Santiago Calatrava

Lyon Saint Exupéry Railway Station

(formerly Satolas)

LyonFrance

1989-1994

Formal Strategies in Architecture EVDA 621

Paper 3: TechniqueCourtney Clark

3- Technique According to Gabriela et al. (2007) Santiago Calatrava utilizes the technique of geometric transformation and parametric variation as an ordering principle in his architecture. The following set of diagrams will attempt to question and apply this method to his Station just outside of Lyon. Rhythm was achieved by Calatrava in two ways: the concrete ribs that transgress the platforms are uniform in their distribu-tion and their scale in relation to one another, whilst the structural unit established in his Concourse vary in their revolution of a curved concrete foundation and in their scale to achieve an extended wing in elevation. It is this use of what Gabriele et al. (2007) term as isometric transformations. In this sense, this technique is employed to alter an overall structure through its parts without losing the original language of the component; each unit or part is reminiscent of the others while still producing variation in the overall structure. This contrasts to parametric variations that are non-equal or destructive, often resulting in a unit that does not resemble the shape, proportion or orientation of its original component shape (4).

The general exploration for these Technique Diagrams twill begin with a gen-eral diagram establishing some site context and broader concerns of region, time and commodity. Following, a series of three diagrams will be produced that explore this idea of the isometric transformation, beginning with a singular unit in 2 dimen-sions, which will then be further developed moving into 3 dimensional space. Referring to the technique outlined and described in Lars Spuybroek’s, “The Structure of Vagueness” (2004), utilized by Frei Otto: a digital analysis of the optimal form of individualized elements forming a collective and structurally sound whole will be adapted in this analysis. Instead of utilizing a physical medium to establish an internal order, line geometries that intersect with the current program (elevation and plan of the Concourse) are used as a guideline, drawn through existing inter-sections. This basic unit becomes the factor from which additional geometries will be explored and discovered. This will be done by establishing intersecting points

that will be blended from those lines drawn in the plan and section, cut arbitrarily to produce three different iterations (Diagram 3). Such lines will produce new spaces that will then be further explored in 3D; their differences compared to the original Plan shape. In this sense, these diagrams explore the spacious emptiness that is currently Calatrava’s almost blank of established program except for ticketing at the eastern end of the Concourse. This is done to Concourse to explore any latent geometric potentials in the space through lines, blending, patching and the Boolean Difference command. The purpose of this analysis is to use the inspiration of Calatrava through his engineering and repetition of a singular form or material that is extruded through his project; through repetition of a singular item that has been altered to employ an internal set of dynamism (concrete members) they produce a sense of movement and rhythm through the architecture as each member relates to another. Different potential iterations of the final project could take form that still utilizes the general technique he originally employs. The only different is either the individual compo-nent itself could be changed, or the relationship between components in how they are arrayed. Growth of a pattern that never quite repeats itself creates self-similar-ity, where each is derived from the other, creating interdependency from the begin-ning (Balmond, 1998).

1

Lyon

Paris

MarseilleMeeting placePublic iconTrain accessAirport connectionBridge train linesTerminal interchangeLandmark

TGV LINE: collapsing of space and time travelling between cities

Cost justi�cations of the project: demonstrating the actual de�ciencies lie in the rail connections that are few and far between.

scale in comparison to human use

Calatrava popularityLand

mark/place

Travel Time/Regional

Rail ConnectionAirport Link

2009, The airport served 7,717,609 passengers,[3] making it France's fourth busiest airport

Diagram 1:

This Diagram was a way of thinking through the potential positives and negatives associated with constructing such a mammoth form, especially in a place outside of Lyon’s main city center which is not frequented often for the purpose of train travel. As Kido describes (2005) “Station Renaissance” in Europe since the 1980s has been a way to both ad-vertise and put attention to the railway sector due to the technological potential of TGV or high speed trains. Calatrava’s grandiose scale and expressive design follows this model, however this generalized technique does more in its relation to the airport and as an architectural piece in itself as its location is not conveniently located. Having said this, the collapse of space can still be felt through the established high speed rail line from Paris through to Marseille, effec-tively reducing the time it takes to travel such a dis-tance; this is the spatial context in which the Station was built and meant to emphasize: Aesthetics and economy have been often seen, as contradicting each other. Since the separation of architectural and engineering professions, some engineers thought that satisfying of aesthetic require-ments involves additional cost. (Kido, 2005; 4384)

Around the beginning of the 1990s, Frei Otto and his team at the Institute forLightweight Structures in Stuttgart studied what they called “optimized pathsystems.” Using this form of analysis, an attempt will be made, looking at the basic form (shape and orientation) of the Concourse in plan and section, opti-mized paths will be identi�ed.

