complexity and clarity
this is not a contradiction
taryn bone sci_arc m.arch one year one 2011-2012
Introduction
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applied studies (as) concrete experimentation
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visual studies (vs) techniques of representation 1 techniques of representation 2
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cultural studies (cs) the rise of the neo-humanists? research paper: todai-ji temple
design studio (ds) tony smith transformation 45 hyde park branch library 49 adolf loos: steiner house 57 silver lake residence 63
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complex:: (adj) hard to separate, analyze, or solve (noun) a group of obviously related units of which the degree and nature of the relationship is imperfectly known
clear:: (adj) free from obscurity or ambiguity, easily understood; unhampered by restriction or limitation; (verb) to make intelligible
With no intention of discrediting my professors who had their own functionalist agendas, I came to the conclusion that after four years of studying it, I had no clue what architecture was until I entered SCI-Arc’s walls. Everyday is a struggle for me to ascertain where I stand in this newly discovered discourse.
I stand for architects who do it all. Architecture should consider the whole as well as the parts. The parts should be separate, while also being intertwined and inescapable from one another. As an architect I aim to develop the entire project. Every detail, major and minor, should have the touch of the architect to make the project successful. I stand for architecture that is alive. Architecture should breathe and always be attune to its surroundings. Buildings should live like those whom they shelter and are created by. Architecture has the right to be fickle. Even the best architects have projects that do not work well or fit into that architect’s particular stance. We attempt to explain these anomalies away as trials, research, or unfortunate mistakes, but in the end, is it not the fickleness of the architect? The world is fickle, so to think that architecture should be so serious and know exactly what it wants to do at all times is naïve.
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I stand for complexity and clarity. Isn’t this contradictory? In my mind it is not because the complex nature of layered space and elements can have an intriguing simplicity. Venturi may believe contradiction is a requirement for architecture, but I strive to develop complex elements that produce clarity instead of confusion.
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concrete experimentation The purpose of this assignment was for teams of students to experiment with the strengths and weaknesses of wood, plastic, metal, and concrete. My team chose concrete due to its plasticity and, because we were eager to learn, our lack of knowledge of the material. Though the process brought us through numerous ideas, working through small scale models proved non-effective with a material as brittle as concrete. It was not until we began mixing the first batch that we realized the importance of understanding the material’s weaknesses.
between the two kept the rubber from curing. After this incident we changed part of our design in
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order to make the framework out of wood.
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An unfortunate trial with foam as a mold for rubber left us in a lurch when the chemical reaction
The final result was never what we intended in any of our design processes, which taught us a great lesson about working with real materials. The whole exercise was seen as an experiment in material testing, team work, and design build methods. Team: Taryn Bone Scotty Carroll James Chamnankijmongkol David Forrest Garrett Santo
teammate James displaying three varying positions of final concrete module
Initial Investigations The project began by researching the potential benefits and drawbacks of concrete as a material for architectural construction. Concrete’s disadvantages (most notably its relative associations with actual and perceived heaviness, weakness in tension, as well as the static and monolithic conditions) were analyzed with the intent of improvement. While simultaneously seeking to capitalize on the material’s advantages (such as its amorphousness, comparative low
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cost, and strength in compression) a focus was placed on the use of a flexible joint.
10 Initial Testing A search for the optimal joint for deployment within this project led to a testing of three potential options: the ‘folding’ metal hinge, the ‘pivoting’ textile, and the ‘ball and socket’ metal wire joints. Testing ultimately continued with the wire joint because the other two systems lacked the desired level of elasticity, proved less durable, and had more necessary parts or an overly intrusive planarity, respectively. The wire joint maintained a minimal interference in the concrete unit by its thinness while also attaining a strong connection via its threaded composition and its ability to create a loop within the unit that would bond easily and be gripped by the interstitial concrete.
below: precedent, leather laminated between two pieces of wood acts as a hinge opposite: three variations of the hinge for experimentation
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Initial Proposal outcome of variability was sought at the scale of an overall form. The ability of the module to fold
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After gaining an understanding of how a joint connecting units could affect the module, an to fluctuating degrees of openness created a transition from a wider structural zone to a tapering surface zone. The open part created a dimension of space containment while buttressing the narrower part that delineated space.
