Analytical Comparison on "The Experience of Place"

ARCH 465 CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE & THEORY

ANALYTICAL COMPARISON ONÂ

THE EXPERIENCE OF PLACE

OF CHRISTIAN

& KENNETH

PREPARED BY ELIF LEBLEBICI SPRING 2020

NORBERG-SCHULZ FRAMPTON

INDEX INTRODUCTION Critical Regionalism/ Sprit of the Place Norberg-Schulz and Frampton ANALYTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RELATED TEXTS “Six Points for an Architectural Resistance “, Kenneth Frampton "Genius Loci, Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture", C. Norberg-Schulz DIALOGUE Diologue between Norberg-Schulz and Frampton on genius loci and landscape photography REFERENCES

THE EXPERIENCE OF PLACE

In this study, the comparison between the articles of “Six Points for an Architectural Resistance “by Kenneth Frampton and "Genius Loci, Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture"by Chrisitan Norberg-Schulz construct the base of the analytical analysis on the "experience of the place". The aim of this work is to analyse the differeces and similarities of both architects: Norberg-Schultz and Frampton.

On the secon part, the comparative analysis form the base of a fictional conversation between these two architects. Their discussion covers their architectural approaches on the terms of space, the phenomenon of the place, globalization, locality, culture versus nature and genis loci.

INTRODUCTION

THE EXPERIENCE OF PLACE

CRITICAL REGIONALISM/ SPIRIT OF THE PLACE

Architecture is a way of providing a "existential basis" to man.

Individual alone can not achieve a foothold through scientific understanding. He requires objects, that is, works of art (... the purpose of the artwork is to "hold" and express meanings) that "reflect life circumstances." Architecture does not have different "kinds," but rather different conditions that need different approaches to meet the physical and spiritual needs of man.

A place is a space that has a distinct personality. The genius loci, or "spirit of place," has been recognized since ancient times as the actual reality that man must face in his daily life and come to terms with. Architecture means visualizing the genius loci, and the architecture 's task is to make meaningful places, whereby it allows man to live. "Existential space", a concept introduced by Heidegger, is not a mathematicallogical concept, but contains the basic relationships between man and his world. In keeping with the essential psychological functions "orientations" and "identification," the idea of existential space is here segregated into the complementary terms "space" and "character."

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The debate on the fraught relationship between the local and global has only strengthened since architectural historian Kenneth Frampton published his seminal essay "Towards a Critical Regionalism" in 1983. Frampton responded to a phenomenon preceding the current globalization debates, namely the invasion of postmodernist architecture into metropolitan centers around the world.Combining technology with an eclectic appropriation of architectural styles was not one of the more beneficial results of modernisation. Instead, he led the movement against a socio-cultural control strategy that caused an uncritical populism. In contrast to this market-driven trend of empty rhetoric, he presented an architectural understanding with a critical consciousness — one that could give rise to a sense of self by taking care of both global cultural elements and the specifics of the place. While the concepts of the issue have changed, the difficulties of critically engaging with the conflicting forces that shape our identity have only become more pressing. The conversation actually expanded from the purely architectural to include broader production models as well.

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THE EXPERIENCE OF PLACE

CONNECTION TO PLACE PEOPLE BEHIND THE "PLACE"

The concept of "place", which occupies the agenda as if it is a simple criticism of modern architecture, continues its validity on the scale of the city and geographical space by sending it to the "liberating nature of the place" or "spirit of the place", which is claimed to exist by some authors.

Undoubtedly, in the complexity of all these debates and naming, one of the primary sources that most heavily affect the field of thinking of architecture is Christian Norberg-Schulz.

The architectural environment of the period, which is prone to exploiting possible different discourses, deeply influenced the contemporaries of Schulz, who tried to produce critical architectural theories by internalizing the romantic arguments of the "place" and locality, vernacularism and regionalism.

The genius loci rhetoric is characterized by multidimensionality of theoretical approaches and theories on ideology, human geography, architecture, cultural anthropology, etc. This naturally encompasses a very broad definition, ranging from the physical materiality of a place and its sense-based impressions to metaphysical beliefs and invisible relationships, suggesting a connection between spatial and social flow.

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K. FRAMPTON

C. NORBERG-SCHULZ

At this point, it is known that Frampton supports regionalism provided that it is "critical" and beyond that, this kind of architecture can produce "resistance" points.

