Steven Holl: Phenomenology in Architectural Detailing
Matthew M. Ruopoli
August 18, 2009
Table of Contents
5 Preface
7 Introduction
28 The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Steven Holl: Phenomenology in Architectural Detailing
50 Simmons Hall
68 The Cranbrook Institute of Science
84 The Chapel of St. Ignatius
110 Works Cited
Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to those who have helped to make this possible: Professor David Woolf, who served as my faculty mentor for this research, Steven Holl Architects for supplying me with the inspiration for my research, as well as numerous drawings and photographs, and Norwich University for allowing me the opportunity to conduct my research. I would also like to thank those who provided me with the opportunity to view the amazing work highlighted in this research. This includes: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for allowing me to view Simmons Hall (and providing a tour) the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Cranbrook Institute of Science, and Seattle University.
Preface
Preface As I attended Norwich University’s School of Architecture and Art, I began to develop both a strong interest in the work of Steven Holl Architects, and, a longing to experience their work first hand. This research is the product of those desires manifested as a summer long research project, in which I studied the work of Steven Holl, focusing primarily on the way his belief in phenomenology resolves itself in his architectural detailing. This project is my attempt to demonstrate how every aspect of design should be supported by an architect’s ideals, as detailing can, in some cases be considered an afterthought in the designing of a piece of architecture. To complete this task I traveled around the United States, visiting Washington, Michigan, Missouri, and Massachusetts, on what I consider my own “architectural grand tour.” These locations were chosen for their differences in climate, as well as culture and program. Through these differences I hoped to better observe how phenomenology and detailing can adapt to unique criteria.
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Introduction
Introduction “Phenomenology concerns the study of essences; architecture has the potential to put essences back into existence. By weaving form, space, and light, architecture can elevate the experience of daily life through the various phenomena that emerge from specific sites, programs, and architectures. On one level, an idea-force drives architecture; on another, structure, material, space, color, light, and shadow intertwine in the fabrication of architecture. When we move through space with a twist and turn of the head, mysteries of gradually unfolding fields of overlapping perspectives are charged with a range of light—from the steep shadows of bright sun to the translucence of dusk. A range of smell, sound, and material—from hard stone and steel to the free billowing of silk—returns us to primordial experiences framing and penetrating our everyday lives.” (Intertwining, 11)
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A phenomenological architecture has the ability to impact the human condition on every level, from the physiological to the psychological. A focus on tectonics, or the ontological and representational qualities of construction materials, allows for unique changes in the experience created by a space. Through scale, proportion, materiality, light and color, the essence of a space can be heightened or diminished. As man begins to occupy constructed space the senses become stimulated by their surroundings. The textural realities ignite not only the sense of touch, but with the use of color and lighting can create a vivid visual stimulant. “The light that falls on a highly textured surface brings out rich contrasts of highlights and shadows, and the relative size and density of the units raise or lower brightness according to the proportional effects of shadow.â€? (Michel, 39-40) The patterns created by and in this textured surface allow for a more exciting phenomenon when color is also a factor. As light reects off of a colored surface, colored light appears on surrounding areas; with it, certain physiological and psychological effects are created. These colors and materials can also impact the sense of smell, taste, and hearing. Solid materials such as stone and concrete create a large level of reverberance, while porous or softer materials allow less.
Introduction
The following serves to highlight the work of Steven Holl, showing how his phenomenological beliefs have expressed themselves. Each chapter begins by discussing the effects of each subject as it pertains to the human experience, which is then followed by examples of Steven Holl’s work, highlighting their use and effectiveness.
