W H AT M A K E S SPACE SACRED? A SOJOURN Final Project Proposal 2014 Matthew C. Nichols
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To Josh and George for their knowledge, assistance, and insightful challenges along the way, this project would not be the same without you. To my wonderful wife Danielle, whose love and support sustained throughout. And to God, whose unfailing presence guided and directed it all.
THANK YOU What Makes Space Sacred? A Sojourn Matthew C. Nichols College of Architecture and Planning Department of Architecture Ball State University Final Project Proposal 2014 Major Advisor: Josh Coggeshall Minor Advisor: George Elvin
TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT
5
FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL
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METHODOLOGY
9
LITERATURE REVIEW
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THE SUBSTANCE OF WORDS
14
PRECEDENT STUDIES
20
SITE CONTEXT + DOCUMENTATION
48
FINAL PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
54
CREDITS + REFERENCES
96
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“ ARCHITECTURE IS DEEPLY ENGAGED IN THE METAPHYSICAL QUESTIONS OF THE SELF AND THE WORLD ” -Juhani Pallasmaa
“ IN MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES OF SPACE, ARCHITECTURE, SPACE MATTER AND TIME FUSE INTO ONE SINGULAR DIMENSION � Juhani Pallasmaa The Eyes of the Skin
Are there universal truths that resound with an answer to sacredness? What makes a place contemplative, introspective, transcendent, or pointed toward a manifestation of the spiritual? People, location, materials, the immaterial, all symphonize to compose the sacred. Perhaps the complex harmonies of personal history, perceived discords of the physical world, wondrous melodies of manifested natural beauty, or the heavy silence of light speak to a greater universal connectivity. Regardless, there is no question that some places are viewed as ordinary while others are set apart as sacred. This journey seeks not to answer completely the questions of the sacred, but rather to raise my and others awareness through a curious and humble exploration. I began this process
A B S T R AC T by examining not only religious precedents, but monuments, memorials, cemeteries, and venerable ruins. The transcendent nature of each place seems to bear witness to interconnected themes. Age, light, materials, and symbolism are the sharper notes amongst many. This project strives to test these assumptions through the narrative story of Mikael, a member of a displaced and sojourning group of Europeans, as he encounters the sacred through the regenerated bones of a long forgotten home in Muncie. The building is designed to address the specific needs and ideas of this group of sojourners, to better reveal to them place, self, and a higher power.
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“ NOT ONLY THE BODY, THE SOUL, TOO, NEEDS A HOME. SOUL HOME ” Karsten Harries Constructing the Ineffable
FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL This project seeks to discover and humbly question the qualities and substance behind what makes space sacred. Not just religious buildings, but monuments, memorials, cemeteries, landscapes, and venerable ruins. The goal is to approach the idea of and experiences surrounding sacredness in a carefully curious and explorative way. I do not seek to find absolute truth or develop a concrete foundation for meaning, but rather, are there universal similarities to sacredness across all categories? By “Sacred”, I mean anything highly valued and important, deserving great respect, reverently dedicated to some person, purpose, or object, or entitled to reverence. Sacredness is experienced differently by various individuals, people groups, and cultures. In order to explore this project further at a smaller scale, I will create a narrative story line profiling a people group as they are displaced from their homeland as strangers, foreign sojourners to a new place. The narrative will lay out their history, and follow the specific story of a moment in time with Mikael, a young sojourner.
I plan to create a sacred waypoint, a refuge for these people on their sojourn as a sacred connection to place, self, each other, and to a higher power. The project will also try to connect to the local population, relating the permanent and the transient. The total design process will need to be considered, from programming, form, and experience, to materials, tectonics, and details. The scale will likely be larger than a typical house but small enough to maintain rigor in detailing. The goal architecturally is to touch, however lightly it may be, upon these various aspects that make space sacred, accentuate place, and hopefully invoke a sense of the relevancy and importance of sacred space in contemporary society. The project will be embedded in Muncie Indiana, on an existing site of ruin. The project will outline everything listed above through the use of various drawing techniques, research, and modeling to further convey the sacred through material representation. All images are to be printed on watercolor paper, stylized with an antique finish, while the model will reflect the ShouSugi-Ban technique of material study.
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Shou-Sugi-Ban Material Studies
“ WE SHAPE OUR BUILDINGS; THEREAFTER THEY SHAPE US. � -Winston Churchill
M E T H OD OL O GY In order to form a base understanding of what makes space sacred, certain limitations and restraints were applied to manage the process. Think of studying a small coastal ecosystem as opposed to the entire ocean. I chose to limit the scope in hopes of deeper richness versus wider knowledge.
The Substance of Words
Material Studies
Since the field of sacred discourse and architecture can have different meaning and intent, this section looks at the meaning of words to clarify my own understanding and intent.
Literature Review
Precedents
Although broad in their individual topics, each source or author has some connection to architectural space or theory. The goal was to gain cursory knowledge into the current state of discourse on architecture and the sacred. This required older foundational texts, as well as newer theoretical compilations. In narrowing the scope, I tried to allow the architectural discourse to shape the topics and information and not any one religion or belief system.
Since the sacred is void without experience, this project innately calls for physical and experiential research. The site is located in Indiana, so I focused mainly on local sacred precedents that I could visit and feel intimate connection to. I necessarily brought in world renowned work as well.
Since architecture must speak to the sacred through the material, I engaged in Shou-SugiBan material studies as a way to experiment and physically engage material. Shou-SugiBan, or Yakisugi, is a traditional Japanese technique of preserving cedar (or cypress) by charring. It not only prevents rot, insect damage, and fire, but beautifully imbues wood with an otherworldly quality.
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LITERATURE L ITER ATU R E R EV IEW REVIEW The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Walter Benjamin
“In principle a work of art has always been reproducible. Man-made artifacts could always be imitated by men. Replicas were made by pupils in practice of their craft, by masters for diffusing their works, and, finally, by third parties in the pursuit of gain. Mechanical reproduction of a work of art, however, represents something new” (2). Mechanical reproduction, or mass production of art, cheapens and lessens the quality and meaning of a work. Take for instance the printing press. Before, a painting was an original painting, but now with the ability to print thousands of copies of a painting, artists sign the prints 24/100 or limited edition to validate its artistic value. “Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to
be. This unique existence of the work of art determined the history to which it was subject throughout the time of its existence” (3). It calls into question not only the work itself, but the entirety of its intended or unintended effect, the setting, the location, and the perception of the artwork that makes it real. “The desire of contemporary masses to bring things ‘closer’ spatially and humanly, which is just as ardent as their bent toward overcoming the uniqueness of every reality by accepting its reproduction” (4). It is the unauthenticity and fakeness of reproduction that tries to capture something and present it back in a commercial or sterilized way. It is a picture of dirt versus scooping dirt into your hand. The arrival of film further separated truth and put “the public in the place of the critic” as a removed observer, not experiencing the performance and emotion live with the actors. The age of mechanical reproduction has cheapened art in some ways, and removed the observer further from the true experience.
Constructing the Ineffable: Contemporary Sacred Architecture Karla Britton
The book is a collection of essays and contemporary musings on the sacred in architecture. Although the trend of growing modernization typically increases secularism, there is a “continuing influence of religious convictions in social discourse” (9). The book’s “groundwork” is on “how the sacred has been embodied in built form from the time of the ancients to the present,” practically and philosophically (24). In response to much of modern formal architecture, Vincent Scully on the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, asserts that “it pretends to be sacred, looks sacred, but what does it mean?”(28). For architecture to truly touch the sacred, it must go beyond form and aesthetic and reach physically and metaphorically transcendent heights. “Whatever we experience as sacred we experience as transcending our ability to produce or reproduce it” (53).