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diagrams representing various enclosures proposed for our prototype
Developed Proposal Rather than having the project develop solely along two axes, a vertical variance was engaged to optimize the cantilevering potential of the system. A slight inward shift at each level with a half module offset and a progression from more to less opened modules created separate conditions of wall and roof, inside and outside, as well as structure and projection without the clearly traceable zone boundaries of traditional architectural construction.
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Final Proposal While experimenting with the options presented by a flexible joint, a discovery was made about how dependent the limitations of the final form were on the individual mold and unit. To take advantage of pre-mixed concrete’s essential formlessness and to present the opportunity for a more intelligent overall form, a curve was introduced to the individual unit. In addition to
for achieving the same height was lessened and, consequentially, so was the total weight. The innate fluidity of the concrete was harnessed to aid in creating a system that challenged the material’s (typically) undesirable qualities.
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where layers overlapped with those beneath them. Likewise, the necessary amount of material
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visually breaking up the module and the overall form via apertures, active zones developed
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diagram of the three different modules with varying thicknesses and bulges next spread: images of final forms
Built Structure Three units of varying curvature and height, with the variable curves being dependent upon their own height due to structural considerations, were employed to comprise the modules of the final form(s). The three different modules provided the opportunity for exponentially different visual effects within a single form. The formwork for constructing the three different modules was made by manually cutting a slight curve for each unit out of wood. The curves all had the same radii at the points of curvature; however, they were placed apart from one another as necessary for
in these multiple piece open-faced molds. When the curing was complete, the drilled-in pieces were removed so that they modules could be taken out; then the pieces were drilled back in so that the mold could be resealed and lubricated for another pour.
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were the mitered wood insets and form-fit pieces to seal the mold. Concrete was then floated
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the units to be structurally sound. These were then attached to a separate flat piece of wood as
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visual studies
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techniques of representation 1 This introductory visual studies course was an in-depth investigation of visual representation of conventional architectural techniques. The course brought everyone to the same standard when using line weights, building models, and taking section cuts. The seminar began by representing three intersected boxes in clean model form and with a set of
latent geometry, sections, plans, elevations, and axonometric/obliques. The final drawing was to take all of the representations of our object and compile them into an analytique drawing, considering composition, and creating new representations where needed, in order to fully describe the object. Though I had worked in line weights before this course, and was very familiar with drawing axonometrics, elevations, and cutting sections, this course taught me the value of being incredibly particular with these seemingly simple methods in order to create beautiful drawings.
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rest of our descriptive drawings throughout the semester. I chose a toy bug of which I drew the
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elevations. After such, we moved forward by each selecting a small, complex object to use for the
from top to bottom: horizontal section through object; vertical section through object; side elevation of object
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turning the section of the object into a conceptual building section with tubes utilized for the majority of circulation needs. next spread: analytique drawing
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techniques of representation 2 The intent of this course was to use both top-down and bottom-up approaches to looking at architectural problems. In this way a synthesis can be developed out of the thesis generating its opposite. In the course, grasshopper was used as a tool to create these processes (bottom-up), and then the outputs were manipulated (top-down) until a satisfactory result was achieved. The course began with creating small towers with grasshopper definitions, set within a 3”x3”x6” bounding box. These towers gave us a trial at using the new program as well as introducing us to a
and to cut or score the contours in acrylic, color them, and stack the box together. In my design, I chose to use two intersecting toruses, both being manipulated by control points within the box. I chose to color only one of the toruses, blue and green. The green being where the toruses intersect one another. The final assignment was a group project to design a city. My group looked at Calvino’s “Invisible Cities” and Banham’s “Four Ecologies” to begin our process. We were interested in the intertwinement that we saw in Los Angeles and the idea of the city being multiple cities in one. This is where our city of Civitatem was born, to tell the narrative of a place in which there are two very separate, but intertwined parts which rely on an intermediary city to pass from one to the other.