1

1

2

2

original

original

Around the beginning of the 1990s, Frei Otto and his team at the Institute forLightweight Structures in Stuttgart studied what they called “optimized pathsystems.” Using this form of analysis, an attempt will be made, looking at the basic form (shape and orientation) of the Concourse in plan and section, opti-mized paths will be identi�ed.

1

1

2

2

original

original

Around the beginning of the 1990s, Frei Otto and his team at the Institute forLightweight Structures in Stuttgart studied what they called “optimized pathsystems.” Using this form of analysis, an attempt will be made, looking at the basic form (shape and orientation) of the Concourse in plan and section, opti-mized paths will be identi�ed.

1

1

2

2

original

original

Around the beginning of the 1990s, Frei Otto and his team at the Institute forLightweight Structures in Stuttgart studied what they called “optimized pathsystems.” Using this form of analysis, an attempt will be made, looking at the basic form (shape and orientation) of the Concourse in plan and section, opti-mized paths will be identi�ed.

1

1

2

2

original

original

2

Diagram 2:

As repetition of an exposed structural element is the technique by which Calatrava establishes a sense of movement, fluidity and rhythm in this struc-ture, this diagram was helpful in exploring alterations and iterations of that singular unit in the Concourse walls while still maintaining the general integrity or overall form of the Concourse wings. This second-ary steel maintained its basic triangulating principle or internal logic as only slight adjustments to could be made to the angle of the wing and wall as to not fully alter the overall form of the Concourse. Though that was not the purpose of this particular exercise, it would be interesting to produce and diagram the Con-course as to attempt to degrade or move away from the current form. As expressed by Balmond (1998), the pattern or configuration of the Station establishes ornament through its structure; this technique making decoration turn into physical substance. This focus on the structural unit emphasized the importance of the orientation and relationship of joints that unify seper-ate pieces of a structural unit together that are then multiplied. As established by Kenneth Frampton in his discussion on tectonics (1996): a certain poetics is achieved through understanding this fundamental makeup of the whole.

Around the beginning of the 1990s, Frei Otto and his team at the Institute forLightweight Structures in Stuttgart studied what they called “optimized pathsystems.” Using this form of analysis, an attempt will be made, looking at the basic form (shape and orientation) of the Con-course in plan and section, optimized paths will be identi�ed.

optimized path systems: this form of analysis: shape, orientation of compo-nents in producing the whole- lines are created that contain two links to interpreted anchors (corners on plan or section or intersection points). This will also be done for the section. The two sets of geometry created will then be blended together, with intersection points that form closed shapes becoming �lled in. Cuts or alterations to the original groups were done three times, each time altering teh blended lines at the center. A new set of shapes are thus formed through this process. Though they appear somewhat random, and teh cutting itself was done in this manner, over-laps between patterned shapes indicate spaces of intensity identi�ed in plan and section within a 2-dimensional frame. These spaces could be ex-

plored programmatically in the next set of diagrams, or in three dimen-sional space for their potential uses in elevation. These lines indicate a break from the symmetry established in original plan and section.

3

Around the beginning of the 1990s, Frei Otto and his team at the Institute forLightweight Structures in Stuttgart studied what they called “optimized pathsystems.” Using this form of analysis, an attempt will be made, looking at the basic form (shape and orientation) of the Con-course in plan and section, optimized paths will be identi�ed.

optimized path systems: this form of analysis: shape, orientation of compo-nents in producing the whole- lines are created that contain two links to interpreted anchors (corners on plan or section or intersection points). This will also be done for the section. The two sets of geometry created will then be blended together, with intersection points that form closed shapes becoming �lled in. Cuts or alterations to the original groups were done three times, each time altering teh blended lines at the center. A new set of shapes are thus formed through this process. Though they appear somewhat random, and teh cutting itself was done in this manner, over-laps between patterned shapes indicate spaces of intensity identi�ed in plan and section within a 2-dimensional frame. These spaces could be ex-

plored programmatically in the next set of diagrams, or in three dimen-sional space for their potential uses in elevation. These lines indicate a break from the symmetry established in original plan and section.

Diagram 3:

The growth of a pattern that never quite re-peats itself creates self-similarity, where each is derived from the other, creating interdependency from the beginning (Balmond, 1998). Analysis of the inter-secting geometries created in the plan of the Con-course that is symmetrical, contains this slight varia-tion through the introduction of the curved roof and base in Section. When abstracted in 2 dimensions, the curve was no longer present, however the sym-metry was also destroyed or removed. The self-simi-larity produced through the plan were then varied with its blending of the section. By taking both intersecting lines and blending those together, a new set of spaces or intersections were created that contain interdepen-dency on the original plan and section. It would be interesting to further this by introducing the curve into a symmetrical space to see the end result of blending; in that instance would the curve instead produce fluid patches without corners?

