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HOUSE:A PRACTICAL MANUAL FOR FITTER, HAPPIER, AND MORE PRODUCTIVE LIVING
Y U TO N G LIU
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL AFFAIRS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER IN ARCHITECTURE PROFESSIONAL
AZRIELI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM CARLETON UNIVERSITY, O TTAW A, O N T A R IO
YUTONG LIU © 201 3
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H O I J S FA P R A C T I C A L M A N U A L F O R F I T T E R , H A P P I E R , A N D M O R E P R O D U C T I V E L I V I N G
SHIRLEY YUTONG LIUCOPYRIGHT © 2013 OTTAWA
THESIS SUBMITTED TO AZR1ELI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM, CARLETON UNIVERSITY, OTTAWA ONTARIO, CANADA
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREEOFMASTERSOFARCHITECTURE(M.ARCH PROFESSIONAL)
firs t o f all,
I would like to thank those who supported me on achieving this level o f living and learning.
my supervisor Roger Connah, who let me act, play, and be,
my family, who believed in me,
my friends, who shared insights, and,
my cat, who stayed by my side a ll along...
5
A B S T R A C T
Today we are "demanding accommodations of all kinds, moving at ever
greater speeds, communicating over vast distances in no time at all, and
urbanizing at astonishing densities.”1 Such means of building is aimed
to fulfill our ways of spending and consuming, but is this approach fit to
sustaining our ways of thinking and living?
I hereby wish to imagine a HOUSE that provides the dwellers with a set of
basic and advanced survival skills for a fit and happy mentality. "It is the
contention of this manual that only through the restored opportunities
for first-hand experience that HOUSE gives can health be brought
back to the world of the mass culture."2
1 SERGE CHERMAYEFF AND CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER, COMMUNITY AND PRIVACY: TOWARD A NEWARCHITECTURE OF HUMANISM. NEW YORK: DOUBLE DAY, 1965. P33.
2 IBID. P37.
OPEN HOUSETHE ONE THAT FITSIN YOUR TIGHT LIFE TIME LINE
A B S T R A C T
INTRODUCTION
P R O L O G U E
05
09
12
ACT 1 HOST'S SPEECH
0.1.2.3.4.5.6.
W E L C O M IN G
V I S I O NPROPOSITION
OBSERVATION
D E D U C T I O N
CONSTRUCTIONI N V I T A T I O N
HOUSE
MOTTO: FITTER HAPPIER MORE PRODUCTIVE
NORM«ODERN BUILDING
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT: VERTICAL/HORIZONTAL
PRE-FAB PRE(TTY)-FAST PRE(TTY)-FAT
CRITICAL REGIONALISM
THE VISIT
1718 19 21 28 36 40
ACT 2 T H E V IS I T
47-80
E P I L O G U E 81
C O N C LU S IO N 72
P O S T S C R I P T 83
BIBLIOGRAPHY 84
U S E R S G U I D E T O A C T 1
O B J E C T I V E E X I S T I N G D I S C O U R S E
B O D Y T E X T M A IN STREAM OF THE NARRATIVE(ALL VISUALS BY AUTHOR UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)
S U B J E C T I V E A U T H O R ' S C O M M E N T A R Y
D E F I N I T I O N
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I M A G E S / D I A G R A M S(ALL VISUALS BY AUTHOR UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)
9
I N T R O D U C T I O N
In the manner of an Open House event, I present to you a medium density,
medium rise residential complex project positioned in Centretown,
Ottawa, based on the theme: fitte r, happier, and more productive living.
I will first set the field of vision with a brief background of my beliefs
and motivation behind the stage under the subject: personal space. I will
then open up the discussion in Act 1 where the theoretical foundation of
the project is established upon the existing discourse. Having examined
the precipitation of quantity and speed in today’s design and production,
I propose a compromised performance that is best suited for unique
crowds of individuals taking off on a fitted pace and taking place in a
fitted space. Following the theme: fitter, happier, and more productive,
the project acts closely to each norm, from young to old, in attempt to
raise individual responsibility and collective respect as a part and as a
whole to the city. The project HOUSE in Act 2 illustrates all components of
private, private/public, and public realms, exploring detailed funlctions
in relation to our body language.
We will have plenty of room for discussion and further vision after the
acts. This proposal shows only a few selections of mode we can meditate,
so let us together swim in the imagination to discover the forgotten, the
overlooked, the misused, and the unknown.
. j L t ^
• \ S ^ . x .
10
'THE KALEIDOSCOPE OF BRILLIANT COLOURS SPINS INTO THE M ONOCHROME GREY'
11
SERGE CHERMAYEFF AND CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER. COMMUNITY AND PRIVACY TOWARD A NEW ARCHITECTURE OF HUMANISM.NFW YORK: DOUBIFDAY.196S.P78.
Overstimulation a t the high, loud, fast end o f the spectrum o f experience, and
deprivation a t the low, quiet, slow end is robbing man o f balanced variety.
Attention is focused largely on the conspicuous dramatic inessentials: the
new records, the fastest race, the highest building, the brightest lights,
the farthest shot, the biggest audience, the largest fortune. The apparent
increase in variety in our wealthy, industrialized society may turn out to be
a new form o f monotony o f mass-produced commodities. More and more
becomes less and less, and mere quantity and repetition o f individually
stimulating events kills their effectiveness. The kaleidoscope o f brilliant
colours spins into the monochrome grey o f the colour wheel. I t may be that
the uniform ity o f the 'air-conditioned nightmare’ fatigues both mind and
body, that under such conditions the vita l side o f human life degenerates.
12
P R O L O G U E
"A large portion of our lives—working, sleeping, playing— is spent in
buildings: buildings over whose design and construction we have little or
no control; buildings whose effect upon our health and happiness is only
obscurely understood."1 "Good design becomes a meaningless tautology
if we consider that man will be reshaped to fit whatever environment he
creates."2 Where we miss the point is at the initial vision: not so much
what sort of environment we want, but what sort of man we want. In
order to shape our space we must know how we want to shape ourselves.
(By how, I do not only mean by an exact method of executing certain
physiques, like controlling one’s height and weight with devices, but
rather by a whole picture of the way we want to behave and feel, such as
attitude and perception.) In this manual, I attempt to approach a building
not as a product but as an extension of our bodies acting in conscious or
subconscious dimensions.
1 ROBERT SOMMER. PERSONAL SPACE:!BASIS OF DESIGN. NEW JERSEY: PRENT1CE-HALL INC., 1969. P155.
13
PERSONAL SPACE:REFLECTS TWO USAGES OF THE TERM. THE FIRSTREFERSTOTHE EMOTIONALLY CHARGED ZONE AROUND EACH PERSON, SOMETIMES DESCRIBED AS A SOAP BUBBLE OR AURA, WHICH HELPS TO REGULATE THE SPACING OF INDIVIDUALS. THE SECOND USAGE REFERS TO THE PROCESSES BY WHICH PEOPLE MARK OUT AND PERSONALIZE THE SPACES THEY INHABIT.1 PERSONAL SPACE IS NOT NECESSARILY SPHERICAL IN SHAPE, NOR DOES IT EXTEND EQUALLY IN ALL DIRECTIONS. THERE ARE MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CULTURES IN THE DISTANCES THAT PEOPLE MAINTAIN.1
1 SOMMER PREFACE VIII.2 SOMMER 26.
TIME:NEW MODE OF PRODUCTION OF TERRITORY ANDTHEORY,BODY ANDMIND, THEREFORE REPLACING THE MODERNIST PRODUCTION OF SPACE (ACCORDING TO HENRI LEFEBVRE). NEITHER SPACE NOR TIME ARE NATURAL, BUT ARE RATHER SUBJECTED TO ARTIFICIAL PROCESSES OF CHANGE, TEM PORIZATION, AND MODIFICATION. TIME IS NOT A NATURAL DIMENSION, BUT ONE IN SYNCHRONICITY WITH OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL PERCEPTION OF TIME.
We ask ourselves: do we live well? It is sort of a rhetorical question, but
let us approach this from the following three points of view to diagnose
our way of living to be fitter, happier and more productive. 1) Physical
well-being within our personal space and time-frame (good appetite
and good metabolism); 2) Awareness of such physical well-being which
gives the mind positive signals and therefore psychological well-being
(good attitude and good vision); 3) Overall performance of generating
and sustaining energy in the cycle of thoughts and actions (good pace,
good influence).
Of course, an individual’s level of well-being depends on where one
stands in relation to where one wants to stand in the picture, and the
effort of moving toward it. To start with, one can examine the familiar,
personal space, in order to first recognize how one occupies, perceives,
and values the surrounding environment (of which, an immediate case
would be one's house).* Some of us get a big house and fill it up with
things, while some find their own flow of time and span of space to float
in, and some are comfortable soaking in the pool of societal standards
and expectations. However, there are some who get a big house but
cannot fill it up or cannot feel proportional with their properties; there
are some who get spun off the track of the system and have hard time
catching up with the crowd or finding the way home. As long as one is
aware and in control, the state of well-being is up to each individual to
decide, but for those who hold a slight doubt or discomfort in how they
are, this manual might be good night reading.
SHOJI SCREEN FUSUMA PANELS
• I WAS RAISED IN A HOUSE COMPOSED OF 24 UNITS OF TATAMI W ITH FUSUMA PANELS (W ITHIN THE INTERIOR) AND SHOJI SCREENS (W ITH-OUT TO THE EXTERIOR). JUST LIKE THE ORIGAMI PAPER I USED TO PLAY W ITH, EACH FACE AND EDGE CAN BE FOLDED AND UNFOLDED INTO ANY KIND OF VOLUME AS I WANTED. THE SMALL HOUSE DID NOT FEEL SMALL AS I GREW, AS IF THE HOUSE GREW W ITH MY SENSES AND SENTIMENTS. EVERY ELEMENT, SO DELICATE YET FIRM—ESSENTIALLY WOOD, WOOD PULP AND STRAWS, WAS TRANSPARENT IN ITS PRESENCE AND FUNCTIONALITY. IT OFFERED SEASONAL COLOURS, TEMPERATURE AND ATMOSPHERE. THROUGH THE VISIBLE/ INVISIBLE BOUNDARIES, PERSONAL SPACES OF THE FAMILY AND NEIGHBOURS ARE FILTERED BUT HARMONIZED. THE HOUSE TAUGHT ME HOW TO CARE AND RESPECT OTHERS' PERSONAL SPACES BEFORE MY OWN.
MARINA GR2NJC. "TIME” IN ATLAS OF TRANSFORMATION. ZURICH: JRPIR1NGIER201QP61Z
14
•A S DESCRIBED BY TADAO ANDO WITH THE TERM SHINTAI, 'MAN ARTICULATES THE WORLD THROUGH BODY AND THE BODY IS ARTICULATED BY THE WORLD.'
ADOLF LOOS IN HIS ARCHITEKTUR 1910 STATED:'I CALL CULTURE, THAT BALANCE OF INNER AND OUTER MAN, WHICH ALONE CAN GUARANTEE REASONABLE THOUGHT AND ACTION.'
BOUNDARY:'BOUNDARY IS NOT WHERE THINGS STOP BUT WHERE THINGS START THEIR PRESENCE.'
ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY
MARTIN HEIDEGGER ARGUES THAT THE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ESSENCE OF A SPACE/PLACE DEPENDS UPON THE CONCRETE, CLEARLY DEFINED NATURE OF ITS BOUNDARY, AND THAT ETYMOLOGICALLY THE GERMAN GERUND BUILDING IS CLOSELY LINKED WITH THE ARCHAIC FORMS OF BEING, CULTIVATING AND DWELLING, WHERE ITS CONDITION CAN ONLY TAKE PLACE IN A DOMAIN THAT IS CLEARLY BOUNDED.
KENNETH FRAMPTON. 'TOWARDS A CRITICAL REGIONALISM: SIX POINTS FOR AN ARCHITECTURE OF RESISTANCE' IN THE ANTI-AESTHETIC: ESSAYS ON POSTMODERN CULTURE. ED. FOSTER. H. NEW YORK: THE NEW PRESS.1998. P27.
Before we proceed into the practical manual of shaping the surrounding
environment, let us remind ourselves of personal space as the base to
establish house upon.