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The next assignment was to design figures using grasshopper within a 6”x6”x6” bounding box
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bottom-up process.
tower designed using grasshopper; laser cut black museum board
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grasshopper used as a tool to create two toruses rotated about one another and transformed by control points within the cube; front and side view
team: Taryn Bone Scotty Carroll Garrett Santo Jordan Squires
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civitatem The Civitatem people, once a universally rational body, followed a strict logic in laying out their metropolis. They called it Cogitavit, and every aspect—from the smallest window to the tallest tower obeyed their predetermined axiom. Never mind whether a visitor approached from the North, South, East or West, she felt an instant understanding for the township and its people. As whispers spread and letters dispersed, Cogitavit reached its boundaries on all sides as masses from near and far sought out the stability of such a place. Tangible reason accumulated atop itself. For a short while, the Civitatem were satisfied with their lucid city. The region, however, was not exempt from the nature of rebellious youth suffering from the monotony. In an effort to save themselves and future generations from such stifling
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jadedness. Those born into this or that tower, which one it was mattering little, tired of
their elders chose to remain, the youth constructed freeform enclosures that connected via winding paths, opened into large galleries from compressed hallways, and allowed them the freedom to be lost. For many years, the juxtaposing cities lived interwoven with one another, the residents of each refusing to extend the first ramp or open the first doorway to the other world. Luckily for each, a third generation was born. Seeing the right and wrong in the opinions of each, the youngest Civitatem sought to connect Labyrinthum back to Civitatem. Only seeing perfect unrestraint in the birds that occasionally landed in the streets below or flew within the space frame of their guardians, the youngest Civitatem dreamed up a new city. This mobile city, given the name Nexu, was given no predetermined paths. Instead the city below invited their young descendants with places to perch their mechanical birds; likewise, their parents offered them long runways upon which to descend. Only those open to both worlds were able to experience a balanced life. Yet, they felt most at home in Nexu, a place neither here nor there.
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totalitarianism, the burgeoning citizens renamed the city Labyrinthum. Above Cogitavit, where
cultural studies
The Rise of the Neo-Humanists?
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“put a better quote here” Architecture can be envisioned in many ways: in the context of intelligent critique, as a form of art, or rather an environment meant for people. In a world full of technology changing the discourse in almost every field on a daily basis, the obvious thought is that our world would become less humane and more virtual (think more video game, less Deleuzian.) There are, however, many contemporaries in the field of architecture that are calling for the utilization of these new digital constructs as tools rather than as a new style of architecture. These neo-humanists will shift the discourse in architecture from a purely autonomous and quantitative attempt at architecture to a more humanistic approach. Perhaps the most humanist approach is that of projective architecture as described by Somol and Whiting. Humanist in the sense of having a desire to respond to a population’s social and economic needs by designing the environments where they live, work and play in attempt to affect the local politics. This is something accomplished by the architect, who is no expert on any of these issues, but rather an expert on design. (pg 75) Projective architecture does not attempt to solve societal problems, but rather to create environments where people can interact with each other and their surroundings to escape the pitfalls of society. In this sense, Diller, Scofidio, and Renfro’s (DS+R) Blur Building could have been a perfect example of virtual NeoHumanist architecture if it had been allowed to follow through with its intended digital interactive components as mentioned in Gannon and Hayles’ “Virtual Architecture, Actual Media.” (pg 17) Sylvia Lavin is another example of a Neo-Humanist. She believes that pure abstraction in architecture is banal and representative of free corporate expansion. (pg 18) Minimalism is not humanist, as Sylvia points out, because it is blank, meant merely as something you bump into when you back up to see art (or in the case of capitalism, when you back up to decide which item you wish to purchase at one of the million department stores in any given city.) Minimalists align more with the Sensationalists because the intent of minimalism is to shock, which makes it anti-human. Instead, Lavin seeks architecture as environments that offer human proportions and feelings to the people who encounter the building. In the case of the MOMA, the museumgoer is seen as an obstacle that is required to be constantly and swiftly moved along toward the gift-shop at the end because, after all, this is capitalism, and modern architecture epitomizes our capitalist ways. (pg 19) Tafuri made this same argument
