TH E C H U R C H OF T HE NO N - B E LIE V E RS
B U I LD I N G CONTEXT A N D PR OPOS AL “Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Graduate Diploman in Architecture: Building Context & Proposal (5.0)” “Leeds Metropolitan University, Faculty of Design and the Built Environment, School of Art, Architecture & Design” DECEMBER 2009
Tom P ar t r id g e D e c e m be r 2 oo9 PG2
T OM PART RI DGE The Chur c h o f t h e Non-Believers ( Bui l d i ng Co ntex t & Pro p osal) Postgraduate Di pl om a i n Archi te c t ur e Leeds M et Uni versi ty | School of Archi tecture, Desi gn & Landsc ap e
2o o 9 - 2o 1o
“Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Graduate Diploman in Architecture: Building Context & Proposal (5.0)” “Leeds Metropolitan University, Faculty of Design and the Built Environment, School of Art, Architecture & Design” DECEMBER 2009
The Church of t h e Non - Be lie ve r s
C O N T EN TS P_o4
1. N a r r at ive
P_o 5 -o 8
2. Si t e O p t ion s
P_o 9- 16
3. Si t e I n f or m at ion
P_1 7 -3o
4. P r e c e d e n t S t u d ie s
P_3 1- 32
5. Q ue s t ion n air e
P_3 3- 46
6. De s i g n T h e or y
P_4 7 -5o
7. B r i e f
P _ 51
8. B i b l i og r ap h y
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N A R R AT IV E I n t o d a y ’s mu l t i cul tura l , l a rgel y secul a r so ci ety, relig ious arch itecture pla y s a r e l a t i v e l y i nsi gni fi ca nt ro l e, co mp a red to the rest of hu man history. H owe ve r, a s a n a t h e i s t m y sel f, I a m a w a re o f the “sp i ri tual” impact a relig ious bu ilding , suc h as a c a t h e d r a l , c a n h a v e o n a p erso n. The a rchi tecture itself can create th e feeling of “ s p i r i tua l i ty ”, a nd i t i s thi s w hi ch I wish to explore.
T h ou g h t h e t i t l e u s es the term “church”, w hi ch i m plies religious conn otations, I in t e n d t o k e e p t he b ui l d i ng no n- rel i gi o us. I a m interested in the concept of “ s p i r i t u a l s p a ce” ra ther tha n rel i gi o us a rchi tectu re. Th e bu ilding will b e p r o g r a mmed a cco rd i ng to the so ci a l a nd cu ltural con text.
S IT E CHOIC ES I deci de d f r om a n e a r l y s t a g e tha t I w a nted a v ery tig h t s it e f o r t h e b u i l d i ng. I fel t tha t a t ight s it e woul d g i v e mo r e o pp o rtuni ty fo r a challe n g in g d e s i g n , a n d a l s o mea n tha t a grea t e r le ve l o f u n d e r s t a n d i ng o f sp i ri tua l spa ce de s ig n w o u l d b e r e q u i red , a s v a stness o f spa c e is t h e i mme d i a t e t h o ught tha t co mes t o mi n d. I have c h os e n 3 p o t e n t i a l s i t es i n Ma nchester t o i nve s t ig at e . T h e s i t e s w e r e cho sen d ue to t hei r siz e an d s u r r o u n d i n g c ul tura l co ntex t.
S i tes 1 & 2 are both based in Manchester’s N o rthern Q uarter. T h e North ern Qu arter, often referred to as th e ‘ Creative Quarter’ , is well kno w n fo r i ts culture and creative in du stries. Po p ul a ted mostly by bars, restau rants, desig n stud i o s, fa shion outlets an d boutique shops. The a rea i s occupied almost 24 h ou rs-a-day, with p eo p l e ei ther sh opping , eatin g , drin k ing or so ci a l i si ng. S i te 1 i s l o cated on a relatively quiet street, b etw een the bars of North ern Qu arter an d the hi gh street sh ops of Mark et Street in Ma nchester city centre. Developmen t on the si te ma y p romote further development on the street, a s most of th e bu ilding s presen tly a p p ea r to b e un u sed.
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Sites 1&2 in Manchester’s Northern Qu arter
1
2
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S i t e 2 i s a l so l o ca ted i n N o rthern Q uarter, t h o ugh i s o n a b usy cro ssro a d s b etween 5 bars, 2 r e sta ura nts a nd a j ew el l ers. H ere I feel th ere m a y b e a grea ter j ux ta p o si ti o n b etween bu ilding t y p o gra p hi es a nd so ci a l a cti v i ti es. Site 3 is l o c a ted o n Ma rket S treet; thi s i s the main c o m merci a l street i n Ma nchester, a nd is also h o me to the Arnd a l e Centre, w hi ch is the l a r g est sho p p i ng p reci nct i n Ma nchester. T h e street i s mo stl y o ccup i ed d uri ng shopping h o u rs, 9 a m – 5 p m, tho ugh ha s a co nstant fl ow o f t h ro ugh tra ffi c a t a l l ho urs o f the day, du e to i t s c o nnecti o n w i th Pi cca d i l l y S q ua re Garden s, w h e re the ma i n b us d ep o t i s. The site itself is c u r r entl y ho me to p a rt o f a n H MV music store, w h e re a s si tes 1 & 2 a re currentl y in u se for car p a r ki ng. Al l 3 si tes a re w el l co nnected to t r a n sp o rt l i nks, b ei ng w i thi n 1 0 minu tes walk f r o m Pi cca d i l l y S q ua re Ga rd ens, Pi c cadilly Train S t a t i o n, a nd the Ma nchester Tra nsport I n t e rcha nge.
Arn
dal
e C ent re
Ma
rke
t St ree t
3
Site 3 on Ma r ket S treet i n centra l Ma n chester
o8 Site 1: just on the edge of Northern Qu arter an d also very close to the commercial cen tre of Manchester. Th e “ch u rch � would be th e key attraction to th e street, as most of th e other building s on the street are presently n ot in use.
1 Site 2: located between several bars an d restau rants on a relatively busy crossroads in Northern Qu arter. Th e area is bu sy at all hou rs of th e day due to the surrou n ding sh ops, stu dios, accommodation, bars an d restau rants. Here th e cultural & social con trast wou ld be more prominent.
2 S i te 3 : l o c ated on the main sh opping street i n Ma nchester; Market Street. The co ntrast between sh opping cu lture and sp i ri tua l ity wou ld be th e main attraction for usi ng thi s site. The street is on ly populated du rin g co mmercial hou rs (9-5), with the exception o f thro ug h traffi c in the even ing s.
3
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1o
SIT E IN F O R M AT I ON
I h av e cho sen S i te 2 fro m my p rev iou s options, as I b e l i e v e t h i s s i t e o ffers the grea test p o tenti a l fo r th e su ccess of the “ch u rch �. T h e 2 4 h r na ture o f the si te, a s w el l a s the surrou n ding social co ntex t p ro v i d es go o d d ri v ers for design .
