Architecture As Material Discourse: on the Spatial Formulation of Knowledge and Ideals in Four Library Extensions

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Architecture As Material Discourse: on the Spatial Formulation of Knowledge and Ideals in Four Library Extensions ITU A|Z • Vol 12 No 3 • November 2015 • 7-22 Architecture as Material Discourse: On the spatial formulation of knowledge and ideals in four library extensions Daniel KOCH [email protected] • School of Architecture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden Received: September 2015 Final Acceptance: October 2015 Abstract In recent decades libraries have been challenged in many ways, perhaps most pointedly by the digital revolution. Tis is, however, not the frst time – a series of booms in library architecture emerging rather when knowledge ideals are chal- lenged than established allows us to discuss library architecture more clearly as investigations into what knowledge, learning and literature could be rather than as expressions of what knowledge, learning and literature is. Tese questions are complex and multifaceted and require both careful examination of architectur- al proposals and works and a step back to analyse the propositions they make through their formulations into architectural form. Utilizing four public library extensions in Sweden, of which three have been built and one has been rebooted, and competition and parallel commission proposals for their making, this article discusses how ideas of libraries, knowledge, and literature emerge through the mediation of programme, collections, activity, and visitors in interaction, related to other aspects of architectural form. Building on a series of empirical fndings of correspondences between use patterns of libraries and spatial confguration, the article takes this discussion further into what this means for a discussion of architectural principles, ideals, and propositions. Keywords Architecture, Architectural competitions, Library architecture, Space Syntax, Spa- tial confguration. 8 1. Introduction brary in Copenhagen (COBE, 2010), In an interview in the Architectural Urban Mediaspace in Århus (schmidt Magazine RUM in 2011, Annette Gig- hammer lassen, 2014), Halmstad Li- on discusses the practice of building as brary (schmidt hammer lassen, 2006), a way to understand the world (Sing- and the City Library in Turku (JKMM, stedt, 2011). Set in relation to a series 2007), to name a few. Partially, this is a of booms in library architecture, when response to a general perception of an they have appeared and the discussions attack on and commercialisation and around their creation, this statement privatisation of public space (Zukin, seems to make an important point even 1995; Kärrholm, 2014; van der Werf, if it does not specifcally relate to it. It 2010) where libraries have been seen allows us to discuss library architecture as one of few remaining bastions of more clearly as investigations into what the unquestionably public. Tis makes knowledge, learning and literature could the question of what these libraries do be rather than as expressions of what even the more interesting. knowledge, learning and literature is. Te interest here is a set of princi- Tis also makes it easier to understand, pal questions studied through a series one might argue, how come libraries of specifc projects of alteration. Tis have ofen been built not in situations essay will therefore build on the mate- of stability in the views of knowledge rial of four library extensions, three of (or the degree of literacy; c.f. Markus, which have been realized and one that 1993; Bennet 1995), but in situations has been put aside for now. In three of where such is challenged or under rad- these cases thorough empirical analysis ical transformation. of inhabitance patterns has been made, Te recent boom in the so-called which has partially been presented ear- ‘western world’, extending back to the lier (Koch, 2004). Tis material will be 1990s and tapering of somewhat afer used to discuss the relations between 2010 with some notable exceptions, architecture and library use as a foun- has taken place in a situation where dation for a following discussion on ar- not only knowledge is under trans- chitectural principles. It will therefore formation, but libraries and books as be as thoroughly presented as reason- such have been under attack through able within the bounds of the essay, be- the advent or in the wake of the ‘rise fore the focus turns to two libraries and of the network society’ (Castells, 1996) two proposed extensions of each. and the growing infuence of digital Te discussion is deeply informed media (Gillespie, Boczkowski, & Foot, by the work of Tomas A. Markus 2014; Niegaard, 2011; c.f. Bruijnzeels, (1993) and Sophia Psarra (2009) and 2008; van der Velden, 2010). Tis has their analysis of public and cultural in many parts of the world taken the buildings over time as well as Julienne form of a wide range of investments Hanson’s (1998) extensive work on made to build large, central public li- analysis of buildings. It is also