Journée d’étude Brodzki ULB Faculté d'Architecture : Architectonic Thematics in Late Modernism CBR by Kato Desmet

Thèmes architecturaux du modernisme tardif avec le bâtiment CBR de Constantin Brodzki comme étude de cas

I am Kato Desmet. 1st year intern at abscis architects in Ghent. In June 2021 I graduated as an architect at the KU Leuven with a master thesis Architectural themes in late modernism, case: CBR headquarters by Constantin Brodzki .

MEESTERPROEF Pratiques pionnières 2021-2022 Faculteit Architectuur, KU Leuven, Campus Sint-Lucas Gent Prof. Caroline Voet Dra. Laura Lievevrouw www.structuralcontingencies.be www.arp-kuleuven.be TAAL : NEDERLANDS (thesis te schrijven in het Nederlands of Engels) Planer entre l'espace construit et l'espace mental de l'architecte.

Alfons Hoppenbrouwers © CIVA

Ce meesterproef fait partie du projet de recherche Pratiques pionnières, qui analyse la conception de plusieurs bâtiments en Flandre des années 1960 et 1970. Il s'agit de logements expérimentaux, de bâtiments à grande échelle tels que des écoles, des complexes ecclésiastiques et culturels, des centres de loisirs et des hôtels de ville. Cette recherche vise à générer davantage de connaissances sur ces "bâtiments pionniers", en combinant la conception et l'expertise pratique avec la recherche théorique. Des architectes comme Leon Stynen, Alfons Hoppenbrouwers, Jos Van Driessche, Paul Felix et Lode Wouters, (...) étaient des concepteurs/constructeurs ainsi que des enseignants, transmettant leurs idéologies, leurs compétences et leurs connaissances à travers leurs pratiques et leurs studios d'enseignement.

This dissertation arose within the research project Pioniering Practices, which analyses the designs and spatial phenomena of various buildings in Flanders from the 1960s and 1970s. The structure of this architectural research offers a lens for designers who are considering reconversions of various constructions today. The lens that this paper offers was formed by theoretical and practical research. This kind of research can contribute to an answer within the great heritage issue in our current architectural climate and the right of eternal life. This principle of eternal life is discussed by Rem koolhaas in his book S M L XL. I have tried to establish the architectural principles and identity of the CBR building by means of a hybrid process consisting of theoretical analysis and practical research. Thus the analysis moves from the façade and the step to the walk in the building and its details.

La fenêtre dorée est en retrait de 40 cm par rapport aux nervures. La composition matérielle des différents modules de la façade aboutit à un ensemble cohérent, construit à partir des nœuds immatériels.

matériel photographique

des collages

des dessins

des textes écrits

What makes this building so resistant to the ravages of time? How is it that this building, unlike many of its contemporaries, is still up to date with today's requirements? To be able to answer these questions, I must first establish the intrinsic architectural qualities and thereby the building's identity, or in other words its DNA. I do this by means of photographic material, collages and drawings, but also written text.

Inseparable from the building is its maker, the architect, but also its background and the spirit of the age. The CBR building was praised abroad for its progressive techniques of prefabrication and special techniques. In order to place and understand a building and its architectural principles, it is important to know the historical context in which it was created. Throughout history, all kinds of architectural principles arise, linked to the time, which are passed on to its designers, architects and other contemporaries. These influence architectural developments in all sorts of ways.

The CBR building is part of Brozki's quest in series production, but it is also a fine synthesis of his design method. His pragmatic way of working is characterised by a well-considered analysis of the practical and the aesthetic. The main themes are structure, use and spatial composition.

In the first part of the analysis, the structure, plan and proportions are dissected and described. The CBR building consists of two scattered volumes that are knotted together by means of a central core. The structure consists of 756 prefabricated selfsupporting concrete modules.

This module is the result of a long search for the ideal shape. In choosing the module, the aim was to find the optimum form in terms of structure, drainage and integration of the technical needs. Also important was the choice of a sloping form, which visually emphasises the possibilities of concrete. The form that took its inspiration from Art Nouveau and Victor Horta emphasised the fact that concrete is not subject to rectilinearity. Let the concrete flow.

The modules serve as supports for the TT-beams that run from façade to core. Placed every 60cm, the beams guarantee a span of 9m, resulting in an open plan. This maximum span was a desired asset for CBR in its headquarters. It served as a business card and showcase for the company's capabilities towards its visitors and interested parties. The facade module is made of smooth concrete and seems to sway due to its sloping lines. The building is free in its proportions of materiality according to the golden section. The elegance is already expressed here and prepares the visitor for what is to come.

