PROJECT RESE RCH JOCHEM MOERMAN CULTURES OF CRAFT P4 PRESENTATION (DRAFT) PROJECT RESE RCH JOCHEM MOERMAN RESEARCH MENTOR: IRENE CIERAAD MAIN MENTOR: EIREEN SCHREURS MENTOR: MIKEL VAN GELDEREN MENTOR: SUSANNE PIETSCH B.T. MENTOR: HUBERT VAN DER MEEL ORGANIZATION OF RESE RCH INTRODUCTION 1.1 PHENOMENA THROUGH ARCHITECTONICS 1.2 CLEINT RESEARCH: “THE CRAFTSMAN” 1.3 STUDIO AS DEPARTURE POINT XL 2.1 WOOD 2.1.1 BRIEF HISTORY 2.1.2 CRAFTSMANSHIP OF CARPENTRY 2.1.3 SUSTAINABILITY OF TIMBER 2.1.4 AUSTRIA’S WOOD INDUSTRY 2.2 URBAN PRODUCTION PLACES L 3.1 VORARLBERG 3.1.1 VORARLBERG AND CRAFT 3.1.2 WOOD ARCHITECTURE 3.1.3 LIVE-WORK PROXIMITY 3.1.4 REINTERPRETED VERNACULAR 3.1.5 KAUFFMANN ZIMMEREI 3.2 BREGENZ 3.2.1 CRAFTLESS AND WOODLESS CITY 3.2.2 IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE + TOURISM ORGANIZATION OF RESE RCH M 4.1 MAKING CRAFTSMANSHIP VISIBLE 4.1.1 PRODUCTION AS A STORY 4.1.2ARCHITECTONICS AS A STORY 4.2 THE SITE 4.3 PROGRAM 4.3.1 CORE: HOUSING + “CO-MAKING” 4.3.2 SECONDARY: OFFICE + RETAIL + GASTRONOMY 4.4 IN SEARCH OF A NEW TYPOLOGY 4.4.1 FACTORY MEETS RESIDENTIAL BLOCK 4.4.2 RURAL HAMLET, URBANIFIED 4.4.3 URBAN CONTEXT S 5.1 THE VERNACULAR “EINHOF” 5.1.1 HINTERHAUS VERSUS VORDERHAUS 5.1.2 THE STRUCTURE 5.1.3 THE “TENNE” 5.1.4 THE “FLURKÜCHE” XS 6.1 FOUR VALLEYS, FOUR HOUSES 6.1.1 WALSERHAUS AND THE HEIDENGIEBEL 6.1.2 BREGENZERWALDERHAUS AND THE SHOPF 6.1.3 MONTAFONHAUS AND THE GIPSWAD 6.1.4 RHEINTALHAUS AND THE KLEBACHER 6.2 LOG CONSTRUCTION, EVOLVING 6.2 WOOD SPECIES OF VORARLBERG INTRODUCTION INTRO PARAGRAPH 1.1 POSITION IN ARCHITECTURE Humans, being part of the world, understand an expression that is more closely related to something that could be seen in nature. Tectonic architecture is an approach that builds from nature and leaves it with the craftsmanship of man. Utilizing materials won from the earth, shaped to allow affordance to shelter from rain or separate environments. The structure is glorified and the beauty of the building is found though it. Durable natural surfaces with exposed connections showing the intentions. Nothing veneered or hidden, as honesty is the essential to its purity. It is this architecture that achieves the most honest phenomenological building. Through having natural action-based signs like the smell of wood or the texture of stone strong individual memories well up to create the perceptual experience. Phenomenology is the study of perceptual experience of, in our case, the built environment. The urban form in its composition and individual parts effect us daily, consciously and subconsciously. A basic example is that a bright, well- ventilated space brings positivity and thus productivity in a workspace. But also how some spaces can intimidate to the point were speaking becomes unbearable or uncomfortable. Furthermore, how urban spaces, through time and movement, are composed in one’s mind to form a ‘mental map’ of the local fabric. Rather than thinking of exact proportions, what the urban furniture looked like, or how many people were where, it is about how the assemblage of all these parts were perceived by the agent. Kevin Lynch, in his book The Image of the City (1960), studied citizens through interviews and concluded that the city could be understood as a network of paths, edges districts, nodes, and landmarks and that it’s the job of the architecture to improve this legibility. Everyone’s so-called mental map of a space, in general, varies greatly from differences in how and where we grew up to the clarity in our thoughts when we engage with a space. How we read architecture is a very individual experience, but has been succumb to arbitrariness. The over saturation of signs and graphical cues in our culture today has led to universal visual triggers. Nobody knows anymore what all the symbols and information are that adorn the streetscape of Times Square. In these environments, our perceptive faculties become overloaded with codes requiring translation and numbing our though process. At this point anything beyond our own personal story seems blurred and vague, almost seeming unreal at times. Our world is coded with signs, but Charles Peirce makes a distinction between INTRODUCTION code-based signs and action-based signs.1 He coined the word “asignifying” to describe action or process-based signs. Rather than translating codes and INTRO PARAGRAPH signs according to a prescribed language, asignifying is something that we are born with or naturally developed. It is a process, where the agent interferes with an environment and assigns affordances, or pragmantic useabilty, to an 1.1 POSITION IN ARCHITECTURE assemblage, or thoughtful composition. Therefore, through asignifying, we can Humans, being part of the world, understand an expression that is more see that a chair contains the affordance to be sat