"Critical regionalism", which Frampton insists, is an overlapping discourse, according to most architectural historians, and more importantly, trying to hold a position in the "post-modern" era of a new architectural theory. According to Frampton, architects would examine local character with the light of his practice "Towards a Critical Regionalism," and reinterpret it with modern words, rather than simply translating the practices.

Technology and history should not capture architecture too.

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TOWARDS A CRITICAL REGIONALISM: SIX POINTS FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL RESISTANCE KENNETH FRAMPTON

A

GLOBALIZATION, CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION

Twenty years ago the dialectical interplay between civilization and culture still afforded the possibility of maintaining some general control over the shape and significance of the urban fabric. The two last decades, however, have radically transformed the metropolitan centers of the developed world.

What were still essentially 19thcentury city fabrics in the early 1960’s have since become progressively overlaid by two symbiotic instruments of Megapolitan development rise and the serpentine freeway. The former has finally come into its own as the prime device for realizing the increased land value brought into being by the latter. The typical downtown which, up to twenty years ago, still presented a mixture of residential stock with tertiary and secondary industry has now become little more than a burolandschaft city-scape: the victory of universal civilization over locally inflected culture.

Towards a Critical Regionalism, K. Frampton

Frampton uses an essay by a philosopher Paul Ricoeur to launch the "Toward a Critical Regionalism". According to Ricoeur, the globalization of human culture and the results of becoming monotype in terms of civilization have resulted in the destruction of variety and cultural traditions that are the main qualities for space definition. This fact is more apparent in developed countries, as their objective of creating a better society involves a delicate balance between being distant and engaging in modern culture education.

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GENIUS LOCI - TOWARDS A PHENOMENOLOGY OF ARCHITECTURE CHRISTIAN NORBERG-SCHULZ

TO DWELL MEANS TO BELONG TO A GIVEN PLACE. Genius Loci, Norberg-Sculz

For schultz, the locality and belonging of the space define the place, not the universality.Notwithstanding great stylistic richness of contemporary architecture and disrespect for meaning in local scale is typical of most of the designs being produced under conditions of economic and cultural globalization. There should be no question that paying attention to the character of a given site, its environment and political, geographical, social and other aspects and its 'culture' demands that architects be especially sensitive.

A

THE PHENOMENON OF THE PLACE

It can not be multiplied, since it is an individual approach. But there is now an growing awareness of the need for such an strategy. This topic of speech: deals with the relationship between buildings and their places; with contextuality as one of the basic characteristics of architecture; and with the increasing propensity in contemporary architecture to favor the 'local' over the 'national.'

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TOWARDS A CRITICAL REGIONALISM: SIX POINTS FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL RESISTANCE KENNETH FRAMPTON

B

THE VISUAL VERSUS THE TACTILE

According to Frampton, the perceptions of both the visually and the other senses will play a role in the design. The communication with all the senses makes architecture distinctive and deeper. This concept supports the use of all materials that target all senses and allow emotional reactions to vary.

While both architects define space, they aim to find what is specific to it rather than general and universal definitions. Frampton argues that this unique definition can appeal to different senses, while Schultz argues that its atmosphere must be defined in a specific way to find the character of the space.

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GENIUS LOCI - TOWARDS A PHENOMENOLOGY OF ARCHITECTURE CHRISTIAN NORBERG-SCHULZ

B

SPIRIT OF THE PLACE

The relation between man and his environment has changed dramatically throughout the ages. Ancient man experienced his environment as consisting of definite characters; he recognised that it is hugely important to accept the genius of the locality where his life takes place. In the past, survival depended on a good relationship with the place in both a physical and mental sense. The interrelationship between man and his environment has become less of an utilitarian relationship and more of a symbiosis, where we are no longer so desperately relying on our environment for survival and where we are now able to work harmoniously in a more constructive manner.

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TOWARDS A CRITICAL REGIONALISM: SIX POINTS FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL RESISTANCE KENNETH FRAMPTON

c

THE RESISTANCE OF THE PLACE-FORM

Designers should survey contextual factors very well in architecture, rather than acting it as a free standing entity. The characteristic of place should be adapted. According to Frampton, the region's physical space, and the place where people 's interaction is, are not the same thing. When adding essential regionalism to the architecture, architects will accept the notion that there is no limit to physical space and that an individual building can not consist of the characteristic of location. Spaces can be created by enclosing but its boundaries should be the place beginning instead of completing. A building's structural arrangement should be addressed in terms of its interaction to the place's external qualification; its entry, exits, and circulation.

