ArchShowcase Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Building For Bouwkunde by Gijs RaggersSeptember 19th, 2012 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Gijs Raggers THE CONFUSION OF THE BIG NUMBER Twentieth century Dutch architecture was dominated by the challenge of the era: large scale housing. Berlage, Granpre Molière, Oud and van Eesteren. Every decade its own urbanism and architecture. WWII did not change this pattern. Pendrecht, Bijlmer, Tanthof, Prinsenland. Looking back at these hundred years one might think the experiment is the basis of both architecture and urbanism. It is not.
Architecture never changes. Vitruvius’ Utilitas, Firmitas, Venustas can be easily translated into Typology, Design and Style. Every building can be valued by these terms. It requires Intelligence, Skill and Taste respectively. Architecture can be brilliant, smart and beautiful or stupid, clumsy and ugly or any mix. Ethos does not apply on architecture. BUILDING FOR BOUWKUNDE Redeveloping the Mekelweg as a park does not solve the emptiness of the ultramodern campus. The new faculty is a great opportunity to fill the programmatic void which is now called the Mekelpark. Let us use Van den Broeks 1952 Lijnbaan. Being 500 x 50 x 5 meter, iteasily fits all elements and requirements of the program. Its urban typology eliminates the need for a large scale architectural object. The J.H. van den Broek straat allows us to replace elevators by bikes. Its simplicity applies to the construction and technical equipment as well. Segmented concrete tunnel based elements make the building float and ideal for combined radiant and hydronic heating. Preliminary calculations point at an unsurpassed sustainable and economical building. A WORLD WITHOUT OBJECTS The chosen typology and design proposals address the actual power of the building; the building it is not or the many buildings it can be. Leading to the true challenge of the building. Offering an environment for students to excel as an academic human being. Leaving plenty of room to discover, alter and conquer themselves and space itself. Developing thought, skills and taste. Despite the proposed freedom no space can be neutral. The meaning of architecture is captured in references. Series of projects that together build up and altered the language we use to create buildings and add expression. Escape from this tradition is impossible. We need it to attribute meaning to our project. We need it to apply intelligence, skill and taste. Contact Gijs Raggers
Categories: Building, Urban Design |