104621236 internal architecture of the self and the within

7/27/2019 104621236 Internal Architecture of the Self and the Within

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From the moment one becomes con-scious of space, one becomes con-scious of self. It is instinctual to mea-sure the world in respect to the bodybut from the point where one beginsto consciously study the world archi-tecturally or philosophically, our sensesbecome honed to the relationship be-tween the greater world at or abovethe scale of the individual, a relation-ship which Gaston Bachelard describesas Intimate Immensity. (1994) Theworld/environment we inhabit directly

aects us. Like a nest it is somethingwhich sustains us. Bachelard discussesthe nest as something we are adheredto which is free from human qualityyet something which plays a role in ouridentity and we in turn become part ofthe identity of our environment. Whenspeaking about the bombed houses ofParliament and the importance of dem-ocratic institutions in 1944, WinstonChurchill suggested that, we shape orbuildings and afterward our buildingsshape us. There are few things that wepersonally associate as necessary in adesirable space. These include oppor-tunities for shelter, security, comfortand growth but we must consider thatas individuals we truly give meaning tothings through a common understand-

ing of actions, language and a symboliclanguage etc. I believe this symbolicinteractionism (Mead, 1934) can givekey clues as to how to design for theneeds of the individual in architecture.

I see this dissertation as a slice of a lon-ger progressive study, a snapshot of mypersonal thought process with regardto the relationship between architec-ture and a greater context and architec-ture and the individual. The dissertationis divided into two main parts but I hopethat the progression from one to the

other is clear. The dissertation beginswith thoughts on how larger factors caninuence the way we function and howthis can manifest itself in architecture,particularly by turning ones back to itand focusing on an inner tailored en-vironment. I have then discussed howpeople may react to unsatisfactory con-ditions by altering their immediate envi-ronment or forcing a change on a largerscale. This has prompted me to thinkabout how successful ideas/changes areusually prompted by the action of the

individual, for example with the eventsof Mai 68. While the revolution isviewed by some as a failure, the eectsof the uprising reverberated around theworld. It was a protest driven by the ac-tions of the singular people who fought/made themselves known on the streets.

The achievements of the collective areusually a massing of individual eort.For this reason I have begun to considerthe public realm in the second part of mystudy as something to be inhabited bythe individual (en masse) rather than aclouded image of the collective. A studyof the notion of body and self is neces-sary to understand this while I have alsoconsidered the sociological discoursewhich is raging at present regarding

providing a built environment suitablefor inhabitation of the crowd and theindividual. When considering the notionof self etc on a philosophical/sociologi-cal level, it is important to rememberthat this dissertation is driven by a greatdesire to benet my own work andunderstanding of design and for thisreason each section throughout is com-pleted with a main case study whichanchors my research strongly to archi-tecture. My choice of case study in eachcase is one which is personal but I feelsuitable as references for my argument.

Introduction

Internal.TheArchitectureoftheSelfandtheWith

in.

Turning Inwards


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The well being I feel, seated in front ofmy re, while bad weather rages out-of-doors, is entirely animal. (Vlaminck, 1931)

To turn inward is an instinct, an expres-sion derived from an awareness of self.While we can try to trace any architec-tural style or detail through an age as asort of benign timeline, it has becomeobvious to me that to seek an inner

world is as primitive as to speak, todraw, to sing. It is understood that weall turn inward for many reasons; someseek solitude while others shelter in theintimacy of the nest to escape loneli-ness. The architecture of looking inwardcan be derived from a need for defence,a need to create a specic environmentbut overall it is a general sense that weare seeking, a desire to live on onesown terms, to shape the circumstancesof ones world, however local your focusmay be. As a race we have a primitive de-sire for shelter and comfort. Our desireslargely begin with the idea of home andself. It has become clear that comfort islargely derived from the familiar. In Ec-centric Spaces, (2000) when discuss-ing the character of Sherlock Holmes,Robert Harbison comments on howthe excitement of his various adven-tures is derived from his rst instinct toseek accommodation in the beginningof each story and the variety of spatialexperiences this oers yet also recogn-ises that Holmes is tied to the intimacyof the familial, his domestic surround-ings. He never tries to banish intimacy,only to keep from knowing that with-out it he would die. (Harbison, 2000)

Increasingly, architects are becomingaware of the tendency of the professionto abandon the interior to the interiorarchitect I feel this is an issue worthyof much discussion but what I am per-sonally more interested in is the renedspatial understanding and psychologi-cal nature of architecture that turns in-ward itself. I wish to develop a deeperunderstanding this architectural type/gesture which is hugely driven by a ter-tiary factor, a space shaped as a direct

reaction to a social, physical spiritual orenvironmental force. This is not a dis-cussion on the philosophy of the dwell-ing. There are also deeper questions tobe discussed in relation to form wherethe idea of form following function be-comes less important and new ways ofthinking are introduced. I have selecteda number of building types/architec-tural examples which I feel contributeto this discussion and ask interestingquestions. Any order is derived froma timeline and not the developmentof a type as I have discussed above.

