THE LONG FACADE
The Wall as a Mediator
The façade is the readable surface of architecture. It is the layer of architecture that people interact with throughout their lives. Both an external and internal facade can emote feelings and has the power to change the quality of a space: The original goal of ornament is not to draw attention away from the architectural elements by enticing decoration but just the opposite, to highlight architectural elements and present them in their full uniqueness. The doorframe individualises the door, the arch individualises the portal, the cornice the ceiling, the façade the entire building. (Eichinger & Troger, 2011) The thesis investigates how the long façade can work within the urban realm, how it creates a dialogue between inside and outside, the room and the city. The research examines the scale and proportions of such an elevation, the plasticity of the facade, the layers applied to create a wall and the relationship between the exterior skin and the internal activities. Analysis of long facades within an urban context were undertaken to discuss the comparisons and contrasts of these buildings. The buildings that have been examined are The Palais du Louvre in Paris, The Paragon in Bath, Piraeus and Borneo Sporenburg in Amsterdam, Leibniz Kolonnaden in Berlin and Tay Mills and Reform Street in Dundee.These façades from across Europe are all considered to be of a longer scale compared with their surrounding context, but differ by the period of their construction, the use, the scale and proportions, for an in-depth discussion. Further to the long elevations, the text also investigates how the wall can act as a mediator between the inside and outside world. This includes particular reference to the 1912 debates on the morality of elevations and Hendrink Petrus Berlage’s Amsterdam Stock Exchange and Otto Wagner’s Postal Savings Bank in Vienna. From the analysis and conclusions of these buildings in this text and the design research of the long façade a strategy for a new 300 metre long façade will be proposed for Dundee’s new waterfront development. There will be a particular focus into how this could be developed over a 30 year timescale and design codes that could be applied in order to develop a rational, unified and lasting extension of the city.
Left: 1. Leibniz Kolonnaden. Photograph of the building situated in context. Next page: 2. Leibniz Kolonnaden analytical diagram. Measured drawing of facade, the solidity of facade, the vertical division of the elevation and the horizontal division of the elevation.
Leibniz Kolonnaden I 1997 I Mixed Use I Berlin I Germany
0m
Length
108 m
Ground Floor Height (floor to ceiling)
4.0 m
Maximum Height
26 m
Window Proportions
1:4
Permeability of Facade - 46 % Solidity of Facade -
54 %
300m
Solidity of Facade
54%
Permeability of Facade
46%
Vertical Division
15:30:55
No. of Storeys
8/7
Left: 3. Borneo Sporenburg. Photograph of the building situated in context. Next page: 4. Borneo Sporenburg analytical diagram. Measured drawing of facade, the solidity of facade, the vertical division of the elevation and the horizontal division of the elevation.
Borneo Sporenburg I 1996 I Residential I Amsterdam I Netherlands
0m
Length
323 m
Ground Floor Height (floor to ceiling)
3.0 - 6.4 m
Maximum Height
12.4 m
Window Proportions
all vary
300m
Solidity of Facade
82%
Permeability of Facade
18%
Vertical Division
2:4:2:5:5:6:7
No. of Storeys
2-4
Left: 5. Tay Mills. Photograph of the building situated in context. Next page: 6. Tay Mills analytical diagram. Measured drawing of facade, the solidity of facade, the vertical division of the elevation and the horizontal division of the elevation.
Tay Mills I 1850 I Residential (former Jute Mill) I Dundee I Scotland
0m
Length
196 m
Ground Floor Height (floor to ceiling)
4.5 m
Maximum Height
24 m
Window Proportions
1:1.8
300m
Solidity of Facade
84%
Permeability of Facade
16%
Vertical Division
4:13:9:13:4:16:4:13:4:16:4
No. of Storeys
3
Left: 7. Commercial Street. Photograph of the building situated in context. Next page: 8. Commercial Street analytical diagram. Measured drawing of facade, the solidity of facade, the vertical division of the elevation and the horizontal division of the elevation.
Commercial Street I 1871 I Mixed Use I Dundee I Scotland
0m
Length
329 m
Ground Floor Height (floor to ceiling)
5.5 m
Maximum Height
20 m
Window Proportions
1:1.2
300m
Solidity of Facade
74%
Permeability of Facade
26%
Vertical Division
3:4:6:6:7:4:2:12:7:2:6:5:1:7:3:3:3:2: 5:5:2:4:4:4:5:5:4 4-6
No. of Storeys
Left: 9. Dock Street. Photograph of the building situated in context. Next page: 10. Dock Street analytical diagram. Measured drawing of facade, the solidity of facade, the vertical division of the elevation and the horizontal division of the elevation.
Dock Street I 1899 - 1932 I Mixed Use I Dundee I Scotland
0m
Length
331 m
Ground Floor Height (floor to ceiling)
4.5 m
Maximum Height
34.6 m
Window Proportions
1:1.2
Dock Street, Dundee 331 metres
ndee s
300m
Solidity of Facade
82%
Permeability of Facade
18%
Vertical Division
12:6:6:5:1:4:23:6:4:5:4:5:8:4:6
No. of Storeys
5
Left: 11. Piraeus. Photograph of the building situated in context. Next page: 12. Piraeus analytical diagram. Measured drawing of facade, the solidity of facade, the vertical division of the elevation and the horizontal division of the elevation.
