Portfolio Anne Catherine Lyager Langer April 2016 Copenhagen, Denmark
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Skjern Enge An alternative approach to how to handle a river delta’s traces of time 5th Semester Aarhus School of Architecture
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Entering the cradle Discovering the layers of an otherwise inaccessible cradle 2nd Semester Aarhus School of Architecture
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Culture meetings A hybrid building mixing a public market and private homes makes cultures meet 4th Semester Aarhus School of Architecture
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Library by the Sea Transformation of an existing building into a new public library with a view to the sea 6th Semester Aarhus School of Architecture
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Selected projects A various selection of projects, exhibitions and workshops from the Bachelor’s programme of Aarhus School of Architecture
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Editorial KÅRK Magazine
SKJERN ENGE An alternative approach to how to handle a river delta’s traces of time . Skjern Enge, Denmark
The transformations of Skjern Enge Skjern River is the largest river area in Denmark as it drains about one tenth of the country and discharges the water into Ringkøbing Fjord. Situated in Northern Jutland, the river gets its name from the city of Skjern, which is located near the river delta. The river delta goes under the name Skjern Enge and is the only river delta in the country. The river delta has undergone many changes in the last 200 years. From being a meandering stream surrounded by wild nature, rich vegetation and wildlife, the Danish government chose to transform the river delta in the 1960’s. The river was straightened out into concrete dykes, forcing the stream to run faster than its original pace, and the extensive surrounding wetlands were drained to prevent the frequent floodings that stood in the way for farming in the Skjern region. However, the plan backfired, as the floodings were also suppliers of important sediments deposits, and the farming had a hard time getting started. As a consequence, the government in 1987 decided that the area should undergo a land rehibilitation to restore the river to a more natural state. By 2002, the work was mostly completed. Today, much of the river and wetland are now protected area and home to a variety of wildlife. The tourism and hobby practitioners also gladly make use of the nature area.
“Engen Eng
Tracing and mapping the past
1842-1899 1:50.000
Even after the transformation of the Skjern River delta, from the drained area of agriculture to the current restored recreational area, the natural order and ecosystems that previously defined the area are not yet restored. And they will not be for several years. The first part of the assignment was to investigate the different layers of time in Skjern Enge, and furthermore, understand how these layers were handled, showcased and erased by the people in charge. Thus, the purpose of the assignment was to think of alternative ways to handle the transformations of the past. A way of investigating the area was through the method of tracing. The power of the tracing is not in changing or intervening in the object of the drawing, but rather in selecting what material to trace and what not to trace. By doing this, it is possible to filter the information and discover something new or unexpected. In the initial tracings, three different eras of the Skjern Enge area were chosen. The first one was before the draining, the second one when the area was drained and the third, after the restoration. On the drawings, the surrounding wetland was marked with grey, making it possible to see that the area today is nowhere close to its original wet state. This realization can lead to the discussion of whether the newly restored area is actually “nature” as it claims to be. In terms of hydrology, the area is obviously still under continuous control.
Samme
Landbrug brug bas fiskeri. De det var t om somm gen af ag
Vandløbe Der var o og for l flyde bor
Tabte ma at få sta afvanding vom især vandet b
1977-1994 1:50.000
I dag – s
I dag fre ikke ved medbrag Hovedløb net. Til g naturomr Af spor f ovenfor. I dag er fuglekigg har været
2012 1:50.000
Regulering af vandet i ådalen
“Engen føder ageren” Eng
Åen oversvømmer engene
Aflejret gødning, mineraler etc.
Kvægene spiser græsset på engene
Laver gødning
Gødning bliver brugt til markerne - agerjorden
Forsøg på regulering af den uberegnelige å har foregået i århundrede: engvandingskanaler, afvandingskanaler, diger samt udretning og oprensing af åløb - det gjorde man for at opnå en dyrkningssikkerhed for engene. Fra 1962-69 skete der dog en markant ændring, da man besluttede et stort drænings- og udretningsprojekt, hvor man vha. maskiner kunne omlægge og udrette åen.
“ Efter afvandingen er der skabt ordnede forhold med hensyn til veje og broer, og en strøm af turister glæder sig over en tur i den frodige skjern ådal. Engenes dage som sådan er talte - de sidste læs hø er kørt hjem, engenes jonfruelige tilstand er forbi... (hø)sletbonden er forvandlet til plovbonde, og idag står, som Aakjær siger, en ny tids bonde på sin toft”.