Buckminster Fuller is most noted for hispassionate discourse of his belief in therole he could play as an individual. Hefocused his study on improving the con-dition of the world and ghting hugedilemmas regarding poverty, diseaseetc from which his most notable projecttype, the geodesic dome was created.His spherical shell structures were de-signed for many purposes by especiallyto envelop vast areas to create singlecommunal environments. The domeswere envisioned as covering huge por-tions of cities and small examples werebuilt including the famous dome in

Montreal. The focus on creating thesecommon inner spaces is interesting aswhile the shell provides both a physicalboundary and a very denate symboliclink, the idea seems far more tangiblethat the idea of community. This is dis-cussed further later in the dissertation.I would like to suggest that there is adirect and fascinating link between thisearly futurist work and contemporyprojects like the BMW Central Plant inLeipzig designed by Zaha Hadid. (2002)

Even as an overtly formalist architect,the building is still strongly shapedaround the function within. The build-ing is one which is keenly planned toencourage the workers to socialise butwhat is most fascinating in the projectis the link that Hadid makes betweenthe Blue collar and white collar work -ers. Both work symbolically in tandom,The assembly line runs through the ad-ministration sectors in the building. Halfnished cars move at a constant streamoverhead and not only is the desk work-er in contact with the product or essenceof the company but if the assembly lineslows or stops, everyone is immediatelyaware of a change in productivity or anemergency etc. It is a beautifully simpleexample of the symbolic interaction-ism that I discussed above. There is aninner focus in the building. People dontlook to the windows; they look to thecars as a means of understanding howsuccessfully their company is progress-ing. The building is imposing in form butsimple in essence. The formal desiresof the architect seem to spring fromrather than inhibit the function andplace of the individual with the building.

One.Turning Inwards.

One.TurningInwards&TheWhiteU.

Fig 2 & 3

Chapter Face Image. AerialView of The White U, Toyo Ito.showing its distinctive U shapeand lack of openings to theoutside.

Fig 2 Providing all one needs inan inner environment. ReynerBanham, Environment Bubble,1969.

Fig 3 BMW Central Plant inLeipzig (2002) All departmentsare linked by common visualinteraction with the half n-shed cars traversing betweendepartments.


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It is a poetic room, in a sense completelyexcluded from the exterior, fully iso-lated from the world outside. (Taki 1999)

From the moment I began planning thissection of the dissertation, Toyo ItosWhite U house has remained the g-urehead of all I sought to discuss. Thevery nature of the building stands out

as a pure example of quality of spatialunderstanding and intense personal in-vestment, a locus towards which I amconstantly heading. This project embod-ies a pureness of internal space that asan architect I hold in high esteem whilethe rare situation that ignited the designprocess allows us to discuss the natureof architecture and the dwelling and theemotional/familial role of the designer.

The house is famous as an inward-look-ing project, a conception of grief and adesire to be close to the earth. Mrs Goto,Itos sister was struck with grief whenher husband lost an eighteen monthstruggle with cancer and passed away.Her need to mourn lead her to buy a plotof land which became available near theblock of ats in which she had lived with

her husband and two young daughters.She desired to escape the high rise andlive close to the earth in her own house,a space in which she and her daughterscould mourn and begin their new life. Itowas a young Architect at the time andthis was to be his second commission.Mrs Gotos background as a musicolo-gist meant she was very sympatheticto the structure of light and dark which

she desired in her new house inspiredby the paintings of Georges de La Tour.Itos U-Shaped design was simple andclear. The every-day functional areaswere in the straight sides while thecurved space was left empty. This isthe space which was most frequentlyphotographed. The cast concrete ex-ternal envelope was un-penetrated byany openings. All light came from 5 rooflights and the central courtyard. The

themes of the work were clear, lightand earth. Christine E. Broker suggeststhe term light embodies Japanesearchitecture as it also suggests an ab-sence of weight, a theme common incontemporary Japanese work. A singlebeam of light penetrates the curvedwhite space within and its width variesthroughout the day. I would suggestthat this is an incredibly potent sym-bol considering the introverted natureof the dwelling as the connection tothe outside is a connection to the sun,something much larger than the citythey are tuning out of their lives. Inan interview before the family left thehouse forever, Mrs Goto was clear in ex-plaining how she was determined thatat a time when her children could soeasily be absorbed by darkness, a purelight would continue to shine on them.

The virgin black soil in the centre ofthe house is intended to be free frommetaphor but does connect the griev-ing mother and daughters to the earth.Ito is responsive to aesthetics and theephemeral. He gives great thought tothe nature of the dwelling. This buildingis his rst work in which he creates what

he describes as a curved eld, a meth-od which is repeated and developed infurther projects in his career. Traversingthis curved eld is a sensual experience.One cannot see if anyone is at anotherpoint in the curved white space but onemay sense another presence. The playof shadows is paramount. The symme-try of the building is greatly softenedby this curve. The danger of introvertedarchitecture is to create what resem-bles a fort or bunker and to avoid this

Ito presents the curved facade to theroad, a choice which at rst puzzled me.I now see that a curved envelope is farmore dynamic than what could have ap-peared to be a barrier. The intention isnot to stop or disturb space but to re-direct it, allow the activity of the city toslip by. It is a beautifully delicate compo-sition in a dense urban neighbourhood.After twenty years the family decidedto move out of the house. When inter-viewed it became clear that the buildinghad done its job. It had enveloped andcradled the young family and the girlshad now grown up. The decision to de-molish the house in spring 1998 was acrucial episode in the life of the buildingand the career of Ito. To see his creationage over time and become wrapped inivy as the family also grew within thehouse and then to see it demolished isto come full circle. Had the building re -mained, the house that was built withthe specic task of providing an envi-ronment to grieve grow would havebecome a relic to a private, outdatedtime. If the home represents the family,the house was no longer representa-tive of the new mature relationship the

White U(1975-76)Creating an Inner Sanctum.

