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CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................ 3 2. PRECEDENT STUDY ON BARCELONA PAVILION .................................................. 4 3. THEORETICAL APPLICATION ................................................................................... 11 4. CONCLUSION................................................................................................................... 17 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 18
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1: Joint of a chair ............................................................................................................ 3 Figure 2: Mies Van Der Rohe .................................................................................................... 4 Figure 3:Plan of Pavilion............................................................................................................ 4 Figure 4: Climatic space w/ display of figure ............................................................................ 5 Figure 5: Barcelona Pavilion...................................................................................................... 5 Figure 6: Walkway ..................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 7: Interior of Pavilion...................................................................................................... 6 Figure 8: Barcelona chair ........................................................................................................... 6 Figure 9: Blueprint of Barcelona Chair...................................................................................... 7 Figure 10: End Elevation of chair .............................................................................................. 7 Figure 11: Marble wall detail ..................................................................................................... 8 Figure 12: Walkway with sliding doors ..................................................................................... 8 Figure 13: Steel Column supporting Roof ................................................................................. 9 Figure 14: Steel Section of Chrome Column ............................................................................. 9 Figure 15: Section of Mies and Eames....................................................................................... 9 Figure 16: Pebbles at Pool........................................................................................................ 10 Figure 17: Light & shadow play at Corridor............................................................................ 10 Figure 18: Mingling in reading spaces in the house................................................................. 11 Figure 19: Living Room........................................................................................................... 12 Figure 20: Bedroom ................................................................................................................. 12 Figure 21: Kitchen.................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 22: Interaction on overlooking Balconies..................................................................... 13 Figure 23: Interior Spaces should allow openings to form a cohesive space........................... 13 Figure 24: Bath 2...................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 25: Bath Details ............................................................................................................ 14 Figure 26: 2nd Storey plan ....................................................................................................... 14 Figure 27: People resting at the streets..................................................................................... 15 Figure 28: swimming pool ....................................................................................................... 15 Figure 29: 1st Storey Plan ........................................................................................................ 15 Figure 30: Roof Plan ................................................................................................................ 16 Figure 31:Roof Gardens ........................................................................................................... 16 Figure 32: Interaction between levels in ADS project ............................................................. 16 Figure 33: Vertical creepers ..................................................................................................... 17 Figure 34: Corridor for activities like resting, playing............................................................. 17
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ESSAY QUESTION: “PRESENT A WRITTEN PAPER ANALYSING THE TECTONIC SENSIBILITY IMBUED IN THE BUILT WORK OF ARCHITECT MIES VAN DER ROHE, YOUR DISCUSSION SHOULD ALSO ENCOMPASS THESE TECTONIC QUALITIES IN WHICH YOU TRANSLATE INTO YOUR DESIGN DETAILING FOR THE MICRO DESIGN STAGE OF YOUR ADSII. (MINIMUM 1500 WORDS)” 1. INTRODUCTION In the dictionary, tectonic means pertaining to the structure / movement of the earth’s crust; “tectonic plates”; “tectonic valleys”. In greater depth, architectonic refers to the pertinence of tectonics to architecture in the form of construction. STAND: the tectonics of detailing serves as a joining system for tangible and intangible aspects of assemblages in objects and architecture. (See figure 1)
Figure 1: Joint of a chair
In relation to tectonics, Mies was an architect who was sensible and sensitive to architectonic qualities. Mies was a stone carver apprentice for tombs before he was the Architect Mies known today. In Mies childhood, he had the chance to touch on material qualities as craftsmen. Mies was very conscious of materials through his childhood in a gothic style surrounding. Glass windows and masonry used to create transparency and openness intrigued him. In Mies firm, his disciplines were taught to build bricks with their own hands to understand materials. To cast a wall with stone texture, one was to understand the characteristics of it. Therefore in his firm, he focused the importance of materiality and the tectonics of joining materials. To make, one were to know the receptive materials not through theory but hands-on. “Architecture starts when you carefully put 2 bricks together. There it begins.” (See Figure 1)
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Figure 2: Mies Van Der Rohe
For instance, Barcelona pavilion was a pivot to his career in 1929.The pavilion showcased German Modern Architecture to the world after World War 2. The Barcelona pavilion was commissioned to allow the hosting of King Alphonso XIII of Spain and other German Officials. To add on, the pavilion deviated from the norm style of architecture because of Mies childhood influence by materials and tectonics used in the gothic style. 2. PRECEDENT STUDY ON BARCELONA PAVILION The Barcelona Pavilion used a Grid system to align tiles and vertical walls (See Figure 3)
Figure 3:Plan of Pavilion
The pavilion was raised on Travertine floor throughout the open and enclosed spaces. With the Floating ceiling due to the free plan and thin columns, it was marvelled as a great technological & design advancement from classical decorative architecture. Intimate walkways to the spaces of views choreographed the rhythmic circulation. As the main material was travertine stone, the natural texture was more appreciated through the proportioned walkways.