heavily braries (c.f. Roth, 2011). While some indebted to John Peponis’ (2005) no- of these projects have been about rad- tion of proposals and propositions in ical transformation of the very idea of architecture, and his and others’ work ‘libraries’, most have largely operated on the formulation of architectural within a paradigm of large institutional meaning (Peponis, Conroy Dalton, buildings and within the frameworks Wineman, & Dalton, 2003) and subse- of alterations of a typology. Interna- quent work on confgurational mean- tionally we have examples such as the ing (Peponis, Bafna, Dahabreh, & Do- Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Snøhetta, gan, 2015). In addition, considerable 2002), Sendai Mediatheque (Ito, 2001), work on libraries through history by Amsterdam Public Library (Jo Coenen e.g. Battles (2003), Lerner (2009) and & Co, 2004), Seattle Public Library Dahlkild (2011) have been pivotal to (OMA, 2004), Chilean National Li- allow a broadened perspective on what brary (A & F Architects, 2009), and the a library is, has been, and could be. Rolex Learning Center (Saana, 2009), amongst many others. In Scandinavia 1.1. A (very brief) historical point it includes the Culture House and Li- To understand the situation library ITU A|Z • Vol 12 No 3 • November 2015 • D. Koch 9 architecture is wrestling with there are tion, which led many of the earliest li- key historical aspects to take into ac- braries to take on a mediating function count that do not always come to sur- as well as becoming sites of material face in the debate, partially belonging production where texts were copied to a typological process that embeds for further propagation. While the (perceived) history and future into the degree of publicness have varied, the understanding of any type at any point artefact holding a text, its materiality, in time (Steadman, 2014; Koch, 2014; storage, arrangement and subsequent c.f. Rossi, 1982), and partially in a ‘si- use thus is arguably integrated in the lent-but-present’ history of libraries very foundation of the library as a type informing expectations, values, and and concept. One can of course ar- choices in their making. Te type dis- gue, as is done in some contemporary cussed in this essay – the public library discussions about libraries, that the in concurrent, European-American so- importance of the book is a practical ciety – is by and large a modern prod- result of the types of media available uct (Markus, 1993; Dahlkild, 2011). within which to store and reproduce However, this type explicitly as well as the content (c.f. van der Velden, 2010; implicitly carries a lot of its precursors Bruijnzeels, 2008), but this rather re- in its underlying conceptual defni- fects a contemporary and not entirely tions conditioning how it is or can be unchallenged view of what a book ‘is’ treated. Te type as it is perceived to- that does not easily translate back to day also casts a shadow back in history how it has been considered throughout afecting our interpretation of the role history. It is in this situation important of libraries historically as well as ex- to not project concurrent view of tech- tends itself into the future. nologies back onto earlier periods and Amongst the historical roots worth cultures and their treatment of materi- reminding of, one seems to be found al (c.f. Lievrouw, 2014). in the etymological roots of the term. Te contemporary public library, as Both the English library and the Swed- emerging largely in the 19th century, ish bibliotek here comes from the root has several roots, including traditions ‘book’ (Latin ‘liber’ and Greek ‘biblion’, such as monastic libraries and person- both translating to ‘book’). While ety- al collections in Europe as well as the mology should be handled carefully in Islamic dar-al’ilm (Lerner, 2009, p. 55- relation to the development of building 66). Already from the beginning they types (c.f. Forty, 2000), it is worth to held an educational and enlightening consider how the concept is specifcally purpose, perhaps most clearly similar tied to books and the handling or col- to the dar-al’ilm, where learned librar- lections of them rather than buildings ians were to mediate knowledge and or practices of reading or learning. Tis literature to a wider populace. Tis ed- suggests that the challenges to books ucational purpose also formulates one raised on occasion goes right to the of many clear links to the university very core, origins and purpose of the libraries, where the university library type as such. of Göttingen is ofen referred to as a In practice, the origins seem to be key behind their transformation from intertwined with various forms of ar- storages to hearts of knowledge, largely chives. Tere is an important origin in attributed to the main librarian Chris- the storage of texts – be it legal docu- tian Gottlob Heyne in the 18th century ments as in Egypt, written versions of (Lerner, 2009, p. 112-119). oral traditions as in Ancient Greece, However, the contemporary public or tenants of philosophy as in China library as a type should also be set in (Lerner, 2009).