with his observation that capitalism would not allow for a humanist approach to manifest because the focus is on the production of capital, therefore overlooking the human experience. Lavin suggests that in spite of our capitalist environment (here a museum), with a little care and the human touch (in her case, that of a digital art experience), humanism can be achieved Wes Jones, unlike Somol and Whiting, is not fully against digital production and critical architecture in his search for the Neo-Humanist approach, he disagrees primarily with the pure quantitative approach of parametricism that Patrik Schumacher advocates. Neo-humanism, according to Jones’ theories, is achievable by utilizing new digital techniques while allowing the architect full reign to make his/her own decisions—in other words, Jones calls for the human touch. (pg 13) This is a valid argument because an algorithmic approach would rarely, if ever, produce something on its own that is conducive to human proportions and interactions. This exemplifies the fact that neo-humanism calls for digital technology as a tool and not a way of life. It should not hinder or take the architect out of the design process. Andrew Zago sides with the Neo-Humanists only in his strive for utilizing technology as a tool rather than a way of design. Zago calls for contemporary architects involved in developing new architecture to become masters of technique rather than believing that computational design and fabrication tools are a self-justifying methodology. (pg 211) Mastery of quality is crucial in the digital age where every new high school graduate can create anything they can imagine with computer programs. This is not to say that Zago or any of the Neo-Humanists are anti-digital, but all realize the mistake of relying on these new digital technologies rather than relying on their own mastery of architecture. Despite the aforementioned similarities Zago has with the NeoHumanists, his quest for the awkward calls for something which is not humanistic at all. The awkward is a place between the purely digital and the Neo-Humanist. It is a place where there is no need for critique, yet is not projective. The awkward does not conform, act, or allow itself to be compared to anything else. It is…awkward. Interesting to this is the idea of the simulacra, in which the differences are the most important in determining simulacra from a copy. What is the awkward then if it refuses to be compared? Zago explains the awkward as a series of inexplicable instances that harness unpredictable effects. (pg 42) Based on the definition that Zago lays out, Tafuri would align with the awkward because of his believe that eccentricity is the only form of authenticity. (Tafuri:1969) Tafuri was a proponent of humanist architecture, but he would have
Greenberg, Clement. 1988. “The Collected Essays and Crticism: Perceptions and Judgements.” Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press. Hayles, N Katherine and Todd Gannon. 2009. “Virtual Architecture, Actual Media.” Jones, Wes. 2010. “Big Forking Dilemma: Contemporary Architecture’s Autonomic Turn.” Harvard Design Magazine. Volume 32, Spring/Summer 2010. Pp. 8-17. Lavin, Sylvia. 2010. “Kissing Architecture.” Point. Princeton University Press
Meredith, Michael. 2011. “For the Absurd.” Log 22. Somol, Robert and Sarah Whiting. 2002. “Notes Around the Doppler Effect and Other Moods of Modernism.” Perspecta, Volume 33. Pp. 72-77. Tafuri, Manfredo. 1969. “Toward a Critique of Architectural Ideology.” Contropiano 1. January-April 1969. Zago, Andrew. 2010. “Awkward Position.” Perspecta, Volume 42. Pp. 209-223.
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political weaknesses. The ideas are there, and that is the first step. If the economy turns around and building begins again, these kids, and the many others who will exist at this time will begin a new era in architecture. Why the departure from critical architecture? As the strongest contemporary promoter of architectural autonomy, Peter Eisenman is undoubtedly baffled. There comes a time when the world has focal shifts and the needs of the society change. This is what has been occurring in the post 9/11 world. At this point, people are so scared of everything that it makes zero sense to plop scary architecture, often non-conducive to the human scale, into the landscape and force the timid souls to live, work, and play in it. Now is the time to bring a new humanist movement to the world. We have been through a terrible recession where building practically ceased and now we find ourselves at the apex of the revolution which Tafuri was seeking. If this turns out to be the case, then the time will come for the Neo-Humanism to truely emerge.
