materials & atmospheres

18
MATERIALS & ATMOSPHERES AMELA HALILOVIC KTH School of Architecture 2012 WATER ARCHITECURE PHILOSOPHY - A COLOURING IN BOOK

Upload: amela-halilovic

Post on 24-Mar-2016

220 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

This is a collection of blog posts that were written during the elective course Architecture + Philosophy at KTH School of Architecture. I have thought of water as a material in various situations, while reflecting on existing architectural practices and often within environmental contexts.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Materials & Atmospheres

MATERIALS & ATMOSPHERES

AMELA HALILOVIC KTH School of Architecture 2012

WATER ARCHITECURE PHILOSOPHY - A COLOURING IN BOOK

Page 2: Materials & Atmospheres

TABLE OF CONTENT:

INTRODUCTION

WHAT’S THE MATTER?

Material Cycles The Potential of Lively Things Changing StructuresImagine Freedom

ARCHITECTURE ATMOSPHERES

Mediated AtmospheresFraming NatureEnvironmental Forces

BIBLIOGRAPHY

03

05070911

131517

18

Architecture+Philosophy Elective: Material Assemblages and Affective AtmospheresSupervisor: Hélène Frichot

MATERIALS & ATMOSPHERES WATER ARCHITECURE PHILOSOPHY - A COLOURING IN BOOK

AMELA HALILOVIC KTH School of Architecture 2012

Page 3: Materials & Atmospheres

This is a collection of blog posts that were written during the elective course Architecture + Philosophy at KTH School of Architecture. The posts are my responses to specific readings on philosophy that were provided before each seminar and discussed in class among the participants. The readings in the first part focused on New Materialism and the readings in the second on Affective Atmospheres.

During the first meeting and introduction to Form vs. Matter, we were asked to choose a favourite material for that day. My spontaneous response was Water, for its morphological nature, which became the connecting thread in the making of this colouring-in book.

I have thought of water as a material in various situations, while reflecting on existing architectural practices and often within environmental contexts.

Amela, Stockholm 2012

INTRODUCTION

03

Page 4: Materials & Atmospheres

04

Page 5: Materials & Atmospheres

MATERIAL CYCLES

“To move beyond ideas behind this book and the physical experience of its ‘objecthood’ involves the recognition of the social and material practices in which its generation is embedded and the forces at work in the realization of objects (and their continuing lives) which range from the conceptual to the practical and technical, to the institutional.” (Lloyd Thomas 2007, p.2)

Water is embedded within the social and material practices of a generation. Its impact on our everyday lives can be seen as something that acts in a network of forces.The continuous water exchange between the atmosphere, surface water, groundwater and plants is a cycle and force that is constantly in motion. It can give us an immediate experience, through rain fall, swimming, showering, and washing the dishes or drinking water. It als o has ‘unseen’ aspects like the ones related to biology, health, pollution, tides and so on. These networks of forces and practices are always interrelated and their actions have a continued affect on the atmospheres in which they work. A building can also be seen as a network of practices. Beyond its given physicality, such as size, colour, bonds of brick etc, a building consists of ‘unseen’ parts such as the ideas of the architects and the conditions in which their ideas have been formed. Furthermore in the hidden matter are also the tools used, the manufacturing technique, the culture of the practice, the number of interns working etc. Such factors can be considered as material parts that together with the knowledge, ideas and intentions of all practitioners involved, shape the building. In other words, a building is part of a network of forces and practices that affect its making and future use.

05

Page 6: Materials & Atmospheres

06

Page 7: Materials & Atmospheres

THE POTENTIAL OF LIVELY THINGS

“...no one materiality or type of material has sufficient competence to determine consistently the trajectory or impact of the group. The effects generated by an assemblage are, rather, emergent properties, emergent in that their ability to make something happen.” (Bennett 2010, p.24)

We generally divide the world into passive things (matter) - such as cars, houses, stones, and vibrant life (beings) - such as humans and animals. We also understand that there exist less visible elements, such as electron streams, heat, social relations, money etc. When such diverse elements or vibrant materials are grouped in a specific way, at a specific time and place, they form an assemblage.

The power of assemblages, between all sorts of agents, can be emphasised using the example of a flooded urban area. What generates a flood is never merely a fixed combination of parts but a mix of vibrant materials such as abnormal weather, topography, bad construction, lifestyle, lack of recourses, to name a few.