Piraeus I 1994 I Mixed Use I Amsterdam I Netherlands
0m
Length
172 m
Ground Floor Height (floor to ceiling)
3.4 m
Maximum Height
27 m
Window Proportions
1:1.5
300m
Solidity of Facade
82%
Permeability of Facade
18%
Vertical Division
9:47:44
No. of Storeys
10 - 11
Left: 13. Reform Street. Photograph of the building situated in context. Next page: 14. Reform Sreet analytical diagram. Measured drawing of facade, the solidity of facade, the vertical division of the elevation and the horizontal division of the elevation.
Reform Street I 1832 I Mixed Use I Dundee I Scotland
0m
Length
186 m
Ground Floor Height (floor to ceiling)
4.5 m
Maximum Height
18 m
Window Proportions
1:2
300m
Solidity of Facade
70%
Permeability of Facade
30%
Vertical Division
16:23:15:25:21
No. of Storeys
4
Left: 15. Le Palais du Louvre. Photograph of the building situated in context. Next page: 16. Le Palais du Louvre analytical diagram. Measured drawing of facade, the solidity of facade, the vertical division of the elevation and the horizontal division of the elevation.
Le Palais du Louvre I 1674 I Art Gallery (former palace) I Paris I France
0m
Length
640 m
Ground Floor Height (floor to ceiling)
11.5 m
Maximum Height
34 m
Window Proportions
1:1.6
Permeability of Facade - 18 Solidity of Facade -
300m
Solidity of Facade
81%
Permeability of Facade
19%
Vertical Division
3:5:2:4:2:5:4:1:6:10:4:12:8:30:4
No. of Storeys
3
82
Left: 15. The Paragon. Photograph of the building situated in context. Next page: 16. The Paragon analytical diagram. Measured drawing of facade, the solidity of facade, the vertical division of the elevation and the horizontal division of the elevation.
The Paragon I 1775 I Residential I Bath I England
0m
Length
356 m
Ground Floor Height (floor to ceiling)
3m
Maximum Height
8.5 m
Window Proportions
1:1.6
300m
Solidity of Facade
85%
Permeability of Facade
15%
Vertical Division
6:3:8:10:1.5:13:1.5:3:1.5:15:1.5:5:5:1.5:5:1.5: 1.5:1.5:1.5:1.5:1.5:1.5:1.5 3
No. of Storeys
..architectural expression that alternates between ensemble and the individual building […] the facades appear as a sequence; as facades which are individual yet belong together. (Burg. A, 1998)
The Wall as a Single Element The Wall as a Single Element explores the long elevation as an entire entity, investigating how multiple facades, that is facades to multiple buildings in separate ownership, occupancy or use, can be placed side by side but read together as one elevation. Further to this, the expression of verticality and horizontality is investigated and the relationship the elevation has to its context. Firstly examining Kollhoff and Timmerman Architects’ Leibniz Kolonnaden in Berlin, repetition and pattern of the façade are the focus of interest. A public arcade at ground and first floor level follows a continuous pattern of retail units behind the colonnade and marked by the string line of string coursing separating the public ream from the upper floors but also unifying the building at street level and enhancing the horizontality. It is above this line of string coursing where the façade begins to differ; at first all three buildings appear to follow the same rhythm of floor to ceiling heights, however it becomes apparent that the residential block to the west has six floors as opposed to five in the rest of the building. Due to the nature of the building the floor to ceiling height can be reduced to more domestic scale of 2.5 metres. Even though there are more floors in this building the façade is unified by the vertical rhythm. A 6.7 metre tall colonnade at 4.5 metre centres lines the arcade at ground and first floor level. This line is then continued through the upper levels to the top by a protruding vertical element on the façade and repeated along the building.
Top: 19. Leibniz Kolonnaden Facade. Illustration of how the facade below the colonade is continuous but the floor to ceiling heights differ above. Above: 20. Leibniz Kolonnaden colonnade. Photograph showing the how the column line rise above the colonnade to express the verticality.
