TO APPROPRIATE NATURAL PHENOMENOLOGIES OF THE INTERFACE BETWEEN PURUSHA & PRAKRITI, FOR TRANSLATION INTO SPATIAL DESIGN (Geoffrey Bawa, Alvar Aalto, & Le Corbusier)

ABSTRACT

Research are systematic and organized, it systematic because there is a definite set of procedures and always done in order to get the most accurate results. In the way we done research there is a structure or method in about how doing the research, because it is planned procedure. It is also focused and limited to a specific scope.

In this research methodology will covering some areas:

1. Collected or generated information

2. Analysis of Information sets

3. Translation to Constructive Design Practices

These three steps are important things to do in research; these will help the researcher further in the application to the design. The relation between all of them will be examining further in the next chapter.

CONTENTS

First of all, it will explain about the Purusha and Prakriti, Purusha are the center of consciousness and considered to be the human mind and Prakriti is material world which contains all of our organs, matter, and energy.[1] Purusha and prakriti is come from Hindu philosophy and related with the Balinese ritual and nature. Balinese ritual in ceremony and daily activity become unity, thus in ritual of Balinese people showing the spirit thankfulness. Ritual purpose is balancing, god gives everything to us and we used it, and in the other hand we believe to give after we take as thankfulness of everything in the world.

Nature it self as a passive area, how it will become an active and invited them into the space where human is alive will become attention for the next chapter.

Knowing some approaches from some architect which is dealing with nature, as one of the approaching to the nature. As the first step of methodology is collected and generated information from that related with some architect who deal with the nature, there are three architects that will be examine as the case study. In these step not merely collected the information but also analyse the information and engage with the theme of the research.

Here are there architects that approaching with the nature as their methodology:

1. GEOFFERY BAWA

At first bawa was a lawyer, but his attention to the nature makes him changing his mind and decided continuing his study in Architecture Association in England in his age of 33.[2] Once upon a time when he did a trip, suddenly he realized that there are so many instances when his eyes was caught by a landscape, a small unimportant but beautiful building, or a large and splendid one, sometimes seen for a moment from a swiftly moving car or train. The beauty of some of these buildings, gardens, and landscapes leaves a considerable residue of subconscious understanding in the mind-a help to solve some present needs, for the right placement of a building on the site, for the need to frame and emphasise a view or to open or construct a space.[3]

According to him, framing the Vista is important; vista is a view or prospect, especially one seen through a long, narrow avenue or passage, as between rows of trees or houses. The prospect is the phenomena of the site which is as the character of the site.

The plan is very linear and symmetrical, use very much courtyard as open space inviting the light and air into the space, the sequence is created linear for making easy in roof arrangement and creating the vistas.

The plan not much in path, because the space inside is very open, so the architect just used the linear path as framing the view outside.

Vista is related within the eyes, eyes that related with the nature itself, whereas people will be engaged with the site at first they arrived. The approaching way is to the point within the linear line and stiff way. The purpose of linear shape is to catch their subconscious understanding directly, and this framing will be repeated several times.

In creating vista Bawa used several approaching, by the repetition of column, window, and doors, and in the some way he also used water.

Some approaching of Bawa’s design in creating vista.

Bawa also invited nature as courtyard inside the house plan. It is such a handsome way inviting the wind and light freely into the space, we can see from the site plan of his design. In some cases the materials like stone bring inside the space when the space lack of opportunity to enjoy the outdoor space. He is also using high polish floor, to make the outside and inside spaces become unity from the lobby floor, pool, and the sea water, as can be seen in the images below.

Character is not merely physically but also metaphysic such as the light and wind. To achieve these aims, he conveyed ancient Ceylonese culture within deployment some components. The patterns is using in railing or window, so when the sun light cast the window it produced shadow in the floor or wall.

The older allegorical presentation serves Bawa’s investigation into contemporary configuration of image and pure sensation, or feeling.[4] In this sense, he was using salvaged ancient artefacts, columns, a window or a jar in the landscape component. This presentation is a transposition of the concept into an altered context and time.

