Places That Silence

Washington, USA; Stockholm, Sweden

Chapter Author - Rebecca Krinke Architect - Gunnar Asplud & Sigurd Lewerentz; Richard Haag

The site for the Woodland Cemetery in Stockholm began as an old gravel pit. The existing land use of the site challenged designers both conceptually and physically; how can one turn an industrial wasteland into something sacred? The site has a high point in the landscape where the central clearing is visible “above the site’s periphery, creating a physical void where key elements of the cemetery emerge.”1 Architects

Gunnar Asplud and Sigurd Lewerentz designed a wall that separates the sacred cemetery from the profane forest. Within the forest clearing, the individual is brought to a pause to observe the sky above. The cemetery provides an example of “the archetypal power of the forest and clearing for contemplative” and numinous space.

Upon approaching the entrance of the Woodland Cemetery, the user finds themselves walking along a cool-toned stonecoursed wall preventing them from knowing what happens within. While continuing down the path of pleached trees, a sudden opening within the wall appears. The stone wall folds into a half-circle, with its midpoint leading to the entrance of the cemetery clearing. As the individual gently ascends through the entry, their movement and eyes are directed only forward. A temple facade tucks itself into the left wall. Its architecture both compliments and contrasts the surrounding material, but ultimately is desolate to the remaining cemetery.

The temple frames another stone face not composed of the same coursing as the first wall. This stone resembles a cyclopean bond; a stone coursing that is constructed with vertical rock joints to produce a sense of the sublime. These rock joineries are reminiscent of the construction methods that were once used in the sacred city of Macchu Picchu; the workers would carve the stones to niche into place with one another. This enabled the buildings not to be glued together by mortar and therefore dance in place during an earthquake. Water flows down the face of the rock, creating a miniature ecosystem with flora, and affecting the coloration of the rock face. Framing these are columns of Nordic classicism.

The reflection garden at Blodel Reserve is framed as a room within the forest, with a window to the sky. The room of the reflection silences the individual and brings one in tune with their senses. It is comprised of ground, water, plants, and sky; each in its elemental form. The site of the reserve lies within a primordial forest, located on Bainbridge Island, Washington, US. Although it is a contemporary garden, it was inspired by Japanese lineage and traditions surrounding meditation, connection with nature, and inner reflection. The space is entirely contained within the hedged precinct that is defined by the water. A horizontal view of the borrowed scenery that surrounds the garden. The concept behind borrowed scenery

Medium: Vellum, led pencil, Tombow ABT Watercolor Pen is not only for the framed vignette but to produce a comparison between the miniature and the small, and the small brought near. Yew hedging is planted around the perimeter of the pool to not only built the room but as well to clip out the view of the messy forest floor covered in dead branches. The corners of the hedging don’t touch, and this is where the user enters and exits the garden. The hedging acts similarly to the concentric fencing at the Ise Shrine in Japan; creating different boundaries that one can and cannot pass through. In addition to providing a window towards the sky, the water within the pool resembles a stillness in nature. This is then later juxtaposed with the bird sanctuary; a social and louder communion with nature.

Many of Richard Haag’s gardens within The Bloedel Reserve were inspired by the narratives of numinous and sacred spaces. While within Bloedel Reserve, the user is meant to transition their movement between gardens of meditation and meander through pathways into the deep forest. A sense of destination, changing places, and hidden and revealed approaches throughout the journey in conscience within an individual. The rhythm of the forest suggests a slow-medium speed of movement, and the trees stand tall and proud like people. A sense of destination is accomplished when the user crossed the threshold; a level change into the reflection room produces feelings of ascension, while the changing lights and shadows equally demonstrate a passing through spaces. Haag capitalizes on the relationship between man and nature. In his lectures, Haag would never share a real aerial view with his students of the reflection pool itself. This was because the juxtaposition of geometry and nature intertwined with phenomenological water qualities produced a perception of the space that is unique to every user. The pool juxtaposes nature through its manicured straight lines, and the simplistic design presents a more meditative space; even the benches were changed to remove distractions. Using geometry as a counterpoint in the reflection room personifies the reflection garden with its complement and contrast of nature, unique to the multiple gardens at the Blodedel reserve.