Around the beginning of the 1990s, Frei Otto and his team at the Institute forLightweight Structures in Stuttgart studied what they called “optimized pathsystems.” Using this form of analysis, an attempt will be made, looking at the basic form (shape and orientation) of the Con-course in plan and section, optimized paths will be identi�ed.

optimized path systems: this form of analysis: shape, orientation of compo-nents in producing the whole- lines are created that contain two links to interpreted anchors (corners on plan or section or intersection points). This will also be done for the section. The two sets of geometry created will then be blended together, with intersection points that form closed shapes becoming �lled in. Cuts or alterations to the original groups were done three times, each time altering teh blended lines at the center. A new set of shapes are thus formed through this process. Though they appear somewhat random, and teh cutting itself was done in this manner, over-laps between patterned shapes indicate spaces of intensity identi�ed in plan and section within a 2-dimensional frame. These spaces could be ex-

plored programmatically in the next set of diagrams, or in three dimen-sional space for their potential uses in elevation. These lines indicate a break from the symmetry established in original plan and section.

Around the beginning of the 1990s, Frei Otto and his team at the Institute forLightweight Structures in Stuttgart studied what they called “optimized pathsystems.” Using this form of analysis, an attempt will be made, looking at the basic form (shape and orientation) of the Con-course in plan and section, optimized paths will be identi�ed.

optimized path systems: this form of analysis: shape, orientation of compo-nents in producing the whole- lines are created that contain two links to interpreted anchors (corners on plan or section or intersection points). This will also be done for the section. The two sets of geometry created will then be blended together, with intersection points that form closed shapes becoming �lled in. Cuts or alterations to the original groups were done three times, each time altering teh blended lines at the center. A new set of shapes are thus formed through this process. Though they appear somewhat random, and teh cutting itself was done in this manner, over-laps between patterned shapes indicate spaces of intensity identi�ed in plan and section within a 2-dimensional frame. These spaces could be ex-

plored programmatically in the next set of diagrams, or in three dimen-sional space for their potential uses in elevation. These lines indicate a break from the symmetry established in original plan and section.

4

Diagram 4:

Taking the patches produced in the end of Diagram 3, these were extruded, their height increas-ing where more overlap occurred. This was done to correlate with intensity. What resulted when the shapes were Boolean-Differenced with an extruded form of the original plan, was these areas of intensi-ties were left as the floor plan was eaten away. A final cluster was left independent to the plan on the last iteration, near the center but not symmetrically so. This diagram was meant to refer the found ge-ometries back to their original shapes, reestablishing this interdependency of where they originated. What was interesting is a clear circular cluster was left that eludes to the circulation point between the perpen-dicular platforms and the concourse, with a linear element establishing an abstraction of the perpen-dicular movements of the trains beneath. This dia-gram or technique could be used to inform program distribution if utilized when still in the design phase of a project. This Diagram could be taken further by also employing the conditions of circulation patterns, energy flows or even the elevation changes already explored.

Concluding Technique

The employment of these various diagrams have exercised what Tafuri (2000) refers to as archi-tecture as process instead of architecture as means: this essentially removes the primacy of the object, the user and the effects of the space becoming central. In this sense the element explored began with a tectonic piece or structural element, the organic whole con-sidering the sum of its functioning parts. If pushed further, these diagrams should explore the idea of the organic whole: using technique to further push past architecture as object as explored here; this would in-clude such qualitative, social or psychological aspects of use, emotion, information exchange, even exploring the idea of time and space as effected by technology.

References

Cecil Balmond, “New Structure and the Informal”, in Pierluigi Nicolin, ed. LotusInternational 98, 1998, ISBN: 8828909129 (131 pages) pp. 70-83.

Lars Spuybroek, “The Structure of Vagueness”, in L. Spuybroek, ed. NOXMachining Architecture, 2004, ISBN: 978-0500285190 (392 pages) pp. 352-359.

Celani, Gabriela, Henrique, G., Martins, S. GEOMETRIC TRANSFORMATION AS AN ARCHITECTURAL FORM GENERATION STRATEGY: A CASE STUDY IN THE WORK OF SANTIAGO CALATRAVA. School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urban Plan-ning, - State University of Campinas, BRAZIL , 2007

Ewa Maria KIDO. Aesthetic Aspects of Railway Stations in Japan and Europe. Jour-nal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol. 6, pp. 4381 - 4396, 2005

Kenneth Frampton, “Rappel a L’ordre, the Case for the Tectonic”, in Kate Nesbitt,ed. Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture, 1996, ISBN: 9781568980539 (606pages) 518-528.

Lars Spuybroek, “The Structure of Vagueness”, in L. Spuybroek, ed. NOXMachining Architecture, 2004, ISBN: 978-0500285190 (392 pages) pp. 352-359.

M. Tafuri, “Toward a Critique of Architectural Ideology,” in K.M. Hays, ed.,Architecture and Theory since 1968, MIT Press, 2000, ISBN 0262581884 (824pages), pp. 146-173.