B a g s v a e r d C h u r c h Case Study Amy Wowk

   

                         

                                                                                     

F O R M B O D Y T E C H N I Q U E S P A C E Bagsvaerd Church Jorn Utzon

   

 

 

 F O R M B O D Y T E C H N I Q U E S P A C E Bagsvaerd Church located on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark, and was designed by Danish architect, Jorn Utzon in 1973-1976 for a Lutheran-Protestant denomination (Andersen, 97). To generate Bagsvaerd Church’s form, Utzon uses his idea of additive architecture, aspects of critical regionalism, and light as a function of architecture.

Utzon employs the idea of additive architecture to create form. (Fig. 1) The prime driver for his preoccupation with additive architecture was his “realization that society not only needs appropriate type-forms but also ways of achieving these forms in an economic manner” (Andersen, 98). The exterior materials choices and plan arrangement for Bagsvaerd Church reflect this idea of additive architecture. The structural logic of the building is organized on a grid of 2.2m x 2.2m, 36 units x 10 units across. (Fig. 2) There are five separate bays arranged in a row from west to east with lateral sky-lit corridors that establish the zones around each area and delineate the organization around the courtyards. The functions of the five bays are laid out one after another so that together they make up a unified building volume. The exterior of the Church suggests the form of warehouse and Danish barn and the only suggestions of what the interior of this Church expresses is the rising and falling of the tilework that loosely corresponds to the line of the vaulted interior (Fig.3). The interior, specifically the vault, contrasts the utilitarian exterior with a poetic spatial experience of curvilinear concrete forms that produce the experience of fluffy white clouds opening up to the sky above.

Kenneth Frampton, in Towards a Critical Regionalism, views Utzon’s Bagsvaerd Church as a “self conscious synthesis between universal civilization and world culture” (107). The Bagsvaerd Church is a building of many contrasts. The exterior is constructed following the universal technique of rational, modular, economic, prefabricated concrete, versus the interior that expresses the culture of the region with a specifically designed, organic, reinforced concrete shell that manipulates the Skandinavian sky and has multiple cross-cultural references.

Cross-cultural references to the plan arrangements can be found in some of the Chinese Buddhist monasteries, and also Gunnar Asplund’s Holy Cross Chapel where, in both instances, the courtyards mediate between the spaces and between the open landscape and in the interior. In Bagsværd Church, the courtyards have a similar spatial function and also let day light into the adjoining rooms. (Fig 4). Also, the contrasting interior and exterior dialog at Bagsvaerd is similar to that at Alvar Aalto’s Mount Angel Library. Utzon conceived the concept of Bagsværd Church in two sketches, showing the transformation of a group of people on a beach into a congregation in a church with cloud-like vaults. Bagsvaerd Church was a spatial response to daylight and the path of the sun in Denmark. “The approach is so fluent that it is fair to say that the church is organized in light “(Poulson, 12). According to Paul Rudolph’s Six Determinants of Architectural Form, the third determinant is the importance to address the “particular region, climate, landscape and natural lighting conditions (213). Utzon’s orientation of building openings are primarily in one direction – upwards, creating it’s poetic cloud-like undulating ceiling and sky-lit corridors. Additionally, courtyards also take light and reflect it through screens of wood and glass and into offices and meeting rooms. Almost every room in the church is situated between and brightened by two light sources: corridor and courtyard.

Utzon “conceives daylight as a function of architecture”, and designs the vaults purpose to diffuse light and distribute sounds in the space (Poulson, 13). The vaults are not only inspired by clouds, but also work like clouds as a sheltering canopy and a reflector of light. The undulating concrete structure makes the emergence of light from the clerestory windows high on the west side of the sanctuary even more dramatic. The ceiling of the interior was initially designed from continuous over-lapping curves. Perhaps a different form would have resulted had different influences from other cultures have been combined. Or still applying Utzon’s principles of additive architecture, different configurations using the same blocks and framed with corridors would result in a very different form. (Fig. 5)

             

     