Initiativtager Jens Smedegaard Mortensen, indvielsen af afvandingsprojektet, 1969.
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Sammenhæng imellem å og landbrug
Transformation fra 1842-1899 til 1977-1994 1:50.000 - Vandreducering
Landbruget, der omkring 1900 formede sig omkring Skjern Ås bredder, var ådalslandbrug baseret på dalens enge som grundlag for kreaturhold og suppleret med jagt og fiskeri. Det var et blandingslandbrug, hvor korndyrkning ikke spillede den store rolle, men det var til gengæld afgørende, at engene gav føde til kreaturerne året rundt: frisk græs om sommeren og hø om vinteren. Forudsætningen for kornproduktionen var gødskningen af agrene. Vandløbene blev derfor til selve livsnerven i engbruget, men vandet var uberegneligt. Der var ofte oversvømmelser i tide og utide pga. stærke regnskyl og højvande i fjorden, og for landbruget kunne oversvømmelserne være en katastrofe. Høstakkene kunne flyde bort, græssende kreaturer måtte fjernes og lavtliggende huse fik vand i stuerne. Tabte man et års vinterfoder var det en alvorlig sag for landbruget, da det ikke var muligt at få statsstøtte. Derfor forsøgte man at regulere vandet gennem engvandingskanaler, afvandingskanaler, diger og dæmninger for at undgå de værste oversvømmelser, selvom især digerne og dæmningerne var svære at vedligeholde og ikke altid kunne holde vandet borte fra engene.
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Laksetrappen Albæk ved Kodbøl Ved afvandingen i 1962-1969 blev åens længde gjort betydeligt kortere, hvilket øgede dens fald og gjorde vandets hastighed større. Et kunstigt styrt blev anlagt for at få den rette strømhastighed i den inddigede å: hvis vandet bevægede sig for hurtigt, ville der være for stor fare for erosion i vandbunden, og bevægede sig for langsomt, ville der være fare for for stor materialeaflejring på bunden, hvilket ville kunne hæve vandspejlet og true digerne. Styrtet skulle også gøre åen passabel for gydende fisk, så de kunne komme op til gydepladserne højere oppe i åløbet. Trappen er en tredelt opgangsvej på et punkt, som laksen ikke ville kunne forcere alene. Den er udformet som tærskler tværs over vandløbet, hvorved der dannes mange små fald, som laksen lettere kan bestige end ét stort. Kodbøl-styrtet er i dag fjernet og sporene slettet som et led i naturgenopretningsprojektet, da det viste sig, at ikke alle fisk var i stand til at passere styrtet. Bl.a. blev helten udelukket fra gydepladserne længere oppe i åsystemet.
Transformation fra 1977-1994 til 2012 1:50.000 - Vandforøgning I dag – spor i landskabet I dag fremstår landskabet som en åben ådal med slyngede åløb, enge, lavvandede søer, siv- og rørskove. Grundvandsspejlet sænkes ikke ved at vandet pumpes væk. Ved højvande løber vandet ud over de omgivende enge, og det medfører en vis aflejring af vandets medbragte næringsstoffer, der stammer fra land- og dambrug. Hovedløbets samlede længde er blevet øget fra 19 km til 26 km, og digerne fra de lange lige vandløb fra afvandingen i 60’erne er fjernet. Til gengæld er der bygget 1,5 km nye diger for at beskytte omgivende marker og byer mod de naturlige oversvømmelser indenfor naturområdet. Af spor fra afvandingsperioden kan nævnes de 3 pumpestationer, som er beskrevet til højre og spor af en gammel kanal på billedet ovenfor. I dag er mange interesser tilgodeset i området, bl.a. sejlads uden motor i åens hovedløb, lystfiskeri langs bestemte åstrækninger, jagt og fuglekiggeri. De opstillede fugleskjul, fiskebroer og fuglekiggertårne er blevet til de nye lokaliseringsmærker langs åen, hvor det tidligere har været de produktive elementer som møller, diger og pumpestationer, der dominerede landskabet.
