Henry Plummer has given us access to his photographic treasure, his iconic book “The Architecture of Natural Light”. His architectural photography, along with his inspiring thoughts and observations, enabled us to produce a documentary featuring the ultimate in architectural photography.
Henry Plummer, The Daylight Award 2020 Laureate for Lifetime Achievement
Henry Plummer is an American architect, photographer, academic, researcher and author of numerous books revealing the transformative power of daylight in architecture.
Henry Plummer has devoted his career to researching daylight in architecture. Through extensive critiques and photographic investigations, he provides a thoughtful and evocative assessment of countless buildings through history. His unique approach to revealing the transformative, metaphysical qualities of daylight is to combine his power of narrative analysis, with his outstanding skill as an architectural photographer. In this way, his extensive body of work has inspired generations of architects to reveal and celebrate the experiential aspects of daylight in architecture.
Plummer emphasizes the role of his two media: “Words examine ideas and thoughts, observations and analysis concerning light, while images present the phenomena themselves. It is with this in mind that the photographs are intended not as textual illustrations, but rather to form their own mode of enquiry, one that seeks to carefully examine the metaphysical aspects of architecture whose significance lies, to a large extent, beyond the domain of words”.
ABOUT THE DAYLIGHT AWARD
The Daylight Award honors and supports daylight research and daylight in architecture, for the benefit of human health, well-being and the environment. The award places specific emphasis on the interrelation between theory and practice. The Daylight Award is given every second year biennially in two categories; Daylight Research and Daylight in Architecture. Exceptionally in 2020, and to mark the 40th anniversary of the first Daylight Award given to Jørn Utzon, The Daylight Award is given to Henry Plummer for lifetime achievement.
The Daylight Award is presented by the philanthropic foundations, VILLUM FONDEN, VELUX FONDEN and VELUX STIFTUNG, established by Villum Kann Rasmussen. The foundations support a wide range of non-commercial purposes through scientific, social, cultural and environmental projects. Since 1980, they have awarded daylight prizes to, among others, Jørn Utzon (DK) (1980), Henning Larsen (DK) (1987), Bob Gysin (CH) (2007), Richard Perez (USA) (2008), Peter Zumthor (CH) (2010), James Carpenter (USA) (2010), Lacaton & Vassal (F) (2011), Gigon & Guyer (CH) (2012) , SANAA (JP) (2014), Steven Holl (US) and Marilyne Andersen (CH) (2016) and Hiroshi Sambuichi (JP) and Greg Ward (USA) (2018).
More at thedaylightaward.com/