F O R M B O D Y T E C H N I Q U E S P A C E Anthony Vidler states in ‘The Building in Pain’, that in contemporary discourse there are different stages of bodily projection in architecture, the first being the building as body, and the second; building epitomizing bodily states, specifically states of the mind based on bodily sensation. Historically, in Vitruvian theory, the body has been used as referent for architectural symmetry and proportion. Some of the formal aspects that relate to human proportion of Bagsvaerd Church are Utzon’s use of the square in plan and, in elevation, circles in the undulating ceiling, both these basic geometries referring to Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man. In terms of layout, the church’s nave, apse, and transcepts references the cross, which throughout religious history has referenced the body of Christ. (fig.1)

fig.1 – architectural symmetry & proportion

Evidence of the body is also apparent in Bagsvaerd Church’s experiential qualities. The breathtaking qualities of the ceiling immediately emulate a feeling of transcendance to heaven. Vidler stated that the building was seen as objectifying the various states of the body, physical and mental (4). The program of the church as a place of worship is linked to aspects of belief which link to the psyche. The play of light on the recessive white surfaces of the undulating ceiling suggestive of clouds in Utzon’s early sketches, and the repeated circular vaults extend towards infinity. (fig.2) This provides for an experience of being both spatially and spiritually moved, and overrides the sense of being bound to the specific site. Emulating an out-of-body experience, ‘one can see an “imago mundi”, the image of man between earth and heaven and on the way to God” (Stegers, 77). (fig.3) The psychology of sensation and movement becomes evident in Bagsvaerd Church and “there seems to be no fear that the body is entirely lost, rather the question is one of representing a higher order of truth to perception of movement, forces and repose” (Vidler, 6).

fig.2 – Utzon’s preliminary sketch + photo of fig.3 – the path of imago mundi – on the way to God cloud-like undulating ceiling

earth

heaven

What is present in Bagsvaerd Church is the juxtaposition of the interior and the exterior and it’s relationship to the female and male. Nicknamed the ‘chicken shed’, Bagsvaerd Church is a building which clearly both is and isn’t an industrial shed at the same time. At first glance the church suggests solid, dominant, industrial appearance with the exterior of prefabricated concrete and sharp angles. It exudes masculinity. However, the interior sharply contrasts what one might expect. The poetic, cloud-like undulating ceiling and sacred space appeals to emotions and gives the sensation of the feminine on the interior.(fig 4) “Sharp angled male architecture in contrast to the sensuous” (Colomina, 236). D.Agrest states that “the conditions are here for possible combinations in the body considered as interior and/or exterior that allow for the permutation of the genders(180). Utzon’s Bagsvaerd Church contrasts the exterior and interior in a way that it speaks to the genders of the qualities presented in materials, construction, and experience.

F O R M B O D Y T E C H N I Q U E S P A C E After Utzon’s design of the Syndey Opera House, he returned to Denmark. During an exhibition of his works, he was approached by two ministers representing a congregation that had been saving for 25 years to build a new church. They asked Utzon if he would like to design a new church for them and he agreed stating, “there I stood, offered the finest task an architect can have – a magnificent time when it was the light from above that showed us the way” (Scwartz, 15).

Utzon had to consider the complex needs of the ministers and congregation in planning for Bagsvaerd Church (fig.10) Differentiation between programmatic functions are separated by circulation corridors, emphasizing the dual use and multilayered technique based upon the rate of use and space hierarchy. (fig. 11) Not only is there the chapel and church for the public, but the seminar/workspace area that is provided for the public, which connects the church to its existing context, as Bagsvaerd is located in a residential area.

According to Utzon, the genesis of the design went back to a time when he was teaching at the University of Hawaii and spent time on the beaches. He was struck by the regular passage of clouds, thinking they could be the basis for the ceiling of a church. (Schwartz) In section the ceiling are a combination of varying diameter circles, creating the cloud-like appearance. Utzon uses three daylighting scenes to achieve his affect of undulating clouds while also lighting circulation corridors and office/ work spaces. He used three principles: 1) the understanding that reflected of diffused light is usually preferable to a direct view of a light source 2) sensitivity to the sun’s daily and annual paths through the sky with reference to particular locations 3) the realization that light receiving devices could be made into inhabitable spaces. (Morgan, 34).

Bagsvaerd Church has been described as ‘organized in light’. (fig12) The plan depicts a clear structural grid combined with his lighting methodology that summaries his design strategy for this church. An additional factor in his design strategy was his insistence on rational economic construction. Precast panels used on the exterior are juxtaposed against the custom, cast-in-place ceiling. The contrast of building materials and lighting strategy is illustrated in a previous ‘body’ diagram where conscious and unconscious processes are incorporated into Utzon’s design. The varying states of the body, physical and mental are activated through Bagsvaerd Church. The unconscious experiences the reach for the heavens due to the custom-built ceiling and feels a sense of increased spirituality, while the conscious knows of historical and architectural typology of a typical church and can feel a sense of security and protection, all of which is what Utzon planned and designed for.