One.TheWhiteU.CreatinganInnerSanctum..

Fig 4Ito watches as the GotoChildren play with shadows inthe great curved eld withinthe house. Light etering thespace was carefully designedby Ito.

Fig4


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mother and daughters had developed.White U is a project which has earnedgreat aection from those who haveheard its story. As a building that nolonger exists, it has been attached witha symbolism that ts the delicate natureof the project itself. It is fascinating tostudy the building as a project as one isforced to ask, what is the role of an ar-chitect and how much should one allowoneself to become emotionally invest-ed in the process of the design and the

lives of clients? This was a special casebut it cannot be denied that the sensi-tivity with which he approached the de-sign contributed enormously to the suc-cess of the building. The manipulationof material and light has given the build-ing a spiritual sheen which becomes allthe more potent as the building no lon-ger exists. In my opinion it only ttingthat a building designed to envelope asecret and personal world remains com-pletely inaccessible in its extinction.

One.TheWhiteU.ToyoIto.

Fig 5 & 6

Fig5 Light piercing the curvedliving space in the house.This beam of light changedthroughout the day. Withinthe inwardlooking house itsymbolised a link to something

greater.

Fig 6The Plan of the White Udescribing the relationship ofthe spaces to the courtyardand shows the lack of open-ings to the outside.

To Alter


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The natural reaction to an unsatisfac-tory condition is to turn ones focus in-ward in a sort of hermetic fashion. I ndit very interesting therefore when thedesire to alter that condition appearsas the dominant instinct. The eectsof that instinct are driven by a strongsense of self whether the result is need-ed or desired and it is fascinating to see

the eects of the actions of the indi-vidual. The power of the individual tocause radical change is what fascinatesme here. In Tribes, (2008) Seth Godindescribes the current state of businesspractice as sheepwalking. (Godin,2008) He suggests that the power ofthe individual is quickly stamped out ofus as we progress through the educa-tion system and calls for us to lead rath-er than follow. He suggests that evenin higher education where the stakesare higher that, students fall back onwhat theyve been taught to be; sheep.Well-educated sheep of course, butcompliant nonetheless. (Godin 2008)

In the previous chapter, I discussed howarchitecture can be inuenced by onesenvironment. This chapter deals withthe individual inuencing architectureand the environment, usually throughhabitation. In 1967, the students of theArchitecture Faculty in MIT becamefrustrated with being forced to sit atdrawing boards placed in neat rows,Their distaste was so great that theydecided to alter the studio environ-ment by using reclaimed/discardedconstruction materials to create a va-

riety of new enclosures and platformspaces. Driven by self awareness theycreated the spaces they wanted werethey could work, eat, sleep and re-ceive their tutors on their own ground.(Hertzberger , 2005) It is interesting toconsider how the inhabitants shapedtheir own ground. If one was to designa space for study, how would one do soin a way which allows for the individualto make their mark or should we reallyask if one is simply seeking a sense of

ownership in a space? Individuality ofa space for the collective is fascinatingbut one wonders if this could be doneto the same eect without divisionof the space into small singular lots.The events of Mai 68 are an excellentexample of the potential power of theindividual to force change. The revolu-tion though regarded as a failure in es-sence due to its rather deated endingnevertheless resonated through theworld and sparked similar movementsinternationally. I believe that the truepower of the protests came from theinput of each individual. Each personplayed his/her part in this movementwhich was born of frustration with thede Gaulle Government in France, thepolitics of the education system andthe old society. Street grati borerevolutionary slogans which were di-rected at spurring on the individual tomake their mark. The most beautifulsculpture is a paving stone thrown at acops head. * May 68 was a watershedmoment in which new views regard-ing sexual liberation and human rightsbecame prominent over the traditionalideas of morality, religion, patriotism

and respect for authority. A desire forchange was instilled in the Europeanmindset and the eort of the Frenchwas mimicked all over the world. Whenexamined, answer with questions. *

This power of the singular translatedinto further smaller expressions of dis-taste what the world had become andin the same year, Haus-Rucker-Co, aViennese experimental architectureand design group created a range of

appliances entitled Environment Trans-former. Our spatial understanding andability to perceive is a sensory actionand to distort ones senses is to distortour perception of the world around us.They experimented with the idea of sen-sory distortion as a method of adaptingthe environment around them. Theprocesses of seeing and hearing aredrawn out of their habitual apathy,separated into their individual func-tions and put together again as specialexperiences. (Hertrich, 2008) Their in-tention was to change ones visual andacoustic impressions so as to allow afreedom of environmental perception.They created Flyhead, Viewatomizerand the Drizzler, a series of facet likeround helmets which were furnishedwith coloured glasses and stereo head-phones which intensied optical-sen-sory impressions. A new environmentis not created and the existing remainsyet one can escape the restriction ofour natural way of reading the world.Even the title of the project, Environ-ment Transformer suggests distastefor what is normal and the devices thatwere created allowed for the instant

To Alter.The Actions of the Individual.