on and thus the definition of closely related to something that could be seen in nature. Tectonic the chair is extended past its outline and to the limit of its action. An architecture is an approach that builds from nature and leaves it with the assemblage, in this case is a composition of parts to form this complete affect. craftsmanship of man. Utilizing materials won from the earth, shaped to allow For one cannot simply read that the chair is made of wood and know it is a affordance to shelter from rain or separate environments. The structure is sitting device. It becomes more than a sum of interlocking elements but a glorified and the beauty of the building is found though it. Durable natural function-driven object. This reading process is a natural, subconscious surfaces with exposed connections showing the intentions. Nothing veneered progress that is inherent and imbedded into our society. or hidden, as honesty is the essential to its purity. It is this architecture that achieves the most honest phenomenological building. Through having natural After understanding this natural process of action-based reading, coined by action-based signs like the smell of wood or the texture of stone strong Pierce we look at a more general form of semiotics. Signs can have several individual memories well up to create the perceptual experience. meanings, with different intents, but it always create an effect. We have been lacing our building with an abundance of these signs that are only there is Phenomenology is the study of perceptual experience of, in our case, the built create an effect.2 It is true in the past few decades architectural discourse has environment. The urban form in its composition and individual parts effect us swayed to have stronger weight on the representational qualities. Or to say in daily, consciously and subconsciously. A basic example is that a bright, well- a different way, that architecture is used as a language to say something ventilated space brings positivity and thus productivity in a workspace. But beyond itself. In this heightened importance of semiotics in architecture, also how some spaces can intimidate to the point were speaking becomes design aspects like materiality and proportionality have lost territory. Although unbearable or uncomfortable. Furthermore, how urban spaces, through time as a discursive method this topic carries weight and significance, it has indeed and movement, are composed in one’s mind to form a ‘mental map’ of the run its course as a design tool. local fabric. Rather than thinking of exact proportions, what the urban furniture looked like, or how many people were where, it is about how the assemblage Tectonics is derived, etymologically, from the Greek tektonikos, which pertains of all these parts were perceived by the agent. Kevin Lynch, in his book The to building and tekton, which means carpenter or builder. Architectus is also Image of the City (1960), studied citizens through interviews and concluded close in origin, where archi- means a person in authority.3 However, both words that the city could be understood as a network of paths, edges districts, belong to the same root word, “tec”, which simply means to make something nodes, and landmarks and that it’s the job of the architecture to improve this appear and thus showing the clear connection between tectonic thinking and legibility. architectural practice. Everyone’s so-called mental map of a space, in general, varies greatly from Tectonic architecture is an approach that builds from nature and leaves it with differences in how and where we grew up to the clarity in our thoughts when the craftsmanship of man. Focused on the art of making, celebrating the skills we engage with a space. How we read architecture is a very individual of the human hand and its ability to create space able to withstand the forces experience, but has been succumb to arbitrariness. The over saturation of of nature, creating a place cut from it but contributing to it and to create a signs and graphical cues in our culture today has led to universal visual space the application of building materials and how this attention forms a triggers. Nobody knows anymore what all the symbols and information are creative force in structural features, architectural design and building that adorn the streetscape of Times Square. In these environments, our constructions. And the constructions poetic potential is achieved through a perceptive faculties become overloaded with codes requiring translation and detailed study of light, clarity of form and space and the materiality. Details numbing our though process. At this point anything beyond our own personal and cladding are honest, with no veneers, finishes, or hidden supports and story seems blurred and vague, almost seeming unreal at times.