Manifesto by Pau González

MANIFESTO OF RE- READING U-HOUSE

by Pau Gonzรกlez Sรกnchez

- STORIES OF HOUSES. - THERAPEUTIC ARCHITECTURE. - INTRODUCTION. -

STORIES OF OUR HOUSES. HOUSE´S COLLAGES. FINAL DECISION. FIRST PROPOSAL.

3 4 6 7-10 11-12 13 14

- WHAT IS ALZHEIMER? - MICROARCHITECTURE.

15-16 18-24

- CONSTRUCTIVE PROPOSAL. - COMMON PROPOSAL.

25-30 31-36

- CONCLUSIONS. - MANIFESTO.

37 39-40

STORIES OF HOUSES The importance of the houses, is its reason to exist.

Many works of architecture become famous , people know them , but in many of them , the story surprised more than the house itself.

These homes are famous not only for being wonders of architectural construction , but to have turn a meaning for their existence. These houses are made for the person who lives , are a reflection of its cavity , or societies in which they live , adaptations to the ground where they are etc. are not simple shawls on the beach, or buildings with spectacular views , although some have the privilege of having them.

They are constructions of houses that not only fulfill the function of living , but respond with its history the reason for its existence.

The years pass , the buildings change , modify , reach the destroyed because people stop using , and this also happens with houses of which we speak , there are houses that still exist, others not , but all are masterpieces, not be good constructions, too, but to survive the passage of time , as seen from a construction point of view , but of cultural events that encompass the house.

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THERAPEUTIC ARCHITECTURE

Imagine a client you have made a home, one of these architectural wonders , reflecting his life, his way of life , reflecting who is in a wheelchair or that wants to build a place of difficult access , and architecture has to be modified with respect to ground.

After a time, the ill client does not know even that , and intended to build a house for his new every day . The sense that included the former house now outdated , with these new needs in his life, has become less important past history, and we need to re- make sense .

At this time , our customer , which could place in a mild stage of the disease that is suffering , ask us to amend your house , to acquire a new meaning and new features in this new phase of your life. Not only in terms of functional standpoint , that indeed would be met not enough just to hang a railing or put ramps, certainly needed it but to offer our customer the possibility that the house is molded to their needs , even to help your disease from a psychological point of view .

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INTRODUCTION

We can not conceive a good architecture meaningless. Good architecture is designed for people to reflect , improve, streamline , or satirize their lives is what they sought and obtained , each and every one of the architects of Stories Of Houses.

These architects have found ways to create housing that meets the lives of the individuals who inhabit them , also giving an aesthetic and visual sense, which in all cases is perfectly consistent with these lives.

Giving the example of a disabled person , his true home is not just the resolution or assistance regarding their physical problems , we must also bear in mind that the house, aesthetically and functionally , have a sense that truly reflects your life.

After reading and understanding a few stories of these home and choose which to us than we have drawn attention , we engage in the creative process that should be followed to create an architecture for a disabled person, always following this criteria starting .

All steps taken to achieve this ultimate goal , are explained in this book , then ...

All the stories of houses in: http://storiesofhouses.blogspot.com.es/

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STORY OF THE WHITE U - by Toyo Ito The U-House was built in 1976 in the centre of Tokyo.

It was designed by the architect Toyo Ito for his older sister, who had just lost her husband to cancer. In 1997 the house was demolished before Toyo Ito's eyes. How does one explain such an ending?

The Mourners' wishes The client and her family had lived in one of the city's high-rise apartment. Following her husband's death, the widow requested that the architect build a house for her and her small daughters where they could enjoy the close contact with the soil and plants that their former home had lacked. She also suggested that the house be L-shaped to enable all members of the family to have visual contact with one another. By coincidence, the site next to the architect's house was for sale - the same site on which the widow had lived before she was married. It was as if she wanted to grasp hold of her memories in order to help reunite her family during such a difficult time.

In the widow's conversations with the architect, the emphasis on organising functional spaces gradually disappeared and instead turned more towards the symbolic value of the space. Thus the house changed its initial L-shape to become a concrete construction with a U-shape, a form that would create greater light effects and a stronger relationship between the inhabitants.

