WEB AS A SYSTEM OF ARCHITECTURAL ORGANIZATION: FRANKFURT-RÖMERBERG COMPETITION PROJECT A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY HEVES BE ŞEL İ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE IN ARCHITECTURE JUNE 2009 Approval of the thesis: WEB AS A SYSTEM OF ARCHITECTURAL ORGANIZATION: FRANKFURT-RÖMERBERG COMPETITION PROJECT submitted by HEVES BE ŞEL İ in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture in Architecture Department, Middle East Technical University by, Prof. Dr. Canan Özgen ______________________ Dean, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güven Arif Sargın ______________________ Head of Department, Architecture Asst. Prof. Dr. Berin F. Gür ______________________ Supervisor, Architecture Dept., METU Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selahattin Önür ______________________ Department of Architecture, METU Asst. Prof. Dr. Berin F. Gür ______________________ Department of Architecture, METU Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Aközer ______________________ Department of Architecture METU Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cânâ Bilsel ______________________ Department of Architecture, METU Instr. Dr. Sinem Çınar ______________________ Department of Interior Architecture, Çankaya University Date : 30.06.2009 I hereby declare that all information in this thesis document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name: Heves Be şeli Signature: iii ABSTRACT WEB AS A SYSTEM OF ARCHITECTURAL ORGANIZATION: FRANKFURT-RÖMERBERG COMPETITION PROJECT Be şeli, Heves M. Arch., Department of Architecture Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Dr. Berin F. Gür June 2009, 135 pages The aim of this thesis is to reveal the potentials of “Web” as a system of achitectural organization. This concept developed by Georges Candilis, Alexis Josic, and Shadrach Woods can be seen as a product of the discourse arose in 1960s, which concieves the city as a continuous and dynamic structure rather than a static entity composed of individual buildings. In this sense, Web appears as a system of architectural organization that responds to this dynamism by enabling growth and change. In this thesis, Frankfurt-Römerberg Competition Project by Candilis-Josic-Woods (CJW) is analyzed to understand the potential of Web in organizing both physical and social relations. Revealing the potentials of Web requires examination of other concepts introduced by Candilis-Josic-Woods. Therefore, the relationship between Web and its sources (casbah and bidonville ) and precedents ( habitat évolutif and Stem) will be constructed. In order to construct this relation and to understand how Web operates as a system of architectural organization, the components and design acts of Web as well as its potentials will be analyzed in the case of Frankfurt-Römerberg Project. In doing so, the project will be seen as the main prototype of Web. The thesis will also put emphasis on habitat évolutif as the main idea behind Web. It will be argued that habitat évolutif evolved into Web with the help of stem as a connecting element. Keywords: Web, Candilis-Josic-Woods, Frankfurt-Römerberg Competition Project, system of architectural organization, habitat évolutif , Stem, Team 10. iv ÖZ BİR M İMAR İ ORGAN İZASYON S İSTEM İ OLARAK A Ğ: FRANKFURT-RÖMERBERG YARI ŞMA PROJES İ Be şeli, Heves Yüksek Lisans, Mimarlık Bölümü Tez Yürütücüsü: Yrd. Doç. Dr. Berin F. Gür Haziran 2009, 135 sayfa Bu tezin amacı Georges Candilis, Alexis Josic ve Shadrach Woods tarafından bir tasarım aracı olarak geli ştirilen A ğ’ın ( Web ) bir mimari organizasyon sistemi olarak potensiyelinin ortaya çıkarılmasıdır. Ağ kavramı 1960larda ortaya çıkan ve şehrin ba ğımsız binalar bütünü olarak de ğil, sürekli ve dinamik bir yapı olarak algılanmasını tartı şan kentsel mimarlık söyleminin bir ürünü olarak görülmelidir. Bu ba ğlamda, A ğ kavramı sözü geçen dinamizme, büyüme ve de ğişime olanak sa ğlayarak cevap verebilen bir mimari organizasyon sistemi olarak ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu tezde, A ğ’ın hem fiziksel hem de sosyal ili şkileri örgütleyebilen esnek yapısını anlayabilmek için Candilis-Josic-Woods’un (CJW) Frankfurt-Römerberg Yarı şma Projesi (1963) incelenmi ştir. Candilis-Josic-Woods’un mimari yakla şımı bitmi ş planlar yerine ucu açık organizasyon sistemleri önerir. Ağ, Candilis-Josic-Woods tarafından üretilmi ş olan bu sistemler içerisinde en geli şmi ş ve karma şık olanıdır, ancak A ğ’ın potansiyelinin ortaya çıkarılması bu ortaklar tarafından geli ştirilmi ş di ğer kavramların da incelenmesini gerektirmektedir. Bu nedenle, bu tez A ğ’ın öncülleri ve kaynaklarıyla olan ili şkisini kurgulayacaktır. Bu ili şkiyi kurulabilmek ve A ğ’ın