casa ggg Alyssa Mulhall 2018
AAH 430 Art & Latin American Architecture
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Contents Foundations .............................................................................................................. p. 4 Casa GGG ................................................................................................................. p. 5 The Process ............................................................................................................... p .6 From Within .............................................................................................................. p. 7 Breaking it Down ....................................................................................................... p. 8 In Focus ..................................................................................................................... p. 9 Others ..................................................................................................................... p. 10 Light ........................................................................................................................ p. 11 Down to Scale ......................................................................................................... p. 12 Imitation ................................................................................................................... p.13 Highlights ................................................................................................................. p.14 Defining Spaces ...................................................................................................... p. 15 Materiality ................................................................................................................ p.16 Total Aesthetic ......................................................................................................... p.17 Endless Senses ......................................................................................................... p.18 View with Ease ......................................................................................................... p.19 Bibliography .............................................................................................................. p.20
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foundations Alberto Kalach is a Mexico City native architect born in 1960. He has spent decades of his life researching and studying the history of Mexico City in order to restore and refurbish the once-renowned city.1 Kalach intended to use the GGG House and others to shape the future of Mexico City, taking a holistic approach to the project.2 For the GGG house, Kalach found inspiration from his friend and fellow native sculpture artist, Jorge Yazpik. Yazpik was born in 1955, and has been characterized by his sharp angular forms and handling of light within his works.3
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casa ggg The GGG House, or Casa GGG is located in Mexico City, Mexico. The house was completed by Kalach in 2000 for Guillermo Gonzalez Guajardo and his family, after being introduced through mutual friend and writer, Alejandro Gonzalez Innarritu.4 The house took its name after the owner’s initials, GGG. The house is a perfect example of plastic integration, where art has been applied in and around the architecture, and even modeled particularly for it.
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The Process As seen in the distant sculpture, the edges and sharp angles of the house were designed to imitate those of Yazpik’s artworks. Kalach used the sculptures as a program to develop the spaces around the home.5 He as an architect then became an artist. Similarly, the materials used to construct the house are reflections of the works. Yazpik describes his process as wanting the materials he uses to generate new forms as he constructs the works. He also tells that he wants the viewer to imagine themselves being in and among the sculptures.6
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From Within Knowing this, it is obvious that Yazpik’s idea of imagining yourself in the sculpture was the intentions behind the GGG house. Viewing these two angles of the same hallway perfectly show how it may feel and seem to be inside of a Yazpik sculpture. The abstract implementation of angles and solid forms feels as though the spaces were carved out of a pre-existing form, as is a Yazpik sculpture.
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Breaking it down Yazpik finds the perfect combination of manipulating the geometry of his sculptures and finding how that links with physics and the mathematics of the third dimension, as is done in architecture and engineering to create three dimensional things.7 He combines forms of the natural world and shapes of the mathematical world in order to portray a balance of nature and man-made objects. He adds an additional element of dimension by placing his sculptures onto a reflective stand, which shows the underside of his sculptures and creates a completely new experience upon getting closer or higher up.
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In focus Kalach makes each of Yazpik’s sculptures an obvious focal point, whether viewing from inside the house or outside, above or below. While inside, Kalach made it impossible to miss the sculptures by framing them through glass walls, and sometimes even floors. This particular sculpture on the left is perfectly visible while ascending or descending the stairs inside and also among entering the house. The right sculpture is seen from the second floor looking down below.
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Others Shown here is Yazpik’s sculpture, Londres. The detailed pictures show the sharp angles Yazpik uses to express feelings within the material, which in this case is a rock or stone. The left and right images are similar in atmosphere to the GGG house, where the angles and cuts of the stone direct you around the sculpture. The cuts also allow in natural light, which Kalach was sure to include in the design of the house.
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Light The way natural light comes into the GGG house adds yet another dimension to the space. It opens it up while simultaneously defining the space it flows into. The light creates its own shapes and visual elements simply by how it reaches into the spaces around the house. Kalach perfectly embodied the entity of a Yazpik sculpture in his architectural design of the house.