Although the horizontality and the verticality on this façade are clear it is the strength of the two combined which bring the building together as a single element. Further to the single element Bath is known for its Georgian architecture with its roots embedded in the classical civilisations of Rome and Greece. Georgian architecture is renowned for its regularity and symmetry in terraced housing and Bath remains the most complete Georgian city in Britain. The Paragon in Bath is a 356 metre long curving street comprised of terraced housing and retail
units. Differing from Leibniz Kolonnaden, the majority of The Paragon is residential. The initial perception of the street is that the terraced housing is a continuous repetitive elevation of a singular type. This singular type works on a six metre structural grid. However there are in fact numerous designs, built to the same design codes, but with subtle differences in their detailing. Most of the houses were built by individual Master Builders and their workmen rather than an architect. However Master Builders each constructed the individual houses with the agreement that the front elevations would be follow the architect’s designs as order and uniformity were important considerations of this period. Following the general characteristics of the Georgian type the 22 sections of the facade have symmetrically arranged fenestrations, a decoratively detailed door and door lintel and double chimney. The symmetry and repetitive pattern of the equally spaced fenestration expresses the horizontality of the elevation, as does the use of a stringcourse, which runs between the ground and first floor, 2.7 metres above ground level. Occasionally there is a second cornice, running along the underside of the first floor window, which further accentuates the horizontal plain. The most notable change along the elevation is the fenestration. Although they remain in the same location as each other, the height of the windows differ, creating a grander first floor in some of the buildings. The Paragon does not use verticality to express rhythm in the same formality as evident in Kollhoff’s Leibniz Kolonnaden however simply dividing the elevation into separate houses are drainpipes. These probably hide the joint between different buildings creating a more seamless elevation and allow The Paragon to be read more as a single element. Le Palais du Louvre in Paris is the former royal palace of France, but it now one of the world’s largest and most famous museums. Over a period of hundreds of years Le Palais du Louvre has been built in different sections
Above: 21.The Paragon. Photograph showing the string coursing running along all the buildings and the drainpipes dividing the elevation. Right: 22. The Paragon as an element. The street elevation showing the single element unified by the repetition in the facade and the string coursing.
to create what is visible today. The horizontality is expressed strongly on the elevation by the use of string coursing indicating the separate storeys. A line of sting coursing runs underneath the sill of the ground floor double height window, 3 metres off the ground, which reduces the elevation to a human scale. Further enhancing the horizontality is the axis on which the dressed stone is articulated. Even as the proportions of the stone reduces as it reaches the ceiling line of the ground floor the horizontal expression is maintained. Its 640 metre long façade facing the Rue du Rivoli is divided into 15 different sections along the wall. Each section articulates the stone in a varying way but retains the horizontality throughout. Often expressing the entrance to the gallery or the courtyard is vertical detailing which divides the elevation. Within each section the fenestration is different, although similar rules of proportion and scale are followed. The glazing is equally space at 6.2 metre centres, suggesting a repetitive structural grid along the building and the scale of the floors is expressed through cornicing details, which run the entire length of the 640 metre elevation. The ground floor has a floor to ceiling height of 11 metres, where as the first floor and the second floor measure 7 metres and 5 metres respectively, which clearly defines the hierarchy of space. The over scaled ground floor height is brought to a human scale on the elevation by the use of cornicing, which sits 3 metres above the ground. Although different sections of the elevation articulate their stone differently the continuous proportions of the glazing and the use of string coursing bind the 640 metre long façade into one single element.
Left: 23. Le Palais du Louvre Facade Sections. Showing the different articulation of the stone on the elevation.
In Dundee, where the author’s design project is set, there are numerous examples of long facades as can be seen in the preceding studies. As the research of the paper will work with design research for an new district and extension of the city centre, it is important to investigate a long building within its context. Reform Street in Dundee is 186 metres long and runs perpendicular to the main commercial street of the city. The ground floor of the elevation is blended together by the common materials and string coursing below the first floor windows. Further use of string coursing above the ground floor unites the elevation that is broken into five sections. Above the ground floor these five
sections differ in window proportions and building heights but single element is unified by the expression of the horizontal. In contrast to the previous examples Piraeus reads as a single element not through the use of the horizontality or the verticality but by the articulation of the cladding material. Piraeus is a residential block of 309 apartments in the in KNSM – Eiland residential district of Amsterdam’s Docklands. Designed by Kollhoff, this superblock sits on the previously industrial area of the city’s harbour. The previous studies in this chapter have examined buildings of with a straight long façade. However Piraeus wraps itself around a courtyard, allowing a public passage through the courtyard. The building turns a corner at an obtuse angle, but is detailed in a way that does not break the continuous façade of brick cladding. By playing with the material the brick appears to bend with the building thus creating the illusion of a single element. As a result of the research of numerous elevations into The Wall as a Single Element, it is clear that the elevation can successfully be read as a single element by use of common materials on the facades as found with marble cladding in Kollhoff’s Leibnizkolonnaden, the stone used on The Paragon or the brick cladding of Piraeus. Furthermore a unity of numerous facades can be created through the use of horizontal string coursing, found in the examples of The Paragon, The Louvre and Leibnizkolonnaden, which act as a constant along the elevation. The layer of the cornicing allows the elevation to be read as a whole initially before examining the facades in greater detail. Maintaining a design code can allow for individuality but unify buildings. However it can also be said that the use of a repeated structural grid along the length of the elevation can integrate numerous buildings into one larger building. Again Kollhoff’s three buildings are married together through a repeated structural grid.
Top: 24. Piraeus brick articulation. The bending facade. Left: 25. Piraeus as a single element. The articulation of material gives the aesthetic of a single element. Above: 26. Reform Street. The continuity of the ground floor.