Pumpestationer Pumpestationerne regulerede grundvandsstanden i den nederste del af Skjern Ådal, så markerne kunne dyrkes. Før afvandingsprojektet i 60’erne henlå områderne pumpestationerne senere afvandede som enge og vådområder gennemskåret af snoede åløb. Der var 5 pumpestationer: Pumpestation S, SØ, N, M, og Ø. Ved den seneste genopretning af Skjern Å, blev kun 3 fungerende pumpestationer bevaret: Pumpestation SØ, N og Ø, hvoraf de resterende blev anset som overflødige og fjernet. Pumpestation Ø sikrer lav grundvandsstand i Damsøområdet, så markerne her fortsat kan dyrkes. Pumpestation SØ sikrer lav grundvandsstand syd og vest for Søndre Parallelkanal, så markerne her fortsat kan dyrkes. Her er et stykke af den gamle inddigede kanal bevaret, dels til minde om afvandingen i 60’erne, men også fordi den sjældne Vandranke her har sin udbredelse.Pumpestation N afvander de store agerområder nord for diget. Det er den største af de fem pumpestationer fra afvandingsprojektet i 60’erne.
A natural facade After being drained and straightened in the 1960’s, the river and the surrounding wetland was restored into its “natural state” by reestablishing the meandering stream, wild vegetation and natural ecosystems. In the 1960’s, the concrete dykes were constructed to prevent the frequent floodings so the local agriculture could be improved. However, the floodings turned out to be crucial to the spreading of sediment in the entire delta area. Without the sediment from the river, the agriculture did not turn out as planned and the river itself did not run as smoothly as it should, as it got clogged due to the large amount of sediment that it now was incapable of getting rid of. However, the area today is far from being the same well-functioning self-sufficient ecosystem that it used to be. Even though the restoration process did an extensive job getting the meandering stream and the wetland back, small traces of the disturbance of the ecosystem are still visible today. These traces were found through mapping, by pointing out the specific places where the ecosystem is disturbed. These traces may not be visible. In the effort to make the area look natural, the ecosystem of some places needs to be improved, and this with constructions that would ruin the natural “look” of the place. One example is a spot where the river and the lake Hestholm Sø runs very closely to one another. The meandering stream, being the home to many young salmon fishs, must not be mixed with the lake, which is home to pikes, who enjoy to eat the young salmon. In the newly restored river design, the boundary between river and lake is designed as too low, and when the river floods, the young salmon is eaten by pikes. Through the mapping, a much taller and visibly built dyke prevents this from happening. A wellfunctioning ecosystem today should be more important than miming the “nature” of yesterday.
Seperated activities Another tool that can be used for investigating the relationship between the past, present and future of Skjern Enge is the mapping. The mapping selects, sorts and organizes material from the site in order to find new connections and meanings. In this case, the mapping is used for pointing out how the site of Skjern Enge is used today, and by who. Through landscape architectural eyes, the newly restored landscape of Skjern Enge can be seen as flawed. Flawed because it “mimics� nature instead of actually being nature, with consequences for the ecology of the site. And flawed because it tries to cover up its past, considering some parts of it as mistakes. However, the many users of the area do not have to think about the architectural and transformational methods that has set the directions for the restoration project. The area has many different users every day, which has made Skjern Enge a popular place to hike, fish, hunt, watch birds and sleep in outdoor shelters. All these activities take place in different areas during different seasons of the year and times of the day. Sometimes the activities overlap or interfere with each other, like when shots from the hunters of autumn interrupt the fishermen or birdwatchers early in the morning. Even though the events take place at the same location, the contents of the activities are very different. The many rules, restrictions and regulations, as well as the attached identities of the people practising the hobbies, seperates the activities from each other. When considering a future architectural proposal for the area, it could be safe to say that a certain spot within Skjern Enge where all the activity practitioners can unite around common, unspecified activities that are not characterized by certain rules or regulations is needed.
Where past, present and people meet With the knowledge from the two previous mappings, it is possible to provide an architectural “diagnosis” of the Skjern Enge area: First of all, the area still lacks to acknowledge its past as an agricultural landscape, which traces are hidden behind “natural” designs. This can be seen in the case of the first mapping, where the eagerness to create an area with a natural “look” prevented the construction of a dyke that was tall enough to seperate the stream from Hestholm Lake, with consequences for the fish in the area. Natural looks were put before natural systems. Second of all, the activities that are currently taking place in the area are very seperated. This can be a problem when the activities overlap or interfere with each other. When considering a new architectural design, which could benefit the area, it would be safe to say that a place where all the different people could unite and enjoy unspecified activities together would be a place that would improve the current state of the area. With these architectural investigations in mind, the design solution should now work contrafactually, meaning that the design proposal should imagine what “could have been” rather than work with the current reality. All historical investigations can come into play in an architectural proposal that suggests a different way of working than the current restoration project. For the proposal, a specific spot along the meandering stream is chosen. At this certain spot, a piece of the dyke from the 1960’s could potentially have remained and been transformed instead of erased. The transformation of the dyke could potentially inherit the qualities that the area needs, namely a place that unites the different users of the area. A place where past, present and people meet.