bir mimari organizasyon sistemi olarak nasıl i şledi ğini anlayabilmek için A ğ’ın potansiyellerinin yanı sıra, bile şenleri ve tasarım eylemleri de Frankfurt-Römerberg Yarı şma Projesi üzerinden incelenecektir. Tezin di ğer bir vurgusu da, A ğ’ın anafikri olarak ortaya çıkan evrilen habitat (habitat évolutif ) kavramı olacaktır. Teze gore, evrilen habitat kavramı bir ba ğlayıcı eleman olan gövde’nin ( stem ) de yardımıyla evrilerek A ğ’a dönü şmü ştür. Anahtar kelimeler: A ğ ( Web ), Candilis-Josic-Woods, Frankfurt-Römerberg Yarı şma Projesi, mimari organizasyon sistemi, evrilen habitat ( habitat évolutif ), Gövde ( Stem ), Team 10 . v To My Parents Nursun and İhsan Be şeli vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisor Asst. Prof. Dr. Berin Gür for her guidance, criticism, understanding, and motivating comments throughout the research. Without her contribution, this study could not have been realized. Therefore, my gratitude to her can never be enough. I would like to thank to the members of the examining committee, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selahattin Önür, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cânâ Bilsel, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Aközer, and Instr. Dr. Sinem Çınar for their valuable discussions, comments, and criticism. I express my deepest gratitude to all members of my family, for their endless love, support and understanding. I am indebted to them forever. I owe my thanks to my cousin Tayfun Gökmen for providing me with some references, which were very crucial to the study. I also offer my thanks to my friend Aslı Arpak, not only for the bibliographic sources she provided, but also for her friendship and support. I am thankful to all my friends, especially Feyza Sarı, Pınar Çiçek, Yasemin İskendero ğlu, Esin Kömez, Ali Yücel Özdemir, and Esatcan Co şkun who supported me with their sympathy and joy. Lastly, the special thanks goes to Onur Özkoç for his love, friendship, joy, and patience. If it weren’t for his support and encouragement, I couldn’t have completed this work. This study was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜB İTAK). vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT iv ÖZ v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii TABLE OF CONTENTS viii LIST OF FIGURES x CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Aim of the Thesis 1 1.2 Concepts Relevant to Web 2 1.2.1 Mat 2 1.2.2 Field 3 1.2.3 Carpet 4 1.2.4 Matrix 4 1.3 Candilis-Josic-Woods 5 1.4 The Historical and Intellectual Context: CJW and Team 10 7 1.4.1 Dissolution of CIAM to Team 10 7 1.4.2 Team 10 and Human Association 9 1.4.3 Team 10 and the Search for Systems 12 1.4.4 Main Concerns of Team 10 14 1.4.4.1 Mobility 14 1.4.4.2 Identity 19 1.5 Structure of the Thesis 20 2. SOURCES AND PRECEDENTS OF WEB 22 2.1 Indigenous Settlements as a Source of Inspiration: Casbah and Bidonville 23 2.1.1 Casbah 25 2.1.1.2 Evaluation: What is Derived from the Casbah? 32 2.1.2 Bidonville 33 2.1.2.1 Evaluation: What is Derived from the Bidonville? 39 2.2 Precedents 40 viii 2.2.1 Habitat Évolutif 40 2.2.1.1 Evaluation: Potentials of Habitat Évolutif 47 2.2.2 Stem 49 2.2.2.1 Evaluation: Potentials of Stem 61 2.3 Relevance of the Sources and the Precedents 62 3. READING THE WEB: FRANKFURT-RÖMERBERG COMPETITION PROJECT 63 3.1 Frankfurt-Römerberg Competition Project 65 3.2 Reading the Product: Potentials of Web 69 3.2.1 Frankfurt-Römerberg as a Multi-Level Organization 69 3.2.2 Frankfurt Römerberg as a Ground-Scraper 71 3.2.3 Frankfurt Römerberg as a Multi-Functional Entity 73 3.2.4 Frankfurt Römerberg as a Pattern of Association 75 3.2.5 Frankfurt Römerberg as a Non-Centric Scheme 78 3.2.6 Frankfurt Römerberg as an Urban Infill 79 3.2.7 Frankfurt Römerberg as an Open-Ended System 82 3.3 Reading the Diagram: Components and Design Acts of Web 83 3.3.1 Components of Web: De-composing the Diagram 85 3.3.1.1 Determinate Elements 86 3.3.1.2 Indeterminate Elements 97 3.3.2 Design Acts: Reading the Process 100 3.3.2.1 Act of Squaring 101 3.3.2.2 Act of Layering 102 3.3.2.3 Act of Superposition 102 3.3.2.4 Act of Division 104 3.3.2.5 Act of Connecting 104 3.3.2.6 Act of Framing 105 3.3.2.7 Act of Modulation 106 3.3.2.8 Act of Addition 107 3.3.2.9 Act of Subtraction 107 3.3.2.10 Act of Distribution 108 4. WEB AS A SYSTEM OF ARCHITECTURAL ORGANIZATION 110 5. CONCLUSION 127 BIBLIOGRAPHY 130 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Scale of Association Diagram by Alison and Peter Smithson 11 Figure 1.2 Berlin-Haupstadt Project by Smithsons 16 Figure 1.3 Frankfurt-Römerberg Project by CJW 16 Figure 2.1 Casbah 24 Figure 2.2 Bidonville 24 Figure 2.3 Rooftops as public realm, sketch by Charles Brouty, 1933 26 Figure 2.4 Diagram,