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An Ongoing Dialogue. . .

byNicole Adams

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An Ongoing Dialogue. . .

byNicole Adams

Thesis submitted to the faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partialfulfillment of the requirement for the degree of

MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

Approved:

William Brown, Chairman

V. Hunter Pittman

Frank Weiner

I would like to thank my teachers, especially Joanna Ziegler and Bill Brown, “ (for imbueing me) with the spirit ofcreation by means of a personal sensing, thinking and experience . . . and in a creative search for forms to

come (allowing me to) - so to speak - digest my own food” (Saarinen, xiv).

CONTENTS

The ThesisThe PrecedentsThe Thesis Through the ProjectIdeato incite a dialectic between old and newin old brick walls with floor, column and roofForma primary path, a primary entrance, a primary roomMakingthe variablefloor, column - cantilever, cantilever - roofroof - enclosureExperiencein continuity, in juxtaposition , in lightsome particulars

The Thing ItselfPhotographic NotesList of Works CitedVita

The Thesis

This thesis is an attempt to reconcile the form of anidea with the form of a thing in this world to beexperienced. An exploration of the meaning be-hind the words idea, form, making and experiencebegins to unite the intellect of an architect withthe design of an architect. The terms are definedin the thesis and explained through the project.The thesis through the project sets out to take theseterms beyond mere words and give them an op-portunity to inform eachother. It is this dialecticbetween idea, form, making and experience thatI believe to be the heart of architecture.

Idea and form are inextricably tied to one another.“Which is the origin of the other?” is not as perti-nent a question as “how do the two inform eachother?”. Ideas change from project to project asdo the forms inherent in those ideas. Preceedingboth idea and material form is another type of formthat is immaterial and often remains unseen. It isthe character which is essential to a thing.Whether it be a place or an object, it is the qualityin the thing itself. This character is the instigator ofidea and form. It is the architect’s goal to makethis inherent form perceivable.

An architect makes idea and form manifestthrough a concept of making. In Notes for a Theoryof Making in a T ime of Necessity, GiuseppeZambonini emphasizes that “We must look not onlyat the quality of the material used and at the craftemployed, but also at the quality of the thoughtprocess selecting and shaping the material. . .qual-ity cannot be an intrinsic condition that belongsto the object . . . but rather it must express the in-tent by which it is created and therein the clarityand strength of the meaning being produced byits form” (Zambonini, 21). This quality of design canbest be achieved the earlier making and materi-ality are involved in the design process. The ques-tions of “what is the form of this idea?” and “howis this form to be made?” begin the relationshipbetween idea, form and making. The immediateresponses may be intuitive, but the final one is theresultof numerous makings. This is why architec-ture is practiced.

When the question arises:“how can this form notonly embody an idea but be the idea?”, the dia-logue takes on a greater import. The way in whicha thing will be experienced starts to inform itsmaking. “It is the process that will engage bothuser and observer in an active, participating rela-tionship with the work and thereby give the workits meaning” (Zambonini, 21). It is at this point thatthe dialectic is fully engaged.

These four aspects simultaneously inform eachother and nurture the project throughout its life,from drawing board, to construction to the vari-ous experiences that it will impart. It is not just oneaspect, but these four in communion that are thearchitecture.The drawing is the first “reasoned state

of making” (Aristotle, 141).

Drawing and object represent“a process oriented fundamentally to

material” (Zambonini, 17).

1

2

3

4

An existing space is joined with new elements that do nothide the old, but rather celebrate it through continuity and

juxtaposition.

The Precedents

5

6

7

8

9A re-articulated floor receives its measure from

an existing order.

A room is made with a floor, walls, a roof andlight.

An old form and a juxtaposing gesture re-presentthreshold.

A rhythmic progression through space invites pauses for remembering the form.

10

11

12

13

A permutation of a 45’ wide by 125’ long roomis made with the precise installation of a

minimalist sculpture.

Sculptural forms and a room reveal something essential about one another.

Two sections come together,one addresses the floor and the other the roof,

together they make a column.

The particulars are the product of the processthat engage an experience.