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SI T E L O C AT IO N
SITE AREA: 171.52m²
NORTHERN QTR. Restaurant & Bar
THE MARKET Restaurant SOCIO-REHAB Bar
KOKU-MOKU’S Coctail Bar
ALFRED E. MUTTERS Jewellers
O B
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UK
MANCHESTER
NORTHERN QUARTER
DD r
ET
H
E TR
S
IG
H
M
O
TH
HUNTERS Take Away
AS ET
RE
ST SITE; corner of High St + Thomas St
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S IT E H IS T O RY 1854
1893
19o6
1943
1954
2oo9
14
The development of the Northern Quarter in Manchester was rapid, previous to the 1854 map, shown over leaf, was a map by William Green, published in 1794, which illustrates virtually no development in the area. As you can see from the 1854 map, the area was as built up then as it is now. Surprisingly the building fabric in this area has remained almost completely unchanged for the past 150 years. The most noticeable change being the demolition of the Smithfield Market in 1973, also the Fish Market has recently been converted into apartments by Stephenson Bell Architects, though the footprint and facades of the original building still remain. In the bottom-right of the 2009 map you can see that an NCP car-park has been built where a warehouse once stood, and the Arndale Centre multi-storey car-park has replaced workers’ housing (left side of maps). During the Industrial Revolution, Northern Quarter offered work, and was home to, a growing immigrant population in Manchester. “Half of the people registered in New Bridge Street Workhouse were Irish Catholics…A small area of Chorlton on Medlock was known as ‘Little Italy’ on account of the numbers of Italian immigrants who lived there…they formed the largest part of the Smithfield 1 Market labour force.” Northern Quarter was characterised by its polarity of wealth and poor. The area was home to British poet and author Isabelle Varley Banks, she lived on Oldham Street, the right side of Northern Quarter, above her father’s pharmacy. She wrote in her book The Manchester Man: “…every house on Oldham Street (all good private residences of the Gower Street stamp)…” 2 implying the respectability of the area. Where as, Friedrich Engels describes the area of Shude Hill, which is in the right hand side of Norther Quarter as being squalid: “Here the streets, even the better ones, are narrow and winding, like Todd Street, Long Millgate, Withy Grove and Shude
Hill, the houses dirty, old, and tumble-down, and the construction of the side streets is utterly horrible.” 3 This area, however, was vibrant and full of life and saw the birth of modern Manchester’s night-life; “crowds of shoppers and sightseers… ..most were open and the main streets were lit up and packed…there was the added incentive that after midnight the food became cheaper… ..on a single day in 1870 it was estimated that up to 20,000 people went Shude Hill” 4 Another feature of the area, which has remained today, was the emergence of youth culture during the early 20th century. Street dancing with “dozens of young people performing polkas, waltzers and scottischers to the music provided by Italian organ-grinders.” 5 During the Second World War, Manchester city centre was heavily bombed. The city’s money and resources concentrated on the redevelopment of the centre, and therefore areas such as Northern Quarter became rundown and neglected over the next 20 – 30 years. Though due to the neglect this meant that rent was cheap and an independent alternative community of artists, designers and musicians were about to establish themselves there. During the 1980s Manchester had a vibrant music scene and Northern Quarter became a refuge for alternative and experimental musicians; “A community, of sorts, had developed around music-makers wedded to experimentalism, from Andy Votel to Waiwan, nurtured at club nights such as Graham Massey’s Toolshed and Mark Rae’s Counter Culture…in 1992, Frank Schofield and Martin Price (of 808 State) had lamented the fate of the independent record shop, yet within five years there were several new record shops in Northern Quarter.” 6 Presently Northern Quarter is known as a home to creative industries, commercial art galleries, fashion designers, design agencies, clothing wholesalers, as well as having bars and restaurants, the area is populated virtually 24 hours-a-day.
15
SIT E C O N T E XT
BA RS / C L U B S
CAFES / RE STAURANT S
R ETA I L
ART / DESIGN / P HOT OGRAP HY
T h e a r e a h i g h l i ghted i n these ma p s d i sp l a y approximately 30% of N o r t h e r n Q u arter, I ha v e cho sen thi s p a rti cular part of th e area as i t h a s a m i x o f d i fferent i nd ustri es, a nd i s, i n my opinion, exemplifi es N o rthern Q ua rter i s a b o ut. T h e s i t e i s a l so v ery w el l co nnected w i th surrou n ding tran sport lin k s , b e i n g w i t h i n 1 0 mi nutes w a l k o f Pi cca d i l l y Train Station , P iccadilly S q u a r e G a r d e n s ( b us a nd metro sta ti o n) , a l a rge multi-storey car park a n d t h e r e c e ntl y co mp l eted Ma nchester Transport Interchan g e.
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SIT E C O N T E XT Site is located within 10min s walk ing distan ce from all major transport n etworks in central Manchester.
T R A N S P ORT C ON N E C TI ONS
TRANSPORT INTERCHANGE
SITE
MULTI-STOREY CARPARK
PICCADILLY SQUARE Bus & tram stop
PICCADILLY TRAIN STATION 2 minute walk
ANDO ZUMTHOR GAUDI
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OLDHAM STREET ME T H O D IS T C H URCH MI NI - PRE CE DE NT Lo c at e d wi t h i n 5 m i n u t e s w a l k fro m my si te, Ol d ha m S treet Me t h odis t C h u r c h i s p o s i ti o ned o n o ne o f Ma nchester’s b u siest st r e e t s , an d i s a l s o o n e o f Ma nchester’s mo st succesful chu r c h e s . T h o u g h a p p a r entl y v ery sma l l , fro m the rel a tively d is c r e e t e n t r a n c e , t h e b u i l d i ng i s mo stl y hi d d en b ehi nd th e shops on O l d h a m s t r e e t a n d i s ca p a b l e o f ho l d i ng up to 4 con g r e g ati o n s a t a n y o n e ti me. The b ui l d i ng i s i n use 7 days a w e e k , an d w h e n n o t u s e d fo r church p urp o ses i s hi red out for c om m u n i t y a c t i v i t i e s a nd cl a sses, i . e. sa l sa d a nci ng.
SITE
OLDHAM ST Methodist Church
EN T R A NC E O F F O L D H A M S TREET
MAIN HALL + BALCONY
CEILING WITH ROOF LIGHTS
STAGE + SCREEN: previously a cinema? Christian Methodist Church Open 7 days a week Central Manchester High street location
TA
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TA D A O A N DO S ILENCE IS GOD. Ta dao A n d o ’s a r c h i t e c t u r e i s a b o ut the po we r of s i l e n c e , t h i s i s ex emp l i fi ed i n the des ig n of h i s c h u r c h e s . He w ri tes: “Th e “ ar c hi t e c t u r e o f s i l e nce” i s int r os pe c t i v e . T h e m o o d c rea ted b y si m plic it y e x u d e s a n a t mo sp here o f har m on y a n d a n a p p e a l f or si l ence, ne c e s s ar y f o r e x p e r i e n c i ng the b ea uty o f empt in e s s .” 7
The Chu r c h of the Light , Osaka, Jap an
His in fl u e n c e s c o me f r o m the Chi nese t ra dit ion o f b u i l d i n g o u t of necessi ty, v o i d of e m be llis h m e n t o r d e c o ra ti o n. H e ci tes Sen an qu e A b b e y i n F r a n c e a s o ne o f hi s infl u e n c e s f o r t h e d e s i g n o f the ‘Church o f t he L ig h t ’, t h e A b b e y i s p la i n a nd v o i d o f dec or at ion o r c e l e b r a t i o n , a nd there a re no relig iou s sy mb o l s w i t h i n the a rchi tecture. Th is m ak es t h e p l a y o f l i ght o n surfa ces i n t he s pac e e x p l i c i t .
