Bonitas Casas [Architecture eBook] the Architectural Review - Sellection (2002-2005)

8/13/2019 Bonitas Casas [Architecture eBook] the Architectural Review - Sellection (2002-2005)

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ART MUSEUM, BERNE,

S WITZERLAND

ARCHITECT

RENZO PIANO

MONUMENT

FOR A MINIATURISTA new museum dedicated to Paul Klee swells seductively into the Swiss landscape.

1Thetheforthe

[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-2005)

[email protected] 1 -



ART MUSEUM, BERNE, S WITZERLAND

ARCHITECT

RENZO PIANO

The arcaded streets of the old town of Berne, a UNESCO World

Heritage Site, have acquired a counterpart in the pedestrian concourse

that links the three volumes of the Zentrum Paul Klee, Renzo Piano’s

latest showcase for art. An undulating steel structure emerges from

three hills to the east of the city, facing over the ringroad and surrounded

by fields. It’s a monument that celebrates the work of a brilliant

miniaturist; a fusion of architecture and landscape, warmth and precision,

structural daring and welcoming interiors. It captures the unique spirit of

a native son who made his reputation in Germany, fled Nazi persecution

to return home for a final burst of creativity, and is buried close by.

Klee was astonishingly prolific, meticulously recording the 10 000

works he created in his thirty-year career. ‘Not a day without a sketch,’

he noted in his journal, even as he neared his death in 1940. Members

of the artist’s family and the Klee Foundation promised to donate their

astounding hoard of 4000 paintings and drawings if Berne would provide

a dedicated space to show them. The chief sponsors were ProfessorMaurice Müller, a surgeon who invented the artificial hip, and his wife,

Martha, who selected the location and the architect, and insisted that the

building be a centre for all the arts and for people of all ages. Piano has

created a museum that reaches out to embrace the visitors who stream

in from footpaths, city bus, and motorway.

Like so many of his buildings, the Zentrum has a strong, simple diagram

that belies the complexity of its design and construction. Piano shifted

the site from the one that had first been chosen to address the sunken

motorway, mirroring its gentle curve in the glass facade and even in the

lines of vents cut into the floors of the galleries. That gives the building

a symbolic link to the contemporary world, and to the city that lies

beyond, concealed within its river valley. The undulating topography of the

adjoining hills inspired the profile of the steel beams, which swoop and

soar like a rollercoaster, rising from the earth at the rear to form a trio

of imposing arches in front. Each rounded vault encloses a discrete set

of spaces that are linked at the front by a 150m long glazed concourse

containing the café, ticketing, shop, and reference area. Extended opening

hours encourage visitors to come early or linger in this protected piazza.

A changing selection from the permanent collection is displayed in the

central pavilion, with a temporary exhibition gallery below. To the north,

meeting and restoration areas lead out of the concourse, with a creative

workshop for children below, and a subterranean auditorium behind. The

south pavilion contains the administrative offices, archives, and seminar

rooms, all on the main level.

The 4.2km of steel girders were cut and shaped by computer-

controlled machines but then, because each section has a different

configuration, the 40km of seams were hand-welded. The arches are

slightly inclined at different angles, braced by compression struts, and

tied to the roof plate and floor slabs. In contrast to this assembly of

unique parts, the concrete floors were constructed as a single structure,

without settlement joints. The glass facade is divided into upper andlower sections, which are joined at the 4m roof level of the concourse,

and are suspended from girders to avert stress from thermal expansion

in the steel roof. The glass is shaded by exterior mesh blinds that extend

automatically in response to the intensity of the light, and the high level

of insulation minimizes energy consumption.

All of these measures pay off in the galleries and archives, where

temperature and humidity must be maintained at constant levels, even

though they are seamlessly linked to the busy public concourse. The

permanent collection is displayed beneath the curved vault in a 1700sqm

room that is divided by suspended flats into a benign labyrinth of

interconnecting spaces. Each white screen hovers a couple of centimetres

above the oak floor as do the peripheral walls. To achieve the low lighting

level required by these sensitive works, illumination is indirect and

filtered. Spots cast their beams on the white-boarded ceiling vault, and

this glow is diffused by suspended square scrims.

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4To the rear,the vaults mergeinto the ground.Planting will gradu ally be establ ishedbetween the ridges to make thetransition more seamless.

2The trio oftopographic bumpsmimics the gentleundulations ofthe surroundinglandscape.

3A serpentine pathleads up to the mainentrance.





6l on g s ec ti on t hr ou gh n or th p av il io n ( co nc ou rs e, c in em a, a ud it or iu m) l on g s ec ti on t hr ou gh m id dl e p av il io n ( co nc ou rs e, g al le ri es )

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cross section

site plan

34 | 8

5The tapering profile of the vaults.6Detail of main facade and inclinedsteel arches.





1 north pavilion 2 central pavilion 3 south pavilion 4 main entrance

5 concourse 6 information 7 café 8 servery 9 cinema 10 AV rooms 11 restoration workshops 12 permanent collection 13 shop 14 reference section 15 offices and administration 16 temporary galleries 17 auditorium 18 children’s workshop

7Café and information area in thesoaring public concourse thatunites that trio of vaults andruns along the main facade.


ARCHITECT

RENZO PIANO

ground floor plan (scale approx 1:750)

lower ground floor

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It’s easy to see in the open geometry of the plan a reference to some

of Klee’s compositions, and the skein of slender cables supporting walls,

lights, and scrims evokes his spidery penmanship. Piano’s greatest feat is

to give these tiny, intense works the space they need to breathe. Such a

concentration of invention could easily overwhelm the viewer; here, each

work seems to float in its own white void, bathed in a cloud of soft light,

achieving an emotional as well as a formal resonance. Works are grouped,

not chronologically, but by affinity, so that you can explore the infinite

variety of ways in which this master employed line, colour, figurative and

abstract imagery; always enigmatic and never repetitive. Toplit stairs and

a piston-operated lift that is a work of art in itself carry you down to

a room of similar size that presently houses the 366 sketches Klee did

in his last fertile year. Here, the works are arranged on a peripheral and

inner wall that trace the rectangle defined by slender structural columns.

Scattered around both galleries on oak plinths are 40 hand puppets

that Klee made around 1920 to amuse his family. Fabricated from thecommonplace materials and crudely painted, they have a compelling

talismanic quality, revealing the inner child in the artist and in all who

connect with his work.

That spirit carries over into the children’s museum, aptly named

Creaviva for its emphasis on creative play in a succession of workshops

that are open to all ages. The steeply-raked 300-seat auditorium that

burrows into the ground behind is a black box lined with curved

sound baffles in the same orange hue as the Venetian plaster walls of

the outer lobby. Regular performances of chamber music (Klee was an

accomplished violinist), dance, and theatre will be interspersed with

lectures and readings. All will reflect the versatility of the artist and his

friends over four turbulent decades and their enduring legacy.

MICHAEL WEBB

8The curve of the arch runs throughthe glazed link between volumes.9Main gallery for the permanentKlee collection.10Main gallery is an airy labyrinthof suspended flat panels thatsubdivide the space.In places,lightis diffused by horizontal scrims.11Part of the children’s workshop at


ARCHITECT

RENZO PIANO

Architect

Renzo Piano Building Workshop,Genoa

Associate architect

ARB Architects,Berne

Structural engineers

Ove Arup & Partners,B + S Ingenieure

Services engineers

Ove Arup & Partners,Luco,Enerconom,Bering

Photographs

Paul Raftery/VIEW

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1138 | 8




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springs It hasattractedtravellersandinspiredartists poetsand

delight[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-2



Royal Academy Forum

Robert HewisonRuskin famously said that, ‘the teaching of art is the teaching of allthings’, setting his pupils at the London Working Men’s College the taskof representing, by drawing, a white sphere by shading only. It had tobe done in a particularly Ruskinian way, not as an outline, but byshading, so that the shape of the sphere emerges as the paper darkens.

The illustrations with this paper are selected from drawings members of the audience made during the talk.

Ruskin’s commentary on this exercise was, ‘It has been objected thata circle, or the outline of a sphere, is one of the most difficult of all linesto draw. It is so; but I do not want it to be drawn. All that this study of the ball is to teach the pupil, is the way in which shade gives theappearance of projection. This he learns most satisfactorily from asphere; because any solid form, terminated by straight lines or flatsurfaces, owes some of its appearance of projection to its perspective;but in a sphere, what, without shade, was a flat circle becomes merely

by the added shade, the image of a solid ball; and this fact is just asstriking to the learner, whether his circular outlines be true or false. Heis, therefore, never allowed to trouble himself about it; if he makes theball look as oval as an egg, the degree of error is simply pointed out tohim, and he does better next time, and better still the next. But his mindis always fixed on the gradation of shade, and the outline left to take, indue time, care of itself’.

way both to instil that discipline and test the accuracy of a person’perception was through the practice of drawing. He believed, howeverthat accurate perception, refined by the practice of drawing, was morethan an exercise for the eye, it was also a facility for the mind. Speakingat the opening of St Martin’s School of Art in London in 1857, he toldthe students that, ‘Drawing enabled them to say what they could no

otherwise say; and ... drawing enabled them to see what they could nootherwise see. By drawing they actually obtained a power of the eye ana power of the mind wholly different from that known to any othediscipline’. This remark is significant when we consider recent investigations o

visual cognition, which show that the eye and the brain wordynamically together, and that vision is active engagement, not passivreception. Semir Zeki, Professor of Neurobiology at LondoUniversity, argues in his book Inner Vision: An Exploration of Art and thBrain that one ‘sees’ with the brain, not the eye, and that what he cal

‘the visual brain’ is involved in a process of comparing and sorting thaamounts to understanding. Ruskin seems to have anticipated this idewhen he wrote that sight was a great deal more than the passivreception of visual stimuli, it was ‘an absolutely spiritual phenomenonaccurately, and only to be so defined: and the “Let there be light” is amuch, when you understand it, the ordering of intelligence as thordering of vision’. For Ruskin, to achieve a clarity and nicety of vision

[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-2



Royal Academy Forum

88|2

create allusion and resonance. On this imaginary field, memoriesgather and grow by association and proximity. In Western painting,the field comes to develop separate spaces: foreground, middledistance, background. Each has its own defining archetypes of colour, character, story and form.

We sense the existence of this implicit format most strongly inPoussin, C laude and the subsequent development of the Picturesque.

Thisimaginary, and seemingly tacit agreement within pictorial culturehashad such lasting potency that I think of it, certainly in relation to myown work asan artist, asvirtually a death-defying given of apparentlytranscendental significance. In modern timesit breaksto thesurfaceinCézanne, and then in Cubism. I n rising to explicitness, however, itseffect ischanged fundamentally.

Since the late nineteenth century, these complex features of compositional memory which dominatethe pictorial, relational art of the West, have been tested. During the twentieth century, aestheticcharacteristics such asformal reduction and singularity, rather thanil lusion and metaphor, become pre-eminent. T ruth resides in the

concrete and the objective. Simplicity is synonymouOnly theeveryday (alwaysthestreet and never thepala

In thecaseof the first generation of American abstraasRothko and Clifford Still , a grand and brave simpachieved. But I would arguethat their work isstill (intouch and dependent on art historical memory and rformer model. At such closerange(50 years) their aesth

adventuresretain meaning. Yet thepossibility for creating thisweb of meaning, aand association did not of course entirely disappear century. The pair of exhibiti ons at Tate ModernBrancusi and Donald Judd early in 2004 showstheconthepoetic in apparently irreconcilableworlds. Subjectobjective, carved to assembled, refined to raw. I t is aruns through twentieth-century art between the assputative re-presentation of reality. A powerful epersistenceof thisimaginary field in latetwentieth-centuthe work of the painter Phil ip Guston. He, l ike m

images so as to establish a constant version of the things that passpartially and fleetingly before us. What we have seen influenceswhatwenow see. What wehavebeen taught to seeshapesour vision. And asweseewealso feel and think. Ruskin believed that theunconscious, orsemi-consciousideasthat comeaswelook at thingscould interferewiththe truth of our perception. In cultural terms, people’s eyes can becorrupted by conventionsof onekind or another, most especially by the

ways in which they are taught to see. That is why Ruskin stood outagainst not only theconventional tastesthat rejected thefresh visionsfirst of Turner and then of the Pre-Raphaelites, but all three of theprincipal meansby which visual perception wasformally shaped in thenineteenth century.

First, he learned to reject the gentlemanly amateur tradition of thePicturesque, the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-centurywatercolour landscapetradition in which hehad himself been trained.Second, hebecametheimplacable enemy of theofficial, government-promoted method for training artistsand designers, theso-called SouthKensington system managed by the Department of Science and Art.

Third, he wascritical of the training of fine artists, asexemplified bywhat hecalled the‘basesystem’ for teaching studentsin theschoolsof theRoyal Academy, which, hesaid, ‘destroysthe greater number of itspupilsaltogether; it hindersand paralysesthe greatest’. H is reasoningwas important because it went beyond critici zing the fr aming of conventional Neo-Classical perception by studying from the antique.

Teaching of art began with training theeyeand thehand – but it hadalso to develop themind. No art teaching, said Ruskin, ‘could beof useto you, but would rather beharmful, unlessit wasgrafted on something

deeper than all art’.Sight was intended to lead to insight. R uskin did not confuse

imitation with representation. He regarded thepleasurederived fromimitation as the most contemptible that can be derived from art,becausemereimitation is meredeception. What Ruskin wanted to getat was the truth. T ruth in painting, he said, ‘signifies the faithfulstatement, either to themind or thesenses, of any fact of nature’. T hese‘factsof nature’ could bediscovered by diligent visual observation. But,‘Imitation can only beof something material, but truth hasreferencetostatements both of the qualities of material things, and of emotions,impressionsand thoughts. Thereisa moral aswell asmaterial truth; atruth of impression aswell asof form, of thought aswell asof matter,and thetruth of impression and thought is a thousand timesthemoreimportant of thetwo’.

Further, ‘Truth may bestated by any signsor symbolswhich haveadefinitesignification in themindsof thoseto whomthey areaddressed,although such signsbe themselvesno image nor likenessof anything.Whatever can excite in the mind the conception of certain facts, cangive ideas of truth, though it be in no degree the imitation or

resemblanceof thosefacts’. True sight leads to insight, true insight leads to revelation. Thistriadic structurecorrespondsto his theory of theimagination: first whathecalled thepenetrativeimagination saw clearly and deeply, then theassociative imagination brought theseperceptionstowardsunity, whilethe contemplative imagination meditated on and expressed thespiritual, symbolic truthsso revealed. The whole of Ruskin’s art theory, in a sense, comes back to

representing the sphere, an exercise in the first order of truth. Wecannot begin to talk about representation, until there issomething torepresent, and if we do not know what it is that we wish to represent,

know it physically, through the co-ordination of hand and eye, andknow it morally, through theopennessand clarity of our vision, wewillnever be able to begin our journey. As Ruskin famously said, ‘T hegreatest thing a human soul ever doesin thisworld is to seesomething,and tell what it saw in a plain way. Hundredscan talk for onewho canthink, but thousandscan think for one who can see. To see clearly ispoetry, prophecy, and religion – all in one’.

Christopher Le BrunWhen Caspar David Friedrich claimed that, ‘T he artist should paintnot only what heseesbeforehim, but also what heseeswithin himself. I f he seesnothing within himself he should also forgo painting what heseesbeforehim…’, henot only captured theessenceof Romanticism;he also posed a fundamental question wi th which art has beenconcerned ever since. If, asFriedrich states, perception and imaginationthrow up ‘truthsat least asimportant asobjective reality’, the issue ishow to find ideas and techniques for representation which avoidcontingency and randomness, and allow the work of art to establi shsignificanceand meaning.

Representation in art achievessignificance(or depth) when it relatesto a shared background of memory and association. I would arguethatculture is established by critical accumulation and diminished bysubstitution. Just asin theforest, great treesdepend for their sizeandmajesty on dense and diverse brushwood, so new layers anddevelopmentsin art havea symbiotic relationship with individual workswhich nourishestheir potential to convey meaning.

George Steiner described the way literature achieves this level of

resonance asthe ‘field of prepared echo’. With this image, he vividlyconveys the working of the canon of Western art. It is the agreedgiven of what isseen, through the test of permanence, to have value,and allows density of meaning to buil d up. Wi thout this density,high culture is impossible. In such a field new ideas and how theyspeak within history can be rapidly and intuitively understood. Ananalogy in the visual artsmight be to picture a loose grid, existing inthree spatial dimensions and evolving over time. Within it,compositi onal formulae and repeated patterns in favoureddispositions come to acquire meaning. We see them superimposedcomparatively in our imaginations. T he differencesand symmetries

Opposite, Christopher LeBrun RA,Aram Nemus Vult,

1988-89. Oil on canvas,271x 444cm, AstrupFearnley, Museum of Modern Art, Oslo.

Right, Philip Guston, 1913-1980,Dial , 1956.Oil on canvas, 72x 76in(182.88x 193.04cm),Whitney Museum of American Art, NewYork.Purchase 56.44.





theground to createcar parking below a green belt, how ground form,roof shape and structure ease the flow of air and invite movement of people. Having a degreeof familiarity with Dublin probably helped thethinking for theMillenniumSpireto happen quickly. It wasan intuitiveidea which becamearchitectural, sculptural, and structural. I wantedthe stand at Crystal Palace to capture the essential form of the bowl

Joseph Paxton created. It sweepsup to thestage, reflecting sound andair, likea leaf in thepark. Theurban sceneis full of imagesthat carrymeaning, which may lie, for instance, in a technical effect or perhapsinmemory. A small intervention may alter the balance between imagesand profoundly affect their meaning, and it isin sifting and synthesizingtheseideasand influences, helping to understand their repercussions,that languageisso powerful. Aswordsdevelop into imagesthey pick upand evolveknowledge.

Roger PenroseI writeasa mathematician who finds drawing and other formsof visualrepresentation immensely helpful. I can think of several different waysin which such visual imagery can beimportant in mathematical work.In thefirst place, thereisthefollowing major division:•Internal, ie, aidsto one’sown mathematical understanding•External, ie, aidsto theconveying of such understanding to others. Therearemany different waysto think about mathematics, and there

areconsiderabledifferencesamong mathematiciansasto which modesof thinking come most easily. I think that the main division betweensuch modesof thinking comeswith thevisual/ geometric, on onehand

and theverbal/ algebraic/calculational, on theother. On thewhole, thebest mathematicians are good at both modes of thinking, but myexperience has been that with mathematics students, there is muchmore difficulty on the geometric side than on the

algebraic/ calculational side. As for myself, I find tthinking is what comes most naturally, and I oftemathematical problemsinto a geometrical formfirst babout trying to solvethem. However, I frequently findtrying to convey my understandings to other matstudents, if I use too geometrical a formulation, as

happier with algebraic/ calculational typesof argumenHowever, there isa curiousparadox here. I am oflectures to non-mathematical (or mixed) audiencerequest usually takestheform ‘uselotsof pictures, so tfind it easier’. T hisisgenerally good advice, and it iscthat pictures rather than equations are normally mconveying information – even fairly technical infoaudiences. The puzzle is: why isi t that professional and those aspir ing to be professional mathematimpression of being moreunhappy with visual typesof membersof the interested general public? Here I ventto thispuzzle, that thereisa selection effect, arising frois much harder to examine visual mathematiccalculational or algebraic skills. When I was in mmathematics undergraduate, I chose geometrical specialist topics, but I believe that I fared a good dalgebra papers than on the geometrical ones. The although I did not havedifficulty in solving thegeomefound it to bedifficult, and particularly timeconsuminunderstanding in words, aswasnecessary. Moreover,

arguments, an appropriate degree of rigour is alwaargumentsto beacceptable. Thisisoften difficult to exwith geometrical reasoning, even when such reasoningbeperfectly correct. Accordingly, thosewho rely on g

compelling pull of this invisible model which suffuses Western art.Guston’s paintings with their tidal shifts towards and away fromrepresentation, show a grid-like sensual abstract paintinginterpenetrating figurative, illustrative pictures. Depictions andthought-touches seem to emerge from the wealth of the painter’smemory, giving them an interior ity akin to the reflexiveness of literature. Hispaintingsexist within a maturemetaphysical realm fortheprojection of emotion and form.

What I amarguing for isa moreorganized formof subjectivity alongthe linesof Caspar David Friedrich’s injunction. It is a Classical andinformed subjectivity, depending on thoughtfulnessand reflection, andits effect is to allow picturesto maintain their elusivenessand privacyeven when their meaning ismanifestly present in thepublic realm.

Ian Ritchie: language to architectural calligraphyMy design processalwaysstartswith an idea, and ideascan comefrommany sources. Some might be environmental; others are functional,social or structural, or sculptural in thecaseof the JubileeL inevents,but they exist asideaswithout a clear representation. Themeaning andvalueof an idea liesin language, so I find languagea fundamental toolfor exploring ideas. Asa student in Liverpool and spending a lot of timeat theEveryman T heatrewherethepoet Roger M cGough opened upmy appreciation of language, I saw how wordscan investigate ratherthan determinean idea. T his isa pre-drawing form of representation

which I develop through l anguage. Through draughting andredraughting, wordshelp to concentratean idea and bring it into focus.How thi s happens varies. The outcome might be descripti ve orabstract; sometimesit may depend on metaphor and at other timesit ismoreliteral.

Once words have given a theme or idea some existence, the nextchallengeisto captureit visually. In thepast I used models, moulding apieceof plasticeneto find the form, but moreoften now I useJapaneseor Chinese brushes– the calligraphy of the title. T he idea must existbefore I can paint around it, but using different techniques of representation helps to develop it. Alba di Milano , for example,originated asa beamof light. M ilan’sreputation for making fineclothsuggested theidea of weaving, so it started to evolveinto a cloth of light

woven from fibre optics, which emit l ight when broken. My firstpainting wasa black line on a white piece of paper. Using ground oncopper plate, theetching reversed that, turning it into a flash of whiteagainst a black ground.

For White City Shopping Centre I wanted to capture ideasaboutshopping that I had described in writing. I had written about how airmight flow through the spacesand the roof modulate sunlight, abouthow there could be viewsand routesto parkland on either side, andhow the effect might reconfigure the relationship between shoppingand thecity. An early ink drawing conveysthoseideas, initially formedin words, with a few simplebrushstrokes, showing themanipulation of 90|2

Royal Academy Forum

Four imagesby Ian Ritchie RA, clockwise from left, The Spire of Dublin (monument for Ireland);White City Shopping Cent re; A lba di Mil ano; Crystal Palace Concert P lat form.

Left,Fig1; centre, Fig2; right, Fig3,The Creator Having Trouble Locat ing the Right Universe by Roger Penrose, mixed media29x25cm.





of my work isthemethodology of visually mapping information and thepsychological and emotional dimension that comesout of i t.The Frozen Sea installation began in theword check-mate. Following

its semantic and etymological connectionstook methrough thevariousstrands of the meanings of words such as check, exchequer, chess,

jeopardy, hazard, and draughts. Having mapped ‘check’ to a level thatsatisfied me(about forty terms), I set about theproblemof materializingthis map. No map can convey every detail to a reader, as theinformation would be overwhelming. I chose to focus only on therelations between words. To know if and how words relate, theirrelative agesand etymologieshaveto beknown. Asmy map containedsemantic links, thistoo would haveto berecognized. I chosethreerules

to describe the word map in three dimensions: semantic = beside,etymological =on top of, word age=volume.

ForThe Frozen Sea I decided to createa study, with desks, chairs, filingcabinets, a full set of theOED , blackboardsand so on. Having gatheredmy objects, I ranked them by volume and assigned a word from the‘check’ word map to each, based on thesimplecorrespondencethat thelargest volumeshould represent thetermlongest in use, thesmallest, theword that had been in use for the most fleeting moment. H avingassigned objectsto wordsI arranged themaccording to my threerules:objectsrepresenting wordsthat related semantically wereplaced besideone another; those with an etymological connection were stacked

horizontally. Theroombecamea working study and grid with X and Y coordinates.

Richard Long maps his journeys through the lanand sticks, objects to hand. I have mapped my jourforest of words in anglepoise lamps and chairs, alsohand. The Mexican artist Damien Ortega’s recentSpirit placestext and materiality in disjunctive conjuCraig-M artin’s 1970s workAn Oak Tree looks atchemistry of naming and duality of matter and sign. I Sea in relation to theseworks. To return to the experience of the viewer – th

activated when theviewer beginsto piecetogether the

study. Thework operatesasan invitation to theviewethe process of decision and doubt that has createddetectivework. Thisisa strategy that I employ to activdecisiveprocessof seeing isa re-perceiving. Asin a cothingsare not what they seem. Every element of themeaning. T hedesk isindeed a placewherea lexicograwork, with the fetishization usual in the preserved slike Darwin. It is also a tool that hasbeen used in theout, and also directly representsa word in the group

Thetitlewaschosen to suggest a momentary fixing of a Thearrangement will giveway to another asanother w92|2

of understanding are at a disadvantage in examinations, andconsequently they become under represented in the mathematicalcommunity at large. My own experiencewith visual imagery – and thisapplieswithin both theabovecategories(internal and external), thoughwith a somewhat different balancewithin each – isthat it can takemanyforms. There are, indeed, variouswaysin which I have found visual

representationsto beimmensely valuable. I n my own work, either asanessential aid to mathematical understanding and research, or forexpositional purposes, I can distinguish at least four categories:(a) Schematic diagramsrepresenting mathematical concepts.(b) Accuraterepresentation of geometrical configurations.(c) A precisediagrammatic notation for algebraic calculations.(d) Cartoons, often whimsical, to illuminatekey points.

My notebooks are full of sketches depicting (a), the picturesfrequently represent mathematical structuresof higher dimension thanis apparent. The configuration in Fig 1 isa drawing of mine from anarticle ‘M athematics of the Impossible’,* and it i llustrates a non-periodic tiling of theplanefromjust two different birdlikeshapes. Thetypeof precisegeometrical notation that I frequently use, in accordancewith (c), is illustrated in Fig 2, from another notebook of mine. The(whimsical) cartoon of Fig 3 isonethat I haveused a number of timesinlectures, and it illustratesthe extraordinary precision with which theuniverse must have started up (at the Big Bang), in order to beconsistent with observation and with the Second Law of

Thermodynamics. I feel honoured that it hasbeen exhibited aspart of the Royal Academy’sSummer Exhibition 2004 under the title ‘The

creator having troublelocating theright universe’.

*The Artful Eye , edited by Richard Gregory, John Harris, PriscillaHeard, and David Rose, Oxford University Press, O xford, 1995, p326.

Abigail ReynoldsRuskin established a clear linebetween drawing and comprehension,arguing that drawing triggers looking, and looking leads tounderstanding. But Robert Hewison’sdiscussion of Ruskin suggeststhat he saw the entire benefit came in producing a drawing, leavingopen the question of whether seeing a drawing hasthe same order of significance. In art, Richter points out, seeing isthedecisiveact, so howthe artist can enable the viewer to share this central act completelybecomes the vital issue. I am especially interested in how art canbecomea tool for thinking, and potentially elevatetheviewer’sthoughtprocessover theartist’s. Art should open an avenuefor activethought.

Having madeMount F ear , which represents crime statistics as amountain range, I am looking at developing further strategies forrepresenting theabstract by sculptural and physical modelling. Among

thesewasmy work asartist in residencefor theOxford English Dictionary . TheOED is already a representation in at least two senses: itscontentrepresentsculturethrough time, and its aesthetic representsauthority.It isconstantly changed and updated, and although it outwardly aspiresonly to be descriptive, mapping change in language, its aesthetic of authority confusesthisby being set up asan arbiter of what isand isnotcorrect. But in shaping thechaosof experienceand imposing order, theOED haspointsin common with art.

I approached the OED by looking at systems and structures of meaning in lexicography and art, connecting theexperiencesof my firstdegree in English and my second in Fine Art. T heOED itself is

interested in opening up discussion of the place of lexicography anddictionary-making in our culture to a wider audience, but I amespecially drawn to it because, asa project, it teeterson the brink of folly. T he hubrisof documenting all of language, a moving target, isalmost monumentally absurd, and also heroic. It can never bedone.

My year as Arti st in R esidence at theOED had many joys. T hesimplest of these was, when asked where my studio is, to be able torespond ‘in theDictionary’.

Of course, when I say Dictionary, I mean a department of 70lexicographers, whereasmy questioner imaginesa set of 20 volumes. Imean an ongoing daily process; they think of a printed authority.Suddenly, in this gap, emergesa mental imageof me, shrunk likeAlice

moving through a world of words. It is a really enjoyabledisjunction,and onewhich liesat thecentreof my approach to creating a visual artwork that respondsto theOED .

I started to produceword mappingsquite soon after arriving in thedepartment. Paul K lee, when drawing, would takea linefor a walk. Ispend timetaking wordsfor walks. Choosing a word, I sniff around it,following cross-referencesand other hintsin theOED . Theword groupgrows and is shaped over time as I add and subtract semantic andetymological links, arranging and re-arranging until a satisfying formevolves. Words have a shape which can amount to a secret history of their mutated meaningsover time. What I find important in thisphase

Royal Academy Forum

Abigail Reynolds, Exchequer 1, photo-collage 2004. Abigail Reynolds, workingdrawingforThe Frozen Sea, 2004.





yearsold. T herearethreeof thesecomplexesin I ndia and while I haveseen only the one in J aipur, I chose to model the Delhi structurefamiliar to meonly fromincompleteaccounts, plansand photographicrecords. I waskeen to makean idealized version which I think revealsmoreof thehubrisbut also thebeauty of thesethreestructures.

After we had made a CAD model of the site, I attempted todeconstruct thebuildingsby projecting animated viewsonto a movingstainless-steel mesh armatureand re-filming theresult. Most elementsin the buildings are visible, and their essence survives being pulledacrossa complex seriesof curves. I wasinterested to seehow thebasicgeometry would withstand this sort of distortion of representation. Itis an example of what I call ‘vertical memory’, where the essence of

compressed experiencesurvivesthissort of mangling. Thisalso relatesto our own inability to recall accurately which gives rise to a poeticsensibility forced to rebuild objectsand experiencesin our own minds.If there is a common grammar, each small part might contain thephraseology for thewhole.

When I introduce sound into a work I use Dolby Surround whichdefinesa pronounced spatial configuration. I do not want a sense of front or a formal planar way of seeing a building. I want the sameflexibility in experiencing representation that we take for granted intheexperienceof therepresented.

Oneof thetwo filmsto which this project gaverisehasa sequence

in which I overlay blurred and distorted images. Tblurring curiously introduces a level of sight which fmore permanently embedded than conventiorepresentation. I t also shows up a particular problarchitectural photographs and renderings. T hinexhaustible detail drawing you closer and closer to thephotographic grain interposesitself between yourepresented.

Using a different approach to representation raisethe ‘habitability’ of the representation itself; that is, invite you past its own surface. I fi nd similarepresentation with text and while I usetext extensiv

is often in a form which acknowledges this diffi culttimelabouring over thewordsand havea programmdisplay them asa fine grid floating apparently withinfog. While the meaning is still present, i t becomes lalmost irretrievable, an obscuring tint acrossthesurfa Their numerous staircases aiming at the s

calibrations and dishes, the Janta Manta are budetermined by light, moonlight, starlight or sunligchoseto render thestructuresin glass. How thebuildion light and arose purely from light sets up all sorpossibil itiesfor itsrepresentation.94|2

Graham Modlen, Officeof Zaha HadidDrawingsby Zaha H adid’sofficearepowerful representationsof ideasand possibilities and when I started there I had to fathom out whatthey might represent. ThedrawingsI had seen previously for theHongKong Peak project stimulated me to think forward, to wonder that if you could do that to Hong K ong, what werethepossibilitiesfor othercities? I soon realized that thistypeof drawing isa processwhereevery-thing isto be re-imagined, shattered and then put back together again.It i sas if weareasked to suspend belief and to turn theproject roundgraphically and re-present it. Drawing allowsdifferent peopleto inventand interpret, and contribute to theprocess. It isa real studio system.

One of Zaha’s earliest commissions was a rooftop conversion inHalkin Placein Belgravia. The drawingsshow theflat interior with thewallsblown away and theplan drawn within a floating isometric pro-

jection. Fittingsand furniture are sometimeson the floor and some-times floating. T he wall is drawn as if i t were a new plane throughwhich light shines. I t has a sort of surreal air to it. But the drawingsalso re-imaginethe homeground; certain elementsbecomerecogniz-able; you can makeout thestreetswith thefamiliar duality of a regularedgeto thestreet and a serrated back edge. Thetechniqueof drawingsheinaugurated hasbecomea hallmark of theoffice. It allowsanyonein theoffice, whether they know London or not, to reinvent it and showushow it could be.

By the time of the competition for the Grand Buildingssite in themid-1980s, the techniquesfor drawing had evolved into a collectiveeffort. The project wasan opportunity to reinvent or imaginean ide-

alized version of Trafalgar Square. In the drawingsthe square itself might berecognizablebut what liesbehind it haschanged. The rivergetslost and thereareseveral strangeundulations. Various people inthe team contributed perspectival drawings, representing their ideasor knowledge of the city but, I think, they were put together withZaha’ssteadying hand.

In theofficearesketch booksof drawingsby Zaha, which aresome-thing li ke diaries. They may not refer to any particular project, butthey are forward thoughts and reflectionson past ideas. She can pre-sent them to thestudio in a way which launcheseverybody off, or shemay say, ‘there’sa sketch I did which may ... but you will haveto studyit’. Weteaseout what might relateto theproject in discussion. It may

be the silhouette that hassome significance, or perhaps one image islaid over another to fathom out the kernel of the plan. T he result ismulti-layered and theoriginal thought may becomeindistinct.

With computersand copierswecan deal with all sortsof distortions.We can twist plans, build up layersand distort distances. The intro-ductory imagesof theRomeContemporary ArtsCentrewere‘reliefs’built up fromtwo or threelayersof cut card to givedepth to thegroundin plan. That then feedsideasabout the roof structure and for wallswhich descend and createoutdoor spaces.

At theMind Zonein theMillennium Dome, our task wasto repre-sent the workingsof the mind through an interaction of architecture,art and an understanding of neurology. Itsform of three overlappingsnake-like shapes resembling curving lasagne layers and forms, wasdescribed as piece of sculpture and exhibitry itself with smaller ele-mentsof sculpture and exhibits inside, something like a Russian doll.

Theposition of thesteel trussesrelated to circulation patternsand thedome’sshape; wetickled and pushed it with cantileversand distortions.

The idea was that people walking along ramps would come acrossexhibitsthat aimed, for example, to play with visual perception, com-munication and identity. One of the exhibitswasa built spatial per-spectival trick comprising a 4m high sculpture by Gavin Turk whichdistorted distances. Another wasa computer programwhich reworkeda photograph of yourself to changegender, raceand age.

Our drawing techniquesarewaysnot just of representing, but find-ing and developing ideas. For examplethe‘mid-construction’ viewsof Cardiff Bay Opera H ouse were drawn on black paper, but from the

use of white paint, for example, it seemed to me an idea came abouttheuseof light. I n another, earlier project from1993, based on an ex-dockland sitein Düsseldorf, which combined a radio station, hotel andmedia offices, theteammadea number of exploratory worksincludinga mixed, hybrid perspectivewhich wasasif wringing a cloth. Out of itcame different views represented in one painterly composition.Representation ispart of theprocessof thinking.

Paul SchützeWhen I make pieces based on architecture, I aim to document theexperience of a building rather than the bui lding i tself. PeterZumthor’sThermal Baths in Valscaptivated me partly because thebuilding seemsto have its own internal weather systems. Each roomachievesitsown micro climatewith distinctivetemperature, humidityand tepidity. Some spaces also link with the exterior bringing anunexpected haptic transparency. Roomsregister asmuch on theskinas the eye or the ear. There are extraordinary acoustic phenomenaarticulated by varieties in scale, materials and ceiling heights. I wasstruck by how rich an experiencethebuilding would offer to someone

who could not see. While its visual impact is considerable, thearchitect has addressed each of the senses extravagantly. Anotherfeature is the way its water surfaces appear as part of thecompositional massof the building and yet are occupiable asspaces.

This produces an almost eerie intimacy with the materials and thestructureitself. The Janta Manta series takes the remarkable structures built as

astronomical observatoriesunder the Mughal Emperor Jai Singh II . Their form determined by need, they have a minimal amount of ornament, but they make an engaging collection of sculptural formswhich seem strangely contemporary despite being several hundred

Royal Academy Forum

Zollhof, Düsseldorf, by ZahaHadid Architects.

Paul Schütze:From the Garden of Instrumen ts III , 2004. Lightbox, 92x 128.4cm. Edition of three. Copyright holder: Paul Schütze. Imagescourtesy of Al an Christea





Continuity is important too, because all our projects are really onwork. An extraordinary concept you might have at the age of 21 is avalid when you are 56; you just have more wisdom to explore thaconcept in other ways, but hopefully with no less vibrancy. I t iimportant to keep up a process of discovery and invention. Often spend time in the summer on Minorca with Bruce Maclean, no

working on any particular project but doing something else. Thessessions might throw up some interesting shapes, forms or ideawhich could find their way into design projects. We would have to dfurther studies to interpret how to build them, but in reality drawingmaking and realization are all aspects of the same process.

Discovery is an important part of our activities. We did not imposthe Ontario College of Art and Design on the community; rather came out of the community. We extended the park to the street sopeople who live on it can walk straight out into the park, which is nowanimated by the lively people who occupy the art school.

Our project ‘Not the Tate’ for Barking Reach in the ThameGateway shows how we use various techniques of representation texplore the implications of particular starting points. At the momenthe area is not on the mental map of Londoners and most proposafor it are overly academic. Our proposal is to give a series of largwooden huts over to the London art schools – one of the city’s greasecrets – and curate a landscape of activity with work in, on o

Royal Academy Forum

Sketch for the School of the Future.




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P U S H I N G T H

E E N V E L

O P E

T h i s n e w a r t m u s e u

m i n S t L o u i s i s c o n c e i v

e d a s a f l e x i b l e

s h e l l f o r e x p e r i m e n t t h a t r e a c h e s o u t t o i t

s s u r r o u n d i n g s





30|1

Meet me in St Louis, Louis, meet me at the Fair’, sangJudy Garland,

and the city is celebratingthe centenary of that high point in its

fortunes, even as it struggles – like so many others in the Midwest –

to regenerate its battered core. Progress has been made since Eero

Saarinen’s Gateway Arch was built on the banks of the Mississippi in

1968, and the Grand Center Ar ts Distr ict at the edge of downtown

has recently acquired two small but potent gems: Tadao Ando’s

Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts and the Contemporary Art Museum

by Allied W orks Architecture. They occupy neighbouringsites and

conduct a lively dialogue across a shared courtyard dominated by a

Richard Serra torqued steel sculpture.

What’s remarkable is how well these two radically different

buildings complement each other visually as well as in purpose. The

Pulitzer, which opened two years ago, is a signature work by Ando in

the finest in-situ concrete. It has the air of a spiritual retreat: refined,

serene, and inward-looking; a place for solitary contemplation of

twentieth-century masterworks fr omthe Pulitzer collection, which is

open by appointment two days a week. In contrast, Allied Works

principal Brad Cloepfil designed the new museumas a flexible shell

for experimentation in the visual arts, and programmes that reach out

to the depressed neighbourhood and the general public. Concrete

walls are clad in tightly woven stainless-steel mesh, and expansive

windows open up views fromstreet to courtyard. Galleries for

changingexhibitions occupy a quarter of its 2500 sq m; the rest are

given over to a large performance space, an education centre and

café, plus upstairs offices and classrooms. The buildingcost only $6.5

million, substantially less than its neighbour.

Thanks to the generosity of Emily Pulitzer and other patrons, the

CAM has moved far beyond its modest beginnings in a downtown

storefront, and it selected Allied Works from a shortli st that included

Herzog& de Meuron, RemKoolhaas, and Peter Zumthor. It was a

prescient choice, for Cloepfil has since won acclaimfor prestigious

CONTEMPORARYART MUSEUM,

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA

A RCHITECT

ALLIED WORKS

location plan

2The museum complex in St Louis’depressed cityscape. Allied Works’new building(left) joins Ando’smuseum on the right.3Concrete wallswrapped in stainless-steel mesh are beautifully smooth,impassive surfaces.4Expansive windowsopen up views.2

3

4

[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review Sellection(2002 2005)





32|1

1 entrancelobby

2 galleryspaces

3 educationstudio

4 perform ancespace

5 courtyard

6 café

7 loading

8 lineofA ndo building

9 administrativeoffices

10 resourcecentre

11 classroom

crosssection


crosssection

first floor plan

5The internal courtyard.6Detail of mesh-wrapped walls.

CONTEMPORA

ST LOUIS, MIS

A RCHITECT

ALLIED WORK

5

8

9

11

10

56

1 4

2

23

7

[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review Sellection(2002 2005)





34|1

arts projects in New York, Dallas, and Seattle, all of which are

characterized by acool minimalismand sensitivity to aesthetic needs.

As he explains: ‘In makingspace for contemporary art, the architecture

must first serve the arti st; not by attemptingto render abackground

for the art, but by providingthe artist with aspecific spatial presence,

an intentional vacancy that achieves meaningthrough the art itself.’ Healso spoke of creating‘a fusion of the city and the arts.’

Cloepfil has pushed the buildingout to a curved corner that

gives it a distinctive prow, and has restored the original street l ine –

in contrast to the Pulitzer, which is pulled back. The contents of the

buildingare revealed though window walls, so that its role as an art

centre is immediately apparent. Concrete walls are sandblasted to

dematerialize the surface and distinguish it fromA ndo’s small

modules. The mesh is set 100-150mmfrom the walls, unifyingthe

facade and shadingthe office and classroom windows. It ’s a concept

that the architect has developed and taken further in the

translucent membrane he proposes to wrap around the former

Huntington Hartford Gallery in New York, a marble-clad Venetian

pastiche by Edward Durrell Stone, to provide a new home for the

Museumof Contemporary Arts and Design.

Double glass doors open onto the lobby froma setback in the

north facade, and steps lead down fromthis introductory space to

the galleries. Cloepfil has played with space and light as though they

were liquids, containingand releasingthem, allowingvisitors to feel

they are swimmingthrough galleries that open up to each other and

to outdoor areas that are tightly enclosed by the two buildings. There

are two levels of wall: 4mhigh sections at ground level, and a 6mhighband that wraps around the upper level in serpentine fashion, tying

the spaces together. The steel mesh is carried inside in places to add

another layer and a contrastingtexture to the white painted

sheetrock on the display walls. Ceilingplanes float at different levels,

admittinglight from clerestories and blockingdirect sun. The effect is

one of interlockingboxes cut away to leave only a few definingedges.

Paul Ha, the new director of St Louis CA M, made his reputation at

White Columns, New York’s most adventurous alternative art

space. ‘It changes one’s perception of art to see it in a different

setting,’ he observes, ‘and artists welcome the challenge of

respondingto the energy of place.’ For Cloepfil, the task was ‘to

make spaces that serve the arts and artists, while allowingfor a

subtle emotional response fromthe individual. It was imperative to

create a physical environment that visitors would feel comfortable

returningto again and again.’ MICHAEL WEBB

axonometric of buildingelements

7Lookingthrough the courtyard.8After the compression of theoutdoor areas, galleriesare tall, airy,luminousspaces.9, 10The buildingisconceived asaflexible shell for experimentation.

Architect

Allied Works, Portland, USAPhotographs

HélèneBinet



A RCHITECT

ALLIED WORKS

7

8

9 10

[ ] ( )




The young French partnership of Florence Lipsky and Pascal Rollet has

a reputation for formally sparse but technically and materially inventive

buildings that make the most of limited programmes and budgets. Though

the pair favour the aesthetic edginess and functional economy of raw or

industrial materials, they generally play it straight with modular Miesian

structures and disciplined spatial arrangements. Their latest building is a

science library for the University of Orleans. Founded in 1961 and now

with some 5000 students, the university occupies a peripheral campus

sward at some remove from the city centre, linked by a tram line that

runs on a north-south axis across town. The site for the library is next to

the tram line, in front of one of the four stations that serves the campus.

Emerging from a boskily pastoral setting, the building is a strong, almost

graphic presence in the landscape. The taut orthogonality of its form, a

long, three-storey box terminated by a full-height colonnade, suggests

a scientific triumph of the rational over the romantic, but it has a more

quixotic side in its appropriation of materials, handling of light and

approach to energy use and environmental control.

The tall concrete colonnade, like a scaled down version of Foster’s

Carré d’Art museum, Nîmes (AR July 1993), is a welcoming gesture that

celebrates and civilises arrival, while emphasising a route to the lake. A

small glass box, which also acts as an informal exhibition space, forms

a decompression zone between the blare of the outside world and the

SCIENCE LESSONVeiled in a polycarbonate skin, this

science library exploits site, light

and materials in the quiet pursuit of

passive environmental control.

UNIVERSITY LIBRARY,ORLEANS, FRANCE

ARCHITECT

LIPSKY + ROLLET

1The translucent volume of the newlibrary emerges from its woodedcampus setting.2A tall colonnade creates a space forsocial interaction.




cross section

site plan

3

3The colonnade marks the entrance.4The site lies next to a tram line linkingthe campus with Orleans city centre.5

Windows puncture th e tran slucen tpolycarbonate skin; glare control is





[A hit t Eb k] Th A hit t l R i S ll ti (2002 2



silent inner sanctum of the reading room. Areas of clear glazing are

punched apparently at random into the translucent polycarbonate skin

frame and define views of the landscape from inside at study table height

so students can drift off in contemplative reveries.

In operational terms, the modern university library is less concerned

with the inducement of reverie and more with the efficient storage and

retrieval of information, in both paper and digital formats. Yet the process

of information withdrawal, consultation and return continues to underpin

and structure the library as a building type. Lipksy + Rollet articulate this

process through a central ‘book box’, a dense core of books surrounded

by more fluid study zones arranged round the periphery. The main

reading room is a dramatic triple-height space, overlooked and surveyed

by perimeter study zones on the floor above, so users can inhabit a mor

intimate enclave, yet be aware of wider goings on.

The monumental book box is clad in Fincof panels (more commonly

employed for concrete formwork), a type of Finnish birch plywood

stained with dark phenolic resin. The panels evoke the warm leather of

traditional bookbinding and study armchairs but this is faux luxury. The

budget necessitated an imaginatively frugal approach to materials, as

manifest by the double skin of polycarbonate used to clad the building

which combines good insulation levels with light diffusing qualities, so

the reading room seems wrapped in a rice paper screen, with readers

silhouetted against its translucent walls. South and east facades have

vertical, manually operable white polycarbonate louvres to provide

additional glare control. Depending on the sun angle and building users,

the vertical brise soleil create a changing pattern on the facades.Though France is not as advanced as Germany in legislating for

efficient energy use, the need to keep capital and running costs down

proved an important incentive, giving rise to an integrated system of low

key, passive environmental control techniques that minimise mechanical

systems. The building is naturally ventilated, with fresh air warming and

rising up through the main reading room through the stack effect and

UNIVERSITY LIBRARY,

ORLEANS, FRANCE

ARCHITECT

LIPSKY + ROLLET


[A hit t Eb k] Th A hit t l R i S ll ti (2002 2




e




89|988|9

Sydney’s Bondi Beach is, rightly,one of the world’s more famous

crescents of sand, but its natural

beauty is not matched by the

architecture frontingit and

sprawlingover its cliff-top

flanks. No single carbuncle but

aplague of minor boils; arash

of postwar brick and clay-tile

houses that owe everythingto

the worst of English suburbiaand

nothingto the might of the South

Pacific Ocean.

Contemporary architects are

gradually makinginroads with

more climatically responsive

houses that are replacingthe

tacky brick boxes. London-based

Walters & Cohen has replaced

one such bungalow on the very

edge of the sandstone cliffs to the

north with ahouse made up of a

pair of pavilions in white render

and glass that clingvertiginously

80mabove the surf. Por ous

Sydney sandstone does not

readily last as an exposedbuildingmaterial in such a

weather-beaten location but

geo-technical surveys indicate

that it provides asolid footingt o

the concrete structure – along

this section of the cliffs at least.

A walled entrance court

deliberately conceals the

spectacular views, which are

only revealed to the casual

visitor after reachingthe

L-shaped first-floor livingarea

wrapped on two sides with

glazing. Views outwards allow

whale watching, views

downwards can reveal shoals of

fish 80mbelow, and those

upwards give advance warning

of any approachingelectrical

storms that can buffet the house.

In an exercise in deferred

gratification, you enter through

asolid timber door set in ablade

of masonry some 7.5mhigh and

flanked by equally tall etched

glass panels 250mmwide. Thedouble-height hall beyond is an

atriumbetween seaward and

landward pavilions of the

building. Its wedge shape

culminates in a deep internal

lightwell fronted by a4.5mx

2.5mframeless glass panel.

Uplights are set into the

polished concrete floors to

avoid the need for lights within

the soffit high above; none of

the first floor’s ceilings are

interrupted by light fixings.

A flight of timber treads is

cantilevered off the wall,

supported by an internal edge

beamof welded steel angles,

some of which return vertically

to formthe framework for the

glass balustrade. Upstairs, the

panoramaawaits.

Concealed at entrance level

on the seaward side is a suite of

rooms with ocean views, two

bedrooms and awoodwor king

Living on the edgeWalter & Cohen’s house: a threshold between suburbia and the South Pacific.

180m above the South Pacific …2… surrounded by Sydney’ssuburban brick boxes…3… Walters & Cohen’snew houseisenter ed through a walledcourtyard.4Once inside, breathtakingviewsare revealed from within theclerestoried livingroom …5… and acrossthe rooftop pool.

a r

h o u s e

HOUSE, S YDNEY ,

AUSTRALIA

A RCHITECT

WALTERS & COHEN

1

4

52 3


[Architecture Ebook] The Architectural Review Sellection(2002 2



studio for the client. Steel-

framed sliding doors and

windows allow uninterrupted

views, even from the bathrooms

that have bluestone-clad (from

neighbouring Victoria) baths

pushed against the glass. Handlesare everywhere minimized or

absent. Full-height doors at this

level pivot shut to 10mm-wide

aluminium returns set in the wall.

This minimal detailing prescribed

by Walters & Cohen and a

neatnik client has been clarified

and executed throughout by

local practice Collins and Turner

(both former Foster and Partners

employees).

All the timber used, including

the matchstick screens of the

garage and the double-height

oriel above, is recycled jarrah –

a tough Australian hardwood

– some of it sourced from an

old wharf from the port of

Fremantle in Western Australia.

The oriel serves another

double-height space on the

landward side reached from a

half-landing and incorporating

a mezzanine bedspace – itself accessed by a beautifully built

formed-concrete staircase.

A small square window gives

glimpses back west across

the peninsula and Sydney

Harbour to the distant Central

Business District.

This room, like the whole of

the upper floor in both pavilions,

is surmounted by a clerestory set

above two steel channels back-

to-back to conceal perimeter

lighting. The steels act as a ring-

beam for each pavilion and steel

uprights carry the steel roof with

its deep-shading eaves.An air-

conditioning zone has been

created between the floors but

the combination of under-floor

heating for the winter months

and the cooling breezes pushing

over the lip of the cliff suggests

that mechanical climate control

will not be necessary.Although some blinds may

need to be installed against

strong morning light, the rest of

the cantilevered upper floor,

kitchen, living, dining, study and

TV areas, make the most of the

uninterrupted gull’s back views.

Most of the glass doors open,

with only a glass cliff-edge

balustrade (on a curve with a

setting-out point some 200m out

to sea) between you and the

drop, but opposite the dining

area incorporation of structure

into a masonry panel creates a

framed view. This living area is

backed by a waist-high insertion

of jarrah shelves and cupboards

that runs 7m from the return of

the staircase balustrade, then

folds around the study zone and

makes a backdrop to a sunken

TV area. Here the glazing forms

a frameless box reflecting thesea and the cliffs by day and the

moon by night. The nose of this

box, seen from the entrance

courtyard, is a subtle indicator

of the axis of splendour to come

ROBERT BEVAN

Architect

Walters & Cohen

Executive architectCollins and Turner

Landscape architect

Barbara Schaffer

Engineer

Murtagh Bond

Photographs

Richard Glover

HOUSE, S YDNEY , AUSTRALIA

A RCHITECT

WALTERS& COHEN

6Master bedroom suite.

6


.

place[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-2005)



60|1 G L O

R I O U S

M U D

B u i l d i n g w i t h m u d i s o n

e o f t h e o l d e s t a r c h i t e c t u r a l t r a d i t i o n s a n d i s s t i l l p r a c t i s e d w i t h r e m a r k a b l e r e s u l t s i n p a r t s o f W

e s t A f r i c a , t h o u g h t h e r e a r e f e a r s t h a t

s u c h s k i l l s w i l l e v e n t u a l l y b e l o s t f o r e v e r . H e r e , J a m e s M o r r i s p r e s e n t s a

p h o t o g r a p h i c s u r v e y o f s o m e a s t o n i s h i n g e x a m p l e s o f r e l i g i o u s a n d d o m e s t i c b u i l d i n g s .

Above: Friday Mosque, Djenné, Mali – biggest mud buildingin the world and definingimage of WestAfrican architecture. Foundationsare more than 500 yearsold, though buildinghasoften been r ebuilt.Right: mosque, Yebe, Mali. Stick-studded mosquesof Niger delta region define the unique aesthetic of Western Sudan. Though wooden postshave practical functions– asscaffold for re-rendering, structuralsupport, and assistingin expellingmoisture from heart of the wall – the most strikingimpact is visual.

place


Too often,whenpeoplein theWestthinkof




62|1

Top: N ando Mosque, Mali. Supposedly built by a giantin one night, thishighly sculptural mosque is a uniquestructure that borders the magical and fantastical.Middle: women’squarters, Tangasoko, Burkina Faso.Among the Kassena people, each married woman hasher own quarters in the family compound. Built bymen and decorated by women, they contain livingroom and adjoiningkitchen. On her death they areallowed to disintegrate, the land and crumbled earthto be reused by a future generation.Bottom: house of the chief of Djenné, Mali. Moroccaninfluenced wooden windowsare a recent development.Right: Hogon House, Sanga, Mali. The most distinc tarchitectural form of the Dogon people, the HogonHouse isthe home of the traditional spiritual leader.

Too often, when people in the West think of

traditional A frican architecture, they perceive

nothing morethan a mud hut; a primitivever-

nacular half remembered froma Tarzan film.

But why this ignorance of half a continent’s

heritage? Possibly because the great dynastic

civilizations of the region were already in

decline when European colonizers first

exposed these cultures to a wider audience.

Being made of perishable mud, many older

buildingshave been lost, unlike the stone or

brick structuresof other ancient cultures. Or

possibly thislack of awarenessisbecause the

buildings are just too strange, too foreign to

have been easily appreciated by outsiders.

Often they are more like huge monolithic

sculpturesor ceramic potsthan architectureaswemight conventionally think of it. But the

surviving buildingsareneither historic monu-

mentsin theclassic sense, nor arethey ascul-

turally remote as they may initially appear.

They sharemany of thequalitiesnow valued

in Western architectural thinking such assus-

tainability, sculptural form and community

participation in their conception and making.

Though part of long held traditions and

ancient cultures, they are also contemporary

structures, serving a current purpose. If they

lost their relevance and were neglected, they

would collapse. In the West, mud is effec-

tively regarded asdirt, yet in rural Africa (as

in so much of the world) it is the most com-

mon of building materialswith which every-

body has direct contact. Maintaining and

resurfacing of buildingsispart of the rhythm

of life, and there is an ongoing and active

participation in their continuing existence. Thisisnot a museum culture.

Superbly formed and highly expressive,

these extraordinary buildings emerge from

the most basic of materials, earth and water,

and in the harshest of conditions. They are

vibrant works of art with their own distinct

and striking aesthetic, skilfully responding to

the qualities of African light and the inher-

ent propertiesof mud to emphasize shadow,

texture, silhouette, profile and form. During

the course of a year the mud render dries,

the surface is covered in a web of cracksand

then it slowly starts to peel off before being

re-rendered. With each re-rendering, the

shape of a building is subtly altered, so


change and movement are ever present. The




64|1

g p

material is tactile, warm and vulnerable,

demanding and receiving an engaged rela-

tionship with i tsusers. Often people attempt

to cement render the buildings, but not only

doesthisdestroy them physically, asthey rot

from within, but i t also destroys their char-

acter. Their uniquenessis their muddiness.

The future of these buildings is hard to

predict. M ud is such a vulnerable material

and there is an enthusiasm for building in

concrete. Given the means, many would tear

down their mud houses and build cement

block and tin roofed replacements, common

practice in those countriesthat can afford to

do so. So what will happen when rural

Africans are lifted out of their desperatepoverty? Will there be an understandable

rush to rid themselves of the physical mani-

festations of that harrowing past? It can

already be seen in wealthier countries such

as Ghana and Nigeria where there is virtu-

ally nothing left for future generations to

repair and preserve. Not only the buildings

have gone but also the skillsto build them.

It is a gradual process of extinction.

Already the extraordinary upturned jelly

mould houses of the Mousgoum people of

Cameroon are gone, soon those of the

K assena and Gurensi in Ghana will disap-

pear. The Sakho housesof the Boso in Mali

are all abandoned and in ruins. I t is quite

possible that when west Africa emergesfrom

below the poverty line there will be little of

its built heritage remaining to be appreci-

ated. The saving grace is probably Islam,

ever expanding and building more mosques,but even then only in rural parts. I n cities,

the mosquesfunded by Wahabi Saudi funds

are atrocious concrete imitations of a bas-

tardized Middle Eastern style.

In the sparsely populated Sahal plains of

the Western Sudan, traditional buil t forms

in mud are the most striking representations

of human creativity and a unique part of our

world culture – they should not be forgotten.

JAMES MORRIS

Thesephotographsaretaken fromButabu – adobe architecture of West

Africa , JamesMorrisand SuzannePreston Blier, New York,

Princeton Architectural Press, 2003.

Top: house, Djenné, Mali. Mud rendered wallshave tobe resurfaced regularly. As the mud driesit cracks,

forminga delicate textured surface. The gentlymoulded structure behind the wall isa coveredstaircase opening onto the flat roof. The shape willsubtly alter each time it is re-rendered.Bottom: house, Djenné, Mali. The blank facade withtiny openingsfor windowsis a traditional style for theDjenné house. Domestic activity isconcentrated inthe open courtyard to the rear.Right: Sanam Mosque, Niger , designed in 1998 byAbou Moussa who travelled hundredsof miles from

Yaamaa to thisinaccessible region in the north of thecountry. It wasbuilt in 45 daysby the whole villageand appearsto be the largest and most strikingrecentmud buildingin Niger. [email protected]

- 30 -

reviews




94 | 9

reviews

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SET PIECES

JEAN PROUVÉ COMPL ETE WORKSVOLUME 3: 1944-1954By Peter Sulze r. Basel: Birkhäuser. 2005.€118

JEAN PROUVÉ HIGH LIGHTS 1917-44By Peter Sulze r. Basel: Birkhäuser. 2002.€48

Peter Sulzer designed prefabricated concrete

systems before becoming professor for

construction at Stuttgart then starting a third

career in participation (ARs June 1985, March

1987). His decades’ long study of Jean Prouvé,based on profound admiration for the French

pioneer, reflects his process-led attitude. I

reported earlier on the first two Prouvé volumes

(ARs May 1997, Nov 2000): now we have the

third, and a shorter compilation Highlights .

Not until you attempt to study an architect’s

work in detail do you realise how little is

published, how few drawings reproduced even in

large monographs, how few people have actually

seen the archives. In popular sources the same

drawings tend to appear, and general histories

necessarily depend on secondary sources, taking

for granted earlier interpretations. Two areas

of study suffer particularly: design development

where there may be several versions, and

technical detail where understanding involves

many complex drawings. For Prouvé both are

important, for this blacksmith-entrepreneur

turned engineer-architect was a great innovator

who explored newly developing techniques. Hischeap prefabricated houses look unremarkable

in exterior photos, but the story develops as you

trace how they were made through a gradual

progression of prototypes.

Volume 3, covering 1944-54, with some

of the most interesting and elegant buildings,

runs to 385 pages and is packed with visuals.

Presentation is rather archive like: numbered

drawings and photos, detailed histories of

projects, letters and interviews, even patent

documents. Sulzer compiles and describes

with great thoroughness, but does not attempt

a new master narrative, though many implicit

sub-plots emerge. We see what it means when

the designer is the maker who also handles

the materials. We see the specialist technician

contributing to works of others, such as Le

Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation. We see the

mistake of the generous patron who initiated

paid holidays and awarded himself a meagre

salary, when he let the business grow too far, so

that the profit-minded took over only to reduce

quality to eject him.

This is a timely book, for prefabrication is

again on the agenda and being reinvented,

sometimes in a state of amnesia. It will also

inform the continuing debate on the effects

of the machine and the transformation or loss

of craft. The multi-volume set is less a quick

read than for dipping and the shelf, as advice to

be pondered over, especially by architects and

furniture designers considering details. The

Highlights in contrast is a lively taster.

PETER BLUNDELL JONES

VOICES OF EXPERIENCE

THE AFTERLIFE OF GARDENSBy John Dixon Hunt. London: Reaktion Books.

2005. £25

Are designed gardens and landscapes

experienced by the visitor as the designer

intended? What is the difference between

his/her intent and the ‘received’ experience

and does it matter? Why does the designer’s

view t end to prevail in narratives of gardens?

What culturally determines the design and how

different would the perception of a visitor from

a different culture or time be (each visitor’s

experience constitutes an ‘afterlife’ of the

garden)? In this dense academic book, garden

historian John Dixon Hunt develops his theory

of ‘recept ion’ through literary analogy, although

literary theory is obviously more limiting than

the ‘reading’ of a landscape – which involves

existential experiences involving all the senses

– demands. He hypothesises on the above

questions through lengthy, intricate analyses

of ancient historic treatises and assorted

writings on gardens.

Mutability reigns throughout. From the

visitor’s viewpoint, after all, there is no one fixed

experience. To each ‘afterlife’ each individual

brings his/her own time, culture, and personal

history, and each period brings its own design

fashion and viewpoint. For instance, Versailles

is used and ‘received’ differently today than it

would be in its own period.

These illustrated essays, in some ways

reminiscent of those of J. B. Jackson, presenta probing wide-ranging discourse about the

experiential components of gardens. Embracing

the present and the past, extant historical

gardens and those of more contemporary

pivotal designers (such as Lawrence Halprin,

Ian Hamilton Finlay, Paolo Burgi and Bernard

Lassus) become part of the conversation.

Themes debated include cultural triggers,

distinctiveness of place, symbolism, drama,

imagination and construction of meaning,

the word and the visual in the landscape,

and movement – both from the viewpoint of

the walker and the moving freeway vehicle.

Imaginative and innovative contemporary

designers’ new approaches, including issues of

time, ecology and historical conservation are

particularly noteworthy. ELSA LEVISEUR

COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE

SKINS FOR BUILDINGS. THEARCHITECT’S MATERIALSSAMPLE BOOKEdited by Piet Vollaard, Els Zijlstra. Amsterdam:

BIS Publishers. 2004. €145

Responding to the growth of interest in materials

as a prime site of invention in architecture,

this book offers the most comprehensive

introduction I have yet seen to the vast range of

natural and man-made materials now availablefor use as building skins. No such account could

ever be exhaustive – the varieties of woo d and

its derivatives could fill a volume approaching

this size – but the book’s more than 500 pages

are impressive in scope, approach and, thanks

to commercial sponsorship, value.

The materials are organised by type. These

are introduced by a short text about their

history, uses, environmental qualities, and so on,

and then each example is allocated a double-

page spread, featuring a full-page close-up

illustration on the right, and a discussion of the

material and its applications on the left. A

short table documents key properties – colour,

glossiness, translucence, texture, hardness,

temperature, odour and acoustic opacity

– and the treat ment is notable for addressing

sensory as well as technical aspects. Each

spread is illustrated with one to three built

examples of the material in use, and themajority of the chosen buildings are both

conspicuously contemporary and, unlike most

current trade brochures, of consistently high

architectural quality.

Around eight hundred buildings must be

illustrated, the overwhelming majority from

northern Europe. In part, no doubt, this reflects

the knowledge of the Dutch authors, but it is

salutary to reflect on the fact that although the

book is published only in English, a mere dozen

or so of the examples are British, and even

fewer from the US. The range and commitment

to innovation evident in the Netherlands alone

could certainly not be matched here.

This book can be wholeheartedly

recommended as a reference for practitioners

and school of architecture libraries. But I

cannot help worrying that, despite the welcome

discussion of tactile and other sensual qualities,

its dominant message is of materials as visual

‘surface treatment’, and that as such it risks

becoming yet another contribution to the

reduction of architecture to a form of exterior

design, to the contrivance of visual effects, not

the shaping of habitable space.

RICHARD WESTON

TEACHING BY EXAMPLE

MODERN: THE MODERN MOVEMENTIN BRITAINBy Alan Powers. London: Merrell. 2005. £35

A picture in A lan Powers’ Modern : the Modern

Movement in Britain captivates the ambiguitiesof the 1930s. Flank ing the great Corbu are

haughty Serge Chermayeff, raffish Wells

Coates, jeune premier Jim Richards, the Hon

God(frey Samuel), and Max Fry who had not

yet quite mastered the Corbusian hand-jive.

Photographed at the opening of the legendary

MARS Group exhibition of 1938, it makes a

Modernist iconostasis. We could unpick the

implied theology of the Modern Movement

in Britain, as Powers struggles manfully to do,

or we could just see a bunch of stiff-shirted

poseurs, not quite sure whether they gain more

glamour from their proximity to Le Corbusier

or association with social action suggested by

the diagram behind. On reflection we should

not be surprised that the decade’s most famous

structure is a pool for parading penguins.

That ambiguity between glamour and

social action is one of Modernism’s central

dilemmas, in some ways as strong now as

it was in the 1930s. Powers’ raising of it is,

I fear, inadvertent as the thrust of his text is

descriptive. His knowledge of the field is wide

and it has the virtue of recognising what were

once considered backwaters, such as Oliver

Hill and Goodhart-Rendel alongside the

acknowledged masters, but it is the selection

of examples that creates th

opportunities for personal ex

are presented from a descrip

analytical viewpoint. This fo

led introduction followed by

illustrated examples, follows

one of the 1930s’ finest books

F. R. S. Yorke’s The Modern Hby Elisabeth Benjamin, Dora C

Justin Blanc o White take their

Highpoint and Isokon and a

cinema specialist Harry We

resurrects examples by almost f

like Rudolf Frankel and Fritz R

factories for continental compa

by the Swiss master Rudolf

Bata by the Czech Vladimir K

Like Yorke, Powers presen

attractively though far from c

and just as the Modern Hou

Modernism went further tha

and Gropius, he adds real e

realisation that the Pevsnerite

screens concealed a richer, dee

Modernist culture in Britain du

But beyond presenting that evid

though far from comprehens

only offers a starting point for

further analysis. JEREMY MEL

Mexican Embassy,Berlin, by Teodoro González de León,completed in 2000, from his eponymous Complete Works

edited by Miquel Adrià,Mexico City:Arquine + RM, 2004,£55. Known for an architecture that draws inspiration

in equal parts from the tenets of Modernism and the monuments and mystique of Mexico’s pre-Columbian

history,González de León’s oeuvre spans over half a century.In t his hefty,well produced tome with dual English /

Spanish text and an introduction by William Curtis, his career is diligently tracked from modest early houses in

the ’40s and ’50s,to more recent projects such as the British Museum’s Mexican Galleries (AR January 1995).

Book reviews from The Archite

can now be seen on our websit

www.arplus.com and the book

ordered online, many at specia


CEMETERY , BELZEC, POLAND




The Belzec Cemetery continues a

powerful tradition of monuments

that literally build upon the horror

of past events. Instead of shying

away fromthe scale of the atrocity

– be it akillingfield, abattlefield,

the site of amassacre or in this

case the site of aformer N azi death

camp – such monuments reuse

often vast areas of land in anattempt to freeze history, cast in

stone the scale of lost life, and to

make somethingstrangely beautiful

and movingfromsomethingthat

derives fromabsolute evil.

Hauntingand mysterious, such

places use abstract expressionism

to capture negative energy and

transformit into somethingwith

new life. Avoidingconventional,

religious or morbid symbolism,

sculptors, fine artists, poets and

architects trace lines of meaning

within the landscape to plot their

story through space.

Here in 1942, at Belzec, south

west of Tomaszów Lubelski, a

former Nazi work camp was

turned into asix-hectare deathcamp. Almost unfathomably, during

the 9-month period that year from

March to December, over 600 000

people were murdered; Jews from

the south Polish ghettos, Bohemia

and Germany together with Poles

accused of aidingthe Jews were

amongthe victims. Only two

people ever escaped.

Followinga design

1997, sculptors An

Zdzislaw Pidek and

Roszczyk set abou

the six-hectare site

with architects fro

developed compe

scheme comprised

the monument, am

and an exhibition. The dominant fo

monument occupi

large rectangular s

an oblique crevice

dissects the monum

ground. The path c

gently risingsurfac

cemetery, ablack a

within which mass

A RCHITECT

DDJM

1The cemetery museum buildingsitsdiscretely behind the boundary wall.2Entering through the boundary wallthe axial viewisframed through theburial field toward the memorial wall.3The inlaid cast-iron relief, the Square,markst he entrance of the burial field.

ASHES TO ASHESArtists and architects collaborate to create a powerful, sobering memor

1 3

2


4Crevice leadingto memorial wall.5

7

8 8




marked as ghost-like territories

with subtly differentiated grades of

material (blast furnace slagmixed

with cinders and barren soil).

Defined at one end by the Square, a

cast-iron relief set flush in the

ground which marks the entrance

to the burial ground, the path

terminates in amonumental light-

hued granite wall; aspatial

sequence that engulfs visitors as

they approach the wall, cutting

through the burial field that rises to

adwarfing9mheight. Walking

between concrete walls, cast

against rough earth as shuttering

and topped with bucklingsteel

reinforcement bars, visitors

disappear into the unknown in a

symbolic journey that recalls the

death of the thousands who were

lost without trace. Passing

thresholds that draw lines between

life and death, most are reduced to

silence before beingconfronted by

the imposinggranite screen wall. A

structure that in its relief recalls

the blood spilt and the familiar

patinaof bullet-peppered walls.

Standingopposite this wall,

polished concrete niches are

covered with the names of victims.

Names also frame the burial field as

alow wall forms ahorizontal stone

frieze that chronologically lists

Jewish communes recallingthe

sequence of transports.

With these powerful layers of

meaningset within amuted yet

dramatic reconstructed landscape,

you could very easily miss the

cemetery’s museumbuilding. Set in

alow-lying2mhigh structure that

forms part of the southernmost

boundary wall, the unadorned

bunker-l ike structure cuts into the

ground to contain, amongaseries

of more conventional exhibition

spaces, an empty and haunting

reinforced-concrete Void-Hall; a

space which resonates with the

isolation, pain and ultimate death of

millions of lost souls; and more

specifically the hundreds of

thousands of people who died on

this very site. ROB GREGORY

Artists

Andrzej Solyga, Zdzislaw Pidek,

MarcinRoszczyk

Architect

DDJM Biuro Architektoniczne:Marek

Dunikowski, Piotr Czerwinski, Piotr Uherek

Photographs

WojciechK rynski56|1

site plan (scale approx 1:2000)

north/south section through burial field

plan of museum

section through museum building

CEMETERY , BELZEC,

POLAND

A RCHITECT

DDJM

1 entrance

2 ramp

3 museum building

4 the Square

5 burialground

6 crevice7 stonewall

8 niche

5Niche opposite memorial wallengraved with namesof individualskilled.

4

5

5

6

5

4

1

2 32 3


1




70 | 10| 1

Ever since John Winter

audaciously clad his seminal

Highgate house in a skin of

weathering steel back in 1969,

Cor-ten’s quasi industrial aestheticof shipyard and factory floor

has become globally ubiquitous.

According to Neil Jackson, in his

entertaining study of the genre in

The Modern Steel House, it took

seven years for Winter’s little

building to slowly acquire the

coveted purplish-brown patina

of worn-out boiler plating. Now

pre-weathered Cor-ten clads

the world, from police stations

and parking lots to OMA’s Las

Vegas Guggenheim (June 2002).

Yet it never quite loses its quality

of otherness, as demonstrated

by its use in this recent Brusselsapartment block. Here the

‘instant’ patina of age and distress

still provides a bracing shock

of the new and unusual amid

wedding cake historicism.

The building lies in Schaerbeek,

to the north-east of Brussels city

centre, a district populated by

many Turkish immigrant families.

It occupies a compact, chunky

wedge that turns a corner

between Avenue de la Reine and

Place Liedts. Cars and trams surge

past the prow-like site which

is anchored between a couple

of existing muscular apartmentblocks. To the spirit, if not the

letter, architect Mario Garzaniti

follows the familiar template of

the continental walk-up tenement,

though the proportions and

internal arrangements are more

generous and imaginative than

might normally be expected. Two

duplex apartments are stacked

above a shop at ground level,

the floors linked by a narrow

HOUSING, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

ARCHITECT

MARIO GARZANITI

THE JOY

OF RUSTClad in a coarse carapace of

rusted steel, this housing block

is a startling urban presence.

2

3 [email protected] 34 -

communal staircase inserted into

an intermediate slot between




72 | 10| 1

the new and old buildings.

Despite being logements sociaux ,

the duplexes are quite inventive

spatially, making the most of the

awkward, wedge-shaped plot. The

top floor flat even has a modish

sleeping loft overlooking the living

space below.

But the most striking aspect

of the project is the rusting

metal carapace that envelops the

building in a coarse caress, as if

the hull of an ageing supertanker

had somehow careered into

the block. Yet the monolithic

appearance is slightly deceptive;

the Cor-ten panels are only a thin

outer skin (a mere 4mm thick)

riveted to stainless-steel omega

profiles attached to the concrete

walls. Flexible bands prevent the

risk of galvanic coupling (where

one type of metal encourages

the rapid corrosion of another)

that can occur when Cor-ten and

stainless steel come into contact.

Slight disparities in the

ochre tones of the panels add

a sense of patchwork variety

and animation to the overall

composition. Cor-ten shutters

are incorporated into the facade,

filtering light through vertical

slits in the manner of a modern

mashrabiya. When closed, theshutters lie flush with the panels,

giving the block an unsettlingly

seamless, hermetic quality.

Clearly this is a building that

thrives on contrast (modern Cor-

ten and traditional wedding cake)

enhanced by the jolting surprise

of seeing so visually and culturally

challenging a material employed

on such an ambitious scale. Yet it

is more than just a skin, attested

by the generous proportions of

the apartments and the way in

which light animates the interiors.

The gritty boiler plating conceals

a sensitive soul. C. S.

Architect

Mario Garzaniti,Liege

Photographs

Alain Janssens


ARCHITECT

MARIO GARZANITI

5Facade detail.6Light filters through theperforated shutters.7Duplex apartments are quitegenerously proportioned.8Sleeping loft.

5

87

6

1

cross section looking north-eastcross section looking north-west

fourth floor second floor ground floor plan (scale approx 1:200)

third floor first floor site plan

1 street entrance 2 communal staircase 3 shop 4 flat entrance 5 living 6 dining 7 kitchen 8 internal staircase 9 bedroom 10 sleeping loft

5

2

4

7

6

8

3

9

9

5

4

7

6

8

10


MUSEUMOF NATURAL

HISTORY , MATSUNOYAMA,




The Niigata Prefecture is to the east of Japan’s bigisla

runs fromthe sea to the high central backbone of the mountains, up to five and a half metres of winter snow

literally submergingbuildings and the even youngtree

magnificent, scented evergreen forests. To allow the p

interpret and investigate the natural world, the Matsu

Natural History Museumhas been set up on the edge

overlookingmountains and meadow.

Takaharu & Yui Tezukahave made abuildingthat wri

east-west through the landscape in abrown, almost sm

steel skin. Entered fromthe south, the snake encloses a

gallery showingnatural and artificial worlds, areceptio

administration, alecture theatre and, as the snake’s hea

fromeast to west, aposh cafeteriacalled ‘the culinary a

A rusted steel observation tower terminates the tail to

climbed by energetic visitors to obtain magnificent view

to the mountains. At key moments in the plan, notably w

changes direction, great transparent panels are inserted

offeringmarvellous views into the forests surroundingt

mullionless transparent expanses are so big that they ca

be called windows; they are almost invisible thresholds

interior and the outside. They reinforce a feelingof heig

enhanced by the strange perspective tricks of the rout

SNOW BOUNDIn the high backbone of Japan, rusted steel super-strong skin resists winter loads and thermal stresses.

site plan

1, 2Like a deserted industrial site or astrange animal, the museum snakesthrough itsclearingbetween forestand rice field.

NIIGATA, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TEZUKA ARCHITECTS

1

2


3Tadashi Kawamata’spathsand deck relate interior and nature …4

c




42|8

MUSEUMOF NATURAL


NIIGATA, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TEZUKA ARCHITECTS

1 entranceporch

2 h al l

3 reception

4 exhibition

5 special(butterfly) gallery

6 office

7 lavatories

8 laboratory

9 store

10 Kyororo hall

11 culinaryarts

12 stair to officesandstaffrest

foot detail

eavesdetail

section showingprinciplesof heatingand ventilation

ground floor (scale approx 1:450)

... asdo the huge thick acrylic panels.

20

80

30

ÇPÇeÇkÅÅÇfÇkÅ{ÇVÇTÇO

206

320

4 0

75

125

a 75mm acrylicsheet

b plasterboard

c siteweldedC or-tensteelbacked

by70mm urethanefoam

d precast concretewithdust-proofpaint

e galvanizedgrating

3

4

a

a

c

d e d

b

b

4

5

1

2

3

6

712 89

10

11


MUSEUMOF NATURAL


NIIGATA JAPAN




44|8

Architect

TezukaArchitects:

Takaharu Tezuka+Yui Tezuka

Associate architect

Masahiro Ikeda/MIAS

Project team

Takaharu Tezuka, Yui Tezuka, Miyoko Fujita,

Masafumi Harada, Masahiro Ikeda,

RyuyaMaio, Mayumi Miura, Taro Suwa,

Takahiro Nakano, Toshio Nishi,

Hirofumi Ono, Tomohiro Sato,

Makoto Takei, Hiroshi Tomikawa

Mechanical engineer

Eiji Sato, KisakatsuHemmi/ESA ssociates

Landscape

ShunsukeHir ose/Fudo Keisei Ji musho

Photographs

KatsuhisaKi da

5Special collection.6Museum isintended to interpretlocal ecology.7Snow buildingup.8, 9Cranked plan causesperspectivalillusionsof explodingand shrinkingspace.

In winter, the temperature difference between inside and exterior is

often very great. And pressure fromdeep snow can be extraordinary

(dependingon the nature of the snow, how it fell, and how longit has

settled and so on). So the ‘thermally stable’ plates of rusted steel that

form the outer skin are 6mmthick, and are supported on a skeleton

of steel I beams. Skin and skeleton are designed to withstand

pressures of 1500kg/m2; the equally pressure resistant acrylic panels

are 75mmthick. All steel elements are thoroughly insulated. Inside,

there is a skin of plasterboard supported by a lightweight inner steel

skeleton. This white skin is separated from the main structure by a

generous cavity that acts as part of the ventilation and heatingsystem.

Warmair is injected alonggrilles in the polished concrete floors and

stale air is extracted through slots in the plasterboard at eaves level.

Heat is radiated to the interior through floor, walls and ceiling. In

summer, the systemcan be used to circulate coolingfresh air.

In winter, the museumprojects through the snow with its tapering

tower actingas a landmark and sign of civilization; it groans with

snow stresses. People look out into the surrounding banks of snow in

which a surprisingamount of life flour ishes below the surface. In

summer, the long brown snake slips alongthe contours of its semi-

wild habitat, which is enhanced and intensified by timber paths and a

deck by Tadashi Kawamata. Fromsome points of view, the museum

seems like a picturesque long-abandoned industrial building, a mine

perhaps, in the middle of the countryside. Other aspects in different

seasons reveal a cave, a shelter amid the snow, a lighthouse, a

welcominghut in the forest. And of course always an animal: snake or

even fox. The museum’s complexity of possible readings and spatialevents enhance those of the natural world it sets out to interpret.

VERONICA PEASE

NIIGATA, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TEZUKA ARCHITECTS

5

6

7

8

9


In a quiet backwater of fields and

woods on the island of Hirvensalo

in the south-west of Finland St




66 | 10| 1

in the south west of Finland, St

Henry’s Ecumenical Art Chapel

grows from its site – a hillock

surrounded by pines and spruces

– embracing context and the

natural environment.

The chapel is not immediately

apparent on approach: following

the bend of the road you are

suddenly confronted by the

elegant copper-clad church,

its volume contrasting with

its surroundings. It has the

appearance of an upturned

ship’s hull. The design vocabulary

juxtaposes copper and wood, lightand shade. The chapel was finished

earlier this year so the copper is

new; eventually its green patina

will help the church blend with the

surrounding pine trees.

St Henry’s is approached head

on, up a gentle dogleg pedestrian

ramp to the small foyer lit by

natural light at the western

entrance. You proceed from here

through a passageway to the

church proper, from darkness to

light; at the far eastern end two

side windows the height of the

chapel throw light down onto the

altar, breathtaking on a sunny day.

The architect describes the main

hall as the stomach of the fish,

the fish being a symbol of earlyChristians (fitting as the church is

ecumenical).

Gallery and chapel are one

volume, with the gallery at the

back, and the chapel proper in the

front, with the altar terminating

the axis. The benches are removed

for art exhibitions and you can

view the art while religious

ceremonies are being conducted.

The whole interior, bar the

glazing around the altar, is of

wood, the warm smell of which

permeates the space. Seating is

simple angular backless benches

made of solid, edge-laminated

common alder; but this elegant,

pared down minimalism could

prove inhospitable during long

church services. The chapel’sloadbearing structure consists of

tapering ribs of laminated pine

ST HENRY’S ECUMENICAL ART

CHAPEL, TURKU, FINLAND

ARCHITECT

SANAKSENAHO ARCHITECTS

1The wide windows at thefront of the chapel light upthe altar.The copper cladding will take on a green pati nain time.

This chapel in Turku draws on a long tradition

of remarkable Finnish churches in which religion,

nature and light come together.

DIVINE LIGHT


two metres apart. Between these

ribs is a curved interior lining

of 100mm wide, untreated pine




68 | 10| 1

, p

boarding. At the moment this is

very light, but with time the tone

will deepen to a reddish hue. The

pine ribs are lit by spotlights.

The floorboards are 200mm

wide, 50mm thick pine planks

and run parallel to the axis of

the space. These have been

waxed to create a clicking sound

when walked on, reminiscent of

the floors of old churches. The

patinated altar is the last public

work by academician and sculptor

Kain Tapper. In the altar window

an artwork by Hannu Konolafilters light onto the altar wall.

Matti Senaksenaho continues

the distinguished legacy of the

Finnish church architecture of

Engel, Aalto, Sonck, Bryggman and

more recently of Juha Leiviskä in

his luminous churches in Myrrmäki

and in Männistö (ARs June 1987

and June 1994). JULIA DAWSON

Architect

Sanaksenaho Architects,Helsinki

Project architect

Matti Sanaksenaho

Photographs

Jussi Tiainen

2The chapel,ri sing from its hillock,is reminiscent of an upturnedhull,or,more prosaically,anupright iron.3Looking towards the simple altar,illuminated by natural light fromside windows.

cross section long section

plan

2

3



ARCHITECT



The Machine Age was the golden age of metals. Constituting both

the means and end to production, machine tools and the goods they

produced during the past 150 years fundamentally changed the way we

Perhaps most provocative in the rich ambivalence be

materiality and thin abstraction – perhaps even surface

OMA’s recent work with metals. On the one hand is their

e n t




44 | 10| 1

live. Consumer society, for better or worse, was nourished on a diet of

metal products ranging from fridges to Fords. In architecture, the steel

frame and the enormous tensile capability of steel spawned both high-

rise and long-span structures that radically transformed the scale and

character of the built environment. The concept of doing more with

less emphatically combined aesthetic ideas and industrial efficiency –

themes made manifest, perhaps symbolically, in the structures produced

in Britain that celebrated the new millennium.

However, the concept of lightness is changing. As Italo Calvino

observes, ‘The second industrial revolution, unlike the first, does not

present us with such crushing images as rolling mills and molten steel,

but with “bits” in a flow of information travelling along circuits in the

form of electronic impulses. The iron machines still exist, but they

obey the orders of weightless bits.’1 As in all areas of our lives, the

processes of design, fabrication and assembly of metal structures andcladding are being dramatically altered by these weightless bits. Gehry’s

Bilbao Guggenheim (AR December 1997) fired the public imagination

of an architecture for the future. However, even though its design

and fabrication were made possible by software, the rationale of its

construction belonged to the old world of standard rolled steel sections

and modular cladding systems. The Experience Music Project (EMP)

(AR October 2000), completed just three years later, albeit superficially

like Bilbao, was built using very different processes. It belongs to the

new order of complex bespoke systems in which every structural and

cladding component is unique.

Further evidence of the paradigm shift is provided by Foster’s Swiss

Re (AR November 2003), Toyo Ito’s Sendai Mediathèque (AR October

2001) and OMA’s Seattle Library (AR August 2004) which, like Bilbao,

straddle the boundary between the machine and digital ages, using

standard rolled steel sections in variable structures. While in Swiss Re,

the system that changes incrementally from floor to floor can be readily

perceived and understood, Sendai and Seattle are preoccupied with

creating the appearance of instability and replacing overarching rational

systems with what Cecil Balmond calls ‘improvised connectivity’.2

Liberating cladding

Considering cladding, in addition to the effect of ‘light’ digital design

and fabrication processes, the move from sealed systems to the rainscreen

is having a profoundly liberating influence. Instead of the literal opacity

of sealed systems with their cumbersome folded seams, top hat sections

and gaskets, the open jointed rainscreen with its separate waterproofing

membrane behind provides enormous freedoms for designers, which

they are exploiting to different conceptual and practical ends.

In the hands of Herzog & de Meuron – whose work has transformed

the perception of many materials – metal rainscreens become delicate

perforate veils. The copper bands of their early Signal Box 4 Auf dem

Wolf – which both become three-dimensional and transform from

sealed to perforate through rotation from vertical to horizontal – were

ostensibly designed to function as a Faraday cage as well as a visual

screen. More recently, the expanded aluminium mesh cladding of the

extension to the Walker Art Center (AR January 1989) and the copper

cladding of the De Young Museum (p46) have less to do with technical

performance and more to do with appearance and perception. Both are

carefully judged explorations of the balance between standard panelsizes that conform to the old economy of mass production and complex

surface treatments made feasible by digital production. Although the

bas relief surface patterns of both buildings initially appear random,

each has an underlying system. The Walker’s distinctive wrinkled skin

is created by random rotation of a single pattern created by a good

old-fashioned metal stamping dye, while the De Young’s patterning

– perforated and stamped – oscillates between abstraction and image,

having been derived from a dot screened photograph.

for San Francisco Prada, which – in contrast to both

separation of structure and skin and the current fasci

multilayered rainscreen – developed a perforate and s

steel skin that also worked as a structural diaphragm. In

parts, it was monolithic; instead of repetition, it was a

to have been fabricated by CNC (computer numerical c

jets; in place of the desire for thinness as an index of e

emphatically thick. On the other hand, in the new conc

(AR August 2005), super-thin super-scaled pixellated

dresses as wood grain on the plywood lining of the aud

In the recent work of Morphosis – notably the Caltran

in LA and the Federal Office Building in San Francisco

2005) – the metal wrapper literally takes on a life of

the thin scrim is manipulated three-dimensionally with g

than the watertight volumes it veils. Conceived as a ‘mperforms as a key component of the buildings’ environ

which are designed to reduce energy consumption

sustainability. Thom Mayne notes, ‘In lieu of a conventio

plant, the building actually “wears” the air conditionin

With another agenda, the cast bronze facade of t

American Folk Art (AR February 2002), by Tod Willia

& Associates, uses the same rainscreen principle to c

pitted with craters and fissures – unpredictable imp

the fabrication process that contrast markedly with the

Gehry, the controlled patterning of Herzog & de Meur

to the past, the machined precision of the Seagram Bui

clad icon just a few blocks away. MAFA’s metal clad

perforate, differs in significant ways. With panels ran

16mm in thickness, this bronze skin is neither actually

light. It was not digitally fabricated but instead was cas

foundry, aiming to reinstate the imprint of human craft –

Pye called the ‘workmanship of risk’ – in contemporary

These preoccupations are driven by digital design an

stamping and welding, with weightless bits enabling ma

the appearance of craft, almost without human inter

shop floor. In contrast with the formerly arduous pro

up’, the A. Zahner Company, which has fabricated me

both Gehry and Herzog & de Meuron, is fleet-footed,

through generations of software as they seek to han

more efficiently. As an example, they note that each of t

cladding panels of the EMP required an average of 25

data and a design time of 2.5 hours. On more recent

this has been reduced to 30 megabytes and 15 minutes

always in construction, time has cost implications. With c

aimed at streamlining process, Henry Ford’s principle

labour is being energetically applied, not only on the sho

to the human content of CAD-CAM technologies them

This streamlining has been well suited to an econom

in developed countries that, during the past thirty y

relatively modest increases in metals prices but rapidly

for labour. Suddenly the equation is changing with th

copper and other metals skyrocketing in response to

appetite of China’s developing economy combined

of both war and weather on the price of oil. Will meprovide fertile territory for the exploration of form, pe

perception, or will global economic pressures render th

in architecture a luxury? ANNETTE LECUYER

1 Italo Calvino. Six Memos for the Next Millennium , New York: Vintage Internation2 Cecil Balmond. ‘New Structure and the Informal’, Architectural Design, Sept-Oc3 A Model of Excellence – The New Federal Building , Washington DC: US General S

Administration, p26.4 David Pye. The Nature and Art of Workmanship,Cambridge University Press, 1965 Interview with William Zahner, A. Zahner Company, 2002.

c o m m e

PRECIOUS METALA new era of bespoke systems of structure and cladding is

testing metals and architectural imagination to their limits.

Perforated copper panelsenclose the new De YoungMuseum by Herzog & deMeuron in a delicate veil.Photograph:Dennis Gilbert/VIEW. [email protected]

- 41 -




The architect’s design statement reads thus: Conceived as an interior

space for self-reflection, Dream House proposes a relationship between an urban tree and an interactive sensitive piece, which transforms the

natural element into an introspective human refuge. The refuge emerges

from the tree as an illuminated chrysalis, establishing a reflection on the

relationship between man and his built and natural environment. The piece

proposes new ways of occupying and imagining space. It suggests makinguse of nature as the main element in creating a dialogue between nature,

human beings and man-made space.

Such words are unlikely to have helped or hindered the Jury’s

decision. There were no details of how or why it was made, or

indeed how you were supposed to get into the space. Any discussion

on how you might naturally be inclined to use the space, if fully

pursued, may have revealed more about the Jury than would have

been appropriate (swinging meaning different things to different

people). Needless to say, however, there is an emerg ing fascination in

such projects. This year a number of tree houses were submitted. Theonly conclusion was that this image drew the Jury’s attention; some

finding it horrific – a torture chamber from where screams would

never be heard – others seeing it as peaceful and tranquil. Like the

structure itself, therefore, the ultimate decision was left hanging in

the balance … R. G.

Architect

ex.studio, Barcelona

Project team

Iván Juárez, Patricia Meneses

Photograph

Iván Juárez

HANGING

ABOUT

Portable refuge, orportable prison? The

decision is yours …

The second of two projects by

Barcelona-based ex.studio was

possibly the most eye-catching

d l f ll th i t d

HONOURABLE MENTION

TAMBABOX, TAMBACOUNDA,

SENEGAL

ARCHITECT




90 | 3|

and unusual of all the premiated

submissions. This witty, humorous

response to the visual richness of

Senegalese culture elicited a warm

glow from the judges; indeed,

what’s not to like about a glorious

technicolour Tambabox?

The savannah region of eastern

Senegal may be one of Africa’s

poorest, yet it is culturally

prosperous, mainly due to the

preservation of indigenous

crafts and customs, but also

because of its geography, which

encourages encounters andexchanges with five neighbouring

countries, including Gambia

and Mali. Tambacounda, the

region’s capital, is the setting for

ex.studio’s experiment in colour,

light, textiles and human curiosity.

Inspired by the dazzling diversity

of the brightly coloured textiles

employed by the Senegalese to

make their distinctive boubous

(kaftan-like dresses and robes),

the wonderfully onomatopoeic

Tambabox is a timber-framed cube

clad in a patchwork of assorted

clashing fabric panels. Some have

tailored sleeves attached to them

for that essential touch of cross-

cultural surrealism.

The vividly coloured textiles

filter and regulate the sun’s

glare, so that from inside, the

taut panels shimmer and pulsate

with coloured light like stained-

glass windows. At night, lit from

inside, the fabric clad structure

is transformed into a glowing

polychromatic box that contrasts

with the inky darkness of its

surroundings. Shadows of visitors

are projected and revealed on the

kaleidoscopic backdrop. Tambabox

combines architecture, sculpture,

textiles and tailoring in a simple

yet highly lyrical way, transforming

the ordinary and the everyday

into something gorgeous and

extraordinary.

To build and assemble the

Tambabox, ex.studio worked with

local carpenters and tailors, and

the compact structure has an

engaging robustne

well suited to its co

architects’ compet

slightly spoils this e

including some por

doubtless lost-in-t

observations on th

adventure (eg, ‘the

delimit this archite

murals in which th

transformed becom

the linen cloth’), bu

seductive visuals, t

happily hooked. C. BOX FRESH

ARCHITECT

EX.STUDIO

Inspired by the richness

of Senegalese textiles,

this little fabric clad box

seduced the Jury.

1Out of the box – Tambabox incontext,with visitors.2Brilliantly coloured fabricpanels are suffused with light.3Tambabox in after dark mode.

Architect

ex-studio,Barcelona

Project team

Patricia Meneses,Iván Juárez

Photographs

Iván Juárez





Entitled Balloon Caught, thisingenious urban installationby Tokyo-based architectsSatoshi Matsuoka and YukiTamura was the outcomeof an initiative to re-thinkand re-animate public spacein Vancouver. Participants

were asked to explore thespatial and urban potentialof an alleyway in Gastown,the city’s oldest district,through an intervention thatwould allow different formsof occupation through theday. Proposals were alsointended as a generator ofactivity, attracting the public

and offering new readings ofthe city.

From such a solemnprogramme comes adelightfully whimsical riposteTranslucent, glowing orbs5 9 i di

HONOURABLE MENTION

URBAN INSTALLATION,

VANCOUVER, CANADA

ARCHITECT

SATOSHI MATSUOKA &

YUKI TAMURA

The challenges of large-scale

public housing still tend to

confound most architects, so

it was encouraging to see this




88 | 12| 1

HONOURABLE MENTION

HOUSING, ZURICH,

S WITZERLAND

ARCHITECTS

POOL ARCHITEKTEN

1Generous balconiesanimate the sternslate-clad facades.2Edge of town context

SWISS ASSURANCEThis large-scale housing complex reinvigorates a dull building type.

it was encouraging to see this

assured example from young

Swiss practice Pool Architekten.

Compared with most of the

projects shown here it represents

a sizeable commission (for

over 100 apartments), and

demonstrates the skills of

designing and building on a large

scale. Jurors were impressed by

the scheme’s confident execution,

if perhaps not so entranced by its

quintessentially Swiss rigour.

Commissioned for a local

housing cooperative, thedevelopment lies on the

edge of Zurich, where the

suburbs thin and give way to

rolling countryside. The site

slopes eastwards down from

Leimbachstrasse to the river Sihl

and forest beyond. To exploit

light and views, the two blocks

are placed along the west and

north edges of the site defining a

large communal garden. Clad in a

reptilian skin of greenish grey slate

and partly dug into the slope, the

blocks have a topographic quality

that abstracts the roll and heave

of the surrounding hills. Each

block consists of three sub-units

which are kinked slightly in plan

like a derailed train. Angular roof

profiles also break up any potential

monotony, as do the generous

balconies set at regular intervals

into slate-clad facades.

Deft internal planning juggles

and organises a range of

apartment types. Each sub-block

contains three to four flats per

floor, arranged around a centralcommunal stairwell. Apartments

vary in size from one to four

bedrooms, with living rooms

strategically placed to take

advantage of views. A quarter of

the apartments are maisonettes,

which interlink and overlap the

standard flats, introducing an

element of spatial diversity to

what could, on paper, be quite

a monotonous and repetitive

building type. All flats have access

to external space in the form of

balconies (enclosed by elegantly

detailed wire mesh balustrades)

or roof terraces. As might be

expected in this part of the world,

the quality of construction and

workmanship was painstaking,

adding to the project’s overall

sense of dignity and decency. C.S.

Architects

Pool Architekten,Zurich

Project team

Raphael Frei,Mischa Spoerri,Ana Prikic,

Markus Bachmann,Sybille Besson,Hannah Dean

Photographs

Arazebra,Andrea Helbling

cross section location/site plan

typical sub blocktypical sub block plan (lower level scale approx 1:500)

1 interaction of


Generally dictated by function

and with an invariable physical

prominence, air traffic control

towers tend not to be the most

architectural character, so the

overall outcome is a bit like

the Surrealist game of Exquisite

Corpses (where individual

of superscale images filtered

through three high definition

digital projectors. Backlighting

is provided by lamps attached

COMMENDED

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER,

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

ARCHITECT




lyrical of structures. This new

tower at Vienna’s main Schwechat

airport is an admirable exception,

and its efforts at recasting a

fundamentally dreary building

type impressed the jurors.

Around five years ago, as the

airport authorities put forward

plans for expansion, it became

clear that a new control tower

would be required to cope

with increased air traffic. Local

partnership Zechner & Zechner

won an EU-wide competitionfor the new building. At 109m

high, the new 23-storey tower

soars over the airport complex,

and its prominent location near

the main entrance provided

an opportunity to nudge the

building into more dynamic,

urban landmark territory rather

than just being a baldly functional

stump.

The tower is divided into

three parts, each with a different

p (

artists envisage a different part

of a composite body, oblivious

of other efforts). The lower

six storeys house staff offices

in a sleek glass cube, together

with facilities for controllers

supervising airspace movements

who do not require direct visual

contact with planes. Those who

do, occupy a faceted turret which

has commanding views over the

runways and sharply angular

facades to reduce glare. The

intermediate shaft is unoccupied(security restrictions prevent

the space from being used

commercially), but the concrete

structure is wrapped in a taut

membrane supported by a steel

frame. The membrane shifts and

twists as it rises between base

and turret, giving the entire

composition a sculptural quality.

The membrane adds more than

just visual variety, however. It also

acts as a backdrop for the display

p y p

to the tower shaft and images

(mainly soothing visions of skies

and the natural world) can be

varied through a computer-

controlled system.

The tower thus becomes a

canvas for flights of imagination,

and this unconventional take

on how a large vertical surface

can be creatively appropriated

eventually convinced the judges,

despite some reservations

about the elegance of the

overall form. C. S.

Architect

Zechner & Zechner,Vienna

Project team

Martin Zechner,Bernhard Schunack

Photographs

Thilo Härdtlein

FLIGHT OF

IMAGINATION

ZECHNER & ZECHNER

An air traffic control tower is elevated into a city

landmark through the use of light and images.

cross section ground floor plan (scale approx 1:1500)

1 foyer 2 patio garden 3 offices 4 conference room 5 kitchen 6 computer suite 7 rest room 8 changing room 9 observation room 10 control booth11 catwalk

1The tower’s tripartite formreflects its various functions.2Membrane support structure.3,4The membrane becomes abackdrop for light projection.

2

3

478 | 12 1

3

3

5

4

1 3

2

second floor

16th floor

19th floor

23rd floor

33

3

3

3

4533

3 3

3

6

6

3

5

7 8 8 8

1110

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Providing services for blood collection, storage and research, Prathama

Blood Centre in Ahmedabad, regional capital of Gujarat, attracted the

jurors’ attention as an example of a large and quite complex building in

the developing world. Designed by local practice Matharoo Associates




82 | 12| 1

1The slightlyhermetic concreteexterior.2A soaring atriumunites the variousvolumes andfunctions.3Blood donationsuite.

1 entrance 2 waiting area 3 atrium 4 reception 5 cross matching lab 6 blood group lab 7 virology lab 8 doctor’s surgery 9 refreshment room 10 donation suite 11 examination room12 pool 13 WCs 14 auditorium 15 platelets room 16 cold rooms 17 conference room18 canteen 19 offices 20 records

(whose Kahnian crematoriu m featured in the 2003 awards cycle, AR

December 2003), the blood centre is conceived as a pioneering new

type of health building (prathama means ‘first’ in Sanskrit) that combines

sophisticated laboratory and testing facilities with an enlightened,

humanistic approach.

The centre is the outcome of a competition staged by a charitable

trust with the aim of recasting and restaging the act of blood donation

in a more inviting public domain, so mitigating the fear and repulsion

subconsciously associated with such public spiritedness. The new building

can store and process 200 000 units of blood, making it the largest blood

bank in India. Donations are entirely voluntary, and the centre’s on-site

facilities are backed up by a fleet of mobile collection units.

Despite the programme’s ambitions, the budget was parsimonious

($200 per sqm, including fit out and site development). Costs were keptin check by custom designing and locally fabricating internal elements

such as doors, windows, modular furniture, partitions and work stations.

Even so, Matharoo Associates have succeeded in making a building that

has an evident decency and dignity.

