Living with Nature

LIVING WITH NATURE

A short-stay house in Finland

“The silence is so loud that you can hear it . You can hear it when looking at the midnight sun in summer. You can hear it when the days become shorter and shorter leaving place only for two darkness to meet”

Tapio Wirkkala

Atelier Grafton Professors: Yvonne Farrell, Shelley McNamara Assistants: Sebastiano Giannesini, Maria Eleonora Maccari, Luca Mostarda Accademia di Architettura, Mendrisio Autumn Semester 2016 EXPERIENCE NATURE NATURE OF EXPERIENCE

Tapio Wirkkala_Family’s main house in Lemmensuu, Lapland A typical loggia in Panarea, Aeolian islands

The focus of this semester will be to Experience Nature, while exploring the Nature of Experience. Layering

Nature = From the Latin word natura, literally “birth”, from natus “born,” past participle of nasci “to be We experience space through our body, “(The skin) is the oldest and the most sensitive of our organs, our born”. Natura derives from the latin translation of the greek word physis first medium of communication, and our most efficient protector..” (A. Montagu, il linguaggio della pelle). connects this term to the word phòs that means “light”, wanting to underline a connection Architecture is essentially an extension of Nature in the man-made realm, providing the ground for per- between life and light. (φύσις). Heidegger ception and the horizon of experiencing and understanding the world.

Experience = from Latin experientia “a trial, proof, experiment”; knowledge gained by repeated trials, This semester we will research spaces as layers of protection in the extreme climatic conditions of Fin- present participle of experiri “to try, test,” from ex- “out of” + peritus “experienced, test land. Like the layered structure of our body, we will investigate House as a sequence of layers, from the ed”. Physical experience occurs whenever an object or environment changes. ground, through its structure and skin to its openings as thresholds between inside and outside. Roof will be discussed as the threshold between earth and sky.

“ A house is not a machine to live in. It is the shell of a man, does your body move in the search of light or shadow? Nature will be an extention of the inside world his extention, his release, his spiritual emanation. “ What do you wear in the extreme cold? How do you protect yourself from the cold winter wind? How- tions will create an opportunity for different ways of living. Eileen Gray of the House and considered a fundamental space of living. The changing seasons and their transforma THE WORLD IN SECTION

Alexander von Humboldt_Diagram of a cross-section of the earth’s crust, 1841 From Heinrich Berghaus, Physikalischer Atlas (Gotha- J. Perthes, 1852) “Climate is much more than the air we breathe. It is our springhtliness or tiredness, the coloration of our “My artistic world ...It is the shape of my way of living and working. It has grown through those experiences skin. Constitution, temperament are influenced by climate”. which are everyday life to people living in the North. One can see the same continuous process of creating the phenomena in nature as there is in man. Repeated process - winter, spring, summer, autumn - and still Understanding the georgraphical position on Earth of eachB. particularRudofsky place will guide us to an under- always new and surprising.” Tapio Wirkkala features underpin culture. The section as a tool standing of its influences on human traditions. Climate, daylight, composition of soil and landscape The traditions of building techniques and built typologies in which people unfold rituals of daily activi- As students studying in an architectural univerity in Switzerland we will research both Switzerand and - through the careful investigation of elements that belong to place. Throughout the semester students land will help us become more consciouss of cultures responding to altitude, landscape above and be- willties arecollect influenced an Atlas by of the elements natural of conditions what they to physically which they experience belong. We in willorder observe to build comfort a repertoire and pleasure for the Finland to discover what these two countries share. Drawing parallel sections of Switzerland and Fin

low ground, composition of soil, flora & fauna and traditions. Learningdesign of fromtheir House.Finnish climate, we will investigate architecture as a result of layers of protection from extreme conditions of cold and heat, of light and darkness, of water and its varying conditions. FINLAND SWITZERLAND

Relief of the Bernese Oberland (Switzerland) 1-25,000, 76 x 100 cm, Xaver Imfeld, 1908, Swiss Alpine Museum

_Geographic position 60°10′N 024°56′E (Helsinki) _Geographic position 46°57′N 7°27′E (Bern) _Area 338,424 km2 _Area 41,285 km2 _Water 10% _Water 4.2% _Forest 78% _Forest 31 % _Lakes 188,000 lakes / 179,000 islands _Lakes more than 1,500 (% of land area) (% of land area) _Altitude (max hight above sea level) 1,324 metres (Halti - Lapland) _Altitude (max hight above sea level) 4,634 m (Monte Rosa) _Climate chart (temperature) Boreal zone (Northern Hemisphere): _Climate chart (temperature) Boreal zone (Northern Hemisphere):