-Although not exclusively, religion does play an important role in transcendently experiencing the sacred. And even though we live in a country with a high standard of living, religion does play an active role in many people’s lives. “Do we too, despite our affluence, find the quality of life in some important way deficient and therefore look to religion for a spiritual supplement?” (54). In summation, Karsten Harries believes that “not only the body, the soul, too, needs a home” (56). In following the nature of this book as a collection of essays, there are others who would suggest that “sacred doesn’t need architecture,” since many early Christians worshipped in homes, not church buildings, yet the religion still flourished (60). Regardless of architectures need for the sacred, Miroslav Volf sets forth a framework for the sacred as “a sense of who we are, where we belong, what we expect, and what, or who, we ultimately trust” (65). Of course this applies to religion, but to multiple facets of life as well. Some would still question the validity of the discussion at all, as “Constructing the Ineffable’ is impossible because the ineffable is precisely what cannot be constructed; nor can it be thought” (67). This begs the important question of “how the spiritual, unbodied, unembodied, disembodied, bodiless, speaks to us as a people of bodies - flesh and blood” (74). Perhaps some of the architects that “aspire to be the high priests of Futurism,” picturing such works as Newton’s massive tomb or a spiritual colony on the moon, are more in tune with what cannot be. They are the “seismographs of the yet to come” (121). The book ends with a series of contemporary precedents from Eisenman to Safdie seeking the sacred.
The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion Mircea Eliade
I focused only on chapter 1, Sacred space and Making the World Sacred. Mircea Eliade makes a case for the dichotomy of the sacred and the profane. Sacred is defined as “something of a wholly different order, a reality that does not belong to our world, in objects that are an integral part of our natural ‘profane’ world” (11). This is referred to as a hierophany, or something sacred showing itself. Eliade argues that “religious behavior can never completely be done away with by a profane man,” because the basis for religious acts are really just intrinsic to human kind (23). “Revelation of a sacred space makes it possible to obtain a fixed point and hence to acquire orientation in the chaos of homogeneity, to ‘found the world’ and to live in a real sense” (23). The separation of the sacred and the profane necessarily creates the “threshold” split, “detaching from the cosmic territory, and making the sacred space qualitatively different” (26). This detachment creates what the author calls the “axis mundi,” the center of existence, life and space, and the link between heaven and earth (37). He also asserts that in a similar way, every creative human gesture, whatever its plan of reference may be, is related to the creation of the world as an archetype (45). “This is why settling somewhere - building a village or merely a house - represents a serious decision, for the very existence of man is involved; he must, in short, create his own world and assume the responsibility of maintaining and renewing it. Habitations are not lightly changed,
for it is not easy to abandon one’s world” (56). In conclusion, Eliade asserts that “The experience of sacred space makes possible the “founding of the world”: where the sacred manifests itself in space, the real unveils itself, and the world comes into existence.” Questions of Perception: Phenomenology of Architecture Steven Holl, Juhani Pallasmaa, Alberto Perez-Gomez
This book is also a collection of essays, attempting to grasp the phenomenology of architecture and what that means. “If architecture can be said to have a poetic meaning we must recognize that what it says is not independent of what it is. Architecture is not an experience that words translate later” (8). The authors attempt to reach the primordial essence of what makes architecture, architecture. Juhani Pallasmaa presents his theories of the seven senses of architecture related to the body and perception, much like his book eyes of the skin. The question with perception is how much of it is external and how much is internal. Borges is applicably quoted in saying “The taste of the apple…lies in the contact of the fruit with the palate, not in the fruit itself; in a similar way… poetry lies in the meeting of the poem and reader, not in the lines of symbols printed on the pages of a book. What is the essential is the aesthetic act, the thrill, the almost physical emotion that comes with each reading” (28). In this way, a building can speak personally too us in a loud voice. “The most essential auditory experience created by architecture
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is tranquility” (30). The authors also preface these writings with a warning that words can only do so much. “Can we see through the word into built form?” (40). “Words cannot substitute for authentic physical and sensory experience” (40). Breaking apart the complex experience of architecture is the goal, even if it is in a language understood solely by the authors, “which becomes articulate and specific, though wordless” (41). One example to illustrate this point is the juxtaposition of plan and perspective drawings. The relationship between a plan (an abstract drawing) and physical reality or perception of space can be vast. The abstract representation cannot even come close to actuality, much like descriptions with words act toward buildings. In the later chapters, color, light and shadow, and time are discussed relating to experience and phenomena (74). Regardless of the theoretical or philosophical musings, the primary purpose of a building is the program it houses, [with] a balance between primary means of architecture and “secondary considerations, the phenomena of material, space, [and] detail” (133). Never forget the door handle as the “hand shake” of the building. The Necessity for Ruins, and Other Topics John Brinckerhoff Jackson
I considered only two chapters useful, The Sacred Grove in America, and The Necessity for Ruins. JB Jackson writes about experiences and fondness of sacred “groves” when he was a child, mainly from the peculiar East Coast
names given to churches and towns. In the Greek landscape, “many places of worship had not even a modest chapel…[but] stood under the open sky…Trees growing in the sacred precinct were protected and could not be cut down; so as grove, in a landscape so ill-supported with timber as Greece, was often synonymous with a holy place” (78).
importance in lieu of function and personal interest, as the public becomes disillusioned by heroes or events.
Today we make a spot holy by placing a sacred building there, but in antiquity a building was erected because the space was holy. The belief that certain spaces or places are inherently sacred leads to a “sacred precinct” that exists around such areas, increasing their importance or desirability. The early colonial Christians and some evangelical groups today would assert that “no place is in itself especially sacred; only its use is sacred” (81). Jackson also questions the significance and means of monuments today as in the past. He mentions the ruins of a church in West Berlin destroyed during WWII as one of the most powerful monuments in his mind to date. “I am speaking not of their esthetic quality, but of their power to remind, to recall something specific” (91).
“Sacred Buildings, more than any other type of construction, are essentially about ideas” (5). This book chronicles various contemporary religious buildings and the ideas behind them. “The function of the sacred space is to materialize an abstract spiritual principle through the interplay of form and content. In this process, the building itself becomes the bearer of meaning” (5). Those projects that are truly great require “reading the building as an abstract metaphor, going beyond its literal meaning, impl[ying] a notable achievement in communication in which architecture itself is elevated to become language” (7).
“The monument, in short, is a guide to the future: just as it confers a kind of immortality on the dead, it determines our actions in the years to come” (93). The history of American monumental art shifted with the shifting cultural times. “I think this [new] kind of monument is celebrating a different past, not the past which history books describe, but a vernacular past, a golden age where there are no dates or names, simply a sense of the way it used to be, history as the chronicle of everyday existence” (95). In some way we intentionally lose the grandeur and
Closer to God: Religious Architecture and Sacred Spaces Robert Klanten, Lukas Feireiss
The book begins with “introverted spaces of refuge and contemplation.” A contemplative building “produces a silence not speechless, but charged with sound…The interplay of light, emptiness and stillness expresses the sacred quality of the space inside, a carte blanche for faith of any order. In their deliberate reduction, these quiet places provide a surface on which imagined, poetic spaces of equally eloquent silence can be projected in shapes that defy geometric description. The emptiness of the space leaves visitors free to fill it with their own thoughts, or rather, to see a fullness in the emptiness itself” (8).