In 2005, the hurricane Katrina and the floods that followed destroyed many homes along America’s Gulf Coast. In response, pre-fabricated cottages were designed to meet hurricane codes using more durable materials for construction. This approach is essential after the damage is done. And it also intends to ‘defeat’ natural phenomena in the future.

But as sea levels are likely to increase over time, how can local infrastructure be more adaptable to such changes? Do we have to fight back so much? Do we have to create higher and higher defence walls? As hard infrastructural responses are quickly outdated, instead of only focusing on higher sea walls and storm surge barriers, which will just relocate water - can we work with water in a way that allows it to enter the city? Can we engage more intelligently with and look at the potentials of water? How can we see the emergent effects of a flood beyond concepts of something that needs to be defeated?

07

Page 8: Materials & Atmospheres

08

Page 9: Materials & Atmospheres

CHANGING STRUCTURES

“...much as a given chemical compound (water, for example) may exist in several instinct states (solid, liquid, or gas) and may switch from stable state to stable state at critical points in the intensity of temperature (called phase transitions), so a human society may be seen as a “material” capable of undergoing these changes of state as it reaches critical mass in terms of density of settlement, amount of energy consumed, or even intensity of interaction.” (DeLanda 2000, p.15)

The world is made up of structures, structures which, whether chemical compounds, mountains or social institutions, are shaped by specific historical processes. In the interactions between these various structures, new combinations are likely to emerge. To capture different processes through which material form is generated, the philosopher Gillez Deleuze developed the concept of double articulation, which has to do with the formation of different strata (geological, biological, and social). Form and substance is generated within the concept of double articulation, operating simultaneously on both levels of the articulation so to speak. The various strata, complexities and dynamics of urban life make me wonder how much architects really can control its development. The structures within cities are constantly in a state of flux, of growth and decay, working autonomously in many ways. Even architectural history is written from a specific philosophical point of view. When studying architecture, can we re-read critical moments that were crucial for its development? If we aim to incorporate more structures into our critical understanding of architecture, which new social, biological, geological combination can emerge?

09

Page 10: Materials & Atmospheres

10

Page 11: Materials & Atmospheres

IMAGINE FREEDOM

“Freedom pertains to the realm of actions, processes, and events that are not contained within, or predictable from, the present; it is that which emerges, surprises, and cannot be entirely anticipated in advance. It is not a state one is in or a quality that one has, but it resides in the activities one undertakes that transform oneself and (a part of) the world.” (Grosz 2010, p.152)

Freedom is traditionally understood in relation to the lack of freedom, that is a ‘freedom from’ an oppressive or unfair form of limitation. What if the concept was understood from a positive approach, a ‘freedom to’ and capacity for action? Where can our imagination take us? In architecture, the subject of sustainability (ecological as well as social and economical) seems to be discussed mainly from the point of view of our failures. The climate alert is ringing, urbanization accelerates, informal development is expanding, and the impacts on the world are constantly presented to us as alarming facts. How can architects interact with the changes positively? How can we use our capacity for action in a more imaginative way?

11

Page 12: Materials & Atmospheres

12

Page 13: Materials & Atmospheres

MEDIATED ATMOSPHERES

“…affect is what makes feelings feel” (Shouse 2005)

”Given the ubiquity of affect, it is important to take note that the power of many forms of media lies not so much in their ideological effects, but in their ability to create affective resonances independent of content or meaning.” (Shouse 2005)

If nearly all forms of mediated communication can transmit affect, how does that apply to architecture?Architecture does not speak for itself, but rather through the interpretations that are made of it. How these interpretations are formed is perhaps a question about beliefs that are specific to a time and place. We can also question how these beliefs are formed and related to the way architectural projects are mediated and presented through various types of communication. What affects our feelings and beliefs about good architecture?

13

Page 14: Materials & Atmospheres

14

Page 15: Materials & Atmospheres

FRAMING NATURE

“Mountain, stone, water – building in the stone, building with the stone, into the mountain, building out of the mountain, being inside the mountain – how can the implications and the sensuality of the association of these words be interpreted, architecturally?” Peter Zumthor

The Therme Spa in Vals, Switzerland is probably one of the most mentioned examples of an atmospheric architecture. Having had the opportunity to visit myself, I found it very enjoyable indeed. The architect Peter Zumthor creates moments, spaces and circulation systems, to evoke sensuous experiences: the feeling of warm stones and water; the framed views of the surrounding mountains; being partly inside the mountain; the steamy air of the outdoor pool; the slices in the roof and the control of light and darkness.

