Class Essay

 Part 1

   
       The union between experiencing spatial qualities and the expression of structural yields a wide array of overall building compositions. The Reichstag, located in Berlin Germany, is a fusion of new and old. It's key feature is a modern dome intervention in place of the twice burnt down structure. Designed by Foster, it is a wonderful expression of structure and form. The twisting labyrinth of walkways is a feat of engineering. The path is held only on one side for the entirety of the span except for the top and bottom.

        The Reichstag's formal language is a shape reminiscent of the of structure it replaces. The exposed structure of the shell creates the overall shape. The presence of a skeletal structure maximizes view and reinforces the contextual connection. Perched atop the historic structure, the Foster dome is visible from all around as a staple of the newly established government.

          To analyze the quality of a space one must observe how the formation of memories associate with active experiential qualities of space. There is a stark contrast between ones conscious mind and the procedural formation of long lasting memories that would characterize the space long after seeing it. They play by different rules and play off different previous experiences. The experiencing self has different qualities of satisfaction. The succession of steps that lead up to experiencing the Reichstag and each and every textural expression helps dictate moods. Structure as a conscious experience in space factors with ones experience with structure in the past. For the majority of people the Reichstag's structural beauty may go unnoticed. Buildings considered architecturally significant often are a great mix between tectonic expression and massing. That rhythmic formula allows for an interaction of the occupant with the building to go beyond just the physical manifestation. The experiencing self has an automated set of parameters that form memory based on peaks of interest or spatial peculiarity. The second system, the methodical formation of memory after the fact, focuses on several smaller details that the experiencing mind may overlook.


Part 2

"I am interested in minimal language not for its materiality but for its immateriality..."

How does the notion of minimalism correspond to a spatial experience for a specific item? Should it complement the item or should it contrast with context?

In the article he talks about creating an environment that is ambiguous. A museum needs to house an item and make people ask questions.



"Digital technologies facilitate the seamless combination of images from different sources"

How can the idea of digital technologies apply to contextual studies?

He describes this phenomenon as the atomization of an analog idea, giving identity to each part. Without the neighboring color information the image would not exist.

Part 2: Cube Housing

In Roderdam, we came across the Cube Housing by Peter Blaum which consists of individual housing units with a shaft at the center for circulation. The units exist as a monument within the city and creates space within the complex for its residents. Because the complex is elevated from the street level, it detaches itself from the surrounding urban fabric and from pedestrian circulation. This emphasizes its necessity to accommodate primarily to residents within its interior courtyards.

The form of the complex creates a wall between its interior and the urban context. While this is a residential structure, it also consists of several shops and restaurants within its interior courtyards which are meant primarily for residents. Within the boundaries, housing units are arranged around courtyards which open to the sky and let light in. 

The use of the interior courtyards have potential to become active spaces, but it seemed like it was dead space. Since circulation through the complex does not touch the ground, the spaces within the complex lack activity from people within the city. The courtyards therefore become nothing more than circulation.

The complex does not interact with its context which is why it stands as a monument within the city. Without engaging the public at ground level, there is a missed opportunity to activate spaces within the complex. While the units play off of one another and create spaces within the complex, the units also create a barrier from the city.

Essence of the Eye...Film Institute

Photo by: Design Boom

The Eye Film Institute by the firm, Delugan Meissl associated architects, contains film theaters, archives, underground filmography rooms, laboratories, and a popular indoor/outdoor public terrace.  Orthogonal forms are a rarity, for slowly sloping mass dominate the composition of the building’s exterior and interior.  Literally speaking, the architecture doesn’t relate to any of the direct context, though metaphorically (as well as spatially) the design makes sense.  The “progressiveness” of Amsterdam is present within the Eye Film Institute, but what exactly is the essence of Amsterdam’s progressive nature?