Thi s und erstanding of space, lig h t an d also geo metry combined with tradition al C h inese b el i efs mak es An do’s ch u rch es particu larly p o w erful . “Ch inese architectural space is a seri es o f closed worlds, and is fou n ded on geo metry. In the C h inese u n iverse th e E arth i s co nsi d ered square an d h eaven roun d. Th ese tw o sha p e s provide th e basic g eometrical fra mew o rk for An do’s building s.” 8
The nave of Senanque Abbey France
In the Ea st emptin ess is fulln ess, and co mp l eten ess, in reaching th is fu lfilmen t a b stra cti on from the n atu ral world is necessa ry. Th e abstraction comes in th e form o f the geometric ordered world created by man , w hi ch i s also a more spiritu al world. “B ecause the Go d head is defi n ed in Zen as a fl owin g to gether of all th ing s in th e ‘ noth ing ’ , in th is eq ua ti o n, ‘ suchn ess’ coin cides with ‘ emptiness’ . H o w ev er, ‘ noth ing ’ in th is context is the precise o p p o si te of the nihilism with which it is often co nfused in the West. On the contrary, An do trea ts emptin ess as a kind of divin e fu lln ess w hi ch i s absolu tely life-affi rmin g .” 9
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TA D A O A N DO GEOM ETRY The ‘ C h u r c h o f t h e L i g h t ’ a nd the ‘Church o n the Wat e r ’ (a s w e l l a s t h e ‘ C ha p el o n Mo unt Rokk o’) ar e d e s i g n e d u s i n g si mp l e geo metri c r el at ion s h ips . “ T h e C h u r c h o f the Li ght c onsi s t s of t hr e e 5 .9 m c u b e s ( 5 . 9 m w i d e x 1 7 . 7 m lo ng x 5. 9m h i g h ) ; w h i l e t h e Church o n the Wa t e r is m ore c o mp l e x , h e r e the l a rge 1 5 m s qua r e s pac e o f t h e c h a p e l i s o v erl a i d b y a s malle r 10m s q u a r e o n o n e co rner w hi ch i t ov erlaps by 5 m . T h e p o o l c onsi sts o f tw o 4 5 m s qua r e s (45m w i d e x 9 0 m l o ng) . The p ro p o rti o n of ea c h s pac e c a n b e r e d u c e d to a si mp l e ra ti o … .. 1:3 : 1 f or t h e C h u r c h o f t h e Li ght, a nd 3x 3 + 2x2 f or t h e C h u r c h o n the Wa ter. ” 10
H o w ev er, for Ando g eometry within a rchi tecture is n ot ju st abou t assurin g co rrect proportion, “…an architecture that ha s b een tran sformed from someth ing ex tremely abstract an d constru cted a cco rd i ng to a rigorous g eometry to so methin g representational an d bearin g the i mp rint of th e h u man body.” 1 2
Geom etry vs N ature
G eo m e t r y is a c o mmo n d e s i gn to o l i n the hi sto ry of ar c h it e c t u r e , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n rel i gi o us buildin g s . F o r e x a m p l e t h e use o f the ‘go l d en section ’ h as f e a t u r e d i n a r t and a rchi tecture si nce t h e R e n a i s s a n c e . I n t h e ca se o f the N o tre D ame C at h e d r a l i n P a r i s ( 1 16 3 - 1 2 3 5 ) “The enti re f aça de is in g o l d e n r e c t a n g l e p ro p o rti o n. The lower por t ion o f t h e f a ç a d e is encl o sed b y the sq uar e of t h e g o l d e n r e c t a n gl e a nd the to w ers are e n c los e d b y t h e r e c i p r o ca l go l d en secti o n rectan g le . F u r t h e r, t h e l o w er p o rti o n o f the f aça de c an be d i v i d e d i n t o s ix uni ts, ea ch anot h e r g old e n r e c t a n g l e .” 11
Church of th e L igh t; interplay of ligh t a nd shade against th e smooth con crete surfa ces.
‘ SPAC E I S
TA
NOT E M P T I NE SS,
SPAC E I S SI L E NT,
Chu r c h O n T h e Wa t e r ; s i n gl e p o i nt p ers pe c t ive f o c u s e s o n t h e cro ss o ut i n the w at e r
AND SI L E NC E I S GOD’
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TA D A O A N DO SACRED S PACE Th e u s e of w a l l s i n ‘ T h e Church o n the Wa t e r ’ an d ‘ T h e C h u r c h o f the Li ght’ i s key i n de fi n in g s a c r e d s p a c e a ro und the b u ildin g s . D i s t a n c i n g y o ursel f fro m the o u t s ide w o r l d i s k e y i n a rri v i ng a t sp i ri tua l spac e , an d t h i s p r o c e s s , wi th And o ’s ch u r c h e s , i s s u b t l e a n d g ra d ua l . Bo th ch u r c h e s h a v e i n c o m p l e t e ex terna l w a l l s a r ou n d t h e m, i n t h e c a s e o f the ‘Church o n the Wat e r ’ , t h e w a l l i m p l i es the ex tents o f the c h u r c h e s s a c r e d s p a c e, “A l a rge L-s h ape d co n c r e t e w a l l o n tw o si d es se par at e s t h e c h u r c h a n d the p o nd terra ces fro m t h e s u r r o u n d i n g l a nd sca p e a nd cl ea rl y es t ablis h es a b o u n d a r y f o r the church p r e c in c t . ” 13 . T h e w a l l b o th co nta i ns the ch u r c h , as w e l l a s f r a mi ng the surro und i ng lan ds c ape , a n d c o n n e c t i n g w i th i t. The w a l l t hat par t ia l l y s u r r o u n d s the ‘Church o f the Lig h t ’ c u ts b a c k i n t o t h e b ui l d i ng, crea ti ng a m or e dir e c t r e l a t i o n s h i p w i th o utsi d e a nd ins ide , c on n e c t i n g t h e i n terna l sa cred sp a ce t o t h e e xt er n a l c o n fin e s o f the church. Th e “ Walls… p r o v i d e f r a mes tha t i so l a te the sa c r e d s pa c e f r o m i t s i m med i a te su r r ou n di n g s , i n d i c a t i n g tha t thi s i s a wor ld in i t s e l f .” 1 4
Church of th e L igh t
Chapel on Moun t Rok k o
C h u r c h o n t h e Wa t e r ; N ature fra med b y g e om e t r y Chapel on the Water
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TA D A O A N D O A BSTR ACTION OF N AT URE “I n t h e We s t , a s a c r e d s p a c e i s tra nscend enta l . Howe ve r, I be l i e v e t h a t a s a c r ed sp a ce must b e relat e d in s ome w a y t o n a t u r e, w hi ch ha s not hin g t o do w i t h a n i mi s m o r p a nthei sm. ” 1 5 D espi t e t h e ob v i o u s r e j e c t i o n o f na ture w i thi n his ch u r c h e s , n a t u r e i s d r a wn i nto the b uildi n g via mo r e a b s t r a c t m etho d s. As w i th a ll of A n do’s d e s i g n t h e s u b tl e d eta i l s o f hi s d esi g n of t e n h a v e p o w e r f u l effect. The mo st p romin e n t s y m b o l i n b o t h c hurches i s the cross, an d via t h i s s y m b o l h e d ra w s na ture i nt o h is bu ild i n g s . I n t h e c a se o f the ‘Church o n t he Wat e r ’ t h e c r o s s i s p o si ti o ned o ut i n t h e w at e r, w h i c h t h e c h u r c h si ts “o n”, a nd ha s t h e b ac k dr op o f t h e s u r r o u n d i ng na tura l l and s c ape , f r a m e d b y t h e e x terna l w a l l s o f t h e ch u r c h . D e s p i t e h a v i n g w a l ked i nto the d a rk c los e d i n t e r i o r o f t h e c oncrete church, f ocuss in g on t h e c r o s s g i v e s y o u a n i ncrea sed a wa ren e s s of t h e n a t u r e s u r ro und i ng the churc h , ye t w h i l s t h a v i n g t he feel i ng o f segre g at ion f r o m n a t u r e . “ By fra mi ng na ture wit h w alls , A n d o s e e k s t o g eo metri ci se i t, to make it m or e a b s t r a c t . I t s a bstra cti o n co rre s pon ds t o ma n ’s w i l l , a nd i t i s thi s w hi ch make s it s ac r e d .” 1 6 The ‘ C h u r c h o f t h e L i g h t ’ a l so uses the cro ss a s a way of br i n g i n g n a t u r e i nto the b ui l d i ng, t h oug h w it h a n i n v e r s e l o g i c to tha t o f the ‘Chur c h on t h e Wa t e r ’ , h e r e ra ther tha n the cross pu s h in g o u t i n t o n a t u re, ra ther i t i s the a pertu r e c r e a t e d b y t h e c r o s s tha t d ra w s nat ur e in t o t h e c h u r c h . “ T h e cro ss cut o ut i n t h e con c r e t e w a l l a t t h e f r o n t o f the Church o f t h e Lig h t … loo k i n g a t t h e c r o ss o ne sees b ey o nd i t… an d air s w i r l s i n t h r o u g h the o p en cro ss f ro m t h e ou t s i d e .” 1 7
P R E C ES S I O N Ea ch chur ch in volves a gradual distan cin g fro m the ou tside world: 1.
