vuoksenniska church aalto · vuoksenniska sculpturesque mid 50s nakkila ... logics of an overall...

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vuoksenniskasculpturesque

mid 50s

nakkilafunctionalism

30s

taulumakiclassisismearly 20s

tooloclassisism to functionalism

20s

evolution of style through evolution of form leading to vouksenniska

1 | stylistic formapproach | chronological overviewfocus | architectural form through exploration of style

“Nothing old is ever reborn. But it never completely disappears either. Anything that has ever been always re-emerges in a new form.” (Aalto, 1921).

Architectural career, design perspectives and life-based philosophy of a Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, who started practicing architecture almost a century ago, remain intriguing subjects for exploration. Aalto’s view towards the architectural form had been evolving over decades and penetrating through the fabric of his designs including the Vuoksenniska Church. Atten-tive look at the building reveals an abundance of information unwrapping architect’s thoughts regarding architectural form.

The exploration diagram 1 revealed the presence of typology of hall churches with campanile in Aalto’s repertoire prior to design of Vuoksenniska. The linear composition as a mean of formal analysis allows for observation of stylistic alterations leading from historicism and classical forms to pure functionalist and, eventually, sculpturesque motives within the remained typology of a hall church with a bell tower. Stylistic form of Vuoksenniska ties strongly to Aalto’s vision of functionalism. Although an architect is sometimes called a father of Scandina-vian modernism, the architectural form of the church expands beyond mere following the function of a building. Indeed, Aalto conceived of a form in relation to a society, i.e. as a repre-sentation of social propriety, befitting to customs/ideology and practical convenance [1]. In contrast to the basics of a modernist movement mentioned by Eisenman, such as a general-ized formula ‘form follows function’ and a shift of anthropocentric perception of an individual to non-humanist principles [2], Aalto pursues immaterial social realm as a driver for an archi-tectural form. Most importantly, Aalto ignores fitness of an architectural form with its immediate effect: “the befitting of today is an embarrassment of tomorrow…” [1, p26]. On the con-trary, he explores much wider scope of the linguistic possibilities of a form, i.e. its ability to recall ideas, memories and other immaterial properties that constitute the term ‘propriety’ in relationship to time. Due to the importance of social propriety as a form generator, perhaps, the architect sought a true definition of it by drawing the comparison between a form and a language. Foucault in Discourse of Nature identifies this ability of the “true language” to formulate an accurate denomination of natural history by remembering past memories and knowl-edge from the continuity of an examined subject [3].

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2 | form in spaceapproach | spatial viewfocus | architectural form through vectors and stretched space

The abstracted spatial perception of an architectural form is based on understanding of a campa-nile as a major vertical element contrasting with a mass of the church spreading out horizontally. The vector of the bell tower represents a movement shooting upwards and balancing the horizon-tal floating kinetics of the major volume of Vuoksenniska. Stretched space that is ‘draped’ over the vectors contribute to the understanding of spatial behavior of both horizontal and vertical masses of the building.

The idea of propriety and wide associative possibilities of form become an underlining logic of the design of the church. Further expansion of these ideas fed the functionality of Vuoksenniska. Even though Aalto does not create a form as a direct footprint of a function, he draws the func-tionality upon the practico-social implications. The church is still a highly functional creature responding to both necessities of the users and social associations from the past. However, the architectural ability to stay away from the mainstream modernist movement resulted in individual-ity of a building (what now may be called sculpturesque motives), regionalism and humanity. The building successfully responds to two functionally opposite activities – religious (worship hall) and civil (offices and accommodation), allows for flexible size of the main hall (by means of the moving partitions) and reflects on the distribution of light and sound as major programmatic objectives.