It is relief formation that introduces the shade giving third dimension into the surface. It takes on a depth at a physical and intellectual level. (Eichinger. G & Troger. E, 2011)
Dividing the Single Element Developing the discussion of the single element, this section will investigate how the continuous façade can be broken up. There is particular focus the permeability of the façade and the plasticity (the positive relief) of the façade and whether these in turn affect the perception of the depth of the wall and the mass of the buildings. As discussed in the previous chapter, Piraeus, the superblock in KNSM – Eiland residential district of Amsterdam is perceived as a large mass, accentuated by the wrapping façade. The permeations of this building change on opposite elevations. On the south elevation (discussed in the previous section) that bends the corner, the fenestration of the conservatory is flush with the brick cladding. This further enhances the entire mass of the building as it creates a continuous, flush façade. It is only when the window is open that begins to break the elevation up. In contrast to this, the north elevation’s glazing punctuates the facade. The glazing makes up 52 per cent of the façade. The regular extruded gaps create the perception that the north elevations wall is deeper and more residential. The extrusions not only affect the perception of depth but of a more threedimensional form. When the sun shines, the shadows accentuate the depth.
Top: 27. Piraeus permeability. Breaking up the facade by opening the windows contrasts against the flush unopened ones. Above: 28.Leibniz Kolonnaden shadows. The shadows created through the plasticity of the facade.
Similarly in Kollhoff’s Leibniz Kolonnaden the facade depth is accentuated by the shadows created. As for permeability in Leibniz Kolonnaden, the glazing is recessed into the façade acting as the deepest layer on the exterior surface. The proportion of glazing to solid on the three buildings of the elevation is 46 per cent. It can be said that the recessed layer of glazing emphasises the depth of the wall and thus the formality and grandeur that the building seems to emulate. To further enhance the grandeur of the building, the plasticity of Leibniz Kolonnaden comprises both horizontal and vertical layers. At the forefront of the layered façade are the column and its line that extends to the height of the edifice. The vertical line expresses the structural grid of the building. Horizontal cornicing defining the floor plates up the façade. Although the horizontality is
strong on this façade, it is the verticality, which is emphasised. There is further relief on the elevation between the column and the glazing, which accentuates the axis. The use of shadow in the building makes these lines stronger. Woodward. C (2000) states that “Britain shared a reverence for the civilisations of the Greece and Rome and the belief that a classical model was more superior”, this was known as the Palladian style. The use of the Five Orders of the column is applied on the façade of the building to bring proportion to the vertical axis. The heights of the façade were designed according to the dimensions and proportions of the individual column. The Paragon in Bath has glazing that repeats itself at two metre centres of the individual window, with three lines of glazing sitting symmetrically on each house’s façade. One of the main principles of the Palladian style is proportion. The area of the façade between the cornice and the sill-course forms a perfect square. The sash windows are an exact square in proportion and divided into six panes. The glazing makes up 15 per cent of the entire façade. Stone surrounds of the windows and the doors are important features in the Georgian façade. A window surround was formed from a number of blocks of carefully shaped stone. The detailing of the glazing is simple with the only ornamental piece being the lintels that rest above the first floor windows and the frame and lintel of the main entrance door. This is perhaps to express the hierarchy, as the first floor was often the more formal floor in Georgian houses. The first floor windows had the most elaborate surrounds, the style of which changes across the period. Embellishments around the doors mark the entrance to these high-end middle class houses. Each client or house owner was permitted to replace a standard and plain door case with a more elaborated or prestigious entrance. Repetition of permeations in the façade of The Paragon does break up the façade, but also unify the elevation due to its receptivity and symmetry of each singular residential unit. Further more the mass and solidity of the wall is
Top: 29. The Paragon proportions. The proportions of the windows form a perfect square. Above: 30. The Paragon facade. Differences in the facade break up the single element. Right: 31. The Paragon punctures. Different doors and windows which make up the facade
emphasised by the thin window frames contrasting against the stone material. The façade of a building could easily be a continuous plane, however the use of glazing is usually unavoidable. The characteristics of a building can change depending on the plasticity of the glazing, as seen by the difference between Kollhoff’s Piraeus, where the glazing is flush with the elevation and Leibniz Kolonnaden where by the glazing is recessed into the façade. It can be said that the plasticity can break up the elevation from being a superblock into more proportional pieces that respond to the scale of its context.
Left: 32. Dividing the single element. Collage of elevations showing the breaks in the single element.
For the architect, plasterboard is the equivalent of canvas…but it is the paint (or paper) finally applied that completes the illusion, denying the plasterboard its material quality. (Woolf, J. 2009)
Morality of the Facade. Historically, architecture used to have “the whole wall to show […] the materials of which the building is made, visible from outside and inside.” (Kaan. K, 2011) The elevation of a building is used as a surface to express the building and in some cases its structure. However today the purity of the wall is hard if not impossible to accomplish. Jonathan Woolf introduces a journal article, The Thickness of Paint (2009), with two images, one of Petra (Image 32) and the other of Jasper Morrisons installation entitled ‘Some New Items for the Home, part 1’ (Image 33). Both are images depicting a space which is made of one single material, both as its structure and as its surface but creates contrasting appearances. Petra is a solid and heavy space carved out of stone with its ceiling, floor and walls all of the same qualities where as Jasper Morrison’s installation gives a sense of something lightweight and unsubstantial. Woolf (2009) states that ‘it is somewhere between these two poles that the architect operates. The architect orchestrates the material together in a way that has coherence, both formally and materially.’