A four-storey glass-clad stack of laboratories intersects roughly at

right angles with a hermetic concrete volume housing administration and

support services. Between these clearly articulated functional elements

is a more free-form atrium space, created by stretching and curving the

concrete wall. Contained within this concrete skin at ground level are

user-friendly enclaves for blood collection (separated from the more

clinical blocks), so that people can just wander in and make a donation.

To encourage a regular throughput of donors, there are none of the

formalities and inhibitions of a formal hospital setting. Helping to soothe

nerves, the donation suite overlooks a tranquil reflecting pool, while

within the atrium there are views and glimpses through to the more

specialised laboratory spaces, communicating a sense of the building’s

gravitas and wider social purpose. C.S.

Architect

Matharoo Associates,AhmedabadPhotographs

Courtesy of the architects

ground floor plan (s

1

2

HONOURABLE MENTION

BLOOD CENTRE,

AHMEDABAD , INDIA

ARCHITECT

MATHAROO ASSOCIATES


FIRST BLOODThis blood collection centre, the

largest in India, aims to demystify

and humanise the process of

blood donation.

98 7 5

46

3

1210

12

11

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14

18

17

19





1

DIVIDED VIEWS When is a room not a room?

The Jury is still out ...




Fit-out is a curious architectural

medium. Often temporary,

materially thin, and stylistically

over-egged, it is the more muted

and restrained interiors that

usually attract recognition.

It came as somewhat of asurprise, therefore, that this

year’s Jury decided to give this

small project, Tides Restaurant,

an honourable mention.

Little was known about the

restaurant’s genre; even less

was revealed about the spatial

layout. Quite simply, it was the

sheer ambition of the ceiling

that intrigued the Jury.

In commercial fit-outs, ceilings

often suffer great disservice

as the forgotten elevation.

Services coordination is easily

overlooked, and materials rarely

deviate from dry lining. Smoke

detectors, light-fittings andsprinklers compete in misaligned

unresolved grids, despite the

fact that when seen through

brightly-lit shop windows, free

of merchandise, people and

clutter, the ceiling is often the

most prominent surface. Here

then, the designers invested

a great deal of time in the

consideration of the ceiling,

providing an inverted acoustic

topography that helps mediate

what they considered to be an

inappropriately proportioned

space for a small intimate

restaurant. With over 120 000

bamboo skewers (cut into threestandard lengths), perhaps the

only reservation was that this

idea could have been taken even

further. R.G.

Architect

LTL Architects, N ew York

Project team

Paul Lewis, Marc Tsurumaki, David Lewis

Photographs

Michael Moran

SHIFTING

TIDES

HONOURABLE MENTION

RESTAURANT, NEW YORK ,

USA

ARCHITECT

LTL ARCHITECTS

The designers of this

New York restaurant

sought acoustic softness

and spatial intimacy.

BALINESE BAMBOO




1

1

BALINESE BAMBOO

This hotel restaurant in a Bali tourist resort

explores vernacular forms and materials.

Jakar ta-based Budi Pradono is structure forms a buffer zone

COMMENDED

HOUSE, COLIUMO

PENINSULA, CHILE

ARCHITECT

PEZO VON




72 | 3|

CLIFFTOP MONOLITH

ELLRICHSHAUSEN

ARCHITECTS

1Cast by hand using themost basic techniques,the concrete house has aprimitive allure.2The raw concrete cube clingsprecipitously to the hillside.3,4The triple-height living room – spaces are at once qu itegrand,yet domestic.

ground floor (living) plan(scale approx 1:250)

Poised on a cliff, this simple concrete house boldly confronts nature and the elements.

first floor (kitchen/dining) second floor (bedrooms) roof plan

exploded isometric projection

cross section looking east cross section loo

1 living room 2 kitchen 3 dining room 4 bedroom 5 terrace

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Encompassing deserts and

glaciers in an intoxicating,

longitudinal sweep, Chile’s

mad geography has been a

crucible for a particular kind

of Modernism informed by

abstraction, climate and nature.

Many of the younger generation

of South American architects

are reconnecting with these

currents (Mathias Klotz is an

obvious example) to produce

strong, distinctive work that

resonates with place. Such

exploration is also apparent

in the work of the young

Chilean/Argentinian partnership

of Mauricio Pezo and Sofía

von Ellrichshausen who are

based in the coastal city of

Concepción. Commissioned by

a local cultural organisation,

this dramatic cliffside house

on the Coliumo Peninsula, was

commended for its response to

site and the strong, monolithic

quality of its architecture.

Some 550km south of

Santiago, the Coliumo Peninsula

is a breathtaking but remote

rural setting populated by

farmers, fishermen and the

occasional summer tourist.

The difficulties of transporting

materials and a largely unskilled

local labour force limited

the scope of the project,

but the architects exploit

these limitations to create an

architecture of great simplicity

and power. Poised vertiginously

on the edge of the cliff, the

house is an elemental concrete

cube perforated by large

square openings. Used both as

a summer house and informal

cultural centre, the building

had to be at once domestic

and monumental, apparently

contradictory propositions

which are skilfully resolved.

Service elements such as

kitchen, bathroom, storage and

staircases are relegated to the

perimeter, contained within

a 1m wide zone that acts as

thermal buffer. This frees up

the rest of the house, so the

living area, for instance, is a

grandly scaled triple-height

volume. The house steps down

the site, from bedrooms at the

top, through kitchen and dining

at intermediate level, to the

podium of the living area that

directly overlooks the cliff and

sea below. The roof also acts as

a terrace.

Construction was extremely

simple, with in-situ concrete

cast by hand in untreated timber

frames. Labour was provided

by local farmers and fishermen

who only had a small concrete

mixer and four wheelbarrows

at their disposal. In a spirit of

inventive economy, the timber

shuttering was recycled to make

robust sliding panels that screen

the service areas and windows

when the house is not in use. Yet

the engaging roughness of the

construction only adds to the

building’s primitive allure. C. S.

Architect

PvE Architects, Concepción

Photographs

Cristóbal Palma [email protected] 51 -

Even by Scandinavian standards,

the Svalbard archipelago is

challengingly remote. Over 600km

north of the Norwegian mainland,

the islands’ glacier-scored




78 | 12| 1

landscape is frozen solid to a

depth of 500m and temperatures

plummet to – 50 deg C in winter.

The upside of this inhospitability

are rich deposits of coal that

attracted Russian and Swedish

mining operations in the first

half of the twentieth century.

But with the decline of the coal

industry, Svalbard is now looking

to encourage a more diverse

economy of adventure tourism

and scientific research.

This centre for atmospheric

and environmental research is

in Spitzbergen, the largest island

in the archipelago (and also the

only inhabited one). Designed by

Jarmund Vigsnæs, the centre was

the outcome of a competition.

Having previously built an HQ for

the governor of Svalbard, Jarmund

Vigsnæs were familiar with the

archipelago’s formidable terrain

and climate.

Clad in a highly insulated

copper skin, the centre is a

humped, topographic presence

in the bleak landscape. Though

fashionably angular, the geometry

was modelled on flows of wind

and snow raking across the site

and helps to mitigate snow build-up over doors and windows. To

prevent heat from the building

melting the permafrost and

causing subsidence, the centre

sits on an elevated raft with a

ventilated airspace underneath it.

As the centre’s users will be

spending a great deal of time

indoors, they need to feel at

ease with their surroundings. The

copper skin conceals and protects

a pine-lined, humanly-scaled maze

of internal streets, offices and

laboratories that offers spatial

incident and variety. Jurors were

impressed by the response to such

challenging conditions and how

the architecture was literally yet

creatively shaped by context. C. S.

COMMENDED

RESEARCH CENTRE,

SVALBARD, NORWAY

ARCHITECT

JARMUND VIGSNÆS

NORTHERN EXPOSUREIn Norway’s remote north, this research centre

responds to challenging conditions.

Architect

Jarmund Vigsnæs,Oslo

Photographs

Nils Petter Dale

1The new research centre isa topographic presence inSpitzbergen’s bleak landscape.2,3Angular geometry prevents thebuild-up of snow.4 ,5 ,6Pine-lined internal spaces haveincident and variety. ground floor plan (sclong section cross section

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2 3

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5 6


The work of the Shuhei Endo

Architecture Institute is very

familiar to the AR, and as such

with some members of the Jury.

While there were reservations O W




74 | 12| 1

that the angular use of profiled

metal sheeting in this their latest

work was less refined than the

previous pioneering continuous

curves of their earlier work (ARs

April 1997, December 2000), it

was still felt that this project was

distinctive, well executed and

worthy of a commendation.

Earlier Endo work exploited

the strength achieved when

lengths of corrugated sheeting

were lapped and bent into

dynamic and structurally

integral ribbons; this work is

slightly disappointing in that

it relies on less sophisticated

preformed corner components.

Nevertheless, a similar spatial

ambiguity drew the Jury’s

attention.

Space here is not defined

by function. Instead, it is

formed as the surface folds

to simultaneously define floor,

wall, ceiling and roof. The

continuity and reversal of the

double-faced surface allows the

distinction between outside

and inside to blur, avoiding

abrupt differentiation. Within

a homogeneous townscape,

openness and enclosurecombine. Compared to earlier

work, the result here is slightly

more bulky; a symptom perhaps

of the brief that required

increased structural stiffness,

providing internal and external

decks capable of supporting the

load of vehicles for sale. The

solution, however, still exhibits

an economy of means that is

impressive, and detailed scrutiny

of the construction sequence

reveals just how successfully the

structure has been composed

to allow an otherwise flimsy,

thin, lightweight material to

form a composite structure with

adequate structural integrity. The

question still remains, however,

as to just how much further

the Shuhei Endo Architecture

Institute can continue to exploit

their interest in this particular

material? R. G.

Architect

Shuhei Endo,Osaka

COMMENDED

CAR SHOWROOM , NAGOYA,

AICHI PREFECTURE, JAPAN

ARCHITECT

SHUHEI ENDO

S T R A I G H T A

N D N A R R

E v e n w i t h o u t t h e c u r v e s , S

h u h e i E n d o c o n t i n u e s

t o e x p e r i m e n t w i t h c o r r u g a t e d m

e t a l .

1,2 Within the ramshacklecontext of Nagoya City,thecar showroom is a distinctivecomposition.3,4,5The folded planes createa variety of internal andexternal spaces.


sequence of cross sections

1

2 3

4

5upper level plan

1 entrance 2 office 3 store 4 wc 5 rest space 6 workshop 7 car lift 8 showroom space

7

2

16

6

354

8

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76 | 12| 1

The evangelising premise of

the Rural Studio is now well

known, yet Sam Mockbee’s

brilliant brainchild of extending

the study and practice of

architecture into a socially

responsible context continues

to flourish, even after his death

(AR February 2002). Now under

the direction of Englishman

Andrew Freear, Mockbee’s

mission goes on. Every quarter,

groups of students from

Auburn University elect to and

live and work off campus inthe impoverished counties of

western Alabama. Working with

the local Department of Human

Resources, the students tackle

small-scale projects that engage

with the unpalatable, neglected

margins of American society. As

with all Rural Studio endeavours,

architectural involvement

goes well beyond the abstract

niceties of design into the

more challenging and uncharted

realms of hands-on building, and

sourcing materials, as well as

finance, and administration.

Here, a quartet of students

designed and built a new

pavilion for communal activities

in a neglected park in Perry

County, the most impoverished

county in Alabama. The parkwas first created in the 1930s,

but was closed in 1970 and left

untouched for over 30 years,

slowly growing into a luscious,

mysterious, forgotten landscape.

Utterly simple in conception and

execution, the pavilion is tucked

in among a lush, hardwood

forest of water tupelos and

cypress trees near a former

picnic area. Shaped like a giant

megaphone, it sits boldly in its

arboreal setting. A large deck

made of local cedar forms a

datum for viewing, assembly

and performance. The deck

is raised some 18in (450mm)

off the ground (to resist the

regular local floods) and cranks

up to create benches and a

formal entrance. Set against thismain datum is a smaller, more

intimate enclave with a love seat.

The deck is sheltered by a thin,

aluminium-clad roof that soars

up to 24ft (7.3m) at its highest

point. From a distance, the

COMMENDED

PAVILION, PERRY COUNTY,

ALABAMA, USA

ARCHITECT

RURAL STUDIO

trunk-like columns blend with

the trees, so the roof appears to

hover lightly above the deck.

The Cedar Pavilion has proved

immensely popular, hosting

communal gatherings, catfish

fries and family reunions, as well

as functioning as an open-air

classroom for local schools

and colleges. Jurors admired

the clarity and economy of

the architecture and how, in

formidable social circumstances,

it helped to renew and foster a

sense of community. C. S.

Architect

Rural Studio,Auburn, USA

Project team

Jennifer Bonner,Mar y Beth Maness,

Nathan Orrison,Anthony Tindill

Photographs

Courtesy of the architect

1Supported by arborealcolumns,the pavilionblends into the forest.2A megaphone-shapedroof encloses a platform.3The elevated platformresists periodic floodingfrom the nearby river. ground floor plan (scale approx 1:200) long section

site plan

1

3ARBOREAL ARBOURDeep in a forest, this pavilion helps

to reinvigorate community life.


1Clad in Norwegian pine,housing blocks have a formaland material rigour.2External staircase doubles asa terrace in summer.3Trondheim context

This housing in Trondheim,

Norway’s third largest city, is

an imaginative response to

the vibrancy and enterprise of

the local alternative lifestyle

movement Svartlamoen began

outcome of a competition for

low-rent, ecologically conscious

housing. Responding to the area’s

history of gentle subversiveness,

it suggests new possibilities for

urban living while displaying an

144mm thick exterior walls are

loadbearing to provide column-

free space and internal partitions

are also quite robust (96mm thick),

so that furnishings or equipment

can be fixed directly to the walls




70 | 3|

Trondheim context.4Interior of studio flat in two-storey block.5Monastic rigour of top floorbedroom in main block.6Communal living space inmain block.

This imaginative new housing in Trondheim

attempts to build on a radical civic spirit.

RADICAL CHIC

1 entrance 2 communal living spa 3 bedroom 4 studio flat

fourth floor planground floor plan (scale approx 1:750)

2

3 4 6

5

movement. Svartlamoen began

life in the eighteenth century as a

working-class neighbourhood near

the sea front. After the Second

World War, it was re-zoned for

industrial use, sparking fierce

public protest which consigned

the area to developmental

limbo. By the 1980s, squatters,

artists and entrepreneurs

were colonising the redundant

building stock and by 2001, the

community had such an air of

permanence and legitimacy, that

the industrialisation plans were

scrapped. Instead, Svartlamoen was

re-zoned for residential use under

the wonderfully nebulous rubric

of a ‘semi-autonomous urban

ecological experimental area’,

which aims to crystallise and build

on its original informal spirit.

This project by local partnership

Brendeland & Kristoffersen is the

urban living while displaying an

almost Swiss fetish for materiality

and formal rigour. The scheme

has two separate crisply prismatic

apartment blocks of two and

five storeys. The smaller block

houses six studio flats, while the

larger block has four storeys of

communal flats (each for five to

six people occupying an entire

floor) set above ground level shop

units. Bedrooms are monastically

compact and face north, while

communal living and dining spaces

overlook a south-facing courtyard.

Circulation is external on a broad

steel staircase that doubles as an

informal terrace in summer.

Timber use was part of the

brief, as it is renewable, recyclable

and (potentially) a local resource.

Assembled on site in just 10 days,

the prefabricated structure is

spruce, imported from Austria. The

can be fixed directly to the walls.

Reduced energy consumption was

another programme requirement,

so external walls have an

additional layer of 200mm mineral

wool gypsum boards and an outer

skin of untreated Norwegian pine.

Compact plans (which

encourage communal living)

and simple detailing make for

an economical solution both

in terms of capital and running

costs, yet there is no loss of

architectural or urban dignity.

Unsentimental and functional

in a way that recalls Norwegian

vernacular farm buildings,

the scheme resonates with

Svartlamoen’s radical history.C. S.

Architect

Brendeland & Kristoffersen,Trondheim

Photographs

1,2, Jeroen Musch;4,5, 6,Johan Fowelin;

3,Geir Brendeland

COMMENDED

HOUSING, TRONDHEIM,

NORWAY

ARCHITECT

BRENDELAND &

K RISTOFFERSEN

44

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1The restored building – compac t and cru mbbut given new life.2Inserting the new str3New and old elementclearly legible.

PRIZEWINNER

SHOWROOM, PFALZ,

GERMANY

ARCHITECT

FNP ARCHITEKTEN

rt l ti :t l ti

ground floor plan (scale approx 1:100) exploded is1

3

The wit and economy of thinking

that informed this design pleased

the judges; it is exemplified in

the punning description of what

has been achieved, turning a

pigsty (Saustall ) into a showroom

(Schaustall ). The tumble-down

1780 structure had seen bettertimes, and was partly destroyed

in the Second World War. It

was reassembled and added to

in the intervening period. The

original intention behind the

commission was to refurbish

the structure and upgrade it as a

showroom. However, its physical

condition made it difficult to

finance a thorough upgrade, and a

replacement building of the same

size was not possible on the site,

due to its proximity to a street.

The generic solution, which

has a long history in architectural

approaches to sensitive ruins, was

to place a ‘house within a house’,

even if the original had been a

home for pigs. But how? Whatshould touch what? Could parts

of the new structure protect

the old, in the way the old walls

give extra protection to the new

building?

The architect, for reasons of

economy and logistics, placed a

timber ‘house’, which copied the

facade of the original building,

inside the stone but without ever

touching it, while the showroom

roof protects the existing

structure. The arbitrariness of the

windows now looks fashionable,

based as it is on the functional

requirements of the pigs and/or

the farmer rather than a jokey

translation of ordinariness.

Light, colour and warmthtransform the building at night;

visitors can pry into the gaps

between the structures and

wonder how it was all done.

The new internal life extends

the eighteenth century into the

twenty-first. P. F.

Architect

Fischer Naumann Partnerschaft,Stuttgart

Project team

Stefanie Naumann,Martin Naumann

THE ARTIST WITHINFrom pigsty to showroom, this little

historic structure is cleverly reborn.


INFORMAL ORDER With just three formal variables, this sinuous new settlement works with site




60 | 12| 1

1On a gently sloping hoverlooking Hokkaido11 cuboid forms creaan apparently informarrangement of build

This project was a popular

choice, with many intricate

spatial qualities and bearing

more than a passing

resemblance to Sea Ranch

– Charles Moore’s celebrate d

1960s Californian cliff-top

settlement, that has since

become a model of ordered

informality. Beyond this

association, however, this

contemporary interpretation

stood out as an extremely

accomplished work. Through

an ingenious manipulation of

modular plans and elevated

forms, the architect has created

a settlement with its own

striking identity, embodying the

landscape and place-making

qualities of Sea Ranch, without

merely copying it.

Adopting the contemporary

interest in applying a single

cladding material to both

walls and roof, the buildings

are simply articulated in black

profiled cladding, producing

an overtly contemporary

composition that sits

comfortably on a south-westerly

slope overlooking the sea in

Hokkaido in the northernmost

mainland of Japan. Providing

accommodation for up to

twenty mental health patients,

the campus consi

cluster of building

units linked by 10

triangular spaces.

types – flat, mono

ridge – and three

further articulate

form, adding com

the building’s silh

descends the subt

the site. The 5.4 x

contain cellular a

– bedrooms, livi ng

and offices – sepa

triangular alcoves

and circulation zo

remained less con

the building’s app

HIGHLY COMMENDED

RESIDENTIAL CARE UNIT,

HOKKAIDO, JAPAN

ARCHITECT

SOU FUJIMOTO ARCHITECTS


2The buildings’ contorted planform gives westerly viewsacross the city,and into moreintimate external enclaves.3Places for casual meeting orsemi-public refuge.4I th t t

as a dormitory for the

mentally disabled; however, in

response to this the architect’s

description of the scheme

as being ‘suitably ambiguous’

helped them settle on an equally

every corner, instead of building

spaces, corridors and communal

areas that recall the anonymous

and potentially intimidating

effect of wide roads and large

public squares.




HIGHLY COMMENDED

RESIDENTIAL CARE UNIT,

HOKKAIDO, JAPAN

ARCHITECT

SOU FUJIMOTO ARCHITECTS

In the westernmostaccommodation block,three bedrooms providean alternative to standardrectilinear spaces.

62 | 12

the three formal variables

long section

2

3 4

1 entrance 2 bedroom 3 alcove 4 living room 5 washing room 6 wc 7 bathroom 8 dining room 9 kitchen 10 office 11 roof terrace

lower ground floor (scale approx 1:500)upper ground

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ambiguous decision.

When seeking to create a

comfortable home for twenty

residents, the designers wanted

to create a context that,

in a controlled, secure and

sensitively handled way, would

mimic the diversity and sense of

unpredictability of city life. The

form generates a wide variety

of spaces, of shapes and sizes,

gaps, dead-ends, nooks and

crannies, creating a series of

in-between places where people

may be naturally inclined to find

refuge. If likened to a city, this

arrangement seeks to create

alleyways and tiny squares on

Domestic dimensions and

city-like diversity are therefore

combined into a new series of

internal spaces, from where

views across the coastal

conurbation of Hokkaido give

the residents a controlled link

to their wider context. R.G.

Architect

Sou Fujimoto Architects,Tokyo

Project team

Sou Fujimoto,Yumiko Nogiri,Koji Aoki

Photographs

1,4, Dalci Ano

2,3 Sou Fujimoto


The judges were immediately

attracted to the apparently

free-form structural mesh that

produces this small gymnasium

building in a town in Kumamoto

Prefecture whose chief industry

i f h b ildi h d

grid of 120mm x 120mm cedar

members on their inside. A 2m

grid of light gauge steel supports

the roof, while below, a grid of

cedar members is ‘sifted’ at a 45

degree angle, connected to form

i h 22

While the structure works in

a simple and effective way, its

design is sophisticated. Despite

the apparent free-form nature

of the structural timber grid, in

fact each element is part of an

h l id i b h l d

1Thmamo




42 | 11

Sophisticated structural

design informed a

gymnasium building in

Tomochi, Japan, symbolising

its region.

SPACE FRAMED

is forestry – the building had to

make use of timber as a symbol

of its area. On closer inspection

there was more to this building

than immediately met the eye.

The structure is in fact a hybrid

of glulam and steel; light gauge

steel columns are placed at 1m

intervals along the exterior

wall, with load transferred to a

trusses with a 22m span.

Angling the lower parts of

the trusses allowed the

designers to produce height

where required by transferring

load to trusses where a high

ceiling was not needed, ie, the

two rooms that accompany the

gymnasium itself, which house

mini-volleyball courts.

orthogonal grid in both plan and

elevation. However, only one out

of every four members in the

timber grid line act as trusses;

the remaining 75 per cent

simply span between the eight

main truss lines. By contrast,

the shift of the timber and

steel grids results in the steel

members working as a plane,

PRIZEWINNER

FORESTRY HALL,

TOMOCHI , JAPAN

ARCHITECT

TAIRA NISHIZAWA

ARCHITECTS [email protected] 59 -

each stressed uniformly, and thus

minimising use of material.

The lower parts of the wall

are in cedar, but the project

is essentially a glazed box (no

concrete has been used), located

on a man made hill planned to




site plan44 | 12

on a man-made hill planned to

accommodate a baseball field,

parking and a grass park. Of

course, the site is surrounded

by entirely natural mountains;

the architects responded to this

hybrid context with a bush-like

hybrid of their own.

PAUL FINCH

Architect

Taira Nishizawa Architects,Tokyo

Structural engineer

Arup Japan


cross section

upper level plan

long section

1 entrance 2 gymnasium 3 council room 4 meeting room

2

3

2,3Intersecting grids producedifferential heights for differentspaces.

detailed wall section:grids of steel and glulam support a glazed box

2

1 3 4 4

PRIZEWINNER

FORESTRY HALL,

TOMOCHI , JAPAN

ARCHITECT

TAIRA NISHIZAWA

ARCHITECTS


Sustrans is the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity, promoting

a vision to see the world adopt methods of transport that benefit

the health of individuals and the state of the environment. To date

they have been extremely successful with award-winning initiatives,

including the National Cycle Network, Safe Routes to School, and

Bike It. In short, they are far more than a charity for weird cyclists.

Commissioning artwork has also been part of their programme




68 | 3|

Commissioning artwork has also been part of their programme,

bringing delight and spectacle to their expanding cycle network

that in itself has restored, rejuvenated and reopened previously

inaccessible parts of our landscape.

The William Cookworthy Bridge, while not pure art, is one such

component, providing a valuable link in Clay Trails: part of the

Network that includes 15km of paths over the former China Clay

works in Cornwall, linking communities and visitors, and providing

car-free access to the Eden Project (AR August 2001).

Designed by local architect David Sheppard, the bridge is

much more than the metal object that we see. It is part of larger,

integrated, sculpted landform, that makes a place within this very

specific landscape. An elevated viewing platform acts as a fulcrumbetween land and bridge, turning the route through almost 90

degrees. The artificial embankment – formed from 10 000 tons

of ‘stent’ quarry waste – ascends to the pivot point, recalling

the monumental scale of earth movement and sculpting that is

characteristic of this area; a place where industry has brought a very

specific identity.

The bridge itself appealed to the Jury due to its physical and

notional straightforwardness; a quality that is evident in the

architect’s description: a simply supported box girder, 25m in span,

2.5m wide and 450mm deep, with a 1.4m high parapet for horses and

cyclists. It is beautifully simple, and the distinctive vertical fins, set

at 100mm centres, discourage climbing toddlers, and play with the

moiré effect, causing the bridge’s visual mass to change when seen

in motion. It is a wonderful addition within a unique landscape, and

a fitting memorial to the 300th anniversary of the man who founded

Cornwall’s China Clay industry, William Cookworthy. R. G.

1The Corten fins produce asubtle moiré effect whenseen by passing cyclists, walkers and ri ders.2The bridge provides animportant link in theSustrans 15km Clay Trails. section through earthwork

Architect

David Sheppard Architects, Devon

with Sustrans

Project team

David Sheppard,Colin Sanderson,

Simon Ballantine

Photographs

Joakim Borén

SHEPPARD’SDELIGHT

In the beautiful Cornish setting,

Sustrans’ mission to make the

landscape accessible is perfectly

served by a new bridge.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

BRIDGE, ST AUSTELL, CORNWALL, UK

ARCHITECT

DAVID SHEPPARD ARCHITECTS [email protected] 61 -

HIGHLY COMMEN

BRIDGE, MAOSI,

ARCHITECT

DEPARTMENT OF

ARCHITECTURE,

UNIVERSITY OF H

In the Gansu province of

north-west China, the Po River

separates the humble village

of Maosi into two parts. This

has a significant effect on its

inhabitants, especially during

floods. Crossing the river is

gather materials to rebuild the

structure, taking on average 15

days to complete it. Despite

this seasonal effort, the summer

rain would always return to

wash it away. At best, crossing

the bridge was precarious, with

this summer, project volunteers

travelled to the remote village

and built this new bridge by

hand in just five days. Sited 1.5m

above the river-bed it will be

accessible 95 per cent of the

year, and is easy to maintain.




BRIDGING THE GAPHand built by volunteers, this new structure in

China bridges more than a physical gap.

1,2Bridge provides safe route toschool,meeting point and aplace for contemplation.3

Made largely from localmaterials,the bridge sitscomfortably in the landscape,bearing on the river bed.

plan

section

1 2

2

g

an essential ritual of daily life,

forming the route for many,

including that for children

between home and school.

When the water rises above

ankle depth, the only means

of crossing it has been to

build a primitive bridge from

mud, straw and tree branches

– exploiti ng the lim ited means

available within the Loess

Plateau region.Historically, each year, after

the autumn harvest, the villagers

g p ,

the children adopting excellent

acrobatic skills, balancing as they

tiptoed across its narrow and

uneven deck; at worst, it was

lethal.

A solution came when a

number of academics from

Hong Kong considered the

problem; the end result

representing a collaboration

between the Chinese University

in Hong Kong, the Hong KongPolytechnic University and the

Xi’an Jiaotong University. Earlier

y , y

The 80m long bamboo deck

has already survived a freak 4m

flood, and an 80 year old villager

recently reported that, after

20 years, he could now visit his

friends on the other side. R. G.

Architect

Department of Architecture,

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Project team

Edward Ng (project leader),

Rollin Collins,Paul Tsang,Lucia Cheung,Kevin Li,Chan Pui Ming,Karen Kiang

Photographs

Chinese University of Hong Kong


HIGHLY COMMENDED

ROLLING BRIDGE, PADDINGTON , LONDON

DESIGNER

THOMAS HEATHERWICK STUDIO




56 | 12| 1

ROLL

WITH IT

1,2,3States of play:the bridgeis stable in any position,as hydraulic rams pushand pull.cross section – rolled out cross section – rolled in

1 2

3

Good design is not just about

good ideas, rolling with i t,

going with the creative flow; it

is also about good execution.

Great design comes when both

factors combine. Individuals

who repeatedly come up with

new tactics, those who try to

reinvent the wheel and more

often than not succeed, are

at best inspirational, and at

worst downright irritating.

In architecture, the prize

arguably goes to Herzog and

de Meuron, whose recent

exhibition (AR July 2005) drew

an observer to publicly deride

their ‘incessant inventiveness’.

In the slightly left-field world of

architectural device design, the

creative output of the Thomas

Heatherwick Studio is equally

challenging. You can al most hear

the secret thoughts of their

observers saying, ‘now, why didn’t

I think of that?’

When asked to design a

retractable bridge, Heatherwick

was not content to redress

existing types: swing bridge,

lifting bridge, or rigid retractable.

Instead he came up with

something completely new. Well

almost; no single idea is ever

generated in isolation. The closest

precedent for this probiscus-

like coil is perhaps the military

bridge; the type that is rolled

out when existing passes have

been destroyed or that is used

by emergency services in times

of natural disaster, to give access

for aid or evacuation. Sited in

London’s Paddington Basin, this

bridge rolls open, by slowly and

smoothly unfurling. It mutates

from conventional pedestrian

platform into a circular sculpture,

that sits comfortably on the canal

bank when not required. The

structure is pushed and pulled

by a series of hydraulic rams

set within triangular segments;

challenging logic by pulling it

open and pushing it closed. As it

recoils, each of its eight segments

simultaneously lifts, causing it to

curl until the ends touch to form

a perfect circle.

The studio’s aim was to make

function from movement. As

such it can be stopped at any

point along its journey, whether

at the very start, when it looks

as though it is hovering, or

halfway through its opening path.

Delightfully conceived, delightfully

resolved, delightfully detailed, and

delightfully made; don’t you just

hate it? R. G.

Designer

Thomas Heatherwick Studio,London

A new footbridge

animates Paddington’s

still waters.





48 | 12

1Site context.2The oratory lies at the heartof the campus.3The oratory cube,seenthrough the glazed cloister.4Refined geometry and rawmaterials give the structurean elemental power. A castglass door heralds entry.

3

2

1

4

Fusing the secular and metaphysical, this oratory on

a campus is a modern response to the numinous.

LIGHT SPIRIT

The combining of sacred

and secular in a complex

of buildings is a familiar

architectural programme, and

one that encourages a creative

combination of the functional

and the spiritual. In this instance,

the judges were impressed by

the calmness and serenity of the

oratory space, with its shades

of Tadao Ando, not to mention

Le Corbusier, in its exploitation

of concrete and varying types

of light.

The oratory element creates

what the architect describes as

the equivalent of a crescendo

in music, but one which breaks

from the remaining fabric

of a campus which also has

educational and administrative

functions. Its location and height

mark it out from the everyday

buildings around, while the

rotation in plan is intended

to signify the break between

secular and sacred, and to create

a void between building types

which can be used for communal

gatherings of varying size, or for

private meditation.

The threshold between the

outside world and the oratory

is marked by a sculptural cast-

glass door, designed to gather

and refract light, which glows

brightly at the perimeter and

luminously at the centre as

a result of the lens-shaped

plan. The architects intended

to achieve a fusion of secular

and metaphysical experiences

through light, shadow, colour

and movement, before visitors

and congregation take their

place inside.

PRIZEWINNER

CHURCH COMPLEX,

LOUISIANA, USA

ARCHITECT

TRAHAN ARCHITECTS


5Communing with thenuminous.6Interior has an almost Japanese ascetic ism.7Light and materials conveya sense of peace andspirituality.

Internally, the oratory is

intended to evoke a sense of

mystery while providing a pure

space which could be described

as womb-like. Each of the six

sides is the same size, and has

the same colour and texture,

th if it ti

concrete, plate glass and cast

glass are the key elements,

creating an atmosphere the

architect intended to be neither

opulent nor overly austere. The

judges, on balance, felt that this

had successfully been achieved,

d th t f li f it




site plan50 | 12

PRIZEWINNER

CHURCH COMPLEX,

LOUISIANA, USA

ARCHITECT

TRAHAN ARCHITECTS

cross section

general plan of complex

ground floor plan of oratory (scale approx 1:250)

1 administration 2 classroom 3 religious education 4 oratory

5 altar 6 pulpit

7 presider’s chair 8 crucifix 9 pews

5

6 7

4

3

2

2

1

9

9

78

9

6 9

5

the uniformity creating a

certain lack of orientation and

sense of mystery. Variation and

stimulation is provided by light

drawn into the oratory through

irregular activities cast into the

walls, whose thickness varies. As

the images show, the effect is to

introduce brilliant light near the

ceiling and softer light near the

floor. Each aperture is inspired

by a single episode of thepaschal mystery of Christ.

No costly materials have

been used in the creation of

this complex – board-formed

and that a feeling of serenity

pervaded the design, doubtless

helped by the simplicity of the

plan and the cloister reference

in what is in part, at least, a

community resource. P. F.

Architect

Trahan Architects, Louisiana

Project team

Victor F.Trahan,Brad Davis,Kirk Edwards

Photographs

Timothy Hursley


With the unrivalled rate of

development in China there is

HIGHLY COMMENDED

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY

CENTRE, LIJIANG, CHINA

ARCHITECT

LI XIAODONG DESIGN STUDIO




development in China, there is

a genuine concern (admittedly

from foreign observers) that

Chinese architects are yet to

find a coherent contemporary

architectural identity.

Traditionally, China has had a

rich architectural heritage within

which even the most elementary

architectural eye could

identify common architectural

motifs: Dougong brackets thatarticulate the junction between

column and beam; sweeping

concave roofs that create

distinctive silhouettes in both

urban and wild rural contexts;

brightly painted timber; and

perhaps most fundamentally,

the systematic grouping of

buildings around courtyards,

where the now overused

Western architectural cliché

of making inside/outside space

had merit, authenticity and

appropriateness.

As last year’s Beijing Biennale

demonstrated, the most

interesting home-grown talents

were those who had chosen

to work with, rather than

against, their heritage. With this

project, Li Xiaodong is very

much part of this generation;

a generation that while not

necessarily being completely

satisfied with the resolution of

their own architectural language,

nevertheless works rigorously

to extract essence and nuance

when considering how to build.

The Yuhu Elementary School

and Community Centre,

completed last year, nestles in

the foothills of the Jade Dragon

Snow Mountain, in Lijiang, home

to the 280 000 or so members

of the Naxi minority nationality.

Providing educational space for

160 students and community

activity space for up to 1300villagers, the complex comprises

three small buildings arranged

in a Z-configuration. This

creates two courtyards, each set

aside for separate school and

community activities. Deriving

significance from the Naxi52 | 12

Li Xiaodong revisits established architectural typologies

when placi ng this con temporary group of buildin gs within

a sensitive UNESCO World Heritage site.

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION





tenet that sees the mountains

as the backbone and water as

the soul of their culture, both

stone and water feature heavily;

as do reinterpretations of the

traditional Naxi home.

One such reinvention is

the articulation of the stair,

which forms a focus to

the community courtyard.

Traditionally occupying one

corner of a Naxi house, the

stair frees up space to providemore flexible orthogonal rooms

while celebrating the ritual of

teachers making their way to

the classrooms below. Effort

was also made to simplify the

architectural language while

respecting traditional details

and techniques. The use of

traditional timber-frame

detailing with mortise and tenon

joints, for example , is a proven

safeguard against earthquake

collapse, with all masonry being

independently reinforced and

non load-bearing. Traditional

ornamentation is also reduced

to basics, with curved ridgelines

straightened and gable end

ornament simplified to a simple

lattice framework inspired bytraditional grain racks. Sliding

and casement windows are

also abundant, bringing fresh

air, light and access when

required. The uniqueness of the

design within a very particular

context impressed the judges,

as a demonstration of how

local materials, technology

and spatial arrangements can

be transformed into a fresh

language. The challenge for

this generation, however,

with Li Xiaodong and many

contemporaries based in cities

like Beijing, will ultimately

come when they are given the

opportunity to raise their game,

and to tackle the problems

associated with large-scaleurban developments. R. G.

Architect

Li Xiaodong Design Studio,Beijing

Project team

Li Xiaodong,Yeo Kang Shua,

Chong Keng Hua,Stanley Lee Tse Chen

Photographs

Melvin H.J.Tan

2From within the classroom,nature and landscape remain

dominant and distracting.3,4,5 Within th e communitycourtyard,the twistedstaircase forms a focus ...a contemporary twist,inan otherwise traditionalcontext.6The community courtyard,reflecting pool and SnowMountain beyond.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY

CENTRE, LIJIANG, CHINA

ARCHITECT

LI XIAODONG DESIGN STUDIO

first floor


54 | 12

3

4

5 6

1 museum 2 classroom 3 exhibition area 4 community courtyard 5 reflecting pool 6 school courtyard 7 staffroom

site plan

2





1The neover th2The gr

Originally completed in 1938, the

famous Helsinki Olympic Stadium

was built to attract the summer

Games, which eventually came

to Finland in 1952. Designed by

Yrjö Lindegen and Toivo Jäntti, the

building’s svelte Modernist lines

evoked an era of social optimism

and architectural progressiveness.

Finns are keen athletes and

the Olympic Stadium had the

distinction of appearing on the

Finnish 10 mark banknote, prior to

the country adopting the euro.

Since the late ’30s, the stadium

has undergone various stages

of modernisation which have

improved facilities and reduced

spectator numbers from 70 000

to a more manageable 40 000.

The latest phase was catalysed

by Helsinki’s hosting of the 2005

World Athletics Championship, the

most prestigious athletics meeting

outside the Olympics. Though the

city saw off rival bids from Berlin,

Rome and Moscow, among others,

the IAAF (the sport’s governing

body) insisted that the stadium

should be upgraded with an

extra roof to provide additional

covered seating. Helsinki-based

K2S Architects won a competition

with a bold proposal that

reinterprets yet also respects the

original Modernist ethos. The new

roof extends to cover part of

the grandstand on the stadium’s

east side, where the bank of

spectator seating is at its widest.

Though a strong presence inside

the stadium, the new structure is

virtually imperceptible from the

outside, much like the existing

1930s canopy. Supported by a row

of steel columns and tied back to

the original concrete structure,

the new canopy cantilevers with

supple grace over the grandstand.

The steel roof structure is

optimised by a double sinusoidal

curved section. This generates a

gently undulating geometry, so

that the canopy swells and tapers

along its length. The curve of its

underside is emphasised by a skin

of thin pine strips which tempers

the huge surface both visually and

acoustically. Structural analysis of

the aerofoil roof form was backed

up by extensive wind tunnel

testing using a 1:180 scale model

made of aluminium and plexiglass.

The judges admired the elegance

and simplicity of the concept and

thought it a thoroughly fitting

addition to a heroic landmark of

Finnish Modernism.C.S.

cross sectio

cross section th

stadium plan (scale approx 1:2500)

Archit

K2S Arc

Projec

Kimmo

Mikko S

Photog

1,Johan

2,Mikko

1

1 new 2 existi

grand 3 towe 4 runn 5 pitch

2

5

1

3

4

4

FLYING FINNSHelsinki’s Olympic

Stadium is dignified and

enhanced by a bold new

grandstand roof.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

STADIUM CANOPY ,

HELSINKI, FINLAND

ARCHITECT

K2S ARCHITECTS


HIGHLY COMMENDED

RESTAURANT , BRUFE, PORTUGAL

ARCHITECTS

ANTÓNIO PORTUGAL & MANUEL

MARIA REIS

5

6




2 | 3| 4

3 2

Graduates of Porto’s architectural

school and in practice in the city

since 1990, António Portugal

& Manuel Maria Reis are in

the vanguard of an emerging

generation of Portuguese

architects. Their modest, tactful

work epitomises what critics

and curators describe as

‘critical scarcity’, making use oflimited budgets, materials and

construction techniques in a

way that responds imaginatively

to the Portuguese condition.

Their sensitive remodelling of

the historic Casa da Cerca into a

library and archive (AR July 2004)

helped an antiquated structure

make the challenging transition

from decaying relic to working

public building.

There is a strongly enigmatic

and understated quality to their

approach, epitomised by this

project for a restaurant near

the village of Brufe, in Portugal’s

rugged far north. Utterly simple

in conception and execution,the building is an almost

imperceptible horizontal blip in

the landscape, its long, low slung

volume echoing the forms of the

granite terraces on which it is

poised. Much of its bulk is, in fact,

excavated into the hillside, so

that the roof becomes part of the

terrain, a grass-covered plateau

edged with a minimal upstand

to prevent mishaps. From this

vantage point, diners descend

a set of external stairs cut into

the hill to another terrace that

thrusts out from the box of the

restaurant.

Dining takes place in a large,

airy room illuminated by a longslash of picture window glazing,

while the cooking and serving end

of things is kept well out of sight

in the buried rear of the building.

Rough horizontal planks of timber

are employed to clad both lower

terrace and box, giving it a rustic,

barn-like character that echoes

the vernacular arc

surrounding farm b

The judges were

the project, whose

embodied the spar

quality of its archit

were especially im

the building relate

deferring to the la

celebrating it, and simple materials w

with a restrained f

to achieve powerf

CATH

Architects

António Portugal & Manu

with Paulo Freitas

Photographs

Luís Ferreira Alves

1

Embedded in hillside,roofbecomes viewing plateau.2Rough timber claddingalludes to farm buildings.3,4,5The main terrace hasbreathtaking vistas.6The new restaurant is poisedon granite terraces. long section

DINING TERRACEThis restaurant in Portugal’s rugged north

responds to and celebrates its wild setting.

restaurant level plan (s

1 2 3 4 5 6

61

3

5

1

2

3

4





70|6

HOUSING, INNSBRUCK , AUSTRIA

A RCHITECT

BAUMSCHLAGER& EBERLE

SHUTTERED ROOMSDistinguished by formal rigour and a concern for energy use, this complex of compactly planned, mixed tenure

housing blocks on the edge of Innsbruck is animated by an external skin of folding shutters.

1Mid-rise blocksare arranged aroundcommunal spaces. Car parkingisrelegated underground, freeingup theexterior for semi-formal gardens.2

Framed by alpine peaks, the blockshave a geometric rigour and precision.Copper-clad foldingshuttersanimatethe exterior (although in realityperhapsto a more random patternthan shown here).

Housing(of both the state

subsided and private sector

funded kind) accounts for over a

third of construction work in

Austria. Regulated by planning

laws and cost constraints,

opportunities for innovation are

limited, with the result that towns

and cities tend to be dominated

by dull residential developments.

In this apparently reductivist area

of architectural activity,

Baumschlager & Eberle have

applied themselves to researching

and evolvingasuccessful housing

type based on acompact,

doughnut-shaped plan with an

inner ringof servant spaces and

an outer ringof served rooms.

The buildingenvelope is usually

formed frombalconies and

loggias, creatingasemi-public

layer enclosed by an external skin

of foldingor slidingshutters. By

adaptingand modifyingthis basic

type to various conditions,

Baumschlager & Eberle have

gradually developed it in terms of

architectural form, constructional

composition and ecological

performance. The particular

character of this approach is not

to seek the outlandishly special,

but rather to aspire to the highest

standards for what is normal.

The latest in this series of

housingprojects is for asite on

the western edge of Innsbruck.

Dramatically framed by alpine

peaks, it extends an existing

residential area. The complex

contains 298 flats of varyingsizes

(fromone to three bedrooms)

divided more or less evenly

between rental and ownership.

Apartments are organized in six

identical blocks between five and

seven storeys high. Cars are

relegated to asubterranean park,

so freeingup the areas between

the blocks for gardens and

communal social spaces.

1


3Lushnessof the landscape temperstheformal abstraction.4Balconiesrun around the edge of eachblock, enclosed by the shuttersandtranslucent glassbalustr ades.

HOUSING,INNSBRUCK ,AUSTRIA

A RCHITECT





ground floor plan (scale approx 1:300)site plan

typical upper level plancrosssection outliningprinciplesof environmental control

longitudinal sectioncrosssection

a solar collection

panels

b water tanksfor

heat storage

c car park

d ventilationoutlets

e heat pump& boiler

f l ivingroom/

bedroom

g wc/bathroom/

kitchen

a mainentrance

b lightwellcourtyard

c l if t

d stairs

e f la ts

f accessgalleries

g balconies

72|6

Pollarded lime trees mark the

edges of paths and will mature to

provide enclaves of shade.

Each of the blocks follows the

same compact arrangement of

flats tightly planned around a

central lightwell and service

core. Each has a single communalentrance that penetrates

through the block to the central

space; fromhere you either take

the lift or stairs to communal

galleries on each level that lead

to individual apartments. Flats

are simply and economically

planned with a narrow strip of

kitchens and bathrooms on the

lightwell side servinglarger living

spaces facingout to views and

light. Each flat has access to a

balcony that runs continuously

around each floor. Inner faces of

the blocks are clad in vertical

strips of cherry. Foldingshutters

made of copper and balustrades

of translucent toughened glass

give protection from the

elements and provide privacy. The changingconcertina

rhythms generated by the

shutters (which will surely have a

much greater degree of lyrical

randomness than the regimented

patterns shown here) animate

the geometrically stern facades.

As with Baumschlager &

Eberle’s previous projects (AR

January 2000), the Innsbruck

housingis characterized by a

thoughtful degree of energy

conscious environmental

control. The highly compact plan

reduces the surface area to

volume ratio. Walls are highly

insulated and windows are triple

glazed, in order to minimize heat

loss. Each apartment is equippedwith a compact ventilation unit

with heat recovery, as well as a

small heat pump for air heating

and a boiler for hot water. The

controlled air ventilation system

provides a constant, comfortable

supply of fresh air as well as

translucent glassbalustr ades.

3


HOUSING,INNSBRUCK ,AUSTRIA

A RCHITECT




optimizing space heating and

minimizing ventilation losses. It

also maintains a balance of

relative humidity, reducing

problems of building

deterioration due to pollution,

humidity or mould.

Around 70 per cent of the

annual hot water demand is

covered by a solar powered

system. Solar collectors with a

surface area of 140-190sqm per

block heat water in storage

tanks located around the

perimeter of the underground

car park. During the summer,domestic hot water is warmed in

the solar tanks and supplied to

individual flats. Any extra

heating is carried out by the heat

pumps. In winter, solar energy is

5At the heart of each block is a lightwell.6Galleries give access to individual flats

BAUMSCHLAGER & EBERLE

5

The London Contemporary

Dance School is to be found at

The Place in aquiet backwater

off busy Euston Road. Established

in 1969 by philanthropist Robin

Howard, The Place has become

one of the world’s famous dance

centres. Its theatre was created

out of the old Drill Hall of the

the adjoiningWoburn W alk in

the 1820s by Thomas Cubitt as

part of the Bedford Estate).

Behind, and to the east of, the

theatre, dressingrooms and

ancillary spaces, is the dance

centre, housed for most of its life

in atr iangular warren of buildings

converted at various times into

much-needed improvements by

Allies and Morrison. Pressure on

space and facilities had become

acute. The centre, open seven

days a week fromearly morning

until late in the evening, is used

by great numbers of students

and professional performers,

and has to house around 80 staff.

tower, facingeast and visible

froma distance – particularly at

night when illuminated. Glass

balconies between landings act

as stretchingzones so from the

street you see silhouetted

dancers in motion, figures

superimposed one above the

other. This tower is the centre’s




82|6

ou o eo d a o e

Artists’ Rifles, constructed in

1889 and listed by English

Heritage. A landmark in the

King’s Cross Partnership area, it

opens onto the tiny Georgian

oasis of Duke’s Road (built with

co e eda a ous es o

studios, classrooms and offices.

Equipped with money fromthe

National Lottery (through the

Arts Council) and a grant from

King’s Cross Partnership, The

Place has been undergoing

a d as o ousea ou d80 s a

Work is beingcarried out in

two phases. The first, now

completed, has provided a new

building to the north and east of

the triangle. Entrance is through

a three-storey glass fronted stair

o e s o e s ece e s

shop window, advertisingits

presence to the neighbourhood.

Landings lead to new studios

contained in abuildingto the

north hard up against the back

wall of ahotel block running

DANCE SCHOOL,

K ING’SCROSS, LONDON

A RCHITECT

ALLIESAND MORRISON

ARCHITECTS

1Glazed stair tower with stretchingareas, givesaccessto studios, right.2Lower ground floor studioscombined by foldingcentral dividingscreen away.3Interior skylit stair tower: landingsand glassbalconiesare used bystudentsfor meetingsand exercise.4Stair tower onto street. Dividingscreen of metal mesh from gkd.

Leading the danceA new extension to a famous dance centre in the King’s Cross district of London rationalizes a rather

difficult site, adds spacious new studios, and provides a shop window that establishes its presence locally.

1

2


alongEuston Road. There are

two large airy studios on each of

the two levels, and another pair

excavated out of the ground.

Every part of this workmanlike

scheme is permeated by the

quiet architectural intelligence

characteristic of this practice.

Fromthe beginning, the





84|6

architects worked closely with

their professional clients to work

out proportions and details (like

the specially designed studio

barres, in section shaped like an

inverted eggto make themeasier

to grasp correctly).

Studio walls on the north,

facingstraight onto the hotel, are

made of glass blocks which

diffuse light while maintaining

privacy; and these translucent

walls are supplemented

elsewhere by strategically placed

windows admittingthe exterior .

For the dancers these studios

are introverted places for

south-north crosssection

west-east longsection

lower ground floor plan

second floor plan

first floor planisometric

1 entranceandstair tower

2 new studio

3 modernizedstudio

4 theatre

5 bar

6 theatreentrance

7 box office

8 backstage

9 dressingroom

10 changingroom

11 office

DANCE SCHOOL, K ING’SCROSS, LONDON

A RCHITECT

ALLIESAND MORRISON ARCHITECTS

5Upper studio with glafrom Luxcrete to nor

Junckers sprungfloo

intense concentra

sense of claustro

dissipated by the

impression of lighreflection off spru

mirrored walls.

Services – venti

acoustic separatio

by the concrete st

lower ground floo

possible to elimina

central wall and re

foldingscreen to c

enormous space. T

included refurbish

generally tidyingu

building. Phase tw

work to the theat

completion by this

Architects

Allies and Morrison Arc

Project architects

BobAll ies, GrahamMo

Paul Appleton, Jo Baco

King, AdrianMorrow, Ja

Ralphs, PaulineStockm

Structural engineer

Price and Myers

Servicesengineer

Max Fordham& Partne

Photographs

DennisGilbert/VIEW

5


1Entrance front: blank and ratherforbiddingwith windowshiddenbehind thin natural oak strips. Carport for southern house penetratesfrom road to private gardens.2Entrance to upper (northern)house: axial route to privatenatural world.3Keepingasmany treesaspossiblewasone of the key aims of design.Northern house in foreground.4




42|6

Oslo is one of the largest cities in the world

in terms of area. It stretches fromthe neo-

Classical core far up into the surrounding

hills, where suburbs and forest increasingly

blend. In the worst areas, this leads to

slummification of the wild, but in the best

parts, the two interact, bringinghumanity

and nature into creative conjunction. Lund

Hagem’s two attached houses at Furulund

are a prime example of such a dialogue.

The site is squarish, slopingfromnorth to

south, on a corner of two roads in an area

where nineteenth- and twentieth-century

villas are scattered lightly through the

woods. The basic plan of the new houses was

generated by the twin desire to preserve the

25 best trees on the plot, and to avoid

overlookingand overshadowingby existing

buildings. So the L-shaped houses are

arranged to open onto a double garden court

which is divided by a thick (partly storage)

wall which gives thema degree of pr ivacy

from each other. The garden courts face

south-west, into a wooded gap between

existingbuildings.

The houses are completely different in

plan. The upper (more northerly) one is

based on a corridor that runs at garden level,

double and single sided, south-west from the

entrance to a covered belvedere at the far

end of the garden. En route, it passes the

master bedroomon the left, and the main

family area which includes kitchen, diningand

sitting and is dominated by a large fireplace.

Next to this is a small flight of stairs which

leads down to a little private study. Above is

the children’s area, fromwhere a secret stair

in the chimney breast goes up to a roof

terrace above the livingarea.

The other house is fundamentally

organized round the half levels of its stair. It

has a car port tucked into its volume, and it

is entered fromthe same side as the

northern house. To the left is a double-

height study, and the stairs go down to the

TWO HOUSES, FURULUND,

OSLO, NORWAY

A RCHITECT

LUND HAGEM

IN NORWEGIAN WOODS

It may seem odd to start an issue on group housing with a pair of housesin an Oslo suburb, but these are so responsive to landscape, that theysuggest many possibilities for larger groupings of houses which could pay

similar attention to nature and human response to it.

Southern house: studio seen fromentrance.5Southern house: studio fromgarden.6Garden side of southern house.

1

2

3

4 5 [email protected] 75 -


OSLO, NORWAY

A RCHITECT

LUND HAGEM

north-south section through north house garage and south house




44|6 lowest level (scale approx 1:370)

1 entrance

2 living/kitchen

3 mainbedroom

4 study

5 garage

6 studio

7 gallerymezzanine

8 children

9 childen’scommonroom

10 cellar

11 car port

entrance levels north-south crosssection through houses

upper [email protected] 76 -

7Fireplace in livingroom of northern house.8Stair in southern house isorganizingdevice for spatial flow.9Kitchen in southern house.10Garden side, southern house.11, 12Sittingarea, southern house, withlight washingover south wall, andwindow which bringstreesintoconversation.




46|6


OSLO, NORWAY

A RCHITECT

LUND HAGEM

children’s level, where three sleeping

cabins with slidingdoors open off the

communal area. They look out onto the

garden court, to which each has access

through the glass wall. If, instead of going

down to the children’s floor, you go up, you

arrive in the livingarea, which is the spatial

tour de force of the whole affair. Tall and

long, it looks north towards the garden, but

gains much of its atmosphere from a

continuous rooflight which pours

luminance down the largely blank south

wall. A wide and generous bench follows

the light and turns at the south end to form

the base of the fireplace which again

dominates the sittingarea. Just at the turn,

a large window is suddenly cut low into the

wall to look out point blank into the

branches of a fine mature birch tree, which

gives the space privacy fromthe road. A

further flight up fromthis level is the main

bedroom, slungover the car port where

there is access to the mezzanine of the

study. Another short stair leads to the

private roof terrace over the livingarea.

Construction is lightweight concrete

block, rendered outside and in, with internal

surfaces lightly dragged to give themtexture.

Upper floors on the entrance (east) side are

clad in thin natural oak strips of varying

length and thickness; behind are small

windows which get some light and glimpses

of view through the slits. The effect fromthe

road is dark and a little austere, but once the

wooden entrance doors are open, the spaces

are welcoming, with floors of solid oiled ash,

slate and oiled concrete, ash joinery and light

birch slatted ceilings.

Of course, such finishes would be

impossible in less expensive houses, as would

all the many subtle manoevres in plan and

section. But the thoughtfulness with which

site and family needs have been related do

repay study, and could informhousingon a

considerably larger scale. P.D.

Architect

LundHagemArkitekter AS, Oslo

Project team

SveinLund, KarineDenizou,

Arvid Pedersen, AndreasPoulsson

Photographs

EspenGrønli, Jir i Havran,

Morten Brun, SveinLund

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In southern Arizona, close to the

Mexican border, landscape and

sky collide in an exhilarating

rush of space and light. This

elevated desert area is known

for its awesome summer

lightningstorms and very clear

night skies (accountingfor the

presence of several astronomical

observatories) Within this

His clients were acouple from

Ohio who had spent their

holidays in the Southwest and

become seduced by its vast,

primeval landscapes to the point

of commissioninga retirement

home. Covered with scrub,

native mesquite trees and low

wild grasses, the desert site

slopesgentlydownto thesouth

telescope platform(the husband

is aformer radio astronomer and

the site was selected as much for

its night-time view of crystal clear

skies as daytime panoramas). All

this had to be contained on a

single floor.

Joy’s response was to carve a

level shelf into the hill, defined by

two U-shapedretainingwalls

nudge into each other, with a

linear courtyard occupyingthe

intermediate space. Fromthe

approach road, only the glazed

ends of the sheds are visible

above the ground; at night these

become glowingabstract forms,

apparently hoveringin space. A

gravel-covered garden spiked

withplumpcactiflanksthe




46|7

TOUCHING NATUREEncased in a carapace of weathered steel, a retirement house in the spectacular

splendour of the Arizona desert appears part of its raw, elemental, landscape.

1The gently angulroof mimic the todistant mountain2Embedded in thepresentsa modeapproach road.3The shed-like vohouse and itssmaenclose an interm4Courtyard is lanprecise fashion, wand calm poolso5A weathered carsteel claddingen

observatories). Within this

extraordinary natural arena, Rick

Joy has built ahouse, atautly

graphic composition of glass and

planes of hoary, rusted steel that

sits lightly and low on the ground,

like alizard baskingon arock.

slopes gently down to the south.

In the distance, snow-capped

mountains delicately frame the

horizon. Apart fromthe usual

livingand guest spaces, the clients

requested two studies, areas for

entertainment and an optical

two U shaped retainingwalls

skewed towards one another.

This establishes adatumfor the

house. The retainingwalls form

the ends of two shed-like

volumes (the main dwellingand a

smaller guest house) that gently

with plump cacti flanks the

entrance. To get in, you descend

through astair wedged in the

cleft between the two retaining

walls, to emerge in the

tranquillity of the courtyard

below. Pools of water and

HOUSE, ARIZONA, USA

A RCHITECT

RICK JOY

1

2

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mesquite trees provide cooling

shade and the fragrant vegetation

attracts hummingbirds and

butterflies. The very precise

detailingof the courtyard –

concrete paving, crisply

rectilinear planters and cubic

volumes of water – expresses

the controlled, man-made

character of the house against

courtyard, the main livingspace is

alongbar with acovered porch

at its far end overlookingthe

swimmingpool. To the rear is the

master bedroom and bathroom

and twin studies, which face the

courtyard but also overlook a

smaller private patio and pool,

enclosed by the retainingwall.

Each window exactly focuses and

refinement of the interior. Used

extensively in farmbuildings and

structures, rusted steel is a

common sight in the Arizona

countryside. Because of the

intensely dry climate, steel

weathers quickly but does not

rust through, so it was not

necessary to use costly

proprietary types of oxydized

palette. Slidinggla

heighten the conn

exterior and assis

ventilation, althou

is also air conditio

house extends the

tradition of dome

yet powerfully roo

landscape, it is als

nuances of arema




48|7

1 courtyard

2 entrance

3 living

4 kitchen

5 pantry

6 bedroom

7 study

8 workshop

9 garage

10 porch

11 pool12 guest house

crosssection


g

the rawness and unpredictability

of nature. At the west end of the

courtyard, aswimmingpool

extends the vistatowards the far

distant horizon.

The house’s organization

emphasizes the connection with

the exterior, as internal and

external spaces meld fluidly wi th

one other. Flanked by the

y

frames aparticular view; some

windows are set flush with the

steel surface, some are box-like

protrusions, some unglazed cut-

outs. The smaller guest wingalso

houses agarage and aplatform

for an optical telescope.

Joy likens the house to ageode,

the coarseness of the rough steel

exterior contrastingwith the

p p y yp y

steel cladding. From adistance,

the rough, red carapace of the

house is astrongyet familiar

presence, resonatingwith the

hues of the desert. Inside, white

plaster walls and black polished

concrete floors impart a simple,

understated elegance. Pale maple,

sandblasted glass and stainless

steel complete the interior

Architect

Rick Joy, Tucson, USA

Project team

Rick Joy, Andy Tinucci, F

ChelseaG rassinger

Structural engineer

Southwest Structural En

Mechanical engineer

OtterbeinEngineering

Photography

Jeff Goldberg/Esto

HOUSE, ARIZONA, USA

A RCHITECT

RICK JOY

6Carefully placed openingsframe,focusand edit viewsof the vastlandscape beyond.7Main livingand diningspaces.8An enclosed terrace and sensuouspool terminate the west end of themain house.

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Today more than ever the small

house serves as atestingground

for architectural ideas. In few

places is the ground so testing, so

expensive, crowded, and prone to

tremors, as central Tokyo.

And in few societies are ideas

and, it might be added, trends so

tenaciously pursued as in

contemporary Japan. Kazuyo

URBAN HOUSE, TOKYO, JAPAN

A R CHITECT

K AZUYO SEJIMA & ASSOCIATES




34|7

Sejima’s Small House is easily

found at the end of ashort cul-de-

sac in Tokyo’s affluent Aoyama

district. It ’s aminiature tower

containing77 square metres of

floor areaon an allowable imprint

of 36 (the site measures 60

square metres in its entirety).

The house is wrapped in

opalescent glass and galvanizedsteel with avein-like standing

seam. Fromthe lane, there are

only glimpses of life through the

house’s western translucent zone

and occasional small transparent

panels. Furthermore, the clients

claimthey did not want expansive

views out, as the house overlooks

the Sony establishment where the

husband works as aproduct

designer. A vertical pavilion

almost touchingits easterly

neighbour, the house bulges in

the middle, then tapers in

towards the roof (aspace-age

mansard?) and down towards the

entrance. There the slope inward

accommodates – to the

centimetre – the family’s silver-grey Hondavan.

To south and east, the skin is

mostly opaque and hides several

service hatches. It is made almost

entirely of glass; however, to the

back and to the west, a

landlocked lot belongingto an

adjacent temple provides Sejima’s

clients with views of greenery

and, metaphorically at least, some

breathingspace. The buildingis

structured about an open steel

shaft with inner spiral stairs; both

are painted white. Each floor

spreads fromthis trunk to rest on

thin steel tubes slanted at varying

JAPANESE MINIATUREWith extraordinary invention and ingenuity, Kazuyo Sejima fits this tiny house

into the densely woven, indifferent texture of downtown Tokyo. Curiously, forall its apparent wilfulness, it draws its origins from its very tight site.

1A space-age mansard?2

Form of house is generated byrightsof light regulations.3House becomestransparent at theback, overlookingtemple grounds.4Constant interplay betweentranslucency and transparency.5Open steel shaft core.1

2 3 4


angles about the perimeter. The

outer skin is simply laid against

this cage. Ground level entry

steps are formed fromafolded

plane of concrete; external metal

rungs provide service access to

the roof above.

The architect has divided the

programme into four distinct

elements. In asemi-basement is

th t ’ ith t

terrace that looks across the

empty lot to the towers of

Shinjuku in the middle distance.

The chamfered formof the

Small House results partially

from neighbourhood zoningand

sunlight demands: it’s a

miniature cousin to Hugh

Ferriss’s 1920s images of

metropolitan massing. The

t d id h

In aclimate prone to chilly

winters and warm, rainy

summers, the Small House has

only afew operable windows,

mostly to the east. It is expected

to act as an inhabited flue, warm

air risingto be expelled upstairs.

Floor- to-ceilingexpanses of glass

are screened by thin slips of white

curtain. Sejima’s independent

k dth ti i ti ith




36|7

the parents’ roomwith storage

recessed beneath the clerestorey

fenestration and atiny lavatory.

Raised slightly above street level

is the hall and guest bedroom. On

the piano nobile – the broadest

and tallest space – are kitchen,

diningand livingquarters (one

shelf has an eye-catchingdisplay

of recent Sony products). Thehouse terminates in abipartite

zone with acomparatively grand

bathroomand an enclosed roof

canted sides are however

determined more by Sejima’s

strategy of stacking, astrategy

shared by such current vanguard

projects as MVRDV’s Dutch

Pavilion at the Hanover EXPO

(AR September 2000). In Sejima’s

work, the envelope becomes

fabric stretchingbetween

differently-sized slabs. The floorsthemselves are concrete, held

between an ingeniously

engineered steel cage.

basement (scale approx 1:120)

ground floor plan

north section south section

1 parking

2 entrance

3 guest

4 ki tchen

5 living/dining

6 mainbath7 enclosedterrace

8 mainbed

9 light court

6House terminatesin bipartite zonewith grand bathroom and enclosedroof terrace.7Fundamentally, house is aninhabited flue.

URBAN HOUSE, TOKYO, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

K AZUYO SEJIMA & ASSOCIATES

work, and that in association with

Ryue Nishizawa, is marked by

ostensibly contradictory

characteristics: it appears both

functionalist and natural,

machine-like yet so delicate as to

be almost ephemeral. With the

large glass panels tiltingin both

horizontal and vertical directions,

the Small House seems less like atree house and more like atree

itself, aweepingwillow perhaps.

RAYMUND RYAN

first floor plan

second floor plan

Architect

Kazuyo Sejima& Associates, Tokyo

Project team

Kazuyo Sejima, YoshitakaT anase, Shoko Fukuya

Structural engineer

Sasaki Structur al Consultants

Photographs

Courtesy of Shinkenchiku-Sha

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42|8

Honeycomb, fl ies’ eyes, fr ogspawn, cuckoo-

spit – choose your organic simile. Built to

contain biological specimens, the biomes of

the Eden Project look like giant biological

specimens themselves, some kind of fungus

fromouter space, perhaps, fruitingweirdly

in this worked out Cornish china clay-pit.

The design seems to have been inspired by

natural and/or science fiction images but,though some Grimshaw buildings are indeed

image-inspired, in this case the impression is

misleading. The inspiration was not what

nature looks like but how it works, its

processes and structures. The fact that the

Eden Project is a ready-made set for

Quatermass and the Pit has been useful in the

marketingof the whole enterprise, but it

was a by-product rather than the starting

point of the design.

The greenhouses had to be s

unshaded strip at the foot of t

north side of the pit. The first

linear, lean-to structure rathe

Grimshaw’s International Ter

Waterloo station (AR Septem

formposed a number of prob

For one thingthe three-dime

of the site, far more complicalevel curve of W aterloo, mea

difficult to use cheap, standar

components. To make matte

ground profile was constantly

duringthe development of the

because the site had not yet b

by the client and was still bein

long-span, arched structure w

heavy, bulky and difficult to c

the pit. It would also have cas

EDENPROJECT, CORNWALL, ENGLAND

A RCHITECT

NICHOLASGRIMSHAW & PARTNERS

1The bug-eyed geodesic domesof the HumidTropics Biome appear to engulf the grassroof of the café housed in the link building.2Like huge soap bubblesin the C ornishlandscape, the interlinked domeshave abeguiling(but deceptive) fragility.

EDEN REGAINEDSpectacularly colonizing a Cornish china clay-pit, the Eden Project is a monumental palm house for the

twenty-first century, its ingeniously engineered biomes inspired by natural processes and structures. comparative drawingshowingsection through the Humid T ropicsBiome and Kew Palm House

1

2


3Open ventilation panelsform a jaggedline alongthe biomes’ curved profile.4Café terrace and link building, withWarm T emperate Biome beyond.5Detail of biome roof structure, withquarry cliffsbehind. The buildingoccupiesa worked-out china clay-pit.6, 7The smaller Warm Temperate Biome.




44|8

shadows on the plants inside. A more

promising alternative was a much lighter and

more economical geodesic dome, but it had

the wrongplan-formand would have been

impossible to divide up into different zones.

The idea of a line of smaller, intersecting

geodesic domes was arrived at late in the

day, but it solved all the problems at once

and made the project possible.

It works like this: take a row of spheres of

different sizes, made like footballs out of

two-dimensional hexagons and pentagons,

and squash theminto one another, forming

perfect circles where they intersect. Then

squash the whole row into the site, in the

angle between the cliff and the quarry

bottom. Circles become arches, and the

hexagons and pentagons are removed as

necessary around the perimeter to

accommodate the irregular ground profile.

Structural components, mainly of tubular

steel joined by spherical nodes, are identical

in each dome and small enough to be easilyhandled. These are not conventional domes

in that they exhibit tensile as well as

compressive structural behaviour. The

outer compressive grid is linked by

tetrahedrons to an inner tensile grid. The

double grid is necessary because the lattice

steel arches break the continuity of the

structure. For the same reason, the domes

were not self-supportingduringerection but

had to be assembled froma temporary

scaffold so bigthat it has enteredThe

Guinness Book of Records . This is a slight

disappointment for techno-organicists

raised on Buckminster Fuller (nature does

not use scaffolding), but there is nothing

heavy or awkward about the finished

structure. The geodesic grid i s scaled

accordingto the size of each dome and

except in the smallest dome, where it

becomes rather dense, the effect is

amazingly light for such enormous spans. At

the junctions with the arches, the grid is

adapted ad hoc, creatingirr egular

geometrical shapes. Architecturally, this

may seema wor ryinginconsistency, but it is

exactly what happens in nature when, for

example, the hexagonal grid of veins in a

dragonfly’s wingmeets a leadingedge or a

structural spar. The largest hexagons are 11macross and

therefore impossible to span with a single

sheet of glass, especially since it would have

to be double glazed and toughened. The

lightness of the structural grid is made

possible by a new high tech material –

ethyltetrafluorethylene foil (E

light, transparent, flexible film

membrane cushions which ar

by a constant low pressure ai

Because they were formed an

the ETFE cushions could adap

geometrical variations withou

complicated schedulingor pro

planning. The biomes are bea

structures because they are e

structures – a kind of beauty

nature but rare in architectur

Like their humbler horticul

however, they also have a rug

practicality. The branchingne

flexible air-supply pipes, for e

clipped to the structural stee

no attempt at concealment. T

ventilatingsystemsimply con

standingair handlers in ordin

boxes placed at intervals arou

perimeter, pokingtheir twin

straight through the walls of tSuch artless functionalismis e

though the heavy duty adjusta

louvres associated with the d

perhaps a litt le too clumsy, th

linearity stubbornly at odds w

of the geodesic grid.

EDEN PROJECT, CORNWALL, ENGLAND

A R CHITECT


3 5

4

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46|8

site plan


A RCHITECT


8Hexagonal roof structure underconstruct ion, givingsome sense of the

enormity of the scale.

longitudinal section

roof plan (scale approx 1:1500)

A siteaccessro

B park ing

C coachparking

D disabledpark

E HumidTropi

F link building/c

G Warm Temp

H visitors’ centr

1 HumidTropicsBiome

2 air handlingunits

3 link building/café

4 rooflightsaboveplant

holdingarea

5 Warm TemperateBiome

typical roof node detail [email protected] 84 -

But once inside the enormous bubbles of

the Humid Tropics Biome, such details are

insignificant. A windinggravel path climbs up

through what will be a dense forest (the

plantingis still immature) to a big, noisy

waterfall. Though we can never quite

imagine that this is a r eal rainforest, it is

nevertheless a unique spatial experience,

certainly more like nature than architecture.

The sheer size of the enclosure, the word

‘biome’ and the very name ‘Eden Project’ all

architecture, though the technology is

exactly the same.

In early versions of the design, the

entrance to the biomes was housed in a

chain of very small domes. This proved to be

too fussy and expensive, but it was hard to

imagine any kind of conventional building

that would look comfortable between the

bigdomes. The answer was to bury the

buildingin the ground, reducingit to a few

simple planes – a curved, grass-covered

bridge through a richly cultivated open air

theatre – the ‘roofless biome’. Compared

with the biomes, which express a compelling

engineeringlogic, the ancillary structures

seemrather sketchy and artificial. The

arrival building(AR August 2000), for

example, which houses shops, cafés and

offices, is elegant and well planned but its

use of materials like shingles, rammed earth

(taken fromthe clay-pit) and gabions, seems

more like a symbol of green construction




48|8

lead you to expect a complete ecosystem,

or at least an approximation of one, but it

soon becomes clear that this i s really just a

botanical garden, the PalmH ouse at Kew

writ large. There are no animals, apart from

the crowds of people. The neighbouring

WarmTemperate Biome is smaller and

more comfortable, not just because it is

relatively cool and dry, but because thestructure of the domes is close enough to

give it scale. It feels more human, more like

roof, a glass curtain wall and an entrance

bridge leadingto a first floor concourse

overlookingrestaurants below. Another

curved, linear, earthbound buildingforms an

artificial crest high on the opposite ledge of

the pit. Visitors arrive at the back of this

buildingfrom the cascade of car parks

beyond, pay their entrance fees and emerge

onto a terrace, cameras at the ready fortheir first view of the whole site. Fromhere

they make their way down to the entrance

than the real thing.

But then the Eden Project is not an

architectural expo: it is a theatre in which

humankind’s relationship with the plant

world is dramatized. The specimen plants

are magnificent, the garden arrangements

are imaginative and the scale is breathtaking.

The crowds in the biomes soon forget about

the delicate net archinghigh over theirheads. They have come to look at the plants,

not the greenhouses. COLIN DAVIES

Architect

NicholasGr imshaw &Partners, London

Project team

NicholasGr imshaw, Andrew Whalley, Jolyon Brewis,

Vincent Chang, David Kirkland, Michael Pawlyn, Jason

Ahmed, VanessaBartulovic, DeanBoston, Chri sBri eger,

Antje Bulthaup, AmandaD avis, FlorianEckardt, Alex Haw,

Perry Hooper, Bill Horgan, Oliver Konrath, Angelika

Kovacic, QuintinLake, Richard Morrell, Tim Narey, Monica

Niggemeyer, KillianO ’Sullivan, DebraPenn, MartinPir nie,

JuanPorral-Hermida, MustafaSalman, TanSuLing

Structural engineer

AnthonyHunt Associates

Servicesengineer

OveArup &Partners

Landscaping

Land UseC onsultants

Glasslouvres

M&V

Photographs

All photographswere byPeter Cook/VIEW except no 7by

Chris Gascoigne/VIEW


A RCHITECT


9Filled with luxuriant vegetation, theinterior of the Humid TropicsBiomeisa lush expanse of greenery.10The delicate net of the roof gracefullyencloses the planting.11Like a heroically-engineered set out of

a science fiction film, the Eden Projectisboth surreal and breathtaking.

9

10


w s

e n l a r g e d ,

n g e n u i t y




M o d e r n i s t m

e w

A d i m i n u t i v e m e w s h o u s e i n L o n d o n b u i l t i n t h e 1 9 7 0 s

h a s b e e n e

t r a n s f o r m e d w i t h e l e g a n c e a n d a g r e a

t d e a l o f i n

An ingenious scheme, by Ziggurat,

for extendingatiny mews house

in South Kensington, enlarges the

vertical dimension and uses light

to draw out the horizontal.

The original house was built as

one of apair in the 1970s, on

derelict land. Stuccoed externally

to accord with its Victorian

neighbours, the house was one

storey high with four rooms and

verylittlenaturallight Thefront

the floor level several feet, and

created adouble-height volume

with aroof that curves away from

the street, so that externally the

buildingseems unchanged. A glass

wall marks division between the

house and atiny courtyard,

painted white to become an

exterior roomdiffusingluminance

back into the house. Ziggurat has

cleverly established ashifting

diagonalaxisthroughtheplan

At the front of the new volume,

the architects installed agallery

containingsleepingquarters. The

bedroomis partly enclosed by a

cut-out wall, painted mint green,

and looks onto a double-height

diningroomset under the

reflective curve of the new roof.

Beneath the gallery is aliving

roomand small kitchen; and fitted

under the stairs to the bedroomis

acurveddeskformingatinystudy




84|7

MEWSHOUSEEXTENSION,

SOUTH K ENSINGTON, LONDON

A R CHITECT

ZIGGURAT

1 entrance

2 bedroom

3 bathroom

4 kitchen

5 living

6 dining

7 study

8 courtyard

gallery plan

south-north longsection

ground floor plan and internal elevation (scale approx 1:100)

very little natural light. The front

of the building, with bedroom,

bathroom, entrance lobby and

hall, was retained with some

remodelling; the remainder of the

buildingwas virtually demolished.

Behind the existing remnant,

Ziggurat excavated and lowered

2Diningroom, stairsto gallerybedroom and television recessedinto wall under stairs.3, 5Diningtable and slidingdoor tocourtyard is one assembly.4Diningroom under curved ceiling.Bedroom gallery above.

diagonal axis through the plan,

fromthe entrance and hall on the

south-west side of the buildingto

the radiant white courtyard. The

progression through the house is

one fromdimness to bright light,

fromenclosed space to its sudden

dramatic expansion and colour.

acurved desk formingatiny study.

To have inserted so much drama

and delight into such asmall space

is an achievement, and the scheme

has been executed with agreat

deal of elegance. Materials are

simple – painted walls and abeech

floor flowinginto concrete as it

approaches the co

the composition, w

clarity of an early M

is sharpened by us

and there. Details

intriguing: the dini

part of aslidingdo

courtyard, the sinu

bench, like a piece

liningand seeming

courtyard wall, an

door to the kitche

simultaneously tur

cupboard.

Architect

Ziggurat, London

Project architects

Andrei Bowbelski, Jame

LaurenceGuerrini, Aret


Whitby Bird and Partne

Photographs

JamesMorris

2

3 5

4

5


Immediately behind the BrandenburgGate l ies

Pariser Platz (AR January 1999), the great

urban piazzathat terminates the triumphal

axis of Unter den Linden. Before the War, it

was the grandest square in Berlin, site of the

American and French embassies, the Adlon

Hotel, the Akademie der Künste and blocks of

luxurious flats and offices. After the War and

the Wall, it was laid waste and became part of

Berlin’s deadly no-man’s land. Since German

reunification it has been rebuilt in an attempt

toemulatethespirit ofits grandurbanpast




50|8

to emulate the spirit of its grand urban past,

with new embassies, hotels, and office blocks

slotted back into the original street pattern.

The rules of reconstruction, which stipulate

constraints such as eaves heights, proportions

and materials (obligatory stone cladding), do

not allow much scope for formal experiment.

The result is that Pariser Platz’s new

occupants resemble acollection of ratherbland, expensively dressed guests mingling

politely at an upmarket cocktail party. The

introduction of Frank Gehry into the mix

might in theory be calculated to induce an

element of raciness and unpredictability, but

he too has been obliged to conformto the

dress code. BeingGehry however, he has still

managed to springafew surprises.

The genesis of the project dates back to

1995, when Gehry’s competition entry for

Berlin’s histor ic MuseumIsland was under

consideration. At that time, the DG Bank

invited himand six others to produce a

proposal for the bank’s new Berlin

headquarters. The brief included financial

offices, apartments and semi-autonomous

conference spaces that could be hired out to

corporate clients. Gehry did not prevail in the

museumcompetition, but his design for the

DG Bank won unanimous approval.

The site lies on the south side of the square,

in the middle of Pariser Platz’s evolvingurban

jigsaw. The rectangular block is hemmed in on

its longsides by Behnisch’s new Akademie der

Künste and Moore Ruble Yudell’s American

Embassy, with the short ends overlooking

Pariser Platz and Behrenstrasse. The

organization of the new buildingis alogical

response to the constraints of site and brief.

A necklace of office spaces extends around

three sides of the perimeter, enclosinga huge

atriumspace (of which more later). The

residential annexe, which has its own separate

entrance, is placed on the fourth side

overlookingBehrenstrasse and asite that will

eventually house the Memorial to the

Murdered Jews of Europe. Flats range in size

1New DG B ank headquartersin theshadow of the BrandenburgGate.2Massive bank facade exudesanaustere monumentality thatconveyslittle sense of life within.3Breathtakingmain atrium.

GEHRY’S GEODEThe new DG Bank headquarters in Berlin forms part of the wider and

ongoing reconstruction of Pariser Platz – but its urban sobriety hides a

rich inner life, animated by the interplay of light, form and materials.

BANK OFFICES&FLATS, BERLIN, GERMANY

A RCHITECT

FRANK O. GEHRY

3location plan

1

2


fromstudios to larger maisonettes and are

separated fromthe offices by an elliptical void

enclosed by aswir ling, shimmeringglass wall

suspended fromthe roof that cascades down

toapoolbelow Two glazedliftsglideupand

bank facade is almost as shockingin its solid,

rationalist monumentality as Gehry’s

signature sinuousness and its extreme weight

and abstraction only serve to show up the

flimsinessofthesurroundingpastiche

enclosed by adelicate steel and glass lattice,

improbably morphed and warped to forma

barrel-vaulted roof canopy that curves in two

directions. W ithin the atriumis a free-

standingstructurelikeagianthorse’shead


A RCHITECT

FRANK O. GEHRY

4Ripplingconcertina facade of the apartmentblock stepsback asit rises.5Windowsare punched deep into the bank wall.Blade-like glassbalustradesenclose terraces.6Atrium is framed by a gridded arcade.




52|8

to apool below. Two glazed lifts glide up and

down through the void like air bubbles.

Gehry has clearly taken the Pariser Platz

dress code to heart; both bank and apartment

facades are models of sobriety and severity.

The apartment block is marginally less

austere, steppingback as it r ises over 10

storeys with faceted bay windows like

concertinas animatingthe wall plane. But themain bank facade overlookingPariser Platz is

an utterly plain, utterly stripped down

composition of creamy buff limestone (to

match the BrandenburgGate) and glass.

Openings are punched into the stone to

create deeply recessed windows that slide

back at the touch of a button to reveal

terraces enclosed by blade-like glass

balustrades. Clad in 4 inch thick stone, the

flimsiness of the surroundingpastiche.

Ironically, in Berlin’s traumatized cityscape,

such solidity also embodies areassuringsense

of permanence and institutional stability,

doubtless important concerns for Gehry’s

banker clients. (‘The bank guys loved it’, he

observed, ‘although it cost themalot of

money to do it’.)

Sadly, most Berliners will never see beyondthis massive stone wall to the real dramaand

spatial pyrotechnics within. Radically

upturninghis expressive gestural vocabulary

and relocatingit to the interior, Gehry has

had to pour his design into the cavity of the

perimeter block. Here, Californian ad-hocism

meets the European masterplan. The inside is

scooped out to forman immense atrium–

allegedly one of the largest in the world –

standingstructure like agiant horses head

rearingand writhingthrough the space.

Encased in athin skin of stainless steel, this

extraordinary object contains aconference

chamber. The inner surface is lined with strips

of red oak (finely perforated for acoustic

reasons), so beinginside the chamber is like

beingcocooned inside acontorted ship’s hull.

The regimented orthogonality of the exteriorextends to the perimeter offices, which are

edged by aseries of arcades lined with red-

oak veneer. Fromthese vantage points, the

squirmingbiological specimen of the

conference chamber can be fully appreciated.

Beneath the shell of the chamber is a

basement level containingalecture theatre,

alongwith the bank’s cafeteria and alarge

foyer; these can be combined to create a

BANKOFFICESANDFLATS, BERLIN,

GERMANY

A RCHITECT

FRANK O. GEHRY

7Offices are arranged around perimeter,overlookingawrithinghorse’sheadconference chamber and glassroof enclosing

staff cafeteriaat lower ground level.8Staff cafeteria, which can also be used asabanquetingand meetingspace.9Clad in a thin skin of burnished steel, theconference chamber appearsto float inthe vast space.10Seductive play of form and materials.

4 5 6

7 9

8 10







A RCHITECT

FRANK O. GEHRY

11Inside warped hull of conference chamber.

crosssection54|8 lower ground floor plan ground floor plan (scale approx 1:1000) first floor plan

fourth floor plan fifth floor plan ninth floor plan

1 staffcafeteria

2 executivedining

3 kitchen

4 foyer

5 lecturetheatre

6 rampto parkingbelow

7 bank entrance

8 bank offices

9 conferencechamber

10 apartmentsentrance

11 lift lobby

12 apartments

11



A RCHITECT

FRANK O. GEHRY




generous space suitable for banquets and

meetings. Another warped glass canopy,smaller cousin to the main roof, encloses

these spaces allowing light to percolate down

to the lower levels. (During the course of site

excavations Albert Speer’s bunker was

discovered, but no trace of it now remains.)

As with Gehry’s other projects, the

translation of initial ideas to built form is

achieved through a design and construction

process that combines sophisticated

computer software programs with a craftapproach to building. Initial generative

sketches, which defy conventional logic and

geometry, must be painstakingly interpreted

as a precise system of co-ordinates and

known structural and material properties.

Gehry develops his ideas slowly, from rough

drawings through an exhaustive series of

handmade models. Using the Catia program

to represent complex three-dimensional

objects, these crude wood and cardboardmock-ups are scanned into the computer and

digitally translated back into working models

and drawings. Employed as an instrument of

translationratherthangenerativedevice,the

manipulation of that which cannot otherwise

be drawn. In this case, unusually, the exteriorpresented no such challenges, but the glass

roofs and conference chamber proved tests of

design and manufacturing ingenuity. The

triangulated space frame of the roof is made

up of solid stainless steel rods that form six

pointed stars screwed into nodal connectors.

The complex geometry of the roof meant that

the rods meet at different angles, so to match

them precisely, the nodal connectors were

cut from 70mm-thick stainless steel plate bycomputer-controlled milling machines. The

frame is infilled by 1500 triangular glazing

panels bedded on neoprene gaskets. The

conference chamber is clad in a 2mm skin of

brushed stainless steel plates (basic

dimensions 2m x 4m) stretched and fashioned

by skilled boatbuilders to accommodate the

conflation of complex, bulbous forms.

Superficially, this might well appear a

conservative building, but clearly it is anythingbut. In the extreme and startling contrast

between its outer and inner life, it resembles

some kind of weird rock or geode that, split

open,revealsaspectacular mineralformation.

metaphor for Berlin – beneath the haughty

Prussian exterior lies decadence anddebauchery – but after all it is only a bank and

the morphological conspicuousness of the

conference spaces is perhaps as much to do

with commercial viability as being vehicles of

architectural imagination. Yet in the decorou

context of Pariser Platz, it is definitely one of

the more unorthodox and welcome guests.

CATHERINE SLESSO

Architect

Gehry Partners, Santa Monica, USA

Project team

Frank O. Gehry, Randy Jefferson, Craig Webb, Marc Salette,

Tensho Takemori, Laurence Tighe, Eva Sobesky,

George Metzger, Jim Dayton, John Goldsmith, Jorg Ruegeme

Scott Uriu, Jeff Guga, Michael Jobes, Kirk Blaschke,

Nida Chesonis, Tom Cody, Leigh Jerrard, Tadao Shimizu,

Rick Smith, Bruce Shepard

Associate architect

Planungs AG – Neufert Mittmann Graf


Ingenieur Büro Müller Marl

Schlaich Bergermann & PartnerServices engineer

Brandi Ingenieure

Facade consultant

Planungsbüro für Ingenieurleistungen

Photographs

All photographs by Christian Richters apart from 1 and 5

materiMUSEUM, SHIKOKU, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

NAITO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES




Makino Museumof Plants and

People is spread over the gentle

slopes of Mt Godai above Kochi

City on the island of Shikoku.

Designed by Naito Ar chitect &

Associates, the place is dedicated

to the memory of Tomitaro

Makino, eminent scholar andfather of Japanese botany. This

inspiration, the museum’s

botanical purpose, and the fact

that Kochi Prefecture is an

important timber-producing

region, suggested wood as the

main material for construction,

and Naito’s manipulation of it has

produced structures of

extraordinary poetic power.

Because of complex land

ownership the museumwas split

into two parts: amuseumwith

research facilities

exhibition hall; w

linked by a170m

To disturb the

little as possible,

are low and sinuo

organic forms hug

mountain contouseemalmost apa

topography. Such

little resistance to

winds to which th

exposed and con

account of the re

occasionally seve

Neither buildingi

surroundingtree

The site, an ang

stretches across t

fromthe museum

the laboratory on

Double curvatureA museum on the island of Shikoku, Japan, hugs the contours of its mountain

site and celebrates the organic through form, materials and contents.

1Upper deck of main buildingwith centralocal silvery cypresssilver roof of zinc andsteel.2Exterior of exhibitio3Exhibition room of ebuilding.

site plan: museum to left, exhibition hall to right

1

2 3


buildings, each on plan lookinglike afossil, wrap round acentral

courtyard and are covered with

continuously curvingroofs. Spun

round the courtyards are

galleries, cafés, meetingrooms,

offices and so on. The museumis

equipped with a laboratory,

library and studies.

Enclosingthe buildings with

sinuous walls of reinforced

concrete, hollow steel sections

formridges eavesandcolumns

exhibition hall section




76|8

formridges, eaves and columns,

spanningbetween ridges and

eaves with laminated wooden

beams of Douglas fir. The roofs’

complex geometry meant that

each beamis different,

connected at the ridge by cast

metal joints which allow forvariations in angle. During

design, wind-tunnel tests,

simulatingthe effects of asevere

typhoon, were carried out,

exertingapressure of over aton

per square metre on parts of the

roofs and building frames

adjusted accordingly. Roofs are

typhoon-proof with laminated

panels of zinc and stainless steel,

their unique dimensions and

forms achieved by computer-

aided design. As afurther

precaution against Kochi’s winds

and rain, the architects devised a

special gutteringsystembetween

each panel.

Sensually the interiors and

exteriors of the buildings are

distinct. Externally, the smoothsilvery forms of the roofs emerge

fromvegetation in serpentine

manner. Internally, the

wonderful scale and articulations

of the sweepingroof dominate.

Unlike its cool external carapace,

its underside is warmand red,

sheathed in the inner surfaces of

Kochi-grown Japanese cedar

(sugi ). The upper level of the

main museumbuildingextends

out onto a deck where the wood

changes in response to the roof

covering, to local silvery

Japanese cypress (hinoki ). P. M.

Architect

Naito Ar chitect & Associates, Tokyo

Project architects

Hiroshi N aito, NobuharuK awamura, TetsuyaKambayashi, DaijirouTakakusa,

TakuYoshikawa

Structural engineer

Kunio W atanabe, Structural D esignGroup

Photographs

Kazunori Hiruta/Naito Architect &

Associates

museum section

upper level plan of museum

exhibition hall plan

museum ground floor plan (scale approx 1:750)

1 mainentrance

2 deck

3 shop-restaurant

4 audio-visualhall

5 meetingroom

6 gallery

7 studio

8 study

9 machineroom

10 Japanesero om

11 office

12 laboratory

13 library

14 book stacks

15 storage

16 courtyard

17 lecturehall

MUSEUM, SHIKOKU

A RCHITECT

NAITO ARCHITECT

4Interiorsare dominatedsweepingwooden roof.


1Vertiginously poised on the crest of arocky escarpment, the house forcefullyinhabitsthe landscape.2The long legof the L-shaped plan,containing the main living, diningandkitchen spaces, pointswestwardsover thecliff edge.3

HOUSE, SOUTHERNHIGHLANDS,

NSW, AUSTRALIA

ARCHITECT

HARRY SEIDLER& ASSOCIATES




One of the few Modernists of

the postwar generation to

continue workingin the Heroic

tradition, Harry Seidler is best

known for his innovative and

sometimes controversial urban

high-rise structures (see for

instance AR A ugust 1991 and

June 2001).

At the other end of the scale,

Seidler also has an outstanding

record of house designs, of

which this recently completed

holiday house in the Southern

Highlands of New South Wales

is the latest. He was acquainted

as a student in the US with such

luminaries as Gropius, Breuer,

Albers and Niemeyer. His

early career in Sydney was

distinguished by carefully sited

timber-framed houses, strongly

influenced by Breuer’s New

England work; they fitted

surprisingly well with Australian

buildingtraditions.

This house owes more to

Niemeyer, with whomSeidler

worked in Brazil, and to Seidler’s

own later inclination as a mature

architect towards sculpted and

bold forms. It stands in direct

opposition to the more modest

and restrained tradition of

contemporary Australian

residential architecture

established by Glenn Murcutt,

Philip Cox and Rex Addison,

whose sophistication and foreign

influences are mostly concealed

by more obvious regional

elements. Situated in the midst

of wilderness and dramatically

poised on the crest of a red

sandstone escarpment

overlookinga river, Seidler’s

design asserts itself as a self-

consciously Modern work,

shaped as much by a global

culture and technology as by

the rugged landscape it inhabits

so forcefully.

Seidler achieves this splendidly

confident result through a

number of classic

devices. A simple

plan accommoda

bathrooms and o

rooms in the sho

north-south axis

parallel with the

diningand kitche

in one large spac

longer legpointin

over the cliff edg

Functional and

into cellular and o

spaces is further

drop in floor leve

west which follow

rocky plateau. Th

axis is also picked

Curved roof planesgracefully envelop thehouse, like a gentle wave.

AUSTRALIAN CLIFFHANGERTeetering on the edge of a cliff, Harry Seidler’s latest remarkable house is an assertive work in the tradition of

Heroic Modernism, shaped equally by global culture and technology and local influences from site and place.

38|7

1

2

3


HOUSE, SOUTHERNHIGHLANDS,NSW, AUSTRALIA

ARCHITECT

HARRY SEIDLER& ASSOCIATES




40|7

swimmingpool cut out of the

rock to the north and by a

separate garage to the south, the

two beinglinked by a continuous

sandstone retainingwall running

under the house, where it forms

part of the basement. A

differentiation of the structure

fromheavy below (reinforced

concrete floors, randomrubble

walls and fireplaces) to

lightweight above (steel

superstructure) helps to root

the house securely into its site.

This classic design is combined

with more recent concerns with

energy efficiency, the isolated

house beingby necessity

relatively self-sufficient in

power, heat and water supply, as

well as waste management and

bush fire sprinklers (which

are fed fromthe swimming

pool/reservoir).

What turns this essentially

straightforward and mostly

familiar configuration into

stunningspectacle, is Seidler’s

handlingof the curved,

overhanginglines of the white

painted steel roof, which seems

to float above the rest of the

house and the yawningspace

beyond the cliff, defyinggravity.

Made fromcurved steel beams

with differingradii usingnew

industrial technologies and

covered with corrugated steel

roofingbent to suit – a local

touch there – the sculptured

roof shapes loudly proclaim an

artistic intent as well as modern

technique. A susp

balcony thrusting

below the dippin

the livingspace in

(those who don’t

vertigo that is) to

the void and rein

generally assertiv

design. Heroic Mo

dead?Not in Seid

Architect

Harry Seidler &Associ

NSW, Australia



4Pool and terrace encrandom rubble wall.5Livingspace isa glazbreathtaking views. balcony enhancesth

4

5


ar houseHOUSE, STUTTGART, GERMANY A RCHITECT

WERNERSOBEK

PH O T O G R A PH S

ROLAND HALBE




As an architect, Werner Sobek is

informed by his conviction that,

in formulatingan architecture

that is truly modern, which has a

radical and positive relationship

with the natural environment and

inhabitants, architects must make

demands on the wealth of

technologies, materials and

techniques available, rather than

havingrecourse to tradition. (Hehas never forgotten Frei Otto’s

heartfelt plea, made in aspeech

for the Schinkel celebrations in

1977: ‘Will you please stop

buildingthe way you have been

doing’).

This house in Römerstrasse,

designed by Sobek for himself and

his family, is set on asteep hillside

overlookingStuttgart. Risingfour

storeys high out of light

woodland, it is apure crystalline

box which at night becomes an

illuminated beaco

appearances, it is a

made of recyclable

it is free fromnoxi

and energy efficie

The slopingsite

problems, for as w

the edge of the hi

the end of, and so

from, a steep nar

contained a dilapidangerous struct

the early ’20s whi

demolished with l

and a great deal o

labour. But it prov

footprint for new

a concrete raft w

apron over a chan

and pipelines. Mo

foundation work h

by hand. There is

so the buildingdid

deep excavations

1Lowest floor opensonaccess…

2… is by bridge to top3Modern glassand a senvironmental contrmake interior equab

Crystal boxHouses chart the continuing, century-old romance of architecture and

glass. This is an elegant, ecologically aware addition to the canon.1

2

3


Beingmodular, the buildingcouldbe erected quickly, (and, equally,

dismantled and recycled). A steel

frame stiffened by diagonal

members stands on the concrete

floor slab. The entire four-storey

frame was assembled in four days.

Floors of prefabricated wooden

panels were then simply placed

between beams, again without

screws or bolts. Beingmodular,

loadbearingand non-loadbearing

elements are held together by

il d t h bl ti

bridge to the fourth floor andkitchen and diningroom. Below,

are livingquarters, and below

again, main bedroom, with

children’s and service rooms on

the lowest level. All floors are

linked by the vertical stairwell.

To create such ahouse, the

architect had to devise anew way

of managingenergy without

compromisingaesthetic ideals

and components, each by

themselves innovatory, are

k di t h t t

controlled by sensors linked to acentral computer.

Sobek says that the house was

never intended to be auniversal

model – after all not everyone

would choose to live in what

would appear to be an elegant

fish bowl. But it is an experiment

that works very well on many

levels and which has provided the

practice with the opportunity of

developingideas for the future.

As an exquisite architectural

it i lthird floor: cookingand




HOUSE, STUTTGART, GERMANY

A RCHITECT

WERNERSOBEK

longsectionsite plan

easily detachable connections.

There is no plaster or screed so

no wet-trade waste. And no

concealed installations – cabling

and pipelines are contained in

sheet metal ductingalongwalls.

Instead of light switches, fittings,

door or window handles, thehouse is activated by touchless

radar sensors and voice control.

The buildingis entirely

transparent for, in addition to the

suspended triple-glazed skin,

there are no internal walls and

space is defined by afew,

strategically placed pieces of

furniture. Entrance is froma

crosssection

structural junction

worked into a coherent system.

Triple glazing, with coated panels,

has ak-value of 0.4. Solar

radiation passingthrough the

facade is absorbed by water-

cooled ceilingpanels and the

energy transported through a

heat exchanger to a heataccumulator which helps warm

the house in winter. Ceiling

panels act as thermal radiators

and, says Sobek, there is no need

for additional heating. Bathrooms

are contained in acubic unit, two

storeys high; and all operations

like flushing, openingdoors,

water flow and temperature, are

essay, it is avery personal

manifestation of architectural,

artistic and social convictions.

V. G.

Architect

Wer ner Sobek, Stuttgart

Project architectsZhengFei, Robert Brixner

Structure and facade

Ingo Weiss

Photographs

Roland Halbe

Böhelmstrasse45

70199Stuttgart

Germany

Tel: 0711-6074073

Fax: 0711-60741 78

Mobile: 0172-711580

Email: [email protected]

g

second floor: living

first floor: sleeping

ground floor: workshop

4Top floor – entrance from bridge isto right of void.5Livingfloor: note bathroom, left.6,7House isa series of horizontal planesin space: planesradiate heat inwinter and absorb it in summer.Some glasswall panescan be opened

for direct ventilation.

4

5

6 7


materiality1

In Ginza, T okyo’sprestigiousshoppingarea, Hermès’ calmauthority contrastswith morestrident traditional shopping.2Discreet entrance. Glassblocksin the huge wall are intended toshow imperfectionsof craftwork.3At night, the buildingradiatesterritory around itself, a newpublic space determined byevent, not geometry.




With well-dressed bodies

sleepingrough on the street

outside, two days before its

doors opened to the public,

Hermès’ new Tokyo flagship

store can clearly disregard

Japan’s current economic

recession, the most serious

since the war.

This building’s inspiration was

as much cultural as commercial,

an expression of the principles

that have underlain Hermès

products for generations –

handmade craftsmanship andquality materials – and the way

that these characteristics are

consistent with the historic

architecture of Japan.

It is within this context that

Renzo Piano established his

design. With a museum, gallery

and cinema, this is effectively a

themed public buildingrather

than purely a commercial space.

By day, the curved planes of

the glass-block veil flicker and

glisten and tr ansform the chaotic

streets outside into subtle

shades when viewed from

within. By night, the building

becomes what Piano describes

as ‘a magic lantern’ – a vast

glowingcrystal that establishes,

by the light it radiates, aterritory around itself – a new

public space in a city that

conceives of such things as

places of event, rather than

urban geometry. Suspended

Japanese lanternTokyo’s new Hermès building is as much a cultural centre as a big shop,

and it is becoming a significant moment in the city’s play. Piano’s combinationofhigh technology and handcraft humanises large urban intervention.

SHOP, GINZA, TOKYO, JAPAN

A R CHITECT

RENZO PIANO BUILDING

WORKSHOP

PH O T O G R A P H S

MICHEL DENANCÉ/ARCHIPRESS

1


fromthe top, the glass veilexpresses mass but at the same

time defies gravity – its support

systembeingimperceptible.

And, on this long, narrow site –

only 12mwide – the translucent

wall creates interior spaces that

are both intimate and infinite.

This was not easily done. The

glass blocks are the largest ever

made – 450mmsquare – cast in

Italy, then hungin Tokyo in a

steel frame transported from

Switzerland It is amarriage of

that is crucial to Piano’s visionthat this project be clearly the

work of artisans.

The large size of the blocks

was determined by Piano’s wish

that this be perceived as a

translucent wall, not as a net of

opaque horizontal and vertical

joints. For the same reason, he

rejected assemblingthe blocks

within a steel-frame super grid

that prevents lower blocks being

crushed by those above. Instead,

each block is supported

seismic disturbances.Integral to this concept is the

revolutionary flexible design of

the building’s long, thin

structural steel frame. At 50m

tall and with a main structural

span of only 3.8m, the unusual

slenderness of the structure

results in high overturning

moments during an earthquake

and high levels of tension in the

columns. The engineer, Ove

Arup & Partners, found

inspirationinthetall thin

floor. In the Hermès building,the same principle was adopted,

with the columns on one side of

the frame beingheld in base

joints that allow uplift and

rotation simultaneously and

seismic energy to be absorbed

by viscoelastic dampers. This is

the first buildingof modern

times to have columns that lift

off the ground in an earthquake.