3 | generation of formapproach | acoustical studyfocus | logics of an overall form based on expansion of sound waves

1xx

1

1xgenerative sequence based on acoustics

boundary of sound waves’ sector multiplicaiton of sectors to accomodate needs definition of major forms & hierarchy of forms finalized form | 1pulpit 2worship 3office 4service

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7 | perception of interior form 8 | perception of interior form approach | kinetics study approach | typological analysis | iconographic campanilefocus | dynamic vs. static forms in the interior focus | logics of typological progression through alteration

campanile detached

campanile attached

vouksenniska

basilica

dynamic static

Aalto’s attitude towards architectural typologies has influenced his search for an architectural form alongside the rule of propriety and linguistic possibilities of form. An attempt to make an architec-tural form socially legible brings the necessity of its typological codification. In other words, a form that relies on social immaterial ideologies from the past can perform its task only through the alteration of an existing architectural type. For Aalto, architecture gains wisdom through those various typological modifications. Aalto entirely accepts a typology, as Argan describes it, i.e. a feasible classification and accumulation of principal ideas that exist in order to be a base for infinite possibilities of architectural alterations. Interestingly, the architect focuses on referencing and modifying existing typologies and never extends to an acceptance of new ones [4].

10 | typological formapproach | planimetric typological analysis | relation to public building layoutfocus | logics of typological form progression through mathematical grid transformation (acc. to D’Arcy Thompson)

vouksenniska church

library seinajoki

fan-shaped group space_auditorium aulaindividual spaces_offices

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11 | hypothetical formapproach | sectional analysis of solids and voidsfocuse | possibility of architectural form development

form perceived by the architect | a membrane separating two voids (indoors & outdoors)

void defined by interior activity

hypothetical solution for the building | void carved out of the solid

rock-cut architecture | cave

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THEORY OF PSYCHOANALYSIS

ACCEPT DENY

RATIONALEMOTIONAL

ACADEMIC RESEARCH

LIFE EXPERIENCE

WORK EXPERIENCE

ARTMEDIA

FASHION

UNCONSCIOUSCONSCIOUS

SCIENCE

ARCHITECTURE

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CONSCIOUS / UNCONSCIOUS TRANSITION

ESTABLISH A FEEL

PROGRAM & DEMANDS

ANALYSE

GAIN KNOWLEDGE

CLEAR THE MIND

UNCONSCIOUS SENSATION

ABSTRACT IDEAS

INSTINCT

UNIVERSAL SUBSTANCE

OUTLINE OF A MAIN IDEA

SOLIDIFIED IDEA

CONSCIOUSCONSCIOUSCONSCIOUSCONSCIOUS

CONSCIOUSCONSCIOUSCONSCIOUSCONSCIOUS

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12 | theory of psychoanalysisapproach | abstract diagramfocuse | Aalto’s approach to incorporation of psychoanalysis

13 | theory of psychoanalysisapproach | abstract diagramfocuse | effect of unconsciousness in the design process

Architectural body has been a focal point of an architectural attention for centuries. Rigorous analysis of the Vuoksenniska church in Imatra revealed multiple modes of an architectural body that have been carefully considered, developed and deployed by the author.Psychological body of the building explicitly illustrates the application of the theory of psychoanalysis.

Seemingly, the most significant notion of the archtiectural creation for the author was the correlation between the architectural space and humans. As Merleau-Ponty mentions, the understanding of space by its inhabitants as well as human bodies by its owners root itself in the theory of perception, which proove initial common prob-lematics of the both issues. The existing context we live in, i.e sur-rounding features from bodies to environment, is a result of our sub-conscious perception and a merely comprehended matter (5). In order to respond to the specifics of the process humans rely on when con-ceive reality, Aalto refers to his mind looking for activation of his level of perception. Through the deployment of the unconscious design process, he emphases the freedom from stereotipes, styles and idioms in architecture. In other words, the perception of Aalto’s