The book also explores communal worship spaces compared to individual acts of piety. Perhaps the most striking projects are those that create an interesting plan to interior space relationship, such as a rotated square within a square, or complex openings through a massive wall. All of these show a separation or difference from inside to outside, harkening to a transformation. Whether it is the change in quality of light, the spatial volume, the scale, the materials, etc., those projects that evoke transformation or separation from the surrounding world are most moving. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses Juhani Pallasmaa
In the preface, Steven Holl asserts that in the beginning of our 21st century there is so much noise in our consumerist society that quieted reflection becomes dulled or difficult. “With this noisy background the work of Pallasmaa evokes reflective solitude and resolve…today the ‘depth of our being’ stands on thin ice” (8). Through the discussion, Pallasmaa argues that ultimately, architecture “directs our consciousness back to the world and towards our own sense of self and being” (11). Architecture is more than just aesthetic and images, but experience. Machine-made materials of today seem to be scale-less and afraid of time and age, losing their essential character, unlike natural materials that hold an essence of age and history. The aged patinas of materials connect us beyond their time, place, and construction. Vision, smell, touch, sound, and the body connect us in a multi-sensory way to the built environment
and to the sacred or spiritual. The body is a measuring device and sounding board for the world around us. “It is similarly inconceivable that we could think of a purely cerebral architecture that would not be a projection of the human body and its movement through space” (45). Light and shadow also play an important experiential role, as “in great architectural spaces, there is a constant, deep breathing of shadow and light; shadow inhales and illumination exhales light” (47). Tranquility and the acoustic response of buildings are important in connecting and disconnecting us from time and space. Touch and haptic interaction with materials and surfaces arouse many sensations, “shaking hands” with a building by grasping a door handle and entering in. “Architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world, and this mediation takes place through the sense” (72). Architecture and the Crisis of Modern Science Alberto Perez-Gomez
For this book, I focused mainly on the introduction. Alberto Perez-Gomez is basically asserting that the science of logic and reason, or functionalism, has reached a crisis in explaining experiential phenomena. “Contemporary man lives with the illusion of the infinite power of reason. He has forgotten the fragility and his capacity for wonder, generally assuming that all the phenomena of his world, from water or fire to perception or human behavior, have been ‘explained.’ … mathematical logic has been substituted for metaphor as a model of thought” (6). Although
true on some levels, if “The creation of order in a mutable and finite world is the ultimate purpose of man’s thought and actions,” then the unexplainable and the intuitive will likely be reached (3). Along those lines, “perception is our primary form of knowing and does not exist apart from the a priori of the body’s structure and its engagement in the world,” allowing for physical experiences we don’t fully understand or can’t fully explain in physical terms (3). We are spiritual yet we are physical. The main concern has been how to build, while “avoiding questions related to why one builds and whether such activity is justified in the existential context, leading to the beginning of the crisis of European Science” (4). “One result of the crisis has been an unprecedented inversion of priorities: Truth - demonstrable through the laws of science - constitutes the fundamental basis upon which human decisions are made over and above “reality,” which is always ambiguous and accessible only through the realm of ‘poetics” (5). Today, “the main problem of architectural intentionality is the genesis of form,” but before the nineteenth century, the very nature of architecture was necessarily symbolic and rooted with meaning (8). Before the scientific revolution, “the primacy of perception as the ultimate evidence of knowledge was never questioned” (9). Western thought seems to be floundering in the excessive formalism of systems, unable to accept the reality of specific phenomena, with scientific thought seen as the only serious and legitimate interpretation of reality” (11). 13
THE T HE SU B BSTA STA N CE OF WOR D DS S
“ Words are but symbols for the relations of things to one another and to us; nowhere do they touch - Friedrich Nietzsche
upon absolute truth”
AGE
ALTAR
AURA
: one of the stages of life : the length of an existence extending from the beginning to any given time : a period in history or human progress : an advanced stage of life : the period contemporary with a person’s lifetime or with his or her active life : a long time
: a raised place on which sacrifices and gifts are offered in some religions : a platform or table used as a center of worship in Christian ceremonies and services : from Latin altare, skin to Latin adolere to burn up
: a special quality or feeling that seems to come from a person, place, or thing : a subtle sensory stimulus : a distinctive atmosphere surrounding a given source : a luminous radiation : an energy field that is held to emanate from a living being : from latin, puff of air
BEAUTY
CONNOTATION
CREATION
: the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the sense or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit : a particularly graceful, ornamental, or excellent quality : a brilliant, extreme, or egregious example or instance
: an idea or quality that a word makes you think about in addition to its meaning : the suggesting of a meaning by a word apart from the thing it explicitly names or describes : something suggested by a word or thing
: the act of bringing the world into ordered existence : the act of making, inventing, or producing : something that is created : everything in the world
éǰ
byu-́ti
ɒ́l-tər
kɑ̀-nə-té-šən
ɔ́r-ə
kri-é-šən
DEFINITION
DEPENDENCE
DIVINE
: an explanation of the meaning of a word, phrase, etc. : statement that describes what something is : a clear or perfect example of a person or thing : a statement expressing the essential nature of something : clarity of visual presentation, distinctness of outline or detail
: reliance, trust : the state of needing something or someone else for support, help, etc. : one that is relied on
: heavenly, celestial : of or pertaining to a god, especially the Supreme Being : addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god : proceeding from God or a god : godlike, characteristic of or befitting a deity
EPIPHANY
EPISTEMOLOGY
ESOTERIC
: a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something : an intuitive grasp of reality through something usually simple and striking : a revealing scene or moment : from Greek epiphaneia, appearance, manifestation
: the study or theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity : Greek, episteme, from epistanai to understand
: only taught to or understood by members of a special group : requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group : limited to a small circle : of special, rare, or unusual interest
EXISTENTIAL
FOREIGN
GLORIOUS
: empirical, experiential : of, relating to, or affirming existence : grounded in existence or the experience of existence, empirical : having being in time and space
: situated outside a place or country, especially outside one’s own country : alien in character, not connected or pertinent : related to or dealing with other nations : relating to some other person or material thing than the one under consideration : from Latin, foris, outside
: delightful, wonderful : possessing or deserving glory, illustrious : entitling one to glory : marked by great beauty or splendor
dɛ̀f-ə-nɪ-́šən
ɪ̀pɪ́f-ə-ni
ɛ̀ks-ɪ̀s-tɛ́n-čəl
də-pɛ́n-dəns
əpɪ̀s-tə-mɑ́l-ə-ǰi
fɔ́r-ən
dɪv-áyn
ɛ̀s-ə-tɛ́r-ɪk
glɔ́-ri-əs
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GLOSSARY
HALLOWED
HOLY
: a list that gives definitions of the hard or unusual words found in a book : a dictionary of the special terms in a particular field or job : a collection of textual glosses or of specialized terms with their meanings
: holy, consecrated, revered, blessed : highly respected : sacred
: blessed, hallowed, godly, saintly : connected to a god or a religion : religious and morally good : having a divine quality : venerated as or as if sacred : from Old English halig akin to hal (whole) complete or full, not lacking or leaving out any part
HONOR
ILLUSTRIOUS
INEFFABLE
: respect that is given to someone who is admired : good reputation, god quality or character as judged by others : high moral standards of behavior : an evidence of symbol of distinction : a showing of usually merited respect