_Minumum / Maximum daylight hours 1 h / 24 h _Minumum / Maximum daylight hours 9 h / 17 h (warm summers and freezing winters) (warm summers and freezing winters) _Population 5,527,445 (September 2016) _Population 8,393,189 (September 2016) _Density 18/km2 _Density 212/km2

GEOGRAPHY CLIMATE

- freeze and the cold would kill the animals moving at ground level. - theGeographically, Gulf Stream most bringing of Finland warm iswater situated from at the a latitude Atlantic. of Thanks between to 60this, and there 70 degreesare forests north. even A signifin the northernmosticant area extends parts north of Finland. of the Areas Arctic located Circle. equallyThe climate far north in Finland in Russia and and Scandinavia North America is influenced are mainly by Finland lacks real mountains but, on the other hand, the terrain is not altogether flat, either. The bed tundra, a treeless wasteland, because of the cold climate. thousandrock and theof lakessoil in in general Finland have are beenpost-glacial. formed Anotherby the Ice unique Ages. phenomenon,The inland ice land has erodedelevation, the is bedrock, also an scraping off soil from here and leaving heaps there. In places the rock is totally exposed. The tens of that its land area is continuously growing. effect of the glaciers. Finland is rising from the Baltic Sea at an annual rate of 0.5-0.8 cm, which means Winters in Finland are quite mild, and summers are temperate although of short duration. In the south, therewinter is lasts a lot about of light, three enabling months, an inintensive the north growing about sixseason. months. In wintertime, the ground is covered by humid climate the soil becomes waterlogged, which creates the right conditions for bog/peatland vege- snow, and temperatures usually drop below zero degrees centigrade. Despite the briefness of summer, Various kinds of bogs/peatlands are a fundamental element of the Finnish landscape. In the cool and- this is snowfall. Around late winter, there can be more than a metre of snow in Lapland, less in the south. lands. They have been drained for farming, forestry and turf/peat extraction purposes. About half of the ManyPrecipitation organisms is sparse: would on not average survive 700 the mm winter in southern without Finlandthe sheltering and 400 snow; mm inthe the roots north. of plantsAbout wouldhalf of originaltation and bog/peatland the formation area of hasturf/peat. been preserved Originally, in about its virgin one state.third of Finland was covered by bogs/peat STARS OR SNOW ? ICE OR GLASS ?

A Field Guide to Snow and Ice

Paadarin jää (Paadar’s ice), cast glass, cut. Tapio Wirkkala Produced by Littala Galssworks 1960 Paula McCartney TREES AS ECOSYSTEM ...& AS STRUCTURE

Trees covered by spiderwebs, Pakistan Fucus Magnolia, Piazza Marina, Palermo

Researching the structural potential of trees and considering them as renewable elements of life, each

We will experience timber in its specific characteristics and properties, its smell, its grain and texture, student will be engaged in the development of a deep undertanding of a specific tree. - through observation of its multiple uses in our daily life: as a beam, shingles, flooring, chair... phere and store large quantities of carbon in their tissues. Trees and forests provide a habitat for many speciesTrees play of birdsa significant and plants, role Tropicalin moderating rainforests the climate. are one They of the remove most biodiverse carbon dioxide habitats from in thethe atmosworld. Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees. It has been used Trees provide shade and shelter, timber for construction, fuel for cooking and heating, and fruit for food. compression.for thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers (which are strong in tension) embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists A tree is a selfstanding structure and a sustainable ecosystem: the trunk supports its branches and As carbon-neutral renewable resource, wood is a source of renewable energy. leaves, it contains woody tissue for strength, and vascular tissue to carry materials from one part of the the roots branch and spread out widely; they serve to anchor the tree and extract moisture and nutri- entstree tofrom another. the soil. A layerAbove of ground, bark surrounds the branches the trunkdivide has into a smallerrole of protectivebranches and barrier. shoots. Below The theshoots ground, typically bear leaves and needles, which capture light energy and convert it into sugars by photosynthesis, providing the food for the tree’s growth and development. FROM TREES TO WOOD

The infinite possibilities offered by the bending of wood fibers

Detail of the sculpture “Ultima Thule”, laminated birch, 1967 Aino and Alvar Aalto tutto il design, Luciano Rubino Tapio Wirkkala Stiva da morts, Vrin, 2002_detail Mehrzweckhalle, Vrin, 2003_detail of the roof

