What role does craft play in contemporary architecture?
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Design Research Unit Edward Fisher
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WHAT ROLE DOES CRAFT PLAY IN CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE?
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Design Research Unit Edward Fisher
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Craft:-
noun, An activity involving skill in making things by hand
verb, Exercise skill in making (an object), typically by hand
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This research paper examines the role of craft in architecture and how an understanding of materials and traditional construction are used to create tactile and engaging contemporary architecture.
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Investigating what led to the demise of craft is essential in order to understand the current influence craft has in 21st Century Architecture. The modernist movement embraced industrial processes and the ethos of mass production which ultimately lead to the demise of craft. Throughout the paper I will question how craft has adapted to the profession becoming heavily legislated.
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To inform my response, the analytical study of the work of Carlo Scarpa, Caruso St John and Gamzio & Kohler will form the basis of the essay. Carlo Scarpa balanced innovative design with traditional craft through working intimately with a team of Venetian craftsman who had a vast understanding of traditional construction. The architecture of Caruso St John shares an interest in learning from history and the craft of materials. The constraints of the modern procurement systems means Caruso St John consider the economic implications and the building realities of the 21st Century.
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Questioning the role of craft in present day architecture, the work of Gramazio & Kohler introduces programmed machinery to lay bricks in such a way that it could never be achieved manually. The art of brick laying has been taken out of the craftsman’s hand and into the machines. Can this still be considered craft if there is no human involvement in the construction process?
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Through studying these architects work, questions arise such as, what is the role of the Craft in 21st Century architecture? Can architectural innovation and building tradition work in unison?
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“The architectural profession was traditionally regarded as a craft. Architectural ideas were created in close interaction with the physical construction at the site and drawings did not emerge as a means of conceiving architecture until the renaissance period.”
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(Brothers, 2008)
Prior to the Renaissance the architect was the master builder skilled in both the use of tools and materials. Pallasmaa (2009) describes the master builder as an artist who thinks with his hands. Architects have become disconnected from the site, due to the modern legalistic division between design and construction. This paper will explore how this division has affected craft in architecture and its engaging quality.
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In the mid 19th century there was a revival of craft based architecture, the Art and Crafts movement. The movement was an opportunity for the skilled craftsman to demonstrate mastery of both tools and materials. One of the leaders in the movement, William Morris, famously declared,”Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”. Morris believed the integration of ornament and functionality would save craft.
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The Art and Crafts movement believed strongly in the use of natural materials and having the freedom to express the character of the material and the joint whilst maintaining a functional aspect. This view was shared by John Ruskin, an advocate for the expression of internal surfaces insisting “the architect is not bound to exhibit structure; nor are we to complain for concealing it”(1847). His disapproval of cast or machine made materials, pronouncing their use as an act of “deceit”, clearly displayed his admiration for the skilled craftsman and their ability to create intrinsic value that is a finger print of their work.
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The prevailing global perception of craft would change dramatically during the period of euphoric industrialisation in the mid 20th Century. The architectural movement at the time, modernism, rejected traditional building craft in search for industrial processes promoting the use of machinery. This movement went against all natural intuition of craftsman; their skills they had developed over generations were now useless resulting in the loss of highly skilled traditional crafts. Vittorio Gregotti foresaw the problems that eventually led to the downfall of modernism, declaring “it is false to think that culture of industry or building could solve the problem of detailing”(1983), underlining the absence of influence of building techniques and the lack of interest in the handling of materials. Colquhoun gives new direction pronouncing his ambition to create “ an architecture that is constantly aware of its own history”(1983). Colquhoun’s call to learn from history whilst being aware not to design pastiche gave architecture a new direction replacing the antihistorical bias of the modern movement.
In contemporary architecture there is a divide amongst architects about the use of natural materials. The Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa advocates the use of natural materials and believes they allow the gaze to penetrate their surfaces and thereby convince users of the veracity of the materials. By contrast he argues that the materials used in most contemporary architecture merely present their unyielding surfaces to the eye without conveying anything of their material essence of age. (Murray, 2007: 112-117).
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Studying specific works of Carlo Scarpa, Caruso St John and Gramazio & Kohler, understanding how they have been influenced by history and how they perceive the relationship between architectural engagement and craft.