Personal space is shaped by the geographical and cultural environment
of one’s upbringing.* One's reaction to and relationship with the
surrounding objects and bodies are founded upon the habitual (invisible)
boundaries associated with the personal space. This personal space then
leads to shaping one’s perception, where the body and mind are in sync
and aware of each other when being in contrast with an external force or
information and/or realizing an internal becoming of self.
Space is described by the kanji character ma, containing the meanings of:
room, space, void, duration, distance, pause, which involves the notion
of time and space in a relation or together as a single concept.* Ma
is derived from two primary characters: the outer illustrating a gate
or entrance; the inner illustrating the sun or day. A void inscribed by
a form of boundary is illuminated. The boundary traditionally is often
open or flexible in its physical and visual transparency, allowing cyclic
and dynamic movement of bodies, air and light alongside the boundary;
hence the centre of the room becomes the focus, the calm and the still,
where individuals gather and face each other. The figurative ma character
continues to remind us today of the primary conditions of dwelling, and
from that origin, all the possibilities of which a white origami paper box
is capable of becoming, and for us dwellers, being.
MGATEWSUN
M A :ROOMSPACEV O I DPAUSEDURATIONDISTANCEINTERSTICEI N - B E T W E E N
15
Now you have been invited to the Open House event, where you will be
shown step by step through the HOUSE. You will be presented with a
manual, and your choice of a chair, but you are welcome to bring your
very own, or you may stand on yourfeet, hands or head as you please.
The event will be followed by an open discussion.
OPEN HOUSETHE ONE THAT FITSIN YOUR HEALTHY SMILE
17
ACT 1
HOUSE:INSTRUMENT AS AN EXTENSION OF THE BODY TO DEVELOP PERSONAL SPACES AND THEREFORE FORMULATE PERCEPTION OF TIME AND SPACE AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND AS APARTOF THE COLLECTIVE. Ide fin ed bya u th o ri
HOM E:BROUGHT TOGETHER THE MEANINGS OF HOUSE AND OF HOUSEHOLD, OF DWELUNG AND OF REFUGE, OF OWNERSHIP AND OF AFFECTION. HOME MEANT THE HOUSE, BUT ALSO EVERYTHING THAT WAS IN TT AND AROUND rT, AS WELL AS THE PEOPLE, AND THE SENSE OF SATISFACTION AND CONTENTMENTTHATALLTHESE CONVEYED. APHYSICAL PLACE AND ASENSE OF BEING.
WYliOlDRYBCZYNSKLHQMF: A SHORT HISTORY OF AN IDFA. ONTARIO: PENGUIN BOOKS CANADA UMHED, 1SB& P62.
HOST'S SPEECHW E L C O M I N G H O U S E
Welcome to the HOUSE.
(Fill in th e with a word or more, your own name, your favourite
number, a picture, or leave i t as you please... for 1 do not wish to
impose an ideal upon the HOUSE and its inhabitants, but only wish to
deliver an idea of a house as an open discussion to the inhabitants. You
may also erase the title and replace entirely with home, in the future...]
We will together walk through the HOUSE first with the background
information on housing industry, and then with attention to details
on experiential moments of the HOUSE. Along the way, we will have
discussions on some of the on-going topics of today’s living and thinking,
including: modem perception o f time and space, habits and behaviour,
dimensions, development patterns. (and further more subjects may be
submitted by the guests].
Let's examine how the HOUSE'S agents: intentions and purposes,
functions and effects could or would advance the inhabitants’ behavioural
psychology, and how the both actors contribute to a fitter, happier, and
more productive living.
Thank you for your participation.
18
1. V IS ION
F I T TE R HAPPIER MORE PRODUCTIVE
RADIOHEAD, FITTER HAPPIER.THE LYRICS CONSISTS OF A LIST OF 1990'S COLLOQUIALISMS; THE 50 PHRASES COVERING A RANGE OF ISSUES FROM HEALTH AND PRACTICAL CONCERNS TO MORALITY AND SPIRITUAL MATTERS-A SURVIVAL'S KIT TO CONTEMPORARY LIVING. THE VOICE WAS GENERATED BY THE MACINTOSH COMPUTERSIMPLETEXT APPLICATION.
SONGFACTS. h ttp ://WWW.SONGFACTS.COM/DETAIL PHP?ID=44S6. ACCESSED ON DEC 18,2012.
PRAGMATISM:A MOVEMENT CONSISTING OF VARYING BUT ASSOCIATED THEORIES, DISTINGUISHED BY THE DOCTRINE THAT THE MEANING OF AN IDEA OR A PROPOSITION UE5 IN ITS OBSERVABLE PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES
THE AMEFUCAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. HOUGHTON MIFFUN COMPANY; 2000
IDEALISM:I) ITS ORIGINAL PHILOSOPHICAL SENSE, IN WHICH, IDEAS ARE HELD TO UNDERUE OR TO FORM ALL REALITY; II) ITS WIDER MODERN SENSE OF A WAY OF THINKING IN WHICH SOME HIGHER OR BETTER STATE IS PROJECTED AS A WAY OF JUDGING CONDUCT OR OF INDICATING ACTION. (ONE OF THE CRTT1CAL DIFFICULTIES OF SENSE II) IS THAI) ESPECIALLY IN SOME OF ITS DERIVED WORDS IT IS USED, OFTEN LOOSELY FOR BOTH PRAISE AND BLAME.
RAYMOND WILLIAMS. KEYWORDS A VOCABULARY OF CULTURE AND SOQETY NEW YORK: OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1365. P24CL152.
Fitter, happier, more productive
Comfortable
Not drinking too much
A t ease
Eating well(no more microwave dinners and saturated fats) A patient better driver
Sleeping well (no bad dreams)
No paranoia
Careful to a ll animals
Keep in contact with old friends
(enjoy a drink now and then)
Favours fo r favours
No longer afraid o f the dark or midday shadows
Nothing ridiculously teenage and desperate
A t better pace
Slower and more calculated
No chance o f escape
An empowered and informed member o f society
(pragmatism not idealism)
Less chance o f illness A good memory
Still cries a t a good film No longer empty and frantic
(an ab ility to laugh at weakness)
Calm
Fitter, happier, and more productive
19
2. PROPOSITION
N O R M . O D E R N B U I L D I N G
Can a house improve our physical and psychological health ...?
Can a house provide the space for:
a) the young to learn from their own actions affected by the surrounding*
b) the elderly to feel comfortable and convenient
c) the middle-aged (norm) to be fit and productive
d) all to be happy...?
COMFORTABLE:CONFORTARE LATIN: TO STRENGTHEN OR CONSOLE
IN 16TH CENTURY THE WORD CAME TO MEAN TOLERABLE OR SUFFICIENT, AMPLE BUT NOT LUXURIOUS, AND EVENTUALLY IT ACQUIRED ITS SENSE OF PHYSICAL WELLBEING AND ENJOYMENT IN THE 18TH CENTURY
WTTDLD RYBCZYNSKI. HOME: A SHORT HISTORY OF AN IDEA. ONTARIO: PENGUIN BOOKS CANADA LIMITED, 19BE P2D.
N O R M :NORMA LATIN:CARPENTER'S SQUARE, RULE, PATTERN
I) RULE OR STANDARD OF BEHAVIOUR SHARED BY MEMBERS OF ASOCIALGROUP TO WHICH EACH MEMBER IS EXPECTED TO CONFORM; NORMS ARE MORE SPECIFIC THAN VALUES OR IDEALS-HONESTY IS A GENERAL VALUE, BUT THE RULES DEFINING WHAT IS HONEST BEHAVIOUR IN A PARTICULAR SITUATION ARE NORMS.II) ANOTHER NAME FOR MODE.
NORM. ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA. INC.
• STAIRS W ITH NO RAILINGNO RAIUNG DOES NOT MEAN THAT ONE WILL FALL, BUT IT MEANSTHATONECAN LEARN NOT TO FALL ATYOUNG AGE
20
• THE WORD MODERN IN T7S LATIN FORM MODERNUS WAS USED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE LATE 5™ CENTURY IN ORDER TO DISTINGUISH THE PRESENT FROM THE ROMAN RAST.
MODERNITY REVOLTS AGAINST THE NORMALIZING FUNCTIONS OF TRADITION; MODERNITY LIVES ON THE EXPERIENCE OF REBELLING AGAINST ALL THAT IS NORMATIVE THIS REVOLT IS ONE WAY TO NEUTRALIZE THE STANDARDS OF BOTH MORALITY AND LmUTY
JURGEN HABERMAS. 'MODERNITY: AN IN COMPLETE PROJECT INEW GERMAN CRITIQUE 22. 1981) IN THE ANTT-AESTHFnr- FSSAVS ON POSTMODERN CULTURE. ED. FOSTER. H. NEW YORK: THE NEW PRESS.1998. P2<
UN THE FIRST MANIFESTO OF DE STUL 1918, THEREISANOLDANDNEWCONSCIOUSNESS OFTHEAGE. THEOLDISDIRECTEDTOWARDS THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE NEW TOWARD THE UNIVERSAL THE NEW ART HAD REVEALED THE SUBSTANCE OF THE NEW CONSOOUSNESS OF THE AGE: AN EQUAL BALANCE BETWEEN THE UNIVERSAL AND THE INDIVIDUAL
THE ELEVENTH POINT OF VAN DOESBURG'S 16 POINTS OF A PLASTIC ARCHITECTURE READS: THE NEW ARCHITECTURE IS ANTh CUBIQ WHICH DOES NOT TRY TO FREEZE THE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONALSPACECELLS IN ONE CLOSED CUBE RATHER, TTTHROWSTHE FUNCTIONAL SPACE CELLS CENTRIFUGALLY FROM THE CORE OF THE CUBE AND THROUGH THIS MEANS, HEIGHT, WIDTH, DEPTH, AND TIME APPROACHES A TOTALLY NEW PLASTIC EXPRESSION IN OPEN SPACES IN THIS WAY ARCHITECTURE ACQUIRES A MORE OR LESS FLOATING ASPECT THAT WORKS AGAINST THE GRAVITATIONAL FORCES OF NATURE
KENNETH FRAMPTON. NIOOFRN ARCHITECTURE: A CRITICAL HISTORY LONDON: THAMES & HUDSON LTD. 1992 P145.
Being m o d e m * encouraged by exponential acceleration of technology,
implies universal standardization of scale/dimensions of development/
product, and our aesthetic taste in it (what is up-to-date/outdated,
rather than what is good/not good).
There has continuously been the paradox and struggle in taking part in
modern civilization. "On one hand the nation has to root itself in the soil
of its past, forge a national spirit and unfurl this spiritual and cultural re
vindication,” and on the other hand keeping up with the universal move
ment toward the 'veiy present’ and ‘more present’.1 •
1 KENNETH FRAMPTON. MODERN ARCHITECTURE: A CRITICAL HISTORY. LONDON: THAMES & HUDSON LTD. 1992. P314.
21
LEVITTOWN, NY. 1950'STHEHOUSINGSHORTAGEFOLLOWINGTHE END OF WWII FORCED DEVELOPERS TO ADOPT MASS PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES TO MEET DEMAND. REPETITIVE HOUSING CONSTRUCTION METHODS TRANSLATED INTOTHEBUILDINGOF30HOUSESADAYIN LEVITTOWN. AND WITH MASS PRODUCED HOUSES CAME A REPETITION THAT IS GLARING IN ITS DEHUMANIZATION.
DEPARTMENT Of REPETITION DEPARTMENT •REPETITION AS CONFORMITY HART 1". HTTR//THEORD.WORDPRESS. COM. ACCESSED ON DEC Z1Z1U.