Recommended publications
  • On the Structure of the Roman Pantheon 25
    College Art Association http://www.jstor.org/stable/3050861 . Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at . http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=caa. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. College Art Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Art Bulletin. http://www.jstor.org On the Structureof the Roman Pantheon Robert Mark and Paul Hutchinson Since the time of its construction, the bold, brilliantly simple schema of Hadrian's Pantheon has inspired much emulation, commendation, and even fear. Modern commentators tend to view the building as a high point in an "architectural rev- olution" brought about mainly through the Roman development of a superior poz- zolana concrete that lent itself to the forming of unitary, three-dimensional struc- tures.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the Pantheon Through Time Caitlin Williams
    Union College Union | Digital Works Honors Theses Student Work 6-2018 A Study of the Pantheon Through Time Caitlin Williams Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, and the Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons Recommended Citation Williams, Caitlin, "A Study of the Pantheon Through Time" (2018). Honors Theses. 1689. https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/1689 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at Union | Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Union | Digital Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Study of the Pantheon Through Time By Caitlin Williams * * * * * * * Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Honors in the Department of Classics UNION COLLEGE June, 2018 ABSTRACT WILLIAMS, CAITLIN A Study of the Pantheon Through Time. Department of Classics, June, 2018. ADVISOR: Hans-Friedrich Mueller. I analyze the Pantheon, one of the most well-preserVed buildings from antiquity, through time. I start with Agrippa's Pantheon, the original Pantheon that is no longer standing, which was built in 27 or 25 BC. What did it look like originally under Augustus? Why was it built? We then shift to the Pantheon that stands today, Hadrian-Trajan's Pantheon, which was completed around AD 125-128, and represents an example of an architectural reVolution. Was it eVen a temple? We also look at the Pantheon's conversion to a church, which helps explain why it is so well preserVed.
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of the Rotunda Hospital
    .'<••'',- '.' '': ,( I' /' 'v%. THE 8G»K ':my\- iOSPITAL KlRtPATRICK JELLETT THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THE BOOK OF THE ROTUNDA HOSPITAL BARTHOLOMEW MOSSE (fROM THE PORTRAIT IN THE BOARD ROOM OF THE HOSPITAL). THE BOOK OP THE ROTUNDA HOSPITAL AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE DUBLIN LYING-IN HOSPITAL FROM ITS FOUNDATION IN 1745 TO THE PRESENT TIME T. PERCY C. [KIRKPATRICK, M.D., M.R.LA. FELLOW AND REGIS TEAE OP THE EOYAL COLLEGE OP PHYSICIANS OF IRELAND EDITED BY HENRY JELLETT, M.D., F.R.C.P.L MASTER OF THE HOSPITAL XonDon ADLARD & SON, BARTHOLOMEW PRESS BARTHOLOMEW" CLOSE, E.G. 1913 PRINTED BY ADLAKD AND SON LONDON AND DOEKINO tl/st:.T)iV. 1^/5 MISERIS • SOLAMEN • INSTITUIT M • DCC • L • VII Great hearted Founder, to whose prescient care we owe a debt that never can be paid, Accept the duteous thanks that love inspires, accept the tribute of a nation's praise. You worked to save the sick, to soothe the pain of those who heavy laden called for help, But, e'er the work was finished, passed away, leaving the future in Another's hands. Your statue stands within our ancient halls, your portrait looks upon our daily work. Poor dead and useless things, where every stone brings back again your living memory. What need have we of bronze or sculptor's skill to call back those who leave such work as you Whose sacrifice lives on—an endless spring of healing water on a thirsty earth ? J. PEEFACE rilHB Dublin Lying-in Hospital stands pre-eminent among similar "*- institutions of Great Britain and Ireland, whether one regards it from the point of view of its age, or the mag-nitude of the work it has done and is still doing.