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The life of the house The U-House consisted of two long corridors, one of which ended at the girls' rooms, the other of which led through the kitchen and bathroom and onto the mother's bedroom. Both of the corridors were dark and led into the light - a source originating from the arc of the U. This multi-use space used for playing, dining and meditating, had its walls and ceiling painted white and floor covered with a carpet, also white. In this space the light was diffused and gave a soft texture, but a cut in the ceiling directed the daylight in a straight diagonal line. The powerful light effects were reinforced by the pure whiteness of the interior, which seemed flat and without any three-dimensionality. It was like a screen where the images and floating shadows of the inhabitants were projected; a space to project the human being beyond his or her body.

STORY OF THE WHITE U - by Toyo Ito

Twenty-one years after the completion of the house, the family was ready to re-establish its links with the outside world. The first one to move away was the older daughter. She had never thought of whether or not it was comfortable to live in the house, although she refers to the house as a coffin. This was perhaps best reflected by the behaviour of her many pets, all of whom had totally refused to be alone in the enclosed courtyard. The mother later moved to a smaller flat, but being a musicologist she had enjoyed the music echoing on the bare walls in the old house.

The youngest daughter was the last to move out. She had developed certain sensitivity for aesthetics in this house that was reflected in her appreciation of Kandinsky and later, her eventual position as a museum director.

The last thing we know about the story of the house is from a powerful image in a photograph that illustrates its demolition. Instead of interpreting it as a destruction of a home, it is a sign of another stage through which the family progresses. The demolition is a symbol of renewal of life and consequently, we can argue that this was a house for mourners.

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THE GEHRY´S HOUSE - by Frank Gehry Before Frank Gehry acquired international prestige as the architect of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, he designed his own house in Santa Monica (1977 78). The story starts when his wife, Berta, bought a small pink bungalow in a bourgeois neighbourhood.

Gehry decided to redesign what he considered "a dumb little house with charm", to build around it and try "to make it more important". The result was so emotive among their neighbours that the new house was even shot at one night!

The neighbours' prejudice:

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The architect wanted to make the little pink bungalow look more important than it was by following the guidelines of Marcel Duchamp. His work had changed people's attitude towards ordinary and everyday things when displaying them as works of art. Gehry made an extension to the ground floor which wrapped the little house on three sides. The old house appeared, in that way, as a familiar object within the new house. The exterior of the original house was left almost untouched, even when parts of it were inside the new house. Its interior was remodelled considerably. In some places, it was stripped to lath and framing. In other places, it was repaired or retained. When entering the house, the distinction between the new and the old was emphasised as one had to pass through two doors one designed by Gehry followed by the original door to the bungalow.

"I was trying to build a lot of ideas," recognised Gehry when explaining his project. In those days, in the years when he was short of money, he was fascinated with cheap materials like chain link fencing, plywood and galvanised corrugated iron.

Enclothing the old house seemed a good opportunity to experiment with the mass produced materials that were not ordinarily used in the building of houses.

It was then when the neighbours approached him to say "We don't like your house" - to which he replied, "What about the boat that you have in the backyard ‌ or the van? This is all the same, the same aesthetics." But they said "No, no, that is very normal." Twenty-five years later Gehry is still fascinated by such contradiction: "Everybody hates the chain-link fence but nobody sees it. What they see is a tennis court and a tennis court is a symbol of wealth."

THE GEHRY´S HOUSE - by Frank Gehry The evolution of the family: One night when Arthur Drexler, then the director of the Department of Architecture at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, was invited to dinner at Gehry´s house, he asked questions about whether the pealed paint on the walls was intentional or not.

At the end of the evening, Berta confessed to her husband that the guest had "thought the house was a joke". At that moment Gehry knew that his research had been successful.

The aspect of the house, with blurred edges between old and new finishes, gives the appearance of being a continuous building process. "We are in a culture made up of fast food and advertising and throw-away and running for airplanes and catching cabs frenetic. So, I think that those possibilities are more expressive of our culture than something finished."

When Berta and Gehry made the house, they had only one child. Later they had a second one. The children grew and they too soon needed their rooms be refurbished. There have been many later additions, like the small swimming pool that Gehry had started dreaming of or the conversion of the garage into a guesthouse for two daughters from his previous marriage who often visited.

With these recent renovations "I lost the old house!", Gehry acknowledges, when referring not to the bungalow but what had been the revamped house in 1978. His house, which is in continuous transformation, tries to catch up with the rapid evolution of a family.

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U HOUSE COLLAGE U House collage, made By AgustĂ­n Juan castellĂł, Gonzalo Jimenez and Pau GonzĂĄlez.