Top: 33. Petra. The floor, ceiling and floor are all made using the same material. Middle: 34. Some New Items for the Home, part 1. The use of one material removes the objects of the room and enhance the space Above: 35. Berlage’s Amsterdam Stock Exchange. The flush facade without any interuptions.
When discussing the morality and honesty of façade design it is important to compare architects Hendrik Petrus Berlage and Otto Wagner. During a period of architecture whereby buildings were to be frank and clearly express their materials and structure the two architects took different approaches: Berlage took the approach of purity and honesty where as Wagner played with the truth of structure and the cladding of materials. It was Hendrik Pertus Berlage who first succeeded in realising the demand for an architecture of purity. Other architects knew of the need for morality in architecture but it was in Berlage’s Amsterdam Stock Exchange where the honesty of structure and materials was embodied. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is an exposed brick building, without any layers of render or cladding on either the exterior or the interior. The outer wall of the Exchange is flush without any projections or relief apart from the window lintels. This flat relief extends to the columns where the capitals do not protrude but instead sit flush
with the wall. Berlage explains, “Above all we should show the naked wall in all its sleek beauty […] Pillars and columns should be fused with the flat surface of the walls.” (Geidion, S. 1941) Berlage strives for purity in his architecture; the bare brickwork on the unplastered walls stand out sharply and through the application of the palette and the materials become decorative within the architecture. The same clean lines derived from Berlage’s Stock Exchange is apparent in modern architecture around the Netherlands and the world. In Kollhoff’s Piraeus the flat relief of the brick together with the metal windows set flush to the brickwork accentuates the monolithic mass of the building. In contrast to Berlage’s approach to purity, Otto Wagner approached his design for the Vienna Postal Savings Bank (1904-1906) in a new and modern way, which played with the honesty of the façade. In reference to the architecture of the era Wagner states, “The modern eye has lost its perspective for the small and the intimate, it has grown used to long straight lines, wide surfaces and large masses which need limited work and simple shapes.” Wagner was interested by size and the use of detail in his first large scale building.
Top: 36. Berlage’s column. The capital of the column has no relief, it runs flush into the wall as if it has been sliced. Above: 37. Postal Savings Bank. The aluminium bolts giving the impression of the cladding being fixed to the structural wall. Left: 38. The facade of the Postal Savings Bank. The flat surface with the aluminium bolt holes
The bank was supposed to conform to the norms of the period and was to be of monumental proportions or stone or marble. However in order to build the bank at a faster rate and for a smaller cost Wagner used a new constructional method which he devised. Brick walls were built as the structural component with thick slabs of marble or granite then clad on to the exterior wall. This method produced the monumental appearance but only took two years to complete. His cladding system allowed for an aesthetically clean style contrasting to the other buildings of the period, which were to show the structure and materials clearly on the elevation. To further play with the honesty of the façade Wagner proposed 17,000 aluminium bolts to be visible on the façade, appearing to pin the granite and marble slabs to the brick wall. However the slabs were actually adhered to the brickwork by mortar and the bolts were simply a decorative adornment to the façade. This began a new way of construction: buildings could be built using different structural materials from cladding materials but still retain a robustness and grandness or historic architecture:
In architecture, the first thing to be built is a structure, which is then clad, and this cladding is then clad again, and so on. Layer by layer the structure is rounded out with building material. In the process, each and every one of these layers has its own surface; but it is the architect who chooses the parts that are readily apparent and usable, and those that fulfil their functions in secret. (Eichinger. G & Troger. E, 2011) Similarly to Wagner’s bank The Paragon uses the method of slab cladding to enhance its grander and superior image. In the construction of the Georgian wall, seen in The Paragon, masonry was used as the structural material for building these houses. Examining the structural build up of the wall, the stone used for the construction was rough cut stone, whereas the stone used on the cladding in carved stone, emphasising the grandeur of the material. Facing the public street the front façade was the most important and so the ashlar blocks were laid in an even course with seamless, hairline mortar joints between them to create and even appearance. Behind the cut stone was built using rubble stone. The overall appearance is that the depth of the façade is made of a single piece stone. This is also apparent in Hans Kollhoff’s Leibniz Kolonnaden, where layers of horizontal and vertical cladding are applied in order to create a more monolithic and almost classical appearance.
Above: 39. The Paragon’s wall. The rough cut stone behind the ashlar blocks of the formal public frontage. Left: 40. Leibniz Kolonnaden. The thickness and layers making up Kollhoff’s facade.
