Undergraduate thesis book - Noel Adechoubou

TH E M U ND A N E S ACR ED

Thesis Documentation Noel Adechoubou

2020

TH E M U ND A N E S ACR ED Thesis Documentation Noel Adechoubou

2020

VIRGINIA TECH SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE FALL 2019 - SPRING 2020

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book is dedicated to my family, my firends and my thesis advisor without whom this would not have been possible. Thank you for your relentless support, wisdom, encouragement and guidance throughout this process.

Joelle Adechoubou Alioun Adechoubou Heinrich Schnoedt

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CO NTE NTS 01

PROLOGUE

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WHAT IS SACRED

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03

WHAT MAKES A SPACE SACRED?

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3.1

Architectural attributes

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Sacred Light

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Liminal Spaces and Spatial ambiguity

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EXPERIMENTS

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4.1

A cafe as a place of refuge in Manhattan

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4.2

Urban sanctuary

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CONCLUSION

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POSTSCRIPT

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02

Abstract O ur definition of sacredness and sacred architecture has long been tied to religion and worship. This definition essentially creates a hard line between sacred spaces and non-religious, mundane spaces. As a result, religious architecture has been the only typology to fully engage with the realm of the sacred; offering spaces that move us tremendously, evoke intense emotions and provide momentary refuge from our everyday lives: spaces for introspection and contemplation.

The extreme amount of noise and external stimuli from both the physical and digital world makes the need for such spaces ever more relevant.

When discussing sacredness, Abraham Maslow writes “The lesson of mystics, Zen monks and psychologists is that the sacred is in the ordinary... It is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's backyard....� Therefore, arguing that the separation between the sacred and the profane is a lot more nuanced. By finding and exploring the architectural attributes common to all sacred buildings, this thesis aims to imbue sacred experiences into mundane spaces.

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“A great building, in my opinion, must begin with the unmeasurable, go through measurable means when it is being designed, and in the end must be unmeasurable.�

-Louis Kahn

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03

What make s a sp a ce sa cr ed ?

O ur

individual understandings and experiences of the sacred are shaped by cultural, personal and universal factors and as a result, they can be very subjective. The cultural and personal factors (the religious climate in the country you grew up in, your upbringing in a mountainous environment..) play a significant role in what we consider sacred. H owever, we all seem to share a collective understanding of what a sacred space is. On that subject, Michael Brill states “There are many sacred places which most people sense as sacred upon a first encounter and without the presence of any accompanying ritual or even any knowledge of their sacred history.� The hypothesis he suggests is that we all, somehow, share an archetype built into the structure of our mind which allows us to experience sacred spaces. He goes on to say that because we recognize these places as one of the set of sacred places, there must be a set of common and fundamental characteristics by which these places reveal themselves to us as sacred.

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3. What makes space sacred?

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1. Arc hitec tur a l a t tr ib ut e s

An

anlysis of various spaces of worship reveals architectural attributes that constitute this shared archetype. Those are: Sacred light, Liminal spaces, Center, axes and directionality, Monumentality,Spatial hierarchy/intimacy gradient, Materiality, the Nature within and Rituals. A particular focus is put on light and liminal spaces.

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3.1 Architectural at tributes

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I

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III

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sacred light

liminal spaces

center & axes

monumentality

Through careful design of the apertures of a building and its position in the landscape, the constant fluctuation of natural light is more apparent thus making us better aware of the passing of time and more in tune with the universe.

They represent the beginning of one’s spiritual journey. They mark a transition from a dull state to a more liminal one. Can the questioning of one’s physical surroundings lead to an increased spatial awareness, thus facilitating a hierophany?

Center, axes and directionality are primordial attributes of sacred spaces. They help establishing spatial and visual focus as well as hierarchy within the structure.

In the context of architecture that exudes a sense of sacredness, monumentality does not refer to the shear dimension of a structure, instead, like Kahn argued, monumentality is “a spiritual quality inherent in a structure which conveys the feeling of its eternity”.

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VIII

spatial hierarchy

nature within

materiality

rituals

In places of worship such as churches and mosques the most sacred spaces are respectively the Altar and the Mihrab.

The presence of nature inside sacred structures whether in the form of sunlight, water bodies, flora or natural ventilation expands their boundaries therefore connecting them to the world beyond.

Materials play a key role in all sacred places. More than often, earthy materials that are bared down their minimum and not visually overwhelming allow for a clearer mind state; thus facilitating a hierophany.

A strong emphasis and clarity on the rituals happening within spaces of worship and their recurrence over time strenghtens and cements those spaces as sacred.

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3.1 Architectural at tributes

1. Sa c r ed Lig ht Through careful design of the apertures of a building and its position in the landscape, the constant fluctuation of natural light and the passing of time are more perceptible hence connecting us to the world beyond. This study consists of experiments on the shape, dimensions and positioning of apertures within multiple concrete structures in order to find a pattern or rule. The study revealed that In order to create a sense of mystery for sacred experiences to occur, the light source should be hidden.