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¥ HTAII ¥ ___________________________________________________________________________ The framing of perspectives in the circulation of spaces was vital to the creation of an element of focus: nature. The climatic “open to sky” space embraced nature as the element of focus & appreciation. (See figure4)
Figure 4: Climatic space w/ display of figure
Through the cantilever by 8 slim cruciform chrome coated columns, it increased the span thus forming a free plan. The free plan was the idea of blurring the outside & inside without barriers. (Inside=outside theory by Mies) The exterior and interior spaces were blurred with the reduction of walls and greens coming in. Mies experimental and bold attitude towards a change in the direction of space design intrigued people of that time. The exhibits were few: a sculpture of a nude woman by Georg Kolbe and a few pieces of furniture designed by Mies himself. The pavilion showed how emptiness affected the idea of flowing spaces. To create emptiness, spaces used floorings of the same material. Ultimately, it blurred of interior and exterior with fewer walls and allowed the pool to come in to the pavilion as a feature. (See Figure 5)
Figure 5: Barcelona Pavilion
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¥ HTAII ¥ ___________________________________________________________________________ In addition, the cycle of narrow space to large volume open space allowed the re-experiencing of the details of the materials and the spaces. (See Figure 6)
Figure 6: Walkway
The marble wall led towards chairs on a carpet, a demarcation of a resting space, chrome steel transparent panels framed the statue. Neat alignments of the chairs seemed to be of displaying the pieces of chairs and letting people to appreciate the chairs and not sit on them. The alignment of the marble tiles in symmetry defined the character of Mies’ detailing. The process of splitting also called broaching achieved the symmetric pattern on the marble wall. Clear, neat and clean were the essential keys to his design. (See Figure7)
Figure 7: Interior of Pavilion
Mies also designed furniture, understanding leather fabric and chrome frames. One example was the Barcelona chair designed for the Barcelona pavilion, now a popular classic. (See Figure 8)
Figure 8: Barcelona chair
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¥ HTAII ¥ ___________________________________________________________________________ Plans for the Barcelona chair were detailed such that the cushion’s proportions were neat and calculated. (See Figure9)
Figure 9: Blueprint of Barcelona Chair
The chair form was designed ergonomically for the human user. For the chrome, the material itself was used throughout all metallic parts as a cohesive expression. Due to Mies’ design neat & clear attitude, a consistent symmetry was favourable as an expression throughout. (See Figure10)
Figure 10: End Elevation of chair
The chairs were placed on to carpet (space dividers) to show its neat alignment and warned anyone not to seat on it, as it was a display art piece at the Barcelona pavilion. It told people that Mies was very proud of his design & architecture should also be appreciated & displayed similarly like an art piece.
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The marble to wall was joined with a butt joint that seamless showed no trace of grouting in between. (See Figure 11) On the other hand, the pool edge was cantilevered away from its wall, creating a float effect.
Figure 11: Marble wall detail
Chrome metallic frame and the glass panels showed repetition of vertical lines, trying to camouflage the chrome-coated columns, which held the wide glass panel at the same time. (See Figure12)
Figure 12: Walkway with sliding doors
Likewise, the chrome columns had reflective qualities, proving that the chrome covering was to camouflage as the materials on the floor and travertine wall (See Figure 13)
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Figure 13: Steel Column supporting Roof
The most important structure components-8 slim cruciform chrome coated columns were an expression, evident from the columns offset from the wall and door panels. The Cruciform shape of column was a truthful & respecting expression of the steel structure. Similarly, the Chrome coating was used to fuse the column with the surrounding metal frames and tubular steel Barcelona furniture to show cohesive elegance of the clear design method. (See Figure 14)
Figure 14: Steel Section of Chrome Column
Steel was a recognised component in skyscrapers and an irreplaceable material in tall constructions nowadays. Wood and marble were “low tech” materials since it was used back from the era of civilisations. On the other hand, metal was the material of “coldness” and was related to its history with mechanics & industrialisation. If one were to compare the Farnsworth House by Mies, 1951 and Eames house by Charles and Ray Eames, the style of their steel construction detail differ. (See Figure 15)
Figure 15: Section of Mies and Eames
Mies had steel members with sections that were larger than necessary and that were totally welded. (picture on right) Such steel sections had an expressionist intention. ________________________________________________________________________ CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE
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¥ HTAII ¥ ___________________________________________________________________________ However, Eames’ had minimal sectional dimensions and did a pin structure. (picture on left) Steel was therefore a material of numerous possibilities and limits in expression. Hopefully, wood products could serve as structural members supportive of interactive and humanistic architecture. Currently, steel still has the industrial machine image brought about by Le Corbusier. “A house is a machine for living in.” (Le Corbusier,1887-1965) The use of pebbles was significant in the pool. It was used to relate to the idea of natural elements. Instead of an orderly tiled pool, the low pool was contrasted with randomly poured pebbles on to the floor of the pool. (See Figure 16)
Figure 16: Pebbles at Pool
The play of light and shadow was critical to form the idea of open spaces. One of the most obvious materials in the pavilion was Italian Travertine which floors up the place. When sun illuminates on to the main onyx stonewall, it becomes a translucent material that floods dissolved soft lighting onto the space next to it. The space becomes responsive and spontaneous to the surrounding interior of the Barcelona Pavilion. (See Figure 17)
Figure 17: Light & shadow play at Corridor
From the materials, light, mass, joints; the famous quotes “less is more” and “God is in the details” rang the tone of design in the history of contemporary architecture. Using the idea of “less is more” in detailing, the precedence’s language was carried forward to the ADS project: Bugis Interface.