One.ToAlter.TheActionsoftheIndividual.

Fig 8 & 9

Chapter Face Image. Flyheadby Haus-Rucker Co.

Fig8 MIT Architecture Facility.

Fig 9 Drawing from Mai 68describibg the eorts of theindividual during the period ofrevolution.


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apparent disillusion of this world. Onedoes not physically turn ones backthe surrounding world. Instead onedistorts their perception and in do-ing so becomes aware of ones bodyand senses, ones breathing becomes aconscious act and one becomes evenmore aware of the movement/rhythmof the body. Deprivation of percep-tion of the greater environment meansthat the focus is immediately placedon the immediate context and self.

I have chosen to discuss the Cranng asa dwelling type as it is wholly derivedfrom a desire to control ones surround-ings. Its nature is derived from a defen-sive impulse, the most primal factorin turning inward. It is a building typethat is/was vernacular to Ireland andBritain and one which is largely extinctnow. Our interaction with the crannog

is therefore one of historical focus, it islargely an archaeological exercise. Forthis reason I have questioned whetherthis prehistoric building practice cantruly be discussed in an architecturalcontext and I believe it can, simply be-cause it stands as a truly vernacular ex-ample of defensive living on the scaleof the family or household while alsoquestioning relationship to site, theprivacy of the household and the alter-ing of ones immediate environment.The relationship of man and water is acomplex one yet there is evidence thatman has always desired to live nearwater and archaeological surveys canprove that Irish lakes and waterwayshave always been the site of dwellingfrom the Mesolithic hunter gather-ers who quickly learned of the abun-dance of rich wetland resources andthe Neolithic and bronze age farmerswho created enclosed lake side dwell -ings like the cranng. (O Sullivan, 1998)

The cranng is interesting as the pro-cess begins with the creation of a newarticial island. It is, in a sense, a tabularasa. It seems strange that in order tolive safely in a lakeside environment at

The Cranng.Altering the Edge Condition.

One.ToAlter.TheActionsoftheIndividual.&TheCranng.

Fig 11 - 13

Fig 11 Section through the tra-ditional Cranng to describeuse of materials and construc-tion process.

Fig 12 The cranng on BoilinIsland, Lough Gur, Co. Limerick.

Fig 13 Impression of thecranng in full use during theBronze Age

Fig 10Environment Transform-er modeled by Haus-RuckerCo. (1968)

Fig 10


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often also associated with the king-dom of the fairies and the cranng atLough Gur has always shared a similarmystery for me. The physical evidenceof people dwelling o shore in such away has always seemed so strange butso impressive. In its existence the cran-nog as a defensive structure held itsown secrets and in its extinction thesebecome all the more evident. The leg-end that sunken stepping stones tothe island mapping a route only few

knew is one which shall never be an-swered but immediately gives the cran-ng a very special architectural quality.

Measures such as this, derived from adesperate need for defence and controlmakes the cranng seem so intenselypersonal. I would suggest it is an ulti-mate act, the early lock and key. Thisalso makes the cranng even more selfisolating and inward looking. Its domi-nating position in the river is juxtaposedby its impenetrability. It is a structure,borne of its environment that escapesits environment, a minimal but intensegesture to the landscape. While the ideaof ones own island now seems r omanticand idyllic, the immense amount of workto create the minute gap between landand home, danger and safety tells allabout the violent nature of Bronze AgeIreland. One must have been intenselyaware of self and ones larger environ-ment as the need for defence was sogreat in Bronze Age Ireland and the at -tention to quality of construction musthave mead these dwellings incredibleto experience spatially and materially.

the time, one must rst alter that envi -ronment. The name cranng is derivedfrom the Gaelic word crann meaningtree due to the large amounts of woodthat exist on the old waterlogged sites.A large ring, usually approximately 30metres diameter, was marked out withwooden stakes and this ring was thenlled with large rough stones and n -ished to the desired level with smallerne stones. Then brushwood and earthwere placed on top to nish the plat-

form on which the actual dwellings andsheds were built. The island was thensurrounded by a ring of wooden postswhich were bound together by wattleto create a boundary wall/fence. Thisisland was home to the animals belong-ing to the family and this palisade wasplaced more to keep these animals inrather than keep undesirables out. Theisland was reached by dugout canoeswhich were built by craftsmen whowould burn the surface of a log to softenthe wood and then carve out the insidewith metal tools. It is clear that the hugeresources needed to construct such adwelling meant that only the rich mem-bers of society could aord to build one.

The cranng on Boilin Island, LoughGur, Co. Limerick was built between500 and 1000 AD by the people famedthe land by the lake. It stands as anovergrown island but has been the fo-cus of much archaeological interest. Itwas 30 metres across and would havesustained one household. As a childgrowing up in the countryside I was al-ways close to a number of prehistoricforts and encampments which took ona sense of mystery and magic and were

One.ToAlter.TheCranng.

Designing for the Individual


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The second half of this dissertation iswritten with an aim to discuss the idea o fthe individual as part of a collective. Thatis to say that I am keen to discover howgreater and greater numbers of peopleand perhaps less and less privacy can of-ten provoke a greater sense of self andones position relative to others, individ-ually or en masse. This idea is frustrat-

ingly dicult to grasp as it is a conceptwhose hypothesis is embedded in thejuxtaposed. It is strange but true thata greater sense of self is often derivedfrom an awareness of or connectionwith others. I would personally suggestthat it is much more comfortable to bealone in public that alone in solitude andI believe this is largely the kind of unspo-ken philosophy around which the parkoperates. It is free from the community.

