At this year’s Biennale, Anupama Kundoo’s representation of
her “Wall House” struck me as one of the most interesting exhibitions as this was
the only exhibition that represented the original structure so fully, keeping
true to the intended design concepts, materials, and construction methods. The
architect’s decision to represent her Wall House with such accuracy in each of
these fields allowed her to fully encompass the theme of this year’s Biennale –
that of creating a common ground in architecture. From the original design
intents to the construction and design of the exhibition space, Kundoo found a
common ground between the occupants, the workers, and the environment.
Kundoo’s original design of the Wall House finds a common
ground between man and his surrounding environment. The initial design works
around the natural benefits of the site to enhance the capabilities of the
home; taking into account sensitivity to sun patterns, wind orientations and
seasonal variations as well as incorporating several of the existing trees into
the plan. Furthermore, the structure itself can be modified to most effectively
capture the natural aspects through the manipulation of shutters, specifying
cross ventilation and sun exposure patterns based on the particular season. In
addition to these passive techniques, the home finds use in active solar
technologies such as photovoltaic cells (providing electricity) and a solar
water heater that integrate natural elements, the structure, and the occupants.
In the construction of her exhibition, Kundoo and her team
find a common ground between vastly different cultures. Kundoo chooses to
mirror the construction of the original Wall House by utilizing traditional
Indian construction methods that rely heavily on natural and recycled materials
(such as locally produced baked clay bricks and terra cotta tubes or pots) that
are installed by highly skilled local craftsmen. The architect has the original
materials duplicated in India and shipped to Venice to ensure an accurate portrayal
of her Wall House. As well, Kundoo brings with her several of the highly
skilled Indian craftsmen to construct the exhibition, ensuring that the
construction methods are also accurate with the local traditions. A team of
students from the University of Australia (where Kundoo teaches) and Italian
builders also lent a hand to the craftsmen for the creation of the exhibition. The
diverse construction team found a common ground with the completion of the
project, which represents a synthesis of what Kundoo calls, “imported
techniques and [Italian construction] traditions.” 
Through her design concepts for the exhibition space, Kundoo
found a common ground between the design of the original project and the
architecture of the Italian Arsenale. Stepping into her exhibition is like
entering another world. Kundoo represents only a carefully selected portion of
the Wall House at a 1:1 scale within the small confines of the exhibition space.
Visitors catch a glimpse of traditional Indian construction techniques (through
exposure of structural wood elements out of the brick façade and use of terra
cotta tubes to create a barrel vault) and material pallette (through building
materials and floor treatments). The design also gives visitors a sense of the
original site within the walls of the exhibition by utilizing the existing
brick column structure of the Arsenale. Kundoo integrates the columns in a
similar manner to that of the trees at the original site. Kundoo’s exhibition space of the Wall House effectively finds a common ground with everyone involved in the project from start to finish – from the influence of the craftsmen of the original structure to the visitors of this year’s Biennale.
Bibliography:
-Vinnitskaya , Irina . "Venice Biennale 2012: Wall house / Anupama Kundoo, University of Queensland" 30 Jul 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 28 Sep 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/258087>
-Images courtesy of www.designboom.com
No comments:
Post a Comment