    [Show full text]
  • Rotunda ROM Magazine Subject Index V. 1 (1968) – V. 42 (2009)
    Rotunda ROM Magazine Subject Index v. 1 (1968) – v. 42 (2009) 2009.12.02 Adam (Biblical figure)--In art: Hickl-Szabo, H. "Adam and Eve." Rotunda 2:4 (1969): 4-13. Aesthetic movement (Art): Kaellgren, P. "ROM answers." Rotunda 31:1 (1998): 46-47. Afghanistan--Antiquities: Golombek, L. "Memories of Afghanistan: as a student, our writer realized her dream of visiting the exotic lands she had known only through books and slides: thirty-five years later, she recalls the archaeoloigical treasures she explored in a land not yet ruined by tragedy." Rotunda 34:3 (2002): 24-31. Akhenaton, King of Egypt: Redford, D.B. "Heretic Pharoah: the Akhenaten Temple Project." Rotunda 17:3 (1984): 8-15. Kelley, A.L. "Pharoah's temple to the sun: archaeologists unearth the remains of the cult that failed." Rotunda 9:4 (1976): 32-39. Alabaster sculpture: Hickl-Szabo, H. "St. Catherine of Alexandria: memorial to Gerard Brett." Rotunda 3:3 (1970): 36-37. Keeble, K.C. "Medieval English alabasters." Rotunda 38:2 (2005): 14-21. Alahan Manastiri (Turkey): Gough, M. "They carved the stone: the monastery of Alahan." Rotunda 11:2 (1978): 4-13. Albertosaurus: Carr, T.D. "Baby face: ROM Albertosaurus reveals new findings on dinosaur development." Rotunda 34:3 (2002): 5. Alexander, the Great, 356-323 B.C.: Keeble, K.C. "The sincerest form of flattery: 17th-century French etchings of the battles of Alexander the Great." Rotunda 16:1 (1983): 30-35. Easson, A.H. "Macedonian coinage and its Hellenistic successors." Rotunda 15:4 (1982): 29-31. Leipen, N. "The search for Alexander: from the ROM collections." Rotunda 15:4 (1982): 23-28.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chronological History of the Rotunda Hospital
    HISTORY OF THE HOSPITAL In 1745 Bartholomew Mosse, surgeon and man-midwife, founded the original Dublin Lying-In Hospital as a maternity training hospital, the first of its kind. In 1757 the institution moved to a different location where it became “The New Lying-In Hospital”. This is the hospital complex that is referred to today as simply “The Rotunda”. The Rotunda Hospital is therefore unique as an institution in that it has continued to provide an unbroken record of service to women and babies since its foundation in 1745 and has occupied its present premises since 1757. Should you wish to learn more about The Rotunda Hospital’s history, the book Masters, Midwives, and Ladies- in-Waiting (edited by Alan Browne, a former Master of the Rotunda, published by A&A Farmar, Dublin, 1995) gives a detailed account of developments in the Rotunda over the period 1945-95, which was the fifty-year period of greatest change in the history of obstetrical care. BARTHOLOMEW MOSSE 1712 Bartholomew Mosse was born the fifth child of Rev Thomas Mosse, Rector of Maryborough, now Portlaoise, and his wife Martha. 1728 Mosse, who had been privately educated by a tutor at home, was sent to serve as apprentice to a Barber Surgeon, Mr John Stone, in Dublin. 1733 Mosse was examined and qualified to practice as a surgeon by Mr John Nichols, joint Surgeon-General to the army in Ireland. Mosse obtained glowing testimonials from his master and his examiner. It is probable that he was surgical assistant to these men (themselves surgeons to Mercer’s and Dr Steevens’s Hospitals respectively) within a short time of his qualification.
    [Show full text]
  • Czech Republic Today
    Rich in History 1 2 Magic Crossroads Whenever European nations were set in motion, they met in a rather small area called the Czech Republic today. Since the early Middle Ages, this area was crossed by long trade routes from the severe North to the sunny South; at the beginning of the first millennium, Christianity emerged from the West, and at its end communism arrived from the East. For six hundred years, the country was an independent Czech kingdom, for three hundred years, it belonged among Austro-Hungarian Empire lands, and since 1918 it has been a republic. In the 14th century, under the Bohemian and German King and Roman Emperor Charles IV, as well as in the 16th century under the Emperor Rudolf II, the country enjoyed a favourable position in European history and also played a great role internationally in the arts and in social affairs. In 1989, the whole world admired the Czechoslovak “velvet revolution” lead by charismatic dramatist Václav Havel, which put an end to socialist experimentation. Numerous famous architects, who built Romanesque churches in Germany but were no longer commissioned to build in their home countries due to the coming Gothic period, succeeded there; at the same time, the French type of Gothic architecture took root in Bohemia. A number of Italian Renaissance or Baroque architects, painters and sculptors, who crossed the Alps to find new opportunity for creating master works and look for well-paid jobs, were hired by members of Czech nobility and clergy; astonished by the mastery of Czech builders and craftsmen with whom they cooperated, they created wonderful castles and breathtaking Catholic churches.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 3 Who Built the Pantheon? Agrippa, Apollodorus, Hadrian And
    Despite so much that is known about Roman buildings, Chapter 3 there is relatively little to say about the individuals involved in the ferment of their creation. We can reconstruct Who Built the Pantheon? confidently the original appearance of many a monument, but not much about their designers. This is not for want of Agrippa, Apollodorus, information; it is just not quite of the right kind. All around the Mediterranean survive ample ruins, including some Hadrian and Trajan strikingly well-preserved buildings, of which the Pantheon is the prime example. This physical evidence is illuminated by literary sources, inscriptions and brickstamps, and on Mark Wilson Jones occasion by maps and drawings inscribed in stone. Notwithstanding some long-running disputes, we can often be sure of the identity and date of individual monuments in major cities. We also possess quite a populous roster of architects’ names, thanks to numbers of their tombstones, along with the occasional textual mention of a few of the men at the top of their profession. Some buildings bear discreet architects’ inscriptions, yet these are nothing like as numerous and prominent as those of their patrons; it is they who take the credit. In short, it is normally impossible to join up specific surviving buildings with specific architects about whom we know any more than the name. In this the Roman period fares worse than the Greek, when architects were frequently tied to particular projects by specifications, contracts and accounts recorded on stone, while the names of famous protagonists can be found in the treatises of Roman writers, most notably Vitruvius and Pliny.1 By such means we know of no fewer than three individuals who had responsibility for the design of the Parthenon in one role or other, Ictinus, Kallikrates and Karpion, while a fourth, Phidias, the creator of Athena Parthenos, may also have had some architectural input.