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Introduction
Light “Light can be read both as the phenomenon of light in words and the pressure of light in science. Language without sentences, just like natural light, has essences that transcend specific meanings and purposes. Language becomes a form of light while light becomes language. Face to face with light in a volume, luminous space becomes dreamlike. A moment of intense sensibility ignites the intuition. Sideways, forward, backward…the empty words of light are spoken in utter silence.” (Parallax, 104)
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Natural Light’s Effect on the Human Condition Natural Light, the bearer of life on the planet, also has the power to transform and create a phenomenally “living” space. This architectural “space” has can heighten the human experience through both physiologically as well as psychologically. Not only can light effect mental alertness, productivity, and our overall psychological well being, “[e]nvironmental biologists theorize that regular contact with daylight promotes circadian stimulation…. Circadian dysfunction has been associated with cardiovascular problems, immune dysfunction, cognitive and functional deterioration, and depression.” (Hobstetter) It has also been shown that exposure to the full spectrum of light enables mankind to synthesize vitamin D, “promoting strong nerve and muscle functioning as well as cell growth regulation, and without which our bones and tissue cannot efficiently absorb calcium.” (Hobstetter)
Experiential Effects of Light Designing with light in an architectural space also has a profound impact. Various phenomena such as simultaneous contrast and the effects of brightness can charge a space and its impact on the human experience. Brightness, not to be confused with luminance, “is defined as the subjective impression of light illuminating one surface as compared with another surface.” (Michel, 12) This effect is visually stimulating, creating what is called “gamma movement” or an influence in the way we see a surface spatially, increases the spatial depth, causing brighter objects to appear closer and larger to the viewer, thus affecting their perception of the spaces figure-ground relationship. Simultaneous contrast has a similar affect on the
Introduction
visual experience, causing variances in brightness levels. Simultaneous contrast is seen as the change in appearance of one surface, due to the presence of another, brighter or darker, surface. (Michel, 13-14) The amount of light also adds to the essence of a space. Dimly lit spaces can seem somber and slow, while well lit areas can be cheerful and fast. The intricate properties of light and shadow when used to high degrees can create movement in space, and create a more vivid perspective with an increased spatial depth. Through the use of a plethora of materials, the quality of light, as well as the quality of an experience can be heightened. As a medium, light has the ability to transform a space adding to the textural realities of the materials used, as well as enhancing the color realities of everyday life. This concept will be explored, in detail, in later chapters.
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“Reflecting off one surface to another and scattering about, light defines our visual world. Once struck by illumination a wall responds with certain effects depending on the quality and quantity of light itself and the properties of it’s surface materials. Texture modifies its color, and the angle at which light arrives alters its brightness and so does the viewing angle from which the wall is seen. One of the finest features of light is the shadows it creates, modeling and activating the surfaces around us.” (Michel, 31)
Light as a measure of time One of the most profound phenomenon associated with light is the measure of time. As the earth rotates both about the sun and about its axis, our days shift from day to night, creating complex light and shadows. These rays of light, constantly changing, creates an experience that is constantly shifting; no perspective is ever re-seen. Like sundials, the rays of sun travel across space keeping constant measure of the suns placement in the sky. Through the use of lighting methods form, time, and duration, can be further distorted.
Introduction
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Color “Color is not the property of objects, spaces, or surfaces; it is the sensation caused by certain qualities of light that the eye recognizes and the brain interprets. Therefore, light and color are inseparable, and, in the design of the human habitat, equal attention must be devoted to their psychological, physiological, visual, aesthetical and technical aspects.� (Mahnke, ix)
Light enters the Chapel of St. Ignatius: Seattle, WA
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Color, being one of the richest visual sensations, can have a major impact on experience. Along with light, color has a profound impact on “man’s psychological reactions and physiological well-being. Research has proven that light and color affect the human organism on both a visual and a non visual basis. It is no longer valid to assume that the only significant role of light and color is to provide adequate illumination and a pleasant visual environment.” (Mahnke, x)
Understimulation An understimulation of color in an environment, brought about by extreme unity, monotony, or sensory deprivation can lead to drastic psychological and physiological changes. Other then being static, boring, and visual tedious, being in an understiumulated or “dull environment tends to prod brain activity, which may induce anxiety, fear, and distress.” (Mahnke, 6) Understimulation has also been shown to produce restlessness, excessive emotional responses, difficulty in concentration and irritation.
