More Than A Layer

This week’s reading reminds me of the history class in Charleston when we talked about Venice, a city of façade architectures. During the same semester, for studio, one building of our team was also just an envelope design- like adding a skin to two big blocks. I should admit that I used to look down this kind of design: they are pattern-design, I thought. And last semester, we designed canopy and façade for Abu Dhabi airport support area; this semester, we have a polycarbonate louver wall for one building. I slightly realize that I probably focus more for interior spatial experience because I ignore the exterior world and that the envelope can do more. It could be a cultural symbol, a sustainable protection, a transition from the exterior to the interior or an isolation between the two worlds. It is a direct visualized element, but it also could be functional (and should be). When looking back, I start to get the beauty of many buildings. For example, New Museum of Contemporary Art by SANAA, the envelope blurred the boundaries and floated the building from its district. It is a breathable skin.