Tra v ellin g from the n atu ral world to the groun ds of the “sacred” domain .
2.
Tra ns ition from the external “sacred” d o ma in to with in the walls of th e church.
3.
Into the main hall of th e chu rch , from w hi ch there is always a view back to the natu ral world, framed by th e ex tents of the chu rch .
Thi s j o urney/precession is k ey in d i sta nci ng yourself from the ou tside world a nd fi nd i ng yourself in a spiritu al space.
AG
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A N T O N I G A UDI TH E EXPIATORY C H URC H OF TH E S A G R A D A FA M I L I A Ant on i G au di w a s c o m mi s s i o ned to d esi gn the E xpiat or y C h u r c h o f t h e S a gra d a Fa mi l i a followin g t h e r e s i g n a t i o n f r om the p ro j ect of his pr e de ce s s o r F r a n c e s c d el Vi l l a r. Thoug h , at t h e t i me , G a u d i ha d o nl y o ne c omm is s ion to h i s n a me , h e ha d o v erseen the desi g n w or k a s d e l Vi l l a r ’s a ssi sta nt. The desi g n of t h e c h u r c h w a s i n tend ed to b e i n the st yle of t he G o t h i c r e v i v a l , a nd Ga ud i wa s ke e n t o c o n t i n u e t h i s .
There is also an unusual asymmetry in the building design, which is not immediately apparent; the present 4 towers are grouped in to 2 pairs, however one of the pairs are slightly closer to each other than the other 2. Gaudi is renowned for never explaining his design intentions, and it is possible (though highly unlikely) that this is due to a construction error, though I believe that the intention is to avoid perfection and try to give the composition of the building a less ordered aesthetic, making it closer to nature in form. The bible scenes depicted on the cathedral are not beautifully crafted sculptures, as might be found in Rome, Gaudi intended them to be actual depictions of real people and real life; “It was in Gaudi’s studio on site that people came to be photographed in front of mirrors…plaster casts were made directly from the subjects. Chosen to represent the true character of society, the range of subjects included healthy individuals, the physically afflicted through to the bizarre, such as still-born babies.” 19
G audi in t e n d e d t h e d e s i g n t o b e l i tera l i n i ts refl ec t ion of l i f e . T h e c a t h e d ra l i s hea v i l y d eco r at e d wit h r e p r e s e n t a t i ons o f l i fe a nd nat ur e , u n lik e A n d o , n a t u r e i s no t repre s e n t e d t h r o u g h a b s t r a c ti o n, ra ther, t h e cat h e dr al a p p e a r s t o b e enti rel y ‘o f nat ur e ’, it ap p e a r s t o h a v e g r o w n fro m the gro un d lik e s t a l a g m i t e s . T he S a gra d a Familia “ … is a n o r n a m e n t a l y et l i tera l mirror of n atu r e u s i n g z o o mo rp hi c gargo yle s , f r u i t , h e r b s a n d pa l ms fro m t h e L e van t c a r v e d i n r e l i e f . The co unt e r we ig h t s t h e m s e l v e s t ermi na te a s giant e ar s of c e r e a l s , w h i c h sti l l grew i n the fiel ds s u r r ou nd i n g t h e b u i l d i ng w o rks. ” 18
A fri eze usi n g c as t s of r e al p e op l e on t he S agr ad a Fam i l i a
The interior of the building is cave-like and the columns in the nave and the transepts reach up to the ceiling like trees towards light, the architecture is positively noisy in comparison to Ando’s ‘architecture of silence’. “…Gaudi managed to claw away the stone into an abstract and illusory world of grottos, caves, mountains and heavens…” 20
26
A N T O N I G A U DI
Tree l i ke col um ns
In ma n y ways, however, Gaudi’s in tentions a re not too distan t from An do’s, thou g h the a pproach is entirely different. B oth a rchi tects have framed and geometricised na ture; An do th roug h a sort of passive a b straction , where as Gaudi th roug h d el i b e rate mimesis, th ou g h not an a b so l u te mimicry. T h e colu mn s, thou g h tree l ik e, are still in ordered rows and are sy mmetrical, the whole building has a stri ct plan, everything appears con trolled a nd o bviou sly built throug h desig n . Tho ugh Gau di could h ave mimicked na ture more closely, to con trol natu re is l i ke p laying God, an d I believe th is is h ow Ga ud i in tended to make h is cath edral, not j ust spiritu al, but divine.
The caves w i thi n G i b r a l ta Rock
Tor t oi s e f r om t he c ol um n bas e
27
S ANTA EU L A L IA C AT H E DRAL C E L E B RATI N G N AT U R E Al s o in Bar c e l o n a i s t h e S anta Eul a l i a Ca thed ra l , w hi ch has an open atrium with foun tains, the s ou n d o f r u n n i n g w a t er a nd p a l m trees gro i ng up throug h the space, arou n d the edge a re c ollon ad e s , i n w h i c h a r e shri nes to v a ri o us sa i nts. I feel th ese elemen ts, in corporatin g na t u r e , als o c r e a t e a v e r y sp i ri tua l sp a ce.
PZ
29
P ET ER Z U M T HOR THE B RUDE R K LAUS K A P P EL E P eter Zu m t h or i s a v e r y t a c t i le a rchi tect, hi s buildi n g s de a l w i t h m a t e r i a l i ty, sp a ce a nd c o nt ex t , as a p o s e t o c o n c e p t a nd abstra c t ion . T h o u g h , a s w i t h the Brud er K laus C h ape l, i n G e r m a n y, o ften a p p ea r abstra c t an d c o n c e p t u a l . T h e ch ape l in a fie l d , i n M e c herni ch, Germa n y, is d e d i c a t e d t o t h e p a tro n sa i nt o f Swit ze r lan d, S a i n t N i k l a u s v on Fl üe ( b etter k n own as Br u d e r K l a u s ) . “ H e w a s a p ea sa nt and a s oldie r w h o f o u g h t a s an o ffi cer i n the victor iou s w ar s o f t h e C o n f e d era tes a ga i nst the co u n t s of H o b s b u r g a r o u n d 6 0 0 y ea rs ago” 21 T h oug h m ar r i e d w i t h 1 0 c h i l d ren, he w a s persua de d t o r e t r e a t t o a l i f e o f so l i tud e b y P ri est H e im o a m G r u n d ( w h i ch i n Germa n and S c h wiz z e r d u u t s c h r e f e r s to “ho me” a nd “g ro un d” ). “ A f t e r r e q u e s t i n g a nd o b ta i ni ng permis s ion f ro m h i s w i f e D o r o tea , Brud er K laus w e n t off t o l i v e , a n d d ie, i n a ra v i ne, in a cr e vas s e .” 2 2 Bruder K l aus Chapel
Desp it e t h is r i c h h i s t o r y o f p o tenti a l design / c on c e p t d r i v e r s f r o m B rud er K l a us’s w el l- t r ave lle d l i f e , Z u mt h o r ha s hi s o w n m ethodolog y f o r d e s i g n , w h i ch rel a tes v ery n ot on ly t o t h e c o n t e x t , t h e s i te a nd hi s own u n de r s t a n d i n g o f a r c h i t e ctura l sp a ce and hi s ow n ex p e r i e n c e , w h i c h he w a nts to bri ng f or t h in h i s d e s i g n : “When I [Zu m t h o r ] I t h i n k a b o ut a rchi tecture, image s t o c ome i n t o my m i n d . Ma ny o f these image s ar e c o n n e c t e d w i t h m y tra i ni ng a nd w ork as an ar c h i t e c t ...S o me o f the o ther image s h ave t o d o w i t h m y c hi l d ho o d . There w as a t im e w h e n I e x p e r i e n c ed a rchi tecture w it hou t t h in k i n g a b o u t i t . S o meti mes I ca n almos t f e e l a p a r t i c u l a r d o o r ha nd l e i n my h and... I u s e d t o t a k e h o l d o f i t w hen I w ent int o m y au n t ’s g a r d e n .” 23
In a n i nterview with Zumth or, by Stefano Ca sci a ni , fo r www.Arqu itectura.pt, Zumth or sa y s: “After w e b u ilt th e Ch apel, a few Swiss people ca me to me an d said, ‘ Of course this dark emp ti ness with on ly a few strips of ligh t, co mes fro m th e fact th at B ruder Klau s’s life i n a cel l d ug into a rock !’ An d I said, ‘ No, that’s no t the rea son.’ An d th ey said, ‘ Oh well, then i t’s l i ke a tower in reference to B ruder Klau s’s ca reer a s a soldier!’ An d I said, ‘ No, that’s not w hy, I w a sn’t th ink ing th at.’ Rath er, I was thi nki ng i t was important for the ch apel to ri se up v ertically in order to stan d ou t from a fa r, a ga i nst th e open , level fields with th eir few und ul a tion s. It n eeded to mark its terri to ry. ‘And what abou t th is circu lar plan i nsi d e, a nd the cu sp-shaped exterior? Doesn ’t tha t ha v e to do with th e wh eel of Sain t N i cho l a s, the symbol h e meditated u pon d a i l y ?’, ‘N o , it’s not related to th at.’ ” 24 H e go es o n to explain: “Of co urse i t happens that an au th or writes, p a i nts o r b uilds thing s that h e doesn’t k n ow a b o ut, ha sn’t seen or heard of, but th at are sti l l w o rth on e, th ree or ten differen t i nterp reta ti on s” 25
Peter Z umthor’s Sketch Plan of th e C h apel.