The ThesisThrough the Project

“I believe in thepersonal and

individual‘search for

form’ that whenduly distilled to

it’s truecharacter is

perceivable toothers.”

Eliel SaarinenThe Search for Form

in Art andArchitecture

Idea is the dialogue within and specific toeach project. It’s origin is in the maker. Aprecise incision to an existing brick buildingwith floor, column and roof is the projectthrough which this thesis is explored. Theidea of the project is to incite a dialecticbetween existing brick walls and newelements. The relationship is establishedthrough continuity and juxtaposition. Thegoal being to first accentuate the differ-ence and second to establish unity.

to incitea dialectic

between old and new

in old brick wallswith floor, column and roof

Form is the essential character or qualitiesinherent in each project idea and site. Thosequalities drive the search for a material form.The site for this project is the existing brickwalls of The Armory in downtown Blacksburg.A primary path, a primary entrance and aprimary room were discovered. With the dis-covery of inherent form comes the desire formaterial form. The desire to amble alongan old wall in light and in shadow, the po-tential of a solitary entrance with multiplethresholds and the impulse to open up acontained room to infinity with soft sunlightand a hint of the sky were some of the quali-ties that the material form sought to possess.

a primary patha primary entrance

a primary room

“The legiblepresence of

routes whichexplain a

building in acertain way

comes from theneed ofrelating

everything thathappens inside

the building,and also

relating thelatter and its

context.Therefore,

when we arehere, in this

room, amongthese walls and

under thisceiling, the

memory wehave of the restof the building

is alsoimportant.”

Alvaro SizaWorks and Projects

Making is the continual putting forth and “di-agnosing of the created form” (Saarinen, v).The qualities of floor, column and roof thatbelong to each element specifically as wellas within the project are enhanced andbegin to take on a life through their mak-ing. Making, idea and form embrace eachother in the objects. Each remain individualas floor, column, roof and old wall; however,their individual existence is very much in-formed by the mutual existence and mak-ing of the other elements. Formal elementsengage the dialogue between the twounseens, the project idea and the inherentqualities of that idea and site.

the variable

“In the variable areincluded both things

made and things done;making and acting are

different; so that thereasoned state ofcapacity to act is

different from thereasoned state of

capacity to make. Hencetoo they are includedone in the other; for

neither is acting makingnor is making acting.

Now since architectureis an art and is

essentially a reasonedstate of capacity tomake, and there is

neither any art that isnot such a state nor any

state that is not an art,art is identical with a

state of capacity tomake, involving a true

course of reasoning. Allart is concerned with

coming into being, i.e.with contriving and

considering howsomething may come

into being which iscapable of either being

or not being, and whoseorigin is in the makerand not in the thing

made; for art isconcerned neither withthings that are, or comeinto being, by necessity,nor with things that do

so in accordance withnature (since these have

their origin in them-selves). Making and

acting being different,art must be a matter ofmaking, not of acting.And in a sense chanceand art are concerned

with the same objects; asAgathon says, “art

loves chance and chanceloves art”. Art then, ashas been said, is a state

concerned with making,involving a true course

of reasoning, and lack ofart on the contrary is a

state concerned withmaking, involving a false

course of reasoning;both are concerned with

the variable.”Aristotle

Nicomachean EthicsBook VI.4

floor

columncantilever

cantileverroof

“When you areworking with

different materials,the texture itself -

the construction ofthe texture -

becomes the crucialissue. That was, in

this case, thesolution for givinginterest to a wall

that wanted not tobe just a mute wall,but something able

to live togetherwith its surround-ings. This attempt

did not involve theindiscriminate use

of a variety ofmaterials but aninvestigation of

elements andcombinations to

achieve thecondition of a wallthat wanted to becontinuous unto

itself.”Rafael Moneo

The Idea of Lasting

“. . .(the)fundamental

opportunity inmaking: (is) the

learning each timefrom a new

condition, permittingone to enter each

project with theattitude of a

beginner.”Giuseppe Zambonini

Notes for a Theory ofMaking

roofenclosure

Experience differs from perception in thatit is no longer just an image beingperceived, but the action of the idea thatone is engaged in. The thing itself doesnot try to be a physical manifestation ofan idea or quality, but rather itsupercedes the idea and is the charac-ter, it is the form. The activity of thedialogue between existing walls and newelements occurs through continuity andjuxtaposition. It is through this dialoguethat one experiences the architecture.

in continuityin juxtaposition

in light

The two worlds remaindistinct by comparing andcontrasting. The presence ofthe one adds clarity to thebeing of the other. Together,in light, they become anentrance, a colonnade anda room.