To approach the cultural situation in which it is included into the house , we propose an idea of collage , which represent from a cultural point of view , the situation that occurs in families . The transition between two stages of life , as the story .

We could say that gruyas are family, and flying over the lake, ranging from a dark area ( the tragic situation which occurred ) to a lighted area (opening to the world) , so transferring a barrier architectural , which is given by the plant in U which is located on the lake, and the wall also tries leak with shadows in the form of U. This collage tries to reproduce the history of the house from a symbolic point of view , being attempted and bring Japanese culture. Intentanto display items that relate it to her, as the use of the shadow or the Japanese view of the house on the situation , we would consider essential elements in the building.

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GEHRY´S HOUSE COLLAGE Gehry´s House collage, made By Agustín Juan castelló, Gonzalo Jimenez and Pau González.

In this proposal , we try to redisplay the situation which includes housing, but now from a viewpoint of materiality. As all elements that appear drawn in the same , have the same materials as in each of the construction phases that have lived the house. Pink initial , wood materials in the intermediate stage, and the use of metal in the latter.

By chrysalis process , we have a pink worm ( the house in the beginning) , for all phases into a butterfly.

Chrysalis show reproducing the materials used in the intermediate stage of the house, and finally with butterfly , we reached a final , more modern and groundbreaking step , using metallic materials for reproduction, and at home .

The intent of this collage, is showing from a progressive viewpoint and material progress of the house to a continuous change happens by life circumstances . The house is still present in the composition , marking in the background, and the time is still an important point in architecture.

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THE DECISION, WHY? We must choose a house on which to work , so after meditating our future possibilities , we decided that ours will be the U House, since the use of symbolism, and that Japanese vision, motivate us , so that will be our backdrop to start rebuilding the U House. The house is now demolished , so there does not seem to us a handicap to develop our tests, but a motivation to provide a continuity that would have kept constructed .

This intention will not be shown in the first trials of a therapeutic architecture as discussed below .

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FIRST PROPOSAL

At this time we have a problem , we have to change first home, and besides, that amendment must be proposed for a person with Alzheimer's.

Trying to offer an application to the patio, and a seating area to the patient, yes , the patient , since the architecture is branched, assemble a pergola in the courtyard, we covered glass room that the patient can be guided by the house.

A network of circular hallway with glass rooms that connected the house as an infinite path was created.

These modifications , have been designed for the patient , moreover attempted against the constructive parameters in which they had based the house, for example modifying the function of projecting curve screen , and did not offer any resemblance to the true essence of the house, were a simple prosthesis for a patient.

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WHAT IS ALZHEIMER麓S?

After the fall on our first attempt to achieve patient-adapted architecture, we ask the question: We can not build or improve a home for an Alzheimer's patient , if we know nothing about the disease.

So we started researching Alzheimer find relevant data that it used as a disease marked show up in later stages of life of people. Most patients are elderly.

This is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the brain and is manifested in the human body affecting memory, this process of involvement, is divided into three stages. 路In the first stage , the patient experienced mild memory loss that

inhibit occasionally perform daily activities , or feel disorientated in everyday places . 路In the second stage , the patient can not perform daily activities such as washing or cooking, and can not remember the events that will happen recently and places and people , the disease can also cause hallucinations , so it loses the possibility of living alone and unaided .

Becomes important figure of the caregiver. 路Finally, in the last stage of Alzheimer's, the patient manifested urinary and fecal incontinence, gait problems , trouble recognizing family problems when eating etc.

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Alzheimer's, as we have said , is a progressive disease that eventually ends with rational functions of the human being, in a long period of more or less 10 years , although symptoms can try to alleviate with treatment.

This treatment , attempts to activity areas that meet basic brain functions such as speech , power grab things , ride puzzles , eating, talking etc This type of therapy , help the patient to take the disease as best as possible , even to delay the onset of symptoms , although we must be clear that finally will be inevitable.

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MICROARCHITECTURE- INTRODUCTION

To put into practice the knowledge gained from study of the disease , it must develop architectural proposal , available to anyone , reflects the disease to the person who does not, not only in its negative aspects, it but in positive disease .

the an and but the

The intention was to develop a suit, whose function is that a healthy person could get to know what it is to have Alzheimer's. A somewhat complicated proposal , since the conditions to be met are somewhat ambiguous , but you really can not give the house a sick alzheimer if you do not dress him.

We will see then that the concept reached the end, is not achieved in a first idea because ideas can have spontaneous need elaboration. The idea is not to create a suit, but cover a human with a disease.