Cesci a ni sum mises; “Th e only vision th at Z umtho r b elieves is arch itecture. Th e only l a ngua ge hi s building s speak is th at of th eir co nstructi o n an d materials…T h e layers of cement a re 24 becau se th at’s the nu mber of d a y s i t to o k the commission er an d h is h elpers to ma ke them.” 26
3o
P ET ER Z U M T H OR THE B RUDE R K LAUS K A P P EL E This pr ac t i c a l , me t h o d i c a l a nd ri go ro us app r oac h t o h i s a r c h i t e c t u re ha s p ro d uced a cha pe l wit h i n ma n y w a y s ca rri es si m ilar it ie s / t h e m e s p r e s e n t i n And o ’s a nd G au di’s c h u r c h e s . H i s c h a p el b ri ngs na ture wit h in t h e c h a p e l , t h o u g h a b stra ctl y a nd co n t r olle d. T h e t r e e t r u n ks a re o rd ered i n a ve r y par t i c u l a r p a t t e r n , tho ugh they a re not n e at ly s a w n t i m b e r s , t hey a re l eft a s t ree t r u n k s , a n d b u r n t o u t i n- si tu. The use of g e om e t r y a n d r a t i o n a l fo rm o n the ex t e r ior of t h e b u i l d i n g w ith the co m pr e s s e d c o n c r e t e s h e l l , gi v i ng the cha pe l a s e n s e o f s i l e n c e a nd the d el i b era te int e n t ion of ma n ’s w i l l , a s w i th And o ’s cha pe l. T h o u g h , u n l i k e G a ud i a nd And o , Zumt h or ’s c h a p e l d o e s n o t ex p ress o n the out s ide , w h a t i s h a p p e n i n g i n si d e. I bel ie ve t h is i s k e y t o t h e e ffecti v eness o f t he t in y c h a p e l , y o u r e x p e cta ti o ns o f the cha pe l as y o u a p p r o a c h , a re thro w n o ut of t h e win d o w o n c e y o u e n ter i t. The sp ac e in s id e i s s o m e w h e r e co mp l etel y di f f e r e n t , w h i c h p e r h a p s rel a tes b etter t he s u r r ou n d i n g c o u n t r y s id e tha n the ex t e r ior wo u l d h a v e y o u i n i ti a l l y b el i ev e. This e f f e c t , i s a g a i n v e r y si mi l a r to And o ’s unde r s t an d i n g o f t h e r e l a ti o nshi p b etw een sp ir it u alit y a n d n a t u r e , y o u a re ta ken a w a y f ro m n at u re , o r i n t h e c a s e o f the Brud er Klau s C h ap e l , b e l i e v e y o u a re mo v i ng a w a y f ro m n at u re , t o fin d t h a t i n si d e y o u a re co n f r on t e d w i t h i t . T h e p ro mi nence o f the cha pe l wit h i n i t s s u r r o u n di ngs a l so a l l o w it t o c r e at e i t s o w n s p i r i t u a l sp a ce a mo ngst t he lan ds c a p e , i t “ ma r k s i ts terri to ry ”.
Laye r s of c o mp r e s s e d c o ncrete, the ho l es le f t f r om t h e s h u t t e r i n g a l l o w sha rd s o f lig h t t o fi l t e r i n t o t h e i n terna l sp a ce.
S e c t i on i nd i c at i ng d i f f e r e nc e i n he i ght s
4 x H UM AN S CALE
H UM AN S CALE
32
Q U ES T IO N N AI RE
THE QUES TI ON N AI RE In or de r t o e s t a b l i s h a n i d ea o f the b el i efs o f the c u r r e n t d e mo g r a p h i c o f p eo p l e w ho ma y us e m y ‘c h u r c h ’ , I c o n d u cted a n o nl i ne surv ey. The pu r po s e o f t h e s u r v e y w a s to hel p me i nf or m t h e p r o g r a m o f m y b ui l d i ng, the p os s ible us e s a n d f u n c t i o ns tha t i t co ul d serv e. The qu e s t i o n s I c h o s e w e r e to esta b l i sh w hether, thou g h I b e l i e v e c u r r e n t so ci ety to b e secul a r i n the ir be lie f s , t h e c e r e m o ny a sp ect o f cul ture, wh ic h is d e r i v e d f r o m r e li gi o n, i s sti l l rel ev a nt. T h e qu e s t i o n s w e r e : 1 ) Will you e v e r g e t ma r ri ed ? 2) Is a funeral religious? 3 ) D o you b e l i e v e i n G o d ? The fi r s t q u e s t i o n “ Wo u l d y o u ev er get ma r r ie d? ” , w a s c h o s e n b e ca use I thi nk, fo r mo s t pe op l e , ma r r i a g e i s sti l l a key p a rt o f l i fe, soc ie t y and c u l t u r e , i r r e s p ecti v e o f cul tura l b ac k g r ou nd . H o w e v e r, t ra d i ti o na l l y, i n a ny \ re lig ion , m a r r i a g e r e q u i res a p ro mi se ( i n the for m of vo w s ) m a d e i n f r ont o f Go d . Ob v i o usl y, i f t h e r e is n o b e l i e f i n G o d the p ro mi se i s som e w h at v o i d . T h e r e f o r e, i ncrea si ngl y, ma r r iag e s a r e c o n d u c t e d w i th v o w s p rep a red b y t h e par t n e r s i n v o l v e d , a nd a l so the ce r e m on y i s c o n d u c t e d a t a regi stry o ffi ce, wh ic h t o m y m i n d , i s o f t e n a p a rti cul a rl y no n - s pir itu a l , i l l -a p p r o p r i a ted sp a ce. 7 0 % o f the pe ople w h o a n s w e r e d the surv ey sa i d tha t the y wou ld g e t ma r r i e d , w hi l st 8 4 % o f p eo p l e wh o an s w e r e d d o n o t b e l i ev e i n Go d ; so the v a st ma jor it y o f t h e s e w e d d i n g ceremo ni es a re l i kel y to be n on -r e l i g i o u s . The s e c on d q u e s t i o n “ I s a funera l rel i gi o us?” wa s as k e d b e c a u s e I a s s u m e tha t ev ery o ne a t som e poin t i n t h e i r l i f e , p refera b l y a t the end , wi ll be h av i n g a f u n e r a l . S o the q uesti o n w a s a s k e d t o s e e w h e t h e r p e o p l e tho ught o f thi s ce r e m on y a s r e l i g i o u s , i .e. rel i gi o us ceremo ni es i m ply e xist e n c e o f h e a v e n/hel l , fo rgi v eness, etc. I e xpe c t e d mo s t p e o p l e t o a nsw er ‘Yes’ to thi s q u e s t ion , a s I a m u n a w a r e o f ma ny p eo p l e w ho ha ve h ad n o n -r e l i g i o u s f unera l s, ho w ev er, su r pr is in g l y a n d b e n e fic i al l y, 8 4 % o f p eo p l e sa i d ‘ No’. W h ic h i mp l i e s t h e m a j o ri ty o f the funera l ce r e m on ie s f o r my g e n e r a ti o n w i l l b e se c u lar / h uma n i s t .