    [Show full text]
  • Archaeoacoustic Approach to the Rotunda in Bény
    Archaeoacoustic Approach to the Rotunda in Bény Irén Lovász, Paolo Debertolis IRÉN LOVÁSZ, PhD is an associate professor in the Institute of Arts Studies and General Humanities at KRE University in Budapest, Hungary. Her research has included ethnomusicology, anthropology of religion and music, sacred communication. She is also a professional singer, applying traditional singing in voice therapy. PAOLO DEBERTOLIS, M.D., aggregate professor at Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste (It- aly), President of Super Brain Research Group1(*) ABSTRACT: We would like to draw the attention to a medieval sacred place in Central Europe in the Carpathian basin, where unusual sound phenomena can be experienced. We focus our research on the „12 Apostoles’ Rotunda” of Bény. The settlement used to belong to the Hungarian Kingdom for cen- turies during the Middle Ages and also continuously until the first part of the 20th century. Now it is situated in the southern part of Slovakia. Recent studies suggest that the rotunda was already built by the 10-11th century, which raises more questions about who built it and for what purpose. The unique feature of the Rotunda are the 12 mysterious vaulted niches within. Each of these niches strengthens different resonances, which gives a unique sound to the human voice there, according to our hypothesis they were very probably tuned on purpose. In 2016 and 2017 fieldwork was undertaken to test the ro- tunda’s archaeoacoustic and resonant properties. Equipment, methods, results with our conclusion are described in this paper. KEYWORDS: acoustics, resonance, rotunda, niches, medieval, Central Europe Introduction (90%) belonging to ethnic minority nowa- days.
    [Show full text]
  • Get to Know Prague Yourself Enjoy a Many Discounts and Have a Lot of Fun
    Historical center of Prague Prague 1 Get to know Prague yourself Enjoy a many discounts and have a lot of fun ... Discount coupons Quiz for Prizes Map Sights Photos Attractions Public Transport and Parking ...and other discounts inside www.praguecityline.cz/ Discount Coupon Bonus Coupon apartmany_residence_Jagellonska This discount coupon entitles you to a discount This bonus coupon entitles you to a discount Apartments Residence [email protected] Restaurant The largest private collection Jagellonská 2428/17 of Apple poducts in the world 25 % Králík v rádiu GRATIS Jagellonská 130 00 Praha 3 Where can you use On entrance Restaurant for families with kids 1x 2 hours in playroom the discount: Where can you use with nanny for free Discount conditions the discount: Apple Museum Discount conditions - Coupons cannot be exchanged for cash Králík v rádiu Husova 156/21, Prague 1 - Coupons cannot be added to other - It is not possible to apply more than Phone: +420 777 560 062 Křižíkova 55/65, Prague 8 1 coupon per entry discounts - Coupons cannot be exchanged for cash Stay in the center of Prague, [email protected] Phone: +420 723 428 929 - Coupons cannot be added to other discounts www.applemuseum.com [email protected] near Jiřího z Poděbrad Square Validity: until 31.05.2019 www.kralikvradiu.cz Validity: until 31.07.2019 Discount Coupon Discount Coupon This discount coupon entitles you to a discount This discount coupon entitles you to a discount GetOutFun Escape Games 20 % 20 % Where can you use On all games from Where can you
    [Show full text]
  • LIVES of the PRESIDENTS George Johnston
    LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS George Johnston Born: 1814 President: 1880 -1882 Died: 1889 George Johnston was born in Dublin on 12 August 1814. He was the third son of Andrew Johnston and Sophie (nee Cheney). Andrew studied at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland graduating in 1794. In 1813 he became Professor of Surgical Pharmacy and in 1819 Professor of Midwifery. For many years he was Treasurer of the College and was elected its President in 1817. George Johnston was educated at Trinity College Dublin from 1830. He was awarded Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons in England in 1837 and subsequently studied in Paris and at Edinburgh University where he obtained MD in 1845. In February 1843 he married Henrietta Williamson; they had four sons and two daughters. Following his return to Dublin, he was Physician