The relationship between nature and architecture, where chosen elements are brought in and staged to express certain qualities is part of an architect’s practice. Architects are by default used to incorporate aspects of nature into their work; such as the sun, wind and topography.However, as our impact on the environment transforms it and our understanding of it evolves – we are beginning to question what is to be considered as nature. Apart from the more normative forms that are worked into the practices and ideas of architecture, we also have the ‘threatening’ ones to deal with. How do we incorporate dust, gas, storms, or waste water for example? How can we infuse new concepts of nature into the practice of architecture?

15

Page 16: Materials & Atmospheres

16

Page 17: Materials & Atmospheres

ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES

“If, for example, you really want to make a palm-tree feel unhappy, then force it to spend a winter in England without the protection of an artificial skin that shrouds it in its native climate.” (Sloterdijk 2005, p.944) The environment is a morphologically charged system that shapes the development of architecture in many ways.

Creating hospitable enclosures for tropical plants for example, and transporting the local climate together with the plants, can be seen as organising architecture and developing structural techniques according to environmental forces (temperature, humidity, microclimate).

The environment can also be a source of reference to form-finding, as in the works of architect Frei Otto who studied natural structures such as soap bubbles to produce minimal surfaces. He experimented with soap film, observing that applying it to a set of fixed points will make the film spread naturally between them and offer the smallest achievable surface area.

In both examples, the engagement with materials has mainly to do with form-finding and advancing climate control techniques. There are also other, cultural, social, political questions concerning the environment.

Growing up in Sweden, the experience of the natural environment is very much merged with the cultural and the social one. In school you make trips to the forest for orientation classes or to pick mushrooms or to learn about plants and birds. The experience has less to do with an idealised environmental aesthetics and more with something crucial to your well being as well as a feeling that nature is yours to have. This has also a lot to do with something that has existed for generations, namely the Allemansrätten or the right of public access. It allows anyone the freedom to explore nature - to roam in the countryside, to swim and travel by boat in someone else’s waters. You can even camp on another person’s land for up to 24 hours.

Think of Sweden and you immediately associate it with nature, it is part of the county’s national identity. From the arctic region, northern lights magic to water and islands, long summer days and from fairytales of trolls and forests to movies, art and furniture influenced by nature. Maybe it is the seasonal, often harsh weather; with the cold winter in particular that has shaped this particularly woven environment. The harsh climate can be quite uncompromising and makes it necessary to have good relations with your neighbours. Over time such relational habits grow and can become institutionalized in society. For what it’s worth, we should remind ourselves that the environment is a morphologically charged system, yes. But a system of social, cultural, human, non human forces that all shape the conditions of architecture in many ways.

17

Page 18: Materials & Atmospheres

Ben Anderson, ‘Affective Atmospheres’, in Emotion, Space and Society 2, 2009, pp. 77-81.

David Gissen, ‘Part One: Atmosphere’, in Subnature: Architecture’s Other Environments, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2009.

Diana Coole and Samantha Frost, ed. New Materialisms: Ontology, Agency and Politics, London: Durham & London, 2010

Elizabeth Grosz, ‘Feminism, Materialism, and Freedom’, in Diana Coole and Samantha Frost, eds, New Materialisms: Ontology, Agency, and Politics, Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2010.

Eric Shouse, ‘Feeling, Emotion, Affect’, in Melissa Gregg, ed. ‘Affect.’ M/C Journal 8.6 (2005). 25 Nov. 2011

Jane Bennett, The Agency of Assemblages, Preface in Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things, Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2010

Katie Lloyd Thomas, ed. Material Matters: Architecture and Material Practice, London: Routledge, 2007

Manuel DeLanda, A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History, New York: Swerve, 2000. Excerpt.

Manuel DeLanda, ‘Deleuze, Materialism and Politics ’, in Ian Buchanan and N. Thoburn, eds, Deleuze and Politics, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008.

Peter Sloterdijk, ‘Atmospheres of Democracy’, in Bruno Latour and Peter Weibel, eds, Making Things Public: Atmospheres of Democracy, Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 2005.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

18