: notably or brilliantly outstanding because of dignity or achievements or actions, eminent : archaic, shining brightly with light, clearly evident
: unspeakable : incapable of being expressed in words, indescribable : not to be uttered, taboo
INTERPRETATION
KNOWLEDGE
LIGHT
: explanation : the act or result of explaining something, the way something is explained or understood : a particular way of performing something : a particular adaptation or version of a work, method, or style
: wisdom : awareness of something, the state of being aware of something : acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique : the sum of what is known, the body of truth, information, and principles acquired by humankind
: the form of energy that makes it possible to see things, the brightness produced by the sun, by fire, a lamp, etc. : something that makes vision possible : spiritual illumination, sight : a noteworthy person in a particular place or field
glɒ́s-ə-ri
ɑ́n-ər
ɪ̀n-tə̀r-prə-té-šən
hæ-́lod
ə-lə́s-tri-əs
nɑ́l-əǰ
ho-́li
ɪ̀n-ɛ́f-ə-bəl
láyt
LIMIT
LOCAL
MEMORIAL
: a point beyond which it is not possible to go : a point beyond which someone is not allowed to go : the place enclosed within a boundary : a prescribed maximum or minimum amount, quantity, or number
: characterized by or relating to position in space, having a definite spatial form or location : characteristic of a particular place, not general or widespread : primarily serving the needs of a particular limited district : from Latin, locus, place
: record, memento, memoir : serving to preserve remembrance, commemorate : of or relating to memory : something that keeps remembrance alive
MODERNISM
MONUMENT
PATINA
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the present or the immediate past, contemporary : a style of art, architecture, literature, etc., that uses ideas and methods which are very different from those used in the past : a self-conscious break with the past and a search for new forms of expression
: lasting evidence, reminder, or example of someone or something notable or great : a memorial stone or a building erected in remembrance of a person or event : archaic, an identifying mark : Latin monumentum, literally memorial
: a surface appearance of something grown beautiful especially with age or use : an appearance or aura that is derived from association, habit, or established character : a superficial covering or exterior
PERPETUATE
POSTMODERN
PRESENCE
: to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely : continuing forever : occurring continually
: of, relating to, or being any of various movements in reaction to modernism that are typically characterized by a return to traditional materials and forms (architecture) or by ironic self-reference and absurdity (as in literature) : of, relating to, or being a theory that involves a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, identity, history, or language
: company, site : the fact or condition of being present : someone or something that is seen or noticed in a particular place, area, etc. : archaic, company : the bearing, carriage, or air of a person, especially stately or distinguished bearing : something (as a spirit) felt or believed to be present
lɪ́m-ət
mɑ́d-ərn
pər-pɛ́-čəw-èt
ló-kəl
mɑ́n-yu-mənt
post-mɑ́d-ərn
mə-mɔ-́ri-əl
pə-tí-nə
prɛ́z-əns
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RELIGIOUS
REVELATION
SACRED
: of or relating to religion : believing in a god or a group of gods and following the rules of a religion : very careful to do something whenever it can or should be done : relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity : scrupulously and conscientiously faithful
: unveiled, exposed : an act of revealing or communicating divine truth : an act of revealing to view or making known : something that is revealed, especially an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
: worthy of religious worship : highly valued and important, deserving great respect : entitled to reverence : reverently dedicated to some person, purpose, or object : relating to religion : devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose
SANCTUARY
SECULAR
SEMANTICS
: shrine, harbor, preserve, haven, asylum : a sacred or holy place : a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter : the protection that is provided by a safe place, a refuge, asylum : an especially holy place in a temple or church
: not spiritual : of or relating to the worldly or temporal : not overtly or specifically religious : not bound by monastic vows or rules
: the study of the meanings of words and phrases in language : the meanings of words and phrases in a particular context : the study of meanings : the meaning or relationship of meanings of a sign or set of signs
SHADOW
SILENCE
SOJOURNER
: partial darkness or obscurity within a part of space from which rays from a source of light are cut off by an interposed opaque body : a reflected image : an imperfect and faint representation : a state of ignominy or obscurity
: stillness, muteness, secrecy : absence of sound or noise : forbearance from speech or noise
: a traveler, visitor : one who tarries : one who makes a temporary stay, to stay for a time in a place : one who lives temporarily in a place, a temporary resident
rə-lɪ-́ǰəs
sǽŋk-ču-ɛ̀ri
šǽ-dò
rɛ̀v-ə-lé-šən
sɛ́k-yə-lər
sáy-ləns
se-́krəd
sə-mǽn-tɪks
só-ǰərn-er
SPACE
SUBSTANCE
SYNTAX
: a limited extent in one, two, or three dimensions, distance, area, volume : a boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction : physical space independent of what occupies it : a blank area separating words or lines
: essence, raw material : a material of a particular kind : the quality of being meaningful, useful, or important purpose : essential nature : a fundamental or characteristic part or quality
: the way in which words are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences : a connected or orderly system, harmonious arrangement of parts or elements : word order
TEMPLE
TIME
TRANSIENT
: an edifice or place dedicated to the service or worship of a deity or deities : any place or object in which God dwells, as the body of a Christian : a place devoted to a special purpose : a local lodge of any of various fraternal orders
: the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues : the point or period when something occurs : a historical period : finite as contrasted with infinite duration : a moment, hour, day, or year as indicated by a clock or calendar
: passing especially quickly into and out of existence, transitory, ephemeral : not lasting long : passing through or by a place with only a brief stay or sojourn
VAGABOND
WORD
WORSHIP
: tramp, vagrant, wanderer : wandering from place to place without any settled home, nomadic : leading an unsettled or carefree life : having an uncertain or irregular course of direction
: an expression, term : a sound or combination of sounds that has a meaning and is spoken or written : a brief remark : an order or command : a written or printed character or combination of characters representing a spoken word
: honor, homage, revere, glorify : act of showing respect and love for a god : formal or ceremonious rendering of honor and homage : reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power : extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem
spés
tɛ́m-pəl
vǽg-ə-band
sə́b-stəns
táym
wə́rd
sɪ́n-tæ̀ks
trǽn-žənt
wə́r-šəp
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PRECEDENT PR ECEDEN T STU DIES STUDIES Notre Dame Du Haut Le Corbusier
Ronchamp, Haute Saone, France
Saint Pierre Church Le Corbusier Firminy, France
Park of the Laments Alfredo Jaar Indianapolis, Indiana
(Not pictured but studied or visited)
The Scottish Rite Cathedral Indianapolis, Indiana
Kolumba Museum Peter Zumthor
First Christian Church Eliel Saarinen
Cologne, Germany
Columbus, Indiana
Bruder Klaus Field Chapel Peter Zumthor
North Christian Church Eero Saarinen
Mechernich, Germany
Columbus, Indiana
Astley Castle Witherford Watson Mann
Mounds State Park
Astley, Warwickshire England
Indiana World War Memorial
Anderson, Indiana
Water Temple Hompuku-ji Tadao Ando
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tsuna, Hyogo, Japan
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument
Castelvecchio Museum Carlo Scarpa
Indianapolis, Indiana
Crown Hill Cemetery Indianapolis, Indiana
Verona, Italy
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Notre Dame du Haut
Le Corbusier - Ronchamp, Haute-Saone, France Le Corbusier was commissioned to design a new Catholic Church to replace the previous one destroyed during WWII. Some would say that the inability to categorize Ronchamp has made it one of the most important religious buildings of the 20th Century. Although it has modern inspiration, it falls into no real categorization. With Ronchamp, Le Corbusier departed from his principles of standardization and the international style, perhaps allowing higher instinct to instruct the form and creation of experience? The site has deep roots in the Catholic tradition as a pilgrimage site, yet the building is purposefully almost completely void of traditional aesthetic.