Community

The term community is one which hastroubled me greatly recently, particular-ly at a time when I am considering largescale housing as an urban interventionin my own work. There are countlessdenitions and arguments through eachgeneration which discusses the idea ofcommunity. Anthony Paul Cohen (1985,p.7) suggests that the term communityis one which is an infuriatingly slipperynotion. He suggests that as a societywe fail to grasp any true meaning andtherefore create our own sense of whatcommunity means. He also argues thatpeople are encouraged to like the ideaof community and that it has taken hold

of society in a bid to assert ones localityand ethnicity. We are bound/constrict-ed by an idea that no one understandsand even if we decided on a commonunderstanding that the idea may simplybe outdated. It is clear however thatcommunities have boundaries whethersymbolic or physical and this raises thegreatest issue for me. Newtons thirdlaw succinctly states that for every ac-tion there is an equal and opposite reac-tion. Similarly, on a social scale I would

suggest that for every sense of inclusionthere is an equal and opposite sense ofexclusion. This is not the sense of in-wardness I like to discuss or encourage.As in the lm Rear Window (Hitchcock1954) the collective is always far deep-er when one considers the individual.The courtyard around which the lmunfolds does not describe the actionsof members of a community. Here wesee the lives of the individuals. I wouldsuggest that when architecture is suc-cessful, it encourages a sense of theself and the collective that is free fromcommunity in a straight forward sense.The Notion of Body and Self.

It has become clear through my stud-ies that long-standing arguments existregarding the notion of self and therelationship of the body to the greaterphysical environment. The issue wasraised in the fth century by the Eleaticswho focused their thought on isolatingthat which must be homogeneous andcould therefore exist without a body.This prompted the Atomists such asLeukippos and Demokritos to considerthe body as an entity which is used to

measure both conceptual and materialreality. Plato and Aristotle made greatprogress in the subject of corporeality.For Plato the body was never this simple,he considered the body to be part of aprocess of order. In The Architectonicsof Embodiment, Dalibor Vesley statesthat Platos placing of the body as partof a process which is never completeand always open to further improve-ment suggests that the body is a rela-tively stable structure ordered in the

context of reality as a whole (cosmos)(Vesley 1996) Similarly, Erving Goman(1959) suggests that the self is in a con-stantly evolving state which is shapedand dened as an object among othersocial objects. The self breeds identitythrough interaction with the social, sym-bolic and physical world. Our self identi-ty is formed around our understandingof others. To me, this places the body asa body within a larger environment, amathematical constant to be repeated,yet to me there is a suggestion of indi-viduality in the ethos of these thinkers.The uniqueness of the corporeal ex-perience suggests to me that there isroom for consideration of the individualwhen designing for the collective and adenite need to provide a physical en-vironment which allows social for socialinteraction but more importantly allowsfor the environment itself to conveymeaning and impact self denitions.

The interaction of self and the built en-vironment is one which is still keenly dis-cussed at present among architects butit is especially dominant in the sociologi-cal discourse. Sociologists are callingarchitects to have a greater awareness

Two.Designing for the awarenessof self among the collective.

Two.Designingfortheawarenessofselfamongthecollective.

Chapter Face Image Anelderly man nds his individualspace to read within the vastinner landscape.

Fig 15 Scheme of the Phalanx.(Martha Montgomery) Thisimage could be applied to theidea of the collective, a mul-

tiple of repeatable modules.There is no suggestion of theindividual.

Fig 15


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of the role that the individual plays inthe function of the built environment.We need to convey how these environ-ments impact people, and especiallyhow self denitions and expressions ofself are aected, and to demonstratehow people simultaneously constructmeaning for their physical structuresand places. (Smith, 2003) This issue isfar more complex than one would im-mediately think. This is especially di-cult when considering a workforce. For

example,, Elton Mayo conducted theHawthorne Experiments in an ElectricPlant in Chicago in the late 1920s andearly 1930s.(Stallworth 1996). The ex-periment began as an examination theeect of illumination on the productivityof the workforce. On increasing the illu-mination it was noted that productivityincreased yet when illumination was re-duced the level of pro ductivity didnt suf-fer but continued to increase. It becameevident that what had actually increasedproductivity was the notable increase inattention from the management, so-cial inuences, which made the workseem far more gratifying. (Mayo 1945).

This forces the question, can we designfor a sense of self in the built environ-ment. Is it beyond design to createspaces which encourage similar individ-ual gratication? Can the attention ofthe architect who anticipates the needsof the individual breed similar gratica-tion in people who will never see him/her? I would agree with the view ofmany sociologists/architectural soci-ologists that In project after project, Ihave seen major gaps and disconnectsin the process of creating humanized

spaces for people and in creating mean-ingful places for organizations. (Bea-man, 2003) I believe there is need forgreater consideration of the issue but Iwould also call for a greater degree ofexperimentation in the design of thebuilt environment. It is an issue best dis-cussed as a critique and for this reason Ipresent a critique of a public building onthese terms. I have chosen the Staats-bibliothek Berlin by Hans Scharoun1964-78. It is a building I have constantly

refused to like until recently as I amalways cautious of being taught tolike something but when I studied thebuilding on my own I realised the hugepower of design and spatial qualitythat I feel answers the call beautifully.

