AESTHETIC AMBIGUITY AS DESIGN SYSTEM IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF RICARDO BOFILL
GRAEME HAUNHOLTER 30005048 EVDS 783.15 04.20.2018
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0
Introduction
1
2.0
Outline
2
3.0
Projects 3.1 Xanadú (1971)
4
3.2 La Muralla Roja (1973)
8
3.3 Walden-7 (1975)
18
3.4 La Fábrica (1975)
26
3.5 Les Espaces d’Abraxas (1982)
32
3.6 El Anfiteatro (1983)
38
3.7 Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique (2016)
42
4.0
Analysis
50
5.0
Critical Reflection
51
6.0
Bibliography
53
1.0 I N T RO D U C T I O N
This
directed
study
posits
that
the
notion of
aesthetic ambiguity and the emphasis on sitespecific, rather than style-specific approach, has
been
a
central
and
under-examined
position in the architecture of Ricardo Bofill. A c c o r d i n g l y,
it
investigates
the
processes
undertaken and the methodological components that promote and provoke change and evolution a c r o s s t h e s p e c t r u m o f B o f i l l ’s b o d y o f w o r k . With
over
1000
countries,
over
the
description
from
Modernist,
Post-Modernist, Surrealist.
projects the of
to
course
B o f i l l ’s
to
date
in
of
50+
years,
has
ranged
style
Post-Modernist,
Modern
Classicist,
Regardless
of
over
50
European and
their
even
stylistic
underpinnings, the projects are all more or less rooted in the progressive approach of critical regionalism, seeking to mediate between the global and local languages of architecture. This stylistic
differentiation,
becomes
a
the
point
qualitative
of
albeit
interest
and
intentional,
when
examining
quantitative
external
i n f l u e n c e s o n B o f i l l ’s p r o j e c t s b a s e d o n t h e i r context. As Bofill notes; “Architecture place
to
specific
cannot
a n o t h e r.
to
every
be
translated
Architecture
place.
So
what
from
one
should I
try
to
be do
with this multidisciplinary approach is always to
invent
new
projects,
new
styles.
I
want
to
reinvent myself. I don’t want to copy myself or repeat endlessly certain shapes, like some other architects… I want to adapt to local conditions and traditions. Architecture needs to be open to
other
disciplines.
Architecture
can’t
be
isolated. And since all other disciplines evolve, architecture should maintain a close relation to them to evolve as well.”1 -R. Bofill 1 "Why Are Historical Towns More Beautiful Than Modern Cities?", ArchDaily, https://
www.archdaily.com/795215/ricardo-bofill-why-are-historical-towns-more-beautiful-thanmoderncities, (September 13, 2016). A l l p h o t o s o n p a g e a n d c o v e r i m a g e b y a u t h o r.
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2.0 COURSE OUTLINE
2.0 COURSE OUTLINE
Wi t h th e t h eme s of pr o c e ss, appro ac h, and e n suing c o nte xtua l d e sig n in m ind , the a na ly sis o f the followi n g proj ec t s would s eek t o pro v i de an i n-de pt h r e v ie w o f the ir r e sp o nsiv e ne ss to the ur b a n c o nte x t, the ir abi li ty to absorb ch a n g e , a n d ho w t he y at t ai n a st r o ng s o c ia l c o nsc io usne ss; a ll the w hile no ting the ir inhe r e n t di sti n cti on s i n st yle :
COMPONENTS OF DIRECTED STUDY
Pre-Departure Research (20%) Pri or to si te vi si ts, backgrou n d research wi ll be con du cted at th e followi n g leve l s :
- X a n a d ú ( 1 9 71) | C al pe , S pai n;
- Proj ect Hi stor y: detai led i n for mati on i n clu di n g th e cli en t, pu rpose of th e p ro j ect, b u d get, y ea r i t w a s bu i lt, si ze, materi al u sed, an d n otes on an y cri ti cal wri ti n g abou t th e pr o j ects ; a n d
- L a Mu r a l l a R o j a ( 1973) | C al pe , S pain; - Wa l d e n - 7 (1975) | B arc e l o na, S pai n;
- Con text: detai led i n for mati on i n clu di n g th e h i stori cal over vi ew, ecologi ca l a n d s o ci o -p o l i ti ca l co n tex t wi th i n wh i ch each proj ect i s located.
- L a Fá b r ica ( 1975) | B ar c e l o na, S pai n; - L e s E s p a c e s d ’ A b r a x a s ( 1982) | P ar i s, Fr a nc e ;
Site Visit and Observational Diagramming (40%)
- E l An fit e a t r o ( 1983) | C al pe , S pai n; a nd - U n i v e r s i t é M o h a m m e d V I Po ly t e c h n i q ue (2 0 1 6 ) | Be ng ue r ir, Mo r o c c o .