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never sided with Somol and Whiting’s projective architecture because he believed that humanism could only succeed when building ceased and there came a revolutionary period. Is this why humanism is making a comeback? Are we now in this time of revolution? With the post 9/11 downturn of the economy and the imminent halt in almost all domestic building followed by an almost non-existent middle class and most currently, the Occupy movementperhaps this is the exact era that Tafuri was arguing for. In which case, he would support the Neo-Humanists. (Tafuri:1969) Another aspect of Tafuri’s argument, which enlightens the side of the Neo-Humanists, is when he states that industrialization, while attempting to help society, actually ruins it. Today, parametricism could be seen as this new industry. Expected by Schumacher to be utilized as a more efficient way to create architecture, the sameness of it all could eradicate the humanity of cities. While striving to be autonomous these critical-digital architects could actually make architecture unnoticed and blasé. Another possibility is architecture so awkward that humanity feels juxtaposed in their own environments that they become uncomfortable and ruined. Is this the intention of such god-complex architects as Eisenman, Schumacher, Hadid, and previously Le Corbusier? Or is the anti-humane a by-product of their search for autonomy (in the case of Eisenman and Corbusier) or for interesting form (Schumacher and Hadid)? One way to describe the humanist versus the purely digital or critical approach to architecture would be going back to Greenberg’s argument of kitsch versus Avant Garde. (Greenberg : 1944) One may consider the new algorithmic architecture to be the Avant Garde today because of its seemingly new approach to creating architecture through digital media, but according to Greenberg, mechanical reproduction is what brought kitsch to life. Now more than ever we have the most quality means of reproduction. The digital approach to architecture without any humanist care is kitsch. Who then are the Avant Garde today? If it were to be anyone, it would be the Neo-Humanists because in a society that is so utterly digital laden, these contemporaries are calling for a way of the past; in other words: anti-capital, pro-society. In our highly capitalistic civilization this is a new, Avant Garde idea. The kitsch today (parametrics and other forms of digital architecture) lacks the human touch and will cause society to crumble. The Neo-Humanists, specifically Wes Jones, Sylvia Lavin, Robert Somol, and Sarah Whiting, can do something for society by their new approach to humanism. This is the attempt of Somol and Whiting’s projective architecture, Lavin’s thesis of “kissing,” and Jones’ “big dilemma.” These current Avant Gardes have the potential to better architecture, perhaps society as a whole, if they can maneuver through the logistics of our current
Todai-ji Temple Complex: Nara, Japan
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In central Japan there lays an ancient city called Nara. The Nara period was a time at the turn of the 8th century during which there were huge advances in Buddhist temple size, elaboration and number, according to Alexander Coburn Soper, III. Similar to Korean and Chinese predecessors, the Japanese temple does not stand alone. Instead the temples are built into magnificent complexes with a main centralized temple surrounded by many other building types, creating an axial movement through the complex. Such a technique is often seen with temple types throughout Western history. Inside Japan’s ancient Buddhist city, there can be found what is referred to as the “seven great temples of Nara.” One of the great temple complexes of Nara, named Todai-ji, houses what is still the largest wooden building in the world, the Daibutsuden, or as it is more commonly called in the West, Great Buddha Hall. In his article, “Some Aspects of Japanese Architecture” Walter Dodd Ramberg describes how Japanese architecture consists mostly of post and beam construction using only wood, even though a plethora of suitable stones for building can be found throughout Japan. Considering that the accidental burning down of structures was a persistent problem, it is intriguing that the ancient Japanese constructors chose to build only in wood. Was it merely out of tradition, based on an established knowledge, or was it the Japanese artistic tendency towards the natural? Within this debate, there is also a sense that geographical isolation allowed Japan to develop its own cultural identity separate from that of its early Chinese influence. This paper will thoroughly detail the formal aspects of the Daibutsuden, emphasize the importance of the roof