We can not put a prosthesis to a healthy person to feel paralysis, or prevent physically to another to note alzheimer , ultimately, the michoarchitecture can not prevent the man but do feel a person with Alzheimer's, but all viewed from the side positive .

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MICROARCHITECTURE - THE FIRST PROPOSAL

The sketches for the first proposed microarchitecture , show stagnation in only constructive parameters , show no symptoms other than a physical impediment to the healthy person , are simple prostheses that adhere to the body to prevent you movements. Although with intent to cause feelings with pockets path that later would form the essential part of the final microarchitecture .

Tours induce the healthy patient , to a confusion. .

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FIRST PROPOSAL BOUNDED ``This does not seem microarchitecture , this seems a suit´´.

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SECOND PROPOSAL OF MICROARCHITECTURE

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FINAL SKETCHES

Intentionally omitting parts of the development of micro , end up staying alone with the system pocket. This is an idea that provides a symptom of Alzheimer's disease in a patient who suffers , while playing with the positive feeling of surprise , since the paths always lead to an end, but as the disease where you do not find currency ( explanation below ) .

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FINAL PROPOSAL

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FINAL PROPOSAL EXPLANATION

The final proposal is based on a series of trips , located at points where a normal person would pockets.

Each route connects two pockets , increasing the difficulty of the courses as they progress along the routes of the body.

To exemplify the proposal, the tours begin in the chest pockets , each pocket is attached to the pocket of the belly by a tour . Pocket of the latter , which opens out into a bifurcation side pockets , which in turn connected with the bottom by more paths . The final framework seems chaotic as it is a succession of three pockets connected very close , but always know (if you want ) , that the object has been dropped , will be in one of the pockets of the suit.

This last characteristic is what takes the essence of the suit is a garment , which causes confusion , bringing healthy to alzheimer person , but in turn emphasizes the positive feeling of surprise , finding something like a gift.

Finally we can say that this microarchitecture is a real architecture , fulfilling turn all the constructive parameters requiring the dress a person without preventing alzheimer physical faculties.

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DETAILED CONSTRUCTIVE SECTION OF AN ACTION

MEASURES IN CM

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The history of the house , poses a challenge when you make a change in the structure, not the house can be changed so that if the current house is almost a work of art and is the first thing we must be clear . Sick of alzheimer also has needs if you want to improve your quality of life, so that all the modifications made in the house have to be designed to help.

Having to be conditioned in this way , changing the character gets your mind, keep the essence of the present house , acting to favor one alzheimer patient , and that is not a simple physical adesi贸n because the handrails can put any the amendment will have to have a sense .

In the detail of the action , the possibility of a modification using those same cultural parameters arises , and somehow , offering helps our patient - owner. The project idea is to modify the textures of the house windows . The external light would pass through the outer glass windows inside the rooms , casting shadows of actions taken within it, as if they were , in this case , Chinese shadow , this new surface windows interiors.

Thus , the patient can walk around inside the house , orienting it by the shadow of the actions that the inhabitants projected onto the inner enclosure stays .

By having the U house a character marked by the projection of light and shadow , changing quedr铆a permeated the Japanese character that marks the house, while serves as visual support for the patient, who stays will be guided by both by the use of textures , such as emitted shadows thereon. .

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DETAIL OF THE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR WINDOWS

2

4

8

Measures in cm.

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To perform these lighting effects , a new layer is inserted into the interior woodwork , to vary the texture of light output .

It still maintains the old distribution of safe interior windows in the kitchen , which we will explain .

Windows texturing is different materials .

performed

using

three

1. Exterior windows , glass remain as we need to perform the same functions soleamiento already gave us the house, in addition to the accession of the idea of Gonzalo Jimenez , explained below.

2. In the case of interior bathroom windows , will have the new cabinet work , which will include an opaque layer between the glass hexagonal texture that only the inner light will pass through the remaining plot.

3. In the case of room private, interior windows with opaque glass , even to place a combination woodworking with a layer of textured paper .

4. The kitchen has a longitudinal glass window to visualize the inside of the same type are the face that gives the curve.

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SECTION OF AN ACTION IN THE KITCHEN

MEASURES IN CM

The kitchen features a serialization glass windows in the side of the door , creating in the distance, a fuzzy view of the interior that becomes clear as you would approach us .