These resu lts are h igh ly beneficial to my p ro j ect, as they inform th e fu n ction ality o f my ch u rch , as well as un derpin the i mp lied requiremen t for su ch a bu ilding . Tho ugh I’ m u sin g this project to facilitate my own research in to the design of sp i ritu al space, withou t religious co nnotations, this su rvey has enabled the co ncept of a ‘ C h u rch for the Non-B elievers’ to have relevan ce and validity in a real co ntext.
?
DESIGN THEORY
PR O C ES S IO N AN D THE S P IR IT U A L RE AL M
34
ROUTE TO CHURCH (Precession)
SPIRITUAL REALM
I h ave l e a r n t f r o m Ta d ao And o ’s w o rk, the w a y he b uilds layers of “sacred space”, w or lds w i t h i n w o r l d s , tha t the l a y eri ng o f sp a ces surr ou n ding the focal poin t within t h e bu il d i n g , e x t e n d s b ey o nd the ex tents o f the p hy si cal building . It is important to c r e at e t h e i mp r e s s i o n o f a p p ro a chi ng so methi ng “sa cred”. T h erefore, within the design of m y c h u r c h I n e e d t o co nsi d er the ex tents o f a ‘sp i ritu al realm’ aroun d th e ‘ ch u rch of t h e n on-b e l i e v e r s ’ a s wel l a s the p recessi o n to w a rd s i t. T h ou g h Tadao Ando tries to s u r r ou n d h i s c h u r c h e s w i th na ture, a nd rel a tes them back to it, I do not have th is pr ivile ge . D u e t o t h e lo ca ti o n o f my si te, cl o se to Ma nch ester city cen tre, and surrou n ded by bar s , r e s t a u r a n t s , ga l l eri es, b o uti q ues, etc, thi s co n text will become my “n atu re”. Th e pr oc e s s o f w a l k i n g t o the b ui l d i ng need s to i nv o ke ex pectation s of how the building migh t be , an d b e g i n t o s t a r t the v i si to r o n a menta l j o urney before th ey even set foot in the bu ilding . T h e r e f o r e , t he v a ri o us ro utes to w a rd s the bu ilding will inform how the building s h ou ld a d v e r t i s e i t s e l f to the v i si to r w a l ki ng a l o ng th at rou te. However, un lik e with An do an d G au d i , w h e r e t h e o utsi d e o f the church i s a cl ea r representation of th e inside, and w h at t h e c h u r c h i s a b out, I b el i ev e o n a sma l l sca l e, a s with P eter Zumth or’s B ruder Klau s K appe le, t h e o u t s i d e s h o ul d b e d ecep ti v e. I b el i ev e this deception cau ses th e visitor to f or m a c l e a r e x p e c t a t i o n o f the i nsi d e, a nd y et fi nd them self in a completely other world, w h ic h t a k e s t h e m e n t i rel y a w a y fro m w here they w ere before.
35
FOCUS
Lo okin g at t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b etw een a co ngrega ti o n a nd a relig ious bu ilding , th ere are two d istin c t g r oup s w h i c h r e l a t e to fo cus. In a l l ma j o r rel i gi o n s the purpose of the religious b uildin g is t o a l l o w t h e c o n grega ti o n to meet a nd p ra y to w ards their deity(ies), the prayers a re u s u ally l e a d b y a n a u t h ori ta ti v e fi gure, i . e. a v i ca r. Bec au se of th is, th e chu rch / mosqu e / syna g og u e / t e mp l e / e t c . i s o rga ni sed i n such a w a y tha t the mass of th e people sit or kn eel centr ally w ith i n t h e b u i l d i n g a nd fa ce fo rw a rd s to w a rd s a focus, su ch as a shrin e or altar, this a r e a is u s u a l l y a l s o g i v en a rchi tectura l hi era rchy, o ften with h igh er ceiling space. Mosque
S y na go gue
C h u rch
Tr a d i t i o n a l Qu a k e r H o u s e
Mo d ern Q ua ker H o use
Unitarian Ch u rch
The ot h e r g r o u p o f r e l i g i o u s co ngrega ti o n o rga ni se themse lves in a completely differen t wa y, t h is g r o u p i s m u c h s m a l l er, a nd i ncl ud es Q ua ker meetin g hou ses, and Un itarian church e s . T h e s e g r o u p s b e l iev e i n eq ua l i ty a nd no t hi era rchy, n o sin g le person leads the cerem on y/ w o r s h i p . T h e f o c us i s o n the co ngrega ti o n i tsel f n ot a deity, th erefore, th ey sit in a ci rcle . T h e f o c u s f o r p r a y er i s ei ther the centre o f the ci r cle, or it moves aroun d th e circle a s p e ople ar e i n v i t e d t o l e a d. I b el i ev e tha t sp i ri tua l i ty i s quite an in ward aspect of h u man na t ur e an d t h e r e f o r e i n p r a y er a nd co ntemp l a ti o n i t i s i mp ortant to focus, to ign ore outside d istr ac t ion s a n d t h e o u t s i d e w o rl d . In thi s w a y a rchi tecture can have a powerfu l affect on p eo pl e , if t h e b u i l d i n g i s d e s i gned i n such a w a y tha t a fo cus is made explicit an d surrou n din g d i s t r a c t i o n s a r e ma d e o b so l ete, a sp a ce co ul d become high ly spiritu al. P erh aps why Tadao An d o ’s c h u r c h e s a re so successful . I t hin k in m y ‘ C h u r c h o f t h e N o n- Bel i ev ers’, a s there i s no deity, or worship, th e focu s should be m a d e c e n t r a l t o t he b ui l d i ng/p o tenti a l co ngrega tion.
36
HIER A R C H Y O F S PACE
S pac e s wit h i n r e l i g i o u s b ui l d i ngs a re gi v en hi era rchi es. Th e most importan t space being the gr an de s t i n s c a l e r e l a t i v e to the surro und i ng sp a ces l ea din g to it. T h roug h ou t h istory often p r e c is e r a t i o s a r e u s e d t o go v ern the sca l e o f these sp a ces. The Baye u x c a t h e d r a l , i n Fra nce, ha s a l a rge centra l na ve, the scale of th is nave is twice th at o f t h e n e ig h b o u r i n g a i s l es. The a rches a nd w i nd o w s co mprise of bu ild-ups of smaller arch for m s , e ac h o f w h i c h i s t wi ce the si ze o f the p reced i ng form. In th e case of th e Novara cat h e dr al, I t a l y, t h e n a v e i s 3 ti mes the si ze o f the a d j o i n ing aisles, an d there is a fu rther a is le be yo n d t h a t w h i c h i s tw o - thi rd s the si ze o f the ma i n aisles. Th e scale of th ese spaces com par e d t o h u m a n p r o p o rti o n i s v a st. If the si d e a i sl es are approximately twice the heig h t o f a pe r s on , t h e ma i n a i s l es a re 5 0 % l a rger tha n tha t, a n d the n ave is in turn 3 times th e size o f t h e m ai n a i s l e s , y o u c an i ma gi ne ho w ea ch sp a ce i s i ncreasing ly more impressive an d awe i ns pir in g i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e p rev i o us. Thi s gi v es the v i sitor the in creasing impression th at th e y ar e g e t t i n g c l o s e r t o so methi ng fa r grea ter tha n the mselves, as they may be able to re lat e t o th e h u ma n s c a l e o f the fi rst sp a ce they enter, thou g h are dwarfed in comparison to th e fi n al sp a c e , t h i s e x p e ri ence i s und o ub ted l y humb l i ng .