Overstimulation Extreme complexity in a visual environment can lead to overstimulation, which has also been shown to greatly impact mankind’s well being. “Exposure to overstimulation can cause changes in the rate of breathing, pulse rate, and blood pressure: increase in muscle tension; psychiatric reactions of varying types; and probably compounded medical consequences, such as increased susceptibility to infection, coronary disease, and ulcers.” (Mahnke, 4-5)
Introduction
Experiential Effects of Color “Color, which is created by light, is therefore a form of energy, and this energy affects body function just as it influences mind and emotion.” (Mahnke, 1) Color can have a profound impact on man’s perceptions, further adding to a spaces experiential quality. The use of light colors can increase the apparent size of a space, making it seem larger; while dark hues detract from the size of a space. Other effects on man’s perceptions can be seen with the use of warm or cool hues. The strategic use of these hues, can effect the perception of time and temperature, with warm hues being shown to cause an increase in apparent temperature and an underestimation of elapsed time. Cool hues have been shown to have an opposite effect. (Mahnke, 19) Also when experienced, color has different effects, or associations, depending on the particular hue. These “associations” can help to enhance a spatial experience, and the effectiveness of visual phenomena. Through the use of color, a space can speak to its occupants, creating a more individualized experience. When coupled with variations in value and saturation, as well as placement, the effect of a hue can change.
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Materiality “Materials may be altered through a variety of means which do not diminish, and may even enhance their natural properties.... Glass becomes radiant as, in transformed states, its functional role is shifted. Bending glass induces dazzling variations to a simple plane with the geometric curvature of reflected light. Cast glass with its mysterious opacity traps light in its mass and projects it in a diffused glow. Sandblasted glass, likewise, has a luminescence which changes subtly depending on the glass thickness and type, and the grain size of the silica sand used. Metals can be significantly transformed by sandblasting, bending and acid oxidation, to create rich materiality of surface and color. Integral to materials and their weathering change in time, the beauty of various colors and textures of oxidation also gives details a painterly dimension. Cast metals, aluminum bronze and brass also add to the palette of alternative materials, expanding the range of details. A variety of metals, such as copper, nickel and zinc, can now be electronically atomized, and sprayed nearly cold in a thin layer over a surface of a different material, opening up new possibilities for finished and plastic details.� (Questions, 92)
The Bloch Building at NAMA: Kansas City, MO
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The choice an architect makes on what materials to use can greatly impact the essence of the space. Not only do materials have textural realities, but they also have certain associations. Types of wood or stone, for example, carry with them feelings of strength and security, while also tying themselves and the building back into the natural environment.
Phenomenology and Tectonics “One sees the hardness and brittleness of glass and when, with a tinkling sound, it breaks, this sound is conveyed by the visible glass. One sees the springiness of steel, the ductility of red-hot steel, the hardness of a plane blade, the softness of shavings.� (Maurice Merleau-Ponty quoted in Intertwining, 15) As the levels of light and color come together, the materiality of a space becomes apparent. The ontological and representational qualities of the materials can help create a move vivid experience for those occupying the space, while also contributing to its essence. As materials change, so does the effectiveness of space. A material’s level of reflectivity, color, and texture, can add to the spatial properties experienced. The level of transparency as well as the perceived mass of a material can greatly affect the essence. Architecture must possess both the feather and the stone, or a level of weight balanced with weightlessness, the heavy with the light. Plate glass, being light and open, can make a space appear weightless and links the interior space to the exterior, while brick makes a space heavy and protective; glass is seen as extroverted, stone introverted.