The windows are located in that way to continue keeping the cover section , thus approaching the building peculiarities that this inclination assumed. Helping the patient to feel the need to know what 's inside , getting , as it approaches the surprise of knowing what is inside .

In this case, the projections that emit exterior windows , is reflected directly on the aisle , because in that face there would be another longitudinal glass window .

No arguments to apply a texture to the inner enclosure are , because it is a space for daily use, so its 29outside view is no problem .

SECTION SHOWING BATHROOM

THE

FRONT

OF

THE

MEASURES IN CM

In the case of bathrooms, propose the use of hexagonal texture, being a layer that lies between two glass sheets . The new window will be broad and longitudinal , as we need a large projection surface.

The internal actions, such as the fact urinating, will be reflected in our new screen , but remain fuzzy , like a dream .

By projecting the inner shadow simply through the openings of the grid , we stop to display a defined silhouette of the internal action from the outside , but if we can get a sense that there is someone in the area who consider private use as the bathroom.

The bathroom will turn with a sliding door , which provide access to the patient. The glass of the door to the bathroom , will be the same type of room ( shadow play ) , opaque glass , wherein the inner cast shadows.

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RELATIONED WORK

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RELATIONED WORK

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RELATIONED WORK

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RELATIONED WORK

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RELATIONED WORK

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RELATIONED WORK

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PERSONAL EVALUATION OF THE GROUP

Really, all group members have followed a common pattern in the approach to the study questions . The motivation to achieve a reconstruction of architecture , adapting it to a sick person, has led us to make progress on all projects that together have been carried out .

I remember discussions between different members of the group at the time of the end result , the way to end things , it is always hard to be late in the morning, and at that time , the dream takes its toll .

Never underestimate the worth of each individual effort to achieve the goals we are proposing , because when we thought think every one of us . It is clear that the skills you may have a person in a certain respect, help you be better at something , but the union of these individual aspects creates a social character , team spirit .

We have come to frustrate even the work of other team members , have heard profanity , or menospreciaciones of ageno work, but it is impossible not to hear, you can not help complaining when something you like, if you really whatever you're doing. It is essential for progress .

According to these words, I want to clarify that I see clearly the achievement of a new common architecture , adapted to the situation that they request a person with Alzheimer's and in turn mimicked , or built from the culture of the house.

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Written by Pau Gonzรกlez, with the colabration of Agus Juan, and Gonzalo Jimenez.

Book dedicated to the grandmother of Gonzalo , sick of alzheimer.

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MANIFESTO

Since I entered the degree, I have wondered What is architecture ?, really , how do you define architecture?

The possibilities raised in this paper , defend an irrefutable answer to that question , architecture is a multidisciplinary science. If we know everything , because we can not do anything ?

To have reached the architectural solution of the problem we posed (creating a therapeutic architecture) , we had to dive into science even for a moment relacionarĂ­as architecture. The Alzheimer's patient has to be treated the problems that are within our reach , or even reduce them .

The study of disease, is a clear example of that is a multidisciplinary science.

We can not still forget that science is the architecture , but its multidisciplinary character is only the branches of your tree. An architect becomes a doctor for a moment, when trying to solve structural problems in changing housing , while personal problems of the patients I treated all without forgetting that remains architect.

Its vaccines will cement or plaster strips on , but his social work transcends the architectural barrier .

But really, if you just go for professions that are not yours , you can confuse you really are an architect. If the most serious problems of a person with Alzheimer's are mobility , why not put rails on the walls so you can grab ?

You are not a doctor , you're an architect, and problems to those who are your solutions beyond the mere fact of placing a railing (which also must be present in the house) , you need to find solution to the happiness of people . And this happiness can only be achieved by improving their quality of life.

We can not say it directly, since it does not offer support for your body, or help to walk, but we can offer reflections , shadows, memories of past events that bring back memories positive , everyday actions that help a Alzheimer's patient to orient inside your own home.

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Being an architect, architecture or do not conditional upon your world is reduced to provide habitability people , but to meet these people and make a home for them, with the character of each, and that suits the needs you have.

The double meaning , not only medical , but cultural proposal , produces the rise of home just demolished , could not have hoped Toyo Ito few years?

The importance or rather , the sense of the project, corresponds to the duality of creating a reform with a medical nature , but at the same time respecting cultural values that the house already had done that we always have and when we have the intention to reform a masterpiece of a prestigious international architect .

Soak up the motives and characteristics of the house, has to be the pillar base reconstruction.

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