PLACE:TIME AND SPACE TOGETHER INHABITED AND PERCEIVED WHICH ONE CAN REVISIT AND REMEMBER, (d e f in e d by a u t h o r )
OBSERVATION
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT: VERTICAL / HORIZONTAL
In the past half century in North America we see largely two types of
housingdevelopmenttoaccommodatepopulationgrowthandaccelerated
speed/span of transportation: either by horizontal expansion or by
vertical stretch. The horizontal: in the suburbs where the neighbours
are laid out like Domino; the vertical: in the high-rise condos where the
neighbours are stacked up like Jenga (efficiency). In either case the
residents are strangers to each other, strangers who share common
dimensions of living box but share no communications. Development
used to be Scrabble, where residents build as they live, by making the
best of available space and resources (productivity). And development
became Crossword Puzzle, where perfectly planned patterns are laid by
the key players and planners; patterns were formulated around common
places.* (Refer to the following page for the visual.) And today, we seem
to only find personal/social time and space commonly in the virtual world,
that we merely inhabit time or space. Caught in the fast paced, hyper-
sensory system, one can easily lose the sight, boundary and control of
one’s personal space. Under such circumstances, how can one re-situate
oneself in a common place (community) and regain consciousness for
basic yet original senses (personal space)?
SPIRAL (LABYRINTH) CENTRIPETAL (PARIS)DENSITY (TOKYO) QUADRATIC (CALGARY) !/? (ALBERTA OIL SANDS)
•PATTERN LANGUAGE
CROSSWORD PUZZLE DEVELOPMENT, WHERE PERFECTLY PLANNED PATTERNS ARE LAID BY THE KEY PLAYERS AND PLANNERS; PATTERNS WERE FORMULATED AROUND COMMON PLACES.
23
PRODUCTIVITY:OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF AN ACTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN REFLECTION OF THE ORIGINAL INTENT AND PURPOSE. QUALITATIVE EFFECTS. (DEFINED BY AUTHOR!
EFFICIENCY:ACHIEVEMENT OF QUANTITATIVE DISPLACEMENT OVER A SEGMENT OF TIME DURATION. INDEPENDENT STATISTICS. (DEFINED BY AUTHOR)
■ MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES. 2006.AS OPPOSED TO CRAFT, IT CONTAINS NO REAL RECORD OF THE HUMAN EFFORT AND ASPIRATIONS INVOLVED IN ITS MAKING.
• SAI THAI INSTANT FOOD AD. 1998.THERE IS A GAP BETWEEN A FUNCTION AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE AND UNDERLYING RULES OR MACHINERY KNOWN TO VIRTUALLY NO ONE.
Differentiating productivity/ efficiency can yield the most fitted balance
of positive/negative use of resources. Knowing where, when and how
to be efficient and productive can improve quality of performance, from
everyday details to social networking to large scale space making.
Machine-run systems and technological innovations were to assure
efficiency in a particular segment of a production line, although
productivity would be a measure demonstrating a balanced performance
of the consequences and embodied energy of the entire production line*
In the 1970s new technological arrangements were introduced:
electronic breakthroughs. Precise automation and robotics have become
a reality and have concentrated on quickness, agility and endurance.1 "As
opposed to craft, technology contains no real record of the human effort
and aspirations involved in its making • In our day to day relationships
with technology and technical devices we seldom understand how
they work, how to repair them, let alone their histories or where they
come from. Contrary to other human pursuits, there is a gap between a
function available to everyone and underlying rules or machinery known
to virtually no one.”2 *
A/ \
• E F F IC IE N C Y / P R O D U C T IV IT Y C O M P A R IS O N
SECTION TYPE A:MAYBE MACHINEPRODUCED AT HIGH RATE BUT YIELDS LEFT-OVERS ANDWASTES
SECTION TYPE B:MAY REQUIRE SLOW PLANNING PROCESSES BUT REDUCES TO THE NECESSITY AND PRODUCES MAXIMUM OUTCOME
24
• THE TRIAL. 1962. OFFICE SCENE.WHILE THE SOCIAL SCIENCE OF MANAGEMENT CAN CERTAINLY BE PRACTICED, THERE IS ALWAYS A DEGREE OF SOCIAL ANONYMITY AND IN THE END AMOUNTS TO A KIND OF IGNORANCE.
Not only we are able to cover greater distances in less time, in which
we can be somewhere without moving the body, now things just happen
around us without having to make them happen, or think about them
before they happen, or feel what has happened. Sensory signals jump
right in to the brain without really passing through the touch of bodies
(of oneself and of the other). "With information processing and media,
which have also resulted in an increased span of space in compressed
time, globalization has come familiarity, and familiarity has come a
lessening of distinctions between one place and another. Consequently, a
sense of place, that the way by which we differentiate space in our minds
and through our cultural activities, has become diminished.”3*
ITHE URBAN MELTING POTPROMISES LITTLE MORE SIGNIFICANCE THAN MERE GIGANTISM, AGGRESSIVE UPWARD THRUSTING SKYSCRAPERS AND FLASHING NEON LIGHTS. THE SKYSCRAPER, BORN OF LAND SCARCITY AND THE INVENTION OF THE ELEVATOR, IS ALL TOO OFTEN CONSTRUCTED WHERE LAND IS NOT YET IN CRITICAL SUPPLY OR WHEN FUNCTION IS NOT IMPROVED BY VERTICAL ORGANIZATION.
CHERMAYEFF P56-57.
1 PETER G. ROWE. MODERNITY AND HOUSING. CAMBRIDGE: MIT PRESS, 1995. P13.
2 IBID. P17-18.
3 IBID. P22.
Now that we have tasted (or we think we have tasted) the greater
boundaries of the world, we want to push it further and higher. Whether
it is traveling, organizing daily agenda, or building new, bigger and more
boxes to occupy, we compete amongst ourselves to achieve the top
record.*
WHERE DO THE CHILDREN PLAY?CAT STEVENS.
WELL I THINK IT'S FINE,BUILDING JUMBO PLANES.OR TAKING A RIDE ON A COSMIC TRAIN. SWITCH ON SUMMER FROM A SLOT MACHINE.GET WHAT YOU WANT TO IF YOU WANT, 'CAUSE YOU CAN GET ANYTHING.
WELL YOU ROLL ON ROADS OVER FRESH GREEN GRASS.FOR YOUR LORRY LOADS PUMPING PETROL GAS.AND YOU MAKE THEM LONG,AND YOU MAKE THEM TOUGH.BUT THEY JUST GO ON AND ON,AND IT SEEMS YOU CANT GET OFF.
WHEN YOU CRACK THE SKY,SCRAPERS FILL THE AIR.WILL YOU KEEP ON BUILDING HIGHER TIL THERE'S NO MORE ROOM UP THERE? WILL YOU MAKE US LAUGH,WILL YOU MAKE US CRY?WILL YOU TELL US WHEN TO LIVE,WILL YOU TELL US WHEN TO DIE?
I KNOW WEVE COME A LONG WAY, WE’RE CHANGING DAY TO DAY,BUT TELL ME,WHERE DO THE CHILDREN PLAY?
4 IBID. P3.
25
Here rises the issue of widely defining a normative building program for
appropriate accommodations, of designing for everyone but for no one
in particular—the issue of standardization in design.4 This issue can be
challenged by critically diagnosing regional specific features with bottom-
up or inside-out design approach. The financial input to such face-to-
face planning method can cost more than standardized planning and
may seem not as efficient in construction at the time, but in the long run,
the building and dwelling performance in all aspects, environmentally,
socially, and politically, would have a healthy and productive outcome.
(To Scene 5. Construction: Critical regionalism)
V E R T IC A L /H O R IZ O N T A L H O U S IN G P L A N N IN G
D■ ■■■I
V E R TIC A L H O R IZ O N T A LTECHNOLOGY ALLOWS STRENGTH IN HEIGHT AMOUNT OF UN(DER)-DEVELOPED LAND ALLOWS OFASINGLE BUILDING IN DENSE AREAS WIDE-SPREAD OF COOKIE CUTTERHOUSES
26
MAPPING IVERTICAL/HORIZONTAL DEVELOPMENT
ELABORATION ON PATTERN LANGUAGE, SHOWING ONE EXAMPLE OF A SET OF PATHS EXPANDING IN THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONS FROM A TYPICAL SINGLE UNIT OF URBAN GRID SYSTEM.
h o r i z o n t a l
v e r t i c a l f a b r i c p a t t e r n a p p l i e d t c ' g r e e n / b u i l d i n g s ' i n a t t e m p t t o r e - p l a c e t h eg r o u n d - l e v e l
. g r e e n t h a t h a s \ b e e n d i s p l a c e d ;
S e e n o n w a l l s a n d r o o f t o p s
v e r t i c a l f a b r i c
a s q u a r e e x e r t e d f r o m t y p i c a l u r b a n g r i d
t .n e p a t t e r n \ / s e e n o n
a s t h e f o r e s t g o e s b a l d , t h e c i t y b e c o m e s a j u n g l e
p a t t e r n jrP iP ^ " **rt e c h n o l o g i c a l l n t e r v s o t i o n
h o r i z o n t a l l y s p r e a d d e v e lo p m e n t s e n c o u r a g e a u t o m o b i l e m i l e a g e v o lu m e s
v o i dneweii aiy c o m f o r t p r o d u c t i v e
m a s s e s b u i l t l u x u r y c o n v ^ r f i e n t
i e n t
l i v i n g i n a w h i t e a n d a b l a c k s e r e
h o r i z o n t a l f a b r i c / p a t t e r n a p p l i e d t o - s u b u r b a n p l a n n i n g ; c o m m u n i t i e s l i n k e d v i a h ig h w a y v e s s e l s
d r i v i n g b u r n s f u e l , b u t n o t b o d y f a t
MAPPING IIVERTICAL: [ ]PLACEM ENT
[ RE ]PLACEM ENT HORIZO NTAL: [ DlS ]PLACEM ENT
[M IS lP LA C E M E N T
TAKE ALBERTA AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW AND WITH WHAT DIFFERENT PARTS OF LAND ARE PLACED—OR MAPPED. THE UNDERDEVELOPED LAND IS EXPLOITED TO DISPLACE WOOD UNTO THE DEVELOPED LAND FOR NEW CONSTRUCTIONS, THEN IS EVENTUALLY REPLACED AGAIN BY PROCESSED WOOD FOR NEWER CONSTRUCTIONS TO ACCOMMODATE LACK OF PLACES IN THE URBAN AREA. THE LOST GREEN IS REPLACED BY ARTIFICIAL PLANTING IN THE VERTICAL DIRECTION AS A COMPROMISE. THE URBANIZED AREAS RUN ON OIL, LITERALLY, ECONOMICALLY, AND POLITICALLY: A MISPLACEMENT OF THE ENERGY SOURCE.
KENNETH FRAMPTON ARGUES WITH ONE OF HIS SIX POINTS FOR AN ARCHITECTURE OF RESISTANCE THAT MODERN BUILDING IS NOW SO UNIVERSALLY CONDITIONED BY OPTIMIZED TECHNOLOGY THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF CREATING SIGNIFICANT URBAN FORM HAS BECOME EXTREMELY LIMITED. THE RESTRICTIONS JOINTLY IMPOSED BY AUTOMOTIVE DISTRIBUTION AND THE VOLATILE PLAY OF LAND SPECULATION SERVE TO LIMIT THE SCOPE OF URBAN DESIGN TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT ANY INTERVENTION TENDS TO BE REDUCED EITHER TO THE MANIPULATION OF ELEMENTS PREDETERMINED BY THE IMPERATIVES OF PRODUCTION, OR TO A KIND OF SUPERFICIAL MASKING WHICH MODERN DEVELOPMENT REQUIRES FOR THE FACILITATION OF MARKETING AND THE MAINTENANCE OF SOCIAL CONTROL. TODAY THE PRACTICE OF ARCHITECTURE SEEMS TO BE INCREASINGLY POLARIZED BETWEEN, ON THE ONE HAND, A SO-CALLED HIGH-TECH APPROACH PREDICATED EXCLUSIVELY UPON PRODUCTION AND, ON THE OTHER, THE PROVISION OF A 'COMPENSATORY FAQADE’ TO COVER UP THE HARSH REALITIES OF THE UNIVERSAL SYSTEM.
KENNETH FRAMPTON. TOWARDS A CRITICAL REGIONALISM: SIX POINTS FOR AN ARCHITECTURE OF RESISTANCE' IN THE ANTI-AESTHETIC: ESSATS ON POSTMODERN CULTURE. ED. FOSTER. H. NEW
27
28
4. DEDUCTI ON
PRE( )-FAB PRE (TTY)-FAST P RE (TTY)-FAT
W I-FI AD, MACDONALD'S.FAST FOOD, FAST COMMUNICATION. ZERO DISPLACEMENT.