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Carlo Scarpa
Fondazione Querini Stampella, Venice 1963
Scarpa’s Fidelity to Venetian tradition was based on his daily working and dealing with the craftsman of Venice. He was conscious of not imitating traditional buildings, in order for him to achieve this he had to communicate comprehensively to his team of craftsman. His ability to communicate through sketches was critical to the process of transformation from drawing to building. Frampton (1996) states “Scarpa evolved his joints not only as functional connections but also as fetishised celebration of craft”. Scarpa's romantic vision of craft and his involvement on site produced architecture that is physically engaging, the tactile quality of the materials and the crafted nature of his buildings invites the user to touch the surfaces.
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At the Fondazione Querini Stampella in Venice the art gallery is accessed by a light weight bridge that acts as a fixed hinge between the terra firma of the campo and the transformed shell of the palazzo. The bridge is the linking element between these two pieces of historical Venetian architecture. Frampton (1996) describes the bridge as a “synthesis of structural economy and ergonomic form”, alternatively one could reinterpret it as a synthesis between innovation and tradition, Scarpa implements thin steel structural elements with a finely crafted teak and brass handrail constructed using traditional methods. The thin structure gives the bridge a lightness which juxtaposes the traditional Venetian bridges made from load bearing masonry.
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The sense of nearness, is not only expressed through Scarpa’s elaboration of the joint but also the delicate surface finishes. He has configured the rail to the grasp and joined the teak with nautical brass fittings that provide both visual and tactile accents. Cadwell (2007) states, “The brass conducts the varying temperature of the air. With great courtesy, then Scarpa takes us by the hand”. The idea of the object possessing an imbedded finger print is interesting. The notion that when you touch the handrail you have a connection with Scarpa shows the rich character of craft, and its power to captivate people.
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“The joint is the beginning of ornament And that must be distinguished from decoration which is simply applied. Ornament is the adoration of the joint.”
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(Kahn, 1975)
1.0 The bridge going over the canal from the terra firma of the campo to the transformed shell of the palazzo
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1.1 Focusing on the bridge detail, structural element made of steel and the ergonomic handrail, a combination of timber and brass.
“His tectonic expression oscillated constantly between the instrumentality of function and the sensuality of ornament” (Frampton, 1996) one could no longer tell where one began and the other ended. The bridges asymmetrical form encourages the user to question why? The bridges contrived symmetry arose out of the need to meet two different conditions: firstly the bridge had to be high enough to permit gondolas to pass and secondly to clear the lintel of the building entry.
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His process of transforming drawings to building and his intimate relationship with skilled craftsman is clearly shown in his style of drawing. Working at a large scale on schematic drawings whilst on the same piece of paper working on details. He shows a constant awareness for how these heterogeneous elements would be put together. The joint is treated as a tectonic condensation; an intersection between embodying the whole in the part (Frascari, 1996).
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Scarpa optimises the ancient definition of the architect as a master builder, “The result is a modern architecture that is more than rational structures and functional spaces” (Frascari, 1996). Scarpa’s work has the ability to entice the eye and hand through the tactile characteristics of the materials and his process of fabrication intimately linked with the skilled hands of Venetian craftsman.
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1.2 One of Scarpa’s sketches as he thinks about the section of the bridge whilst considering how he wants the handrail to look.
1.3 sketches of the bridge and handrail details
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Caruso St John
Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, London 2007
“ We are interested in the emotional effect that buildings can have. We are interested in how buildings have been built in the past and how new constructions can achieve an equivalent formal and material presence”
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(Caruso, 2008)
The work of Caruso St John builds on Colquhoun’s idea of an architectural movement that is aware of historical building traditions. The Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood shows Caruso St John’s ability to retain the character of the existing Victorian building with in a contemporary new entrance for the museum. The composition of the colonnaded new entrance references the brick piers on the facade of the existing building. Arranging the colonnade in front of the exhibition halls presents a strong civic presence that the museum has always lacked (Auerli 2013: 23).
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Caruso St John’s interest in the sensory effect that buildings poses is apparent in their selection of material. In the essay ‘The Principle of Cladding’, Adolf Loos declares that the architect “senses the effect that he wishes to exert upon the spectator… these effects are produced by both material and the form of the space” (1898). The new entrance is clad in stone veneers, interestingly in-between the colonnaded composition the stone forms a geometric pattern. This deliberate arrangement of the stone veneers creates an apparent depth in elevation. Drawing the public towards the building, where the finer detail of the stone work can be appreciated, as seen in fig 2.1. The craft and precision to cut the natural stone panels reveals the texture of the varying grains and the veracity of the natural stone, arousing the senses of sight and touch.