A seri es of di agrams wi ll be produ ced for each proj ect, focu si n g on speci fi c el emen ts th a t f u r th er ex a mi n e th e overlap of th e followi n g cri teri a; - h ow th e proj ect i n terprets th e su rrou n di n g ph ysi cal lan dscape an d tran s l a tes i t i n to b u i l t f o r m; a n d
There is r ela t iv e ly li t t l e i nf o r m at i o n and c ri t i qu e o ffe r e d o n the p r o c e ss a nd o f the p r o je c ts the m se lv es, regardi n g t he i m p or t a n ce o f c o nt e x t . T hi s di re c t e d s t u dy w ill the r e fo r e inv e stiga te the fo llo w ing q ue stio ns: - h o w d o t h es e pro j e c t s re f l e c t di v e rsi t y in a r c hite c tur e , no t just thr o ug h stylistic d iffe r e ntia tion , bu t also t h r o ug h s t or i e s o f o ri g i ns, as w e l l as pr e se nt a nd futur e influe nc e s; a nd - h o w d o t h es e pro j e c t s s e e k t o c r e at e n e w typ o lo g ie s b a se d o n the r e la tio nship s b e tw e e n so ci al reali ty a n d a r ch it ec t u ral f o r m s?
- h ow th e u sage of for m an d colou r as styli sti c i den ti fi ers correspon d to i ts co n tex t.
Focu si n g on th e i n tersecti on of th ese aspects wi ll reveal n ew reali ti es abou t th e rel a ti o n s h i p b etw een ma j o r th emes bei n g an alyzed. Th ese fi n di n gs wi ll be docu men ted on si te th rou gh sket ch , p h o to gra p h , a n d tex t. F u r th er an alysi s wi ll be developed th rou gh di agrammi n g, i n order to extract areas of i n teres t f o r th e s u mma r y d o cu men t.
Summary Document (40%)
The pur p os e f or in iti at i ng t hi s di re c t e d s t u dy i s to c lo se ly a na ly z e the c o nte xtua l influe nc e s o f e a c h proj ect, both qu ant i t a t ive a n d q u al i t at i v e , and e x pand u po n tho se w hic h ultim a te ly b e c o m e the p r im a r y influe nc e s of each respect ive p r o ject ' s ae s t he t i c . The pr od uct of t h is c o u rse i s a s e ri e s o f m aps w hic h d e c o nstr uc t the p r o je c ts a nd a lig n the m w ith thei r respecti ve cont ex t ua l in f luen ce s . T hr o u g h t hi s e x e rc i se , n e w q ue stio ns w ill e m e r g e sur r o und ing the so c ia l a nd aesth eti c i mpli c a t io n s o f t h is t e c hni qu e . Ens u i ng o bj e c t i ve s w ill b e e x a m ine d fur the r thr o ugh the fo llo w ing q uesti on s:
After all si te vi si ts h ave been con du cted an d di agrammed, a fi n al docu men t wi l l b e co mp i l ed w h i ch s y n th es i zes th e fi n di n gs, wh i le also acti n g as a cri ti cal reflecti on of th e desi gn research u n d er ta k en . Ob s er v a ti o n a l d i a gra ms from th e si te vi si t por ti on of th e stu dy wi ll be for mali zed for th e fi n al repor t. Thi s p i ece i s n o t a n a ttemp t to an swer th e qu esti on s set ou t i n th e cou rse descri pti on , bu t rath er an oppor tu n i ty to p ro p o s e n ew q u es ti o n s b a s ed on th e syn th esi zed di agrams. I t wi ll over vi ew th e i n i ti al meth odology an d appro a ch to th e co u rs e, rev i ew i n g lesson s lear n t, h ow th e proj ect correspon ds to past, presen t, an d fu tu re soci o- po l i ti ca l a n d geo gra p h i ca l lan dscapes, an d an y su bsequ en t i n si gh ts th at su r face th rou gh ou t th e stu dy.
- Do e s t h e t e c hni qu e o f ae st he t i c am bi guity a nd c o nte x tua l d e sign a llo w fo r a b e tte r use r e x peri en ce; an d - To wh a t e f f e c t do e s t he s pat i al de si g n ha v e o n hum a n inte r a c tio n?
Some ma jor a n d mi no r t he m e s t hat w i l l be e x plo r e d in this d ir e c te d stud y r e la te to a e sthe tic e v o lution , archi t e ct ur a l co h es i v e ne s s, st y l i st i c di f f e r e nt i atio n, c o nte xtua l influe nc e s, c r itic a l r e gio na lism , a nd mu lt i d is cip lin a r y a p pr o ac he s .
