CONTEXT & BUILDING II
by SHA WAN XUAN
From the previous blog, we did discuss about “context” in architecture roughly and quick understanding on the meaning of context which is an element that influence on a design of building including physical and non physical element. The term “context” played same role through architecture lifespan. Context today is as important as it was a century ago, but sometimes we consider more elements in today’s architecture when designing.
A century ago, a building designed by considering with the site or history, cultural and religious: how to blend and merged into site, the façade or dome designed because of the religion’s needs. In today’s architecture, we consider what we considered a century ago but we also consider on other elements such as human circulation at that site, building around and the living level of residents. To a site, there is not only common context like sun orientation and wind but sometimes we might have special context or hidden context on the site specifically such as behaviour of user , living quality of users or height restriction of neighbourhood.
'.....every design problem begins with an effort to achieve fitness between two entities: the form and its context, which context is formal ,marked by its study of figure /ground relationships.'' Adrian Forty
Let’s study about buildings that roughly completed in a century ago and the contemporary building to know how the context works. I'm going to show the same type of building which is religious in the different century.
St Paul's Cathedral,Sir Christopher Wren 1697
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Context:
Historical Consideration
Religious Consideration
Ancient Architecture Element
Church of the Light / Tadao Ando 1999
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Context:
Light Penetrated
Senses of User
Religious Consideration
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St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral located at London.With context that we discussed, Sir Christopher Wren designed the dome framed by the spires ,dominated the skyline for 300 years.
From the time of the Greek Cross Design it is clear that Wren favoured a continuous colonnade (peristyle) around the drum of the dome, rather than the arrangement of alternating windows and projecting columns.
For the wall, the building is of two storeys of ashlars masonry, above a basement, and surrounded by a balustrade above the upper cornice.
Internally, St Paul's has a nave and choir in each of its three bays. The entrance from the west portico is through a square domed narthex, flanked by chapels.
The interior of the dome showing how Thornhill's painting continues an illusion of the real architectural features. These views of an arch spanning the aisle shows how Wren succeeded in giving an impression of eight equal arches.
The context of this cathedral is very strong at that century and make the cathedral more highlighted.
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For Church of Light, the point Tadao Ando highlighted is different from the cathedral because of the changing of century and site context and also the architect’s style but these do not influence the function of the church.
Locating at Osaka,Japan the church did not designed in Greek style instead in a very clean and clear in its raw concrete material.
For Ando, the Church of Light is an architecture of duality – the dual nature of existence – solid/void, light/dark, stark/serene.
The Church of the Light embraces Ando’s philosophical framework between nature and architecture through the way in which light can define and create new spatial perceptions equally, if not more so, as that of his concrete structures.
The coexisting differences leave the church void of any, and all, ornament creating a pure, unadorned space. The intersection of light and solid raises the occupants awareness of the spiritual and secular within themselves. The employment of simplistic materials reinforces the duality of the space; the concrete structure removes any distinction of traditional Christian motifs and aesthetic.
Besides an extruded cross from the east facing façade, the church is composed of a concrete shell; the concrete adds to the darkness of the church by creating a more humble, meditative place of worship.
In a nutshell , a context did influence a outcome of building, might due to common and specific consideration such as function of building itself ,history and cultural of the site, human behaviour of the site and more. No matter now or a century ago, “context” really played important role to make a design more powerful, more merged with the site and also the human.