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The high expense associated with craft and the level of detail required to fabricate components splits opinion amongst architects.Rem Koolhaas’s aphorisms “no money, no detail” and “fuck the detail” reveals his dismissal of detailing. The loss of detail and craft in architecture affects the visual and tactile experience of architecture and the ability for the built environment to have a physical engagement with the public. The Victoria and Albert museum discloses the sensory qualities that craft can evoke in a contemporary context. Which has only been made possible through the intelligent use of material in an economic manor and acknowledging the building realities of the 21st Century.
2.0 Colonnaded composition of the facade
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2.1 Close up of stone facade
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Gramazio & Kohler The beginning of this paper outlines the definition of craft as a skill in making by hand. The work of Gramzio and Kohler leads one to ask the questions, In the 21st Century is craft exclusively a skill in making objects by hand? Is the sensory quality of an object what defines an object as having craft?
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The work of Gramazio & Kohler fundamentally challenges prevailing design methods as well as current building culture. Their work synthesises two distinct worlds, the digital and the material (Gramazio & Kohler, 2010: 82-93). To achieve this union they use a machine called ‘ROB mobile fabrication unit’, as seen in fig 3.0.Making use of computer methodologies in the design and fabrication process allows for manufacturing building elements with highly specific forms, which could not be built manually.
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Gramazio and Kohler state, “with digital craft we continue and extend the tradition of constructive thinking in architecture. A digital design culture does not lead into an abstract and intangible realm of geometry and algorithms, but brings architecture closer to the materiality and sensuality of building” (Gramazio & Kohler, 2010: 82-93).
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Their innovative approach to construction builds on their understanding of traditional brick coursing used in load bearing masonry structures. Introducing digital design has allowed Gramzio and Kohler to manipulate the bricks moving away from the flat two dimensional masonry wall and fabricate three dimensional walls by precisely arranging bricks at gradually altered angles. Their fascination in the sensuality of architecture is articulated in the plasticity and depth produced in the brick walls constructed using the ‘mobile fabrication unit’ ensuring absolute precision. Fläsch, Switzerland, Winery Gantenbein, 2006
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Gramazio & Kohler’s design of the facade for the winery is said to represent a basket full of grapes. At closer view – in contrast to its pictorial effect at a distance – the sensual, textile softness of the walls dissolves into the brickwork. The facade appears as a solidified dynamic form, in whose three-dimensional depth the viewer’s eye is invited to wander. Only at close inspection does the observer realise the wall is actually composed of individual bricks.
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The angles at which the bricks are laid creates small openings in the pre fabricated brick panels allowing natural light to filter into the building, as seen in fig 3.2. The sensual quality of the facade and the natural light that dapples across the floor is visually exciting. Demonstrating what can be achieved through the innovative use of machinery.
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3.0 ‘ROB mobile fabrication unit’
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3.1 Pictorial affect the bricks form
Unlike the modernist movement which advocated the use of machinery to mass produce repetitive elements for construction. Gramazio & Kohler produce bespoke elements using machinery that build on an understanding of traditional masonry structures and an interest in the sensory nature of buildings.
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The method used by Gramzio and Kohler to create engaging architecture is unprecedented. Pallasmaaa states that modern architecture has become “a kind of game with form, the reality of how a building is experienced has been overlooked� (1986). The winery discloses a clear synthesis between form and experience of the building. Showing how craft, a skill in making, has evolved as a result of the growth of digital technology in the profession, and the realities of building in the 21st Century.
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3.2 The dappled light washes over the floor
3.3 Close up of the three dimensional facade
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“The (modern) architect and the architectural drawing are twins. Interdependant, they are representative of the same idea: that architecture results not from the accumulated knowledge of a team of anonymous craftsman but from the individual artistic creation of an architect in command of drawing who conceives a building as a whole at a remove from construction. From the fifteenth century to the twenty-first, the architect has made drawings, models and texts not buildings�.
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(Hill, 2006)
Studying the three buildings it became apparent the ability craft has the to set up a direct engagement between the built environment and the public. Highlighting the importance that it has in architecture.