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¥ HTAII ¥ ___________________________________________________________________________ 3. THEORETICAL APPLICATION The design intention of Bugis interface was to create a hybrid space through urban porosity. The building’s design was about the interaction of people, spaces and materials. Nature was the strategy and Interaction between people was the main design intention. Miss Liw, a working yuppie was the client who wanted a space enough for gathering and a kitchen for the baking equipment in the residence. With yuppies in mind, Miss Liw was taken as an example to develop the shoebox interior. Mies Van Der Rohe was taken as the precedent due to his sensitivity to materials & spatial detailing. Another reason was because of the tight spaces so it was important to use Mies’ design strategies to make space bigger. By using the same material throughout, the space becomes one, a whole big space. At the same time, it fulfils the theory of inside equals outside. (Mies Van Der Rohe) Other strategies include framing the pool or city view with sliding doors to balcony that was similar to the framing of Georg Kolbe figure at the Barcelona Pavilion. Construction detailing included butt joints that would create a seamless and smooth connection of spaces. Creating a communicative space on the interior of the house influenced the user to become an inhabitant of the house. The spaces were interrelated and created interactive possibilities. “It is these types of experiences &interactions that lead to unforeseen & exciting outcomes…” (Makoto Tanijiri, 2011) Makoto & his firm, the Suppose Design Office, was the descendent of the Mies’ influence & were directly or theoretically inspired by Mies Van Der Rohe’s works. Using the strategies of the two precedents, the theory of inside equals outside was collected into the design of the yuppies’ residences. In the unit design, holes were cut between walls to allow functional storage of books and also the mingling between Inhabitants within the study room and the reading area. The space becomes alive when the residents start to fill in the emptiness. The design was aided by natural stones and wood materials to create intimate and personal spaces. (See Figure 18)
Figure 18: Mingling in reading spaces in the house
The joining of all spaces in the house into one flowing space allowed a bigger space configuration for gatherings. This strategy was learned from the instance of a connected experience in the Barcelona pavilion.
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Figure 19: Living Room
The living room had furniture like displays so that the residents could better appreciate their living spaces just like the Barcelona Pavilion itself. To create a visual connection between the spaces, the bedroom connected to the living via an opening in the wall. (See Figure 20)
Figure 20: Bedroom
To relate to the idea of human interaction, the kitchen should be a space that could see through the dining space. Thus, there would be a glass sliding door linking the dining and the kitchen similar to the glass door strategy in Barcelona pavilion’s case. (Figure 21)
Figure 21: Kitchen
Allowing the interaction between the 2 indispensible spaces, transparency was utilised to emulate the communication between the “chef” and the “diner”. Walled due to grease ventilation problems, grease once separated the two spaces. Fortunately, the design solved it by using glass sliding doors as walls.
