RAMMING EARTH
Iteration 1
Communications 3
Carissa Rizki Andiani s3481786
RAMMING EARTH ITERATION 1
The first iteration of Ramming Earth project involves generating concept for the pavilion. From the precedent study of Bernard Tschumi, depiction of events and movement as the narrative of a site is used as the key approach. The concept is developed along studying other precendents such as model precedent The temple of direction, which shows how space form can form narrative. Painting A Sunday Afternoon On The Island of La Grande Jatte shows how a timeless moment where people spread across a space. In combination with Cinematic Architecture theory sequence / montages of experience, these precedents help me to define a concept for the pavilion to encapsulate a moment in time.
Rammed earth is used to frame the four landscape images from Ron Jones’ initial landscape design of Royal Park Melbourne. These images are landform and horizon, sky and wind, expansive grassland, tree form and silhouette. Rammed earth is also used to ‘cut’ the landform, showing the experience of the site’s natural geology, without distrupting the continuity of the park’s horizon view.
PLAN
Being faithful to Bernard Tschumi’s technique, the pavilion form are made as a repetitive system of cylindrical shape that are each modified to suit different programmatic requirement (Tschumi 1988).
The ‘follies’ are arranged in linear sequences, as a landform pavilion as to not disturb the continuity of previous design. Using viewing experience as a sequence in referring to cinematic architecture. The width of the area and path around central (2nd) pavilion is also use to refer to the model precedent The Temple of Direction to create some variety of the space.
In this project, rammed earth is used as material as well as a system that cut through the land. Rammed earth is used as the material of these red cyliders as well as the path connecting each follies.
SECTIONS
Variety of the space is further shown in this long section. Sequence 1 is an open seating area in contrast to Sequence 2, where there are only two entryway and a skylight. Sequence 3 would be made as a platform where eye level would fall to the grasses. The final Sequence 4 is another open pavilion with rammed earth colums to mimic tree silhouette.
All sequences are designed as not to disturb the horizon view and aims to be non directive. As people spread across the landscape as shown in the painting A Sunday Afternoon On The Island of La Grande Jatte
Short cross-section portrays the experience of the program alongside people who don’t occupy the designed space. Capturing both moments.
HERO IMAGE
THE TEMPLE OF DIRECTION
MODEL PRECEDENT
This art installation by Geordie Van Der Bosch was exhibited in the Burning Man Festival 2019. According to the festival’s website archive, this artwork is inspired by the Torii gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Japan. Its design consists of wooden archways that form a linear passageway to a large central hall. The design was made to elicit both a “physical experience and a metaphorical journey” by creating a framework that encourages visitors to travel from end to end. As opposed to wandering an open plan; this temple provides direction and focus.
A variety of spaces are created; narrow spaces and wide spaces, dark spaces and bright spaces. Tunnels create intimate experiences with shade. A large central hall expands in width and height providing a bright area suitable for gatherings.
The experiential quality of the spaces depicts a sequence or montage of different scenario. Similar to Bernard Tschumi’s concept of movement and montage in his study case Manhattan Transcript. Each scene can be encapsulated, as shown in series of photograph on the right.
A SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON THE ISLAND OF LA GRANDE JATTE
VISUAL PRECEDENT
This neo-impressionist painting created by Georges Seurat, 1884 portrays a moment in time. The neo-impressionist principle took the impressionist observation of fleeting moments in nature, landscape, and urban everyday life scenes into a more systematic approach of art technique: breaking down spectrum of colour and lighting into simple shapes like pointilism in this painting. This reductionist approach is similar to Bernard Tchumi’s drawing style.
The painting itself depict the timelessness of fleeting moment - modern Parisian strolling and relaxing in a park La Grande Jatte. As the artist stated, “I want to make modern people, in their essential traits, move about as they do on those friezes, and place them on canvases organized by harmonies of color.”
The objects (people) in this painting are doing different actions on the same proximity. Depicting an event with non prescribed program. Looking at the painting, a feeling of encapsulation of a moment in everyday life emerge from viewers.
CINEMATIC ARCHITECTURE
THEORY
Cinematic architecture has been an interest in few disciplines, connecting the fine arts and architecture. Though in fine arts the concept generally means creating a space that evokes emotions, imaginations, and memory in audiences (Juhani Pallasmaa, 2007), the architectural practices focus on the cinematic approach - montage and sequences - of spaces to bring new experience.
Many published studies of architects and architectural theory can be associated with cinematic architecture. Such as Cullen’s Townscape “Serial Vision” and “The Manhattan Transcripts” by Bernard Tschumi. As with Cullen, Tschumi is interested in the notion of temporal sequences and their relation to the visual appearance of architecture (Koeck, 2012).