 Photo by: Mike Jung

 Photo by: Design Boom

Photo by: Design Boom

The downtown area of Amsterdam definitely lives up to and beyond it’s reputation.  Window-shopping for sex, marijuana themed everything, and the sense of a peaceful lawlessness earns Amsterdam the defining adjective, extreme.  Buildings bend, billow, and tip over the streets as pedestrians walk, cycle, and ride about the city.  Levied canals cut through streets, barricading and organizing water so that it doesn’t cleanse the city of its desire. Extreme isn’t just a word for describe negative qualities though.  Yeah, the scale of sex and drugs is shocking, but the depth and organization is amazing.  Perhaps it’s capitalism gone wrong. 

Organization seems to be a big driver for those residing in Amsterdam, because never was my experience chaotic.  Whether it is a tool wall for a cycling shop or a cheese wall containing more flavors than the Fresh Market, everything is in order.  The most impressive example of order is the transit in the city.

Trolley cars, taxicabs (cars), pedestrians, and bicycles all have their own pathways for traveling about.  The most strategic of them are those for the bike.  Bicycle roads in Amsterdam are equivalent to the part of I-95 in Miami.  You have all the proper street signs, scooters weave in and out of other cyclists, and no one really obeys the traffic laws so if it’s paved, it’s yours to ride on. 

Between the intense traffic patterns (as well as the variation) and the level of sobriety (beginning around 9am until 5am) Amsterdam is extreme.  Extremely organized, extremely clean, extremely one of a kind. 

View from terrace - Photo by: Mike Jung 

 Photo by: Design Boom

Photo by: Mike Jung

The Eye Film Institute is just as extreme.  In the main interior space, angular forms provoke the occupant’s eye as the bartenders dish out drinks.  Like the heart of Amsterdam, the core of this building is mostly serving intoxication.  The space is set up like a theater; stadium style stairs overlook the bar and out to the water.  In addition, café style seating fills up the interior floor and exterior terrace.  In a way, the space is set up for visitors to pause, drink, and observe Amsterdam in a similar fashion to that of a pedestrian walking the streets (Like a theater where the curtain wall separating the bar and terrace is a screen). The different moments for seating are organized by spatial experience: Stadium seating for overlooking the entire scenario, floor seating engaging in the activity of the bar, terrace seating to slow down the stimuli while still engaging in the scenario, and a number of spaces on the next floor to completely ignore the scene.  From an architectural perspective, the amount of usable space is actually very small.  The angled walls enlarge the space while controlling the foot traffic; the counterweighted ceiling eliminates the need for interior supports.  So, although the setting looks aggressive and intense to the eye, the actually essence (vibe) of the space is organized to parallel the “progressive nature” of Amsterdam. Outrageous, extreme, unique, organized.

Photo by: Design Boom

Photo by: Design Boom

Photo by: Design Boom

Part 2: Church of the Autostrada

Looking up to the ceiling.

Large expressive gestures and massive structural elements.

Structural columns support the concrete ceiling

Detailed columns


The Church of the Autostrada, designed by Giovanni Michelucci, is a church dedicated to those who died building the Italian Autostrada. The church is located halfway between the ends of the autostrada on the outskirts of Florence. Large expressive gestures articulate the ceiling of the church and meet in such a way that it appears the church never ends, as if the building is reaching up to Heaven.

Material
Concrete and stone are used almost exclusively in the church. Concrete is used primarily as a structural element and is shaped by complex forms. The materials are monumental in size. Concrete is poured in site and there is no other structural system, such as steel framing, within the columns and roofing. This is imposing on the occupant because of the sheer size of the materials being held above their heads.

Scale
The church is of a monumental size. This is appropriate because the church is a memorial to those who died during the construction of the Autostrada. The church consists of both massive and intimate spaces, both being some of the most beautiful architectural elements I have ever witnessed. The main space seems to extend upwards towards infinity, whereas some of the secondary spaces are very intimate spaces for reflection and prayer. Monumental structural elements and forms help support the massive gestural elements.

