Prelude to "Poetics + Performance"
Interior of Saynatsalo Town Hall by Alvar Aalto
For several years now I have been invested in the theory of Critical Regionalism and the work of the architects who's work fits within this theory's definition of architecture. I'm not entirely sure why this theory is the one that speaks to me the most. Maybe it's because I'm an introspective person, and contemporary regional architecture commands a deep understanding of what makes a place, a place, what makes a culture, a culture. Or maybe it's because I grew up in the banality of suburbia, in the generic, consumer architecture of American sprawl, and within this theory I feel connected to the romantic notions it has for our place in the landscape and the valorous resistance it inspires against the corrosive aspects of globalization. Then there is the fact that I read the phenomenological texts Thinking Architecture and Atmospheres by Peter Zumthor, and The Eyes of the Skin by Juhani Pallasmaa before I invested myself in the ideas discussed by Kenneth Frampton, so maybe this is why I feel attracted to this theory. It involves the tactility of phenomenological architecture, but with broader ideas as well. But here I am being introspective, again.
So what am I trying to get at here? Well, for years now I have been involved in designing a certain way with highly particular preferences, but have yet to put into words what my position is and where it's coming from. We set that as a goal for the semester, and here I am beginning that process. To be simple and avoid another self-analysis, the one quality about Critical Regionalist architecture is the way it handles the Interior. This architecture has spaces that, unlike other theories we've approached, create a space that honors the senses, culture, and environment. Pure, honest expression of our experience in a place, not a place consumed with flashy bullsh*t.
Just as Frampton sets the dialectic of global and local, I would like to set my own dialectic to describe what creates a successful contemporary, regionalist architecture of the Interior and fuels the way in which I design. This personal dialectic is: poetics and performance. Elaborating on this dialectic and a self-discovery of my position will be the focus of my end-of-term essay. Here are my own six points that will guide this written exploration:
- Culture and Environment
- Design from the inside out
- The power of the threshold
- A space for the senses
- Revival of the floor and ceiling
- Importance of the tertiary
Geoffrey, thank you for expressing critical regionalism in ways that I have also struggled with. I was introduced to Pallasmaa a few years ago and always viewed the writings with a bit of reverence, something that had always seemed unattainable. After years, I revisited his writing of "The Geometry of Feeling" this week. His thoughts, that of anonymity of a building in society and the implication of human anonymity had left me wallowing in thought. And yet, here I am, a pessimist, looking at his writings in a new light and wondering if being pessimistic can fuel an architect to turn the tide and create a realistic society for people to inhabit.
ReplyDeleteGeoffrey, I really appreciate this view on architecture, and I think it is one that we have all felt at some point in our career/education but never fully addressed aloud. I think architecture is and should be exactly as you described, "honor the senses, culture and environment". I mean otherwise what is the need for architecture if it doesn't mean something? This is going to make a fantastic essay.
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