One particularly fascinating

aspect of the interior spaces is

thewaythat despite the

between all parts, which Pianodescribes as the consistent

‘vibration of work done by hand’.

Dumas’ spaces are elegant,

discretely lit arrangements of

fine wooden furniture and

precious tactile materials,

generously spaced to reveal the

glass-block perimeter wall at all

times. Piano’s upper levels are

handcrafted in an entirely

different tradition, with precisely

detailed partition systems,

minimalistic steel frame doors

united, appropriatproducts they dis

of the painstaking

craftsmen. TOM H

Architect, landscape Renzo Piano BuildingW

DumasA rchitectureInt

Design team (architeP Vincent, L Couton, G

SIshida, F LaRivière, C

Y Kyrkos

Structur eandservice




SHOP, GINZA, TOKYO, JAPAN

A R CHITECT

RENZO PIANO BUILDING

WORKSHOP

PH O T O G R A P H S

MICHEL DENANCÉ/ARCHIPRESS

shop level plan (scale approx 1:250)

sketch detail of glass-block wall (scale approx 1:15)

Switzerland. It is a marriage of

handcraft and high-precision

engineering, each block being

unique – the glass poured by

hand into single-sided moulds,

leavingdifferent flow-lines and

imperfections – a differentiation

each block is supported

individually between slender

steel bars that are silvered on

each side face, renderingthem

all but invisible, and which allow

4mmmovement at every joint, in

both directions, to cope with

inspiration in the tall, thin

wooden Buddhist pagodas of

Japan. Records show that, in the

past 1,400 years, only two have

collapsed – believed to be

because the columns are

discontinuous fromfloor to

the way that, despite the

different palette of Piano and

Rena Dumas – the interior

designer of Hermès’ shops

worldwide, includingthe lower

five floors of the Ginza building–

there is convincingconsistency

minimalistic steel-frame doors,

exposed light fittings and electric

raceways – all rigorously

controlled, and meticulously

fabricated and assembled. These

different, but complementary,

approaches to spacemakingare

crosssection

4,5The glassveil givesAlice inWonderland quality to spaces, in

which all elementsare detailed withgreat precision.6Glassblocksare the largest evermade, and are cast individually byhand (standard blocks, left). Wholeglassveil is suspended, and can flexin earthquakes.

4 6

5

1 shop

2 atelier

3 office

4 exhibition

5 plant

6 storage

Structur e and serviceOveArup &Partners

PhotographsMichel Denancé, Archip

16ruede laPierreLevé

75011Paris

France

Tel: (1) 43385181

Fax: (1) 4355 0144


1

Lookingfrom patio to livingareawith screen drawn back.2Pool in livingarea actsasseparation between formal andmore private partso f house, aswell asthrowing light upwards.3Livingarea: combination of Oriental and Western formality.




50|7

SINGAPORE SITEA tall thin house in the Singapore suburbs suggests new patterns of

development which will increase density, much needed in a tightly-packed

island. But it draws on Chinese tradition and abstracts from it.

HOUSE, SINGAPORE

A R CHITECT

SCDA ARCHITECTS

Land is at a premiumin theisland state of Singapore, sopermitted densities have beenallowed to ri se in the suburbs.As a r esult, new individualhouses can be more tightlypacked together and made tallerthan what was allowed before.So the T engresidence, designedfor a single professional man andhis mother, has a parti whichalmost totally covers the plot,leavingonly enough roomfor apatio at the front of the houseand longthin gardens at side andback. Such little str ips of open

land would seemvery mean inother latitudes, but at theequator, where there is vert icalsun and luxuriant vegetation,they can work and be pleasantto look into, if not be in.

SCDA Architects wisely choseto elaborate on an ancientmodel for the basic design. Thetraditional Chinese shop househas a very deep plan withnarrow frontages. To make itbearable, atria (in the propersense) were often carved intothe middle of the footprint tobringlight and air to most of theinner rooms. At the Tenghouse,the stratagemis abstracted andused with finesse. Basically, ithas a three-storey stack of rooms at front and back with avertical circulation and light void

in the middle. This shaft of lightis irregularly linked to a longmetre-wide slot between thehouse proper and a blank wallthat rises between the houseand its neighbour to the left.

1 2


Only at ground floor level is thewall pierced, to allow views fromthe livingroom to the thingarden between the two houses.So the livingroom, the firstspace you come to after theconstrained entrance fromthecar port, is full of light both from

a barrier between formal andinformal worlds. Inner areas of the house are suggested throughtranslucent glass panels.

A stair is cantilevered over thegranite clad pool, drawingyouup through the central well. Atfirst floor level, the straight flight

studio that looks into a calmlittle patio where TyphaAngustifolia grows against thewhite concrete shear wall, andlooks out through a louvredscreen over the moreconventional houses around.

Externally, the louvred first

over a concrete ground floor. The upper floors have, in effect,a double wall with the louvresshadinga glass box that hasmovable panes so spaces can becooled naturally as well as by airconditioning. HELMUT GRÖTZ

4

Studio on top floor looksintosmall patio with tall elegantstrandsof T ypha Angustifolia.5Upper stair is spiral object almostfloatingin space.

HOUSE, SINGAPOREA RCHITECT

SCDA ARCHITECTS

6

Bedroom can have floor to ceilingwindowsbecause louvresprovideprivacy screen.




52|7

p , gabove (the central well) and theside (the sliver of gardenbetween neighbour and shearwall). Luminance is increased bywhite walls and floor. And thealmost surreal device of a long

L shaped pool which reflectslight upwards, and acts almost as

, g gconverts to a sculptural spiral,almost hoveringin space, andconnectingfirst and secondfloors. Honed steel and woodbridges connect front and backstacks of rooms across the void.

Up at the top is one of the mostmovingspaces of the house: the

y,and second floors make anelegant, veiled box hoveringover the virtually transparentground level, which can open atthe front to throw livingroomand patio into one large space,

interior and exterior at the sametime. Structure is largely steel,

Architects

SCDA Architects, SingaporeDesign team

ChanSoo Khian, ReneTanStructural engineer

T.H. NgManagement &ConsultancyServicesServicesengineer

GKL AssociatesPhotographs

Peter Mealin

ground floor (scale approx 1:250) first floor roof second floor

crosssection longsection

1 carport

2 entrance

3 landscape

4 p at io

5 l iv ing

6 kitchen

7 po ol

8 m ai d

9 bridge

10 b ed

11 altar room

12 void

13 studio

14 rooflight

4





65|9

MUSEUM, ØRSTA, NORWAY

A RCHITECT

SVERREFEHN

PHO TO GR A PHS

JARO HOLLAN

NORWEGIAN ROOTSThe museum to Ivar Aasen, the man who distilled a new national language for the

emerging Norwegian nation, is carved out of his native hillside in the west country.

1Fundamentally, the buildingi sastraight cut alongthe contours. Thebigwall of the auditorium actsas alandmark with Aasen’ssignatureimposed acrossit.2East (entrance) front. The mainpublic entrance isunder the canopyin the middle; cafeteria to right.

1

2


Linguistically, Norway is acuriouscountry, with only about four andahalf million inhabitants scatteredthinly alongits huge length.

Traditionally, to the south-eastand Oslo, they speak Bokmål orRiksmål, the old official languageinherited fromthe longand much-disliked Danish rule of thecountry. It is atongue similar toDanish, except that most lettersare pronounced (instead of thesmall proportion of themthatfeature in spoken language southf h Sk k) h d

magnificent views south-east overthe green fields of the valleytowards the much darker green of the forests on burly ice-roundedmountains. He cut along, straightslot into the slope parallel to thecontours. In section, the museumhas two levels, with the upper onein two heights, the taller oneagainst the slope, fromwhichgrass rolls over its curved roof.

You enter at the top level, andrapidly see the point of thedifferent heights, for the back of h b ildi d h hill i




of the Skagerrak). In the west andelsewhere in rural areas, Nynorsk(New Norwegian) tends topredominate. It was constructedby one man, Ivar Aasen, duringthemid nineteenth century, the age

when all small European countriesunder imperial rule werestrugglingto rediscover (orinvent) roots of their particularcultures. Denmark was made togive up Norway to Sweden in1814, but full independence wasachieved (peacefully) only in 1905.

Between those dates, patrioticscholars fromBosniato Finland,Ireland to Bohemia, were studyingtheir own folk tales. Architects,fine artists and writers wereevolvingthe buildings, murals andpoems of National Romanticism.Aasen travelled indefatigably inNorway’s west country, collatingdialects of the widely separatedfjord communities, and relatingthemto the structure of OldNorse. His Nynorsk can be quiteeasily understood by people whowere brought up to speakRiksmål, but it is considerablydifferent – for instance, it hasthree noun genders instead of only two. Whereas Ibsen wrote invirtual Danish, adistinguishedliterature emerged in the newlanguage at the turn of thenineteenth century.

Now, the state has decided tocelebrate Aasen’s achievementswith amuseumbuilt next to hisfamily homestead at Ør sta, aremote rural commune in MøreogRomsdal on the west coast,about half-way between Bergenand Trondheim. Sverre Fehn, one

of the grand old men of Norwegian architecture, who hasbuilt distinguished museumsthroughout his career, decidedthat the place should grow out of its hillside, and open to the


A RCHITECT

SVERREFEHN

PHO TO GRAPHS

JARO HOLLAN

locator plan: Aasen’sfamily farm is east of the new building.

3West exit…4

…like east entrance hasanarticulated concrete canopy.5Cafeteria and reception.

6,7Walls of domestic-siare inflected to give i

avoid kitsch.8Double-height N yno

the building, under the hill, isflooded with light fromagenerousclerestory. The front of this level istaken up with domestic-sizedspaces, devoted to showingthegreat lexicographer’s li fe: his

furniture, personal possessions, anaccount of his travels, and of course, his books, the Nynorskgrammar and dictionary. All thiscould have been conventional andtwee: little facsimile roomsarranged in arow. But in fact, thespaces are defined by wallsinflected in both plan and section,so though the spaces seemrightfor Aasen’s books, desk and chairs,they emphasize their nature, as aconventional orthogonal layoutcould not. Anglingthe walls in planalso creates generous broad baysbetween displays fromwhich youcan calmly contemplate thelandscape in which Aasen grew up:the views that inspired his lifelongsearch for authenticity and identity.

At the west end of the longroute, avoid opens down to thelower floor. This is the library,quite asmall space, but one of themost dramatic, in which books byNynorsk writers stretch uptowards the curve at the back of the buildingthat is flooded by lightfromthe clerestory. Theremainder of the lower level ismore conventional, with arow of offices lookingout over the valley,and storage against the hill.

The biggest space is theauditorium, which is entered fromthe upper level and falls down thehill, roughly followingits naturalslope. Its calmtimber-linedinterior is made dramatic by alight

chute over the stage which takesnorth luminance and pours itdown, partly reflected fromtheslopingend wall. Externally, thisbecomes amassive inclined planeon which Aasen’s signature is

3 4 5 7

6 8


upper (entrance) level

scribbled in steel as if on anadvertisement hoarding. This isthe only gratuitously ostentatiousgesture in the building, and is anunusually literal move for Fehn,whose buildings have so farcommented mutely and powerfullyon their essence and context.

The slopingwall is made of béton brut, like the rest of thebuilding. The material is apt: itreflects on the logstructures of Aasen’s family farmnext door; it isalmost geological in feeling,allowingthe buildingto marry its


A RCHITECT

SVERREFEHN

PHO TO GR A PHS

JARO HOLLAN




lower level (scale approx 1:450)

crosssection

1 entrance

2 foyer

3 auditorium

4 cafeteria

5 reception

6 exhibition

7 library

8 temporaryexhibitions

9 plant

10 archive

11 offices

12 staffdining

9At Ø rsta, unlike some of hisothermuseums, Fehn wasallowed to designthe interior, and make display casesappropriate for their contents.

10Auditorium, where daylight poursoverstage from north-facingchute.11Wood panellingsoftensthe concrete’svisual and acoustic austerity.

allowingthe buildingto marry itshill; it is amodern material (well,at least twentieth century). And itallows precision as well as mass.Fehn’s handlingof the delicatenuances of threshold, for instance,

stand comparison with Scarpa’s.Large surfaces are quietlyenlivened by the patterns of shutteringboards and by drifts of small castingflaws. Fehn has nevertried to achieve the perfection of concrete to which Lasdun orZumthor have aspired; concretefor himhas anature of its ownwhich should be allowed toexpress itself.

A similar robust but delicatesensitivity controls all aspects of the interiors. Fromdesk, to book,to spectacle case, each object isshown in circumstances thatunobtrusively emphasize itsnature. Glass, wood and metaldisplay cases are specially createdfor the smaller exhibits. Thesecabinets work as part of thearchitecture, rather than againstit. Here, unlike the glaciermuseumat Fjaerdal (AR April1993), Fehn was allowed to designthe exhibitions as well as thebuilding. The result is agenerous,austere, modest, intricate, kindlyand deeply rooted monument toAasen, who hoped to enhance allthose characteristics in his nation.

HENRY MILES

Architect

SverreFehn, OsloProject team

SverreFehn, Henrik Hi lle, Ervin StrandskogenInteriors

SverreFehnLandscape

Bjørbekk andLindheimPhotographs

Jaro HollanØvre Prinsdalsv. 55BN-1263OsloNorway Tel/fax:22611086Mobile:90978612Email: [email protected]

9

10

11





Elegantly linking the upper reaches of Manhattan with New Jersey,

the George Washington Bridge was an icon of its time, combining

technological progress with formal refinement. Completed in 1931

to designs of Cass Gilbert and Swiss civil engineer Othar H.

Ammann, its 3500ft span doubled the then record for suspension

bridges and its dramatic open steel towers and curving cables

inspired Le Corbusier to hail it as ‘the only seat of grace in thedisordered city’. However, the lattice-like form was actually the

serendipitous outcome of cost cutting. Ammann had originally

intended that the two 604ft tall support towers be clad in granite,

but the onset of the Great Depression necessitated severe cuts in

traffic were increased to eight and in 1962 a lower level was added.

Last year 108 million vehicles crossed ‘the George’.

Despite the addition in the 1960s of pole-mounted floodlights to

illuminate the roadway, plans to light the entire structure never

materialized. This state of affairs has recently been addressed by a

new lighting scheme by Domingo Gonzalez Associates. The practice

has collaborated with New York’s Port Authority on varioustransportation lighting projects and won an invited competition to

illuminate the entire bridge. The project focuses on the twin towers

which glow radiantly from within like crystals, adding to Manhattan’

twinkling cityscape. A series of carefully positioned 1000-watt meta

A MUCH LOVED PART OF THE NEW Y ORK SKYLINE,THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE HAS BEEN REINVIGORATE

BY AN INNOVATIVE LIGHTING SCHEME THAT DRAMATICALLY ILLUMINATES ITS EXPOSED STEEL STRUCTU RE




66|10

BUDDHIST TEMPLE, SAIJO, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TADAO ANDO

Despite his increasingly prolific

output, Tadao Ando is still able to

create buildings that are powerful,

subtle, and moving. Komyo-ji, a

new temple for the Pure Land sect

of Buddhism, is one of his most

impressive recent works. Located

in Saijo, aseaside town on theisland of Shikoku, it replaces a

250-year-old structure that was

gloomy and becomingdecrepit.

The chief priest – aforce for

change – wanted alight-filled

MAN-MADE FORESTTadao Ando’s poetic synthesis of materials and light finds renewed expression in this

Buddhist temple complex, which reworks traditional forms with an austere intensity.

1Existingelementshave beenretained, generatinga powerfultension between old and new.2The luminousslatted timbercage of thehondo or main hall.

perspective section

1

2


1 gatehouse

2 belltower

3 car park

4 moat

5 bridge

6 mainhall(hondo )

7 meetingspaces/guest hall

8 offices

9 columbarium

crosssection lookingeast

gatheringspace for the community,

welcomingto the young, and

suitable for jazz concerts and

lectures as well as worship.

Site plan symmetry has been

sacrificed in order to retain

existingtrees, stone walls,

gatehouse and belltower as a

memory of the old – adecision

that produced amore

compressed and engaging

complex. The fir posts of the

main hall (hondo) rise froma

moat fed by natural spr ings, and

t i b id th t l d

3Light-dappled corridor runsaround the edge of the hall.4Shrine at the heart of the hondo .5Precisely crafted geometry of the arboreal roof vaultsresembles a man-made forest.

BUDDHIST TEMPLE,

SAIJO, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TADAO ANDO




68|10

10 priests’ quarters


entry is across abr idge that leads

fromone of three flanking

blocks. These impassive

structures house offices, priests’

quarters, meetingspaces and a

columbarium. In signature Ando

fashion, light gleams off bare

polished concrete walls.

Thehondo is a contemporary

reinterpretation of the Great

Buddhastyle, which was brought

fromChinaand first employed in

the massive south gate of the

thirteenth-century T odai-ji

temple in Nara. Multi-tiered

brackets atop tall wood columns

support agently shelved

projectingroof. The main

structural support for the layers

of beams is provided by four

clusters of four massive posts

within the hall. ‘I wanted to

create aspace that would return

to the or igins of wooden

now an assembly of pre-cut

laminated fir beams, aprocess as

pared down and precisely

controlled as an automobile

production line manned by

robots. And yet, the austere

simplicity of the spaces, the

sensual appeal of the structure,

and the complex geometry of the

vault match the finest hand-

craftsmanship in warmth and

serenity. As Ando declares: ‘I

want to create intense yet quiet

buildings and to make spaces that

promote conversations with

natural materials, where you can

feel light, air and rain’.M. W.

Architect

Tadao Ando Architect &Associates, Osaka

Photographs

All photographsby Shigeo Ogawa

except no. 1 whichis byMitsuo Matsuoka

architecture; asingle structure

made up of multiple parts, each

full of tension’, says Ando. ‘It

would express the image of

people gathering and joining

hands, supportingeach other in a

single community.’

At the first viewingof the

model, shocked parishioners

thought the sheer facades of the

hondo resembled acage, but were

won over and now applaud the

boldness of the design. At night, it

serves as abeacon, revealinga

glimpse of the ornate inner

shrine, and the glowing columns

and eaves are mirrored in the stillwater. By day, its mysteries are

disclosed only after takingone of

Ando’s processional routes, past

the bell tower, around the moat,

through the guest hall and across

the enclosed bridge to anarrow

peripheral corridor. Light floods

in fromstrips of glass between

the outer posts and passes

through massiveshoji screens of

frosted glass that can be swung

open to make the pine-floored

corridor an extension of the

hundred-mat interior.

Walking around and through

the central space with its

clustered columns, branching

beams, dappled light and softness

underfoot is to enter aman-made

forest. It shows how temple

architecture evolved from

nature, and how the Japaneselearned to assemble amultitude

of wooden parts in lieu of organic

growth. What was formerly ajob

for master carpenters (who

shaped each element on site) is3

4

5


Sendai is aprovincial capital, about 300kmnorth of Tokyo, which was

levelled in the Second World War and rebuilt on aspacious grid plan.

In 1995, anew mayor decided that this prosperous modern city needed

amore appropriate civic symbol than the ruins of its seventeenth-

century castle, and invited ArataIsozaki to chair an expert jury to

choose adynamic design for anew arts centre.

Toyo Ito won that competition with aconcept that was as audacious

as the Pompidou Centre, though smaller and less assertive. Where

Rogers and Piano flexed their muscles on the exterior, creatinga

heroic monument to the Machine Age, Ito proposed atransparent

block whose supports would be wrapped in glass and dematerialized.

Seven steel floor decks were stacked on 13 hollow columns composed

of welded steel tubes. Schematically, it was an updated version of

traditional Japanese post and beamconstruction with movable divisions

and permeable boundaries.

MEDIATHEQUE, S




46|10

LAYERED MEDIAFrom modest origins as a cultural centre and library

in a provincial town, Toyo Ito’s Sendai Mediathèque

celebrates and displays its different activities and

inventive structure in a dramatic urban shop window.

Metaphors inspired the structure. Ito thought of the enclosed space

as liquid, likened the columns to strands of seaweed driftingthrough an

aquarium, and created sketches of ethereal delicacy. Like the temporary

structures that launched his practice, and his computer-synthesized

electrographic display in the 1991Visions of Japan exhibition at the

Victoriaand Albert Museum(AR November 1991), the Mediathèquewas intended to express the fluid dynamics of the modern city in which

light and movement are layered atop i ts physical structure and vibrate

around vortexes of energy. For Ito, this was to be abridge between real

and conceptual, aphysical embodiment of the electronic labyrinth which

many now inhabit – especially the youngin Japan.

Two contradictions emerged at the outset. The programme

developed to fit into Ito’s container fell far short of his vision. Sendai is

aconservative city, and librarians anxious to accommodate agrowing

book collection and local artists seekingdisplay space for academic

paintings had no enthusiasmfor open plans or virtual reality.

Disagreement began the day after the competition winner was

announced. The columns had to be beefed up to meet Japan’s tough

seismic code, and the challenge for structural engineer Mutsuro Sasaki

was to retain the poetry while satisfyingpractical necessities.

Against all odds, much of Ito’s concept has survived six years of

impassioned debate, and the need for a structure (partly fabricated and

1

At night, Sendai’snew Mediathèquepulsateswith light and colour like agiant, ethereal aquarium.2South facade iswrapped in a clearglassskin. Literal transparency isone meansof demystifyingt hebuilding and encouraging use.

3

West facade clad in a slatted screenof perforated steel floor decking.4The glassskin disappearsin a myriadof reflections, revealingthe layersof activity within. Like great frondsof seaweed, tubular column cagesdr iftlanguidly through the interior.

1

2

3


first floor (children’slibrary) third floor (library mezzanine) sixth floor (media library)

MEDIATHEQUE,

SENDAI, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TOYO ITO




48|10

1 entrance

2 rampto parkingbelow

3 informationdesk

4 ca fé

5 foyer

6 loadingbay

7 store

8 children’slibrary9 meetingspaces

10 mainlibrary

11 readingareas

12 staffroom

13 mezzaninereadingroom

14 void

15 exhibitionspaces

16 cinema

17 medialibrary

18 video room

welded by shipbuilders) that is more like an ocean liner than an

aquarium. Fromthe broad boulevard to the south, it appears as a

shimmeringrectangle of glass, etched with dots and dashes that animate

the double-glazed skin and reduce glare, extendingbeyond the floor

planes. Inside, aforest of canted white tubes (recallingthe branches of

the zelkovatrees that run down the middle of the street), extends

through the roof to support a gridded canopy.

At night, the south facade disappears. Only the skeletal structure is

visible, animated by ablaze of ceilinglights and tiny accents of colour

from furnishings set close to the glass. Though little of the building’s

activity is apparent above the ground floor, varied ceilingheights and the

alternation of transparent, translucent and opaque surfaces on the

other three sides of the block hint at its diversity of content. The

Mediathèque combats the blandness and visual pollution of aJapanese

city (apachinko parlour formerly occupied the site) by stayingcool and

enigmatic. Even the graphics, stencilled onto the glass, are r eticent.

The spacious foyer, shop, and café that wrap around an enclosed gallery

and service areas in the north-west quadrant reveal the essence of the

plan. Four symmetrically-placed corner columns of 240m

tubingcarry much of the load and provide the necessary

Nine columns of 160mmdiameter tubes are scattered in

are straight and contain lifts, the rest are crooked and car

hollow columns pull down light fromabove, and most are

addingafurther layer of gauzy reflections to those in the

marble floor and dematerializingthe exposed structure. A

plastic reception desk sinuously wraps around one colum

seductive swirl of lipstick, and similar extruded forms in y

white anchor the bar and bookshop.

To understand the building’s section, take alift to the t

the glass cab you can see how floor planes have been slice

revealingthe structural sandwich of steel plates topped w

On a non-stop ascent, the ride gives afleetingglimpse of

floor succeedingthe next, as though snorkellingup the si

reef. Here, Ito’s metaphor of the interior as afluid mediu

vividly to life. As in the ocean, the colours, the patterns of

intensity of l ight change with the level.

5

Entrance lobby on the groundfloor, itsluminousvolumepenetrated by the column cagesthat run through the building.


second floor (main library)site plan fourth floor (exhibition sp

crosssection crosssection

fifth floor (exhibition spac

5


Ito selected three designers to put their stamp on different floors.

Kazuyo Sejima’s first floor information department and children’s library

is amonochromatic composition of white lino tiles, suspended metal

channels and asilver-studded black side wall. Sejima, who formerly

worked for Ito, designed whimsical grey foambenches that resemble

clover leaves, and screened the children’s areaand staff offices in

undulatinggauze drapes. Circular readingtables and magazine racks flow

around these permeable enclosures. The lofty second-floor library by

K. T. Architecture has amore conventional layout: regimented rows of

bookstacks to the rear, linear tables in front, and study carrels in a

mezzanine gallery. Suspended uplights provide even, diffused illumination

off the suspended white ceiling.

Changingexhibitions are presented on the next two levels with their

wood-strip floors, demountable white screens, and sculptural seatingin

vivid colours by KarimRashid, who also designed the plastic seatingin

theground floor café Itisherethatyoubegintosensethewasted

6




50|10

MEDIATHEQUE, SENDAI, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TOYO ITO

the ground-floor café. It is here that you begin to sense the wasted

potential of space that would challenge acreative curator to exploit the

play of structure and void. Occasional exhibitions may introduce locals

to novel ideas, but, as anew arrival that is still gradually winning

acceptance, the Mediathèque has to move cautiously. It is too big, and

took too large abite out of the municipal budget (around £75 million) toignore its major constituency.

The top floor offers the best marriage of container and content. Ross

Lovegrove has designed what he calls ‘agarden of knowledge’ to house

the medialibrary. Biomorphic lime-green plastic chairs, tables and tape

racks are deployed like exotic plants on alime carpet, and video

monitors are screened by tensile pods. These occupy the perimeter; at

the centre, an undulatingglass wall encloses asmall theatre, meeting

room and offices. Fluorescent tubes are set at angles on awhite

suspended ceiling, and the sense of detachment fromthe workaday

world is enhanced by glimpses into neighbouringoffices where salarymen

toil away late into the night, like aJapanese version of Alphaville , where

everyone seems to be sealed off in brightly lit capsules.

For Japan, the Mediathèque is extraordinarily informal, with young

friendly staff, and it has become apopular local resource; yet the

atmosphere is as decorous as ascholars’ library. Director Emieko

Okuyumaobserves: ‘When we first announced this project, opponents

thought it would be adangerous monster. In fact, people have responded

to the welcomingatmosphere and bright colours. Attendance is larger

and younger than we anticipated’. Given time, Ito’s or iginal vision may

yet be fully realized.MICHAEL WEBB

Architect

Toyo Ito &Associates, Tokyo

Structural engineer

Sasaki Structural Consultants

Mechanical engineers

Sogo Consultants, ESAssociates,

Ohtaki E& M ConsultingOffice

Lightingconsultants

LightingPlanners Associates

Photographs

All photographsbyDennisGilbert/VIEW

except no. 4 whichisby Nacása&Partners

6Main library on second floor.7Arboreal columnsanimate space.Column cageshouse liftsand ductsand bringlight into the interior.

8First floor children’slibrary,designed by Kazuyo Sejima.9Top floor media library, designedby RossLovegrove, one of themore successful marriagesof content and container.

7

8


Shigeru Ban’s work is permeated

by astrongsense of Japanese

architectural history

reinterpreted in an explicitly

contemporary manner. It

embodies the classic Japanese

tenet of elegant economy, of

makingthe most out of very little,

transformingbanal materials such

as paper and cardboard into

structural elements. Yet to see

Ban’s work as adevelopment of an

unorthodox style, or an unusually

poetic sensibility to materials,

would be to overlook the wider

socialcontextinwhichhiswork

compression by aseries of

members runninglengthways

alongthe structure. Light

percolates gently through square

openings between the laminated

timber bands, dapplingthe

interior so that the effect is like

beingin a giant wicker basket.

Odate is subject to heavy

snowfalls and roofs have to

contend with considerable snow

loads (450kg/sqm). The tube is

enclosed and protected by a45

degree pitched roof connected to

the laminated timber inner layer

byaspindlyspaceframe which




70|10

social context in which his work

exists. His involvement with the

earthquake-shattered community

in Kobe (AR September 1996) is

particularly significant in that it

embraces the ideaof participation.One of his most recent projects

is achildren’s day-care centre

attached to ahospital in the far

northern town of Odate. Glazed

at both ends, the single-storey

buildingis aseamless tubular

volume, with free-standing

partitions delineatingwashingand

kitchen spaces. The tube is made

up of tautly curved bands of

laminated timber held in

CHILDREN’SDAY -CARECENTRE,

ODATE, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

SHIGERU BAN

1 play space

2 kitchen

3 staff

4 wc


axonometric

longitudinal section crosssection

LATTICEVAULT

Continuing Shigeru Ban’s experiments

with materials and structure, this timber

lattice forms a delicate, luminous vault.

1Angular roof, designed to repelsnowfalls, enclosesa tubular volumefabricated from laminated timber.2An intermediate space frame stiffensthe entire structural ensemble.3Luminous‘wickerwork’ vault. Lightdapplesthrough openingsin roof.

by aspindly space frame, which

helps to stiffen and stabilize the

structure. The ribbed roof is

made up of alternate strips of

steel and translucent

polycarbonate sheetingso thatthe light can diffuse through.

Inventive in its exploitation of

basic materials, this sensuous

timber tunnel exemplifies Ban’s

lyrical yet rigorous sensibility. C. S

Architect

Shigeru BanArchitects, Tokyo

Structural engineer

TIS& Partners

Photographs

Hiroyuki Hirai

1

2

3


POULTRYFARMINGSCHOOL,

K OLIAGBE, K INDIA, GUINEA

A RCHITECT

HEIKKINEN-K OMONEN

ARCHITECTS




58|11

The Kahere Poultry Farming

School at Koliagbe in Guinea is

the result of a most

extraordinary chain of

circumstances. In the early

1980s, Alpha Diallo and his

uncle, the vet Bachir Diallo,

decided to study poultry

production abroad so that they

could help to improve the diet of

their native country, which is

notoriously low in protein.

Alpha went to Hungary and,

beinga superb linguist, he

became enchanted with the

connection between Hungarian

and Finnish (which have little in

common except underlying

structures). He ended up by

translatingthe Finnish national

epicKalevala into his native

language. His activities attracted

the attention of Eila Kivekäs,

who after Alpha’s death in

Finland in 1984 asked Bachir to

return to Guinea to start a

chicken farmwhich she funded

through a foundation called

Indigo. This proved so successful

that its operations became

inhibited by the many people

who went there to learn. So

Kivekäs proposed makinga

separate institution: a school o f

poultry farmingwhich could

serve the whole country.

She asked Heikkinen-

Komonen, who had already

worked for her on several

projects in Guinea, to design the

school. Based on previous

experience of the culture and

climate, Heikkinen-Komonen

evolved a language of formand

construction that, accordingto

the technical assessor, has made

the staff ‘happy and proud’. The

techniques evolved by the

architects have already been

adopted by people who worked

on the job for other new

buildings in the area.

In Guinea, most new small

buildings are made of badly fired

bricks, and have corrugated

metal roofs. They are incapable

of resistingthe heavy rains, and

tend to intensify intense

equatorial heat. Heikkinen-

Komonen evolved aconstruction

method based on unfired earth

blocks stabilized with asmall

proportion of cement, roof tiles

made of cement reinforced by

1Design isintended to maximizewind coolingwith through breezes.2Stabilized earth blocksprovidethermal mass. Timber membersare made with scarfed joints; woodblocksallow stiff structuresto beevolved with small sections.3Student accommodation: tolerableclimate achieved by passive means.4Portico of classroom ismajorsocial space.5Breathingceilingshelp cool spaces.

1 classroom

2 porch

3 dormitory

4 teachers

5 water tower

(later addition)

plan (scale approx 1:350)section through staff block and classroom

local sisal fibres, and local

hardwood structural timber

scarfed together to achieve

wider spans than would have

been possible with the usual

short struts. Widest spans are

achieved by formingtrusses with

timber and imported steel wire,

but as many materials as possible

are fromGuinean sources, and

locally made.

Double layers of blocks

provide thermal mass. They can

be left exposed, unlike the usual

fired bricks that have to be faced

with imported cement render if

they are to survive for a few

seasons. Porous woven ceilings

under the tile roofs are made of

local wood laths woven in the

traditional way as they often are

in fences and partitions. They

are able to breathe, helpingto

cool spaces with convection

currents that are drawn from

openings at the top of external

walls. The technical assessor

commented that the strategy

might be liable to insect

infestation in the rainy months.

The compound is square. Its

central circular space is

dominated by the portico of the

main classroom, a communal

place in which staff and students

can gather in all seasons. The

portico’s tall columns are

scarfed struts coupled in almost

Aaltoesque fashion with blocks

to increase their stiffness. As

usual with Heikkinen-Komonen,

a rigorous geometric discipline

has been applied, with a 1.2m

grid based on possible spans and

functional considerations. Small

windows in the residential areas

are designed to avoid lintels.

The jury welcomed the project

because it ‘uses a

simple language …

by clarity of form

appropriateness o

solution is a fine e

elegantly humble

architecture that

crosses the boun

Guinean and Nor

Architect

Heikkinen-KomonenAr

Project team

Ville Venermo, Boubak

AbdulhayeDji bySow, S

Photographs

SianKennedy2, 3, 5

OnervaUtr iainen1, 4

POULTRY ACADEMY A poultry farming school, intended to help the people of a desperately

poor tropical country evolve a better diet from chickens, has been built

with wisdom and care for the environment drawn from the North.

1 2 3 4


interior design

The London School of

Economics and Political Science

is an august institution founded

in 1895 by Beatrice and Sidney

Webb. Committed to Fabianism

and social reform, they

envisaged a school devoted to

the teachingof and research

into the social sciences. Today,

LSE has more than 7000

undergraduate and graduate

The campus is a collection of

disparate edifices acquired over

the years by the school and

clustered around the main

nineteenth-century buildingon

Houghton Street, a pedestrian

alleyway runningnorth fromthe

Aldwych. Almost since its

inception, LSE has suffered from

congestion – though less so now

than formerly, for gradual

in 1916, is on the north side of

the campus. Taken over in 1973,

it was converted for use by the

library then uncomfortably

housed in the main building.

Now, almost thirty years later,

Foster and Partners has

renovated and enlarged the

four-storey building, and

transformed its interior .

Fosters’ scheme retains the

repair have been replaced. But

the interior has been

transformed into an airy library

full of muted light and

movement, and pale colour.

At a stroke, the scheme has

increased space and, with

imagination, taken care of

circulation and servicing.

Such transformation has been

achieved by convertingthe old




76|11

students fromall over the

world, 18 departments and

more than 30 research centres.

Its library is considered the

largest and most importantsocial sciences library in the

world.

acquisition has relieved it and

plans for improvingthe various

parts are under way.

One of the earlier acquisitions

was the Lionel Robbins building(previously the headquarters of

W. H. Smith & Sons) which, built

integrity of the brick and stone

facades, and the basic fabric of

the awkwardly shaped building

(on plan made up of two

dissimilar triangles joinedtogether); only perimeter

windows in a poor state of

lightwell around which the

library once revolved into an

atrium, a great cylinder driven

down to the basement and

bringing daylight into the heartof the building. Fillingout the

bottomfour layers of the

UNIVERSITY BUILDING,

ALDWYCH, LONDON

A RCHITECT

FOSTERAND PARTNERS

1,2New stepped spiral ramp and itsassociated voidsbring light andsense of place to whole building.But will it distribute sound equallyefficiently?

Light readOne of the world’s greatest academic libraries has been radically transformed from a

dull badly-converted commercial building by giving it a new focus full of light and air.


library does provide quiet

studious workplaces, though thebasement study, overlooked by

the open gallery at the entrance,

must suffer fromnoise. But

evidently the lesson of the

Cambridge University Law

Faculty (AR March 1996), where

openness and hard surfaces

combined with disastrously

resoundingeffect, has been

learned. Perimeter study areas

are protected by noise-

absorbent shelves full of books

and by the floor coveringof soft

grey carpet; levels become

i h

cylinder, is a stepped, helical

ramp spirall ingaround a pair of glass lifts. The whole confection

in this central part of the library

– the rhythms of thin

balustradingaround ramp and

surroundinggalleries, the

vertical embrace around the

ramp of slender columns, the

constant movement of people

ascendingand descendingand

humof voices – has a cinematic

dream-like quality.

Cappingthe atriumis a dome,

with a glazed section cut at an

angle to admit north light and

li i l d l i

a mainentrance

b entranceconcourse




78|11

3Book stackssurrouncirculation atrium, ahelp to attenuate so4Lookingup at northlgreat ramp.5

Lookingdown at basopened asreadingarvoid in ground floor.

quieter as you move up the

building away fromthe entrance

and there are silent retreats

enclosed by glass walls. P. M.

Architect

Foster and Partners, London

Project architects

NormanFoster, Ken Shuttleworth,

RobinPartington, AndyPurvis, LulieFisher,

Geoff Bee, AnneFehrenbach, Sophie Coe,

Gordon Seiles, GlenisFan, Peter McLaughlin


AdamsKaraT aylor

Quantity surveyors

DavisLangdom&Everest

M&E engineers

Oscar Faber

Acoustic engineering

Oscar Faber

Curt ain walling/aluminium windows

Henshaws

Atrium dome roof

CowleyT imberworks

Ironmongery

RuddyJoinery

Internal glazed screens

Planet

Photographs

Chris Gascoigne/VIEW 1,2; Paul Ratigan/

VIEW 3; JamesWinspear/VIEW 4,5

UNIVERSITY BUI

ALDWYCH, LON

ARCHITECT

FOSTERAND PA

eliminate glare and solar gain.

Design assists natural

ventilation, for air drawn in

through perimeter windows

rises as it warms and escapesthrough vents in the dome’s

glazing.

On each floor, bookshelves

leadingaway from the atrium

define passageways to quiet

study areas around the

perimeter. These are separated

by blocks of bookstacks. In the

basement, a light-filled, double-

height study was created by

removingpart of the ground

floor slab. A new fifth and

existingfourth floors

accommodate a secluded

research centre, which has its

own identity: a separate

entrance and lift, and distinct

signage.

Enveloped in north light, and

uniformly painted white, the

section through ground floor void and atrium


typical floor plan

c verticalcirculation

d void(studyareabelow)

e stacks

f studyarea

g enclosedstudyarea

4

3

5


CHAPEL, ROTTERDAM,

THE NETHERLANDS

A RCHITECT

MECANOO




The Catholic cemetery of St

Lawrence in Rotterdam dates

from the mid nineteenth

century. Designed by H. J. van

der Brink as acampo santo , an

Italian field of the dead, the

cemetery is focused around a

central chapel, surrounded by

radiating paths. The original

neo-Gothic chapel fell victim to

subsidence and was replaced in

Conceived as a delicate jewel

case, Houben’s chapel stands on

plateau of gravel within the

contours of van der Brink’s

original building. Before she

embarked on the design, Hoube

was due to make a visit to Venic

and took the opportunity to

explore its many churches and

chapels, notably the Baroque

Jesuit extravaganza of Santa MarPRECIOUS

1

2




42|11

With its expressive roof, golden

ceilingand undulatingwalls, the

chapel has elements of Baroque

sensuality, yet the int imate

interior exudes an air of

contemplative calmness and

sobriety. Contained within the

footprint of the original neo-

Gothic chapel, the flowing,

guitar-shaped plan emphasizes

the continuity of life. As Houben

describes it ‘The visitor stands

still and reflects and then goes

on his way, as a symbol of life

that goes on’. Clad in horizontal

strips of tin-plated copper, the

sleek curved wall appears to

float in space, held clear of the

ground and separated fromthe

tautly folded plane of the roof by

a narrow band of clerestory

glazing. Inside, the wall is an

intense blue, the traditional

colour of the Virgin’s robe, with

Requiemtexts in many

languages, reflecting the great

cultural and social diversity of

Rotterdam’s population.

The golden ceilingis artificially

lit from below, so it glows with a

gentle lustre. Holes punched

into the roof admit shafts of

daylight, an effect which is

accentuated when incense is

burned. Two heated timber

decks indicate the places of the

priest and congregation and a

clock salvaged from the 1963

chapel hangs in the skeletal

campanile. Fittings are elegantly

austere. Oak is used for the

simple benches and bier and

polished concrete for the altar

and pulpit. Candlesticks are

made of non-treated steel.

Deep in the heart of a rather

gloomy nineteenth-century

cemetery, the miraculous

apparition of the n

shines like a prec

Beautifully judged

it i s a gorgeous pa

tenderly connect

with the unfathom

of the numinous.

Architect

Mecanoo Ar chitecten,

Project team

Francine Houben, Fran

AnaRocha, Huibde Jon

NataschaAr alaChaves

Henk Bouwer

Structural engineer

ABT

Photographs

ChristianRichters

1 entrance

2 priest3 congregation

4 footprint oforiginalchapel

site plan ground floor plan (scale approx 1:250)

crosssection

CHAPEL, ROTTERDAM,

THE NETHERLANDS

A RCHITECT

MECANOO

5Intimate, sensuousinterior.The flowingplan isintended toemphasize the continuity of life.6Marian blue wall enfoldsthe space.

5


interior design The Queen’s House in

Greenwich was designed by

Inigo Jones for Anne of

Denmark, wife of James I. Built

between 1616 and 1635 in the

huntinggrounds of the Tudor

palace of Placentia, it was an

essay in Jones’s assured handling

of Palladian style and

proportion. In contrast to the

ramblingbr ick palace which,

spread around three courtyards,

was the haphazard enlargement

In reality, architectural exoticism

must have been tempered by

familiar amusements, for the

house had afantastical surprise

garden with fountains; its plan

too was diverting. The building

straddled the public road,

between London and Dover,

which divided park frompalace.

In doing so, it became a

metaphorical bridge between

the safety of the palace’s walled

enclosure and the dangerous

I for Henrietta Maria, for whom

the house became a garden

retreat (there was never a

kitchen). Her garden, with

formal parterres and patterns,

was designed to be viewed from

above. In consequence, the

basement (below the level of the

road) with its handsome brick

vaults and windows on to the

garden, was blocked off.

Findingthe house too small,

Henrietta Maria engaged John

with Ionic columns overlooked

the garden; on the north, a

horseshoe staircase leads in

Palladian manner to a terrace

and a two-storey cubic hall.

Inside the building, ornamented

rooms are disposed in

symmetrical fashion; to the east

of the great hall, the interior is

pierced by a circular void

containingthe famous Tulip Stair

(the name derivingfrom the

repeatingwrought ir on pattern




74|1

p g

of a fifteenth-century mansion,

the Queen’s House was cool and

Classically ordered at the edge

of wilderness. Pevsner observes

that the building’s chastity and

bareness must have seemed as

foreign to contemporary

beholders, used to the

entertainingelaborations of

Elizabethan and Jacobean

architecture, as Modernismwas

to the Edwardians.

g

world outside (or, if you prefer,

the rational link between two

kinds of chaos: mathematical

and physical). H-shaped on plan,

the house had two parallel

wings, runningeast-west and

connected by a cross-bar at

first floor level, above a vaulted

basement.

Anne died in 1619 before her

house could be completed and

buildingwas resumed by Charles

g g J

Webb, Jones’s successor and

son-in-law, to add two more

bridges to the first floor, one to

the west and one to the east.

The house we see today is a

square block. Facades on all

sides, except the south, are

tripartite with a central

projectingsection and plain walls

risingfroma rusticated base and

surmounted by a balustrade. On

the south side, a first floor loggia

p g g p

of the balustrade). At the

beginningof the nineteenth

century, the buildingwas

extended by addition of east and

west wings linked to the centre

by colonnades tracingthe path

of the old road.

The present owner of the

Queen’s House, the National

Maritime Museum, has wanted

to use the building as a gallery.

But its curious plan and difficult

QUEEN’SHOUSERESTORATION ,

GREENWICH, LONDON

ARCHITECT

ALLIES& MORRISON

Fit for a queenRemodelling of part of the Queen’s House, Greenwich permits its use as a gallery

and improves circulation without disturbing its seventeenth-century architecture.

1North face with horseshoestaircase to terrace.2

North face and colonnade to eastwing. New public entrance withstone ramp embraced bystaircase.3From great cubic hall, with black and white marble floor, to newstaircase on west.

1 2


circulation, with no disabled

access, made it unsuitable.Wishingto stage its millennium

exhibition,The Story of Time , the

museuminvited A llies and

Morrison to explore ways of

improvingaccess in, and

circulation through, this most

sensitive of monuments without

upsettingEnglish Heri tage.

The practice’s solution, with

English Heritage agreement, was

to restore the basement and

transformit into anew public

entrance, and in the process to

reinstate Jones’s original

basement door on the north. To

echoes the geometric distortions

of the black and white marblefloor of the great hall. A

continuous bronze handrail

expresses the curve of the

staircase.

Within the basement, the

vaulted brickwork has been

covered, as it would have

originally been, with rough lime

render and the spaces made

lighter and clearer. Down here

are the reception, cloakroom,

shop and lavator ies reached by

the new public entrance on the

north. Facingthe river and

embraced by the horseshoe

QUEEN’SHOUSE

GREENWICH, LOARCHITECT

ALLIES& MORRI




76|1

the west of the great hall, in a

space previously occupied by a

contorted staircase and where

the basement vault had been

breached, they inserted an

elegant new three-storey

staircase and lift .

Design of the staircase was

based on the structural principle

of the Tulip Stair, directly

opposite on the other side of the

great hall. Treads are made of

precast concrete units, the load

beingtransferred vertically from

tread to tread. A steel string

bolted to the face of brick shaft

takes the torsion load and

restrains the risers. The

balustradingsuggests the

sumptuousness of handmade

seventeenth-century fil igree and

the purity of Jones’s decorative

ornamentation. I t is made of steel

strips plaited into agrid which,when wound around circular

riser sections, distorts and

staircase, Jones’s door leads to a

tunnel under the terrace. The

door was previously hidden at

the bottomof ashort flight of

steps that have been replaced by

asimple stone forecourt forming

ashallow ramp. (Excavation

revealed the original brick base of

the horseshoe which turned 180

degrees so that the bottomsteps

faced each other.) P. M.

Architect

Allies &Morr isonAr chitects, London

Project team

BobAl lies, Di Haigh

Structural engineer

Harris &Sutherland

Servicesengineer

Nordale BuildingServices

Photographs

Peter Cook/VIEW

first floor plan (scale approx 1:500)

plan: staircase and lift shaft

staircase elevation

4Basement enfilade.5

New staircase: precast concretetreads, balustradingof plaitedsteel strips, continuousbronzehandrail.


Jokes in architecture are not usually good.

Unless you’re Lutyens, they quickly seemtobe solidified embarrassments, as many of the

tattered hulks of ’80s PoMo demonstrate

only too clearly. Little do you expect to find

one of the wittiest new buildings in London at

the end of aback-street next to abusy

railway line. In time, it will be seen as one of

the most gallant experiments in eco-

architecture of our age. And yet, in aperiod

when so many green architects seemso

solemn, so really po-faced, it is light-hearted,

full of double-entendres, tenderness for its

dreadful sight and for its users.

Stock Orchard Street was ali ttle bit of

railway land disposed of when British

Railways were so scandalously sold by John

Time is of the essence in Stock Orchard Street:

the house is intended to change as it gets older;it wil l never be finished, as its architect owners

say most heroically. You first understand its

odd qualities when you come to the gate, made

of wil low hurdles in a galvanized steel frame.

Two manufacturingcultures are united:

traditional craftwork and common or garden

steel jobbery. The result, though apparently

difficult to achieve, because the tolerances

needed by willow workers are very different

fromthose of welders, is aprecise statement

about what is to follow. The whole house,

constructed throughout with similar care, took

350 drawings and nearly two and ahalf years to

make. It is an imaginative combination of what

the architects call ‘the slick and the hairy’.

would deformin intense heat)

more than able to support thethemselves. The architects po

environmentally cheaper to ha

broken concrete delivered to

take away aload of site waste

demolished buildings is abund

On top of the gabions are sp

boxes. They moderate the vib

endless trains, and their amel

amplified by a sandbagwall, wh

acoustic mass. The wall was in

dusky wartime picture of Lond

against the blitz in the Second

is extremely funny and bizarre

openings framed in Australian

railway sleepers found on the

HOUSE, ISLINGTON, LONDON

A RCHITECT

SARAH W IGGLESWORTH

ARCHITECTS




64|1064|1

Major to apack of accountants and civil

engineers who were more interested in profit

than service. But afew good things were

dragged fromdisaster. This is one. The

building, at the bottomof a rather run-down

Victorian terrace, looks as if it will be along-

standingseries of jokes and lessons that wil l

become more important over t ime.

Once past the gate, you are faced by a

rather formidable front door. You are in a

strange arcade of piers made of bits of

recycled concrete made rectangular sense

with gabions. These main supports of the

buildinghave had to have reinforced concrete

sacrificial columns in their middles to comply

with the fire regulations (the metal cages

bags full of sand, cement and l

intended to decay gradually in

surface of concrete left with th

imprint of cloth, and the beau

plants like herb-Robert and W

which will surely seed there.

Over the entrance is asilver

another sound-reducingdevic

THE SLICK AND THE HA‘Slick and hairy’, the house made by a pair of architects on a negle

London site, has many environmental lessons to teach – not lea

nature of wit in building and the importance of imagination.

1The sun side, openingitself to heatand light, with balessexily exposedthrough polycarbonate.2Tower (which will contain library) isa landmark in a run-down inner citysuburb. 21 [email protected]

- 119 -

1 gate

2 garden

3 ffi

6 domesticentrance

7 conference-diningroo m

8 lib

long(west-east) section crosssection through tower




66|1

9STOCKORCHARD STREET

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

0 5

9STOCK ORCHARD STREETGROUND FLOOR PLAN

0

3 office

4 bed

5 officialentrance

8 tower library

9 larder-kitchen

10 court

ground floor (scale approx 1:450) first floor

HOUSE, ISLINGTON, LONDON

A RCHITECT

SARAH W IGGLESWORTH

ARCHITECTS

3Court carved in back of masshaspool fed by roof water. Intended tobe a damp mossy grotto, similar toSoane’scourtsat his museum, thespace isan outdoor room,surrounded by domestic spaces.4

The sound wall: against the noise of the trains, the architectshavebuttoned on a quilt, and made amassive wall of sand bagsdesignedto decay with dignity.





fibreglass made by a sail-maker is buttoned to

the inner building with an insulating layer and

inner damp-proof lining. Sarah Wigglesworth

says that one day, the cloth may be

unbuttoned, and a whole new and completely

different kind of cladding will be applied. But

that time will be long ahead, when building

materials have properties that we can only

dimly imagine.

Sand bag and quilt enclose the office part of

the plan. L-shaped, the parti is organized

precision of his baling and 550 bales were

delivered to London at the almost

unbelievably cheap price of £825.

Wigglesworth says that ‘bales are quick and

easy to build with’ and that the whole wall

was put up in three and a half days by

unskilled friends. I worry about vermin, but

Wigglesworth claims that perforated metal

closures at top and bottom of the cavity that

separates the bales from the outer rainscreen

will keep out rodents and insects. She will live

is kept stable and cool by vents at top and

bottom. Coolth as opposed to warmth of the

hearth becomes the centre of existence. The

architects have reversed normal perceptions

as they have in so many other senses.

Less obvious is the way in which they have

made two 3000 litre rainwater tanks

underneath the house. One gives water to

the lavatories; the other irrigates the

meadow on the roof, which has wild

strawberries as well as local weeds.

5 6 7

design review

One of the challenges of using

standardized geometry is how to

create avariety of forms. Dutch

designer Marijke de Goey shows

what can be achieved in her

radical design for asmall

pedestrian bridge over two

artificial lakes at the Alan Gibbs

Trust Park in Auckland, New

Zealand. De Goey originally

learnt how to make sculptural

objects through her trainingas a

jewellery designer. Her work

includes the bridal tiarafor the

to fit across the bride’s forehead.

For the New Zealand project,

the miniature is powerfully

transformed into the

monumental. Using22 welded

tubular steel cubes each

measuring3 x 3 x 3mto support

an aluminiumwalkway, de Goey

elaborates on the basic concept

of linked cuboid forms. The

walkway winds in adecidedly

perilous fashion between the

cubic steel skeleton, which

makesthesimplematterof

blue usingenvironmentally-

friendly pigment.

Engineered by Peter

Boardman, the structure weighs

11 tons and was transported to

site in two prefabricated sections

by aRussian helicopter. (Due to

adverse weather conditions the

pilot was forced to land in a

private field, much to the

surprise of a local farmer and his

cows, who proceeded to lick the

structure, showingasurprising

measure of bovine aesthetic




28|3

includes the bridal tiarafor the

recent royal weddingof Dutch

crown prince Alexander to

MaximaZorreguieta. Made of

white gold and diamonds, thetiara is shaped like two bridges

makes the simple matter of

traversingthe bridge an

adventure not for the faint-

hearted. Completingthe slightly

surreal tableau, the water of thelake has been coloured an intense

measure of bovine aesthetic

appreciation.)

From a background of

jewellery design and fine art, de

Goey has successfullyorchestrated a dramatic change

1Part of the bridge beingdelivered byhelicopter. It wasprefabricated intwo sectionsand assembled on site.2Linked cubesform a striking,angular geometry.3De Goey’sexperience of jewellery

design wasthe basisfor thetransition to a larger scale.4Angular walkway issupport ed by thecuboid skeleton.

BRIDGE, AUCKLAND,

NEW ZEALAND

ARCHITECT

MARIJKEDE GOEY

Bridging disciplinesComprising a skeletal cuboid steel structure

supporting a walkway, this bridge resembles

a piece of jewellery in the landscape.

of scale. Personal

the weldingof the

means of assemb

paintingprocess w

care she would ex

own workshop, h

bridge resembles

adorningthe land

same way that jew

and enhances the

A

different typesof welded junctions1

2

3 4


SOLAR BUILDING

HARTBERG, AUSA RCHITECT

K ONRAD FREY




46|1

The Ecopark on the edge of the

small town of Hartbergin Styria

was set up as ademonstration of

ecological design and

construction. Built on the site of a

former clay pit, it was intended to

be self-sufficient, and to heal the

bruisingof the land without

depositingdebris elsewhere. The

buildings – exhibition and

production sites as in anormal

industrial estate – were to be as

unpollutingand sparingof energy

as possible, in terms of both

consumed and embodied energy.

At the north-east end, there is a

natural pond to absorb run-off

water while attractingand

nurturingwildlife. On an adjacent

site Konrad Frey, apioneer in

solar architecture in Austria since

the 1970s, was commissioned by

the park’s organizers for a

prototype production building. Its

task was to act first as an

exhibition pavilion and then as a

factory/warehouse for solar

equipment. Sited at the north end,

it lies to the west of the ecological

pond with ahigh protective bank

dividingit fromthe highway

behind. It is approached viaadrive

from the south which terminates

in its car park.

Frey accepted fromthe start

that the main task was to provide

economical general purpose

spaces, and he made two 700m2

linear buildingtracts 16mwide

and 7mhigh which can be used

separately or together. They have

contrastingcharacters according

to position: the northern one with

afully glazed end enjoyinga

dramatic view of the pond while

the southern has continuous low

glazingtowards the approach. A

second brief requirement asked

for offices, changingand

recreation rooms which have

been built within the east end of

the southern tract as atwo-storey

block. Above themon the roof is

the curved conference roomwith

its external terrace and longer

views, the one touch of real

extravagance in an otherwise low-

EXHIBITION ECO

An unpretentious prototype production building in a demonstration ecology park

involves ingenious technological and sustainable devices for conserving energy.

1

Buildingisin two linear tractswhich can be used separately ortogether.2South elevation: conference roomon roof ishungfrom exposedtrusses. Fabric shadesprotectfrom overheating.3Glazed east wall isshaded bybeingr ecessed one bay. Buildingcelebratesitseconomical andindustrial origins.

1


ecological terms, but used in

relatively small quantity.Interestingly, this is the one

element that the client has asked

Frey to change because it sends

the wrongsignals about the

park’s ecological aims. It is being

replaced by amore cosy-looking

and predictable fur coat of

coconut netting.

In the age of image and spin,

the look is often more important

than the reality, and in ecological

matters people want to placate

their consciences while

continuingwith their recklessly

consumptive lifestyles. So it is

difficult to see, in the often

cost project, and full of interesting

details. Various sun-shadingdevices are applied to the

different faces of the buildings in

response to the calculated

exposure. The south facade, for

example, has Frey-designed

stretched fabric screens over the

windows, but it also serves as a

testingground for a

demonstration of solar collectors

and solar control devices. Since

these products change, it retains a

deliberately experimental and

provisional look.

At first sight this project might

seembanal with its boxy forms

and standardized elements, for it

buildings is completely lacking.

Instead the simple foundationssupport minimal concrete columns

at 5mintervals, and these do not

reach the roof. Instead they

support timber-framed facade

panels skinned in particle board,

which formacontinuous edge to

bear the roof. Frey reveals this

structural systemon the north

side where it breaks for windows,

for he shows T-shaped glazingwith

visible trusses in place of the

missingpanels. The all-timber roof

deck spanningthe 16mbuilding

width follows the stressed-skin

principle. Plywood box sections

600mmdeep containingtheir own

thin soil layer to encourage plants,

meet at acentral gutter. Liningtheceilingis a layer of wood-wool

which acts as acoustic absorbent.

Unbroken by the usual beams, its

surface allows heatingand artificial

lightingelements to be freely

placed. To show the free-

spanningnature of the roof

structure at its open end, the

glazed east wall – set back abay

for solar protection – has only

the minimal steel supports

required for wind load. The

insulated double glazingis divided

in three horizontal layers, and

since the vertical glazingjoints

were not structural and only

Another structural curiosity is

the support for the conferenceroomon the roof. This

penthouse element would have

caused too much deflection in the

stressed skin structure, so it is

suspended from exposed trusses

above, which transmit its loads

back to the columns. The

structural network so provided

also turned into aconvenient

bearer for astretched canvas

awningfor the terrace.

Conventionally skinned in metal,

the penthouse roof drains to a

gutter on the north side.

The longside walls are clad in

timber slats, which give




chaotic display of ecological

projects, just what will really

count and what is mere window

dressing. The solar collectors onthe front of Frey’s building, for

example, have become an

obvious symbol of ecological

concern, almost acliché. But the

various sun-shadingdevices and

the setback of the large east

window are both more cheaply

achieved and passively effective.

These are the kinds of measures

architects should surely now be

adoptingas amatter of course.

Potentially Frey’s most important

innovation, though, is the timber-

based wide-span roof structure.

If this were applied to every such

shed in every industrial and

commercial estate in Europe, an

enormous energy savingwould

be effected.

PETER BLUNDELL JO NES

Architect

KonradFrey, Graz

Photographs

Angelo Kaunat

48|1

accepts the realities of industrial

estates and of serial production,

but the closer you look the more

unusual it seems. The energy-richsteel frame expected in such

thick insulation layer were

prefabricated then hoisted into

place, restingon the side panels.

The slightly slopingroof surfaces,topped with amembrane and a

limited by delivery sizes, Frey

could play with the rhythm, taking

his cue fromthe thematically

appropriate ’50s hit song‘Osole mio’.

mechanical protection to the

insulation layer beneath while

allowingit to breathe. For the

end walls, Frey used PVC sheet, acontroversial material in

SOLAR BUILDING, ECOPARK ,

HARTBERG, AUSTRIA

ARCHITECT

K ONRAD FREY

crosssection through conference room, officesand north tract ground floor plan (scale 1:750) first floor plan

4,5Simple mass-producedcomponentsare used to reduceembodied energy.6,7

Conference room on roof supported by exposed trussesover terrace that also carryshadingfabrics.

4 5 7

6


The addition, by Simon Conder

Associates, of a crystalline boxto one side of a large nineteenth-

century house in Canonbury,

north London, transforms the

ground floor confines of the old

buildingand creates a new

garden room.

The client owns the two lower

floors of the house which faces

south onto a tree-lined street.

To the west of it there is a free-

standingdouble garage. Between

house and garage there was a

gate and narrow path which led

into a rough yard, renderedsunless by a tall hedge and large

sycamore t ree. Beyond the yard

was a large mature garden,

effectively screened fromthe

street. There was little

connection between the interior

of the house and the grounds,

for the main livingroom is one

level up and at the front, street-

side, of the building.

Since the client spends much

of his time in the garden,

particularly in summer, he asked

SCA to design an extensiongivingdirectly onto the garden.

In addition, he wanted a new

utility roomand entrance hall

linkingthe new roomto the

existingbuilding. The yard,

which was next to the kitchen,

was the obvious site. Its

position, next to the kitchen,

suggested easy links between a

garden room, house and street,

and buildingon it would leave

the garden unscathed.

1Passage from street mediated by

EXTENSION, CANONB

SIMON CONDE

ar ho




82|3

seriesof iroko screens.2Garden pavilion at night; mainhouse to left and garage to right.

Garden partiA garden pavilion uses High-Tech vocabulary to create a transparent garden

room, mediating between leafy exterior and nineteenth-century house. 2

1


SCA’s roomis a sheer glass box,

3.6mwide x 7.2mlong, and 3.0m

high, built on a concrete slab

underneath the sycamore.

Initially, the architects wanted to

glaze the roof, then they realized

that in summer the tree would

deposit an unsightly sticky glue

on the surface. Instead, the roof

is a composite steel and timber

deck with a steel edge beam,

supported on six 100 x 100mm

steel columns. Flat and solid, and

finished with concrete paving

slabs, the roof adds a new

terrace to the upper level of the

house. Full-height, double-

glazed sheets brace the

structure andbarelydivide

Passage fromthe street,

mediated by a series of three

iroko screens, has been

elegantly contrived to reveal the

new buildingand garden by

degrees. Fromthe street, all you

see of the new buildingas you

approach is the first screen. It

pivots to let you into a raised

(iroko) deck that runs, striped

with light, below a pergola to the

front door.

This is a replica of the first

screen and leads to a low hallway

with the new utility room on the

left. Beyond, is the third screen

which swings open to reveal the

secret garden, seen through the

transparentwallsofthenew




84|3

structure and barely divide

interior fromexterior.

transparent walls of the new

garden room.


axonometric

EXTENSION, CANONBURY , LONDON

A RCHITECT

SIMON CONDER ASSOCIATES

3Through full-height pivotingdoorto garden; full-height double-glazed wallsbrace the structure.4From pavilion north-east togarden; furniture, austere andrefined, by the practice.5From garden to pavilion; garageon right.

Transparency and luminance

were keynotes of the room’s

design. Glass walls are frameless

(as are the iroko doors and

ventilation panels), with the

usual stops and seals being

incorporated into the end of

double-glazingunits to reduce

sightlines to a minimum. Cool

north light is r eflected off

limestone flags pavingthe floor

and off-white plastered walls and

ceiling. PENNYMCGUIRE

Architect

SimonConder Associates, London

Structural engineerDewhurst Macfarlane

Contractor

Deefor QualityRefurbishments

Photographs

Chris Gascoigne/VIEW

3

4

5

1 entrance

2 hall

3 utility

4 gardenroom

5 garden

6 ki tchen

7 garage


TheRegionalHospital ofGraz marksan theold Heavoidedattachingtheextension ownentrancebehind Thiscourtisthenew

EAR,NOSEAND THROATUNIT,

GRAZ REGIONAL HOSPITAL, AUSTRIA

A RCHITECT

ERNST GISELBRECHT




44|3

The Regional Hospital of Graz marks animportant moment in Austrian social andarchitectural history. Built on a low plateau to

the north of Graz between 1903 and 1912, ithad an unprecedented 1940 beds and wasorganized by anew body, the Regional BuildingAuthority. Ar chitecturally it consisted of aseries of four storey pavilions, Classical inspirit and designed by pupils of Otto W agner.One of these pavilions had become occupiedby Graz’s internationally renowned Ear, Noseand Throat Unit, which struggled to maintainits high standards in the antiquated buildings,so acompetition was held to renovate andextend the Wagnerschule pavilion. It was wonby Ernst Giselbrecht.

The old building’s Classical front stands onthe crest of asteep slope, visible fromacrossthe valley and complete in its elegantsymmetry. Obviously the extension wouldhave to be put behind. There was also theproblemthat the old buildingwas listed, yet itrequired repairs in its original craft technology

and avoidance of major alterations. Giselbrechttherefore sought to place highly servicedtreatment rooms and operatingtheatres in thenew block, while leavingwards, offices andlecture theatres – it is ateachinghospital – in

the old. He avoided attachingthe extensiondirectly, and consequent violence to the oldbuilding’s back: instead he left agap between

the two, with glazed passages as connectinglinks. He did however need to add fire-stairs atthe corners of the old buildingand he had toextend parts of the third floor facade. Theseadditions were made in amodern vocabularyfollowingthe Wagnerian geometry.

The cliff in front of the old main facadealways made a lateral approach necessary, andthe centre of the whole hospital complex liesto the west, so it made sense to create newentrances facingthat direction, while makingseparate provision for emergency arrivals byambulance to the east. Wisely, Giselbrechtmade no attempt to continue the symmetry of the Wagnerian conception, though he didrespect the central axis of the old buildingbyretainingit as main public link leadingto theoriginal main stair. A second link further east atground and first floor levels has become themain route for doctors and nurses enteringthe

new wing. The main entrance for the wholedepartment is now in the gap between the twobuildings, and while the public turn left into thenew or right into the old, doctors continuestraight on across asmall open court to their

own entrance behind. This court is the newheart and an important visual reference pointwhile movingabout the building, decorated

with ageometric artwork in polished stone bythe Czech sculptor Vaclav Fiala.

In section, the new block consists of threelayers: aday-patient clinic and emergencyservice on the ground floor, three operatingtheatres and associated facilities on the first,and aservice floor above. To the back andnorth-east, the twin bed-sized lifts make aservice tower, bringingthe new buildingto acomplete stop while, at the entrance end, itremains open and ambiguous, with a projectingwing-like shade to the second floor roof terrace that signifies openness and welcome.

The south-west side also has afully glazedground floor set back behind pilotis, indicatingthe location of the most public interface: theday-patient clinic. The glass walls allow viewsout fromthe waitingarea, and there is even acovered terrace for sittingout. Linked visuallyat high level by clerestoreys, consultingrooms

are contained by ashiny red partition includingred doors, a strikinggesture in an otherwisewhite and neutral building. Although red mightmean fire or danger, and these are roomswhere grimdiscoveries might be made, it does

CLINICAL PRECISIONAn extension of a distinguished ear, nose and throat

hospital department is both efficient and lyrical.

long section ( east-west) thr ough new wo rk cr oss sectio n ( nor th-south) thr ough new and old buildings

1Wing-like shade pterrace. Here, firsopen. Day-patient behind glasswall.


EAR,NOSEAND THROA

GRAZ REGIONAL HOSP

A RCHITECT

ERNST GISELBRECHT

first floor detail of movinglouvres




46|3

1 mainentrance

2 day-patientswaiting

3 co urt

4 ambulanceentrance

5 audiology

6 speechtherapy

7 teaching

8 research

9 operatingtheatres

10 sterilization

11 standardwards

12 privatewards

13 staff

2Day-patient waitingarea is linkedto generousground floor terrace.Behind isold buildingwith newglassvertical circulation tower.3Automated perforated louvresprevent overheatingby sun.4Main entrance mediatingbetweenold and new.

ground floor of both old and new buildings(scale approx 1:750)

site plan 3 4

2

A new partB existingpavilion

C children’ssurgery

D helicopter landing


EAR,NOSEAND THROATUNIT,

GRAZ REGIONAL HOSPITAL, AUSTRIA

A RCHITECT

ERNST GISELBRECHT

5 6




48|3

seemappropriate to cheer themup in this way:all white, the whole thingwould have seemed

too antiseptic. Trained as amechanical engineer,Giselbrecht is astickler for detail and received agenerous enough budget to use expensivematerials – polished stone in the washrooms,for example. Every cor ner seems nicely made,every fittingwell-integrated. Frameless glassand stove-enamelled panels make for slickelevations, and solar control is provided by anew variation on one of Giselbrecht’s favouritethemes: horizontal metal louvres, this timeperforated for reduced light when closed.*

The high level of specialist servicingis notmade too obvious, and there is seamlesscontinuitybetween the technologyof thearchitecture and that of the medical equipment –all speaks of scientific efficiency. One of thetechnical advances most prized bythe doctorsand not immediatelyobvious in the architectureis the provision of electronic networks to allow

operations and investigations to be filmed andrecorded, for work up the nose and down thethroat is only just visible to the surgeon, let aloneto surroundingcolleagues or students. Miniature

TV cameras now allow all to be seen in detail,

and operations are routinelyrecorded on videotape for teachingpurposes and in case of future

complications. Equally, awhole lecture theatre of students can see on large screen and hear anoperation take place without crossingthethreshold of sterilityor riskinggettingin the way.

One slightly amusingdetail is an obsessiveprovision of clocks, for in public life generally,they have disappeared in favour of personalwatches, whose private time is now generallyconsidered universal enough. But havinghospital time displayed on every floor leavesroomfor no ambiguity: it spells teamwork andcontrol in no uncertain terms. The architecttold me that a leadingconsultant even objectedto havingadigital clock in the lecture room,askingfor it to be replaced by one with aface:no less accurate of course, just aspatialrepresentation, and one developed inaccordance with anow outmoded technology.

These things are symbols of the prevailingethos. Shown around by one of the younger

consultants, I gained a strong impression of their pride in their new buildingand theexpression it gives to the efficiency of theirorganization. For the manager of hospitalstoo, this was the best of the bunch. An

updated version of machine-made modern,the architectural language shows the

machine aesthetic fulfilled as it never couldbe in the 1920s. In a vulnerable and life-threateningsituation, one could feel gratefulfor such calmsurroundings, for the realityand rigour of technical control and the latestand best equipment. Surely this is better thanbeingpalmed off with a stage-set offering afourth-hand myth of domesticity.

PETER BLUNDELL JONES

Architect

Ernst Giselbrecht, GrazProject team (competition)

Peter MüllerProject architects

Kuno Kelih JohannesEisenbergerProject team

ReneT raby, AndreasGanzera, Peter Potoschnig,SandraG ruber, Andreas Moser, WolfgangÖhlinger,Peter Fürnschuss,Ernst Rainer,O tmar Brosch,AntonO itzingerGeneral planning

Ingenieurbüro ZT K EG, EmmerichFri edl, Hubert Rinderer

Project leaderHeinzRo flmannPhotographs

Paul Ott

* For earlier work seeA R January1994, O ctober 1995,

April 1996, April1997.

5Court with sculpture by VaclavFiala isnew heart of complex.6New lecture theatre in oldbuilding.7Consultingrooms are in red,bringinga cheery touch …8… to abuilding that might otherwisehave seemed overly clinical.9Lookingout through perforatedlouvreswhen they are closed.

7


A penitentiary is defined as a

place for punishment, for

reform, but most of all, a place

to inspire discipline. When Eric

Yolles (son of renowned

Canadian structural engineer

Morden Yolles) asked designer

Johnson Chou to ‘think

downtown Toronto, the 185 sq

mvolume was a conventional

strip with industrial windows at

one end. Exploring the notion of

surveillance implied by the

demands of a prison aesthetic,

Chou removed non-structural

walls and divided the resulting

turned the bathroominto a

stage set for self-conscious

performance.

Makingfurniture and fittings

an integral part of interior design

is an essential part of Chou’s

philosophy; it constitutes what

he calls the ‘narrative of

concrete lends aparticular glow

to the interior, one specific to

the materials themselves. Subtle

nuances and reflections in slate

and metal are revealed by

illumination, which playingoff

surfaces lends asculptural,

ephemeral quality to the bed and

Raw disciplineDesign of an apartment in a Toronto warehouse expresses the owner’s desire for a

disciplined existence, and the architect’s love of sensual austerity.

practical living. By designing

every aspect of this apartment,

fromthe arrangement of space

down to details, like a bedside

command module in sandblasted

glass (slidingopen to access light

switches, thermostat,

telephone), Chou has injected




80|3

penitentiary’, he was concerned

primarily with materials – that

his apartment would contain noembellishments or gratuitous

flourishes. Yolles may not have

realized it at the time, but by

specifyingpenitentiary he

opened more possibilities than

simply workingwith raw

materials (often a given in

contemporary loft design); he

invited Chou to discipline his

space – to create an

environment that would inspire

and order, define and clarify the

way he lives. Housed in a

converted warehouse in

volume with one large

sandblasted glass screen. Space

was layered by means of slidingpartitions at times inset with

sections of clear glass so that

one part of the apartment is

transformed while another is

glimpsed. The largest of these

partitions – a dramatic section

of stainless steel – separates

bedroomfromlivingroom; the

adjoining translucent glass panel

incorporates a strip of clear

glass which allows you to see

the sunken slate bath fromthe

livingareas. Experimentingwith

the act of viewing, Chou has

habitation’. In this flat, the

aluminium-clad bed is

cantilevered fromthe wall sothat it appears to hover in mid-

air. Aluminiumfloor-to-ceiling

storage cupboards span the

entire length of the bedroom,

holdingand hidingall of Yol les’

belongings.

Chou’s seamless design

demands order and an ascetic

way of living. He creates

simplicity, but also a serenity

that derives from harmonious

proportions and materials.

Though bare and elemental,

liberal use of aluminiumand

free-standingwashstand, their

austerity and refinement

recallingDonald Judd’s sculpture.Usingluminance as atheatrical

element, Chou has employed

halogen and fluorescent

luminaires in avariety of ways to

re-define space and create mood.

In two sculptural gestures,

recessed fluorescents cross the

ceiling, and luminaires

underneath low slate stairs

create asubtle glow, in softer

contrast to material severity.

In relinquishingcontrol of his

environment to Chou, Yolles has

received more than ordered,

APARTMENT , TO

CANADA

ARCHITECT

JOHNSON CHOU

plan (scale approx 1:150)

1Stainless-steel sheet bedroom and livingro2... slidesback so the tcan be made one. Refluorescentscrossth3Full-height cupboardaluminium panels; fudesigned by the prac4Panel inset with 250mclear glassto r eveal sbath from livingroom

hedonismto create a

penitentiary that is ultimately

close to theatre. CARLY BUTLER

Architect

JohnsonChou, Toronto

Project team

JohnsonChou, SteveChoe, Michael Lam

Metal fabricators

SeriousStainless

Tredegar Kennedy

Millwork

Highgate FineCabinetry,

LeeCustomMillwork

Glass

Proto-Glass

Interior construction

Chiltern Contracting

Photographs

Volker Seding

3 4

1

2





42|1

Duisburg was once the biggest

inland port in Europe. Its inner

harbour was carefully carved outof the banks of the Rhine and

lined with warehouses and mills.

Like all nineteenth-century

ports, Duisburghas collapsed

economically and its trade was

taken over by lorries and road

transport. Küppersmühle – the

last bigindustrial building–

closed in the ’90s, it was revived

by Herzog and de Meuron as an

art museum(AR June 1999). The

city has robustly decided to

transformits industrial heart to

become a complex interweave of

domestic, commercial and

leisure functions. A competition

was held for Emscher Park, a

derelict industrial area, which

was organized by InternationalesBauausstellung. Foster and

Partners won with a masterplan

that has been interpreted by that

practice and others.

In their housingscheme,

Ingenhoven Overdiek & Partner

decided to reinterpret the

morphology of the area between

the city centre and the harbour

basin. They have created roughly

parallel blocks flanked by

shallow canals that are actually

slightly above harbour level.

These take all rainwater from

the development, and are

planted with reeds that help

purify the water as it gently

flows down towards the great

river.Despite their very regular

elevations, the blocks contain a

wide variety of accommodation,

rangingfrom studio units to

three-bedroomfamily flats. All

face east-west with deep loggias

on their west sides and small

balconies on the east.

Construction is of finely finished

precast concrete panels, with

the recessed top storeys having

steel structure and cedar

cladding. Internal partitions have

been varied, allowing, for

instance, kitchens to open off

livingareas, or to be separate

1

Large court separatesterraces,which face shallow canalson eachside of project.2Carefully and reticently made in thenorthern European watersidetradition.

HOME AND DRY A mix of uses is replacing the industrial area round

the river port of Duisburg. This housing development is

inspired by the waterside cities of northern Europe.

HOUSING, DUISBURG, GERMANY

ARCHITECT

INGENHOVEN, OVERDIEK

& PARTNER

1


spaces. The architects wanted to

make the rooms ‘neutral’ so that

they can be used for many

different purposes.

This sounds like a recipe for

anomie. In fact, it is not. The

parti locks into the existingcity

with a small square to the south

and a generous well-planted

inner court. The canals are a real

gain for the whole city, with

their tree-lined pedestrian paths

leadingdown to the river. So on

both sides, the flats look out

over trees and each dwelling has

a view of the canals. Cars are

carefully controlled: under each

block is an underground garage,

which in section raises the

entrancelevelametreabove

Vertical circulation stacks divide

the terraces. They serve two

flats on each floor with glass lifts

and really excellently made stairs

that have cast stone treads

cantilevered from central

stringers.

Each heavy, well insulated

front door has a welcoming

wooden seat in the internal

porch. Joinery is immaculate and

the concrete is either acid-

etched or polished.

It is this fineness, the quality

of obvious decency that makes

the scheme a quiet,

undemonstrative example of

how a city can re-embrace its

waterside nature, and evoke the

elegantaquaticnorthern

location plan




entrance level a metre above

path level, so the lowest floor

has privacy, and the garages areventilated.

elegant aquatic northern

European urban tradition that

inspires us all from Amsterdamto Stockholm.

3Large loggiasface west.4Stairsserve only two flatson eachfloor, which …5… have well insulated and very wellmade front doors.6Loggia side, waiting for planting.

44|1 medium mid-terrace flat (scale approx 1:200)

large mid-terrace flat

small top floor flatmaisonette (end of terrace)

large top floor flat

3

4 5 6

Architect

IngenhovenOverdiek & Partner,

Düsseldorf

Project team

ChristophI ngenhoven, Rudolf Jones,

Barbara Bruder, Frank Reineke,

Richard Galinski, Axel Möller

Photographs

H. G. Esch, Hennef


The Benslow Music Trust,

established in the late 1920s in

the grounds of a late nineteenth-century house in Hitchin,

Hertfordshire, runs residential

courses for musicians. Until the

addition of Patel Taylor’s

beautifully resolved and crafted

courtyard scheme (won in

competition and built with

Lottery money), accommodation

was contained in an old stable

block, and performances took

place in a recital hall built in the

1970s. Victorian gardens

spreadingover the top of a hill

are romantic, and musicians

were – and are – encouraged

to use them.

Patel Taylor’s site is to the north

of the main house and stable block.

To the east is an orchard, and tothe west, the main entrance to the

grounds. A car park runs around

the north side of the site and its

southern perimeter is formed by

the back wall of the stables.

Patel Taylor’s architecture,

quiet, controlled, and infused with

material poetry, deploys quite a

complex vocabulary of layering,

interlockingplanes, and changing

textures. By such means are

relationships between interior and

exterior, between exterior and

the wider context subtly indicated

and routes defined. One of the

most beguilingaspects of this

practice’s work is the way order is

quietly subverted by random

expression and pattern. The plan of the Hitchin scheme

gives an indication of how

intricately it has been put

together. The two-storeyed

courtyard complex, that provides

arehearsal hall, four practice

rooms, six bedrooms and kitchen,

fits into the loose arrangement of

outdoor rooms – formal stable

yard, informal garden enclosures

and orchard – that already existed.

Lined by aglazed cloister, the new

courtyard becomes, on summer

days, adelightful place in which to

rehearse. On the east, an old

brick tower (divested of alean-to

MUSIC BUILDING,

HITCHIN, ENGLAND

A RCHITECT

PATEL TAYLOR ARCHITECTS




70|5

HARMONIC SCALEIn Hertfordshire, an extension of a music school is sensitive to its Victorian

context while providing a tranquil and spiritually inspiring setting.

1Exterior of recital hall andentrance to courtyard.2Glazed north-east corner.3Door to foyer.4Cloistered courtyard with practiceroomsand bedrooms above; black brick and white render exterior of hall carried inside. Stelae in poolby Christine Fox.

1 2


acoustic panelling

south courtyard elevation

MUSIC BUILD

HITCHIN, EN

A RCHITECT

PATEL TAYL

5From cloister torecital hall.6Recital hall withscreening and stGallery top left.

5




landscapingand lavender tower

brick outer crust

render lining

72|5 site plan ground floor plan (scale approx 1:350)

first floor plan

1 existingbuilding

2 courtyard

3 glazedcloister

4 entrance

5 recitalhall

6 foyer

7 plant

8 wc

9 practiceroom

10 void

11 gallery

12 kitchen

13 bedroom

14 canopy

15 glazedcanopy


and once used for drying

lavender), marks passage to the

orchard, and a glazed canopy

lightly covering a link to the stable

yard flies into the courtyard at

cloister level.

Like a hard shell with a smooth

luminous centre, the complex has

coherence derives from uniformly

designed oak framing around

windows and ventilators. Glazing

dissolves the eastern corner, so

that the interiors of a ground floor

practice room and the bedroom

above flow into the garden.

The curving mass of the recital

and bedrooms and is, with the

courtyard, one of two incidental

spaces for practice.

As in previous schemes by Pate

Taylor, detailing is constantly

intriguing (AR August 1999).

Materials – York stone, black

brick, white render, wooden




a protective outer skin of textured

red brickwork and precast banding

which, giving way to softer white

render inside the courtyard,

alludes to the brick and stone

dressings of the main house and to

the rough warmth of a garden wall,

now demolished.

Since accommodation is diverse

– extending from small rooms

(some enlarged for disabledpeople) to the big volume of the

recital hall – the architects felt it

necessary to impose order in the

form of a building grid. Externally,

it is realized in the standardized

brick panels that form the crust,

but any hint of dullness is avoided

by recessing some to create a

textured surface, and by the

apparently random pattern of openings that indicate different

volumes inside. Another layer of

hall, bursting away from the

orthogonal on the west, denotes

its status as a public hall and signals

entrance to the courtyard.

Surmounted by a copper cone, the

interior is illuminated by a

rooflight around the cone’s edge,

so that daylight spills down the

walls of the asymmetrical volume,

the bulge neatly embracing a grand

piano or chamber orchestra. Foracoustic reasons, the chamber is

lined by free-form wooden

screening, and the ceiling rises in

random steps. Both devices diffuse

sound, but the visual effect is to

lend a sculptural dimension to the

space. Overlooking it is a first

floor gallery with wooden coping

slanted to take sheets of music.

An intervening knuckle – acurving foyer inside a circular

staircase – links the hall to studios

screening – spilling from one area

to another establish continuity;

and oak floors have pleasing

textures and patterns, consisting

as they do of random strips

between regular ones concealing

services. Outside in the courtyard

a handsome slab of wood

supported by a waterspout forms

a bench over one of the two

rectangular pools; and you areprevented from having accidents

by quotes about music inscribed in

white across glass doors. P.M

Architect

Patel Taylor Architects, London

Project team

Pankaj Patel, Andrew Taylor, Adam Penton,

Tim Riley, Paul Allen

Structural engineer

Alan Conisbee & Associates

Services engineerArup Cardiff

Photographs

Martin Charles

MUSIC BUILDING,

HITCHIN, ENGLAND

A RCHITECT

PATEL TAYLORARCHITECTS

Quite the most dramatic part of

the University of New South

Wales at Kensington, Sydney is theScientia, which houses the

institution’s main ceremonial and

social spaces and forms aformal

focus for arather ragged campus

largely inhabited by utilitarian

buildings. But the place has amall

that has largely been respected by

successive generations of

architects.

Scientiais on the mall in the

middle of the university, at apoint

where there is achange in level in

the site, which falls here fromeast

to west. It focuses on adramatic

timber and glass portico which acts

as foyer to the public spaces on

each side. At first, the whole design

The performance spaces are

inside the blank plinths, which are

faced in sandstone as areminiscence of the bank into

which the Scientiais built. Stone

courses are carefully differentiated

into strataby thin strings of precast

concrete that become closer

together as the plinth rises until

they formthe balustrades of the

terraces that surround the two big

aluminiumclad boxes that contain

the ceremonial rooms.

Over the north side of the plinth

is the Leighton Hall, adramatic

double-height galleried space in

which afolded roof (àlaFestival of

Britain) is supported on slender

laminated Oregon pine columns

that have profound entasis

EXHIBITION AND

PERFORMANCEBUILDING ,

UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH

WALES, AUSTRALIA

A RCHITECT

MGT ARCHITECTS




44|5

seems very simple: bigplinth with

metal boxes on top penetrated byportico, abold, monumental,

almost classical composition

needed to bringorder to the

campus. In fact, the buildingis

extremely carefully tailored to its

location and the handlingof spaces

and levels is remarkably thoughtful.

One of the main problems of the

site was the proximity of the Civil

Engineeringdepartment to the

east, aremarkably uncivil ’60s

complex that comes almost to the

top of the bank, and is made the

more unwelcomingby abrick

tower almost aggressive in its

dullness. To the west of the slope

is Electrical Engineering, so the

fallingsite was uncomfortably

narrow. On it had to be placed the

main ceremonial hall of theuniversity, the main performance

spaces and amajor function room.

followingthe bendingstresses

between stainless-steel pin joints attop and bottom. Bright reds and

yellows are offset by calmbeech

and silky oak panels; the bigvolume

is bathed in light fromclerestories.

Across the mall, on top of the

other plinth, is the Tyree function

room, similar in many ways, but

only one storey high, over the (as

yet unused – and unnamed) steeply

raked main music space. Across

the mall, under Leighton Hall is the

much less steep Ritchie theatre.

It is not too difficult to arrange

such bigspaces above each other in

adignified way. The really clever

parts of the parti are concerned

with relatingthemingeniously. The

slopes of the volumes inside the

plinth run at r ight angles to the

natural fall of the site. This allowsthe spaces to be reached from

bridges over the mall between the

WINGED PRESENCEOne of the most important things in an

educational institution is to engender a sense of

place: an area of the mind we can relate to for

the rest of our lives. Here is a powerful focus.

1Movingto the Acropolisfrom themall ...2

... and arrivingat the new academicsquare.3A combination of nautical andbotanical metaphors. Main civil spacehoversover stepsup from mall.

1

2


two parts of the plinth. The main

bridge is about the height of the

new academic square that has beenmade at the upper level of the site.

Approachingdown the mall

fromthe west, you see the

splendidly dramatic glass roof of

the Scientia, supported on mast-

or-tree like columns beautifully

made of turned and laminated

jarrah. Sunlight is modified by metal

louvres, and the whole floats

delicately over the central gulch.

Climbingthe formal stairs under

the bridge, you come to the new

square, and the alley of poplars that

will, when grown, partly mask the

un-Civils building, and emphasize

the mall and its relationship to the

new square.

Atthi l l i f th

EXHIBITION AND

PERFORMANCEBUILDING ,

UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH

WALES, AUSTRALIA

A RCHITECT

MGT ARCHITECTS

4




west-east section through stairsin mall

4Leighton Hall, main academic spaceof the whole university.5Laminated and turned jarrah is, withstainlesssteel, main structuralelement of the great glassportico.

46|5

At this level, comingfromthe

west, you have to turn round to

enter the Leighton, which can

throw itself open on suitable days

through an array of doors. Getting

to the southern part of the

complex at this level is more

complicated, because the Civils

buildingprevented direct access,

so there is aspecial entrance in a

return of the plinth that leads

through aglass wall to the

approach to the main bridge. The

bridge platformthen becomes a

major element in the interaction of

the plan. Another bank of doors to

the south side of the Leighton

opens onto the platformwhich

suddenly becomes aproper

volume, enclosed by glass roof and

walls and faces the bar and the (as

yet unused) entrances to theconcert hall. Above, in the glass

box, is the riggingof the university

flagship (or the branches of the

Grove of Academe). On one side is

the calmsquare and poplar grove,

on the other is the busy mall over

which you hover. It is atruly

memorable, democratic and

generous academic space and

deserves its rôle as the centre of

the university.

GEMMA HENRIKSON

Architect

MGT Architects,Sydney

Project team

RichardFrancis-Jones,J effMor ehan,Romaldo

Giurgola,A ngelo Korsanos,C onradJ ohnston,

RhiannonMorgan,Richard Thorp,JasonTrisley,

DouglasBrooks, NinotschkaT itchkosky

Structural andcivil consultant

Taylor Thomson&Whitting

Landscapearchitect

Context LandscapingDesign

Photographs

JohnGollings

upper, Tyree, level

level of Leighton Hall (scale approx 1:800)

principlesof natural ventilation

1 LeightonHall

2 TyreeRoom

3 m al l

4 bridgeover mall

5 musicauditorium

6 new square

7 poplar grove

north-south section [email protected] 137 -

LIBRARY , ARISTOT

OFTHESSAL

ANASTASSIOSK

MORPHO P

IRENA

interior de[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-2005)



80|5

The main campus of the Aristotle

University of Thessalonicawas

started in the 1950s and, like

many of its contemporaries, it is

an ordered structure of cleanly

designed concrete buildingspermeated by large amounts of

greenery. On the whole, it has

stood up well, and (with some

exceptions) additions have

conformed to the intentions of

the master plan. But the

university continues to grow,

and it is runningout of sites.

So when the library needed to

expand, it was decided to put

the extension underground. The

approach is part of an overall

university strategy, by which

new work will largely be

underground in a series of

fragments intended to restore

the essentially urban characterof the campus. The new part of

the library i s apparently entirely

separate from the original 1960

building by Papaioannou & Fines

which stands alone like a

pavilion in a park. The landscape

sweeps round to the north-east

of the old building, over the roof

of the new bit. New and old are

separated by a sort of gulch in

which the severe facade of the

Papaioannou & Fines buildingis

faced with an almost Aaltoesque

brick wall, rough faced and

sensuous as a metaphor of the

earth from which it is excavated.

The gulch is in fact areinforcement of the pedestrian

axis across the campus, a route

that connects university to city.

A path breaks through the brick

wall, almost at right angles to

the axis. A triangular glass sail

hovers over it , drawingyou on

into a béton brut drum, open to

the sky. Down into the drum

curves a stair that delivers you

to the entrance level of the

Underground thoughtsThe University of Thessalonica has dug in to create an underground library that gives

the comfort of the cave, while being a powerful academic machine.

1The sinuousgulch, of which thecurvingbrick wall …2… emergesinside. Bridge at highlevel (behind the louvredwindows) delivers people toentrance drum.

1


LIBRARY , ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY

OFTHESSALONICA, GREECE

ARCHITECT

ANASTASSIOSK OTSIOPOULOS,

MORPHO PAPANIKOLAOU,

IRENA SAKELLARIDOU

south-west/north-east section north-west/south-east section through drum




82|5

library extension. In a sort of

Alice in Wonderland

progression, you go through a

constricted tunnel-like entry

lobby to come out facingthe

reception desk. Gradually, it

becomes clear that on each side

of the compressed entrance

sequence is a majestic space, lit

from the top and panelled in

wood.

This is the double-height

readingroom, the focus and

raison d’être of the place. It is at

once intimate and grand, with

the concrete of the drumand its

battered buttresses contrasting

with the warmpanelling, almostas if a huge and delicate study

has been built round the very

well preserved remains of a

mysterious Hadrianic ruin.

Luminance pours in fromvaried

sources. The biggest is the

nether part of the triangular

glass sail that greeted you at the

entrance. Daylight is always

supplemented by artificial

sources.

The wood walls of the great

study are cut back to make small

individual study spaces lined

with open access shelving.

Detailingis simple, and the

finished result would have been

elegant and fine, were it not for

the clumsiness created by the

contracts used in Greek public

works, which give contractorsfar too much power over

finished buildings. It will be used

largely by graduate students, so

its separation fro

library, though co

perhaps justified.

are linked by a lo

containingclosed

But the force o

remains. The grea

inspiringinventio

appropriate for st

multi-layered idea

through into eve

building(as far as

has allowed).P.D

Architects

AnastassiosKotsiopoulo

Papanikolaou, Irena Sak

Collaborator

AlexandraEconomidou

Landscape Designers

I. Tsalikidis, O. Kosmid

Photographs

C. Louizidis

3

Main readingroom is doubleheight, crossed by access bridge.4A Hadrianic ruin (the drum,right) issurrounded by agenerousand welcomingstudy.

site plan upper level

lower (reading) level (scale approx 1:820)3

4


Royal Academy Forum




Is the city a work of art, as distinguished urban historian DonaldOlsen suggested? Jacob Burckhardt, who more or less invented thediscipline of cultural history in the nineteenth century, wouldcertainly have had no doubt. In his Civil isati on of the Renaissance in Italy he described how even a state might become a work of art,though by art he meant something slightly different to theinterpretation which has become common at the beginning of the

twenty-first century. T o Burckhardt, art described the product of artifice, and one of the great developments of the Renaissance wasthat every part of the state was subject to conscious thought anddecision. Cities clearly follow a Burckhardtian definition of worksof art, but are they or can they be considered as works of art in thecontemporary sense? If so, when London has never been morevital as a centre of contemporary art and when artistic activity ismaking a significant contribution even to regeneration of areas likeHoxton, why is there so little contemporary sculpture in the publicrealm? Art has retreated into museums – ‘not very different from

hospitals’, as Antony Gormley put it, ‘where things are lookedafter’ – leaving unchallenged the plethora of Victorian bronzes ontheir plinths as the dominant image of public statuary.

With this paradox the art critic Richard Cork opened the first of

consciously engages with the public realm. In the second evenchaired by artist David Ward, architects Eric Parry, Ian Ritchiand Kathryn Findlay outlined their perceptions of and thsensibilities they bring to the urban realm, followed by a responsfrom the Royal Academy’s professor of sculpture, David Mach.

What emerged from the presentations and contributions fromthe floor, notably from sculptor Bill Woodrow and th

Academy’s Exhibitions Secretary Norman Rosenthal, was not smuch a clear distinction between architecture and sculpture as plurality of opinions with some analogies to readings of thmodernist city. O ne of the hallmarks of the modern city is itfragmentation, and if architects’ initial response to modernitwas to try to assert their control by seeking to unify the entirurban environment, more recently they have begun to realizthat much remains immune to their influence. No single solutioor approach will work; rather there is a need for a pattern ostrategic alliances which evolves according to contingen

circumstances. Civilization’s internal disequilibrium, Ian Ritchicited, with reference to Stanley Diamond, is what ‘propels thsystem forward and gives us progress’. So if architecture as discipline has its limitations, it follows that other disciplines, b

The objectAntony Gormley’s ascribing of great power to sculptural objectscontrasted with K athryn Findlay’s preference for describingUshida F indlay’s buildi ngs, often described by critics assculptural, as processes. For Gormley ‘sculpture has always triedto link an imaginative object with a physical place and do it in anabsolute way’. J apanese citi es, Findlay suggested, where the‘distinction between landmark and ephemera is blurred’,dissipate the power of objects into a myriad of tiny elements andexperiences. Somewhere between these poles sat Eric Parry.Havi ng suggested from the floor at the fir st event that

bowelsof the city, penetrating the skin which so precariously holdsthe innards within’. For Barlow it demonstrates ‘the power of sculptural objects, incomplete, unresolved physical experience, butwhere all sensesare aroused’.

In commenting that ‘architects don’t think li ke sculptors, wedon’t see form and don’t touch materials in the same way’, I anRitchie may have made an obvious point, but the precise nature of these differences is important. Sculptors would probably not findsignificance in his monument in Dublin having ‘no detail, so therainwater can run straight down’, as his architectural sensibili ties,honed on the practicalitiesof waterproofing make it to him But

hopes’. The Angel of the North is ‘not simply a guardian angel’,but ‘crucified by the wings it bears, [it] speaksof transition’, whilethe pieces within the walls of Derry in N orthern Ir eland ‘drawenergiesto itself, possibly becoming the focusof reconciliation’.

SpaceSculpture could not have the power Gormley assigns to it withoutits position within the community, precisely within public space. The superficial distinction, that architects necessarily have todeal with the urban context while sculptors can choose to avoidit conceals much more complicated variations David M ach has

Gormley both suggested, in different ways, that urbalatent characteristics with which sculpture and architengage. For Parry these might lie in mnemonic tracesin the annually re-enacted Easter Parade in the SicEnna, and can be crystallized in spaces such as the which stud Bombay’s urban fabric. Parry finds ppavement and when ‘urban artefacts become pperformance … the idea of art in a city being mopermanent is defied by the amazing and imaginativcity’. H is monument and visitors’ centre near LoStation captures this sense At once specific and ev

Royal Academy Forum[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-2005)



2

Havi ng suggested from the floor at the fir st event that

architecture and sculpture come together in the ‘theatre of thecity, the way the city i s used’, hi s talk ‘Beyond the Object’explored the relationship between history, contemporary patternsof use, and objects as links or mnemonic stimuli. For Parry,objects may not have the absolute completeness which they havefor Gormley, but they are still necessary components in anexperience which Findlay, at least in the Japanese city, sees asentirely dissolved within the nebulous fabric.

Phyllida Barlow also proposed a fluctuating relationship betweenobject and city, but one depending on the position of the viewer.Seeing the ‘city as an object’ from vantage points like PrimroseHi ll and Walthamstow Marshes, ‘conceals its most object-li kequalities’. From within, the city acquires sounds and smells andassumes the character of a stage set, until this ‘choreography’collapses, ‘the skin erupts … innardsand the city itself seep out’ toreveal the anthropomorphized ‘object-like qualities’ of a humanbody. But sculpture has one more arrow in its quiver. A work likeWalter de Maria’s Vertical Earth Kilometre , ‘embedded in the earth’ssurface’, leaves its length to the imagination, piercing ‘into the

honed on the practicalitiesof waterproofing, make it to him. But

they might respond to his evocative descripti on of the monumentas ‘celestial acupuncture’, motivated by wanting to ‘get to those[wonderful Ir ish] skies and bring the light back to the ground’. This illustrates a connection for the imagination that Gormleywould recognize, although if the physical connection disappearedin the effect, it would be close to Findlay’s perception of thedissipation of object within process.

Gormley identified a distinction between sculptural andarchitectural objects. ‘Architecture’, he claimed, ‘does notnecessarily achieve art, but it can combine an understanding of human scale, the body, light and how it can penetrate form. Reallygreat architecture is about creating wellbeing, the best decorationa building can have’. Sculpture ‘actsasa witness, holding humanfeeling and thought and inscribes it within geological time’. Thegreat challenge ‘in a time of loss and deconstruction of grandnarrative’ when ‘notions of freedom and democracy can no longerbe embodied in one man’ – even if that man is Nelson Mandela, isto meet ‘the need for the totemic’. With its ‘primitive and atavisticqualities’, sculpture can ‘talk about the deepest fearsand profound

Social tensionsare visceral at the wallsof Derryin N orthern Ireland where AntonyGorml eymade thispiece, ‘talkingabout the deepest fearsand profoundest hopes’.

KasaharaAmenity Hall, bythe Kathryn FindlayLaboratorywith Tomoko Taguchi andTakakuni Yukawa, hasrational origin in the sun’smovements. Photo: KatsuhisaKida.

it, conceals much more complicated variations. David M ach has

even exhibited in the unlikely location of ‘the ashtray of aHi llman Imp’. H e finds galleries ‘clinical, remote and boring’ andtries to ‘work in very public spaces’, such as the interior of a trainin Amsterdam or inside a brothel – ‘cries of “Yes Yes Yes Yes”really concentrate the mind’. Gormley might also deridemuseums as art hospitals, but when Richard Cork asked PhyllidaBarlow directly whether she thought art needs ‘protection fromthe hurly-burly of the city’, she replied emphatically, ‘Y es’, citi ngas an example Hans Haake’sStandort Merry Go Round at the 1997Munster Sculpture Exhibition. And even architects do not agreeamong themselves as to the nature of desirable engagement. I anRitchie admitted to having great difficulty in designing projectssuch as speculative office blocks which do not have an explicitend-user. But Eric Parry argued that as ‘80 per cent of the city istaken up with workplaces’, architects should address them ontheir own terms, just as George Dance designed Gower Streetwhere ‘everyone lives differently behind similar facades’.

Again these initi al positions resolve into a complex and shiftinginteraction of views about the nature of urban space. Parry and

Station captures this sense. At once specific and ev

function as an information centre which might heenvisage an almost vanished past, the inclinedmonument lacksan obvious programmatic function bupart of skateboarding lore.

For Bi ll Woodrow, commenting on hispiece on thein T rafalgar Square, it wasthe form of the space itsethe patterns of use, which bore on the possible objecbronze evoked another layer of context. The mnumerous nearby Vi ctorian heroes, it carriesan indeburden irrespective of any form it might take.

Parry singled out Gormley’s Fathers and Sons as a‘challenges the everyday in underground space’,Gormley’ssuggestion that one role of art is ‘to confron… perhaps … to infiltrate rather than to confirm pIron: man in Birmingham and the piece within thedemonstrate the strategy of infiltrating physical spaceobjects, in ways that change the perceptions and sowhich created and are reinforced by those spaces. Ir onto his kneesin the ground, but hasa dialogue with Q

Left: without prop of aplinth, AntonyGormley’spiece Iron: man sinksup to hiskneesin front of Birmingham’sNeo-Classical cityhall. Middle: Eric Parry’sFinsburySquaachievesapoetic qualitywithin the specificsof modern urban speculative development. Right: mall shrinesset into Bombay’surban fabric are one wayof [email protected]

- 141 -

Phyllida Barlow

In and out of the city The clichés about the city do have a kind of trutparticularly becauseof their useof thebody asa metaand thebody, with its bowels, heart, pulseand soul, doeffectivemetaphor. I t imbuesthecity with anthropomasi f it were a living, sentient thing. This is an accurahow thecity affects us: asa personality to reckon wievokeconvincingly theexterior of thecity in relationshand thispaper hasa narrativedeveloped around thisre

Th i t dth i

Royal Academy Forum

The great struggle of artists in the twentieth century was toestablish that art is self-determining, undermining any attempt atcollaboration or indeed working in public space. It is this conditionwhich he is trying to reverse.