Context
The church is situated in a more rural area of Florence. Because of the oxidation of the copper roof, the church seemed to disappear into the landscape from far away. The exterior consists mostly of stonework, reflecting on the materials found in the area. The building is iconic and distinct. It's form is widely different from any building in the region, and it is now a popular tourist and pilgrimage destination.

Part 1: The Unforseen

The Setting of a Scene (a photo from "1:1 Sets of Erwin Olaf" at the Netherlands Architecture Institute")

PERFORMANCE, FORM, & LIMITATION
The preconceived versus the actualization and the transformation of spaces, the perception of others as time goes by.... we design with so many things in mind, but how do they come across to others (those people outside the reach of our voices, capable of formulating distinct opinions- perhaps very different from out own).


Proposed Questions:

• Does infrastructural urbanism only work "in the world of things," escaping the act of representing and imagery?  
• Why is it so easy to forget the material truth of things as we work in the digital realm? ---not only in terms of modeling, but also with diagrams and drawings as well?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of using these methods?
• What do you think of when someone says "form?"  In what sense do we use this word now?
• What is the role of media in relation to architecture?  Why do (did?) architects want to differentiate themselves from media?   

Discussion.....

1.

Kaisha Rose: 

"...How we often see it (roads, dams, infrastructure in general) is different from how a regular person does..."

In terms of day-to-day usage urban design is a very pragmatic proposal to how cities may be ordered to operate.  And yet, I think it would be too much to say that infrastructural urbanism separates itself from representational acts because of this; inherently, through the very funding of these large-scale projects, infrastructure often represents the force with which it has been developed.  The organization of cities into various zones and the seeing of how to efficiently connect them with circulation (or how to limit movement from place to place) has historically been used by city planners and officials for political and/or social causes which underlie the plan.  This was my first reaction to Hayes' writing prior to speaking with Kaisha about the issue.  What she reminded me was this: what I am reading into is based on my knowledge of historicity, design background, and the very fact that I am reading about design in general; what someone completely outside of the architecture field would think as they walk down a street may something else altogether, depending on the time of the day, their mood, and interests in general.  

2.

Kaisha Rose: 

"...We're just detached from it... We end up wanting to make it look right and pretty, rather than really knowing how it would work..."

Detachment from the physicality of projects is often a topic that comes up now-a-days as we become more and more immersed in the digital realm of designing things.  What we found to be the greatest obstacle with working digitally is that we could easily lose sight of how materials really behave and if something would actually produce the architect's intended effect.  There is the freedom to build just about anything, but even this is constraining at times since it becomes somewhat frightening to not know what the limits are; having too many options is difficult too.  We work with case studies in mind to provide ourselves anchors, but in our strive for something new and improved we could lose track of various things, including the physical possibilities and existing contexts.  

3.

Kaisha Rose: 

"...visual....something you can see....something...people, monuments, roads, more like a grid..."

I found how people perceive form over time to be pretty interesting, whether it was formal or pragmatical changed with its relation to how tangible "form" is.  I think Stan Allen's definition of form as something invisible and free-flowing, implied to be entirely opposing to our general perception of it.  Much of the time, the word "form" induces images of something concrete, perhaps constructed with ideas of invisible circulations and light play in mind, but always with images of very physical things.  To look at form in terms of context and to extend the form into the context made us wonder as to where and how a form is defined and makes its presence known.  Is it better to think of form as concentrations of forces?  

4.

Kaisha Rose: 

"...I don't think it can... Media is always secondary to experiencing it (a building, intervention, space). ..You can't really convey that in a photograph, video, or book....each person's experience of a space is unique and you can't tell them what it would be like through media..."

