Community in Action
A building opens some possibilities, and closes others. Architecture is the choice between these possibilities. Its decisions are: when to disturb, when to add, when to subtract, when to leave alone, and in what way.
ALL Projects will consider Community and shall develop within a given field of considerations:
Site may be urban or sub-urban with characteristics enabling architecture or in a natural environment presented for its ability to make architecture with response to its nature – Architecture + Nature. In any case the site must open the potential of a Community in Action.
"The worst enemy of modern architecture is the idea of space considered solely in terms of its economic and technical exigencies indifferent to the ideas of the site."
Vittorio Gregotti
Program shall realistically confront present global, social and economic realities in responding to the needs of a particular community. It shall frame a field of action where interaction between spaces and places respond not only to organizational schemes, but to also flows of information.
Space is in essence that for which room has been made, that which is let into its bounds. That for which room is made is always granted and hence is joined, that is gathered, by virtue of a location…Accordingly, spaces (and places) receive their being from locations and not from 'space'.
Martin Heidegger
Sustainability is a way of thinking. It is about energy efficiency, durability and economy. It is about culture and context. It is about understanding history and modes of development. It is about practicality and pragmatics. Most importantly, it is about the ethics of design – truth and reason over style and prescription.
"I'm very interested in buildings that adapt to changes in climatic conditions according to the seasons, buildings capable of responding to our physical and psychological needs in the way that clothing does. We don't turn on the air-conditioning as we walk through the streets in high summer. Instead, we change the character of the clothing by which we are protected. Layering and changeability: this is the key, the combination that is worked into most of my buildings. Occupying one of these buildings is like sailing a yacht; you modify and manipulate its form and skin according to seasonal conditions and natural elements, and work with these to maximize the performance of the building. This involvement with the building also assists in the care for it. I am concerned about the exploitation of the natural environment in order to modify the internal climate of buildings. Architects must confront the perennial issues of light, heat, and humidity control yet take responsibility for the method and the materials by which, and out of which, a building is made. The considerations, context, and the landscape are some of the factors that are constantly at work in my architecture"
Glenn Mercutt
Material investigations and precedent analysis shall be persistent and present throughout all modes of thinking and making.
"I see the rusty metal door, the blue of the hills in the background, the shimmer of the air over the asphalt… Everything I see, the cement slabs that hold the earth, the wires of the trellis, the chiseled balusters on the terrace, the plastered arch over the passageway – they all show traces of wear, of use and of dwelling. And when I look more carefully, the things I see start to tell me something about why, how and for what purpose they were made. All this comes to light, or is concealed, within their form or presence."
Peter Zumthor
Definition
the·sis (thē'sĭs)
n. pl. the·ses (-sēz)
A proposition that is maintained by argument.
- A proposition stated or put forward for consideration, esp. one to be discussed and proved or to be maintained against objections: He vigorously defended his thesis on the causes of war.
- A dissertation on a particular subject in which one has done original research, as one presented by a candidate for a diploma or degree. A hypothetical proposition, especially one put forth without proof.
- Philosophy.
A thesis statement declares what you believe and what you intend to prove. A good thesis statement will make the difference between a thoughtful architectural "project" and a simple "building".
"A Thesis addresses two aspects of architecture simultaneously, the specific issues of the project itself and the implications of the concepts involved in the project in relation to the discourse of architecture today, in a historical perspective."
Diana Agrest
Community…
Your response must be interactive and responsive to socio-political, global or local issues, economics and sustainability - It should not be a problem solving proposal, but rather a study of critical issues that can be made explicit and tested.
General Rules of the Studio:
The year will be essentially broken into six parts:
- Researching ideas and concepts of community spaces and places.
- Modeling possibilities in form and context.
- Developing your Thesis.
- Documenting findings and discoveries.
- Presenting the ideas as a probable architecture.
- Presenting the final argument via a complete architectural proposal.
This text shall be used as a general outline. As your projects develop, the class will develop. We equally learn from each other.
"If teaching has any purpose, it is to implant true insight and responsibility. Education must lead us from irresponsible opinion to true responsible judgment. It must lead us from chance and arbitrariness to rational clarity and intellectual order."
Mies van der Rohe
During the year you will be required to carry a sketchbook. This sketch book will act as your journal for documenting insights and analysis. Use it not only to document your studies, but for analysis of the world around you and its affects on your continuing investigations.
Sketchbook
The sketchbook should have removable pages and be 8½ x 11 in size. You will be required to present a minimum of Ten (10) complete pages every Tuesday. These pages may be sketches, notes, graphs, pictures, etc… demonstrating a process driven by analysis of precedent in architecture and documentation of other disciplines related to your subject thesis. Requirements as follows:
- Two pages of hand drawings and sketches.
- Two pages of digital drawings, maps, graphic data drawn by you.
- Two pages of research data and documentation on community related topics.
- Two pages of precedent – copies and sketches.
- Two pages of text with analytical drawings and / or documents of your ongoing thoughts and site / class trips or visits. These pages must be mixed media.