David Ward introduced the second session with a pair of ‘defining and influential artworks’. In Josef Beuys’ 7000 Oaks , eachwas planted alongside a basalt block which they eventuallyoutgrew, and Gordon Matta Clark’s Conical Intersect was a conicalaperture cut through houses before they were demolished to makeway for the Pompidou Centre. T he second, he suggested, was a‘reversal of the sculptor’s sculpture, creating spaces to allow thesecontributions to reveal themselves’. H ere, perhaps the mosti t l l t l ti i ht d i f ll i l l

who surmounts a plinth. Devised as an ‘expression about theIndustrial Revolution and the material wealth of Birmingham’, itattempts to create a ‘collective image of the city’ whose physicalform challengesobservers to re-examine the urban fabric, what itstandsfor and the processeswhich generated it.

Speaking of choreography where Parry spoke of theatre, andechoing Gormley’s view that the physical sculptural object mightlead to perceptionsbeyond its physical limitswasPhyllida Barlow.And i f from the distance she saw the city as an object, close to itsobject-like appearance dissolved into a myriad of fragmentaryimages. Kathryn Findlay, in her reading of Tokyo, found a socialand functional justification to this dissolution. ‘The city i s a

lti l f i fi it i ll ll h bit bl b hi d

on this corporate model, says Ri tchie, ‘is not dissimilar to theskyline; money dictateswhere and how we produce spaces’.

CollaborationsColl aboration between architects and artists might sound atempting way to overcome this bleak scenario, but it is not an easypanacea. Barlow wondered whether there is a confli ct of interestprecisely around the issue of space. Sculptors, she explained, ‘seespace as a physical substance to be manipulated’ but wondered,‘do architects see it as just a void?’ Ri tchie found a differentdifficulty in ‘the collaboration myth … it’s like man meets woman,get married, have babies … arti sts need more courage’. T he realdiff b t hit t d bli l t h




4

The vista and the view

Thenarrativebeginswith thevista: how to view theciit in its entirety. Almost impossiblefromthe ground, athecity, but possiblefromabove, like, in London, fromHill, PrimroseHill, Greenwich Park, or Crystal Palafrom Walthamstow Marshes for example. wherewetlandscreate a distancefromwhich thecity can bsamelevel, low down. This is my preferred view, becaview of the city, where the overtly industrial pylonsfactories, water worksand reservoirsmeetsthe residenby thisfiveor six milewidestrip of theLeeValley.

Being able to stand back from the city restdimensionality: the greying of its edgesround it, emand its density, unifying it into a solidity which beliereality, asexperienced when in amongit.

A view of thecity, gettingfar enough back fromit, enit into an idyll, a sublime idyll, which hides its intesubdues noise, smell, chaos, and offers instead a stimelessly compelling, somethingwhich isdifficult to takin thesameway that it isdifficult not to stareat an expa

In contrast, thecity frominsideisa seriesof facadesof a stageset or a pack of cards. It is impossibleto expasthree-dimensional. And thespaceswithin thecity opdoorsconstantly openingand shutting: fromthenarrowinto theopen but surrounded.

Getting far enough back, to beat a distance, beingasee thehorizon asfar away, is to beableto watch wobject meets its surrounding space, and where the emblemsolidifiesinto a weighted down and placed thing

ChoreographyIf standingback fromthecity makes it still and subduethecity revealsit asmovingand noisy. You areeither a bystander, an audience: themovement of thecity ischoto be on the edge of that choreography is to be exthrough choice, but also for some reason, thChoreography relieson rules: rulesof placeand containcomplyingwith therulesishazardousand anarchic. Thdependsupon thecollectivemovementsin onedirect

The roar of the city is this movement, and is the mevidencewhen at a distancefrom thecity: the all-pervmuffled screech of the ceaselesstraffic can be heardroadsand their traffic cannot beseen. Thecity can beh

intensely sculptural practice might come round in full circle close

to Kathryn Findlay’s position. D enying a sculptural intention inher fluid forms, her work nonetheless has formal andcontemplative similarities to the Conical I ntersect .

Architecture and sculpture appear necessarily to have aproblematic relationship, partly because both can lay claim to theproduction of physical objects. Left to themselves, they wouldprobably overlap at the edges, but when both try to engage with themodern city this relationship acquires a flux and dynamism,offering potential for interaction which may conflict or reconcile. I nthis maelstrom of the modern world, human nature inevitably leadssome people to search for easy solutionsand to offset responsibilityto others. Bill Woodrow asked if this urge lay behind somearchitects’ desire to ‘collaborate’ with artists. ‘Are collaborationstoo easy?’ he wondered, adding, ‘I ’m beginning to sense that therole of the arti st is to move away from collaboration and explorenew areas. The world of architecture hasrealized it has problemsand is looking to other people to solve them. But ultimatelyarchitects will have to solve them themselves’. In accepting andaddressing these challenges, architectscould prove their credentials

asartists.

Phyllida Barlow’ssculpture at Mile End Park lasted no more than a few hours, yet set upthe possibilit iesof tension between near and distant experience of urban artefacts.

multiple of infinitesimally small, habitable spaces behind an

illuminated and animated fabric’, but ‘the light you see is not likeLas Vegas or Piccadilly Circus, but the dissolution of livingfunctions acrossthe city’. Urban l ife offersnumerous relationshipsthat are not especially sculptural but which can be noticed withinbuildings, such as the way the architect of a cosmetic companyheadquarters reflected the green railway embankment into thefoyer, creating a ‘peaceful, calm space but with a dynamicrelationship to the city’. In these circumstances, the ‘distincti onbetween building, city and art become irrelevant’.

Findlay pointed out that ‘Japanese cities, made by a far morehierarchical society [than the West] actually have a multiplicity of hand’ in their design. Thisis the complete antithesis to the vogue inWestern urban developments for ‘masterplanning’. Architect,masterplan, axis, stop thinking, is often the sequence, claimed IanRi tchie, ‘put thingsleft, put thingsright’ and then fill up the spacewith water. Elizabeth Frink’sHorse and Rider at the corner of DoverStreet and Piccadilly showsthe lack of thought, for just in front of the piece is a brassplaque reading ‘smoke outlet’; or the corporatesquare at C anary Wharf, where ‘sculpture is on a stone plinth

exactly like the buildings’. What is left over at the pavement level,

difference between architecture and public sculpture, he

speculated, is that the former has working lavatories. David M achwondered why architects ‘invite me in to be some kind of act’,making ‘me want to put on a balaclava and swing in on a rope …’

Richard Cork prompted a lessbleak but still problematic view of the relationship when he asked Eric Parry about the intendedRichard Deacon ceramic piece entwined, li ke the snakesencirclingLaocoon, around the stone facade of Parry’s building in FinsburySquare. ‘I’ve learnt an incredible amount about materiality thoughtcollaboration’, responded Parry, ‘a lot of thinking about interiorsstems from it’. Separating the stone and glazing into two layers inthe Finsbury Square building means the outer layer of stone canachieve a precision which conveys the essence of its material, andParry thought Deacon ‘the person for the intensity of cut stone’.Even so, with or without Deacon’s piece, the facade achieves apoetic quality specifically tuned to the modern city: the subtlevariations of the stone contrast with the regular division of theglazing behind. Parry found the experience of designing a pair of studios for Antony Gormley and Tom Phillips a ‘fantastic part of my education’, though Gormley discerned another issue of

contention.

Pola cosmetic company HQ, Tokyo by Shoji Hayashi demonstratesKathryn Findlay’sthesisthat in T okyo, the ‘distinction between building, city and art becomesirrelevant’.

Behind all the pinpricksof light of vital night-time T okyo are all the dispersed functionsof modern living: ‘a multiple of infinitesimally small spacesbehind an animated fabric’[email protected]

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Royal Academy Forum

Ian Ritchie

The city as sculpture – from skyline to plinthSILENT AND ST ILL. I lovecitiesfor their wildnessborn of changeand of the unknown. This is man’s constructed wilderness wheremotherstraditionally feared their daughterswould tread. That othercity – the green city that man hasconstructed but pretends to benatural – surroundsthe brown city, and thetwo areconnected by thegrey land of mechanical communication.

In Phyllida Barlow’s distant reading of the city, there are nopeople there is no disturbance – or if there is it is the noise or

Rooms and spaces for sculpture within the dyNOI SY AN D MOVING. Art i s for most people indulged after we have completed the necessities distinction between necessity and luxury is reflected spend our time. I n broad terms, there is communcommitted time. The latter offersus thechance tBut in modern consumer society, it is difficult to convhighway engineersand others of thesocial value of plthat are not recognized asan intrinsic necessity to tDesign isfor themost part a useful tool to enhance‘sa

Our firm is designing an urban environment of

Seepage Thesoundsof thecity leak. Thedetritusof thecity scatters, oozesandseeps. The choreography begins to collapse. T he innards revealthemselves. The skin erupts. The edgesfray with litter, and thespillageof thefumesand filth mutatethe calculating control inherent to themovement of thecity into unwanted growth. The movement spreadsoutwardsinto thevast hinterland of suburbia. Not only do the innardsof thecity seep, but thecity itself seeps. Seen fromthe train, beingcarried outwardsthrough thehinterland, thecity becomesa systemof back views, usually deserted, with little signsof life: industrial estates,backgardens rowsand rowsof housesand buildings But that’sa

impossible to grasp, and thedefianceand repudiation of an imageandits inevitableoptimumview. HansHaake’swooden stockadewithholdstheobject incarcerated within it, and what is revealed about thisobject isits sound: within the stockadeis, in fact, a fairground carousel constantlyturning, accompanied by a steam organ rendition of the Germannational anthem, played at twice the speed. Bereft of people, who arerelegated to peering in through thecracksbetween thewooden planksof the carousel, it becomes trapped within its own laboriousness,pathetically parodying the grandiose memorial next to which it issituated. It seemsto refer to thestark realitiesof what becomesof acosmetically constructed world reciprocated by thecity and itssystemof




6

people, there is no disturbance or if there is, it is the noise or

traced line of an aeroplane and the still red lights, or the flashingwhite light of aviation warning atop the taller buildings. However,the skyline israrely still. The commercial skyline hascontinuously shifting patternsof light.

This view has invariably seduced architects when imaging andplanning utopian cities. For they too, in their minds, are distantfrom a future reality of the occupied city, the visceral interior thatBarlow described.

From the skyline, we may be able to read the economic geographyof the city if not its geology, its demographic migration if not itshistory. T his is perhapswhy we take to the water, or the hill , or theskiesto ori entate ourselves– to get out before getting involved, or toremind ourselveswho and where we are. This is why the skyline matters. However, sculptors have been

excluded from participating in the creation of this external view,which still remains the domain of planners, engineers andarchitects. But the sculptor’smind is used to scale, both the physicalscale and the scale of intent. And it is in the silhouette of the citythat both become really evident. Should architects invite thesculptor to the skyline?

Our firm is designing an urban environment of

White City in west London. I ts rai son d’être is shoppmany is now a leisureactivity. As such, it hasenteruncommitted timewhere most art seemsto reside. Thalso includes affordable housing, offices, a library, a two tubestations, a railway station and a busstation. Acovered spacethe sizeof a football pitch.

Our approach drew on a design programmeI ran aUniversity in Vienna which wasbased upon the notbefore, a space between and a space after’. The programme dealt initially with thedesigner’s own mconstitutesspaceby asking themto design a spaceto with theinvestigation of the latetwentieth-century arcinvader – advertising – and finally with an attempt to two investigationsto createa futurearchitectural space

At WhiteCity, the ‘spacebefore’ hastwo charactephysical and social memory and the preconcepcharacterizesa ‘shopping centre’, most clearly commutheviewsof our client, Chelsfield. The‘spacebetweenthe design process through which we are currentlydesign and planning process. The media world, p

Ian Ritchie’s‘essentially optimistic’ DublinSpire reachesto Ireland’scelestial skies– andhitsthe ground with no ceremony or rainwater catch (right).

Alba da Milano appearsto be ashaft of light reachingto the sky: ‘whencommemorative monuments, we also construct space around them’

back gardens, rowsand rowsof housesand buildings. But thatsa

different seepage to the seepage of stuff. The stuff from within iscompelling and awesome, whether it is the flood of the burst watermain, or theexplosionsonto pavementsof the thick tressesof colouredwiresof telephone cables, or the cavernous excavationsfor deeplyburied pipework. All areaccompanied by the persistent soundsandsmellsof the workingsof the city. And when thecity disclosesits innerworkings, it reveals its frailty, because of its dependency on thesevisceral goings-on beneath thesurface. Thecity asan object harboursitsmost object-likequalitieswithin itshidden world. Thosepartsof anobject which cannot beseen, but which inform what can beseen, dohavean uncanny hold, and when theseunseen thingsbecomevisibleand maketheir presenceknown, thereisa kind of anarchy.

Incision and entrapment Thenarrativeendswith a destination in thecity, an arrival at two workssited within cities. They are Walter deMaria’s Vertical Earth Kilometre installed for the 1977 Kassel Documenta and Hans Haake’sStandort Merry Go Round , commissioned for the 1997 Munster SculptureExhibi tion. I mportantly for me, they reveal a sculptural languagerooted in theundisclosed, thehidden, thecontained, theunfinished, the

cosmetically constructed world, reciprocated by thecity and itssystemof

facades, and what happenswhen such facadescollapse.So too with Walter deM aria’sVertical Earth Kilometre . With only its

brassend revealed, like a coin embedded on thestreet’s surface, thekilometre’s length has to beimagined, incising into theearth’s surfacewith surgical precision. It piercesthe bowelsof thecity and beyond, intothedark viscera, penetrating that all too fragile skin of the city, whichholdsthe chaosand danger of eruptionsso tightly under control. Thereis thethought of what happenswhen thekilometre length is extracted,what will oozefromthehole? What doesthebrassplughold in? These two works definitely offer thepower of thesculptural object

through undisclosureand concealment. It preysupon our sense, givingusan incomplete, unresolved physical experience, but through which allour sensesarearoused, provoking our imaginations into action, whichthen achievethecompletion which the objects’ physical realitiesresist. They gazump thebody metaphor for thecity and itslitany of bowels,heartsand souls. Instead they provide the perfect allegories for theirrational collection of experienceswhich conjurethedystopic chaos, theinherent viscera and the cosmetically apparent pretensionsof the city,but which separation of distancemagically transformsinto theultimatesculptural phenomenon.

Left: Walter de Maria’sVert ical Ear th K ilomet re at the 1977Kassel Documentaimpliesapinprick into the bowelsof the city, while HansHaake’sStandor t Merry-go-Round at the 1997Munster Sculpture Park (right), withholdingthe object incarcerated within it, parodiesthe pompousmonument in the background. [email protected]

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Royal Academy Forum




advertising, and its inevitable invasion of the ‘space after’ is not yet atthe forefront of our minds, probably because we feel nobler thanothers when it comes to creating ‘space’. We know that theadvertising teams and interior designers will arrive later, and wehope that our ‘architectural space’ is strong enough to keep itsidentity and character, and remain exciting no matter what thechanging world of fashion and commerce puts into it.

Memorable spaces are usually exciting, unique and of recognizablequality. They are not static. People and events move through themlike light and sound. They continually change with time and thevarying density of human activity within them, but they do notsurrender their intrinsic and enduring qualities. Such spaces haveimmense potential to attract visitors. I n a highly competitivemarketplace, the creation of such spaces must be of value not only tothe development itself, but also the locality and, in this case, Londonas well.

So we have come full circle. Architectural space is not in conflict

with the commercial world, for ultimately, a measure of its qualityis that it will attract the consumer. Architecture is, at a verydifferent scale, to be consumed and hopefully retained in thememory It is genuinely capable of transformation which gives it

earth where its diameter roughly equates to the area of CountDublin. TheSpire ‘extends’ to infinity above celestial acupuncture playing with light through capturing the life of the sky over Dubliand allowing it to flow to the street below and to disappear into thearth along with any rainwater from its surface. The base of theSpitself is partially polished in order to reflect the light of street life This abstract polished surface is defined by a pattern created by th

interference of a core of the rock, taken from the site below, that wa‘rolled’ across the double helix of DNA, a reference to the Irisdiaspora, as is the expanding spiral of the cone itself.

Out in the ‘Green city’, our designs for new pylons for Electricitde France, like grasses, also have no plinth. They too appear tcome from the earth within which they are placed. Alba di M ilano haa plinth in the form of its feet that counteract the cantilever forces othe arms stretching upwards at an angle. These feet are importanelements in providing seats within the piazza.

When we construct commemorative monuments or sculptures w

also construct space around them, and this space is often the moscontentious element in any proposal that manifests thought anfeeling, angst and joy, fear and hope. T hese are emotional anatavistic qualities but making them evident is far more difficul




Richard Lundquist trained at the

AA and acquired his mastery of

steel workingfor Morphosis in

the mid-1980s and then for

Michele Saee, where he was

project designer on two cutting-

edge clothingstores. His most

ambitious project since setting

up his own office in 1990 is the

Chosun Galbi restaurant in

Koreatown, aburgeoning

immigrant community west of

downtown Los Angeles. For the

client it represented abigstep up

both in size (790 sq m) and

sophistication fromher other

restaurant ablock away, and a

daringdeparture fromthe

traditional red and gilt of the

neighbourhood eateries.

The corner site faces onto a

busy commercial thoroughfare

and was occupied by abrick

buildingthat Lundquist was

commissioned to remodel and

extend. When it proved to be

unsafe and was torn down, the

architect designed alayered steel

and concrete structure within

the original footprint, so avoiding

the need for a new permit. An

almost unbroken wall of split-

face concrete block wraps

around the two street facades,

shuttingout traffic noise. Nearly

everyone enters fromthe rear

car park, and Lundquist has

choreographed asuccession of

eatingand circulation spaces that

subtly blur the boundary

between indoors and outdoors.

You enter between 3m-high

block walls past an eye-level

water garden, under amuscular

steel pergolaand

of semi-enclosed

to reach the bar a

area. The main d

opens off to the le

intimate eatingare

ahigh-backed bam

the front, looking

high narrow wind

roomthat can be s

pull-down mesh b

three spaces for p

In its fragmentatio

restaurant respon

Asian fondness fo

family or friends,

transparency and

floor that extends

car park to street

intimate areas tog

Materiality and bo

forms are the des

RESTAURANT,

LOSANGELES, USA

A RCHITECT

RICHARD LUNDQUIST

1, 2A shallow arched stewhich hasbecome thsignature, enclosesadiningspace, blurringbetween outside and

STEEL ARBOURA tautly detailed steel pergola forms the formal and spatial

focus of a new Korean restaurant in downtown Los Angeles.

2


The pergolahas become the

restaurant’s signature. Rolled

I-beams support four shallow

interwoven arches, each

comprisingapair of rolled

I-beams spanned by atrellis of

vertical steel slats that will be

covered with bougainvillaea. The

structure was fabricated off-site

and delivered in 13msections

that were hoisted into place by

crane. Two banquet rooms,

separated by acirculation area,

have arched vaults of bamboo

boards interwoven like the

strands of abasket within a

stainless-wrapped steel frame.

Walls of the same boards are cut

away at top and bottomto admit

air and natural light. Built-in seats

are stained and upholstered

plywood on astainless-steel

frame. Aluminium-plate patio

chairs have waterproof foam

lining. The spacious entry area

has abamboo reception desk

facing a bar and both have tops

of curved aluminiumplate. Table-

top barbecues are the

restaurant’s speciality and

stainless exhaust vents reach

down over every grill, givingthe

main diningareaasomewhat

menacingair. MICHAEL WEBB

RESTAURANT, LOS ANGELES, USA

A RCHITECT

RICHARD LUNDQUIST

3




62|6

1 entrance

2 reception

3 bar

4 wcs

5 diningarea

6 privatedining

7 patio

8 kitchen

site plan

location plan longsection

crosssection


4

5 6

3Slate, steel and bamexude aura of exquis4Light dapplesthrougpergola’ssteel slats.5Stainless-steel vents

menacingly over barbhave a strong sculptu6Private diningroom ebamboo slat walls.

Architect

Richard Lundquist Arch

Glendale, USA

Project team

Richard Lundquist, Sook

DavidTakacs

Structural engineer

Franceschi Engineering

Lightingconsultant

LAMF

Photographs

Mark Luthringer, 1, 2, 5

BennyC han, 3, 4

85

6

7

6

1

4 2

3

4


The Rural Studio at Auburn

University’s College of

Architecture, Design and

Construction was founded in

1992 by the late SamMockbee

(AR February 2002), with the

aimof extendingthe study of

architecture into a socially

responsible context. Every

quarter, groups of students elect

to and live and work off campus

in impoverished parts of

western Alabama. The students

produce architecture that

challenges convention in terms

of methods, materials, and forms

(AR March 2001). They

inventively scavenge and

incorporate discarded objects

such as tyres, scrap timber,

bottles and even car windows

and number plates. The result is

The recently completed

renovation of Newbern Baseball

Club is more than asimple

physical improvement. Baseball

occupies ahallowed place in

American culture and in

Newbern, a tiny country hamlet,

the baseball field acts as strong

civic focus for the community.

Lyingto the north-east of the

hamlet (N ewbern consists of just

six buildings), asmall piece of

farmland has been the site of

regional baseball games for the

last 100 years. Under the auspices

of the Rural Studio, three fifth-

year architecture students

planned, designed and built anew

fence, seatingand other general

site improvements. Part funding

was provided by the Alabama

Civil Justice Foundation.

enclosure without horizontal

bracing, which might impede

views of the game. The outcome

is astructure made up of aseries

of chain-link sheets moored by

horizontal tensile cables. The

formof the backstop (the place

where the batsman stands)

encourages close interaction

between fans and players.

Materials used are common to

the area. Black tube steel was

sourced fromlocal foundries,

together with telegraph poles and

guy wires which were donated by

apower supplier. Methods of

construction are derived from

several trades, such as telegraph

workers, machine shop welders

and farmers. The site had no

electricity or water, so everything

was built usinghand or gas

Typical of the Rural Studio

capacity to elevate and transform

everyday materials, the chain link

billows and wafts lightly around

the ground, like mesh sails. The

unusual geometry was dictated in

part by the trajectories of

baseballs flyingthrough the air.

Detailingis simple and

economical, yet the entire

construction has acuriously

lyrical quality.

The renovated field has proved

extremely popular with the local

community, who avidly flock to it

every Sunday afternoon to watch

games and enjoy picnics. Mockbee

was no sentimentalist; this

project is rooted in reality, yet

like all Rural Studio work, it

somehow br illiantly transcends

its unassumingsurroundings. C. S.

design re

BA

N

R




34|6

an architecture that combinesvernacular archetypes with

more adventurous form making,

grounded by a strongsense

of place.

The main element of therefurbishment is atall steel chain

link fence that surrounds the

playingarea. The aimwas to

create aprotective, permeable

powered tools by the threestudents, who learned how to

weld, operate heavy machinery

and survey, together with basic

turf maintenance and carpentry.

Project team

JaySanders, Marnie Bettridge,

James Kirkpatrick

Photographs

Timothy Hursley

1Vertical members are stayed byhorizontal cables.2Chain link billowslike mesh sails.3All materialsare common to area,many donated by local firms.

Home runThree students designed this scheme, taught

themselves to work in metal, and made it.

1 2


Madrid-based Luis Mansilla and his partner Emilio Tuño

careers in the office of Rafael Moneo and their work is

inflected by similar formal concerns. Neutral, toplit co

alcazar-like walls and the subtle play of light are intellig

choreographed to create a sense of depth and solidity

Cohn notes that ‘They profess a formal restraint whic

late Spanish master Alejandro de la Sota. As they them

it: “Ar chitecture isn’t exactly silent. It is more like a co

lowered voices. Ideas are present, but the true effort li

theminvisible”.’

One of their largest and most recent projects is the

of Fine Arts in Castellón. Surrounded by undistinguish

apartment blocks datingfromthe 1980s, the museum

in a residential area on the edge of town. Its collection

rangingfromRoman archaeological specimens to pain

local artists such as Francisco Ribalta and José Ribera.

into the new complex are the survivingchapel and cyp

cloister froma Catholic school (the Serra Espada) tha

occupied the site.

These existinghistoric fragments have been joined b

contemporary new additions. To the east of the cloist

cubic volume, sphinx-like and inscrutable, houses the




spaces and forms the public focus of the museum. To tlow bar contains restoration studios, workspaces and

markingout a more private, specialist domain. In betw

restor ed courtyard building mediates between the two

library, auditorium, offices, technical spaces and a long

temporary exhibitions arranged around the cloister. T

volumes are linked by a plinth, creatinga gradient of int

between the public areas to the east and the workshop

western boundary.

TREASURE CHESTCastellón’s museum is conceived as a hermetic, almostimpervious aluminium chest that guards the city’s fine collections.Inside, it allows its treasures to be eloquent.

1Imperviouspanelscontrast withveil-like window grilles, both inrecycled aluminium, showingt hematerial at its most noble.2Entrance in north-east corner isthrough court in plinth.

ART MUSEUM, CASTELLON, SPAIN

A RCHITECT

MANSILLA +TUÑON

dissected axocloister in mid1

2



A RCHITECT

MANSILLA +TUÑON

second floor

1 ethnology

2 archaeology

3 technicalspace

4 storeroom

5 entrancecourtyard

3

3

18

1217




48|6

3South-west corner, withrestoration studiosin foreground,and cypressesof cloister behind.4Dramatic diagonal prospectsunitewhole interior.

basement


first floor

east-west section through galleriesshowing double-height spaces

6 entrancehall7 café

8 existingcloister

9 cypressgarden

10 offices

11 auditorium

12 ceramics

13 temporaryexhibitions

14 library

15 patio

16 shippingandreceiving

17 restorationworkshops

18 finearts

12

4

43

2

1

11

6

7 10

8

14

17

17

13

8

16

159

5

17


Conceived as ahermetic chest guardingthe city’s treasures, the new

exhibition block is asealed, impassive cube topped by rows of tall

rooflights. The geometry of the rooflights gives the buildinga

crenellated profile so it looms over its surroundings like abrooding

castle battlement. The same serrated silhouette rounds off the long

workshop volume on the opposite side of the cloister. This slightly

dauntingmood is lifted by playful superscale letters spellingout

MUSEU i h d fi d f h

5




50|6

MUSEU support inga canopy that defines one edge of the entranceparvis. (A giant photograph of the individual letters beingtransported

on lorr ies barrellingalongthe motorway fromMadrid forms one of

the museum’s more surreal exhibits.)

The ideaof the buildingas achest or case is further elaborated by its

envelopingmetal carapace made from panels of recycled aluminium.

Two kinds of panels are used, one opaque with vertical ridges, and the

other resemblingaveil, with horizontal louvres that allow light to

filter into the gallery spaces. The narrow borders of each panel are

stamped Museu de Bellas Artes, amark that identifies the buildingfor

which they were made, in the manner of the Roman bricks in the

museum’s collection. The horizontal and vertical striations of the

aluminiumpanels create astronggeometrical rhythmand texture,

softeningand breakingup the immense mass of the exterior. Seamed

zinc sheetingis used to clad the opaque parts of the roof.

Spread over five floors, the museum’s collection is divided into four

themed sections (fine arts, craftwork, ceramics and archaeology).

Rooms are linked by a series of double-height voids that cascade

down diagonally through the interior. Drawn upwards fromfloor to

floor, visitors are simultaneously confronted with three different

scales and aspects of the building: individual rooms, the double-height

voids and a dramatic diagonal prospect of the entire volume. A 7.3mx

6.6mgrid, common to both plans and sections, ensures formal

coherence. The spatial sequence is crowned by the parallel skylight

bars which diffuse a soft luminance into the gallery spaces. In places,

milky glass external walls give diffused views of the louvred metal skin

beyond. A spirit of elegant materiality prevails (another characteristic

of Moneo), with benches and display cases fashioned frommodular

assemblies of iroko strips and thin sheets of glass. Calmand ascetic,

the interior acts as a discreet backdrop for treasures on show. Like

Portia’s lead casket inThe Merchant of Venice , Mansilla +Tuñon’s

sober metal container conceals a radiant richness at its heart.

CARLA BERTOLUCCI


A RCHITECT

MANSILLA +TUÑON

ArchitectMansilla +Tuñon Arquitectos, Madrid

Associate architectsSantiago Hernán, J. CarlosC orona

Structural engineer

Alfonso G. deGaiteMechanical engineer J. G. Associates

PhotographsLuisAsin

5Ground floor reception area.6,7Contrastsbetween the majesticvolumeso f the promenadearchitecturale and the moreintimate volumesof the galleriesallow opportunities for display of objectsof all kinds.

6


Srebrenice’s new cemetery forms

the first phase of alarger project

for a forest graveyard which began

as an open competition in 1989.

The ensuingBalkans war and

Slovenia’s seccession from

Yugoslaviaput the scheme on hold,

but it has at last been completed to

adesign by Ales Vodopivec. The

brief for this first phase involved a

funerary hall with four smaller

attendant chapels, and aseparate

ancillary building. Space for some

3000 graves has been carefully

created in the surroundingforest.

Comparisons with Asplund and

Lewerentz’s Woodland Cemetery

in Stockholm(1920) are

irresistible, but the project is also

part of awider tradition of

restrained Modernism(Vodopivec

describes it as an ‘architecture of

silence’) that engages in adialogue

with nature in the manner of Kahn

and Aalto and reflects concerns

with ritual and memory.

The two parts of the complex

are aligned on aprocessional

north-south axis. This runs from

the main road to the north through

the forest to link with aseries of

serpentine paths that meander

around the grave fields on the

eastern flank of the site. At its

south end, the axis terminates in a

mound of trees reserved for the

ashes of unidentified or unclaimed

bodies, givingspecial and poignant

prominence to the unknown dead.

The first public indication of the

cemetery’s presence is aflower

shop set into the single-storey

ancillary buildingon the edge of

the main road. Fromits progress

through the forest, the

processional approach route

eventually opens out into a

clearingto reveal the main

funerary hall attached to arow of

family chapels. Arrival is denoted

by asimple colonnaded portico

LAST RITES

NEW CEMETERY ,

SREBRENICE, SLOVENIA

A RCHITECT

ALESVODOPIVEC




60|7

Deep in a Slovenian woodland, the material and the

spiritual are sensitively conjoined in a tranquil haven

for human leavetaking and remembrance.

1A processional axisleadsup tothe main funerary chapel.2A simple colonnade, itsform an

abstraction of the surroundingtrees, marksthe entrance.3The chapel complex sits lightly inthe landscape.

1

3

2


(traditionally used to mark a

consecrated space), its arboreal

forman abstraction of the

surroundingtrees. Straddlingtheroad, the portico leads into the

main chapel, an austere box glazed

on three sides and enclosed by an

external layer of slatted timber

screens. Filtered through the

screens, the wooded landscape of

pine, beech, hornbeamand spruce

forms aserene backdrop to the

funerary rites.

In the smaller yet equally

ascetic family chapels, light filters

through precisely cut clerestory

strips so that the ceilings appear

to float above the walls.

Heighteningthe sense of

seclusion and contemplation,

each chapel overlooks asmall

internal courtyard. Chapels are

linkedandservicedontheeast

by light gently percolatingthrough

vertical incisions alongone

wall. Throughout the chapel

complex, materials such asuntreated oak, fairfaced concrete,

glass and local stone are as

consistently simple and reticent

as the spatial organization.

Vodopivec’s modest complex of

buildings exhibits little that is

especially surprisingor exciting,

yet in orchestratingabalance

between the material and the

spiritual, the architecture is

infused with apowerful tension

derived fromthe almost clinical

geometry of the manmade set

against the organic and enduring

presence of nature. Bare and

mute, freed of all image and

illusion, architecture and landscape

combine to formasober, tranquil

andutterlyfittingplaceforthefinal

4




62|7

linked and serviced on the eastside by alongcorr idor, animated and utterly fittingplace for the finalleavetaking.CLAUDIA KUGEL

4Small family chapelsby a longcorridor. L ithrough vertical slotexternal wall.5Detail of family chape6Materialsare used wisimplicity and reticen

1 funeraryhall

2 portico

3 chapels

4 p at ios

5 w cs

6 serviceentrance

7 timber screen

8 garden

ground floor plan of chapel complex (scale 1:350)

longsection

crosssection

NEW CEMETERY ,SREBRENICE, SLOVENIA

A RCHITECT

ALESVODOPIVEC

site plan

Architect

AlesVodopivec, Ljubljana

Project team

AlesVodopivec, NenaGa

Structural engineer

AntonBerce

Landscapearchitects

DusanO grin,DavorinGa

PhotographsMiranK ambic

56

A mainentrance

B servicebuilding

C axisroute

D funeraryhallandchapels

E urnfields

F gravefields

G anonymousburial

H p arking

GD

C

B

A

E

F

F

EH

6

1

2

4 4 43 3 3 3

8

7

5


NuancedmaterialityKerry HillhasestablishedanapproachtoSouth-east

ar ho

K UALALUM

K ERRY HI




82|7

The Mirzan House is located in a

secluded valley, surrounded by

steeply risingground and lofty

trees close to the centre of the

Malaysian capital. Visitors’ cars

arrive viaanarrow road and pass a

security checkpoint before

swingingsharply into apaved

motor court.

Like other projects by Kerry Hill

Architects, the house exhibits a

clear plan. Explaininghis desire for

clarity, Kerry Hill has said: ‘The

plan is seen as amode of distillingelements into aclear diagram, a

key to the scheme.’ So the plan of

the house is an asymmetrical

composition of solids, voids and

planes, related to aprimary axis,

with walls extendingoutwards to

frame views of the valley and to

embrace soft landscapes and paved

courtyards.

A projectingflat-roofed portico

gives access to awide covered

gallery, apromenade architecturale

some 60 metres in length, which

runs the full length of the house

fromeast to west and which is

open alongits southern flank. This

linear route is the principal

organizingdevice and one that

Hil l has employed successfully inearlier projects.

To the south of this longgallery

are three attached pavilions of

varyingproportions and height.

The first is adouble-storey

reception hall with an adjoining

guest suite; the second is used for

formal dining. Both are linked by

flat stone bridges across alinear

reflectingpool which runs parallel

to the gallery.

A third pavilion, housingthe

family, is set at aslight distance

fromthe other accommodation

and terminates the east-west axis.

The children’s bedrooms, at

second-storey level in this pavilion,

span the master bedroomand the

family room, framinga view of thepool deck beyond. The three

pavilions are all one roomdeep,

permittingcross ventilation,

but also have the option of using

air conditioning.

Kerry Hill has established an approach to South-eastAsian building that combines Modern Movement

disciplines with an engagement with tropical climates.

1Fundamentally (with variations,see 3) the buildinghas a lightweightfirst floor over a masonry base.2Motor court with entrance right.3The precise and climaticallyappropriate detailingwe have cometo expect from the Hill practice.(Guest suite terminatesreceptionpavilion: shuttersare openable.)

1


To the north of the gallery,

concealed by atimber-clad screen

wall, are the servant spaces (to

use Louis Kahn’s terminology),commencingwith afour-car

garage and an administrative

office, leadingto driver and

domestic staff accommodation,

wet and dry kitchens and food

preparation spaces. These spaces

can be separately accessed viaa

service walkway runningalongthe

north facade of the house.

A singular feature of the house

is the spatial separation of

functions, although each activity

relates to, and returns to, the

dominant linear east-west

axis.The house incorporates a

hierarchy of privacy, with a

choreographed route fromthe

arrival courtyard, to the

air-conditioned public receptionhall, to the diningpavilion and

finally to the private and most

secure family areas.

The intention is to extend the

house to the south with the

addition of a guest pavilion and a

tennis court. At the extreme

western end of the rectangular

site is arecreation court with a

25-metre swimmingpool. Beyond

the low boundary wall that marks

the limit of the site, the forested

terrain ascends abruptly making

access almost impossible from

the head of the valley.




84|7

4Promenade archi tecturale lookingeast.5Terrace and pool.6Promenade lookingwest.

The principal rooms look into a

soft-landscaped courtyard

bounded by a low hedge.

Eight torches, which can be

dramatically lit in the evening,

are arranged in an orthogonal

pattern on the lawn outside the

diningroom.

The Mirzan House continues

Kerry Hill’s development of a

regional modern architecture

which I have discussed

elsewhere in relation to the

Cluny Hill House (1998) in

Singapore. The language is one of

abstract modernismoverlaying,

or overlaid by, local typologies.

The first storey is predominantly

masonry while the second storey

is lighter, mainly clad in timber,

with projectingfenestration that

simulates traditional monsoon

windows, above which

overhanging, low-pitched hipped

roofs are covered with

hardwood shingles. Together

with the use of louvred timber

screens and reflectingpools,

they create a calmand richly

nuanced materiality that is

enhanced by a muted palette of

colours. Simplicity is the keynote

of the reductionist architectural

language but it also engages

directly with the tropical

climate.

As Geoffrey Lond

perceptively note

illustrious group o

fromthe West –

LeC orbusier, Ka

modernist work h

enriched by accom

traditions of the E

The result in th

Mirzan House is a

composition that

magnificently to a

considerable natu

R

Architect

KerryHill Architects

Photographs

Albert Lim


first floor

1 entranceto

promenade architecturale

2 receptionhall

3 guest suite

4 formaldining5 kitchen

6 master bed

7 familyroom

8 children

9 p oo l

10 terrace

HOUSE, K UALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

A RCHITECT

K ERRY HILL ARCHITECTS

4

5

6

8

8

3

7

6

5

4

2

3

1109


Rufisque is aport just to the east

of Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

Like most other cities in Africa, it

is undergoingtraumatictransformation with the impact of

modern technology, and asurge

of immigration fromthe

countryside. In Rufisque,

problems are made more extreme

because the seais eatinginto the

place fromthe south, so

expansion has to take place in the

arid land north of the city, and a

grey concrete shanty town is

growingup there.

Shabby suburban streets are

suddenly relieved by an almost

strident red building, crisply

detailed and well tended. This is

the women’s centre, a focus for

local groups, areception

organization for rural immigrants

and apowerhouse for

empoweringwomenin a

WOMEN’SCENTRE, RUFISQUE, SENEGAL

A RCHITECT

HOLLMÉN REUTERSANDMAN

WOMEN’S RIGHTSIntimate knowledge of the culture and technology of Senegal has

enabled young Finnish architects to create a centre intended toempower women in a society where they are normally suppressed.




44|7

empoweringwomen in a

traditionally male orientated

culture.

SaijaHollmén, Jenni Reuter and

HelenaSandman submitted a

proposal for the centre to the

Otaniemi School of Architecture,

and the project was developed

with the help of the Finnish

Foreign Ministry, and Finnish

foundations as well as local

organizations – the land was given

by the city.* Sociologist Anne

Rosenlew co-ordinated cultural

interaction. The site is next to

the usually dry wadi which runs

through the bidonville and hence

it was available for (careful)

development.

‘A house under abaobab tree’,the centre is modelled on

traditional compounds in this part

of West Africa, with astrong

perimeter surroundingbuildings

turned inwards to acommunal

court. The baobab is one of the

few trees left in an areathat is

starved of wood. I t shades one of

the two principal entrances to the

complex, agateway that leads to

the communal hall.

The other public entrance is on

the north-west corner of the

compound. Here is an attempt to

make asmall public square, on to

1

The hall entrance under thebaobab tree, from outside ...2... and in. (Stairs go up overguard’sroom to viewingterrace.)1 [email protected]

- 155 -

WOMEN’SCENTRE, RUFISQUE, SENEGAL

A RCHITECT

HOLLMÉN REUTERSANDMAN

west-east section through hall and dyingroom

a co urt

b publichall

c dying

d restaurant

e water

f k itchen

g outdoor kitchen

h shop

i o ff ice

j store

k water point

l craft room

m dyingyard

n lavatories

o guard

4

5




52|7 plan (scale approx 1:275)

roof detail

A corrugatedgalvanizedsteel

B RSJstructure

C reedmatting

D brick grille

E concreteblock rendered

3Calm court, with hall to left.4The craft space, open to allowdyingfumes to be dissipated.5An attempt at urbanity: thesuggestion of an urban square inthe north-west corner.6Dryingyard outside dyingroom.

3

6

d

e

f g

j

h

i

b

k

a

o

l

c m

n

D

E

AB

C





7 8

1Levels of raised ground fromFoss Channel.2Bridge approach.3Buster Simpson’s planes of glasshover over pool.

1




36 | 8

Arthur Erickson is a master of raised urban ground. His splendid

piazza in Vancouver, which gently makes green public terraces in the

middle of the city to greet the court building (AR July 1980) is surely

one of the great triumphs of twentieth-century urban design. His

Museum of Glass at Tacoma, further down the Pacific coast in

Washington State, USA, is another essay in the same vein (though

smaller). And it is a new Erickson venture into museum building,

recalling his legendary Vancouver museum of the culture of

indigenous peoples.

Unlike that building, the glass museum is downtown, locked into

urban structure of railway and highway, seaside and centre. It ascends

from the waterfront of the Foss Channel, one of Tacoma’s harbours,

as a series of planes, some of water, which are linked by ramps and a

grand stair that winds round the dramatic signpost of the place, the

skewed shining cone of its big space covered by stainless-steel lizard-skin tiles. The cone is tilted as an abstracted memory of the

structures of the sawmill burners of the Pacific Northwest, but it also

evokes the silhouette of Mt Rainier, the magic peak of this part of the

coast. Erickson says that the structure would have been clad in glass,

and so would much else of the mainly concrete building if ‘devalue

engineering’ had not been brought to bear on the project. In the end,

he decided that stainless steel could shimmer nearly as piercingly as

glass.

Most people approach the museum across a bridge which spans

railway and motorway. This rather kitsch route is by Andersson Wise

working with a local artist who has created ingenious but obvious

interpretations of Pacific marine life-forms in glass. The steel and

concrete bridge connects the museum’s serene upper level to the

core of downtown Tacoma, and the history museum, University of

CONICAL

REFLECTIONSErickson’s Tacoma Museum of Glass

celebrates manufacture and material qualities

of one of humankind’s greatest inventions.

1

2

3

GLASS MUSEUM, TACOMA, USA

ARCHITECT

ARTHUR ERICKSONWITH

THOMAS COOK REED REINVALD

ARCHITECTS [email protected] 158 -

4




38 | 8

GLASSMUSEUM, TACOMA, USA

ARCHITECT

ARTHUR ERICKSONWITH


ARCHITECTS

1 p iazza2 great cone3 galleries4 lecture theatre5 entrance

4Cone is not only dramatic but ameans of dissipating heat fromfurnaces.5Approaching the cone up ramps.6Howard Ben Tré’s spurtingfountains.

east elevation showing ramps and terraces. Bridge is right of cone

plan of principal level (scale 1:1300)

section through cone

5

6

2

4

3

5

1


Architect

Arthur Erickson with Thomas Cook

Reed Reinvald Architects

Project team

Arthur Erickson, Wyn Bielaska

Lighting controls

Lutron

Photographs

All photographs by Nic Lehoux

except no 1 by Russell Johnson

7




40 | 8

Washington, and the future art museum. Other collaborations with

artists have been more fruitful, notably the opposed repeating

reflective glass planes posed over a long pool by Buster Simpson, and

Howard Ben Tré’s deliciously spurting fountains.

Inside, the cone’s tall and dramatic space is a hot theatrical inferno.

Two furnaces melt glass, and there are five crucibles in which it is

kept molten, and an equal number of annealers, in which the finished

work is cooled down gently to prevent cracking. Height is needed to

get rid of the heat; the furnaces blare and growl. Extremely able and

witty glass artists perform in front of an audience of up to 140 people.

It is all very different from the calm terraces and stairs which

surround the cone, and from the galleries that are under them.

These are rather low, neutral spaces but functional: appropriate in

scale for the necessarily small objects that they are designed to

exhibit, which are often excellently demonstrated by careful use of electric light. It is sad that Erickson, the master of voids and shafts of

light, was not able to thoughtfully introduce more natural luminance:

glass and transparency are just as important in moderating daylight as

the electric produced variety. Surely in a museum devoted to glass

production, we should have some notion of the material’s

intermediary role between outside and in.

The cone is the dramatic focus. It crashes down into the galleries,

the cafeteria and foyer, still wearing its stainless-steel lizard armour,

making you always aware of the theatre it contains. It is often

assumed that Erickson is a sketcher – not too involved with the

making of his ideas. But at Tacoma, detailing is thoroughly thought

out: clean, simple and well made, it is a very fine example of what can

be achieved within the usually crushingly efficient but dull US building

industry. E. M.

GLASS MUSEUM, TACOMA, USA

ARCHITECT

ARTHUR ERICKSONWITH


ARCHITECTS

7Inverted pyramidal roof marksbridge entrance.8Galleries are neutral and scaled for small objects.9The theatrical glass kitchen.

8


York’s Broadway in 2000; three years on,

fashionistas and architecture pilgrims have a

new reference point on their global

compasses with the completion of thebiggest Prada flagship store to date in Tokyo,

designed by Herzog & de Meuron. At a cost

of £52 million, budget, it seems, is no object,

despite falls in company profits (down from

£36 million in 2001 to £19 million last year,

though the Asian market is still apparently

buoyant). The Swiss partnership has also

been charged with converting a piano factory

for the house’s New York head office and

designing a new production centre in

Tuscany. Such creative interaction

represents an intriguing shift in the cultural

landscape of architecture. Whereas a

generation ago architects’ imaginations were

exercised by helicopters and yachting wire,

now it is high fashion and modern art.

Prada Tokyo is in Harajuku, an area famous

for both its couture and street fashion,

manifest by the parades of exotically attired

young Japanese who cruise up and down the

broad main drag of Otomosando which

1The Prada tower draws back fromthe edge of its site to create a smallpublic piazza.2

Detail of the rhomboidal grid with itsglass infill panels that envelops thebuilding like a huge net or piece of bubble wrap.

1The Prada tower draws back fromthe edge of its site to create a smallpublic piazza.2

Detail of the rhomboidal grid with itsglass infill panels that envelops thebuilding like a huge net or piece of bubble wrap.




46 | 8

Like a modern Medici with matching

accessories, Miuccia Prada and her

eponymous fashion house have become

synonymous with a shrewdly intrepidapproach to architectural patronage. Since

1999, Prada has embarked on a programme

of new store designs and brand expansion

through a select stellar cabal of the avant-

garde (Rem Koolhaas, Kazuyo Sejima, and

Herzog & de Meuron). Though the worlds of

architecture and fashion have a fertile and

often colourful reciprocity, this goes beyond

the periodic tasteful fit-out into a more

serious (and big budget) exploration of the

radical that aims to reinvent the simple act of clothes shopping into a singular experience –

consumerism as culture or religion and

shops as carefully choreographed

environments or temples. (Perhaps not so

different from the Medicis after all.)

The first so-called ‘Epicentre’ store

designed by Koolhaas was unveiled on New

broad main drag of Otomosando, which,

with its trees and cafés, is Tokyo’s closest

approximation to a Parisian boulevard. At its

east end it tapers and morphs into the city’s

Bond Street, an elegant ghetto of deluxe

flagships clinging staidly together, like first

class passengers in the Titanic’s lifeboats, for

succour against the blare and dislocation of

modern Tokyo. In a city with virtually no

public space in the European sense (land is

far too precious a commodity to remain

empty), Herzog & de Meuron’s first move is a

bold and urbanistically generous one,

stacking up the shop and office

accommodation into a stumpy five-sided

block to create a small piazza at its base. The

piazza is enclosed by an angular wall covered

in soft green moss that will gradually flourish,

a reminder of the slow beauty of organic lifein the midst of artifice. Hemmed in on all

sides by low-rise buildings, the forecourt

provides a breathing space for meeting,

socializing and window shopping. It also

makes the tower more of a distinguishable

object in its own right, like a chunky bubble-

wrapped bauble on a tray.

FASHIONSTORE, TOKYO, JAPAN

ARCHITECT

HERZOG & DE MEURON

UNDER THE NET Wrapped in a crystalline grid, this new store in Tokyo marks

the latest step in Prada’s plans for world fashion domination.

A O Y A M A S T . 2 4 6 R O U T E

SA N DO S T.

MIUMIU

5-2-6 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo MIYUKI ST.OMOTESANDO

SUBWAYSTATIONEXIT

OMOTESANDOSUBWAYSTATIONEXIT

location plan

1


shop office

first floor fourth floor

FASHIONSTORE,

TOKYO, JAPAN

ARCHITECT

HERZOG & DE MEURON

3-5Views of Tokyo are diffused throughthe tubular grid. Inside, a seamless white lan dscape is a rticul ated by theparaphernalia of display.

3-5Views of Tokyo are diffused throughthe tubular grid. Inside, a seamless white lan dscape is a rticul ated by th eparaphernalia of display.




48 | 8

counter

m1

shop

B

storage


m1

shop

shop

shop

basement plan

third floor

second floor

3

4 5


Though it might appear capricious, the

irregular geometry of the tower is in fact

dictated by Tokyo’s complex zoning and

planning laws that have shaped and erodedthe basic six-storey block. Herzog & de

Meuron’s early exploratory models

resembled roughly carved pieces of ice, now

evolved into a more streamlined and tautly

chamfered form. This is wrapped in a

rhomboidal grid, like a giant fishing net (or

string vest), infilled with a mixture of flat,

concave and convex panels of glass. Most are

clear, some, where they enclose changing

rooms, are translucent. The convex panels

billow out gently through the grid like

bubbles or puckered flesh (enhancing the

string vest analogy). Cunningly, there is no

single focal shop window; rather the entire

building is a huge display case, generating

faceted reflections and an array of changing,

almost cinematic, views from both outside

and inside. At night, light pulsates through

the crystalline lattice, tantalizingly exposing

floors of merchandise.

Tied back to the vertical cores of the

height spaces are penetrated by the diagrid

structure, bleached white like dinosaur ribs.

Changing rooms are enclosed by panels of

electropic glass that can turn opaque at theflick of a switch. Lights and monitors wiggle

provocatively on serpentine stalks adding a

whiff of Barbarella campness, compounded by

the puzzling and slightly perverse presence of

an array of white fur rugs. And everywhere

there are glimpses of the Tokyo streetscape

filtered and framed by the giant net. Though

Prada is undoubtedly technically

sophisticated, you wonder, slightly

heretically, if a mere boutique merits such a

concentrated application of resources and

architectural imagination. But this is the

rarefied world of fashion, where normal

rules have never applied. PHOEBE CHOW

Architect

Herzog & de Meuron, Basel

Project team

Jacques Herzog, P ierre de Meur on, Stefan Marbach,

Reto Pedrocchi, Wolfgang Hardt, Hiroshi Kikuchi,

Yuko Himeno, Shinya Okuda, Daniel Pokora, Mathis Tinner,

Luca Andrisani, Andreas Fries, Georg Schmid

A i t hit t


ARCHITECT

HERZOG & DE MEURON

6

6Inside the seamless white labyrinth.7At night the crystalline latticepulsates with light.8Snorkel-like fittings add a camp,futuristic air. The untreated timber floor is a reprise of Tate Modern.

6Inside the seamless white labyrinth.7At night the crystalline latticepulsates with light.8Snorkel-like fittings add a camp,futuristic air. The untreated timber floor is a reprise of Tate Modern.


ARCHITECT

HERZOG & DE MEURON




50 | 8

building, the tubular steel grid forms part of

the structure, so that facade and structure

are in effect a seamless entity. The grid acts

as stiffening element, bracing the structure

against seismic forces. Inside all is equally

seamless. A meandering labyrinth of cool

white space forms a suitably neutral canvas

for the carefully orchestrated display of

designer objects. At intervals, the double-

Associate architect

Takenaka Corporation


Takenaka Corporation, WGG Schnetzer Puskas


Takenaka Corporation, Waldhauser Engineering

Facade consultant

Emmer Pfenninger

Lighting consultant

Arup Lighting

Photographs

Nacasa & Partners

m

cross section cross section 8

7


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i m p o s i n g m u s e u m

o t h e r p u b l i c w o r

w i t h o u t p a u s i n g

b e u s e d a n d m a i n

s e e m s u n s t o p p a b

T h e Y o k o h a m a

T e r m i n a l i s t h e l

g e s t u r e s , a n d , l i k

F o r u m ( A R N o v e

I N T E R N

A T I O N A L P O R T T E R M I N A L ,

Y O K O H

A M A , J A P A N

A R C H I T E C T

F O R E I G

N O F F I C E A R C H I T E C T S

C R

U I S E C O N T R O L

1 B u i l t l i k e a s h i p , Y o k o h a m a ’ s n e w p o r t t e r m i n a l i s a n

a u d a c i o u s f u s i o n o f a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d e n g i n e e r i n g t h a t

c r e a t e s a t o p o g r a p h i c l a n d s c a p e f o r p u b l i c a c t i v i t i e s .




c r o s s s e c t i o n B B

c r o s s s e c t i o n A A

c r o s s s e c t i o n C C

g e o m e t r

y o f f o l d s

n o f c r o s s

s e c t i o n s

5 T h e c h a n g i n g l a n d s c a p e o f t h e r o o f

p r o m e n a d e . J u s t u n d e r a t h

i r d o f t h e

a r e a o f t h e r o o f i s p l a n t e d w

i t h g r a s s a n d

a n g u l a r r o o f p r o j e c t i o n s p r

o v i d e s h a d e .

6 P r o m e n a d e o v e r l o o k i n g t h e m a i n

e n t r a n c e a n d e n d o f t h e t r a

f f i c p l a z a .

7 C u s t o m - d e s i g n e d s t a i n l e s s - s t e e l

b a l u s t r a d e s w i t h r h o m b o i d

m e s h , l i k e

f i s h i n g n e t s , d e f i n e t h e u s a b l e d o m a i n .

8 T i e r e d c o n t o u r s c r e a t e o p e

n - a i r t h e a t r e .




I N T E R N


Y O K O H

A M A , J A P A N

A R C H I T

E C T

F O R E I G


l o c a t i o n

p l a n

f l o w d i a g r a m

l o c a t i o n

5

6

7

8


c r u i s e t e r m i n a l p l a

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1 3

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2 2 2 1

9 2 0




I N T E R N


Y O K O H

A M A , J A P A N

A R C H I T

E C T

F O R E I G


1

s e c u r i t y p o i n t s

2

c a r p a r k e n t r a n c e

3

c a r p a r k e x i t

4

m a c h i n e r o o m s a n d d i s a s t e r

p r e v e

n t i o n c e n t r e

5

b u s s t a t i o n

6

l i f t a c c e s s t o t e r m i n a l

7

d o m e

s t i c a p r o n b o a r d i n g

8

d o m e

s t i c b a g g a g e c o n v e y o r s

9

p e d e s t r i a n a c c e s s t o t e r m i n a l

1 0

i n t e r n

a t i o n a l b a g g a g e c o n v e y o r s

1 1

s t o r a g e

1 2

p a r k i n g

1 3

i n t e r n

a t i o n a l a p r o n b o a r d i n g

1 4

t r a f f i c

p l a z a

1 5

W C s

1 6

d o m e

s t i c t e r m i n a l c o n c o u r s e

1 7

d o m e

s t i c c h e c k - i n

1 8

s h o p s

1 9

w a i t i n

g a r e a

2 0

c h a m p a g n e r o o m

2 1

c r u i s e

d e c k

2 2

d o m e

s t i c g a t e

2 3

o f f i c e

s

2 4

c u s t o

m s

2 5

m o v a

b l e s c r e e n s

2 6

p l a n t

a n d a n i m a l q u a r a n t i n e

2 7

i n t e r n

a t i o n a l g a t e

2 8

m e c h

a n i c a l r o o m s

2 9

l o b b y

3 0

m u l t i - p u r p o s e h a l l

3 1

r e s t a u r a n t

3 2

b a n q u e t a n d r e c e p t i o n r o o m s

3 3

b e l v e d e r e

3 4

v e h i c l e a p p r o a c h

3 5

v e h i c l e e x i t

3 6

v e h i c l e d r o p - o f f a n d p i c k - u p

3 7

b u s s t o p

3 8

c a n o p y

3 9

v i s i t o r s d e c k

4 0

o p e n - a i r t h e a t r e

4 1

a c c e s s t o t e r m i n a l a n d c i v i c

f a c i l i t i e s

4 2

g r e e n

s p a c e s

9 O n e o f t h e e n t r a n c e s t o t h e t e r m i n a l

f r o m t h e

r o o f .

3

4

3 9

3 8

3 6

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5

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3 8

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6 1 5 1 5

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8

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1 4

1 6




ar house

HOUSE, CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO

A RCHITECT

STEVEN HARRISARCHITECTS

Acutabove

2




The Weiss House, by Steven

Harris Architects, has been built

into the rocky contours of a

headland, 75mabove the Pacific

Ocean in Cabo San Lucas; it is

the southernmost private house

at the foot of the Baja Peninsula,

one of the few places in the

world where the desert meets

the sea. The landscape is an arid

one of rock and sandy

windswept soils; and natural

vegetation, of desert grasses and

cacti, is sparse.

Wishingto preserve the

particular beauty of the

landscape and disturb it as little

as possible, the architects

divided the house into two

separate wings, dispersingthem

to the perimeter of the site. The

result is a marvellous sense of

space, light and air; and an

impression of experiencingthe

land as it is, for as well as being

spread out horizontally, the

structures take advantage of

vertical drops.

The approach to the house,

lookingdown on roofs and with

a view of the Pacific, gives some

intimation of drama. Froma car

port you pass bet

boulders, down a

out of the rock, to

between two wall

of the sea is denie

through an entran

(embellished by a

sculpture) opens

stony garden, a fra

desert outcrop sp

cacti and frangipa

On the east of t

courtyard is the (p

bedroom; on the

and diningrooms

with guest accom

A cut aboveOn a rocky site over the Pacific Ocean, a Me

exploits the prospect and arid beauty of the

1West to swimmingpool andPacific. To right isglasslivingroomfacingsouth and east.2East acrossinternal garden tolivingrooms.3From r oof of private suite south-west acrosssite to pavilion andlivingrooms.4Swimmingpool cantilevered oversea, east to open pavilion on themain upper level with study andguest accommodation beneath.

1

3


into the cliff below. Alongthe

south cliff edge are an open

pavilion with study and guest

bedrooms beneath, and apool,

cantilevered towards the Pacific.

Formally, the building’s austere

geometry, suppressed section and

subdued palette defer to the

muscular forms and subtle hues of

the terrain. Open to the limitless

expanse of seaon the one hand, to

fragments of desert on the other,

its interior becomes aseries of

sensual experiences. Some rooms

are cave-like; others at the cliff

edge are barely enclosed by glass

and seemsuspended in mid-air.

Light and water are elemental

themes runningthrough the

design. Glass rods embedded in

the east wall of the master

bedroompick up the first rays of

sunlight and project large circles

on the plane opposite.Underground mediaand exercise

rooms, excavated out of the rock

to the north, are themselves

sources of light. By day

illuminated by slivers cut through

the ground, they cast luminance

at night over the rocky surface

and over the entrance path. A

glass bottomed runnel, which

collects water duringthe short

and torrential rains, doubles as a

skylight over aglass shower and

over the guest roombelow. Steps

of underlit stone seemto float.

Structure is of reinforced

concrete and high-strength

laminated glass. The areais

subject to hurr icanes and the

glass is braced by asophisticated

systemof custom-made stainless

steel anchor points – a measure

that allows much larger expanses

of glass than would otherwise be

possible. Otherwise, the concrete

construction is conventional andfamiliar to local craftsmen.

level -1 plan

15

13

14

13




70|1

5Glassenclosed livingquarters onwest.6Internal garden: an enclosedfragment of natural desert.7Livingroom with transparent wallssouth and east over sea.8, 9Shaftsof light illuminate passageto lowest elegantly appointedguest bedroom.

1 car port

2 entranceramp

3 courtyard

4 kitchen

5 diningroom

6 l ivingroom

7 openlivingroom

8 mediaroom

9 exerciseroom

10 master bedroom

11 p oo l

12 entrancepavilion

13 guest bedroom

14 study

15 service

main level 0 plan (scale approx 1:1500) east-west section

level +1 plan level -2 plan

Architect

Steven Harris Architects, New York

Photographs

Scott Frances/Esto

5

6

8 9

7

3

4

5

6

11

7

12

2

9 8

10

2

1

13


The VillaAldobrandini and its

spectacular water gardens at

Frascati were constructed in

1601-11, duringthe Counter

Reformation, by Carlo Maderno,

architect of St Peter’s facade, and

Giovanni Fontana. The villa, built as

asummer residence for Cardinal

Pietro Aldobrandini, ‘nephew’ of

Pope Clement VIII , dominates the

town, and faces across the

countryside to St Peter’s dome.

Theatrically set against steep

forest on the edge of the town, the

villais the centrepiece of an

Arcadian vision of nature. Thegardens, with asemi-circular

water-theatre and nymphaeumare

fedbyanaxialsequenceof

and most famous examples of early

Italian Baroque landscape.

The villais still privately owned,

but the suite of seventeenth-

century stable buildings next to

the town square now belongs to

the city. It has been transformed

with great sensitivity, by

Massimiliano Fuksas, into the

Museo Tuscolano. The museum

houses archaeological fragments

of the Roman city of Tuscolo,

remains of which are scattered

over the Alban hills; but it also

accommodates an exhibition hall

and auditorium. In convertingthebuildings, Fuksas has impinged

very lightly on the old structures,

leavingthe architectureto speak

to it , and to the superb setting, is

very evident, as is his talent for

enhancinginherent architectural

drama.

The site had two magnificent

rectangular halls set end to end, in

need of repair and restoration.

Once this was done, and the

buildings cleared of unnecessary

accretions, the architect was left

with an enormous double-height

volume, requiringanew first

floor, and asmaller vaulted one

with achamber above. As an

organizingdevice, anew service

core and lift shaft were insertedinto the inner end of the main

hall, formingacentral cross-axis

andestablishingthe museum’s

ROMAN REVIVALIn Frascati, to the south of Rome, the seventeenth-century stables of a famous villa

have been converted with great sensitivity into an archaeological museum.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM,

FRASCATI, ITALY

A RCHITECT




62|2

fed by an axial sequence of

waterfalls, and are one of the best

leavingthe architecture to speak

for itself; but his poetic response

and establishingthe museums

two separate sections.

A RCHITECT

MASSIMILIANO FUKSAS

1Main west face. Or iginal entrance(right) isnow a window onto townhall square; new entrance (left) inadjacent building.2

East vaulted gallery on ground floor.3Main gallery with new first floor andstaircases.

1 2


New insertions have been made

distinct fromthe old structure and

the marks of previous occupation

and wear and tear have been left as

archaeological traces. Except for

the occasional plane of coloured

plaster and new glazing, the

buildings have not been smoothed

down; rather, in keepingwith the

nature of the exhibits, the textures

of materials – rough stone, brick,

flakingplaster and concrete – have

been treasured.

In the main gallery alarge

window, framingaview of the

town hall square, replaced the

original main entrance; and anew

entrance was created in an

adjoininglodge. W ithin the gallery,

RSJ columns and beams support a

new first floor of concrete and

steel. Floatingshort of the old

perimeter walls, it accommodates

an aerial fl ight of steel and wood

stairs fromground level. Another

parallel flight beneath takes you to

offices on an intermediate level

over the entrance. The

immateriality of the inserted

structures is induced by height and

4Exhibition hall on upper level; newfloor, with glassbalustrading, floatsfree of old structure.5Main gallery; north wall and newstaircases. A rchaeological exhibitsinglasscase on slender bronze stands.6Upper chamber over entrance andglassbridge to exhibition hall. Newwindowsover town hall square.

6

6

4

7

7

5

6 6

2

1




64|2

first floor plan


north-south crosssectionnorth-south crosssection

west-east longsection

1 entrance

2 maingallery

3 exhibitioncase

4 servicecore

5 vaultedgallery

6 exhibitionhall

7 auditorium

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, FRASCATI, ITALY

A RCHITECT

MASSIMILIANO FUKSAS

length, and by beingcounterpoised

against the massive masonry wall,

its thickness displayed in the deep

reveals of small square windows

set high above the ground.

Displayed on slender bronze

stands designed by Massimo

Mazzone, and illuminated by tiny

spots of suspended light, the

exhibits have been rendered

equally ethereal. Arranged in a

longprocession, they are enclosed

by transparent sheets of

toughened laminated glass, 2.60m

high and set straight into the

polished concrete floor. This

crystalline case forms acentral

spine down the length of theground floor and is visible fromthe

square outside. As an example of

exhibition design, i

Upstairs, is the c

with the well-equi

contained in the ch

vaulted gallery. The

under high roof tim

exhibitions and oth

events. Through w

are wide views ove

countryside and of

Aldobrandini.

Architect

Massimiliano FuksasA rc

with DorianaO . Mandr

Project team

Massimiliano Fuksas, Do

Lorenzo Accapezzato

Artist

Massimo Mazzone

Photographs

GiovannaPiemonti4 6

5

1

2

3

4

3

5

6

2

4

5

74


WATER AND LIGHTA new musem dedicated to the relics and techniques

ofancient Japanese water engineering is a series of soaring spaces that lyrically synthesize water and light.

HISTORICAL MUSEUM,

OSAKA, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TADAO ANDO




38|2

The Japanese are mad for museums, erectingelaborate structures to

celebrate sand, sunsets, bridges (this last a playful recreation of

Palladio’s unrealized design for the Rialto in Venice) and just about

everythingelse that can be put within four walls. Tadao Ando has

made a specialty of this buildingtype, designingmuseums for children,

literature, wood, daylight, and two for prehistoric tombs, as well as a

succession of art museums – most recently in Fort Worth, Texas. In

each, he strives to find an appropriate expression of the theme,

developingarchitectural metaphors froman austere vocabulary of

concrete planes and rotundas, ramps and stairs. In the best of these,

there is a harmonious match of container and contents; in others, the

processional routes and soaringvolumes upstage the exhibits and

exhaust less athletic visitors.

The Sayamaike Historical Museumin Ando’s home city of Osaka is

an impressive monument that conveys the power of water and the

challenge it presents to engineers who want to tame it. It is locatedbeside an artificial lake that dates back to the seventh century. Over

the centuries, monks and feudal retainers applied their skills to

enlargingthe earthen damand installing wood or stone conduits to

carry water to neighbouringfields. Relics of this early engineering

were excavated when the shore of the lake was recently heightened

and landscaped to serve as a flood control basin. A 15.4mhigh slice

through the old damwas painstakingly cut away, dried out, and

reassembled to show how layers were added and sluices threaded

through by a succession of builders.

1The museum is poised on the edgeof an artificial lake that datesback tothe seventh century.2Crisp cuboid volumesare reflected inthe building’sinternal pools.3Simple geometriescombine withAndo’scharacteristically austerepalette of materials.

1

2


longsection

second floor plan

HISTORICAL MUSEUM,

OSAKA, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TADAO ANDO

11

11




40|2

crosssection

first floor plan

ground floor plan (scale approx 1:1250)site plan

4A rotunda actsas a hinge betweenthe two partsof the building.5

The longcentral pool is framed bydiaphanous, cascadingwallsof water,with the rotunda beyond.

1 entrancehall

2 exhibitionspace

3 staffoffices

4 court

5 auditorium6 foyer

7 rotunda

8 centralpool

9 storage

10 excavateddam

11 cascadingpools

4

52

1

3

3

5

6

4

4

2

2

9 9

9

7

8

10


To house this earthwork, Ando has erected a multi-level bastion that

rises like a castle beside the pond, shuttingout its banal suburban

neighbours. A switchback ramp scales a battered wall of rough granite

blocks and you wonder if defenders will appear on the rampartsabove and drive you off with rocks and boilingoil. You emerge into a

bare concrete piazza and look for an entry to a windowless slab that

could be the castle keep. The monoli th is enigmatic and seemingly

i t bl it b i d i b d f hit

HISTORICAL MUSEUM,

OSAKA, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TADAO ANDO

6




42|2

impenetrable, its cross-bracingexpressed in bands of white on grey

stone. Steps in a corner of the piazza lead down to a court in which

you are suddenly overwhelmed by water cascadingdown the walls,

splashingover a recessed walkway, and throwing off a fine mist – as

though you had scaled a damand found yourself in its sluiceway,

wondering if the force of the torrent might carry you away. It’s one of

Ando’s most compellingtheatrical coups, but he diminishes its impact

by extendingthe underwater passage into a rotunda, fromwhere

another ramp leads to the mid-level entrance in the side of the slab.

Within the museum, the brute power of the masonry and tumbling

water is dissipated. Though the earth dammay be historically

important, it’s not much to look at and it is dwarfed by the hall that

rises far above, even when you are descendingthe ramp that leads

past it to the display area below. Archaeologists may appreciate the

fragments of primitive plumbingthat are stretched out through

another hall and wrapped around the rotunda, but students of

architecture are more likely to ignore the displays and gazeadmiringly at this monumental sculpture by a master of light, space,

and meticulously poured concrete. As such, it’s magnificent, but it

drew only a couple of visitors on a recent Sunday afternoon. Nor

does the lake lure you to its sterile banks, for the abundant wildlife it

may once have contained now survives only as a video (maddeningly

repeated in the lobby) in which two insufferably cute infants fly in on a

leaf and chatter excitedly about the birds and flowers as music tinkles

over this fantasy of nature preserved. MICHAEL WEBB

6Visitorspassalong the edge of thecentral pool, with its light diffusingcurtain of water.7The soaringinternal spacesweredetermined by the scale of thebuilding’scontents.8The excavated wall of a dam housedin a tr iple-height exhibition hall ismuseum’smain archaeological relic.

Architect

Tadao Ando Architect &Associates, Osaka

Project team

Tadao Ando, Takaaki Mizutani, KanyaSogo

Structural engineer

Wada

Mechanical engineer

Setsubi-GikenPhotographs

Shigeo Ogawa/JapanAr chitect

7


Traditionally, there are not many

Roman Catholics in Scandinavia.

The small town of Kongsvinger,

in Norway, east of Oslo and near

the Swedish border, has a

Catholic community of only

some 200 people, made up of

immigrants fromVietnam, the

Philippines and Poland as well as

native Norwegians. To help

bringthe disparate group

together, a new church was

necessary.

Because of the size of the

congregation, the buildinghad to

be simple and quite cheap: a

basic ‘framework round the

liturgy’ was required. The

architects replied with a building

of great simplicity, in an

arrangement that has become

quite common in Scandinavian

churches of all denominations:

the church faces a roughly

similar sized parish hall over an

open court that separates sacred

and profane areas, with

everythingbeing brought

together within an overall

rectangle – a compact

arrangement comparable to, for

instance, the church at

Mortensrud built for a much

bigger (and Lutheran)

congregation (AR December

2002, p52).

At Kongsvinger, the parts are

simple and elemental – all small

abstractions of ancient types.

The church itself with its wide,

clerestory-lit nave flanked by

narrow aisles is a miniature

basilica, with the altar

emphasized by a skylight, as was

the focus of basilican spaces

since Roman times; the

confessional and the font are in

tiny side niches openingoff the

aisles. The open courtyard, with

its surroundingarcades, is

clearly descended fromthe

cloister, itself another Roman

type that goes back to the atria

of the houses of the rich. The

parish hall is, in a sense, a

negative of the cloister, with

arcades surroundinga roofed

CHURCH, K ONGSVINGER, NORWAY

A RCHITECT

HILLE STRANDSKOGEN




60|3

NORDIC FAITHBy reinterpreting traditional types, this little

church achieves an intensity which is enhanced by

great sensitivity in use of materials and light.

1Approach from south with church,left, and parish hall, right.2Entrance to court: sawn sandstoneashlar isouter skin of blockwork walls.

3Church main door openingoff cloister.

1

2


space instead of one open to the

sky; to me at least, the rather

dark volume recalls tales of the

ancient timber halls of

Scandinavian legend – youalmost expect a lantern as a

reminder of the central smoke-

hole.

For Scandinavia, this is a

relatively poor parish, and

construction is economical and

very simple, but there has been

enough money to cover the

outside of the blockwork walls

in a sawn sandstone skin with

flush-pointed joints and solid

stone lintels over the portals to

the cloister. Inside, walls are

finished in tinted plaster, with no

skirtings against the floors,

which themselves are of polished

pale concrete. All columns and

main beams are 200mmsquare

laminated pine members, while

secondary roof elements, roof

linings and most other

woodwork are made of

untreated pine, the aroma of

complex. Special pieces, like the

pews, where you are literally

most in touch with the building,

are in oak.

Everythinghas been thoughtout economically, yet with deep

understandingof the sensuous

properties of light and material.

Sankt Clara’s church is a small,

yet powerful distillation of

community and the numinous.

HENRY MILES

Architect

Hille Strandskogen, Oslo

Project team

Ervin Strandskogen, Henrik Hille,

AnjaH ole Strandskogen

Interior design and landscape

Hille Strandskogen

crosssection through church

crosssection through hall

4Church is a small abstraction of traditional basilica.5Parish hall.6Fi i h t l i l d

CHURCH, K ONGSVINGER, NORWAY

A RCHITECT




p ,

which permeates the whole


longsection 1 church

2 sacristy

3 cloister court4 parishhall

5 meeting

6 ki tchen

7 upto flat

Finishesare extremely simple andeconomical.HILLE STRANDSKOGEN

21 43

5

76

62|3

4

5 6


delight

[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-



design rev

Jaakko Pernu is asculptor and relatively easy to work, due to its constructed from2

TIMBERC ONSTRUCTIONS, FINLAND

D ESIGNER

JAAKKO PERNU

2

4

3




38|3

land artist who makes remarkably

intricate yet monumental

constructions usingwood. In

Finland, blessed with a

superabundance of trees, wood

has assumed the status of

national material, its expressive

and regenerative qualities forging

apowerful connection with the

Finnish psyche. Pernu’s father

was aboatbuilder, so since

childhood he was exposed to the

tactile and sensory nature of

timber and gained an appreciation

of its technical potential – how it

could be cut, shaped and jointed.Since the late ’80s, when he

completed his studies at the Lahti

Institute of Fine Arts, Pernu has

lived and worked in remote

northern Finland, drawing

inspiration fromits huge boreal

forests and subtle Nordic light.

His favourite wood is willow,

both cheap and plentiful and also

inherent strength and suppleness.

Symbolically, willow is associated

with the moon, water and rebirth

– it regenerates very quickly and

its floweringmarks the beginning

of spring. Its bark also contains

valuable pain relievingproperties,

exploited for centuries in

traditional herbal medicine. In

Pernu’s extraordinary

constructions slender willow

members are joined usingthe

simplest of techniques – usually

just nails and screws although

Pernu is beginningto experiment

with glues – to create lattice-likearrangements that have acurious

delicacy, despite their huge scale.

One of Pernu’s largest works,

The Ground Beneath , was created

duringasix month placement at

Oulu Artists’ Workshop. Set in a

forest clearing, its arboreal form

was inspired by the surrounding

trees. A cubic frame was

willow poles that ta

upwards like tree t

organ pipes. Dried

willow members w

painstakingly mesh

form alacey timbe

suspended 3mabov

The effect is of aco

manmade forest (a

permanently denud

areal forest. At nig

structure is dramat

illuminated, casting

shadows through t

Though rooted in a

craft sensibility, Peand intuitive explo

wood draw deeply

folkloric associatio

dreamingand ench

distil the material’s

essence. C. S.

Photographs

2, 4, 5 Jaakko Pernu; 1, M

3, JukkePailos

Wood spiritFinnish artist Jaakko Pernu makes works that explore both

the physical properties and symbolic dimensions of wood.

1Pernu’sarboreally-inspiredThe

Ground Beneath , a manmade forestset in a real one.2Sky is the Limit , consistingof a trio of 8m high willow columns.3Hor n resemblessurreal topiary.4, 5Work in progressfor The Ground

Beneath – slender willow membersare nailed and screwed together toform intricate constructions.

1 5


location plan

Nestlingat the foot of the Cantabrian Cordillera, León in northern

Spain was an important stoppingoff point on the historic pilgrimage

route to Santiago de Compostela. Countless pilgrims have passed

through it and the old town still contains the built traces of their

progress, notably the sixteenth-century monastery of San Marcos, nowtransformed into aluxurious parador hotel aimed at arather different

kind of traveller. Located on the edge of León’s historic core, the

monastery overlooks aplazalandscaped in starkly contemporary

fashion that forms aplace for sitting, strollingand the evening

passeggiata . The weathered yellow stone of San Marcos has been joined

by amore recent and unabashedly contemporary interloper, the

gridded white concrete facade of the town’s new concert hall on the

south side of the plaza. Won in competition in 1994, the buildingwas

designed by the Madrid-based partnership of Luis Mansillaand Emilio

Tuñón. Despite beingconspicuously of its time, it responds with

calmness and sensitivity to its site and context and in the tradition of

such popular, public buildingtypes is also astrongcivic gesture that adds

to the life of town.

Mansilla+Tuñón began their careers in the office of Rafael Moneo

and their work displays similar formal preoccupations that have their

roots in traditional Iberian architecture tempered by aModernist

restraint. Neutral, toplit containers, solid, alcázar-like walls and the

subtle play of light are intelligently choreographed to create asense of

depth and solidity. All this is underscored by material refinement and

concern for how things are made and put together. The bulk of the new

concert hall is essentially ablind box clad in crisp white travertine, but

on the edge of the square, the box cranks round abruptly to terminate

in amassive wall that addresses its neighbours, the plazaand theFROZEN MUSIC




42|5

monastery beyond like some kind of lion’s head or three-dimensional

billboard, addingavital new piece to the existingurban composition.

Alludingplayfully to amusical score, the billboard wall is divided into

five horizontal strips, increasingin size as they rise. The bands form a

matrix for amathematically calculated grid of deeply recessed and

splayed bays each containingwindows of different sizes. These capture

CONCERTHALL ,LEÓN, SPAIN

A RCHITECT

MANSILLA +TUÑÓN

León’s new concert hall is an imaginative

distillation of Iberian vernacular thatforms not only a dignified space for music,but also enriches the urban realm.

1The white sculptural facade of León’sconcert hall completesan urbancomposition. On the left is thesixteenth-century monastery of SanMarcos, now turned into a luxury hotel.2

The billboard wall grid of recessed andsplayed openingsrecallstr aditionalIberian architecture.

1


CONCERTHALL , LEÓN, SPAIN

facade geometry

3




44|5

A RCHITECT

MANSILLA +TUÑÓN

3Facade animated by play of shadows.4Blind box of the concert hall, with itsgreat crenellated fly tower, istuckedbehind the main billboard wall.5The discrete strip of offices, includingthe box office, islinked to the mainbuildingat lower level.

longsection

crosssection

exploded axonometric of buildingelements

4


CONCERTHALL LEÓN SPAIN

6Main entrance in thebillboard wall and b7Pocketsof light illumto exhibition space a

6

12 12

11




46|5


A RCHITECT

MANSILLA +TUÑÓN

lower ground floor plan ground floor plan (scale approx 1:500)

upper level plan

1 mainentrance

2 f oye r

3 officesandbox office

4 breakout space

5 auditorium

6 stage

7 ca fé

8 wcs

9 dressingrooms

10 officesandrehearsalrooms

11 exhibitionspace

12 boxes

7

4

2

1

3

5

6

7

99 9

9

10

8

8


small chasms of light which cast changingreflections and pockets of

intense luminosity through the spaces inside, echoingthe way in which

light percolates brilliantly through the thick walls of Spanish churches. In

fact, in its solidity, whiteness, and geometric play of shadows, the wall is

adramatic abstraction of Iberian vernacular architecture. Superscale

graphics run alongthe base of the facade, in areprise of the eye-catching

device employed by the architects in an earlier project at the Museumof

Fine Arts in Castellón (AR June 2002).

Behind the wall is an exhibition hall and foyer contained in an angledwingset at the east end of the auditorium. The public entrance

penetrates the knuckle between the angled wingand the auditor ium

leadingto a vestibule that gives access to the concert hall foyer and

promenadingspaceatgroundlevel Fromhere alongrampwindsupto

8Triple-height exhibition space.9The soft, sepulchral gloom of theconcert hall, lined with dark timber.10Breakout space on the ground floor

behind the auditorium, overlookingan internal courtyard.

8




48|5

promenadingspace at ground level. Fromhere, alongramp winds up to

atriple-height exhibition hall on the first floor. Theatrically side-lit by

the billboard wall, the exhibition space extends the life of the building

beyond the eveningperformances. Below ground is a labyrinth of

technical facilities, rehearsal spaces and dressingrooms overlookinga

light court, and apublic café, also facingthe courtyard. A discrete strip

of offices runs alongthe south edge of the concert hall.

The auditoriumis divided into two parts, with 734 seats (excluding

boxes) placed in front of the concert platform, and 394 seats behind it

risingon asteeper rake. This arrangement provides increased flexibility

– as well as for large symphony concerts, the hall can be configured for

chamber music, operaand even conferences, with moveable panels

modifyingacoustics as required. The stage is surmounted by afly tower

expressed as amonumental crenellation on the hermetic box of the

concert hall. Lined with wide strips of dark Wenge timber, the

auditoriumhas asepulchral, sensual quality after the lightness andasceticismof the exterior and foyer spaces. Rows of boxes resemble

intimate cocoons, where patrons can see (but not necessarily be seen),

addingto the ritual and intrigue of an eveningout. Under the light from

lines of cylindrical fittings suspended fromthe ceilingshell, the deep blue

tones of the seats mutate into an opulent purple.

If architecture is indeed frozen music, then Mansilla +Tuñón have

produced atautly executed but beautifully resonant composition,

qualities not lost on awider criti cal fraternity as the concert hall was

shortlisted for the 2003 Mies van der Rohe Award for European

Architecture (at the time of writing, the winner was yet to be

announced). The Madrid duo will also orchestrate the next phase in

León’s re-energized cultural l ife, havingbeen selected to design the

town’s new arts centre on an adjacent site. CARLA BERTOLUCCI


A RCHITECT

MANSILLA +TUÑÓN

ArchitectMansilla+ Tuñón, Madrid

Project teamLuis Moreno Mansilla, Emilio Tuñón,

Andrés Regueiro, Fernando García Pino,

MaríaLinares

Structural engineerOveArup

Mechanical engineer JG Asociados

Cost consultantsHernán, C oronay Asociados

Acoustic consultantHigini Araw

PhotographsRolandHalbe

9


As aleadingadvertisingagency in

America, Chiat Day’s business is

creatingimages that subliminally

stir the imagination and amuse. In

registeringits presence in thepublic mind – in Los Angeles, New

York and, most recently, San

Francisco – it has employed

original architectural minds to

design offices for its inventive and

technologically sophisticated staff.

The firm’s Boat, Binoculars and

Trees headquarters on Main

Street in Venice, California(AR

May 1992), was designed by Frank

Gehry (with Claes Oldenburgand

Coosje von Bruge) as aroadside

landmark. But the building’s

impact, in acity used to such

events, derived fromGehry’s skill

in manipulating filmic imagery,

subvertingthe normality of Main

Street (the entrance is Oldenburg

and von Bruge’s giant binoculars),

and drawingon associations withHollywood and Disneyland.

Behind the playful facade were

fairly conventional offices, the

prevailinginformality conveying

Public imageExpansion of a leading advertising agency is another stage

in its imaginative flight from stifling corporate design.

ADVERTISING OFFICES,

SAN FRANCISCO, USAA RCHITECT

MARMOL RADZINER+

ASSOCIATES

interior design[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-2005)



70|4

p g y y g

the non-hierarchical character of

the advertisingindustry.

Gehry was succeeded in New

York by Gaetano Pesce, who was

asked to do away with lingering

notions of Bürolandschaft. His

exuberant design of (virtual)

offices was confined to the interior

of an undistinguished block in

Manhattan and had aVenetian cast.

Restricted by atight budget, it was

described at the time as ‘the

furthest flight fromthe rectangle

ever achieved in office design’ (AR

January 1995). Pesce transformed

the amorphous space into a

riotous carnival of brilliant colours

(used to delineate zones), surreal

forms and strange conjunctions of

inexpensive materials (polyesters,

resin and rubber). There were no

individual spaces or work-stations.

Marmol Radziner’s brief in San

Francisco, when designingnew

offices for TBWA\Chiat\Day, was

that they should be different in

character fromthe firm’s other

premises. After Pesce, the firmhas

become more conventional –

1Curvingwall like a remnant of ship’shull leadsto reception.2Floor plate cut away to createdouble-height void. Project roo mabove reception contained inwooden hull with translucent wall.1 [email protected]

- 184 -

Marmol Radziner has provided

corr idors, right-angles and

enclosures, even if they are at first

obscured by impressions of ship-

wrecked hulls. As in New York,the budget was limited but, in San

Francisco, the buildingwas

romantic; the offices occupy three

floors of ahistoric brick

warehouse at 55 Union Street on

the city’s old Barbary Coast. The

site, once ashipyard, is reclaimed

land incorporatinghulks of ships

abandoned by the Forty-niners

rushinginland for gold. Once

famous for brothels, bars and

opiumdens, the areahas been

taken over since the 1960s by

design and technology companies,

and public relations industries.

The handsome warehouse wasstripped back to its bones – brick

walls, wooden beams, columns and

ceilings – and cleaned up. Within

this envelope, Marmol Radziner’s

design, lit by large windows, draws

on the site’s piratical history (for

Chiat\Day, ‘pirate’ is asymbol for

rule-breakers and innovators), and

ideas of flood, recedingwaters and

stranded timbers. As an

architectural stage set, focused

around the entrance, it is less

literal in execution than Gehry’s

scheme in Los Angeles, but stil l

there are resonances.

The entrance to the oldwarehouse in aback alley was

inconspicuous, designed for cargo

rather than people. This has been

transformed. Steppingin fromthe

street, you find yourself among

enormous curvingforms, like

wooden hulls, beached amongand

impaled by the building’s massive

timbers. An undulatingwall guides

you to the reception desk where

the floor has been cut away so that

wooden forms, plainly hollow at

the upper level, are two storeys

high. At the upper level, subliminal

impressions of asub-aqueous

world are reinforced bytranslucent, watery walls (of

polycarbonate), that line structural

ribs and enclose conference and

project rooms. The overwhelming

sensation is of l ight on wood: on

the roughened texture of the

horizontal timbers, made to pop as

they are pulled into an arc round

meetingrooms on the ground

floor; on the smoother plywood

surface of vertical forms; and on

the grainy one of cork that covers

reception. The light is softened,

smoothed out, and made

harmonious by colour and texture.

Such theatrics entertain and are

pleasurable, but more importantly

their arrangement expresses the

agency’s collaborative ethos.

Cuttingthrough the first floorestablishes avertical connection

in asturdy buildingwith an

otherwise impermeable section;

and the lightness of the inserted




72|4

structures dispels the weightiness

of the old structure.

Beyond reception are open-plan

offices on two floors. Connected

by lifts and staircase, the various

departments are arranged in

orthogonal fashion. Low

enclosures, specially made in

different sizes, allude to the

wooden crates that once occupied

the building. Beneath longlines of

rice-paper lanterns, they allow

views and communication across

the building, and give privacy. Their

sturdy functional character is

echoed in the architects’ design of

furniture – wooden storage units,

conference tables and low sofas.

PENNY MCGUIRE

Architects

Marmol Radziner+Associates

Project team

Leo Marmol, RonRadziner, AnnaH ill, John

Kim, SuKim, BrendanO ’Grady

Paul Benigno, Juli Brode, Patrick McHugh,

Chris McCullough, Daniel Monti, BobbyRees,

ReneeW ilson, AnnetteW u

Photographs

BennyChan/Fotoworks

1 entrance

2 reception

3 meetingroom

4 lift

5 rear entrance

3,4Sturdy functional meetingr oomfurniture and workstationenclosures(recallingcargo crates)designed by practice.5Communal area at upper level forinformal meetingsoutside projectroom. ground floor plan (scale approx 1:450) first floor plan

53

4

ADVERTISING OFFICES, SAN FRANCISCO, USA

A RCHITECT

MARMOL RADZINER+ASSOCIATES

8 8 8

3 3 3 8 6

2

4

1

75

8 98

8 3 8

7

4

8 3

6

3

8


In many ways, Vancouver is the

finest city in North America. It has

aproper mixed-use urban centre

that focuses on apark and

stretches alongamagnificent site

But outside their centres, both

cities have much in common. Low

density suburbs intermingle with

forests alongthe coast, and of

course theyneedtransport so

ensure that the sys

as attractive as pos

local architects to d

stations, rather tha

civilengineers Busb

METROSTATION,

VANCOUVER, CANADA

A RCHITECT

BUSBY +ASSOCIATES

2




stretches alongamagnificent site

between forested hills and the

complex fretted geometry of the

coast of the Pacific Ocean. There

could be no greater urban contrast

than between Vancouver and

Seattle, not much more than a

hundred miles away over the

border to the south. The

American city has scarcely any

decent urban spaces and has

allowed civil engineers to ruin its

waterfront by runningan urban

motorway all alongthe best

stretches of the shore.

course, they need transport, so

highways snake into the superb

landscapes, spreadingpollution and

carryingever more vehicles. In

association with these is the usual

Nor th American tat: malls, strips

and wasteful parkinglots.

Vancouver is tryingto counter this

process by focusingdevelopment

at new centres. Connecting13 of

these is the MillenniumLine, ahigh-

level metro systemthat follows the

busy Lougheed Highway.

The Vancouver Rapid Transit

Project Office was concerned to

civil engineers. Busb

were asked to mak

the halts. Brentwoo

dramatic of the two

intended to formth

and design catalyst

Town Centre, at pr

undistinguished sub

The highway divi

in half, and one of th

purposes of the new

to link the two side

time, it has to get pa

the trains, which tra

middle of the moto

SKY STATION

In an attempt to tame

its suburbs, Vancouver

has set up an overhead

rapid-transit system.

Its stations are

designed as memorable

and welcoming places.

sectional perspective

1Overhead rail trackslargelyfollow line of highway below,necessitating…2… bridge over road and under

tracksthat spansbetween twohalvesof suburban centre. [email protected]

- 186 -

architects decided to make a

bridge over the road but under the

railtracks Fromthebridge lifts

above the middle of the tracks, a

lattice of thin steel elements links

thetwosidesandprovidesseismic

and requiringcomputer analysis of

the cladding.

Thearchitects’aimhasbeento

1 platform

2 tracks

3 verticalcirculation

4 bridge

5 rampto car park

6 mallcar park

platform level plan

METROSTATION,

VANCOUVER, CANADA

A RCHITECT

BUSBY +ASSOCIATES

4

56

2

3

4

1

1

3




58|4

rail tracks. Fromthe bridge, lifts

and stairs r ise to platformlevel.

Each platformis sheltered by a

curvingcanopy. Roofs are made of

2in by 4in (50 x100mm) softwood

members nailed together to form

continuous curved timber decks

that stiffen laminated ribs. These

are connected to the basic

concrete structure through pin-

joints by giant white-painted steel

shoes. Between the canopies,

the two sides and provides seismic

stiffness. The central slot is left

open, but platformsides are

protected fromthe elements by

glass walls formed of overlapping

identical elements clipped

together. To provide enough

width for l ifts and stairs to arrive

at platformlevel in the middle of

the plan, the structure expands

organically and generously, making

the canopies curve in two planes,

The architects aimhas been to

make the buildingas transparent as

possible to avoid visitor confusion

and to act as aformof

advertisement for the new travel

systemwhich, so far, has proved

popular and efficient; its fast

driver-less trains arrive regularly

and punctually. For car drivers

crawlingon the polluted freeway

below, the new station is abeacon

of civilized living. ED ABRAHAMS

3Ramp gradually leadsstop loop in mall car p4Envelope round platfofor width of lifts, escalstairs.5White prefabricated costructure.6Steel struttingandV-sh

between canopiesgive sresistance.

4

3 5 6

Architect

Busby+ Associates, Van

Project team

B. Billingsley, M. Bonaven

P. Busby, S. Edwards, T.

M. Nielsen, R. Peck, A. S

Structural engineer

Fast & EppPartners

Photographs

Nic Lehoux


THE SNOW SHOW

During lunch at a M anhattan restaurant, inde-

pendent curator LanceFung and Tuula Yr jölä

fromtheFinnish Tourist Board cameup with the

idea of hostinga show celebratingiceand snow

structuresin Finland’sL apland. FromFebruary

to April next year, theSnow Show will seestruc-

turesof a minimum80 per cent iceor snow, built

by 30 teamsfromsome27 countries.1 Theteams

will consist of an architect and artist2who, receiv-

ingno fee, will design experimental worksusing

video, sound, light and traditional art media,

combined with architectural construction mate-

rialsand thearctic elementsof snow and ice. By

replacing usual, permanent materials with

unusual ephemeral elements, thecuratorshope

to ‘neutralizeinitial fixity of ideas’.

Fifteen of theseprojectswill bein Rovaniemi,

a sleigh-rideaway fromSanta ClausVillageand

theArctic Circle. Thecity wasalmost completely

destroyed by retreating Germansin theSecond

World War, and in 1946 rebuilding began with

Alvar Aalto laying out thetown in theshapeof

reindeer antlers. He went on to design thetown

hall, library and theatre.

Theother 15 designswill bein theseaport city

of Kemi, at thenorth end of theGulf of Bothnia.Kemi isalready hometo theSnowCastle, a large

snow structurebuilt annually for the eighth time

last winter, housing wedding chapel, ice sculp-

tures, gallery, restaurant and hotel rooms(where

yousleeponabedoficedeckedinreindeerskin).

vıewPALACESOF SNOW AND ICE IN LAPLAND; AR’S MIPIM PRIZES AT CANNES; HELPING TO SAVE ST CATHERINE’S

MONASTERY IN SINAI; JOHN PAWSON TO LECTURE FOR AR AT SPECTRUM; WINGÅRDH BUILDS FOR SWEDEN IN

WASHINGTON ; CATHERINE COOKE’S VIEW FROM MOSCOW; L YAL L ON WE B; OLD PARADIGM JENCKS?




together making a circle. The videosare pro-

jected on a glassrevolvingdoor in themiddleof

theroom, onein both endsof thewholesculp-

ture. Therevolvingdoorsare, say thearchitects,

a metaphor for urban life, ‘a turbine run by the

flow of wandering people. It isa door between

formal structuresand theunpredictablediversity

of life. It isa door that makesour inner spacean

outer spaceagain and again’. T heheat fromthe

video equipment will gradually melt theinterior

whilethesun workson theexterior.

The venture ispartly financed by the Euro-

pean Union and partly by participating cities,

theproject partnersincludetheart museumsof

Rovaniemi and Kemi, and UNESCO. In con-

junction with theSnow Show, theDepartmentof Architecture at Oulu University and the

Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki are organiz-

ing a competition, the winners of which, two

architect/ art student pairs, wil l create their

own structures, one in Kemi and one in

Rovaniemi.3 JULI A DAWSONPhotographs: Manne Stenros, copyright Snow Show

1 Architects buildi ng are Anamorphosis, T adao Ando, Asymptote, Shigeru Ban,

Jung-H o Chang, Dil ler + Scofidi o, Fo Architects, Future Systems, Zaha

Hadid, Heikki nen & Komonen, Coop Hi mmelb(l)au, Steven Holl, H ollmén

Reuter Sandman, Arata Isozaki, Lot- Ek, Greg Lynn, Morphosis, MVRDV,

Ocean North, Juhani Pall asmaa, Snøhetta, Studio Granda, UN Studi o, Ten

Arquitectos, Anders Wilhelmson, Wil liams & Tsien, Lebbeus Woods.

Artists are Pawel Althamer, Robert Barry, Grönlund/Ni sunen, L othar

Hempel, Jene Hi ghstein, Ilya Kabakov, Ani sh Kapoor, Kaij a Kiuru, Sol

Lewitt , Ernesto Neto, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Osmo Rauhula, J ohn

Roloff, Eva Rothschild, Kiki Smith, Do-Ho Suh, Ri cky Swallow, Rachel

Whiteread, Maaria Wi rkkala.

2 Most of the archit ects and artists have never worked wit h each other, which

should prove int eresting considering some of the egos involved.3 Detail s at www. thesnowshow.net or www.ar plus.com. Deadline 28.4.03.22|4

you sleep on a bed of icedecked in reindeer skin).

In winter, theG ulf of Bothnia isthelargest field

of icein Europe. FromKemi, you can travel on

the world’s only passenger icebreaker which

crashesthrough deep solid ice, and then swimin

theicy watersof theGulf in thermal wet suits.

In February therewasa preview of two Snow

Show designs, onein iceand the other of snow.

Steven Holl and the sculptor J ene Highstein

(who, unlikemost of theother teams, had already

worked together, at the K iasma Museum,

Helsinki) collaborated on a stunning 9mtall ice

cube, Oblong Voidspace. By the riverside in

Rovaniemi, an icestairway leadsyou up and into

thecube, which is open to thesky (framing the

aurora borealis in the right conditions). I t ismadeof 500 cubic metresof ice. Theappearance

changesinsideand out accordingto theweather:

in sunshine, it seemstranslucent and you can see

figuresmovinginside, in thedark or in dull con-

ditionsit appearsopaque. At night thecubeislit

from the exterior, there are no fittingsinside.

Steven Holl hopesthesouth-facing icewall will

melt to create a hole giving a view acrossthe

river to the city. The design will either be fine

tuned or changed for next year.

Asymptote and Finnish painter and video

artist Osmo Rauhala built the snow structure

AbsoluteZero in Kemi. The 30 metre inverted

S-shaped structureisreminiscent of two igloos

joined together, with theentranceson opposite

sidesat the tails of the S. Inside the igloosare

videosof people ice skating on an artificial ice

rink in New York’sCentral Park. Therearetwo

video scenes: one of peoplemoving away fromyou and theother of themcomingtowardsyou,OblongVoidspace, above and far right: 9m tall ice cube designed bySteven Holl and Jene H ighstein in Rovaniemi.

Absolute Zero: A Light House of Temporality– a30m longsnowstructure in Kemi byAsymptote (Hani Rashid and Lise Ann Couture) with artist Osmo Rauhala.


Townsville is one of Australia’s largest military ports, strategically

located to command the Coral Sea. In the tropics, well north of

Brisbane, the town has a relatively rainless but nonetheless humid

climate, largely shielded by mountains fromtropical downpours

further north and west. Just south of the town, Lavarack Barracks are

the home of the Third Brigade, the army’s rapid deployment force.

New approaches to soldier ing, brought about partly by increased

recruitment of women, and by the need to retain soldiers in a

competitive labour market, have caused a need for redevelopment of

the barracks, which were originally built by American military

engineers duringthe Vietnamwar in the ’60s.

The main aimof the new work has been to give each inhabitant a

sense of personal place, while maintainingphysical notions of the

group, and beyond that of the br igade as a whole. In generating the

new buildings, much was learned by the architects (Bligh Voller N ield

workingwith Troppo) from the existingstructures, for instance use

of steel-framed prefabricated construction, deep roof overhangs,

light-coloured steel cladding, narrow plans to encourage through

ventilation and generally north-south orientation to conserve energy.

Main differences between new and old include givingeach

inhabitant at least a private roomwith a bathroomand an often

generous balcony. Such units are formed into two- and three-storey

blocks clustered round courts in which existing trees are preserved.

Views to Mount Stewart to the south and to Castle Hill to the north

are preserved and framed.

MILITARY BARRACKS, TOWNSVILLE,

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA




48|6

1Blocksare clustered to increase senseof social group, and to minimizeimpact on bush. Laverack Barracks

must be some of the few anywhere thattry to engage with wild nature.


ARCHITECT

BLIGH VOLLER NIELDWITH

TROPPO ARCHITECTS (QLD)

1

OUTBACK BARRACKSAn experiment in prefabrication optimizes orientation

and shade to reduce artificial cooling needs.


crosssection through typical court cluster

site plan of eastern precinct (scale approx 1:1125)

MILITARY BARRACKS, TOWNSVILLE,


ARCHITECT



2

exploded axonometricshowingelements




50|6

2Eastern precinct: hillside isleft freeof buildingasfar as possible.3Extensive provision of car portstendsto suburbanize some spaces…4… but elsewhere, nature comesrightup to buildings.5Court side of blockshasstairwaysandelaborate sunscreens.

floor plansof other rank units

upper floor typical cluster

ground floor typical cluster (scale approx 1:150)

3 4


MILITARY BARRACKS, TOWNSVILLE,QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

ARCHITECT



Prefabrication was an overridingpreoccupation to contain costs,

increase buildingspeed by reducingwet-season delays and to provide

good finishes. Most buildings on site were erected by crane with no

scaffolding. Acoustic and fire separation, and adegree of thermal

stability, are provided by precast concrete party floor and wall units

bolted together (wall elements were formed usingthe tilt-up process).

External walls are framed in lightweight steel with cor rugated metal or

plywood panels, some of which are brightly coloured to add asense of

individuality and location – for the same reason, panels are sometimes

formed of natural timber. Further particularity is given by addinga

variety of prefabricated galvanized steel and hardwood stairs,

balustrades and sun-shadingdevices, all of which to some degree recall

the tin and timber domestic rural architecture of tropical Queensland.

More than 1000 individual units have been provided in stage two of the

redevelopment. The courts formed by the livingunits are grouped into

what the architects call three ‘precincts’, sited to maximize the cooling

effects of prevailingsite breezes and make the most of natural site features.

Each precinct has amess located on Robert Towns Boulevard, the main

east-west axis of the whole camp. Messes are used by all ranks, but

traditional differences between officers, senior NCOs and other ranks are

retained, with separate entrances, eatingand drinkingspaces and finishes,

so the apparently democratic atmosphere generated by the livingand

sleepingaccommodation is not as all-pervasive as it seems initially.