N AV E
4.o 2.o 1.o
Scale = Aisle x2
N AV E
AISLE
AISLE 3 .o
BAYEUX CATHEDRAL
FL O O R L E V E L S D if f er en c e i n fl o o r l e v e l s a ls o im p l i e s h i e r a r c h y o f sp a ce s.
HOUSE
SYNAGOGUE A S S E MB LY
1 .o
o.6
H E I R A R C H Y O F S PA C E S implied by the scale of the volumes.
N OVARA C AT H EDRAL
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o .45
H O USE + SY N A G O G U E
SYNAGOGUE HAS PRECEDENCE OVER HOUSE The house may be inhabited for majority of the time, though synagogue hasgreater volume.
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M ADRASA AL-BURTASIYAT M OSQUE
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T R A N S IT ION FROM CH AOS TO OR D ER Du e t o t he n a t u r e o f my si te, b ei ng w i thi n a ti ght urb a n context an d not su rrou n ded by tr e e s or fi e l d s ( a s w i t h And o a nd Z umtho r’s si tes) , I a m going to u se Northern Qu arter as th e c on t e x t t o w h i c h t h e b ui l d i ng b o th a b stra cts fro m, and relates to.
Ci t y
CHAOS
TR RANS AN S
EXTERN AL T h e b u i l d i n g ’s i ni ti a l p ro gra m i s to crea te a b straction from the context, pe r h a p s b y r e fle c t i ng the surro und i ng co ntex t co nceptu ally an d expressively. T h is is t o g i v e t h e v i s i to r a fa l se i nterp reta ti o n o f how th e interior space mig h t be, a n d h e i g h t e n t he ex p eri ence o f b ei ng i n a b usy, fast flowin g , n oisy city.
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T R A N S IT IO N FROM CH AOS TO OR D E R Per h aps if n a t u r e i s t h e c o mmo n tra nscend enta l el ement from th e chu rch es I h ave studied, a ll of w h ich b e i n g C h r i s t i a n, then, fo r a secul a r so ci ety, th e city may be th e most a ppr opr iate f o c u s , c r e a t i ng o rd er fro m a ‘cha o ti c’ ci ty.
‘ Ar c hi t e c t u r e o f Sile n c e ’
SI S IT TIO IO N
ORDER
IN TERN AL T h e p r i m a r y f u n c ti o n o f the b ui l d i ng tho ugh i s to create a spiritu al space f or s e c u l a r s o c i e t y, a nd I b el i ev e thi s i s b est a chi eved throug h Tadao An do’s ‘A r c h it e c t u r e o f S i l e n c e’, the tra nsi ti o n fro m the i ni tial mode (ch aos) to th e primary m o d e ( o r d er) i s essenti a l i n p rep a ri ng the visitors min d set. T h e o r d e r f o u n d wi thi n the ‘Church o f the N o n- B elievers’ shou ld frame, or rel a te to the co ntex t o utside.
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L A BYR IN T H
2m grid, of f set from edg es of site.
C O NC E A L I NG A ND
A
R E V E A L I NG
Centre is con cealed with in concentric layers.
THE B H E A RT OF
Centre is approached via a spiralling p assageway and you return out the same way.
THE
C
B U I L D I NG
Centre is approached throug h labyrinth an d then passed so that the exit also in volves transition.
D
E B
G
1
2
‘ B asem ent’ l evel, this is the f u nctioning side of the building, with opening hours.
Building is split into 2. Half takes you down to the counselling areas / administrative side of the building. The other route takes you upstairs to the main hall.
1st Floor is the ‘Main Hall’ this would be open 24 /7. This is th e key space, and the space for holding ceremonies.
2n d Floor/ B alcony, where people can view events happening below, i.e. ceremon ies.
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S K ET C H E S I M AGI NARY S PACE S
The rom anti c i dea of the cl eari ng i n the w oods
A gau di style ‘ temple’ with a classical ceremonial arch en trance, in tern ally an open atrium.
M uc h l i ke t he op e n at r i um of t he S ant a E ul al i a Cat he d r al i n B ar c e l ona
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S K ET C H E S C ON CE PT UAL I DE AS A series of in creasing ceilin g hieg h ts with a central open ligh t well.
C h an g ing the location of the cen tral focu s vertically, so the visitor look s u p, instead of across or down.
Bal coni es i ntercept col onade
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S K ET C H E S I N I TI AL C ON CE PT S KE T C HE S T h ese initial concept sketch es are dealing with the idea of th e external skin being chaotic and mimick ing n atu re, whilst th e intern al form, wh ich can be seen pushing th roug h is th e order from with in.
S ou t h Ea s t S k e t c h E l e v ati o n, fro m H i gh S treet
T h ou g h , h ow I represent abstraction /ch aos/n atu re externally in the fi n al design may be entirely differen t, an d wh ether th e order of the inside shou ld be visible from th e ou tside is someth ing I am yet to resolve.
Intern al order pu shing th roug h the extern al ch aos.
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M A Q U ET T E S
Ini ti a l ma q u ettes explore the idea of a co l o na d e w i th a cen tral focu s, thou g h in thi s mo d el I felt th at th e ceilin g h ieg h t (4m) w a s p erha p s too low in relation to th e huma n sca l e .
At r i um
In t h is m aq u e t t e I u s e d a cei l i ng hei ght of 6 metres.
Li ght We l l
H i gh c ei l i ngs around col onade B al c ony Le ve l
Low c e il i ng spa c e
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M A Q U ET T E S Thi s ma q uette is explorin g the idea of u sin g a mo re chaotic approach to creatin g space, the tw o a rches are of different sizes, g ivin g the l a rger arch preceden ce over th e smaller. Tho ugh a s I was modelling these I did not rea l l y kno w how I wan ted the fin al maquette to l o o k, w hen completed th ey have a slig h tly go thi c a esth etic. T h e “chaotic� way the sti cks co me tog ether gives th e stru cture a mo re na tur al look, almost like bird-nest co nstructi on . Po ssi b l e strategy for facade treatment.
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A L EX H O H L OV ABS TR AC TI ON F ROM TH E C O NT EX T
S TAT IO N H - H 1
S TATI ON H - H 2
A l e x H o h l o v i s a n a rti st I fo und d uri ng o ne o f m y excu rsions, wan dering ar o u n d t h e v i r t u a l w o rl d o f b l o gs. H i s w o rk p a rticularly stood ou t to me a s t h r o u g h i n i ti a l cha o s o f the i ma ge, i t cl ea rly relates to something w h i c h w a s o n c e an o rd ered fo rm. The i ma ges are of, wh at appear to be, e xpl o s i o n s , a n d t h o ugh sti l l i ma ges, they a re p a cked with en erg y and motion . I f e e l t h e a e s t h e t i c o f hi s a rtw o rk co ul d b e v ery i nformative for my project; ei t h e r a s a m e t h od fo r d ev el o p i ng a fa ca d e, o r perhaps for orch estratin g a j o urney fro m the o utsi d e to the in side. C u r r e n t l y I a m wa i ti ng o n a rep l y fro m the a rti st after ask ing him some q u esti o ns rega rd i ng theo ry b ehi nd h is work.