The Berlin Staatsbibliothek stands outin my mind as one of the nest exam-ples of a public building that I have beenexposed to. The library as a type is anideal platform for discussion of howone provides for the individual in a col-lective space. There is an inherent ten-sion between the logistics of collectiveuse and the need for individual space

and the opportunity to focus on onesown pursuits. The rigour of the estab-lished library systems are juxtaposed bythe need for freedom. The freedom ofthe internal landscape is an ideal toolwhich Scharoun adopted to create hisnew state library. There is a resonanceabout the way in which Scharoun com-mands a spatial landscape which whisksyou up into the depth of the buildingwhich encourages one to nd onesplace in the building. Where Asplund setout his Stockholm library as a proces-sional ascent to heaven, Scharounsroute through the building is powerfulyet malleable. Here the deriv is en-couraged. The individual user has thefreedom to wander and there is a sug-gested looseness within this landscape.

The Staatsbibliothek was proposed asthe third building to be constructed aspart of seven building scheme to makeup the new Cultural Band, of Tiergar-ten on a cleared bomb site. Two Build-ings had already been completed; thePhilharmonie and Mies New NationalMuseum. In 1964, a limited design com-petition was announced for this projectwhich would house the new Prussian

Berlin Staatsbibliothek,Hans Scharoun. 1964-78

Two.Designingfortheawarenessofselfamongthecollective.

Fig 16The Staircase Fantasyencourages the derive. Thebuilding is almost a seat forthe individual and a stage forsocial interaction.

Fig 16


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State Library that had been dispersedto Tbingen and Marburg during WW2.Eleven Architects entered the compe-tition of which Hans Scharoun was an-nounced the winner. The original briefdescribed a relief road that would even-tually run North-South behind the com-pleted building. This road heavily inu-enced Scharouns design. He proposeda shielding band of administration/ser-vice rooms which would lie betweenthis road and his group of buildings

which he described as an urban land-scape. The Western side of the buildingwas intended as a far quieter space pro-tected from the disturbance of heavytrac and because of this the westernarrangement of spaces was treated in afar more open and fragmented manner,open to the valley space which would lieoutside between the Library and a pro -posed terraced Guest House opposite.

The building is an agglomeration of anumber of facilities including an Insti-tute of Library Technology and the Ibe-ro-American Institute to the south. Thebuilding does not nd a unied form/mass like its surrounding contempo-raries. Scharouns design however washeavily praised at the time for its re-sponse to its nearest neighbours to thewest. Scharoun described his design asa staircase fantasy, a device he usedto create his famed internal landscapeof high spaces and platform areas. Theplan of the library is unusual but e-cient. Strangely from the very begin-ning, on entering the entrance hall youare expected to climb a stair towardsthe reading rooms yet the sensitivedesign of the staircase means that this

change of level is quite comfortable andthe facility of a large furnished foyer isoered as an extension of the rst land-ing. Here you may read newspapers andrecline away from the reading rooms.As you return to the half landing youget a glimpse of the main reading roomwhich is unveiled as you ascend thestair. This room is regarded as the n -est space in the building. The large multistorey space composes of a main rst

oor and a number of platform stackand study spaces. The plan of the roomis deep yet the large openings to thewest means one will always have a per-sonal connection and orientation withthe outside. The landscape of the roomis also visible in the ceiling which chang-es texture and rhythm to denote theprogramme beneath it. This dissolvesthe mass of what could have been anoverwhelming, large, planar surfaceand allows one to orientate oneself by itwithin the greater space of the readingroom. It is the skyscape that the spaceis mostly famed for. The concrete ceilingis punctured with spherical polytheneorbs which disperse the light that pen-etrated the saw-tooth roof above andprovide an even light throughout whileabove the platform spaces, pyramidalwindows provide diused north light.

The building was designed with theneeds of all Berlin in mind and Scharounhimself said the library should, makelife possible. This quote from Scharounis extremely resonant as a sort of slo-gan for the building in my opinion.Scharouns intense desire to create alarge scale pubic building but with clear

inclination to the requirements of the in-dividual is extremely strong as an archi-tectural intention and is equally strongin its manifestation. Scharoun selectedthe artists to produce a number of spe-cialised architectural pieces within thelibrary; the glass wall of ground oor en -trance hall and catalogue rooms were tobe designed by Alexander Camaro (whoalso worked on the Philharmonie), ErichF. Reuter designed the oor in entrancehall, Guner Symmank designed glass

walls in the book exhibition room andErich Hauser designed the large muralin the east foyer. These rather largepieces were obviously placed as a ges-ture of quality and neness of spaceand material but they also representkey moments within the building. Theindividual can navigate by these mark-ers as a much more subtle and beautifuldescription of the intended main pas-sage throughout the massive building.The criticism is often made that the li-brary is overwhelming to the individualbut I would oer the point that if thisis so at present it is due to change ofuse. As Scharoun died in autumn 1972,he didnt see his building progress anyfurther than a skeleton and artistic con-trol was delegated to Edgar Wisniewski.One could suggest that this may havediminished the eect of the completedbuilding but I would disagree. The build-ing was a nely tuned, ecient, modernbuilding when it was completed andwas designed to hold up to 4 million vol-umes in the stack-rooms (10,0000 newvolumes per year or 500 per workingday.) These gures while large wouldnot make the building overwhelming

Two.BerlinStaatsbibliothek.HansSharoun.