2
3
3.0 PROJECTS
XANADÚ
3 .1
3.0 PROJECTS
XANADÚ
3 .1
XANADÚ C A L P E , S PA I N ( 19 7 1)
A s p ar t of La M anzane ra d eve l o p m e nt, t h e 18 - unit b uil din g was a p rot ot y p e ex p e rim e nt in ap p l yin g a m e t ho d o l o g y t o Ric ard o B ofill’s t h e o r y of a G ard e n Cit y in sp a c e, an d is m e ant t o b e re a d as o n e of m any l arg e int e rc o nn e c tin g e l e m e nt s.
d ow n t o s a tisf y t h e p ar tic ul ar re quire m e nt s of t h e p ro gram; in t his c as e: sh a d e d int e r n al t e r ra c e s t o a void t h e int e ns e h e a t, hy p e r b o lic ro of s f o r b e t t e r views, an d a d ap t a tio n t o l o c al b uil din g t e c hniqu e s. 3
T h e b uil din g t o o k t h e c ast l e as it s p oint of re f e re n c e, an d evo l ve d in su c h a wa y as t o ar rive a t a c o nfigura tio n inspire d by t h e n e ar by Pe ño n d e I fa c h c ra g (pic t ure d in dist an c e in Fig.1). 2
N o p l ans o r e l eva tio ns we re dra w n durin g c o nst r u c tio n, b ut e a c h unit h as it s ex t e rio r walls pie rc e d a c c o rdin g t o o rie nt a tio n, light re quire m e nt s, kit c h e n f ans, ve ntil a tio n, p riva c y, an d c o nn e c tio n p oint s. 4
T h e unit of e a c h ap ar t m e nt is c o mp os e d of t hre e c ub e s c o r re sp o n din g t o livin g sp a c e, sl e e pin g sp a c e an d s e r vic e s. T h e s e t hre e c ub e s are gro up e d aro un d t h e ve r tic al a xis of t h e st air we ll w hic h s e r ve s t o sup p o r t t h e m. T h e c ub e s are t h e n ap p lie d t o t h e sup p o r tin g circ ul a tio n spin e d e t e r min e d o n an o r t ho go n al grid, t h e n b ro ke n
T h e rigid g e o m e t r y of t h e c ub e, t h e b asis of t h e initial st r u c t ure 5 , was f ra c t ure d o n t h e ex t e rio r an gl e s in o rd e r t o c re a t e an ir re gul ar f a ç a d e wit h a sp e c t a c ul ar int e r p l a y of light an d sh a d ow an d of f e r mul tip l e views of t h e l an ds c ap e.
F i g . 2 We s t s e c t i o n d r a w i n g o f X a n a d ú . " X a n a d ú " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r dobofill.com/projects/xanadu/.
Fi g 1 Ph o t o o f Xa n a d ú, b y a u t h o r.
4
2 "Xanadú" RBTA. Accessed April 20, 2018. http://www.ricardobofill.com/projects/ xanadu/. 3 Ibid 4 Ibid 5 Ibid
5
3.0 PROJECTS
XANADÚ
Fig.3
Fig.4
Fig.5
Fig.6
Fig.7
Fig.8
F i g . 3 - 8 P l a n d r a w i n g s o f X a n a d ú . " X a n a d ú " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / x a n a d u / .
6
3 .1
3.0 PROJECTS
XANADÚ
F i g .9 P l a n d i a g r a m s o f X a n a d ú . " X a n a d ú " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / x a n a d u / .
F i g .10 P h o t o o f X a n a d ú , b y a u t h o r.
7
3 .1
3.0 PROJECTS
LA MURALLA ROJA
3.2
3.0 PROJECTS
LA MURALLA ROJA
3.2
L A MUR ALL A ROJA C A L P E , S PA I N ( 19 7 3 )
Simil ar l y t o Xan a dú, wit hin t h e c o nt ex t of La M anzane ra, L a M urall a Roja ( T h e Re d Wall) asks t o b e c o nsid e re d as a c as e ap ar t. 6 I t e mb o die s a c l e ar re f e re n c e t o t h e p o p ul ar arc hit e c t ure of t h e A rab M e dit e r ran e an, in p ar tic ul ar t o t h e a d o b e t owe rs of N o r t h Af ric a. T h e Re d Wall is like a f o r t re s s w hic h m ar ks a ve r tic al silho u e t t e f o ll owin g t h e c o nt o ur lin e s of t h e ro c k y c lif f. 7