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INPUTBOUNDARY_STEREOTYPES _IDEOLOGY _FASHION _STYLE

LIMIT_IMAGINATION _SENSATION _EMOTION _USE

OUTPUT

OUTPUTINPUTFREEDOM_STEREOTYPES _IDEOLOGY _FASHION _STYLE

FREEDOM_IMAGINATION _SENSATION _EMOTION _USE

creative process get riched by means of including unconscious level of the design action alongside the conscious desisions. As a result, Aalto not only accepts earlier popular psychoanalysis through his artis-tic and architectural desicions, but also performs well while incorporat-ing discovered techniques in the design process.Another notion of the strong relationship between the architecture of the Vuoksenniska church and its visitors relates to the phenomenon of human imagination. Relatively similar to perception, human imagina-tion tends to reveal hundreds of thousands of iterations of the reality that we conscieve. Aalto says that his liberation of architectural con-sciousness causes the highly positive effects that architecture has on the imagination of the users of a particular space. “Subject of the architecture flickers in and out of focus; therefore, the viewer is expected to fill the gaps with his/her imaginaiton.” (2, p.189). Merge of the conscious understanding of the client&program demands with unconscious creative process allows the authour to place the social and psychological interest over aesthetics. “A freedom from the T-square and geometric composition has opened up vast develop-ments in the living spaces...Man’s happiness became the aim of archi-tecture.” (Bruno Zevi). Additional argument against fashionable archi-tecture can be noticed through Aalto’s statement: “Pleasing forms do not assure environmental morality...All non-pleasing forms do not reveal moral deficiency of the designer.” The author starts to be sensi-tive to phenomenological body. Harmonious human experience of architecture starts to define scale of the building, specifics of its rela-tionship with the users and so on. Vuoksenniska church responded to the requirements of the industrial town it was built in, needs of the users and, most importantly, the human proportion. Moving partitions in the interior of the church perform the quick transformation of the spatial volume into smaller portions, which accomodate smaller aggregaitons of people. Scale of the building never overwhelms the visitors: the extrior design reflects surrounding contest and encour-ange pleasing feelings consceived while the interior never overesti-mates the amount of visitors by means of dynamic architectural details that diversify the experience.

13 | emotional bodyapproach | comparisonfocuse | effect of form on human imagination | understanding of freedom vs limitation

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IMPOSEDOMINATE

RUINOVERUSENEGLECT

ENRICHNEGOTIATE

RESPONDACCOMPLISHED AVOIDED

MERGEDIVERSIFY

Ecological body appears to be one of the issues that had a significant influ-ence on the resulting architectural form. Architectural response to ecological concerns exposed an environmental morality of the building, i.e its moral responsibility for the occupants and the context alike. Vuoksenniska church appears respectful to the scarse resourses of outdoors by means of merging into environment and,therefore, diversifying the outdoors as opposed to imposing onto and consequently ruining or neglecting the environmental relevance. Furthermore, the building is humane towards the users. Although it was built in the mid XXth century, the relevance of its architectural scale to the proportion of an individual as well as an aggregation of the latter is evi-dent. The overall scale of the church responds to the needs of the commu-nity of Imatra (Finland), to the amount of users and to the single representa-tive of the public.

INDUSTRIES

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TOWN

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group of individuals

1 volumetric options

15 | environmental bodyapproach | comparisonfocuse | ecological body and the relationship between building and environment

17 | social bodyapproach | relationship between architectural volume & occupantsfocuse | functionality of moving partitions | effect of architecture on society

16 | social body | historical body | environmental bodyapproach | relationship between architecture & contextfocuse | relationship ‘church - history - town - public - environment’

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Goran Schildt writes about: “Aalto’s unique contribution to modernism embraced context and the natural environment. Drawing on sources as diverse as Finnish landscape, the Bau-hause, the Classisism, Aalto forged an organic design vocabularly that juxtaposed concrete and wood, copper and brick, volume and form in an original synthesis.” ( 7, p.1). In addi-tion to Schildt’s article, multiple sources on theory of architecture illuminate Aalto’s work as contribution to regionalism, locality, heritage and freedom from a particular style or fashion. The approach to analyse the main techniques deployed by Aalto in the design of Vuoksenniska Church based on the common notion of the characteristics of his designs will become an underlining logic of the part ‘technique’.