Pre-fab, pre(tty)-fast, pre(tty)-fat! It is not the birthday cakes that make
us fat, but the fast paced society expects the body to eat without cooking
and transport without moving. Everything is made ready for us to
consume in no time and in a large quantity, and we consume more than
we work out. And to keep up or to catch up with the societal demands,
we want more things and want them fast. The more we try to improve
on efficiency, the less we achieve in productivity.
LA JAMAIS CQNTENTE (NEVER HAPPY). 1899.A BELGIAN ENGINEER BUILT THE FIRST CAR DESIGNED PURELY TO BREAK SPEED RECORDS SHAPED UKE A TORPEDO, AND PROPELLED BY TWO ELECTRIC MOTORS. THE VEHICLE BORE A NAME THAT SUMMED UP OUR YEARNING TO GO FASTER AND FASTER.
Overstimulation at the high, loud, fast end of the
spectrum of experience, and deprivation at the low,
quiet, slow end is robbing man of balanced variety.
Attention is focused largely on the conspicuous
dramatic inessentials: the new records, the fastest race,
the highest building, the brightest lights, the biggest
audience, the largest fortune. The apparent increase in
variety in our wealthy, industrialized society may turn
out to be a new form of monotony of mass-produced
commodities. More and more becomes less and less,
and mere quantity and repetition of individually
stimulating events kills their effectiveness.1
1 SERGE CHERMAYEFF AND CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER. COMMUNITY AND PRIVACY TOWARD A NEW ARCHITECTURE OF HUMANISM. NEW YORK: DOUBLE DAY1966. P7&
29
Let's pause for a minute and
reflect on our lifestyle to see
how we are performing. And
take a look at the anatomy
chart on the following page
to compare with our own
body parts to see how we
are functioning.
□ headache0 backache□ neck-knots□ cellulites□ tri-fold belly m need coffeePt need sleeping pills□ need vitamin pills□ dreamless□ nightmares1 I loses breath after 3 steps up stairs or ramp□ can't put on sock or shoes without sitting down□ can't reach toes□ prefer sitting over standing□ prefer elevators over stairs□ don't know what else to do without internet□ don't know how to do anything without internet□ a hand always occupied by a phone□ have a treadmill at home□ have a treadmill at home covered in dust□ drive to gym□ drive to get a bite after gym as a reward□ no breakfast□ brownbag lunchI | microwave dinner| | snacking regularly between meals and tasks□ not pooping regularly□ impatient driver□ impatient conversationalist□ yell at kids on the street or at home□□□□□□
S Y M P T O M S OF L IV IN G IN A FAST W O R L DDO A SELF-CHECK-UP. FILL IN THE BOX, FILL IN THE BLANK. IF FULLY FILLED, YOU ARE IN TROUBLE.
CLASSICAL ANATOMY
/
h a i r
b r a i n
e y en o s em o u t he a r
h e a r t
s t o m a c h
r e p r o d u c t i v e o r g a n
h a n dt h u m bp o i n t e rm i d d l e - f i n g e rr i n g - f i n g e rp i n k y
l e g
f e e t
30
M O D E R N A N A T O M Y
- f a s h i o n
c o m p u t e r
p r e j u d i c e p r i a e c o m p l a i n t c o m p l i m e n t
p r e j u d i c e
b l a c k - h o l e
p r i d e
c e l l - p h o n ec o m p l i m e n t b u t t o n - p r e s s o r c o m p l a i n t d i v o r c e f a s h i o n
- l a p t o p b o t t o m
g a s - p e d a l
31
•*- -*•TV DINNER'GOBBLE, GULP AND GO'.FAST FOOD FILLS YOU UP WITHOUT SUSTAINING YOU.
SCRAMBLED EGG BOILD EGG
MEAL IN A PILL
• IN THE PURSUIT OF LOW COSTS AND HIGH PROFIT, INDUSTRIAL FARMS DO DAMAGES TO LIVESTOCK, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE CONSUMER. INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE IS NOW A LEADING CAUSE OF WATER POLLUTION IN MOST WESTERN COUNTRIES. IN 2003, RESEARCHERS CALCULATED THAT BRITISH TAXPAYERS SPEND UP TO 2.3 BILLION POUNDS EVERY YEAR REPAIRING THE DAMAGES THAT INDUSTRIAL FARMING DOES TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH. (NOW THINK ABOUT WHAT IS AN APPARENTLY EFFICIENT METHOD MAY NOT NECESSARILY YIELD PRODUCTIVE CONSEQUENCES.)
CARL HONORE. IN PRAISE O f SLOWNESS. TORONTO: KNOPF CANADA ,2004. P58.
"We are moving from a world in which the big eat the small to one in
which the fast eat the slow. That warning resonates far beyond the
Darwinian world of commerce. We have developed an inner psychology
of speed, of saving time and maximizing efficiency. Evolution works on
the principle of survival o f the fittes t, not the fastest* (It is no coincidence
that the fastest nations are also often the fattest.)"1
The human cost of capitalism is the mental and psychological input/
output. The economy may make us materialistically wealthy (which in
fact only applies to a small crowd on top of the food chain), but it also
gives us an illusion that we can only be materialistically happy.
At the peak of the industrial century, Benjamin Franklin paired the
two entities: input and output, pace and profit, "by an aphorism: Time
is money. Workers were paid by the hour instead of for what they
produced"2 or how they worked*
• S U R V IV A L OF T H E F IT T E S TCHARLES DARWIN. ORIGIN OF SPECIES. 1869.
FITTER, HAPPIER , M O RE PR O DUC TIVE
32
“Why, amid so much material wealth, is time-poverty so endemic?"
Subconsciously, we have the biggest deadline of all, mortality, in the
back of our head pressuring us to make something of every second in
life. "But if the instinct to do so is universal, then why are some cultures
more prone than others to race against the clock? In some philosophical
traditions, time is cyclical. The Inuit use the same word uvatiarru to
mean both 'in the distant past' and ‘in the distant future’. Time in such
cultures is always coming as well as going. It is constantly around us,
renewing itself, like the air we breathe. In the western tradition, time is
linear, and arrow flying remorselessly from A to B. It is a finite, therefore
a precious resource."3
The first thing we do when we wake up is check the time. The digital one
with anxious noise alarming us, not the biological clock with heartbeats.
Digital time makes the mind think that the body is incapable, but the
body knows best what feels right and what is forced, it has its N atural
Time, in sociologists’ term.
33
'QUE NO SON TODOS LOS TIEMPOS UNOS. (NOT ALL TIMES ARE THE SAME).'
— DON QUIXOTEWE HAVE FORGOTTEN HOW TO LOOK FORWARD TO THINGS, AND HOW TO ENJOY THE MOMENT WHENTHEY ARRIVE.
'EMPTY TIME IS NOT A VACUUM TO BE FILLED, IT IS THE THING THAT ENABLES THE OTHER THINGS ON YOUR M IND TO BE CREATIVELY REARRANGED, LIKE THE EMPTY SQUARE IN THE 4X4 PUZZLE THAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO MOVE THE OTHER FIFTEEN PIECES AROUND. IN OTHER WORDS, DOING NOTHING, BEING SLOW, IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF GOOD THINKING.
— HARRY LEWIS, HARVARD
We try to be efficient in the following ways: a) working on one thing for
longer hours; b) working for one thing in shorter time: c) working on
two or more things at once; d) working less on other things. These four
have one thing in common: the purpose of getting things done. And this
common purpose results in the same finishing line (or un-finishing line)
of not getting any thing done well. Setting the bar high is a positive input,
but we must find the fitted way to work toward it. "A life of haste can
become superficial." When we work mechanically, we "fail to make real
connections with the world or other people."4 To be productive, we must
work hard as well as play hard, or take it easy as well as stay at ease. A
balance of all things we want to do is the solution to untie the knots in
the shoulders.
The fast moving mass does not only impact the grown-ups, but children
suffer more without knowing it. Grown-ups try to raise children fast,
without giving them a chance to discover the real whys and hows of
things, like simply knowing where each breakfast item comes from.
(Many in the younger generations have no idea eggs come in a shell, laid
by hens.) Plato believes the most effective kind of education to a child
is playing amongst lovely things, and for grown-ups, the highest form of
leisure is to be still and receptive to the world.
FAST:BUSY, CONTROLLING, AGGRESSIVE, HURRIED, ANALYTICAL, STRESSED, SUPERFICIAL, IMPATIENT, ACTIVE, QUANTITY-OVER-QUALITY.
FAST THINKING:RATIONAL, LINEAR, LOGICAL, DELIVERS CLEAR SOLUTIONS TO WELL-DEFINED PROBLEMS.
SLOW:CALM, CAREFUL, RECEPTIVE, STILL, INTUITIVE, UNHURRIED, PATIENT, REFLECTIVE, QUALITY-OVER-QUANTITY.
SLOW THINKING:INTUITIVE, CREATIVE, YIELDS RICH AND SUBTLE INSIGHTS.
'WALKING TAKES LONGER THAN OTHER FORMS OF LOCOMOTION. THUS IT STRETCHES TIME AND PROLONGS LIFE. LIFE IS ALREADY TOO SHORT TO WASTE ON SPEED. WALKING MAKES THE WORLD MUCH BIGGER AND THEREFORE MORE INTERESTING. YOU HAVE TIME TO OBSERVE DETAILS.'
— EDWARD ABBEY, AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALIST
Fast and slow describe ways of being, beyond measuring a rate of change.
"Being slow means that we control the rhythm of our own life. Slow
activists are not out to destroy the capitalist system. Rather, they seek to
give it a human face.’’5
Let the mind be still. As one Zen master put it: instead of saying don’t
just sit there and do something, we should say don’t just do something,
sit there. One must be slow on the inside to be fast on the outside. Franz
Kafka as well agrees: 'You don’t need to leave your room. Remain sitting
at your table and listen. Don’t even listen, simply wait. Don’t even wait,
be quiet still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be
unmasked. It has no choice. It will roll in ecstasy at your feet.’
People who want to live better in a fast-paced, modern world seek to live
at what musicians call the tempo giusto, the right speed.
CARL HONORE. IN PRAISE OF SLOWNESS. TORONTO: KNOPF CAN ADA,2004. P4.
TEMPO GIUSTO (THE RIGHT SPEED) ALLEGRO BARBARO. BELA BART6K. 1911.
SLOW AS POSSIBLE
36
5. C O N S T R U C T I O N
CRITICAL REGIONALISM
What could be a slow solution in this proposed project? Critical
Regionalism is an appropriate approach (although preferred not to be
categorized under a movement, this term is the most fitted description.)
Critical Regionalism indicates an approach to design
giving the priority to the identity of the particular rath
er than to universal dogmas (without the sentimental,
prejudiced use of Regionalism); also the responsibil
ity to define the origins and constrains of the tools of
thinking that one uses, of which, the reason has to do
with the ubiquitous conflict in all fields between global
ization and international intervention, on the one hand,
and local identity and the desire for ethnic insularity,
on the other.1
Instead of building on a site, a fitter method of construction shall be
building the site, as referred by Mario Botta, as an act of cultivation.2
1 ALEXANDER TZON1S. "PEAKS AND VALLEYS(BY ARCHITECTURE) IN THE FLAT (DIGITAL) WORLD" IN SYMPOSIUM "CULTURES OF OESIGN" BAUHAUS- UNIVERSITAT WEIMAR, JUN. 2006.
2 KENNETH FRAMPTON, TOWARDS A CRITICAL REGIONALISM; SIX POINTS FOR AN ARCHITECTURE OF RESISTANCE’ IN THE ANThAESTHETIC: ESSAYS ON POSTMODERN CULTURE. ED. FOSTER. H. NEW YORK: THE NEW PRESS,1998. P29.
37
CHURCH OF LIGHT. JAPAN. TADAO ANDO.
PRACTICE OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF WABI-SABI IS ATTAINED IN TADAO ANDO'S WRITTEN AND BUILT WORKS, WHERE 'THE SIMPLEST AND MOST BASIC HUMAN ACTIVITIES ASSUME IN A POETIC RESONANCE.' THE TERM WABI-SABI IS DERIVED FROM BUDDHIST TEACHING OF EXISTENCE: IMPERMANENCE,IMPERFECTION, AND ABSENCE OF SELF. THE AESTHETIC OF THE CONCEPT DEPICTS ASYMMETRY, ASPERITY, MODESTY, INTIMACY, APPRECIATION OF NATURE, AND SUBLIME REALM OF THE SELF AND OTHER.
