The Met Cloisters - Saint-Guilhem Cloister

2003
Easton Architects
New York, NY

700 GSF

Museums & Galleries
Restorations

This gallery houses 11th to 13th century stone artifacts, greeting visitors as they enter the museum. Modeled after an abbey cloister in which the center is open to the sky, the space is enclosed by a skylight/laylight system. 

In the original system, a white acrylic laylight diffused the lighting, muting the sculptural details of the collection within. This project called for replacing the skylight, creating opportunities for improved daylighting and electric lighting. With a goal toward balancing the daylight, RDG recommended a modification to the structural beams supporting the laylight, creating a reflector to redirect high-angle sunlight in a balanced fashion. Clear and textured glass in each laylight panel provides masking for the structure and equipment above, while allowing direct sky views. It also conceals a system of low voltage adjustable accent lighting that renders the detail of the columns and provides special event lighting. To balance the perimeter arcade with the daylight entering the center of the space, a fiber optic system was installed on the existing stone cornice, incorporating a linear uplight to illuminate the vaulted ceiling and provide a soft wash of light for the opposite wall. Individual fiber optic accent lights highlight artifacts at key locations. The resulting effect is unobtrusive and maintenance-friendly.