The congregation was denouncing extravagance with the creation of this building. Stylistically and formally complex, it is programmatically simple, with two entrances, an altar, and three chapels. The stark white walls (4’-12’ thick) allow light to change and alter the space with time, accentuated by the rough shadow catching texture applied to the concrete surfaces. Form dominates the exterior but light captures and transforms the interior space. The project exhibits an embrace of modern art and architecture by the church. The massive roof is supported about a foot above the walls on columns, suggesting the Churches need for the support of modernism. 23
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Saint-Pierre Church Le Corbusier - Firminiy, Loire, France Adding to a series of buildings built in Firminy, This building was the last major work of Le Corbusier before he died in 1965. Left unfinished, it was completed by one of his apprentices in 2006. Peter Eisenman asserted that this is the most important structure built since 1980. The building posed a technical challenge for years since the square base resolves into a rounded, almost circular roof. The form speaks directly to otherworldly transformation, and as stated by Le Corbusier, must be “vast so that the heart may feel at ease, and high so that prayers may breathe in it.� Light is also beautifully transformed by shape and color. The various light boxes reflect
their color into the space with diffused or direct light. The light boxes were designed to allow direct light onto the altar on religious holidays like Good Friday and Easter. The lights also create the unusual phenomena of projecting reflections from the curved pews onto the walls in linear patterns, accentuating the transforming interior volume. Upward projecting colored side openings also allow diffused light to enter the space. The star like punctures are a direct reference to the constellation Orion, adding to the mystical effect. Great attention was paid to create an upwardly and inwardly focused space and experience, that is both connected to the environment and set apart physically and spiritually from the surrounding world.
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Kolumba Museum Peter Zumthor - Cologne, Germany
Peter Zumthor’s Kolumba Museum is delicate in its attempt to reconcile many layers of history. Situated on the ruins of a gothic cathedral, the interactions between old and new simultaneously accentuate and minimize one another. From the exterior, the expanse of grey brick seems to swallow the existing ruins, but on the interior the grey brick screen recedes and gives focus to the gothic ruinscape. The building merges with the remnants of the Gothic Church of Saint Kolumba, destroyed along with much of the city of Cologne Germany during World War II. The project successfully reconciles the city’s past and present in a timeless way, housing Christian art and artifacts of the Archdiocese of Cologne. Apart from the large rectangular windows high up on the façade and the patterned screen of bricks hugging the gothic ruins, the building is fairly vague from
the street. Zumthor was reported to have said at the museum’s opening, “They [the Archdiocese] believe in the inner values of art, its ability to make us think and feel, its spiritual values. This project emerged from the inside out, and from the place.” From entering along a pathway through the aged ruins, the museum continues to 16 distinct exhibition spaces and an internal court. Materiality and craftsmanship are integral to the quality and essence of the building. Handcrafted bricks from Denmark were developed specifically for this project and fired with charcoal to “imbue a warm hue.” The patterning of the brick goes beyond materiality as the perforations allow a wonderfully mystical display of light on the interior. As the time of day and season change, the “mottled light shifts and plays across the ruins,” lending to the sacred and timeless experience of the place.
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Bruder Klaus Field Chapel Peter Zumthor - Mechernich, Germany Another remarkable work by Zumthor is located on a farm in Mechernich, Germany and constructed by local farmers to honor their patron saint. The small space of the chapel was formed by piecing together 112 individual tree trunks into a wigwam type structure, defining the interior space. 24 layers of concrete were then poured and packed by hand around the wooden structure. Once the concrete had set, the wooden frame was lit on fire and allowed to burn until all the supports had fallen away, leaving a charred and scalloped interior with the only light coming from the remaining tear shaped oculus and formwork penetrations. Molten lead was then poured onto the concrete floor by a local artist one ladle full at a time. “In order to design buildings with a sensuous connection to life, one must think in a way that goes far beyond form and construction.” Not only is the building remarkably responsive
to the time of day and year, with no electric lights, plumbing, or anything else except a bench and figurine, but holds a great connection to its place. The wood was locally harvested, and the construction was largely performed by the invested local farmers in honor and sacrifice to Bruder Klaus. Zumthor himself even produced the work for free in honor of his Mother and her respect of Bruder Klaus. “To me, buildings can have a beautiful silence that I associate with attributes such as composure, self-evidence, durability, presence, and integrity, and with warmth and sensuousness as well; a building that is being itself, being a building, not representing anything, just being.”
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Astley Castle
Witherford Watson Mann Astley, Warwickshire England Witherford Watson Mann has blended twelfth and twenty-first century construction, celebrating the sacred Astley family lineage through this landmark new addition to their ruinous “home” in the English countryside. There is a direct connection to place as the ruins act as a framework for new construction. To one critic, it is “an immersion into a world that is decaying and degrading and a poignant acknowledgment that no building, no matter how solid or stately, lasts forever.” The building brings to bear the reality of time, age, and death, as well as connecting the visitor outside of themselves in time and space to a distant past. The project seems to speak to the idea of progress by literally building upon that which came before us yet celebrating and highlighting the journey.
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Indiana World War Memorial Walker and Weeks - Indianapolis, IN
Work began in 1921 on the memorial as part of a project to relocate the newly formed American Legion headquarters to Indianapolis. The building memorializes those who fought and died in World War I, and charges visitors with the high ideals of patriotic citizenship. It houses a war museum, a shrine, and an auditorium. The immense capital investment not only shows America’s prosperity at the time, but the almost religious (or imperial) sacredness of our country’s patriotic identity. By far the most striking space is the shrine room, with its blood red marble columns and ornate cenotaph, housed within an immense volume. Although not religious, the space still has a sense of sacredness., the hair still stood up on my neck, and the somber mood encourages reflection. The memorial ties one to the greater tide of history, to the tragic events that brought the world to the worst violence it had ever witnessed. You can sense the souls of the lost in the words inscribed on the walls, hovering around the central “altar.” 41
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument
Bruno Schmitz - Monument Circle, Indianapolis, IN Construction began in 1889 on the first monument dedicated to the common soldier, and was completed in 1901. It commemorates American wartime involvement up to its erection date. At the time, the nearly 300’ tall structure was the grandest around. It has been estimated that a similar monument today would cost over 500 million dollars. At its dedication, president and Indianapolis native Benjamin Harrison gave a speech, along with a poem read by James Whitcomb Riley, and a march written especially for the occasion by John Philip Sousa. While it held important meaning for the city of the past, it seems to have become more of a background symbol. Although, the detail and scale still inspire awe, and speak to the Midwestern ethic of honoring the everyman. It acts as the axis mundi of the city, and helps connect us to time and our heritage. As the functional center, the monument is still the quick landmark reference point for any destination downtown.