Le mur ondulé

“Le mur ondulé est l'accompagnement naturel des espaces fluides du plan de masse flexible." - Sigfried Gideon “The undulating wall is the natural accompaniment to the flowing spaces of the flexible ground plan.” – Sigfried Gideon

“The undulating wall is the natural accompaniment to the flowing spaces of the flexible ground plan.” – Sigfried Gideon

“…Les différents compartiments ne sont plus délimités les uns des autres ; une chaîne continue d'interrelations les traverse tous et se concentre au centre de la structure pour produire l'impression d'une tension vers le haut.”

Sigfried Gideon , Space Time and Archiecture

This principle of the undulling wall in modern architecture is broadly discussed by Sigfried Gideon in 1941 in his book Space Time and Archiecture.65 He illustrates this using an example from the Baroque, namely Borromini's San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane.66 He describes the undulating facade as follows: "The individual compartments are no longer marked off from each other; a continuous chain of interrelations runs through them all and comes to a focus in the centre of the structure to produce the impression of an upward straining." This means that the individual spatial units are no longer separated from each other. The façade is a continuous series of interrelationships, running through them all and coming to a focus in the centre of the structure to produce the impression of an upward straining.

The undulation of the wall is clearly recognisable in Brodzki's cast module. This undulation of the façade is not a coincidence or a purely aesthetic choice. The undulation of the once liquid concrete transforms the entire façade into the undulating movement that constitutes the space. Each module experiences this movement and counter-movement described by Gideon. The repetition of the module also repeats the undulation. Here, therefore, the entire wall will not undulate in one movement, as in Gideon's example, but the undulation will repeat itself infinitely with each repetition of the module in the façade.

The upswing and downswing create a game with time and light. This movement remains uninterrupted by the absence of a monumental entrance and continues undisturbed, like a silk curtain carried on the waves of the wind. The upward tension, which is a consequence of the phenomenon of the undulling wall, focuses the observer on the seemingly endless upward repetition reminiscent of the psychedelic room with doors from Alice in Wonderland. Neither the beginning nor the end of the movement can be captured. Does the undulation begin where the modules touch, or just centrally in a single module where the wall retreats to its maximum?

The movement of the façade is reinforced by the seams of the modules. The module as an object dominates in its materiality. In association with each other, a mesh work is created. This mesh is not material, but is formed by the assembly of the parts. 68 The material composition of the individual building blocks of the façade results in a single coherent whole, composed of nodes.

Le noeud

When we talk about knotting, a knot as an object (de; m; plural: knots) or manifesting principle knots (verb; knotted, has knotted), we look to Tim Ingold. The principle of knots shows itself here in the undulating seams in the façade, almost ropes that together form a mesh that will be the façade. This mesh arises between the lines of the materials of which it is composed. The net that is formed here does not catch matter in liquid, but rather in air and light. The building allows to be experienced as well as to be seen. The four aspects of knotting as described by Ingold ; bodily movement, flow of matter, sensory perception and human relationship are perceptible in this example. The building invites you to move. The materials take you on a walk where the encounter of the materials used gives meaning to the movement. The material flows, literally and figuratively. The flowing lines in the concrete façade let you feel how this massive material was given its form. The sloping window openings and veins are reminiscent of soft waves that continue to undulate. The sensory perception is thus created in several layers. In the CBR building, illusions are used as well as openness and views. The visual play of the different materials, each with its own grain, makes the building tangible. It is a desire as a visitor to touch it, of the building a demand to be touched. The consistency in material and colour creates an atmosphere that appeals to human

emotion. It intrigues, it cradles and it lulls. Knotting is the fundamental principle of coherence , the bringing together of materials.

The knot finds its origin in the tangents of four different modules.

The modules come together in a material point. This point is the centre of the immaterial cross with a thickness of 2cm.

The joint folds out 10cm. This creates an undulation.

The concrete frame folds outwards by 6 cm in relation to the joint. The mesh with its knot is reinforced by these concrete ribs.

The golden window is recessed 40 cm in relation to the ribs. The material composition of the individual modules of the façade results in one coherent whole, built up from the immaterial nodes.

C'est dans ces "nœuds" que les forces sont transférées. Il existe donc une relation directe entre le fonctionnement du bâtiment et la façon dont il est visualisé. Frampton décrit l'art de rassembler les choses comme de la tectonique. La tectonique montre comment l'édifice est fait et comment il est composé. En cela, Brodzki est resté transparent et a ainsi donné de l'honnêteté au bâtiment et à sa structure. La fonction des différents éléments se traduit par leur matérialité. It is in these so-called nodes that the forces are transferred. There is thus a direct relationship between how the building works and how it is visualised. The art of bringing things together is described by Frampton as tectonics. Tectonics shows how the building is made and how it is composed. In this, Brodzki remained transparent and thus gave honesty to the building and its structure. The function of the various elements is translated by their materiality.