ALTHOUGH ANDO'S CRAFT OF CONCRETE IS SEAMLESS AND ALMOST PERFECTLY SET IN PLACE, THE RAW FINISH OF THE SURFACE AND MASS OF THE MATERIAL WHERE LIGHT AND SHADOW CAST UPON, UNDER AND BETWEEN TO EXPRESS ANDO'S WAY OF CARING FOR THE INSCRIBED VOLUME AND ITS INHABITANTS. 'I BELIEVE THAT THE WAY PEOPLE LIVE CAN BE DIRECTED A LITTLE BY (BUILDING),' SAYS ANDO, 'AND PEOPLE ALWAYS RELATE TO THE SPIRIT OF THE PLACE OR TO THE SPIRIT OF THE TIME. WE CANNOT SIMPLY PUT SOMETHING NEW INTO A PLACE. WE HAVE TO ABSORB WHAT WE SEE AROUND US, WHAT EXISTS ON THE LAND, AND USE THAT KNOWLEDGE ALONG WITH CONTEMPORARY THINKING TO INTERPRET WHAT WE SEE.'
CATHERINE SLESSOR. CONCRETE RFGIONAIISM. LONDON: THAMES & HUDSON, 2000.
FOUN DATIONS-AM BUJA KNOWLEDGE INITIATIVE. "TADAO ANDO" HTTP^/WWW.FOUNDATIONSAKC. COM/PEOPLE/LEGENDS/TADAO-ANDO ACCESSED. MAR. 9,2013.
Building the site led me to have a conversation with another self about
a friendly construction method toward the social and geographical
environment with a familiar face, skin, bones and flesh to the city fabric
of Ottawa.
S2: So who is the subject of your project?
SI: The people.
S2: The people?
S1; Well, I guess not really the people. They are more like the actors and
the audience of the play I am writing.
S2: Right Then to whom is the message of your play directed?
SI: The system. And whoever drives it It is too easy to say, but
representatively the government
S2: What is their problem?
S1: They may seem to be efficient at some things, but not productive in the
right sense. For instance, they decide to beautify a main city highway
by resurfacing the asphalt and putting on sculptural bicycle racks
designed by an artist with high commission which can only hold one
or two bicycles at a time, as opposed to planning safe paths for bicycles
and pedestrians throughout the city to encourage healthier means of
transportation and reduce the automobile usage. The stress is off the
point
38
CA5TELVECCHIO. ITALY. CARLO SCARPA. CAREFULLY CRAFTED DETAILS: WHERE THE MATERIALS MEET, HOW THEY MEET
CERAMIC HOUSE. CHINA. WANG SHU.RECYCLED MATERIALS AND THE CRAFT BRING OUR SENSE BACK TO THE TOUCH
SIMPSON-LEE HOUSE. AUSTRALIA. GLENN MURCUTT.TOUGH EARTH LIGHTLY ISTHE FOUNDATION OF HOUSES THAT BREATHE IN PARALLEL WTTH NATURE THE HOUSE CAPTURES WIND, UGHT, WATER AND FEEDS INTO THE FUNCTIONALSYSTEM.
S2: Are you trying to change the system?
SI: No, but yes. Change is not made by force, but by awareness and effort
It will not happen fast but eventually I hope the system will take it
slowly but surely and use the energy on the right place and right time.
Eventually, the input output energy should be in balance and in cycle
from within the micro environment For instance, an old lady must take
the elevator to her 5th floor apartment she then in return contributes 3
pots of tomato plants to the community. Meanwhile a young man who
uses the stairs to his 5th floor apartment takes 3 tomatoes each week,
he then in return mows the lawn of the lot on weekends. Meanwhile
a family with children spends a lot of time on the freshly mowed lawn,
and so in return they take a charge in collecting rainwater to water the
lawn and plants and to flush the toilet And so on and so forth.
S2: It sounds like communism or utopia.
SI: I think we can get closer to those ideas, by consciousness and by choice.
And I don’t think they are negative terms by their original sense and
intentions.
39
A building shall exist not as a mass on a site but as a volume which our
body—does not occupy but instead— takes a part in inhabiting the
site altogether. Windows are not just openings and walls are not just
boundaries, but are eyes and skins through which we see and feel the
colour of breeze, the smell of trees, the singing of birds, the tapping of
rain A norm»odern building shall breathe with the site, transform
with the seasons, and sense the touch of our body language. The building
and our body shall be complementary in growth and decay, serving well,
being served well, and aging well together.
40
6. I N V I T A T I O N
T H E V I S I T — S T R A N G E R S T O O U R S E L V E S
■ Cookie-cutter houses are spread out or stacked in clusters, and either
case the problem today is nobody knows their neighbours, because the
distance between people are too far or too close in the wrong direction.
THE STRANGER. ALBERT CAM US.THEMES: SENSORY EXPERIENCES, ABSURDITY, EXISTENTIALISM.
THE VISIT. FRIEDRICH DURRENMATT.TRAGICOMEDY PLAY.THEMES: MONEY AND MORALITY, DEHUMANIZATION AND HUMANISM.
The suburb fails to be countryside because it is too dense. It fails to be
a city because it is not dense enough, or organized enough. Countless
scattered houses dropped like stones on neat rows of development lots
do not create an order, or generate community. Neighbours remain
strangers and the real friends are most often quite far away. The husband
suffers the necessity of long-distance commuting, but the housewife
who remains behind suffers the far greater pain of boredom.1 And most
importantly, where do the children play?IM E .¥.1.5.11
(Conversation o f two strangers)(PERFORMED AND RECORDED BY AUTHOR)
‘There are only two types o f story in history. Either I visityou, or you visit me."
"That was the idea Nowadays nobody visits anybody.”
“True.Is it die visitor, or is it the house who is not fit? ”
"Either or. One must revisit himself to house-sit"
41
THE BOX M AN. KOBO ABE.THE NAMELESS PROTAGONIST GIVES UP HIS IDENTITY AND THE TRAPPINGS OF A NORMAL LIFE TO LIVE IN A LARGE CARDBOARD BOX HE WEARS OVER HIS HEAD. WANDERING THE STREETS OF TOKYO AND SCRIBBLING MADLY ON THE INTERIOR WALLS OF HIS BOX, HE DESCRIBES THE WORLD OUTSIDE AS HE SEES OR PERHAPS IMAGINES IT.
• VIRTUAL INSANITY. JAMIROQUAI. FUTURES MADE OF VIRTUAL INSANITY NOW ALWAYS SEEM TO BE GOVERNED BY THIS LOVE WE HAVE FOR USELESS, TWISTING, OUR NEW TECHNOLOGY NOW THERE IS NO SOUND FOR WE ALL LIVE UNDERGROUND.....
We are in touch with the whole world without moving from our seat. [We
do not even support the weight with our feet; instead there are design
legs (of a chair) or mechanical cheeks where we rest our buttocks on.)
We never run into others, but we only sense the neighbours' presence
when their noise level or taste in cars does not agree with our own, and
that diversity somehow disturbs our peace of mind. Such clusters of
housing plans, whether in the suburb or in the core of a city, "pay no
attention to these closely linked overwhelming changes, and pretend to
be a village of closely knit neighbours and friends. The men, women, and
children of suburbia are seldom quite together, and never quite alone."2
"A large portion of our lives—working, sleeping, playing— is spent in
buildings: buildings over whose design and construction we have little
or no control; buildings whose effect upon our health and happiness is
only obscurely understood."3
Not only we box ourselves in, we are constantly plugged—that is double
or triple blockage from the rea lity ;• ears plugged with headphones, brain
plugged with external hard drives, hands plugged with (touchscreen)
buttons. Do we rely on the biological features or more on the mechanical/
electrical gadgets we attach to our limbs and the box? “In the process of
building his mechanical extensions, man has all but lost himself."4
H A P P E A N U T !
CHERMAYEFF P63.
CHERMAYEFF P64.
JAMES MARSTON FITCH. AMERICAN BUILDING: THE FORCES THAT SHAPE IT. NEW YORK: SCHOCKEN BOOKS, 1973. PREFACE VIM.
CHERMAYEFF P77.
CHERMAYEFF P76.
ERIC FROMM. ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM. LONDON: ROUTIEDGE CLASSICS, 1941. P102.
“Man sees man at his own scale more and more rarely. He sees him in
the city and on the highways, and on the two dimensional techniscreen.
He hears him on the telephone and over loudspeakers. But it is not until
he unplugs himself from these various contrivances that he is exposed
as a real living being. It is only then, when he is in his unique natural
condition, face-to-face with another that the historic scale relationship
between his own physical structure, that of his fellows, and the dimension
of his immediate environment is to be found, and only then that genuine
intercourse becomes possible."5
“The concrete relationship of one individual to another has lost its
direct and human character and has assumed a spirit of manipulation
and instrumentality."6 Nobody visits anybody, hence the personal space.
or Ma. between one and another stranger becomes virtually infinite,
allowing one the urge to extend, fill, and cover the infinite distance.
What do we need for a biological optimum? How do we define these
needs in terms of cubic feet of filled and empty spaces? Nevertheless this
covering of distance does not measure our fitness or happiness. Then
how do we measure our fitness and happiness? If not by the size of one’s
personal space or by how to fill up one’s space, then it is by rethinking
one’s personal space. The purpose and intention of the HOUSE is to have
individuals able to visit oneself and neighbours and become face-to-face
with personal distances. The HOUSE is to have the inhabitants aware
of their behaviour, habits and every specific moment in relation to their
surroundings, thus to improve their perception and attitude.
I N T E R M I S S I O N
Thank you for your attention thasfar. ~~ Let's stand up and stretch.(Was your seat comfortable...?)We could play musicalchairs together. 1I hope you find a new seat to settle in.
Q
2
<X
o—3o n
I
'N I
I I I
C-J
Now we shall proceed to 1 1 *the Visit of the_____HOUSE.Please allow me to introduce:A Practical Manual for Productive LMng&fgfo 0 ^ 5
43
I I I I I I I
i i i i I I i
i i i I i i i
I i i I l 1 i
I ' i i I • « i
■*i r
OPENTHE ONE IN YOUR1 GROWTH MEDIA2 FILTER FABRIC3 DRAINAGE MEDIA/GRAVEL4 PROTECTION FABRIC5 40-kil ROOT BARRIER6 EXTRUDED POLYSTYRENE INSULATION
WITH DRAINAGE CHANNELS7 EPDH OR TPO FULLY ADHERED MEMBRANE8 1/2" PRIME9 APPROVED INSULATION
P
HOUSETHAT FITS DIET PLAN
A B S T R A C T
INTRODUCTION
P R O L O G U E
ACT 1 HOSTS SPEECH
ACT 2 T H E V IS IT
0. S I T EL HOUSE2. UNITS
UNIT #00: UNIT #01: UNIT #02: UNIT #03: UNIT #04: UNIT #05: UNIT #06: UNIT #07:
UNIT #08: UNIT #09: UNIT #10: UNIT #11: UNIT #12: UNIT #13: UNIT #14: UNIT #15: UNIT #16 #17: UNIT #18: UNIT #19: UNIT #20: UNIT #21: UNIT #22: UNIT #23:
E P I L O G U E
CONCLUSION
POSTSCRIPT
BIBLIOGRAPHY
05
09
12
17-42
P R O J E C T H O U S E
474956
HUB FOR PUBLIC GATHERING HOME FOR ELDERLY AND PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED HOME FOR HALLWAY LOVERS HOME FOR GROWING HOME FOR CLIMBING HOME FOR OUTDOOR LOVERS HOME FOR TINY PEOPLE AND CLAUSTROPHOBES HOME FOR ACHIEVING M A X IM U M DISTANCE WITHIN
M IN IM U M DISPLACEMENT
HOME FOR SMOKERS
HOME FOR TIDY PEOPLE
HOME FOR MERRY-GO-'ROUNDHOME FOR MEDIAN STRIP LOVERS
HOME FOR DROPPED CEILING LOVERS
HOME FOR ARTISTS AND MINIMALISTSHOME FOR MULTI-PERSPECTIVALS
HOME FOR GREEN HOUSE LOVERS
TWO-HALVES HOME FOR CREATIVE PERFORMERS
HOME FOR TRI-GENERATION FAMILY
HOME FOR BI-GENERATION FAMILY
HOME FOR ROMANTICISTS AND ASTRONOMERS
HOME FOR CAT LOVERS
HOME FOR SLOPED ROOF LOVERSHOME FOR PRO-SOCIAL AND ANTI-SOCIAL NEIGHBOURS
81
82
83
84
U S E R S G U I D E T O A C T 2
T E X T U A L
DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIT A N D ITS INHABITANTS
V I S U A L
DIAGRAMS OF THE UNIT( A L L V I S U A L S BY A U T H O R )
F L O O R P L A N ( 1 :1 0 0 0 ) A N D U N IT L O C A T IO N
A X O N O M E T R IC (SCALE 1:200) L E G E N D O F D E T A I L S
ENTRANCE
O V E R A L L M A S S I N G
. r
ACT 2 T H E V I S I T '
0. S I T E
.;»?■ v s ' i
SOMERSET HOUSECEN7RETOWN, OTTAWA
SOUTHEAST CORNER. DAVID KAWAITHE SOUTHEAST CORNER AND THE 4TH FLOOR DEMOLISHED BY THE CITY TO ALLOW INSPECTORS COMPLETE ACCESS TO ASSESS THE BUILDING'S STABILITY.