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Down to Scale The model and plans for the GGG house share qualities to a Yazpik sculpture also. The structure appears as though it could have been a section cut out of a stone in order to make a Yazpik sculpture, seeming to be the negative space within a sculpture. Kalach was able to capture the essence of Yazpik’s sculpturing techniques while staying true to his modern intentions. The changes in levels and volumes throughout the house embody forms that are removed to create Yazpik’s artwork.
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Imitation Kalach drew shapes and angles from the Yazpik sculptures in and around the house to create the plan for the house itself. He was sure to make it an obvious connection seen from any angle of the house, whether from a section view, a birds-eye view, or within the house itself. I imagine Kalach would have studied many or all of Yazpik’s sculptures before designing the house, or at least the ones that would be featured. It is a very interesting and effective method for planning, as I tried my own random sketches and created a form and section extracted from a drawn “sculpture” seen on page 12.
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Highlights Kalach highlights the left sculpture by displaying it in an atrium-style glass encasing. This design helps it to stay visible no matter the level of the house the viewer is on. He surrounds the outdoor sculpture on the right with a koi pond and various plants. Both sculptures are highlighted with different ways and surroundings, but effectively the focal point in either situation.
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Defining Spaces In addition to Kalach designing a space around Yazpik’s sculptures, he also defines the space by the architecture itself. In the left outdoor area, Kalach draws the visitor across the balcony by sharp, definitive masses above and in level with them. He breaks up the space by the pergola style roofing above the balcony and brightens it with the continued use of exposed concrete reflecting he natural light. On the right, Kalach opens up the bathroom space by a corner window spanning the height of the room. He retains the stylization of the home by implementing concrete countertops and bathtub area.
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Materiality “Todos los materiales son universos que a mi me interesan” - Jorge Yazpik “All materials in the world interest me” Yazpik describes his use of materials as each being different contexts and different languages, where each manipulated material tells its own story and displays a distinctive entity.8 He tries to engage the viewer’s feelings with the use of different materials.
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Total aesthetic The exterior materiality and design also illustrates the aesthetic of a Yazpik sculpture. Though many of his sculptures have a rough and natural exterior, some have the industrial and modern look. Kalach imitates the look of how a cut stone sculpture may look but instead uses concrete slabs that jut out and fall into different areas. He ensures the visitors of the house are greeted with the unique contexts and languages of the materials upon first arrival, and continued as one moves about the space.
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Endless Senses In the GGG house, Kalach implements glass, concrete, wood and metal to cause different feelings and emotions around the house. Seen here is a combination of concrete and wood stairs and walls. Though concrete is a cold and solid material, the warm finish of the wood offers a welcoming and intriguing sense. The viewer is constantly changing feelings and emotions as they turn corners and ascend stairs throughout the house.
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view with ease Certain sections of the house include more variety in materials than others. In this particular area, Kalach designed a raised walkway looking down over a sculpture of Yazpik’s. The use of glass for the walkway allows for visitors and inhabitants to view the sculpture with ease and effortlessness. It gives a light and weightless sense to the viewer as they admire the heavy seeming sculpture. This architectural feature allows for a completely different view of the sculpture, and an additional element of shapes and angles within the house.
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Bibliography Endnotes 1 Bose, Shumi. “Meet the Architect Who Wants to Return Mexico City to Its Ancient Lakes.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Nov. 2015 2 Gardiner, Virginia. “Mexico City Elemental Architecture.” Dwell, vol. 4, no. 1, Oct. 2003, pp. 96–105. 3
Brunt, Iain. “Jorge Yazpik.” Gone Modern, 2016, www.gonemodern.com/item/Jorge-Yazpik-1.
Wojtaszek, Katarzyna. “GGG House.” Architektura - Seminarium, 14 Mar. 2011 4 Gardiner, Virginia. “Mexico City Elemental Architecture.” Dwell, vol. 4, no. 1, Oct. 2003, pp. 96–105. 5
Tvmacay. Jorge Yazpik. Museo Macay, 2017.
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Tvmacay. Jorge Yazpik. Museo Macay, 2017.
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IPNoficial. “Jorge Yazpik. Escultor” - Exposición. IPNoficial, 2016.