La promenade

Each material has its specific characteristics that we need to understand if we are to use it. - Mies Van Der Rohe

Brodzki takes the visitor by the hand and lets him approach the building through a walk that is experienced both through the body and the eyes. Entry is via an unnoticed entrance that could be one of the many windows. Here he uses a flowing concrete plinth with oval openings that curls up out of the landscape and shoots into the air. The plinth with its walkway is made of white exposed concrete with a coarse granule that disappears when touched. This happens gradually; the grain serves as a measure for indicating the landscape that runs over into the façade. When the grain has just disappeared, a mark is visible before the footpath turns into the façade. The outline is the sloping contour of the construction, serving as drainage.

serving as drainage. The flowing line is interrupted by the vertical seams that extend to the top of the building. These seams lie slightly deeper, so that the adjacent modules form the backbone of the façade.

These are emphasised by the seamless touching of the golden mirror glass, doubling their thickness in the reflection.

One enters the building through the golden door, with golden glass reflecting the visitor and the landscape behind, as well as a first glimpse of what is happening inside.

The landscape and its horizon remain present through the reflection. The window openings look like porticoes, openings to the landscape that runs through but is palpably inaccessible. Just as unreachable as the horizon itself.

Once inside, the scene changes. The closed mirror box now becomes a spacious hall with an untold number of identical openings, vistas, that offer a framed view of the surroundings. The golden door is now transparent. Only the doorknob is still gold.

The white façade remains partly visible when the visitor is inside. The white concrete outside contrasts with the grey exposed concrete with coarse aggregate on the inside. The windows are framed in mahogany.

Behind the windows, you can see the flowing contour of the walkway that encloses the building. This phenomenal transparancy , also known as conceptual transparency, of the sloping façade allows the space behind it to flow in turn and allows the viewer to experience the external sloping. Phenomenal transparancy engages the mind of the viewer in his interpretation or reading of the space and its organisation.

The floor is covered with a matrix of solid wood block parquet. Each block, measuring 7 by 7 centimetres, fits nicely into the next and thus covers the entire floor plan.

The structure can be seen in the ceiling. Concrete beams that run across the entire width of the hall provide an unbroken plan. Again made of fair-faced concrete, also grey but this time with a finer grain. The span allows an uninterrupted view through the vistas that form a vague, fragile boundary between inside and outside, resulting in a fluid space.

The central core is made of concrete and wood. The exposed concrete with coarse aggregate, like the day side of the window openings, borders the mahogany. The lifts and built-in niches, all made of stainless steel, seem to merge seamlessly with the concrete.

This central core of the building is surrounded by mahogany cupboards. Each hatch is the same width, the handles milled out in oval shapes. The frame of the windows is in dialogue with the closed wooden core. One is completely open to the surroundings and the horizon. This lets the visitor dream away from the day-to-day life of this office building. The other brings you back to the now, tangibly present through its materiality. Here and there, one gets a hint of gold throughout the building. The air vents, the banister, the door handle, ... Inconspicuous but so present. Brodzki uses the material as a starting point for the form; the concrete will flow, the wood will live and the gold will adorn. The once fluid concrete translates the structure, the wood warms the interior and the decor and the gold is the colour of the detailing. The whole forms a seamless fabric through which material and form result in a characteristic spatial whole.

Qu'entend-on par qualité architecturale ? C'est une question à laquelle j'ai peu de mal à répondre. La qualité architecturale ... c'est pour moi lorsqu'un bâtiment parvient à m'émouvoir. Mais qu'est-ce qui me touche ? Comment puisje l'intégrer dans mon travail ? ... Comment les gens conçoivent-ils des choses avec une présence si belle, si naturelle, des choses qui me touchent à chaque fois. Un seul mot pour décrire cela : atmosphère. - Peter Zumthor

What do we mean when we speak of architectural quality? It is a question that I have little difficulty in answering. Quality in architecture ... is to me when a building manages to move me. What on earth is it that moves me? How can I get it into my own work? ... How do people design things with such a beautiful, natural presence, things that move me every single time. One word for it is Atmosphere. — Peter Zumthor

This examination of the CBR building offers an architectural lens to dicect and analyse those specific ingredients that are responsible for this so called athmosphere. What makes this an accurate and still performing construction so many years after its date? What principles and ideas are applied here and how was this done? By making techniques and circulation part of the aesthetic, the main function, the constant requirement to accommodate people comfortably, is guaranteed, even regardless of future reconversions. This way he can gard and guarantee the prescense ofthis atmosphere. These intrinsic properties allow the structure to be permanently enclosed by its surroundings and to continue to be used to its full potential, again and again. The CBR building is therefore not a short-term architecture, but a sustainable, highperformance construction that stands the test of time and contributes to the everevolving urban fabric.