DETAILING CONNECTION
“…its governing inspiration in such things as the range and
quality of the local light, or in a tectonic derived from a peculiar structural
mode, or in the topography of a given site. These qualities of architecture are
all associated with the phenomenal reception of space and whilst a phenomenological
reading of architecture is not necessarily incompatible with a social one, Frampton’s
argument remains firmly within the aesthetics and, especially, tectonics of
architecture qua object." Jeremy Till
When it comes to details of a building, most of the time it
is based on the materiality and how we connect multiple materials together. When
you are thinking about critical regionalism, detailing becomes based on the
attention to site and local. The quote above stood out to me while reading for
this week, but I think the person that stood out the most to be for this
particular topic was Alvaro Siza and the way that he was incredibly attentive
to the site while creating structure.
The attentive nature that Siza gives to the site sets him apart
from many other architects. He thinks so deeply about what his architecture is
going to give to the site (the local community and physical site) which sets
his projects up for great success. During class, we talked about the Leca
Palmeira Swimming Pool in Portugal. This project is noteworthy for the fact
that he tamed the rocks in a way that made them swimmable and for the community
to be able to inhabit them. He made this connection by adding a strong and
somewhat aggressive material in such a thoughtful manner that he created
something that was so welcoming and easy to inhabit. I feel that if you can
bring something to the community that is valuable and respectful, there will be
engagement in the community and boost local morale.
I believe that taking time to get to know your site and the
local community before you start the architectural drawings on a project is
important and helps to shape your project into something that will make contributions
to the community through the art of architecture.
This was the example from class that stuck with me the most as well. I think you make a good point about "taming the rocks". He still allowed the site to be what it was but added to it instead of trying to change it. To tie that into your last sentence, I think it's important to always bring that mindset to a community, of not changing something but instead making a contribution to what already exists within the community.
ReplyDeleteI feel like we can learn a lot from Siza and his attention to using the site in the design of his buildings. Buildings that are integrated with their surroundings are always much more interesting and eye-catching than ones that are plopped on top of the earth with no context. It makes you think and realize how important landscaping and the surrounding areas are in impacting the project as a whole.
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