Gion A. Caminada Gion A. Caminada FROM TREES TO PAPER STRUCTURAL PAPER

EMPOOLING

Paper offers different weights, thickness and compo- sitions. Depending of these we can distinguish paper from cardboard. Cardboard is when it reaches to 160gr/m2. When the paper is very thin it turns into a translucent material. Paper is just a deconstruction of organic fibbers turned into another structure. It is sim- ilar to a cloth, for this reason it is a material that we can sew. Empooling proposes the construction of a space made out of paper. Therefore paper is not a support but in- stead is a structure. Each sheet has a heterogeneous weight and has a group of connected nerves with high- er thickness (to 12cm solid paper). This geometry gives the rigidity that the sheet needs for not being deformed. Very low thickness is organized in the remaining areas, to contribute to the unity of the whole structure. These parts are really translucent. Sheets are together two by two by cross-stitch with paper cord. The whole system works as a freestanding.

El papel puede tener diferentes gramajes, espesores y composiciones. Cuando el papel supera los 160gr/ m2 hablamos de cartón. Pero cuando es muy fino, se vuelve en material translúcido, capaz de jugar activa- mente con la luz. El papel no es más que la deconstrucción de fibras orgánicas para obtener una nueva estructura, existe un paralelismo con la ropa o tela. Por este motivo el papel se puede coser (los libros, por ejemplo). El proyecto plantea la construcción de un espacio en papel. El papel no es sólo un envolvente, es una ESTRUCTURA. Cada lámina dispone de un gramaje heterogéneo. En forma de nervaturas se dispone el mayor gramaje, llegando a los 12cm de papel macizo. Estos nervios otorgan la rigidez necesaria a la lámina. Empooling by Stella Rahola Matutes Donde no necesitamos tanto grueso pero si cohesión, Zhuang Yuan papermill, Jiajiang County, China la hoja de papel se vuelve tan fina que activa el juego de las transparencias a través de la luz. Dos a dos, las láminas son unidas mediante costuras hechas con cordel del mismo material y de este modo, imitando un caballete, se consigue la estabilidad de la pieza.

“Paper offers different weights, thickness and compo- sitions. Depending of these we can distinguish paper from cardboard. Cardboard is when it reaches to 160gr/m2. When the paper is very thin it turns into a Paper is a thin material produced by pressing together moist fibres of cellulose pulp derived from wood, translucent material. Paper is just a deconstruction of organic fibbers turned into another structure. It is kindsrags or of grasses, paper are and made drying from them wood into with flexible nothing sheets. else Pulp mixed is a into lignocellulosic them. This includesfibrous material newspaper, prepared mag- sim- ilar to a cloth, for this reason it is a material that we can sew. azinesby chemically and even or toilet mechanically paper. Pulp separating is one of cellulose the most fibres abundant from raw wood, materials fiber crops worldwide. or waste paper. Many - Empooling proposes the construction of a space made out of paper. Therefore paper is not a support but ers spread to Europe in the 13th century, and the increasing use of fabric brought more rag paper, which in- stead is a structure. Each sheet has a heterogeneous weight and has a group of connected nerves with The ancient Egyptians were the first to make paper from reeds. Papermaking using cotton and linen fib high- er thickness (to 12cm solid paper). This geometry gives the rigidity that the sheet needs for not being deformed. Very low thickness is organized in the remaining areas, to contribute to the unity of the whole ofwas wood a factor to make in the pulp development for paper beganof printing. with Bythe the development 1800s, fibre of crops mechanical such as pulping flax, which in Germany provided by linen F.G. structure. These parts are really translucent. Sheets are together two by two by cross-stitch with paper fibres, were still the primary material source, and paper was a relatively expensive commodity. The use cord. The whole system works as a freestanding.”

