Ailish Walker- Visual Essay

 

“Architecture not measured in inches, feet … alone but also in minutes, days, months and years. ”(Leatherbarrow, 2009)

 

1. INTRODUCTION

I wanted to explore the idea of time not just as a quantitive measurement but as a qualititive charateristic of a space. I wanted to look at time as an experience as opposed to a measured factor. My aim was to discover if it contirbutes to the atmosphere of that space and does it affect the inhabitants who use it. Another query was if it adds another dimensional quality to a space and if so in what ways does it achieve this.

To find answers to these questions I decided to choose a particular space and analyse it in terms of time. It was the aim to discover time evident in this space, in past and present forms and to record these and understand the effect they have on the architecture.

A space can remind us of the passing of time in more ways than we notice. It can tells us about the life of the building as well as what is happening now in the present. It can communicate history, experiences and events. It is interesting though to pinpoint how exactly a particular architectural space reveals this transient sense of time.

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Spoerri’s Table Composition 1992

 

2. THE CASESTUDY SPACE

I choose to study the Red Room in UCD School of Architecture building in detail. The Powell family built this building in 1790. In 1885 it changed use when it was bought by the Freemasons of Ireland and was developed into a Masonic Boys’ School, and in 1980 it was bought by UCD to be established as the UCD School of Architecture.

This change of use over its lifespan from family home to boys’ school to university building made it an interesting space to study when thinking about architecture and time. Furthermore, it also changes use on a daily, weekly and seasonal basis. It is used throughout the day by various groups within the college for different uses and so it seemed interesting to see its temporal nature constantly responding and adapting to factors such as occupation and light.

I analysed the space taking note of all attributes that contribute to the physical and psychological indicators of time in that space. I recorded the room in terms of:

–        occupation & use

–        material

–        light & shadow

–        ritual

–        relation to the outside environment

The media I used to record were photos and hand drawings. I took photos of evidence of decay of the built fabric and details of changes that have been made to the room. I then picked one particular element of the room, a window, to draw in detail noting aspects of change and decay.

I also made a map of the activity and movement of the occupants and furniture over a six hour period. Every hour I noted how the furniture had changed, how the shadows and light had changed and how the occupants were using the space at that time.

These two sets of drawings enabled me to focus on both the long term effects of time on that space and the short term day to day changes.

 

 

                                                     Image of Red Room

 

3. ANALYSIS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OCCUPATION

The overlay mapping of this room shows the occupation of the room and the different shadows that were cast over a six hour period. The idea was inspired by Daniel Spoerii’s drawings of a table,where he maps layers of occupation onto a two dimensional plan. Like Spoerrii’s table,the temporal nature of this room makes it very interesting to examine in overlay. By layering the activity a record of the transience of the red room over a day is created.

From the drawing we can see that over the course of a day the room can be many things; a corridor, a study space, a meeting space, a lecture hall. While this room may not have been originally designed to be used as a polyvalent space its freedom from structure allows it to be used in many different ways. This flexibility and ability to adapt adds to its strength and success as a space.

The red room in many ways can be compared with the design of a traditional Japanese room. They share the same character of being “a fixed interval of space overlaid with varying intervals of occupation”. The traditional Japanese style room can vary considerably according to the different activities that take place within it over the course of a day.

Okubo House, Iboraki

 

Frank Lloyd Wright admired the temporal nature of the Japanese home and even his own work was influenced by this,

 ”Nothlng is allowed to stand long as a fixture upon the sacred floors of any Japanese house. Everything the family uses is designed to be removed when not in use. It is so made. Beautiful to use upon it only when appropriate and at the right moment.”(Nute, 2004)

 Wright believes a space that can change and adapt with needs is a beautiful one. A time-based space has an added quality or strength.

A successful space is not necessarily one that has to address or be moulded for a certain purpose. This room is an example of a space that allows a purpose to fit into it instead. This has allowed the room to continually take on a new life and therefore preventing it from losing use and going to ruin.

 

MATERIAL

 Humans enjoy the aesthetic of decay of building and many architects are known for designing for the future decay of their architecture. For example Alvar Aalto’s Villa Mairea considers materials in detail and how they will change with age. Architects such as these consider the future aesthetic and character of their design, not merely how it appears when it is first built.

Similarly the Japanese incorporate decay and time into their architecture. The wabi tea room celebrates decay with warped patina wooden structure and irregularly shaped and chipped tableware. The tea room bowls are actually purposely made uneven and chipped to appear used and worn. Age is something they value and give worth to. The red room also has this certain respect and worth because of its age. Occupants of more careful in this space and protect it.

The original wooden floor boards are now covered by more practical linoleum floor which was possibly done to protect the floor boards from further decay. The walls too are now covered with panels that are made from less valuable material so that they can have a practical use for the school.

The doors are allowed to creak when they are opened. This evidence of decay is accepted and perhaps even appreciated. The age of the door and the space is respected…The floor boards also creak and move as you step across them, heightened awareness of the stepping, that moment in time. The wind or rain crashing against the single pane glazing is more dramatic than a newly fitted air tight one. The connection with the outside environment is more intense and direct.