A place to stay and reflect By keeping a piece of the dyke, Skjern Enge also keeps an important memory of its past that makes it possible to experience, reflect and learn. And these three things are something all users of the Skjern Enge area have in common. By now, the users of the area are usually people who come to the area to enjoy a specifically defined activity or hobby. By potentially creating a place for everyone, it can be possible to unite the many different users of Skjern Enge. Furthermore, a place of significant historical importance could attract visitors that do not usually use the area. To explain the architectural design, it proposes a transformation of the dyke that connects and creates a detour to the existing meandering path. The concrete detour leads one onto the dyke by a large ramp and follows the top edge. From the top of the dyke, it is possible to step down into the dyke, experiencing its full construction width and height. This effect is reinforced by the fact that the horizontal view of the horizon that characterises the area is not visible when standing at the bottom of the dyke. This gives you a full experience of the size and extensiveness of the intervention, and a place to reflect on the history. And since the dyke is no longer in use, new, fresh vegetation is allowed to grow through the existing concrete, creating a sense of time and making the dyke grown together with its natural context and connect with its present. It is no longer the dyke it used to be. Its new function is to serve as a unifying frame for the many different users of the area. When one steps into the dyke, and the long view and natural surroundings vanishes, focus shiftes to what is inside the dyke: the people, the past, the present and the sky. A place to reflect, enjoy and just be.
ENTERING THE CRADLE Discovering the layers of an otherwise inaccessible cradle . Moesgaard Strand, Denmark
Moesgaard Strand, Denmark In an area South of Aarhus, by the water, the forest and the newly built Moesgaard Museum, the beach of Moesgaard Strand is located. As a typical landscape in Eastern Jutland, the landscape is characterized by small hills and varying landscape heights. In the assignment in Moesgaard Strand, we were to dig deep into the context, investigate it and understand it, before deciding what to build. When having recognized the context and created spatial and architectural intentions trough this study, an architectural program could be developed in close relationship with the surroundings. This approach is an opposition to another architectural approach, namely the one that starts off by creating a program, which is then forced down onto the site, forcing both site and structure to adapt. This alternative approach, however, makes the architecture grown from within the site, developing itself with the site, allowing both built and grown phenomenons to exist with each other fully. To dig into and experience the landscape, we started out with creating landscape sections that captures the many rises and falls of the landscape as well as the different types of vegetation along the way. Many details were noted to capture the very special spirit and the diversity of the place, being it crooked and straight trees, logs and fallen trunks, plants, bushes, open and densily vegetated areas. All a way of getting to know the place our architectural invention were to inhabit.
Sections through a plastic net When creating the spatial design, the assignment said to pick an object on site and investigate thoroughly. The investigation should lead to an understanding that could then be used for creating an architectural design. The object that was found in the context of Moesgaard Strand was a plastic net with several sticks caught in it. This object was chosen because of the way the net was punctured, and, by being a complex, transparent structure, somehow became part of its surroundings. At the same time, the transparent net was still able to create a contour and define the net as an object. The net was both something in itself and a structure deeply connected to and defined by its context. The net was drawn in plan and cut into sections that explored its inner spatialities. To provide a further spatial understanding of the net, the section drawings were put through different exercises, as they were rearranged, resized and layered on top of each other. From the exercises, new forms emerged, which provided new material for further architectural development. By staying with the physical, architectural qualities instead of freely developing concepts of the mind, many of the original qualities of the net were inherited in the new forms: the outlines punctured by sticks and leaves. This created more exciting and surprising forms in many variations that could not have been thought up by the mind alone.
Layers of a cradle By arranging the sections, points and details of the plastic net on top of the context tracing, the object met the context, and in this meeting, new architectural forms could appear. As the experience of the specific site was dominated by a large, inaccessible cradle, the new object was positioned in the middle of the cradle. From here, it was developed further, now by the use of concept: by linking the object to the cradle, developing and adapting both object and cradle to each other with a new, unifying concept, the project was able to grow together as a whole. This was done after allowing the spatial and contextual investigations develop on their own to ensure that the identity of both phenomenons were captured in the new project. To explain the development of the structure, the many steps, points and details of the plastic net were used to define specific places where something “could happen�, like steps, ramps, changes in enclosedness and wall opacity. The construction is solidly framed so it is possible to physically walk through the cradle, but still, transparency remains, as the construction is made of glass of different opacities. By walking through the construction, one moves in different levels, from below ground level to above cradle level. These height variations give the user the full experience of the cradle, from seeing its origin in the roots below the ground to getting lost in the middle of the cradle to rising above it with a clear overview. Both concept and form can be traced back to the plastic bag, where the construction is a transparent and definite part if its context, but still manages to keep its own form, structure and identity.