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Each case study shows a dierent process for implementing these qualities within their building, reflecting the time and the building culture in which the architect practised. From the romantic hand crafted ideal of Scarpa’s work, to the innovative process used by Gramzio and Kohler to manipulate materials. Suggests that the process of fabrication carries less importance than the sensual character of the object. Therefore the method of production can evolve to reflect the building and economic realities of the time.
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Craft traditionally a skill carried out by the hands of a craftsman produces objects that become a finger print of the craftsman giving it intrinsic value. This value has not been lost in the form of digital craft, with each component containing explicit knowledge, the code of its making.
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It would be reasonable to suggest that the future for craft in architecture and the sensory engagement it provides is naturally going to move from the traditional skills held by the craftsman to a digital process. The evolution of craft appears to be driven by the profession’s division between the architect and the site, and the introduction of new technology and digital processes in 21st Century architecture.
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APPENDIX
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THINKING THROUGH MAKING
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Engaging the Senses
“There was a time when I experienced architecture without thinking about it. Sometimes I can almost feel a particular door handle in my hand, a piece of metal shaped like the back of a spoon. I used to take hold of it when I went into my aunt's garden. That door handle still seems to me like a special sign of entry into a world of different moods and smells.”
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Peter Zumthor, Thinking Architecture 1998
My object will investigate the connection that occurs through architecture between the door handle and the user, exploring how craft, material and the parameters of the human hand can instigate a direct engagement between building and user. The door handle is one element that is required to be touched when circulating a building it unlocks the threshold, allowing someone to pass through from one space to another. The door handle and the door form a moment of transition and introduce an awareness of movement through a building.
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Material
The physical engagement is created through touch. Objects in buildings like handles and handrails are often articulated by the use of tactile materials. The tactile characteristics of particular materials draws the user into a physical engagement.
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Parameters of the human hand
Crafted objects require an understanding of the parameters of the human form and in particular the human hand. Juhani Pallasmaa (2009) describes craftsmen as “seeing with their hands” revealing their awareness and understanding of the limits of the human form.
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“Every object has a history, and if we consider them in perspective they may appear slightly different. It is in these slight differences that they show their meanings in regard to time. Differences may be introduced, varying materials or proportions but what must remain is the ‘essence’ of the (object), or rather its relationship with the body”.
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Alvaro Siza, Papers 2 2007
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PROCESS / PRESENTATION
This investigation of touch, material and relationship to the human body began by studying selected precedents. It immediately became apparent there is a hugely diverse approach to the design of handles and handrails
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David Chipperfield, Terrazzo. Neus Museum
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Studying these handles it became clear the architects concern for the human form, the parameters of the human hand and how one engages with the handle. The materials used acknowledge the environment the handle is used in. External door handles being noticeably more robust and durable to cope with the uncontrollable environment.
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As well as the form of the handrail being important the tactile and sensual nature of the materials used encourages the direct engagement between the building and user. The next phase of my research was conducted through studying the tactile nature of specific materials. Each of the material blocks compare two dierent materials with contrasting qualities. The aim was to articulate the tactile quality of the particular material to entice viewers to run their fingers along the surface, allowing people to appreciate the dierent characteristics materials can provide.
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The objects relationship to the human body is a key aspect that ties the constituent parts together and is an integral part of the presentation. My ambitions for the curation of my objects was to produce a presentation that was evocative and enlightened people to think more about the parts of buildings that they interact with, and how those specific parts of a building are constructed. 
Material study with 1:1 plaster cast of hand hovering above
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The top image shows the general composition of my presentation. The 1:1 cast of my hand gives the presentation scale, fixing the hand to a steel stand (made to the height of a human) using laboratory clamps forms an abstract human frame.
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The lighting enhances the quality of the frame used to support the hand, giving it greater presence. The image below shows the shadows projected by the stand, strengthening the form of the ‘human frame’.
Close up of plaster cast hand showing the fine detail
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MAKING THE HAND
I used an alginate mix which dentists use for moulding sports mouth guards. When mixed with water it forms a thick rubber liquid.
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After ten minutes the liquid is set and the mould is ready to be poured. From the images below you can see the level of detail the alginate picks up on. Every wrinkle and hair follicle is captured in the mould.