Keller in the 1840s. TYPOLOGY OF COTTAGE_MöKKI A SHORT-STAY HOUSE PROGRAMME

A SHORT-STAY HOUSE of 35 sqm + A SAUNA is used as a holiday or free-time dwelling and is permanently constructed or erected on its site”. Finnish The experimental house in Muuratsalo of A.Alto is conceived as a cottage based on the tradition of cottagesFinland defines are traditionally a cottage (Finnish: built of logs mökki, but Finland other wood Swedish: constructions stuga or villa) have as become “a residential common. building They that are within Nature and its relationship usually situated close to water and almost all have a sauna. with a “healthy life”. vernacularSITES CHOSEN finnish WILL architecture. BE: We will research this typology built 1 2. 3. RetreatingAs the population to the countryside is of 5,527,445 it’s about people maintaining and there a arework-life more balance,than 500,000 tuning cottages into Nature, in Finland; resting thatand ARRIVAL relaxing.equals nearly Finns to are 1 mökkideeeply every connected 10 people. to Nature, they “escape” from city life to a small cottage during the . IN A FOREST NEAR THE SEA DEEP IN THE FOREST CLOSE TO THE LAKE week-ends and especially in the summer for longer periods. - mental part of the project. - OUTDOORConsideration ROOM(S): of how people arrive to their house, either by boat, by car or by bicycle will be a funda Traditionally,grill to cook the the mökki has one or two bedrooms and a big kitchen with a chimney, rain water is collect makkara (as per text of A.Aalto: from the entrance to the living room), Theed in quintessential containers which Finnish store cottage the necessary experience amount features of water a lakeside (more thansauna. 20 Peolpe l). There use is usuallyit usually an twice outside in The outdoor room(s) will be investigated from a seasonal point of view: Summer, Winter , Spring and a day, in the morning and (finnishevening, sausage). warming up the body and gets rid of toxins. The temperature of the INDOOR ROOM(S): Following the habits and rituals of daily life in Finland, the spaces of the house Autumn and will represent a large proportion of the floor area of each site given. body is re-established by a swim in cold water. The sauna is usually detached from the house and is sit- will relate to the daily activities of: living / cooking / sleeping / bathing / wood chopping uated near a lake or sea. REACHING THE HOUSE

Arrival by boat to Experimental Muurtsalo house Arrival to Villa Mairea

Alvar Aalto Alvar Aalto THE ROOM WITHOUT A CEILING

Alvar Aalto_ Muuratsalo Experimental House Alvar Aalto_ Muuratsalo Experimental House

The pleasure of Nature

As an atelier, we value the precious realtionship between Nature and built space. This relationship is “Walled outdoor spaces of modest dimentions will mantain temperatures far above those of unwalled, windswept surroundings. Moreover, in full sunlight, walls act as a trure heating panels. With the wall, man created space on a human scale ... But even a solitary wall, serves a purpose. It provides shade, it braves fundamental to the positioning of each student’s project in its specific context. the wind, defies the beast. of the outside room creates a new relationship towards its context, the forest is framed by brick walls, In the Experimental House by Alvar Aalto, architecture seems to be born out of the forest. The enclosure The house gardens of antiquity were an essential part of the house, they were contained within the house. connected by outdoor space, Architecture becomes Nature again. One can best describe them as rooms without ceilings. They were true outdoor living rooms ... As for the the surface of the floor moolds the ground to holds the fireplace. Solitary elements are held together and ceiling, there was always the sky, in its hundred moods.“ - es can become outdoor “rooms” providing shelter for different activities during the day and nights and Behind the Picture Window throughBy understanding the different the seasons. movement of the sun and the directions and intensity of the wind, enclosed spac Bernard Rudofsky, “The conditioned outdoor room”, from SAUNA

Alvar Aalto_Sauna of Villa Mairea

The ritual of the sauna

three million saunas in Finland - an average of one per household. The Finnish sauna is a fundamental part of Finnish culture. There are five million inhabitants and over Saunas are an integral part of the way of life in Finland. They are found on the shores of Finland’s nu-

important part of the national identity and those who have the opportunity usually take a sauna at least merous lakes, in private apartments, corporate headquarters, at the Parliament House. The sauna is an sauna. You could live in it, make food in the stove, take care of your personal hygiene, and, most impor- tantly,once a giveweek. birth When in an people almost were sterile moving environment. to live in a new location, the first thing they did was to build a

In Finland’s numerous cottages bathing might go on well into the night. This is especially true in the summer when there is virtually no darkness. For many Finns, the sauna is almost a sacred place. Taking a sauna begins by washing oneself and then going to sit for some time in the hot room, typically warmed to 80–110 °C (176– 230 °F). Water is thrown on the hot stones topping the kiuas, a special stove used to warm up the sauna. This produces steam, known as löyly, which increases the moisture and heat within the sauna. In the winter rolling in the snow or even swimming in a hole cut in the ice, an avanto, is sometimes used as a substitute. Tapio Wirkkala: eye, hand and thought PEKKA HALONEN (1865-1933) HALOSENNIEMI

