AJDVIV (Architecten Jan de Vylder Inge Vinck) . K O S M O S Architektur
Late autumn winter to come. Sunday afternoon. My father took the car and took us upon a trip trespassing the harbour of Antwerp. Not only the bankside but also the endless landscapes of the industrial carpet that comes along with it and seems to wave out without refrain. An industrial landscape that came in place of the once ever only farming landscape.
PROLOGUE
sunday afternoon
At no point the new landscape could replace the nature ever around. But with a certain blink of the eye and the patience the human capacity needs to absorb the idea of change one could see another beauty can be found in it. The beauty of simply the things as they are. How they came. Since they were needed like that. Functional. And by that pure. And for sure not more not less. friday noon This understanding leaded to a study of composition and compilations of all kind. In the illustration you find like more than twenty different outcomes of these exercises. From free to geometrical compositions. From considerations of re-use to abstraction of colours. Endless variations and alternations. That only could find final directions and conclusion after a better understand of the details of the project in a further on design debate. But even. After the deep reading by the catalogue of elements of the present context and after taking the ideas shared in the prologue and epilogue in mind. It came the idea that maybe accepting a certain way of accepting the simple and honest architecture of the present context was in its principles good enough to nourish the new project to come as also the future but today unknown additions or adaptions even the existing taking part without refrain. Are the illustrations an assumption or speculation on what the project could have been without this call at the same time it is a proposal that defines itself as a continuation of the given context however since the idea of catalogue of understandings – the elements – a proposal to work with you on a manual of colours and elements to give any future and existing place in the idea of the whole. Ever since the further on development and reading of this manual will deliver on one hand architecture of recognition – the elements – and on the other hand architecture for sure kind like different – the variations and alternations -. Just different enough but still the same.
The first site visit. As start of the competition. Being guided around on the venue. Being introduced in the future to come. Listening to how the issue of the façade is expected to give direction differently from what was in mind or was existing around. However, what has been situated. As topic. As issue. As problem. At the end. Or maybe in the beginning. The site visit revealed unexpected – to some of us but not to us – some beauty. Once more. A matter of one or more blinks of the eye. What has been formulated as the problem. Could also be formulated as not being the problem. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As it is said. Maybe we learn to see the things differently however they are the same. ludwig Leo The circulation pump of Ludwig Leo near to the zoo of Berlin is nothing more than what it should be. It is for sure a question of where it is situated. Once could say: how is it possible! At that point in the city! And on top: as it is nothing more than what it should be then the colours are for sure what one should not expect as these colours are not needed at all. But since these colours: all what it should be is what it should be. Thanks to the colours. THAT IS NOT LOOKS GOOD MAKES THAT IT LOOKS GOOD This prologue is not without message. Of course. It is a prologue. But maybe this prologue is yet the message at all. The images illustrating our proposal are no more no less illustrations of the project as it might have looked if this call did not had come along. This call to design a façade. A facade as such. No more no less. The images do present that. At least assumes or speculates on that. As we dare to believe that these facades do reveal a certain beauty we dare to present them as the proposal.. Just as good as the original is. As we believe the original is yet that good. The title ‘that it does not looks good makes that it looks good’ frames this idea at all. It suggests that the way the project is existing yet today is maybe good enough. Maybe not only good enough but even maybe really good. Maybe even very good. And by that possible so inspiring. These illustrations do give image to our proposal. A proposal which is in many perspectives a critical position towards the question raised. At the same time the proposal is a proposal of engagement. The call for proposal to design a façade needs a critical answer. Or rather a critical questioning. And these questions are as well wide as deep. Is architecture a matter of façade only? Or beauty only? Or is a rather a matter of honesty? And maybe acceptance? And reality? Also? At least? Bringing these questions in the wider debate on or about architecture today the question of the façade is a very vivid debate: does architecture risks to be downsized to a scale or matter of façade or will architecture still aim to maintain and explore further on its real ambitions to reflect urge and form? And by that the whole site will be not an expression of another architecture of another specific time but become rather a campus in a wider extend. And at the end. It is industry. Yes. Nevertheless, it