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CULTURE MEETINGS A hybrid building mixing a public market and private homes makes cultures meet . S. Williamsburg, Brooklyn NYC
South Williamsburg, NYC The assignment was to build an apartment complex for domestic workers on an empty plot in South Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NYC. The new apartment complex which took the needs of the local citizens into consideration. Williamsburg is a neighborhood in NYC that often appears in discussions about gentrification. Especially the Northern part of the neighborhood, which used to be a cheaper, culturally variated neighborhood before it became the well-known “hipster”hangout, with artist spaes and expensive housing rents that it is today, has become a symbol of gentrification in larger cities. However, the Southern part of Williamsburg, below the dividing line of Grand Street, is still inhabited by a culturally diverse population. The area is mostly dominated by NYC’s hasidic community besides its large density of Dominican, Puerto Rican and Mexican citizens. Gentrification has not moved to the area yet, but it is on its way, as it is starting to show in terms of the area’s residences and shops, which are exchanged with new, emerging people and brands. In this context, the domestic workers of NYC should get a place to live The architectural challenge was to make them feel home in a foreign country, and give them a place to meet one another. Also, the emerging gentrification should be taken into account, both in terms of the local residents of different beliefs and nationalities as well as the area’s potential newcomers.
A dense dwelling The first part of the assignment was to take a closer look at how to live in a dense dwelling in terms of daily routines, actions, rituals, needs and desires, rather than what we think and assume that we do. Drawing from birdview, a domestic worker in a single person’s apartment was “followed” during a day. The drawing was a tool for imagining hypothetical situations. Would it be possible to sleep beneath the staircase? Where sould it be possible to eat with a good view? Could everything take place in the same room or should the apartment be divided, for example by a staircase? At the same time as the zoom-in on the hypothetical domestic worker, the physical arrangement of the apartments in relation to each other and the overall public program, where taken into consideration. The intention was to develop the individual apartments from within, with roots in an individual’s life and routines, while still fitting it in with the overall program for the site.
The public program The public program should contain specific qualities that would improve the specific neighborhood it was situated in. In South Williamsburg, a strong Hasidic community lives in the same neighborhood as the Dominican, Puerto Rican and Mexican communities. These communities have set their marks on the area with different shops and attractions, for example restaurants that make food with origins in the different nationalities. This diversity is not negative, but still seperates the cultures from each other, as one tends to go to the shops of one’s nationality. The assignment proposes a public program that contains common kitchens at the ground floor lovels as well as an outdoor garden that can be used for both urban farming and as a market place. This creates the physical framework for a suitable organization to move in and start up a food programme that can unite the citizens of the neighborhood and make them learn the cuisine customs from one another. In this case, an excisting organization under the name GROWNYC is chosen. Tey specialise in transforming and rearranging empty plots into urban gardens and market places. The market places are a good way of bringing healthy food to the neighborhood and teach the local kids about the origins of the food they usually purchase in the supermarket. To both provide space for an urban garden, a market place and kitchens in a public ground floor level, where the food education and workshops could take place, the program could improve the health, food knowledge, and social life of the citizens and kids in the neighborhood.
The private program The private program is situated above the public program. Here, one-person dorms are arranged along a shared halway. In the corner of the hallway, and in both ends, are common areas for the domestic workers, with bathrooms and kitchens facilities to share. The kitchens and dinner areas are framed by large windows from where the domestic workers can follow the life of the gardens and market events of the public program, while preparing and eating food themselves. The life situation of the workers are taken strongly into consideration: When coming to a foreign city, it is important to get their very own space, where they can come home after a long working day and close the door. The individual rooms also serve as spaces to fold out the personalities and cultures that they bring along to the city. As a densily populated and colourful city, it is especially important for the domestic workers to get a space to call their own. But on the other hand, it is also easy to feel lonely in a city that big. Therefore, the common areas are an important part of the design. Here, in the semi-private spaces, the workers get a chance to meet and chat with each other after a long day, in the framework of their home, lifted up from life on the street.