Allegory is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than literal. It is generally treated as a figure of rhetoric, but an allegory does not have to be expressed in language, it may be addressed to the eye, and is often found in realistic sculpture or representative art, and appeal to imagination.[5]

Conclusion

In the way he served vista is developed by linear and straight line, he never trying to serve the vista using circular or free line.

He didn’t use the preparation area for constructing spaces; the space that he created is to the point or directly to the nature landscape to catch the human perception when they entered the space for the first time. His Floor and wall is not much using texture but for the column he used the deployment components to evoke the human perception.

2. ALVAR ALTO

Alvar Aalto as one of the master of Modern Architect was born in Kuortane, Finland. He studied architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology from 1916 to 1921.[6] Through out his career Aalto associated nature with the capacity to facilitate material and psychological health.[7] He is very curious in creating design in closer with the natures, he translates the nature with the new language on his building.

In the way he trying approaches the nature is within the semantic and deep meaning of the tree and timber.

Nature as world’s standardizationà the blossoms on an apple tree are standard, but yet they are different à nature standardization is practiced almost exclusively in the smallest possible units (the cells) with the organic form immeasurable shapeà therefore he found a flexible standardization and it will create a new nuances in every design.

If it is summary, he believe in the way nature grow, it organic but also regular this is the point of the flexible, not freely but still in the proper way.

For instance, there are two of his design will be examine, he is very respect in humane behaviour related with the building as inhabitant. Therefore in designing approach he is also trying to combine with the human psychological.

This building is a church in the Vuoksenniska, Finland, he design the plan within combination of organic and linear shape. He made the flexible design as the way incorporated with nature. He invited the nature from the plan form and then continuing in the ceiling. It design organic with domination of curve line, he also invited the light inside the space through the window, thus people inside feeling bright and the sun light become a spiritual joy as it cast the ceiling.

Increasing of the ritualistic spirit, Aalto who was renowned with his humanism, creating in-between spaces, it translated as the preparation space before the visitor enter the main building, he used long passage before the main entrance.

Organic shape as ceiling giving him idea in the next design, the flexibility translated into the flowing shape for ceiling.

Retreat of Muuratsalo is created by Alvar Aalto when his wife was died, the design is full of linear shape and the one single slanting roof. The organic translated become a different pattern showed in the pattern of the stone as the façade. Aalto used a transition area in the entrance area, he translated it into from ‘doorstep into living room’, it’s one of his approach incorporated with nature. The courtyard becomes only doorstep or living room depends on the seasonal.

Courtyard, as the transition part.

From this design he is starting using vertical timber as a decorative elements. Timber with the modern appearance or design. Wood was central to these ideas: it’s ’biological characteristics, its limited heat conductivity, its kinship with man and living nature. Generally he did not build wooden buildings, but utilised the semantic richness of wood to enliven his architecture.

Timber which shape is circular, giving influences in Aalto design in using circular or curve column, because the stem as the main support of the body of plant has a curve shape, as we can seen in some his design.

Material

Although architectural is an art based on material, but how the most beautiful examples are born of the interaction of the immaterial elements of light and space. But all of this is also related with the humanism, because too much of rational lighting is inhumane.

For Aalto it appears that the importance of nature grew from its capacity to lend form to architecture, through the examples of cellular growth, its material impact upon the built environment, and its capacity to maintain and even enrich life in the psychological realm.

Too much of light made the human inside feeling uncomforted and this is not human or inhumane way, and it also cast the standardisation that he already found.

Conclusion

His design is very close with nature, he translate nature in semantic way, and it is influenced much of his work. He is admired with timber, but somehow there is something less from his design, he didn’t used water inside his design.