Nonetheless, the messes are much more open and approachable

than many buildings of their type, just as the barrack blocks themselvesare radically different fromtraditional eighteenth-century institutional

dormitories. Within the constraints of army life, the barracks are as

inventive as they are in economically and constructively dealingwith

the hot and humid climate. E. M.

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6Other ranks’ bar in mess.7Messwith shaded exterior spacesopensasfar as possible tosurroundinglandscape.8, 10Each pair of roomshasa balconyreached from a separate staircase.9On short endsof blocks, concretewall slab isprotected from elementsby metal screens.11Outward-facingfacadesoffer views

of landscape through sun-screensystem.

Architect

BlighVoller Nield with

Troppo Architects(Qld)

Project director

PhillipTait

Design directors

ShaneT hompson, Phil H arrisProject architects

JonFlorence, Andrew Bock

Project team

Chris Bligh, Geoff Clark, SoniaGr aham,

Paul Baker, Greg James, Michael O’Brien,

JamesRussell, RobVider, SachaCochran,

Prue Langer, JamesPeet, CarolynBiasi

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In the house Rick Joy designed in

asmall valley in the Sonoran

Desert near Tucson, he used his

well-tried arid-climate

repertoire of materials (other

essays in the genre can be seen infor instance AR November 1998

and AR July 2001). Massive

rammed earth walls often 2ft

(600mm) thick provide insulation

and thermal capacity to combat a

climate that can be both very hot

duringthe day and pretty cold at

night. In contrast, large sheets of

glass allow wonderful vistas of

the desert, which is allowed to

come right up to the outer walls

with its strangely prolific and

often zoomorphically shaped

flora. Car parkingis carefully

hidden in the bush and the house

is approached through the cacti

alonga simple path aligned

axially with the main thrust of

the plan.A butterfly roof finished in

rusted steel unites all elements

of the house. The roof valley

divides the plan into two strips,

with the elements of the house

proper to the south, and the

main entrance, guest bedroom

porch and terrace in the

northern strip. A massive

rammed earth fireplace offers

hearths to porch and livingarea,and becomes the physical and

psychological link between the

two strips. Both porch and living

roomopen to the desert slightly

north of east. The massive earth

walls are pierced to frame other

views treasured by the owners.

In the bright desert sunlight,

the whole place acts as a giant

internalized sundial, with light

slowly movingover the polished

concrete floors and the

wonderfully r ichly textured

earth walls. In these, daywork

joints are revealed by changes in

texture and colour but there is

an overall order made by the

regular horizontal striations of

the boarded shutteringwhichturned stiff mud into regular

strata. The architect’s own

construction company (now

highly experienced in rammed

earth) was the main contractor.

HOUSE,

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1The V within the valley: Joy’scarefully controlled geometry

complementsthe austere shapesof the natural world. 1

High and dryRick Joy is perhaps set to become the Murcutt of the

northern hemisphere with houses that are sharply honed

to respond to hot and dry desert climates.


In contrast to the delicate

textures of the heavy walls, the

glass planes are a little crude.

Though sheets are large, the

standard aluminiumframes are

clumsy compared to the semi-hand-crafted earth.

But the overall feelingof the

spaces is calmand gentle. The

apparently simple device of the

butterfly roof affords much subtle

gradation of space: for instance

the areas round the fireplaces are

the lowest and most intimate,

while the tall south north and

south windows draw the

landscape into the house. As

Juhani Pallasmaahas pointed out,

Joy’s houses in the northern

hemisphere ‘bring to mind some

of the clearheaded and poetic

house designs of Glenn Murcutt

in Australia’.* In this house, the

poetry lies in sensitivity tonature, and in the essence of

materials, makinga place that

evokes simultaneously the

archetypes of both tent and cave.

* R ick Joy,Desert Works , Princeton

ArchitecturalPress, N ew York, 2002, p16.

Architect

Rick Joy Architects

Project team

Rick Joy, AndyTinucci

Photographs

Bill Timmerman

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A RCHITECT

RICK JOY

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2Main entrance divesinto the harshdesert landscape.3Kitchen to entrance.4, 5Livingarea with polished concrete

floorsand delicate, almost lacy,rammed earth walls.

1 entrance2 kitchen

3 p antry

4 bed

5 l iv ing

6 guest

7 b at h

8 porchedterrace

crosssection


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Befittingthe epithet of Eternal City, Rome has waited alongtime for its

new Parco dellaMusica. Renzo Piano’s arrestingly zoomorphic trio of

scarab-shaped concert halls marks the culmination of a typically

protracted Italian sagathat began in 1936 with the demolition of the city’s

original Art Nouveau auditor iumhoused inside the mausoleumof

Augustus. (The Roman remains were subsequently restored as part of

Mussolini’s hubristic urban remodellings.) There followed aseries of

aborted plans, stalled competitions and false starts as the design process

became bogged down by polit ics, bureaucracy, finance and the challenge

of insertingsuch amonumental structure into Rome’s dense, historic

texture. By 1994, an apparently suitable site was selected on the north

side of the city, where the nineteenth-century grid of Flaminio meets a

disparate collection of sports and object buildings constructed for the

1960 Olympics. O riginally acar park for the Palazzetto dello Sport and

Flaminio Stadium(both designed by Nervi), even such aseemingly

mundane Roman locale yielded up hidden treasures in the formof the

foundations of avillaand oil press datingfrom6BC, revealed duringthe

course of routine groundwork. This discovery set the project back by a

year as Piano reconfigured the site plan to incorporate the archaeological

remains within the fan-shaped layout of the three concert halls, as well as

providingasmall museumto display excavated items.

Other more politically motivated delays also contrived to impede

progress, but it is to the credit of both Piano and his patron, Rome’s leftist

mayor, Francesco Rutelli , that they succeeded in realizingsuch a

challengingcivic project. When the complex finally opened at the end of last year, it was greeted with acclaimby performers and public alike –

after nearly 60 years, Rome at last had acentre for classical music that

could compete with the best venues in Europe.

The key to the project was Piano’s decision to dissect and reinterpret

the original programme, which called for asingle buildinghousingthree

auditoria. Insteadheproposedthreeseparateentitiesgroupedinafan-

1The trio of armadillonew gateway to Romsuburbs.2The approach to thepiazza is lined with aand restaurants.

3The concert hallsovringed by an open-ai4Lead-clad roofsnuzzherd of grazingpach5Plantingwill animatausterity of the piaz

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auditoria. Instead he proposed three separate entities grouped in afan

like formation around the fulcrumof acentral piazzawith ground floor

access to acommon concourse and promenadingstaircases servicing

each hall. To this trio of small, mediumand large sound boxes (with

capacities of 700, 1273 and 2756 respectively), Piano also added an open-

air amphitheatre in the piazza, capable of seating3000, which unifies and

animates the external realm.

Fromadistance, the Parco is signposted by swelling, weighty hulks of

the lead roofs evokingmetaphors of tortoise shells, insect carapaces and

the curiously graceful jointed armour of samurai warriors. Continuing

Piano’s preoccupation with toroidal geometries (perhaps most famously

realized at Kansai Airport, AR November 1994), each roof is afragment

of atorus split at its peak for improved drainage. Held in place by steel

flanges and lined internally with horizontal planks of pine, the segmented

lead roof casings curve out and extend down the flanks of the halls,creatinginterstitial space for escape stairs. Coated with apearly

protective lacquer, the massive metallic roofs appear to hover over a

URBAN ORCHESTRATIONFormally imaginative and technically assured,

Renzo Piano’s concert hall complex in Rome is

also a civic place in the city’s best tradition.

CONCERT HALLS, ROME, ITALY

A RCHITECT

RENZO PIANO BUILDING WORKSHOP

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A RCHITECT


site plan

toroidal roof geometry

north elevation of whole complex longsection through medium-sized hall

longsection through small hall

1 arcades

2 piazza

3 amphitheatre

4 concourse

5 2756seat hall

6 1273seat hall

7 700seat hall

8 Romanremains

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66|5 concert hall level plan (scale approx 1:2000)

crosssection through medium-sized hall

longsection through large hall

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Escape stairsshelteoversailingroofs.

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swathe of newly planted greenery – parasol pines, olive trees and cork

oaks – that when fully matured will formluxuriant hanginggardens, as

well as anew urban park linkingthe Flaminio neighbourhood with the

VillaGlori to the east.

The Parco complex is approached by asteel and glass pergolalined with

shops and restaurants that generate and accommodate daily activity. Atthis lower level, walls and pillars of thin red Roman brick with travertine

flashings suggest ancient ruins denuded of their precious marble. From

the central piazza, with its Greek amphitheatre and gardens, glass doors

in slender brass frames open onto the crescent-shaped internal

concourse, the necklace of circulation that yokes together the concert

halls. Sandwiched between the auditoria, the fragments of the Roman villa

can be surveyed fromthe concourse through alarge vitrine.

Piano’s experience of music theatres and acoustics dates back to the

late 1970s when he designed the IRCAM centre for experimental music

for Pierre Boulez next to the Pompidou Centre. Since then his repertoire

has encompassed concert halls in Venice, Berlin, Turin (Lingotto AR

November 1996) and most recently Parma(AR O ctober 2002), all in

different ways and on different scales built to serve music both technically

and experientially. Here, each of the three auditoriaresponds to aprecise

musical configuration. Symphony concerts and major choral works take

place in the large hall to the east; ballet and contemporary music in the

intermediate central theatre; and chamber music and experimental works

in the small 700 seat auditor iumon the west side. With its polygonal

shape and vineyard terraces of seatingarrayed around acentral concertplatform, the large hall has conscious echoes of Scharoun’s Berlin

Philharmonie. A sculpted ceilingof glossy cherrywood caissons,

suspended fromthe timber roof structure like some kind of geological

formation, is calculated to enhance acoustic performance.

The configuration of the halls evolved initially usingmodels with

reflectingsurfaces and laser beams to establish graphic representations of

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8, 9The three hallsare connected by acrescent-shaped concourse at lowerlevel. From here, stairslead up intothe auditoria.10Inside medium-sized hall, intendedfor ballet and contemporary music.11The smallest of the three auditoriahostschamber music andexperimental performances.12, 13With itsvineyard terracesof seatingand caissoned ceiling, thelarge 2756 seat hall, designed forsymphony concerts and majorchoral works, hasclear echoesof Scharoun’sPhilharmonie.

acoustic responses. This was followed by computer simulations and

physical tests. Cherrywood was selected for the internal linings, based on

research into the emission, reflection and reception of sound takinginto

account different music sources and environmental demands. The richly

polished wood has aseductive warmth, resonance and tactility, so that

the auditoriaresemble the insides of musical instruments. But beyond the

technical accomplishment of the halls is awider social and urbanistic

intention to make culture alivingpart of the city and create new civic

gatheringplaces in the manner of other great Roman outdoor rooms such

as the Piazzadel Popolo and PiazzaNavona. Visible fromthe top of St

Peter’s, Piano’s cluster of musical armadillos marks abold new

improvization on afamiliar urban score. CATHERINE SLESSOR


A RCHITECT


Architect

Renzo Piano BuildingWorkshop, Genoa

Structural engineer

Ove Arup &Partners, Studio Vitone

&Associati

Services engineerManensIntertecnica

Acoustic consultants

Müller Bbm

Landscape consultants

F. Zagari, E. Trabella

Photographs

Paul Raftery/VIEW

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delight




1Pavilions termY-shaped columroofs’ shading curve of café ro




Tadao Ando’s new museum at Fort Worth both learns from Kahn’s great

Kimbell and copes with the scale and nature of contemporary art.

BOXING WITH LIGHT

FORT WORTH MODERN ART

MUSEUM, TEXAS, USA

ARCHITECT

TADAO ANDO

32 | 8 [email protected] 198 -

Building next to an internationally recognized masterpiece is

inevitably a daunting task, but to create a building of similar type to

the great work is a challenge that few can rise to. Tadao Ando won

the competition for the Fort Worth Modern Art Museum in 1997

(AR February 1998). It is part of the city’s cultural complex, set in a

park in a low-density suburb of the city, just across the road fromLouis Kahn’s Kimbell Art Museum, one of the greatest gallery

buildings of the last century.

The big site is flat and featureless, so Ando has transformed it by

dextrous tree planting (partly to mask the car park), walls against the

busiest roads, lawns and a shallow pool, or rather young lake, over

which the city’s downtown makes a dramatic skyline. But as Ando

remarked when he got the commission, even if the site was dull ‘the

Kimbell is a mountain’. Ando’s strategy for organizing the new

building is partly based on the Kimbell, with calm parallel gallery

spaces, lit as far as possible by daylight and opening on to nature (in

the Kahn building exquisitely planted courts, but in the Ando the

much larger new park). To some extent, Ando turns his back (or at

least west side) on Kahn, with a dull elevation, car park and (at

ground level) service spaces. Perhaps it was impossible to address the

earlier building directly, and when the planting round the car park

grows the juxtaposition of the two will seem more gentle.

For all the similarities, there are very significant differences

between the two buildings. Kahn’s galleries are reminiscent of

Cistercian vaults in their awesome simplicity. Ando’s exhibition

spaces are concrete boxes within glass ones. The heavy inner boxes

are the main containers for the artworks, while the glass ones

provide intermediate spaces between galleries and the lake and lawns.

The other major difference between Ando and Kahn is that

Ando (for all the size of his site) found it necessary to put his galleries

on two levels. One of the reasons for this must surely be the

difference in scale between much contemporary work and the

paintings in the Kimbell, which contains a fundamentally privatecollection of works of easel and domestic scale. Fort Worth’s

Modern needed larger spaces, some of double height, to

accommodate really big pieces. Ando has exploited the

possibilities of his two levels of galleries with sudden surprising

juxtaposition s of volume and scale, but the arrangem ent means that

lower, single-height galleries must inevitably seem slightly second

class because they cannot receive daylight. Upstairs galleries are top

lit as in the Kimbell, either through diffusing fabric ceilings (such as

the one over the stair hall) or from clerestories, which project light

onto inclined cornices and then down into the spaces. In both cases,

daylight is supplemented by artificial sources, but arrangements seem

rather clumsy compared to the apparently effortless combination of

concrete vaults and botanically curved metal reflectors of Kahn’s

building.

Routes through the galleries are arranged to encourage wandering,

with some openings arranged enfilade, but with occasional departures

from axiality. The major public space is the double-height entrance

hall which, as you go in, offers fine views over the lake, the semi-

private garden beyond and the glass boxes of the gallery spaces

poking out into the water to receive the Hockney-like constantly

changing dappled reflections of the water surface. To the right of the






MUSEUM, TEXAS, USA

ARCHITECT

TADAO ANDO

34 | 8

2Looking out from the intermediatespace between glass and concreteboxes over lake to skyline of Fort Worth.3From north, towards entrance hall.site plan

2

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A Fort Worth Modern Art MuseumB Kimbell Art MuseumC Modern Art Museum car park

A

C

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MUSEUM, TEXAS, USA

ARCHITECT

TADAO ANDO

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1 entrance ha l l2 information desk 3 museum shop4 café restaurant5 t e rr ace6 aud itor ium7 g al l er y 8 ar t workshop9 loading dock

10 s t or ag e11 o f fi ces12 ar t classrooms13 sculpture terrace14 mechanica l p lant15 p ar ki n g

4Richard Serra’s rusty landmark from south-west.5The semi Neo-Classical entrance.6, 7Entrance hall.8Intermediate space betweenconcrete gallery box (left) and glass.9Special oval gallery with AnselmKiefer’s Book with Wings.10Ando exploits changes in scale of two-storey building.


first floor

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entrance is the auditorium and a cafeteria that has a terrace poking

out into the lake. To the left is the information desk, from which you

are directed to either the entrance of the ground floor galleries, or

the stairs, where you are cleverly deflected upwards by the curve of a

special ground floor gallery.

All this is very thoughtful, and the building is pleasant and

sometimes exciting to be in, while providing unassertive spaces in the

concrete boxes that never overwhelm the works on display in the

first hang. But it must inevitably be compared to the Kimbell, both

because of its sighting and its parti. Differences are quite profound.

While the Kimbell, for all its monumental qualities, is welcoming with

a generous embrace, the double height of the Ando building is partly

responsible for a much more formal, almost scraped Neo-Classical

entrance. The entrance hall itself, for all its fine volume and views

(and its dramatic bridge, which leads staff over the volume at first

floor level) is both austere and rather daunting. The insistent rhythm

of glazing bars dominates perception.

To me, from both inside and out, the bars seem heavy, and the

proportions they describe elongated and overstretched. While not

advocating planar glazing, I wonder if there couldn’t have been a less

11Double-height gallery to house scaleof contemporary artworks.12First-floor gallery with clerestoreylight reflected off inclined cornice.13The great stair, under diffusing fabric

ceiling.

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38 | 8

g p g g

strident approach to making the glass walls, which themselves are

causing some problems of insolation and glare. The relative

coarseness of the glazing contrasts with the really excellent quality of

the fairfaced concrete, which rivals Zumthor’s at Bregenz (AR

December 1997), most unusual in the US. As in the Austrian building,

the soft grey walls are an excellent backdrop to all visual art – surely

the most important attribute of any gallery. Undoubtedly, Ando has

made a fine museum – but on that site, it is inevitably subject to tough

appraisal. ROGER MORANT


MUSEUM, TEXAS, USA

ARCHITECT

TADAO ANDO

Architect

Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, Tokyo

Project team

Tadao Ando, Masataka Yano, Kulapat

Yantrasast, Peter Arendt, Larry Burns, Rollie

Childers, Nobuhiko Shoga, Jory Alexander

Lighting consultant

George Sexton Associates

Photographs

All photographs by John E. Linden apart from

1 by Mitsuo Matsuoka and 2 by Tadao Ando

south-north section through galleries

dull west elevation (facing Kimbell) in which aluminium panels are sometimes substituted for glass to reduce insolation

12


For hundreds of years, Finland was the poor relation of Sweden.Fromthe twelfth to the nineteenth centuries, the Swedish empirecrossed the Gulf of Bothnia, with Finland as an impoverished colony.In 1809, the country changed colonial masters and Russia ruled untilthe Revolution, when Finland finally managed to achieve

independence. By the 1920s, Sweden again became Finland’s mostimportant tradingpartner, and remaininglinks of language and culturewere reinforced. But, though Stockholmwas (and in many waysremains) the most important posting in the Finnish diplomaticservice, the embassy had to work out of cramped and sometimestemporary quarters. (The Swedes meanwhile have the poshestembassy in Helsinki, a dashed great neo-Renaissance palazzo next tothe town hall overlookingthe harbour.)

By the ’90s, Finland’s diplomatic profile in Stockholmwas plainlyabsurd, particularly as spectacular investment in infrastructure,education and technology had enabled the former colony to matchthe prosperity of Sweden (which was neutral in the Second Wor ldWar when Finland was ravaged by both Ger mans and Russians). So in1992, the Finnish government decided to build a new bespokeembassy. The process of acquiringa suitable site and obtainingplanningpermission (the latter extremely time-consuming)1 meantthat the buildingtook a decade to complete.

Kr istian Gullichsen, in many ways the doyen of the cool Helsinkischool, was chosen as architect. He believes that ‘an embassy buildinghas a symbolic function; it must represent its country in a diplomatic

way while interpretingthe codes of its location. The Finnish Embassyin Stockholmdoes not portray Finland as a wonderland of high-techculture. On the contrary, it attempts to communicate on the level of the collective memories of the two countries’.

Finland was unable to obtain as grand a site in Stockholmas Swedendid in Helsinki. But, though quite small, the plot (previously used as acar park by the Swedish broadcasting organization, the lumpenh d f hi h i bl d li ) i b

FINNISH

STOCKH

A RCHITEC

GULLICH

ARCHITE




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headquarters of which is a blot on a delicate area) is by no means abad one. On the edge of the diplomatic quarter in Ö stermalm, theeastern part of the central city, it overlooks the Gärdet, a fragment of the national nature reserve Djurgården, which retains the peacefulquality of tree-studded parkland similar to, for instance, Hyde Park inLondon. In the ’30s, the city managed to persuade the state to sellpart of the reserve for development to accommodate Stockholm’srapidly expandingpopulation. Here were made some of the city’s fir stcrisp white functionalist housingblocks, built as pavilions in the parkat the start o f Sweden’s socialist mid-century romance withModernism. (The revolutionary Stockholmexhibition of 1930 washeld in D jurgården.)

Gullichsen, as he said he would, has responded to context. Indeed,seen froma distance, the new embassy could be mistaken for a largefragment of the 1930 exhibition miraculously preserved and slightlymoved. But close up, the buildingis clearly much more substantial andtectonically satisfyingthan any temporary exhibition pavilion. A longwhite wall faces the park. It is at once a defensive plane with few

1The great white wall facingpark with itsthreemajor openings. In centre, great portal toembassy court. Left of that, door to co nsular

section. Left again isentrance to domestic court.

WHITE CASTLEThe Finnish Embassy in Stockholm represents both a

modern democracy and a long interlaced history. 1


second floor

2North elevation:3Embassy court fr

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FINNISH EMBASSY ,

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

A R CHITECT

GULLICHSEN VORMALA

ARCHITECTS


first floorsite plan

south-north section through portal and banquetinghall

1 p orta l

2 embassycourt

3 entrance

4 reception

5 l ob by

6 cloaks

7 banquetinghall

8 k itchen

9 storage

10 consular section

11 houses

12 domesticcourt

13 offices

14 l ibrary

15 plant

16 conference

17 saunasuite

18 ambassadorialsuite

west-east section through court and banquetinghall 3

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openings, and one that offers the promise of welcome through agiant full-height gated portico, beyond which can be glimpsed an inner court.Security is amajor determinant of embassy design, and the wall is thebuilding’s shield. The buildingpresses to site edges because of the quantityof accommodation to be incorporated in avery restricted perimeter, andbecause Gullichsen, like most of his Finnish contemporaries, is concernedtobringdaylightintothecentreofhisplans

galleries in which the circulation of the first and second floors isexposed. A three-storey glass block wall chastely floods the tallvolume with light, and a longtransparent panel gives views.

The approach to the banquetinghall is completely different: beforeyou come to the building’s bigspace, you pass a large curved cave

lined with cherrywood that acts as cloakroom. A single-storey foyerleads to the hall, which is at first constrained in height, thengenerously expands upwards under a curvingcherrywood ceilingthatseems like the one in Aalto ’s Viipuri library lecture theatre waltzing.A large carefully gridded window looks out over the park and furtherdaylight is brought in through slits in wall and roof. The bigroomserves both as space for formal banquets and for conferences. So itsatmosphere is ambiguous, an impression heightened by the ratherinstitutional furniture, which has been chosen for ease of rearrangement rather than formality. Budgetry constraints haverequired that furniture and fittings throughout the embassy are fromstandard Scandinavian ranges (in the informal areas often by Aalto).Surely the banquetinghall called for special furniture.

The only other large space in the embassy is the library, which fewmembers of the public wil l visit. It i s a warm, calmdouble-heightgalleried space that overlooks the court and through the great portalto the park. Other elements of the complex are necessarily disjunctbecause of the complexity of the programme, and the need fordifferent layers of security. South of the entrance court is a domesticone, in which a couple of almost suburban dwellings look over a green

that provides light to many of the offices. At second floor level arethe semi-domestic sauna suite (every Finnish embassy must have one)and the ambassadorial offices, both with terraces overlookingthepark. These, and the offices which make up the bulk of accommodation, are knitted together by a circulation systemdesigned to be as unbureaucratic as possible, full of surprisingvoids,views and shafts of light.

TheStockholmbuildingaddsto other recentFinnishembassiesin

4Office circulationvoidsand views.5Foyer of office areheight glassblock6Banquetinghall a

conference. For band chairsare arranglesto thisor ieup into tablesfor

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to bringdaylight into the centre of his plans. The great white wall, which both protects the interior and

demonstrates the variety of inner life with incisions and inflections, isa recurrent theme in Gulli chsen’s work. Notable uses include theKauniainen Parish Centre of 1985 and the Pieksämäki C ivic Centre(AR March 1990). Like the Stockholmbuilding, both include a greatportico, a main public entrance that leads to the interior. Theembassy court is particularly compressed, addingto the feelingthatthe whole complex is a highly abstracted version of a medieval castle.Small events and spatial excavations enliven the white walls of whatcould easily have been a dull little space. They reflect what happens inthe surroundinginterior volumes, and are a result of a contemporaryinterpretation2 of what Ruskin, praisingthe flexibility of medievalarchitecture, called ‘changefulness’: a buildingshould alter i tsoutward formaccordingto what it contains.3 Changefulness inmedieval buildings was of course the result of alterations over time.In modern buildings and in the wronghands, its pursuit can lead topicturesque kitsch, but Gullichsen’s buildings always avoid that, eventhough they are generously sprinkled with abstracted quotationsfromAalto,4 Le Cor busier and less well known masters of theModern Movement.

Once through the great portal, the public route is informal.5 Adoor in a glazed panel beckons visitors across the court. T hen a littleentrance, constrained and carefully supervised. Then you aredeflected either right towards the banquetinghall or left to a foyer inwhich space whooshes upwards and you can see, though not reach,

The Stockholmbuildingadds to other recent Finnish embassies inWashington (AR October 1994) and Berlin (A R March 2000), neitherof which had to r espond to such a historically sensitive culturalcontext, so they did not t ry to provide the span of references frommedieval times to Modernism. But, like them, the latest embassy issymbolic of a decent, thoughtful and generous democracy.

PETER DAVEY

1 In theend, to obtain permission, acar park for other usershad to bemade alongthewest side

of thesite, whichmeansthat thebuildingopenslittle on thisside.

2 Which I am sureis unconscious.

3In theNatureof Gothic, chVI, volII of The Stones of Venice , Ruskinarguesthat Gothic

architectureist heonlyr ationalone becausei t changed itsform accordingto function without

suffering‘outsidesymmetriesand consistencies’ to interferewith realuse.

4 KristianG ullichsen’smother Marie wasAalto’sgreat patron. Shefounded Artec to makeand

sellhis furnitureand hedesigned the Villa Mairea for theG ullichsenfamily.

5 A separatedoor in thewhite wallleadsto theconsular section.

Architect

GullichsenVormalaArchitects, HelsinkiProject team

Kri stian Gullichsen, Jyri Haukkavaara,Olli Hakanen, ReijaToivio, Jani WuorimaaInterior design

Aulikki JylhäLandscape architect

Jyrki SinkkiläPhotographs

Jussi Tiainen, 1, 2, 3, 6Mikael Lindén, 4CamillaWirseen, 5

6

FINNISH EMBASSY ,

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

A R CHITECT

GULLICHSEN VORMALA ARCHITECTS 5 [email protected] 204 -

DANCING BRIDGEAn ingenious intervention into London’s ballet complex

adds unexpected richness to a humdrum street.

1




62|7

BRIDGE, ROYAL OPERA

HOUSE, LONDON

A RCHITECT

WILKINSON E YRE

Floral Street is a tall narrow

thoroughfare in London’s

Covent Garden in which the

massive white neo-renaissance

bulk of the Royal Opera House

suddenly obtrudes into a small-

scale streetscape of pubs and

little shops. Most people do not

look up as they hurry down the

street or loaf alongwindow

shopping. But the few who do,

glimpse a magical phenomenon: acrystal that twists and shimmers

across the street against the sky.

This is the new bridge

between the Royal Ballet School

and the Opera House, created

so that dancers can go fromthe

practice rooms in the school to

the Opera House without having

to rush across the road in the

rain. The twisted geometry is

necessary because the school

level fromwhich the structure

sets out is higher than the

openingin the huge blind wall of

the Opera House, and it is a

small distance to the east. The

Opera House is a Grade I-l isted

historic buildingwhich the

architects were bound to change

as little as possible, so one of

E.M.Barry’s blank attic windows

became the point of entry. The

ballet school to the north is a

much less distinguished building,

recently constructed under one

of the new forms of governmentprocurement that more or less

guarantees mediocrity, but

internal planningnecessitated

only one location for the spring

point of the bridge on that side.

The springpoints meant the

bridge had to be gently ramped

and skewed away fromthe

orthogonal. A simple longglass

box would not do, so JimEyre

evolved a proposal that involved

creatinga tube out of square

portal frames that are rotated,

ensuringthat at each end the

bridge is level and square to the

façade it addresses. Each frame is

rotated by three degrees in

relation to its neighbour and is

slightly different in height.

Glazingis held between each

pair of frames. As a result of

pursuingthese simple rules, a

wonderfully complex object has

been created. Both frominside

and out, the object alters with

every movement you make.Structurally, the essential

proposition is simple: a welded

and bolted aluminiumbox beam

spans simply fromone building

to the other; its section changes

accordingto stresses and the

geometry of the frames. At the

Opera House end, the beamhas

a slidingbearingto allow for

thermal movement and, as a

result, loads at that end always

bear vertically down on Barry’s

wall. The aluminiumportals are

supported on the primary beam

1The bridge constantly changesinappearance asyou move past it.2Hoveringover itsnarrow street,the surprisingbridge will not benoticed by many passers-by.3The bridge twiststowardstheOpera House.

2


BRIDGE, ROYAL OPERA

HOUSE, LONDON

A RCHITECT

WILKINSON EYRE

perspective: school on left and O pera House, right

longsection

4

a OperaHouse

b b ridge

c ballet school

a

c

b




WILKINSON E YRE

64|7

and have oak slats on each side

of their webs so that the glazing

can be fixed with the necessary

degree of stiffness. As much

prefabrication as possible was

used to minimise disruption to

the street, and to reduce

workingat high level. The beamwith the portals erected and

the central part glazed was

rapidly set in place by crane,

after which the final glazing

panels were fitted and the

abutments finished.

Glazingis both transparent

and translucent. Translucency is

used to prevent overlookingthe

terrace of the neighbouring

house to the west, and to give

people on the bridge a degree of

privacy as they go over the road.

Contrast between transparent

and translucent adds to the

visual complexity of the object,

Internally fromsome angles, the

walls appear almost opaque, as

the frames crowd together in

perspective and seemmostly to

be made of oak. Move a few feet

further and the wall suddenly

becomes full of light, or

transparent (with the aluminium

frames exposed full on), offering

dramatic views up and down

Floral Street. Externally, the

bridge alters in a similar wayfromsemi-opaque to

transparent as your angle of view

changes. In the last century,

most of the incidental additions

to London’s streets have been

coarse and clumsy: here at last is

an addition that shows how

contemporary technology and

architectural invention can rival

the elegance and dignity of

anythingthe Victor ians did – and

be much lighter too. P.D.

Architect

WilkinsonEyre

Design team

JimEyre, AnnettevonHagen, MartinKnight

Structural engineer

Flint &Neill Partnership

Photographs

All byNick Wood except 4, whichis by

EdmundSumner. Copyright Wi lkinsonEyre

longsection


principlesof rotatingsection

4Oak slatssecretly bolted to websof aluminium portal framemembershold the glassin place.5The bridge dancesfrom opacitythrough translucency totransparency.

5

ca

b


The Hudson River enjoys mythical status as the boundary between New

York City and the rest of the republic, as the first of the mighty

American streams that the European settlers had to ford, and, most of

all, for the eponymous school of nineteenth-century landscape painters.

When Frank Gehry first proposed his steel-wrapped performingarts

centre for asite near those sacred banks where legendary artists once

sketched, it provoked an outcry and charges of desecration. Luckily,

Bard College has a540-acre campus, and was able to offer amore

spacious site, equally pastoral but free fromentanglingassociations.

Named after college trustee and benefactor Richard B. Fisher, it is

Gehry’s first institutional buildingto occupy arural setting, and initially

it’s ashock to see forms and materials more usually associated with the

gritty streets of Cleveland and Los Angeles climbingagrassy slope and

screened by trees. And yet the steel seems entirely at home in this

landscape, changingcolour through the day, mirroringshifts of light, and

servingas afoil to bare branches or lush greenery.

Located 90 miles north of N ew York C ity, Bard College has evolved

fromanineteenth-century Episcopalian foundation into aprestigiousliberal arts university. Leo Botstein, Bard’s president, who also conducts

the American Symphony Orchestra, wanted asymbol of the college’s

commitment to the arts that would also provide an ideal performance

space for the summer music festival and for leadingsoloists and

ensembles year-round. The original plan was to augment the existing

performingarts department. When the project was relocated and the

Frank Gehry’s first building on a rural site is a model

performance complex clad in swishing, sensuous steel

drapery that animates its Arcadian campus setting.

FOIL TO NATURE




30|7

PERFORMING ARTSC ENTRE,

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON,

NEW Y ORK , USA

A R CHITECT

GEHRY PARTNERS

1From a distance, the steel carapaceripplesand flowslike fabric.2The oversailingentrance canopyactsas a generouscovered porchfor enjoyingthe surroundings.

1


adjacencies were lost, the programme expanded from6000 square

metres to 10 760, incorporatinglarge rehearsal rooms for dramaand

dance, and afully equipped black-box theatre seatingup to 250, in

addition to the 930-seat Sosnoff Theater.

Like Walt D isney Concert Hall, the complex was designed fromthe

inside out, with the main performance space as the overridingpriority.

The challenge – here, as in California– was to tie together acluster of

boxy volumes and give theman appropriately theatrical expression.

Disney doubles as acivic monument, that should – l ike the Guggenheim,

or the Sydney OperaHouse – become asymbol of the city, and its sleek

curved planes of stainless steel are folded and composed with the

mastery of avintage Balenciagagown. Fisher aspires to greatness as a

performance space, but it forms part of a college campus and its bias-cut

steel is draped as loosely, and cut away as daringly as aYohji Y amamoto

dress. As you ascend the path to the main entrance, the angled plates of

brushed stainless steel swirl and flow like flyingskirts on arunway,

concealingand revealingthe concrete and plaster volumes below, flaring

up to forman entry canopy and subsidingto wrap the front of house.

Gehry describes this canopy as acovered porch where people can

gather outdoors on afine eveningin mountinganticipation of what is to

come. To the rear, the boxy volumes are exposed, in aliteral

expression of backstage.

Diehard Modernists may object to this disconnection between skin

and body, front and back, seeingit as asubversive attempt to

reintroduce surface ornament on rational structures, but in the Fisher

there is no deception. The carapace is as airborne and dynamic as adancer on stage, and the supportingtrusses and braces are fully

revealed beneath the canopy and within the three-level lobby with its

steel-framed stairs and stacked concourses. Natural light flows in from

tall side windows and openings between the steel wrappers. Bard

stands for fr eedomof expression – the openinggalawas briefly

interrupted by aragtagbunch of student protestors and one nude

woman bearingasign ‘Drop Tuition Not Foil’ – and the Center

t th t hi i it

3

4

5 6




32|7



NEW Y ORK , USA

A R CHITECT

GEHRY PARTNERS

3The buildinghastwo distinct faces–the shiny, seductive front of house ...4... and the plain, boxy backstage,where no attempt ismade toembellish the rational structure.5, 6The corset-like constructionsthatsupport the flyingsteel carapace arehonestly exposed and expressed.7The campuslandscape; it isGehry’sfirst buildingin a rural setting.

captures that anarchic spirit .

The Sosnoff auditoriumis designed for performances of orchestral

music, opera, dance, and drama. ‘Multipurpose rooms are difficult to

make,’ says Gehry, and many architects and acousticians have failed to

achieve agood balance between the competingdemands of orchestral

geometry of buildingelementsin relation to landscape: south elevation geometry of buildingelementsin relation to landscape: north elevation [email protected] 208 -

composite roof level plan

crosssection through Sosnoff auditorium

longsection through Sosnoff auditorium



NEW Y ORK , USA

A RCHITECT

GEHRY PARTNERS

8At dusk, the glazed volumesof thetheatre foyersbeckon enticingly.9Poised like a dancer, the entrancecanopy seemsto defy gravity.10Tall side windowsare slashed intothe muscular steel flanks.

8

99 10




1 entrance

2 foyer

3 concessions

4 box office

5 wcs

6 SosnoffTheater

7 stage

8 greenroom

9 dressingrooms

10 practiceroom

11 stagemanager

12 costumeshop

13 instrument store

14 store

15 sceneryworkshop

16 loadingdock

17 black box theatre

18 offices

19 dramastudio

20 dancestudio

composite stage level plan (scale approx 1:1000)

longsection through black box theatre

crosssection through black box theatre34|7

4


music and the spoken word. Disney Hall has only to satisfy the first of

those roles, and YasuhisaToyota, the acoustician who collaborated

with Gehry on both projects, made his reputation on single-purpose

concert halls in his native Japan. He emerged beamingat the clarity of

sound after the opening-night performance of Mahler’s grandiose Third

Symphony, but the real test is yet to come. As project designer C raig

Webb points out, you need alarge volume and ahigh ceilingfor

symphonies, and alower ceilingand shorter reverberation times to

preserve the clarity of speech. In Sosnoff, the side walls of the hexagonal

auditoriumare slightly bowed, and the acid-washed concrete is overlaid

with spaghetti loops of fir battens to diffuse sound. The billowingceiling

of Douglas fir rises to apeak at the centre but is pulled down at front

and back. Angled side balconies at both upper levels, and alow divide

within the main tier of seating, provide additional sound reflectors. A

wooden acoustic shell, comprisingeight side towers that are as dense

and reverberant as concrete, and suspended ceilingpanels that are

stored in the flies, can be assembled on stage to enhance orchestral

sound for audience and musicians. Lifts allow the stage to be

reconfigured for different uses, and acoustic banners can be extended

to dampen reverberations.

The black box also has ascenery tower, alofty volume and

sophisticated lighting, and it can be reconfigured more radically, with

movable seats or bleachers grouped around different types of stage. The

two principal rehearsal rooms are naturally lit fromwindows that frame

the landscape or can be blacked out when stage lightingis required.

‘We had to decide how much architecture to put into the interiors,’says Webb. ‘I t’s asize and type of theatre we haven’t done before, and

we decided to make the bigstatements in the canopy and lobby, and

keep the rooms somewhat quiet. In both theatres, the focus is on the

performers and the stage.’ That concern extended to the structure

itself. As Y asuhisaToyota notes, the steel was elevated on supports

above the subroofing layer and insulated with neoprene to muffle the

sound of raindrops fallingon the roof. Despite the frugality of the

finishes,thepursuit offunctional excellenceandprofessionalequipment

12

13




36|7

finishes, the pursuit of functional excellence and professional equipment

pushed the cost of the project up to $62 million.MICHAEL WEBB

Architect

GehryPartners, Los Angeles

Structural engineer

DeSimoneC onsultingEngineer

Servicesengineer

Cosentini Associates

Acoustic design

NagataAcousticswith Robert F. Mahoney

&Associates

Theatre design

TheatreProjectsConsultants

Photographs

Peter Aaron/Esto



NEW Y ORK , USA

A R CHITECT

GEHRY PARTNERS

11Lobbiesand foyer spaceswraparound the two concert halls.12The m ain Sosnoff auditorium seats930. There isalso a smaller black box theatre with a capacity of 250.13Spaghetti loops of fir battenshelpto diffuse the sound.14Promenadingin the main foyer.


Marine curves

a r h

o u s e

1 2

3




72|7

Using the traditional materials of the surrounding neo-vernacular seaside resort,

this holiday house explores memories of the German Organic and geological time.

1Entrance side, lookingthroughthe great room to pool and sea.2, 3The generouswall-lessroomresemblesa cave overlookingthe sea.

Ixtapa is in the state of

Guerrero, some 250kmup the

coast fr omAcapulco, on the

Pacific coast of Mexico. Its

traditional name means ‘the

white sand place’, and its climateranges fromhumid, with heavy

tropical rains on summer nights,

when temperatures can reach

32C, to relatively dry in winter,

when the average temperature is

26C. Almost every day of the

year enjoys cloudless sunshine

during daylight hours.

The resort, which has grown

up over the past 30 years, has

been planned with some care to

take advantage of the idyll ic

climate. It has strong urban

design (or at least appearance)

rules, which include insistence

on usingnatural materials and

palapa (tropical thatch),* or atleast tejado (tiled) roofs. The

clients for Fernando Romero’s

house wanted a place for family

reunions, where everyone could

enjoy the amazingsite and sun.

Romero’s basic strategy was

to make the ground floor into

the general or public area, while

the upper one is devoted to

bedrooms for visiting family

members. The tour de force is

the very large livingroomthat

looks out over the evergreen

garden, beach pool and sea

through a huge, unglazed

opening, made possible by the

climate. The curvingplan createsa diagramthat seems to have the

pattern of a rather complicated

cell seen under a microscope.

The great roomopens to the

south under a covered terrace.

To the north are the more

utilitarian service rooms and the

master bedroom, the latter

positioned so that the place can

become a flat when no visitors

are staying. In three dimensions,

HOUSE, GUERRERO, MEXICO

A R CHITECT

LCM/FERNANDO ROMERO


4The staircase followsthecontinuouscurve of the wall.5The television room isa cavewithin a cave.

HOUSE, GUERRERO, MEXICO

A R CHITECT

LCM/FERNANDO ROMERO

the space resembles a cave,

gradually carved out froma

massive boulder by the action

of the sea.

As the resort’s rules demand,

walls are sculpted out of white

rendered masonry, and there

is a shallow thatched roof. The

bigspan of the public area and

the longcantilevers are, of

course, generated by usingan

inner concrete structure

that is masked by the flowing

white masonry. The place is

an evocative echo of the

Einstein-Türmschool of organic

architecture strangely translated

to the tropics. CRISPIN HEWS

* T raditionally, a palapa isan open-sided

dwellingwitha thatched roof madeof dried

palm leaves: or anystructure that iso pen-

sided and thatched with palm leaves.

Architect

LCM/Fernando Romero

Jobarchitect: Alfonso Salem

Design team: Fernando Romero, JuanPablo

Maza, Mark Seligson, Tatiana Bilbao, Ernesto

Gadea, Jacinta Garatachia, Maurici o

Rodriguez, Victor Jaime, Aaron Hernandez

Structural engineer

Fernando Carri llo

4

j

j

j

j

j

e

e

e

e

e




74|7


first floor

a entrance

b kitchen

c televisiond master bedroom

e b at h

f publicspace

g terrace

h p oo l

j bedroom

5

h

g

e

c

e

d

f

a

b

j

j

j

j

e

e

e

e


CENTRALFOCUS

1Model frodominatbeyond, backgrou2Tower islandmarand can bsurround

1




58|9

One of the strangest contemporary conjunctions of urban uses today

is to be found in the City of Surrey, where BingThom has designed an

office tower on top of a university, which itself is set over an existing

shoppingmall. Surrey is the second largest city in Brit ish Columbia,

some 40 minutes’ drive from Vancouver and, though it received its

city charter in 1993, it remains part of the Greater Vancouver

Regional District. Its population of over a third of a million is growing

faster than almost any other city in Canada and houses a quarter of

the thrivingregion’s workforce – yet it provides only four per cent of

its jobs.

Unless you are very well-informed, you wouldn’t know any of this

as you drive south from Vancouver towards the nearby US border.

Surrey is seamlessly knitted to the bigger city’s suburbs, and you have

to keep your eyes open to realize you are in another municipality. It is

truly one of those north American destinations where, on arrival you

find, as Gertrude Stein remarked (of her home-town, O akland), that

‘there’s no there there’. The mixed-use Central City development is

intended, as Thomasserts, to ‘kick-start the city centre’.

He decided to build on what was already in place: a 650 000sq ft

(60 400m2) regional shoppingmall (though failing), a recreation

centre, excellent car access and a convenient location between the

last two stations on the Skytrain line, greater Vancouver’s rapid

transit system(AR Apr il 2003). A million square feet (93 000m2) of

new uses, includingthe university and the tower, have been added to

existingfunctions. Thomhopes the different uses will reinforce each

other, for instance, that the university will use the existingrecreation

centre and the mall’s cafés, restaurants and bars, so avoiding the need

for separate facilities for such functions. He expects shoppers will use

student parkingat Christmas-time, when the mall is at its busiest, and,

OFFICETOW ER, SURREY ,

VANCOUVER, CANADA

A RCHITECT

BING THOM

FOCUS

Now near completion, this mixed-use

building boldly combines three very

disparate elements, shopping mall,

university and office tower, to try to

create an urban and social centre in

the middle of sprawling suburbs.


perhaps, that the businesses in the tower will draw on university

resources for research, tr ainingand recruitment.

The new development is hoped to be the first phase of the new city

centre. It has four major formal elements: the tower, a podium, an

atrium, and what Thomcalls a ‘galleria’. The complex curves around a

new pedestrian piazza which forms the focus of the whole. In future,

the piazza (the only proper outdoor pedestrian space in Surrey) is to

grow as further phases of the complex are completed, but it is already

possible to extend it at festival and ceremonial times by temporarily

closingthe road.

A longglass and timber wall inclined, like those of airport control

towers, to reduce reflections, separates piazza fromatr ium, so

dependingon your angle of observation and that of the sun, external

and internal spaces flow together visually. The atrium’s entrance hall

is accessed through porches that penetrate the transparent wall; each

is lit in a different colour at night to emphasize the variety of uses

within, but anyone can use any porch. One of the key aims of the

design is to ensure that all users should use the atriumto tr y to

achieve social interaction and notions of community.

The atriumitself is a grand, multi-level space covered by a space-

frame roof that is stiffened by a dramatic kingpost truss made of

turned fir logs held together with steel tension rods and connectors.

In the space frame, struts are made of peeler cores – the thin

cylinders of heartwood remainingon the lathes after their longblades

peel off plywood veneers fromlogs. Peeler cores usually have little

value, but here they are connected by specially made ductile ironnodes to make a dramatic element of the volume. Round the edges of

the atrium, tree-like columns with timber branches spreadingfrom

concrete trunks provide edge support for the space frame. Wood

also forms the structure of the inclined glass wall, in which the panes

are hungfromthe roof by steel cables, with horizontal wind loads

beingcarried by short struts back to the round composite timber


VANCOUVER, CANADA

3

6




60|9

A RCHITECT

BING THOM

3Piazza, Surrey’sonly truly urbanspace.4As sun moves, tower claddingchangesin transparency and colour.5Similarly, podium claddingchangesthrough the spectrum in transientsunlight.6,7Glasswall of entrance hall isintended to enhance connectionbetween piazza and atrium. Usersof all kindscan take thisapproach tocomplex, but there is a separatestudent entrance aswell.

4

5


columns, which are tapered at each end to express bendingstresses

and reduce their visual impact (a very large lathe had to be specially

built to make them). Extensive use of timber has two purposes: both

to make the bigspace more touchable and approachable, and to

celebrate the ethos of a technological university that should have a

formative effect on British Columbia’s main industry.

The other bigpublic space opens to the left of the atrium. Toplit,the galleria is fundamentally part of the mall with its roof taken off

and built up with layers of university to form a much more noble

space than the drearily functional and rather dark volume there

before. One of the problems of creatingthis part of the complex was

that the shoppingcentre had to remain open throughout the building

operations. To allow for that, and to provide enough support for the

new upper floors, the new work is almost entirely carried on seven

massive cruciform columns. Light pours down into the central street-

like space froma roof made of glass, laminated timber compression

members, and steel cable ties with ductile iron connections. From

below, the whole thinglooks a bit like a fish skeleton, a formnot

unknown in contemporary western Canadian architecture. Ideally,

the whole tall volume will act together, with the lives of the students

on their open galleries and those of the shoppers below reinforcing

and animatingeach other.

The university takes up three floors, connectingtower, podiumand

galleria. They are given identity with a metal claddingsysteminto

which windows are punched through a mixture of panels of titanium

zinc, chemically treated stainless steel and raw titanium– a mixturethat is used on some of the public parts of the interior , there

combined with wood, white panels and glass. As the sun moves round

the building, the mixture changes: in direct sunlight, ti taniumpanels

seemto be darker than zinc ones; the reverse is true when a face is in

shadow. In counterpoint, stainless-steel panels incorporate

8Timber is useinterior to mapproachableCanadian ess9Risingfrom ththe atrium, wupper floors.10

Galleria at un11… and at the l

level 27

7

3

11

10

2

9




62|9


VANCOUVER, CANADA

A RCHITECT

BING THOM

1 piazza

2 entrancehall

3 atrium

4 galleria

5 existingmall

6 callcentre

7 university

8 car park

9 officefloor

10 void

11 student entrance

8

9

10 11

level one (scale approx 1:2000)

level three

6

1

2

4

5

58


OFFICETOW ER, SURREY ,VANCOUVER, CANADA

A RCHITECT

BING THOM

12




64|9

12Bossof great atrium truss(see 14).13Fish skeleton trussed roof of galleria.14Atrium: space-frame roof ismade from usually disregardedpeeler cores.

crosssection (west-east) through galleria

longsection (south-north) through galleria

13

14


permanent changes in colour from red to green to blue and black,

depending on the length of time each piece of metal spent in the

pickling bath.

On top of everything else is the office tower, with an elongated

curved plan, conventional apart from the fact that the services and

vertical circulation core is offset to allow daylight into the lift lobbies

and lavatories. Cladding is apparently pretty straightforward curtain

walling over a gridded window pattern. In fact, the wall is a little more

subtle, with fritted spandrel panels in front of aluminium-foil-covered

insulation. When the sun shines, the spandrels become radiant, and in

the shade, they are more or less opaque white so the tower, like the

podium, changes with time and weather.

The wrapped effect is emphasized by twisting the glass wall at the

north end of the plan to form what the architects call ‘a warped prow’

that reaches out over the street. Thom’s intention in making the

towerconvex is, inasense, tomake itacounterpartof theconcave




tower convex is, in a sense, to make it a counterpart of the concave

curve of the piazza below. But the tower’s shape is, of course, also

intended to make it a landmark in the relentless low-level, low-

density cityscape.

For me, the prow’s twist is a gesture too far, though from certain

angles, it does indeed draw attention to the place. Yet, though it is

easy to have reservations about individual details, Central Citydeserves respect. It is undoubtedly a daring attempt to generate a

real sense of urbanity and human focus in the spiritual desert of the

amorphous North American suburb. And, unlike many attempts to

create civic sense, it has been achieved largely by working within the

constraints of commercial development. All architects must hope

that it succeeds, for if it does, it will show that our profession has far

more to offer than the role of exterior decorator to which it is so

often reduced by the North American development industry.P. D.

15

16




Valencia– the much-underratedthird city of Spain – is full of

remarkable buildings, fromthe

medieval silk exchange with its tall

twisted columns to the

flamboyant food market with its

green parrot weathervane, and

Calatrava’s gargantuan City of

Arts and Sciences. None offers

greatersurpriseanddelightthan

between art and engineering,decoration and functionalismis

even more pronounced.

To the west is agrand arch with

athree-domed roominserted

above the entrance, encrusted

with ceramic ornament and

crowned with painted tiles and

the city’s coat of arms

surmountedbyablackbat Green

arched window in the upper half.Ceramic flower kiosks with flared

glass canopies extend inside and

out fromthe base. Bridgingthese

gallimaufries of modern, medieval

and Moorish is aplain, graceful

iron vault, with tapered, minimally

ornamented columns supporting

trusses over alofty, skylit nave,

and shallowpitched roofs

deteriorate. It was saved by the

popular mayor, RitaBarbera

Nolla, who has done much to

enhance Valencia’s architectural

heritage and remembered

childhood shoppingexpeditions

to the Colon. WorkingthroughAumsa, the city’s development

agency, she initiated aprogramme

of restoration and new

construction. Three levels of

subterranean parkingfor

residents and visitors, and one for

commercial activities, would

provide revenue and unclog

surroundingstreets. The market

had been built on afoundation of

rubble over alluvial soil and was

still settling. Pile caps were made

to transfer the vertical loads to a

new steel and concrete raft, and

the newly excavated basement

was protected fromseepage by a

substantial diaphragmwall.

Rusted iron members were

carefully removed and replaced a

section at atime, while the tileand brickwork was being

meticulously restored.

In summer 2001, as the civic

works progressed, five

architectural firms – including

three fromSpain and Kazuyo

2U d i 1985 th t d

2




68|9

greater surprise and delight than

this newly restored Colon Market

hall, which was designed in 1913

by Francisco Mora, atalented

practitioner ofModernismo . As in

St Pancras Station, ornate brick

facades bracket asoaringiron and

glass vault, but here the contrast

surmounted by ablack bat. Green

octopuses flop over the finials of

the domes, which are lined with

floral tilework, and this upper

room, formerly an office, is now

the El Alto restaurant. At the east

end is aGaudíesque arch of

patterned brick with asinuously

and shallow-pitched roofs

shelteringopen-sided aisles.

Despite its Grade 1 listingand

its location on afashionable

shoppingstreet, surrounded by

elegant apartment buildings of the

same era, the market shut down

in 1985 and continued to

Unused since 1985, the restoredmarket hall bringsnew light toValencia’seveningcityscape.3Lookingeast through the market hall,a range of retail installationsoccupy anew ground floor and subterraneanpublic realm.4, 5Six glassprismswith tr anslucentBarrisol ceilingscontain shops, stairsand cafés.

MARKET, VALENCIA, SPAINA RCHITECT

BORGOSDANCE

longsection

3


Sejimafrom Japan – were invited

to submit ideas for revitalizingthebuilding. The London-based

partnership of Borgos Dance

were chosen for their minimalist

approach, which treated the

market floor as apublic plazaand

put most of the new construction

on the level below. Etienne

Borgos was familiar with Valencia,

havingspentseveralyearsthere

Foster’s Congress Centre (AR

August 1998); Simon Dance hadpreviously worked for John

Pawson on residential projects

and the Cathay Pacific Lounge in

the HongKongairport terminal

(AR January 1999).

To create an impressive plaza,

they paved the floor with

limestone and extended it beyond

thesideroofs tothe ironand

of bamboo in limestone planters

that double as glass-backed

benches are deployed around the

perimeter to provide protection

from wind and conceal

emergency ventilation points to

the lower levels. The ironworkwas repainted in its original tone

of pistachio. To either side of the

nave are three cubic pavilions, 7.4

x 6.4mon plan and 4mhigh,

containingshops, escape stairs,

and apair of cafés with tables

spillingout onto the plaza. They

are clad in opti-white glass panels

that are anchored to the slab and

tied together at the top by an

insulated stainless structural

plate, and are lit fromtranslucent

cast glass cores and fromlights

concealed behind atranslucent

Barrisol ceilingmembrane.

By day, these pavilions seemas

insubstantial as soap bubbles,

dematerialized by the brilliant

natural light; at night they glow

like lanterns beneath the springy,softly il luminated vault. Lighting

consultant Claude Engel installed

tiny uplights on the capitals of the

columns and external projectors

to play on the facades.

Escalators lead down fromthe

plaza, through acentral opening

with aclear glass balustrade,

towardsan8m-highwaterwall

while coolingthe air and

providingasoothingmurmur.

This lower concourse has

handsomely detailed glass-fronted

shops down the longsides, a

restaurant at the west end, and

two semicircles of stone-facedmarket stalls wrapped around the

pile caps of the east portal. In its

present, gentrified state, the

Colon complements the culinary

cornucopia of the municipal

market – which rivals LaBoqueria

in Barcelonafor the quality and

variety of its offerings – and is a

comfortable fit with its

neighbours. Borgos Dance have

applied the skills they honed with

Foster and Pawson to create

additions that are reticent and

refined, givingnew life to a

glorious landmark.

MICHAEL WEBB

Architect

BorgosDance&Partners, London

Associate architect

NovaIngenieriaStructural and mechanical engineer

OveArup& Partners

Photographs

Richard Davies

6The original 1913 structure,designed by Francisco Mora, hasbeen painstakingly restored to itsoriginal pistachio hue.7The 8m-high water wall screensthe

h i d

6




70|9

havingspent several years there

as project architect on Norman

the side roofs to the iron and

stone fence. Eight ‘green screens’

towards an 8m high water wall

that flows into areflectingpoolrestaurant, tempersthe air andcreatesa calm sunken oasis.


1 historicperimeter fence

2 car parkingaccess

3 historicstair access

4 new lift core

5 new atrium

6 new terraces

7 retailpavilion

8 escapestairs

9 delicatessen10 café

11 car park exit

12 flower stalls

7

11

3

1

4

7

6

10 7

6

8

2

9

6

67

3

8 7

88

12

12

[email protected]

- 220 -

This scheme should need little

introduction. But apparently it

does. While the aspirations of

BedZED (Beddington Zero

Energy Development) have been

well documented1 (AR June

2001), 18 months after the first

residents moved in it is time to

think beyond the statistics that

qualify its conception. This is, let

us not forget, a piece of radical

architectural design, and

deserves to be seen within a

wider context as a model for

future volume housing.

Beyond reducingenergy

consumption to 10 per cent of

similar suburban homes built to

1995 regulations, it is a model of

place making, and of high-density

suburban urbanization. A model

of architectural imagination and

mixed-use integration. And

above all of optimismand

progress. But before this, it is

perhaps equally pertinent to

state what BedZED is not. It isnot a high budget, highly refined

show piece. It is certainly not

architectural wallpaper. It is

instead an exemplary working

experiment: the kind of mega-

prototype essential to test

issues concerning future housing

generations. So those who

criticize the eccentricity of some

of its details clearly miss the

point. After all, with over ten

years as a key associate of

Michael Hopkins and Partners,

Bill D unster graduated from one

of the best schools of

architectural refinement. Since

leavingMHP however, he now

chooses to pr ioritize o ther

broader facets of architecture,

of which there are many.

Meetinghimon the BedZED

site recently, where he runs his

own design studio (ZED Factory),

Dunster constantly draws

parallels between BedZED and

the adjacent development, the

likes of which he sees as

obsolete. Here he plays

developers at their own game,

adoptingtheir language and theircurrency – that of economy.

Through an integrated approach,

BedZED provides the same

dwelling density as the adjacent

speculative development, but

with a 35 per cent increase in

space allowance. This in turn

provides valuable revenue

earningbenefits in the formof

additional live-work units, and

community facili ties such as

surgery, a community hall and a

bar. It also results in a vastly

improved public realm, with a

reduction in naked tarmac and

virtually no unused (and

therefore unloved) residual

space. This is a principle that

Dunster describes as using

planninggain to facilitate carbon

trading. In other words, not only

does mixed use bringthe social

and environmental benefits of a

1With south-facingsun spaces,BedZED’sterr acesestablish analternative suburban prototype ...2... a stark contrast to the low-density, car-dominated streetscapeof the conventional existing housing.3Each one-bedroom loft apartment

hasitso wn entrance and sky garden,set within the site’sdistinctiveroofscape.

1




44|11

WAKE UP CALLAs governments around the world struggle to provide

sufficient affordable homes in cities, BedZED has much

to teach architects, developers, and residents alike.

HOUSING, SUTTON, ENGLAND

A R CHITECT

BILL DUNSTER ARCHITECTS

site plan

2

[email protected]

- 221 -

24 hour operation that sustains

diverse communities and

balances energy loads around

the clock but, most significantly,

the increased commercial

revenue relative to the cost of

the land can be offset against thenecessarily front loaded costs of

producing a carbon neutral

development.

Improved density is achieved

through the resolution of

Dunster’s integrated cross

section. Defined by solar access

criteria, a few simple ground

rules dictate that all dwellings

face south while workspaces

face north. This in turn

generates four variant terraces,

the cross sections of which

combine spaces fromup to four

self-contained units, each with

their own entrance and external

garden. By interlockinglive-

work spaces with maisonettes,

loft apartments and two sky

gardens, the central terracesachieve a density in excess of

100 homes per ha, providing400

rooms and 200 jobs per ha, and

26 sq mof private garden

compared with 8 sq mof public

space per home. A target that if

replicated would reduce urban

sprawl to about 25 per cent of

the projected footprint over the

typical north mewselevation showingground level live-work units, accessstair sto loft apartments, sky gardensand bridges

4

c

b

b

d

d




46|11

4While perimeter 3 bed maisonetteshave more conventional front gardensand balconies...5... mewsmaisonettesaccesstheir skygardensvia bridgesthat lead fromfirst-floor livingrooms.

p j p

next 100 years, resultingin all

our housingneeds being

achievable on brown field sites.

FollowingTomDyckhoff’s

stirring review in the national

press, Dunster’s ZED Factory

has been inundated with people

wantingto do a ZED (a zero

energy development). With a list

of over 700 people it is clear thatBedZED is respondingto a real

need, and when sufficient

clusters of people emerge other

developments will be built.

It is for these reasons and

many more1 that it is especially

disappointingthat BedZED did

not win the recent RIBA Stirling

Prize for A rchitecture; Britain’s

premier award, that being

broadcast on national television,

has the potential to send a

typical crosssection through loft apartment accessstair and ventilation shafts(scale approx 1:200)

typical crosssection

5

a live-work unit

b 3bedmaisonette

c onebedloft apartment

d skygardens

a

a

c

b

b

[email protected]

- 222 -

7




message far beyond the

limitations of the architectural

world. While the winner,

Herzog & De Meuron’s Laban

Centre is truly exquisite, it is

with respect just another

beautiful building, highly refined

in both its conception and detail,

in response to a gift of a brief.

But, as we are faced with an

international housing crisis, we

must see that BedZED is so much

more than a collection of wellintended green houses, and if we

Without you, little will be

achieved, as you alone have the

means to radically improve the

landscape of our built

environment. So, go to BedZED.

Then wake up and help us all live

the dream. ROB GREGORY

1 For further detailed analysis

www.zedfactory.com

BedZED ( 2002). BRECSU Best Practice

Programme, Crown C opyright.

Sustainable Urban Design – An Environmental

Approach ( 2002) . Randall T homas, Spon Press.

Architect

HOUSING, SUTTON, ENGLAND

A RCHITECTBILL DUNSTER ARCHITECTS

6

Though Harburgis technically part

of Hamburg, it is separated from

the city centre by the Elbe River,

two bridges and afifteen-minute

drive. Until recently, its inland

harbour and canals were known

only to directors of police thrillers,

but now, with risingprices on

the north bank and moves to

increase city densities by

recyclingwarehouses and grain

silos, Harburgis rapidly and

fashionably acceleratinginto the

cabled loft age.

Established in 1786 (and

reputedly the oldest in the world),

Hamburg’s water police must now

cope with atransformed Harburg

harbour. Telekomheadquarters,

shippingcontrollers, on-line

service industries, media

professionals and aChinaTower

for one of Germany’s biggest

export partners are replacingfish

handlers, scrap metal yards and

palmoil refineries. The air is

cleaner and the crime more

white collar. Water policeresponsibil ities have also

expanded to encompass the land

between the canals as well as 150

kilometres up river.

To keep pace with those more

likely to steal computer notebooks

than lead piping, the river and

harbour police divisions have a

new headquarters equipped with

stateofthearttechnologyto

replace nineteenth-century

industry and pollution.

Local firmArchitekten-Contor

in collaboration with Schäfer-

Agather-Scheel won anational

two-stage competition for the

new headquarters with a

dramatically cantilevered, copper-

clad structure reminiscent of El

LissitzkyandMartStam’s1924

fromroad, rail and water

approaches. Similarly, the police

have three hundred and sixty

degree visibility over their patch,

like eagles in an eyrie.

To improve operational

efficiency, three police divisions

have been brought together under

one roof. In-house training

officers and aspecialist marine

only five metres be

the station has no c

or parking. Interna

based around acen

corridor, with cellu

both sides and full w

conference or spor

each end. A boardw

overlooks aroof te

eventuallylandscap

1Wrapped in a green copper skin, thesleek new water police headquartersreflectsthe changesin thesurrounding docklands.2The cantilevered structure loomsoveritspatch.




72|10

state of the art technology to

tackle borderless European Union

crime. Located between river and

harbour, behind aprotective dyke

and lock gates, the eye-catching

new structure also signals achange

in status for Harburg, as quayside

walks and al fresco eatinggradually

Lissitzky and Mart Stams 1924

unbuiltWolkenbügel project.

Traditionally associated with

durability and constancy, here the

vivid green pre-patinated copper

is intended to make abolder

statement. Although only five

floors high, the buildingis visible

officers and aspecialist marine

technical teamjoin conventional

policemen on adaily quartet of six

hour shifts. Patrol boats are

moored on the river or harbour

side of the buildingand video

cameras monitor their comings

and goings. As the water level is

eventually landscap

could double as ope

barbeque party are

services are genera

scale, with openab

heating(but no air c

external sun louvre

roller blinds.

RIVERAND HARBOURPOLICE

STATION, HAMBURG, GERMANY

A R CHITECTS

ARCHITEKTEN-CONTOR,SCHÄFER-AGATHER-SCHEEL

ON THE WATERFRONTA new headquarters for the water police inHamburg reflects both the changing nature

of the city’s docklands and local crime.


RIVERAND HARBOURPOLICE

STATION, HAMBURG, GERMANY

A R CHITECTS

ARCHITEKTEN -CONTOR,SCHÄFER-AGATHER-SCHEEL

south-west elevation

Rejectinginstitutional grey,

buildingusers instead opted for

Yves Klein blue, an obvious choice

for amarine location, and an

effective contrast to the warm

timber fittings. The fair-faced

concrete lift shaft is also painted

the same penetratingblue, bringing

adash of the Mediterranean to

northern latitudes.

Given the upmarket hotel

character of finishes and furniture,

it is sometimes easy to forget that

the buildingentertains more

troublesome visitors. These arrive

by car through alockable garage at

the west end of the ground floor

to be booked in at ano-frills

reception areawith lockers for

personal belongings. There are

four different sizes of cell, eachwith built-in wooden benches. In

the past, the water police had little

to do with land-based crime, but

now when large numbers of

suspects are detained, the new

station is designated one of several

holdingpoints around the city.

Though this project cannot be

compared to more modest

communitybuildings itshowshow1

3

4




74|10

3Patrol boatsare moored nearby.4Detail of copper and glassfacade.5Stairs wrap round a bold blue lift shaft.6Office accommodation sitsabove apodium of cells.7, 8Of necessity, the buildinghas goodviewsover itssurroundings.9Typical meetingroom.

community buildings, it shows how

an enlightened government client

can use the competition systemto

encourage and deliver innovative

architecture. Here in Hamburg, it

is refreshingto see the state

settingachallengingbenchmark

for the private sector.

LAYLA DAWSON

ArchitectArchitekten-Contor, Schäfer-Agather-Scheel,

Hamburg

Structural engineerIngenieurbüro Schulz

Pre-patinatedcopper claddingKME

PhotographsKlausFr ahm/artur

second floor plan

first floor plan


1 garage

2 cells

3 prisoner reception

4 publicreception

5 offices

6 locker rooms

5

7 8 9

6

6

6

6

5

5

1 2

4

3

5


a r

h o u s eHOUSE, W YE RIVER,

AUSTRALIA

A RCHITECT

BELLEMO & CAT

HOUSE, W YE RIVER,

AUSTRALIA

A RCHITECT

BELLEMO & CAT




Seenfromafar thisextraordinary

A ti d

1

galvanised steel support its bulk,

so it appears to hover weightlessly

above the steeply slopingground.

A gangplank at one end connects

it with asmall barbecue areaand a

windingapproach track.

Within the bulbous metalcarapace, aplywood-lined box

houses the main livingand dining

spaces which face south towards a

ridge of hills and the ocean

beyond. Here, the longside of the

cocoon has been squared off and

glazed to create ahuge vitrine and

cantilevered terrace, maximising

light and views.

Inside, the spaces dovetail

together with the economic

precision of asmall boat or

caravan. The main bedroomis

tucked into the cocoon’s snout

formingasnugsleepingburrow,

perforated by narrow skylights.

Bunk beds for children and a

bathroomlined with translucent

green resin, are slotted in next

door. The kitchen runs alongthelongnorth side of the main living

and diningspace. The pine

plywood lininghas been coated

with limewash, to prevent it

turningorange. Though its

orientation means that sun from

the north is largely cut off by the

trees, the house is warmed by an

open fireplace and is highly

insulated.

The lightweight monocoque

structure is ahybrid of techniques

appropriated fromboat buildingand aircraft engineering. The

internal rigid rectangular box was

built first and plywood ribs added

to generate the basic cocoon

shape. Green hardwood battens

were then attached to the ribs,

formingfixingpoints for the

narrow steel shingles. Like a

woven basket, the meshing

together of the various elements

– ribs, battens and shingles –

creates astrong, stable,

composite structure. Details were

often resolved on-site, so the

whole construction has arustic,

makeshift air. Though

undoubtedly achallenge to design

and build, the outcome is adelight

– an antipodean primitive hut for

the twenty-first century. C. S.

Architect

Bellemo &Cat, Melbourne, Australia

Structural engineer

Peter Felicetti

Photographs

Mark Munro

3




84|9

3Main bedroom in the coco on snout.4The curved monocoque form isclad insteel shingles.5Spindly legssupport the house in thesteep terrain.6Main livingand diningroom, aplywood-lined box-with-a-view.ground floor plan (scale approx 1:200)

longsection

HOUSE, W YE RIVER,

AUSTRALIA

A RCHITECT

BELLEMO & CAT1entrance gangplank

2living

3dining

4kitchen

5bathroom

6laundry/wc

7bunk beds

8main bedroom9deck

4

5 5

9

1

2 3

4 6

5

78


processOFFICES, LONDON

A RCHIT ECT

FOSTER AND PARTNERS




While Charles Jencks may statethat big is boring in his theory

that measures design tedium

against floor areas (AR August

2002), it cannot be denied that

Foster and Partners’ 30 St Mary

Axe is an impressive sight.

Regardless of whether or not

you agree with Jencks’

proposition (which states that

for every additional ten floorsadded toaskyscraper thedesign

Wind sockThe integration of structure, form and fabric creates

London’s first environmentally progressive skyscraper.

1

Axe is designed to be lettable on

the open market. But it is unlike

the norm, where architectural

design effort focuses

predominantly on the outermost

six inches of the facade. With St

Mary Axe, structure, formand

fabric have been integrated, and

Foster and Partners have

produced one of the City’s first

large-scale office buildings which

genuinely has the capacity to be

passively ventilated.

The building’s distinctive

pattern is adirect reflection of

its internal organization and its

environmental strategy, where

six orthogonal fingers of flexible

office space are punctuated by

radial atria: aseries of two and

six storey voids that spiral

around the building, increasing

perimeter desk space, and

bringinglight and air deep within

the heart of the building’s

circular envelope.

In claddingthe tower, Fosterswere able to continue their

innovative relationship with

German claddingcontractor

Schmidlin, with whomthey

collaborated on London’s City

Hall (AR August 2002). Through

parametric modellingtechniques,

derivingthe critical co-ordinates

of each panel mathematically

rather than relyingon traditional

d i h i F d

3Less bulky than a rectaExternally, diminishinattempt to reduce the40-storey tower (scale 4... while internally twopack spirallingatria br500 000 sq ft of lettabl

Against the grain; by occupying lesst han half of the site at ground level, the schemeseekst o optimize the amount of public space (scale approx 1:1500)

OFFICES, LONDO

ARCHITECT

FOSTERANDPAR




70|11

drawingtechniques, Foster and

Schmidlin demonstrate that

material and component

efficiency no longer rely on

monotonous repetition. With

emergingproduction line

methods, where units are

fabricated frompalettes

containingbar-coded precision

cut components, it is no longerthe case that incremental

variations send costs through the

roof. In this case, with the

claddinggeometry changingat

every level as the floor plates

increase fromthe 50mwide first

floor to 57mon level 17, before

diminishingto the 25mwide

private diningroomat the

summit, an economic solution

was reached. Within the

principal diagrid established by

the 36 steel columns that spiral

around building(which forman

independent self-bracing

structure), each floor level is

broken down into 72 five-degree

modules. Within this subdivision,3 [email protected]

- 229 -

5Wind modelsby BDSPpressure gradientsarodistinctive curved form6, 7With just two variant claddingpanelsslot to

the curved form, it is argued, will minimizewind loads, maintain pedestrian comfort, and

assist the internal ventilation strategy

6 7




72|11

OFFICES, LONDON

ARCHITECT

FOSTERAND PARTNERS

the envelope on each level is

then formed by just two variant

diamond-shaped units; a flat unit

that spans between floor plates,

and a folded unit formed by two

triangular panels, which neatlyincorporate a floor plenumair

intake slot.

Unlike County Hall, however,

St Mary Axe does not have an

axis, and therefore has no

north/south condition to

respond to. So, environmentally

the buildinghad the inherent

problemof acircular plan, in that

the facade could not be

orientation specific if asingle

claddingsystemis wrapped

around all 360 degrees. The

challenge was therefore to

develop asolution which while

workingin all orientations would

maintain auniformexternal

appearance.

The architect’s response was to

break the facade into its

component parts, allowingeach

environmental control

component to operate at its

optimumperformance when andwhere required. Instead of a high

performance glass system

throughout, the workspaces are

glazed usingstandard clear low-E

units, with a responsive

retractable layer of blinds and

secondary glazingthat could be

deployed internally. Conversely,

the atria breathe through a

clutter-free single skin

incorporatingopeninglights,

which has a high performance

solar control glass that does all

of the work all of the time.

While clearly there is a degree

of redundancy, as the solar

control glass has little benefit on

the northern section of the

facade, visual continuity had to

be prioritized. Clear glass within

the workspaces exploits views

and increases daylight levels,

while the double skin forms a

thermal cavity, within which,when deployed, blinds reduce

glare, stop sunlight reachingthe

inner skin, and also assist air

recirculation.

While for commercial reasons

the buildinghad to offer a base

condition of mechanical

ventilation, with provision made

for ductingroutes etc, it is

hoped that tenants will choose

to naturally ventilate their

spaces. The natural ventilation

mode was a significant driver in

refiningthe building’s formand

skin, and followingextensive

CFD and wind-tunnel modelling

it has been proved that, as the

atria cut across the high and low

pressure zones cre

curved form, a pres

is created that will

cross ventilation b

pack atria, and boo

buoyancy of the stathrough the six pac

result it is anticipat

buildingcould be n

ventilated for at lea

cent of the year, se

standard for other

developments to su

R

Architect

Foster andPartners, Lond


Arup

Environmental engine

BDSP Partnership

Mechanical and electri

Hilson MoranPartnership

Photographs

Nigel Young

Skyline view (no 1)

Smoothe

gpmillimetre perfect acc

typical office floor plan

section through folded diamond cladding unit (scale approx 1:30)

5 [email protected]

- 230 -

Whether conscious or not,

timber’s associations with folksy

domesticity tends to inhibit its

use in commercial contexts.

Baumschlager & Eberle were

asked to design a small

commercial building in the

Vorarlbergvillage of Wolfurt

and responded by employing

timber as a precisely detailed

external screen that does the

usual jobs of filter inglight and

providingpr ivacy, but also

imparts a subtle, organic warmth

and texture to a basic box.

Vorarlberg, on the western

edge of Austria, is the country’s

smallest region, and after Vienna,

the most densely populated.

Histor ically, the areahas a

distinct rural identity, evident in

its landscape, its vernacular

architecture and astrong(and

continuing) tradition of building

in wood. Characteristic of an

emerginggeneration of German-

speakingSwiss and Austrian

architects, Baumschlager &

Eberle’s work is distinguished by

asober tectonic spiri t that also to

reinterpret regional traditions

and archetypes.

The client wanted a building

that could accommodate the

local bank at ground level, with

three upper floors that could be

used either as flats or as offices.

The architects responded to this

unedifyinginexactitude by

designingan utterly simple

glazed rectangular box, with a

stair tower pulled clear of the

main volume on the north side.

So far, so conventional, but the

inspired move was to enclose

the buildingin a timber screen,

elevatinga plain box into a

tactile, mutable, sensual object.

Fabricated fromsquare

sections of indigenous Austrian

larch, the external skin is made

up of a series of horizontally

slatted slidingscreens mounted

on a timber sub-frame. The larch

lattice filters and diffuses the

light, castingshimmering

shadows through the interior. It

also combats glare and heat

build-up, provides

required and gives

degree of pleasin

dreary homogene

timber screen en

entire building, ap

bank frontage at s

Within the appar

facade, however,

movements of the

generate changing

geometries that d

enliven the public

Architect

Baumschlager &Eber le,

Photographs

Edward Huebner

LARCH VEILS

BANK , WOLFURT, AUSTRIA

A RCHITECT


An ordinary commercial building is given great urban

presence by an external skin of slatted larch screens.

1The glazed box isencouter skin of slatted 2The slidingscreensgchanginggeometries3, 4Detail of screens.

site plan




presence by an external skin of slatted larch screens.

ground floor plan (scale 1:500) first floor

1 bank offices

2 stair

3 f la ts

1

2 3

2 22

1

1

3

3

1

2

[email protected]

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Andrew Holmes is Britain’s leading SuperRealist artist. He is also an

architect (and one of the original Richard Rogers four-person

practice), a long time unit master at the Architectural Association an

latterly at the University of Westminster. For three decades he has

been working on, among other things (including 50 Penguin book jackets), a 100-picture series called Gas Tank City. It records the

storage tanks, trucks and trailers of the highways of the West Coast

desert and that artificial urban oasis, Los Angeles, which Holmes has

visited annually since he was a student at the AA. These, says Holmes

have replaced such traditionalbuildings as the barn and have, in some

d e l i g h

t ANDREW HOLMES’ DRAWINGS, A L L E X EC U T ED

WITH COLOURED PENCILS, ARE MORE REAL THAN

PHOTOGRAPHS. RECENTLY , HE HAS CELEBRATED

T H E RO MA NC E O F O IL A ND PET RO L VEH IC LES




have replaced such traditional buildings as the barn and have, in some

ways, become architecture. If that sounds like an echo of Reyner

Banham and Archigram and Cedric Price and their interest in

architectural transience and mobility, that is because it is. But it is als

to put too architectural a gloss on his work which is sheerly beautifu

Holmes says anyway that the early Rogers connection is more

relevant, ‘The truck epitomises more what those early ideas were

originally about’: simple steel construction, ready-mades, ad hoc-nes

design-as-accruing.

There is an obsessive quality about deciding to do exactly 100

paintings. Holmes says not really: you should look at it like ten music

albums each with ten tracks. And there is something clearly obsessiv

and certainly astonishing about the way he executes the paintings,

most of them containing reflections and shiny chrome, in Derwent

coloured pencils with only the skies air-brushed in at the beginning.Holmessaysdisarminglyhe ismorecomfortableworkingwithpencil

S M U

D

i s s t i l l p r a c t i s e d w i t h r e m a r k

a b l e r e s u l t s i n p a r t s o f W e s t A f r i c a , t h o u g h t h e r e a r e f e a r s t h a t

e n t s a p h o t o g r a p h i c s u r v e y o f s o m e a s t o n i s h i n g e x a m p l e s o f r e l i g i o u s a n d d o m

e s t i c b u i l d i n g s .

place[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-2005)



60|1 G L O R I O

U

B u i l d i n g w i t h m u d i s o n e o f t h e o l d e s t a r c h i t e c t u r a l t r a d i t i o n s a n d i

s u c h s k i l l s w i l l e v e n t u a l l y b e l o s t f o r e v e r . H e r e

, J a m e s M o r r i s p r e s e

Above: Friday Mosque, Djenné, Mali – biggest mud buildingin the world and definingimage of WestAfrican architecture. Foundationsare more than 500 yearsold, though buildinghasoften been r ebuilt.Right: mosque, Yebe, Mali. Stick-studded mosquesof Niger delta region define the unique aesthetic of Western Sudan. Though wooden postshave practical functions– asscaffold for re-rendering, structuralsupport, and assistingin expellingmoisture from heart of the wall – the most strikingimpact is visual. [email protected]

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Too often, when people in the West think of

traditional A frican architecture, they perceive

nothing morethan a mud hut; a primitivever-

nacular half remembered froma Tarzan film.

But why this ignorance of half a continent’s

heritage? Possibly because the great dynastic

civilizations of the region were already in

decline when European colonizers firstexposed these cultures to a wider audience.

Being made of perishable mud, many older

buildingshave been lost, unlike the stone or

brick structuresof other ancient cultures. Or

possibly thislack of awarenessisbecause the

buildings are just too strange, too foreign to

have been easily appreciated by outsiders.

Often they are more like huge monolithic

sculpturesor ceramic potsthan architecture

aswemight conventionally think of it. But the

surviving buildingsareneither historic monu-

mentsin theclassic sense, nor arethey ascul-

turally remote as they may initially appear.

They sharemany of thequalitiesnow valued

in Western architectural thinking such assus-

tainability, sculptural form and community

participation in their conception and making.

Though part of long held traditions and

ancient cultures, they are also contemporarystructures, serving a current purpose. If they

lost their relevance and were neglected, they

would collapse. In the West, mud is effec-

tively regarded asdirt, yet in rural Africa (as

in so much of the world) it is the most com-

mon of building materialswith which every-

body has direct contact. Maintaining and

resurfacing of buildingsispart of the rhythm

of life, and there is an ongoing and active

participation in their continuing existence.

Thisisnot a museum culture.




62|1

Top: N ando Mosque, Mali. Supposedly built by a giantin one night, thishighly sculptural mosque is a uniquestructure that borders the magical and fantastical.Middle: women’squarters, Tangasoko, Burkina Faso.Among the Kassena people, each married woman hasher own quarters in the family compound. Built bymen and decorated by women, they contain livingroom and adjoiningkitchen. On her death they areallowed to disintegrate, the land and crumbled earthto be reused by a future generation.Bottom: house of the chief of Djenné, Mali. Moroccaninfluenced wooden windowsare a recent development.Right: Hogon House, Sanga, Mali. The most distinc tarchitectural form of the Dogon people, the HogonHouse isthe home of the traditional spiritual leader.

Superbly formed and highly expressive,

these extraordinary buildings emerge from

the most basic of materials, earth and water,

and in the harshest of conditions. They are

vibrant works of art with their own distinct

and striking aesthetic, skilfully responding to

the qualities of African light and the inher-

ent propertiesof mud to emphasize shadow,

texture, silhouette, profile and form. Duringthe course of a year the mud render dries,

the surface is covered in a web of cracksand

then it slowly starts to peel off before being

re-rendered. With each re-rendering, the

shape of a building is subtly altered, so

[email protected]

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change and movement are ever present. The

material is tactile, warm and vulnerable,

demanding and receiving an engaged rela-

tionship with i tsusers. Often people attempt

to cement render the buildings, but not only

doesthisdestroy them physically, asthey rot

from within, but i t also destroys their char-

acter. Their uniquenessis their muddiness. The future of these buildings is hard to

predict. M ud is such a vulnerable material

and there is an enthusiasm for building in

concrete. Given the means, many would tear

down their mud houses and build cement

block and tin roofed replacements, common

practice in those countriesthat can afford to

do so. So what will happen when rural

Africans are lifted out of their desperate

poverty? Will there be an understandable

rush to rid themselves of the physical mani-

festations of that harrowing past? It can

already be seen in wealthier countries such

as Ghana and Nigeria where there is virtu-

ally nothing left for future generations to

repair and preserve. Not only the buildings

have gone but also the skillsto build them.

It is a gradual process of extinction.

Already the extraordinary upturned jellymould houses of the Mousgoum people of

Cameroon are gone, soon those of the

K assena and Gurensi in Ghana will disap-

pear. The Sakho housesof the Boso in Mali

are all abandoned and in ruins. I t is quite

possible that when west Africa emergesfrom

below the poverty line there will be little of

its built heritage remaining to be appreci-

ated. The saving grace is probably Islam,

ever expanding and building more mosques,

but even then only in rural parts. I n cities,

th f d db W h biS di f d




64|1

the mosquesfunded by Wahabi Saudi funds

are atrocious concrete imitations of a bas-

tardized Middle Eastern style.

In the sparsely populated Sahal plains of

the Western Sudan, traditional buil t forms

in mud are the most striking representations

of human creativity and a unique part of our

world culture – they should not be forgotten.

JAMES MORRIS

Thesephotographsaretaken fromButabu – adobe architecture of West

Africa , JamesMorrisand SuzannePreston Blier, New York,

Princeton Architectural Press, 2003.

Top: house, Djenné, Mali. Mud rendered wallshave tobe resurfaced regularly. As the mud driesit cracks,forminga delicate textured surface. The gentlymoulded structure behind the wall isa coveredstaircase opening onto the flat roof. The shape willsubtly alter each time it is re-rendered.Bottom: house, Djenné, Mali. The blank facade withtiny openingsfor windowsis a traditional style for theDjenné house. Domestic activity isconcentrated inthe open courtyard to the rear.Right: Sanam Mosque, Niger , designed in 1998 byAbou Moussa who travelled hundredsof miles from

Yaamaa to thisinaccessible region in the north of thecountry. It wasbuilt in 45 daysby the whole villageand appearsto be the largest and most strikingrecentmud buildingin Niger. [email protected]

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T H E E N V E L O P E

u s e u m i n S t L o

u i s i s c o n c e i v e d a s a f l e x

i b l e

e r i m e n t t h a t r e a c h e s o u t t o i t s s u r r o u n d i n g s




P U S H I N G T

T h i s n

e w a r t m u

s h e l l f o r e x p e

Meet me in St Louis, Louis, meet me at the Fair’, sangJudy Garland,

and the city is celebratingthe centenary of that high point in its

fortunes, even as it struggles – like so many others in the Midwest –

to regenerate its battered core. Progress has been made since Eero

Saarinen’s Gateway Arch was built on the banks of the Mississippi in

1968, and the Grand Center Ar ts Distr ict at the edge of downtown

has recently acquired two small but potent gems: Tadao Ando’s

Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts and the Contemporary Art Museumby Allied W orks Architecture. They occupy neighbouringsites and

conduct a lively dialogue across a shared courtyard dominated by a

Richard Serra torqued steel sculpture.

What’s remarkable is how well these two radically different

buildings complement each other visually as well as in purpose. The

Pulitzer, which opened two years ago, is a signature work by Ando in

the finest in-situ concrete. It has the air of a spiritual retreat: refined,

serene, and inward-looking; a place for solitary contemplation of

twentieth-century masterworks fr omthe Pulitzer collection, which is

open by appointment two days a week. In contrast, Allied Works

principal Brad Cloepfil designed the new museumas a flexible shell

for experimentation in the visual arts, and programmes that reach out

to the depressed neighbourhood and the general public. Concrete

walls are clad in tightly woven stainless-steel mesh, and expansive

windows open up views fromstreet to courtyard. Galleries for

changingexhibitions occupy a quarter of its 2500 sq m; the rest are

given over to a large performance space, an education centre and

café, plus upstairs offices and classrooms. The buildingcost only $6.5

million, substantially less than its neighbour.

Thanks to the generosity of Emily Pulitzer and other patrons, the

CAM has moved far beyond its modest beginnings in a downtown

storefront, and it selected Allied Works from a shortli st that included

Herzog& de Meuron, RemKoolhaas, and Peter Zumthor. It was a

prescient choice, for Cloepfil has since won acclaimfor prestigious



A RCHITECT

ALLIED WORKS

location plan

3

4




30|1

2The museum complex in St Louis’depressed cityscape. Allied Works’new building(left) joins Ando’smuseum on the right.3Concrete wallswrapped in stainless-steel mesh are beautifully smooth,impassive surfaces.4Expansive windowsopen up views.2 [email protected]

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1 entrancelobby

2 galleryspaces

3 educationstudio

4 perform ancespace

5 courtyard

6 café

7 loading

8 lineofA ndo building

9 administrativeoffices

10 resourcecentre

11 classroom

CONTEMPORA

ST LOUIS, MIS

A RCHITECT

ALLIED WORK

5




32|1

crosssection


crosssection

first floor plan

5The internal courtyard.6Detail of mesh-wrapped walls.

8

9

11

10

56

1 4

2

23

7

[email protected]

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arts projects in New York, Dallas, and Seattle, all of which are

characterized by acool minimalismand sensitivity to aesthetic needs.

As he explains: ‘In makingspace for contemporary art, the architecture

must first serve the arti st; not by attemptingto render abackground

for the art, but by providingthe artist with aspecific spatial presence,

an intentional vacancy that achieves meaningthrough the art itself.’ He

also spoke of creating‘a fusion of the city and the arts.’

Cloepfil has pushed the buildingout to a curved corner that

gives it a distinctive prow, and has restored the original street l ine –

in contrast to the Pulitzer, which is pulled back. The contents of the

buildingare revealed though window walls, so that its role as an art

centre is immediately apparent. Concrete walls are sandblasted to

dematerialize the surface and distinguish it fromA ndo’s small

modules. The mesh is set 100-150mmfrom the walls, unifyingthe

facade and shadingthe office and classroom windows. It ’s a concept

that the architect has developed and taken further in the

translucent membrane he proposes to wrap around the former

Huntington Hartford Gallery in New York, a marble-clad Venetian

pastiche by Edward Durrell Stone, to provide a new home for the

Museumof Contemporary Arts and Design.

Double glass doors open onto the lobby froma setback in the

north facade, and steps lead down fromthis introductory space to

the galleries. Cloepfil has played with space and light as though they

were liquids, containingand releasingthem, allowingvisitors to feel

they are swimmingthrough galleries that open up to each other and

to outdoor areas that are tightly enclosed by the two buildings. There

are two levels of wall: 4mhigh sections at ground level, and a 6mhigh

band that wraps around the upper level in serpentine fashion, tying

the spaces together. The steel mesh is carried inside in places to add

another layer and a contrastingtexture to the white painted

sheetrock on the display walls. Ceilingplanes float at different levels,

admittinglight from clerestories and blockingdirect sun. The effect is

one of interlockingboxes cut away to leave only a few definingedges.

Paul Ha, the new director of St Louis CA M, made his reputation at

White Columns, New York’s most adventurous alternative art

space. ‘It changes one’s perception of art to see it in a different

setting,’ he observes, ‘and artists welcome the challenge of

respondingto the energy of place.’ For Cloepfil, the task was ‘to

make spaces that serve the arts and artists, while allowingfor a

subtle emotional response fromthe individual. It was imperative to

create a physical environment that visitors would feel comfortable

returningto again and again.’ MICHAEL WEBB

axonometric of buildingelements



A RCHITECT

ALLIED WORKS




34|1

7Lookingthrough the courtyard.8After the compression of theoutdoor areas, galleriesare tall, airy,luminousspaces.9, 10The buildingisconceived asaflexible shell for experimentation.

Architect

Allied Works, Portland, USA

Photographs

HélèneBinet

7

8

9 10

[email protected]

- 239 -

Royal Academy ForumSponsored by

Landscape has long been a source of inspiration. RA Forum invited art historian Malcolm Andrews, author of

MEANING, MAPPING ANDMAK ING OF LANDSCAPE




MALCOLM ANDREWSOrigins of the term ‘landscape’ seem to lie in northern Europe: theDutch, Belgian, German terms, Lantschap, Lantskip, Landschaftrespectively. Sometimes it was used to designate land in the immediateenvirons of a town or city, not just natural scenery. When eventuallyused in terms of art, it designates the area of a religious painting thatforms the setting for the central drama and its protagonists. ThomasBlount’sGlossographia (1670) gives a definition that might have appliedto the term through much of the early modern period:

‘Landtskip (Belg) Parergon, Paisage, or By-work, which is an

the Romantic version of landscape. However, modern understandinof landscape often emphasizes its conceptual, cultural significancrather than the topographical or material meaning. Landscape explored as a mental construct. ‘Landscape is Nature mediated bCulture’ is an attractively succinct definition, until one begins to aswhat exactly is ‘Nature’? and question the extent to which ‘Natureitself is a cultural construct? Can we oppose Nature and Culture seasily as this definition suggests? Where do we draw the line betweeNature and Culture to preserve the integrity of ‘Nature’? Thequestions suggest that ‘tastes’ in landscape act as a cultural baromete

M easuring America Andro Linklater, artists Simon Callery and Hamish Fulton, film-maker Patrick Keiller and

architect Farshid Moussavi to discuss the Meaning, Mapping and Making of Landscape. Edited by Jeremy Melvin.

SIMON CALLERY with ideasabout how and why werespond to landscath b l d ) l l l d t i d

Meyerowitz’shard, sharp edgesand austeregeometry. The metropolisis the new wilderness, but constituted by almost the oppositecomponentsto thoseof the old natural wilderness: instead of a placealmost wholly empty of humansand devoid of any artefacts, thecity isa placeoverused by humansand consistingwholly of artefacts.

As webecomemore urbanized and mechanized, the greater ourappetite for landscapeswithout human presence, or signs of humanpresence – unless, that is, the human presence is organicallysympathetic to landscape, such as shepherds, cottages, or cornfields.

Therelish for theSublime – for mountain scenery, horror, mysteryand theirrational – arosejust at thetimewhen theEnlightenment wascelebrating triumphant discoveriesof Nature’sLaws. I n Romanticismtheperception of our fragile mutability heightened a senseof Nature’sstable, unchanging constituti on. T hat mindset is less and lesssustainable now: Natureweknow to bea dynamic, changingprocess,its renewability limited. So theexperience of landscapeis attuned toour desiresand expectations, and to our cultural conditioning.

Since the early modern period, landscape has become an

increasingly preciousaesthetic amenity. We like to consumeit. Weput a value on it. O n 4 October 1769, while at K eswick, ThomasGray encapsulated thispoint, ‘[I ] saw in my glassa picture, that if Icould transmitt to you, & fix it in all the softnessof its living colours,would fairly sell for a thousand pounds’. Modern day touristsfollowGray’s li ne of thought. T hey see a grand stretch of lakes andmountains, use the camera to framea section of thespectacle, andtakethe picture, supposedly ‘fixing it in all thesoftness of its livingcolours’. T hen they get it developed and printed and offer it for sale,and theseterms, ‘take’, ‘capture’ and ‘fix’ all belong to thelanguageof appropriation. Landscapeis a commodity. It is commodified as anaesthetic amenity as well asa pieceof real estate. In View from Mount H l k T h C l h ti ll d ti l d l i

whom the appropriation of territory – metaphorical or otherwise –is morally and politically incorrect. Richard Long, for instance, hassaid, ‘I like the idea of using the land without possessing it’, and hemakes this explicit when referring to his works, they ‘are made of the place, they are re-arrangements of it and in time will be re-absorbed by it’.

The artist in the landscape Thehistory of theartist’srelationship to landscapehasbeen oneof increasing intimacy with and intervention in themotif. This is partlybecause wehave had too much landscapeart. ‘T oday our sight is alittle weary, burdened by thememory of a thousand images... Wenolonger seeNature; weseepictures over and over again’, said Cézannein 1902. But T urner expressed the trend towards this intimateconnection when heasked, ‘What would they have? I wonder whatthey think thesea’slike? I wish they’d been in it’. If thegoal isnot justto beout in thelandscapebut to beswept up into the forcesof nature,the corollary is, ascaught in GiuseppePenone’s, First Breath (1977),

that the presence of the artist becomes fugitive and ephemeral. I n1999 hesaid, ‘Thiswork isa reminder that every breath weexhaleisan introduction of onebody of air into another, and that, in a sense,our innermost being is identical to and cannot beseparated from theworld around us’. Weeat, drink, and breathelandscape. The old dichotomies begin to collapse as artistsemphasize their

sense of symbiosis with, rather than detachment from, Nature.Sensing an interdependencewith Nature, they sharpen ecological andpolitical sensitivities. This profoundly affectstheart of landscapeinour day. Michael Snow said of his landscapefilm La Région Centrale ,(1969): ‘I recorded the visit of some of our minds and bodiesandmachinery to a wild place, but I didn’t colonize it. I hardly evenb d it’

Royal Academy Forum

Trench 10(2000) fromThe Segsbury Project : Callery’splasterwork, which capturesthe whole length of aBronze Age ditch at Alfred’sCastle.




Working alongsidearchaeologistsgaveSimon Callery an opportunity‘to seehow a painter of theurban landscapefromL ondon’sEast Endwould respond to a paradigmof the English landscape’. I n July 1996in association with the photographer Andrew Watson, Callerydocumented a 20mx 40mtrench at thechalk excavation at the IronAgeSegsbury Camp in Oxfordshirewith 378 black and white images

taken from a height of 2.5m. I nvited back for the excavation of Alfred’sCastlein 2000, hewas‘eager to makea work that utilized theactual surface material of the excavation’. T his resulted in aplasterwork, poured in 1m x 2msections, acrossa 20mx 2mBronzeAge trench, that ‘captured theentirechalk surface’ rather than justtaking itsnegativeform. He discusseshiswork with Jeremy Melvin.

JMOne aspect of your engagement with landscapeseemsto bea reverseof the traditional reasonsfor painting nature. T raditionally landscapepainting was a way of suggesting depth and distance beyond theindividual, of externalizing feelings, and of setting up hierarchiesaccording to distancefrom theviewer/painter. Your work seems todraw everything to thesurfaceas if it weremirroring thesesensationsback to theindividual, of focusing inwardsrather than outwards.

SCI think the point where I begin a painting is the point wheretraditional landscapepainting leavesoff. I aminterested in working

theurban landscape) on a sensual level and not in deappearance. With the trappings of representation opaintings offer a lean and stripped down physicaspecific proportion, luminosity and surfacequality. Thto provide a slowed down, drawn out and extendexperience. This experience is dependent solely on amaterial natureof thework. This way of looking, or be

sensing, leadsto an experiencein which the viewer passive recipient of the visual information containeproduction. The dynamic is altered and the viewerequation that isa reversal of thetraditional flow betwaudience. T he expressive end of this encounter is trather than the artwork or artist, becomes the sperceptual process.

JMAnother differenceliesin thetreatment of architecturClaude, architecturehasquitespecific and defined rolhighly complex and allegorical), it is about objectpicture. In your work, architecturehelpsto define a an example would bethe way you useentasison thepaintingsto help structuretheway of looking.

SCI do not want to depict architectureor expect it to punfolding narrative. I want the paintings to be a82|1

Holyoke , T homasCole schematically dramatizeslandscapevaluesin adiagonally divided composition. In the sunlit river valley the newfarms, wrested from the wilderness, and the grid of their fields,flourish in a benign, fertile, mappablelandscape. Old savageAmericasurvivesin theunmappablehigh-country wilderness on theleft, as aRomantically preciouslandscapeof theSublime.

Both the camera’sand the real-estate surveyor’sappropriation of

landscape is in contrast to some modern artistic sensibilities, for

borrowed it’.

Acknowledgements

Joel Meyerowitz,Broadway and West 46th Street, New York (197 6) . ©J oel Meyerowitz,

2003/Courtesyof Ar iel Meyerowitz Gallery, NewYork.

ThomasCole,View from Mount H olyoke . The Metropolitan Museumof Art, Gift of Mrs Russell

Sage, 1908(08228). Photograph ©1995The Metropolitan Museumof Art.

GiuseppePenone, ‘Primo Soffio’, 1977. Photograph 60x45cm.

Claude Monet, French 1840-1926,Meadow with Haystacks near Giverny , 1885. Oil on canvas,

74x 93.5cm, Museumof Fine Arts, Boston. Bequest of Arthur Tracy Cabot, 42.541.

ThomasCole,View f rom Mount Holyoke , 1836. Giuseppe Penone,Primo Soffio,1977. [email protected]

- 241 -

PATRICK KEILLER

Towards theend of 1996 I had written an essay (published as‘PortStatistics’ in The Unknown City , Kerr and Borden eds, MI T, 2001),which began:

‘Robinson in Space , a film (35mm colour 82mins UK 1997), wasphotographed between March and November 1995. It documentstheexplorationsof an unseen fictional character called Robinson, whowastheprotagonist of theearlier London , which wasa re-imaginationof itssubject suggested by theSurrealist l iteratureof Paris.Robinson in Space is a similar studyof the look ofpresentdayEngland in1995 and

“Middle England” whi ch he sees as a landscapcharacterized by sexual repression, homophobia aadvocacy of child beating.

‘At thesame time, heis dimly awarethat the UK largest trading economy in the world and that Briti speople, particularly women and the young, are probsexually unemancipated, assadistic or asmiserablelook of theUK suggests. The film’s narrativeis base

journeysin which hisprejudicesareexamined, and sodisposed of.’

character. For example, in recent large-scale tall paintingsI haveusedthe classical Greek architectural principle of entasis – most clearlyseen in the tapering in thecolumnsof the Parthenon in Athens. Thedimensionsof thesepaintingsareslightly narrower at thetop

than at thebottom. This is achieved by theintroduction of a subtlecurvethat begins at 5/8thsup on the vertical height of thestretcher.

Theneed to distort fromtheaccuraterectanglesatisfiesa perceptivesenseof rightnessthat a tall rectangular formappearssmaller at thetop. This encouragesus to relate to thepainting asa physical formand creates the possibility that an experience of the work is notexclusiveto the eyebut also involvesthebody. The intention behind applying architectural principle to

contemporary painting isto tap into thehighly developed way weuseour senses aswenavigateand negotiate thebuilt environment on adaily basis. I identify oneof thedefining qualitiesabout theway weunderstand architecture through a processof measuring ourselvesinrelation to it. T his could almost be considered common sense andshould beasactivein theart gallery asit ison thestreet.

JMIn that sense, perhaps, it bearssomecomparison with archaeology, asa technique for drawing out perceptions, or for helping to define asurface.

SCI want to usearchitectural referencesto elicit a responsethat involvesall our sensesand doesn’t prioritize theeye. My approach to makingwork fromdirect experienceof excavation hasbeen to concentrateonthesurfacematerial of thesite. For examplethe 20mx 2msculpturecalled ‘Trench 10’ wasmadeby pouring plaster onto thechalk surfaceof an excavated Bronze Age ditch The surface of the work is not

SCOne of themost striking aspectsof working on an excavation wasaheightened awareness of time quite unlike the urban experience.

Timeasan element and a constituent of placewastangibleon site. Thissensation wasnot immediatebut wasgenerated by a developingunderstanding of theparticular characteristicsof thelandscape. Thereisalso theprincipleof stratigraphy in excavation that defines

the relationship of objects to oneanother in time. Objects that arefound on thesamehorizontal plane can beconsidered contemporaryto oneanother, whileobjectsthat arefound at a greater vertical depthcan beconsidered older. I began to feel that this axisof two lineswasan expressive way of understanding time and could be fed into theway I uselinein painting.

