©brancolina
A selection of my photos from the series ‘La Philharmonie’ in Luxembourg, designed by Christian de Portzamparc. More info: chdeportzamparc.com
“Die mit der Musik verbundene Emotion liegt in der Entdeckung einer anderen Welt, die sich in die Dauer hinein erstreckt, und dem allmählichen Vordringen in diese Welt. Ich begreife den Raum auch als Erscheinung, die sich über die Dauer unserer Bewegung mit ihren Erwartungen, Überraschungen und Verkettungen hinweg erfahren lässt. Ton und Licht füllen und enthüllen diese wunderbare Leere, die sich zwischen den massiven baulichen Formen auftut, Raum und Musik enthüllen sich gegenseitig.” Christian de Portzamparc
Archive for the 'architecture' Category
20
Apr
11
yonaguni :: Japanese Atlantis
In 1985 Kihachiro Aratake, a dive tour operator from Yonaguni island (located at the end of the Ryukyu archipelago in the Southern part of Japan) was scouting for a new site to view hammerhead sharks. He found a megalithic structure that appeared to be man-made with expansive terraces interrupted by large angular steps and bounded by flat vertical walls. Further investigation revealed symmetrical and angular channels, round holes 7 feet (2 meters) deep, and angular raised platforms. The megalith was over 300 feet (100 meters) long.
In 1996 professor Masaaki Kimura, a geologist at the University of the Ryukyus on Okinawa, and his teams surveyed and documented the original structure. Since that time, several others have been found, but even after 15 years, Yonaguni’s true nature remains a mystery. To dive the monument is to go back to an age we know nothing about, it is a remnant of a prehistoric time. It may have been an ancient shrine (there are some structural similarities to ruins found on Okinawa), a quarry or a port, whatever it was, all we really know is that it’s there. Anything else is speculation.
More info on wikipedia.org/Yonaguni_Monument and morien-institute.org.
“There are many ways that architecture can stimulate us. We can be enthralled by theoretical concepts that intend to revolutionize how we interact with our buildings. We can be overcome by the metaphors underlying a project’s design. And, at times, we are able to separate ourselves from these more cerebral desires and draw intrigue based solely on our reactions to space and form. Personally, I’m interested in this last type. Reactions are what tie us back to our purely human instincts, to the universal senses which connect us all. Responding to space and material in an almost reptilian way, we absorb our surroundings from the beginning of our existence, internalizing our sensibility. Our past experiences shape our perception and, in turn, each new experience reshapes the next. Hence, it is that which makes us most human that ties us so intimately to architecture. Perhaps that’s what I’m most interested in – what makes us human.
Our perception defines our reality, and within our perceptions of space we’ve developed this idea of atmosphere. Though even the word itself seems mysterious and ephemeral, I believe it exists as much as anything else exists. Atmosphere is something felt, not thought, something taken in through emotional sensibility. It’s not always something we can define through words alone; rather it’s something that must be absorbed through the experience of the human body existing within it. Undoubtedly, this kind of perceptive ability has come through evolution – the ability to quickly interpret our surroundings and determine if it is hospitable or hazardous. In this way, our body is an instrument for measuring a specific architectural quality that no other device can determine.
What is atmosphere in this sense though? If I were to put it into words, I would say it’s the impression created by nothing more than our immediate, personal mental reaction to a specific space. To paraphrase Peter Zumthor it’s when the physical presence of architecture manages to move us.”
Introduction from Shawn Swisher’s text ‘What makes us human – Reactions to the Shelters for Roman Archaeological Site‘, read more
20
Mar
11
PlusOne :: Amsterdam Osdorp
The city district Amsterdam Osdorp recently merged with Slotervaart and Geuzenveld-Slotermeer and was given the name Amsterdam Nieuw-West. This change also meant the end of 20 years of restructuring urbanized areas. To celebrate everything achieved, a book was published. The Metamorphosis of Osdorp gives an overview of the architectural highlights. PlusOne was asked to create an intriguing video. This short slick entertaining animation combines live-action with digital media, illustrating the architectural highlights of the restructured urbanized areas of Slotervaart and Geuzenveld-Slotermeer.
Quadror is a unique space truss geometry invented by Dror Benshetrit, that produces structural efficiency and introduces an array of creative initiatives. Seems rigid but on the contrary, this space truss geometry is extremely flexible in the types of uses that it applies to, and it has yet to reach its full extension to different applications. This joint, when solitary, can be used as a simple support to a side table but when multiplied it becomes a structural framework for homes, an acoustical skin on a highway and a extraordinary solution to disaster shelter and informal urban housing. It is time to use design to solve the challenges we face. Studio Dror is a great example of on how design can not only inspire change but actually implement it.
Our goal is to inspire change. Working with creative and innovative experts from various fields, we aim to share and implement this geometry in urban design, architecture, philanthropic work, and public art. When realizing that the system could potentially bring a groundbreaking solution to the global issue of habitat, we were eager to complete our experimentations and share this discovery with the world.
www.studiodror.com
www.quadror.com
All Images are courtesy of Studio Dror.
28
Jan
11
brancolina :: laban reflections
Repetitive reflections on the windows of the Laban center for contemporary dance in Deptford (London, UK) designed by Herzog and De Meuron.
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photography ©brancolina2010, all rights reserved