Culture meetings In the project, the public garden program and private residential program plays together as a whole. From the apartments, a view to the market, urban gardens and common kitchens can be a source of relaxation for the domestic workers. They all share a common balcony, and from here, they can follow the lives of school kids cooking, urban gardeners harvesting plants and the local residents buying greens. All calming actions that, apart from doing good to the neighborhood, also creates the feeling of being a part of the neighborhood for the domestic workers. The building is arranged so that the balcony will be hit by the afternoon sun, when the workers come home after a long day. On this shared space, the domestic workers also get a chance to show off their personality through personal belongings and self-chosen decoration. This can be a way of truly inhabit their space in the city and at the same time get a chance to give something back to the neighborhood themselves. The balcony can be a way of learning about each other’s origins and cultures, changing with each inhabitant that moves in. At the same time, each person has their personal sphere inside the apartments. Like the food market can be a subject to discussions about and meetings between the origins of the area’s local citizens, the balconies of the domestic workers functions as places for culture meetings among the inhabitants.
LIBRARY BY THE SEA Transformation of an existing building into a new public library with a view towards the sea . By the sea
The architectural promenade This is an assignment heavily influenced by Le Corbusier and his way to use the architectural tool, the architectural promenade. The architectural promenade was the key idea behind the development of space and movement in Le Corbusier’s work. The idea was to base the experience of the user of the building on a series of “constructed” views, vistas and experiences. The movement thorugh the views determines the physical shape and space of the building. For the assignment, specific spatial sections of an already existing building was cut out of the building structure and assembled into a long architectural promenade (see model on previous page). The building to be cut up was OMA’s Educatorium in Utrecht, the Netherlands. This educational public building was chosen because of its specific way to move upwards, through both ramps, stairs and lifts. This movement could be transferred with a rearrangement of the promenade. In the first part of the assignment, the promenade should be assembled into a combination of views and experiences that the user of the building should get along the way. Afterwards, the promenade should be folded inwards on itself into a three-dimensional spatial construction. This spatial construction should then be thought of as a building and a public program, in a hypothetical context, in this case, a library by the sea.
The library by the sea In some places, the library resembles the building it origins from, the Educatorium, for example in terms of its large, open plans, which are constrasted by smaller staircases and service areas. However, to accommodate the specific public program, the building has also changed a lot. Instead of the large, enclosed auditoriums as are seen in the Educatorium, big atriums are instead cut out in the library to let light shine down from above. This action was performed because of the library program, but still bears remains from the Educatorium, as the movement through the narrow hallways around the auditoriums resembles the movement around the library atriums. Also, the overall upwards gesture of the Educatoirum is transformed in order to accommodate the new program: When entering the building, one it let up towards a big broad staircase that leads one up onto the first floor of the building (see plan previous page). On this floor, one is immediatly confronted with the sea. The sea is a major factor in the shaping and transformation of the excisting structure. Both public and common areas are all situated in close relation to the big windows towards the sea, as this is the situations where a view towards the water improves the experiences of reading and finding book for the users of the library. Away from the sea, towards the street, are the private areas, with smaller rooms and narrow hallways. Even though these are situated closest to the public on the street, the users of the library are lead past the private areas, thorugh the building structure and towards the sea.
A meeting with the sea The library is arranged on many levels, so to create a whole experience, it is important to create connections between the floors. Here, the large atriums are put into use, as they, apart from providing optimal light conditions for reading and searching for books, also create overview and a sense of direction in the library. The different library areas are divided into zones of different functions. Some of the lower areas, near the entrance fuzz and reception, are for children, while others, like the less noise-tolerant study areas, are situated on the quiet and enclosed fifth floor. The bookshelves are placed both facing, and blocking the view towards, the sea. The arrangement helps to enhance the experience of the sea view, as it will sometimes be closed off by bookshelves only to appear again. The bookshelves also serve to create sitting zones of more private character. In the large floor plan, the bookshelves create smaller zones where one sits up against something to increase the comfort of the reader. The light of the atriums hit directly onto the ground floor reception areas. This hightlights this special area of the library. Another specially highlighted area is the main staircase, which leads one towards the sea when entering. The other staircases are made for more functional purposes, like moving between the library floors, but this staircase is larger, broader and slower than the others. It leads the users of the library past the private areas and lifts them above the ground floor towards the large sea-facing windows, making a trip to the library a meeting with the sea.
