ピーター・ズントーに気付かされる

2012年RIBAゴールドメダル（王立英国建築協会が与える建築賞）の受賞者、ピーター・ズントーが今月ロンドンにてレクチャーを行った。
ソールドアウトで入れなかったが後日ツイッターや建築系ブログなどでトークの一部始終を拝見する中、印象に残っている言葉が一つ。

"Architecture is not about form, it is about many other things. The light and the use, and the structure, and the shadow, the smell and so on. I think form is the easiest to control, it can be done at the end." - Peter Zumthor, February 2013

建築は完璧で機能的なフォルムの追求ではなく、光、影、構造、匂いなど、人間がコントロールし難いエレメント／要素の融合体を空間にて如何に巧く人々の感覚に訴え、表現するかだ、と。

彼は決して新しい事を言っている訳でもなく、建築家たる者の殆どがおそらく日頃から気には留めている事を、建築家／建築ライターだらけのオーディオトリウムで言い張った。
ズントー”らしい”発言で、驚きは無いのだけれど、日々面積表やら部屋の配置、建ぺい率のマニピュレーションを前にネチネチと”空間操作”を行っている僕らにとっては良い念押しだなと悔しくも頷いている自分がいた。

「フォルムのコントロールは一番簡単な部分で、デザインの過程で最後にでもできる」と言う部分は特に、これから多くの空間をデザインして行くであろう身としては常に頭の中に入れておかなくてはいけないなと。
コントロールし難い要素の操作、交差によって生じる現象の体験 - 其れありきの機能的な建築、こそがズントーの理想の形だと思う。
選択された敷地でしか起こり得ない現象を見つけ、使い手の体験／生活をより豊かにできてこそ建築に意味が生まれ、受け継がれて行くきっかけを作る。

今までの自分の経験と照らし合わせて考えると、携わって来たプロジェクトが学校、集合住宅、図書館、会議場など、プログラムの機能性がクライエントにとって”絶対”なタイポロジーなだけに、どうしてもプログラム／空間操作先行の設計プロセスになってしまっていた気がする。
多くの使い手が日々訪れる建築だからこそ、もっとズントー式プロセスとのバランスを取って行かなければいけないな、と職場での根本的な自分のデザイン手法について深く考えさせられた。
過去に投稿した個人の作品、特にBelvedere ParkやPublic Squareはズントー式寄りだという点を見て分かる通り、仕事とパーソナルでの作品の方向性に早くも”ずれ”が生じている、という現状が今回の件でより明らかになった。
一プロフェッショナルとして、其処は改善して行かないといけないな。。

シンプルで一見ありきたりな台詞に聞こえるズントーの発言だったが、今後仕事での取り組み方にも影響を与えて行きそうな予感がする。

-lenga910

参考記事はこちら

Lenga Font

Lenga Font / レンガフォント

base grid / グリッド: 215x65 ratio (conventional UK brick dimensions / 英国式煉瓦の比率) 

Brockholes Visitor Village

A few months ago I visited Brockholes Visitor Village, designed by Adam Khan Architects. 

The scheme modestly sits within the Brockholes nature reserve (12/15/2012), on an artificial pond, surrounded by wetland landscape and its inhabitants. 

As we approached by a car, after setting off from the busy M6, a long 10 mph limit narrow way instantly transformed our mindset.

We sensed calmness, slowness and a crescendo of 'anticipation' as 'something' was going to appear from behind the trees.

Brockholes Visitor Village, from the approach driveway

The first sight of the visitor centre became apparent - a village-like settlement floating on water. 

With the vastness of the moody sky and the horizontal landscape, the composition of this image was iconic and drew our attention straight away. 

We continued through the approach road and the building was hidden behind a bank, but the imagery that we just saw was still strong in presence in our minds.

Brockholes Visitor Village, from the approach driveway

After parking, the approach journey by foot was equally dramatic.

Now, we were walking towards the sun, with the oak-shakes-cladded roofline gradually becoming clearer to our eyes. 