The new elements of floor,column and roof are incontinuity with the existingwalls. The four masivecantilever columns aremoved off the wall andplaced continuous with thesolid parts of the wall so asto not obstruct the light. Therhythm of the colonnadeenforces the clarity of theroom. It is steady andrepetitive like the windowsof the old wall it straddles.It’s cadence is intended toinvite pauses along the wallin which to remember theform. From the old wall thenew form takes its measure.The two worlds arec o m p a r e d

The new elements stand injuxtaposition to the oldstructure. The old wall ismasonry, worn, dense andsteadfast. The columns, roofand certain particulars of thestairs and floor are madefrom various metals, smooth,tensile, light, thin and at timesgleaming. The two worlds arec o n t r a s t e d

some particulars

“Too muchattention can not

be given toproduce a

distinctCharacter in

every building,not only in great

features but inminor detail

likewise; even amoulding,

howeverdiminutive,

contributes toincrease or lessenthe Character of

the assemblageof which it forms

a part.”John Soane

(qtd. in Frascari, TheTell-The-Tale Detail)

A long continuous light is made to define the edgeof the path that defines the edge of the building.

A spray of light and hint of the sky elleviate a claustrophibic tendency ofthe room. The curve takes two of its points from the exiting wall. The firstfrom the highest point of the side wall and the second from the peak ofthe existing roof. It’s third point is a continuation of that arc. The curveopens up to a southern exposure yet it is high and soft enough that thelight is diffuse throughout the room and on the walls. Through thegenerous opening one experiences the sky and the room opens up toinfinity.

The colonnade ambles along an old wall. A raised platformfixed on top of light wells lines the colonnade and allowsnatural light to enter the under passage while simultaneouslyoffering a place to stop and sit.

The measure of the infill wall, the enclosure or the jointbetween wall and roof, comes from the rhythm set up in thebrick work of the old wall. A course of headers tops every fivecourses of stretchers and makes a distinct line on the face ofthe wall. The infill takes this measure and mimics this rhythmicline.

The doors operate on a pivoting axis that when openedbecome a wall and when closed are distinct planes behindthe old wall.

The stairs begin in a strong grounded base and rise in planesof steel that allow for glimpses of the wall.

The colonnade reaches over an existing wall and makes twodistinct walkways along the wall, one in light and one inshadow.

The base of the four cantilever columns is recessed into aconcrete chair that sits in a 5’x 50’ concrete strip. The strip runsacross the floor and helps to fortify the structure while subtlydividing the one large room into three smaller rooms.

The floor is seperated from the old wall, yet it fits snug around thenew structure of both the colonnade and cantilever columns.

The secondary window controls the intake of light into thegallery and main room. It is fixed behind the old window.

Each cantilever is made of four steel members. They are thinand shallow on the long end and thick and deep on the shortend with the intention of balancing itself. The space betweenmembers creates a skylight.

The cantilever column is two elements coming together at ajoint.

The column

addresses the floor while the cantilever addresses the roof.The joint expresses their relationship.

The four steel members of the cantilever sit in a large cylinder. A continuous weld fixes them to the cylinder which is the joint betweencolumn and cantilever.

The Thing Itself

As architects we ask fundamental questions of“what does this thing want to be?”, “ what is theform of this idea?”, “ how is this form to bemade?”. When questions of experience enterinto this dialogue - “how can this thing be aneffector?” - the dialogue is fully engaged. Thesequestions do not have a specific sequence,rather they continually inform each otherthroughout the life of the project. The goal ofthis questioning, this making, is the thing itselfnot the idea. It is this dialectic between idea,form, making and experience that achieves thatgoal. Otherwise, we would just be makers of im-ages, things that may be perceived but wouldnever be experienced.