a e st h e tic, c re a t e an e ns e mb l e of int e rc o nn e c t e d p a tios w hic h p rovid e a c c e s s t o t h e 50 ap ar t m e nt s, w hic h in c lu d e 60 m 2 st u dios, an d t wo an d t hre e b e dro o m ap ar t m e nt s of 80 m 2 an d 120 m 2 , re sp e c tive l y.10 O n t h e ro of t e r ra c e s t h e re are s o l ariums, a swimmin g p o o l, an d a s aun a f o r re sid e nt ’s us e.11 T h e c rit e rio n of ap p l yin g t o t h e b uil din g a gamut of vario us c o l o urs re sp o n ds t o t h e int e ntio n t o give a d e t e r min e d re lie f t o t h e distin c t arc hit e c t ural e l e m e nt s, a c c o rdin g t o t h eir st r u c t ural f un c tio ns.12 T h e o ut sid e sur f a c e s are p aint e d in vario us t o n e s of re d, t o a c c e nt u a t e t h e c o nt rast wit h t h e l an ds c ap e; p a tios an d st airs, howeve r, are t re a t e d wit h b lu e t o n e s, su c h as sk y - b lu e, in digo, vio l e t, t o p ro du c e a st ro n g e r o r we ake r c o nt rast wit h t h e sk y o r, o n t h e c o nt rar y, an o p tic al e f f e c t of b l e n din g in wit h it. T h e int e nsit y of t h e c o l o urs is als o re l a t e d t o t h e light an d shows how t h e c o mbin a tio n of t h e s e e l e m e nt s c an h e lp c re a t e a gre a t e r illusio n of sp a c e.13
Wit h t his b uil din g, B ofill want e d t o b re ak t h e p ost - Re n ais s an c e divisio n b e t we e n p ub lic an d p riva t e sp a c e s, reint e r p re tin g t h e M e dit e r ran e an t ra ditio n of t h e Kasb ah. T h e l aby rint h of t his re c re a t e d Kasb ah c o r re sp o n ds t o a p re cis e g e o m e t ric p l an b as e d o n t h e t y p o l o g y of t h e G re e k c ros s wit h ar ms 5 m e t e rs l o n g, t h e s e b ein g gro up e d in dif f e re nt wa ys, wit h s e r vic e t owe rs (kit c h e ns an d b a t hro o ms) a t t h eir p oint of int e rs e c tio n. 8 T h e g e o m e t ric b asis of t h e l a yo ut is als o an ap p roxim a tio n t o t h e t h e o rie s of Co nst r u c tivism.9 T h e f o r ms of t h e b uil din g, evo kin g a Co nst r u c tivist
F i g 11 T h e c o l o u r f u l a n d t e x t u r a l p a l e t t e o f L a M u r a l l a R o j a . P h o t o b y a u t h o r. 6 "La Muralla Roja" RBTA. http://www.ricardobofill.com/projects/la-muralla-roja/. 7 Ibid 8 Ibid 9 Ibid 10 Ibid
8
11 Ibid 12 "BEYOND BRUTALISM." Interview by Thomas Jeppe. SSENSE. https://www.ssense.
13 com/en-us/editorial/culture/ricardo-bofill-beyond-brutalism. 13 Ibid
9
3.0 PROJECTS
LA MURALLA ROJA
3.2
F i g .12 A x o n o m e t r i c perspective of La Muralla Roja. "La Muralla Roja" R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. ricardobofill.com/ projects/la-muralla-roja/.
3.0 PROJECTS
LA MURALLA ROJA
3.2
F i g .13 S i t e p l a n o f L a Muralla Roja. "La Muralla R o j a " R B TA . A c c e s s e d April 20, 2018. http:// w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / projects/la-muralla-roja/.
F i g .15
F i g .14
F i g .14 + 15 P l a n d r a w i n g s o f L a M u r a l l a R o j a . " L a M u r a l l a R o j a " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j ects/la-muralla-roja/.
10
F i g .16
F i g .17
F i g .16 + 17 P l a n d r a w i n g s o f L a M u r a l l a R o j a . " L a M u r a l l a R o j a " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j ects/la-muralla-roja/.
11
3.0 PROJECTS
LA MURALLA ROJA
3.2
3.0 PROJECTS
LA MURALLA ROJA
F i g 18 P h o t o o f L a M u r a l l a R o j a , b y a u t h o r.
12
13
3.2
3.0 PROJECTS
LA MURALLA ROJA
3.2
3.0 PROJECTS
LA MURALLA ROJA
F i g 19 P h o t o o f L a M u r a l l a R o j a , b y a u t h o r.
14
15
3.2
3.0 PROJECTS
Fig 20
LA MURALLA ROJA
F i g 21
3.2
3.0 PROJECTS
LA MURALLA ROJA
Fig 22
F i g 2 0 -2 2 L i g h t i n f i l t r a t e s t h e i n n e r e x t e r i o r s p a c e s o f L a M u r a l l a R o j a , c r e a t i n g s t u n n i n g a n d e v e r - c h a n g i n g v i s u a l e f f e c t s a n d c o l o u r h u e s . P h o t o s b y a u t h o r.
F i g 2 3 P h o t o o f L a M u r a l l a R o j a a t s u n s e t , b y a u t h o r.