Introduction
These perceived levels of mass give power to their opposites; concrete suspended above glass, and thin slits of light in stone have amplified effects due to their juxtapositions. “Architecture’s expression of mass and materials according to gravity, weight, bearing, tension, torsion, and buckling—like the orchestration of musical instruments—is made more dynamic through the contrast of heavy (bass, drums, tuba) and light (flute, violin, clarinet)…. Music’s materiality is resonantly conveyed via the instruments to aural temporal experience. Architecture’s materiality is likewise conveyed via the structure and material of optic and haptic spatial experience.” (Intertwining, 14-15) As materials are the most tactile quality of any piece of architecture, a great deal of thought must go into why and how each is used. Man spends all of his time in constant contact with the materiality of a building, walking on the floor, touching the walls. Walking on the warped hardwood floors of an early 19th-century building the apparent age of the space becomes visually obvious; the creaking of the floorboards fills the room with a unique sound. The smell of the old wood floats through the room, filling the nose upon entering.
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Sensory Stimulation “Architecture, by unifying foreground, middle ground, and distant views, ties perspective to detail and material to space. While a cinematic experience of a stone cathedral might draw the observer through and above it, even moving photographically back in time, only the actual building allows the eye to roam freely among inventive details; only the architecture itself offers the tactile sensations of textured stone surfaces and polished wooden pews, the experience of light changing with movement, the smell and resonant sounds of space, the bodily relations of scale and proportion. All these sensations combine within one complex experience, which becomes articulate and specific, though wordless. The building speaks through the silence of perceptual phenomena.� (Questions, 41)
Introduction
“Architecture, more fully then other art forms, engages the immediacy of our sensory perceptions. The passage of time; light, shadow, and transparency; color phenomena, texture, material and detail all participate in the complete experience of architecture. The limits of two-dimensional representation [in photography, painting or the graphic arts], or the limits of aural space in music only partially engage the myriad sensations evoked by architecture. While the emotional power of cinema is indisputable, only architecture can simultaneously awaken all the senses—all the complexities of perception.” (Questions, 41)
Enmeshing In details, one of the strongest phenomenal experiences occurs with the enmeshing of materials, all meeting and combining into one single entity. Architecture surrounds us, promising “intimate contact with shifting, changing, merging materials, textures, colors, and light in an intertwining of flat and deep three-dimensional parallactical space and time.” (Intertwining, 12) The way materials meet each other, the way buildings interact (the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the Cranbrook Institute of Science) allows a flowing of experience. As heavy slabs of concrete float, suspended over plates of glass as in St. Ignatius, the relationship of material properties becomes even more apparent due to their location with each other. This enmeshing amplifies the sensory properties of the all the materials, by comparison.
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Sound, Smell, and Taste Other then vision and touch, architecture has the power to create phenomena associated with sound, smell, and taste. Smell, being the strongest memory of a space, can be effected by the materiality of a space. Earthen materials like wood and stone carry with them their own unique scent as well as, memories of particular experiences. The smells one has experience in nature, such as the smell of fresh pine, or of freshly cut wood are subliminally sensed. Colors have also been associated with scent and taste, as the associations of colors can be linked to memories. Pinks and reds, for example, support sweet smells and tastes, while yellow and yellow-green support sour smells. (Mahnke, 110) Sound can be affected by the quality of the material, smooth hard materials tend to cause sound to resonate in a space, while soft or highly textured material tends to cause sound to dissipate. “However, the most essential auditory experience created by architecture is tranquility. Architecture presents the drama of construction silenced into matter and space; architecture is the art of petrified silence. After the clutter of building has ceased and the shouting of workers has died away, the building becomes a museum of a waiting, patient silence. In Egyptian temples we encounter the silence of the pharaohs, in the silence of a Gothic cathedral we are reminded of the last dying note of a Gregorian chant, and the echo of Roman footsteps has just faded on the walls of the Pantheon.
Introduction
An architectural experience silences all eternal noise; it focuses attention on one’s very existence. Architecture, as all art, makes us aware of our fundamental solitude. At the same time, architecture detaches us from the present and allows us to experience the slow, firm flow of time and tradition. Buildings and cities are instruments and museums of time. They enable us to see and understand the passing of history.� (Pallasmaa, in Questions 31) The following images serve to illustrate how the preceding information is combined to create a phenomenal architecture, one that encompasses all of man’s senses in an experience that attempts to engage mankind to the fullest possible extent.