It followsthat wecould gradethe landscapeand thecity in termsof their horizontality and verticality and draw conclusionson theextentto which an emphasis on theaxis influenceshow werespond.

JM

Doesthis senseof timeseemto demand such an intimateand preciserecord (thinking of photography) of what you found there, in a waythat themorefamiliar urban environment would not?

SC Thedesirethat a senseof timedefinestheexperienceof thefinishedwork is only really possible if a perceptual route to this end isestablished. In thecaseof a work called The Segsbury Project (378 large-scaleblack and white prints that record thesurfaceof a 20mx 40msiteat 2:1 housed in seven plan chests), thedetail of thephotographicprints sets up a visual encounter with an archaeological surface. I nthis work, detail and intimacy of the prints wasnecessary to bringaboutaquestioningofthesurface

Royal Academy Forum

M3at Twyford Down, near Winchester. Photograph: ©British Film Institute. Charborough Park, Dorset. Photograph: ©British Film Institute.




Space is a similar study of the look of present-day England in 1995, andwassuggested to someextent by Defoe’sTour through the Whole Island of Great Bri tain . Among itssubjectsare many new spaces, particularly thesites where manufactured products are produced, imported anddistributed. Robinson has been commissioned by ‘a well-knowninternational advertising agency’ to undertakea study of the‘problem’of England. It isnot stated in thefilm what thisproblemis, but there

are imagesof E ton, Oxford and Cambridge, a Rover car plant, theinward investment sites of Toyota and Samsung, a lot of ports,supermarkets, a shopping mall and other subjectswhich evokethe bynow familiar critiqueof ‘gentlemanly capitalism’, which seesthe UK ’seconomic weakness as a result of the City of London’s long term[English] neglect of the [UK’s] industrial economy, particularly itsmanufacturing base.

‘Early in thefilm, itsnarrator quotesfromOscar Wilde’sThe Picture of Dorian Gray : “I t is only shallow people who do not judge byappearances. T he true mystery of the world is the visible, not theinvisible ... ” T heappearancesby which theviewer isinvited to judgeare initially the dilapidation of public space, the extent of visiblepoverty, theabsenceof UK branded productsin theshopsand on theroads, and England’scultural conservatism. Robinson’s imageof theUK ’s industry is based on his memoriesof thecollapse of theearly

Thatcher years. Hehasassumed that poverty and dilapidation aretheresult of economic failure, and that economic failure is a result of theinability of U K industry to producedesirableconsumer products. Hebelieves, moreover, that this hassomething to do with the feel of 84|1

of an excavated Bronze Age ditch. The surface of the work is notsimply thenegativeform of this ditch asthe plaster acted to capturethe chalk loose. Above all this is a work that is animated by ourinteraction with surface– in thiscasea historical surface.

JMDid working with archaeologists in the landscape offer a different

senseof timeto working in thecontemporary city?

about a questioning of thesurface.Intimacy depends on sensory knowledge and the work must

communicatethis, whether it is thefamiliar urban environment or anexcavation in the rural landscape.

JMGiven that there are differencesbetween citiesand landscapes, does

architecture in cities havea compatiblerole with archaeology in thelandscape?

SCIt is not unreasonable to suggest that thereasons why archaeologistsaredrawn to certain sitestells usas much about our current interestsasit doesabout our distant past. Weseemto visit and revisit placesforthe reasons the original inhabitants settled there. This reflectstheextent to which the quality of placedefineswhat kind of architectureis built and the role architecture plays in defining the quality of aplace. The first excavation I was involved in wasan Iron Age hill fort

settlement and thesecond an I ron Agehill fort with the remainsof aRomano-British villa at itscentre. The work I madewasa record of the traces of early formsof architecture and a testing ground forexamining thevalidity of landscapeasa subject for contemporary art.

Photographsof theinstallationat theOffi cers’ Mess, Dover Castle: JohnRi ddy.The Segsbury Project isa

collaborationbetweentheH enryM ooreFoundation ContemporaryProjects, English Heritageand

theLaboratoryattheRuskinSchool of DrawingandFineArt.Trench 10surface detail: plaster acquiresloose chalk – interaction with historical surface. Manchester Ship Canal at Latchford, Warrington. Photograph: ©[email protected]

- 242 -

HAMISH FULTON: BIODIVERSITY, WALKING IN

RELATION TO EVERYTHING …

It would seemthereare two possibilitiesfor so-called ‘Landscape’ art:painting, from the past, and outdoor sculpture in the present.However, thestarting placeof my own art istheexperienceof walking… and walking isnot an art material. In terms of self-imposed rulesthis meansevery pieceof art I make is the result of a specific walk.(From1970 to the present I havemade238 identifiablewalks, walkingfromonefull day to 64 consecutivedays. The longest distanceI havewalked is 2838km and the highest altitude I have climbed to is8175m.) To outline my ideas I would like to present the followingstatements. Each small concentration of wordsimplieslarger issues.

EVERY THING IS (M ADE OF) SOMET HING – AND ALL ‘

ART’ IS URBAN.ABSENT. THE LOCATION OF TH E WALK IS NOT IN

AND THE WALK ITSELF IS A PAST EVENT.

AN OBJECT CANNOT COMPETE W IT H AN EXPERIENCE.

WALKING IS PRACTICAL NOT THEORETICAL.

A WALK HAS A LIFE OF IT S OWN – A BEGINNING AND AN E

WALKING INTO T HE DISTANCE – BEYOND IMAGINA

ONCE A WALK HAS BEEN COMPLETED, IT CANNOT BE DE

A WALK, IS AN INVISIBLE MONU MENT T O ‘TIME’ (‘LASHOULD ENCOMPASS MORE THAN JUST THE HISTO

WHEN W ALKING AND CAMPING ALONE, I ATT EMPT T O

‘WI LDERNESS’ ETHI C OF LEAVE-NO-TRACE.

IN THE COURSE OF PRODUCING MY ARTWORK

Royal Academy Forum

FOREIGN OFFICE ARCHITECTS: FARSHID MOUSSAVI

At the Y okohama Ferry Terminal, Foreign Offi ce Architectsproposed a new synthesis between landscape and architecturalform. Instead of the old distinction between figure and ground,which often translated into artifice – architecture – and nature, orthe landscape, Farshid M oussavi explained, they see therelationship asa seriesof networkscombining social, political andgeological influences. Consequently, ‘the vocabulary of landscape isreplaced by a network of systems, connections and interferences’,and architecture becomesa strategy for ‘trying to negotiate a wayacrossthem’.

What has driven this interaction between landscape andarchitecture, between nature and artifi ce, is Information

Technology. With this new computing power, geometry, once theunyielding arbiter, can now assume far more complex andsophisticated forms which increasingly mimic nature. ‘Geometry’,explained Moussavi, ‘ is now more comparable to real nature, and

the distinctions between the organic and the rational are blurred.’ Yokohama introduced a ‘geometry that almost looksorganic’ andbrought several other consequences. Creating ‘different conditionsof space, coherence and diversity within the same conception’, thefree-flowing forms replace prescribed circulation routes with anurban ground, increasing density of circulation and appearing toreconfigure themselves continually along the terminal’s length.

These complex geometries are ‘close to nature’, but naturemanipulated to provide for human need.

A waterfront park in Barcelona conveys ‘a total concept of urbanlandscape’. With a fall of 11m across the shorter dimension of thesite, from the esplanade to the bathing area at the sea’s edge, it istoo steep to negotiate in a straight line so diagonal rampsbecame

generatorsof a new topography, based on the formsof sand dunes.‘We worked with the dune sizes’, explained Moussavi ‘to define therampsand to enclose two auditoria’: (outdoor arenaswith flat areasand banked seating for activitieslike rock concerts). Other partsarelessprescriptive, where the formsopen up to create possibil itiesforvaried typesof habitation and activity. On the lee side, shelteredfrom the sea breezes, plants take root, just as in a natural dunelandscape.

Sand dunes, though, are extremely fragile, and this park isdesigned for intensive use, so the surface has to be hard. The basicelement, a concrete tile, i srather larger than a grain of sand, but theshape itself hasgeometric propertieswhich, when multiplied, help togenerate the overall forms. AsM oussavi said, ‘ it meetsmost bound-aries, but where it does not, it is not cut’, emphasizing the integrityof its geometry. A dyed concrete resin fil lsresidual spaces. T he result-ing colour stripes help to orientate visitors and to define routes andzoneswithin the park, using communication as link between topog-raphy and function.

An unbuil t proposal for a ‘hortus medicus’ [medical garden] forthe Swisspharmaceutical giant Novartis in Basel also consciouslyblurs boundariesbetween natural and artificial. On an undulatingsurface, areasare seeded in different patternswith different parts,but the undulations are actually openings to a subterranean carpark, or ‘lungs for the body of car parking’, as Moussavi puts it.Here ‘the figure of the human body’ becomesa way of combiningthe ancient motif of physic gardens, perhapsthe earliest placesforthe work that Novartis now does in laboratoriesand factories, withthe eminently modern function of car parking. Neither traditionallandscape nor conventional urban form, the landscape usescomplex geometry to form a new synthesis which is bothhistorically aware and sensitive to contemporary needs

JUNIPERA GUIDED AND SHERPA ASSISTED CLIMB TOTHE SUMMIT PLATEAU O F CHO OYU AT 8175MVIA THE CLASSIC ROUTE WITHOUTSUPPLEMENTARY OX YGEN T IBET AUTUMN2000

A GUIDED GROUP WALK TO THE SUMMIT OF ACONC AGUA AT VIA THE RELINCHOS VALLEY AND THFALSE POLISH ROUTE, ARGENTINA 15FEBRUARY 2003

JUNIPERA GUIDED AND SHERPA ASSISTED CLIMB TOTHE SUMMIT PLATEAU OF CHO OYU AT 8175MVIA THE CLASSIC ROUTE WITHOUTSUPPLEMENTARY OX YGEN T IBET AUTUMN2000

A GUIDED GROUP WALK TO THE SUMMIT OF ACONCAGUA AT VIA THE RELINCHOS VALLEY AND THFALSE POLISH ROUTE, ARGENTINA 15FEBRUARY 2003




86|1

IRRESPECTIVE OF ITS APPEARANCE – ‘ CONTEMPORARY ART’ IS A

NECESSARY ‘POLITICAL’ FORCE IN SOCIETY.

WALKING CAN CHANGE T HE W ORLD. (CONVERT ROADS FOR CARS – INT O

PATH S FOR WAL KERS AND CYCLISTS?)

TO BE COMM ITT ED TO WALK ING M EANS – TO SLOW DOWN TO THE PACE OF WALKING …

A WALK CAN EXIST LIKE AN INVISIBLE OBJECT IN A COMPLEX WORLD.

(WALKING – CUTS A LINE TH OUGH TW ENTY-FIRST CENTURY LIFE.)

Q. WHAT KIND OF ART COULD RESULT FROM A WALK?A. ART INSTALLED ONTO THE FLATNESS OF EXISTING

ARCHITECTURE. (A FILM … A WALK TEXT AS AN URBAN

BILLBOARD. WALK TEX TS ETCHED INTO GLASS FOR WINDOWS.WALK TEXT S CAST IN IRON AND SUNK INTO PAVEMENTS.

WALKING IS AN ‘EXPERIENCE’. CONSEQUENTLY, THE RESULTING ART

COULD BE PRODUCED IN ANY MEDI UM OR SITUATION.

REPEATABLE ART REQUIRING NO TRANSPORT (MUSICALNOTATION ON THE NET) OR, NON-REPEATABLE ART REQUIRING

TR ANSPO RT AT IO N (CA RGO JE T P OL LU TI ON) O R, R EPEAT ED

UNTRANSPORTABLE ART? (AUSTRALIAN FIRST NATI ON CAVEPAINTINGS.)WALKABOUT…

TH E STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS OF ART IS THAT IT’ S ALL ABOUT

OPINIONS.

TH E PR IC E I PAY FOR NOT MI MI CK IN G ‘NA TU RE’ IS T HAT I

RECORD ALL MY WALKS IN WORDS.

TH ERE ARE NO WORDS IN ‘NATURE’.

AN ARTWORK CANNOT RE-PRESENT THE EXPERIENCE OF AWALK.

COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE MATERIALS.

IN 2003: CREATE EMPLOYMENT, BUT DESTROY A ‘WILHUM AN ENERGY SOURCE FOR SOLVING TH IS DILE

SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP WIT H ‘NATURE’.

THE R IGHT S OF NATUR E? ON MY WAL KS I DO NO THE ‘LANDSCAPE’ OR OR GANIZE THE REMOVAL , S

RETURN OF ‘FOUND-NATURAL-OBJECTS’ THEREBY

THEIR NEIGHBOURH OOD LI FE INFLUENC ED BY SUAND RAIN.

MY ART I S A SYMBOLIC GESTURE OF RESPECT FOR NATU

IT’S HARDER TO LEAVE THINGS ALONE THAN TO C

CHANGE PERCEPTIONS – NOT T HE ‘LAND SCAPE’. T HE

LOCATION – NOT RAW M ATERIALS.

LIVING AND NON LIVING BEINGS. WHY SELL SEA TRUC KS MEANS BIG BUCKS.

BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN 25 JUNE 1876. (TWO PEOP

TWO POINTS OF VIEW?)

NAVAJOLAND EUROLAND CLUBLAND HOMELAND

TI MBER LAN D VO LV OL AND OBER LAN D SWITZERLAND WONDERLAND – LANDSCAP

CLOUDSCAPE DREAMSCAPE E-SCAPE CITYSCAPE C

MEDIASCAPE FINANCESCAPE WALKSCAPE

MAKE A WALK – WRIT E A TEXT – READ IT TO AN AUDIVOICE.

THE CHANGI NG SHAPES OF C LOU DS. THO UGHT S

BIRDSONG.

EACH W ALK MARKS THE FLOW OF TI ME BETWEEN BIRTH

too steep to negotiate in a straight line, so diagonal rampsbecame historically aware and sensitive to contemporary needs.

Foreign Office A rchitects: Y okohamaTerminal. Unbuilt project for Novartis in Basel – physic gardensrelated to ‘lungsfor the body of car parking’. [email protected]

- 243 -

ANDRO LINKLATERMeasuring America argues that America came to be what it is through

the way it defined its landscape. Anyone who has flown across the USsees the world’s largest human-made construct, though its significanceis almost invisible unless you know what to look for – straight lines. InCalifornia’s Great Central Valley they show up in the chequerboardarrangement of orchards; flying over the Sierras they appear in therectangular farms deep in valley bottoms; crossing any big city,Phoenix, Arizona or Salt Lake City, or Chicago itself, they’re revealed

squares. It can be halved, quartered, eighthed, and sixteenthed, andstill leave a whole number. And each is easily measured by a chain – a

mile is 80 chains, a half-mile is 40, a quarter is 20, and to a surveyornothing could be easier to measure – a 40-acre square was merely 20chains by 20. Its numerical neatness ensured that 40 acres became thebasic unit on which Jefferson’s great landed democracy was built.Owning a 40 was the bottom rung on the property ladder. The 10 acre square is integral to the planning of US cities – 10

chains by 10 – such as the central square of Salt Lake City, or of

Royal Academy Forum[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-20



in the graph-paper grid of streets; all across the Midwest they can befound in the great squared-off pattern of corn and soya fields. Aroundthis framework, a particular kind of democracy and a particular kind

of capitalism and a particular kind of spirit developed. These lines all derive from the US Public Land Survey which began

on 30 September 1785 when Thomas Hutchins, first Geographer of the United States, unrolled a 22 yard Gunter’s chain on the west bankof the Ohio river. The US needed to raise money, and the only assetthat it possessed was land beyond the Appalachians. A few explorershad penetrated beyond the mountains and brought back wonderfulreports of this mouth-watering land. Hutchins’ job was to measure itout and map it on a surveyor’s plat. I t was a kind of magic –unmeasured it was wilderness, measured it became real estate.

But he did it in a very particular way. Congress required him to lay

y q yPhi ladelphia, Chicago, and others. I t was an extraordinarytransformation. Within a century, the land that had no shape hadbecome property. Anyone could own it. The government sold it for

$2 an acre, offering credit for those with no cash, and even after the1862 Homesteading Act you could get 160 acres by squatting.

Winners and losersIt was the survey that underpinned the legends of the frontier. I tguaranteed the pioneers legal possession of their land. But it was not

just an administrative exercise. In the process a society was beingcreated around the mass distribution of property. T o European visi-tors, accustomed to thinking of land-ownership as the key indicatorof social class, this was revolutionary, and the outlook of these prop-

erty-ownersseemed to themastonishing.Asearlyas1813, the trav-

Walkingaround the Universi

Gloucestershire’s new campu

Clegg, it is immediately appar

architects Feilden CleggBrad

believe in, and profoundly un

significant contribution that e

to our lives – not only in term

architecture and regeneratioarchitects who love to build,

holistically. Education is undo

FCBA’s blood, and while thei

year portfolio includes excell

housing, and community proj

fulfilment of the practice’s pr

perhaps most explicit in thei

education. FCBA design as us

designingplaces where peopl

education, they repeatedly d

collective personal experienc

parents, and teachers. So, a p

internationally known for its

innovations in environmenta

and energy efficiency, gives m

reflectingon an equally signif

commitment to the broader

economic and social sustaina

For more than 12 years, th

education sector has offeredand opportunity to innovate,

staple and producingsignifica

Sunderland and Aston Univer

University and London’s Imp

However, despite such individ

richer results seemto have co

practice has been engaged in

client relationships, such as t

Alfr ed’s College in Winchest

Gloucestershire; both of whic

nurtured since the early 1990

a culture of learningand inno

UNIVERSITY CAMPUS,

GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND

A RCHITECT

FEILDEN CLEGG BRADLEY

ARCHITECTS




68|2

universities and colleges hav

acted as laboratories for arch

experimentation, and while c

realities exist, academic insti

prioriti ze long-terminvestme

fix, fast-buck incentives – as h

experience in GloucestershirUnder the ambitious stewa

University’s Vice Chancellor D

Trotter, the University of Gl

has become one of the West

committed architectural patr

commissioning FCBA’s award

intervention within the gothic

Francis Close Hall Campus in

Cullinan’s Art Media and Des

Pitville campus (AR April 1994

WORK REST AND PLAY 1With its lofty atrium and generousglazed link, Feilden CleggBradley’snew facilitiesbuildinggivesGloucester’snew campusstatureand presence.

After years of absence, a new university campus brings

access to higher education back to the city of Gloucester.

1

[email protected]

- 245 -

recently with its new Sport and Exercise

Sciences campus in the heart of Gloucester.

On college land formerly occupied by a

1950s training college, the new campus was

built to redress the uneven distribution of the

county’s higher education facilities, which

since 1992 had been solely within Cheltenham.

In 1996, FCBA were appointed to review thepotential of the site, and to co-ordinate along-

termcampus strategy.

As the first stage, buildingstock was

evaluated to see if any of structures fromthe

previous five decades of development could

be re-used. But, after consideringflexibility

of use, options for upgrading(particularly in

terms of energy conservation),

organizational efficiency, site distribution,

and architectural quality, FCBA somewhat

reluctantly concluded that demolition was

the most feasible option. A decision that may

have been regrettable in terms of embodied

energy, but which increased opportunities to

develop a high density, centralized strategy.

This, while offeringscope for expansion,

would create sufficient critical mass within a

modest first phase to give the fledgling

campus its own identity and sense of place.

So phase one, which was completed for the

student intake of October 2002, included a

new learning resources and teachingcentre,

sports science facility, and refectory, which

collectively forma north-south armature

that acts as the campus’ heart and spine.

Parallel to this sits another north-southterrace of 180 study rooms, all with private

bathrooms, which terminates in a student

common roomand bar. It forms a communal

cluster that, when linked to the facilities

buildingby an east-west landscaped body

of water, creates an entrance threshold

for the site.

Organizingbuildings on this axis was

central to the campus’ environmental

strategy, avoidingbleak north-facingstudy

bedrooms, enablingboth the learning

resource centre and the sport sciences

buildingto exploit diffuse north l ight

(reducing dependency on artificial lighting),

and optimizingthe performance of the EU

and DTI funded photovoltaic array recently

installed onto the sport sciences building’s

distinctive tick-section roof. (An installation

1 reception

2 learningresourcescentre

3 lecturetheatre

4 refectory

5 sportshall

6 staffoffices

7 teachingrooms

masterplan concept

UNIVERSITY CAMPUS,

GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND

A RCHITECT


ARCHITECTS

2 3

5




70|2

A learningcentre

B sport sciencesbuilding

C commonroom andbar

D student housing

E landscapedpool

site plan (scale approx 1:2000) ground floor plan (scale approx 1:1000)

2From the south-west approach, thismodestcollection of buildingscreatesan impressiveflagship campusfor the University of Gloucestershire.3Louvreson the southerly facade eliminate directsunlight from the principal teachingrooms.4With the first of five student accommodationblocksbehind, the student bar and common roomhelp create a defined campusgateway.

36

1

2

4

6

B

D

E E E C

A


estimated to meet 50 per cent of the sport

sciences building’s demand, equivalent to 30

per cent of the precinct’s combined load.)

With this in place, attention focused on the

most complex environmental problem: the

internal conditioningof the learning

resources centre.

With the dramatic increase in IT provision

in education, there are now many

environmental variables to consider when

seekingto create stable comfort levels.Learningfrom experience gained on the

Martial Rose Library in Winchester, FCBA

again adopted a hollow core displacement

ventilation strategy: a systemthat responds

well to the most onerous conditions during

winter months, when maximumoccupancy

levels demand high air change targets

without throwingaway the free heat benefit

that computers and people provide.

Usingstandardized buildingcomponents,

the TermoDeck systemconverts ahumble

hollow-core precast concrete floor slab into

afully integratedcircuit of thermal batteries:

operates in anumber of modes to provide

seasonal environmental stability. In summer,

night purgingcharges the ventilation circuit

with coolth to temper incomingair, while

exposed soffits are chilled to absorb surplus

heat gains. In winter, trickle charge heatingof

the thermal mass warms asteady supply of

fresh air, which gently heats the soffits and

provides displacement ventilation through

the floor . Heat recovery systems are also

employed with athermal wheel preheating

incomingair, and exhaust air is discharged

into the foyer to reduce uncomfortable

down-draughts in the otherwise un-tempered

glazed l ink.

While budget limitations denied lavish

materials, a degree of finesse has been

achieved through the careful placingof finer

quality materials, such as timber acoustic

panellingin the atrium, and a Siza-esque

limestone plinth in the foyer. The main

disappointment, however, has been how

security measures have denied users the

permeability between the learning and

teachingspaces as originally designed,

resultingin the central atriumand core being

isolated rather than a dynamic place of

interaction. Still, this operational decision isclearly reversible.

On the whole, the University is delightful

to visit, and as more students move in, and

when vegetation matures to soften the

impact of the somewhat disappointinghard

landscaping, it will undoubtedly host a

thrivingstudent community. FCBA’s most

significant achievement has been an ability to

create a place with just three basic moves,

producing a solution credited by the RIBA

for being‘gimmick free’ and offering‘a

serious welcominghandshake for a new age

HQ’ Onchoosingto investinthehigher

implemented over the last 15 years. So, if

Richard Feilden’s prediction of an equivalent

shift in secondary education over the next 15

years is correct, we look forward to seeing

how FCBA re-apply their expertise to the

UK’s new generation of City Academy

schools. ‘We love designingschools,’ says

Feilden, with a smile that exhibits a slightly

mischievous pleasure. A pleasure and

optimismthat seems to imply that regardless

of what decisions central government may

take, FCBA will be there to get under the

skin of legislation, fundingand targets to help

produce the best schools that money can

buy. After all, designingthe buildingis only

part of the battle, and FCBA fully understand

this. Regardless of the practice’s technical

and theoretical competence, they have never

adopted a highbrow architectural position.

Instead, with sustained integrity, their

investment in clients and long-term

aspirations has brought themincreasing

popularity: a deserved reward for choosing

not to engage in the architectural pageantry

that tempts so many other practices away

from the essence of longevity that all

architects should pursue. ROB GREGORY

Architects

FeildenCleggBradley Architects, Bath

Project team

Peter Clegg, Bill Gething, David Stansfield, Matt Somerville,

TobyLewis, ElenaMarco Brugete

Project manager

BurnleyW ilsonFish, JohnBurnley

Structural engineer

WhitbyBird &Partners

M&E engineer

WSP

Photovoltaic consultant

ESD

Facade consultant

Montresor Partnership

Landscape consultant

5




72|2

afully integrated circuit of thermal batteries:

amodular structural systemthat contributes

to the visual order of the spaces and which

HQ . On choosingto invest in the higher

education sector, FCBA have responded well

to the strategic changes that have been


Mitchell HarrisPartnership

Photographs

MandyReynolds

5The campus’sdistinctive razorback northlightssupport the college’s490m2 photovoltaic array.6Even duringthe winter months, thecafé’ssheltered terrace providesawelcome place of rest ...7... from the physical exertion of seriousplay ...8... and the mental stimulation of sportscienceswork.

UNIVERSITY CAMPUS,

GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND

A RCHITECT


ARCHITECTS

section through lecture theatre, seminar rooms, atrium and learningresources(scale approx 1:250), see key p70

3

6

7 8

7

7

3

2

2

2


Founded in the mid-nineteenth

century as the Catholic University

of Ireland, University College

Dublin (UCD) was first

established in the heart of Dublin

overlookingSt Stephen’s Green.

Famous alumni include Gerard

Manley Hopkins and James

Joyce. Duringthe 1960s, the

university decamped to a

suburban greenfield site at

Belfield, to the south of the city

centre. Over time the campus has

evolved and expanded, adding

new faculty buildings, student

residences and recreational

facilities. With 10 faculties, 80

departments and astudent body

of 22 000, UCD is now the largest

university in Ireland.

One of the most recent campus

additions is McCullough Mulvin’s

extension to the Virus Reference

Laboratory (VRL). Affiliated with

the university’s Department of

Medical Microbiology, the VRL

provides anational diagnostic

virology service for Ireland, as well

as undertakingresearch and issuing

regular publications. The new

buildingslots into atight site

between the main VRL laboratory

and Ardmore House on the upper

part of the campus. Though small in

scale, the project plays asignificant

role in consolidatingthe

relationship between the central

buildings and the surrounding

landscape, and, in particular, the

lake directly below it.

Conceived both as aplace of work

and social interaction, the project

is one of aseries of new pavilions

designed to support and challenge

the notion of architecture in the

landscape that informed UCD’s

orginal development in the 1960s.

More specifically, it is clearly an

object buildingin the greenfield

campus tradition, but is also

concerned with connectingwith

its surroundings and creatinga

sense of place. The main public

frontage is defined by atr iangular,

rock-studded parvis while the

inner edge encloses asmall garden

landscaped in an artfully minimal

Japanese style, creatingapeaceful

haven for contemplation.

With its lightweight skin and

simple geometry, the new building

forms an expressive contrast with

its more leaden brick and stone-

clad campus counterparts.

Facades are wrapped in ataut skin

of interlockingand overlapping

panels of glass and Western red

cedar which project and recedefromthe main surface plane.

The cedar will weather to a

delicate silvery grey, but the light

has aslightly different effect on

the vertical and horizontal boards,

so that the skin will eventually

resemble apiece of worn

fabric with subtly contrasting

textures. Extended parapets

give the buildingmuscular, cube-

like, proportions.

1, 2The new extension isan objectbuildingin the landscape, starklydifferent from its neighbours,but it also strivesto connect withitssurroundingsand create asense of place.3Detail of W estern red cedar skin.

1




ACADEMIC DEBATEThis extension to UCD’s microbiology department is a

rational cube that reworks the campus object building.

52|2

LABORATORY , DUBLIN, IRELAND

A RCHITECT

MCCULLOUGH MULVIN

ARCHITECTS 32 [email protected] 248 -

first floor plan

The plan is elegantly economical,

with offices on the upper floor

and alaboratory, canteen and

meetingroomat ground level,

with access to the courtyard

garden. In abstract, the plan

resembles a simple unicellular

organism, with acoloured

circulation core as its nucleus.

The free-standing, sky-blue core

can be glimpsed as you move

through the buildingand acanted

link corridor connects the new

extension with the main

laboratory. The linkingarmalso

functions as an entrance hall.

UCD’Sevolvingcampus can,

perhaps, be compared to a40

year conversation, with new

members joiningin and addingto

the growingdialogue. McCullough

Mulvin’s modest yet intelligently

judged contribution adds to the

richness of this academic debate.

CATHERINE SLESSOR

Architect

McCulloughMulvin Architects, Dublin

Structural engineer

ThomasGarland& Partners

Servicesengineer

UCD BuildingsServicesDepartment

Photographs

ChristianRichters

longsection

site plan

1 maindepartment

2 link

3 entrance

4 circulationcore

5 laboratory

6 canteen

7 offices

5 6

4

7 7

7




54|2 ground floor plan (scale approx 1:250)

crosssection

crosssection

4The crisp cube. Horizontal andvertical cedar stripswill weather inslightly different ways.5Internal Japanese-style garden andlink to the main department (left).6The coloured circulation core.

4

5 6

1

32

4

5


View from Bam

One of the finest and most ancientmud cities in the world, Bam, in

Iran’s Kerman Province, was largely

demolished by an earthquake in

December. Archie Walls reports on

past glories and possible futures.

I waited 30 yearsto visit Bam. When I did, it was

a dreamcometrue– and that wasin December.

As the reports came through, I was over-

whelmed by a feelingof loss, not only for a mag-

nificent city but for theengagingchildren I had

met, and friendswehad madewhosehospitality

abounded – plump Bam dates, full of flavour,

of local specialitiesspread on a floor strewn with

rugs, a blazingfi rein thehearth and spectacular

viewsout to the Shah Nematollah Vali mau-soleum. Life flowed so naturally that it isdifficult

to conceive of the horrors, the lossand bitter

cold thesurvivorshaveendured since.

What wasso special about Bam? It is in the

first rank of my Great Magical Citiesof theOri-

ent: cities such as the walled Old City of

Jerusalem with theholy sitesof threereligions;

Aleppo, with its central citadel and milesof cov-

ered markets; Damascus with its Grand

Mosque; Cairo with i tsmany I slamic monu-

mentsand themillionsof peoplelivingin itsnar-

row byways; and Sana’a with gravity-defying

earthen structuresand beautiful gardens. Bam

uninhabited ruinsoffered an abandoned. mysti-

cal quality in the midst of a desert with sharp

mountainson the horizon – a perfect settingforThe Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám .

Bamislocated on top of a largearchaeologi-

cal mound. This, together with thearchitecture

of itsbuildings, illustrateshow it hasdeveloped

and changed over its2000 year old history. Far

below theexistingfortified circuit of walls, there

isanother lineof mud brick wallsand watchtow-

ersthat separate the city from the wide flood

plain of thePoshtrud River. Thesewallsindicate

an even greater area that wasonce inhabited

and defended. Bam provided a veritable ency-

clopaedia of such historic structural elements:

varietiesof sun-dried mud brick squinchesand

shaped domesdecorated by intricately laid

bricks formed fascinating geometric patterns.

Then there were the courtyards– some small,some large, some square, some rectangular,

some with arcading, some with iwan recesses.

Khans, or caravanserais, provided safehaven to

travelling merchantsand pilgrims; their court-

yardswith roomsat each end had fireplacesto

ward off winter cold.

Bamhad a historic mix of religions. I visited a

nineteenth-century courtyard house built by a

wealthy Jewish merchant which was being

restored by theIranian Cultural Organisation as

part of a general restoration project coveringthe

whole fortified area. Numeroushistoric events

have been recorded in Bam connected to the

Christianity and to Judaism and, with the

advent of Islam, to itscommunities– theShia,

Sunni, Ismaili, and no doubt Sufi. From thebeginningof thesixteenth century until theeigh-

teenth, the city flourished, being on the trade

routejoiningthePersian Gulf to India and Pak-

istan. The citadel wasevacuated to avoid poli ti-

cal reprisalsin the1780s, but civiliansremained

in thefortified town until itsdeclinein themid-

nineteenth century. Thereafter soldiers occu-

pied it until 1931 since when the old city and

citadel havelain empty.

I wasin I ran in December to attend theninth

International Conference on the Study and

Conservation of E arthen Architecture, T erra

2003 in Yazd, which liesbetween Tehran and

techniqueused in itshistoric w

– a different method of construc

in themodern areasof thetownthegreatest lossof life.

Thebackground to my pape

cation, some25 yearsago, of a

of wall construction used in the

townsin Oman, which I called

nique’. A continuousrender ist

and over thetop of thecore m

the core material being some

mud bricksabout forty centim

theyears, during architectural

cal projects I have traced

throughout an area stretching

Iraq, through the Jordanian d

Bam’sold city before the earthquake: a veritable encyclopaedia of ancient Middle Eastern buildingmethods: domes, vaults, squinches, fortificationsmade with sun-dried brick in techniquesthat date back to Biblical times. The old c ity waslargely deserted since the 1930sand so had already partly fallen into decay. Restoration work had starte




28|2

sticky syrupy cakes, sweet black tea – and in the

nearby town of Mahan a mouth-watering lunch

had many of the characteristics common to

thesecitiesand, although smaller than most, its

vaults, many with theinclined arched technique

recently used by Hassan Fathy. Variously

Zoroastrian faith that first took root in Persia in

about 600BC. Thereisevidenceof other linksto

Bam. When I arrived in Bam, I discovered my

paper exactly described the specific structural

Arabian peninsula to Yemen

south to Zanzibar. Now I hav

Bam’scitadel isbuilt on top of an immensely ancient mound in which the unexplored remainsof successive civilizationsare imposed on each other. Before earthquake. Domes, vaultsand arcadesbefore earthquake. From citadel before earthquake, with oldtown in foregroundand, beyond, new(where there [email protected] 250 -

vıew

Re-plastering a layered wall in one contin

ous coat, or cutting it back and inserting a

outer face of fired bricks, can never benefit

historic structure. So I worry for Bam when

read of ‘super-adobe’ buildings constructed

sandbags filled with a mixture of cement an

mud, connected by barbed wire for reinforc

ment. To say that such constructions would

indistinguishable from Bam’s original buildinmakes my hair stand on end. On the oth

hand, ‘super-adobe’ buildings could house th

inhabitants of the modern city quickly an

cheaply with readily available materials. I al

worry that, in the old city, speed and need ma

tempt the cement brigade to push their pro

ucts andthatearthquakestrengtheningme




toric structures in Iran, from Tehran to Bam.

In the buildings I have seen, various combina-

tions of materials have been used, from earth

renders with hand formed and box-made mud

bricks to harder lime-gypsum renders with

by the elements or enemy attack – attrition is

restricted to specific layers and does not spread

to the layers above or below.

Looking at photographs of Bam since the

earthquake I amconvinced that the old city

ucts, and that earthquake strengthening me

sures may be introduced to the detriment of t

historic fabric.

So much for the above ground structures, bwhat about theqanat (aqueduct) systems that f

millennia have criss-crossed the desert to brin

water from the mountains to Bam, and oth

oases of the region? What happened to the

wonders when the earthquake struck?

Bam is the leading example of an indigeno

architecture that expresses the common histo

cal and cultural roots of ancient peoples sprea

over a vast region of the world well before mo

ern geo-political boundarieswere drawn I

Layered mud-brick construction which, claims Walls, is more resistant to earthquakes than modern cement mixtures.

HEADQUARTERS BUILDING, CAMBRIDGE,

MASSACHUSETTS, USA

A RCHITECT

BEHNISCH, BEHNISCH & PARTNER

LUMINOUS PARADIGM

1




LUMINOUS PARADIGMThe Genzyme Center brings transforming imagination to US

office design, adding environmental and human dimensions.

2

Seen in passing, the Genzyme Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts

does not seemparticularly revolutionary. It looks very much like

another glass-clad corporate headquarters, even if its profile and

massingare slightly unusual, and its claddingis strangely varied.

On the edge of the city near Longfellow Bridge and Broad Canal, it

forms part of a new development on an abandoned industrial site.

Genzyme is one of the first of seven new buildings beingbuilt to a

masterplan by Urban Strategies of Toronto that determined overall

envelope and massing.Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner of Stuttgart, and of Venice, California

are the architects of the Genzyme Center. Their proposal was

selected in competition, yet the development of the USA’s first large

environmentally aware office block was created in intimate

collaboration with the developer client, Lyme Properties LLC and

tenants, the Genzyme Corporation. Dan Winny of Lyme explains

that, at competition stage, they did not select the Behnisch practice

because the developers wanted to make a green building, but because

they were attracted to ‘the quality and freshness of the European

design work’. Duringthe competition, in which the by then probable

tenants Genzyme were involved on the jury, it became clear that the

Behnisch proposal was what Winny calls ‘a concept for a radically

different type of innovative buildingbased on principles of

responsible energy use … maximizingthe environmental quality of

the workplace’. In other words, the Center was to be built to

principles now commonly accepted in the German-speakinglands and

Scandinavia.

But the Behnisch buildingis far more than a conventional transfer

of European values across the Atlantic. Its central atriumis literallybreathtaking, a joyous paean of luminous space, with which the office

floors engage in terraces, balconies and platforms. The complex

social life of the office is revealed as you look up, with open-plan

offices (American style but involvinglow cubicles) mingled with

private (though usually transparently walled) individual rooms, open

stairs linkingparticular floors to encourage formation of vertical as

well as horizontal forms of local office communities. The architects’

aimis to create vertical urbanity, with public and private spaces,

conference rooms, a cafeteria, and library and internal gardens to

clean and oxygenate the air. It is too early yet to see whether all

these measures will work, and particularly whether they will work

together. But early evidence is promising. In its optimism, the space is

highly reminiscent of Hertzberger’s Centraal Beheer when it first

opened as a bril liant and radical experiment in organizingoffices thatrespect individuals and small groups as well as the organization.

As far as possible, all workplaces receive daylight, either fromthe

perimeter or fromthe atrium. On clear days, the void is filled with

daylight that is transmitted down through the ceilingprismelements.

A systemdesigned by the Austrian firmBartenbach Lichtlabor involves

seven solar-trackingmirrors on the roof at the north side of the

atriumthat reflect light to fixed mirrors on the south side, fromwhere

the sun’s rays are deflected downwards to the pools at entrance level,

whence they shimmer upwards. (The systemis not dissimilar to the

one used by Foster in the HongKongBank, AR April 1986). On the

way down, sunlight is intercepted and deflected by the multiple

movingprismplates of roof-hungchandeliers. Accordingto the angle

at which sunlight hits them, the plates reflect or transmit, distributing

sunshine into surroundingoffice spaces. The devices, with their ever-

changingpatterns of sunlight, are one of the reasons why the space is

so breathtakingwhen you first see it. Its luminosity is further

enhanced by reflective balustrades and alamellar wall on the south

side of the atrium: the vertical lamellae are moved to change the wall’s

reflectivity accordingto the angle of the sun and the nature of the sky.Artificial and natural lightingare related by sensor systems that

slowly dimoverhead lights when the atrium’s total luminosity is

appropriate. All workplaces have low-energy task-lights, which both

allow people to control their immediate environments and add to the

feelingthat the buildingis a congregation of individual places.

HEADQUARTERSBUILDING, CAMBRIDGE,

MASSACHUSETTS, USA

A RCHITECT





60|4

3Foyer with Behnisch trademark grand stair.Light entersfrom top and sidesand isreflected by chandeliersand pools.

site plan section through entrance [email protected] 253 -


MASSACHUSETTS, USA

A RCHITECT


4Every effort istaken to increasedaylight penetration of office areaswith prismatic squaresof chandeliers,

ceilingreflectors and reflectivebalustrades.

first floor 11th floor

principlesof day- and sunlight penetration to atrium and offices




62|4 ground floor (scale approx 1:900) 4th floor [email protected] 254 -

Architect

Behnisch, Behnisch& Partner

Project team

StefanBehnisch, C hristof Jantzen,

Günther Schaller, MartinW erminghausen,

As well as beinga great light-chute, the atriumis the central element

in the building’s climate control system. It forms a huge waste-air

chimney. Fresh air reaches occupied areas fromceilinggrilles, or

through the openable parts of the perimeter walls. Pressure

differentiation drives used air to the atrium, where it ascends to be

expelled at roof level. Energy for the heatingand coolingsystemis

provided by steamfroma small local power station two blocks away

from the site. In summer, the steamdr ives absorption chillers; in

winter, its heat is exchanged into heatingfor the building. Buro

Happold, who designed the climate control system, claimthat there

are no distribution losses in this energy system, and that its emissions

are reduced by filters at the power plant. Energy-saving

considerations go even as far as rainwater handling: some of it is used

to supplement supplies to the cooling towers (savingcity supplies)

and some feeds the landscaped roof.

Curtain walls wrap the perimeter (designed in conjunction with

Happold’s and Bartenbach Lichtlabor). Over all 12 floors, they have

openable windows that are linked to the buildingmanagement system

that automatically opens themon cool summer nights to reduce the

temperature of the building. Over 30 per cent of the external

envelope is a ventilated double facade with a 4ft (1.22m) interstitial

space that acts as climate buffer. In winter, the voids capture solar

gains and re-radiate themto the interior. In summer, various shading

devices includingadjustable sun protectingblinds and coloured

curtains reduce insolation. As the openingof windows and the

adjustment of the blinds are controlled by individuals, the building’s

appearance constantly changes in detail. This external indication that users are valued and have some

control over their individual workingconditions is echoed in sensitive

detailed handlingof interior finishes and choice of furniture. The bits

you can touch are welcoming– cloth or wood, rather than plastic.

Cubicle walls are capable of much flexibility, not just for management

re-arrangements, but so that individuals can make their own work

spaces particular.

The Genzyme Center is a truly brave building. Its realization of the

inspiringbelief that North American offices can be made more decent

to work in than the usual dreary deep indoor prairies needed great

and unusual trust and vision between developer, tenant, architect and

all consultants. So did the notion that an environmentally friendly

buildingthat costs more initially than its conventional equivalent will

eventually provide handsome paybacks for its developers, tenants and

occupants alike. It is an inspiring shift in the evolution of the office

building type, more inventive and integrated than almost anythingyet

built, even in Europe. Every aspect of its performance should be

measured, and luckily there are lots of local academics just up the

road who are capable of doing the job.

The Genzyme Center is almost the complete opposite of normal

US office block produced by core-and-shell development, where

architectural efforts are so often perforce confined to decorating

exteriors. Here, an immense amount of creative energy has been

poured into the interior . Externally, the buildingis constrained by a

rather dumb masterplan. What could the Behnisch teamhave done

with it had they been given a freer hand? P. D.


MASSACHUSETTS, USA

A RCHITECT


5




Maik Neumann

Executive architects

House& Robertson, LosAngeles: Douglas

Robertson, Nick Gillock, Patricia Schneider

Next PhaseStud ios, Boston: Richard Ames,

Scott Payette

Masterplanning

Ken Greenberg

Environmental consultancy, structural

and M/E /P/engineers

Buro Happold

Green buildingconsultant

Natural Logic: Bill Reid

Plantinginterior gardens

LogID

Natural and artificial lighting

BartenbachLichtlabor

Workspace design

DEGW: Frank Duffy

Photographs

Roland Halbe

64|4

5, 6Trays and terracesof officeaccommodation linked by open stairsare intended to foster feelingsof acommunity of small groups.principlesof interior climate control [email protected]

- 255 -

GE HRY ’ S GRE AT C ON

C E RT O

T h eDi sn e y C on c

er t H al l h a sr a d i c al l yt r an sf or m e d a b l o ck of d ownt own

L o sAn g el e sm ak

i n gi t a pl a c et ovi si t r at h er t h an d r i v et h r o u gh .

CONC

LOS A

A RCHIT

GEHR




1Downtown Los Angeleshasneverlooked so good. C urved surfacesreflect light and sky, and lead tonew vistas. [email protected]

- 256 -

From the first solo notes of The Star-Spangled Banner, sungby jazz

vocalist Dianne Reeves in spotlight at centre stage, to the final

crescendo of the entire LA Philharmonic expressing the energy and

shock of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, the inaugural performance at the

Walt Disney Concert Hall was a calibrated workout fo r both music

and architecture. This is a hall where music in its various iterations

seems remarkably at home with an audience sometimes gathered

vertiginously in the round.

For a building instantaneously acclaimed as a vanguard masterpiece,the Walt Disney Concert Hall is surprisingly traditional. Tr ue, its

giant external petals of stainless-steel claddingare wonderful amid

the isolated towers of Downtown. From afar, they glisten and reflect

the sky, then taunt – like the cape of some ingenious

sculptor/matador – and swoop away when viewed up-close. Thrilling

to dr ive past, the Hall’s claddingplays a sophisticated game of

concave and convex surfaces that, unlike the mostly opaque walls of

the Baroque, contain reflections of light and sky and lead the eye out

to newly framed aspects of adjacent buildings. Downtown Los

Angeles has never looked so good.

BeingLA, concertgoers inevitably arrive by car, leavingthe garage

by a red escalator lobby topped by one of many fractured skylights.

As with Hans Hollein’s concoction, and that of Stirlingand Wil ford in

the original competition back in 1988, Gehry’s building takes

advantage of its slightly raised site to play with metaphors of Greek

Acropolis and German stadtkrone . (Fourth invitee Gottfried Böhm’s

proposal, also stadtkrone -like, was more akin to a W agnerian

gasworks.) Surrounded by heavily trafficked streets, the orthogonal

site dips froman easterly corner – the formal and photogenic entry

court – to the west, where a steel ribbon canopy signals entry to

REDCAT, the Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater, a

supplementary arts space accommodated within the parking

structure as it rises above street level.

In the 1980s, the acropolis of eclectic elements was characteristic

of such playful urban works as Stirl ing’s Neue Staatsgalerie in

Stuttgart (A R D ecember 1984), Hollein’s AbteibergMuseumin

Mönchengladbach (AR December 1982), and Gehry’s own LoyolaUniversity Law School on a flat site just west of Downtown LA.

Nevertheless, Gehry’s virtuosity and experimentation allowed for his

inclusion, alongside a younger generation, in the New York

Deconstructivist Architecture exhibition (also 1988), with its ambitions

to forge a hyper-Modernist avant-garde. Seldomprone to theorizing,

Gehry’s office further developed in the 1990s away fromshards and

violent fragmentation to a volumetric architecture of dynamic

surfaces engendered (as with the Bilbao Guggenheim, AR December

1997) by evolvingcomputer technology.

Perhaps because of this longgestation period, the Walt D isney

Concert Hall – in particular the auditoriumand the office blocks

exposed on the plinth – retains Gehry’s earlier concern with a

Cubistic assemblage of objects together with an emergingability to

drape space with complexly shaped membranes. Although a large

public greenhouse has been lost, auditorium massingsti ll shifts from

the axial coordinates of the urban block, settingup a tension that is

partially held in check by orthogonal, stone-clad office

accommodation to south and west.

CONCERTHALL, LOS

ANGELES, USA

A RCHITECT

GEHRY PARTNERS

2




56|3 crosssection

longsection

2Organic formspoiseorthogonal masonryrespondsto urban g3, 4The gardensand patstreet level offer a wrealm of complexity

3

4


1 futurecafé

2 d ro p of f

3 platform pits

4 REDCAT theatre

5 p la nt

6 futurerestaurant

7 Philharmonicstore

8 concert hall

9 l ob by

10 choralhall

11 pre-concert

12 founders’ room

13 dressingrooms

14 offices

15 gardens

16 open-air stage

17 east atrium

18 west atrium

orchestra level +16ft (4.93m)

CONCERTH

LOS ANGEL

A RCHITECT

GEHRY PAR

5The great formstreet level isrbecause most oby car and park




58|3lobby level 0 (scale approx 1:725) [email protected]

- 258 -

1

future café

2 d ro p o ff

3 platform pits

4 REDCAT theatre

5 p la nt

6 futurerestaurant

7 Philharmonicstore

8 concert hall

9 l ob by

10 choralhall

11 pre-concert

12 founders’ room

13 dressingrooms

14 offices

15 gardens

16 open-air stage

17 east atrium

18 west atrium

CONCERTHALL,

LOS ANGELES, USA

A R CHITECT

GEHRY PARTNERS

gallery level +50ft (15.45m)

6Each landingor corridor isintended to be a viewingterrace,like the onesin Scharoun’sPhilharmonie.




60|3 garden level +34ft (10.51m) [email protected] 259 -

In essence, Gehry sheathes atimber box in stainless steel. Dancingabout

this protected auditorium, the steel peels away to create entrances and

windows. It also bubbles upward to shelter two extraordinary satellite

rooms: abar with curvingtimber sides (ahip descendant of Aalto’s 1939

New York Pavilion?) and the dramatic Founders’ Room, where gigantic

petals of plaster are sucked upwards into avortex of glass and steel far

above. In 1988, Gehry had envisaged the auditoriumas astacked stone

ziggurat. Interveningyears and budgets entailed the switch to metal, but

the Founders’ Room– part stupa, part air sock – retains aformalindependence through its unique shape and through the selection of a

shinier external steel panel.

The new buildingspills out and mutates into various intriguingshapes

onto Grand Avenue, within easy strollingdistance of ArataIsozaki’s

Museumof Contemporary Art. To the west, the city streets dip down to

expose largely impenetrable walls, save for the REDCAT corner entrance,

to the parkingstructure (these immediate streets function primarily as

feeder arteries to the LA freeway system). Above, however, Gehry has

created awhimsical public garden, terraces with eccentric plantingand

pavingand asmall, hooded amphitheatre that take advantage (like Rafael

Moneo’s parvis to his cathedral afew blocks to the north, AR March 2003)

of LA’s surprisingtopological richness.

At intermission or just before aperformance, the audience can happily

colonize both these raised gardens and the concatenation of lift shafts,

open staircases, and stacked decks threaded through the residual spaces

located between auditoriumand outermost shell. In principle, each landing

or access corridor becomes aviewingterrace, augmentingthe excitement

of aspecial eveningout. These entrails reveal Gehry’s empirical ability, or

perhaps his seemingly casual Californian stance, in the resolution of

complex practical and spatial issues. Nevertheless, duringinauguration

festivities, some first-time visitors to the Concert Hall had difficulty

orientatingthemselves through these interstitial zones.

As at Hans Scharoun’s Berlin Philharmonie, this flow of circulation

towards the primary performance space is deliberately aperformance in

itself: exposed, mobile, and interactive. Gehry’s original intention for many

balconies fanningout fromthe stage, again kin to Scharoun’s metaphor of

vineyard terraces at the Philharmonie, has been curtailed as acoustic and

other realities have been integrated into his design. The auditorium, as

built, is closer to the rectilinear box of Vienna’s historic Musikverein or

Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. Its flanks are essentially twin flat surfaces,

but surfaces with projections and perforated to allow access in many

different locations.

The interior is lined or draped in timber, mostly Douglas fir, evoking

furtherallusions orsimiles: ambitions for the auditoriumto feel like a

distributed symmetrically, mostly across araked orchestraareain front of

the stage or on apincer-shaped balcony above. Yet asignificant number

occupy bow-fronted stalls to either side of the stage; skinny concave

balconies projectingfromthree levels above; or tiered terraces behind the

stage that part to either side of a6125-pipe organ. With pipes stylized by

Gehry to appear like rods on the verge of fission, this organ may well be a

contemporary counterpart to some Baroque monstrance or mural of

ascendingangels.

This Baroque sensibility is not merely emotional or ‘artistic’. Thebuildinglies directly across First Street fromthe Dorothy Chandler

Pavilion (completed by Welton Becket and Associates in 1964) whose

convex if imperious sides set up acurvilinear momentumin the immediate

context. In Gehry’s foyer areas, visitors seemnaturally to navigate about

the timbered hull of the auditor ium, and towards natural light as it filters

past sections of ceilingand the swoosh of balustrades – both plastered

white to read as comparatively subsidiary elements. Columns are also

theatrical, timber-clad like the auditorium, but burstingapart into gigantic

stems or branches that house uplights.

The organic theme continues inside where all seats are upholstered in a

vividly patterned and coloured fabric, afloral abstraction that Gehry

designed in tribute to the late Lillian Disney, widow of Walt Disney and

donor of the initial $50 million gift to athen-hypothetical project in 1987.

Surprisingly decorative or Pop, these seats must performto the same

acoustic standards whether occupied or not. Workingwith acoustician

YasuhisaToyota, the Gehry teamconstructed tenth-scale models of the

hall to test sound performance. Above audience and performers alike, an

inner ceilingdroops downwards in sail-like sleeves that both help disperse

sound and secrete necessary technical apparatus. The timber sheathingof

the interior – stage floor, balustrades, perimeter walls, billowingsoffit –

contributes greatly to the remarkable intimacy of the Walt Disney

auditorium. The LA Philharmonic knows it must attract anew and younger

following; and Gehry’s architecture, or the buildingachieved by Gehry’s

team, deliberately eschews the formal, hierarchical ethos of most previous

buildings of the type.

Behind the musicians, when they assume their orthodox semi-circular

formation, light seeps in to either side of the organ and the ceilingclearly

floats free of rear internal walls. Duringthe splendid inaugural concert, as a

lone trumpeter performed Charles Ives’sThe Unanswered Question from

the centre of the uppermost terrace farthest away fromconductor and

orchestra, ascreen or blind ascended behind to allow views out (through

another crystalline window) to the blue night sky, connectingmusic lovers

in the belly of the auditoriumwith the cosmos outside. This is Los Angeles,

afterall,thecityinwhichdreamandrealityaremostconspicuouslymixed.

CONCERTHALL,

LOS ANGELES, USA

A RCHITECT

GEHRY PARTNERS

7, 8The great timber box, with itsdramatic viewsof the sky.




62|3

further allusions or similes: ambitions for the auditoriumto feel like a

nautical vessel and be like amusical instrument itself. The 2265 seats are

after all, the city in which dreamand reality are most conspicuously mixed.

RAYMUND RYAN

ArchitectGehryPartners, Los Angeles

Principal project team

Frank Gehry, JamesGlymph, CraigWebb, Terry Bell,

David Pakshong, Willi amChilders, David H ardie,

KristinWoehl

Structural engineer

JohnA. Martin& Associates

Electrical engineer

Frederick Russell Brown

Mechanical engineer

Levine/Seegel Associates

Acoustic consultant

NagataAcoustics

Lightingdesign

L’observatoire International

Landscape design

Lawrence Reed Moline; MelindaT aylor LandscapeD esign

Theatre consultants

TheatreProjects

Photographs

JohnE. Linden/Arcaid except

7and 8by Hufton+Crow/VIEW 7 [email protected] 260 -

With 6000 employees worldwide,

Trumpf AG is one of the great

German postwar manufacturing

success stories, prosperingin the

heavily industrialized heartland of

Swabiaaround Stuttgart. As such,

Trumpf’s management has pursued

abold architectural mission that

matches the company’s leadingedge reputation in laser technology

and machine tools. In particular, it

has cultivated afruitful relationship

with architects Barkow Leibinger,

who have been involved in

spearheadingTrumpf’s rapid

international expansion in

Germany, Switzerland, the US, and

latterly in Italy, Slovakiaand the

Czech Republic.

The Berlin-based partnership

has been responsible for the

masterplanningand design of an

evolvingTrumpf research and

production campus. In 1999, it

designed amanufacturingplant for

laser technology at the company’s

headquarters in Stuttgart-

Ditzingen and ayear later, a

Systems Technology plant was

added. The new 9000m2

Distribution and Service Centre is

the third phase of the expansion

plan. The results have given

Trumpf an increasingly

recognizable architectural image,

followingthe model of other

German corporations – for

instance Vitra, Rimowa

(Grimshaw) or the Ernstingfamily

(Chipperfield), which have

animated their industrial sites with

notable buildings.

The latest addition to the

auspicious location for abuilding

intended to serve as aplace for

welcomingclients and guests. The

conundrumwas resolved by astute

massingand subdivision of

volumes. As you walk up the gentle

slope, past the administrative and

research buildings fromthe ’70s,

the new building’s layeredstructure comes into view. The

landscape is marked by generously

spaced steps, with each threshold

highlighted by longstrips of laser-

cut metal plates that

chronologically document the

company’s meteoric r ise and

expansion. So even before they

cross this entrance platform,

visitors have subconsciously

absorbed some corporate history.

The lines of the steps extend

into the ground floor, demarcating

the three main functions of the

entrance area(lobby, 200 seat

auditoriumand exhibition space).

The resultingpolygonal shapes are

arranged in astrong, almost

sculptural, relationship to each

other. Barkow Leibinger refer

metaphorically to those three

ground floor volumes as ‘stones’.

Interrupted only by floor to ceiling

window openings, their solid grey

basalt facades exude amonumental

yet precisely aligned verticality.

Inside, agenerous longitudinal

corridor connects the stones. A

metal relief, cut usingthe most

advanced Trumpf machinery, runs

alongthe entire length of the

ground floor corr idor, concealing

the large exhaust air ducts which

service the ground floor. With its




62|3

DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICECENTRE,

STUTTGART-DITZINGEN, GERMANY

A RCHITECT

BARKOW LEIBINGER

STEPPINGSTONESAn attempt to make urban architecture

on a very difficult and disjointed site.

1Glazed office block smore massive, stone2Entrance courtyard.3New buildingaddresmotorway, formingbindustrial campusbe

Bespr echu n g G ar der o be WC

W C W C Te ek üc he

FoyerSaal

Foyer

Trumpf Campus presented the

architects with their greatest

challenge to date. The site is at an

odd corner and borders directly

on to abusy motorway, not an

decorative yet functional spirit, this

part of the buildingis reminiscent

of acultural institution or

university. Gaps between stones

are filled by apair of r einforced-

longsection

12 3


concrete cores which stabilize the

two parallel office wings above.

Though takingup the same basic

footprint (55 x 9m), the wings are

offset against each other by 11m

and vary both in height and in the

number of storeys. There is a

strikingcontrast between the light,

transparent horizontal structure of the office floors and the solid

verticality of the stones below.

Glazed, double-skinned facades on

the north and south sides screen

the buildingas much as enhance its

pervadingimpression of lightness.

Each of the 500m2office floors

(four on the north and five on the

south side), are open-plan, column-

free spaces with only acouple of

meetingrooms on each floor . Split-

level offices are connected by

gracefully risingstaircases. Space

flows fluidly, with daylight flooding

in, and natural cross ventilation

utilizes the open cores as thermal

stacks, with passive coolingduring

the summer months and heatrecovery duringthe winter.

Offices appear as calm,

uncluttered spaces, but are also

thoughtfully detailed and highly

practical. Their economical

organization arose fromBarkow

Leibinger’s collaboration with

engineeringscientists at the

Fraunhofer Institute and furniture

manufacturer Vitra. Empirical and

analytical studies were used to

devise aspecial type of office

furniture that greatly reduced

individual filingspace but added

other features; for instance, a

writingdesk that can be pulled out.

The understated colour scheme of

grey furniture, green fabric screensand brown felt wall coverings adds

to the elegant, workmanlike

internal atmosphere.

This latest buildingconsolidates

Barkow Leibinger’s relationship

with Trumpf; the next phase of

corporate campus development is

eagerly awaited.

CHRISTIAN BRENSING

DISTRIBUTIONA ND SERVICE

CENTRE, STUTTGART-

first floorcrosssection with energy use strategy

1 mainentrance

2 entrancehall

3 auditorium

4Parallel office blockslinked by stairs.5, 7A metal relief, cut usingTrumpf machinery, animatesthe entrancehall on ground floor.6Interiors are calm, light andworkmanlike.8Officesare a triumph of functionaleconomy.

Architect

BarkowLeibinger Architekten, Berlin


Conzett, Bronzoni, Gartmann;

Boll &Partner


Transsolar;Henne& Walter,Reutlingen

Landscapeconsultant

Gabi Kiefer

Photographs

MargheritaSpiluttini

4 5

6 7

4

4




64|3

DITZINGEN, GERMANY

A RCHITECT

BARKOW LEIBINGER


4 offices

site plan

8

1

2

3


1The new Dutch Embassy, the latestaddition to Berlin’s rapidly evolvingskyline, occupies a site on the edge of the river Spree.2After dark, the snakingtrajectoryaround the buildingis revealed.

THE CABINET OFDR KOOLHAAS

1




44|544|

DUTCH EMBASSY ,

BERLIN, GERMANY

A RCHITECT

OMA

DR KOOLHAASGently subverting Berlin’s urban matrix, the new Dutch Embassy is

an Expressionist labyrinth with a surprisingly informal interior realm.

site plan [email protected] 263 -

The new Dutch Embassy in Berlin is aclassic Koolhaas building. It

reveals traces of some of his best known works and concepts, such as

the external metaphoric materialismof the RotterdamKunsthal and theinternal structural and functional mazes of the Jussieu library in Paris.

Yet compared with other current OMA mega-projects such as Seattle

Library or the headquarters for Central Chinese Television, the Dutch

Embassy is actually arelatively modest building.

Perhaps it was the choice of site in former East Berlin, now officially

known as Mitte (literally ‘middle’), that incited such ahighly controlled

and introspective urban and architectural solution. Contrary to

expectations, the central location does not exude the hustle and bustle

of nearby Potsdamer Platz. Instead, Klosterstrasse (Monastery Street)

runs quietly off the busy Stralauerstrasse and ends on the quayside of

the river Spree where the water flows slowly and darkly into a lock. Few

tourists find their way here unless on ariver cruise. Development of the

prominent corner site, which had been vacant since the war, had to

conformto Berlin buildingregulations. These were precisely defined by

the city’s former chief planner Hans Stimmann and any new buildinghad

to occupy all four corners of the site.

Beingwell versed in overcomingthe inhibitions of planninglaws,

Koolhaas managed to avoid apreconceived standard solution. Instead of

proposingthe customary atriumor inner courtyard, he created afree-

standingmonolithic 27 x 27mcube enclosed by slimL-shaped wings, soachievinga narrow but totally open courtyard while still fulfillingthe

requirement to build on all four corners. Call it Dutch irony, but the

urban solution is both perplexingand intriguing.

In functional terms, the two spatially interlocked volumes are divided

between offices located in the cube and apartments in the one-room

deep L-shaped wings, alongwith plant rooms (the buildingis fully

mechanically ventilated). Linked by five vertically stacked bridges, both

volumes stand on a raised platformwhich serves as the underground car

park for only 28 vehicles, despite staff numbers of 70. Underneath, a

tarmac ramp leads up fromthe street level into the courtyard where the

main entrance is located. Fromthere acontinuous 200mstrip, or what

DUTCH EMBASSY ,

BERLIN, GERMANY

A RCHITECT

OMA

3

4




46|5

3Slim wingsare linked to the main cubeby stacked bridges.4Entrance to the embassy compound.5Inside the cantilevered volume of theconference room.6The adjacent wingsmeet the localplanningrequirement to build on allfour cornersof the site …7… but the main focusof attention is thecube, an impressively object building,but modest in scale when comparedwith other current Koolhaasprojects.

5


1 car park2 off ices

3 reception

4 multipurposehall

5 maintenance

6 pressandculture

7 foreignoffice

8 transportation

9 apartment

10 agriculture

11 post

12 archive

13 ambassador

14 politics

15 economics

16 fitnesssuite

17 cafe


first level

third level

fourth level

sixth level

seventh level

3 4

6

8

10

9

13

9

14

9

1

5




48|5 second level fifth levellower ground floor

1

2

7

11

12

9

9


DUTCH EMBASSY ,

BERLIN, GERMANY

A RCHITECT

OMA

8The fashionably glum interior isdominated by the presence ofthe trajectory.9Ramps, stairsand corridors windaround the building, connectingtheprincipal spaces.

Koolhaas calls a‘trajectory’ (in effect, asuccession of staircases, ramps and

corridors), snakes its way up through the building. At some points it

emerges on or even through the facade (in the case of the cantileveringglasscorridor above Klosterstrasse), changingdirection of ascent and gradient

until it reaches the restaurant and roof terrace. Floor s, ceilings and walls of

this architect-styled ‘stairway to heaven’ are clad in aluminiumand

sometimes even in plain or coloured glass.

Typical of Koolhaas, there is an honest, almost brutally direct,

confrontation with materials. Surfaces jump out at you, not only because of

their vivid hues, but also because of their harsh and relentless objectivity.

Over time, the trajectory’s cantilevered green glass ramp in will bear visible

marks of wear and tear, just like the sheet aluminiumon the floors and

staircases. You slightly fear that the building, otherwise not so immaculately

detailed and designed, might gradually begin to resemble atatty old Dutch

space station.

Due to the restricted floorplate size (700 sq m), the interior is dominated

by the trajectory. This often generates curious configurations as the

architect and his technical consultants had to squeeze, fold and contort the

available space. As Koolhaas does not deal in conventional floors and

storeys, it is difficult to arrive at an accurate number of floors. (Discussing

the notion of amini high-rise, he once mentioned 20 storeys.) In reality,

there are only 10 levels of varyingheight in this 26m-high building.

Structurally, the embassy is atour de force. Each floorplate rotates andcantilevers over the one below and no single internal column runs through

the entire structure (only four walls project through fromtop to bottom).

With its oblique corr idors, passages, ramps, steps, views through coloured

glass, monstrously thick rotatingdoors and dead ends, Koolhaas’ ingenious

maze is reminiscent of the set for the iconic German expressionist film

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari . At times, columns and heavy transfer beams

appear in the most bafflingpositions. O ne particular example is the very

8

9




50|5 plan of ‘unravelled’ trajectory (scale approx 1:250)

RECEPTION

MULTIPURPOSE

HALL

INTERNET

PRESS POLITICS

FITNESS

CAFE

R O O F

TERRACE

ADM I N

TRAFFIC

CON FERENCE

CON FERENCE

AMBASSADOR’S

QUA RTERS

PO ST PO ST


low ceilingin the trajectory on level five, which compels tall visitors,

such as Koolhaas,to instinctively lower their heads.

Because of the deliberate spatial complexity, there is l ittlecoordination between interior and exterior. Here, Koolhaas pays the

price for his structural manoeuvring, as he is obliged to rely on a

loadbearingdouble facade. Where the internal zigzaggingof the

trajectory feigns freedomor even anarchy, the straight steel columns

that run down the full height of the buildingindicate anecessary and

more simplistic rigour. Despite the spectacular feat of one conference

roomcantilevering5mout fromthe facade and the trajectory’s handful

of timidly projectingfeatures, the external envelope is actually a

dreaded Cartesian cage. Evidently the spectacular cost (35 million

euros) and extraordinary planningand construction time (five years)

could not assuage this fundamental stylistic defect. Did the regimented

marchingorder of Berlin’s facades finally catch up with the master

of the informal?

Still, Koolhaas’ embassy is undoubtedly acunningretort to dogmatic

planninglaws as well as beinganother free gift to the city of Berlin. It

even frames the outlandish Alexanderplatz television tower, a symbolic

relic fromthe eraof perceived Communist superior ity over the West.

Fromthe core of the embassy cube there is an unobstructed view

(through agigantic openingin the apartment wing) of the tower’s

Sputnik-like top. It is apowerful (yet also possibly partly ironic) gestureof reverence fromKoolhaas to acity that once upon atime publicly

denounced himand his views on modern architecture.

CHRISTIAN BRENSING

DUTCH EMBASSY ,

BERLIN, GERMANY

A RCHITECT

OMA

10

11




52|5

10The staircase isarticulated on thefacade asa diagonal slash of glazing.11Green glasspanelsunexpectedlydematerialise the floor plane.12A typical office on the upper floors.13A meetingro om adorned withcontemporary art.14The multipurpose hall on the first floor.

ArchitectOMA, Rotterdam


Royal Haskoning, Arup Berlin

Servicesengineers

Huygen Elwako, Arup Berlin

Photographs

ChristianRichters

12





The capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, means ‘warm’ due to its sulphur

i h d ll d i i d i d

With the construction of new local authority

buildings all over the country, Ireland is

undergoingsomethingof amunicipal

renaissance. Encouragingly, rather than opt for

lowest common denominator methods of

commissioningand design, the Irish authorities

have put the majority out to competition, thus

raisingarchitectural standards and presentinga

younger generation of designers with achance

to tackle sizeable projects. Briefs emphasize

openness, transparency and environmental

responsibility, with reduced energy use in

construction and operation. The outcome is a

lively new coterie of civic buildings that

confound and transcend the more familiar

notions of municipal drabness.

Completed at the end of last year, Bucholz

McEvoy’s county hall and offices in Dooradoyle,

County Limerick personifies this new Celtic

wave. An earlier municipal buildingin Fingal (AR

February 2001) represented an audacious

comingof age for the Dublin-based partnership

of Merrit Bucholz and Karen McEvoy,

manifestingskill and style beyond their years

(both not yet 40). And though this latest project

is, as some critics have noted, the equivalent of

that difficult second album, happily there seems

to be no loss of energy or ingenuity in its

conception and execution. The site was unpromising: atypical

nondescript, suburban edge condition where

sprawlingretail development marks the

boundary between town and countryside. The

new building’s nearest neighbour is ahuge,

introverted shoppingcentre, but the presence

of anew county library suggests an attempt to

establish adecentralized node of civic functions

that might extend beyond shopping. Rather than

present an object marooned in aseaof parking,

Bucholz McEvoy set their building70mback

fromthe road, takingadvantage of a2mdrop in

level across the site. Longearth berms conceal

cars and animate the pancake flatness of the

suburban topography. Over time, the banks of

vegetationwill matureto formagreenedge

Despite beingthe political centre of the county,Limerick’s local authority is an eclectic and

evolvingorganization, with nine different

departments. These were originally housed in

the city centre, but had no clear sense of

community or civic identity. Bucholz McEvoy’s

new buildingis adecisive riposte to bureaucratic

anonymity. Glimpsed fromthe road, the squat

terracottatiled drumof the council chamber set

against adelicate carapace of timber trusses, like

the bleached skeleton of aprehistoric beast,

powerfully proclaimthe presence of something

modern, different and self-assured.

The cylinder of the council chamber forms

part of asecondary three-storey block that

protrudes at right angles into the bermed car

park fromthemainfivestoreybodyofthe

impersonal civic context. An eaup to the main entrance, with vis

under the long, rectangular box

secondary block which is propp

pilotis. The feelingof compressi

this approach is spectacularly di

generous proportions of the bu

space, asoaring, quadruple-heig

runs along

the entire length of the main blo

this civic forumare stacked floor

and cellular offices. Light percola

timber exoskeleton that shades

membrane on the west side of th

castingashimmeringpattern of

shadows around the tall nave-lik

Designedincollaborationwit

CIVIC OFFICES,

DOORADOYLE, IRELAND

A RCHITECT

BUCHOLZ MCEVOY

ARCHITECTS

2

3




58|10

vegetation will mature to formagreen edge

alongthe road and connect with the open

spaces to the east of the site.

park fromthe main five-storey body of the

building. Isolatingthe chamber in this way

restores asense of human scale within the more

Designed in collaboration wit

the eye-catchingbrise-soleil ing

integrates structure and solar co

58|4

CIVIC DIGNPart of a programme of imaginati

building in Ireland, these new offices invent

concerns of form, site and e1

1A huge timber brise-soleil isthe dramaticformal and functional signature of Limerick’snew civic offices.2The council chamber isco ntained in aterracotta tiled drum.3The buildingis set back from the road withparkingconcealed amonga topography of earth berms, which will eventually mature intogreen mounds.


1 councilchamber

2 meetingroom

3 offices

4 publicgallery

5 mainentrance

6 reception

7 atrium

8 kitchen

9 servery

10 staffrestaurant


first floor

second floor

crosssection showingdaytime heat gain

crosssection showingnight-time cooling

crosssection

4

5

6

7




60|5 lower ground floor

4The timber lattice istrusses suspended betransfer beam and st5Office spacesoverloo6Projectinglight shelvhermetic east elevatinto the interior.7Angled trussmembeshadingwithout movlocation [email protected]

- 270 -

Structurally, it acts like agiant ribcage consisting

of 25 vertically spanningtimber trusses. Each15mlongtruss is made up of glulamScots pine

members anchored to avertical steel tube.

Support is provided at the bottomby a

horizontal transfer beamrestingon sculpted

concrete columns and at the top by steel

members tied back to the main concrete frame.

Together, the 25 trusses act as acomposite

structure 75mlong, transferringhorizontal

loads fromthe glass facade. Vertical loads are

carried by the steel roof structure. The angled

members of the individual trusses help to

optimize shadingfor both south and west sun

angles without the maintenance bother of

movingparts.

This sophisticated pleasure in the way things

are made and put together is also reflected in

beyond the buildingline to formlight shelves

that reflect illumination back into the heart of

the building. The thermal mass of the exposed

concrete soffits also plays akey part in astrategy

of passive environmental control.

The buildingis entirely naturally ventilated, with

fabric, structure and skin tuned to control the

internal environment. The atriumis the engine

of ventilation actingas athermal chimney, taking

air fromthe offices and exhaustingit at the top.

Narrow floor plates (17mwide) are easily cross

ventilated fromeast to west or fromoffices to

the atrium. Vertical louvres incorporated into

the east facade allow for ventilation in the damp

local climate.

Takingextensive soundings fromthe

prospective occupants through questionnaires

and discussion, Bucholz McEvoy evolved aset of

guidelines for the formal and experiential

character of the office interiors. Physical

openness, which was considered essential for

good staff communication and the building’s

environmental strategy, was balanced against

the need for visual and acoustic privacy, and the

need for individuals to have asense of control

over their immediate surroundings. The

outcome is far removed fromthe monotony of

generic open-plan prairies, with soft lighting,

large sycamore desks and linen-clad partitionsequipped with individual glare control screens

made fromfabric panels on moveable arms.

Against the background of an evolving

workplace that must also act as totemof civic

dignity and efficiency, Bucholz McEvoy’s new

buildingsucceeds in intelligently resolving

concerns of form, site, construction and

environmental control. The partnership’s

difficult second albumproved not such a

stumblingblock after all. CATHERINE SLESSOR

Architect

BucholzMcEvoyArchitects, Dublin

Project team

Merrit Bucholz,K arenMcEvoy, GrahamPetrie,

SabineKlingner, RebeccaEgan, MaryLouise Kelly,

JimLuke,Peter Crowley,JanaScheibel

8




p g

the gently contoured underbelly of the office

floors, created usingspecial fibreglass moulds

froma boat builder. (Prototypes for these

featured in the Irish entry to the last VeniceBiennale, AR October 2002.) On the more

hermetic east facade, the concrete slabs project

Structural engineer

Michael Punch& Partners

Servicesengineer

Buro Happold

FacadeengineerRFR

Photographs

Michael Moran

62|5

8Light, airy interiorsare simply buthandsomely detailed.9Typical office space.10Council chamber isco ntained in thesemi-detached drum.11The soaringnave-like atrium formsthebuilding’sset-piece space.

CIVIC OFFICES, DOORADOYLE,

IRELAND

A RCHITECT

BUCHOLZ MCEVOY ARCHITECTS

9

[email protected]

- 271 -

Richard Meier’s Rome church is one event

originally planned to mark the celebrations

of the Jubilee of AD 2000. This was initiated

by the Pope in 1994 when he called for aSpecial Consistory to prepare for the Great

Jubilee at the startingpoint of the third

millenniuminvolvingthe Catholic wor ld as a

whole. Meier’s project is the 50th church to

be inaugurated in the Vatican’s Millennium

Project. Each church has a community centre

and they are built in various parish districts

throughout Rome.

The Jubilee Church commission was the

result of an international competition, and

the Vatican’s shortlist included Meier, Gehry,

Behnisch, Calatrava, Eisenman and Ando.

The award of the project to Meier was

controversial fromthe outset, in that Meier

as a Jew would be workingwith the foremost

Catholic client – the Vatican itself. However,

entirely successful in architecture of

outstandingoptimism.

The church, named Dio Padre

Misericordioso (God our Merciful Father) byPope John Paul II, was consecrated and

inaugurated on 26 October 2003 by Cardinal

Camillo Ruini in a four-hour service of

celebration, music and ritual. This was

attended by a huge congregation both within

the church itself and externally on the

church piazza.

The church is in an ordinary 1970s

10-storey housingquarter at Tor Tre Teste,

a suburb at some distance fromthe centre of

the city. Taken together, church and

community centre for ma spectacular new

focus in an otherwise low-key suburban

environment, and define both a religious

precinct and a hearteningsense of place.

Meier has said that ‘… expression of

the ideas behind the design of this church’. It

is a wonderful gift to the whole community

of more than 25 000 people.

The fan-shaped site is approached directly

from the east across a travertine paved

entrance piazza (sagrato ), which extends as a

base to the church on the south and west of

the precinct. The entrance is marked by

several external features including a silver

cross, and a campanile with exposed bells –

the tower markingout both the church to

the south and the community centre to the

north. The generous entrance hall, defined

by a travertine screen wall, is partly enclosed

within by a raised organ loft. Once in the

nave, the main altar is immediately visible at

the west end. Although unconventional, this

position is a logical result of the frontal

eastern entrance.

Plan-formand section are extremely clear.

Three circles of equal radius create three

concrete shells to the south and together

with a thick spine wall to the north, the main

space of the church nave is contained. In a

contrasting, plain L plan around a sunken

courtyard, is the community centre, on four

levels. The centre is separated fromthe main

church by a linear top-lit atrium.

The plan of the church is essentiallytraditional with nave, altar, side chapel and

confessional booths. Introduction of the

three shells transforms the project and

implies the Holy Tr inity. Natural light is the

major theme, with skylights between each

shell and over the main space, creatingever

changingpatterns within. Meier has referred

to this as ‘… a luminous spatial experience

… the rays of sunlight serve as a mystic

metaphor of the presence of God’.

Curvingin both plan and in section, the

three shell wall planes are the real tour de

force in the whole project. They are

sweepingvertical cantilevers formed with

panels of beautiful white concrete with a

finish so fine that it resembles marble.

1In a nondescript suburb of Rome, thechurch isa glowingbeacon composedof overlapping, shell-like forms.2Main east entrance. The concreteshells are anchored by a spine wall.

1




the relationship and the resultant complex

are a triumph of this collaboration, and

aspiration, hope and belief, as well as

openness and transparency are all aspects of

Meier’s description of the engineering

effort involved in erectingthe shells as

48|4

CHURCH, ROME, ITALY

A RCHITECT

RICHARD MEIER

INSTRUMENT OF LIGHTRichard Meier’s long awaited church in Rome is

a beautifully honed giver and receiver of light.

site plan [email protected] 272 -

crosssection

1 meetingroom

2 courtyard

3 communitycentre

4 main(east) entrance

5 campanile

6 nave

7 altar

8 sidechapel

9 confessionals

10 organloft

11 priest’soffices

12 pastoralr esidence

13 ki tchen

14 bedrooms



second floor




50|4 basement first floor

3The calm, luminousinterior. Thelimited palette of materials(whiteconcrete, travertine and timber) andstudied absence of ornamentationenhancesthe air of [email protected]

- 273 -

‘Herculean’, underlines the task involved

in the achievement of the cantilevers.

(They are prefabricated post-tensioned

concrete panels.)

The three shells, or arcs, forma massive

instrument of light – the most monumental

gesture of Meier’s whole repertoire – and

embody the sacred space at the heart of the

church. In contemplatingthe design, Meier

has referred to both Le Corbusier atRonchamp and especially to Aalto and the

Church of the Three Crosses in Finland.

Aalto’s church at Riola, near Bologna, came

to mind in visitingthe Jubilee Church.

The interior space and materiality of the

main nave and side-chapel are serene and

beautifully crafted. The limited range of

materials – travertine, white concrete and

light wood – predominates and there is

currently an absence of any decoration. The

white concrete shells contrast with the

travertine and slatted wood of the spine wall;

otherwise the nave is occupied only by the

simple ranges of wooden pews. The white

stucco organ loft with its silver clusters of

pipes, and the sculpted white altar, form

counterpoints at the two ends.

The altar plinths and furniture are all

formed in the same travertine as the nave

floor. Each element of the furniture is

exemplary, and some items such as the

casket for communion wafers (a gold box in

the side chapel) are quite exquisite. The only

concession to tradition is a nineteenth-

century cross above the main altar.

At night, the whole church is a giver of

light to the outer world and again the three

shells, and the transparent ends of the

church, give a spectacular signal of a sacred

entity within the community.

The community centre has its main

approach fromthe eastern church sagrato

through the central linear atrium. Secondary

entrances are provided fromtwo courtyards.

The basement holds the major meetinghall

(Sale di Riunione) adjacent to the sunken

courtyard. Both courts are intended for

stagingcommunity events associated with

the church.

Upper levels include the parish priest’s

offices and catechismrooms. The second

floor houses the pastor’s residence and thekitchen. The residence incorporates a

splendid livingroomwith a raised ceilingand

top light, and includes a brick hearth and

fireplace. It has fine views of the parish:

housingand the community at large.

The western half of the site includes

discreetly placed parkingand a landscaped

area, within risingwalled ground, planted

with olive trees. The whole of the secular

precinct and the community centre is in

white stucco, with the north elevation

enlivened by balconies. The minimal nature

of the centre is an appropriate contrast to

the exuberance of the main church.

Although this is Meier’s first church, the

parti of the plan and section are unique

within his work, and the beautiful white

precast concrete walls of the shells a

resoundingsuccess in the use of materials

and structure. This church is truly part of the

twenty-first century – a new landmark and

place of pilgrimage for the faithful.

IVOR RICHARDS

Architect

Richard Meier & Partners, New York


Ove Arup and Partners, Italcementi


Ove Arup and Partners, Luigi Dell’Aquila

Lightingconsultants

FMRS, Erco

Photographs

Edmund Sumner/VIEW

CHURCH ROME ITALY

4Detail of organ loft.5Both literally and metaphorically,the church isa giver and receiverof light.

4




52|4

CHURCH, ROME, ITALY

A RCHITECT

RICHARD MEIER

origin of plan geometry axonometric [email protected] 274 -




It didn’t take Gormley and

Chipperfield longto establish that a

modified industrial shed would be a

woefully inadequate solution for

the1994TurnerPrize-winning

and safety and quality control.

Gormley needed afunctional,

maintenance-free, robust building,

with more space to work, and

significantly,morespacetothink.

Gormley has longadmired

Chipperfield’s work, discoveringit

for himself while dil igently

searchingthrough RIBA files for a

suitablearchitect toconverthis

STUDIO, LONDON, UK

A RCHITECT

DAVID CHIPPERFIELD

3




66|5

the 1994 Turner Prize winning

sculptor’s new studio. Having

outgrown his gritty Peckham

studio – aformer laundryconverted by Eric Parry in 1988 –

Gormley’s need to move was more

than anotch up in scale and

location (buildingthree and ahalf

times more space within easier

reach of his north London home).

The need to find asite, commission

an architect and collaborate on the

design of apurpose-built studio

reflected the fact that, like it or

not, for artists like Gormley, art

has increasingly become a

professional practice. Servicing,

deliveries, storage, stocktakingand

databases are now all part of the

process, as are dare I say, health

significantly, more space to think.

UnderstandingGormley’s

workingmethods, Chipperfield’s

teamknew that this buildingwouldbe tested to destruction. With

forklift trucks, weldinggear and

beamcranes, Gormley would work

this structure hard, and unlike

many clients, he impressed the

architects with his intuitive

understandingof forces, mass, and

material. ‘What are the engineer’s

safety factors?’ he would ask while

scrutinizingworkingdrawings,

settingstringent performance

specifications for suspension

capacity, impact resistance and

point loads across the entire site

(includingthe external yard and

cantilevered stair landing).

suitable architect to convert his

own home in 1989. Notinga

strength that surpasses the ‘up-

yours brutalism’ of the ’60s and’70s, and an ability to make

established forms of Modernism

more logical, Chipperfield’s

manipulation of materials, light and

formhad clearly impressed him.

For Gormley, therefore, whose

work is fundamentally based on the

human figure, aside fromsetting

finite performance targets, the

spatial demands of scale and

proportion were of equal

significance. As aplace in which to

contemplate the formof his work,

the volumes had to be right.

While Gormley stresses that this

is afactory, not atrophy building,

2Gormley’sprincipal lofty and spaciouswgenerousrooflights3... providingspace inwith accessto worksareasbeyond.2 [email protected]

- 276 -

the design has to transcend

utilitarianism, and the teamwere

keen to engage in aphilosophical

exploration of abuildingthat

would be part gallery and part

shed. Reconsideringindustrial

typologies, they investigated how

to blur conceptual boundaries, and

after six or seven prototype

designs (includingaMarfa-esquebarrel-vaulted option), the

repeated-bay pitched-roof scheme

emerged. Mimickingthe

proportion of his former studio,

but increasingits dimensions and

replicating it seven times, Gormley

was comfortable with the scale

that he associates with aGeorgian

house. Reworkingthe Victorian

roof typology minimizes distracting

views, while providingexcellent

daylightingand flexible hanging

space throughout. The seven bays

are broken down into double- and

single-height volumes centred on

the principal three-bay studio.

Functions are then carefully

disposed, with private studios

intentionally remote, separated

fromshared spaces by two

external staircases; graceful,

sculptural objects that slow you

down, enforcingpace, ritual, and

contemplation. While the ground

floor is given over to production –

with photography studio, storage

and delivery spaces, the principal

studio, workshop, studio

manager’s office and changing

rooms – the first floor provides

places for private and shared

reflection, with two private studios(one each for Gormley and his

wife, the painter Vicken Parsons), a

resources/meetingroom, an office

and agenerous common room.

The purpose-built studio has

afforded Gormley several ‘very

practical luxur ies’, such as staff

changingrooms, and adesignated

plaster roomwhere he can create

his own body templates without

contaminatingthe studio spaces

beyond. The yard is also of critical

importance, fully serviced to allow

outside work, and havingcapacity

for two articulated lorries.

Pure in form, Chipperfield’s

tectonic control is seen

throughout, with seamless walls

and soffits set against the exposed

roof structure, while in detail,

modest joinery, metal doors and

bespoke ironmongery add mass to

the building, fabricated fromthick

plywood and reassuringly weighty

3mmgauge galvanized steel.

Gormley concluded with a

reflective question: would his work

be affected by his new studio?

Work that he has based on

architectural illusions: body-as-

space and space-as-mass. Perhaps,

he speculates, Chipperfield’sarticulation of volume has

influenced his emergingwork with

variable block sculptures. But,

certainly on apractical level,

improved daylightinghas facilitated

more intricate work, and the

luxury of space has allowed himto

experiment with mock-ups, such as

that produced for his latest work

‘Clearing’ – awild metallic

tumbleweed formed by a10km

length of square section aluminium,

currently tracingasinuous

trajectory in London’s White Cube

Gallery. ROB GREGORY

Architects

DavidChipperfieldArchitects:KevinC armody,

DavidChipperfield,Paul Crosby,Andy

Groarke, Victoria Jessen-Pike,Kaori Ohsugi

Photographs

All photographsby Richard Bryant/Arcaid

apart from4 and 5 whichare byPeteMoss

4Transfuser suspended beneathrooflight.5Gormley’sworkshop, with viewsthrough to principal studio beyond.6View from office, through principalstudio, to Gor mley’sstudy beyond.7Resources/meetingroom.

8Vicken Parson’sstudio.9View from studio office withcommon room beyond.

STUDIO, LONDON, UK

A RCHITECT

DAVID CHIPPERFIELD

longsection

4

5

6

7

8

9




68|6

1 mainstudio

2 workshop

3 studio manager’soffice

4 plaster room

5 changingrooms

6 photographystudio

7 deliveries/storage

8 privatestudio 1

9 privatestudio II

10 commonroom

11 office

12 resources/meeting

13 dark room

14 storage

15 lavatories

16 courtyard

ground floor plan (scale approx. 1:660) first floor plan

6 7 1

2

435

8 9

12

11 10

13

1514

16


Sydney’s Bondi Beach is, rightly,

one of the world’s more famous

crescents of sand, but its natural

beauty is not matched by the

architecture frontingit and

sprawlingover its cliff-top

flanks. No single carbuncle but

aplague of minor boils; arash

of postwar brick and clay-tile

houses that owe everythingto

the worst of English suburbiaand

nothingtothemightoftheSouth

readily last as an exposed

buildingmaterial in such a

weather-beaten location but

geo-technical surveys indicate

that it provides asolid footingt o

the concrete structure – along

this section of the cliffs at least.

A walled entrance court

deliberately conceals the

spectacular views, which are

only revealed to the casual


glass panels 250mmwide. The

double-height hall beyond is an

atriumbetween seaward and

landward pavilions of the

building. Its wedge shape

culminates in a deep internal

lightwell fronted by a4.5mx

2.5mframeless glass panel.

Uplights are set into the

polished concrete floors to

avoid the need for lights within

thesoffit highabove;noneof

Living on the edgeWalter & Cohen’s house: a threshold between suburbia and the South Pacific.

a r

h o u s e

1

4

52 3




89|988|9

nothingto the might of the South

Pacific Ocean.

Contemporary architects are

gradually makinginroads withmore climatically responsive

houses that are replacingthe

tacky brick boxes. London-based

Walters & Cohen has replaced

one such bungalow on the very

edge of the sandstone cliffs to the

north with ahouse made up of a

pair of pavilions in white render

and glass that clingvertiginously

80mabove the surf. Por ous

Sydney sandstone does not


L-shaped first-floor livingarea

wrapped on two sides with

glazing. Views outwards allowwhale watching, views

downwards can reveal shoals of

fish 80mbelow, and those

upwards give advance warning

of any approachingelectrical

storms that can buffet the house.

In an exercise in deferred

gratification, you enter through

asolid timber door set in ablade

of masonry some 7.5mhigh and

flanked by equally tall etched

the soffit high above; none of

the first floor’s ceilings are

interrupted by light fixings.

A flight of timber treads iscantilevered off the wall,

supported by an internal edge

beamof welded steel angles,

some of which return vertically

to formthe framework for the

glass balustrade. Upstairs, the

panoramaawaits.

Concealed at entrance level

on the seaward side is a suite of

rooms with ocean views, two

bedrooms and awoodwor king

180m above the South Pacific …2… surrounded by Sydney’ssuburban brick boxes…3… Walters & Cohen’snew houseisenter ed through a walledcourtyard.4Once inside, breathtakingviewsare revealed from within theclerestoried livingroom …5… and acrossthe rooftop pool.

HOUSE, S YDNEY ,

AUSTRALIA

A RCHITECT

WALTERS & COHEN [email protected] 278 -

studio for the client. Steel-

framed sliding doors and

windows allow uninterruptedviews, even from the bathrooms

that have bluestone-clad (from

neighbouring Victoria) baths

pushed against the glass. Handles

are everywhere minimized or

absent. Full-height doors at this

level pivot shut to 10mm-wide

aluminium returns set in the wall.

This minimal detailing prescribed

by Walters & Cohen and aneatnik client has been clarified

and executed throughout by

local practice Collins and Turner

(both former Foster and Partners

employees).

All the timber used, including

the matchstick screens of the

garage and the double-height

old wharf from the port of

Fremantle in Western Australia.

The oriel serves anotherdouble-height space on the

landward side reached from a

half-landing and incorporating

a mezzanine bedspace – itself

accessed by a beautifully built

formed-concrete staircase.

A small square window gives

glimpses back west across

the peninsula and Sydney

Harbour to the distant CentralBusiness District.

This room, like the whole of

the upper floor in both pavilions,

is surmounted by a clerestory set

above two steel channels back-

to-back to conceal perimeter

lighting. The steels act as a ring-

beam for each pavilion and steel

created between the floors but

the combination of under-floor

heating for the winter monthsand the cooling breezes pushing

over the lip of the cliff suggests

that mechanical climate control

will not be necessary.

Although some blinds may

need to be installed against

strong morning light, the rest of

the cantilevered upper floor,

kitchen, living, dining, study and

TV areas, make the most of theuninterrupted gull’s back views.

Most of the glass doors open,

with only a glass cliff-edge

balustrade (on a curve with a

setting-out point some 200m out

to sea) between you and the

drop, but opposite the dining

area incorporation of structure

of jarrah shelves and cupboards

that runs 7m from the return of

the staircase balustrade, thenfolds around the study zone and

makes a backdrop to a sunken

TV area. Here the glazing forms

a frameless box reflecting the

sea and the cliffs by day and the

moon by night. The nose of this

box, seen from the entrance

courtyard, is a subtle indicator

of the axis of splendour to come

ROBERT BEVAN

Architect

Walters & Cohen

Executive architect

Collins and Turner

Landscape architect

Barbara Schaffer

Engineer

Murtagh Bond

Photographs

Ri h d Gl




oriel above, is recycled jarrah –

a tough Australian hardwood– some of it sourced from an

uprights carry the steel roof with

its deep-shading eaves.An air-conditioning zone has been

into a masonry panel creates a

framed view. This living area isbacked by a waist-high insertion

Richard Glover

HOUSE, S YDNEY , AUSTRALIA

A RCHITECT

WALTERS& COHEN

6Master bedroom suite.

6

In the last few years, Shuhei

Endo’s experiments with

galvanized corrugated steel havebecome world-renowned. He

realized that the very cheap

material, commonly used only in

industrial and agricultural

buildings, could have many more

applications when its stiffness is

increased by bending and curving

it at right angles to the

corrugations. Buildings like the

bicycle sheds at Sakai railwaystation (AR April 1997) and the

little building in the park in Hyogo

Prefecture (AR October 1998)

resulted, showing how corrugated

metal could suddenly become an

impressive substance, adopting

new and dramatic forms that canenclose flowing silvery spaces.

The new house and studio in a

suburb of Biwa-cho in the Shiga

Prefecture takes the development

rather further than earlier

experiments. It is fundamentally a

single continuous strip of

corrugated metal bent to enclose

all the internal spaces of the

building, and some of the externalones too. The wide metal ribbon

slides and writhes sideways, east

to west, in flattened coils starting

with the garage, then defining a

partly covered outside platform,

thereafter soaring up to make a

double-height gallery, descending

to kiss a pool and finally returning

are pinned and connected by a

long axial route that runs

westward from the main entranceand garage through the double-

height space, past a comparatively

conventional terrace (which is

defined to the west by the glazed

wall of the poolside kitchen/dining

room) and ending with the

bedroom in the south-west

corner of the site.

The metal ribbon is not pierced,

so all daylight comes from glazingon the east and west flanks. By

setting the entrance back from the

access road on the east side of the

site behind the garage and the

metal terrace, the house is

ensured a good deal of privacy,

which is enhanced by the

imperforate metal walls that

ATELIERAND HOUSE, BIWA-

CHO , SHIGA PREFECTURE,

JAPAN

a r

h o u

s e




to the ground to define the

bedroom. The spaces it defines

prevent overlooking from close

neighbours on the tight suburban

A RCHITECT

SHUHEI ENDO

Curvaceous corrugatedEndo continues his exploration of bent corrugated metal in a domestic application.

site pla

section A-A

1 entrance

2 garage

3 metalterrace

4 gallery

5 north terrace

6 rest room

7 bedroom

8 bath

9 kitchen/dining

10 pool

11 lawn

ATELIERAND HOUSE, BIWA-CHO,

SHIGA PREFECTURE, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

SHUHEI ENDO

2North terrace.3Compressed kitchen/diningroom .4Garage and entrance with metalterrace left. Colour and texture of galvanized steel relate to traditionalgrey tileso n neighbouringhouses.5

Junctionsof flowingsteel and moreorthodox elementsare not alwayseasy.

sites to north and south.

Ingenuity of composition and

construction is undoubted, but

the adaptation of what Endo calls

‘Springtecture’ to domestic

architecture involves several

problems: thermal and acoustic

ones are obvious. And there are

also difficulties in relatingthe

basically orthogonal geometry of

rooms to the writhings of the

steel. Partitions are made in

orthodox br ick, and in glass

framed in steel and timber.

Particularly acute problems occur

where walls meet the roof curves

and special pieces have to be made

to achieve the junctions

2

4

5

1011




ground floor (scale 1:200)78|8

to achieve the junctions.

Yet such difficulties have proved

soluble, if at aprice. Springtectureis clearly coilingitself for further

leaps. VERONICA PEASE

Architect

Shuhei Endo

Photographs

YoshiharuMatsumura

3

9

5

2

3

4

1

6

7

8


The Rhineland Regional Museumstarted as longago as the 1820s, and

has accumulated adistinguished collection rangingfromthe 40 000

year old skeleton of Neanderthal man to contemporary artworks. The

original purpose-made museumbuildingwas set up in the 1890s on a

site stretchingnorth-south between two streets just south of the main

railway station. An extension was added in 1909.

Duringthe Second World War, the main buildingwas bombed, leaving

the 1909 extension at the north end intact, and aboxy new museum

buildingin sub-Mies vocabulary was made to replace it in 1967. By the

late 1990s, this had become technically unsatisfactory, submittingitsvaluable contents to unacceptable variations in temperature and

humidity, quite apart fromthe sheer unattractiveness of the uninspired

and ageingfabric. At first, the museumauthorities intended to rework

and update the thir ty year old structure, but this promised to be an

expensive task, hardly less than renewingthe whole. Havingjust lost the

status of capital, Bonn was beinghanded generous cultural money, so a

new buildingto the highest technical standards was possible. A

competition was held and won by Ar chitektengruppe Stuttgart, who

decided to make anew block to the south, its main entrance frontinga

shallow square, while preservingand internally convertingthe 1909

CRYSTAL CASEThe Rhineland Regional Museum in Bonn is a model

of its kind in both urban and cultural terms.

RHINELAND REGIONAL MUSEUM,

BONN, GERMANY

A RCHITECT

ARCHITEKTENGRUPPESTUTTGART

site plan

1The layered facade ...2... which, on the south side, containsacafé and some exhibitsin the tr ansitionspace.

1

A museum

B museum square

C workshops

D administration

E sculpturecourt




54|6 [email protected] 282 -

1 entrance

2 lobby

3 r estaurant

4 shop

5 atrium

3, 4‘Like a display case or open drawers.’5The atrium, which isthe heart of thebuilding, relating the disparate floorheightsof old and new elements.


BONN, GERMANY

A RCHITECT


extension to the north. Rather than workingdirectly with the exhibits,

the architects were asked to produce arange of exhibition rooms

flexible in character, allowingfor changes of interpretation. The

exhibition design was placed in other hands as aseparate operation.

Most remarkable in the new museumis the layered treatment of the

south facade, which flips between transparent and reflective as your

viewpoint changes. A single-glazed outer screen-wall servingas

rainscreen and climatic buffer stands some 4mforward of the timber

inner facade surmounted by acompletely glazed roof. This glass case is

not just an empty symbol for a museum, but also atransition space. Itprovides aprotected outdoor areafor the café enjoyingthe afternoon

sun, and it also houses acouple of exhibits which belongoutside but

require protection fromfrost and acid rain: aRoman arcade and a

Gothic cross. The naked wooden inner facade behind is presented in

contrast like aseries of display cases or open drawers shallowly angled

to project fromthe facade plane. The twist in its components makes

the facade more three-dimensional, brings down the scale, and

exaggerates the degree of openness. In fact it is largely solid, though

there are narrow windows between the boxes framingviews to south-

east. The timber treatment continues inside, its texture enhanced by

the sidelight, so the visitor easily makes the connection.

The organization of the new museumis commendably clear and

makes avirtue of the marriage of the buildings, for nowhere does it

seemastrain. The ground floor central entrance introduces the main

axis alongwhich the complex is deployed. It leads on through aglass

wall to avisually open but fully controlled layer housingticket hall and

café, and near-central stairs in alarge well lead down to cloakrooms.

Entrance to the museuminvolves passage through another glass wall

which brings one to awell with stairs to one side and numerous other

flights and ramps passingoverhead. This atriumis the heart of thebuilding, mediatingbetween the shallower floor heights of the new part

and the more generous old ones in the 1909 part. It i s aclear reference

point for reorientation and is spatially the most interestingvolume, but

so little daylight is admitted by the clerestories of the rooflight that it

third floor

second floor

3 4




56|6

5 atrium

6 schoollunch

7 classrooms

8 readingroom9 library

10 administration

11 void

12 temporaryexhibition

13 plant

first floor

ground floor (scale approx 1:1225) longsection [email protected] 283 -

feels completely internal, dominated by electric illumination. Fromthe

well you can move into exhibition rooms in either direction. The new

buildingoffers a wide central hall, a narrower roomon each side, then

ayet narrower one, alinear gallery with daylight only at the ends. But if

you continue instead on axis into the old building, you discover asuite

of taller rooms: asingle central hall with six columns and gallery, and

traditional side-lit rooms at each level on each flank. Set under an

updated version of the original glass lantern with an inner translucent

ceilingin barrel-vaulted form, the central hall is bathed in daylight,

bringingthe whole museumto an appropr iate climax. Somewhatchurch-like, this space has appropriately been used to accommodate

religious and monumental objects of stone, such as Roman funerary

inscriptions and Romanesque capitals fromlost churches.

In presentingthe collection, the curators decided against a

traditional chronological progression, reorganizingthe material around

nine themes includingPeriods, Power, Fromwilderness to city, From

gods to God, Secrets of discovery, and Rhineland and the Wor ld. It is

like the themed arrangement of Tate Modern in London, and has

similarly brought both praise and criticism. It seemed to me to work

well, and has at least the advantage of demonstratingthat classification

is neither fixed nor neutral, and it also gives the curators amore visibly

active role. That it may all be reorganized by fresh curators with anew

world-view seems no bad thing, and is agood argument for the kind of

general-purpose loose-fit attitude taken by the architects. The

exhibition designers have added acertain amount of deliberate scene-

setting, but the buildingtakes it quite well. Fortunately, the whole

treatment is more sober than most recent museums, and the signage

relatively restrained. It evokes some atmosphere of reverence and one

can enjoy the objects without the intervention of the shouting

gimmicks and interact ive gameshows that spoil many recent museumsin the UK. Reconstruction models are generally helpful, and a

computer simulation of the changinglocal landscape over millennia is

really engaging. The decision to commission life-size wooden

sculptures of local heroes from Agrippina– after whomthe Romans

named their first settlement Cologne, (Colonia Agrippina) – to Max

Ernst shapingone of his sculptures, has also paid off.