We both agreed that coming to a space and experiencing it for yourself can never really be provided with conventional media, but I couldn't help but think "how then?" after each point.  I kept thinking of how difficult it is for even us, students traveling across Europe for the semester, to seek out all of the great architectural works we've seen in movies, magazines, and books.  If one can not travel to building or plaza, is it wrong for him or her to experience and perceive it through media then?  Of course not; it's a reality in life.  In studio, we are constantly working towards produces images (whether they are renders, photos, models, or technical drawings) which provide the viewer of glimpses as to what the designed would be like; we are thinking of media in different ways, not repulsing it.  I think media is something that ought to be embraced and the limits of which should be experimented, pushed to provide the general public with different ways to experiencing spaces.   

      

Part 2: A Bridge in Passing

Unknown Bridge in the Italian Countryside, en-route to Parma from La Spezia

PERFORMANCE, FORM, & LIMITATION (continuation)
Even as students in the design field, it is not uncommon for us to see the world as those separate from the profession do... 

As the train sped through the early green of Italy's Spring, the scenery was dominated by rolling hills of soft grass; the mountain ranges ruled by right of their sizes, but as gentle giants rather than dictators.  Rounding into a tunnel, we spotted something equally momentous piercing through the landscape -- darkness -  bright white- quickly, we turn back and search for it....weird how we had to look for it, for even at a distance it stood there so clearly:  a megalith of concrete lines shooting across and down into the valley of two hills. At first,  its composition seemed so simple: one straight horizontal line and five vertical columns of varying lengths that plummeted to the ground, piercing and exposing the hard bulk of the mountain with each impact. By virtue of its pure size, the bridge made its presence known; the frame-like nature of its overall form juxtaposed the weight of the land masses surrounding it, furthering its identity.  Upon closer inspection, surprising details became clear.... each column connected to the highway at articulated point connections that seemed so fragile against the concrete masses.  The columns themselves were also structurally fascinating... they were one-dimensional in form, without any exposed lateral supports between.  Perhaps they were standing firmly due to extremely well-established ground connections at each column base and at each end of the bridge; perhaps the inverted tapering of each column also aided in this.  As a whole, I was struck with awe as I wondered about the structural details that enabled its fabrication.  In the context of an equally grand landscape, the bridge was not too brutal... how would it transform if homes were to populated near it?  As destinations at its sides?  At its base?  How would I see it then?  The form could be seen as a direct translation of performance needs and as a reaction to the basest limitations put forth by the natural geography.  It is also a monument in its own right.  Beyond this, driving across the bridge would be a completely different experience and I wonder if the construct would retain its presence from a view upon it...  Performance must then be considered from multiple viewpoints from the eye of the traveler, the form being a reaction that embraces the limitations given by the site to enhance the experience of one interacting with the space and construct.      



Limitation
The given inspirations...

Preexisting site conditions are often blessings, even though they are disguised at times.  They automatically provide the designer with unique characteristics that may lend to ingenuity, aspects that help the project to find grounding and consequently degrees of realism.  Is it naive to think that building codes and traditions are exciting challenges for us as problem solvers?   The more restraints there are, the more possibilities I believe exist for one to focus on certain aspects and work to find the best possible solution to those challenges.  Another question I wonder when I think of limitations is how far into the urban fabric ought an intervention weave itself?  I think an answer to this lies in the program and use that it is intended for, in terms of those who would regularly visit it.



Performance
Theater of Production: a "scene of action and effects" -Michael Hayes

As students, how spaces would actually operate after being constructed and open to the public is often answered with our imaginations and beautiful photo-shopped renders.  Yet, the question will always remain: will it really work the way I intend for it to?  As students, we are taught to think of the various aspects that make up the human experience of spaces, attempting to understand how the mind of the majority thinks to concoct constructs that lend towards our desired effects.  In doing so, we must account for the dynamism of occupants, site conditions, and time in relation to program and use, materiality, and environmental loads among other measures; we must delve into the human psyche.  It is fun to think of the designed as a performance, to see what emotions it could invoke from the observers and what playful games could take place on set.  To be successful though, the performance must be able to sustain itself; the set must be flexible enough to accommodate changes and  its actors must be engaged enough to continue its usage and development over time.