is industry of a new era. It still is. At least one should avoid that other perception are regenerated that then the perception is should be. This said not as question on a typological or conceptual debate or ambition. But just because we believe that the situation of the site of today can be enough inspiring at least been given another angle on what might be the issue of perception to not say beauty. This proposal is a reality check. And the reality is quite good enough. To energize the next reality. EPILOGUE bordeaux A call has been sent out for the refurbishment of a public space – can someone check the name of the place! – . The space was felt to be needed to be given an upgrade. Lacaton & Vassal proposed to not change the public space and to use the planned budget for maintenance. And keeping cars out. The act of acceptance. The understanding of maintenance. Maintenance rather act of care. As being an act good enough. Ed Rusha The work of Ed Rusha celebrates the world as it is. A post-industrial America society is revealed in his paintings of gasoil stations and warehouses and industry. These can be seen as a reality check or complain but they also can be seen as just a simple understanding of a certain reality leading towards a certain acceptance that might lead to another angle on beauty. If not. The paintings of Ed Rusha at least do reveal the deep fascination of architecture and art towards the modern times. These times driven by economy of production and consumption and more over how that economy seems to have invented a new aesthetics on it own. And on top presents and celebrates it as to be accepted without comment. architects Architects should be not only there to fulfil the questions or needs. Maybe first architects should be there to re-phrase or re-frame or re-question the question. Not to just oppose it but merely to understand the question better. But also understanding that better understanding might lead to slightly other to radically other understandings possible. Architects know that. Out of experience. Out of history. That’s why architects are often perceived as quiet optimist. Daring to change the question in stead of quickly answering the demand. The cost calculation is based on market conform unity prizes. The proposal embraces the idea of the normal expected materiality, delivery and placement this unity prize is lower then what has been foreseen. Evidently the outcome of the total cost prospect is by that significant lower then the projected budget.
Bringing the question in a deeper debate in the frame of the call one should question why the façade is expected to be something different than what the whole project is about. Is the debate on the façade only a debate on perception and is disturbance the guiding issue to reach out for a call on certain aesthetics along the highway? As this is a quiet a new and future orientated plant why then wanting that plant to be presented differently than what it is or it is intending to be? Second. Is the call only about the call? The new buildings? Or could it be also about the future buildings to come? And why not about the old building that stay? Should it be not a call on rather an idea or method of action or attitude than just this moment of the new? Is the call a matter of defined proposal or a matter of defining attitude and method and process? As the illustrations of our proposal are no more no less an understanding of what ‘the presence of the present context is’ and then simply ‘applied to the future constellation’ the illustrations aim to reveal not just an image but an attitude or engagement this proposal is in fact more than the image as such. The pre-study of this proposal contains as study of collecting and cataloguing the different elements, parts and signatures the actual status of the site has in its grammar. The green, the red, the black and the galvanised grey. The corrugated plates and the beams. And the tubes and the singular and particular parts and components. To understand the ‘grammar’ and the ‘syntax’ of the ‘architecture’ this site is today. In the illustrations you find a selection of these understanding. A matrix of a selection of some of the many different letters of the ‘alphabet’ of the language of the existing architecture. This is an advantage in many ways. Not only less budget is to be spend – and budget often goes along with material use ! – but also the left over budget can be or saved or been applied to a wider approach of the intended concept as described. So a larger effect can be found. Ecology ever before applying ecological materials or systems a question of use of resources. Defining less need of material is in basically a better startpoint ever then often accelerating the need of materials to obtain beter ecological performances. The real ecological intrest start at the beginning. And the wider ecological principles are the best result at all. So spreading investments wider is more successful than concentrating efforts. Economy of means as key to strategy of ecology. As the outcome of 1.8mio € delivers a advantage of 1.2mio € this advantage can be used for future but also past programming. The ambition of our proposal is rather an attitude instead of a concept. This attitudes is rather process minded and working together on a wider outcome then what the brief was framing is part of that attitude. This cost calculations confirms it has its reality.
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