Like Clockwork

After contemplating the notion of a clock, the next evolutionary step would be to consider the mechanics in measuring the passage of time, in say, a watch. Particularly in traditional mechanical style watches, the detail and precision required of each individual mechanism is astounding. Like a chain reaction, each element is dependent on the prior, thus promoting a self-enclosed ecosystem. If one fails, so too will the rest. 

As evident in the accompanying images, there is a vast amount of mechanical parts that comprise a watch. Some are circular, some are winding and intertwining their way through, some are anchored, and some seem to be floating. Yet, each and every element seems to coexist in perfect harmony. 

I think the most important caveat to take from this, and to implement into my design for "The Timeman", is the notion of an all encompassing ecosystem - or as Tadao Ando puts it, "to establish the single intent of the space". Hopefully this will encourage the achievement of "a maximum effect of equilibrium" and balance. 

Just like clockwork.

Tadao Ando

Tadao Ando is a distinguished japanese architect whose work, in my opinion, is utterly breathtaking. Simple in nature - though not to be confused with simplistic - the architect intentionally uses limited forms and materials to structure space and light in dynamic sequences.

""My intent is not to express the nature of the material itself," Ando has noted about his buildings, "but to employ it to establish the single intent of the space." With a refined formal vocabulary and an acute sensitivity to the effects of subtle atmospheric change, Ando creates spaces that produce what he has called "a maximum effect of equilibrium." Such spaces provide sanctuary from the chaos of daily life."

                                

It isn't surprising that Tadao Ando's was the first name that came to mind upon learning that for my studio course this semester, my character was "The Timeman". Light will play an incredibly important role in my design as contemplated in my previous blog post! Coincidentally, or perhaps it was fated, Ando has also perfectly articulated this notion of light supplementing architecture, in a manner that transcends beyond the various architectural philosophical arguments I've been presented with thus far. I think this is called "the Eureka moment".

"Light is the origin of all being. Light gives, with each moment, new form to being and new interrelationships to things, and architecture condenses light to its most concise being. The creation of space in architecture is simply the condensation and purification of the power of light." 

-Tadao Ando

These philosophies resonate deeply with me as a designer, especially whilst I begin to discover and develop my own design language. Let them serve as a guiding light throughout my foray into architecture.

John Hejduk

This semester, our studio is structured heavily around the teachings and legacy left by the architect John Hejduk. It is fitting, seeing as we are now being pushed to consider the heightened role of context and the poetic in architectural form, which arguabaly is what Hejduk excelled in from what I've read.

John Hejduk. Bye House (1971), from the League's exhibition 200 Years of American Architectural Drawing

John Hejduk. House of the Suicide, from the Lancaster/Hanover Masque 1980-1982

"Through colliding architecture with poetry, he extended it. Extended the understanding of it in an ontological sense. And in my mind extended the possibilities for it. This was often, and I'm being very general here, accomplished through themes of the mythical, the pathos of history, narration, and anthropomorphism."   - Thomas-Michael


Thomas-Michael eloquently articulates the manner in which Hejduk approached his trade, and it definitely resonates with my impression of the architect. In my opinion his designs are just as much about storytelling and myth as they are about form and space.  The structures he creates are characters who inhabit the city, each with their own imbedded history and stories. This will be the basis for my studio course this semester, as we are assigned a unique character from one of Hejduk's works, to then create a design solution for.

A Little Inspiration

What can I say? They speak for themselves. Maybe one day my name will be amongst them...