In the article ‘The Sixth Dimention of Arcthitecture’ Esa Laaksonen defines a number of dimentions that desribe Finnish architecture as a whole and Aalto’s work in particular:

__1 Connection with Finnish heritage of dwelling and habitation. __2 Horizontal line = a person lying down__3 Angle formed by a vertical and horizontal line = the level of standing person__4 Limited or Unlimited Space where a person lies down or stands = human proportion__5 Total experience = interaction of all human senses, the environmental experience__6 Time = light that illuminates the space; the motion in the space; aging person; aging materials; aging space; timelessness of a building vs mortality of a person__7 History of mankind = the presence of an architectural typology; continuity in a building heritage.__8 Soul = cultural familiarity, symbiosis of function and human experience (2, p. 142-147)

thinking

making

analysisof results

logic

generative process

form / body

why?

how?

what?

idea

technique

object / e�ect

result

x? analyze form/body diagrams

understandform+body diagrams

a

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=

form / body what? object / e�ect

x =

a - b

The approach to analyze techniques applied by Aalto in a desigh process of the Church is based on simple under-standing of a process that starts off some logical basis and over time results in physical or transcendental culmination.Whether the sequence is logic-process-form, idea-technique-object, thinking-making-analysing or why?-how?-what?, it focuses on defining the unknown member of the equasion (=the technique) through the analysis of known diagrammatic data constituting ‘form’ and ‘body’ chapters.

18 | general techniqueapproach | equasionfocuse | Aalto’s design technique

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TOWN

chain of logic

major consideration

church - parttown - whole

town - partenvironment - whole

church - partcommunity - whole

church - partnature - whole

religion - partsociety - whole

technological novelties

mapping trees =>>

lutherans- partpublic - whole

technique

blending form dominant meaning

form �nding

sculpturesque form

multi-use church+comm. centre

dynamic partitionsound proo�ngacoustical experimentslight experiments

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nestingdiagrammingmimicry

=>>

technique I technique II

technique III

church - partindustry - parttown - whole

result

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traditionheritageregionalism

technique IV

arch typology

personal esperiencearch history

sacred architecture

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reference to ‘body’ diagrams

reference to ‘form’ diagrams

speci�ed info in relation to design of V.church

abstracted sequencial steps of the desigh process

horizontal level of relationship

vertical level of relationship

19 | logic of design techniqueapproach | understanding bigger picturefocuse | whole & part | folding back to ‘form’ & ‘body’

Another approach to diagramming the technique relates to speci�ca-tion of sequencial steps that were identi�ed earlier, e.g. ‘logic-process-result’. The abstract sequence is speci�ed through the overla-ing with an additional layer of the logic of global interrelationships. This logic considers every instance of a design process as a part of a whole. The ‘part and whole’ appears to be essencial entities in Aalto’s design of the Vuoksenniska that results in both multiple responsibili-ties of the architect and signi�cant complexity of achieved results. The diagram explains the correlation between the abstracted steps of the design process of the church and captured still frames illustrating that process. On one hand, the still frames tend to de�ne initial abstracted formula while on the other hand, they reference back to ‘form’ and ‘body’ diagrams that become the driving knowledge for the exploration of the technique of the architectural practice.