in Japanese architecture, discuss some of the buildings housed on the Todai-ji compound, and compare the building types of Japan to those of the West. The Daibutsuden Erection of the Great Buddha Hall began in 747 CE and was completed in 751 CE. The creation of the Great Buddha Hall, in Soper’s view, was an attempt by Emperor Shomu-tenno to make one focal point for Buddhism. Therefore, the Daibutsuden was meant to be a shrine and “realm protector” to the great Vaircana (the Buddha of Universal Sunlight.) In “Temples of Nara and Their Art,” Ooka points out that the reason for the temple’s enormous size is the fact that it was built to house a sixteenmeter (52 feet) high image of Vaircana. The completion of The Great Buddha Hall marked the first time in history that a building had reached such heights
(Fig 1). In addition to the completion of Daibutsuden at Todai-ji being a new architectural achievement, it is also believed to have been a great engineering feat. Modern research shows that once a hill, which was the height of the Vaircana statue, stood at the exact location of Daibutsuden. According to Kakichi Suzuki, the hill was leveled before The Great Buddha Hall could be erected. The Great Buddha Temple of Todai-ji cost so much to build in the 8th century that Japan remained fiscally and emotionally exhausted so that most built after was less ambitious in its architectural and engineering aspirations. According to Soper, the critical dimension in any Eastern building is its depth because of the dependence upon the length of timber for its girders. This potentially caused much of Japan’s great economic drain following the erection of Daibutsuden. The Roof of Todai-ji Complex Perhaps the most significant formal aspect of the Japanese Temple type is found within the structure of the roof. It is here that a building of such high status can be tectonically expressed through its bracketing system. According to Mary Neighbour Parent in “The Roof in Japanese Buddhist Architecture,” various complexities of bracket systems are used where the wall purlins and transverse beams join the pillars, strengthening the point at which the three components connect (Fig. 2). This tectonic device plays the dual purpose of creating an aesthetic exterior, as well as a magnificent interior devoid of a traditional ceiling (Fig 3). The three bracketing system is common among Japanese Buddhist temples during the Nara period. However, according to Parent, the six-stepped bracket system is characteristic to Daibutsu style (sometimes erroneously translated as the “Indian” style, though no traces to India can be found), built by Chogen during the restorations of Todai-ji at the latter part of the 12th century and currently found only in the Main South Gate and the Great Buddha Hall at Todai-ji (Fig. 4-5). This system utilizes big solid wedges at the corners to create the characteristic strongly curving eaves, as seen in the Todai-ji belfry created a generation later (Fig. 6). It can often be observed that temples with strongly curving eaves are tectonically accentuated with the addition of more curling elements at the corners of the hip on the roof. This adds a further aesthetic to an already intriguing tectonic device. These curling portions can be seen on the restoration versions of the Main South Gate, the Great Buddha Hall, and the Belfry at Todai-ji. Ramberg states that there has been little variation in form for Japanese building from the temple type due to similar building techniques, with the exception of the roof. He reinforces this argument by stating that the
Inoue, Mitsuo. “The Baroque Tendancies in the Horyuji Style of Architecture.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, May 1969. Pg 124-132. “ Interior Space.” Japan Architect, June 1964. v 39, pg 44-67. Omari, Kenji. “ Great South Gate of Todaiji.” Japan Architect, May 1965. v 40, pg 80-89. “On the Belfry of Todaiji Temple.” Kokka, December 1934. v 44. Pg 327-349. Ooka, Minoru. Temples of Nara and Their Art. 1973. New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill/Heibonsha
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.Parent, Mary Neighbour. The Roof in Japanese Buddhist Architecture. 1983. New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill/Kajima. Ramberg, Walter Dodd. “Some Aspects of Japanese Architecture.” Perspecta, 1960. v 6, pg 34-47. Reynolds, Jonathon. “Teaching Architectural History in Japan: Building a Context for Contemporary Practice.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Dec 2002. Pg 530-536. Soper, Alexander. The Evolution of Buddhist Architecture in Japan. 1942. New York: Hacker Art Books. 1979. Suzuki, Kakichi. Early Buddhist Architecture in Japan. 1980. Tokyo, New York, and San Francisco: Kodansha International Ltd. And Shibundo.