F O R M B O D Y T E C H N I Q U E S P A C E Formal Logic Utzon’s Bagsvaerd Church formal logic can be interpreted in a figure ground relationship. Voids and solids create volumes that function as indoor, outdoor, and semi-indoor/outdoor spaces. A basic unit of 2.2 meters squared is used in an additive and subtractive method. A field of ‘cubed courtyard’ units could have the addition of different configurations of ‘church cubes’ or the opposite could be applied as demonstrated in figure 9. Utzon’s attempt to make an architectural form legible inherantly includes a typological reference. Utzon modifies the deeply rooted layout of a basilica to suit the needs for Bagsvaerd and encorporates the multi-use spaces into one building. Circulation is another contributing factor in the formal layout of Bagsvaerd Church. Glass covered corridors clearly delineate programmatic space and emphasis the formal logic of Bagsvaerd Church’s floor plan. There are significant nodes that generate space. The altar is a clear point that dictates the surrounding areas as diagrammed in figure 10. The connection between spatial organization and ornamentation is displayed in the colour and pattern of exterior cladding and the spatial network inside. The tectonics of the materials emphasize these spatial connections, “intensifying the connections between place and dwelling, and between outside and inside” (Schwartz, 12).

Behaviour of Space Human behaviour instinctively seeks security and safety for their physical and emotional self. The exterior of Bagsvaerd Church emits a sense of security with its sold concrete exterior and minimal windows evident on the exterior. Historically, the physical space in churches has been used as a refuge for those practicing a right for asylum. The church granted immunity and was considered a safe haven. A space of lawlessness is created for that individual needing immunity similar to how the condition of “state of siege” creates a space when the law no longer holds (Thacker, 8). Regardless of immunity, churches emit a sensation of security and protection from the outer world. “Space is not only three dimensional geometry, it is also a perceptual field” (Norberg-Schulz, 419) In Bagsvaerd Church, space is created between the worshippers and their faith. Because churches are believed to be the ‘House of God’, the physical location provides a link to the heavens due to the meaning of the space that people place upon it. It is believed that God dwells in this space. The sacred space that a church provides enables worshippers to feel closer to God. Utzon literally depicts rolling clouds opening up to the heavens in his undulating ceiling and indirect day lighting strategy. The perception of the spiritual space enables worshippers to establish an ethereal connection to a higher being. The space is designated for this purpose and is sacred because of this. Sensations Due to its spiritual nature, the interior space in the church, sacristy and chapel, these spaces emit a sense of calm and peacefulness while the exterior exudes a feeling of security and protection. The nature of the space is to combine all the aforementioned sensations and create a safe and welcoming space in addition to a connection to God. Outside of Bagsvaerd Church, the public can operate in a self-determined flow, compared to the interior of the Church that creates the sensation of organized calm by the ordered layout and flow. Additionally, the connection to God is created through the vertical gesture of diffused light and vertical opening over the transept. The undulating ceiling physically represents rolling clouds and the opening up into the sky creates the opening to the heavens. Bagsvaerd church quote physically represents this scenario with the form and glazing usage.

Works Cited: Andersen, M. (2000). “Revisiting Utzon’s Bagsvaerd Church” Retrieved from: www.www.arkitekturforskning.net Frampton, K. (1983). “Towards a Critical Regionalism” in Labour, Work and Architecture, New York. Rudolph, P. (2006). “The Six Determinants of Form” in C. Jencks and K.Kropf, eds., Theories and Manifestoes of Contemporary Architecture, Wiley-Academy. Schwartz, M. (2005). , “Light Organizing, Jørn Utzon’s Bagsværd Church,” Jørn Utzon Logbook, Volume II, Bagsværd Church, Edition Bløndal,

Agrest, D. (1993). “Architecture from Without: Body, Logic and Sex” , in Architecture from Without, 173-195. Colomina, B. (1997). “The Medical Body in Modern Architecture,” in Anybody, MIT Press, 228-239 Vidler, A. “The Building in Pain: The Body and Architecture in Post-Modern Culture, “ in AA Files 19, Architectural Association, 3-10. Stegers, S. (2008) , “A Design Manual, Sacred Buildings,” Berlin. Birkhauser. Norberg_Schulz, C. (1996). “The Phenomenon of Place,” in Kate Nesbitt, ed., Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture. Schwartz, M. (2005). , “Light Organizing, Jørn Utzon’s Bagsværd Church,” Jørn Utzon Logbook, Volume II, Bagsværd Church, Edition Bløndal, Thacker, E. (2006). “Biological Sovereignty, “ in Pli: Warwick Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 17.