 

Image of covered up door way in red room

 

Julie Merriman is an Irish artist who records the changing form of structures over time by overlaying study drawings. Her work is more about the process of studying the changes rather than the end piece. This was my inspiration to do an overlay drawing of window to understand the layers of history of use and adaption.

The windows now feature modern blinds instead of using shutters or curtains. A canvas roller is hung above it to allow projections in the room for events or meetings.

 

LIGHT & SHADOW

Light and shadow are constantly at play through out the day and are a clear indicator of time in a space. Historically, shadows have always been used to tell the time. And even if we are not aware of their change, they subconsciously remind us of passing of time. Shoei Yoh’ Light Lattice House in Japan reveals its position in relation to the sun and effectively acts as huge clocks providing anyone who enters information on the time of day.

I noticed from my recordings that as the day went on and the sun moved around the room, peoples’ movements and choice of place to inhabit within the room changed with it. The movement of the sun over the course of the day correlated with and actually influenced the movements of the inhabitants.

This behaviour reminded me of the occupants of A La Ronde Exmouth House in Devon. It is an 18th century house designed to attract sunlight as it moves from east to west with the two ladies who live their moving from room to room with it. They start each day in their east facing bedroom and ending their day in the oval western tearoom.

 

RITUAL

Closing and opening the shutters once had a ritual associated with it; opening them in the morning, closing them in the evening. It was part of each day and marked the passage of time. That ritual of this space has stopped but has not been forgotten. Although the shutters are still present in the room, they have with time become less functional and more just a relic of the past. Roller blinds are now used instead to shade the room from daylight.

Similarly this room would once have featured large heavy curtains that would have been opened in the morning and closed at night; another daily ritual that most people do in their own homes. The task reminds us of the passing of time. The curtains would also have had a thermal property; low level radiators that now sit under the windows replace that need.

A current ritual of this space is the continuous reorganisation of the space for various meetings and events is another ritual. Renewing the composition of the space is an interesting small ceremony that happens many times over the course of each day.

 

NATURE

The trees planted closely to the window on the southeast façade create patterns of shadow across the room when the sun shines on them. The visual movement of the branches, the changing colour of the leaves, the growth of branches makes the occupant aware of the changing day, week or season. The trees’ shadows, while having a practical use of shading the extensive glazing, also have the effect of animating the space and bringing it to life.

Edward Suzuki is also aware of this characteristic of shadows. In the design of his Mikado Plaza, he strategically placed trees immediately adjacent to the façade. The trees create an animated silhouette appearance inside the room. His inspiration comes from the traditional Shoji walls of the Japanese house. The thinness of the paper walls allow shadows of the trees to be cast inside a room.

Makato Sei Watanbe uses light rods to resemble trees. They are chosen as they are very sensitive and responsive to changes in wind speed and therefore give the viewer a real time record of the changing weather outside. “I wanted to create something lithe. Trees swaying and rustling in the wind. Grasslands rippling like waves… living things, even plants firmly rooted in the soil, are never completely still. Their position, form and shape constantly change in response to wind, rain, temperature and light” ^{(Nute, 2004)}

Sash windows are another reminder of the historic significance of this space and add to the character of it. The windows now have wind up handles but still require mechanical opening which needs human involvement. This has the resulting effect of keeping the occupants in touch with the ever-changing weather and temperature of our climate.

 

 

Image of trees outside window of red room

 

The two external walls feature mostly glazing and give views out onto green spaces in both directions. The floor to ceiling height of the windows heightens this connection with the outside environment. Tadoa Ando is an architect that considers nature as a indicator of time, “a concern for the relationship between architecture and nature inevitably leads to a concern for the temporal context of architecture. I want to emphasise the sense of time and to create compositions in which a felling of transience or passing of time is a part of the spatial experience”(Nute, 2004). His buildings are designed like passive objects observing the play of natural phenomena which reflect the passing of time and life itself into his space,

 

4. CONCLUSION

From my observations and recording of this one particular space, I discovered many ways in which time are at play in the space and contribute to a heightened awareness of a particular moment in time.

The character of that space is not just shaped by the wooden structure, but the patina that time has left on the wood. It is not just shaped by sunlight entering the space but by the movement of the sun as it orbits the room. The beautiful view of the trees outside the window are a nice feature, but the way the occupant can see the trees move in the wind or change colour over the year adds more value to this space.

This room also remains valuable and powerful as it has proved that it can change over time and adapt with the passing time. It has been allowed to age and yet it modernises at the same time. Its flexibility is what has made it stronger and more valuable space over time. It has proven that it can accommodate many different activities and purposes and grow with time. The character of the space has been encouraged to evolve and transform the passing of time. It remains as strong a space as it originally was because it has allowed itself to be transformed thus establishing a connected sense of being. With each new life it takes on it becomes a richer and more valuable space characterised by time.