Subtle Substances of Space

Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (AHK)

2017

For this studio I wanted to investigate deeper how subtle elements interfere with our perceptions of space and explore primitive shapes. The concept of the Square Pavilion is related to what Sou Fujimoto calls “found architecture”. According to him, architecture is “first found then made”. He says that architecture is everywhere, in the literal sense.

We as human beings, not only as architects, tend to associate architecture with familiar shapes, especially people who aren’t architects tend to relate architectural spaces with familiar shapes. In addition to that, the theme for the assignment was “fundamentals of space” regarding the primitive aspect of space; the three most primary shapes are the circle, the triangle and the square, each one of these geometric shapes bring a different perception when applied in architecture, but square intrigues me because it has what I find, in a sense, inhabitable corners. In the book Poetics of Space, which I read for this assignment, Bachelard says that every corner in a house, every angle in a room, every inch of secluded space in which we like to hide or withdraw into ourselves, is a symbol of solitude for the imagination; that is to say, it is the germ of a room, or of a house.

Every time we cocoon ourselves in the corner of the couch or we chose to sleep in the corner of our bed or even when we place our desks in the corner of the room, instinctively we try to reproduce the feeling of protection. The corner is in this sense a very important space in our homes. This pavilion is an abstract symbol of these corners, it’s a reflection of a primitive geometrical shape made into three-dimensional architectural space. It’s not meant to create a corner where one can literally be hidden from the rest of the world, because that atmosphere we can find in other places dedicated to relaxation. The Square pavilion is a symbol of what isn’t built there, which are our subtle substances, our memories and everything that make us who we are.

One of the characteristics of a corner is that in certain situations we cannot know what is around the corner, many times in architecture we cut the corners so to allow for better view of what is coming around it. Every time we are surprised by something like when we are scared by someone suddenly appearing in front of us, this unbalances us in a certain way. The pavilion has no walls, not only to prevent any uncertainty of what is coming around the corner, but also to allow the users to be aware of the entire pavilion at a glance, without having surprises when they walk through it.