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Crown Hill Cemetery John Chislett - Indianapolis, IN
Crown Hill is the third largest nongovernmental cemetery in the U.S., and was dedicated in 1864. Originally outside the city limits, the crest of the hill where James Whitcomb Riley’s tomb resides, is the highest point in Indianapolis. Walking through one of the many mausoleums, the silence of death hit me in the stomach. It was an uneasy, overwhelming sensation that forced a kind of reverence. Walking amongst the graves, touching a date reading 1865, death is tangible. It accentuates life, much like a shadow accentuates light. The beauty and care taken in remembering a life, a name, most of whom I’ve never heard of, is touching. The unknown that resides after death, the preciousness of life, and the undeniable reminder that time will eventually claim us all. This connection to a greater community reminds us that we are a link in the chain of continuity. The physical act of touching a stone placed there 150 years before is a truly existential experience. Its a place where silence is incredibly audible. 45
Park of the Laments Alfredo Jaar - Indianapolis, IN
Hidden within the Indianapolis Museum of Art Sculpture Park, the Park of Laments is a place for reflection and emotional purging. “The form of Park of the Laments is a square within a square, one rigid and made of limestone filled Gabion baskets, the other soft and organic, made of indigenous trees and shrubs. The use of indigenous trees and limestone truly allows this project to connect to the place. You enter along a pathway of stacked Gabion walls that increasingly envelope your surroundings, until you reach an underground concrete tunnel. You become very aware of self in the tunnel, the cool reverberant concrete resonates your footsteps, and clears your emotional palate as you go through darkness toward the light. You emerge in the center of a small green square and continue up to another large open square. As you reverse the process and leave the site, the Gabion walls slowly subside along the path making you more aware of your surroundings and re-grounding you in reality. The entire process is a transition between two worlds it would seem.
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SITE CONTEXT + DOCUMENTATION The proliferation of digital technology in today’s global society, such as the internet and cell phones, seems to have lowered the significance of the sacred in America. Living in the Midwest, I am sheltered from the more dramatic swings in cultural trends and thinking, especially in the fluctuating importance of sacred or religious spaces. In the past it was far more common for one to visit a sacred or religious building regularly, whether or not that person was invested or believed in what the building stood for or housed. Times have changed. The social context for this location is deeply entwined in a pragmatic Midwestern environment. The site is located on 322 East Washington Street in Muncie Indiana. The existing house, constructed in the late 1890s at the height of the Gas boom, sits on a 62’ by 125’ lot downtown. The goal is to incorporate or reuse the abandoned ruins of the house while
linking the new construction to the site. This site encourages a deep connection to place and time as it remembers the decadence and prosperity at the peak of the gas boom, along with its forgotten colorful history. The building will tailor specifically to the people from the narrative story that are sojourning and seeking asylum in the United States. The goal is to create a sacred space, not only for the sojourners that have settled down, but mainly for those that are continually passing through. The building is currently listed under a private owner. Public records show that the existing 4,000 square foot structure is in severe disrepair. My approach will be to save and utilize the masonry shell as well as various framing members and details throughout.
322 East Washington St. Muncie, IN
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Building History + Context
A wealthy man’s proud home transforms into a humble refuge
The architect’s foreign beginnings foreshadow the sojourner’s foreign endings
1863 1863 Alfred Grindle born in London, England
1882 1882 J. C. Johnson starts a lumber company in Bridgeport, Connecticut
1888 1888 Alfred Grindle comes to America and ends up in Fort Wayne, Indiana
174 Year History 1843 John C. Johnson born in New York
1843
1872 Charles Weatherhogg born in Donington, Lincolnshire, England
1872
1884 J. C. Johnson moves to Muncie, Indiana, buying into his brother’s business, the A. L. Johnson Lumber Company
1884
1893 1893 Charles Weatherhogg comes to America for the Chicago Worlds Fair and ends up in Fort Wayne, Indiana as well
1892 J. C. Johnson becomes president of Muncie Paint and Roofing Company
1892
1897 1897 The house is designed and built by Grindle and Weatherhogg Architects of Fort Wayne, Indiana
1896 J. C. Johnson becomes president of the Delaware County National Bank
1896
1906 1906 The house is converted from gas to electricity
1904 J. C. Johnson dies suddenly, leaving is widow, daughter, and her husband. During his funeral, all commercial and business activities were suspended for ten minutes in his honor
1904
From prominence to obscurity, so to goes the property
1924 1924 Martha Johnson, John’s widow, passes
1921 House sold to Johnson’s daughter Mayme J. Oesterle
1921
Fire destroys, renews, and purifies, giving new purpose to the house in an unforeseen way, suggesting the Sukiyaki material technique and the ritual act of steam heat cleansing
Justice and equality lay the unseen foundation for the future inhabitants
1941 1941 A one year temporary headquarters for the Muncie Chapter of the American Red Cross
1950’s 1950’s Temporary mortuary for Meek’s Mortuary while their building was renovated
1977
1982
1977 Bought by attorneys Hampton, Robinson, & Quirk and used as their office
1982 House individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places
2007 2007 House catches fire and sold by the owner. (Interior materials and details removed and salvaged
2012 2012 Bought by current owner, Jaime Manznera in Doral, Florida for $1,500
2014 House remains abandoned, boarded up, and in disrepair...
1925 Mayme moves out leaving the house vacant
1925
1947 House donated to the Knights of Columbus, St. Lawrence Circle No. 166 headquarters as well as the Daughters of Isabella
1947
1954 Donated to the local 592 Carpenters and Joiners of America (C. W. Garrard Architects)
1954
$
1979 House sold to John Dailey of J. Roberts Dailey Co., the interior and exterior was renovated to is original condition, and used the property as a rental unit and a catering business
1979
2004 Bought by Toney and Debbie Kimbrel and converted to Our Daily Bread Tearoom and Cafe
2004
2014 2008 House slated for demolition after fire, bought by Norm S. Gayda for $1
2008 The stage is set and the house begins to take on its final purpose
Sacred underpinnings ignite the potential of the building
Craftsmanship is in the bloodline of the place
The cafe sets the historical tone for the focus and sharing of a sacred meal
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Existing Conditions
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“ THE SACRED NEEDS ARCHITECTURE IF IT IS NOT TO WITHER WITHER...AND... ARCHITECTURE NEEDS THE SACRED SACRED. ” Karsten Harries Constructing the Ineffable
FINAL PROJECT DOCUMENTATION Who Are We? A History Fire is from the dawn of civilization. Fire plays an almost primordial role in the heart of mankind, lending its mystery to a kind of universal sacredness. Although commonplace, and perhaps mundane, a flame can neither be contained nor created of its own accord. It is constrained to physical means of the working world to produce its otherworldly effects. In a similar way, the otherworldly or sacred experience in architecture must also work through the means of a physical world. The spiritual touches the material through experience. There resides a people in the northern reaches of Europe who witness to this, and hold fire in higher and richer regard than most cultures. For this group, fire provides life in the frigid temperatures of winter
nights, prepares sustenance, and allows for cleansing steam. This people believe in a higher power over created nature, and to them, fire manifests this power as strongly as anything else. A representation of spirit (the flame) embodied in the material world (the
fuel). While not worshipping fire directly, it points toward something greater. Fire can give life and fire can destroy, fire can heat and cleanse, and fire can burn and char. There is power and importance within the flame. While most within this culture reside far from the reaches of the city, changes in the political climate have made their isolated existence more difficult. The final blow came when sanctions were placed on the harvesting and use of lumber from now privately and corporately owned forests, severely impacting many of this people’s livelihoods. Many within this group are skilled foresters and
artisans, and those that were able, began to make plans to emigrate toward a better life. Hearing from relatives about the lush forests of North America, this band of people landed on the Eastern Coast of Massachusetts. While some stayed, others began to venture toward the rich forests of the Pacific Northwest and Canada, closer to their conceptions of home. Along the way, for many various reasons, a few stayed behind in the small city of Muncie to erect a waypoint for fellow sojourners, a sacred reminder of home and the values to which give them life. As increasing sanctions grip their homeland, more migrate through the States, glad for the respite and re-centering found at waypoints along the way. Especially in Muncie, they connect to place, themselves, and a higher power.