to the Dublin General Dispensary between 1840 and 1850. He served as Surgeon Superintendent to the emigration commissioners for the Southern Australian colonies and was Consulting Physician to the Whitworth Fever Hospital in Drumcondra. Johnston was awarded a Licentiate from the College of Physicians in 1852 and was elected a Fellow in 1863. He was appointed Assistant Master to Robert Shekleton at the Rotunda Lying-in Hospital (1848-1851). In 1858 he published Practical Midwifery: comprising an account of 13,748 deliveries which occurred in the Dublin Lying-in Hospital during a period of seven years, commencing November 1847. The statistical account, using contemporary methodology, was an attempt to calculate maternal mortality at the hospital. However, mid-nineteenth century identification of causes and classification of mortality depended on unscientific principles and were not an accurate analysis of the causes of deaths in childbirth.
    [Show full text]
  • Radiocarbon Dating of St. George's Rotunda In
    Radiocarbon, Vol 63, Nr 3, 2021, p 953–976 DOI:10.1017/RDC.2021.31 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. RADIOCARBON DATING OF ST. GEORGE’S ROTUNDA IN NITRIANSKA BLATNICA (SLOVAKIA): INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM RESULTS Pavel P Povinec1* • Alexander Cherkinsky2 • Jozef Dorica3 • Irka Hajdas4 • A J Timothy Jull5,6,7 • Ivan Kontuľ1 • Mihály Molnár6 • Ivo Svetlik8 • Eva Maria Wild9 1Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia 2Center for Applied Isotope Studies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA 3Restauro Complet s.r.o., Žilina, Slovakia 4Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zürich, Switzerland 5Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA 6Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, Institute for Nuclear Sciences (ATOMKI), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Debrecen, Hungary 7Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA 8Nuclear Physics Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic 9VERA Laboratory, Isotope Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria ABSTRACT. An international consortium of radiocarbon (14C) laboratories was established to date the origin of the St. George’s Rotunda in Nitrianska Blatnica (Slovakia), because its age was not well established in previous investigations. Altogether, 20 samples of wood, charcoal, mortar and plaster were analyzed.
    [Show full text]
  • Czech Republic
    www.rowingracice.com Bulletin No. 1 2021 WORLD ROWING UNDER 23 CHAMPIONSHIPS 7. – 11. 7. 2021 I Račice, Czech Republic Organizing Committee Honorary President of the Organizing Committee Jiří Kejval President of the Organizing Committee Dušan Macháček Executive Director Pavel Šebesta FISA Liaison Zdena Norková Development Programme + Visa policy Josef Johánek Technical Manager Martin Janků Catering Simona Hanousková Accommodation & Accreditation Lucie Makovičková Transport Zdeněk Krpata Awards Ceremony Jana Hellerová Media + PR Manager Alena Mašková Course Pavel Dědek Team Information Centre René Vondrák Volunteers and Spectator Facilities Jan Plachý IT Services Stanislav Ježek Medical Centre Veronika Bartoňová, MD Audio/Video Josef Šinágl Marketing Manager Michal Kurfirst Organizing Committee Dear Rowing Friends, on behalf of the Czech Rowing Association and the Organizing Committee I would like to warmly invite you to the Labe Arena Račice for the 2021 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. The history of world rowing championships in the Czech Republic, formerly Czechoslovakia, dates back to 1986 when it was the World Rowing Junior Championships - first international rowing event to be hosted in Račice. Another milestone was celebrated here in 2009 when we organized World Rowing U23 Championships. In 2015 we organized the European Rowing Junior Championships, in 2017 staged the very successful European Rowing Championships, in 2018 we hosted the best juniors at World Rowing Junior Championships. We are delighted that in July 2021 the best U23 athletes are returning to Račice for their world championships once again. I hope athletes, coaches and spectators will enjoy this World Rowing U23 Championships and I even look forward to seeing them back again in 2022 when Labe Arena in Račice will host World Rowing Championships.
    [Show full text]