                              

Top Right and Left:  Richard Serra throwing molten lead
Bottom:  Pieces of lead after it has hardened, taken down for exhibition.
source: http://artintelligence.net/review/?p=529

Richard Serras' lead sculptures provide another interpretation of performance: performance as the product. As the lead quickly hardens it solidifies the artist's violent swings and throws as he splashes it upon walls and floors.  It becomes a record for all to see, another layer of information to share.

   

Form
"Form matters, but not so much the form of things as the forms between things." -Stan Allen

Interest in immateriality also arises in the writings of Michel Serres, who expresses his favor of the preposition among language's many components.  To Serres, the preposition offers an infinity of possibilities; it serves neither as a beginning or an end, rather existing in a constant state of becoming.  In the relations between people, the environment, and built environment architecture can be seen as vessels similar to that of the preposition: frameworks for which actions are carried out and ambiances are experienced.  Form is this, a set of designed circumstances that often lean towards certain effects but does not necessarily enforce them upon the observer.  Perhaps it is not a physical object, but form entices and provides for the observer's imagination.

Part 2-DR Byen-Koncerthuset- Scale Material Affect

 figure 1: DR Byen from the metro train stop in Orestad.

figure 2: Unproportional scale of human to building height.

 figure 3: Blue Sheer Façade Material of the Koncerthuset.

figure 4: The External Corridor of the DR Byen (segment 3).

DR Byen- Orestad, Copenhagen, Denmark

The construction I chose to focus on is the DR Byen and Koncerthuset by Nouvel in Copenhagen, Denmark. We visited this site on a weekend travel day by taking a train to the area called Orestad, which is the new up and coming neighborhood on the northern outskirts of Copenhagen where relevant architects are developing this formerly barren land. The DR Byen is translated as the “DR City” because it comprises four buildings that interlock through bridges and facades and span over the Emil Holms Canal (seen in figure 1). The DR Byen is a Danish Broadcasting Corporation. The Koncerthuset, or “Concert Hall,” designed by Jean Nouvel is the main focus of the site in materiality and program use. It is home to the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.

Scale
Referencing Allen’s ideas of site conditions as places for opportunity rather than constraints, I question whether the DR Byen takes advantage of the land available (with regards to internal circulation, public space, and external transportation to and from the site)? The site is located in an emerging area, so the scale of the four segments currently seems overbearingly large in comparison to the open landscape, which can be seen in figure 2 above. But in a few years the surrounding area will be a much more developed place; the buildings will integrate better when the urban context is built up more. Mariela stated, “The space outdoors felt strange and disproportionate to the human scale, but the lobby of the DR Byen building was much more intimate to contrast it.” The Koncerthuset lacks scale because there are limited windows or details to give clues.

Material
Nouvel’s hope for the Koncerthuset (Segment 4) was to create a sense of mystery and evoke imagination with the screen material façade and Allen states that architecture should affect the occupants individually and can deviate over time (seen in figure 3). So the two ideas coincide, but this causes me to wonder whether Nouvel’s building is successful in conjuring mystery and whether it will continue to do so for years to come? Mariela made a great point in stating, “the way that Nouvel tries to create mystery in the facade is definitely intriguing enough to spark curiosity in passers by. The building is wearing a mask which one must unveil in order to see what the silhouette behind it is suggesting.” The exterior façade of the Koncerthuset is a blue mesh material that is slightly transparent during the daytime, filtering views outwardly, and then at nighttime the façade becomes a projection screen for images to be cast upon. The uncertainty of the material façade evokes the occupants’ thoughts.

Affect
Corridors, as infrastructural pathways that promote movement, services, and function, are beneficial to the circulation of an architectural form according to Allen. The DR Byen uses internal and external corridors (figure 4), so I question if these corridors are affected by scale? Are differing emotions felt when occupying a large scale versus small scale corridor of any building? Referencing Irma’s answer, it is apparent that scale affects the occupants’ emotions. Large scale corridors create ambiguity, while small scale corridors create a sense of intimacy.