Since the initial reason for changingthe buildingwas technical, the

new one is environmentally well controlled, with ahigh thermal mass

due to its concrete construction, temperature control through heat

exchange usingpipes embedded in floor s and walls, and humidity

control through air-conditioningkept at amoderate level. It was one of

the architects’ stated aims to avoid showingoff the technical apparatus,

and the construction too is rendered rather basic and pure, with

deceptively simple detailingthat could even be called overprecise. My

greatest disappointment was the general gloominside the buildingand

the suppression of relations with the outside world.

The curators felt that history does not stop but goes on around us,

h i l d i i b f h i b d h

encouraged the architects to provide regular views out, but the phobia

against daylight has for the most part won the day, for even key viewing

windows are toned down by screens, and side-lightingin old rooms is

filtered by solid if translucent blinds. Stronglight can of course damage

many kinds of materials, and museumobjects are meant to last for

ever, so the caution of curators is understandable. At the same time,

exhibition designers most easily achieve control by applyingartificial

lamps of their own, and have made this their automatic habit. But many

of us prefer to see objects by daylight if at all possible, and its variability

– the very thingthat puts curators and exhibition designers off – is also

its virtue. It changes at different times of day and year, and helps locate

us in time. It is possible to calculate an object’s speed of destruction in

variable light and put it in darkness when it is not beingseen. It is also

possible to filter and control daylight and sunlight so that they are not

excessive. But this requires close collaboration between architects,

designers and curators rather than the assumption that exhibition

i ll bl kb

6




58|6

so they actively wanted visitors to be aware of the city beyond. They areas are essentially black boxes. PETER BLUNDELL JO NES


BONN, GERMANY

A RCHITECT


6, 7Clim ax of museum: central hall bathedin daylight from translucent ceiling.

Architect

ArchitektengruppeStuttgart

Knut Lohrer, Uli Pfeil, Dieter Herrmann,

Gerhard Bosch, Dieter K. Keck

Job architects

Cathrin Dietz, VerenaWor telkamp

Assistants

Ulrich Hanselmann, Achim Buhse, Karin

Koschmieder, Monika Krönke, Bernd Remili,

Nicola Sibiller, Walter Ulrich, JörgW enzel,

AndreaWi edmaier

Photographs

All by Roland Halbeexcept no 6by author [email protected] 284 -

TUNED INSTRUMENTPiano’s arts museum in Dallas rivals Kahn’s in neighbouring

Fort W orth in lucidity and the subtle use of limpid light.

Combininga gallery and walled garden, both displayingworks in its

collection, the N asher Sculpture Center in Dallas joins Tadao Ando’s

recent Modern Art Museumof Fort Worth (AR August 2003) in

further consolidatingthe neighbouringcities as a major art

destination within the US. The Nasher is also the latest of a family of

museums the Renzo Piano BuildingWorkshop has built so that the

public might enjoy exceptional private collections of modern art. Like

the Menil Col lection (AR March 1987) and Beyeler Museum(AR

December 1997), its galleries are lit through an all-glass roof,

although here all sun-control devices are above the glass that is alsothe gallery ceilings. Also, while the Menil’s external walls are the same

grey clapboard as the surrounding bungalows, and the Beyeler’s are

clad in a stone resemblingthe streaky red sandstone of Basle, the

Nasher does not adopt a material found in its immediate locality.

Instead it is clad inside and out in travertine, as is Louis Kahn’s

Kimbell Museumof Art in Fort W orth (AR November 1978). This,

and the top-lit vaulted galleries, suggest a deliberate dialogue with

what many deemthe last unarguably great American work of

architecture, a dialogue set up by a new buildingthat, despite evoking

a mythic past, is as light and contemporary in feel as the Kimbell is

heavy and archaic.

Since the 1960s, real-estate developer Raymond Nash

wife, Patsy, amassed an outstandingcollection of mod

concentrated mainly on sculpture. Now totallingsom

these were displayed in their house and garden – and

public might encounter and enjoy them, in Nasher’s N

shoppingcentre. The sculpture centre now allows the

these works displayed on a rotatingbasis, which, alon

exhibitions and other events, should encourage regula

contemplative verdant oasis on the edge of the city ce

havingmet Renzo Piano at the Beyeler opening, entruthe museumto him and the garden to Peter W alker.

The 2.4-acre city-block site is in Dallas’ Arts Distric

street from the Dallas Museumof Art and a block aw

I. M. Pei’s Meyerson Symphony Center, between the s

strivingtowers of downtown and a sunken motorway.

challenge was to create a modestly scaled buildingtha

to such a site, bereft of history and consistent contex

overlooked by behemoths and edged by massive met

infrastructure. Piano’s initial instinctual response, poe

rational, was to neither compete with nor conformto

Instead the new gallery is quiet and low, and subtly em




SCULPTURE MUSEUM,

DALLAS, TEXAS, USA

A RCHITECT

RENZO PIANO

BUILDING WORKSHOP

1The whole is orderestone-faced walls, frare [email protected]

- 285 -

relative newness of the surroundingstructures, which thus need not be

deferred to, by suggestinghis buildingsprings fromarchaeological

remnants that predate them. These remnants of earlier construction,

between and around which the sculptures have seemingly beenrediscovered, are the parallel tall stone walls dominatingthe gallery’s

plan, exterior and interior. (There is an irony here: Kahn advocated

architecture that would make great ruins; but the stones of these ‘ruins’

are flimsy claddings that would soon fall away to reveal acomplex mass

of steel structure, ductwork and pipes.) Though few would recognize

(and none be fooled by) the fantasy that sparked the design, the result is

abuildingthat nestles into place. The walls assert a footpr int of the scale

of the surroundingbuildings, yet despite these prominent walls the

buildinghas arecessive and delicate grace that contrasts refreshingly

with the muscularly chunky buildings that characterize Dallas.

Beyeler’s design also grew fromthe generatinggesture of parallel

stone walls, although these are capped by an oversailingglass roof and

faced internally in white plasterboard. Ranged parallel to the street,

the main volume of galleries they define is entered fromthe lobby,

side-on (as at the Kimbell) bringingsome cross-axial stability to these

elongated spaces. But the N asher’s stone-faced walls reach high above

the vaulted roofs, providinganchorage for the tension ties supporting

the midpoint of the roofs’ curved steel beams. The walls are also

perpendicular to the street, offeringviews fromit, through the fully

glazed ends of the bays they define, into the garden; and entrance isdirectly and end-on into one of these bays. Two of the other bays are

galleries; the last bay at one end contains ashop, directors’ offices and

boardroom; the last bay at the other end acafé and security centre.

The entrance bay also gives access to the garden and, viaastaircase,

to the basement. Like the Beyeler, the buildingis much bigger than it

first appears. In the basement are afurther gallery (for works

vulnerable to the bright light above), offices, kitchen and an

auditoriumthat can extend through aslidingglass wall to stepped

seatingoutdoors. Ringingthis basement, and extendingbeyond the

edge of the buildingabove, is an extensive service areafor mechanical

plant and storage.

2, 3Peter Walker did the magnificentgarden, which resonatesgentl y andquietly with Piano’s building.4Bay endsare all glazed, easier in agallery devoted to sculpture than onethat showsmainly paintings.5, 6Beautifully cut Tr avertine limestone,the material from which C lassicalRome wasbuilt, addssolidity to themyth of the mass.

SCULPTURE MUSEUM, DALLAS,

TEXAS, USA

A RCHITECT


2

3

4

5 6




48|6 site plan crosssection of typical bay showingconstruction and [email protected] 286 -


TEXAS, USA

A RCHITECT


7Beingthe lowest part of itssurroundings, the N asher …8… drinksin light from the sky througha most carefully gradated andorientated system of filters.9Lightnessand transparency arePiano’sdrivingintentions.

Outside and inside, the pale neutrally coloured natural materials of

the travertine walls and white oak floors predominate, enlivened by

the contrast with the white steel roof structure and sun-shading

panels, which are clearly visible through the super-white glass roof,and the charcoal grey frames of the fully glazed walls. The travertine

is used unconventionally: instead of showingthe usual vertically sliced

faces of horizontal beds of stone separated by holes, it has been sliced

horizontally, alongrather than across the beds, and pressure hosed

to expose a rough and varied pitted surface. The stone slabs (30mm

outside and 20mminside, where the pittinghas been filled) have then

been so skilfully matched and mitred as to give the impression of

thick solid blocks.

The main street facade is low key; the eye is caught mainly by the

contrast between the tall, substantial stone piers and the graceful

slightness of the slender steel beams that springand are suspended

between them. (The tension ties justify the height of the walls and

reveal these to be curved beams rather than arches. Yet they are the

one element of the building that will probably look passé with time:

they are too High-Tech and nothingdates as fast as the futuristic.)

The relationship between the street and the galleries inside is not as

intrusively immediate as is suggested by the open-ended,

perpendicular orientation. Plantingand porches distance the sidewalk

fromthe glass walls – and the piers steppingforward further r elieve

any abruptness, not least by introducinga slot of space parallel to thepavement. This interruption enhances the separation and makes

more intricate the flow of space. It is easy to imagine Kahn describing

these piers as breakingaway fromthe walls to begin their evolution

into properly articulate columns that create distance and dignifying

decorum; some sense of this is in fact subliminally suggested.

Even the main entrance lacks emphasis, revealed only by the

omission of plantingin front of it . Once in and past the ticket desk, a

cross-axial enfilade of openings slicingr ight through the building, and

7

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1 mainentrance

2 entrancevestibule

3 entrancehall

4 art gallery

5 café

6 multi purposespace

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87




50|6 ground floor plan (scale approx 1:1000) lowe

north-west/south-east section

crosssections

6 multi purposespace

7 secondaryentrance

8 security9 servery

10 goodslift

11 gift shop

12 boardroom

13 passenger lift

14 cloakroom

15 offices

16 classroom

17 auditorium

18 open-planoffices

19 generalstore

20 art store

21 conservation store

22 workshop

23 stagearea

24 kitchen

25 staffbreak

26 mechanical

27 loading

28 truck lift

29 terracedgarden

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1


the generous stairs downward, suddenly reveal the extent of the

whole building, as if offering itself in a gesture of welcome. The

immediate impression in the entrance hall and galleries is of the twin

touchstones Piano is apt to repeat mantra-like, ‘lightness and

transparency’, here revealed in the weightless roof and the bright

light that floods through it as well as in the pervasive presence of sky

and garden visible through the roof and end walls. All this, together

with the stone walls, recalls a Victorian conservatory or orangery

rather than a conventional museum, and is only possible because

most sculpture, unlike paintings, is not vulnerable to light.

Piano’s preferred solution of lightingthe whole gallery evenly,

rather than reflectinglight primarily onto the walls where paintings

would stand out when seen fromthe more softly lit centre of the

room, is particularly apt for showingsculpture that may be placed at

any point between the walls. Direct sun fromabove is excluded and

diffused by cast aluminiumpanels that rather resemble egg-crates,

with openings shaped and angled to admit only north skylight directly.

Because Dallas’s street grid is angled 45 degrees fromnorth, so too

are the openings in the sunshades which reveal differingamounts of

sky and create differingpatterns as you move around. The sunshade

panels span between flanges propped up above the glass from the

slender curved beams, which have spotlight tracks alongtheir lower

edges. The ends of these beams sit in brackets that swoop down

slightly to connect (beneath concealed gutters) with the steel

columns within the walls, and so also seemingly sit on the head of the

stonework.

The character of the spaces is given not only by the lightness and

transparency, as enlivened by the pared and repetitive structural

elements and detail, but also by the sure judgement of proportion and

dimension. The cross-section of the bays is based on a double square,32ft (9.75m) between the walls and 16ft (4.87m) to the springingof

the curved beams, which rise only another foot at mid-span. This

breadth gives a feelingof great generosity and the relatively low

ceiling, with only the shallowest curve, gives a contrastingfeelingof

intimacy. The galleries suit sculpture (and the occasional painting)

very well but viewingpaintings would be distracted by the views out

and movement of space through the galleries.

Outside, the garden is set down a few broad steps from a plinth

that extends out fromthe building. Integratingmuseumand garden

are lines of tr ees that extend outward fromthe parallel walls,

between which stand various sculptures. Terminating the garden, a

planted bermacts as an acoustic barrier to the noise of the sunken

motorway, which is further screened by the splashingof a row of

fountains that stand out enticingly against the planted backdrop.

The Nasher is a buildingof great understatement and restraint, and

also of the richness that comes from precision: precision in

judgement of dimensions and proportions; and precision of

engineering, craftsmanship and detail. Designed to show off another

10From inside, it isdifficult tocomprehend ...11... the elaborate egg-crateconstruction of the north-seekingaluminium castingson the roof.12

10

11




art form, it is an architectural instrument so finely tuned as to singits

own songsoftly in the background, a songso serene that some find itspiritual. (An equally apt metaphor, mechanical rather than musical,

that keeps comingto mind is of a purring, highly-tuned machine.)

Although it may also seema slight building, almost as much like a

garden centre as a museum, it is so well done, its artfulness raised to

the extreme of seemingartlessness, that it enhances and even

elevates the contemplation of sculpture. PETER BUCHANAN

52|6


TEXAS, USA

A RCHITECT


‘A buildingthat offersitself in agesture of welcome.’

Architect

Renzo Piano BuildingWorkshop, Genoa

Project team

R. Piano, E. Baglietto, B.Terpeluk, S. Ishida,

B. Bauer, L. Pelleriti, S. Scarabicchi,

A. Symietz, E. Trezzani, G. Langasco,

Y. Kashiwagi, F. Cappellini, S. Rossi

Associate architects

Beck Architecture, Dallas;

Interloop A/D, Houston

Structural engineer

OveArup &Partners


Peter Walker and Partners

Photographs

JohnE. Linden [email protected] 288 -

SHAW FESTIVA

PRODUCTIONC

NIAGARA-ON-T

CANADA

A RCHITECT

LETT/SMITH A

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a picturesque town at

the point where the Niagara River flows into

Lake Ontario. Set in the spectacular scenery

of the Great Lakes near Niagara Falls, the

town is the focus of the region’s burgeoning

wine industry and the home of the

internationally distinguished Shaw Festival.

The combination of historic architecture

(datingfrom the 1790s when the settlement

was briefly the capital of the colony of Upper

Canada) with nature and culture makes thetown both a popular bolt-hole fromnearby

Toronto and a destination for visitors from

around the world.

The Shaw Festival, started in the late 1950s

as a summer event to stage the works of

George Bernard Shaw, now embraces a

catholic range of theatrical tastes duringits

eight-month season fromApri l through

November. Productions are presented at the

small historic Court House and Royal

George Theatres in the centre of town, and

at the 860-seat Festival Theatre, designed by

Ron Thomand built in the 1970s at the east

edge of town lookingover the Commons and

federal parklands beyond. As the Festival

grew over the years, so backstage facilities

became increasingly inadequate, a problem

that has been addressed by the new

extension doubles the area of the Festival

Theatre.

A major concern was how to expand the

building’s facilities, yet minimize the apparent

scale of any addition in this sensitive setting.

It was also important to maintain the

intimate feelingof the Festival Theatre and

the views fromits foyers and terraces.

Operationally, the obvious place to build the

extension would have been at the north end

of the site, where the existingstage andbackstage areas are located. However, the

only available land was the space used for

coach parking to the south and adjacent to

the theatre’s entrance and foyers. In section,

because the stage and dressingrooms of the

theatre are one level below ground, the

logical connection to the new production

facilities was at this level.

Above ground, the new production centre

reads as a separate pavilion that makes a new

courtyard with the existing theatre. Both

buildings are entered from a new forecourt

and parkingarea on the west side of the site.

The theatre entrance has been rebuilt to

house an expanded box office and shop

together with a small library, a space for pre-

performance talks, and a new meetingroom

planned in a glassy corner bay. This area has

SHAW PRODUCTIONA sensitive addition, carefully knitted to a distinguished theatre, provides

new facilities and civilized spaces for staff and public alike.

2




1

production centre which serves all three

theatres. Designed by Lett/Smith Architects

and recently completed, the 4000m2

also been excavated to incorporate the

critical basement level link to the new

building. A more modest entrance to the

1Upper foyer looksover pool andcourt towardsold building.2New entrance, left, with box of bigrehearsal hall behind.3Lookingfrom court towardsupperfoyer with rehearsal hall behind.


1 existingFestival

Theatre

2 upper rehearsalhall

3 lower rehearsalhalls

4 green-room

5 lower lobby

6 recordingsuite

7 box officecallcentre

8 off ice

9 dressingroom

10 sunkencourtyard

11 southterrace

12 patrons’ lounge/

upper lobby

13 receiving

14 library/multimedia

room

15 new theatreentrance

16 Shaw shop

17 wardrobecutting

andfitting

18 set/lightingdesign

19 lobbyextension

SHAW FESTIVALTHEATRE

PRODUCTIONC ENTRE,

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE,

CANADA

A RCHITECT

LETT/SMITH ARCHITECTS

4Large rehearsal hall can be madelight-tight with adjustable fabricbafflesbetween columns.5New staff restaurant and green-room is much lessdauntingin use.6Upper level of foyer, from which …7… light poursdown to lower level.

section

ground floor plan

production centre alongside opens into a

separate foyer, which serves the large new

rehearsal/multi-purpose roomat ground

level. Within this foyer, a skylit well with a

glass stair provides daylight, access and a

visual connection to the lower level at the

point where the theatre’s existingbackstage

corridor meets the new building. At this

junction, a large new green-roomand staff

restaurant opens out to a south-facing

sunken garden terrace and, adjacent to this

social hub, staff offices also look into the

sunken court. On the east side of the new

building, a sound studio and two smaller

rehearsal rooms – one daylit fromthe

sunken garden and the other dark – extend

out under a newly created lawn.

The glassy large rehearsal hall provides a

ki l h f h

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lower level plan (scale approx 1:1000)

workingarea equal to the stage of the

Festival Theatre. Columns are pulled inboard

to create a circulation zone around the

perimeter, and adjustable fabric baffles at the

column line enable the roomto be blacked

out, acoustically dampened, and planned to

simulate different stage layouts. The space

has a lightinggrid and control roomat high

level as well as access for scenery and props

from a new loadingbay.

Much of the warmth and intimacy of the

Festival Theatre was created by its red brick

walls, brick pavers, cedar shingled roofs and

wood pergolas. This principle of using

untreated natural materials without applied

finishes both inside and out – which makes the

Theatre resonate strongly with the work of 764|10 [email protected] 290 -

Aalto and other Scandinavian Modernists –

has been continued in the new production

centre. Externally, the rehearsal room is clad

with copper to distinguish it from the theatre,

while the entrance lobby provides a

transitional piece between new and old. A

new expressed concrete structure is

integrated with brick walls and pavers that are

detailed to match the original theatre. The

double-height stairwell wall is clad with rift-

cut oak veneered panels with the grain

running horizontally. Partially wrapped by a

reflecting pool and pergola, the lobby is fully

glazed on the north and east, with views out

to the theatre and the Commons respectively.

Used by company and staff, this space also

serves as a members’ bar for theatre patrons

and as a venue for special events.

The courtyard between the existing and

new buildings provides the theatre with an

elegant outdoor room and new gardens to

complement the mature wisteria on the

pergolas of the theatre. The threshold to the

seemingly carved into deep, chamfered

copper-clad reveals, both to emphasize the

solidity of the brick volumes and to frame

the courtyard threshold.

The thoughtful relationship between the

two buildings is a seemingly effortless

resolution of complex operational

requirements. This is a scheme in which

voids – courtyard, lightwell and sunken

garden terrace – are as important as the

programme spaces. They not only bring

daylight generously into areas below ground

level, but also ingeniously connect back-of-

house with front-of-house, and old with new.

The simple strategy of designing circulation

so that one is always walking toward views of

landscape – both natural and designed –

humanizes the typically dark, maze-like

backstage spaces of the theatre. Combining

the green-room and restaurant provides

company and staff with a much-needed place

to meet, talk and socialize informally. Unlike

themanyrecentbuildingsthatcall for

SHAW FESTIVAL THEATRE

PRODUCTION CENTRE,

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE,

CANADA

A RCHITECT

LETT/SMITH ARCHITECTS

Architect

Lett/Smith Architects, Toronto

Project team

Peter Smith, Bill Lett Jr, Chris Lyons

Structural engineer

Chris Turner Associates

Mechanical engineer TMP Niagara

Landscape

Janet Rosenberg +Associates

Acoustics

Aercoustics Engineering

Theatre

Theater Consulting Group

Photographs

Ben Rahn




pergolas of the theatre. The threshold to the

space on the west facade of the buildings is

marked by a covered outdoor walkway and

the pavement lights that illuminate the lower

level corridor. Small windows to the box

office and the new building’s lobby are

the many recent buildings that call for

attention, the new production centre is quiet

and understated, allowing the Festival

Theatre to continue to play the starring role,

while at the same time providing fine new

facilities for staff and public alike.

8Looking back at new building fromold at dusk. Walkway is illuminatedby light from corridor below shiningup through glass blocks.

The Niigata Prefecture is to the east of Japan’s bigisla

runs fromthe sea to the high central backbone of the

mountains, up to five and a half metres of winter snow

literally submergingbuildings and the even youngtree

magnificent, scented evergreen forests. To allow the p

interpret and investigate the natural world, the Matsu

Natural History Museumhas been set up on the edge

overlookingmountains and meadow.

Takaharu & Yui Tezukahave made abuildingthat wri

east-west through the landscape in abrown, almost sm

steel skin. Entered fromthe south, the snake encloses a

gallery showingnatural and artificial worlds, areceptio

administration, alecture theatre and, as the snake’s hea

fromeast towest aposhcafeteriacalled‘theculinarya

MUSEUMOF NATURAL


NIIGATA, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TEZUKA ARCHITECTS

2




fromeast to west, aposh cafeteriacalled the culinary a

A rusted steel observation tower terminates the tail to climbed by energetic visitors to obtain magnificent view

to the mountains. At key moments in the plan, notably w

changes direction, great transparent panels are inserted

offeringmarvellous views into the forests surroundingt

mullionless transparent expanses are so big that they ca

be called windows; they are almost invisible thresholds

interior and the outside. They reinforce a feelingof heig

enhanced by the strange perspective tricks of the rout

SNOW BOUNDIn the high backbone of Japan, rusted steel super-

strong skin resists winter loads and thermal stresses.

site plan

1, 2Like a deserted industrial site or astrange animal, the museum snakesthrough itsclearingbetween forestand rice field.1 [email protected]

- 292 -

MUSEUMOF NATURAL


NIIGATA, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TEZUKA ARCHITECTS

1 entranceporch

2 h al l

3 reception

4 exhibition

5 special(butterfly) gallery

6 office

7 lavatories

8 laboratory

9 store

10 Kyororo hall

11 li

foot detail

eavesdetail

section showingprinciplesof heatingand ventilation

3Tadashi Kawamata’spathsand deck relate interior and nature …4... asdo the huge thick acrylic panels.

20

80

30

ÇPÇeÇkÅÅÇfÇkÅ{ÇVÇTÇO

206

320

4 0

75

125

a 75mm acrylicsheet

b plasterboard

c siteweldedC or-tensteelbacked

by70mm urethanefoam

d precast concretewithdust-proofpaint

e galvanizedgrating

3

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42|8

11 culinaryarts

12 stair to officesandstaffrest


4

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Architect

TezukaArchitects:

Takaharu Tezuka+Yui Tezuka

Associate architect

Masahiro Ikeda/MIAS

Project team

Takaharu Tezuka, Yui Tezuka, Miyoko Fujita,

Masafumi Harada, Masahiro Ikeda,

RyuyaMaio, Mayumi Miura, Taro Suwa,

Takahiro Nakano, Toshio Nishi,

Hirofumi Ono, Tomohiro Sato,

In winter, the temperature difference between inside and exterior isoften very great. And pressure fromdeep snow can be extraordinary

(dependingon the nature of the snow, how it fell, and how longit has

settled and so on). So the ‘thermally stable’ plates of rusted steel that

form the outer skin are 6mmthick, and are supported on a skeleton

of steel I beams. Skin and skeleton are designed to withstand

pressures of 1500kg/m2; the equally pressure resistant acrylic panels

are 75mmthick. All steel elements are thoroughly insulated. Inside,

there is a skin of plasterboard supported by a lightweight inner steel

skeleton. This white skin is separated from the main structure by a

generous cavity that acts as part of the ventilation and heatingsystem.

Warmair is injected alonggrilles in the polished concrete floors and

stale air is extracted through slots in the plasterboard at eaves level.

Heat is radiated to the interior through floor, walls and ceiling. In

summer, the systemcan be used to circulate coolingfresh air.

In winter, the museumprojects through the snow with its tapering

tower actingas a landmark and sign of civilization; it groans with

snow stresses. People look out into the surrounding banks of snow in

which a surprisingamount of life flour ishes below the surface. In

summer, the long brown snake slips alongthe contours of its semi-wild habitat, which is enhanced and intensified by timber paths and a

deck by Tadashi Kawamata. Fromsome points of view, the museum

seems like a picturesque long-abandoned industrial building, a mine

perhaps, in the middle of the countryside. Other aspects in different

seasons reveal a cave, a shelter amid the snow, a lighthouse, a

welcominghut in the forest. And of course always an animal: snake or

even fox. The museum’s complexity of possible readings and spatial

events enhance those of the natural world it sets out to interpret.

VERONICA PEASE

MUSEUMOF NATURAL


NIIGATA, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

TEZUKA ARCHITECTS

5

6

8

9




44|8

Makoto Takei, Hiroshi TomikawaMechanical engineer

Eiji Sato, KisakatsuHemmi/ESA ssociates

Landscape

ShunsukeHir ose/Fudo Keisei Ji musho

Photographs

KatsuhisaKi da

5Special collection.6Museum isintended to interpretlocal ecology.7Snow buildingup.8, 9Cranked plan causesperspectivalillusionsof explodingand shrinkingspace.7 [email protected]

- 294 -

The modern vogue for weddings

in unusual settings is also highly

popular in Japan. Since most

Japanese are not dogmatically

religious, tendingto cherry-pick

aspects of Buddhism, Shintoism

and Christianity, wedding

ceremonies are not so firmly tied

to particular places of worship.

Klein Dytham’s recently

completed Leaf Chapel in the

Yamanashi prefecture makes theforested landscape in the foothill s

of Japan’s southern alps the

appropriately inspiringsettingfor

the solemn rituals of matrimony.

Set in the grounds of abig

swish hotel (whose trade has

perked up markedly since the

chapel’s opening), the new

structure resembles an elongated

eyeball partly bunkered into the

ground overlookinga small

reflectingpool to the forest and

hills beyond. The intimate, cave-

like interior of the chapel is

screened by an ‘eyelid’, an

openable veil studded with 4700

acrylic lenses, punched into the

surface in aswirling leaf pattern.

When the eyelid is closed,

scintillatingpin-pricks of light

percolate through the lenses,

creatingmagical luminous

patterns and effects.

The movingeyelid/veil forms

an important part of the wedding

ritual. At the end of the weddingceremony, when the groomli fts

the bride’s veil, the veil of the

chapel also opens, revealingthe

ravishingpanoramaof nature

beyond. After the ceremony,

as the congregation walks out

across the pond to adrinks

area, the veil slowly closes so

that the chapel can be reset for

the next wedding. This also

cannily ensures aregular

throughput o f customers (not

surprisingly, the chapel has

proved immensely popular).

Though touched with Klein

Dytham’s signature playfulness –

the transparent backrests of the

chapel pews are printed with

green lollipop trees familiar from

an earlier scheme for Tokyo

department store Laforet (A R

October 2001) – this imaginative

little structure also evokes and

connects with wider Japanese

traditions, such as setting

buildings very precisely in thelandscape in order to frame and

define particular views. The light-

percolatingveil could also be

seen as acontemporary version

ofshoji screens. In any event, the

interaction of buildingand

landscape makes amemorable

beginningto the charms and

challenges of married life.

CATHERINE SLESSOR

Architect

KleinDytham,T okyo

Photographs

KatsuhisaKi da

1The chapel in use. It hasprovedphenomenally popular.2The luminousinterior with theperforated veil lifted and viewsof the framed landscape beyond.3Building and nature asone.

site plan


d e s i g n r e v i e w

1

3




Eye doA verdant forest landscape forms the backdrop

for this ingenious little Japanese wedding chapel. crosssection 51|9

WEDDING CHAPEL,

K OBUCHIZAWA , JAPAN

A RCHITECT

K LEIN D YTHAM 2 [email protected] 295 -

1Tomb speaksthrough light, spaceand materials. In foreground isonyxslab coveringcoffin entrance.

Spain, like Italy, maintains amost

distinguished tradition of tomb-

building, but in many places it is

becomingeroded by what Manuel

Clavel Rojo calls a‘kitch-esque

style’, with alanguage composed of

PVC door and window frames and

bathroomtiles ornamented by

plastic flowers and musical angels.

So when he was asked to make a

family mausoleumin the litt le LaAlbercacemetery in apine forest

on the edge of Murcia in south-east

Spain, Rojo was determined to

return dignity and simplicity to the

rites of burial and mourning. Yet he

did not want to fall into what he

considers to be the trap of wistful

Classicismlike Loos and Aalto with

their broken column grave stones.

The Murciatomb is orthogonal,

with no references to history; it

speaks through light, space and

materials. It is made of slate and

glass with abigwooden door, and

is fronted by asimple rusted steel

cross. Built on aslope, the tomb is

designed to enhance the vertical

dimension of the entrance

sequence that rises froma massive

slate base that emerges fromthe

hillside in rather the way that Peter

Zumthor’s thermal bath protrudesgeologically fromits Alpine incline

at Vals (AR August 1997).

The tomb chamber is entered at

the lower level through anarrow,

3.6mhigh door of solid wenge

wood which, once opened, reveals

ashaft of luminance fallingfromthe

tall translucent panel that rises

vertically in the upper part of the

entrance sequence. The panel is

made of thick sheets of glass laid

horizontally on top of each other

with slightly ragged edges that,

externally, give the glass atexture

that relates to the surrounding

slate blocks. Lookingup fromthe

doorway, an image of the metal

cross is discernible through the

translucent plane, while its shadow

is thrown on the thick glass when

the sun is in the right direction.

Rojo calls the platformon top of the slate block ‘an altar where

burial occurs’. It is of travertine,

penetrated by two slots. O ne is for

the internment ritual, in which the

coffin is lowered down into the

tomb-chamber, while the actual

insertion of the remains into their

niche is hidden fromabove. This

openingis closed by asolid slab of

Pakistani onyx, which can be slid in

and out of position.

DIGNITY IN DEATHImaginative understanding of materials makes this tomb a fitting set for rites of passage.




MAUSOLEUM, MURCIA,

SPAIN

A RCHITECT

MANUEL CLAVEL ROJO [email protected] 296 -

A shallow pool with aglass base is

formed in the other slot in the

travertine. Here, water is

continuously in motion, gently

pouringfromasmooth slot. So the

light that passes through the pool

to the underground chamber

flickers, in contrast to the more

constant luminance fromthe onyx

slab and the translucent vertical

glass panel. In daytime, the space isfilled with constantly changinglight,

areminder of the evanescent

nature of life in the constant, calm

presence of death. E. M.

Architect

Manuel C lavel Rojo

Project team

LuisC lavel,José Estrada,Jose Domingo Egea,

Antonio Victoria,Jose Antonio Abad,

MarmolesSantaCatalina,Cr istaleriaAcr iper

Photographs

All photographsbyJuandela CruzMegías,

apart fromno 4 whichis byDavidFrutosRuiz

2Visitors’ entrance isat lower levelwith huge translucent panel above.3Travertine podium isan altar forburial rites. In foreground coffin

entrance, beyond pool slot.4Chamber with light from onyx slab.5Crosswith pool behind.

1 niches

2 coffinentranceabove

3 poolabove

2 3

4 5

1

23

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60|8

MAUSOLEUM, MURCIA,

SPAIN

A RCHITECT

MANUEL CLAVEL ROJO axonometric section

plan of chamber (scale approx 1:100)

1


HOUSEAND RESTAURANT,

ONTARIO, CANADA

ARCHITECT

SHIM-SUTCLIFFE ARCHITECTS

Life in Stratford, Ontario

revolves around asummer

Shakespeare festival that was

started by Tyrone Guthrie in the

early 1950s and has become adrivingforce of the local

economy. In this setting, Rundles,

arestaurant housed in aformer

boathouse overlookingthe river,

has prospered and grown

incrementally over the last thirty

years under the watchful eye of

the same proprietor.

The most recent addition,

designed by Shim-Sutcliffe for an

adjacent site that was formerly a

small parkingarea, provides both

anew entrance to the restaurant

and aresidence. The boundary

between livingand workingis

marked by a20ft (6m) high site-

cast concrete wall that slices

obliquely between the

orthogonal volumes of the two

buildings. The angle of the wall

gives the restaurant more street

frontage, provides space for a

reconfigured entrance and

additional indoor and outdoor

seatingareas.

Passingasmall garden, patrons

enter into atoplit space with a

ramp up between the concrete

boundary wall and anew low wall

to the expanded diningarea.

Within this slot, guests can also

continue up to asmaller rear

diningroom, which looks out to

an existinggarden at the side. In

contrast with restaurant

entrance, the tapered sliver of

space created against the other

side of the concrete wall defines

the rear entrance to the house,

which is smaller in scale and

mysteriously illuminated by

isolated shafts of daylight. This

entrance makes it possible for the

proprietor to move discreetly

fromthe restaurant into the rear

garden and down into the sunken

double-height kitchen of the

dwelling.

This lowest level of the house is

cut into the slopingsite and is

formed by highly articulated site-

cast concrete that creates the

longouter face of the house, a

ramped parkingspace on the

street, and awater garden

outside the kitchen. The more

private areas of the dwellingare

held in atall, slender volume

perched on this concrete ground,

entered by awooden ramp. The

foyer is the base of adouble-

height toplit void, which captures

the sky at the heart of the house.

Vertical circulation moves

theatrically around and through

this void, connectingfloors on

alternatingsplit levels at the front

and rear of the ho

facingthe street a

section and open

void, while those

the rear garden a

intimate in scale a

fromview by scre

immaculately deta

and shiplap claddi

translucent glazed

this wooden skin m

S H I M F

I T

R u n d l e s R e s t a u r a n t a n d t o w e r h

o u s e i n a

r i v e r s i d e s e t t i n g i n S t r a t f o r d , O n t a r i o .

1The new residence iscement board r ainscby a single chimney awindowsto the bedr2... and the livingroom

2




80|10 crosssection through restaurant ramp and residence’slightwell longsection1

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6

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4

8

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reveals the silhouette of the stair

and the occupants of the house,

who are subsequently seen on

the bridge across the void leading

to the master bedroom or on the

landing that projects into the

kitchen. Although there are no

doors, each room has a clear

threshold marked by a change of

floor finish from the wooden

stair to carpet, stone or

concrete. Moving through the

house, unfolding views alternate

between pastoral river scenes

generously framed by windows

that slice open the front corners

fth h d l bli

HOUSE AND RESTAURANT,

ONTARIO, CANADA

A RCHITECT

SHIM-SUTCLIFFE ARCHITECTS

3 4




of the house and close-up obliqueviews of the informal backs of

adjacent buildings.

While at first glance the

construction of the new

concrete wall seems to define an

impenetrable boundary, the

relationship that it creates

between restaurant and dwelling

is both complex and malleable.

9

11

Designed as apermanent commemoration of the great peace of

Montreal negotiated by the French and the aboriginal people in 1701,

the First Nations Garden Pavilion in that city’s Botanical Gardens

creates aplace where visitors can learn about the cultures of Quebec’s

11 aboriginal nations and avenue for sharingFirst Nation wisdom.

Confronted with the problemof designingabuildingfor adiverse

group of people whose existence was traditionally focused on the

natural landscape, the architects chose first to study the land. Working

with the aboriginal communities, they selected asite alongapath in the

Botanical Gardens that marks the boundary between two forests – one

aconifer forest that was the ancestral home of groups includingthe

Naskapi, Cree, Innu and Algonquin and asecond, made up of deciduous

trees, where the Micmac, Malecite, Abenaki and others had

traditionally lived. Seekingto develop ascheme that captured the

significance of this route and boundary while retainingexistingtrees, a

long, thin r ibbon of space defined by aroof was envisaged as acasting

of the path. Warped to acknowledge land contours and the bed of an

existingstream, this roof was cast in concrete and lifted high into thetrees. Supported on slender randomly distributed columns of self-

rustingsteel, it forms acanopy threaded through the forest.

The new pavilion provides exhibition spaces with aconservation

workshop, offices, storage, shop and small meetingroomfor

educational programmes. To minimize the impact of this buildingin the

landscape, museumworkspaces and storage are below ground and the

other public spaces grouped in two small blocks at each end of the

canopy. The shop is housed within a light glassy pavilion above the

museumworkspaces. Screened with a mat of lashed tree branches that

FIRST NATIONSGARDEN PAVILION,

MONTREAL, CANADA

A R CHITECTS

SAUCIER +PERROTTE ARCHITECTES

To celebrate the cultures of the aboriginal peoples of Quebec and the natural landscapes in which they evolved,

this pavilion in the Montreal Botanical Garden evocatively enhances and responds to the woods in which it is set.

1

Buildingfollo

between map

spruce (right

2

Undulatingro

from land and

stream. Cast

onto rusted s

WINDING THROUGH THE WOODS

site plan




58|10 1 [email protected] 300 -

provide shadingalongthe south-west facade, it merges with the

surroundingforest and exploits the ambiguity of inside and out. At the

opposite end, ameetingroomis made with walls of rough shuttered

concrete and self-rustingsteel – materials that successfully embed it in

the ground. These moves reduce the apparent bulk of the new building

and leave the wisp-l ike canopy as the scheme’s predominant element.

The museumexhibits are planned in aseries of large free-standing

glass vitrines placed alongthe path and sheltered by the undulating

canopy. Emphasizingthe importance of the land, the designers have

focused the exhibits on the raw plant materials fromwhich everyday

objects such as baskets, hats, toys and other household objects were

traditionally made. These are collected to create an outdoor display

that is beautifully organized, clearly legible and carefully lighted. A birch

bark canoe, up-ended and set against a translucent screen of bir ch bark,

is viewed against the backdrop of the forest, alongside displays of other

significantexamplesofeverydayobjectsjuxtaposedwith screensofcranberries twigsandconessandwichedbetweensheetsofglass

roof plan and section

FIRST NATIONSGARDEN PAVILION,

MONTREAL, CANADA

A R CHITECTS

SAUCIER +PERROTTE ARCHITECTES

3, 4Concrete roof is cladcopper and providescabinets.5Ramp to lower level.6Exhibitsin display caemphasize importanaboriginal peoples.7Shop isabove museuscreened with lashed

1 bridge

2 boutique

3 storage4 t b l

3 4 6 7




60|10

ground floor

significant examples of everyday objects juxtaposed with screens of cranberries, twigs and cones sandwiched between sheets of glass.

By carefully scrutinizingthe formof the land and consideringits

particular significance to the First Nations’ people of the region, this

new pavilion radically transforms the programme of the buildingto

create an educational focus and adistinct place in afragment of forest

at the heart of the city. BRIAN CARTER

lower level (scale approx 1:500)

Architect

Saucier +Perr otte Architectes, Montreal

Project team

GillesSaucier, AndréPerrotte, AnnaBendix,

Maxime-AlexisFr appier, Christian Hébert,

Sergio Morales

Engineers

Genivar

Landscape

Will iamsAsselin Ackaoui et Associés

4 opento below

5 exterior exhibits

6 meetingarea

7 washroom

8 courtyard

9 interior exhibits

10 offices

11 kitchen

12 ramp


1

2

Going with the flow

To preserve the picture postcard

view over Lake Bled, an hour’s

drive from the Slovenian capital

of Ljubljana, the local authorities

insist that every building and tree

visible from the lake be preserved,

including a decrepit hillside villa

a company president bought for

the same enchanting view. He

decided to move his family here

from an apartment in the capital,invited several architects to make

proposals, and selected Ofis on

the recommendation of a friend.

It was an inspired choice,

for Ofis, though it had yet to

complete a building at that time,

had demonstrated a gift for

interweaving old and new and

creating fluid interconnecting

spaces. Rok Oman and Spela

Videcnik established their firm in

1995 after meeting at architecture

school in Ljubljana, and set

up a satellite office in London

when they went there for their

Master’s at the Architectural

Association. They soon began

winning competitions – for a

remodel of the Ljubljana City

Museum (which opened last year,AR December 2004), a cineplex

and stadium in the provincial city

of Maribor, and a ground-hugging

housing complex in Graz. Just

finished is an apartment block

with boldly modelled balconies on

the Istrian coast (AR April 2005).

Le Corbusier is cited as a major

source of inspiration.

In Bled, the challenge was to

create a generous addition that

could not be seen from acrossthe lake. Ofis decided to gut the

villa, lower the ground around it

by a storey, wrap new living spaces

around the exposed base, and

insert a staircase that would rise

through the central void to the

children’s bedrooms on the first

floor and the master suite on the

second. Permits were issued and

construction was almost complete

when the entire complex was

seriously damaged by fire. Work

resumed, and the ‘old’ villa is now

a replica that’s more solidly built

than the original.

Ofis has played up the hybrid

character of the 1200sqm house,

contrasting the plain walls and

gabled bays of the villa with the

fully glazed, round-corneredplenum that coils like a python

around its base. This is extruded

into a three-car garage that is half

buried and set at a right angle to

the house to define a forecourt.

Berms formed from the excavated

soil shield the entry facade; trees

screen the house from the lake,

except in winter, and the public

footpath is far below. This stealth

strategy paid off, giving the owners

openness and privacy.A simple plan is enriched by

shifts of level, a generosity of

scale, and a sense of procession.

The family go directly from

garage to kitchen, but guests

enter though a massive door

that is set at an angle to the

facade and into a long, enigmatic

gallery. Automatic sliding glass

doors open to a stepped bridge

over a fountain, which provides

a soothing murmur, and a moat

that reflects light up onto the

walls. You walk forward to the

open living area, which faces

south over a wood deck to

the lake. Steel columns and

expansive glazing provide a

vitrine for the inner structure

of iroko wood, which is usedconsistently for floors, ceiling

HOUSE, LAKE BLED, SLOVENIA

ARCHITECT

OFIS ARHITEKTI

Ramps and shallow stairs weave a spacious addition

into the fabric of a nineteenth-century villa.




86 | 11| 11 a r

h o u s e

site [email protected] 302 -

3

1 forecourt 2 garages 3 entrance hall 4 kitchen 5 dining 6 living 7 study 8 staircase 9 master bedroom 10 children’s bedrooms

2

1

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3

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first floor

second floor

and the cladding of rectangular

structural columns.

The feeling is that of a rather

grand yacht, which is appropriate

since the owners spend the

summers on their boat, and this

sensation is heightened by the

play of sunlight off the pool and

lake. Panels of studded leather

punctuate the panelling.

Ramps lead up to the raised

areas at either end. To the west,

the kitchen is partially enclosed

with a screen of translucent glass

plates and can be shut off by wood

sliders. The husband’s study and

library to the east has built-in

The ramps complement the gentle

sweep and broad treads of the

staircase, which is cantilevered out

into the central atrium. Children’s

bedrooms and bathrooms are laid

out symmetrically to either side,

and the parents’ suite occupies all

of the top floor, wrapping around

the stair hall. Three round-headed

windows in a gabled bay of the

villa frame views over the lake, and

you can step out onto a balcony

with a glass balustrade to immerse

yourself in nature. MICHAEL WEBB

Architect

Ofis Arhitekti, LjubljanaPh t h

HOUSE, LAKE BLED, SLOVENIA

ARCHITECT

OFIS ARHITEKTI




88 | 11| 11 4long section


cross section

library to the east has built in

cabinetry and massive book stacks.Photographs

Tomaz Gragoic

3Astth4T wthgtob




HISTORY

AND

MEMORYOne of Berlin’s great

cultural institutions

has been imaginatively

remodelled to connect

with the l ife of the city.

AKADEMIE DER K

BERLIN, GERMAN

ARCHITECT

BEHNISCH & PA




60 | 11| 11

1The greatglazed facadeof the newAkademie derKünste speaksof a welcomingsociability,binding the lifeof surroundingPariser Platzto the life ofthe [email protected]

- 305 -

The Akademie der Künste is a bit like the British Royal Academy except

that it involves a larger spectrum of arts, including literature, theatre,

film and dance as well a s painting, sculpture and architecture, and that it

draws its membership – currently 370 persons – from an international

field. Founded in 1696 under royal patronage, it had various homes

until 1907, when it took over the former Arnim Palace a t the corner of

Pariser Platz. In this central location, on Berlin’s east-west axis between

Unter den Linden and the Brandenburg Gate, it grew and flourished until

1937, when the arts were ousted in favour of Albert Speer’s office for t he

replanning of ‘Germania’. By the end of the War much of the building had

been destroyed, and as Pariser Platz lay close to the Wall of 1961 on theEastern side, it was reduced to a station for border guards.

Meanwhile, revived academies grew up in new homes separately in

the East a nd West sectors of the city, the Western one in a building by

Düttmann in the Hansaviertel. Only after reunification in 1989 could a

return to the original home be entertained, and only through combining

the East a nd West academies could it be achieved. The members

overcame their differences and accepted the necessary reduction in

numbers, so by 1993 a decision had been made t o return to the old site.

State funding was promised, a brief was drawn up, and a limited

competition was opened to the internationally distinguished architect

members, 18 of whom took part. Günter Behnisch stood aside from

the first stage, but after an indecisive outcome he decided to take

part in the second, and in 1994 an architectural jury led by Gabriel

Epstein was unanimous in declaring the Behnisch design the winner and

recommending its construction. Their choice was supported in style and

intention by representatives from all the other arts, seeming to point

the way to a happy future, but support from the city was less consistent.

Delays over permissions and struggles over funding were compounded

by contractual difficulties which is why we have had to wait until 2005 to

see the completion and opening of Behnisch’s building.

P Pl d f h b b f B l

typical: it used the existing three-storey Arnim Palace for offices and

meeting rooms, then filled the garden to the back with a large block of

top-lit exhibition halls, leaving only a narrow open space next to each

party wall. After the destruction of 1945 and subsequent clearing of

debris, these exhibition halls – protected by flanking rooms added by

Speer – were the only remains of the former square apart from the gate.

To maintain historical continuity and memory of t he institution it was

desirable to keep at least some of these exhibition rooms, and now that

art often consists of installations and performances rather than painting,

artists seem to prefer a dialogue with an existing place rather than being

framed inescapably by the white room of the architect. But retention ofthe old chain of rooms was not easy. Taking more than half the length

of the site, they ran down the middle, and their roof lights required

void overhead. With its many departments, meeting spaces, offices, and

archives, the Akademie constituted quite a lar ge programme, constrained

by party walls each side, building lines to front and rear, and a height limit

respecting the Brandenburg Gate. The site could have been filled with

artificially lit and air-conditioned floors like a huge open-plan office, but

to meet the accommodat ion requirements in a civilised way, giving people

daylight, views, air and visible spatial progressions, demanded ingenious

exploitation of every opportunity for t ransparency.

Accepting the central string of galleries, Behnisch chose to make a

relatively open block fronting the square for t he ceremonial and public

parts, and a more solid south block to rear for the archives. These set up

a fruitful contrast, for while the archive block was to be a straightforward

piece of rational modern building with solid and repetitive floors, offices

to the facade, and storage within, the front block varied in storey height

and took diagonal slices across the plan, varying from one level to the

next. This allowed a series of stairs to develop irregularly in the well

behind, setting up a rotation in the space. The ascent from level to

level was to be a drama and a discovery, with ever-changing views into

h b h d ll b k h h h P Pl d

AKADEMIE DER K ÜNSTE,

BERLIN, GERMANY

ARCHITECT

BEHNISCH & PARTNER

2

3




62 | 11| 11

Pariser Platz originated as part of the new western suburb of Berlin

laid out on a rectangular grid for Friedrich Wilhelm the First of Prussia in

1733. It was par t of a processional route used for victory parades, and

the name Pariser Platz commemorated victory over Napoleon in 1814.

The west side, as main gate, was always the most formal and symmetrical,

and the Brandenburg Gate as we know it today was added in 1789.

The rest of the square, when first laid out in the 1730s, was fronted

by noblemen’s palaces in two grand stories with Classical orders and

mansards, though irregularly grouped and with varying plot widths. Long

deep sites left room for generous gardens behind.

As the city grew in the nineteenth century, the peripheral position

became central, and the buildings exchanged their domestic roles for

institutional ones. Density of accommodat ion increased, provoking

expansion upwards and rearwards into gardens. The Akademie was

the spaces behind as well as back through to the Pariser Platz, and a

generous open terrace in the middle. Its floors would carry the principal

elements of the Akademie: on the ground, foyer and book sales; on first,

the reading room for a rchive material; on second, main lecture hall; and

on third, presidential offices. The fourth rooftop level with glass roof and

open terrace with views of Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate has become

the members’ bar. In plans of the developing design, the specific features

of each floor varied, but the contrast between floors in shape, height and

layout was retained, and the stairwell with its many diagonals remained

the vertical visual link.

Having determined the destiny of back a nd front, there remained

the question of the sides. The solid party wall to the west backing onto

Frank Gehry’s DG Bank (AR August 2001) could take a single row of

offices at three upper levels, looking out over the galleries and fed by

2Hemmed in between theAdlon Hotel (left) and FrankGehry’s DG Bank (right),Behnisch’s controversialglazed skin is a rare momentof lightness amid PariserPlatz’s po-faced historicism.3To the rear,the build ingbecomes more expressive.4The glazed winter garden-style passage linking theAkademie’s front and reardepartments.At groundlevel,this is a public [email protected]

- 306 -

1 entrance from Pariser Platz 2 bookshop 3 original hall 4 refurbished original galleries 5 entrance from Behrenstrasse 6 store 7 delivery access 8 public access and winter garden 9 Hotel Adlon10 reading room 11 bridge link 12 atrium 13 plenary chamber 14 sculpture garden 15 offices 16 roof of exhibition halls 17 members’ bar 18 terrace

5Networks of stairs, terracesand landings provide pointsfor informal interaction.6Entrance hall,with flyingbridges and staircases.7The convivial members’ barat top floor level,with viewsover Pariser Platz.8One of the original core ofgallery spaces.

first floor fourth floor

5

6 7

8


BERLIN, GERMANY

ARCHITECT

BEHNISCH & PARTNER

4

4

4

4

9 7

6

9

5

8

15

9

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10

11

15

9

12

18

179

14

15

9

16

12




64 | 11| 11 ground floor plan (scale approx 1:750) second floor original 1907 plan

1

12

2

3

6

13

9

14

12


a corridor behind. On the east, by contrast, the rebuilt Adlon hotel

already presented a windowed facade a short distance away, and was

best left open. This was the obvious place for a t hrough pedestrian street

that links Pariser Platz to Behrenstrasse and the Holocaust Monument

beyond (AR July 2005). This public space remains open from dawn to

dusk, lit by a glass roof. It contains the Akademie’s public café on a slightly

raised level, for the floor slopes gently up from one side and down to the

other. To link the Akademie’s front and rear departments more directly

outside the public realm, a pier-like passage was added, linked to the mainstair system and suspended within the space at first floor level.

Behnisch is well known for his flowing spaces and his belief in

transparency, and the whole idea of the Bonn Parliament (AR March

1993) was to create a parliamentary chamber visually open to the

outside world, letting the public see the debate and members see the

Rhine. In the history of German architecture, this concept of a glass

palace reaches back to the Expressionist period and to the dreams of a

glass architecture flaunted in the drawings o f Bruno Taut and the poems

of Paul Scheerbart, sources acknowledged by Behnisch and Durth.*

In the case of the Akademie, the contained site and dense programme

necessitated the elimination of as many solid walls as possible, and

the building’s public role required not only that the foyer seem open

and inviting, but that the main functions appear behind an open facade.

Other architect members submitting designs to the competition had

also envisaged heavily glazed facades, so it came as a shock when t his

assumed freedom to exploit the unrestricted face of the site was

refused. Following a town-planning concept of the early 1990s, a law had

been passed in 1993 compelling all facades on Pariser Platz to be clad

in yellow or grey stone with window holes showing the same ratio of

solid to void as the Brandenburg Gate. The Akademie assumed that this

law would be negotiable and the glass facade was adjusted in detail to

Eventually Behnisch won his case, but building was delayed three years,

and the financial situation became in consequence more difficult.

Fearing that it would run out of money, the Berlin Senate decided

to sell off the part of the site intended for the archive block, moving

the archives instead to a deep basement under the front. This policy

backfired, for difficult ground conditions meant cost increases, reducing

the value of the sale. Further delays and cost increases were caused

when the general contractor appointed by the Senate went bust. The

intended archive block has been built to Behnisch’s general plan, but byother architects and for other uses, compromising the Behrenstrasse

facade and removing the main justification of the pier-like link. Also lost

is the continuity through layers from street to street and the intended

contrast between the ordinary back and more dramatic front.

Fortunately little sense of the delays and struggles persists into the

completed building. As the only public building in the square and as a

primary representative institution for the arts in Berlin, it seems apt

that the Akademie be open and inviting. Its penetrability, declared in

the through-street and friendly top-lit café, give new life to a rather

po-faced square that desperately needs it. Events taking place within

can be witnessed from without, especially at night, binding the life of

the square to the life of the institution. All would have been hopelessly

constrained by a stone mask. The feeling in the plenary chamber or in

the member’s bar of being ‘on the square’ would also have disappeared.

The constraint of the facades only teaches us, once again, that

aesthetic quality cannot be assured by decree and is not achieved

through materials and regulating lines, even if plot lines and height

restrictions are essential. Memory – of cities, institutions, and buildings

– matters, but is always subject to selection a nd interpretat ion, and a

good architect is needed for a creative dialogue. Behnisch’s choice to

concentrate on the old exhibition halls as the heart of the institution


BERLIN, GERMANY

ARCHITECT

BEHNISC

H & BEHNISCH


BERLIN, GERMANY

ARCHITECT

BEHNISCH & PARTNER

long section looking east




66 | 11| 11

law would be negotiable, and the glass facade was adjusted in detail to

satisfy the authorities. After much discussion, permission was granted in

December 1995, but it was rapidly rescinded after local elections, for a

new conservative politician had taken over building policy.

Although Behnisch has always tended to make the most of

contingencies, he considered the facade rule ill-founded and threatening

to the whole social identity of his project. He argued that stone facades

with vertical window holes had been an inevitable part of nineteenth-

century technology, but that in a framed building t hey make no sense.

With the full backing of t he Akademie he challenged the law, working

with the German historian Werner Durth to produce further revised

facade versions. These correctly restated the divisions and proportions

of the Akademie’s old front to strengthen the historical argument, but

remained predominantly glazed.

concentrate on the old exhibition halls as the heart of the institution

was a more profound act of memory than facade rules read into

historical evidence by modern bureaucrats. PETER BLUNDELL JONES

*The story of the struggle over the building’s style is recorded in the book Berlin Pariser Platz by

Günter Behnisch and Werner Durth, published for the Akademie by Jovis, Berlin 2005 (German with

English summaries).

Architect

Behnisch & Partner,Stuttgart,

with Werner Durth

Photographs

Werner Huthmacher/artur except nos

1 & 4 by Jürgen Henkelman/artur

9Deck leading out to thesculpture garden beyond.Lightcascades through the kinkedatrium space that unites thevarious floors and activities. [email protected]

- 308 -

LUNCH BOX

The centre of Oxford is a three-dimensional palimpsest. Many of

the quadrangles and gardens date back to medieval times, when the

colleges were religious foundations and all the dons in holy orders.

Since then, the buildings have been altered and added to, generation

by generation, often by the best architects of the day, so the whole

intricate interlocked fabric is a commentary on English architecture

from medieval to modern times.

St John’s is not one of the oldest colleges, but it is the richest. It

was founded in 1555 by Thomas White, a London merchant, who left

it very well endowed with property (among much else, it owns many

of the pubs in central Oxford). It was formed on and around the

Cistercian monastery of St Bernard, dissolved in the early 1540s as

one of the last victims of Henry VIII’s policy of seizing the assets of

the great monastic institutions.

In the twentieth century, having wealth and a lot of land from

having carefully looked after White’s bequest, it was natural that the

college should expand, and there have been several major building

projects. MacCormac Jamieson & Prichard have much experience

of building for Oxford and Cambridge colleges and in the early

’90s the office was chosen to design the Garden Quadrangle, a

reinterpretation for the late twentieth century of traditional student

accommodation set round a raised secret garden over an auditorium

and dining hall (AR October 1994).

The quad has worked well, so when ever increasing numbers of

fellows caused the college to decide to extend its Senior Common

Room (SCR) with new dining and social spaces, Richard MacCormac

was given the job. While St John’s has large grounds, they are

precious, and the site for the extension was constricted, between

the President’s garden and the existing SCR building (parts are

seventeenth century, and the whole is listed as a historic building

Grade 1).MacCormac’s extension replaces one built in the early 1950s

by David Booth and Judith Lederboer to the east side of the

seventeenth- and eighteenth-century parts. Stone-faced over

a concrete structure, the Booth and Lederboer building was a

chokingly buttoned-up, po-faced compromise between neo-Georgian

and Modernism (AR November 1957). Its disappearance can scarcely

be mourned. The new piece could not be more different. At first

floor level, it cantilevers eastward toward the President’s garden as

a simple and elegant glass box. All along the east side of the floor

is an external slatted screen of oak shutters supported on a semi-

independent frame of oak members flitched to stainless-steel splines.

This device serves two purposes: in the morning, shutters are

closed and protect the east-facing glass box from the sun; later in the

day, shutters are opened mechanically until they stand at right angles

to the glass facade. From the inside, the arrangement frames the

medieval garden between fins, intensifying the relationship between

the new lunch room and the trees over the ancient green space,

COLLEGE E

OXFORD, E

ARCHITECT

MACCORMA

& PRICHAR




54 | 11| 11

U C OThis addition to an Oxford College elegantly

extends the historic continuum.

1

1The new extensionis a simple glazedbox housed withinan external screenof oak shutters. [email protected]

- 309 -

ground floor plan (scale approx 1:500) second floor

diagram of historical evolution

1 sitting room 2 kitchen

3 servery

2

3

4 5

1

2

66

6 6

5

COLLEGE EXTENSION,

OXFORD, ENGLAND

ARCHITECT

MACCORMAC JAMIESON

& PRICHARD

2Detail of the layered facade.3The new sitting room over-looks a narrow garden.4Linking stair between sittingand lunch rooms.5The generous,luminous newlunch room,which can seatan extra 36 places.




56 | 11| 11 location plan first floor

3 servery 4 lunch room 5 terrace 6 existing rooms

4

3 3

6 6


cross section

6

while protecting (to some extent) the president’s privacy – one ofthe reasons why the ’50s extension was so buttoned up was that the

then president was much less generous, and required fenestration of

the east front to be kept to a minimum.

The new lunch room is deep in plan, and the back of the space,

away from the great east window, is illuminated in daytime by

light slots along the north and south sides that pour luminance

down the oak panelled walls à la Soane. (There is further homage

to Soane in the SCR antechamber designed in 1980 with a shallow

saucer dome by the distinguished architectural historian Howard

Colvin, a fellow of the college.) The new lunch room is big enough

to offer 36 new dining places, and its specially designed furniture

can be reconfigured to provide a formal meeting place for senior

members of the college. Joinery of the furniture and the room

itself is immaculate. So is the wide oak balustrade that edges the

room inside the glass wall, helps to provide gentle visual transition

between room and garden, and prevents diners looking straight

down into the President’s garden.

The lunch room is the focus of the new addition. Existing stairs

have been supplemented by new lifts, and new kitchens have been

knitted in on the ground floor. Under the cantilever is a new sittingroom, which looks out east across a slender garden and straight into

COLLEGE EXTENSION,

OXFORD, ENGLAND

ARCHITECT

MACCORMAC JAMIESON

& PRICHARD

6Shutters and glazingfilter the light.7The elegant,legiblebox adds to thehistoric continuum ofthe college.




58 | 3 7

a tall newly-planted, impenetrable evergreen hedge that protects the

President’s privacy at ground level. On the second floor is a terrace

that serves another communal sitting room and rooms for visiting

fellows. By being drawn back from the edge of the building, the

terrace does not intrude on the President and his garden.

Such sensitive and nuanced understanding of geometry, locus,

history and the craft of building gives the little place great subtlety,

and makes it an enriching addition to Oxford’s three-dimensional

historic palimpsest. PETER DAVEY

Architect

MacCormac Jamieson & Prichard, London

Photographs

Peter Durant/arcblue [email protected] 311 -

The Belzec Cemetery continues a

powerful tradition of monuments

that literally build upon the horror

of past events. Instead of shying

away fromthe scale of the atrocity– be it akillingfield, abattlefield,

new life. Avoidingconventional,

religious or morbid symbolism,

sculptors, fine artists, poets and

architects trace lines of meaning

within the landscape to plot theirstory through space.

Followinga design

1997, sculptors An

Zdzislaw Pidek and

Roszczyk set abou

the six-hectare sitewith architects fro

CEMETERY , BELZEC, POLAND

A RCHITECT

DDJM

ASHES TO ASHESArtists and architects collaborate to create a powerful, sobering memor

1 3

2




the site of amassacre or in this

case the site of aformer N azi death

camp – such monuments reuse

often vast areas of land in an

attempt to freeze history, cast in

stone the scale of lost life, and to

make somethingstrangely beautiful

and movingfromsomethingthat

derives fromabsolute evil.

Hauntingand mysterious, such

places use abstract expressionism

to capture negative energy and

transformit into somethingwith

Here in 1942, at Belzec, south

west of Tomaszów Lubelski, a

former Nazi work camp was

turned into asix-hectare death

camp. Almost unfathomably, during

the 9-month period that year from

March to December, over 600 000

people were murdered; Jews from

the south Polish ghettos, Bohemia

and Germany together with Poles

accused of aidingthe Jews were

amongthe victims. Only two

people ever escaped.

developed compe

scheme comprised

the monument, am

and an exhibition.

The dominant fo

monument occupi

large rectangular s

an oblique crevice

dissects the monum

ground. The path c

gently risingsurfac

cemetery, ablack a

within which mass

1The cemetery museum buildingsitsdiscretely behind the boundary wall.2Entering through the boundary wallthe axial viewisframed through theburial field toward the memorial wall.3The inlaid cast-iron relief, the Square,markst he entrance of the burial [email protected]

- 312 -

marked as ghost-like territories

with subtly differentiated grades of

material (blast furnace slagmixed

with cinders and barren soil).

Defined at one end by the Square, a

cast-iron relief set flush in the

ground which marks the entranceto the burial ground, the path

t i t i t l li ht

lost without trace. Passing

thresholds that draw lines between

life and death, most are reduced to

silence before beingconfronted by

the imposinggranite screen wall. A

structure that in its relief recalls

the blood spilt and the familiarpatinaof bullet-peppered walls.

St di it thi ll

alow-lying2mhigh structure that

forms part of the southernmost

boundary wall, the unadorned

bunker-l ike structure cuts into the

ground to contain, amongaseries

of more conventional exhibition

spaces, an empty and hauntingreinforced-concrete Void-Hall; a

hi h t ithth

site plan (scale approx 1:2000)

north/south section through burial field

plan of museum

section through museum building

1 entrance

2 ramp

3 museum building

4 the Square

5 burialground

6 crevice

7 stonewall

8 niche

4Crevice leadingto memorial wall.5Niche opposite memorial wallengraved with namesof individualskilled.

4

5

5

7

8 8

6

5

4

1

2 32 3




terminates in amonumental light-

hued granite wall; aspatial

sequence that engulfs visitors as

they approach the wall, cutting

through the burial field that rises to

adwarfing9mheight. Walking

between concrete walls, cast

against rough earth as shuttering

and topped with bucklingsteel

reinforcement bars, visitors

disappear into the unknown in a

symbolic journey that recalls the

death of the thousands who were

Standingopposite this wall,

polished concrete niches are

covered with the names of victims.

Names also frame the burial field as

alow wall forms ahorizontal stone

frieze that chronologically lists

Jewish communes recallingthe

sequence of transports.

With these powerful layers of

meaningset within amuted yet

dramatic reconstructed landscape,

you could very easily miss the

cemetery’s museumbuilding. Set in

space which resonates with the

isolation, pain and ultimate death of

millions of lost souls; and more

specifically the hundreds of

thousands of people who died on

this very site. ROB GREGORY

Artists

Andrzej Solyga, Zdzislaw Pidek,

MarcinRoszczyk

Architect

DDJM Biuro Architektoniczne:Marek

Dunikowski, Piotr Czerwinski, Piotr Uherek

Photographs

WojciechK rynski56|1

CEMETERY , BELZEC,

POLAND

A RCHITECT

DDJM [email protected] 313 -

When designinghouses for their

own use, architects are usually

more able to succumb to the

pleasures and perils o f self-

expression with sometimes

intriguing, sometimes dismaying

results. This new house in Kobe

falls into the former category.

Buildingany sort of dwellingin

Japan’s overcrowded cities is a

challenge, met here with no little

ingenuity by Hiroaki Ohtani, who

has designed and built a house

for himself and his family in the

heart of Kobe. Ohtani found a

characteristically tight site, only

33sqmin footprint and barely 3m

wide, hemmed in between two

existinghouses. The lack of

space and limited access

precluded the use of elaborate

construction equipment, so the

programme assumed an even

more formidable dimension.

Ohtani’s response was to

create an exquisitely ascetic

concrete and timber casket that

slots precisely into the cramped

space. Wi thin this domestic

receptacle are spaces for study,

sleeping, washing, living and

diningstacked up with theprecision of a Chinese puzzle and

linked by disarmingly vertiginous

flights of stairs seemingly

hijacked fromthe illusionistic

imagination of M. C. Escher.

To maximize every scrap of

space, the house is set back

slightly fromthe street, creating

atiny enclosed entrance patio

planted with asingle tree,

signifyingthe boundary of a

private domain. Horizontal

concrete slats wrap around the

patio and frame ahuge glazed

openingcut into the street

frontage. The slatted fence and

tree conspired to screen the

interior of the house fromthe

attentions of the street.

The sleepingfloor is raised

slightly above street level with a

diningcumstudy roomand

bathroomsunk slightly below it.

The topmost floor contains an

integrated livingand kitchen

space, its soaringvolume

illuminated by the glazed street

facade and an openingcut into

the roof above the staircase that

filters shafts of light into the long

deep plan. A smaller (but

steeper) secondary staircase

leads up fromthe livingareato a

roof terrace.

Because site conditions limited

mechanical construction, Ohtani

used pre-stressed concrete

strips laid horizontally by hand to

formthe enclosingwalls. The

technique recalls logcabin

ConcretecasketThis family house maximizes atight urban site to create a dramatic internal realm.

HOUSE, K OBE, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

HIROAKI OHTANI

a

r

h o u s e

2

arjan05housed one 8/3/05 10:42 am Pa ge 80




1Occupying a sliver of space in centralKobe, the house istightly hemmedin by itsneighbours.2A tree and slatted fence demarcatethe private realm.80|10

Concrete casketThis family house maximizes a tight urban site to create a dramatic internal realm.

1


building(walls are constructed

with no vertical members) and

traditional J apanese structures

which employ horizontal str ips

of timber. Stair treads, shelves

and other fixtures and fittings are

simply slotted in between the

precast members.

Within this slatted concrete

box, everythingis pared down to

its utter minimum. Stairs, for

instance, are simply a series of

timber treads without the pesky

encumbrance of risers,

balustrades or handrails. This

certainly contrives to open up

the interior and encourage

spatial interpenetration, but

vertical circulation is not for the

faint-hearted (Ohtani and his

wife have asix year old daughterwho must be especially fearless).

Warmtimber floors and

f it t ff th li htl

austere concrete walls, so the

entire house has apowerful

elemental quality derived from a

limited palette of materials

animated by the play of light.

Ohtani consciously rejects the

clutter of the world; as he puts it

‘Lack of things can create arich

lifestyle’, and his admirable if

somewhat rigorous personal

proscriptions include not owning

acar, television, microwave,

curtain, fax and ‘alarge

refrigerator’. His ingenious little

house, which in its use of space

and materials has lessons for

buildingon tight urban sites

everywhere, is an eloquent

manifestation of this philosophy.

PHOEBE CHOW

Architect

Hiroaki Ohtani

Photographs

HOUSE, K OBE, JAPAN

A RCHITECT

HIROAKI OHTANI

site plan longsection

crosssection

first floor

ground floor (entrance level)

3 5

4 6

1 bathroom

2 dining/study

3 bedroom

4 kitchen

5 living

6 stairsto terrace

3

6

5

4

arjan05housed one 8/3/05 10:43 am Pa ge 82




furniture set off the slightly Kouji Okamoto

882|1 lower ground floor plan (scale approx 1:125)

3The longnarrow volume of theinterior is gently washed with li ght.4Formal dining and study space onthe lower ground floor.5Living area, with staircase leadingupto the roof terrace.6Minimal stairs are simply slottedinto the concrete walls.

12


Building in the Holy Land is underscored by both the w

ancient religions and the more unforgivingcontempora

conflict, politics and culture. Bethlehem, the site of Jesu

one of the most sacred places in Christendom, is today

hillside town in Israel’s West Bank, nominally under Pa

jurisdiction as one of a disparate patchwork of autono

Palestinian territories. Populated mainly by Muslims, w

minority, it scrapes by on fitful bouts of religious touris

the birthplace of KingDavid), but this has waned in the

recent Palestinian suicide bombingcampaigns.

Though like much of the region, Bethlehem’s wider f

remains uncertain, the turn of the millenniummarked a

milestone in the town’s history and set the authorities

what they could do to upgrade Bethlehem’s dilapidate

to improve conditions for the local population and also

encourage tourism. As well as undertakinga programm

infrastructural improvements, the town’s most import

alleys and squares have been renovated.

As part of this programme, Finnish architect Juha Leiv

invited to design an annexe to the Dar al-Kalima Acade

centre of town. The Academy operates under the ausp

local Finnish Lutheran church, but its remit is to promo

and understandingbetween people of different religiou

backgrounds and support the folk culture of Palestine. T

aims have the wider backingof the Finnish Foreign Min

financed the project and oversaw a national architectu

to find a suitable scheme.

Leiviskä is known for his distinctively spare yet highly

architecture, much of it for religious programmes. His m

succeed bril liantly in capturinga powerful sense of the

contemporary language. Here the challenge was to tac

and enhance an existingcomplex shoehorned into a tig

dominated at the north end by the existingLutheran c

virtue out of adversity, Leiviskä exploits the height diffe

the site to create a series of terraces that maintain and

connections between new and existingelements, so thways, the scheme is like a town in microcosm, with a v

spaces and views generated by the tight grain of the arc

CULTURALCENTRE,BETHLEHEM, ISRAEL

A RCHITECT

JUHA LEIVISKÄ

2




38|1

Leiviskä admits to being influenced by the denseness

informality of the historic surroundings, qualities which

formand organization of the new parts. Pale local sand

to clad the crisp cubic volumes (its use in Bethlehem’s

obligatory), fur ther underscoringthe sense of place, th

1Clad in pale local sandstone, thenew cultural complex nestlesinto atight urban site next to the FinnishLutheran church.2The undulatingtopography of modern Bethlehem.

CULTURAL CONNECTIONSThis cultural centre in Bethlehem sensitively connects with and invigorates the physical and social life of the town.

1


site plan

axonometric projection

first floor

ground floor (entrance level)

1 crypt ofLutheranchurch

2 courtyard

3 foyer

4 performancehall

5 stage

6 dressingrooms

7 technicalfacilities

8 lounge

9 entrancehall

10 terrace

11 bar

12 reception

13 restaurant

14 kitchen

3

4




40|1 lower ground floor plan (scale approx 1:500)

3The crisp geometry of theextension resembles a town inmicrocosm.4Terraces extend and enhance theinternal spaces.


A RCHITECT

JUHA LEIVISKÄ [email protected] 317 -


A RCHITECT

JUHA LEIVISKÄ

in which Leiviskä applies it, as a thin facingskin, around 30mmthick

rather than loadbearingblocks, is an innovation for the context.

Leiviskä’s sharp-edged stone is precisely cut and finely jointed, unlike

massive, more traditional loadbearingstructures.

The focus of the complex is a 300 seat hall for concerts, drama and

meetings, givingthe centre a new impetus for public performances

and also encouraginggeneral engagement with the li fe of the town.

Sunk below the level of the original courtyard and entrance level, the

hall is duginto the site. This resolves circulation problems by opening

up a route below the old building to a group of small courtyards at

the north end of the site. The route threads through and terminates

in the crypt of the Lutheran church where the cultural centre wasoriginally housed. Carving out and openingup spaces creates a fertile

reciprocity between old and new, as well as rationalizingcir culation

for the entire complex. In a subtle sleight of hand, by pulling one edge

of the hall back fromthe site border, Leiviskä also manages to

preserve a quartet of ancient pine trees on the south-east edge of the

site. The trees provide welcome shade to the hugger mugger

geometry of cubic volumes and terr aces.

The main entrance to the new buildingis on the east side,

connectingwith a lounge at intermediate level between the theatre

below and a restaurant above. The volumes of the lounge and

restaurant are progressively pulled back on their western edges,

creatinga staggered facade rhythmically animated by balconies and

horizontal brise soleil, which throw a pattern of deep shadows across

the stone and glass facades.

Each level connects with outside space, so dissolvingthe

boundaries between interior and exterior, and alluding to the

traditional formof Middle Eastern buildings, with their intimate

internal realms, often animated by greenery and water. At the

topmost restaurant level, the tall pine trees act as natural parasols,

while plantingis intended to trail up the fin-like wall projections to

engulf the overhangingbrise soleil, enhancingshade, filteringdaylight

and softeningthe building’s orthogonal contours.

Internally, spaces are ascetically detailed with pale stone floors and

walls. Blond wood furniture imparts an aura of calmness and

Scandinavian civility. Glazed alongits western side, the new

performance hall is a dignified, double-height space that irresistibly

recalls Leiviskä’s simple, solemn church interiors, with cool white

walls, tall windows, suspended light fittings, no seatingrake and a

small r aised prosceniumstage at one end. And though the religious

connection may be obvious, it is also appropriate, since the new

building physically adds to an existingchurch and hopefully, despite its

deeply troubled and uncertain context, can act as greater unifying

force for good. CAT HERINE SLESSOR

Architect JuhaLeiviskä

Photographs Jari Heikkinen

5Greener y softensthe stone.6The new performance hall,which can be used for a range of cultural and social activities.7The church-like interior.

5

6 7




42|1 longsection [email protected] 318 -

Royal Academy Forum

Robert HewisonRuskin famously said that, ‘the teaching of art is the teaching of allthings’, setting his pupils at the London Working Men’s College the taskof representing, by drawing, a white sphere by shading only. It had to

be done in a particularly Ruskinian way, not as an outline, but byshading, so that the shape of the sphere emerges as the paper darkens. The illustrations with this paper are selected from drawings members of the audience made during the talk.

Ruskin’s commentary on this exercise was, ‘It has been objected thata circle, or the outline of a sphere, is one of the most difficult of all linesto draw. It is so; but I do not want it to be drawn. All that this study of the ball is to teach the pupil, is the way in which shade gives theappearance of projection. This he learns most satisfactorily from asphere; because any solid form, terminated by straight lines or flat

surfaces, owes some of its appearance of projection to its perspective;but inasphere,what,withoutshade,wasaflatcirclebecomesmerely

way both to instil that discipline and test the accuracy of a person’perception was through the practice of drawing. He believed, howeverthat accurate perception, refined by the practice of drawing, was morethan an exercise for the eye, it was also a facility for the mind. Speaking

at the opening of St Martin’s School of Art in London in 1857, he toldthe students that, ‘Drawing enabled them to say what they could nootherwise say; and ... drawing enabled them to see what they could nootherwise see. By drawing they actually obtained a power of the eye ana power of the mind wholly different from that known to any othediscipline’. This remark is significant when we consider recent investigations o

visual cognition, which show that the eye and the brain wordynamically together, and that vision is active engagement, not passivreception. Semir Zeki, Professor of Neurobiology at Londo

University, argues in his book Inner Vision: An Exploration of Art and thBrain thatone‘sees’withthebrain,not theeye,andthatwhathecal




but in a sphere, what, without shade, was a flat circle becomes merelyby the added shade, the image of a solid ball; and this fact is just asstriking to the learner, whether his circular outlines be true or false. Heis, therefore, never allowed to trouble himself about it; if he makes theball look as oval as an egg, the degree of error is simply pointed out tohim, and he does better next time, and better still the next. But his mindis always fixed on the gradation of shade, and the outline left to take, indue time, care of itself’.

Brain that one sees with the brain, not the eye, and that what he cal‘the visual brain’ is involved in a process of comparing and sorting thaamounts to understanding. Ruskin seems to have anticipated this idewhen he wrote that sight was a great deal more than the passivreception of visual stimuli, it was ‘an absolutely spiritual phenomenonaccurately, and only to be so defined: and the “Let there be light” is amuch, when you understand it, the ordering of intelligence as thordering of vision’. For Ruskin, to achieve a clarity and nicety of vision

Royal Academy Forum

create allusion and resonance. On this imaginary field, memoriesgather and grow by association and proximity. In Western painting,the field comes to develop separate spaces: foreground, middle

distance, background. Each has its own defining archetypes of colour, character, story and form.

We sense the existence of this implicit format most strongly inPoussin ClaudeandthesubsequentdevelopmentofthePicturesque

concrete and the objective. Simplicity is synonymouOnly theeveryday (alwaysthestreet and never thepala

In thecaseof the first generation of American abstra

asRothko and Clifford Still , a grand and brave simpachieved. But I would arguethat their work isstill (intouch and dependent on art historical memory and rformermodel Atsuchcloserange(50years)theiraesth

images so as to establish a constant version of the things that passpartially and fleetingly before us. What we have seen influenceswhatwenow see. What wehavebeen taught to seeshapesour vision. And as

weseewealso feel and think. Ruskin believed that theunconscious, orsemi-consciousideasthat comeaswelook at thingscould interferewiththe truth of our perception. In cultural terms, people’s eyes can becorrupted by conventionsof onekind or another, most especially by theways in which they are taught to see. That is why Ruskin stood outagainst not only theconventional tastesthat rejected thefresh visionsfirst of Turner and then of the Pre-Raphaelites, but all three of theprincipal meansby which visual perception wasformally shaped in thenineteenth century.

First, he learned to reject the gentlemanly amateur tradition of thePicturesque, the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-centurywatercolour landscapetradition in which hehad himself been trained.Second, hebecametheimplacable enemy of theofficial, government-promoted method for training artistsand designers, theso-called SouthKensington system managed by the Department of Science and Art.

Third, he wascritical of the training of fine artists, asexemplified bywhat hecalled the‘basesystem’ for teaching studentsin theschoolsof theRoyal Academy, which, hesaid, ‘destroysthe greater number of itspupilsaltogether; it hindersand paralysesthe greatest’. H is reasoningwas important because it went beyond critici zing the fr aming of conventional Neo-Classical perception by studying from the antique.

Teaching of art began with training theeyeand thehand – but it hadalso to develop themind. No art teaching, said Ruskin, ‘could beof useto you, but would rather beharmful, unlessit wasgrafted on somethingdeeper than all art’.

Sight was intended to lead to insight. R uskin did not confuseimitation with representation. He regarded thepleasurederived fromimitation as the most contemptible that can be derived from art,becausemereimitation is meredeception. What Ruskin wanted to getat was the truth. T ruth in painting, he said, ‘signifies the faithfulstatement, either to themind or thesenses, of any fact of nature’. T hese‘factsof nature’ could bediscovered by diligent visual observation. But,‘Imitation can only beof something material, but truth hasreferencetostatements both of the qualities of material things, and of emotions,impressionsand thoughts. Thereisa moral aswell asmaterial truth; atruth of impression aswell asof form, of thought aswell asof matter,and thetruth of impression and thought is a thousand timesthemoreimportant of thetwo’.

Further, ‘Truth may bestated by any signsor symbolswhich havea

definitesignification in themindsof thoseto whomthey areaddressed,although such signsbe themselvesno image nor likenessof anything.Whatever can excite in the mind the conception of certain facts, cangive ideas of truth though it be in no degree the imitation or

know it physically, through the co-ordination of hand and eye, andknow it morally, through theopennessand clarity of our vision, wewillnever be able to begin our journey. As Ruskin famously said, ‘T he

greatest thing a human soul ever doesin thisworld is to seesomething,and tell what it saw in a plain way. Hundredscan talk for onewho canthink, but thousandscan think for one who can see. To see clearly ispoetry, prophecy, and religion – all in one’.

Christopher Le BrunWhen Caspar David Friedrich claimed that, ‘T he artist should paintnot only what heseesbeforehim, but also what heseeswithin himself. I f he seesnothing within himself he should also forgo painting what heseesbeforehim…’, henot only captured theessenceof Romanticism;he also posed a fundamental question wi th which art has beenconcerned ever since. If, asFriedrich states, perception and imaginationthrow up ‘truthsat least asimportant asobjective reality’, the issue ishow to find ideas and techniques for representation which avoidcontingency and randomness, and allow the work of art to establi shsignificanceand meaning.

Representation in art achievessignificance(or depth) when it relatesto a shared background of memory and association. I would arguethatculture is established by critical accumulation and diminished bysubstitution. Just asin theforest, great treesdepend for their sizeandmajesty on dense and diverse brushwood, so new layers anddevelopmentsin art havea symbiotic relationship with individual workswhich nourishestheir potential to convey meaning.

George Steiner described the way literature achieves this level of resonance asthe ‘field of prepared echo’. With this image, he vividlyconveys the working of the canon of Western art. It is the agreedgiven of what isseen, through the test of permanence, to have value,and allows density of meaning to buil d up. Wi thout this density,high culture is impossible. In such a field new ideas and how theyspeak within history can be rapidly and intuitively understood. Ananalogy in the visual artsmight be to picture a loose grid, existing inthree spatial dimensions and evolving over time. Within it,compositi onal formulae and repeated patterns in favoureddispositions come to acquire meaning. We see them superimposedcomparatively in our imaginations. T he differencesand symmetries

Opposite, Christopher LeBrun RA,Aram Nemus Vult,

1988-89. Oil on canvas,271x 444cm, AstrupFearnley, Museum of

Modern Art, Oslo.

Right, Philip Guston, 1913-1980,Dial , 1956.Oil on canvas, 72x 76in(182.88x 193.04cm),Whitney Museum of American Art, NewYork.Purchase 56.44.




88|2

Poussin, C laude and the subsequent development of the Picturesque. Thisimaginary, and seemingly tacit agreement within pictorial culturehashad such lasting potency that I think of it, certainly in relation to myown work asan artist, asvirtually a death-defying given of apparentlytranscendental significance. In modern timesit breaksto thesurfaceinCézanne, and then in Cubism. I n rising to explicitness, however, itseffect ischanged fundamentally.

Since the late nineteenth century, these complex features of compositional memory which dominatethe pictorial, relational art of the West, have been tested. During the twentieth century, aestheticcharacteristics such asformal reduction and singularity, rather thanil lusion and metaphor, become pre-eminent. T ruth resides in the

former model. At such closerange(50 years) their aesthadventuresretain meaning. Yet thepossibility for creating thisweb of meaning, a

and association did not of course entirely disappear century. The pair of exhibiti ons at Tate ModernBrancusi and Donald Judd early in 2004 showstheconthepoetic in apparently irreconcilableworlds. Subjectobjective, carved to assembled, refined to raw. I t is aruns through twentieth-century art between the assputative re-presentation of reality. A powerful epersistenceof thisimaginary field in latetwentieth-centuthe work of the painter Phil ip Guston. He, l ike m

give ideas of truth, though it be in no degree the imitation orresemblanceof thosefacts’. True sight leads to insight, true insight leads to revelation. This

triadic structurecorrespondsto his theory of theimagination: first whathecalled thepenetrativeimagination saw clearly and deeply, then theassociative imagination brought theseperceptionstowardsunity, whilethe contemplative imagination meditated on and expressed thespiritual, symbolic truthsso revealed. The whole of Ruskin’s art theory, in a sense, comes back to

representing the sphere, an exercise in the first order of truth. Wecannot begin to talk about representation, until there issomething torepresent, and if we do not know what it is that we wish to represent, [email protected]

- 320 -

theground to createcar parking below a green belt, how ground form,roof shape and structure ease the flow of air and invite movement of

people. Having a degreeof familiarity with Dublin probably helped thethinking for theMillenniumSpireto happen quickly. It wasan intuitiveidea which becamearchitectural, sculptural, and structural. I wantedthe stand at Crystal Palace to capture the essential form of the bowl

Joseph Paxton created. It sweepsup to thestage, reflecting sound andair, likea leaf in thepark. Theurban sceneis full of imagesthat carrymeaning, which may lie, for instance, in a technical effect or perhapsinmemory. A small intervention may alter the balance between imagesand profoundly affect their meaning, and it isin sifting and synthesizingtheseideasand influences, helping to understand their repercussions,that languageisso powerful. Aswordsdevelop into imagesthey pick upand evolveknowledge.

Roger PenroseI writeasa mathematician who finds drawing and other formsof visualrepresentation immensely helpful. I can think of several different waysin which such visual imagery can beimportant in mathematical work.In thefirst place, thereisthefollowing major division:•Internal, ie, aidsto one’sown mathematical understanding•External, ie, aidsto theconveying of such understanding to others.

Therearemany different waysto think about mathematics, and thereareconsiderabledifferencesamong mathematiciansasto which modesof thinking come most easily. I think that the main division betweensuch modesof thinking comeswith thevisual/ geometric, on onehandand theverbal/ algebraic/calculational, on theother. On thewhole, thebest mathematicians are good at both modes of thinking, but myexperience has been that with mathematics students, there is muchmore difficulty on the geometric side than on the

algebraic/ calculational side. As for myself, I find tthinking is what comes most naturally, and I ofte

mathematical problemsinto a geometrical formfirst babout trying to solvethem. However, I frequently findtrying to convey my understandings to other matstudents, if I use too geometrical a formulation, ashappier with algebraic/ calculational typesof argumen

However, there isa curiousparadox here. I am oflectures to non-mathematical (or mixed) audiencerequest usually takestheform ‘uselotsof pictures, so tfind it easier’. T hisisgenerally good advice, and it iscthat pictures rather than equations are normally mconveying information – even fairly technical infoaudiences. The puzzle is: why isi t that professional and those aspir ing to be professional mathematimpression of being moreunhappy with visual typesof membersof the interested general public? Here I ventto thispuzzle, that thereisa selection effect, arising frois much harder to examine visual mathematiccalculational or algebraic skills. When I was in mmathematics undergraduate, I chose geometrical specialist topics, but I believe that I fared a good d

algebra papers than on the geometrical ones. The although I did not havedifficulty in solving thegeomefound it to bedifficult, and particularly timeconsuminunderstanding in words, aswasnecessary. Moreover, arguments, an appropriate degree of rigour is alwaargumentsto beacceptable. Thisisoften difficult to exwith geometrical reasoning, even when such reasoningbeperfectly correct. Accordingly, thosewho rely on g

compelling pull of this invisible model which suffuses Western art.Guston’s paintings with their tidal shifts towards and away fromrepresentation, show a grid-like sensual abstract paintinginterpenetrating figurative, illustrative pictures. Depictions andthought-touches seem to emerge from the wealth of the painter’smemory, giving them an interior ity akin to the reflexiveness of literature. Hispaintingsexist within a maturemetaphysical realm fortheprojection of emotion and form.

What I amarguing for isa moreorganized formof subjectivity along

the linesof Caspar David Friedrich’s injunction. It is a Classical andinformed subjectivity, depending on thoughtfulnessand reflection, andits effect is to allow picturesto maintain their elusivenessand privacyeven when their meaning ismanifestly present in thepublic realm.

which I develop through l anguage. Through draughting andredraughting, wordshelp to concentratean idea and bring it into focus.How thi s happens varies. The outcome might be descripti ve orabstract; sometimesit may depend on metaphor and at other timesit ismoreliteral.

Once words have given a theme or idea some existence, the nextchallengeisto captureit visually. In thepast I used models, moulding apieceof plasticeneto find the form, but moreoften now I useJapaneseor Chinese brushes– the calligraphy of the title. T he idea must exist

before I can paint around it, but using different techniques of representation helps to develop it. Alba di Milano , for example,originated asa beamof light. M ilan’sreputation for making fineclothsuggested theidea of weaving, so it started to evolveinto a cloth of light

Royal Academy Forum

Four imagesby Ian Ritchie RA, clockwise from left, The Spire of Dublin (monument for Ireland);White City Shopping Cent re; A lba di Mil ano; Crystal Palace Concert P lat form.




g yp p

Ian Ritchie: language to architectural calligraphyMy design processalwaysstartswith an idea, and ideascan comefrommany sources. Some might be environmental; others are functional,social or structural, or sculptural in thecaseof the JubileeL inevents,but they exist asideaswithout a clear representation. Themeaning andvalueof an idea liesin language, so I find languagea fundamental toolfor exploring ideas. Asa student in Liverpool and spending a lot of timeat theEveryman T heatrewherethepoet Roger M cGough opened upmy appreciation of language, I saw how wordscan investigate ratherthan determinean idea. T his isa pre-drawing form of representation

gg g, gwoven from fibre optics, which emit l ight when broken. My firstpainting wasa black line on a white piece of paper. Using ground oncopper plate, theetching reversed that, turning it into a flash of whiteagainst a black ground.

For White City Shopping Centre I wanted to capture ideasaboutshopping that I had described in writing. I had written about how airmight flow through the spacesand the roof modulate sunlight, abouthow there could be viewsand routesto parkland on either side, andhow the effect might reconfigure the relationship between shoppingand thecity. An early ink drawing conveysthoseideas, initially formedin words, with a few simplebrushstrokes, showing themanipulation of 90|2 Left,Fig1; centre, Fig2; right, Fig3,The Creator Having Trouble Locat ing the Right Universe by Roger Penrose, mixed [email protected]

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of my work isthemethodology of visually mapping information and thepsychological and emotional dimension that comesout of i t.The Frozen Sea installation began in theword check-mate. Following

its semantic and etymological connectionstook methrough thevariousstrands of the meanings of words such as check, exchequer, chess,

jeopardy, hazard, and draughts. Having mapped ‘check’ to a level thatsatisfied me(about forty terms), I set about theproblemof materializingthis map. No map can convey every detail to a reader, as the

information would be overwhelming. I chose to focus only on therelations between words. To know if and how words relate, theirrelative agesand etymologieshaveto beknown. Asmy map containedsemantic links, thistoo would haveto berecognized. I chosethreerules

horizontally. Theroombecamea working study and grid with X and Y coordinates.

Richard Long maps his journeys through the lanand sticks, objects to hand. I have mapped my jourforest of words in anglepoise lamps and chairs, alsohand. The Mexican artist Damien Ortega’s recentSpirit placestext and materiality in disjunctive conjuCraig-M artin’s 1970s workAn Oak Tree looks at

chemistry of naming and duality of matter and sign. I Sea in relation to theseworks. To return to the experience of the viewer – th

activated when theviewer beginsto piecetogether the

of understanding are at a disadvantage in examinations, andconsequently they become under represented in the mathematical

community at large. My own experiencewith visual imagery – and thisapplieswithin both theabovecategories(internal and external), thoughwith a somewhat different balancewithin each – isthat it can takemanyforms. There are, indeed, variouswaysin which I have found visualrepresentationsto beimmensely valuable. I n my own work, either asanessential aid to mathematical understanding and research, or forexpositional purposes, I can distinguish at least four categories:(a) Schematic diagramsrepresenting mathematical concepts.(b) Accuraterepresentation of geometrical configurations.(c) A precisediagrammatic notation for algebraic calculations.(d) Cartoons, often whimsical, to illuminatekey points.

My notebooks are full of sketches depicting (a), the picturesfrequently represent mathematical structuresof higher dimension thanis apparent. The configuration in Fig 1 isa drawing of mine from anarticle ‘M athematics of the Impossible’,* and it i llustrates a non-periodic tiling of theplanefromjust two different birdlikeshapes. Thetypeof precisegeometrical notation that I frequently use, in accordancewith (c), is illustrated in Fig 2, from another notebook of mine. The(whimsical) cartoon of Fig 3 isonethat I haveused a number of timesinlectures, and it illustratesthe extraordinary precision with which theuniverse must have started up (at the Big Bang), in order to beconsistent with observation and with the Second Law of

Thermodynamics. I feel honoured that it hasbeen exhibited aspart of the Royal Academy’sSummer Exhibition 2004 under the title ‘Thecreator having troublelocating theright universe’.

*The Artful Eye , edited by Richard Gregory, John Harris, PriscillaHeard, and David Rose, Oxford University Press, O xford, 1995, p326.

Abigail ReynoldsRuskin established a clear linebetween drawing and comprehension,arguing that drawing triggers looking, and looking leads tounderstanding. But Robert Hewison’sdiscussion of Ruskin suggeststhat he saw the entire benefit came in producing a drawing, leavingopen the question of whether seeing a drawing hasthe same order of significance. In art, Richter points out, seeing isthedecisiveact, so howthe artist can enable the viewer to share this central act completelybecomes the vital issue. I am especially interested in how art canbecomea tool for thinking, and potentially elevatetheviewer’sthought

processover theartist’s. Art should open an avenuefor activethought.Having madeMount F ear , which represents crime statistics as a

mountain range, I am looking at developing further strategies forrepresenting theabstract by sculptural and physical modelling. Among

interested in opening up discussion of the place of lexicography anddictionary-making in our culture to a wider audience, but I amespecially drawn to it because, asa project, it teeterson the brink of folly. T he hubrisof documenting all of language, a moving target, isalmost monumentally absurd, and also heroic. It can never bedone.

My year as Arti st in R esidence at theOED had many joys. T hesimplest of these was, when asked where my studio is, to be able torespond ‘in theDictionary’.

Of course, when I say Dictionary, I mean a department of 70lexicographers, whereasmy questioner imaginesa set of 20 volumes. Imean an ongoing daily process; they think of a printed authority.Suddenly, in this gap, emergesa mental imageof me, shrunk likeAlice

Royal Academy Forum

Abigail Reynolds, Exchequer 1, photo-collage 2004. Abigail Reynolds, workingdrawingforThe Frozen Sea, 2004.




, gto describe the word map in three dimensions: semantic = beside,etymological =on top of, word age=volume.

ForThe Frozen Sea I decided to createa study, with desks, chairs, filingcabinets, a full set of theOED , blackboardsand so on. Having gatheredmy objects, I ranked them by volume and assigned a word from the‘check’ word map to each, based on thesimplecorrespondencethat thelargest volumeshould represent thetermlongest in use, thesmallest, theword that had been in use for the most fleeting moment. H avingassigned objectsto wordsI arranged themaccording to my threerules:objectsrepresenting wordsthat related semantically wereplaced besideone another; those with an etymological connection were stacked

g p gstudy. Thework operatesasan invitation to theviewethe process of decision and doubt that has createddetectivework. Thisisa strategy that I employ to activdecisiveprocessof seeing isa re-perceiving. Asin a cothingsare not what they seem. Every element of themeaning. T hedesk isindeed a placewherea lexicograwork, with the fetishization usual in the preserved slike Darwin. It is also a tool that hasbeen used in theout, and also directly representsa word in the group

Thetitlewaschosen to suggest a momentary fixing of a Thearrangement will giveway to another asanother w92|2

p g y p p y g gthesewasmy work asartist in residencefor theOxford English Dictionary .

TheOED is already a representation in at least two senses: itscontentrepresentsculturethrough time, and its aesthetic representsauthority.It isconstantly changed and updated, and although it outwardly aspiresonly to be descriptive, mapping change in language, its aesthetic of authority confusesthisby being set up asan arbiter of what isand isnotcorrect. But in shaping thechaosof experienceand imposing order, theOED haspointsin common with art.

I approached the OED by looking at systems and structures of meaning in lexicography and art, connecting theexperiencesof my firstdegree in English and my second in Fine Art. T heOED itself is

y, g p, g g ,moving through a world of words. It is a really enjoyabledisjunction,and onewhich liesat thecentreof my approach to creating a visual artwork that respondsto theOED .

I started to produceword mappingsquite soon after arriving in thedepartment. Paul K lee, when drawing, would takea linefor a walk. Ispend timetaking wordsfor walks. Choosing a word, I sniff around it,following cross-referencesand other hintsin theOED . Theword groupgrows and is shaped over time as I add and subtract semantic andetymological links, arranging and re-arranging until a satisfying formevolves. Words have a shape which can amount to a secret history of their mutated meaningsover time. What I find important in [email protected]

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yearsold. T herearethreeof thesecomplexesin I ndia and while I haveseen only the one in J aipur, I chose to model the Delhi structurefamiliar to meonly fromincompleteaccounts, plansand photographicrecords. I waskeen to makean idealized version which I think revealsmoreof thehubrisbut also thebeauty of thesethreestructures.

After we had made a CAD model of the site, I attempted todeconstruct thebuildingsby projecting animated viewsonto a movingstainless-steel mesh armatureand re-filming theresult. Most elements

in the buildings are visible, and their essence survives being pulledacrossa complex seriesof curves. I wasinterested to seehow thebasicgeometry would withstand this sort of distortion of representation. Itis an example of what I call ‘vertical memory’, where the essence of

d i i thi t f li Thi l l t

in which I overlay blurred and distorted images. Tblurring curiously introduces a level of sight which fmore permanently embedded than conventiorepresentation. I t also shows up a particular problarchitectural photographs and renderings. T hinexhaustible detail drawing you closer and closer to thephotographic grain interposesitself between yourepresented.

Using a different approach to representation raisethe ‘habitability’ of the representation itself; that is, invite you past its own surface. I fi nd similarepresentation with text and while I usetext extensivi ft i f hi h k l d thi diffi lt

Graham Modlen, Officeof Zaha HadidDrawingsby Zaha H adid’sofficearepowerful representationsof ideas

and possibilities and when I started there I had to fathom out whatthey might represent. ThedrawingsI had seen previously for theHongKong Peak project stimulated me to think forward, to wonder that if you could do that to Hong K ong, what werethepossibilitiesfor othercities? I soon realized that thistypeof drawing isa processwhereevery-thing isto be re-imagined, shattered and then put back together again.It i sas if weareasked to suspend belief and to turn theproject roundgraphically and re-present it. Drawing allowsdifferent peopleto inventand interpret, and contribute to theprocess. It isa real studio system.

One of Zaha’s earliest commissions was a rooftop conversion inHalkin Placein Belgravia. The drawingsshow theflat interior with thewallsblown away and theplan drawn within a floating isometric pro-

jection. Fittingsand furniture are sometimeson the floor and some-times floating. T he wall is drawn as if i t were a new plane throughwhich light shines. I t has a sort of surreal air to it. But the drawingsalso re-imaginethe homeground; certain elementsbecomerecogniz-able; you can makeout thestreetswith thefamiliar duality of a regularedgeto thestreet and a serrated back edge. Thetechniqueof drawingsheinaugurated hasbecomea hallmark of theoffice. It allowsanyonein theoffice, whether they know London or not, to reinvent it and show

ushow it could be.By the time of the competition for the Grand Buildingssite in the

mid-1980s, the techniquesfor drawing had evolved into a collectiveeffort. The project wasan opportunity to reinvent or imaginean ide-alized version of Trafalgar Square. In the drawingsthe square itself might berecognizablebut what liesbehind it haschanged. The rivergetslost and thereareseveral strangeundulations. Various people inthe team contributed perspectival drawings, representing their ideasor knowledge of the city but, I think, they were put together withZaha’ssteadying hand.

In theofficearesketch booksof drawingsby Zaha, which aresome-thing li ke diaries. They may not refer to any particular project, butthey are forward thoughts and reflectionson past ideas. She can pre-sent them to thestudio in a way which launcheseverybody off, or shemay say, ‘there’sa sketch I did which may ... but you will haveto studyit’. Weteaseout what might relateto theproject in discussion. It may

be the silhouette that hassome significance, or perhaps one image islaid over another to fathom out the kernel of the plan. T he result is

multi-layered and theoriginal thought may becomeindistinct.With computersand copierswecan deal with all sortsof distortions.We can twist plans, build up layersand distort distances. The intro-ductory imagesof theRomeContemporary ArtsCentrewere‘reliefs’built up fromtwo or threelayersof cut card to givedepth to thegroundin plan. That then feedsideasabout the roof structure and for wallswhich descend and createoutdoor spaces.

At theMind Zonein theMillennium Dome, our task wasto repre-sent the workingsof the mind through an interaction of architecture,art and an understanding of neurology. Itsform of three overlappingsnake-like shapes resembling curving lasagne layers and forms, wasdescribed as piece of sculpture and exhibitry itself with smaller ele-mentsof sculpture and exhibits inside, something like a Russian doll.

Theposition of thesteel trussesrelated to circulation patternsand thedome’sshape; wetickled and pushed it with cantileversand distortions.