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Sacred Waypoint
Firs Fi rstt Fl Floo oorr Pl Plan an
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Seccond Floor Plan Se
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How is This Sacred? In this humble journey I’ve suggested four voices among many that seem universally applicable to the transcendent.
hybrid section perspective, southeast corner
Symbolism
(Transformation, Meaning, Representation) The transformation of form from square to triangle, the transformation of wood to carbon, the transformation of liquid concrete to an organic textured solid, and the volume reminiscent of a rising flame.
Light
(Quality, Ambience, Illumination, Darkness) The transitions, effects of light, the volume in the banquet space supported by shafts of light
Material
(Taste, Touch, Smell, Sound) The Shou-Sugi-Ban material technique, boardformed concrete, handcrafted furniture, and meal
Age
(History, Connection to something outside self) The venerable ruins and history of the place 59
Experienced Memory
If the sacred is void without experience, in comes the narrative story of Mikael. My name is Mikael. I was bor n and raised in the forests of Nor ther n Europe. My father, a craftsman, taught me everything he knew about wood working, much like his father before me. I grew to love the forests of home, yet I am displaced. While in my prime, my father is old and stiff, and the promise of our woodland could no longer sustain us. For reasons beyond my control I’ve made the difficult decision to leave home with my father, and jour ney to keep our craft alive, and possibly add another generation in the process. We set out for America, like others nearby, where I heard of a place run by some of my fellow sojour ners established in our traditions. This I seek along the way.
Entry Pulley
I approach the house, and curious, I notice a way in around the sunken garden right of the main entrance. In front of the rounded kitchen tower, well-crafted planter boxes emanate with all sor ts of good and pleasing produce. Toward the end of the garden rests a wooden box atop a layered platfor m. Closer inspection reveals a block and tackle system to avoid the obstacle of stairs. A large wheel affixed to the basket seems to control the movement of a thick, sturdy rope strung through a system of pulleys that raise and lower it. I open the gate and easily begin the tur n the wheel with little resistance as I slowly rise into the air to reach floor level. Intrigued by the main way, I retur n toward the primary steps.
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Entry Bridge
I approach the old wor n limestone steps, expecting a gritty tug on the soles of my feet from the rough surface. Stepping up, my hand finds a smooth, thin metal rail emerging from the steps to wrap around and stabilize my body as the entrance canopy extends overhead. Cantilevered from a board-for med concrete wall, a thin wooden roof perches upon steel beams. Slowing, I watch the light and elements wash the wall to the left with stains of age and reminders of the season. I step across the joined wooden suppor ts from the porch floor, and breach the threshold bound by limestone columns, entering the ruins.
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Door Entry Space
Crossing the aged threshold into the antique shell of the house, I notice a black wood exterior, char red like alligator hide. Sunlight shines through exposed remnants of suppor ting joists and illuminates the stark interior wall, leading my eye toward the open sky and a glint of blinding glare from the sun. A trail of steam emanates from some source overhead. I move towards the door, with the relic-like ruin contrasting the bur ned wall to my right. The large door set over my head appears with such weight that it shouldn’t budge. I follow the striations of a layered wood surface interspersed with translucent strips to grasp a war m brass handhold, feeling at once the weight of the por tal and the weightless ease with which it pivots open.
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Entry Space Up
Entry Door 67
Entry Cor ridor
The cool, dimly lit interior contrasts the radiance I felt moments before. The same char red black wood lines the wall to my right, focusing my attention back to the left, where lightly glowing wood framing filters traces of shadows from outside toward a translucent doorway in the same style. The patter ning and detail in the screen reminds me of time spent in the birch forests with light dancing through the flickering leaves‌perhaps even the smell of home? Fur ther along, a carefully detailed bench invites a brush from my hand. Now standing perpendicular to the screen, I see outlines of veteran limestone openings beyond, faded enough to suggest the countryside of home.
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Entry Cor ridor Bench
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Sauna
I then tur n from the light toward an increasingly unmistakable aroma, and yes, a familiar one. My nose leads me back toward the char red wall to a simple opening clad in the same manner. I strip to a towel, and prepare myself for the ritual steam cleansing. I enter the sauna room, darkly lit by the cedar firebox in the cor ner. War m steam and a light smoky wood smell fill my lungs and per meate my spirit. My eyes close while the subtle crackle of the low fire transpor ts me to a tranquil reverence. Impurities of body and spirit float away with the rising steam. Cleansed, I shower and prepare myself for our customary meal.
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Kitchen
Before taking my place in the banquet hall, I notice yet another aroma, more complex. Exiting the shower room, my eyes find an old, exper tly crafted original stair. Perhaps we have more in common with this place than I expected, what craftsman‌Roused from my reflection, my nose leads me toward another firelight coming from a round concrete kitchen, for med in remarkable resemblance to the texture of the wood being consumed. At the center of the space stands a mighty wood fire, smoking meat and preparing dishes around its flames. Shelves climb the walls, stocked with pleasant and agreeable things. Up from the top shelf jut the remains of since-forgotten joists. Yet higher still, a series of laminated beams hold a new circular ceiling, edged with light and pierced with a chimney car rying the composition of fragrances to the neighborhood.
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Kitchen Up
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Banquet Hall Sacred Space
The food is prepared, the meal ready. As I pass back around that exceptional staircase, the concrete surface of the wall begins to peel away, gracefully beckoning us in, like the lower bows of a sheltering tree. I’m struck by the black char red volume suspended with rays of light punching through the wood-grain textured concrete walls. Framed by light emanating from above, a massive oak table is centered beneath the volume, exper tly crafted by my fellow sojour ners, holding a lavish banquet spread. While our sacred meal is consecrated, I take a seat and send up a prayer. My attention is drawn to the triangular opening at the peak of this floating volume, transfor ming from four sides to three with light wells piercing the shifting interior surfaces. Much like the flames that cooked this meal, I sense the kindred spirit and hear ty nature of our feast spark a fire under this great body, like a chimney casting our collective being up to a greater spirit, perhaps even transcendent.
