals of Life’ serve to make the sense of arrival at each floor more significant, celebratory and ceremonial as though each person’s entry is into a space of special importance.

The symbolic significance of ‘The Portals of Life’ as an application of a traditional architectural element for sacred buildings in the contemporary context of a health care facility elevates the perception of health care as more than just the physical treatment of ailments, to emphasize the attitude that health care can, more importantly, be understood as a sacred nurturing of life.