Montage can be seen as fragmented architecture elements that can be connected, creating sequences (Koeck 2012). The cinematic approach also builds tension and trigger chains of events as observed by Rem Koolhas as a script writer before his architect career. Spatial conflicts that are montage-like create new room for associated relationship between space, events and people (McGloin, 2014)
Screenplay devices (disjunction, distortion, repetition, superimposition) and counterpoint (between movement and space, events and space) has been used as a design concept of contemporary architecture (McGloin, 2014).
In this project, series of montage or movement will be translated to different forms of spaces following the model precedent.
“I think the art of the scriptwriter is to conceive sequences of episode which build suspense and a chain of events … The largest part of my work is montage … spatial montage”
(Rem Koolhas, cited in Toy 1994: 7)
The Manhattan Transcripts, Bernard Tschumi, 1976-1981 Cullen, “Serial Vision,” the opening page of the Casebook section of Townscape, 1961, reproduced by permission of Taylor & Francis Books, UK.
CONCEPT MIND MAP
The exploration began from putting the key term event bubble. Looking at the definition of the term itself, the idea of moment captures the essence of the pavilion.
As Bernard Tschumi made a point not to determine a program in his project Park de La Villette, I decided to do the same and instead tried the concept of taking picture of a moment. Thus, creating the concept of pavilion for encapsulating a moment
Taking one step further from Bernard Tschumi’s other works, I came across the theory of cinematic architecture which came of the discussion of The Manhattan Transcript.
Connections between visual, model, and theoretical precedents shows some key words. Such as moments, reduction, and scenes/sequences
PRECEDENT COLLAGE FOR PAVILION
Following Bernard Tschumi’s technique of superimposition of different layers or system, I replicated his approach in layering the aerial photograph, visual, theoretical, and model precedents.
The space sequences would be then arranged based on the experience of viewing the landscape in the preliminary sketches by Ron Jones. The sequences (in order) are landform/horizon, sky, expansive grassland, and tree silhouette. Orange squares represent the sequence of movement from darkest side, middle ground, to brightest side.
The site photo act as the surface layer, showing boundaries and pathways of the site. On that layer, an organizing line is drawn. However, instead of using the grid system like Tschumi does, the organizing factor would be the compass direction. A path runs accross the site, also drawn to help orientation.
The visual precedent is depicting how people spread over the space - the organic movement of people, how they move freely accross the park. The painting is rotated upside down to show sun orientation: the shaded part on the North side, and the sunniest part on the south side.
Each parts were layered, juxtaposed, establishing a dialogue between different moments.
REFERENCES
Precedent research:
Eisenschmidt, A. (2012). Importing the City into Architecture: An Interview with Bernard Tschumi. Architectural Design, 82(5), 130–135. https://doi.org/10.1002/ ad.1474
Hartoonian. G. (2010). Bernard Tschumi Draws Architecture!. Footprint. 4. 29-44. Steenbergen, C. M. (2008). Composing landscapes : analysis, typology and experiments for design. Birkhäuser.
Tscumi, B. (1988) Cinegram Folie: Le Parc De La Villette. Princeton Architectural Press. 10-17. https://issuu.com/echeverriapatricio/docs/bernard_tschumi__ cinegram_folie__le
Cinematic Architecture:
Lestari N.R., Paramita, K.D., Atmodiwirjo, P. (2021) Montage As Spatial Reconstruction Operation Method In Designing Cinematic Architecture. University of Indonesia.
Koeck R. (2013). Cine-scapes : cinematic spaces in architecture and cities. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203721186
Mcgloin, M. (2014). What is Cinematic Architecture?. Retrieved 2 September 2022, from https://issuu.com/martin_mcgloin_b_arch/docs/issu_book
Model precedent:
https://www.archdaily.com/987894/burning-man-through-the-years-7-of-the-bestinstallations-displayed-during-nevadas-annual-music-and-arts-festival
https://burningman.org/about/history/brc-history/event-archives/2019-eventarchive/2019-art-installations/
Visual Precedent:
https://artincontext.org/a-sunday-afternoon-on-the-island-of-la-grande-jatte/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Sunday-on-La-Grande-Jatte-1884
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/27992/a-sunday-on-la-grande-jatte-1884
Other:
Tscumi, B. (1988) Cinegram Folie: Le Parc De La Villette. Princeton Architectural Press. 10-17. https://issuu.com/echeverriapatricio/docs/bernard_tschumi__ cinegram_folie__le