Tiffany Switzerland

Tiffany a Tulane graduate and current practitioner of architecture in Basel, Switzerland gave a generous guide to the country’s cultural, political and architectural backgrounds. Coming from the south (New Orleans) Tiffany attempts to synthesize her heritage with that of the Swiss in her current practice. Having lived in Switzerland for almost 20 years she has come accustomed to the pressure of assimilation into the swiss lifestyle. The dichotomy of swiss architecture and natural context is that of both political and cultural implications. Switzerland is made up of many tunnels, valleys, retention walls, and sheds.  All of which is evident precedents for many architects of the region. Much of Switzerland’s significant architecture comes from Herzog and De Meuron out of Basel and Peter Zumthor in the south near Vals.

The works of Herzog and De Meuron not only set a contemporary precedent among swiss architects but challenge the future of construction within a country set in such a pristine and magnificent mountainous landscape.  The city of Basel is constrained by the borders of both Germany and France mitigating the pressures from each culture on either sides as well as a prescribed border from Basel-lan. Because of this any attempt to build within the densely packed city is forced to build vertically. This also presents challenges for retaining views of the mountains and vistas surrounding the city. The Swiss are inherently connected to nature because of the majestic alps the  country is covered by. When HDM are designing in Switzerland they retain a respect for the existing context and surrounding natural forms on the horizon. This however does not mean they are stagnant in pushing forward the country into a new architectural frontier.

The forces of the HDM office are constantly on the forefront of political reform in the country. With a clear agenda the firm advocates for a breaking down of the “mental” borders between basel and its neighboring urban landscape. As seen in the Shaulager HDM takes on the new study for a jump in scale amongst Swiss housing stock.  By placing a gatehouse made of clay and stone  within the grasp of the  much larger Shaulager vault they are making a political statement in favor of a new zoning law to promote densification and preservation of the Swiss countryside.

On the other side of the picture is Peter Zumthor who takes pride in building within the swiss landscape, works with locally sourced stones and wood to construct building high levels of detail and craft. Zumthor’s practice shows a heightened sensitivity to the sacred landscape but also a evolution of material use and construction.  The thermal baths in Vals sits within the landscape rather than on top of it.  Made of local stone the building seems to have been carved from a quarry giving it a cave like feeling.  The ritualistic bathing experience created within is not only a spa set in a museum quality visual backdrop but that of a high awareness for the subtle lighting and sensory conditions prescribed by Zumthor through textures, smells, sounds, and water sensations as well as framed views of the landscape beyond.  Zumthor’s use of materials of stone, brass, wood and glass to create a rigid sculpture for which the addition of water provides the much needed balance.

From the city to the mountains, Switzerland provides a provocative contextual landscape for architecture. With a such a high appreciation for this built work comes a hotly debated political conversation. After returning from a tour of the country, these points of essential to unlocking the mindset of the swiss. With such a high standard of living it is no surprise that their high regard for architecture is just another way for the swiss to show how beautiful and perfect their country is.

Labics

Francesco of Labics, a rome based architecture firm, overviewed his firms major design philosophies. He explained how architectural structures need to be rigorous in their framework, have the ability to create dynamic relationships, and to understand and reciprocate typological conditions rather than defining new ones. If all of these conditions are met then it is possible to create architecture that is “background” rather than object or “foreground”.

Francesco reinforced his firms principles through a careful display of a number of Labics’ projects.

MAST Bologna for GD

The diverse program was incorporated into a single building to bring the company together rather than continue the fragmented city in which is currently resides. In connects contextually to both the River Reno Park in front as well as the older GB campus behind. The idea of the multifunctional building with “street like” circulation supports Labics principle of structures with relationships on the architectural and the community scale. Also the screen printed safety glass wrapping the facade allows the large building to blend into the “background”, another key concept of Labics.

Citta Del Sole Rome’s Tiburtina

As a part of Rome municipalities redevelopment initiative for defunct transportation depots to revitalize neighborhoods with lacking cohesive texture. Labics goal was to create a new city center to unify and develop new community wide relationships. Another focus was to make the site permeable to  allow for “continuity of public space”. The framework for which the buildings are created is derived from city site lines to create physical and contextual relationships with the surrounding neighborhoods. Described as the plinth and the suspended structures makes a clear distinction between public and private domains.