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¥ HTAII ¥ ___________________________________________________________________________ With consideration to the façade and that the balconies were interactive; the interior should also do the same. The framing of the pool or city view with sliding doors at the balcony was similar to the framing of the sky perspective at the Barcelona Pavilion. (See Figure 22)
Figure 22: Interaction on overlooking Balconies
Figure 23: Interior Spaces should allow openings to form a cohesive space
Marble would be ideal to create a silent space similar to Mies Van Der Rohe‘s pavilion. With the use of natural stone and wood materials to create intimate and personal spaces, the alignment of parquet to stone tiles and external balcony could join spaces. Edges and lines defined a material and its space like glass, concrete and steel etc. Therefore, glass was the chosen material to join spaces that have to be separated. The same quality applies throughout to the bedroom and the living and dining space. The kitchen and toilet would share the same material due to special requirements like waterproofing. As such, tiles used should be durable and slip resistant to accommodate to users’ safety (See figure 24)
Figure 24: Bath 2
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¥ HTAII ¥ ___________________________________________________________________________ The bathroom design was thus similar to the materiality concept in Mies’, the meshing of natural and manmade products employing wood, ceramic, aluminium and glass. (See figure 25)
Figure 25: Bath Details
Communal Space: Is defined as the place for the resident community. Semi-private: resident-to-resident interaction Public: resident-to-public interaction Corridors: is the semi-private & The Public: is the gym Horizontal corridors described a spontaneous location to greet and mingle in the small neighbourhood. Between the units, interlinks allow the forming of a community and the responsibility to take care of the corridors as one’s own. (See Figure26)
Figure 26: 2nd Storey plan
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¥ HTAII ¥ ___________________________________________________________________________ There could be an alignment of furniture to proportion the spaces for the use of reading, exercising, planting and playing like the display of furniture at the Barcelona Pavilion. The street space in the project of the design studio work mimicked the street walk between Sim Lim Square and Bugis Street. Rest seats were created for people to rest along the busy shortcut from the OG mall to the Bugis MRT. (See Figure 27)
Figure 27: People resting at the streets
In its welcoming stance, it could bring in onlookers nearby into the Commercial Gym. The manner created a spontaneous interaction between the residents and the strangers at the Gym. (See figure 28) The Gym was also a glass wall away from the swimming pool that allowed a visual interaction between the exercising mates and the swimmers. Glass was a kind of material to blur the inside & the outside similar to Mies Van Der Rohe’s methods.
Figure 28: swimming pool
The communal areas consist of the reading area, exercising gymnasium with swimming pool and the gardens with the play space. (See figure 29) A clean interlocking marble finish for the public would be a demarcation all out adopted for the communal spaces. It would be similar to the use of travertine at the Barcelona Pavilion itself.
Figure 29: 1st Storey Plan
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Figure 30: Roof Plan
To strengthen the feeling of living in a community, the roof gardens were created with activities for planting and resting in the night. It differed with the Barcelona Pavilion this way as the pavilion was about the appreciation of spaces whereas the roof plan application (in Bugis Interface) was used for activities & appreciation. (See Figure 30 & 31) The walkways facilitated the movement of people around the spice garden to appreciate or garden the communal pergola.
Figure 31:Roof Gardens
Figure 32: Interaction between levels in ADS project
The Barcelona pavilion utilised the skylight as an appreciation of the nature. On the other hand, the ADS project used the skylight at the corridors for creating an interaction. (See Figure 32)
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¥ HTAII ¥ ___________________________________________________________________________ Vertical Gardens should be enjoyed as a creeper wall that changes in the climate just like the onyx wall that could change under the sunlight in Mies’ Barcelona Pavilion. (See Figure 33)
Figure 33: Vertical creepers
Figure 34: Corridor for activities like resting, playing
The inhabitants should be the main consideration in a shelter and the machine for living should serve the inhabitants wholly. (See Figure 34) The inhabitants will then identify the space and the inhabiting community will feel responsible for the spaces. The inside and the outside will then become less explicit and more accessible for the whole community.
4. CONCLUSION Mies architecture seemed so easy but not so easy. His understanding of reflective glass and steel were so responsive to the surroundings and music of nature in the play of open spaces. Mies’ design was visually simple but difficult to achieve structurally. Views, nature and materials serve as the strategy to the intention of his design. Technically, tectonic would be a mere jointing for materials, spaces, objects and the micro of the architecture. However, tectonic itself together with site, its quality of detailing serves as a joining system for tangible and intangible aspects of assemblages in objects and architecture. All in all, Tectonic is not a design but a method to create a certain design.
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REFERENCES 1. Authors Skira editore, 1998. MIES VAN DER ROHE. Publications: Vitra design Museum. 2. Michele K. Reid, 2006. Farnsworth House. (Online) Available from: http://mkr.mosaicglobe.com/gallery/24838/image/321521 (Accessed on 5th of December 2011). 3. BBC Documentary, 2003. Mies van der Rohe - Visions Of Space 1/7 (Less is More) Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUQdQWf4otU (Accessed on 5th of December 2011). 4. Kenneth Frampton, 1995. Studies In Tectonic Culture: The Poetics Of Construction In Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Architecture. Publications: Cambridge:MIT Press 5. Ken Choo Keng Hui ,2008. Lecture 08/09: Modern Architecture-The Avant Guarde. Singapore: Singapore polytechnic School Of Architecture and Built Environment.
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