- - vorite subjects were the Finnish landscape and its people which he depicted in his Realist style. Pekka Halonen was a painter of Finnish landscapes and people in the national romantic style. His fa Architectureaim was to build of Halosenniemi a distinctive can ‘Finnish’ be seen style as an by expression integrating of local the cultural architecture aspirations and elements of the National borrowed Ro frommantic various era. In other the early cultures. 1890s, many Finnish artists built year-round studio-villas to rural areas. Their often combined skiing and painting trips by Lake Tuusula and on one of his trips he fell in love with a placePekka he Halonen declared and to his be familythe perfect settled spot in forpeaceful his own and “little quiet cabin”. Tuusula That in 1898.place becameIn Tuusula later Pekka the imposing Halonen -

In the design of the villas artists adapted the layout of the two-storey studios they had seen in Paris: Pek pinewood villa known as ‘Halosenniemi’. Halosenniemi was designed by Pekka Halonen himself and his ka Halonen, Auringonlasku Tuusulanjärvellä 1902high ceilings, large windows and stairs leading up to- brother Antti Halonen and was completed in 1902. esfirst-floor from Norwegian, living quarters Swedish, via an Swiss indoor and balcony. Russian In architecture, journals such which as The they Studio, incorporated artists studied with elements pictures - adaptedof English from country the design homes of withKarelian open log fireplaces. houses and Finnish other artistslocal styles also ofborrowed Finnish architecture.a mixture of influenc nenAdjacent had a to wide the circlehouse of Halonen artist friends built a and sauna, relatives which which in typical provided Finnish him tradition with a daily also servedsource asof sociala laundry. and culturalThe landscape stimulation. near Halosenniemi was an important source of inspiration for his art. In Tuusula Halo Sauna of thr Experimental house in Muuratsalo

Saunaassa (In the sauna), 1925, oil on canvas Alvar Aalto

Pekka Halonen SUMMER IN THE PAINTING OF PEKKA HALONEN WINTER IN THE PAINTING OF PEKKA HALONEN

Nainen veneessä, 1922, oil on canvas Washing on the ice, 1900, oil on canvas WAYS OF THINKING / DRAWING / MAKING

“Making things with my hands means a lot to me. I could even say that when I sculpt or mold nature’s materials it has an almost therapeutic effect. They inspire me and lead me on to new experiments. They transport me into another world in which, if eyesight falls, my fingertips see the movement and the continous emergence of geometrical forms.”

“A drawing or sketch is an idea which provides the basis to start work. I make dozens of sketches. From those I select those that offer some potential for development. For me it’s important to see the object as a concrete thing before send- ing it to the manifacturer. Making the model is an essential aspect of my work. I produce it from solid material. I don’t make just one, but several models which I can compare and then select one to continue working on. In this way the idea becomes clearer “ Tapio Wirkkala MEASURING TREES TRACKING THE SUN & THE SEASONS

learing from José Antonio Coderch learning from Eileen Gray

“Constallation of pine trees”, Casa Ugalde, Caldes d’Estrac, Cataluña Tempe à Pailla, Castellar, Alpes-Maritimes, France

1949-1952 1931-1933 Analytic hand sketch describing diameter, distances, location and species of Mapping how sunlight penetrates rooms

terrain. existing trees. Direction of the bestt views, South direction, highest point of the Accademia di architettura di Mendrisio

ATELIER GRAFTON

2nd Year Autumn 2016

STUDY TRIP 29th September 2016

SCHEDULE

07:00 ______departure from Mendrisio by bus, direction Sumtvig.

09:45 ______arrival in Sumtvig, 10 / 15 mins walking.

10:00 ______arrival to St. Benedikt chapel by Peter Zumthor.

11:00 ______departure from Sumtvig by bus, direction Vrin.

12:15 ______arrival in Vrin, quick packed lunch.

13:00 ______appointment with Gion A. Caminada or one of the collaborator ( to be fixed ). visits to: “ STIVA DA MORTS ” “ TELEPHONE BOX “ “ VRIN VILLAGE OFFICE “ “ MAZLARIA “

16:00 ______departure from Vrin by bus, direction Disentis.

17:15 ______arrival in Disentis. visit to: “ GIRL’S DORMITORY OF THE ABBEY ” “ FARM OF THE ABBEY “ ( guided )

19:15 ______departure from Disentis by bus, direction Mendrisio.THANKS TO &...

21:45 ______arrival in Mendrisio.

Tapio Wirkkala

Gion A. Caminada th nd th

Vrin, 8 August 1957 Hanko, 2 June 1915 – Helsinki, 19 May 1985 &... &...

Aino Maria Aalto

Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto Kuortane, 3rd th th th

February 1898 – Helsinki, 11 May 1976 Helsinki, 25 January 1894– Helsinki, 13 Jaunary 1949 &... BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY

Juhani Uolevi Pallasmaa th

Hämeenlinna, 14 September 1936