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GENIUS LOCI - TOWARDS A PHENOMENOLOGY OF ARCHITECTURE CHRISTIAN NORBERG-SCHULZ

C

PLACE, SPACE AND CHARACTER

By categorizing the space into -space- and -character-, the space referring to the organization of the various elements that make up a place, and 'character' denoting the atmosphere, the place within can be analyzed.

Schulz utilisez a good method for distinguishing between place, space and character through the use of different verbal classifications. Space is instead denoted as a system of relations by repositions such as 'above' or 'behind'. Finally, character is denoted through the use of adjectives. A character is "complex totality" which can rarely be summarised through one single adjective, unless one aspect of this character is so distint that one word seem appropriate to grasp its essence.

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TOWARDS A CRITICAL REGIONALISM: SIX POINTS FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL RESISTANCE KENNETH FRAMPTON

CRITICAL REGIONALISM NECESSARILY INVOLVES A MORE DIRECTLY DIALECTIC RELATION WITH NATURE, MORE THAN ABSTRACT, FORMAL TRADITIONS OF MODERN AVANT-GARDE ARCHITECTURE ALLOW. Towards a Critical Regionalism, K. Frampton

D

CULTURE VERSUS NATURE: TOPOGRAPHY, CONTEXT, CLİMATE, LİGHT AND TECTONİC FORM

Frampton analyzes the necessity of these two elements, CULTURE AND NATURE, while creating an architectural structure that combines local culture with the landscape qualities. Although building architectural framework on the natural world, these two components should be merged to create a relationship with their idea rather than constructing a free standing entity. In geography, environment, and the symbolic dimension of the location, the geographic characteristics and the cultural heritage will be crucial. That's the creation of the "place-form" balance that identifies societies between the natural environment and the cultural legacy.

Schultz also drew attention to how civilized people, a product of culture, shape nature and produce meaningful spaces. The genius loci of the human settlement and cities represent microcosms, and cities differ in what the gather.

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GENIUS LOCI - TOWARDS A PHENOMENOLOGY OF ARCHITECTURE CHRISTIAN NORBERG-SCHULZ

D

NATURAL AND MAN MADE PLACE

Schulz indicates that manmade places are linked to nature in three main ways: first, to make the natural structure more accurate. We call this visualization, expressing t he existential footing it has gained by building what it has seen; secondly, by complementing the situation he is given, by adding what it is lacking; finally he has to symsbolise his understanding of nature, translating an experienced meaning into another medium for the purpose of freeing that meaning from the immediate situation, making it a cultural object.

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IN ORDER TO EXPRESS THE HISTORY OF THE PLACE IN CONTEMPORARY DESIGNS ONE SHOULD NOT LOOK AT HISTORICAL BUILDINGS, BUT SHOULD INSTEAD GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL SOURCE IN THE TOPOGRAPHY. Genius Loci, Norberg-Sculz

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Christian Norberg-Schultz encounters Kenneth Frampton in a fictional exhibition where Scultz compiles the landscape photographs that he used in his work Genius Loci. The duo enters a conversation on landscape photography and the "experince of the place".

-Oslo, Norway

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A friend of Norberg-Schultz asked questions about the selection of photography.

- Which ideologies in the text is this landscape photo linked to ?

C.N.S.: The spaces where life occurs are places… A place is a space which has a distinct character.

Since ancient times the genius loci, or spirit of place, has been recognized as the concrete reality man has to face and come to terms with in his daily life. Architecture means to visualize the genius loci and the task of the architect is to create meaningful places, whereby he helps man to dwell.

In Genius Loci (The Spirit of Place) I emphasized that human identity springs from the ‘Identity of Place’.

Once I would like to underline that it is "place" as a geographical entity which gives man his identity. One’s identity is a reflection of who one considers oneself to be and of the position one considers oneself to fill within one’s socio-cultural context.

K.F: I think it’s a very valuable thing to take on, Sir. These visuals are some representations of how critical regionalism can mediate the impact of universal civilization with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of a particular place. Well how do you classify these places then?