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The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Kansas City, MO Completed: 2007
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The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The “Breathing T” structure of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Bloch Building, allows light to travel through the upper “lenses” into the galleries below. This effect, not only saves the artwork from the harmful ultra-violet rays, but also creates a sense of lightness and spatial excitement. The relationship of the translucent glass ranges from being below, to above, to all around, creating an ever changing environment for the occupants. This glowing diffused light adds a spatial uniqueness to each step, as the building wraps itself around the viewer creating an enmeshed sense of space that links inside to outside, architecture to landscape, and solid to void. As one moves through the space the senses are activated by the rapidly changing environment, the overlapping perspectives, and the changing light.
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The white walls of the Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art insinuate sterility, inhibiting touch, while also accentuating the artwork on exhibit. The white walls, being static in nature, allow for the exhibition to take the spotlight, an important feature for the Bloch Building’s program. The brightness of the hue adds to the simultaneous contrast of the image to the background making the colors of the exhibit more vibrant and via also allows for light to fill the space more evenly and thoroughly, making the apparent luminance much greater. With this added luminance the space appears lighter and larger, adding to the overall experience created when moving throughout the gallery. The darkness of the floor serves to ground the space, while also heightening the effectiveness of the walls. This contrast between light-hued walls, and dark-hued ground adds to the flow of the gallery space.
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The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The connection of vertical rows of glass, with horizontal rows of poured concrete at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The juxtaposition of vertical to horizontal, is strengthened by the relationship of light to heavy, solid to void. The relationship of the feather (glass planks) to the stone (concrete) is fundamental in a phenomenal architecture. “A phenomenal architecture calls for both the stone and the feather. Sensed mass and perceived gravity directly affect our perceptions of architecture.� (Intertwining, 14) At night the relationship between the heavy concrete to the light glass becomes more obvious as the building glows. The heaviness of the concrete makes the rest of the Bloch building seem to float.
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The glow from the Bloch building adds a level of weightlessness to the form, strengthening the relationship between itself and the original building, or the feather to the stone (respectively).
“The sense of gravity is the essence of all architectonic structures and great architecture makes us conscious of gravity and earth. Architecture strengthens verticality of our experience of the world. At the same time that architecture makes us aware of the depth of earth, it makes us dream of levitation and flight.� (Pallasmaa, 37)
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The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
In the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Bloch Building, the mirrored-appearance produced by the polished floor heightens the spatial experience. By blurring the relationship of wall to floor, the apparent height of the verticals is doubled. As one approaches the walls become grounded and the relationship between wall and ground restored, as the level of apparent reflectivity diminishes; when moving away, the effect increases. This creates a unique experience with constantly changing perspectives, levels of apparent brightness differ with each step as space begins to unfold, pulling itself inward until what is visibly apparent meets with what is real.
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The ergonomics of the handrail allow the hand to glide along without interference. The cold, smooth, metal runs parallel to the textured metal wiring.
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The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Bloch building connects with the rest of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
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The walls seem to float off of the ground due to the difference in coloration. The simultaneous contrast of the white to black causes the white to advance while the black seems to recede. This floating effect adds to the feeling of weightlessn ess in the Bloch building.
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The supports for the glass planks of the Bloch building wrap around like ribbons, flowing into a single entity.
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Simmons Hall Cambridge, MA Completed: 2002
Simmons Hall
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Large light shafts, meticulously tuned and placed throughout Simmons Hall, at the M.I.T campus in Cambridge, MA, allow light to travel down through the building into public spaces. These spaces are vertically linked throughout the building to allow easy social connections between floors. The organic form of each of the light wells allow the quality of light to change on a daily basis; as the earth moves around the sun, natural light enters the shaft reflecting at different points, bringing a diffused light to those using the space below. The light and air from the light-well creates a unique environment that is in continuous motion. As light enters, the effect of brightness becomes obvious, making the light-hued walls appear dark.
