Evoking Reactions

By: Tyler Norton

What should be the main goal that architecture aims to accomplish? Adolf Loos once said, “Architecture arouses sentiments in man. The architect’s task therefore, is to make those sentiments more precise.” Some would disagree with Loos. Many think that sustainability, function, and form, among others, should be the main focus. While these are all important aspects of architecture, I agree with Mr. Loos. Architecture should be all about tailoring to people’s wants and needs and seeking a reaction from each individual who experiences the building. Without the individual, there is no reason for architecture to exist. There are plenty of examples of buildings that do just that and each architect accomplishes this fundamental goal in different ways.

One building that does a beautiful job of triggering a reaction is Le Corbusier’s Beistegui apartment. This work has a distinct surrealist style, especially the garden area. By definition, the aim of surrealism is to evoke emotion by stimulating the subconscious. The Beistegui garden does this in multiple ways. For instance, surrealism focuses on the incorporation of spontaneity, the emphasis on irrational, and representing things as they usually aren’t. The fireplace located in the garden meets all of these qualifications. The fireplace is irrational because a fireplace would never actually be found outside except in surrealist architecture. Le Corbusier generates a reaction from the individual by provoking the subconscious through surrealism.

Although it is not technically architecture, Maurice Nio’s 2004 Touch of Evil project is another example of architects evoking reactions from the public. The point of this project was to give expression to the technical spaces throughout cities and to bring life to a normally anonymous space. The red plastic covering the otherwise completely gray space provides and unexpected relief from the normally monotonous continuity of the city’s technical space. This evokes surprise from the viewer and invites creativity and imagination. As mentioned in class, the structure could not be changed; it just had to be added to. Therefore, Nio had to get creative. Instead of changing the architecture, he had to change the way people perceived the space. As well as provided unexpected relief, he also added the sense of touch to the experience. People are able to feel the texture of the red covering, which in turn adds to the moment. All and all, the way that Nio artfully induces a reaction from the individual is by changing the perception of the area.

           

            The final example that I would like to talk about is the Moses Bridge by RO&AD architects. Aside from being inventive and aesthetically appealing, it is also a great example of architecture that creates a reaction. It is interesting even to people who have no background in architecture. It evokes emotion and delight from the visual aspect but it is also very well thought out and focuses on the local culture and history. The bridge was designed to be “invisible” because the area was originally a fort and the architects wanted to keep the idea of a moat separating the enemies. Another way that the bridge connects to the individual is the idea of Moses. With the Biblical reference, it further evokes emotion from the viewer.

           

            In conclusion, all three of these examples seek to create a reaction by stimulating the subconscious, changing perception, and evoking emotion respectively. This is important because the reaction of the viewer is what connects architecture to its target audience: the individual. Without the individual, architecture would have no purpose. That is why the main goal of architecture should always be to focus on the reaction of the person experiencing it.

 Sources:

http://www.landezine.com/index.php/2011/11/moses-bridge-by-road-architects/

Touch of Red

By Abbie Gentry

The area beneath bridges has always had a bad reputation. In children’s fairytale stories, it is where dark creatures lurk and wait to snatch up some unfortunate soul. In large cities, it is the location where the homeless population congregates and suspicious transactions occur. The region beneath a highway in Pijnacker-Nootdorp in the Netherlands attempts to remedy this ill-fated status. However, while this particular project may not have an actual troll like the one under the Fremont Bridge in Seattle, it does have a ‘Touch of Evil’ …which also happens to literally be the name of the project.

The ‘Touch of Evil’ takes up a 2000 square-metered stretch of land beneath highways and train tracks. It appears to be an ordinary passageway where walkers, runners, and bikers are free to go about their business. The difference between this underpass and other tunnels lays, however, in the huge splashes of red upon the concrete walls. These vibrant, splattered splotches liven up the atmosphere to create a fun and whimsical environment. There is fluidity and motion in the red forms. It has been described as such: “In front of us a big red stain etches concrete surfaces. The smooth gray walls twist, bend, as when a finger touches the surface of the water and a series of waves begin to come alive” (Nio Architecten). There is even a level of third dimensionality to the ribbons of red. In some places the red wrinkles and bulges to give the area not only a brilliant color but also texture.

Maurice Nio, founder of NIO Architecten, aimed to create an environment that is safe and comfortable; though perhaps not too comfortable. There is a sense of childlike wonder and untamed energy associated with this passageway. Within this space there is even a sign that reads “Touch of Evil is a tunnel that you will never understand, even if you follow every day of your life” (Nio Architecten). Moreover, there is the nature of the materiality and color that creates quite the paradox. Red is a warm color; the color of life, passion, and energy. It is “bold, strong, and demands a response… It’s all about movement and flow and making a statement” (Munoz). Concrete, on the other hand, is more often than not linked with the feeling of coldness and harsh, industrial environments. It seems ironic that the two extremes are paired. However, this is not done by accident. In response to its seemingly conflicting nature, Nio says, “This is my dream. Infect the soft with the hard. Limit the lens. The virtual with the real. Intelligence with stupidity” (Nio Architecten). Furthermore, “the project was conceived by the thought about filling the “technical spaces” of our cities with life and expression, the “soulless with a soul” (Gianotti). He takes an ordinary, emotionless, utilitarian space and transforms it into an energetic, personable space. He, in effect, “transforms an out-of-the-way and apparently insignificant place into an experience capable of redeeming a desolate, anonymous location, formerly soulless and slovenly (Touch of Evil).

It is interesting to think that merely adding color to something as bland as an underpass can cause such a stir. It does not change the reality that it is still simply a passageway under a busy highway. However, it completely changes its perception and the over-all experience.

Sources Cited

Gianotti, Andrea. “AD Interviews: Maurice Nio.” ArchDaily. 26 May 2010. Web. 31 September 2012. < http://www.archdaily.com/61429/ad-interviews-maurice-nio/

Munoz, Frances. “Color Theory Series: Red.” SW Creatives, LLC. 18 February 2010. Web. 1 October 2012. < http://www.swcreatives.com/_blog/SWC_Blog/post/color-theory-series-red/>

“Nio Architecten. Touch of Evil.” Arch’It. 1 June 2005. Web. 31 September 2012. <http://architettura.it/architetture/20050601/index.htm>

“Touch of Evil – Nio Architecten. Pinacker, 2004.” Floornature. 18 September 2007. Web. 31 September 2012. <http://www.floornature.com/projects-housing/project-touch-of-evil-nio-architecten-pijnacker-2004-4922/>