Term Paper on "Work of Steven Holl Related to Phenomenology"

Term Paper 10 pages (3302 words) Sources: 10 Style: Chicago

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Steven Holl

Discussing the practical application of a phenomenological theory of architecture can present an initial challenge, because the basic tenets of the theory of phenomenology, as first articulated by Christian Norberg-Schulz and others, are deceptively simple. Phenomenology favors simplicity above all else, but not the kind of simplicity that results in a single identifiable aesthetic; rather the ideal simplicity as conceived of in phenomenological theory has to do with the use of a few essential colors and motifs within any given piece in order to generate a complexity of experience out a few simple ideas. A perfect example of this is Steven Holl's Linked Hybrid in Beijing, which uses a few primary colors and shapes in order to construct a visual and tactile representation of the life which inhabits any given architectural space, mirroring the kind of structured yet nonetheless objective experience of inhabiting and moving through the design. By examining Linked Hybrid in conjunction with relevant theories of phenomenological architecture, one is able to see how architectural theory intersects with actual architectural practice such that the building itself offers a kind of commentary on that theory.

Before addressing the design Linked Hybrid in particular, it will be useful to discuss some relevant phenomenological theory regarding shape, color, and the individual experience of a place in general in order to see how Linked Hybrid actually embodies and is in conversation with this theory. Practically any discussion of phenomenological theory begins with Christian Norberg-Schulz, who first proposed the concept over the course of over thirty years, finally condensing his thoughts in to his 1980 book Genius loci: towards a phenomenology of architecture.. In addition to this seminal text, however, it will be useful to consult an earlier essay of his regarding the particular notion of the "place," an essay by architect and theorist Juhani Pallasma discussing the particular use of geometry in phenomenological practice, and even some Steven Holl's theoretical writings. As mentioned above, the key tenet of phenomenological architecture is a particular simplicity, and examining this phenomenological theory with an eye towards it discussion of shape, color, and individual experience will serve to inform the subsequent description and analysis of Linked Hybrid itself.

The most crucial portion of Norberg-Schulz' theory for this investigation is his discussion of place as having an "atmosphere," such that it "is therefor a qualitative, "total" phenomenon, which we cannot reduce to any of its properties, such as spatial relationships, without losing its concrete nature" (Norberg-Schulz 1980, 8). This concrete nature is what arises out of the meeting between objective reality and a human being's individual experience, so that "the concrete things which constitute our given world are interrelated in complex and perhaps contradictory ways," but these interrelations nonetheless work in conjunction in order generate the sense of place, which is merely those phenomena which "form an 'environment' to others" (Norberg-Schulz 1996, 414). Thus, the phenomenon that is a particular place is nothing more than the structure in which other phenomena may occur, and realizing this allows one to understand the role of architecture itself in phenomenological theory. The actual physical structures of buildings serve to provide the visitor with certain meaningful cues that structure the individual experience of the building in order to generate meaningful emotional and intellectual phenomena.

This leads to the first tenet of phenomenology, which is simplicity. Because "everyday experience […] tells us that different actions need different environments to take place in a satisfactory way," each design must begin with an eye towards these different actions in their immediate social, historical, and geographic context (Norberg-Schulz 1996, 415). As Norberg-Schulz notes, "similar' functions, even the most basic ones such as sleeping and eating, take place in very different ways, and demand places with different properties, in accordance with different cultural traditions and different environmental conditions" (Norberg-Schulz 1996, 415).

This may seem like an obvious consideration for any architect to make when designing a particular piece, but in the phenomenological architecture the immediate context of the building is far more central than any other, to the point that it serves as the organizing theme of any phenomenological design, because "if a building does not fulfill the basic conditions formulated for it phenomenologically as a symbol of human existence it is unable to influence the emotional feelings linked in our souls with the images a building creates" (Pallasma 1996, 351). Thus, the seed of any phenomenological practice is "a conceptual stratagem in response to the special conditions of every project" (Mascheck & Holl 2002, 26). Because the design of a building is guided by the visual and emotional experience of both the surrounding context and the intended use, phenomenological practice requires simplicity in order to ensure that the experience is open-ended enough to allow for the variety of uses which may occur while nonetheless suggesting to the viewer the particular actions and functions which will find themselves ideally suited to the place.

Having recognized the importance of "place" and the way in which the notion of place serves to suggest a kind of inherently-complex simplicity that offers itself as a liminal space where structure and freedom of experience meet, one may discuss the ways in which the essential elements of design, namely color and shape, are deployed in phenomenological practice in order to produce a unique architectural character and experience. In his essay "The Geometry of Feeling: A Look at the Phenomenology of Architecture," Juhani Pallasma discusses how phenomenological theory suggests a way of looking at architectural practice not as "a kind of game with form [which overlook] the reality of how a building is experienced," but rather as an exploration of the way "forms or geometry in general can give rise to architectural feeling" (Pallasma 1996, 449). In particular, phenomenological theory attempts to demonstrate how "the meanings of an artistic work are born out of the whole, from a vision that integrates the parts, and are in no way the sum of the elements," because the human experience of architecture, and indeed, all art, stems first and foremost from the symbolic meaning generated from these essential elements, a meaning that is wholly indiscernible from the individual parts themselves (Pallasma 1996, 449).

Pallasma is describing how buildings, far from being merely "a concrete composition built up out of a selection of basic given elements but no longer in touch with the reality of experience outside itself," actually serves as one constituent element of the phenomena of a place, with the "selection of basic given elements" working together with human experience in order to generate meaning far more complex that the constituent formal elements which generate it (Pallasma 1996, 449). Thus, the use of a few repeating shapes and colors in phenomenological practice is not simplicity for simplicity's sake, but rather an attempt at simplifying the individual formal elements of a structure as a means of almost paradoxically multiplying the meanings generated from the interaction of those formal elements with human consciousness.

It is important to note the centrality of the subjective experience in phenomenological theory, because this is what separates the simplicity of phenomenological practice from other architectural styles which elevate a relative simplicity but only through the proscription of certain general motifs which must be included in order to be considered of that style, such as the International and Prairie styles. Phenomenological practice almost never demonstrates this same homogeneity, because every design is dictated by immediate context, rather than a focus on any particular material or formal element.

Thus, when Steven Holl discusses the application of phenomenological theory to the practice of urban architectural design, he begins not by discussing what elements any successful urban building must have, but rather by highlighting the fact that "spatial perception and development in an urban setting require a three-dimensional, sectional approach that gives primary importance to the views of perambulating residents who traverse shifting ground planes, experiencing the city from multiple frames of reference" (Holl 1988, 5). The use of simple colors and shapes actually aids in this effort, because one is able to use relatively simply constituent parts in order to create a number of different views and perceptions of a single structure, thus providing the means for ever-multiplying phenomenological meaning to be produced. A building, and especially a building in an urban setting, is not experienced solely by walking through the front doors, but rather from every possible angle at every possible height, so while a given building will mean different things for someone living in it and someone living next to it, those vastly different meanings are generated by the same concrete elements which form the actual physical structure of the building. In this way, phenomenological practice is essentially the practice of structuring physical material and space in such a way as to encourage meaning-making, almost like placing old train cars in the ocean in order to provide the structure necessary for the emergence of a coral reef. Meaning grows on the concrete elements of a building alongside the people moving through… READ MORE

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