3. LE CORBUSIER

Le Corbusier is also one of the Modern Architect that really appreciated within his nature surrounding; it started since he was a student. Continuing time, he admired within the philosophies of the ancient Greeks and the Italian Renaissance, theologians in the middle aged, Pythagoras, and Plato.[8]

Le Corbusier had begun to see the world in terms of patterns, of lines, and of geometry that would, ideally, be linked together in a cohesive whole, that unity that he perceived in nature. Pythagoras took it upon himself to discover a way to express his view of the cosmos rationally, by means of mathematics. It seems more than likely that the young architect was influenced by Pythagoras believe that the contemplation of harmony and order within the soul. Mathematics would provide the means to create a link between man and nature.⁸

It showed up in his early painting, where he was interested in his search for organization of the represented figures on “regulating traces”, geometrical grids with which he would establish dimensional relations of harmonic proportions. It is a procedure that he used to adopt in architecture as well as in painting.[9]

Just like music, which is organized on mathematical patterns among sounds, their repetitions and cadences, which give it rhythm and harmony.

He is an architect that loves things that are proportionate not in term of design but in term of mathematical explanation. Which can be clearly seen in almost all of his architecture and painting.

The picture shows the combination of circle and square

Material

Visual linkage with nature as the one who will he take for the approaching to nature. He translate this into the clarity, the clarity of exterior nuances, thus he used glass material to describe the clarity.

Human live inside the spaces that enclosed with wall and also ceiling, ‘ceiling is the sky’ he used this language to draw external spaces to be conceived as an interior space. It showed in his design of cave in the pilotis and also roof garden.

Le Corbusier very admired in natural materials (stones), but for creating the harmony he used concrete as the opposition materials. He also very concern in inviting light into the space, because as his philosophy from the ancient culture that the light as a spiritual joy, the brightness divided into male ‘strong objective of forms’ and female ‘limitless subjectivity rising’. These collaborations will create the Psycho-Physiology of the feeling.

As can be seen, the male brightness is stronger than the female one. These collaboration create different shadow, the shadow is resulted also from the building shape.

Conclusion

Le Corbusier measurement is very nice in the way he trying to harmonious the building and the nature from the mathematicians ways, although it’s measurable but yet it is looked immeasurable, he also made the repetition and rhythm of pattern in the proportion way. He used much of stone and also timber, but in the other hand he lack of using water as the natural materials.

BIBILIOGRAPHY

http://www.reference.com/search?q=allegorical

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar_Aalto

http://archnet.org/library/parties/one-party.jsp?party_id=73

http://blog.miragesturdio7.com/2006/02/le-corbusier-paintings/

Curtis JR William (1998). Le Corbusier: Ideas and forms, Hongkong, Phaidon Press.

Menin Sarah (2003). Nature and Space : Aalto and Le Corbusier, London, Routledge, pp. 111-125

Reed, Peter (1999). Alvar Alto : Between humanism and materialsm. London, Thames and Hudson.

Mantra, Ida Bagus. (1987) Bhagawad Gita : Alih Bahasa dan Penjelasan. Indonesia, Parisadha Hindu Dharma.

Taylor, Brian Brace. (1995) Geoffrey Bawa. London : Thames and Huson.

Robson, David G. (2002) Geoffrey Bawa : the complete works/ London : Thames and Hudson.

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[1] Mantra, Ida Bagus. (1987) Bhagawad Gita : Alih Bahasa dan Penjelasan. Indonesia, Parisadha Hindu Dharma.[2] http://archnet.org/library/parties/one-party.jsp?party_id=73

[3] Robson, David G. (2002) Geoffrey Bawa : the complete works/ London : Thames and Hudson.

[4] Taylor, Brian Brace. (1995) Geoffrey Bawa. London : Thames and Huson.

[5] http://www.reference.com/search?q=allegorical

[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar_Aalto

[7] Menin Sarah (2003). Nature and Space : Aalto and Le Corbusier, London, Routledge, pp. 111-125

[8] Curtis JR William (1998). Le Corbusier: Ideas and forms, Hongkong, Phaidon Press

[9] http://blog.miragesturdio7.com/2006/02/le-corbusier-paintings/