J ■ .47
OTTAWAm agaz ine
Somerset House, once home to such Ottawa landmarks as the Ritz Hotel and The Duke of Somerset, has now sat empty for nearly six years. It has been sheathed with metal scaffolding and exterior support beams, an ugly eyesore at one of the major intersections in the nation's capital. "The city bears most of the responsibility for what has happened to Somerset House," says Derek Crain, president of the Somerset Village Business Improvement Area, as well as an architect who has been trying to restore the historic building.When Tony Shahresebi purchased it from Mitchell, the original owner, in 2005, he imagined another restaurant operating on the ground floor with renovated apartments above. He would restore the building to its former glory. He came up with a renovation plan and got to work.
Then on October -19, 2007, while a work crew was in thebasement, part of the southeast wall collapsed. With noengineering report to back up the initial assessment,the city ordered the intersection closure, and in early
\December the city came up with a solution to the problem. It would tear down Somerset House.
"Why barricade four blocks?" Shahresebi asks. "They put up roadblocks at every opportunity. Some days it seemed like I was being hanged in red tape, like I was being punished just because I asked the city why they tore down my building. My engineer, my architect, my lawyer, none of us could believe it when we received the demolition order. The city didn't even know how badly the building was damaged, but they were going to tear it down anyway."
OT1AWA MAGAZINE TROW TOEAACHI 'HCW SOMEI HOUSt T R A f< S M B » ^n ^T H E G IIA Iff O A M E O fj^
SITE D IA G R A MSOMERSET HOUSE @ B A N K /S O M E R S E T
CURRENT CONDITION AND CONSTRUCTION PLAN
48
B AN K STREET ELEVATION1 RESIDENTIAL: 2N D , 3RD FLOORS2 C O M M E R C IA L : G R O U N D FLOOR
CURRENT C O N D IT IO N(STRUCTURE FAILURE 2007)
1 COLLAPSED W ALLS2 COLLAPSED FLOORS
SITE R E CO N FIG U R A TIO N(D E M O L IT IO N A N D EXPANSION)
1 EXISTING D E M O LIS H E D2 EAST EXPANSION
PROJECT C O N S TR U C TIO N(TOTAL BU ILD ABLE V O LU M E )
1
1 . H O U S E
HOUSE D IA G R A M
FACADE / VOLUME RELATIONSHIPPUBLIC / PRIVATE BALANCETIME / SPACE TRANSFORMATION
%
49
1 FACADE: PERFORATED COPPER PANEL2 FACADE PERFORATION: A V IE W FINDER
BIRD NEST3 FACADE DECAY: OXIDATION OVER T IM E4 TRANSLUCENT SCREEN PANELS HOSTING:
S E M I-P U BLIC /P R IVA TE SEASONAL EVENTS C O M M U N IT Y ACTIVITIES
5 GRAVEL PERIPHERY: RAINWATER DRAININGB AM BO O PLANTING
6 DW ELLING VO LU M E7 CENTRAL CORE:
STAIRCASE + D U M BW AITER RECREATIONAL + GATHERING
8 WATER POLES: COLLECTS PRECIPITATIONSTORES U N D ER G R O U N D
C O N C E P T U A L I M A G E
INSPIRED BY BO X M A N (KOBO ABE), A M A N FINDS A HOMELESS SITE A N D CONSTRUCTS A FITTED SKIN TO SHELTER HIMSELF, YET ALLOW ING THE EXTERNAL C O N D IT IO N S TO INTERACT W IT H HIS BODY. HERE IS THE BIRTH OF A SENSIBLE AND CORPOREAL B O X M AN IN THE HEART OF THE CITY.
50
THE ONE THAT FITSL I K E Y O U R S W E A T H E R
V I E W E D FROM SOMERSET
52
1 C O M M U N A L ROOFTOP G ARDEN2 D W E LLIN G V O LU M E S : H O U S IN G UNITS3 M A IN STAIRCASE W IT H IN THE C IR CU LATIO N CORE4 D U M B W A IT E R W IT H IN THE C IR CU LATIO N CORE
• ( R E F E R T O T H E F O L L O W I N G S C E N E F O R D E T A IL S )
5 H U B FOR PUBLIC GATH ER IN G(PUBLICLY OR PRIVATELY O W N ED BUSINESS)
6 C O M M U N A L SPACES FOR EVENTS A N D GATHERINGSW IT H IN THE CORE ON ALL LEVELS
7 UNDERGROUND FOR STORAGE, LAUNDRY, M ECH ANICALFIXTURES, WATER TANKS
B AN K ST.
53
# G O I N G A G A I N S T A N D A L O N G G R A V I T Y
S M A R TW E IG H TE R (D U M B W A ITE R )
If you are thinking about getting in shape, try the sm artweighterl Firstly,
you must be fit in order to fit; secondly, you must be fit in order to lift
yourself.
Those who go to the gym to lift weights, well, stop lifting the weights that
are not related to you. Have you thought about being able to lift your
own weight? (Or, you might as well be a dum bwaiterl) Those who are
lazy still get to sit (or stand) in a box without displacing your feet. Those
who have other (inconvenient) reasons to take (convenient) elevators
will simply feel better for working out the mechanism by themselves and
for themselves.
Traveling against gravity (without technological help) is not easy. But we
are not talking about shooting ourselves up to the moon, and technology
does not mean high-technology. If we recover the lost-technology—
smart mechanisms worked out by ancient civilizations—we could
basically displace our positions to the appropriate altitude according
to the needs. This way, we will not contradict ourselves by saying ‘let's
save energy’ while taking an elevator and still complaining how slow
it is. We are not even saving our own energy by taking elevators; our
energy only gets trapped in the body, and eventually explodes in the form
of permanent bad mood and impatience, and unfit physique. We can
save the outsource energy (electricity, heat, so on) by utilizing our own
energy (in which case of course we need to eat well, sleep well, dream
well, and so on, to produce kinetic energy). However once we get used
to the constant input (efficiency in action), then we will consequently
get things in a better form than we have imagined (productivity in
performance).
Now, please allow me to introduce the following two applications of lost-
technology: smartweighters.
M A N U A L ELEVATOR I: CLASSICAL PULLEY SYSTEM
VERY SIMPLE. TW O STRINGS INSIDE A BOX: ONE TO PULL YOURSELF (IN THE BOX) UP, ANOTHER TO PULL D O W N . IT MAY REQUIRE SOME ARM STRENGTH, BUT NO W YOU NO LONGER NEED TO DO PUSHUPS AGAINST THE FLOOR OR THE WALL, W H ICH DOES NOT GET YOU ANYWHERE.
54
A
M A N U A L ELEVATOR II: PULLEY A N D COG SYSTEM
THIS IS FOR THOSE W H O ARE ON WHEELS. YOU CAN STILL USE THE ELEVATOR I ABOVE, BUT THIS IS ARRANGED TO SUIT THEIR REGULAR HAND M O T IO N . THE WHEELS WILL BE HOOKED ON TO THE COGS. AS YOU SPIN THE WHEELS, THE M EC H A N IS M START TO W ORK OUT. FORWARD AND REVERSE HAND M O TIO N ARE APPLIED TO UP AND DO W N M O V E M E N T OF THE BOX.
2. U N I T S
U N I T # 0 0
H U B F O R P U B L I C G A T H E R I N G
FACING BANK STREET, THE HUB, HALF WITH AN OUTDOOR PATIO, ANOTHER HALF WITH DOUBLE HEIGHT ATRIUM,ALLOWS PLENTY OF DAYLIGHT IN THROUGH THE GLAZING AND PERFORATED FACADE. ENTRANCE IS LOCATED AT THE CENTRE, UNDER THE RAISED FACADE. THE ENTRANCE IS INSET, WITH A COPPER DOOR, WHICH REFLECTS THE MATERIALITY OF THE FACADE, ALONG WITH THE REAR WALL TO ENTER, ONE MUST PASS OVER THEGRAVELSTRIP, WHERE EXCESS SNOW, RAINWATER OR DIRT ON THE SHOES CAN BE SHAKEN OFF AND DRAINED. THE GRAVEL CAN AS WELL HOST PLANTS SUCH AS BAMBOO TO GROW FOR THEIR FULL HEIGHT IN THE INTERSTITIAL SPACE BETWEEN THE VOLUME AND FACADE.
THE VOLUME CAN BE A CAFE, RESTAURANT OR GALLERY, OR A COMBINATION OF MULTIPLE TYPES OF SOCIAL GATHERING SPACE. IT IS OPEN TO PUBLICLY OR PRIVATELY OPERATED BUSINESSES.
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1 ENTRANCE2 PATIO3 D O U B LE -H E IG H T A T R IU M4 FACADE
U N I T # 0 1
H O M E F O RE L D E R L Y A N D P H Y S I C A L L Y C H A L L E N G E D
LOCATED ON THE GROUND LEVEL, GENEROUS FLOOR AREA, ENTRANCE WAY AND ROUNDED CORNERS ALLOW INHABITANTS W ITH MECHANICAL OR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO MOVE AT EASE. THE BATHROOM IS MORE SPATIAL COMPARED TO ALL OTHER UNITS, SHEETED W ITH BAMBOO TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF COLD HARD FLOOR. IT IS THE ONLY UNIT THAT COMES WITH A FIREPLACE, FOR EXTRA VISUAL AND PHYSICAL COMFORT IN THE WINTER.
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1 ENTRANCE2 B AT H R O O M3 S LE E P IN G /R E S TIN G4 C O O K IN G /D IN IN G5 LIV ING6 BALCONY7 FIREPLACE
58
U N I T
H O M E
H A L L
L O V
# 0 2
F O R
W A Y
E R S
TAKING THE LONGEST SPAN IN THE BUILDING, THE UN IT FEATURES A TYPICALLY LONG BORING HALLWAY TURN IN G INTO A SERIES OF FUNWAY. FOR HALLWAY LOVERS OR HATERS, THIS W O U LD BE A M U TU A L EXCITEMENT FOR CREATIVE ACTIVITIES. THE U N IT COMES W IT H THREE HALLWAY ACCESSORIES: GOLF GREEN, RED CARPET RUNWAY, AND BOW LING LANE. YOU MAY DESIGN YOUR O W N ACCESSORIES W H E N SIGNING UP FOR THIS UNIT.