Fontana Square Rozzano (Quinto de Stampi)

At the center of a neighborhood residential community outside of Milan, Labics develops a new outdoor public space as a response to an intensive list of needs and desires of the local community. The framework for the design was derived from a precise geometrical pattern based off of mathematical proportions within which the firm introduced the various requirements. Labics again uses their idea “background” through the use of the continuous pattern and geometric flow for the implementation of various program types throughout the space including furniture.

Fontana Square

Labics vs. Ma0 Studio: What Went Wrong

Although Labics and Ma0 Studio both come from theoretically and philosophically heavy foundations, Labics projects seem to becoming realized much more consistently. In a cross examination of the two firms it is clear that Labics principles have a higher threshold for practicality and functionality over the far more abstract language in use by the Ma0 Studio. It is amazing how two firms which such similar goals and theories on practice of architecture and urban design can be have such contrasting results.  There seem to be a couple of key factors in which the two firms diverge.

The most critical of the factors seems to be the inability of Ma0 Studio to develop a clear specific strategy for any particular site. Labics has laid out their principles into which urban relationships and public-focused design apply to there firms mission while delving deeply into the understanding of the dynamics of the community into which they are delivering their product (the construction and completion of a successful built environment).

While Ma0 Studio seems to thinking along the same lines of theory as Labics yet they diverge at  another point and that is comprehensible language to which a client can thoroughly understand and relate to. Ma0’ s use of info graphics, diagrams, and theses are fantastic from the architectural culture’s concern but when everyday people are the actual beneficiaries and financial supporters of the end product it become imperative that everyone is on the same page. This is where Labics is vastly more successful: In their Fontana Square project Labics went through an exhaustive investigation into the needs and desire’s of the community which led to the successful design that was well received by the community. Even while intently listening to the community they were able to implement a design which was entirely derived from aesthetic and personal preference of the firm. This balance is key to delivering and executing quality architecture.

I am personally heavily invested in this principle. Architecture only is successful when people are  benefiting, directly or indirectly. Otherwise it might as well be art.

IP: Architectures through time

Maurizio De Vita’ s Lecture Architectures throughout time focuses on his main principles of restoration and preservation: Create a balance and conversation between the new and old while making it clear which is what. Compatibility of program within the existing place, preserving existing geometry through minimal interventions. Understand the complete history of the site and place and choose what parts to represent and highlight.

De Vita discussed four of his renovation projects in great detail.  He showed how he applied these principles to his projects.  Not every principle made it into every project but they remained the  backbone for his design process.

The Acciaiolo Castle at Scandicci

De Vita won the competition to restore a 14th castle to introduce modern technologies. DeVita’s proposal preserved all the buildings on the site while inserting necessary modern features. He inserted a box between two existing structures to serve as the central control unit for the villa. The castle was converted into a museum and exhibition area. This clearly represents his principle of finding places for program rather than demolishing and creating new ones. The restoration preserved the existing frescos while still providing the old spaces with the necessary electricity. He used copper louvers on the exterior of the box to match the existing material color palate. His new intervention preserves the authenticity of the site by respecting materiality and existing geometry.

The Lamporecchio Municipal Theater

This Early-mid 20th century theater in Lamporecchio had a number of adaptation until DeVita finally restored it to its original configuration. Instead of removing the non-historical addition, his restoration consists of re appropriating the old carabinieri space into a library for children of the city. Maurizio has a much less aggressive renovation, only preserving the geometry while restoring all the materials  to original condition and adding additional architectural features such as the terra-cotta louvers on the addition to tie the material back to the bricks of the main building.  The renovation seems much less reversible and focused on function for contemporary use.

Extension to the New Municipal Council office building in Pelago

The third project of the extension to the municipal council office. As an addition with no preservation or restoration required. De Vita takes cues from the site and existing office building to create a unified contemporary piece of architecture that fits well into the landscape.  The addition will serve as a museum and centre for music.  He has lifted the building off ground to create an informal loggia for which to view the landscape.  This enhances the views from the offices and signals a contemporary advance in the municipal center of the city. Most of Maurizios principles are not applicable to this project but he still uses contextual site specific guides to assert and conceive his project.  His project won the competition primarily for this reason.

