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178 STRUCTURE AS ARCHITECTURE▲ 8.21 Schools of Geography and Engineering, Marne-la-Vallée, Paris, France, Chaix &Morel, 1996. A finely perforated web of a steel beam.Vernon. Concrete blocks, L-shaped in plan, are placed and stacked verticallyto form U-shaped columns. Both faces of blocks on one side ofthe U are penetrated and glazed. Objects displayed on glass shelveswithin the column are illuminated by daylight. 14Returning to contemporary examples of structural penetrations maximizinglight, the United Airlines Terminal is revisited (see Fig. 7.12).Circular penetrations through beam webs appear to contribute to itswell-lit spaces, but given that the lighting designer does not mentionthem in his lighting strategy, their contribution to the overall lightinglevels is probably quite low. 15 At the Schools of Geography and Engineering,Marne-la-Vallée, webs of steel beams are perforated by small diameterholes (Fig. 8.21 and see Fig. 3.49). This method that introduces lightthrough steel sections is likely to be more widely exploited in the futuredue to its greater subtlety. But as at the United Airlines Terminal, its truevalue might lie in making the structure appear lighter rather than increasingmeasurably the intensity of daylight.▲ 8.22 Mexican Embassy, Berlin,Germany, González de León and Serrano,2000. A penetrated circular wall forms partof the atrium.Windows invariably penetrate concrete structural walls, but smallerand more numerous penetrations may be appropriate when daylightrather than views is sought. A circular atrium sits behind the strikingfaçade of the Mexican Embassy, Berlin, its exterior wall essentially a partialconcrete drum (Fig. 8.22 and see Fig. 4.19). ‘Capped by a massive