LE V E L 1 ( 1 :1 0 0 0 )
1 HALLW AY/ PLAYING/ EXORCIZING2 E N T R A N C E /B A LC O N Y3 L IV I N G / D I N I N G / C O O K I N G4 B A T H R O O M5 SLEEPING6 S T U D Y IN G /P L A Y IN G /M E D IT A T IN G ( 1 :2 0 0 )
U N I T # 0 3
H O M E F O R G R O W I N G
A THREE-STORY VOLUME FEATURING A COURT FOR PLANTING, ALLOWING THE PLANT TO REACH HIGH ALTITUDE JUST AS YOU CAN ELEVATE UP TO THREE LEVELS. THE UNIT IS FOR OPTIMISTIC PEOPLE W HO LOVE TO GROW THINGS BESIDE/ALONG WITH THEIR OW N GROWTH, OR FOR THOSE W HO ARE SLIGHTLY PESSIMISTIC AND WILLING TO OVERCOME SUCH ATTITUDE. IT IS ALSO HELPFUL FOR THOSE W HO HAVE HORIZONTALLY EXPANDED BODIES TO CHANGE ITS DIRECTION OF GROWTH: VERTICALSTRETCH IN ORDERTO FEEL FIT AND PROPORTIONAL.
4
LE V E L 1 ( 1 :1 0 0 0 )
1 ENTRANCE2 L IV IN G /D IN IN G3 BALCONY/ PLANTING4 BALCONY (PERFORATED COPPER DECK W ITH A HOLE)5 COOKING6 BATH ROOM7 SLEEPING
U N I T # 0 4
H O M E F O R C L I M B I N G
THIS THREE-STORY UNITPROVIDES A STEEP STAIRCASE AND TWO LADDERS FOR THOSE W HO HAVE CONFIDENCEIN THIGH AND BUTTOCKS MUSCLES, OR FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO STRENGTHEN THEIR BOTTOM MUSCLES,OR SIMPLY FOR THOSE W HO ENJOY A SPACIOUS LOFTAND LEVELLED BALCONIES.YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO LE V E L 1 ( 1 :1 0 0 0 )
ARRANGE AND M O UNT YOUROWN HOLDS ON THE VERTICALSURFACE, IF YOU ARE A ROCKCLIMBER.
1 ENTRANCE2 C O O K IN G /D IN IN G3 B ATHR O O M4 BALCONIES5 S LE EPING/ PLAYING
60
( 1 :2 0 0 )
U N I T # 0 5
H O M E
0 U T D L O V
F O O O
E R
A SMALL CUBE W ITH A LOFT CIRCUMSCRIBED BY TW O LEVELSOF BALCONY, ALMOST W RAPPING AROUND THE U N IT PROVIDES AS M UC H OF THE O UTDO OR SPACE AS THE INDOOR VO LUM E. FOR A CITY W ITH A LONG HARSH W INTER, THIS O UTDOOR AREA IS EXPOSED TO THE LOVELY WEATHERS YET FILTERED BY THE FACADE TO GET A GOOD BALANCE OF SE M I-IN D O O R AND O UTDO O R LIGHTING AND AIR QUALITY. IT ALLOWS YOU TO M A X IM IZE THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SHORT- LASTING SU M M ER .
LE V E L 2 (1 :1 0 0 0 )
1 ENTRANCE2 B A L C O N Y /L IV IN G /P L A Y IN G3 C O O K IN G /D IN IN G4 B A T H R O O M5 B A L C O N Y /L IV IN G /P L A Y IN G6 SLEEPING
UNIT P04
U N I T # 0 6
H O M E F O R T I N Y P E O P L E
& C L A U S T R O P H O B E STHE SECOND SMALLEST U N IT IN THE BUILDING IS FOR TINY PEOPLE, ELVES, FAIRIES, OR CLAUSTROPHOBES (W H O W A N T TO OVERCOME SUCH PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE). IT PROVIDES AN ESSENTIAL AND BASIC SET OF PRO G RAM M E TO COMPLETE YOUR DAILY ROUTINE.
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1 ENTRANCE2 L IV IN G /D IN IN G /C O O K IN G3 B AT H R O O M4 BALCONY
62
( 1:200)
U N I T # 0 7
H O M E F O RA C H I E V I N G
M A X IM U M DISTANCEW I T H I NMINIMUM DISPLACEMENT
A THREE-STORY U N IT W ITH THE ONLY SPIRAL STAIRCASE IN THE BUILDING IS FOR THOSE W H O LIKE TO ATTAIN ENOUGH STEPS PER DAY. IT TAKES THE SMALLEST FOOTPRINT, YET ACQUIRES THE GREATEST TRAVELLING FOOTSTEPS. A LOT OF W ALKING AND WATER INTAKES ARE THE BEST TO START YOUR BUSY DAY. THERE IS A SAYING THAT GOES: THE BEST SHORTCUT IS TO TAKE A LONG ROUND BOUND.
• (REFER TO TH E F O L L O W IN G SCENE O N W A L K IN G FOR D E TAILS.)
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1 ENTRANCE2 L IV IN G /P L A Y IN G3 D IN IN G /C O O K IN G4 B A T H R O O M5 SLEEPING6 BALCONY
T A K I N G A S T R O L L
TAKE A STROLL THROUGH YOUR MIND TEMPTATIONS. EXCERPT.
TAKE A STROLL IHOUSEWIVES TAKING ASTROLL WHILE DOING THEIR CHORES. SHETAKESTIME COOKING, TASTING, EXPERIMENTING, CREATING DIGESTIVE MEALS. HAPPY HUSBANDS, HAPPY CHILDREN, HAPPY MOTHERS AND WIVES.
TAKE A STROLL IIHUSBANDS TAKING A STROLL BEFORE WORK, TO WORK, DURING WORK, AFTER WORK. HE TAKES TIME TO DIGEST BEFORE RUSHING TO THE DOOR. IN THE MEANTIME, DO A LITTLE CROSSWORD PUZZLE OR SUDOKU, WARM UP THE BRAIN. IT WILL HELP HIS MOOD AND METABOLISM.
Take a stro ll through your mind You'll be surprised a t what you m ight find
Seems like every monday morning I've go t the bluesAnd every tuesday I get some bad newsWednesday worse cause I ain't go t a dime to my nameI done worked so hard a ll weekThursday my body jus t racked w ith painHere come the good partFriday the eagle flies and so do II wonder i f you hear me when I sayThe eagle flies on friday and so do I
Take a stro ll through your mind You'll be surprised a t what you m ight find
H O M E F O R S M O K E R S
THIS CORNER U N IT FEATURES TW O TINY BALCONIES ENOUGH TO SQUEEZE COMFORTABLY ONE, TW O OR THREE SMOKERS FOR SM O KING . SMOKERSLIKETHE INTIM ATE CONVERSATIONS A N D /O R BEING ALONG AND ISOLATED. THE (1X1)M 2 VOIDS ALLOW THE CROW D TO KEEP THEMSELVES W ARM IN THE W INTER IN THEIR LIGHTLY THERMAL SM OKING GOW NS.
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1 ENTRANCE2 S M O K IN G BALCONIES3 D IN IN G /C O O K IN G4 B ATH RO O M5 SLEEPING
U N I T # 0 9
H O M E F O RT I D Y P E O P L E
THIS UNIT IS FOR THOSE W HO LIKE THE CLEAN MODERN W HITE ROOM W ITH NOTHING ON THE SURFACE, OR FOR THOSE W HO SIMPLY LIKE TO EMPTY THEIR ROOM AND M IN D TO MEDITATE. THE CENTRAL MULTI-USE SQUARE FOLDS AND UNFOLDS INTO A DINING TABLE, A TATAMI STAGE, AND AN EMBEDDED BED, GOOD FOR DEEP DIVING INTO DREAMS. THE BOTTOM HALF PART OF THE WALL FACING THE REAR FACADE CAN BE FOLDED DOW N TO FORM A LANDING. KITCHEN SET CAN BE INSTALLED W ITH IN EITHER SIDE OF THE LONG WALLS UPON YOUR REQUEST.
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1 ENTRANCE2 B AT H R O O M3.1 STORAGE3.2 BED3.3 TATAMI STAGE3.4 FOLDABLE TABLE + LEGS4 FOLDABLE COPPER DECKING
66
3. 2
3. 1
1 :2 0 0 )
u N 1 T # 1 0
H 0 M E F 0 RM E R R YG 0 I R O U N D
CIRCLES ARE PRACTICAL. YOU GET A FULL PANORAMA 360° M O TIO N AROUND THE MECHANICAL CORE. NO EDGES OR CORNERS THAT INTERRUPT OR INTERFERE W ITH YOUR FANCY MOVES. IN THE OPEN SPACE, YOU CAN HANG A MOSQUITO NET, A PROJECTOR, A DISCO BALL, OR INSTALL A ROUND POOL TABLE (REQUIRES SKILLS TO DEFLECT A CURVED SURFACE ON ANOTHER CURVED SURFACE) OR A MERRY-GO-'ROUND. CIRCLES PROVIDE INFINITY OF FUN.
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1 ENTRANCE2 B AT H R O O M3 COOKING4 D IN IN G /L IV IN G5 L IV IN G / PLAYING6 BALCONY
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( 1 :2 0 0 )
H O M E F O R M E D I A N S T R I P L O V E R S
A RECTANGULAR UN IT DIVIDED IN HALVES, IS PARTED BY A M EDIAN STRIP OF GRAVEL, A) FOR PLANTING, AND B) FOR DISTINGUISHING SERVER AND SERVED ZONES. THE M EDIAN STRIP IS AN INDO O R COURTYARD W HICH CALMS YOU DO W N W HEN YOU ARE ABOUT TO RUSH THE SERVING WORKS INTO BEING SERVED EXPERIENCES, AS YOU CROSS OVER BACK AND FORTH FROM ONE ZONE TO ANOTHER.
LE V E L 2 ( 1 :1 0 0 0 )
1 ENTRANCE2 BALCONY3 C OOKING (SERVER)4 B A T H R O O M (SERVER)5 D IN IN G /L IV IN G /S L E E P IN G /P L A Y IN G (SERVED)
69
U N I T # 1 2
H O M E F O R
D R O P P E D - C E I L I N GL O V E R S
NOBODY LIKES CHEAP PLASTIC DROPPED CEILING ACOUSTIC PANELS. BUT W E COULD ALL BE DROPPED HANGING SW IN G ING CEILING LOVERS. THE CRAWL SPACE ABOVE THE CEILING IS AS USEFUL AS ITS BACK SIDE FACING THE M A IN LIVING SPACE. LET'S TRY G RO W ING GRASS ALONG GRAVITY, STARTING W ITH AN ACCESSORY STOOL FOR DROPPED GRASS CEILING FOR CATS.
/
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1 ENTRANCE2 BALCONY3 D IN IN G /L IV IN G4 DROPPED CEILING LOFT FOR L IV IN G / S LEEPING/ PLAYING 4.5 PLANTIN G A LONG GRAVITY5 COOKING6 BATH ROOM 1:200)
U N I T # 1 3
H O M E F O R A R T I S T S
& M I N I M A L I S T STHE SMALLEST UN IT IN THE BUILDING FOR STUDIO USE. ASINGLE SIMPLE OPEN SPACE FOR YOUR CREATIVE USE.
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1 ENTRANCE2 B AT H R O O M
( 1 :200 )
U N I T # 1 4
H O M E F O RMULTI-PERSPECTIVALS
WALLS HAVE THICKNESSES, AND THEY CAN HAVE UNEVEN THICKNESSES FOR A) DYNAMIC IMBEDDED STORAGE, AND B) DYNAMIC PERSPECTIVAL VIEWS. LIKE A CUBIST PAINTER W OULD SAY, SURFACES CAN BE USED AS DEPTHS AS W ELL THIS UNIT IS FOR THOSE W HO ENJOY ODD ANGLES, AS IF HAVING A PAIR OF TRIANGULATED GLASSES THAT ENHANCES YOUR VISION TOWARD THE WORLD.
w
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1 ENTRANCE2 C O O K IN G /D IN IN G3 BATHR OOM4 SLEEPING5 READING NOOK6 BALCONY
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( 1 : 200 )
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U N I T # 1 5
HGF
O M E R E E N H
A M
F O0 U S
1 L
A REGULAR 2X (BED AND BATHROOM) FAMILY UNIT W ITH A GREEN HOUSE PENETRATING THROUGH. THE GREENHOUSE HOSTS ENTRANCES TO ALL ROOMS AND OUTDOORS AS WELL AS SPACES FOR PLANTING AND FAMILY GATHERINGS. IT IS WHERE CHILDREN CAN LEARN H O W TO RESPECT S EM IPUBLIC SPACES AND WHERE ADULTS CAN SUPERVISE CHILDREN'S LEARNING IN A LIVELY EN VIRO NM EN T THAT THEY CREATE TOGETHER.