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3.1.1 Sacred Light

9 am

12 pm

5 pm

3 pm

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3.1.1 Sacred Light

9 am

12 pm

3 pm

5 pm

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3.1.1 Sacred Light

9 am

12 pm

5 pm

3 pm

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3.1.1 Sacred Light

9 am

12 pm

5 pm

3 pm

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3.1.1 Sacred Light

“There must be a crack somewhere in the construction which allows enough natural light to come in to tell how dark it is.�

-Louis Kahn

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In a sacred space, the light source should be hidden. It creates a sense of mystery necessary for sacred experiences to occur.

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3.1 Architectural at tributes

2 . Limina l spac es a nd spat ial ambiguit y In-between spaces represent the beginning of one’s spiritual journey. They mark a transition from a dull to a more liminal state. The questioning of one’s physical surroundings leads to an increased spatial awareness, thus facilitating a hierophany.

Liminal spaces represent a transition from the secular world the sacred world.

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3.1.2 Liminal Spaces

zero degree axonometric drawings exploring in-between spaces

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3.1.2 Liminal Spaces

inside out

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outside in

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3.1.2 Liminal Spaces

“Technicians of the sacred- the builders of megaliths, temples, churches, cathedrals and other sacred place - have creatively used the ambiguities of space to move the mind.�

-Eugene Walter

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questioning one’s physical surroundings can lead to an increased spatial awareness thus facilitating a hierophany.

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04

E X P E R IME NTS Two experiments are conducted.

The first one attempts to imbue a sense of sacredness in the setting of a coffee shop located in SoHo, Manhattan, New-York. The second one, set on the same block explores the type of atmosphere that may be created from the cross-pollination of programs covering the profane to sacred spectrum.

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4. Experiments

4 .1

A c af e a s a p lac e of re fuge in Manhat t an On top of its mundane nature as a program, cafes in bustling cities often provide momentary refuge for city dwellers.

The ritual of making and serving coffee is the most important part of this space. Therefore, it should be the visual focus of the space and at its center. The barista station is situated right underneath an atrium hidden from the customers.

The sound of the beans being ground, the steam released in the air from the poured hot water participate in crating a mystical atmosphere. interior view render

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4.1 A cafe as a place of refuge

Site and approach

concept sketch

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site plan

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4.1 A cafe as a place of refuge

Concept drawings

concept isonometric drawing

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Charcoal light sketch

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4.1 A cafe as a place of refuge

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close-up section perspective showing the cafe’s entrance and the barista station

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4.1 A cafe as a place of refuge

close-up section perspective

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view of the barrista stand from the main door

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4.1 A cafe as a place of refuge

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close-up section perspective showing the cafe’s entrance and the barista station

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4.1 A cafe as a place of refuge

close-up section perspective

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Street entrence/ threshold

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4. Experiments

4 . 2 U r b an Sa nc tua r y The urban sanctuary functions as a place of refuge within the city.

In the city where we are constantly bombarded by information in the form of images and sound leaving us with our attention squandered, this structure invites us to experience moments of stillness. The building consists of art gallerie rooms, a bar and a chapel, covering the spectrum from profane to sacred into one structure. At first sight it’s nearly impossible to know what this structure holds. However, as one gets close, he is confronted with what seems to be an invitation inside: a punched opening through the concrete façade. entrance into the sanctuary

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4.2 Urban Sanctuar y

floor plan

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site plan

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4.2 Urban Sanctuar y

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floor plan and section

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4.2 Urban Sanctuar y

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4.2 Urban Sanctuar y

entrance into the sanctuary

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4.2 Urban Sanctuar y

views of the sculpture courtyard from the lobby

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4.2 Urban Sanctuar y

First gallery room

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4.2 Urban Sanctuar y

corridor between the gallery rooms

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4.2 Urban Sanctuar y

Third gallery room

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4.2 Urban Sanctuar y

Chapel

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Conclusion The past nine months have been extremely enriching and full of valuable lessons on architecture, my design process and philosophy.

Though this thesis started with the vast question of what makes a space ineffable, it has evolved into narrower investigations full of insights. I am confident the work done during this past year has laid the foundations of a life-long journey of analysis and exploration. This is not an ending but a new beginning. “The apparatus may be physical and biological, but the telos is mental and transcendental.�

- Ahmed Salman

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Postscript T his academic year has been very tulmutuous, full of ups and downs and ultimately came to an abrupt end no one could have predicted.

The outbreak of the corona virus has led us to quickly re -shape our relationship with the world and has shaken everything we considered as normal. That coupled with the killing of George Floyd and the protests that followed it have make it quite a strange time to work on this thesis. However, it has made me more resilient and my belief in the social responsability we must have as architects has been never been this strong.

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