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Figure 6
tiered majesties are the image generally thought of as ancient traditional Japanese architecture. The pagodas once sat just in front of the Great Buddha Hall slightly to the left and right of it, helping to cast hierarchical importance of the Daibutsuden at the center of the plan. They each had their own corridors and gates and were located outside of the main cloister area (Fig. 8). The Great South Gate is the only building on the Todai-ji complex that still stands in its entirety from the 12th century. It is through the Great South Gate that we can learn about Chogen’s Great Buddha style of architecture. In Ooka’s opinion, Chogen’s main priority was efficiency of construction. He states that Chogen “standardized the building materials, employed a simple method of engineering and made extensive use of penetrating ties,” which were an extremely economical way to strengthen the structure. These later inventions by Chogen make some of the previously mentioned bracketing techniques more aesthetic rather than required for structural purposes. According to Parent, the gate dates to 1199 and is a huge two-story, five-bytwo bay building with a hip and gable roof. Soper mentions that the gateway was another building type that was standardized during the Nara period with little changes; however he believes the Great South Gate to be an impressive and individualized instance, partially due to the six-stepped roof bracketing system. The belfry tower at Todai-ji is unique due to the layering of multiple styles in its building techniques as well as exhibiting a drooping verge, which Parent doubts was intended when it was first built because this style is typical of a much later period. According to Parent, the belfry was built by Chogen’s predecessor in the early 13th century and is a mixture of the Zen style from China and the Daibutsu style of Japan. The many aforementioned technical aspects of the 6-stepped bracketing system are what make this belfry unique. Conclusion It is apparent through the formal study of the Todai-ji temple complex of Nara, Japan that there is a certain aesthetic that emerges from particular tectonic moves. Even in a culture which still relies on the simplicity of post and beam structures, there can be found certain intelligence in the spatial aspects of their buildings as well as a high degree of craftsmanship which makes simple moves read all the more magnificently. It has been previously stated that certain building types were standardized during the Nara period and it can be concluded that the importance of the roof in Japanese architecture developed at the same time.
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accomplishment of the Japanese architect is through his or her “quality of craft and deft manipulation of the traditional vocabulary of architectural forms.” Since the roof is of such importance to ancient Japanese architecture, a look at the interiors is warranted to see what sort of aesthetic manipulations these tectonic decisions can create. The result is magnificently high ceilings adorned with a complexity of interlocking beams and brackets. These brackets, as can be seen in the image of the belfry (fig 7), are where the architect took liberties to add aesthetic details. Such details are the scalloped edges on the beam end nosings and the boat style single and double brackets. These brackets assist the beams to further span across the space, but could have more easily been cut rectangular, instead of the aesthetic decision to make them rounded. Western Comparisons In the “Evolution of Buddhist Architecture in Japan,” Soper suggests that from the bracketing systems, arise a decorative form on the façade, as is apparent in the curling elements which mimic the deep curving eaves. He goes on to compare the interior expression of the roof form in Japanese temples to that of the Gothic style in the West. A comparison of the Japanese bracketing system to the Gothic can be accomplished in hypothesizing that the stereonomy of the skeletal structure so indicative of a Gothic Cathedral is more or less the same device as the Japanese bracketing method that makes the roof of such aesthetic importance through purely tectonic decisions. Reading the plan of Todai-ji, particularly the Daibutsuden, one can begin to also see a sense of hypostyle, if comparing it to the early architecture of Western culture. This is due to the required support needed for a building so large with a massive wooden roof above. The center of the building remains unadorned by columns; instead this is where the great statue is placed. The centralized plan can be compared to Western dome churches of the Middle Ages. With no intention of inferring that the Japanese borrowed from the West, instead implying that the idea of open centers is more poetic and less tectonic to any culture in which there is a high regard to that which is holy. Other important buildings in the Todai-ji Complex Though the Great Buddha Hall is the most well known structure at Todai-ji, there are many others that hold architectural significance and help establish order and hierarchy to the overall layout of the complex. The buildings that indicated the greatest hierarchy were the pagodas. Unfortunately the great East and West Pagodas were never restored after being destroyed by fires in the 16th century. According to Suzuki, the pagodas took twenty years to complete and were about 100 meters (328 feet) tall. The seven-
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tony smith transformation The precedent of Tony Smith’s “Smug” was a highly useful tool for a beginning studio as it has
flexibility of the system. In my transformation, I chose to exploit the tetrahedron joints by forcing unequal sides and created a system of flipping the direction throughout the piece. I also played with the lengths of the stretched octahedrons. The results acheived were two distinct transformed hexagonal grids (from the top view) which I used extensively throughout my library project later in the semester.