It is true that the use of the cavity wall is widely applied to buildings today. In an interview about the use of the cavity wall and the restrictions of the ability to express the truth of the building Kees Kaan states: Some of the materials, structural materials are hidden, because the inside is not visible because it is wallpapered or painted, and on the outside is not visible because there is layer of insulation of some lightweight thin material or brick, but the brick is cladding to cover everything’ (Kaan.K, 2011)
It can be said that in modern architecture it is no longer possible to be completely true to the materials and structure. The purity of a façade similar to that of Berlage’s Stock Exchange is now lost due to the effect of cold bridging. Modern buildings must now have layers of insulation between a cavity wall. Further, the layers are also applied on the exterior and interior of the wall removing any hints as to how the building is constructed. It is now up to the architect’s choice of palette of cladding materials to express the weight and mass of a building.
Right: 41. Escape the Cavity Wall. Kaan’s drawings explaining the layers that make up a cavity wall and the possibilities of expressing the structrual material.
‌one has to envisage the interior of the façade, this space of the wall, which permits the transition between the dwelling and the exterior. To the overall understanding of the façade seen from the outside, where it is seen by all, there must be an individual comprehension. (Panerai. P et al, 2004)
Behind the Wall As a surface, the façade can be a barrier between the public realm of the exterior and the expression of the interior, but at the same time can integrate the individual space into a community. This could be said about a residential block comprising individual dwellings inside, but also a mixed use building which house retail, residential, commercial and leisure behind one façade. Continuing on from the Morality of the Facade an exploration into whether the façade should reveal the activities behind the surface through the use of structure, materials and scale was undertaken. Eichinger & Troger (2011) state that “Sensuality can be communicated via surface. This applies to perception from the outside, perception from the inside.” Beginning by concentrating on those facades that reveal the activities behind the surface, it is evident that Kollhoff’s Leibniz Kilonnaden comprises numerous functions: the uses in the building are residential, commercial, a nursery and a hotel. The floor to ceiling heights and the proportions of the windows can identify these uses. Firstly, the domestic scale of the residential area‘s floor to ceiling height is 2.8 metres in comparison to 3.2 metres in other areas of the building. Secondly, the glazing is set out differently suggesting a less formal activity behind it. In contrast, the larger floor to ceiling height of 3.2 metres differentiates the office space from the exterior window proportions. Offices normally have deeper plans; resulting in the need of larger glazing and in comparison to the other two buildings the proportion of glass to solid in the façade is 55 per cent compared to 50 per cent and 48 per cent of the residential and the hotel. Hotels are seen to be formal pieces of architecture; their use is for grander occasions, which is revealed the floor to ceiling height of 3.2 metres. The use of mullions between sets of windows in each structural bay sets up a more formal formation of windows.
In contrast to expressed façade, there are buildings that are more rational. In Otto Wagner’s Vienna Post Office Savings Bank, the rationalist plan and elevation is apparent. The bank was designed to accommodate 2700 office employees and was to be a rational and efficient place to work with no supporting walls it allowed for free open-plan offices, lit by the large dimensioned windows. This also includes the generic Georgian façade, where the uniformity of the context is given more importance than the revelation of use behind the wall. Although the use of the building is not so clear; importance of each storey is expressed through the floor to ceiling heights, which is then represented on the façade through the glazing. As explained in Dividing the Single Element the facades of Bath use these proportions in their façade design through the use of the Five Orders of the column. However these are also used in the internal rooms. The interiors of the important rooms of a Georgian house had their heights divided vertically to correspond to the parts of the classical column. These elements were used to cover the joins between materials on the wall. As each house was built separately and by different Master Builders, the interiors were completely unique in each house. The ground floor windows measure from 0.85 metres off the pavement level and surpass the line of the doorway at 2.5 metres. Smaller windows on the ground floor allow the inhabitants privacy from the passing thoroughfare. This floor housed a dining room and a drawing room to greet visitors. The use of smaller windows (1.6 metres) suggests the uses of these rooms were formal yet required to have privacy. However the first floor windows have a more elongated proportion. Although the windows vary in height along the full elevation, in all cases the windows are taller (at 2.1 metres) than the other floors. The first floors of Georgian housing were used for entertaining larger events and also housed the principal bedrooms. Above the principle floor the windows reduce. On the second floor they are smaller (at 1.4 metres), representing the lesser importance of the space behind, often children’s bedrooms and guest bedrooms. The top floor, in the eaves of the house is lit through a dormer window (0.4 metres) and the eaves would have been the servant’s bedrooms, thus the smaller glazing. The use of glazing in Georgian housing to depict hierarchy of space can be seen in the section.
Top: 42. Inside the Postal Savings Bank. The rational interior allows for an open plan office space. Above: 43. The Paragon’s Internal Proportions. The column is used to bring proportion to the interior rooms. Right: 44. Leibniz Kollonaden plan and facade. The relationship between the facade and the interior plan.
Residential
Office
Hotel
In further reference to more rational facades, Tay Mills has a repeated elevation with windows of the same dimensions on all floors. The large scale of the windows suggests an open plan behind the faรงade, but does not instinctively read as a former mill. This can be seen in the plan and elevation. For a faรงade that could be constructed over time, similar to The Paragon in Bath, rules could be implemented to control proportions of windows and floor to ceiling heights for regular office or residential buildings. Responding to Leibnizkolonnaden the way of revealing buildings of a special nature by changing the proportions and thus giving greater importance to the building whilst maintaining the overall proportions and grid are interesting.