Part 2: Expanding History

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

The overall plan of the
London Olympic Complex

In 2012, London was home to an event that engages all of the many countries around the world.  The 2012 Summer Olympics was not only for the athletes, but also for all of the many spectators from each of the participating countries.  However, as these events end, after no more than a month, what is left is only the remnants and memories.  The challenge becomes what to do with these remnants, or the various stadiums and fields.  Can these remnants that are left behind, after the athletes return home, be reused to revitalize a surrounding area regardless of the projects age?

1. Olympic Stadium
2. South Park Hub and Plaza
3. Aquatics Centre
4. Waterden Road
5. Copper Box
6. East Village (formerly the Athletes' Village)
7. Lee Valley VeloPark
8. Cafe, gym and bike hire facility
9. Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre

The home of the various Olympic stadiums and fields in London are detached from the main city.  Being located in a more open and less developed area, easily allows for future development.  The challenge is how to use what is already there.  “Architectural subjects are users as well as spectators, participants as well as readers. In practice, this implies intensive programming, but also an elastic yet precise relation between spatial accommodation and formal invention; a loose fit between event and structure.”  The elasticity that is mentioned becomes known after the games have ended and the debate of what the complex will be used for begins.  The London complex stretches the program of each of the stadiums to accommodate everyday activities instead of the initially single use program.  Future development outside of the complex is left open for debate until a more comprehensive plan is developed.  Currently, though, development can range from residential to commercial, or a mix since commercial (retail) is already present.  Once development is finished, a “montage” of program and building design/look will be created of the various complexes and additional development.

The Olympic pool is the first stadium to begin to convert into a public facility.

Initially this separation from the rest of the city is necessary due to the large number of people coming to the city for the games.  However, after the games are over this detachment can cause stadiums to be left unused and in turn slowly decay.  London, though, is currently in the process of converting the various stadiums into facilities that can be used by the London people year round.  For example, the Olympic pool complex is being converted into an aquatic center and gym.  In terms of program, converting the complex into a facility common people can use leads to easy decisions later on when determining future growth.  Specifically, since the Olympic pool is being converted into an aquatic center, a more overall family oriented comprehensive plan could be developed for the surrounding area.  However, across the street from the Olympic complex is a large indoor/outdoor-shopping complex.  A similar example is the Museo del Prado in Madrid where there was a desire to “unify its separate buildings.”  “The design called for a “recognizing the city as the extended field of the new museum, however, we proposed to organize the new construction around the expression of the museum's public spaces rather than attempt to re-center the museum complex around a central building or ‘figure’.”  The Olympic complex as a whole and the area around the complex has to be re-examined to determine the best method of introducing new program types.

When referring to materiality, a person is typically referring to the material of the building, or in this case the stadiums.  Materiality can also mean the sites and surrounding areas materiality.  For example, London’s Olympic complex is comprised of wood, metal, concrete, and greenery.  Some of these materials are on the stadiums, but the others are on the ground combining the various stadiums into one complex.  The same can also be said about the shopping complex across the street, where there is greenery outside, in the form of planters and pathway formations, but also there are large amounts of glass and steel forming the primary building of the mall.  The materiality of the current complexes can bleed out into any new development creating a seamless transition into new and old development.  "Depending on the scale, materials can have effects on the surrounding area because they can become monuments or they can assimilate into the existing urban context.  I think as long as the materials of the building are structurally stable, the programmatic qualities are not affected negatively." -Devyn

"The range of this issue extends from carefully fabricated building details intended to coax out the latent, contradictory, and marginal aesthetic effects of constructed materials to complex, largescale geometrical systems that promote differentiated forms and structures for programmatic activities."

Will the materiality of the existing structures affect new development?

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