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Simmons Hall
“Due to the 20-inch depth of the window wall, summer sun is blocked from entering directly while winter sun is drawn in. Night life from the ‘sponge’ will be an indeterminate urban event, a dynamically random sparkling orchestrated by the students.” (Parallax, 308) The added depth of the window wall allows the building to function as a unit during the day, as the building looks inward shielding the occupants by stepping them back from the outside environment. The use of operable glass gives them the option to open the space, creating a small link to the “outside.” At night, Simmons Hall transforms, as it focuses towards extroversion. The illumination from the occupants, becomes a signal to the campus, and the city, of the events occurring inside. The seemingly random glow of windows creates an ever changing environment to passersby, while also serving as a monument to those working within.
Window detail: Simmons Hall, in Cambridge, MA.
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At Simmons Hall, color was placed on the “in-between� spaces linking both the interior and exterior. As light reflects, color then fills the rooms with a varying glow. This not only serves to heighten the experiential quality inside each room, but these colors, ranging in hue from blue to red, also correspond to the various structural elements associated with the building structure’s stress diagram. More specifically the colors are associated with the different rebars used throughout the project, with blue being a four bar and red being a nine bar. (Architecture, 266)
Simmons Hall
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The overall shape of the multipurpose room in Simmons Hall, allows sound to travel up into the higher space, while the numerous contours allow the sound to deflect enough to ensure no “hot spots� are formed. The mixture of porous wooden sheathing and concrete allows for a level of reverberance as to reach those in the highest parts without creating an echo.
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Simmons Hall
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Simmons Hall
The “arguments for porosity of architecture, urbanism, and landscape can be reinforced with a testament for the porosity of spirit and matter as well as light’s effect through form, shade, and shadow. Rather than a preoccupation with solid, independent objectlike forms, it is experiential phenomena of spatial sequences within, around, and between which triggers emotions and joy in the experience of architecture. The phenomenal properties of light reflected or refracted over a delicately faceting form transcend the formal aspects of the making of faceted forms.” (Spoken, 106)
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The front lounge at Simmons Hall is serves as a gathering for both people and materials, as wood meets concrete. The shift from wood, to concrete meets with the introduction of a third material, a concrete with wooden properties. The fluidity of the enmeshing links the materials, making the building harmonious. The playfulness of the materiality creates a unique experience as common materials are used to do unique things. The free-flowing form of the concrete, makes a traditionally hard, straight material, seem more liquid.
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At Simmons Hall, concrete, having taken the sensory properties of the wooden form work it was poured on, creates a unique experience for those occupying the space by blurring the qualities of both wood and concrete.
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Cranbrook Institute of Science Bloomfield Hills, MI Completed: 1998
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Cranbrook Institute of Science
The Light Laboratory, at the Cranbrook Institute of Science in MI, uses a new glass lens technique to pattern “light in motion” (Parallax, 112) Serving as the new, primary entrance to the building, visitors find themselves welcomed by a vivid visual experience. This light, shifting daily with the placement of the sun, is continuously a new phenomenon. “Low winter sun refracts in luminous waves while a prismatic rainbow washes the blank wall in unpredictable iridescence. Diffraction in gentle waves suddenly merges with pulsing shadows that appear as inverted dancers near the ceiling. The speed of shadow is vibrant.” (Parallax, 112)
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Cranbrook Institute of Science
Facing the Garden of Science, a large glass wall cuts into the building, allowing diffuse light to pour in. This glass wall glowing with a blueish hue, resembles ice, and is easily associated with water, an element that is used throughout the building. “The liquid, vapor, and solid states of water are explored in open-air exhibits. The glass bottoms of the flow pools exhibit refraction into the exhibition passage. The House of Vapor and the House of Ice both exhibit the dynamics of chaos. Chaos theory began decades ago in studies of turbulence in water and air.� (Parallax, 276) The colors used at the Cranbrook Institute of Science, are earthen in Hue, being primarily red. This clay colored red gives the impression of being enveloped in the earth, as one moves about the space. The cool hues also give the perception of a cooler environment, while also adding a level of heaviness to the form.