IMAGES TAK EN FROM H TTP://WWW.ALEXH OH LOV. COM
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A L EX H O H L OV ABS TRAC TI ON F ROM TH E C O NT E X T
GREAT EXPAN SE IMA GES TAK EN FROM H TTP://WWW.ALEXH OH LOV. COM
B
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BR IEF S UMM ARY & AI MS Th e t i t l e , ‘ T h e C hurch o f the N o n- Bel i ev ers’, i s an in tentional oxymoron. T h e t e r m ‘ C h u r c h’ refers to a b ui l d i ng used fo r pu blic C h ristian worsh ip. T h e c h o i c e o f t h e wo rd ‘Church’ i s d ue to the o v er all con text of the proposed bu ildin g , n a me l y B r i t a i n , a fo rmerl y ‘Chri sti a n’ co untry, th e laws an d social conventions of w h ic h a r e r o o t e d i n Chri sti a n b el i efs. Mo reo v er, a l thoug h , culturally, th e coun try is s t ill la r g e l y C h r i s t i a n , i n tha t i ts l a w s a nd mo ra l i ty is still in debted to its Ch ristian pas t , c o n t e mp o r a r y s o ci ety i s a ctua l l y p red o mi na ntl y secu lar. Hen ce the reference to ‘Non-B e l i e v e r s ’ . T h e co ncep t i nv i tes q uesti o ns a b o ut th e requ iremen t for su ch a bu il d i n g i n m o d e r n so ci ety, a nd , i f the req ui rement exists, h ow can “religious” b u i l d ing d esi gn b e a p p ro a ched i n a s ecu lar con text?
M y p e r s o n a l o p i n i o n, b a sed o n resea rch, i s tha t althou g h th ere may be an apa t h y t o w a r d s r e l i gi o us b el i ef, a mo re neb ul o us ‘spiritu ality’ is still eviden t, b e l i e f s i n r i tes o f p a ssa ge, such a b i rths, marriages, an d death s. T h e a i m o f t h e ‘Church o f the N o n- Bel i ev ers’ is to provide a spiritu al p l a t f o r m f o r c eremo ni es to ta ke p l a ce, w i tho ut religious implication, w h i l s t cel eb ra ti ng the sp i ri tua l si d e of h u man natu re.
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BR IEF RE Q UI RE M E N TS T he r e q u i r e me n t s o f the b ui l d i ng w i l l to p ri ma rily provide an appropriate s pac e f o r w e d d i n g s a nd funera l s ( tho ugh no t ex cl usively), whilst also offerin g , ide ally i n t h e s a me s pa ce, so mew here fo r v i si to rs to casu ally visit and appreciate, p erha p s a s a ‘co ntemp l a ti o n space’ . T he b u i l d i n g s h o ul d a l so o ffer co unsel l i ng serv i ces, i.e. marital advice, etc. ‘ T h e C h u r c h of the N o n- Bel i ev ers’ w i l l a l so re qu ire administration , t o a r r a n g e c eremo ni es a nd go v ern the runnin g of th e bu ilding ; i .e . r e c e p t i o n, a d mi ni stra ti v e o ffi ce, to i l ets an d staff facilities.
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BR IEF P ROGRAM OF S PAC ES D u e t o th e n a t u r e o f t h e si te, b ei ng v ery ti ght, the si zes of the spaces will be depen dan t on avail a b i l i t y o f s p a c e ; therefo re, I ha v e o rga ni sed the spaces in to th is priority order:
1. C e r e m o n y H a l l / C o n temp l a ti o n S p a ce – Ma x i mum use of space on site.
2. A dm ini s t r a t i o n O f fic e / Meeti ng Ro o m – A l a rge eno ugh room for groups of up to 10 pe opl e t o m e e t a n d di scuss a rra ngements.
3. C ou n s e l l i n g R o o m – Sp a ce b i g eno ugh fo r up to 5 p e ople to talk.
4. R e c e p t i o n A r e a
5. St af f A r e a s & W C ( s ) – sp a ce a l l o ca ted d ep end a nt o n s ite restriction s.
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BIBL IO G R A P HY o1_ h t t p: / / w w w.m a n c h e s t er2 0 0 2 - uk. co m/hi sto ry /v i cto ri a n/victorian1.htm o2_ Ban k s , I s a b e l l e Va r l e y ( 1 8 7 4 ) . The Ma nchester Ma n. Pu blisher details n ot available. P. 23 o3_ En g e ls, F r i e d r i c h ( 1 98 7 ) [ 1 8 4 5 ] . The Co nd i ti o n o f the Work ing C lass in E n g land in 1844. L o n d o n : P e n g u i n. P. 8 7 o4_ H as lam , D a v e ( 2 0 0 0 ) . Ma nchester, Engl a nd : The S to ry of the Pop C u lt City. Lon don : F ou r t h E s t a t e . P. 3 3 o5_ D avie s , A n d r e w F e b ; Stev en Fi el d i ng ( 1 9 9 2 ) Wo rkers ’ Worlds: C u ltures & C ommu n ities in M an c h e s t e r a n d S a lfo rd , 1 8 8 0 – 1 9 3 9 . Ma nchester Un iversity Press. P. 125 o6_ H as lam , D a v e ( 2 0 0 0 ) . Ma nchester, Engl a nd : The S to ry of th e P op Cu lt C ity. L on don : F ou r t h E s t a t e . P. 2 5 7 , 2 6 0 o7_ Blas e r/ A n d o ( 2 0 0 1 ) . Archi tektur d er S ti l l e, Archi tecture of Silence / Noshima C on t e mp o r a r y A r t M useum. Werner Bl a ser. P. 1 9 o8_ D r e w, P h i l i p ( 1 9 9 6 ) . Church o n the Wa ter, Church o f the Ligh t, Tadao An do. Lon don : P h aido n . P. 1 3 o9_ I bid. P. 9 1o _ I bid. P. 1 0 11 _ Elam , K i m b e r l e y ( 2 0 01 ) . Geo metry o f Desi gn: S tud i es In P roportion an d C omposition. Ne w Yo r k : P r i n c e t o n Archi tectura l Press. P. 2 1 12 _ F r am p t o n , K e n n e t h ( Feb 1 9 8 8 ) . Arti cl e: ‘S y nthesi s o f Opposites’ in L’architecture d’au jo r d ’ h u i . P.3 4 13 _ D r e w, P h i l i p ( 1 9 9 6 ) . Church o n the Wa ter, Church o f the Ligh t, Tadao Ando. Lon don : P h aido n . P. 1 4 14 _ I bid. P. 1 4 15 _ A n do, Ta d a o ( J a n 1 9 91 ) . Arti cl e: ‘Church o n the Wa ter’ in Japan Architect (Special I s s u e ). P.1 1 0 16 _ D r e w, P h i l i p ( 1 9 9 6 ) . Church o n the Wa ter, Church o f the Ligh t, Tadao Ando. Lon don : P h aido n . P. 1 4 17 _ I bid. P. 1 5 18 _ Bu r r y, Ma r k ( 1 9 9 9 ) . Ci ty Ico ns: Ex p i a to ry Church o f th e Sagrada Familia. L on don : P h aido n . P. 6 19 _ I bid. P. 8 2o _ I bid. P. 7 21 _ A r t ic le , i n t e r v i e w w i th Peter Z umtho r b y S tefa no Ca sciani for Arqu itecture.pt: h t t p: / / w w w.a r q u i t e c t ura . p t/fo rum/f1 1 /w a tchend o rf- german y-bru der-klaus-fi eld-ch apelpe t e r- z u mt h o r-6 1 6 6 / i n d ex 2 . html 22 _ I bid. 23 _ Zu m t h o r, P e t e r ( 2 0 0 6 ). Thi nki ng Archi tecture. Bi rkhäuser Verlag AG. P. 7 24 _ A r t ic le , i n t e r v i e w w i th Peter Z umtho r b y S tefa no Ca sciani for Arqu itecture.pt: h t t p: / / w w w.a r q u i t e c t ura . p t/fo rum/f1 1 /w a tchend o rf- german y-bru der-klaus-fi eld-ch apelpe t e r- z u mt h o r-6 1 6 6 / i n d ex 2 . html [ Z umtho r sp ea ki ng] 25 _ I bid. [ Z u mt h o r s p e a k i ng] 26 _ I bid. [ C e s c i a n i s p e a k i ng]
TH E C H U R C H OF T HE NO N - B E LIE V E RS