The idea was that people walking along ramps would come acrossexhibitsthat aimed, for example, to play with visual perception, com-munication and identity. One of the exhibitswasa built spatial per-spectival trick comprising a 4m high sculpture by Gavin Turk whichdistorted distances. Another wasa computer programwhich reworked

a photograph of yourself to changegender, raceand age.Our drawing techniquesarewaysnot just of representing, but find-

ing and developing ideas. For examplethe‘mid-construction’ viewsof Cardiff Bay Opera H ouse were drawn on black paper, but from theuse of white paint, for example, it seemed to me an idea came abouttheuseof light. I n another, earlier project from1993, based on an ex-dockland sitein Düsseldorf, which combined a radio station, hotel andmedia offices, theteammadea number of exploratory worksincludinga mixed, hybrid perspectivewhich wasasif wringing a cloth. Out of itcame different views represented in one painterly composition.Representation ispart of theprocessof thinking.

Paul SchützeWhen I make pieces based on architecture, I aim to document theexperience of a building rather than the bui lding i tself. PeterZumthor’sThermal Baths in Valscaptivated me partly because thebuilding seemsto have its own internal weather systems. Each roomachievesitsown micro climatewith distinctivetemperature, humidityand tepidity. Some spaces also link with the exterior bringing an

unexpected haptic transparency. Roomsregister asmuch on theskinas the eye or the ear. There are extraordinary acoustic phenomenaarticulated by varieties in scale, materials and ceiling heights. I wasstruck by how rich an experiencethebuilding would offer to someone

h ld t Whil it i l i t i id bl th

Royal Academy Forum

Paul Schütze:From the Garden of Instrumen ts III , 2004. Lightbox, 92x 128.4cm. Edition of three. Copyright holder: Paul Schütze. Imagescourtesy of Al an Christea




compressed experiencesurvivesthissort of mangling. Thisalso relatesto our own inability to recall accurately which gives rise to a poeticsensibility forced to rebuild objectsand experiencesin our own minds.If there is a common grammar, each small part might contain thephraseology for thewhole.

When I introduce sound into a work I use Dolby Surround whichdefinesa pronounced spatial configuration. I do not want a sense of front or a formal planar way of seeing a building. I want the sameflexibility in experiencing representation that we take for granted intheexperienceof therepresented.

Oneof thetwo filmsto which this project gaverisehasa sequence

is often in a form which acknowledges this diffi culttimelabouring over thewordsand havea programmdisplay them asa fine grid floating apparently withinfog. While the meaning is still present, i t becomes lalmost irretrievable, an obscuring tint acrossthesurfa Their numerous staircases aiming at the s

calibrations and dishes, the Janta Manta are budetermined by light, moonlight, starlight or sunligchoseto render thestructuresin glass. How thebuildion light and arose purely from light sets up all sorpossibil itiesfor itsrepresentation.94|2

who could not see. While its visual impact is considerable, thearchitect has addressed each of the senses extravagantly. Anotherfeature is the way its water surfaces appear as part of thecompositional massof the building and yet are occupiable asspaces.

This produces an almost eerie intimacy with the materials and thestructureitself. The Janta Manta series takes the remarkable structures built as

astronomical observatoriesunder the Mughal Emperor Jai Singh II . Their form determined by need, they have a minimal amount of ornament, but they make an engaging collection of sculptural formswhich seem strangely contemporary despite being several hundredZollhof, Düsseldorf, by ZahaHadid Architects. [email protected]

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Continuity is important too, because all our projects are really onwork. An extraordinary concept you might have at the age of 21 is avalid when you are 56; you just have more wisdom to explore thaconcept in other ways, but hopefully with no less vibrancy. I t i

important to keep up a process of discovery and invention. Often spend time in the summer on Minorca with Bruce Maclean, noworking on any particular project but doing something else. Thessessions might throw up some interesting shapes, forms or ideawhich could find their way into design projects. We would have to dfurther studies to interpret how to build them, but in reality drawingmaking and realization are all aspects of the same process.

Discovery is an important part of our activities. We did not imposthe Ontario College of Art and Design on the community; rather came out of the community. We extended the park to the street so

people who live on it can walk straight out into the park, which is nowanimated by the lively people who occupy the art school.

O j t ‘N t th T t ’ f B ki R h i th Th

Royal Academy Forum[Architecture.Ebook] The Architectural Review - Sellection(2002-2



Our project ‘Not the Tate’ for Barking Reach in the ThameGateway shows how we use various techniques of representation texplore the implications of particular starting points. At the momenthe area is not on the mental map of Londoners and most proposafor it are overly academic. Our proposal is to give a series of largwooden huts over to the London art schools – one of the city’s greasecrets – and curate a landscape of activity with work in, on o

Sketch for the School of the Future.

Stuttgart’s Kleine Schlossplatz (Small Palace

Square) was built in 1968, in an age when

motorist freedomwas the dogmaof urban

planning. It is situated diagonally across fromthe

Neues Schloss, one of Germany’s largest

Baroque palaces. Barren and uninviting, the

square was never much more than alarge raised

concrete platformcoveringamotorway

crossingand tramlines, and had been a

depressingpublic and political eyesore for more

than aquarter of acentury.

Duringthe 1980s, an investor-ledcompetition put forward an urban design

masterplan by I. M. Pei, but the local community

did not vote in its favour. In 1993, Behnisch &

Behnisch alleviated some of the grimness by

introducingagenerous flight of steps which won

public acclaim. But the real breakthrough came

in 1998 when the City of Stuttgart held an

international design competition based on a

mixed cultural and commercial use of the site. A

staggeringnumber of 431 architects submitted

their proposals. Ultimately, Stuttgart-born (but

now Berlin-based) architects Rainer Hascher

and Sebastian Jehle won with adesign that

clearly separates the new art museumfromany

speculative commercial development.

Today the rectilinear mixed-use office and

retail buildingplays asecondary role compared

with the glass-clad Art Cube, which acts as a

strikinglandmark for the museumcomplex, a

major intervention that has succeeded in

miraculously revitalizingStuttgart’s city centre.

Nothingbut Behnisch’s flight of steps remains as

areminder of the old urban condition. YetHascher Jehle’s crystalline landmark is only the

most visible part of the Museum– more

exhibition spaces are housed in the former

subterranean traffic tunnels as the architects

skilfully and imaginatively utilize the remnants of

the old infrastructure.

The buildinglies on Königsstrasse, the main

pedestrian zone, next to the imposingNeo-

Classical arcades of the old Stock Exchange and

opposite the Neues Schloss. The galleries at

lower ground level occupy a115mlongsection

ARTMUSEUM, STUTTGART,

GERMANY

A RCHITECT

HASCHER JEHLE

1The new Art Cube takesits place in theurban matrix of Stuttgart’sKleineSchlossplatz, helpingto revive aformerly depressingpiazza.2The cri sply detailed glass-clad cube sitsabove subterranean galleries.

URBAN CUBISMSignposted by a glass cube, this museum complex revives a Stuttgart square.

location plan




50|21 [email protected]

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lower ground floor

1 exhibitionspaces

2 archives

3 entrancehall

4 book shop

5 cloakroom

6 seminar room

7 shopunits

8 lecturehall

3The prospect from the top floor,due to be fitted out asarestaurant. The NeuesSchlossi sacrossthe square to the left.4Entrance hall.5Circulation zone between theinner stone clad cube and outerglassskin.

ART MUSEU

GERMANY

A RCHITECT

HASCHER JE

3

4 5

fourth floor

first floor

36

1

1

1

1

2

2

7777

1

11

5

4

1 1 1

8

2

2

1

11

2 2 2




52|2 longsection [email protected] 326 -

of the old tramtunnel, directly under the Kleine

Schlossplatz. As you enter the museumfrom

Königsstrasse, the generously glazed 450sqm

foyer is flooded with daylight, its separate shop

and espresso bar bearingno trace of what was

once the entrance to an infrastructural Hades.

Exhibition spaces begin on the ground floor,

behind agroup of multifunctional rooms, and

continue 60mdown underground. You can peer

into the open circulation areaof the lower

ground level directly below. Daylight filters

through window strips high above, in thepavement of the Kleine Schlossplatz, helpingto

dispel any feelings of claustrophobia in the long

corridors with their neutral whitewashed

exhibition spaces. Nothingdisturbs these calm,

silent caverns of art, not even the noise and

vibration of the 50 000 vehicles that rumble daily

through the tunnels on both sides.

The 1100sqmgallery space above ground is

accessed by asteel staircase that climbs up

between the smooth outer glass facade and the

inner reinforced-concrete cube, clad externally

with rough limestone. The upward journey is an

object lesson in how to hangaglass facade from

the top while minimizingany obtrusive

structural elements. Engineer Werner Sobek

has performed amiracle of transparency, using

giant glass panels measuring4.10mx 2.50m, the

largest possible in Germany. Each side of the

cube has 56 panels and the homogeneous

impression is further enhanced by the use of a

smooth metal seal ensuringacontinuous outer

surface, so that viewed froman angle, the sheets

of glass appear seamless. On the inside, 600mm

thick vertical glass blades strengthen the facade

against wind pressure. However, adegree of

transparency had to be sacrificed for the sake of

solar protection. Imprinted white horizontal

lines (like blinds) on the outer glass filter thesun’s intensity. So only 24 per cent of solar

energy penetrates the interior, with triple glazed

and argon-filled glass panes effectively dispelling

most of the heat.

Given the nature of the buildingwith its

precious works of art, it is imperative to

maintain constant temperature and humidity.

Inside the gallery spaces, 50 to 60 per cent of the

heat gain is neutralized by coolingin the

concrete ceilings. The remainingheat load is

handled by conventional air conditioningwhich

maintains an average temperature of 20 degC

and ahumidity of around 50 per cent. Takingall

these energy protection and savingmeasures

into account, the Art Cube undercuts current

German energy conservation rules by over a

quarter – ahighly respectable achievement for a

construction that to all intents and purposes

resembles aheat trap.

The crowningachievement of the glass cube is

the restaurant on top of the three gallery floors.

Were it not for the 114 moveable multi-

functional louvres integrated within the glass

roof as acombined shading, coolingand heating

device, guests would be sittingright under the

open sky. This fifth level restaurant floor offers

the most spectacular panoramic views of the

Stuttgart skyline. Kleine Schlossplatz has found anew home, 21mabove the old one, but

Stuttgart’s new social gatheringspace is an

impressive and civilized change fromits grimlate

’60s predecessor. CHRISTIAN BRENSING

Architect

Hascher JehleA rchitektur, Berlin

Structrual engineer

Werner Sobek, Fichtner Bauconsulting

Facade

Ingenieurbüro Brecht

Photographs

RolandHalbe

ART MUSE

GERMANY

A RCHITECT

HASCHER J

6The modern Piranesian depthsof thesubterranean gallery spaces.7Lookingdown to the lower galleries.




54|26


The Glass Shutter House, which

Shigeru Ban recently completed

on acramped site in the Meguro

district of Tokyo, is the latest of

the architect’s experiments in

blurringphysical boundaries. It

was commissioned by Yoshiharu

Doi, a television chef, who

wanted arestaurant, astudio

where he could conduct classes

or tape his programmes, plus

livingspaces for himself, his wife,

two-storey limit on buildings

frontingthe street. The two

exposed walls, one bay wide and

four deep, are faced with

aluminium-framed glass shutters

that slide up, section by section,

and are recessed into arooftop

container. So, all three levels can

be opened up to the street, and

to the narrow taperingcourtyard

to one side.

The architect employed a

awnings that shade the interior

fromthe sun. This precise

manipulation of light and air

represents one side of Ban’s

practice, as the bamboo and

paper structures (such as the

Great Wall house and the

Japanese pavilion at Expo 2000,

AR September 2000) show off his

highly inventive use of natural

materials. Common to both is a

sense of openness and the

Tradition stood on endSheathed by glass shutters, this house makes the most of a tight urban site.

1

HOUSESTUDIO, TOKYO

A RCHITECT

SHIGERU BAN




82|2

and their teenage daughter. Ban

stacked all of these on a4mby

16mfootprint, linkingthe ground

floor restaurant and open

kitchen to the mezzanine studio

and set-back livingareawith an

open staircase runningup the

inner wall. The set-back of the

third level was determined by a

local regulation that places a

similar strategy on an earlier

building– the Paper Art Museum

in Shizuoka, an hour south of

Tokyo by Bullet Train. There the

shutters, made of asandwich of

glass and fibre-reinforced plastic,

fold up to open the central

atriumat the east and west ends.

Shutters on all three levels of the

south side fold out to create

permeability of walls.

In contrast to the Curtain Wall

House, also in Tokyo, where

white curtains provide an outer

skin, enclosinga terrace around

the glass sliders that protect the

interior, the white polyester

curtains of the Doi house are

hungwithin the shutters and

billow out only when they are

1The cr amped urban context showingthe house sealed by its glassshutters.2The taperingcourtyard.3With shuttersraised, the housebecomesa seriesof luminousspaces.

2


open. But the duality of the

layers – transparent and

translucent, solid and fluid –

allows for varyingdegrees of

exposure and enclosure. When

the shutters are up and curtains

drawn, the interior becomes an

8m-high portico, open to public

view. And yet, even then,

attention is focused on the

restaurant, and the upper levels

are absorbed into a private realm

that is visible yet politely

ignored. Ban has reinterpreted

the traditional Japanese house,

with its slidingwalls, shoji

screens, and shutters, using the

latest technology and achieving

an open plan in three dimensions,

rather than two.

The longer you explore this

crystal cube, the more

ambiguous and traditional it

appears. By Western standards,

this is less ahouse than a

restaurant with bedrooms for

the owner over the kitchen. But

the Japanese interior has always

had multiple uses: the same

tatami-matted roomservingfor

living, eating, and sleeping, and

turninginto a sheltered terrace

when the shoji are drawn. So,

here, the studio doubles as a

family cookingand diningarea,

and the restaurant and

courtyard, bounded by ascreen

of creeper-hungbamboo, serve

as borrowed landscape. ‘I find

Ban’s architecture very

Japanese,’ says Doi, who grew up

in atraditional house in Osaka,

‘totally minimal and flexible.’

MICHAEL WEBB

Architect

Shigeru Ban, Tokyo

Photographs

Hiroyuki Hirai

first floor

second floor

longsection

exploded isometric projection

1 restaurant

2 courtyard

3 kitchenstudio

4 study

5 terrace

6 Japaneser oom

7 bathroom

8 bedroom

HOUSESTUDIO, TOKYO

A RCHITECT

SHIGERU BAN

4Livingspaabove therestauran

6

87

43

5

5




N

84|2 site plan ground floor plan (scale approx 1:250) 4

1

2


Dwelling From urban housing to rural houses, residential projects are a source of experimentation




WILL BRUDER

HOUSE, RENO, NEVADA, USA

Flowing along the topographic contours of the arid rock-strewn

landscape above Reno, Will Bruder’s latest desert residence is a syn-

thesis of fluid form and movement that celebrates personal privacy

and the nuances of perception. Along the soft, serpentine lines of the

house, plan and sectional geometry mediate functional needs with

episodic courtyards and planted spaces inspired by Japanese gardens

and the local landscape. Within the main pavilion, living, dining, and

library functions are unified under the gentle curve of a warped shed

roof. The house’s materiality of weathered steel plate grounds it in

the landscape as a mysterious dark shadow by day and as a luminousglowing aperture at night. C. S.

ground floor pla




UN STUDIO

HOUSE, NEW YORK STATE,

USA

This family summer house in the

Catskills occupies a sloping site

with spectacular 360 degree views.

The site is the starting point for

the house’s radical programmatic

and spatial organisation. A single

box-like volume is bifurcated

into two separate entities: one

seamlessly follows the slope, theother rises above it to create a

covered parking area and set up

a split-level internal organisation.

The volumetric transition is

generated by five parallel walls

that rotate along a horizontal

axis from vertical to horizontal,

so walls become floors and

vice versa. This new house is

clearly informed by UN Studio’songoing formal and conceptual

experiments with Möbius strips




that spawned the eponymous

Möbius House in the Netherlands

(AR September 1999). C. S.

TADAO ANDO




OFIS

1957

1970




1980

Kettle’s Yard was once four tumbledown cottages in Cambridge.

Today it is one of the City’s most treasured cultural venues. In a city

surrounded by the formal grandeur of collegiate and ecclesiastical

architecture, this curious collection of buildings holds its own as

a must see destination. As a place it has become as diverse and

idiosyncratic as the collection it contains; modest, yet sophisticated,

and central to the cultural activities of the local community.

Not simply an art gallery, Kettle’s Yard is many things. Establishedby Jim Ede in 1957, it has had a long and varied life. As the one-

time home of the former Tate curator, the converted cottages were

l t t d t d l i it h ld t ith

Soon after accepting the stewardship of Kettle’s Yard, a successfu

appeal for funds allowed the university to build a new extension

designed by Leslie Martin and David Owers; a significant phase o

expansion (two phases rolled into one through the generous suppor

of the Arts Council) that provided an additional 390sqm of displa

space. As featured in The Architectural Review in February 1971

the designer’s preoccupation focused on how the space and ligh

of the new could add to the progression through Ede’s originahome, maintaining the ambience of the original 150sqm hous

throughout a new 540sqm venue. Through careful planning an

l iti i t t d l l th t i li k ith ld




always open to students and casual visitors, who could meet with

Ede in a place that he described as ‘a nursery to the visual arts and

an introduction to the formal art gallery like Tate or Fitzwilliam’.

Keen to share his internationally renowned private collection,

Ede eventually presented it as a gift to the university in 1967,

who very keenly took on his legacy. Since then four subsequent

exploiting interconnected levels, the extension links new with old

at an upper level, continuing the subtle sequence spaces through

a series of descending levels and increasing volumes. Daylightin

also progresses with the domestic windows of the old, leading to th

baffled top light of the long apertures that run the full length of th

extension’s rough plaster ceilings. With this language of incrementa

Main image: the 1970

extension looking

away from the

existing house.

Below: the upper

level looking towardsthe existing house.

Bottom: the entrance

courtyard following

Bland, Brown

and Cole’s 1994

extension.




The search for an architect for the next phase of development began

in January this year when Michael Harrison, Kettle’s Yard director

since 1992, was advised by management committee member Eric

Parry to run an RIBA design competition. New education facilities

were required to provide space for the annual programme of 375

education sessions currently accommodated in a rather cramped

education room at the centre of the plan that could only hold half

a class at a time. Having reprocessed the two remaining shop fronts

from tenants, sufficient space was made available to also include

a new environmentally stable archive for its painting collection

(that in the spirit of Ede is still offered on long loans to University

students to take home), a café (to attract new visitors and give

regulars a place to inhabit), and a more formal seminar space (for

life long learning, lectures and so on).

Having invited 16 or so practices to submit examples of their work,

Jamie Fobert was chosen from a high calibre shortlist that included

De Rijke Marsh Morgan, Caruso St John, Stanton Williams, Ushida

Findlay and 5th Studio. (A success that was shortly followed by his

appointment to design the new extension at Tate St Ives.) Having

spent nine years with David Chipperfield before establishing

his own practice nine years ago, Jamie Fobert is emerging as an

architect of distinction. By focusing on the essence of architectural

space and the practicality of process led detailing, he avoids the

superfluous gestures that distract so many others. As demonstratedin the Anderson House (AR April 2004), and as qualified by his

admiration for the work of Morandi and Hammershoi, Fobert’s work

returns our attention to the potency of simple forms and volumes

When discussing the nat ure and for mof internal spaces, Jamie Fobert returnsto Morandi and Hammershoi for hisinspiration.

Opposite (clockwise from top left):

the new extension as roofscape; viewsthrough the new education suite; sectionthrough first floor level café; a new stair

will open-up views to t he church ( planinset).




returns our attention to the potency of simple forms and volumes,

and when shaping interior spaces reminds us of the importance

of making decent rooms. As such, Harrison recalls how Fobert,

without making any detailed proposals, had particularly impressed

the jury with his reading of Kettle’s Yard, its art and the evolution

of its architecture. In displaying and sharing its collection, daylight




Fobert’s new extension provides four

new levels of accommodation behind

two existing Victorian shop fronts.




By extending Bland, Brown andCole’s sandstone fenestrati on,Fobert’s intervention willsignificantly improve the quality ofthe Kettle’s Yard street frontage.




ART MUSEUM, BERNE,

S WITZERLAND

ARCHITECT

RENZO PIANO

MONUMENT




MONUMENT

FOR A MINIATURISTA new museum dedicated to Paul Klee swells seductively into the Swiss landscape.

1Thetheforthe



ARCHITECT

RENZO PIANO

The arcaded streets of the old town of Berne, a UNESCO World

Heritage Site, have acquired a counterpart in the pedestrian concourse

that links the three volumes of the Zentrum Paul Klee, Renzo Piano’s

latest showcase for art. An undulating steel structure emerges from

three hills to the east of the city, facing over the ringroad and surrounded

by fields. It’s a monument that celebrates the work of a brilliant

miniaturist; a fusion of architecture and landscape, warmth and precision,

structural daring and welcoming interiors. It captures the unique spirit of

a native son who made his reputation in Germany, fled Nazi persecution

to return home for a final burst of creativity, and is buried close by.

Klee was astonishingly prolific, meticulously recording the 10 000

works he created in his thirty-year career. ‘Not a day without a sketch,’

he noted in his journal, even as he neared his death in 1940. Membersof the artist’s family and the Klee Foundation promised to donate their

astounding hoard of 4000 paintings and drawings if Berne would provide

a dedicated space to show them. The chief sponsors were Professor

Maurice Müller, a surgeon who invented the artificial hip, and his wife,

Martha, who selected the location and the architect, and insisted that the

building be a centre for all the arts and for people of all ages. Piano has

created a museum that reaches out to embrace the visitors who stream

in from footpaths, city bus, and motorway.

Like so many of his buildings, the Zentrum has a strong, simple diagram

that belies the complexity of its design and construction. Piano shifted

the site from the one that had first been chosen to address the sunken

motorway, mirroring its gentle curve in the glass facade and even in the

lines of vents cut into the floors of the galleries. That gives the building

a symbolic link to the contemporary world, and to the city that lies

beyond, concealed within its river valley. The undulating topography of the

adjoining hills inspired the profile of the steel beams, which swoop and

soar like a rollercoaster, rising from the earth at the rear to form a trio

of imposing arches in front. Each rounded vault encloses a discrete set

of spaces that are linked at the front by a 150m long glazed concourse

containing the café, ticketing, shop, and reference area. Extended opening

hours encourage visitors to come early or linger in this protected piazza.

A changing selection from the permanent collection is displayed in the

central pavilion, with a temporary exhibition gallery below. To the north,

meeting and restoration areas lead out of the concourse, with a creative

workshop for children below, and a subterranean auditorium behind. The

south pavilion contains the administrative offices, archives, and seminar

rooms, all on the main level.

The 4.2km of steel girders were cut and shaped by computer-

controlled machines but then, because each section has a different

configuration, the 40km of seams were hand-welded. The arches are

slightly inclined at different angles, braced by compression struts, andtied to the roof plate and floor slabs. In contrast to this assembly of

unique parts, the concrete floors were constructed as a single structure,

without settlement joints. The glass facade is divided into upper and

lower sections, which are joined at the 4m roof level of the concourse,

and are suspended from girders to avert stress from thermal expansion

in the steel roof. The glass is shaded by exterior mesh blinds that extend

automatically in response to the intensity of the light, and the high level

of insulation minimizes energy consumption.

All of these measures pay off in the galleries and archives, where

temperature and humidity must be maintained at constant levels, even

though they are seamlessly linked to the busy public concourse. The

permanent collection is displayed beneath the curved vault in a 1700sqm

room that is divided by suspended flats into a benign labyrinth of

interconnecting spaces. Each white screen hovers a couple of centimetres

above the oak floor as do the peripheral walls. To achieve the low lighting

level required by these sensitive works, illumination is indirect and

filtered. Spots cast their beams on the white-boarded ceiling vault, and

this glow is diffused by suspended square scrims.

2

3

3A serpentine pathleads up to the mainentrance.




432 | 8

4To the rear,the vaults mergeinto the ground.Planting will gradu ally be establ ishedbetween the ridges to make thetransition more seamless.

2The trio oftopographic bumpsmimics the gentleundulations ofthe surroundinglandscape.


5

cross section

site plan

5The tapering profile of the vaults.6

Detail of main facade and inclinedsteel arches.




6l on g s ec ti on t hr ou gh n or th p av il io n ( co nc ou rs e, c in em a, a ud it or iu m) l on g s ec ti on t hr ou gh m id dl e p av il io n ( co nc ou rs e, g al le ri es )34 | 8 [email protected] 346 -

1 north pavilion 2 central pavilion 3 south pavilion 4 main entrance 5 concourse 6 information 7 café 8 servery 9 cinema 10 AV rooms 11 restoration workshops 12 permanent collection 13 shop 14 reference section 15 offices and administration 16 temporary galleries 17 auditorium 18 children’s workshop

7Café and information area in thesoaring public concourse thatunites that trio of vaults andruns along the main facade.


ARCHITECT

RENZO PIANO


18

16

17

78

65

4

1

9

10

11

11

10

2

3

13

5

12

15

14

5




lower ground floor 36 | 8 [email protected]

- 347 -

It’s easy to see in the open geometry of the plan a reference to some

of Klee’s compositions, and the skein of slender cables supporting walls,

lights, and scrims evokes his spidery penmanship. Piano’s greatest feat is

to give these tiny, intense works the space they need to breathe. Such a

concentration of invention could easily overwhelm the viewer; here, each

work seems to float in its own white void, bathed in a cloud of soft light,

achieving an emotional as well as a formal resonance. Works are grouped,

not chronologically, but by affinity, so that you can explore the infinite

variety of ways in which this master employed line, colour, figurative and

abstract imagery; always enigmatic and never repetitive. Toplit stairs and

a piston-operated lift that is a work of art in itself carry you down to

a room of similar size that presently houses the 366 sketches Klee did

in his last fertile year. Here, the works are arranged on a peripheral and

inner wall that trace the rectangle defined by slender structural columns.

Scattered around both galleries on oak plinths are 40 hand puppets

that Klee made around 1920 to amuse his family. Fabricated from the

commonplace materials and crudely painted, they have a compelling

talismanic quality, revealing the inner child in the artist and in all who

connect with his work.

That spirit carries over into the children’s museum, aptly named

Creaviva for its emphasis on creative play in a succession of workshops

that are open to all ages. The steeply-raked 300-seat auditorium that

burrows into the ground behind is a black box lined with curved

sound baffles in the same orange hue as the Venetian plaster walls of

the outer lobby. Regular performances of chamber music (Klee was an

accomplished violinist), dance, and theatre will be interspersed with

lectures and readings. All will reflect the versatility of the artist and his

friends over four turbulent decades and their enduring legacy.

MICHAEL WEBB

8The curve of the arch runs throughthe glazed link between volumes.9


ARCHITECT

RENZO PIANO

Architect

Renzo Piano Building Workshop,Genoa

Associate architect

ARB Architects,Berne


Ove Arup & Partners,B + S Ingenieure

Services engineersOve Arup & Partners,Luco,Enerconom,Bering

Photographs

Paul Raftery/VIEW

8

9

10




Main gallery for the permanentKlee collection.10Main gallery is an airy labyrinthof suspended flat panels thatsubdivide the space.In places,lightis diffused by horizontal scrims.11Part of the children’s workshop at 1138 | 8 [email protected]

- 348 -

nessand intellectual terms, it hasbeen impossible to makea consumer

product that hasrelevanceto creativearchitectsand designersor vice-

versa – asthe few examplesthat havebeen tried demonstrate. Thesuc-

cessful onesseem to end up assuperficial fol lowersof fashion. They

tend to go in for i nterviews illustrated by large pictures of designers

rather than what they make. All areseduced by flashy gestures.

Desperate straitsWhen I started, theAR wasin desperatestraitscommercially, rapidly

losing money and circulation. Something had to be done, and reme-

diesranged fromturning it into a magazinecovering earthquakesand

natural disasters to becoming a colour supplement to The Archi tects’

Journal , our sibling. I wasconvinced that themagazinecould become

successful again by building on its great daysunder Richardsand his

proprietor Hubert deCronin Hastings. TheAR had flirted with ama-

teur sociology and variousformsof graphic criticism: it wasessential to

bring the magazine back to being fundamentally about architecture

and its immediately related disciplines.

Themagazineclearly had to becomeinternational to a much greater

degree than it had ever been. From its inception, the AR alwayscar-

ried articlesabout overseasarchitecture, and it had a rather small but

faithful international readership. I t wasclear that thebest architecture

and themost important ideascould not beproduced by onecountry,

or even continent. And I very much doubted that it would be possible

to generateenough money to makea magazineof thekind that theAR

must beby focusingmainly on Bri tain, which hasthemost prolific and

competitive architectural press in the world. Both the AR’s content

and itsmarketinghad to change. One of themost immediately obvious

alterationswasto focuseach issueon a particular themeof world-wideinterest. This allowed us to bring some sort of focus to the nebulous

massof ideasand projectsthat surroundsan international magazine.3

It wasrelatively easy to begin to changetheeditorial content, though

therewasmuch to catch up on. Getting thefinancial side to work was

a different proposition, particularly under the dunderheaded and

doomed Maxwell regimeof the late’80s, which actually attempted to

reduce the overseas circulation – British Gas didn’t approve appar-

ently. Under Emap, which bought the magazine (and the AJ) from

Maxwell’swreckage, wehavehad publishing directorswho havepur-

sued sensible international policies, and madei t possible for usto inno-

vate (for instance by setting up the very successful ar+d Emerging

ArchitectureAwards).4

It may seem odd to spend so much time in my final l eader talking

about thebusinessside of theoperation. But thereis no point in mak-

inga magazineif it doesnot generatea sensibleprofi t.

What is the character of the magazine that hashad to be defended

so carefully? Although oneof the oldest architectural magazinesin the

world (it wasfounded in 1896), theAR hashad only 11 editors.5 I am

honoured to beof their company. Savefor D . S. MacColl who wasin

thechair for a short unhappy timea century ago, and thegreat histo-

rian NikolausPevsner (who stepped in whileRichardswasaway at the

War), all of ustrained fully or partly asarchitects. So themagazineis

fundamentally about place-making and theart of architecture. All the

early editors (again except MacColl) were members of the Arts and

CraftsM ovement and, from the AR ’sinception, itseditorshave pro-

moted (often unconsciously) some of the movement’sstrongest tenets

theArtsand Craftsmovement wereRuskin and Morris

were early environmental campaigners: learning from

has always believed that the world’s resources are li

development should respect theplanet. Concern for te

and for place are other abiding passions: buildings

structed right and feel right, and they should resonat

etly) in our subjectivepatternsof thephysical world.

In addition to thecontinuing coretradition, I hopew

inherited interestsin developmentsof technology and

related to architecture– and in exploration of little-kn

people, in time aswell as space. None of these hasre

coverageasit deserved becausewehavelacked resour

would have liked to have devoted more space and ti

plinesof landscapeand urban design, both of which h

opingremarkably in thelast two decades.

Of course, I have made lotsof mistakesof emphasi

and am grateful to talented colleaguesfor preventing

plying them. A magazine is a collaborative effort an

days, Jonathan Glancey, E. M. Farrelly and FrancesAn

astically explored new territories, whilefor many years,

provided thoughtful analytical comment on therapidly

Bill Slack enriched the mix with his special kind of g

Penny McGuire brought an inimitable touch to cove

and product design. Dan Cruickshank reactivated them

est in history. The present editorial staff (almost all

worked on theAR for years) havecontinually maintain

the magazine’s range and quality. I want to thank th

contributors7 who haveadded to themagazine’sscope

The futureAs to the future, a magazine must respond to what h

than trying to set the pace. I t can encourage, emphas

but not (asI oncearrogantly believed) truly initiate. N

strong hopesfor thefutureof architectureand theenv

I trust aremadeclear in therest of thisissue, but I hav

of what will really happen than JimR ichardshad when

I leavethe AR in thehandsof my successor Paul Fin

theexisting staff, all of whomwant to expand energeti

natively into new worldsof ideas, media8 and creativity

will clearly change. But I hopethat thestaff and those

themwill never forget that theaim of architectureand

plinesisto serveand ennoblehumanity. And that, som

icall y, architecture, alone among the arts, can move

our sensesand being. PETER DAVEY

1I havebeeneditor since1982, butwasinvolvedwiththeAR for four yearsbeforet

predecessor LanceWr ight. Previously, I workedfor adozenyearsonour weeklyUK

2R ichards, J. M., ‘R etrospect’, AR February1971, p69

3A ndit addstotheattractionof thepublicationtothe retail tradebygivingi ndividu

shelf-life. Butthethemedformathasproblems: itcanbeveryri gid, andit canpreve

unexpectedevents, suchastheunanticipatedcompletionof a major buil ding.

4O penfor completedworktoall architectsanddesigners, theawardsareoffereda

regularlydrawnhundredsof entriesby(asyet)relativelyli ttleknownpeoplefromal

5H enryWil son1896-1900, D. S. MacColl 1900-1904, MervynMacartney1904-1

1921-1922, WilliamGodfreyN ewton(Ernest’sson)1921-1927, H. de C. H astings

Barman(mid1930s), J . M . R ichards1935(joinedasassistant)-1971, N ikolausPevs

time)1942-1945, LanceWr ight1971-1980, Peter D avey1982-2005.

6T heAR hasalwaystried(notalwayssuccessfully)toanalysearchitectureandarch

di l Thi i ft t l diffi ltt k l tb d fi iti

I was rather taken aback when my fellow directorsasked me to pro-

ducea special issueto mark theend of my tenureof theeditorial chair.

The request wasembarrassing and daunting. What on earth wasI to

do? In theend, it seemed that theonly responsecould bean analysisof

what The Architectural Review hasbeen up to for the last 25 years,1

and what hashappened in theworld of architectureduring that time.

A quarter of a century is no longer a huge proportion of an average

Western life, but culture, politicsand economicsalter so rapidly over

such a period that i t is impossible to compress all the changes into a

manageablecompass. So thesepagesarehighly selective.

When he retired in 1971 after 36 years with the magazine, my

revered precursor J. M. Richardsremarked that ‘weareall modernists

now’.2 Thebattlefor modern architectureversus‘period-revival’ build-

ing had been won, and in R ichards’ eyes, modernism wasbecoming

enriched becausearchitects‘now know that thereis not oneanswer but

any number of answers’. Even so, he could not have anticipated that

within a dozen yearsPost-Modern Classicism (PoMo) wasto emerge

blowsily full blown from the drawers of Philip Johnson’s AT&T

Chippendalecabinet.

Few would disagree that we are all post-modernistsnow – though

few, thank goodness, are adherentsof PoM o. For all Ri chards’ belief

that architecture was becoming more plural towards the end of the

Modern period, to many it seemed to be increasingly grim, bureau-

cratic and dull. PoMo was an early and noisy example of the many

imaginative theoretical and built reactions against tired official

Modernism (and each other) that havemadethelast quarter of a cen-

tury so multi-faceted, culturally productiveand challenging.

At thesametime, radical changesweretakingplacein theroleof the

profession. Richardscould still talk about thearchitect asthe leader of thebuilding team– though heargued that what really mattered isnot

so much formal leadership asthefact that thearchitect istheonly mem-

ber of theteam‘who hasbeen trained to createorder’ and who hasthe

ability to ‘construct a pictureof what thefuture world will actually be

like’. Largely, that remainstrue, but theroleof thedesign professions–

architects, engineers, landscape and urban designers– is increasingly

threatened and restricted by both businessand government. Neither

truststheprofessional role, which wasinvented in theearly nineteenth

century to curb the excessesof the unbridled market. Businesshates

any attempt to restrain it, and governmentsbelieve that they are the

only proper sourceof restraint.

Official philistinismOfficial systemsof building procurement havebeen set up to minimize

the professional position. T hey are almost inevitably more expensive

than traditional methods, more prone to corruption and, judging by

resultsso far, much morelikely to producesecond-rateresults. Absurd

official reports are regularly produced that attempt to make profes-

sional imagination into a merecomponent (and a small oneat that) of

the development process. We do not undergo a long and difficult

processof education and training to become cogsin the construction

industry, and the buildings published in the AR show how architec-

tural imagination can still triumph over the drag of mundane to pro-

duceplacesthat enhancehuman life and spirit.

Richardsbelieved that the AR had a complex role to play in com-

municating architectural ideas to clients and the general public; he

SET T IN G T HE SCEN E FO R THE FUTURE




in a continuingtradition.

All of ushavebeen deeply sceptical of thenotion that architectureis

an autonomousart. It must serve human purpose and be devoted to

enhancing life (in termsof both quantity and quality). It is not about

fashion, or what Richardscalled ‘in-language6 and plug-in gimmicks’.

Nor isi t a branch of the development industry. The chief inspirersof

ordinarylanguage. Thisi softenanextremelydiffi culttaskas, almostbydefiniti on, a

our psychesinnon-verbal ways.

7P articularlyPeter Blundell Jones, whohasanalyticallychroni cledthecoursesof o

particularlyi ntheGerman-speakingcountries, Juhani Pallasmaa, whoseprofound

architecturehaveinspiredusall, andColi nStJ ohnWil sonwhohasbroughtpassion

debate. A mongphotographers, Martin CharlesandRi chardBryanthavebeenout

8P erhapsusesof newmedialinkedtothemagazinewill allowcreationof Ri chards

inbothdirections’.42|2

thought of it asa ‘bridge, carrying traffic in both directions’ that ‘can

span thedistancebetween architectsand thepublic they serve’. I t may

still havebeen possible to makesuch a programmework even aslateas

the1970s, but I doubt it. Thedifficultiesof trying to generatea maga-

zine that can appeal equally strongly to both general public and the

design professionshavebeen insurmountablein my time. In both [email protected] 349 -

WORLD SERVICE

BMW SALES AND

EVENT CENTRE,

MUNICH, GERMANY

ARCHITECT

COOP HIMMELB(L)AU

1 2




WORLD SERVICE

BMW’s sales and events centre in Munich reflects an increasing urge for spectacle.




BMW SALES AND

EVENT CENTRE,

MUNICH, GERMANY

ARCHITECT

COOP HIMMELB(L)AU




long section

1 Hall 2 Forum 3 VIP car delivery 4 briefing centre 5 bistro

6 exhibition space 7 BMW Individual 8 shops 9 Double Cone

(event space) 10 Premiere

(car delivery) 11 children’s area 12 lounge 13 restaurant

�




third floor

ONCEAND FUTUREARCHITECTURE

To round off this issue’s survey of The Architectural Review’s last quarter-century, I asked some of the

and critics who have often appeared in these pages to comment on what they perceived to be the mos

ideas and buildings of the last 25 years and to speculate on what will happen in the next 25. Responses v

good deal: some concentrated on individual experience, some on future potential, with some focusing

me. I am too vain (and touched) to leave the latter out. Illustrations are some of my favourite covers. P

Redefine perceptionKEN YEANG, Selangor, Malaysia

Savingthe environment fromour continued devastation is the

singularly most dominant andvital issue affectingourtomorrow, feedinginto ourfears that this third millenniumshall be our last.

In the next decade or so, wedesperately need answers to thequestion of how to design our

it is to be designed, how itshould function in the biosphereand why we also need to designits after life, regarded fromtheperspective both of an ecologist

as well as of a designer.Our built environment – and

this includes everythingthat weas humans make frombuildings,roads, bridges, factories, cars,refrigerators, to toys – nomatter how aestheticallypleasing, how well designed or

manufactured and fabricatedinto food, artifacts, facilities,infrastructures, enclosures (asconcentrations into a singlelocality for our habitation and

other human purposes), whosemanufacture, processing,assembly, construction,operations and consumptionoften use huge quantities of non-renewable energy resources, cansignificantly affect the ecology of its locality and of the biosphere,

Will to formMICHAEL HO PKINS, London

In spite of a number of dottybyways alongthe way, both the

Functional Tradition, identifiedby J. M. Richards in the AR in1957, and the ModernMovement, have survived thelast 25 years.

In the process, they havegrown richer and more complex.In the next 25 years the Will to

Courage to create TADAO ANDO, Tokyo

In the last quarter-century,architecture has acquired a

technology that makes freedomof expression possible. I amreferring to the emergence of computers. T hanks to precisesimulation analyses, architectscan now be as adventurous asthey please.

It seems fittingthat the

freedomof expression and makean impact on architecture wasthe Gehry House of 1979. Itstechnology was by no meansadvanced, but that little building

was full of ideas that anticipatedsubsequent developments incontemporary art such as theuse of irregular forms seeminglyfree of gravity and the

juxtaposition of samples of different materials. This shows the tremendous

human power of I feel that the s

the work left by Lbecomes greater In turninghis bac

the period and reclassics, he showcontemporary arnew direction. Karchitecture seemsilent protest agacontemporary w

It is courage to

once and fu

Thermal bathsat Vals, Graubünden, Switzerland by Peter Z umthor.Photo: Henry Pierre Schultz. August 1977.

Cultural C entre, Nouméa, New C aledonia by Renzo Piano. PhotShinkenchiku-Sha. December 1998.

Entry for the A rctic C entre Competition by Ain Padrick, Vilen Künnapu, LennartMeri. October 1984.

Wastepaper collector in Alexandria, Egypt, for an issue on Third W orld housing.Photo: Nabil Hamdi. August 1985.




100|3

q gbuilt environment and manageour businesses for oursustainable future.

We need to r edefine ourperception of architecture, how

p g, gmade, is simply materials thatare extracted and taken oftenfrom far off locations, transiently(compared to ecological time-frames) processed,

y p ,and whose eventual disposal (atthe end of their useful life) needsto be accounted and benignly re-integrated back into thebiosphere.

yFormwill continue to beinspired by function, technology,a sense of place and history andabove all, optimismfor thefuture.

gquarter- century should concludewith the GuggenheimMuseum,Bilbao, Frank Gehry’s notablework. T hat is because the firstwork to raise the issue of

speed at which architecture,liberated frompreconceptions,has evolved. In fact, today thespeed of development might besaid to have outstripped the

gtechnology, that ohorizon. C ouragbacked by ideas, ideas are now [email protected]

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Low energy solutionsNO RMAN FOSTER, London

In 1979, if issues of energy andthe environment were discussedat all, they were fr amed in termsof ‘the oil crisis’ – shorthandnotation for the belligerentattitude of the Middle-Easternoil-producingcountries and

their t ighteningof the financialscrews. In the UK, if we wereencouraged to ‘clean our teethin the dark’ it was to stave off imminent power cuts ratherthan to conserve finite globalresources. Undoubtedly one of the most significant changes inattitudes of the intervening25years relates to the environmentand our broadeningunderstandingof the concept of ‘sustainability’. Another radicalshift in architecture – both interms of process and product –has been brought about by thecomputer. Twenty-five years agothe ‘computer room’ was thehallowed preserve of the few.

Today the computer iscompletely ephemeralized. N ewcomputer software has allowedus to explore in quick-timeforms and geometries thatwould once have taken years torefine, and it has enabled us toengineer low-energyenvironmental solutions – anexample of technology andsustainability working hand-in-hand. Vital now, these issues willbecome ever more pressingaswe face an uncertainenvironmental future.

Great step forwardCHRISWILKINSON, London

In the 1980s, confidence inBritish architecture was hugelyboosted by the successfulcompletion of two key projects– the Lloyd’s Buildingby RichardRogers & Partners and theHongkong& Shanghai Bank byFoster Associates. They both

architects involved in theseprojects gained invaluableexperience which inspired themto start their own practices, andthey were first recognized by theAR’s ‘Up and coming in England’issue in May 1989. Since then,many more have flourished,nurtured by other creativeincubators and benefitingfrom

the Jubilee Line and Lottery-funded pro jects. This represents a great step

forward fromthe low morale of the ’60s and ’70s and should,provided that it continues, resultin a significant improvement inthe quality of the builtenvironment. These newbuildings are visually moreexcitingbut perhaps the bigissuestill to be properly addressed isthat of sustainability.

Another form of cultureFREDERICK COO PER LLOSA, Lima

My architectural recollection of

the past 25 years deals mostlywith the str uggle to uphold themain values of the rationalitywhich the Modern Movementintroduced in the handlingof contemporary buildingwithin acountry such as Peru strivingtoachieve economic and culturaldevelopment. This concern hasled me to seek ways of processingthe theoretical andprofessional options devised byarchitects and critics whomIregarded as coincidental with myown conceptions. I recall therole of Peter Rice in closingthegap between architecture andstructure as particularlyenlightening. Aldo Rossi’spertinence in claimingthe

concomitancy betweenarchitecture, the city, historyand modernity. KennethFrampton in illuminatingthepotential of rationality throughthe diversity of r egionalexperience. John Hejduk inapproachingarchitecture and

architectural invention. AlvaroSiza for beinga constantreminder that architecture isabout the joy of transposingthevernacular into fragrant spaces,shapes and materials. RenzoPiano for his structural andaesthetic convictions.

Over the next 25 years Iforesee a declininginfluence of

the traditional role of architecture, as the globalprocess of urbanization expands.

The universalization andspectacular improvement of communications w illundoubtedly developexhilaratingcultural forms at anunmanageable pace. I can onlyexplain this condition as aprocess leadingto another formof culture, an experience which Iregard as comparable to thatwhich followed the decline of the Romans, or of thePrehispanic civilizations inpresent-day Latin America.

Globalization commandsRICHARD WESTON, Bristol

Globalization has been the majortheme of the last 25 years: of techniques (C AD, numericalmodellingof buildingperformance); of technologies(rainscreeen cladding, structuralglazing); of problems(‘sustainability’ in its manifoldaspects); and of talent(architects as internationalsuperstars). In retrospect, Isuspect this period may come tobe seen as the apogee of theseparation between design andmaking, buildingand place, thatbegan in the Renaissance. Instrikingcontrast, the refinement

and diffusion of CADCAMtechnologies over the comingdecades will equip architectswith the tools to begin tochallenge these centuries-olddivisions. The most potentmeans of global homogenization,digital data, might yet combine

Resisting conformityCHARLESJENCKS, London

The followingpredictions(illustrated below) of the nextfifty years were made forArchitecture 2000 and Beyond ,published in the year 2000 as anupdate to Architecture 2000 ,written in 1969. They are the

backdrop for more purelyarchitectural forecasting. Mostsuch prediction is too general totell us anythinguseful about aspecific field though it does put adiscipline in perspective.

Some things look like comingtrue much faster. For instance:Culture, 2015, ‘25 per cent of shoppingdone on the internet’was almost true last C hristmas,with ‘21 per cent’. Po litics, 2012,‘MuslimAnthrax attack onIsrael/American targets’. It wasnot Anthrax on September 112001, but later. Social, 2009,‘hydrogen fuelled cars’. They willprobably come sooner.

In the 1960s, when I first

wrote this book, prediction wastaken more seriously than today,and it was done systematicallyand structurally. Hence theevolutionary tree and structuraldiagrams. Architectural trendsevolve, like species of animal, ina rich background of ecology. Asin nature, variety and pluralismare keynotes. The future?It wi llhave a continuity of pastarchitectural species, those with

cohesion and consistency, withthe addition of a few mutationsand hybrids. The background of war and ecological crises willmake society and architectsmore conservative and rule-bound. Risk-aversion willdominate. Thus the role of Architectural Review andother professional magazines

will be, all the more, topromote architecture as acultural discourse resistingtheever-stronger forces of conformity, philistinismandgovernment by fear.

Revolutionary?EVAJIRIC NA, London

When I was first introduced toPeter Davey, I had a vivid imageof himas a RussianRevolutionary, a C ommunistposter cut-out, a red star aloftin his right hand, marchingforward to create a new world!

Later on I discovered he was

indeed a real revolutionary, anidealistic fighter, always carryinga torch to brighten up thefuture.

What else can I say, other thanthat I wish himthe best of luckand that he continues his

journey with his passionunabated – Peter, at your ageyou are not goingto changedirection now, and thank Godfor that!

Integral part o JUHA LEIVISKÄ, H

Twenty-five yeartimespan in archibasic values and principles in archthe same through

I have the flaw to concentrate o

peace I cannot fointernational archpublications. Manpresent the neweastonishingtrendastray especially tmake me all conf

The most impoarchitectural evenare born locally a

They are born ouand environmentare rooted in a napart of an entity, overpowering, at accompanyingor role. Instead of eown work we neconcentrate on w

environments. To me, architecreation of spatiaprocesses. Archimusic, is experienfrom one space t

There are pauseshighlights. One nsubtle yet dynamwhere buildings ainteriors are an ithe drama with t

Part of frieze of A lbert Memorial,London, by J. B. Philip (1871).Photo:Martin C harles. May 1984.

Old people’shome, Almere, TheNetherlandsby Herman Hertzberger.Photo:Martin C harles. April 1985.

Berr ies and Leaves by AndyGoldswort hy. February 1988.

Composit e detail of BillingsgateMarket, London by Richard RogersPartnership. Drawingby T imColquhoun. Apri l 1988.

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pioneered innovative thinkingand the use of new constructiontechnology as a naturalprogression of the ideals of theModern Movement. Many young

poetics. Richard Rogers inextendingthe role of rationalityinto the realmof sustainability.Rafael Moneo in claimingtheconstant role of culture in

with environmental imperativesto be the catalysts for theemergence of diverse newbuildingcultures, globally awareyet locally grounded.

Detail, entrance to temple atBanganga, Bombay.Photo:Martin Charles.August 1987.

FountainsAbbey Visitor Centre, Yorkshire by Edward CullinanArchitects. Photo:Martin Charles.November 1992. Part of the Jencksprediction from Archi tecture 2000 and Beyond [email protected]

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Rationalize lightMAX FORDHAM, London

The need for natural light willmake buildings thinner so thatthe light can penetrate fromthewindows. The use of glass in buildings

has to become more rational.Horizontal rooflights provide

two and a half times more lightthan vertical windows and glassclose to floor level provides verylittle useful light, so 100 per centglazingfor walls is not sensible.Of course, modern high-techglass construction is so stylishthat it will be a pity to see it go –unless somethingbetter turns upto replace it. That will be theinnovation.

No to no poetryRAJ REWAL, N ew Delhi

Like many architects of mygeneration, I learnt the firstprinciple of good architecture is an

honest functional building, whereconstructivist principles areobserved and the materials franklyexpressed. Frommy ownobservations of traditional Indianarchitecture I added otherattributes to honest architecture:humane values and climaticconcerns (shades of Aalto). Mythird discovery was aboutarchitectural expression.

Le Corbusier’s RonchampChapel had certainly bent theprinciple of honest buildingbutintroduced poetic elements or touse an apt Sanskrit word imbued itwith appropriate spiritual ‘Rasa’ orflavour. The correct expression fordifferent buildingtypes is animportant principle for me but

hopefully remainingfaithful to theideals of honest and humanearchitecture.

Computers and rapid advancein technology give us new toolsto deal with space, light andstructures. Architectural fads andtrends will continue to dominatef i i b b li

I have one hope for the future –that anew generation of photovoltaic panels can beimpregnated or fused with othermaterials to create revolutionarybuildings each of which cangenerate enough solar energy forits own requirements.

Shed end?SANDY & CLARE WRIGHT, London

We think the most importantinfluences have been technical,societal and political. Thedevelopment of computerprograms and model-makingfacilities have greatly influencedarchitectural design. Although thishas opened up fantastic newpossibilities, too often there areinstances in which the buildingbecomes the model rather thanthe model the building.

As historian Eric Hobsbawmsaid, the greatest change in thetwentieth century was the growthof the ideaof ademocratic ideal;

and for the postwar generation, anemphasis on the importance of theindividual over the collective.

These ideas have been reflected inbuildings which are non-hierarchical spatially and this, withparticular developments inengineering, has led to astrongstrain of shed buildings, which areprincipally concerned withthemselves and not their context.

Developments in technology inthe future are not only inevitablebut also to be welcomed. We hopehavingthe facility at our fingertipsbecomes ameans to an end ratherthan an end in itself. We thinkarchitectural design is movingtowards abetter reflection of thecomplexity of society and our

humanity. Interestingly, we thinkthis shift can be seen in recentbuildings by some of the originalshed makers.

Technical potential TONY HUNT, Stroud

•The increase in collaborationbetween the disciplines of architecture, structure andbuildingservices, resultinginbetter buildings.•The huge advance in computingpower enablingsolutionswhich would have beenundreamt of a few years ago(Catia and so on).

•The so-called death of Cartesian grids for design – Idon’t believe it!•The Millenniumfund whichproduced a number of significantbuildings.

Ideas

•The development of moretechnically sophisticatedand energy efficient glazingsystems.•Advances in structuralmembrane technology.•Development of ETFE foils.•Advanced uses of green timber.

The future

•Development and acceptance

of high performancelightweight ‘exotic’ materials,such as resin/carbon fibre,Airex and others to replacemetals and concrete in buildingand bridge structures. T his willcome as costs come down.•An emphasis on energyconservation, both in theembodied energy in producingbuilding materials and in thebuilding’s use.•Strict regulations on recyclingof all buildingmaterials.•Development of alternativefuel sources for vehicles suchas electric motor s and hydrogenfuel cells.•Advances in wind and waveenergy systems.

•Further advances in glasstechnology.

Urban return TOD WILLIAMSAND BILLIE

TSIEN, New York

Reconsidering lifeITSUKO HASEGAWA,T okyo

Lookingback on the past 25years means thinkingback to a25-year career for me. Duringmy trip to Europe right aftergraduation from college, I metArchigramin London and HansHollein in Vienna for the first

time. Nothingbut theexperience told me a new wavewas comingin architecture.After that, when I was workingat the Kazuo Shinohara studio at

Tokyo Institute of Technology,another movement of ‘Disconstruction’ by ArataIsozaki, which was started as aseries of articles in a magazine,made a strongimpact on me.

These two deeply affected myphilosophy of architecture.

It was innovative enough toreset conventional fixed ideasone after another. I liked thefree and pure feelingof it. I foundsomethingintriguinginarchitecture then.

Especially graphical, enjoyable,beautiful and intense drawings byArchigrammade us reconsiderour life, architecture and citiesas livingindividuals of freedomand fun. Instant-City, LivingCity,WalkingC ity and CapsuleHomes, symbiosis with natureshowed us possibilities of designingarchitecture related tourban dynamismfrom the pointof view of us as livingthings.

Again, for me, the ’60sarchitectural movement, whichwas in the midst of my schooldays, could have been the moststimulatingin my life.

A real flowering

EDWARD CULLINAN, London

With the overthrow of socialdemocracy by Thatcher in 1979,the birth of monetarismand theold-fashioned Falkland W ar;there emerged fromthebackwoods various

bli h fi i

Charles whose tastes exactlyreflected the tastes of his land-owningclass, which grew up inGeorgian mansions. He made aspeech in 1984 which semi-closed the doors on invention,thoughtfulness and the exerciseof imagination in architectureover large areas of these islandsfor the next ten years.

The planners’ question: ‘WouldPrince Charles li ke this?’became commonplace. But theModern tradition l ived on anddeveloped and grew, mostly inother parts of Europe and inAmerica, but here in manyheads. Now we are experiencinga real floweringanddevelopment of imagination andinvention in architecture. Longmay it last. At least let it last forthe next 25 years while thelovely concept of abstractcomposition can respondpoetically to the demands of sustainability.

PoMo’s absurdityHARRY SEIDLER, Sydney

After many years of fol lowing The Architectural Review, Ibelieve that it continues to beabout the only architecturalpublication that goes beyond theshallowness of other merelypicture-book reviews. This is obviously due to the 25

year editorship of Peter D avey. The measure of the man duringcritical periods is his convictionand strength to debunk, inerudite essays, the dead-enddirections embarked on andfollowed by particularlyAmerican publications. Thankfully he exposed ‘Post

Modernism’s’ absurdity, as hedid with Johnson’s ChippendaleCabinet skyscraper and PrinceCharles’ espousal of C lassicismas hollow pastiche.

We can only hope thatPeter’s leavingwill encourageothers to continue steeringh hi l i i

Environmental inspirationNICHOLASGRIMSHAW, London

The last 25 years:

By far the most important thingto happen in architecture in thelast 25 years is that a largepercentage of architects seemtohave decided that form nolonger needs to remotely follow

function.The next 25 years:

I believe that climate andenvironmental issues will finallystart to fundamentally affect theway buildings look and the waythey function. This will beinspiring.

Everyone’s lifeCHRISTOPH INGENHOVEN,

Düsseldorf

Globalization might be the mostinfluential idea appearingin thelast 25 years and we are stillstrugglingto follow this idea withour conscious mind.

There are concepts andproblems all over the world,belongingto nearly everybody’slife, such as climatic change,endingresources, naturaldisasters, terr orism, clash of civilization, but also fusion, crossover, multi-culturalism, andthere is still hope for a morepeaceful future to come,although it is very difficult to seehow this could happen.

Why do I think that Habitat,the Club of Rome’s reports, theKyoto and Rio de JaneiroConferences are relevant forarchitects?

I still hold on to an under-standingof architects not beingfashion designer or beingmainly

interested in the most fancymaterials and facades. There arechallengingquestions and asarchitects we should use thenext 25 years to move ourselvesagain into the middle of thisdiscussion. So for me,environmentally-friendly

i bl b ildi h i h

Cinema, Duluth, Georgia, USA byRichard Rauh & Associates.Photo:Peter Mauss/ESTO .February 1996.

AR Cent enary issue cover designed byMichelle A shenden, based on drawingof Inigo Jonesby Muirhead Bone forThe A rchitectural Press. May 1996.

Kyushu Railway Comdesigned by Eiji MitoAssociates. May 199

Faculty extension, LMassimiliano FuksasRuault. October 199

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fromtime to time but I believethe eternal values of authenticarchitecture based on necessity,sense and reason withoutrejectingpoetry of building.

Events

•The death of Post-Modernismand the rise of late modernistarchitecture in the UK.

Last quarter

Computers define the image of architecture.Next quarter

People will return to the cities.

establishment figures, moaningabout Modernismand tiltingatconcrete towers longafter thelast was built. And the mostpowerful of these was Prince

The Architectural Review into apenetratingand insightfulconviction to build upon andexpand the architecture ofour time.

sustainable building, housingthemasses, excellent infrastructureand quality of public space ismore than enough for us to copewith in the comingdecades.

House, Bamle, Oslo, Norway bySverre Fehn.Photo: Jiri Havran.August 1996.

British Library, Lond John Wilson & PartnPhoto: Martin Charle

June [email protected] 356 -

Fantastic opportunitiesSTEFAN BEHNISCH, Stuttgart

The last quarter of the twentiethcentury was characterized byarchitectural trends of completelydifferent quality. There haverepeatedly been fin-de-siècletendencies which have beenwarmly welcomed by neo-

conservative circles.We have experienced Post-

Modernism, an internationalphenomenon, and the obstinaterigid reconstruction architecture inBerlin – originally restricted withinthe bounds of the city itself beforeproliferatinginto the remotestcorner of the republic andgenerally disseminatingacertaingloominess. On the other hand,there have continued to befascinating, though often short-lived, tendencies: Metabolists, thehybrids, megastructures,Deconstructivism, and, towardsthe turn of the century, thebeginningof new, more expressivetendencies. All of which were ableto stir general enthusiasmforarchitecture far beyond expertcircles.

Of late, more attention has beenpaid to the issue of sustainability.Maybe it will become an integralpart of our thinking, acorediscipline of our planninganddesign work, once we start tomaster the subject. The structuresof our cities will continue toundergo far-reachingchanges aswe experience the transition fromthe industrial through the post-industrial to the knowledge-basedsociety. This change will leaveprofound marks, but withoutdoubt also open up fantasticopportunities.

Peter principleMICHAEL SORKIN, New York

Is there anyone but Bush whodoubts the planet is goingto hell inahand-basket?Ur banizingat therate of amillion aweek, half itspopulationalreadylivingincities

wannabes like the Chinese –foulingtheir nest with cars, nukes,and sprawl at truly breakneckspeed – continue to mouthbromides about the environmentwhile consumingat arate which,should it spread to the rest of theworld, will require the addition of another planet to provide enoughproductive surface to allow us to

eat, breathe, bathe, move, andenjoy amodicumof good times.Buildings – consuminghalf theenergy and generatinghalf thepollution on earth – are implicatedin this disaster and so are we.

Waitingfor atechnological fix,trustingour moronic neo-liberalleadership to come up with asolution, waitingfor the market tohouse the homeless, and thinkingof all this as someone else’sproblem, adds up to aformulaforsuicide. As does the distraction of aphony – if comforting–environmental ratingsystemthatmay curb some excesses at the topend but does absolutely nothingatthe scale which can save us.Although there are many rascals tobe thrown out, we can only dealwith impendingapocalypse bychangingourselves and our piggishhabits. The issue is not to transferour know-how to everyone elsebut to find away of livingmore likethey do. Heads need to beginpoppingout of the sand, self-indulgent, near-criminal debatesabout blobs, shards, and theregulation of suburban décor mustebb, and we must begin to do withless, much less. Architects of theworld unite: you have nothingtolose but your Porsches,Poggenpohls and position on thewrongside of virtually every realissue of importance.

Mutual enrichmentBING THOM, Vancouver

If one is to choose the single mostimpactingevent of the last 25 yearson architecture it would be verydifficult to walk away fromthetragedyof9/11 Itisadaythat

question of why we advance ourideas and how we should expendour energy to better the world welive in. The attention focused onhow to rebuild on the WTC sitebecame aquestion all architectsattempted to answer to betterunderstand themselves. Is it a placeto strike fear or is it aplace tomake peace?The destruction of

the WTC continues to remind usof our vulnerability and inadequacyin addressingthe problems of ourworld. The next 25 years will bemarked by the interpretations of this event and the way architectureworks to express itself through arecovery process. Truly greatarchitecture is achieved bymutually enrichingindividual andcollective actions for ourselves andthe planet.

Stewardship JAMESPOLSHEK, New York

The most important event of thelast quarter century has been yourstewardship of The ArchitecturalReview. In particular, theexplorations of emergingarchitects, Third-World designachievements and experimentaladvances in environmentaltechnology have been unique. Itmay well be that the inventivenessand vitality of The ArchitecturalReview’s initiatives have inspiredthe work that you publish: that youhave created aself-sustaining

journal! The qualities of generosity,

collegiality, and independence soevident in much of what appears inthe AR are sadly absent on the USarchitectural stage. Over the pastdecade or so, anumber of themost innovative Western

European and Japanese architectshave brought your pages to lifehere in the US– architects mostcertainly influenced by your reignat the magazine. The likes of Piano,Foster, de Portzamparc, Maki,Coop Himmelblau, Taniguchi,Snøhetta, Shigeru Ban,Chipperfield Nouvel andRogers

this benign ‘invasion’ will result inthe elevation of USdesignstandards, the expansion of publicinstitutional buildingbudgets, theemergence of arational processfor competitions and amoreaggressive search for effectiveconservation strategies. If myoptimismis warranted, PeterDavey and The Architectural

Review will deserve the everlastinggratitude of all of us on this side of the Atlantic.

Mini head hereRICHARD ROGERS, London

Some of the most importantarchitectural events of the past25 years and for the future:•The information networkwhich allows us to exchangeideas and receive information.•T he growth of environmentalresponsibility.•The urban renaissance and thegrowth of social architecturalculture.•T he development of newtechnology and materials.

Range and scopeKENNETH FRAMPTON, New York

Even though Bruno Zevi was thesole editor of the magazineArchitettura for virtually half acentury, 25 years is nonetheless alongtime for someone to serve asthe editorial point man for aleadingarchitectural magazine,particularly in this day and agewhen editors come and go after afew years with distressingrapidityand when architectural editor swith adiscernible editorial line arefew and far between.

Peter Davey’s inclination wasonly too evident fromthe verybeginning, datingback to thattransitional moment at the end of 1980 when he was promoted fromthe restricted status of ExecutiveEditor for Buildings to what waspresumably the more powerfulposition of ManagingEditor; arole

that year wherein he promptlyreveals the two primary intereststhat would consistently preoccupyhimthroughout the next twodecades; on the one hand, then asnow, the much neglected civilizedmodernity of the nor th, meaningthe architecture of Scandinaviaingeneral, with aparticular penchantperhaps for Norway, and on the

other his constant commitment tothe representation of the ‘other’which, in the case of his last issue asbuildingeditor, focused on the AgaKhan Awards of that year withrespect to which he would alreadydisplay his critical discernment byregardingthe famous Kuwait watertowers as borderingon the flashy.

By 1985, when the onceluxurious partially t inted paperformat of the Review had becomefinally curtailed, avictimsurely of the perennial fallingrate of profit,Peter’s editorial team, with PeterBuchanan as his deputy, enteredinto its stride givingappropriateattention to the maturation of European High-Tech, past andpresent, alongwith DutchStructuralismin its prime and thelongstanding‘other’ promise of the German organic traditionextendingfromthe pre-war workof Hugo Häringto the postwarproduction of Behnisch & Partners,and on to Fehlingand Gogel andthe brilliant but still largelyunappreciated SeldwylaSiedlungdesigned by Rolf Keller.

While this is not the place toindulge in acr itical résumé of thevicissitudes of the Review underDavey’s direction, one cannot helpremarkingon certain trendsparticularly as Buchanan gave wayto Catherine Slessor in the secondposition and as the journal seemedto shift viathe light neo-Finnish

Constructivist line of Gullichsen,Kairamo & Vormalato thespectacular high-flyingtectonics of Calatrava. The March 1995 issuegave special attention to SouthAfrican architecture: afocus surelyunique amongWestern journalsand one to which Davey hasreturned intermittently

Buro Happold, budiverse scene in geall this Peter was athe Review as the magazine of recorAmerican world, oglobal in scope, woremain on apar wchallengingachievedistinguished Span

Luis Fernández-Gain the year 2000 amillennial key notBeijing, not withouheavy polemic acescramblingàlamoto believe caused embarrassment. [I

As far as criticalconcerned, it is tothat he would stepastiche excessesstylism, beingon obold as to criticizecelebrated guru fiRossi and goingonend of tenure to astance that was aspolitical as it was calludingto his pub

justifiably critical written by TomKfrontline city of Ralongnightmare of Israeli/Palestine comay now, at the thave afragile chanbrought to an equresolution. I amwthe Review took afor this audaciousand it is surely to as apublic intellecan instant did he dappropriate to ba

Thus one comesomewhat dandiffront of the editormask that served

critical acumen ofrange and scope. Wmiss his bloody-mcompassionate seaprerequisite I woeditor who, in oneanother, is goingtor her salt. What eapart form thema

Rectorate, Alicante U niversity, Spainby Alvaro Siza. Photo:DuccioMalagamba. March 2000.

Parliament building, Lapland byHalvorsen & Sundby. Photo:JaroHollan. April 2001.

Bank, Granada, Spain by AlbertoCampo Baeza. Photo:H isao Suzuki.August 2002.

ESO hotel, Atacama Desert, Chile byAuer +W eber. Photo:Roland Halbe.

June 2003.

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population already livingin cities,and two billion of us mired ingrindingpoverty, the earth is in bigtrouble. Meanwhile, we firstworlders and our running-dog

tragedy of 9/11. It is aday thatstopped time and forced us all tosearch within ourselves to find thevalues that motivate our actions. Itbrought forth the fundamental

Chipperfield, Nouvel, and Rogershave creatively intervened in ourrelatively moribund and dollar-conscious buildingenvironment.Over the next 25 years I believe

position of ManagingEditor; arolehe would then be destined to playfor the rest of his career. Hisstance in this regard is alreadymanifest in the November issue of

returned intermittently.Apart fromthe ill-fated

MillenniumDome and the new Tate, the year 2000 brought with itnot only anew morphology,pace

apart form the mafarewell in perfectWhat aboutchapeto say laconically, on the other side

Museum of Folk Art, New York byTod Williams and Billie Tsien.Photo: Peter Mauss/ESTO .February 2002.

Mausoleum, Murcia, Spain by ManuelClavel Rojo.Photo:David FrutosRuiz.August [email protected]

- 357 -

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Double BassThis coastal retreat on the Bass Strait poetically responds to climate and views.

Architecture’s endless quest for

‘transparent’ buildings can simply

mean excessive use of glass. This

then requires ingenious design

to solve problems created by

the designer. In many parts of

the world, sunlight, far from

being the essential ingredient ofa health and efficiency type of

architecture, is the key problem

which has to be overcome.

Nor do extreme daytime

temperatures imply a clement

night-time environment.

The Bass Strait in Australia,

south of Melbourne, is a case in

point. Climate comfort is more

important than universal views,

and this coastal retreat, a house

and studio pavilion at Cape

Schanck by Denton Corker

Marshall, keeps glazing to an

appropriately low level. That said,

the house (which is located on

a steep site in the middle of agolf course) is designed so it can

enjoy ocean views, but does so

in the context of a ‘black box’

steel structure clad in cement

sheet, with a concrete ground

slab and suspended floor.

It is not the black box

approach which makes the house

interesting, however; rather, it

is the array of angled elements

deriving from the twisting of

the box tube in section. This

leads to raked cladding, cranked

lower windows, and a chimney

which emerges from the wall

at a faint ly alarming angle. The

desired impression was of abuilding which has rotated on it

axis as the box lands on the site

Not just one box, but two:

one sitting atop the other and

peeking out through the native

ti-trees, entered via a glass-

enclosed (but shaded) concrete

stair benea th its belly. The top

deck contains the living area




2with a long narrow window Glass ends in the house provide and/or aesthetic advantage, has

3




4 6

Solar umbrellaLawrence Scarpa’s own family house in Venice Beach is an imaginativeand ecologically aware response to the balmy Californian climate.




Frugality and sustainability are

the hallmarks of Pugh + Scarpa’s

practice, and Lawrence Scarpa’s

family house is an imaginative

manifestation of those principles.

Despite its imposing facade, it is

an addition: a spacious living area

grafted onto the rear of a vintage

60sqm bungalow, and an upstairs

master suite cantilevered back

without touching the roof of

the old building, so avoiding the

need to bring the old structure

up to code. A tilt-up concrete

shear wall braces a wood-framestructure, and a steel frame

supports the cantilever. All the

other materials are recycled:

rusted cold-rolled steel for the

front fence and surface cladding,

cherry wood and chipboard,

homosote (pulped newsprint)

and a translucent screen of plastic

pellets used to clean up oil spills.

Ninety solar panels wrapthe south side and canopy the

bedroom terrace, blocking the

sun and generating an energy

credit. The house is cooled by

(warmed by its purple acrylic

lining) and doubling as a heat

chimney when the skylight is

opened. Pocketing glass sliders

open the living room to the front,

and the master bedroom opens to

a terrace, bringing the outdoors in.The notion of indoor-outdoor

living in southern California

was pioneered by immigrants

from cold climates, such as the

where it is miserably hot and

humid, and you get sweaty walking

from your house to the car. The

ocean breezes in Venice make this

the best climate on the planet, and

it’s a crime not to take advantage

of it. Green architecture is aneasy, commonsense thing to do

– we have an in-house electrical/

mechanical engineer and typically

make our buildings 50 per cent

2




cross ventilation, and all rainwater

is retained on site. A narrow,

wedge-shaped lantern rises above

Greene brothers of Cincinnati

and Schindler and Neutra from

Vienna. Scarpa had the opposite

more energy efficient than more

conventional solutions.’

Like many architects, Scarpa

FAMILY HOUSE, VENICE,

CALIFORNIA, USA

ARCHITECT

FAMILY HOUSE, VENICE,

CALIFORNIA, USA

ARCHITECT

PUGH + SCARPA roof pla

kitchen remodels and residentialadditions and, when he and his

wife moved into a run-down 1923

cottage on a through lot, they

did an inexpensive remodel for

everything in this inventive housedoes double duty. The entry to a

guest bathroom and lavatory is

concealed behind a hinged section

of the bookcase that lines one wall.

CDN

cross sectio

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themselves. The long back yard

prompted thoughts of expansion

and the arrival of their first child,

Concrete steps with a cantilevered

handrail lead to a springy mesh

staircase supported on a steel tube

12 11




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1 bedroom 2 mosquito net around bed 3 cupboard 4 desk 5 verandah 6 seat 7 courtyard 8 lathe screen 9 compost lavatory 10 shower

A beach B guest bandas C dining area D diving centre E reception F tower G amenity building H stores J entrance courtyard K staff area L staff bandas

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location and site plan typical banda plan (scale approx 1:200)

The young French partnership of Florence Lipsky and Pascal Rollet has

a reputation for formally sparse but technically and materially inventive

buildings that make the most of limited programmes and budgets. Though

the pair favour the aesthetic edginess and functional economy of raw or

industrial materials, they generally play it straight with modular Miesian

structures and disciplined spatial arrangements. Their latest building is a

science library for the University of Orleans. Founded in 1961 and now

with some 5000 students, the university occupies a peripheral campus

sward at some remove from the city centre, linked by a tram line that

runs on a north-south axis across town. The site for the library is next to

the tram line, in front of one of the four stations that serves the campus.

Emerging from a boskily pastoral setting, the building is a strong, almost

graphic presence in the landscape. The taut orthogonality of its form, a

long, three-storey box terminated by a full-height colonnade, suggests

a scientific triumph of the rational over the romantic, but it has a morequixotic side in its appropriation of materials, handling of light and

approach to energy use and environmental control.

The tall concrete colonnade, like a scaled down version of Foster’s

Carré d’Art museum, Nîmes (AR July 1993), is a welcoming gesture that

celebrates and civilises arrival, while emphasising a route to the lake. A

small glass box, which also acts as an informal exhibition space, forms

a decompression zone between the blare of the outside world and the

SCIENCE LESSONVeiled in a polycarbonate skin, this

science library exploits site, light

and materials in the quiet pursuit of

passive environmental control.

UNIVERSITY LIBRARY,

ORLEANS, FRANCE

ARCHITECT

LIPSKY + ROLLET

1The translucent volume of the newlibrary emerges from its woodedcampus setting.2A tall colonnade creates a space forsocial interaction.




cross section

site plan

3

3The colonnade marks the entrance.4The site lies next to a tram line linkingth ith O l it t




the campus with Orleans city centre.5

Windows puncture th e tran slucen tpolycarbonate skin; glare control is




silent inner sanctum of the reading room. Areas of clear glazing are

punched apparently at random into the translucent polycarbonate skin

frame and define views of the landscape from inside at study table height

so students can drift off in contemplative reveries.

In operational terms, the modern university library is less concerned

with the inducement of reverie and more with the efficient storage and

retrieval of information, in both paper and digital formats. Yet the process

of information withdrawal, consultation and return continues to underpin

and structure the library as a building type. Lipksy + Rollet articulate this

process through a central ‘book box’, a dense core of books surrounded

by more fluid study zones arranged round the periphery. The main

reading room is a dramatic triple-height space, overlooked and surveyed

by perimeter study zones on the floor above, so users can inhabit a mor

intimate enclave, yet be aware of wider goings on.

The monumental book box is clad in Fincof panels (more commonly

employed for concrete formwork), a type of Finnish birch plywood

stained with dark phenolic resin. The panels evoke the warm leather of

traditional bookbinding and study armchairs but this is faux luxury. The

budget necessitated an imaginatively frugal approach to materials, as

manifest by the double skin of polycarbonate used to clad the building

which combines good insulation levels with light diffusing qualities, so

the reading room seems wrapped in a rice paper screen, with readers

silhouetted against its translucent walls. South and east facades have

vertical, manually operable white polycarbonate louvres to provide

additional glare control. Depending on the sun angle and building users,the vertical brise soleil create a changing pattern on the facades.

Though France is not as advanced as Germany in legislating for

efficient energy use, the need to keep capital and running costs down

proved an important incentive, giving rise to an integrated system of low

key, passive environmental control techniques that minimise mechanical

UNIVERSITY LIBRARY,

ORLEANS, FRANCE

ARCHITECT

LIPSKY + ROLLET




systems. The building is naturally ventilated, with fresh air warming and

rising up through the main reading room through the stack effect and




HOUSE, CLONAKILTY,

COUNTY CORK , IRELAND

ARCHITECT

NIALL MCLAUGHLIN

1




resisted, and the cliché of the

big picture window in the

extension has also been avoided,in favour of a pair of separated

framed views, one from the

living area and one from the

dining area immediately next

to the courtyard. Responding

to light has been a successful

driver for the project, given thatthe relatively sheltered location

of the existing buildings, on

a south-east facing site, has

resulted in a lack of sunlight.

As the architect puts it, ‘We

have designed the extension to

capture the last scraps of sun

as it declines behind the hill

in the early evening’. The new

extension more than makes up

for this, producing a totality

in which comfort, aspect, light

and geographical drama are

synthesised to great effect.

This is an architectural

project where success has

been achieved by treating

each potential difficulty as

a constructive opportunity.

Rather than a series of tactical

responses, which end up

compromising the diagram of

framed views and calculated

routes, the building has a

feeling of serenity and

completeness that belie the

design effort required to achieve

such an outcome. PAUL FINCH

ArchitectNiall McLaughlin

Structural engineer

Packman Lucas

Photographs

Niall McLaughlin and Nicholas Kane

4View sharing dining space.5The cottage contains master bedroom and bathroom.6Cottage interior.7The area looking back to the kitchen.8Separation of function avoids apicture window cliché.

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7

more of an issue, builders are increasingly

encouraged to build more ecologically. Wood,

a renewable and natural material has an

clad in copper, and the lookout tower in Helsink

by Ville Hara composed of a strong but ligh

meshed shell structure of timber strips (AR

December 2003). There are also several villas i

coastal or lakefront settings, and an annex for th

University of Oulu Department of Architectur

by Claudia Auer and Niklas Sandås.

Among the larger projects are the Finnis

Forest Research Institute in Joensuu, which

is the biggest office building in Finland, and

the Sibelius Concert Hall in Lahti by Kimm

Lintula and Hannu Tikka, both of which hav

loadbearing timber structures. Timber is an

excellent material for long-span structures

the tensile strength of birch compared to it

mass is higher than that of ordinary steel an

far superior to concrete.

Appropriately, one of Finland’s best

known wooden buildings is on show in th

next room. The exhibition Returning Hom

– Sibelius’s Ainola (with the same exhibition

dates) features Ainola, an artist’s villa builfor the composer Jean Sibelius in 1904 by hi

friend Lars Sonck, who, like Sibelius, played

a leading role in the development of Finnis

National Romanticism. JULIA DAWSON

From Wood to Architecture until 4 September 2005, Museum

Shingle church in Kärsämäki by Anssi Lassila: a log-built core encased by a black, tarred shingle clad cloak.




a renewable and natural material, has an

important role to play with respect to climateof Finnish Architecture, Helsinki, Finland. www.mfa.fi

There is a tendency among

European architects to

experiment with varying

silhouettes. In the UK one

thinks of the emerging work of

Caruso St John and Sergison

Bates, while more widely across

continental Europe buildings by

Studio Granda (AR July 1992),

Gigon + Guyer (AR June 2004),

and Herzog & de Meuron (AR

August 2003) have derived new,

distinctive and highly specific

forms that have avoided the lure

of bling and blob. Since the mid1990s, in opposition to High Tech

and POMO, traditional pitch roof

forms and restrained Swiss boxes

began to morph in response to

site and programme. Articulated

in detail with intricate tectonics,

and through formal distortion

– torsion and twists, architectural

nip and tuck – typologies slowly

evolved. While space and material

remained key considerations,

it was the search for form that

prevailed as the main concern,

and with a pulled vector here,

an elongated ridge there,

exaggerated forms emerged.

Strangely familiar, yet dramatically

new, a form of abstract post-

modernism brought a new play

on architectural simile – ‘it’s like

a barn, an oast house, but with a

twist’. In Japan, a similar tendency

is emerging.

With earthquake regulations

enforcing a minimum 500mmgap between adjacent

properties, densely packed

urban neighbourhoods have

made the detached home one of

the country’s most widespread

architectural types, considered

by many architects to be one of

Japan’s cultural treasures. So it

is no surprise that an emerging

generation of architects is

bringing new interest to this area

of specialism, with architects

such as Yoshiharu Tsukamoto

carrying out extensive research

into the rhetoric and spatial

composition of postwar housing.

In this field, Jun Aoki is also a

serious contributor, shown here

with G House, a contemporary

abstraction of a traditional

timber-framed pitched-roof

detached house. Situated in a

residential district of central

Tokyo, G House is a rendered

house set on top of a reinforced-concrete podium. With internal

spaces conforming to this

formal division, living, dining and

entertaining spaces are contained

within the concrete podium, with

attic bedrooms above. With no

distinction between wall and

roof, the distorted attic form

could certainly be described as

a contrived, compelling object,

Through the careful distortion

of familiar forms, Jun Aoki’s

latest Tokyo house makes the

ordinary extraordinary.

ATTIC LIGHT

location

HOUSE, TOKYO

ARCHITECT

JUN AOKI

1 Jun Aoki’s G House c omprises atimber-framed attic set above aconcrete plinth.2Internally the attic has a complexarrangement of interlockingspaces,lit by an irregulararrangement of skylights. 21


[email protected]



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64 | 9

l

l l l

bath

closet

west elevation ( street entranc e) east elevation (rear)

short section

south elevation

long section

north elevation

ground floor plan (scale approx 1:140) plan through horizontal void first floor plan second floor plan

1 parking2 kitchen

3 living/dining 4 child’s bedroom 5 study

6 bedroom 7 bath 8 cellar

3The central atriumconnects livingrooms with themezzanine study,from where theuppermost loft-like bedroom isaccessed via stair.Direct and reflectedlight plays on theattic’s angularsurfaces.

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HOUSE, TOKYO

ARCHITECT

JUN AOKI

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[email protected]



- 385 -

4The uppermostbedroom sits atthe apex of theattic.5 Where timbermeets concrete,an interstitialvoid is expressedas a continuousdatum.6Oblique viewsfrom themezzanine studyconnect spacesvia the atriumscreen.7 With thedouble-heightatrium and

mezzanineadjacent to oneanother,the fullheight of thelofty attic formis exploited tomaximum effect.

(see Peter Buchanan, AR August

2005), not dissimilar in form

to Prada’s angular prism (AR

August 2003). Here, however,

justification for the derivation of

form is attributed to traditional

formal types and to specific

site constraints, with the subtle

inflections in plan reflecting the

tapering plot, and a recognition

of adjacent building heights

producing dramatic distortions

in elevation. Furthermore,

adhering to good old-fashioned

Modernist truth-to-form, the

internal volume reflects the

external form, with lofty voids,

passageways and bedrooms

creating a complex series of

interlocking spaces. The spatial

complexity resonates externally,

with an apparently random

arrangement of timber sash

windows that sit proud of the

rendered surface, creating

a pattern that subverts any

recognition of floor levels, shifts

our perception of scale, and

increases the form’s sculptural

significance. The resultant form

is bold and distinctive and is

further modelled by a re-entrant

corner cutout, set directly above

the sunken entrance court.

Internally the passage of light

has been carefully orchestrated

with the attic form serving as

an enormous skylight for the

podium beneath. Two voids help

achieve this; a central double-

height atrium that serves as the

focus of the house connecting

living spaces with a mezzanine

work study, and more curiously a

horizontal void, 770mm high, that

articulates the structural division

between concrete basement and

timber frame; a continuously

expressed interstitial datum

that lies coincident with the

re-entrant cutout. Light fills

the spaces, and set against

the cool interiors that are

dominated by white walls, timber

soffits and concrete structure,

Aoki’s interest in decorative

ornamentation (most overtly

expressed in his work for Louis

Vuitton, AR November 2004) is

also evident, demonstrating some

of his more quirky influences.

These include the use of silk

and lace in bedroom curtains,

traditionally used to make

kimonos, and flock wallpaper, as

featured in George Cukor’s 1964

film My Fair Lady ; the wallpaper

being applied with restraint to

feature walls in the livi ng room,

easily changeable, he explains, as

tastes change.

Built to a high specification, the

budget of this house represented

an equal split between land and

construction, with the relatively

high construction costs funding

the big concrete basement, which

has a large cellar and fine finishes

throughout. ROB GREGORY

Site area 106.75sqmFloor area 154.98sqm

Architect

Jun Aoki (Tokyo?)

Photographs

Edmund Sumner/VIEW66 | 9

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- 386 -

LAUNCH PAD

1Blue sky thinking:The where the imag inatiooff,and the only real why not?

HOUSE, CHITA, A ICHI

ARCHITECT

POWER UNIT STUDIO

In the somewhat culturally

starved region of Nagoya City

– the venue for thi s year’s World

Expo (AR June 2005) – a young

couple’s anti-suburban house

from maverick designers Power

Unit Studio battles against

lazily packaged homogeneous

architecture.

Unconventionality does not

have to lead to brashness,

however. Suprisingly modest,

the house reveals little from the

street. It is not until you enter

that its full force is deployed,

dramatically opening out into

an expansive living room that

follows the site’s topographical

slope. A steep concrete floor

leads directly to the back of the

house, before cantilevering out

into the garden, overlooking

the forest beyond. Privacy is

maximised, curtains and blinds

are put away, and occupants

exist in their own world behind

gravity-defying concrete blinkers

that screen unsightly views. As

thin as they are, the angular

screens give the impression of a

house that is curi

with no visible me

This visual precar

is further heighte

kitchen hovering o

the bathroom floa

other, and the stu

over the living roo

glass screen in the

a vantage point fo

the comings and g

adding a curious c

the house. It is no

children have bee

playing war games

Standing defiantly on a suburban

hilltop, the Y House declares

war on convention ality.





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HOU

ARC

POW

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2Defying convention and gravity,behind the modest street facade,forms become more expressive.3The main living space is at thecentre of the spatial composition.4Concrete blinkers provide privacy.5The entrance level studio/bed-room overlooks the living spaceto the left,the garden to the right,and gives (assisted) access to anupper terrace.

1 entrance 2 living/dining 3 kitchen 4 study/bedroom 2 5 bathroom

6 lavatory 7 bedroom 1

basement level plan

using the house as their enemy

headquarters. You don’t need

childish make-believe, however,

to see the space as something

other than a house, be it an

army HQ, astronomical research

laboratory, or aircraft carrier.

Whatever it is, as the architect

explains, it was always intended

for a family, with the studio

reserved for children.

Despite the intention,

less child-friendly features

proliferate, not least the balcony

edge and sharp corners, but

also a large rectangular hole

strategically inserted in the

study to bring light to the

basement area below. With a

10 metre drop, enough to make

cautious adults weak at the

knees, it is hoped that children

growing up in this house will be

smarter and more agile.

In concept both daring and

playful, the couple engaged

fully with the architect and his

construction team during the

fabrication of the house, all

responding well to a difficult

job. Minor defects in the floo r

required some making good,

although the imperfections and

idiosyncrasies ultimately give

the house more character. This

is not a place to interrogate

each and every detail; it is

instead a place in which to

lose yourself, and to let your

imagination take off, sitting on

the balcony edge gazing into the

forest beyond.

Site area 324.73sqm Built area 124.47sqm

Floor area 136.29sqm

Architect

Power Unit Studio,Tokyo

Photographs

Edmund Sumner/VIEW

lower ground floor plan (scale approx 1:250)

upper ground floor plan (entrance) section through studio, bathroom and basement bedroom

section through entrance,living room and basement bedroom

4





388

86 | 9

The only non-Japanese architect in

this issue, John Pawson cultivates

a formal and material refinement

that has obvious Oriental affinities,

so this commission for a house

in Tokyo is especially intriguing.

Having lived in Japan, Pawson has

some understanding of its culture,

and has designed a couple of retail

schemes. This, however, is his first

residential project and presented

a different sort of challenge in

its intimate scale, awkward site

conditions and the integration of

traditional and modern aspects of

Japanese domestic life.

The clients are a middle-aged

couple with no children who had

acquired a small piece of land in

Setagaya, a suburban district to the

south-east of the sprawling Tokyo

metropolis. The couple are keen

cooks and had eagerly devoured

Living and Eating , Pawson’s

evangelical paean to good food

and the minimum lifestyle. Seduced

by his architecture, especially his

own house in London’s Notting

Hill (AR May 2000), they simply

cold called the office and asked if

he could design something for

them. The outcome is an elegantly

impassive two-storey box that

though it turns its back on its

surroundings, conceals a tranquil,

sensuous inner realm.

Made of concrete which is then

lightly rendered and painted, the

box has a weighty, casket-like

quality, its sides pierced by the

barest handful of glazed incisions.

Internal organisation aims both to

structure and celebrate domestic

life while editing out extraneous

distractions. Spaces for cooking,

dining and relaxing are arranged in

distinct yet fluid zones at ground

level, with sleeping, washing and

dressing quarters above, linked by

a single flight of stairs.

A long low wall flanking an

adjacent site draws you in to the

entrance at the south-west

corner. Though currently vacant,

the neighbouring site is due to be

developed, and Pawson’s response

to this uncertainty is to turn the

house in on itself. A secluded

internal courtyard planted with a

solitary Japanese maple forms the

dwelling’s focus and fulcrum. The

main living quarters face on to

this courtyard as does a tea

ceremony room, with traditional

tatami mat floor, that also

functions as a guest bedroom.

Boundaries between external and

internal spaces are consciously

blurred through familiar Pawson

optical illusions – diaphanous

planes of full-height glazing appear

to dissolve walls and a stone

workbench seamlessly extends

the length of the house into the

courtyard.

HOUSE, TOKYO

ARCHITECT

JOHN PAWSON

BOXING CLEVERA glacial exterior conceals a tranquil inner realm

of minimal materiality animated by light.

1The plot of land infront of the house willeventually be built on,so Pawson’s approachis one of tacticalhermeticism.2The pristine box poisedin typically dissoluteurban surroundings.

it lan 1:

site plan

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88 | 9

In scale the courtyard is perhaps

more Mediterranean than

Japanese, but nonetheless its

double height helps to filter out

nondescript surroundings and the

idea of perceiving nature through

the meticulous framing of

individual elements – an expanse

of sky, the branches of a tree – is

very particular to Japan. Windows

set up and define views, but those

on the long south side, which will

be hemmed in by as yet unbuilt

new houses, are infilled with

translucent glass to preserve

privacy. As with all Pawson’s

architecture, the subtle play of

light and a limited palette of

materials – plaster, concrete,

limestone, timber and glass –

tempers the formal rigour.

The challenges of building on

such a constricted site aptly

illustrate the architectural and

economic dynamics of the

Japanese urban condition.

Astronomical land values (in this

case the site cost twice as much

as the house) and demanding

building regulations generate an

elaborate gavotte of compromise

and deference (both to neighbours

and wider authority) that often

serves to discourage creative

thinking. Clearly inflected by the

more profound nuances of

Japanese tradition, Pawson’s spirit

of sensuous rationalism meets

such pragmatic challenges head on.

The house has a glacial

composure and otherworldly

beauty that recalls (if not too

much of an Oriental cliché) the

poise and grace of a classical

geisha carefully settling herself

down between a couple of slightly

dissolute salarymen for an

evening’s chaste entertainment.

Though these enigmatic creatures

may draw stares, they are never

returned; so it is with this house.

CATHERINE SLESSOR

Site area 195.23sqm Built area 97.50sqm

Floor area 181.17sqm

Architect

John Pawson,London

Photographs

Edmund Sumner/VIEW

i

i

1 entrance2 kitchen3 dining4 living5 tea ceremony room6 courtyard7 bedroom8 dressing area9 terrace10 bathroom


3A single flight of stairslinks the two floors.4The living area dissolvesinto the courtyard. long section through living area and courtyard

long section through stairwell and tea ceremony room

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5Characteristic domesticasceticism from Pawson.6Bathroom overlooking thefocal courtyard.

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Trinity Road in south London is

a typical leafy Victorian suburb.

Stolid brick houses with bay

windows and big gardens exude an

air of decorousness and prosperity.

Yet even in a sleepy conservation

area the urge to remodel is quite

common. Here, however, Alison

Brooks attempts something

rather different. Commissioned

to extend a Victorian house as

part of a larger remodelling, she

saw it as a chance to experiment,

both with form and materials.

More specifically, it intensifies her

investigations into the use of metal

that began when she worked with

Ron Arad in the early ’90s, and the

idea of continuity – manipulating

a single architectural material to

perform a multitude of functions,

so that spaces are ‘wrapped’ and

tend to de-materialise.

The extension opens up the

house to rear, consolidating its

relationship with the large garden.

Brooks was adamant that the new

architecture should not compete

with the robust character of the

existing Victoriana, so her tactic is

to make the addition as intangible

and ethereal as possible. But the

outcome is not the stereotypical

glass box. Instead, lightness is

expressed through a single planarskin of patinated brass that is

apparently cut and folded to form

walls, roof, columns and benches.

The exquisitely thin brass planes

enclose a new kitchen, dining

room and external terrace, as well

as framing and filtering views to

the garden beyond.

Though the crisp, orthogonal

geometry was derived from simply

folding a piece of cardboard, the

actual construction was inevitably

more complex and crafted. The

richly patinated brass panels are,

in fact, supported by a slim steel

structure. Cor-ten was initially

considered for the cladding, but

it tends to bleed and stain before

the coating of rust finally stabilises.

By contrast, the patination of brassis gentler and its effects can be

more closely controlled. Though

not commonly used as a cladding

material, brass is also harder

(stiffer) than its closest relative

copper, and more economical.

Brooks likens the construction

process to the fabrication of a

large-scale piece of jewellery. The

3mm thin sheets of raw brass94 | 10

ar h

B r a s s or i g a mi

D el i c a t e pl an e s of p a

t i n a t e d b r a s s f ol d ar o un d t h i s

i m a gi n a t i v e ex t en s i o

n t o ah o u s ei n s o u t h L on d on .

HO

1The new glass andpatinated brasspavilion tactfullyextends an existingVictorian house.





1 entrance 2 hall 3 wc 4 dining room 5 living room 6 kitchen 7 dining pavilion 8 terrace 9 magnolia tree

HOUSE EXTENSION, LONDON

ARCHITECT

ALISON BROOKS ASSOCIATES

were cut and folded in a specialist

metal fabrication workshop and

temporarily assembled on site.

The panels were then dismantled

and removed to be patinated by

hand. Varying the effects of acid

and heat generates different hues,

from pale blue to deep turquoise,

but the patina also responds to

the daily effects of the weather,

so the panels have a genuinely

chameleon-like quality. Finally, the

patinated pieces were carefully

reassembled. Full-height glazing

adds to the sense of lightness and

seamlessness and the composition

is anchored by charcoal greyporcelain floor tiles.

Thinness is another crucial

aspect of this language of elegant

abstraction. The brass panel

constructions are only 60mm thick

and, as the pavilion is seen from

the upper storeys of the house,

its roof is also a rigorously pared

down structure, with an upstand

reduced to 50mm from the more

usual 150mm.

Though the pavilion is a

meticulously crafted one-

off, Brooks sees it as a useful

prototype which feeds

into an ongoing process of

experimentation and discovery.

The practice is working on amajor housing development

in Cambridge and plans to

incorporate off-the-peg brass

cladding panels (developed by

copper specialists KME) in a six-

storey apartment block. In an era

besotted by conspicuous gestures,

it is especially pleasing to see

humble or disregarded materials

used imaginatively. Brooks’

architecture has always reflected a

concern for making and materials,

and her latest project consolidates

this lineage. CATHERINE SLESSOR

Architect

Alison Brooks Associates,London

Metal fabrication

John Desmond

PhotographsDennis Gilbert/VIEW

2The pavilion is conceived as aseries of thin folded planes.3Pared down architecturallanguage does not attempt tocompete with original house.4Views through to garden areframed and defined.5Mounted on a slim steel sub-structure,the brass planes areonly 60mm thick.

cross section

site plan


diagram of folding process

96 | 10

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long section

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70 | 10| 1

Ever since John Winter

audaciously clad his seminal

Highgate house in a skin ofweathering steel back in 1969,

Cor-ten’s quasi industrial aesthetic

of shipyard and factory floor

has become globally ubiquitous.

According to Neil Jackson, in his

entertaining study of the genre in

The Modern Steel House, it took

seven years for Winter’s little

building to slowly acquire the

coveted purplish-brown patina

of worn-out boiler plating. Now

pre-weathered Cor-ten clads

the world, from police stations

and parking lots to OMA’s Las

Vegas Guggenheim (June 2002).

Yet it never quite loses its qualityof otherness, as demonstrated

by its use in this recent Brussels

apartment block. Here the

‘instant’ patina of age and distress

still provides a bracing shock

of the new and unusual amid

wedding cake historicism.

The building lies in Schaerbeek,

to the north-east of Brussels city

centre, a district populated by

many Turkish immigrant families.

It occupies a compact, chunky

wedge that turns a corner

between Avenue de la Reine and

Place Liedts. Cars and trams surge

past the prow-like site whichis anchored between a couple

of existing muscular apartment

blocks. To the spirit, if not the

letter, architect Mario Garzaniti

follows the familiar template of

the continental walk-up tenement,

though the proportions and

internal arrangements are more

generous and imaginative than

might normally be expected. Two

duplex apartments are stacked

above a shop at ground level,

the floors linked by a narrow


ARCHITECT

MARIO GARZANITI

THE JOY

OF RUSTClad in a coarse carapace of

rusted steel, this housing block

is a startling urban presence.

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72 | 10| 1

communal staircase inserted into

an intermediate slot between

the new and old buildings.

Despite being logements sociaux ,

the duplexes are quite inventive

spatially, making the most of the

awkward, wedge-shaped plot. The

top floor flat even has a modish

sleeping loft overlooking the living

space below.

But the most striking aspect

of the project is the rusting

metal carapace that envelops the

building in a coarse caress, as if

the hull of an ageing supertanker

had somehow careered intothe block. Yet the monolithic

appearance is slightly deceptive;

the Cor-ten panels are only a thin

outer skin (a mere 4mm thick)

riveted to stainless-steel omega

profiles attached to the concrete

walls. Flexible bands prevent the

risk of galvanic coupling (where

one type of metal encourages

the rapid corrosion of another)

that can occur when Cor-ten and

stainless steel come into contact.

Slight disparities in the

ochre tones of the panels add

a sense of patchwork variety

and animation to the overall

composition. Cor-ten shutters

are incorporated into the facade,

filtering light through verticalslits in the manner of a modern

mashrabiya. When closed, the

shutters lie flush with the panels,

giving the block an unsettlingly

seamless, hermetic quality.

Clearly this is a building that

thrives on contrast (modern Cor-

ten and traditional wedding cake)

enhanced by the jolting surprise

of seeing so visually and culturally

challenging a material employed

on such an ambitious scale. Yet it

is more than just a skin, attested

by the generous proportions of

the apartments and the way in

which light animates the interiors.

The gritty boiler plating conceals

a sensitive soul. C. S.

ArchitectMario Garzaniti,Liege

Photographs

Alain Janssens


ARCHITECT

MARIO GARZANITI

5Facade detail.6Light filters through theperforated shutters.7Duplex apartments are quitegenerously proportioned.8Sleeping loft.

5

87

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1

cross section looking north-eastcross section looking north-west

fourth floor second floor ground floor plan (scale approx 1:200)

third floor first floor site plan

1 street entrance 2 communal staircase 3 shop 4 flat entrance 5 living 6 dining 7 kitchen 8 internal staircase 9 bedroom 10 sleeping loft

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66 | 10| 1

In a quiet backwater of fields and

woods on the island of Hirvensalo

in the south-west of Finland, St

Henry’s Ecumenical Art Chapel

grows from its site – a hillock

surrounded by pines and spruces

– embracing context and the

natural environment.

The chapel is not immediately

apparent on approach: following

the bend of the road you are

suddenly confronted by the

elegant copper-clad church,

its volume contrasting with

its surroundings. It has the

appearance of an upturnedship’s hull. The design vocabulary

juxtaposes copper and wood, light

and shade. The chapel was finished

earlier this year so the copper is

new; eventually its green patina

will help the church blend with the

surrounding pine trees.

St Henry’s is approached head

on, up a gentle dogleg pedestrian

ramp to the small foyer lit by

natural light at the western

entrance. You proceed from here

through a passageway to the

church proper, from darkness to

light; at the far eastern end two

side windows the height of the

chapel throw light down onto the

altar, breathtaking on a sunny day.

The architect describes the mainhall as the stomach of the fish,

the fish being a symbol of early

Christians (fitting as the church is

ecumenical).

Gallery and chapel are one

volume, with the gallery at the

back, and the chapel proper in the

front, with the altar terminating

the axis. The benches are removed

for art exhibitions and you can

view the art while religious

ceremonies are being conducted.

The whole interior, bar the

glazing around the altar, is of

wood, the warm smell of which

permeates the space. Seating is

simple angular backless benches

made of solid, edge-laminated

common alder; but this elegant,

pared down minimalism couldprove inhospitable during long

church services. The chapel’s

loadbearing structure consists of

tapering ribs of laminated pine



ARCHITECT


1The wide windows at thefront of the chapel light upthe altar.The copper cladding will take on a green pati nain time.

This chapel in Turku draws on a long tradition

of remarkable Finnish churches in which religion,

nature and light come together.

DIVINE LIGHT





68 | 10| 1

two metres apart. Between these

ribs is a curved interior lining

of 100mm wide, untreated pine

boarding. At the moment this is

very light, but with time the tone

will deepen to a reddish hue. The

pine ribs are lit by spotlights.

The floorboards are 200mm

wide, 50mm thick pine planks

and run parallel to the axis of

the space. These have been

waxed to create a clicking sound

when walked on, reminiscent of

the floors of old churches. The

patinated altar is the last public

work by academician and sculptorKain Tapper. In the altar window

an artwork by Hannu Konola

filters light onto the altar wall.

Matti Senaksenaho continues

the distinguished legacy of the

Finnish church architecture of

Engel, Aalto, Sonck, Bryggman and

more recently of Juha Leiviskä in

his luminous churches in Myrrmäki

and in Männistö (ARs June 1987

and June 1994). JULIA DAWSON

Architect

Sanaksenaho Architects,Helsinki

Project architect

Matti Sanaksenaho

Photographs

Jussi Tiainen

2The chapel,ri sing from its hillock,is reminiscent of an upturnedhull,or,more prosaically,anupright iron.3Looking towards the simple altar,illuminated by natural light fromside windows.


plan

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ARCHITECT




Bonitas Casas [Architecture eBook] the Architectural Review - Sellection (2002-2005)

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