16
17
3.2
3.0 PROJECTS
WA L D E N -7
3.3
3.0 PROJECTS
WA L D E N -7
3.3
WA L D E N -7 B A R C E L O N A , S PA I N ( 19 75 )
Wald en -7 re p re sent s t he su c c e s sf ul imp l ement ation of an o l d ambitio n of B ofill, an d it h as a sp e cial signific an c e wit hin t h e d eve l o p m e nt of his wo r k. T h e b uil din g re p re s e nt s t h e re aliza tio n of t h e re s e arc h wo r k d o n e f o r p revio us p roje c t s by his arc hit e c t ural of fic e.14
o ut sid e of t h e b l o c k an d int o o n e of t h e c o ur t yards; a t m any l eve ls, t h e re is a c o mp l ex syst e m of b rid g e s an d b al c o nie s f o r a c c e s s, p ro du cin g a f ant astic varie t y of vist as an d e n c l osure s (fig.2931). T h e ex t e rio r f a c a d e h as t h e ap p e aran c e of a hu g e f o r tific a tio n c o mp l e t e l y p aint e d in re d (fig.24), w hic h is o p e n e d t o t h e ex t e rio r t hro u gh l arg e ove r t ure s like ur b an win d ows s eve ral st o rie s high. T h e c o ur t yards h a ve a live l y t re a t m e nt b e c aus e of t h e int e ns e b lu e an d ye ll ow c o l o re d f a c a d e s (fig.29/30 ). T h e m ain c o ur t yard, a t t h e b uil din g’s e nt ran c e, is a re c ove r y of t h e st re e t an d t h e p l a za f o r t h e b e n e fit of t h e inh abit ant s, w hic h g e n e ra t e s an int e rio r wo r l d, s e e min gl y ap ar t f ro m t h e ex t e rio r c h a os.18
T h e p roje c t of T h e Cit y in S p a c e was eve nt u all y ab l e t o t ake sh ap e o n a sub ur b an p l ot f o r m e r l y o c c upie d by a c e m e nt f a c t o r y. Wo r kin g t o a b u d g e t ap p re ciab l y l owe r t h an t h e no r m f o r subsidize d ho usin g a t t h e tim e, wit h unusu al f un din g, Wal d e n -7 ros e up as a mo num e nt an d p oint of re f e re n c e in t his are a t o t h e we st of B arc e l o n a.15 Wal d e n -7 e mb o die s t h e c o n c e p t of arc hit e c t ural m a gnit u d e as we ll as a n ew, e nric hin g f e a t ure int o t h e sub ur b an e nviro nm e nt w hic h sur ro un ds it.16 I t c re a t e s a distin guish e d sp a c e in c o nt rast t o t h e m e dio c rit y of it s sur ro undin gs, stimul a tin g c o mmunit y lif e in it s int e rio rs.17
T h e d we llin gs, a c o mbin a tio n of s qu are 30 m 2 mo dul e s, c o m e in dif f e re nt size s, ran gin g f ro m t h e sin gl e - mo dul e st u dio t o t h e f o ur- mo dul e ap ar t m e nt, eit h e r o n o n e f l o o r o r as a dup l ex.19
Wal d e n -7 c o nsist s of a 14 - st o rey c lust e r of 4 46 ap ar t m e nt s, gro up e d aro un d five c o ur t yards, o n t o p of w hic h are t wo swimmin g p o o ls (fig.31). Wit h f ew exc e p tio ns, e a c h ap ar t m e nt f a c e s b ot h
D e spit e t h e intim a t e s c al e of t h e ap ar t m e nt s, t h e o rganiza tio n in - p l an p re s e nt s vario us re a din gs of t h e s e p ara tio n of p ub lic an d p riva t e lif e.
F i g 2 4 P h o t o o f w e s t b a l c o n i e s o f Wa l d e n - 7, b y a u t h o r.
14 15 16 16
18
"Walden-7" RBTA. http://www.ricardobofill.com/projects/walden-7-2/. Ibid Anna Puigjaner and Guillermo López, “Revisiting Systems: Ricardo Bofill and Waldenmania,” in The Avery Review, no. 7 (April 2015)
17 Ibid 18 "Walden-7" RBTA. http://www.ricardobofill.com/projects/walden-7-2/. 19 Ibid
19
3.0 PROJECTS
WA L D E N -7
F i g . 2 5 P e r s p e c t i v e s i t e d r a w i n g o f Wa l d e n - 7
3.3
F i g . 2 6 E n t r a n c e s k e t c h o f Wa l d e n - 7
F i g . 2 5 +2 6 " Wa l d e n - 7 " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / w a l d e n - 7 - 2 / .
3.0 PROJECTS
WA L D E N -7
F i g . 2 7 S e c t i o n d r a w i n g o f Wa l d e n - 7
F i g . 2 8 P l a n d r a w i n g o f Wa l d e n 7
F i g . 2 7+2 8 " Wa l d e n - 7 " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / w a l d e n - 7 - 2 / .