1. Rebecca Krinke, “Nature, Healing, and the Numinous”

Shikara & Shui

Cambodia; Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India

The Sleuk Rith Institute brings sacred and spiritual vocabulary into the contemporary era. The building’s massings are inspired by the Cambodian landscape it resides in and reflect the architectural mantras and practices of ancient Buddhist architecture. The Sleuk Rith Institute is a sacred place, or Tirtha, of its time. Designed by Zaha Hadid in 2014, the sophisticated research center elaborates the words from the Buddhist faith to represent a modern interpretation of our evolving cultures. The namesake for the Sleuk Rith Institute is derived from the dried leaves that are named Sleuk Rith. These dried leaves are native to the geographical region of Cambodia and had been used for centuries as a tool for documentation. The importance of documentation of knowledge is emphasized as the Institute’s goal, therefore is how the institute received its namesake. The way we understand history is not only through documentation but also through the site. The site was once the location of a High School that had unfortunately been bombed during Cambodia’s devastating wartime period. In reflection of the site’s sacred historical context, the program of the building is made to support five main functions: a research center, Grad School, Museum, Archives, and Library. The building stands within the landscape as a landmark and draws an individual toward its grandeur. It is surrounded by five large-bodied reflection/retention pools; five to complement the five building masses. Between the ponds is the only visible linear path into the building. Otherwise, there are no main axial pathways that bring the visitor to the front door. Instead, individuals are led to the building’s entrance by ‘desire lines’ that weave within the landscape. The choreography of movement is the only gesture made for an individual to arrive at the site. While meandering through these arrival paths, the attention of the individual is focused on the whole environment around them. One’s eyes are left scanning the forestscape beyond.

The Shikara, or the peaks of Mount Meru, are emulated in much sacred Buddhist architecture that inspired Hadid. The temples at Khajuharo are architecture that emulates these mountain peaks. From the exterior perspective, the shapely characteristics of Meru’s Shikara are seen by the individual.

Within the interior of the temple, the experience is a cavernous one. The mountain’s peak governs a cave-like chamber below, the Garba Griha - the innermost womb chamber of the temple that is said to be the embryo of life. The Sleuk Rith Institute takes inspiration from these temples and Buddhist architecture alike and brings the characteristics of this large scale into the building’s wooden structure.

Shui, or water, is captured by the Institute’s large retention ponds through a capturing system. Besides their technological function as a greywater system, the retention ponds act as an

Medium: Vellum, led pencil, Tombow ABT Watercolor Pen instrument for jyotirlinga - the manifestation of visible light. “Light is not the Ambiance of seeing but is the icon of Tirtha” itself. Sunlighting embodies the invisible threads that tie the highest heavens to the ground of Earth. Within the Institute, natural lighting is framed to exhibit the phenomenological qualities of light and sky. The architecture “contains what heaven and the highest heavens cannot contain,” which is channeled through earth and geometry. The structural form of the Institute complements the environment further; Hadid’s parametric architectural design emulates natural forms by using geometry. The beauty of this site is how the architecture made by humans yields to nature and instead gives into blending entanglement. The melting of nature into the architecture was made intentional, however, through time, the architecture has completely surrendered to the forestscape melting into its seams. The institute inverts the direction of melting wood and directs verticality upwards. If ever constructed, this site would be a precedent for contemporary Buddhist architecture and more.

Upon an oblique aerial view, the Ganges River is seen framed by geometric architectural stone-stepping. When seen in elevation, many traits of the city of Varanasi’s facade along the water can be nuanced. The framed geometric stone stepping that perimeters the coastline steps down into the water. The scale of the steps emphasizes the Tirtha of the river Ganges, and one’s sacred descent. There are many typologies of how one may descend into the water, and what sacred rituals or daily routines one might perform. Examples of these uses include large-scale public events, like hosting masses, events, or ceremonies. Daily routines would include chores like washing clothes. Many temples sprinkle the skyline of Varanasi like stars in the night sky, giving its nickname the city of temples.