The banks and the reeds are lit and come into life with colours. 

Daylight bounces against the water and the sky is still massive. 

By this point, we felt a real sense of arrival to this visitor centre.

Visitors village exterior - a floating structure

The construction of this architecture is simple but very well executed. The dwelling-scale structures are timber construction (using glulam beams) with oak vertical slats. 

Interior - restaurant area with large openings

The proportioning of the budget seems simple. 

Use affordable building materials but invest well on openings and the floating structure (pontoon construction). 

The finishes bring out the 'humane' feel of the 'village' but also show respect and friendliness to the wildlife that would inhabit in and around this site.

Entrance to the village - connection bridge

As mentioned, the village is a floating structure where concrete pontoon goes up and down in relation to the water level of the pond. 

The site is within a flood risk area, and hence it needed to have a sustainable strategy to live with such natural conditions. 

Visitors would access the village using the two bridges that connect with the land - these detach themselves when the area is flooded so the structure can 'ascend' with water.

Sky, water and the visitor centre

For me, the best experience at Brockholes always had emphasis on the outdoor journeys in relation to the building - it became a reference point that revealed certain views and areas of the surrounding landscape. 

The water was key, but the sky was equally significant. 

I am too used to the sky we see in the congested urban setting - the emotion and the vastness of fast-changing cloudscape I saw that day was overwhelming.

The visitor centre became beautiful still life objects that enhanced such contemplative experience.

-lenga910

Quinzhee Candle

ロンドンと日本を拠点に活躍されているハンドメイドキャンドルアーティスト、「Quinzhee Candle」のブランドアイデンティティとビジネスカードをデザインしました。

Lenga910 has created designs for brand identity and business card for Quinzhee Candle - a handmade-candle artist based in London and Japan.

-lenga910

Client: Quinzhee Candle
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Season's Greetings

Best wishes for Christmas and a happy new year from lenga910 

Expecting another colourful (but slightly jollier we hope) year for 2013!

Snapshot of Movement/Horizontality

Brockholes Nature Reserve, November 2012

イングランド北部、プレストン市（Preston）からやや東に位置するブロックホールズ自然公園(Brockholes)を訪れた際に見た景色。秋から冬へと移り変わろうとする木々達が水平なラインを作り、手前には平凡なウェットランド（湿地帯）が流動的な空模様を映している。

英国の雲は変化が早く、見る見るうちに表情／形を変えるムーディーさが目立つ。

農村地域が国土の大半を占めるイングランドでは、地形の浮き沈みが少ないフラットな景観が多く、空はより広大に見える。
此処ブロックホールズ自然公園では、無限の表情を見せる空の景色が水面とシンク[synchronize]しながら、訪れる来遊者を楽しませ、その日限りの「イメージ」を脳裏に焼き付けてくれる。

-lenga910

Intervention 03: Surveillance Facade

Existing 'L-shaped' site

The site lies at the North East corner of the Lace Market, one of the most inactive parts of the area and is in the shades of surrounding tall warehouses most of the day. Two routes that lead to the 'L-shaped' site are often faced by back sides of old warehouses, making the environment seemingly less approachable, which may have over time created a perception that the area is somewhat unsafe. This is typified by a series of graffiti on walls and some security wires installed to some of the buildings - it is fair to say that this site has become a neglected quarter of the Lace Market. 

The main objective is to transform the site into a better perceived place and to improve the level of active surveillance around the area. This will be achieved by triggering more people to come use these routes and also re-familialize the L-shaped site as one of the often used thoroughfare within the area. 

Intervention 03: Surveillance Facade

A new 'yash-mak' facade inserted into a corner that joins the two routes in will improve the level of active surveillance around the area as the architecture piece becomes an urban sculpture that draws more attention. It will become a visual reference point and a more popular threshold into the Lace Market. Over time, the site will grow its presence within the cognitive map of Nottingham users.

Structural model of the proposed facade

New Architectural Elements on Site:
1. 'Yash-Mak' surveillance facade

-Lenga901