Left: 45. Tay Mills plan and elevation. Relationship between the plan and elevation.
From the analysis in this text it is apparent that a long facade can work within a urban context similar to that of Dundee. The large lengths of buildings such as Le Palais du Louvre or The Paragon in Bath sit within a context of smaller buildings by using proportions and materials similar to that of their imediate context. Within Dundee’s context Tay Mills and Reform Streetare not overbearing as a long facade as they use details which relate to its context such as window proportions and the floor to ceiling heights. They appear less brutal by the way the upper floors differ slightly in appearance. Breaking the facade up vertically allows for developable plots which could be purcased by different contractors. The issues examined and the conclusions drawn throughout this paper are used alongside the design research to create a façade strategy for a new proposed 300 metre long walled district at Dundee’s waterfront as an extension to the city. As mentioned in the introduction the strategy focusses on the longevity of the waterfront development and the timescale until it is completed. Dundee City Council have outlined a 30 year timeframe for this area to be developed. As this is to be done over a large timeframe, it is important that the waterfront does not become a patchwork of singular object buildings but instead read as one unified area which ties back into the city of Dundee. Discussing the use behind the wall investigates the issue of not only the use once it is built but the flexiblity of its use in 30 or 50 years time when needs change. The rational facade similar to the Georgian facade of The Paragon allows for the use to change behind it as society changes without effecting the public realm. In order to break down the 300 metre façade and refine the research three building conditions were investigated: the corner building condition, the normal building condition and the special building condition. Through these three conditions it has been possible to investigate the scale and proportions of floor to ceiling heights and windows.
In today’s period it is no longer possible to construct and clad the building with one single material. It is nescesary to infill the cavity wall with insulation and stop cold bridging. Materials and depth of window positioning can allow the building to read as more substantial and robust. It has also been possible to investigate the articulation of materials. Having visited a newly opened quarry outside Dundee, Denfind Stone, it was found that their 50 to 60 years supply of sandstone is low in cost, ideal for the climate of the waterfront and as a local material a sustainable option to use as a key material for the waterfront development. The sandstone from this quarry is not workable into a dressed stone and so creates constraints as to howthe roughly burst stone is articulated on the ground floor façade as a cladding material and how it sits within a city context. As discussed in the text, the continuity and legibility of the façade as one single element is important. Having discovered that Dundee City Council own the rights to all of the ground floor of the waterfront development it is therefore possible to propose that the continuity extends along the ground floor of the 300 metre edifice. Although design codes and rules would be established for the proportions of the upper floors the control of the articulation of the ground floor would be fixed in order to create a unified development.
Bibliography Books: Burg, A. 1998. Kollhoff. Basel. Birkhauser-Publishers for Architecture. Collins, P. 1998. Changing Ideal in Modern Architecture: 1750 – 1950. Canada. MiGill’s-Queens University Press. Eichinger.G & Troger.E. 2011. Touch Me: The Mystery of the Surface. Zurich: Lars Muller Publishers Frampton.K. 1995. Studies in tectonic culture: The poetics of construction in nineteenth and twentieth century architecture. Cambridge: MIT Press Geidion, S. 1941. Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition. Fifth Edition. Cambridge: Massachusetts Harvard University Press. Kollhoff, H. 2004. Kollhoff and Timmerman Architects. University of Michigan: Electa Architecture Lerup, L. 1999. Villa Prima Facie. Pamphlet Architecture 1-10: No 3.Princeton Architecture Press Lynch, K., 1960. The Image of the City. Cambridge: MIT Press. Mack, G. 1997. Herzog and de Meuron 1978 – 1988; The Complete Works: Volume 1. Birkhauser Neumeyer, F. 2002. Hans Kollhoff: Architecture. University of Michigan: Pestle Panerai, P. Castex, J. Depaule, J.C. Samuels, I. 2004. Urban Forms: The Death and Life of the Urban Block. London: Routledge. Polidori,R. 2004. Metropolis. Göttingen: Steidl Rattray, C. 2013. The Rationalist Reader: Architecture and Rationalism in Western Europe 1920 -1940/ 1960 – 1990. Rossi, A., 1982. The Architecture of the City. Cambridge: MIT Press. Unwin, S. 2000. An Architecture Notebook: Walls. London: Routledge.
Venturi, R. 1977. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. New York: The Museum of Modern Art Wagner, O. First Edition 1896. Modern Architecture, Santa Monica: The Getty Centre for Art and the Humanities. Woodward, C., 2009. The Building of Bath. Bath: Bath Preservation Trust. Journals: Davidovici, I. 2010. ‘Through the Keyhole’ in the Architect’s Journal. 11.03.10. p43-45 Frith, S. 2004. ‘A Primative Exchange: A Rhetoric and Architectural Symbol’ in Architecture Research Quarterly. Vol 8. No 1. p39-44 Morrison, J. 2006. ‘Everything but the Walls’ in Lars Muller Publisher Rattray, C. 2003. ‘Doubleness’ in Architecture Research Quarterly. Vol 7. No 1. p188-192 Van der Heijden, H. 2001. ‘The Diagram of the House’ in Architecture Research Quarertly. Vol 5. No 2. p111-121 Woolf, J. 2009.’ The Thickness of Paint’ in Architecture Research Quarterly. Vol 13. No 3. p2-4. Websites: Kaan,K. 2011. Escape from the Cavity Wall [online] available at: http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=u6KFKAxPjI0 [accessed 26.10.12] Architectures. 1998. Episode 6 - Otto Wagner: The Vienna Postal Savings Bank Documentary [online] available at: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=EF2IPZC2sio [accessed 02.03.13]
Image Reference List 1.