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iconographic campanile

vouksenniskatypological reference

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scale viageometric

progression

multiply

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b = a x rc = b x rr - ratio

morphological reference

vouksenniskabasilica Aalto often notes how conscious and unconscious processes are incorporated in his design process, which is illustrated in one of the ‘body’ diagrams. Incorporation of dual (i.e. conscious/unconscious) approach stands out in the design of Vuoksenniska. The marriage of conscious and unconscious yeilded in Aalto’s ability to use scientific studies along emotional determinants in the design, which eventially led to the freedom from a particular style or fashion. It allowed him to draw on references, typologies, design processes that seem necessary because the design rather than stereotype dictated that. As a result, the Vuoksenniska reveals correlations with the typology of religious architecture and public architecture [through manipularions of mathematical grid], rela-tion to the Finnish heritage [through local materials and relience on context] and combi-nation of functionalism and existentialism [through the overlay of scientific experimenta-tion and emotional sensibility as a determinant of architectural form.

Technique | Pillars of the design of Vuoksenniska

surrounding context linear connection between closest points

definition of outline depending on the density of the net

nesting the spaceswithin the outline

Althoug architecture positions itself in between the art and the science, essential similarities can be traced through the comparison of the strictly scientific theory with the theory of architecture. Particularly, phenomenon of scientific revolution can overlap with one of the design approaches in architecture; even though, at a miniature scope and impact. As Kuhn states, scientific revolution is the main engine of sci-entific knowledge that ensures change of prevailing paradigm and direction of a scientific vector towards the truth. Scientific revolution means that the steadily developed cumulative knowledge fails in dealing with a new phenomenon of an unknown scientific order. As a result, new scientific paradigm replaces the former, embraces the novelty, and establishes new system of tools and knowledge. In terms of the architectural theory, Vuoksenniska church stands out on the background of typical designs for the mid-twentieth century. Seemingly, architectural typology in conjunction with the prevailing architectural style reigns over the majority of the designs at the particular time peri-ods; similar to a dominant scientific paradigm, architectural typology and style dictates the design preferences, unless the leap towards the ‘true design approach’ takes place and proves the existing suggested design tools and techniques wrong. Aalto dared to overcome exist-ing architectural principles and techniques for the sake of better design solution of the Vuoksenniska. The church does not belong to any of the mainstream architectural styles of the period (functionalism, classisism, historisism, etc.), but leans towards so called picturesque tradition. Schildt notices individuality and intimacy achieved in Vuoksenniska by means of free form and unconventional manner in design. As a result the church is a “unique sculptural monument, an architecture for which there is no parallel” (Schildt, p 118).

Technique | References to Historical Heritage and Architectural Typologies

differentiation intoloose and dense grid

final building form as a result

20 | techniqueapproach | overall designfocuse | freedom of the design

21 | techniqueapproach | referencefocuse | reference to historical heritage and architectural typologies

22 | techniqueapproach | relationshipfocuse | mapping and diagramming tree pattern | nesting of form within derived outline

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UNDULATING SURFACE

TECHNOLOGY FUNCTIONAL RATIONALE

POETICS QUALITY OF SOUND PATH

POETICS + TECTONICS

True meaning in architecture

Contemporary architecture has been known for revealing the problematics of its mathematical+technological foundation. As Perez-Gomez wrote, it found itself demanding the real value. It is swallowed by functionality, efficiency and economy; moreover, it has been alienated from the public. Since the 18oo the relationship between syntactic (structural) and semantic (transcendental) approaches in the search of meaning has been reconciled: transcendental perspective has been abandoned, which caused alienation of science from human reality, symbolic thought and ambiguity of human behaviors. Aalto brings the significance and true meaning into his design through the understanding of human needs and sacred semantics of the church as the primary concerns. He relied on both: science of acoustics and natural light in addition to transcendental meaning of form/space and complexity of occu-pancy. As a result, scientific knowledge of sound and light distribution serves towards enhancing sacred characteristics of the religious building and accommodates church’s social functions of a community and parish centre. Religious symbolism, sacred sense of space, ambiguity of functions and highly technical performance of the building coexist side by side in Vuoksenniska.

