Mar '12 - Apr '15
Live tweeting [tumbling?] from Stamps Auditorium, University of Michigan...let's do this!
Monica Ponce de Leon's introduction
John McMurrough asks to notify the audience that this lecture counts for AIA Continuing Education credits [super important!]
Monica referencing establishment of Raoul Wallenberg Lecture Series, his work under Rem Koolhass, and later OMA
AZP explaining the title of lecture [envelopes]
Points to Yokohama as the point of departure for directed study of "the envelope"
Study of envelopes develops as a revision
Two mechanisms on which capitalism is placed [temporal and spatial]
What is late capitalism? [the ability to] extend time and place at will
Reality without borders, conducting business across the world with no barriers
Attempting to crystallize this fluid/liquid reality that we are just becoming aware of [referencing Yokohama]
The things we thought were gone...borders, barriers, were appearing with a violence, force
We are realizing the limits of the concept of unlimited growth [economic]
Limits have received renewed interest
The envelope is the part of the building that resolves 80% of the interface between interior and environment
Communities used to rely on the plan or section if the building, though those mechanisms are still important to a degree, but more possibilities are opening with regards to the envelope of the building
Certain uneasiness about viewing architecture as surface
"skin" is insufficient in describing the [exterior surface]
the envelope has had several theories throughout architectural history
envelope as environmental device, environmental, visual, hermetic
architects are deprived of opportunity to affect internal structures of building [social housing, office, shopping mall]
hypothesis: envelopes operate based on four basic categories, related to aspect ratio of the building
all categories have an implicit capability for political, transformative action
1st category: flat-horizontal x=y>z
usually host functions that need to develop on a horizontal space
has such a scale that is the most capable of solving nature
these typologies are also developing with the possibility of vegetating the roof
roofs are becoming new grounds, the ground is being challenged with this new typology
nature, artificial, ground
mall of america as one of the paradigms of this typology...vertical exterior surface is devoid of performance, no need to insulate, archtiecture in this void has to try to produce an architecture that is effect, devoid of any other performance than appearing as architecture
Project: shopping mall
note: our generation focused more on technical, economic structures rather than political
project sits next to Ikea
attempting to naturalize the building, palette used tries to grow out of the colors of istanbul, green, red, etc.
building becomes destabilized ground
elements [skylights, inhabitable roofs] are re-engagement between nature and artificial
2nd project: New Street Station, Birmingham, UK
context would qualify as progressive, urban, our role was simply to produce the 'wrapping' of the building to make it look good ::chuckles from audience::
how can we find an argument to do something with this surface?
tracks of station are below street level, building looks like flat office buildlng
trying to bring to vertical envelope some sense of what is happening inside building [information, trains, people]
Birm. is a city of crossroads, idea of station became connected in the project
Selective choosing of parts of outside that we wanted to show
surfaces reflect strategically based on showing specific things [sky, people]
the envelope is not necessarily related to interior, but engages the urban instead of revealing or adding of decor to surface, idea was to reflect what was happening in the city
2nd typology: spherical
not literally spherical, but typology that has same dimensions in length, width, height x=y=z
spherical typology is not functional, sphere has lowest facade ratio of any type, meaning the envelope is free of technical requirements, very iconographic, usually public buildings, usually have horizontal/vertical spaces optimized for specific public functions
examples [bird's nest, etc.]
communication, interpretation of surface shows latency of pattern usually of similar materials, disillusion of window through material texture
project: Ravensbourne: College of Design & Communication
question is regarding the growing interest of the vertical surface
building could become silo of activity, dictated by urban rules, therefore doing something like wallpaper as surface
most important things of building: reconsideration of transparency [loaded term, but has certain political connotations, cannot be completely transparent b/c of not fitting in within urban context] and pattern [
introduction of equilateral triangle into pentagon
pattern can sustain array of windows
covering the surface with array of centers [like roses, gothic windows], series of polar arrays that begin to cover the ground
removal of tiles create holes, windows
within every level, two levels of windows, one for looking out, one for bringing in as much light as possible
unfolding of envelope to see all programs and thus scales of openings
scale of pattern changes with scale of window
experience of envelope is not about explaining what's inside, turns it into a cube, transparent
games have to do with qualifying the envelope, loading it with certain content, not deliberately explained
3rd category: flat-vertical x<y
"slab" [example: UN HQ]
90% of buildings built after enlightenment are this typology
Reference of Corb's drawing [img]
flat, vertical envelope becomes explicit, all qualifications disappear, there is no front and back, building is simply occupied by slabs
this typology was perfect for the welfare state
vertical surface is device to produce environmental control of building
envelopes expressive of collective organizations, latent political consciousness that needs to represent plural, diverse, society
reference MVRDV project
project: social housing in Madrid
interested in how envelope is marriage of representation and performance, where each feed the other instead of simply layered on top
new policies enable differentiation, cultural, political
interested in producing differentiation
last typology: vertical x=y<z
mass, plan tends to be rounded, multi-directional
not su much about pattern, more about enclosure around tower
technical constraints are at a maximum
iconographic requirements, value are at a maximum as well
regulations [ref. Hong Kong] every room has direct relationship with the outside
buildings are literal translation of increased environmental exposure
shape of plan has great effect on inertia of lateral forces
global manual for highrises [work with students at Princeton]
last project: world trade center entry
trying to mobilize concerns of tall buildings, trying to produce new architectural expression, proposal for solution of new world trade center
how do we increase size of plan without making the building fatter?
buildings needed to represent some sort of collected effort
inspiration taken from different agents collaborating together to grow taller, gain strength
all of the towers are weak, flimsy, but connection allows them to grow taler than before
conclusion
i am a great fan of typologies, they generate a great discourse, emphasis on envelope is polemical proposal on generating debate on what is the most active element of the building, that can be most influential on the role of a building within the community
Now that I'm post-graduate-school, and [for the time being] post-architectural-practice, I'm using this blog as an outlet to generate meaningful conversation on the limitations as well as latent opportunities in architectural practice. Co-Founder @anewyorkagency
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