Five of these pages are required to be scanned or JPG and compiled on the class blog and will ultimately produce the required research document presented at the end of the semester. The book shall clearly describe your process and the outcome of the research that has lead to the conclusion of your thesis and as a potential architecture.
The book will be copied and distributed to the final review jury as a single file PDF (5mb max) one week prior to the first semester final review.
From Vitruvius to Alberti to Palladio to Le Corbusier to Koolhaas, writing is critical to the development of architecture. Get a copy of The Elements of Style, Strunk and White it will aid in your writing.
Class Blog
We will use a blog as a means of communicating with each other and as a way of documenting the studies and outcomes of the class. The blog will be open to others we invite, including other faculty members and our guest critics. All required sketches and documentation MUST be posted. We will set a date no later than 3 weeks into the semester as the final set-up date for the blog and we will all share in its maintenance.
Part One – Researching Ideas - Start asking questions
· What is a Thesis for an Architect?
· Why are you working on your chosen thesis?
· What is its intended outcome?
· How will you arrive at your decisions?
· Who will use this place?
· Where is it located and why?
Continue asking these questions for the first half of the first semester. This will be your time for learning through investigation, critical analysis and discovery between yourself, your critic and your classmates. Your research must be self-directed and self-initiated. Your critic will guide your process and aid in your precedent analysis and discovery. Clearly and intentionally document these ideas in your sketchbook.
A good tentative thesis will help you focus your search for information. But don't rush! You must do a lot of background research before you know enough about your subject to identify key or essential questions. You may not know how you stand on an issue until you have examined the evidence (site, precedent and program). You will begin your research with a working, preliminary or tentative thesis which you will continue to refine until you are certain of where the evidence leads.
"Get the habit of analysis - analysis will in time enable synthesis to become your habit of mind."
Frank Lloyd Wright
Start your precedent analysis immediately. Look for buildings, projects, products, books, essays, films, music, etc… that will help reinforce the argument for your ideas. Develop ways to present this analysis. Build models, create specific renderings or diagrams, and provide sources for reference. Develop these as final documents for presentation in class and in your "Thesis Manual". Use precedence listed in this document and others that are specific to your – program – site – material – ideas. Present your findings and ideas in a sketchbook, in class and in the class blog.
By Mid-Term of the first semester, you should be able to succinctly present your findings and how they influenced your decisions in concluding your thesis statements.
Part Two – Modeling Possibilities – Discovery of form and space – place and community.
We will investigate community as people – buildings – objects. We will document ideas of community interaction both in concept and in form.
It is rare that we find creation of new forms, new functions when our references are so many. Ultimately what makes good design is the fit of a composition. A planned composition is an organized composition. (See Alexander)
Compositions are initially based on function (The Plan) or pure aesthetics (The Form), nonetheless, both are shaped in relation to a system; a structure; a practice. In most cases for architects the system is formed through analysis (forces), relationships (form), context (environment) and proportion (people). Artists devote their lifetime learning from drawing environments or composed still-life in order to develop a visionary eye. The act of analyzing your surroundings to express takes the pressure off of the decisions which go into a "new" design. It allows one to focus on the issue at hand. It becomes a selective process rather then an accumulative process.
Good design comes from understanding your surroundings - your environment. Every place is unique and special, nested within a particular topos or "topography".
We will make studies of objects – independent objects – communities of objects. Questions about the space in-between these communities of objects will be investigated; a "Still Life" of architectonic form. You will be charged with the task of giving these "still" objects "Life" by recomposing them on a site. You should select a site of your Thesis or if not a specific site than two or three potential sites.
Part Three – Researching your Thesis – Specific Precedent, Program, Materials, Architecture
Following the conceptual studies put forth in the first half of the semester; begin a more focused analysis specifically targeted toward compiling information that might be used to support your arguments.
Start by choosing three specific buildings with clear programs that will aid in your understanding of what your building program might be. It is imperative that you chose three that are not only related through program, but in condition of your selected site. These precedents should reach through the depth of human invention. In other words, only one may be contemporary (less than 25 years old).
Understand how it defines it own typology, what methodologies are present, how are spaces arranged and what events take place through their juxtapositions, what is its materiality and its structure and finally, how does it employ attitudes about sustainability via its relationship to earth and sky.
In your analysis of precedent begin to investigate use of material and how it is employed. Is it vernacular, is it used to convey information, what are its properties, why was it chosen and how does it relate to the environment and climate where it was used.
Study the material. Find its properties, record different methods of use, find uses outside of architecture, its scarcity or abundance, its manufacture, its embodied energy, its cost, etc… Share your analysis with your classmates. Build a model for presentation of material analysis. Compile this research into a knowledgebase for the class.
Chose your specific site. Present a thorough investigation of its character. Ask:
· Where is it and why is this location the best location? Clarify your intentions.
· What is its character? Compile surveys, photos, maps, etc... that present all of the physical characteristics of the site. Document all of these as layers of a complete study.
Develop a program. Invention in architecture is derived through thoughtful analysis of program.
· What is your program?
· What are its parts and how do they make architecture?