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Cranbrook Institute of Science
The use of a translucent glass at the Cranbrook Institute of Science addition challenges the perceptions by blurring the outline of objects beyond it. This visual phenomena created by light and shadow cause viewers to question what is real as objects gain and loose detail depending on their location to the glass. The texture of the glass, revealing itself as light passes through, can be felt. “When light passes through a translucent medium such as diffused glass or colored liquids, it orchestrates a metamorphosis of substance that the eye long has found appealing.� (Michel, 31) Rays of light hit this translucent material, some are reflected back into the space, acting as a solid opaque material, while others are enter the material and are diffused, creating a bright glow on the other side. This creates an interesting phenomena that changes depending on which side the viewer is on. On one side, where the light source is, the material appears to be opaque as a large amount of light is reflected back into the space. It is not until something comes into contact with the material on the other side that it’s translucence becomes obvious. To the other side, levels of light reveal a play with shadow, as materials gain and lose definition depending on their local. Materials in contact with the wall reveal a defined outline and begin to show detail, while others farther away appear as just faint figures, floating in space. This condition creates a unique solid to void, figure to ground relationship as these states are merged.
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The glass, meeting with the original building at the Cranbrook Institute of Science, allows the wall to seemingly continue as the brick’s image is reflected on the glass. Above the glass (right), the buildings seem to collide, while below the buildings mesh or flow more smoothly through each other.
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Cranbrook Institute of Science
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Cranbrook Institute of Science
Materials merge, flowing fluidly over each other, revealing pieces of each. The different colors allow for a visually appealing environment, linked to nature. The textural realities are also visually evident. The enmeshing of materials creates a unique environment, as the juxtaposition of the wood and steal play off each other. The overlapping creates a more harmonious experience.
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The Chapel of St. Ignatius Seattle, WA Completed: 1997
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The Chapel of St. Ignatius
“In a small chapel we build for Seattle University in 1997, our concept of ‘a gathering of different lights’ referred both to the large number of different backgrounds of the university’s student body (60 nations represented) and to the liturgical division of the Jesuit university’s chapel program. Seven bottles of light in a stone box organized the chromatic space of the architecture. Each ‘bottle of light’ was made analogous to the dialectical of The Spiritual Exercises of Jesuit theory (question and answer). Fields of a complementary color in back-reflected, painted color planes are set against smaller colored lenses, creating a pulsing pair of opposites that shape the space. For a green field there is a red lens, for a blue field there is a yellow lens, for a yellow field there is a blue lens, for an orange field, a purple lens.” (Parallax, 154)
The Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University: Seattle, WA
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The Chapel of St. Ignatius
Inside the Chapel of St. Ignatius are a series of “light bottles” in which “the metaphor of light (a metaphor used by St. Ignatius in one of his books) is shaped in different volumes emerging from the roof whose irregularities aim at different qualities of light. North-, east-, south-, and west-facing light all gather together for one united ceremony.” (Architecture, 56) These “bottles” are filled with different colors and qualities of light throughout the day allowing for constant changes in one’s perspective in the space. As the sun travels through the sky the saturation of the colors change, some grow less saturated while some increase in saturation level. This constant change in saturation creates a constant change in color throughout the interior. As one moves about the space, the level of color, along with the hue change. Upon entering, for example, visitors are greeted with a warm yellow glow, symbolizing spirituality while creating a cheerful atmosphere. To the right a red glow pours down from the sky creating a feeling of warmth and acquiescence. Still more colors are found throughout the space, including greens and blues, which promote both healing and relaxation. At night, the building focuses outward as the color shines back through the bottles, as beacons to the surrounding community.
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A light fixture at the chapel of St. Ignatius, the textured pattern causes light to refract. The translucence of the glass allows light to be emitted while limiting frontal glare. As light pours out from the sides of the sconce, a unique pattern is displayed on the wall behind who’s own texture becomes more vivid. The rawness of the materials used also creates a unique essence in the space.