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Banquet Hall Table
Banquet Hall Volume Up 81
Private Reflection Space
Once our souls and stomachs are sated and the meal is cleared, I make my way back toward that ar tfully crafted bench and reach for the smooth wooden pull on the translucent framed door. Through the por tal, I confront the once-glorious remains of a forgotten past, reminiscent of some of my own deepest neglected memories. The sun has begun to fade now, and the open air flows through the structural remains. A gaping scar, the remnant of a once-consuming blaze, opens its wide mouth to tell the history of this place. I find respite on a gabion bench layered with aged wooden framing, and filled with brick and rubble remains from the house. To my right side is the austere concrete wall reflective of the banquet hall’s interior. The ver tical framing following the chimney remains draws me up toward a transcendent reflection in the same spirit of the meal just completed. Much like the smoke that once rose through the ruined chimney, so are my prayers and meditations dispersed into the open sky.
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Upstairs Cor ridor
With fading eyes and heavy head, I retur n to the exquisite stair, this time to traverse up to rest. I step up toward an old bay window, around to the top, the wall sloping to my right. Framing emerges from the stair rail and the adjoining walls leading to a sliding door. Inside I find a skillfully joined bed frame with a plush top, soft on the eyes and to the touch. Sleep swiftly takes hold, dousing my awareness like an extinguished fire, to smolder until mor ning light.
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Upstairs Quar ters
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Side Stair
In the mor ning, I awake and pass down the hall toward the side exit stair and descend to the back garden for breakfast. The antique metal stair leads toward rough gabion walls filled with rubble from the once-proud nor ther n walls of the house. I enter, crushed gravel underfoot, and tur n the cor ner to find yet another wonderfully executed table, suppor ted upon the ruined rubble of the house encased in wire mesh. Clad in similar rubble from the house and nearby sites, the massive walls of the banquet hall rise over the garden and speak to the literal building blocks of history, the transience of time.
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Exterior Garden
END
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Details
Door Assembly
Corridor Wall Assembly
Roof
Furniture & Framing
Light Box Plan Shou-Sugi-Ban
Shou-Sugi-Ban Board-Formed Gabion Concrete
Board-Formed Concrete
Gabion & Polycarbonate
Light Box Section
Ruins
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Physical Artifacts A Model
The model represents the new (flame treated plywood) with the old (bare CDX plywood)
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CREDITS + REFERENCES Image Credits All images are personal property unless otherwise noted (cover) Burnt wood. Web. 1 May 2014. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/jakerome/5784527044/> (pg 5) Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://ryanurban.org/colorizations/> (pg 20) Ronchamp interior. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://bmyshot.wordpress.com/2013/07/23/ronchamp-color/> (pg 21) Ronchamp exterior. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/ross-architecture/deck/7101197> (pg 22) Ronchamp light wall. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.archdaily.com/84988/ad-classics-ronchamp-le-corbusier/> (pg 23) Ronchamp chapel light. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.coffeewithanarchitect.com/2010/05/01/architecture-light/> (pg 24) La Firminy exterior. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://nickkahler.tumblr.com/post/795553727> (pg 25) La Firminy interior volume. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/corbusier,firminy/Interesting> (pg 26) La Firminy pin lights. Web. 1 May 2014. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/french-disko/3712865485/> (pg 27) La Firminy volume skylights. Web. 1 May 2014. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/dog-pochi/5299590002/> (pg 28) Kolumba courtyard. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://desprearhitectura.blogspot.com/2010/09/kolumba-museum-by-peter-zumthor.html> (pg 29) Kolumba door. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://desprearhitectura.blogspot.com/2010/09/kolumba-museum-by-peter-zumthor.html> (pg 29) Brick detail. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.archdaily.com/72192/kolumba-musuem-peter-zumthor/> (pg 29) Ruin detail. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://arquitectures234.blogspot.com/2013/02/rehabilitar-jordi-badia-i.html> (pg 30) Kolumba interior. Web. 1 May 2014. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/shawwin/> (pg 31) Kolumba brick interior. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://agujeroscosmicos.blogspot.com/2011/12/adventures-in-stacking.html> (pg 32) Bruder Klaus exterior. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://architizer.com/users/mando-moreti/favorites/> (Pg 33) Bruder Klaus interior door & oculus. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://architizer.com/projects/bruder-klaus-field-chapel/>
(pg 33) Bruder Klaus sketch. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.pinterest.com/serenapangestu/art-chitecture-drawings/> (pg 34) Astley Castle drive. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/riba-stirling-prize-goes-astley-6102632> (pg 35) Castle exterior. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/riba-stirling-prize-goes-astley-6102632> (pg 36) Castle ruin interior. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.e-architect.co.uk/birmingham/astley-castle-nuneaton> (pg 37) Castle ruin wall. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.e-architect.co.uk/birmingham/astley-castle-nuneaton> (pg 41) Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://ryanurban.org/colorizations/> (pg 46) Indiana map. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://paperthriller.blogspot.com/2011/11/1910-antique-old-map-british-columbia.html> (pg 47) J.C . Johnson B&W. Photograph. BSU Drawings & Documents Archive. (pg 48) Muncie. 40o11’41.06” N 85o23’00.14” W. Google Earth. Feb 26, 2012. May 1, 2014. (pg 54) Wood fire. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://texasovenco.com/wood-fired-pizza-oven-makes-a-great-smoker/> (pg 55) Loggers. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River> References “AD Classics: Church at Firminy / Le Corbusier.” ArchDaily. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014. <http://www.archdaily.com/108054/ad-classics-church-at-firminy-le-corbusier/>. “AD Classics: Ronchamp / Le Corbusier.” ArchDaily. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014. <http://www.archdaily.com/84988/ad-classics-ronchamp-le-corbusier/>. Benjamin, Walter, and J. A. Underwood. Preface. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. 1-15. Print. Britton, Karla. Constructing the Ineffable: Contemporary Sacred Architecture. New Haven, CT: Yale School of Architecture, 2010. Print. “Bruder Klaus Field Chapel / Peter Zumthor.” ArchDaily. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014. <http://www.archdaily.com/106352/bruder-klaus-field-chapel-peter-zumthor/>. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://dictionary.reference.com/>. Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane the Nature of Religion. San Diego London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1968. Print. 97
REFERENCES CONTINUED Furuyama, Masao. Tadao Ando, *1941: The Geometry of Human Space. Hong Kong: Taschen, 2006. Print. Gómez, Alberto Pérez. Architecture and the Crisis of Modern Science. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1983. Print. Holl, Steven, Juhani Pallasmaa, and Alberto Pérez Gómez. Questions of Perception: Phenomenology of Architecture. San Francisco, CA: William Stout, 2006. Print. Jackson, John Brinckerhoff. The Necessity for Ruins: And Other Topics. Amherst,: U of Massachusetts, 1980. Print. Klanten, Robert, and Lukas Feireiss. Closer to God: Religious Architecture and Sacred Spaces. Berlin: Gestalten, 2010. Print. “Kolumba Museum / Peter Zumthor.” ArchDaily. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014. <http://www.archdaily.com/72192/kolumba-musuem-peter-zumthor/>. Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/>. Pallasmaa, Juhani. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. Chichester: Wiley-Academy, 2005. Print. Plummer, Henry. Cosmos of Light: The Sacred Architecture of Le Corbusier. Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ., 2013. Print. “Shou Sugi Ban - Yakisugi.” Shou Sugi Ban - Yakisugi. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014. <http://www.shousugiban.co.uk/>. “Stirling Prize: Astley Castle.” BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014. <http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23961842>. “The Indiana War Memorials Foundation.” Indiana War Memorials Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014. <http://www.indianawarmemorials.org/>. “The Noun Project.” The Noun Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014. <http://thenounproject.com/>.
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