Emmef.M.F (2009). Leibniz Kolonnaden [photograph] available at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walter-benjamin-platz.jpg [accessed 05.04.13]
2.
Author’s own (2012) Leibniz Kolonnaden analysis diagram [illustration]
3.
Author’s own (2008) Borneo Sporenburg [photograph]
4.
Author’s own (2012) Borneo Spornburg analysis diagram [illustration]
5.
Author’s own (2012) Tay Mills [photograph]
6.
Author’s own (2012) Tay Mills analysis diagram [illustration]
7.
Author’s own (2013) Commercial Street [photograph]
8.
Author’s own (2012) Commercial Street analysis diagram [illustration]
9.
Poon, A (2009) Dock Street [photograph] available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alispoon/4786018709/ [accessed 04.04.13]
10.
Author’s own (2012) Dock Street analysis diagram [illustration]
11.
Burg, A (1998) Piraeus [photograph] Basel: Birkhauser-Publishers for Architecture
12.
Author’s own (2012) Piraeus analysis diagram [illustration]
13.
Author’s own (2013) Reform Street [photograph]
14.
Author’s own (2012) Reform Street analysis diagram [illustration]
15.
Author’s own (2006) Le Palais du Louvre [photograph]
16.
Author’s own (2012) Le Palais du Louvre analysis diagram [illustration]
17.
Jones, K (2006) The Paragon [photograph] available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/karajones/127829769/ [accessed 04.04.13]
18.
Author’s own (2012) The Paragon analysis diagram [illustration]
19.
Author’s own (2012) Leibniz Kolonnaden Façade [illustration]
20.
Van Osch, W. (2009) Leibniz Kilonnaden colonnade [photograph] available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wvosch/4469693442/ [accessed 04.04.13]
21.
Budby, P. (2009) The Paragon [photograph] available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30120216@N07/5361255221/in/set72157625855421864 [accessed 05.04.13]
22.
Synwell (2008) The Paragon as an element [photograph] available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28419945@N00/2456882293/ [accessed 04.04.13]
23.
Author’s own (2012) Le Palais du Louvre Façade Sections [photograph] available at: http://www.mapsgoogle.com [accessed 04.04.13]
24.
Author’s own (2012) Reform Street [photograph]
25.
Jppm (2007) Piraeus brick articulation [photograph] available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpmm/505920093/ [accessed 05.04.13]
26.
Arsian, H. (2012) Piraeus as a single element [photograph] available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arisan/6805811274/ [accessed 05.04.13]
27.
Anouch, K. (2007) Piraeus permeability [photograph] available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/prida/547389118/ [accessed 04.04.13]
28.
Shihlun (2010) Leibniz Kolonnaden shadows [photograph] available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shihlun/4891469598/ [accessed 04.04.13]
29.
Woodward, C (2009) The Paragon proportions [illustration]
30.
Anna (2010) The Paragon façade [photograph] available at: http://austenised.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/oh-who-can-ever-be-tired-ofbath.html [accessed 04.04.13]
31.
Author’s own (2012) The Paragon punctures [photograph]
32.
Author’s own (2012) Dividing the single element [illustration]
33.
Polidori,R. (2004) Petra [photograph] Göttingen: Steidl
34.
Morrison, J (1988) Some New Items for the Home [photograph] available at: http://www.jaspermorrison.com/html/3834007.html
35.
Honuic, B. (2009) The Amsterdam Stock Exchange [photograph] available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stingoo/3348965997/ [accessed04.04.13]
36.
Geidion, S (1941) The column meets the wall [photograph] Cambridge: Massachusetts Harvard University Press
37.
Architectures (1998) Postal Savings Bank [video still] available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF2IPZC2sio [accessed 02.03.13]
38.
Architectures (1998) The façade of the Postal Savings Bank [video still] available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF2IPZC2sio [accessed 02.03.13]
39.
Woodward, C (2009) The Paragon’s wall [photograph]
40.
Author’s own (2012) Leibniz Kolonnaden [illustration]
41.
Kaan, K. (2010). Escape the Cavity Wall [video still] available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6KFKAxPjI0 [accessed 04.01.13]
42.
Architectures (1998) Inside the Postal Savings Bank [video still] available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF2IPZC2sio [accessed 02.03.13]
43.
Woodward, C (2009) The Paragon’s internal proportions
44.
Author’s own (2012). Leibniz Kolonnaden plan and façade [illustration]
45.
Author’s own (2012). Tay Mills plan and elevation [illustration]