Fig 17 The main reading roomreveals itself as one turns therst landing

Fig 18 The Site Plan showsthe Staatsbiliothek in contextwith the surrounding culturalbuildings, notably Mies NewNational Museum and thePhilharmonie.

Fig 17 & 18


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in my opinion. I would suggest that anyissue of this kind is due to change ofuse over time. For example the readingroom was planned to have 1200 individ-ual reading spaces and this has been de-creased since to allow for more storageof books. The space is now accused ofbeing over furnished and blocking vis-tas. Is the original landscape becomingtoo dense and if it is can we commenton Scharouns prediction of how thelibrary would change? I would suggest

that the library has adapted very wellover time, particularly as the book is of-ten accused of becoming less popular.

I feel strongly that the Berlin Staatsbib-liothek stands out as a key building incontemporary architecture but moreimportantly it stands with convictionin favour of the experience of the user.There is no god complex with the archi-tect. He allows the reins to slack and indoing so allow the building to breath. Itbecomes a breathing organic landscapewhich is so sensitive to the scale andneeds of the individual. This is a build-ing where you may get lost. You mayenjoy getting lost. In the lm Wings ofDesire, (1987) a series of continuouspanning shots takes us on a journeyaround the main reading room. It is asequence in which the tension betweenthe scale of the space and the user isaddressed and the focus is placed onkey gures and their pursuits in the li -brary. Minimal but eective detail isgiven to the characters and the impor-tance of self in this collective spacebecomes all the more evident. The in-credible ominous soundtrack growslouder as the sequence continues and

the space takes on a quality which iscelestial but free of hierarchy, a qual-ity far more worthy of the title heaventhan Asplunds version in my opinion. Itis an incredible example of freedom andfocus within an incredible landscape.

As architects facing a time of over pop-ulation, developer driven architecture

and a shortage of space our professionis becoming increasingly driven by thepolitical and sociological discourse thatcomes with a rise in population. Maybewe have little opportunity to designfor the luxury of the family anymore.We are beginning to design towns andhuge housing complexes which tendto be repetitive, homogenous and dull.There is a need to call for greater con-sideration of the individual and howone can react to or play a part in some-thing larger. Maybe this is something assimple as placing a desk in the lightestpart of a room or the careful program-ming of public space but in these timesmore than ever it is crucial to allowthe individual to be part of a collectivewhile being able to react to ones envi-ronment as an independent gesture.

The architecture which answers this callis the architecture which I personallynd most successful. I feel that consid-eration of symbolic interactionism andcommon understanding of our environ-ment will lead to greater architecture.

Conclusion.

Two.BerlinStaatsbibliothek&Conclusion.

Personal Reections

Opposite Page.The concrete ceilingof the main reading room in theBerlin Staatsbibliothek before at thetime of Scharouns Death.


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From the beginning this dissertation hasbeen a learning tool for me as an archi-tect. The research I have done and thethings I have explored, questioned anddiscovered will always stand to me as Icontinue my studies. I know we neverstop learning but I will always believethat it is important to always carry all youhave learned. As I said at the beginningof this work, I see what I have written

here as a slice of a longer progressivestudy. I have tried not to simply sum-marise what exists in current discourseor paraphrase history but to constantlyquestion, critique and put forward myown opinions. As a young architect it hasbeen a useful exercise to try to reneopinions and express them concisely.

I have gained a great amount from thework that has been done and I hopethat the passion I have developed forthis topic has become clear. In particu-lar I will take forward from this worka strong desire to consider the indi-vidual when designing, not simply thescale of the body but the needs andoften luxuries that can create exem-plary spaces. I hope that one day I canreturn to further my studies in a moredirect focused way but I am condentthat I have really achieved what I setout to achieve here. It has been a per-sonal task to pursue something I havea passion for but knew little about. I amgrateful for the opportunity to pres-ent a piece of work which I am proudof and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Naomi

Personal Reections

Bachelard, G. 1969. The Poetics of Space. Boston, Beacon Press.

Beaman, J. (2003) Using Sociology in Architecture, from Smith, R.W. and Bugni, V. Den -ing Architectural Sociology.

Cohen, A. P. (1985) The symbolic construction of community, Routledge.

Godin, S. 2008. Tribes. We Need You To Lead Us. Great Britain, Portfolio for enguin BooksUSA.

Goman, Erving. 1959. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday.

Harbison, R. 2000, Eccentric Spaces. MIT Press.

Hertrich, S. 2008. Environment Transformers by Haus-Rucker-Co, from Notes on technol-ogy, design, people, places and things. Blog. Posted Dec 18, 2008.

Hertzberger, H. Lessons for Students in Architecture. 5th ed. 010 Publishers, 2005

Hitchcock, A. 1954, Rear Window. U.S. Paramount Pictures.

Ito, T. 1999. Blurring Architecture. Charta, 1999.