F i g 2 5 P h o t o f r o m r o o f t o p o f Wa l d e n - 7, b y a u t h o r.
20
21
3.3
3.0 PROJECTS
WA L D E N -7
3.3
3.0 PROJECTS
WA L D E N -7
Fig.30
F i g . 31
Fig.29
22
F i g . 2 9 - 31 T h e c o m p l e x s y s t e m o f b r i d g e s a n d b a l c o n i e s f o r a c c e s s , p r o d u c i n g a f a n t a s t i c v a r i e t y o f v i s t a s a n d e n c l o s u r e s . " Wa l d e n - 7 " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / projects/walden-7-2/.
23
3.3
3.0 PROJECTS
WA L D E N -7
3.3
3.0 PROJECTS
WA L D E N -7
Fig 33
Fig 34
F i g 3 2 T h e g r a n d e u r o f t h e f r o n t e n t r a n c e a n d e x t e r i o r c o u r t y a r d a t Wa l d e n - 7, p h o t o b y a u t h o r.
24
F i g 3 3 + 3 4 I n t e r i o r v i e w s o f Wa l d e n - 7, b y a u t h o r.
25
3.3
3.0 PROJECTS
L A FÁBRICA
3.4
3.0 PROJECTS
L A FÁBRICA
3.4
L A FÁ BRI C A B A R C E L O N A , S PA I N ( 19 75 )
B ofill's first e n c o unt e r wit h t h e f o r m e r c e m e nt f a c t o r y was in 1973 20 , w h e n h e e n c o unt e re d e no r mo us sil os, a t all smo ke st a c k, an d m a c hin e ro o ms in go o d sh ap e o n t h e sit e.
not c re a t e t h e f o r m; inst e a d, it h as b e e n show n t h a t any sp a c e c an b e all o c a t e d w h a t eve r us e t h e arc hit e c t c ho os e s, if h e o r sh e is suf ficie nt l y skill f ul. I t was t his re aliza tio n t h a t f ur t h e r p e r p e t u a t e d t h e annulm e nt of f un c tio n alism: h a vin g t o re st r u c t ure t h e f a c t o r y wit h dif f e re nt us e s; t h e re by inve ntin g a n ew p ro gram e ntire l y. 28
T h e c e m e nt f a c t o r y, d a tin g f ro m t h e first p e rio d of t h e in dust rializa tio n of Ca t al o nia 21, was not b uil t a t o n c e o r as a w ho l e, b ut was a s e rie s of a d ditio ns as t h e vario us c h ains of p ro du c tio n b e c am e n e c e s s ar y. T h e f o r m al re sul t was give n by a s e rie s of st ra tifie d e l e m e nt s, a p ro c e s s w hic h is re minis c e nt of ve r n a c ul ar arc hit e c t ure, b u t ap p lie d t o in dust r y. 2 2
Vario us sp a c e s e m e rg e d f ro m t his p ro c e s s; t h e c a t h e dral, t h e gard e ns, t h e sil os, e t c (fig. 37/38). I n o rd e r t o dif f e re ntia t e t h e n ew c o nst r u c tio n wit h a sp e cific f o r m al l an gu a g e, B ofill int e gra t e d vario us ap p ro a c h e s in o p p ositio n t o ve r n a c ul ar arc hit e c t ure. Win d ows, d o o rs, st airs, an d f als e p e rsp e c tive s, we re all ap p lie d t o t h e ex t e rio r walls an d s o m e of t h e int e rio rs. A l t ho u gh t ransf o r m e d, it was wit h gre a t int e nt f o r it t o re m ain an unfinish e d wo r k. T hos e e l e m e nt s are c l e ar re f e re n c e s t o a c ul t ure d, hist o ric al arc hit e c t ure, in c o nt rast t o w h a t might b e d e s c rib e d as t h e in dust rial ve r n a c ul ar of t h e o rigin al f a c t o r y. T h e minim al arc hit e c t ural int e r ve ntio n t hro u gho ut all ows f o r t h e p re s e r va tio n of t hos e in dust rial a e st h e tics and subs e qu e nt sp a tial qu alitie s.
H e e nvisio n e d f ut ure sp a c e s an d f o un d t h a t t h e dif f e re nt visu al an d a e st h e tics t re n ds t h a t h a d d eve l o p e d sin c e Wo r l d War I c o exist e d h e re: 23 -S urr e alism in p ara d oxic al st airs t h a t l e a d t o now h e re; t h e absurdit y of c e r t ain e l e m e nt s h an gin g ove r voids; hu g e b ut us e l e s s sp a c e s of weird p ro p o r tio ns, b u t m a gic al b e c aus e of t h eir t e nsio n an d disp ro p o r tio n; 2 4 -A bst r a c t io n in t h e p ure vo lum e s, w hic h reve al e d t h e ms e l ve s a t tim e s b ro ke n and ra w; an d 25 - Br ut alism in t h e ab r up t t re a t m e nt an d s c ulp t ural qu alitie s of t h e m a t e rials. 26
T h e sit e, l arg e l y c ove re d wit h gras s, is b o rd e re d by gro ups of t ro pic al t re e s an d c limbin g p l ant s t h a t w rap t h e ex p os e d c o n c re t e walls, givin g t h e b uil din g a myst e rio us asp e c t of ro m antic r uin t h a t m ake s it uniqu e an d unre p e a t ab l e.