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!! After pouring the plaster the alginate can be removed by delicately tearing portions o.
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Task 1,
INITIAL INVESTIGATION
I was set the challenge of selecting one material, exploring how it could be used in construction and how the material would be joined together.
Exposing the Invisible Understanding the way that masonry works and the manner in which many historic buildings were assembled are intrinsic to our knowledge about the various types of masonry bond. The definition in Wasmuth Lexikon der Bankunst stated that a masonry bond is the “proper assembly of natural or man made stones” in order to guarantee the even distribution of the loads throughout the masonry body and an interlock between the individual masonry units in three dimensions.
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To achieve proper bonding and interlocking corners, terminations and intersections, special arrangements of the respective bonds are necessary. These are governed by rules based on centuries of experience.
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Fig 1 explores the English Bond and various types of mortar joint. The joint affects the structural integrity and appearance of the brick wall. The Bucket Handle, Weathered and Recessed joints express the type of bond and course of the brick emphasising the fact that the brick is a standardised manmade stone.
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Construction of the English Bond This type of bonded masonry is constructed with alternating courses of headers and stretchers, Fig 2. The man made material is limited by the dimension of the individual units, a standard british brick is 102.5 x 205 x 65 mm.
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A richness in load bearing brick walls is to be found, where whole bricks are interlocked. The repetitive nature of material gives the method of construction a purity. Within the production of bricks, each batch will vary slightly in colour; it is the art of the brick layer to make sure that the various batches are blended to ensure the brickwork appears to have been laid randomly.
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The mortar joint is critical for the stability and weather proofing of a load baring brick wall. The external finish of the mortar joint is the responsibility of the brick layer, who will use a variety of tools to ensure a consistent quality of finish for the entire wall.
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Task 2,
Once I had explored a method of construction solely using brick masonry I attempted to build a 1:1 section of a masonry wall.
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This catalogue of photographs demonstrate the process I went through when making the brick wall. By attempting to lay bricks I learn’t how skilled brick layers are, it is a real skill in getting the mortar mix correct and aligning all the bricks correctly.
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Brick work represents a real skill and I learnt just how diďŹƒcult it is to get the modular material to have a consistent mortar joint between the bricks. As I laid more bricks my technique slowly improved. It is a process from which you gain knowledge and experience through making.
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Testing the coursing of the brickwork
The base for the brick wall and all the necessary components for making the wall
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The first few courses of the wall - My technique was getting better with every course
The sharp edge on the corner of the wall
The finished wall
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Text: Abertini. B, Carlo Scarpa: Architecture in Details 1996 Cadwell. M, Strange Details 2007 Caruso. A, The Feeling of Things 2008 Frampton. K, Studies in Tectonic Architecture 1995 Frampton. K, Technology, Place & Architecture 1998 Frascari M., The Tell The Tale Detail 1996 Hill. J, Immaterial Architecture 2006 Loos. A, The Principle of Cladding 1898 Nesbitt. K, Theorising a new agenda for architecture: An anthology of architectural theory 1965-1995 Pallasmaa. J,The Eyes of the Skin 1996 Pallasmaa. J,The Geometry of Feeling 1986 Pallasmaa. J, The Thinking Hand 2009 Pallasmaa. J, Space, Place and Atmosphere 2011 Rosbottom. D, DRDH: Eyes that Feel Hands That See 2007 Ruskin. J, The Seven Lamps of Architecture (the lamp of truth) 1847 Sennett. R, The Craftsman 2008 Sergison Bates Architects, Papers 2 2007 Tuomey. J, Architecture, craft and culture 2008 Zumthor. P, Thinking Architecture (ways of looking at things) 1998
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Art References: Kirkeby. P, Brick Sculptures and architecture
Journals: AA Files - No, 12 1986. Translations from Drawing to Building, Robin Evans Aureli. P. V, Caruso St John, Form and Resistance, El Croquis, Iss 166, pp. 8-40, 2013 Gramazio. F, Kohler. M, Research in digital materiality conducted at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Architecture & Urbanisim, Iss 479, Aug 2010 Murray. G, Building Simply: Ethic or Aesthetic, Architectural Research Quarterly, Vol 1, No 2, pp.112-117, 2007 Rosbottom. D. Caruso St. John: Museum of Childhood, Architects Journal, Vol 225, Iss 3, pp. 35