· What are the possibilities of the program? How might it be made new?
Part Four– Documenting findings and discoveries – An analytical method.
You should compile information about the site and demonstrate why it is the best location to use for your thesis. Document by mapping is forces and variables. Mark its natural conditions, its topography (both built and unbuilt), and the degrees of light, wind and sound, its history (both in human and geological terms), its culture and context, its spatial dimensions, its paths and movement systems. Diagram these flows of information to demonstrate its value and importance to your proposal. Present them in your book and in the blog.
"To challenge interpretation and analysis is sometimes more important than design" "Work with the situation as it exists – read the existing situations and find within them the arguments for connecting (making) new architectures"
Rem Koolhaas
Prepare your sketches, analytical drawings and models for presentation. Focus your thesis statement. Edit and present it by means of your analytical discoveries.
Present your ideas.
· How are the building program and its site related? What are the possibilities? Develop a schematic proposal.
· Complete a study model of the site and its immediate environs.
· Develop three proposals for your building. Have them complete for the final presentation.
Part Five – Creating Architecture – Studies of what to do and what not to do.
Architecture tries to define, to limit, to exclude those things which should not be. Architecture forces you to say what it is and by doing so you exclude those things it cannot be.
Architecture is made through investigations of:
Typology
The word type represents not so much the image of a thing to be copied as the idea of an element that must itself serve as a rule for the model.... The model, understood in terms of the practical execution of art, is an object that must be repeated such as it is; type, on the contrary, is an object according to which one can conceive of works that do not resemble one another at all. Everything is precise and given in the model; everything is more or less vague in the type. Thus we see that the imitation of types involves nothing that feelings or spirit cannot recognize...
Aldo Rossi, The Architecture of the City
Methodology
"In our work we must always aim at quality on so many levels as are needed to create an environment which does not exclusively serve a particular group of people but which serves all people. Architecture must be both generous and inviting to all alike. Architecture can be described as inviting if its design is as forthcoming to the outsiders of society as to members of the establishment, and if one could imagine it existing in any other conceivable cultural context. The architect is like the physician – there is no room for discrimination between values in his thinking; he must devote his attention equally to all values, and he must simply se to it that what h does makes everyone feel better."
Herman Hertzberger
Spatial Juxtaposition
"With the engineering building for
James Stirling "Anti-structure", a slide talk at
Materiality
"Realization is Realization in Form, which means a nature. You realize that something has a certain nature. A school has a certain nature, and in making a school the consultation and approval of nature are absolutely necessary. In such a consultation you can discover the Order of water, the Orders of wind, the Order of light, the Order of certain materials. If you think of brick, and you are consulting the Orders, you consider the nature of brick. You say to Brick, "What do you want Brick?" And Brick says to you "I like an Arch." If you say to Brick" Arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lentil over an opening. What do you think of that, brick?" Brick says:"... I like an Arch"
Louis Kahn
Sustainability
"There are certain fundamental laws that are inherent to the natural world that we can use as models and mentors for human designs. Ecology comes from the Greek roots Oikos and Logos,"household" and"logical discourse." Thus, it is appropriate, if no imperative, for architects to discourse about the logic of our earth household."
William McDonough
We will explore the inter-relationship of environment and building. Focus on the phenomenological as well as construction, structures and environmental controls-as each relate to design and the natural/built environment.
Part Six – Architecture with a capitol "A".
Architecture is "the art of building in which human requirements and construction materials are related so as to furnish practical use as well as an aesthetic solution, thus differing from the pure utility of engineering construction. As an art, architecture is essentially abstract and nonrepresentational and involves the manipulation of the relationships of spaces, volumes, planes, masses, and voids. Time is also an important factor in architecture, since a building is usually comprehended in a succession of experiences rather than all at once. In most architecture there is no one vantage point from which the whole structure can be understood. The use of light and shadow, as well as surface decoration, can greatly enhance a structure. The analysis of building types provides an insight into past cultures and eras. Behind each of the greater styles lies not a casual trend nor a vogue, but a period of serious and urgent experimentation directed toward answering the needs of a specific way of life. Climate, methods of labor, available materials, and economy of means all impose their dictates. Each of the greater styles has been aided by the discovery of new construction methods." (The
A Producer develops a film by gathering a team – it's a construction process. Now ask yourself what would that film be without its Director? That creative artist that shapes sequence and sets creative process. Be the Director of your work, not the Producers! Set the scene for your actors – for your forms in space!
If you are serious, creating architecture is difficult yet simple, frustrating yet rewarding, equally conceptual and pragmatic. No "right and wrong" exists in Architecture. No one form is greater than the other. The only real difference between "building" and "architecture" is that the former is just a set of plans, a construction process; the latter is developed to control events that move the sprit, a creative process. It is artful and intentional. Le Corbusier says it all:
You employ stone, wood and concrete, and with these materials you build houses and palaces; that is construction. Ingenuity is at work. But suddenly you touch my heart, you do me good. I am happy and I say: 'This is beautiful.' That is architecture. Art enters in.
To be continued….
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