SELECTED PROJECTS A various selection of projects, exhibitions and workshops from the Bachelor’s programme of Aarhus School of Architecture . Aarhus, Denmark
Waking the dead houses In the area of Thy in Northern Jutland, Denmark, large houses are continously abandoned. The houses are hard to sell, as the areas are in the outskirts of the cities where the jobs are. As the Danish population moves towards the larger cities, the houses stand still in time, with the remains and decorations of the previous inhabitants layered inside. Some of these old houses were donated to the students of Aarhus School of Architecture, who got the chance to do 1:1 sections through the houses as well as document the traces of the previous inhabitants in drawings and photographs (see next page). The documentation and drawing investigations performed on site gave a unique insight into building construction and how to read a building through the way it has been used, fixed and changed over time. The traces of the inhabitants were used to memorise the lives that had passed buy before the houses were torn down by the government. The lives and traces could have passed by unnoticed and be torn down carelessly, but are now forever documented in drawings and photographs.
Openings, light and privacy How do the size and shape of windows relate to how we use rooms? What if the room is private and the window is large - how does it affect our behaviour? In this “openings”-workshop, windows were investigated in relation to our daily actions and routines. Openings can both be used for looking out, looking in and lighting up the insides, and by learning more about how openings work, it is possible to make more clever openings that can the be used to affect the way we shape and use the building itself. In this case, a sleeping room should have a large narrow window towards a view towards the forest. A sleeping room is a private space for where to sleep, dress and undress. When in private, it is positive to have a view out, shile a view into a private situation is unwanted. According to light, it can be both wanted and unwanted. The assignment mapped the different body positions in the room in relation to the shape of the window and the height and size of the room and the rest of the house. All with the goal to open up for new interpretations of openings in relation to our body, instead of just creating windoes in the same, standardised way. The work was exhibited at the Bachelor’s exhibition of 2013 (see next page).
Rhythms in architecture It is said that architecture is like frozen music. Byt this, it is meant that the architectural spaces are arranged in ways that are defined and shaped by a system of rhythms. But what is a rhythm? A rhythm can be defined as a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound. It is a flow defined by characteristics like long or short, strong or light, stressed and unstressed, just like it can be described with texture, proportion, dynamics and articulation. Renaissance architect Alberti sais that the same characteristics that please the eye please the ear. The system of rhythm is also linked with harmony and mathematics. The workshop looked at architecture from Liebeskind and Eisenmann, who took a rather abstract departure in rhythm, resulting in unusual and surprising spatial constructions. In the final drawings of the workshop, systems and patterns were used to shape rhythms that explored architectural harmony, articulation and variation.
EDITORIAL KĂ…RK Magazine . Aarhus & Copenhagen, Denmark
KÅRK Magazine KÅRK is a student magazine for and by the students at the Danish Architecture Schools. The magazine is free, has existed for more than ten years and is available on Scandinavian schools of architecture, art and design. Throughout the magazine’s existence, it has been the goal of the magazine to formulate architecture in new ways and cast different perspectives on topics than what is usually done within the framework of schools of architecture. For this purpose, external collaborators, journalists, experts and people from diverse academic environments are brought in to comment, critizise or give insight into new, exciting topics. This opening up to the outside world makes KÅRK a place for reflection and helps to improve our own architectural environment by making it more clever, wiser and stronger.
SOUND SPACE AND
TIME
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TEXT CATHERINE LANGER FOTO ZENO VAN DEN BROEK
“SOUND IS NEVER COMPLETE IN ITSELF. TO BECOME SOUND, IT ALWAYS HAD TO MEET SOMETHING ELSE.” The words are spoken by
Zeno van den Broek, architect, musician and artist, who investigates and creates artistic experiments with a subject that many architects neglect or forget: sound.
“Sound can be described as physical vibrations that travel through the air and react with our physical surroundings,” says Zeno van den Broek. “That is why, when I play a concert, there is no clear answer to what the concert is supposed to sound like. The experience of the sound comes from the meeting between the sound I send out from the stage, the physical surroundings in the specific space and, in the end, the listener.” Originally, an architect with a masters degree from TU Delft in the Netherlands, he has chosen to combine his architectural practice and spatial knowledge with his passion for sounds and music. Today, he plays concerts and creates art installations to investigate the complex, infiltrated and overlapping relationship between space, sound and time. “While most musicians strive to play music that appears as “pure” as possible, that is not my final goal,” he says. “I do not, like those musicians, wish for the room to act as a neutral element so it will not “disturb” the sound. I embrace the spatial influence on my music and instead choose to use it actively.”