S e du c e d by t h e c o nt ra dic t o r y an d ambigu o us n a t ure of t h e p l a c e, B ofill d e cid e d t o re t ain t h e f a c t o r y 2 7, an d mo dif yin g it s o rigin al b r ut alit y, s c ulp t it like a wo r k of ar t.
I n t h e up p e r p ar t of t h e f a c t o r y, B ofill t ransf o r m e d a hu g e vo lum e of b r ut e c e m e nt int o t h e m ain livin g ro o m. I t is a p e r f e c t c ub e wit h a s e qu e n c e of arc win d ows w hos e re gul ar r hy t hm evo ke s t h e m e t ap hysic al p e rsp e c tive s of D e Chiric o 29 ; d o m e stic, m o num e nt al, b r u t alist an d c o n c e p t u al.
T h e re sul t imp lie s t h a t f o r m an d f un c tio n must b e dis s o cia t e d; in t his c as e, t h e f un c tio n did F i g 3 5 P h o t o o f L a F a b r i c á , b y a u t h o r. 20 "BEYOND BRUTALISM." Interview by Thomas Jeppe.
26
SSENSE. https://www.ssense.com/en-us/editorial/ culture/ricardo-bofill-beyond-brutalism. 21 "La Fabricá" RBTA. Accessed April 20, 2018. http:// www.ricardobofill.com/la-fabrica/.
22 23 24 25 26
Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid
27 "BEYOND BRUTALISM." Interview by Thomas Jeppe.
SSENSE. 28 "La Fabricá" RBTA. Accessed April 20, 2018. http://
27
www.ricardobofill.com/la-fabrica/. 29 Ibid
3.0 PROJECTS
L A FÁBRICA
3.4
3.0 PROJECTS
L A FÁBRICA
F i g . 3 6 D e c o n s t r u c t i n g t h e o r i g i n a l c e m e n t f a c t o r y. (19 7 3 ) " L a F a b r i c á " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / l a - f a b r i c a / .
F i g . 3 9 A x o n o m e t r i c p e r s p e c t i v e d r a w i n g o f L a F a b r i c á . " L a F a b r i c á " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / l a - f a b r i c a / .
F i g . 3 7 E x t e r i o r v i e w. " L a F a b r i c á " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / l a - f a b r i c a / .
F i g . 3 8 G a r d e n v i e w. " L a F a b r i c á " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / l a - f a b r i c a / .
28
F i g . 4 0 A x o n o m e t r i c p e r s p e c t i v e e x t e r i o r c o r n e r d e t a i l o f L a F a b r i c á . " L a F a b r i c á " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / l a - f a b r i c a / .
29
3.4
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L A FÁBRICA
3.4
3.0 PROJECTS
L A FÁBRICA
F i g . 4 3 S e c t i o n d r a w i n g o f L a F a b r i c á . " L a F a b r i c á " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . com/la-fabrica/.
F i g . 41 A x o n o m e t r i c p e r s p e c t i v e s i l o d e t a i l o f L a F a b r i c á . " L a F a b r i c á " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. ricardobofill.com/la-fabrica/.
F i g . 4 2 R e a r ( e a s t ) e l e v a t i o n s k e t c h o f L a F a b r i c á . " L a F a b r i c á " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / la-fabrica/.
30
F i g . 4 4 F r o n t f a c a d e o f L a F a b r i c á , p h o t o b y a u t h o r.