The Medici Fortress at Arezzo 

The 16th century fortress is an important Tuscan monument. Maurizio described the need to contrast the existing fortress after its preservation. He proposed a contemporary completion of one of the oval shaped parts of the exterior of the fortress in order to be programmed as public space.  He retain the geometry but contrasted the stones of the fortress with a lightweight structure and elevated deck to be used for observation of the town of Arezzo.

Maurizio strikes a nice balance between modern renovation and historic preservation which is not easily achieved.  Particularly the dilemma of adding a personal intervention to a highly historical site is quite an intriguing one. While visiting the Carlos Scarpa designed museum in the castelvechhio I immediately was struck by the interpretive qualities of Scarpa’s design.  His work his highly provocative at the same time vert respectful of the historical building.  Maurizio showed similar intent with his design of the castle at Scandicci.  The principle of knowing when to intervene and where is such a difficult task that it seems almost scary.  When dealing with historical sites its so important to understand what you are working with and how to design contemporary interventions when its appropriate and necessary. It is inevitable that these “museums” of architecture need to be renovated to be properly shown in contemporary times but how to achieve it without distracting and more importantly damaging the authenticity of the site.

IP: Contradictions on Public Space

Alberto Lacovoni lecture: contradictions on public space was concisely divided into 4 types of contradictions: public space is made of nothingness, public is elsewhere, public is private, and public is beyond architecture. With each contradiction he elaborated on projects that captured  the essence of each.

01 Public space is not just the static formed space enclosed by built structures or objects but the dynamic environment formed by people gathering. This is the type of space Mr. Lacovoni had in mind when he is describing a space made of nothing. The true social activity of the space is the most essential quality for successful public space. Not all spaces are completely driven by architecture. That of Marrakech is a space of nothing until the time is night and the city gathers to activate it.

02 Public space can be created anywhere not just in squares and carved out environments. This idea translates to Alberto’s idea of a continuous sidewalk. The high line is a particularly good example of this. A separated but parallel space to which the public can interact while the rest of the city chugs along. The risen walkway of the high line is such a successful driver of social engagement that it is now a model for urban public space. Public space could one day exist everywhere not only  “elsewhere”.

03 Public space and Private space are inseparable and inherently intertwined. With the creation of any public space a gradient of other spaces are required to interpret and contrast it.  Also public space in itself has private qualities of anonymity. Occupying  a public space has a sense of randomness and passive privacy that a familiar private setting cannot provide. The city of New Orleans embraces both of these contradictions of public space.  The balcony typology provides a direct connection to the public space within the chaos of the french quarter. Specifically the pentacle buildings which provide an arcade of public space below at the same time created a separate balcony which separates you from the urban public realm. Palladio did the same thing as well with the  Palazzo Chiericati

04 The final contradiction public is beyond architecture. This is to say that public space design is not a singular field driven by architects. Many different parties need to be involved in the creation of a public space to ensure its well reception and use by the public. The only true test of its success. Collaboration between user groups and designers along with public officials to gain proper approval and support of the city. In a city that is wood project by Ma0 the create a complexly customizable living situation where they matched up lifestyles with building formats and combined public spaces in order to theoretically create ideal activated public spaces.

I was really compelled by the idea of public is private space. With the right amount of privacy in a public space can often be more comfortable relaxing and enjoyable then anything you have at home, work, or school.  This goes hand in hand with the idea of prospect of maximizing your observational perspective. An open public space that provide the complexity of the urban environment with the comfort of a private dwelling has a lot of potential to become a new second home for visitors. Currently most piazzas and squares are places of monument and visitation as are museums but in contradiction to its main purpose as a public gathering place these spaces seem uncomfortable for extended periods of time.  Scale is the most critical element in the development of better public space especially when considering semi-private space. Filtering but not isolating views would allow people to see around and out but feel somewhat anonymous and comfortable something they can only get in a typical private space.

DOMINO stair

Kinetic Pipe Rendering

Kinetic Pipe

Kinetic Pipe

SUCTION POINT

spread1 spread2

Torq

ZolanJ_01

DSR Presentation

Diller Scofidio + Renfro