Along with the advances in the methods of construction and the discovery of materials employed for buildings, throughout history materiality has been employed not only to realize the building itself, but also as part of a conceptual idea or to make representational statements. The use of concrete was nothing new for the ancient Romans, but the technological innovation of the use of Pozzalana, a retardant additive, represented a break through which made possible the proliferation of western ideals throughout the Roman Empire. In the same way, the industrial revolution brought technologies which allowed for a different use of traditional materials such as glass and steel. The new era of modernity brought rapid social changes that were expressed in the buildings of the time through materiality. Today the new materiality seems to depend on scientific and technological advances which could bring new light to the building industry, but this is not quit tangible yet. The demand for rapid construction and budget limitations seem to restrict to a minimum the experimentation necessary to make considerable advancements in the field. It appears that inventiveness and creativity is a more suitable tool in order to achieve an innovative and expressive materiality.
Such is the case of Rem Koolhaas who in the turn of the new millennium has largely depended in the use materials to reinterpret program. In tow different project he has been able to accomplish this under different constrains and requirements. On one hand the Prada stores in New York and Los Angeles have given a new meaning to the shopping experience engaging the shopper with the product but manly with process of buying. for instance, the use of technology here comes to hand by giving control to the customer. The doors of the dressing room are made of Privalite glass that the customer can switch from transparent to translucent for control the privacy. Furthermore, a new material was specifically developed for Prada. It is a half matter/half air sponge like plastic which provides a porous artificial background for the merchandise and further expands Prada’s physical identity in the store. But here budget was not a problem allowing for experimentation at the level of introducing technology and giving some room for the introduction of unconventional material.
On the other hand, the Student Center of the IIT in Chicago addressed materiality in a similar way in a much larger building with only a fraction of the per-square-foot budget of the Prada stores. The unconventional use of material allows Koolhaas to recreate the urban experience of the campus inside the building. For example, the use of unfinished sheetrock as ceiling gives a different dynamic to the ceiling still providing the sensation of a monolithic and unifying element complemented by the sealed concrete floor. Also the use of Panelite panels in the restrooms and a portion of the exterior façade play with the ambiguity of privacy and the duality of inside and outside. The use of graphics also plays an essential role communicating the intentions and the distribution of spaces.
In general, Koolhaas’ non conventional use of material and the introduction of technology and graphic design help to minimize the dependency to the introduction or employment of new and revolutionary materials which are hardly available and would drive the cost of a building to the sky.
Such is the case of Rem Koolhaas who in the turn of the new millennium has largely depended in the use materials to reinterpret program. In tow different project he has been able to accomplish this under different constrains and requirements. On one hand the Prada stores in New York and Los Angeles have given a new meaning to the shopping experience engaging the shopper with the product but manly with process of buying. for instance, the use of technology here comes to hand by giving control to the customer. The doors of the dressing room are made of Privalite glass that the customer can switch from transparent to translucent for control the privacy. Furthermore, a new material was specifically developed for Prada. It is a half matter/half air sponge like plastic which provides a porous artificial background for the merchandise and further expands Prada’s physical identity in the store. But here budget was not a problem allowing for experimentation at the level of introducing technology and giving some room for the introduction of unconventional material.
On the other hand, the Student Center of the IIT in Chicago addressed materiality in a similar way in a much larger building with only a fraction of the per-square-foot budget of the Prada stores. The unconventional use of material allows Koolhaas to recreate the urban experience of the campus inside the building. For example, the use of unfinished sheetrock as ceiling gives a different dynamic to the ceiling still providing the sensation of a monolithic and unifying element complemented by the sealed concrete floor. Also the use of Panelite panels in the restrooms and a portion of the exterior façade play with the ambiguity of privacy and the duality of inside and outside. The use of graphics also plays an essential role communicating the intentions and the distribution of spaces.
In general, Koolhaas’ non conventional use of material and the introduction of technology and graphic design help to minimize the dependency to the introduction or employment of new and revolutionary materials which are hardly available and would drive the cost of a building to the sky.
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