I h
LE V EL 3 ( 1 :1 0 0 0 )
1 ENTRANCE2 GREEN H O U S E / L IV IN G / PLAYING/ P L A N T IN G /C IR C U LA T IO N3 C O O K IN G /D IN IN G4 B ATHR OOM S5 MASTER B E D R O O M6 CHILDREN'S B ED R OOM7 BALCONY
CM ' 3 ~ h? ” 17
( 1 :200)
UNIT #16 #17
T W O - H A L V E S H O M E F O R C R E A T I V E P E R F O R M E R STWO-HALVES MAKE A W HOLE. THIS SET OF IDENTICAL AND MIRRORED STUDIO UNITS ARE FOR GROUPS OF CREATORS W HO LIKE TO COLLABORATE AND SHARE IDEAS. THE SPACE OF COURSE CAN BE SHARED. THE FOLDABLE PANELS AND EXTRA TRACKS (YOUR CHOICE OF STRAIGHT LINE OR CURVED, OR A COM BINATION OF BOTH) CAN BE ORDERED TO FORM ADVANCED SPATIAL ARRANGEMENTS.
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1 ENTRANCE2 B ATH ROOM S3 FOLDABLE PARTITION PANEL
U N I T # 1 8
H O M E F O R
T R I - G E N E R A T I O NF A M I L Y
THE LARGEST FAMILY UNIT OCCUPIESTHE MOSTCOMPLEX VOLUMES IN THIS BUILDING, THOUGH, THE INTERIOR CONFIGURATION IS SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD. THERE ARE PLENTY OF ROOMS FOR THE CHILDREN TO PLAY AND FOR THE ELDERLY TO REST. THE BALCONY LOOKS OVER TO THE PATIO OF THE HUB ON THE SECOND LEVEL, GETTING A GLIMPSE OF THE URBAN LIVELIHOOD, BUT W ITH SUFFICIENT PRIVACY.
LE V E L 3 (1 :1 0 0 0 ) ( 1:200 )
1 ENTRANCE2 D O U B LE -H E IG H T PLAYING3 LOFT LIV ING4 COOKING 4 .5 D IN IN G5 B ATH R O O M S6 MASTER B E D R O O M I7 MASTER B E D R O O M II8 CHILDREN'S B E D R O O M9 BALCONY
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U N I T
H O M E
# 1 9
F O R
B I - G E N E R A T I O NF A M I L Y
A SIM ILAR FAMILY U N IT TO THE PREVIOUS BUT ONLY FOR AC CO M M O D ATIN G TW O GENERATIONS. THE BALCONY ALSO LOOKS OVER TO THE PATIO OF THE HUB ON THE SECOND LEVEL, G ETTING A GLIMPSE OF THE URBAN LIVELIHOOD, BUT W IT H SUFFICIENT PRIVACY.
LE V E L 4 ( 1 :1 0 0 0 )
ENTRANCEB ATH R OOMLIVINGCOOKINGD ININGMASTER BEDROOM CHILDREN'S B ED ROOM BALCONY (1:200)
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U N I T # 2 0
H O M E F O R R O M A N T I C I S T S
&A S T R O N O M E R S
FOR DREAMERS AND THOSE W HO LIKE TO HOLD THEIR HEADS HIGH AND SET THEIR GOALS HIGH. WHETHER YOU JUST W ANT TO GAZE THE STARS FROM AFAR OR EXAMINE THEM CLOSELY, THIS UNIT FEATURES TW O SKYLIGHTS FOR A PERFECT SET OF PLANETARIUM PROJECTED AT HOME. W ITH NO DISTRACTION FROM THE CITY'S NEON LIGHTS, ONE VIEW FINDER SITS ABOVE THE LIV ING /D IN ING ANDANOTHER ABOVE THE SLEEPING AREA. NOT TO M ENTION IT COMES W ITH A NATURAL WAKE-UP CALL FROM THE SUN.
• (REFER TO THE FO LLO W IN G SCENE O N STAR G A ZIN G FOR DETAILS.)
LEV EL 4 (1 :1 0 0 0 )
1 ENTRANCE2 SKYLIGHT3 SKYLIGHT4 L IV IN G /D IN IN G /C O O K IN G5 BATH R OOM6 S L E E P IN G /D R E A M IN G /W A K IN G /B E IN G R O M A N TIC
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| S T A R G A Z I N G
STARRY NIGHT AND THE MILKY WAY
CAMERA 6pSCURA NIG^T WATCHING
When I was just a little girl, 1 would get scared of
the dark and the shadows in my bedroom when
I go to sleep. So then Daddy would put a pot full
of water beside my bed, and tell me to take a look
into it... And there, it shines the moon, twice as
bright, capturing and releasing its light from
above and below. I would watch the moon swim.
I would poke her sometimes, to see her giggle. I
would connect the stars to make a picture. Then
eventually 1 would fall asleep.... diving deep into
my own little pot-planetarium.
Still today, I would pause and look up to the indigo
sky, searching for the colourful stars, red green
orange purple, and try to guess the percentage
fullness of the moon. It is quite rude of city’s
neon light parade to interfere with natural night
light, but it does not mean that light pollution
overwrites the natural. The moon and stars are
there to see, if you look.
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M O O N L IG H T SO N A TA
U N I T # 2 1
H O M E F O R C A T L O V E R S
CAT LOVERS CAN LIVE LIKE THEIR CATS, AND CATS W A N T TO LIVE LIKE THEIR LOVERS. THE SQUARE ZEN GARDEN IN THE CENTRE IS A SANDBOX FOR YOU TO PLAY AS WELL AS FOR YOUR CATS TO POOP AND PLAY. MAKE PRETTY PATTERNS. DRAW THE UNIVERSE. THE UPPER LANDING PLANES ARE FOR YOU AND YOUR CATS TO HOP O N, ROLL AROUND AND SUNBATHE. THEY ARE CARPETED FOR YOUR SOFT TOUCH AND YOUR CAT'S CLAW GRIPS.
LE V E L 4 ( 1 :1 0 0 0 )
1 ENTRANCE2 C OOKING3 B A T H R O O M4 ZEN G A R D E N / KITTY LITTER5 PLAY PLANES FOR CAT A N D CAT LOVERS
79
U N I T
H O M E S L O P E D L 0 V
# 2 2
F O R R O O F
R S
IF YOU D O N ’T LIKE FLAT CEILINGS OR DROPPED CEILINGS THEN YOU CAN HAVE A SLOPED CEILING AND ROOFING TO BRING BACK THE PLAYING-IN-THE- ATTIC OR PITCHING -A-TENT ATMOSPHERE FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD. THE UN IT GIVES YOU, ON THE ONE HAND, AN INTIM ATE PRIVATE RESTING SPACE, AND ON THE OTHER, A SPATIAL VERTICAL SURFACE TO EXHIBIT YOUR WORKS AND M EM O RIES.
LE V E L 4 ( 1 : 1 0 0 0 )
1 ENTRANCE2 COOKING3 B ATH R O O M4 L IV IN G /D IN IN G5 S LE EP IN G/PLAYING6 SLOPED ROOF W IT H A STAIRCASE/ GALLERY7 ROOF TOP GARDEN
U N I T # 2 3
H O M E F O R P R O - S O C I A L
&A N T I - S O C I A LN E I G H B O U R S
W HETHER YOU ARE A SOCIALLY ENGAGINGIN D IV ID U A L OR A SHY ONE, THIS U N IT IS A M INIATURE FORM OF THE HOUSE, A C O M M U N IT Y W ITH A CENTRAL CIRCULATION AND GATHERING CORE. LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST, THE UNIT IS AFFORDABLE AND CAN ACCO M M ODATE AN EXTRA LARGE FAMILY AS WELL AS A G ROUP OF STUDENTS W H O ENJOY SHARED LIVING. THE NOISE LEVEL W O ULD NOT IM PACT THE REST OF THE BUILDING AS IT IS ON THE TOP LEVEL, AND AWAY FROM OTHER FAMILY UNITS.
LE V E L 4 ( 1 :1 0 0 0 )
1 ENTRANCE2 CLOSET3 B AT H R O O M4 C OOKING5 L IV IN G /D IN IN G /G A T H E R IN G6 BALCONY7 B EDR O O M S
81
E P I L O G U E
D I N N E R P A R T Y
Thank you for your attention and participation in the HOUSE tour.
The night has fallen, and the curtain has drawn...Yet the time is young...!Let us celebrate our moment ofMa together.
You may sit again, or continue to sit, and meanwhile we can as well sing, swing, skip, stroll, skate...You will be served with slow food, picked, prepared and presented by good hand and good heart
The Big Night is all ours.Remember to taste up and down, in and out, and all around, and there, more flavours are to be found.
Good dreams, good sense, and good vision can spin your life back into the kaleidoscope of brilliant colours.
It was my pleasure to host this event Thank you for your attention and support Stay well, until the next Visit
PHOTOGRAPH BY OTTO BETTMANN. THE BETTMANN® ARCHIVE, CORBIS CORPORATE.,
82
C O N C L U S I O N
The issues of: a) standardization in planning; b] building methodology
aimed for profit over quality of performance; and c) lifestyles impacted
by the high and low tides of the fast and vast running system questioned
me to think about the very shintai relationship between the living body
and built body. And I believe that the two actors, the living and built
bodies, can come to a comfortable middle ground of shintai as one.
By being aware of each body movement in accordance to the part of
the built that comes in contact, the basics of actions can be amplified,
turning the routines into a credited exercise. This simplifies housing
planning and household gadgets back to corporeal dimensions and
functions, without being reduced to just an open empty white box. By
no means I meant to bring the digital and automatic system back to all
manual, nor introducing inconveniences, it is only my intention to use
our body and technological extensions in balance to achieve the best
result in work, play, sleep and so on. Instead of thinking that we must
live up to the external expectations, or expecting external forces to do
everything for us, taking a step back and pause to think about it before
rushing into automatic pre-programmed actions helps us regain senses
and fitness. This way, buildings’ transformation, both growth and decay,
can accommodate innovations, new creations, as well as preserving the
basics and traditions, not in separate directions as to one rushes forward
and the other stays behind, but both coexisting on one time-line.
83
P O S T S C R I P T
All the information I have given so far is nothing new but is what we
already know or what we are familiar with, and that is precisely the
point, where we tend to forget the basics and essentials. For building
and living the present and future with memory of the past, we do not
necessarily always need something new. The key to make better living
is to take close look at the common sense and normal things around us
and make best use of all. And only by first-hand experience of building
moments can our senses and health be brought to fitter, happier and
more productive level of conscious.
84
B I B L I O G R A P H Y
ALBERTO PEREZ-GOMEZ. BUILT UPON LOVE: ARCH ITECTURAI LONGING AFTER ETHICS AND AESTHETICS. LONDON: THE IMT PRESS, 2006. PRINT.
CHERMAYEFF, SERGE, AND CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER. COMMUNITY AND PRIVACY: TOWARD A NEW ARCHITECTURE OF HUMANISM. NEW YORK: DOUBLEDAY 1965.
FTCH, JAMES MARSTON. AMERICAN BUILDING: THE FORCES THAT SHAPE IT. NEW YORK: SCHOCKEN BOOKS. 1973.
FOSTER, HALL EDT. THE ANTI-AESTHETIC: ESSAYS ON POSTMODERN CULTURE. NEW YORK: THE NEW PRESS.199R
FRAMPTON, KENNETH. MODERN ARCHITECTURE: A CRITICAL HISTORY LONDON: THAMES & HUDSON. 1992.
FROMM, ERIC. ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM. LONDON: ROUTLEDGE CLASSICS. 1941.
HONORE, CARL IN PRAISF OF SLOW. TORONTO: KNOPF CANADA. 2004.
JENCKS, CHARLES AND GEORGE BAIRD ED. MEANING IN ARCHITECTURE. NEW YORK: GEORGE BRAZILLER, INC., 1970.
MARCUS, CLARE C HOUSE AS A MIRROR OF SELF: EXPLORING THE DEEPER MEANING OF HOME. CALIFORNIA: CONARI PRESS, 1995.
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