Complexity of architectural meaning is achieved in Vuoksenniska through combination of poetics and tectonics. Essensially, the overlay of scientifically inspired exploration with emotionally rich architectural approach has made the design of the church appears familiar for a human perception, yet performs suc-cessfully from a functional point of view. Vuoksenniska is considered an example of modernist architecture; however, it functions as ‘a machine’ only from a single perspective. Dynamic partitions is one of the technological novelties applied in the church that primarily responds to the programmatic requirements and, therefore, the occupantcy of the building. It again reminds of combined technological and transcendential qualities of the church.

McLuhan notes that application of advanced technology in any area of social life leads to unification. It is apparent that Aalto tempted to avoid this circumstance while aming for a unique respond to human needs and contextual qualities. The architect applied largely what McLuhan calles ‘cold media’; in contrast, ‘hot media’ was utilized accurately and thoughtfully. Cold media in Vuoksenniska narrows down to the choice of materials: concrete and wood one of the most culturally familiar materials to Finnish public. Perhaps, the intention of application of common local materials pursued the idea, which is also mentioned by McLuhan, that cold media is low in resolution and relies substantially on public participation. Hot media, such as dynamic partitions, is utilized very specifically because its ‘high resolution’ does not allow involvement of individuals, however, solves the spatial differentiation of the main volume of the builidng.

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31__cold media_wooden seatings2__cold media_concrete walls3__hot media_dynamic partitions

23 | techniquefocuse | sintactic & semantic approach in action

24 | techniquefocuse | application of cold and hot media

Symbolism & Transcendental Meaning

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organization of altar_three components_triple shadows_three layers of triple crosses (object + shadow + shadow)

three components >>>> the essence of sanctuary

triangular ‘fanned’ main volume inscribed into a triangular plan of the church

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interior volumes

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service spaces

Vuoksenniska as a Lutheran church has an organ, pulpit and altar. The altar is traditionally placed in the centre as the most sacred entity. The pulpit is located to the side from the altar, which defines the sanctuary’s assymmetrical triangle to insure the audibility of a sermon at a pulpit. Long walls that diagonally face the pulpit serve for the correct sound reflection towards the audience. Walls and windows bend inwards for acoustic reasons as well. The logic of the plan layout in the sanctury differs, but does not confront tradional religious priorties. In addition, common theological symbolism found itself in the transcendental meanings of Vuoksenniska. The number three became a symbol that was carried throughout the entire design process. It corresponds to the amount of halls, division of the top of the bell tower into tripartite, number of crosses and their multiplied shadows at the altar and so on. The number three is one of the most sig-nificant and commonly accepted religious symbols, which derived from the trio of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

1 2 3

altar organ pulpit

light & sound study_longitudinal section view

sound studyapplication in plan

form findingdistribution of soundfrom the pulpit

origins of triangular forms

The diagram demonstrates one of the techniques utilized in the desigh of Vuoksenniska - overlap between semantic and syntactic approaches. Seemingly opposed approaches reveal a productive design process, which consequently results in complexity of architectural value of the building. The overlapping ‘emotional’ and ‘rational’ sides of the design yeilds modernist architectural piece that has pre-served its existential and transcendental value

25 | techniqueapproach | transcendental meaningfocuse | symbolism in design approach

26 | techniqueapproach | physical exploratory modelsfocuse | definition of form through the science

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PRIMARY

SECONDARY

CHURCH

COMMUNITY CENTRE

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

RELIGIOUS

CIVIL

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

SEMANTIC

SYNTACTIC

A B C

Mn Tu Wd Th Fr

St Sn

B C

A B C

A

CA

B

day of the week

day of the week

option 5| closed-closed

option 4 | closed-openoption 1 | open-open

option 2 | closed-open

A B C

option 3 | open-closed

A B C

option 6 | open-closed

Vuoksenniska functions primarily as a church while providing potential for social activities of the town it is located in. Sound proofed moving partition between the tree concecu-tive halls ensures the possibility for multifunctioning. Depending on a day of the week the church may expand one type of activity over the other, i.e. accommodate the diverse needs of the surrounding commu-nity. Functional flexibility, therefore, illuminate the relationship of the church to its existential context and transcendental meaning.