“. . .it is not ingeneralities, but

in theparticulars of

the thing itself.”St. Augustine

The Confessions of St.Augustine

PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS

1. “design of Prun stone cladding of the Sacello facing the main courtyardat the Museum of Castelvecchio in Verona,”Carlo Scarpa, photographs byKlaus Frahm, (Koln: Benedikt Taschen, 1993) 76. Zambonini refers to “informalsketches dealing with critical aspects of material (addressing) more directly the eye and handof the craftsman. . .Scarpa could rely on the process of physical execution as an extrapolattionof his intent - predictable to a point, but also boldly dependent on a manual tradition anddexterity that Scarpa himself did not possess.”( Zambonini, 11).

2. “execution of Prun Stone cladding of Sacello,” Carlo Scarpa, 76.

3. “preliminary sketch for twin pillars for the Banca Popolare in Verona,”Carlo Scarpa,150.

4. “close up of twin pillars executed in rear facade of Banca Popolare,”Carlo Scarpa, 151.

5. “sculpture gallery on ground floor of Museum of Castelvecchio,” CarloScarpa, 79.

6. “sculpture gallery of Museum of Castelvecchio,” Carlo Scarpa, 78.

7. “entrance to museum,” Carlo Scarpa, 77.

8. “Chinati Foundation, Arena, interior with tables, chairs and a door byDonald Judd,” Donald Judd Raume Spaces,” photographs by Todd Eberle,(Cantz Publishers, 1993) 100.

9. “Chinati Foundation, Arena, interior with furniture and door by Judd,”Donald Judd Raume Spaces, 101.

10. Broken Kilometer, Walter de Maria, photograph by Jon Abbott courtesyof DIA Foundation for the Arts.

11. “Hafenstrasse studio, Cologne, interior with works by Donald Judd,”Donald Judd Raume Spaces, 143.

12. “column sections of the railroad station in Savona, Italy by Luigi Nervi,”Pier Luigi Nervi Una Scienza Per L’Architettura, (Rome: Instituto Mides, 1982)17.

13. “detail of stand in residential part of former fortress of Museum ofCastelvecchio,” Carlo Scarpa, 85.

LIST OF WORKS CITED

Aristotle., “Book VI Intellectual Virtue, Chapter 4 Art-Knowledge of How toMake Things,” The Nicomachean Ethics, trans. Sir David Ross (Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 1992), 141 - 142.

Frascari, Marco., “The Tell-The-Tale Detail,” VIA 1984, no.7, 22-37.

Moneo, Rafael., “The Idea of Lasting, A Conversation with Rafael Moneo,”Perspecta 24, 1988, 146 - 157.

Saarinen, Eliel., The Search for Form in Art and Architecture (New York: DoverPublications,1985), v - 4.

St. Augustine., Book 11 “Time and Eternity,” The Confessions of St. Augustine,trans. John K. Ryan (New York: Image Books Doubleday, 1960), 277 - 304.

Siza, Alvaro., Pedro de Llano and Carlos Castanheira, ed., “ Fragments ofan Experience - Conversations with Carlos Castanheira, Pedro de Llano, Fran-cisco Rei and Santiago Seara,” Alvaro Siza Works and Projects (Spain:Sociedad Editorial Electa, 1995),49.

Zambonini, Giuseppe., “ Notes for a Theory of Making in a Time of Neces-sity,” Perspecta 24, 1988, 2 - 23.

VITA

NICOLE ADAMSAugust 7, 1971

Master of ArchitectureVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburg, VirginiaFebruary 1997.

Residency program in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, Fall 1995.Study abroad travel program, Spring 1995.

Bachelor of Arts, Art HistoryCollege of the Holy CrossWorcester, MassachussettsMay 1993.

Harvard Graduate School of DesignArchitecture Career Discovery ProgramSummer 1992.