C.N.S.: When places are classified, we should use nouns, such as 'island', 'bay', 'forest', implying they are real things which exist as physical elements in the world. So...

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Beyond this classification, each place has its own belonging, character and adjectives. You can see landscapes from many parts of the world here. Each of them exists in its own culture.

K.F: For this reason, it is possible to observe the cultural diversity consequences of civilisation.

Additionally, technical advances and the financial forces have a major role to play, and in manyways narrow the reach of urban planning.

He argues that the architectural ideas are divided into two parts, one being profits from technological predication on the product, and the other being the requirement of a compensation to cover the realities of this global system.

C.N.S.: The very pure essence of locality and belonging to a place, against the trend of globalization is one of the most legible critics of the exhibition. If we look at the main way in which our existential foothold has changed throughout history... In fact modern man for a long time believed that science and technology had freed him from a ldirect dependence on places. In the past, survival depended on a good relationship with the place in both a physical and mental sense. For example in ancient Egypt, the country was cultivated in accordance with the Nile floods, and the very organisation of the landscape served as a model for the layout of public buildings. To me, this gave man a sense of security by symbolising an eternal environmental order.

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-Will this retrospective idea of place be able to adapt to the increasing movement of people, to globalisation?

How could one develop an idea of place that made room for the diverging experiences of life that is the reality in most European countries today?

K.F: It is difficult to know where to begin.

Once Dalibor Vesely recommended me an essay by Paul Ricoeur, ”Universal Civilisation and National Cultures”, which to a certain extent is a discussion about the identity of decolonialised nations, but which actually also speaks of the predicament that even the nations of the so-called first world find themselves in.

Ricoeur defines universal civilisation as universal technology, whereas national cultures are something that you can think of as more emotional and rooted in language, poetry and everyday life.

There is an uncomfortable relationship between these two things, a tension.

And in view of the way you introduced your problem here in Norway, I would say that one of the reactions, at a psychological level, to the modernisation of societies, is to deal with the problem of psychological security by trying to pretend nothing has happened. So if you think of American suburbs for example, what is the average American suburban house – or English for that matter – there is something about the form, the pitched roof and so on, which participate in the fiction that we are still agricultural people. People feel comfortable with this iconography.One could argue that in order to sustain some kind of

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psychological security, ordinary people – and bureaucrats on the part of ordinary people – feel that it is necessary that these icons should be somehow sustained, even if it just means a pitched roof instead of a flat one, reducing the whole thing to one simple sign or figure.

-To me the questions of a deeper, profound, actual identity reveal a very common conception of man which in my view is dangerous. If they perceive ‘the other’ as a threat to their own origins, faith or nation, they also perceive anything which can be done to remove the threat as fully legitimate.

In todays' Oslo for example...One may expect the Pakistanis, the Tamils or the Danes to learn Norwegian, but can they also be expected to build in Norwegian, live in Norwegian, expect that they become ‘ethnic’ Norwegians and identify themselves by saying “I am an Osloegian”? And what if they refuse, or are unable to do so? Will we be willing to allow the Sikhs in Holmestrand to import their architectural habits? Or should we?

C.N.S.: In a mobile and multicultural world, I worked incessantly to lay the ground for meaningful environments for all; which would implicitly mean also for any Tamils, Pakistanis and Danes, for asylum seekers as well as immigrants looking for a better life, environments where everyone would feel welcome and be able to live their lives meaningfully.

K.F: At this point the concept of reidentification and its connection to 13

place must be examined. I believe Norberg-Schulz would nod approvingly if we would now rethink and reconsider the ways in which architecture can be developed in support of a multicultural and mobile society, and if we would reconsider and thoroughly discuss the concepts and thoughts on which we base our architecture.

How [can we] become modern and yet return to sources. How [can we] revive old dormant civilizations and[yet] take part in universal civilization...

Many people who did not want to miss this important literature conversation between Norberg-Schultz and Frampton also caught up with them. The group starts walking towards the next exhibition hall by speaking.

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secnerefer

C. Norberg-SchulzGenius loci towards a phenomenology of architectureRizzoli, New York (1980)

Kenneth Frampton, Towards a Critical Regionalims:Six Points for an Architecture Resistance

Paul Ricoeur, History and Truth

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ARCH 465

PREPARED BY ELIF LEBLEBICI SPRING 2020