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The entrance to the Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University, is adorned with bronze handles The raw feel of the bronze handles with the wooden door link the building to nature, bringing a feeling of oneness with the environment, while also expressing strength and protection. The expression of these strong, durable, protective materials allows one to feel safe when entering the Chapel. Safe from the outside world, and any problems that may be troubling those using the space, which can allow for a more refreshing, relaxing, and uninterrupted spiritual experience. The signs of wear read like a time-piece, linking the past to the present. As those who come into contact with it link themselves to all those who have been in their position before, bringing a sense of belonging and assurance. “Natural materials - stone, brick and wood - allow the gaze to penetrate their surfaces and they enable us to become convinced of the veracity of matter. Natural material expresses its age and history as well as the tale of its birth and human use. The patina of wear adds the enriching experience of time; matter exists in the continuum of time.� (Pallasmaa in Questions, 29)
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The Chapel of St. Ignatius
A window at the Chapel of St. Ignatius, inscribed with IHS (a symbol of St. Ignatius, the Jesuit order, and Jesus, saviour of man) reminds those both occupying and passing the space of their spirituality. The juxtaposition of glass to concrete heightens this experience, as the relationship of solid and void becomes obvious with the passing of light through the glass. With many levels of transparency the glass emits a light that creates unique forms and shadows.
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The Chapel of St. Ignatius
“Liquid obeys the laws of gravity, yet in its lack of form it has phenomenal properties of rippling and reflection. The refraction of sunlight in liquid in a glass or the boundless horizon of the rolling ocean produces images that engage the psychological on at least two levels. The surface has texture, consistency, viscosity, and color. Inside there is a separate world, a miniature cosmos of organic and complex properties of molecular structure. Void of outer form, this inner world—like an inside longing for an outside—is an unstable but powerful stimulus.” (Parallax, 86)
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The Chapel of St. Ignatius 101
The light emitted from the wall sconce amplifies the texture of the wall behind it, showing the powerful contrast of light and shadow.
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“The skin reads the texture, weight, density and temperature of matter. The surface of an old object, polished to perfection by the tool of the craftsman and the assiduous hands of its users, seduces the stroking of our hand. It is pleasurable to press a door handle shining from the thousand hands that have entered the door before us; the clean shimmer of ageless wear has turned into an image of welcome and hospitality.� (Pallasmaa, in Questions 33)
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The Chapel of St. Ignatius 105
Moving through the precessional space at the Chapel of St. Ignatius, one is surrounded by sensory stimulants. The texture and colors of the walls become more obvious with the bright light shining down from above. Red from the narthex (on the left) flowing into the space, while blue flows from the alter (behind).
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The reflectivity of the floor in the Chapel of St. Ignatius causes the steel support to seemingly flow through the concrete floor.
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Works Cited Burch, Robert. “Phenomenology and its Practices.” Phenomenology and Pedagogy 7 (2002) 187-217. Web.20 Jun 2009. <www.phenomenologyonline.com/articles/ burch3.html>. Hobstetter, David. “Daylighting and Productivity: A study of the effects of the indoor environment on human function.” The Space Place March 2007 Web.08 July 2009.<http://www.thespaceplace.net/articles/hobstetter200703.htm>. Holl, Steven. Architecture Spoken. New York: Rizzoli International Publications Inc, 2007. Print. Holl, Steven. Intertwining. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 1996. Print Holl Steven. Parallax. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000. Print Holl, Steven. Questions of Perception: Phenomenology of Architecture. 2nd. San Francisco, CA: William K Stout, 2007. Print Mahnke, Frank H. Color and Light in Man-made Environments. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1987. Merleau-Ponty, Maurice. Phenomenology of Perception. New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 2008. Print.
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Michel, Lou. Light: The Shape of Space: Designing with Space and Light. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1996. Print. Norberg-Schulz, Christian. Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture. New York: Rizzoli International Publications Inc, 1984. Print.
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