How can the spatial conditions be used actively when performing? “From the stage, I change the music depending on the specific circumstances. Once I played a concert in an old church, which was very different from, say, a room with concrete walls and big, heavy curtains or seats with soft fabric. Also, the sound depends on how many people are present in the room, because they will mute the sound. By relating to my context, I have a dialogue, instead of a monologue.”
MINIMALISTIC APPROACH
Zeno van den Broek’s art projects consist of arrangement of a selection of elements in different stereo-sound positions: speakers, amplifiers, spotlights, mirrors and painting. “The different elements investigate sound in different ways. It is interesting to combine sound frequencies with, say, a painting, because the sound is dominated by rhythm and time, while the painting is timeless.“ What do all these elements have in common? “The setup is always minimalistic, meaning that I discard everything that is not necessary. Minimalism has always been a big part of my work,” says Zeno van den Broek. “Minimalism is run by a strong concept and is very detail-oriented. By using minimalism, I can isolate the specific features that I want to investigate.”
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The minimalistic approach can also be used in relation to different sound waves, by using a specific wave type called sine waves. “Sine waves are the cleanest type of wave. When a project takes its departure in something pure, it is possible to see how the sound gets altered by the context, the project setup and itself.” One of Zeno van den Broek’s latest projects is situated in a prison cell as a part of the festival Utrecht Down under. Here, black speakers send out pulses of white noise repeatedly, a staccato-rhythm of abrupt sounds, which are reflected by the walls, recorded by a microphone and played back into the cell. Eventually, the pulses of white noise will eventually develop into sound waves when encountering the architecture. The sound installation also includes light and a mirror, which all go into a dialogue with the stereo sound composition.
“When people go into the room and see the installation, they experience the room in a new way, through the light, the sound and the pulses, which are all inseparable from the room itself.” But why is it so important to investigate space with sound? “I think most people focus on the visual aspects of space. Sound is a neglected area in architecture. With my projects, I aim to give people an intense, sensory reaction and a heightened spatial awareness of their surroundings. And this, I think, is possible to find in the relationship between space, sound and time.“
ABOUT ZENO VAN DER BROEK NAME ZENO VAN DEN BROEK WEB WWW.ZENOVANDENBROEK.COM FACEBOOK WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ZENOVDB NATIONALITY DUTCH, LIVING AND WORKING IN UTRECHT EDUCATION TU DELFT, MASTER OF SCIENCE (JUNE 2008): ARCHITECTURE, URBANISM AND BUILDING SCIENCES LATEST RELEASES ZENO VAN DEN BROEK – DIVERGENCE (2015 / MOVING FURNITURE RECORDS) – VINYL + DIGITAL // MACHINIST – CONVERGENCE (2012 - NARROMINDED) – CD // MACHINIST – OF WHAT ONCE WAS (2011 - MOVING FURNITURE RECORDS) – CD
AWARDS PRIX EUROPA 2015 - RADIO PRODUCTION FÖHNKRANKHEID, FOR WHICH ZENO VAN DEN BROEK CREATED THE MUSIC, HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR THE CATEGORY RADIO FICTION. // KUNSTLIEFDEPRIJS 2012 - PRIZE AWARDED FOR THE BEST WORK IN A YEAR OF EXHIBITIONS AT THE KUNSTLIEFDE GALLERY, SELECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT JURY. PRIZE: €1500,- AND A NEW EXHIBITION IN THE GALLERY. // X-VEKTOR / STATE-X NEW FORMS - FIRST PRIZE IN COLLABORATION WITH MENDEL KAELEN, OF THE X-VEKTOR COMPETITION 2009 FOR UNDERGROUND TALENT. ORGANISED BY THE STATE-X NEW FORMS FESTIVAL (THE HAGUE).
LATEST EXHIBITIONS GAUDEAMUS MUSIC WEEK (UTRECHT) – SOLO EXHIBITION – SEPTEMBER 2015 // UTRECHT DOWN UNDER (UTRECHT) – GROUP EXHIBITION – MAY 2015. / BYOB AT A-LAB (AMSTERDAM) – GROUP EXHIBITION – CURATED BY KULTER. FEBRUARY 2015.
ZENO VAN DEN BROEK
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DIAGRAM FOR PULSE INTERVAL VLUCHTKERK
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