A,B,C concecutive halls

A sacred sanctuary

C / B parish halls

C / B social community needs

dynamic partition

Logical differentiation between the programmatic functions of the Vuoksenniska Church. Dual meaning and multilayered technique applied by the architect in his design is based on strictly logical hierar-chy. The result of this approach is that the architectural meaning of the church is complex yet not convoluted.

28 | techniqueapproach | existentialismfocuse | existential meaning through respondto community and program

27 | techniqueapproach | generic diagramfocuse | hierarchy of objectives, meanings, functions

sketch schemaThe public by its nature tends to seek a sense of protection and security. Per-haps, it happens unconsciously, when individuals organize their lives, where they dwell, where they go, where they stay, in response to the requirements of safety, physicalas well as emotional. According to Heidegger, building through the linguistic origins of the word relates to the meaning of place that feels secure and safe (11). By its definition, church reflects this meaning more than any other building type.

Firstly, the physical protection is provided by the building of the church. This idea goes back to mideval times, when religious institutions were aggregations of knowledge, and power. Monasteries resembled fortresses and castles in their ability to provide shelter and protection to local citizens. Vuoksenniska was built in 1955-58; nevertheless, as a building typology it remains of a simi-lar nature. Through the architectural features, such as comparatively small and high elevated windows, masonry walls, robust building mass and even a bell tower that is ready to be transformed into a guard tower, the sense of security emits from the spacethe church creates.

double wall system ‘guard’ towerincreased thicknessopening

wall

east

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31 | type of spacefocus | striated space | space development in a crochet fashion

plan of Vuoksenniskapulpit & altarbrounian outdoor spacedirectional indoor space

Secondly, sensation of protection and security in Vuoksenniska is also gov-erned by the flow of space. The geometrical solution utilized by Aalto in Vuoksenniska governs the behavior of space. The space definitely circulate within the boundaries of the builidng, swirl under the influence of curvilinear moving partitions, expands further if dynamic walls are open and inevitably contracts if those are locked. The flow has a recognized centre,, which arguably is the location of pulpit, altar and organ. The whole design of the church developed around this particular area; as a result it gained the value in spiritual and physical realm. Physically, the triangular plan of the main volume of the church generates and stretches out from the pulpit, which responds to a perfect distribution of sound and light in consideration to visitors. Spiritually, the altar is the transcendental centre of the church, the symbol of nonphysical reality, the dogma of the faith.

29 | sense of spaceapproach | produced sensationsfocuse | protection & safety | wall to opening ratio

30 | sense of spaceapproach | produced sensationsfocuse | protection & safety | wall thickness, double wall system, guard tower

The pulpit is where sermons are delivered from. Combination significant places in the church creates the major generator of space. Both the origins and the direction flow of the space are strictly dictated. Boundaries of the church (exterior walls & indoor partitions) create the rigid constrains for the flow of space and result in isolation between the interior space and the exte-rior. As Banham wrote, architects throughout the history tend to segregate indoors from outdoors indicating interior as inhabitable space while exterior is a chaos and unmesureable (12). The twentieth century architecture took a different root blending the boundaries; however, Vouksenniska seem to belong to the old tradition.

The interior space is driven by the linear directionality of physical condition of the space, i.e. distribution of sound and light waves (discussed in ‘form’ sec-tion), arrangement of the furniture, strictly organized circulation, massive exterior partitions, etc. The flow of the interior space is oriented along the singular vector, limited in Its spread outwards, variated only by the position of dynamic partitions. It is most likely to be passive, when the church is empty; in contrast, when a sermon takes place, the space is activated by the kinetics of sound, light, visitors and dynamic partitions. Meanwhile the interior space develops strictly within the walls of the church and resembles the characteristics of the striated space discussed by Geleuze and Guattari, the smooth exterior space reveals multiplicity of variations in its continuous flow and creates multilayered loops around the landscape fea-tures (13).

