By Learning from Swiss Architect Peter Märkli
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Eindhoven University of Technology MASTER A podium for architecture students by learning from Swiss architect Peter Märkli van der Steen, T.J.J. Award date: 2019 Link to publication Disclaimer This document contains a student thesis (bachelor's or master's), as authored by a student at Eindhoven University of Technology. Student theses are made available in the TU/e repository upon obtaining the required degree. The grade received is not published on the document as presented in the repository. The required complexity or quality of research of student theses may vary by program, and the required minimum study period may vary in duration. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain A PODIUM FOR ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS by learning from Swiss architect Peter Märkli by T.J.J. (Tim) van der steen (0726484) UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY EINDHOVEN Department of the Built Environment Architecture Building and Planning July 12th 2019 Tutors: J.P.A. Schevers J.C.T. Voorthuis J.J.P.M. van Hoof for my parents and grandparents† 7XX37 Graduation Project July 12th 2019, T.J.J. (Tim) van der Steen University of Technology Studentnr. 0726484 Eindhoven Department of the Built Under supervision of: Environment ir. J.P.A. (Jan) Schevers dr. J.C.T. (Jacob) Voorthuis J.J.P.M. (Sjef) van Hoof Architecture, Building and Planning SUMMARY Th is graduation report is part of the architecture design studio ‘Masterly Apprenticeship’ focusing on the general research question: how to master the art of being an apprentice? How should architecture students master being an apprentice of a role model? In this report, this role model is the well known Swiss architect Peter Märkli. After an Introduction in Part I containing the graduation motivation, methodology and an introduction of the Swiss architect, Peter Märkli then functions as a Case Study in Part II to investigate what attitude the Swiss architect has towards the past. Here, history itself is assumed to be a role model for Peter Märkli. How does Märkli learn from historic architectural buildings? To answer this question, the ‘history’ is divided in six topics: plan & facade, proportion & scale, order & disorder, material, color and ornament & detail. Märkli’s attitude towards these historic rules and principles mentioned in the six paragraphs is measured by categorizing Peter Märkli on a scale having a conservative, creative or a progressive attitude towards the historic principles of the paragraph. Last, this knowledge is then used in Part III Design to design a school for architecture students in Mendrisio, Switzerland. Th e goal here is to complete the graduation design with a creative attitude towards the learned historic principles in order to master the apprenticeship. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It has been quite a ride, starting my graduation year in September Last but not least, I want to thank my parents Koos & An, my 2015, but here we are. Nevertheless, I am thankful that - despite sister Charlotte, my grandmother Riet and grandfather Koos the complications - I have been given the chance to fi nish my senior who, each in their own way, always supported me and master’s degree in Architecture Building and Planning. I am stood by me. In particular, I want to thank my lovely father proud of the design and the fact that I can hand to you the Koos van der Steen who suddenly lost both his parents - Koos report in front of you. Th e ride taught me more than I expected and Riet van der Steen - these last years and to whom I owe and - seen through that lens - I am grateful that it went the way more than anything I could ever possibly give back in return. it did. Th e theme of the graduation studio is, after all, about learning as you will discover later on. And that, I sure did. I wished my grandfather could be here when I present to you my last words at the university; because he would be most proud. First off all, I want to thank my graduation tutors Jacob Voorthuis, Jan Schevers and Sjef van Hoof who helped me design the project with their professional guidance and patience throughout my graduation project. I also want thank all the other tutors at the university for the inspiring lectures they presented to me throughout my student years for which I feel very grateful and privileged. Secondly, I want to thank my lovely girlfriend Alice Carolyn Bowe who stood by me during my graduation years and supporting me in numerous ways with her kind, thoughtful presence and advice and with the physical presentation of the design. Furthermore, I want to thank one of my oldest known friend Maikel Csik, who also studied at the University of Technology and who made it possible for me to live in Eindhoven when I needed to and reached out to me when I needed his help the most. I also want to thank Boaz van der Wal for his architectural guidance throughout the years, including these last ones. vii PREFACE Supposing that architecture is a language, what then? If that were true, what would it mean? To begin with, it would mean that we could speak ‘in architecture’ just as we can speak ‘in English’. But how would that language sound like? I can speak a tiny bit of German but it would sound quite awful. In order for it to sound good I would have to study and practice the language a lot. I would need to understand the language in all its complexities. But then, were do I start? Let us suppose architecture is indeed a language; and that the sound of that language is the way we perceive the buildings around us with our senses. Since we - hypothetically speaking - could speak in architecture, it should mean we could write it as well, right? It would also mean that if I were to write you a novel in this language, I would need a whole lot of practice, let alone I could write any sentences or a complete novel! Even if I could, would it be a good story for you to read? “Th is graduation report Th is graduation report explores the idea that architecture could explores the idea that indeed be perceived as a language by starting where anyone architecture could indeed would start when he or she would learn any spoken language: be perceived as a language the letters, the most important words and the underlying by starting where anyone structure of the grammar. Since learning to write a whole new language can take me years (probably even a life time), I will would start when he only explore the most basic grammar principles. Lucky for or she would learn any me, I could already recognize some of the language because I spoken language: the have been studying it without even fully realizing it could be letters, the most important learned and understood as a language; I just had to change my words and the underlying perspective. By starting with the basics, I am hopefully able to structure of the grammar.” understand some basic principles to - by the end of this report - write you a little short story myself. With a role model on my side who has already mastered the language, the short novel in front of you is hopefully a pleasant read for you. viii TABLE OF CONTENT SUMMARY . .V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . VI PREFACE . VIII TABLE OF CONTENT . IX PART I: INTRODUCTION 1 GRADUATION MOTIVATION . 3 GRADUATION STUDIO. 6 METHODOLOGY . 8 PART II: CASE STUDY PETER MÄRKLI 11 INTRODUCING SWISS ARCHITECT PETER MÄRKLI . 13 2.1 PLAN & FACADE . 22 2.2 PROPORTION & SCALE . 38 2.3 ORDER & DISORDER . 52 2.4 MATERIALS . 60 2.5 COLOR . 68 2.6 ORNAMENT & DETAIL . 74 CONCLUSION . 84 ix APPENDIX I 90 A1: GRADUATION STUDIO BRIEF . 91 A2: LEARNING THROUGH MODEL MAKING . 94 A3: INTERVIEW 1 ELLI MOSAYEBI . 96 A4: INTERVIEW 2 ALEX HERTER . 108 PART III 127 DESIGN 127 I. LOCATION . 129 II. URBAN ANALYSIS & CONCEPT . 133 III. PLAN CONCEPT . 135 IV. FACADE CONCEPT . 142 PLAN & FACADE . 148 PROPORTION & SCALE . 176 MATERIAL & COLOR . 187 ORDER & DISORDER . 200 DETAILLING . 209 CONCLUSION . ..