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at what could be created from simple geometry, while the tetrahedrons as joints exemplified the
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extreme complexity within a simple exterior. The stretched octahedrons allowed for a variety of hints
top view of tony smith transformation
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top: elevation of tony smith transformation bottom: section cut through tony smith transformation
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diagram showing how interior forms were derived
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The intent with this project was to utilize the precedent of Tony Smith’s “Smug” sculpture to 4 Le ve l
reference geometry and inherent interactions within the form of the library. My process takes on
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utilizes this abnormal geometry to create internal forms. Once these faceted volumes emerged, I was interested in the diverse spaces which they could create against something more orthogonal. Therefore I juxtaposed them with a glass bounding box. From this arose the opportunity to reference the latent geometry of the interior forms in a skin, not only providing structure but also helping to visually break up the box.
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los angeles library hyde park branch
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transformation of Tony Smith grid into layout for building skin
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layout of building skin
1. children; 2. adult; 3. garden; 4. reading room; 5. reference; 6. librarian office; 7. comm room; 8. friends room; 9. circulation; 10. teen; 11. men’s restroom; 12. womens restroom; 13. new books/magazines; 14. main entrance; 15. staff restroom; 16. staff lounge; 17. work room; 18. storage; 19. janitors closet; 20. electrical room; 20. temporary meeting space
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from top to bottom: longitudinal section; transverse section through garden atrium; transverse section through central corridor.
top: sectional model, view of back entrance bottom: small scale model of complete library
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initial diagrams for possible program layout. 1. idea of a centrally contained continuous functional poche; 2. square sheared by geometry derived from baroque church mixed with Tony
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As a precedent for a single family house project, I looked to the works of Adolf Loos to examine
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raumplan analysis steiner house its use of forced movement within plan and section, clear front to back articulation of spaces, and the use of the envelope as a container holding individualized spaces. Since reading Loos’ manifesto “Ornament and Crime,” I have had an affinity for his concepts and a desire to further analyze his drawings and spaces. In my analysis I broke down aspects of Raumplan as a whole through Loos’ multitude of projects focusing in particular on the Steiner House.
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the elements of Raumplan. The most useful and interesting aspects of Loos’ Raumplan are
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left: multiple spatial analyses of the Steiner House based on geometric and proportional relationships below: transformation from Palladio’s Villa Cornaro into Loos’ Steiner House
axonometric breakdown of the functions of Raumplan: individual compartmentalization of space, relationships of doors and windows within the space, building as an object/container, and forced movement in plan and section
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silver lake residence: the tension between raumplan and plan libre Raumplan is: the interior reflected on exterior container which holds and emphasizes precise compartmentalized spaces. Of these, there is always a meaningful center to the house of which all other rooms atomize off of. Raumplan intentionally exhibits multiple readings of space.
through space allowed by no reliance on load bearing walls.
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This project deals with interpreting certain elements of Adolf Loos’ Raumplan and reconciling them
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Plan Libre, similar to Raumplan, has clear front to back movement, but differs in the free circulation
with aspects of Le Corbusier’s Free Plan. In the project, the tension of discrete, yet free space stretches between two similar, but distinct facades. There is a clear front to back reading diverted by vertical movement where the atomized space indicative of Raumplan can be seen in the transverse sections. Likewise, the expansive free movement known by Free Plan can be seen in longitudinal section. Like Raumplan, this project holds a meaningful main living area off of which all the other spaces grow. As Loos once said with regard to Raumplan, “There are no floors, just connected rooms; the transition between rooms must be imperceptible.”
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top: section AA bottom: section BB
top: model depiction of circulation in Loos’ Steiner house bottom: model representation of idea of circulation as a pathway and mediator between a two bar type structure, allowing for horizontal and vertical pavilionization
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top left: development model representing the connection of facades to the extrusions top right: model representing the intersections of the extrusions bottom: final model on site, view from silver lake boulevard
top: section FF bottom: section DD
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top: section EE bottom: section CC
process diagrams