The translation from the striated interior space to the smooth exterior takes place at the transitional territory of the building being the single skylight. While extremely restricted in horizontal movement, interior space tends to catch the momentum of the dynamic partitions, swirl around the circumfer-ence of their trajectories and raise along the spiral upwards. The skylight as the opening to outdoors let the space out and transform its nature from stri-ated and limited into the smooth and diverse. Particles of the air and wind flow introduce new directional variations to the newborn smooth space.

continuous loops of exterior smooth space

outdoor landscaping and tree pattern

centralized interior striated space

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smooth

striated

transition zone

30 | behavior of spacefocuse | horizontal flow of space | exterior vs interior

31 | behavior of spacefocuse | vertical flow of space | exterior vs interior

visior of the chuch

multiplication of identities

church

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time limit

transition point between striated and smooth

At the transition point the nature of the space and the character of the time transforms. While in the chuch the time is consciously understood and measured by the sequences of sounds (the church’s organ or a voice of a prist), objects (visitors) and subjects (furniture). Physical presense in the church is the experience of being in the striated space and accepting your-self as a person occupying space as a location and time as a moment. Once the striated is translating into smooth, the time stretches infinitely and become meaninglessly invisible. Multi-plicity and vatialtion of the smooth space allows for the immesureable number of human identities that multi-ply and overlay on top of each other in their reach to the spiritual leader. Mul-tiplication of identities, by Heidegger, reflects the presence of the visitors of the church in many physical and tran-scendental locations simultaneously. The multiplication of identities expands upwards directed along the spread of space and towards the desired desti-nation of the presence of God.Additionally, the church as a typical religious institution creates variation in the fabric of the industrial city of Imatra, where it locates. The space of the church is of a different character on the background of the Imatra’s com-munity; however, the polyfunctoin of Vuoksenniska, which is a church and a community centre, allows no boundar-ies isolating the church from the citi-zens of the city. 18

community of the industrial city

access from the community to the church

32 | notion of time and spacefocus | translation between smooth and striated | multiple identities

19

work sited

[form] 1. Porphyrios, D. Sources of Modern Eclecticism. Studies on Alvar Aalto. London: Academy Editions,1982. 2. Eisenman, P. Post Functionalism in Hays, K.M. ed. Architecture Theory since 1968, p236-239. 3. Foucault, M. The Order of Things: The Discourse on Nature, 1970. 4. Argan, G.C. On the Typology of Architecture in Nesbitt, K., ed. Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture, 1996, p 242-246.

[body] 5. Merleau-Ponti, M. The Synthesis of One’s Own Body in Phenomenology of Perception, 1962, p 148-153. 6. Agrest, D.I. Architecture from Without: Body, Logic, and Sex, in Architecture form Without, 1993, p 173-195.

[technique] 7. Schildt, G. Alvar Aalto: Masterworks, 1998. 8. Palasmaa, J. Archipelago: Essays on Architecture for Juhani Palasmaa, 2006. 9. McLuhan, M., Zingrone F., Essential McLuhan: Understanding Media. Anasi, 1995, p 149-169. 10. Perez-Gomez, A. Introduction to Architecture and the Crisis of Modern Science in Hays, K.M., ed. Architecture Theory since 1968, p 466-475.

[space] 11. Heidegger, M. Building, Dwelling, Thinking, in Krell, D.F., ed., Martin Heidegger Basic Writings, 1992, p 344-363. 12. Banham, R. Space and Power, in Age of the Masters, 1975, p 49-62. 13. Deleuze, G. & Guattari, F. 1440: The Smooth and the Striated, in A Thousand Plateaus, University of Minnesota Press, 1987, p 474-500.

vuoksenniska church aalto · vuoksenniska sculpturesque mid 50s nakkila ... logics of an overall...

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