May 68. Street Posters from the Paris Rebellion. (online) Available www.parismai68.net

Mayo, Elton. 1945. The Social Problems of an Industrialized Civilization. The GraduateSchool of Business Administration: Harvard University.

Mead, George Herbert. 1934. Mind, Self, and Society. Chicago, IL: The University of ChicagoPress.

O Sullivan, A. The archaeology of lake settlement in Ireland, Discovery Series. Dublin.Royal Irish Academy.

Orgel-Khne, L & Conrads, U. Staatsbibliothek Berlin 1980. University of Virginia, SAUR.

Smith, R.W. (2003) Designed Physical Environments as Related to Selves, Symbols, andSocial Reality: A Proposal for a Humanistic Paradigm Shift for Architecture, from Smith,R.W. and Bugni, V. Dening Architectural Sociology.

Stallworth, O. and Kleiner, B. (1996). Recent Developments in Oce Design, Facilities,Vol. 14.

Vesley, D. (1996) The Architectonics of Embodiment, in Dodds, G. And Tavernor, R. Bodyand Building. Essays on the Changing Relation of Body and Architecture, Cambridge, Mas-sachusetts, The MIT Press.

Wenders, W. 1987. Wings of Desire. Road Movies. Filmproduktion/Berlin. Argos Films/Paris

* Revolutionary slogans recorded during the events of Mai 68. Bureau of Public Secrets,Berkeley, www.bopsecrets.org

References.

PersonalReections&References.


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Bachelard, G. 1969. The Poetics of Space. Boston, Beacon Press.

Beaman, J. (2003) Using Sociology in Architecture, from Smith, R.W. and Bugni, V. Den -ing Architectural Sociology.

Brkle, J. Christoph Hans Scharoun. 1993. English ed. Zurich; London : Artemis, 1993.

Blundell, J.1997. Peter Hans Scharoun. London. Phaidon.

Cohen, A. P. (1985) The symbolic construction of community, Routledge.

Futagawa Y and Hara, H. 2001. Toyo Ito 1970-2001 - Tokyo : A.D.A. Edita,Weston, R. 1953. Richard, 1953. Alvar Aalto London, Phaidon.

Godin, S. 2008. Tribes. We Need You To Lead Us. Great Britain, Portfolio for enguin BooksUSA.

Goman, Erving. 1959. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday.

Hanley, D.L. Kerr, A.P. May 68, Coming of Age. 1989. University of Reading. Association forthe Study of Modern and Contemporary France.

Harbison, R. 2000, Eccentric Spaces. MIT Press.

Hertrich, S. 2008. Environment Transformers by Haus-Rucker-Co, from Notes on technol-ogy, design, people, places and things. Blog. Posted Dec 18, 2008.

Hertzberger, H. Lessons for Students in Architecture. 5th ed. 010 Publishers, 2005

Hitchcock, A. 1954, Rear Window. U.S. Paramount Pictures.

Ito, T. 1999. Blurring Architecture. Charta, 1999.

Ito, T. And Maei, A. 2002. Toyo Ito: Works, Projects, Writings. Illustrated Edition, Electa.

Lalor, B.1941. The Irish round tower: origins and architecture explored. Wilton, Cork: CollinsPress.

Mathews, S. 2007. From agit-prop to free space. The architecture of Cedric Price. London.Black Dog,

May 68. Street Posters from the Paris Rebellion. (online) Available www.parismai68.net

Mayo, Elton. 1945. The Social Problems of an Industrialized Civilization. The GraduateSchool of Business Administration: Harvard University.

McCullough, N. 1987 A lost tradition : the nature of architecture in Ireland. Dublin. Gan-don Editions,

Mead, George Herbert. 1934. Mind, Self, and Society. Chicago, IL: The University of ChicagoPress.

O Sullivan, A. The archaeology of lake settlement in Ireland, Discovery Series. Dublin.

Royal Irish Academy.Orgel-Khne, L & Conrads, U. Staatsbibliothek Berlin 1980. University of Virginia, SAUR.

Pevsner, N. 1990. An outline of European architecture. 7th ed. London: Penguin Books.

Pevsner, N. 1991. Pioneers of modern design: from William Morris to Walter Gropius. 2nded. Harmondsworth: Penguin,

Rasmussen, S. 1964. Experiencing architecture. Cambridge, M.I.T. Press.

Smith, R.W. (2003) Designed Physical Environments as Related to Selves, Symbols, and

Social Reality: A Proposal for a Humanistic Paradigm Shift for Architecture, from Smith,R.W. and Bugni, V. Dening Architectural Sociology.

Stallworth, O. and Kleiner, B. (1996). Recent Developments in Oce Design, Facilities,Vol. 14.

Tuomey, J. 2004. Architecture, Craft and Culture. Reections on the work of O Donnell &Tuomey. Cork. Gandon Editions.

Vesley, D. (1996) The Architectonics of Embodiment, in Dodds, G. And Tavernor, R. Bodyand Building. Essays on the Changing Relation of Body and Architecture, Cambridge, Mas-sachusetts, The MIT Press.

Wenders, W. 1987. Wings of Desire. Road Movies. Filmproduktion/Berlin. Argos Films/Paris

www.zaha-hadid.com

* Revolutionary slogans recorded during the events of Mai 68. Bureau of Public Secrets,Berkeley, www.bopsecrets.org

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