31
3.4
3.0 PROJECTS
L E S E S PA C E S D ’A B R A X A S
3.5
3.0 PROJECTS
L E S E S PA C E S D ’A B R A X A S
3.5
L E S E S PA C E S D ’A B R A X A S PA R I S , F R A N C E ( 19 8 2 )
A s t h e l an dm ar k b uil din g of t h e Vill e N o u ve ll e s o cial ho usin g p roje c t o ut sid e of Paris, in M ar n e l a Vall é e, Les Esp a c es d'A b raxas was t o b e a mo num e nt al an d sy mb o lic c h ara c t e r and p oint of re f e re n c e f o r t h e n ew t ow n. 3 0 Whil e it s imp a c t o n t h e ur b an f ab ric is not d e cisive, t h e arc hit e c t ure p e r f e c t l y f ul fills it s ro l e as an ur b an mo num e nt. I mb u e d wit h t his re p re s e nt a tive c h ara c t e r, t h e t hre e b uil din gs t h a t c o mp ris e t h e p roje c t are l aid o ut in a b aro qu e sp a c e, Fre n c h in s o m e are as, mo re M e dit e r ran e an in ot h e rs, t o c o nstit ut e a gre a t p ub lic sp a c e in w hic h t h e mo num e nt alit y p rovid e s t h e b a c kdro p t o t h e no b l e st are a of t h e n ew re sid e ntial d eve l o p m e nt. 31
T h e t h e a t ric alit y of t h e inh abit e d mo num e nt, Le Thé â t re, is du e t o it s ve r tic al ar ran g e m e nt: t his c o mp ris e s a s e rie s of re f l e c tive gl as s c o lumns w hic h c h an g e wit h t h e light, e mp h asizin g it s highl y d y namic c o nst r u c tio n. T h e b uil din g's c o nvexit y give s it an imp lie d s e ns e of p rot e c tio n. A n imp re s sio n of p riva c y f l ows f ro m it, inve r tin g t h e initial imp re s sio n of mo num e nt alit y. 33 Le Thé â t re h as an asp e c t of int e ntio n al p riva c y 3 4 , wit h ve r tic al circ ul a tio n c o re s s e r vin g b ut t wo unit s p e r f l o o r. T h e s e ap ar t m e nt s f a c e b ot h inwards t o L’A rc b uil din g and o ut wards t o Paris. T h e re f l e c tive gl as s c o lumns are b a y win d ows l o o kin g ove r t h e c e nt ral s qu are. T h ey m a y b e sit u a t e d eit h e r in t h e livin g ro o m o r in t h e b e dro o ms.
T h e c e nt ral s qu are is b o un d e d by t h e s o lid vo lum e of t h e b uil din g t ransf o r m e d int o a l arg e ur b an t h e a t re. D u e t o t h e us e of h e a v y p re - c astin g, an ex t e nsive an d c o mp l ex arc hit e c t ural l an gu a g e was d evis e d. Dif f e re nt re a din gs of t h e b uil din gs, as a c o nst ant c h an g e in t h e s c al e, l e a d t o t h e sp e cific e c l e c tic vo c ab ul ar y of t his p roje c t. 32
T h e ap ar t m e nt s are ar ran g e d al o n g ra dial a xis, p e r p e n dic ul ar t o t h e sup p o r t walls, wit h t h e kit c h e n, dinin g ro o m an d livin g ro o m o n o n e sid e, an d b e dro o ms an d b a t hro o ms o n t h e ot h e r. T h e l ast f l o o rs f o r m a b al c o ny ove r h an gin g t h e inn e r s qu are: ap ar t m e nt s h a ve p riva t e in dividu al t e r ra c e s ove r l o o kin g t h e s qu are. T h e ro of s of Le Thé â t re an d L’A rc are t re e - p l ant e d, b ut in a c c e s sib l e. T h e f o r m e r c an b e s e e n f ro m Le Pa l a cio (t h e t hird b uil din g of t h e c o mp l ex) (fig. 48/50 ).
Dif f e re nt o rd e rs p ar ticip a t e in t h e c o mp ositio n of t h e wo r k; t h ey ar tic ul a t e su d d e n c h an g e s in s c al e. Ea c h arc hit e c t ural e l e m e nt – of p re f ab ric a t e d c o nst r u c tio n – is e mp l oye d t o t h e limit of disp ro p o r tio n, an d t h e re l a tio n b e t we e n e l e m e nt s is exal t e d by t h e inve rsio n of sp a tial st r u c t ure s, p ro du cin g a st rikin g d y n amic.
Hist o ric al re f e re n c e s are p re s e nt t hro u gho ut t h e wo r k, b ot h in t h e c o nfigura tio n of t h e w ho l e an d in t h e c h ara c t e ristics of c e r t ain d e t ails. Cl as sic al f o r ms, t h a t are ve r y mu c h ro ot e d in Fre n c h c ul t ure, su c h as arc h e s an d io nic c o lumns, are t ransf o r m e d t hro u gh t his p roje c t. (fig.51). 35
T h e first e l e m e nt, Le Thé â t re (fig. 4 5), is a s e micirc l e w hic h e n c l os e s t h e s qu are: t h e st a g e is e st ab lish e d by t h e s e c o n d e l e m e nt, L’A rc, w hic h f o r ms a visu al s c re e n t o t h e b a c k of t h e c o mp l ex, w h e rein lie s t h e t hird e l e m e nt, Le Pa l a cio. F i g 4 5 I n n e r c o u r t y a r d o f L e s E s p a c e s d 'A b r a x a s . P h o t o b y a u t h o r.
30 "Les Espaces d'Abraxas" RBTA http://www.ricardobofill.com/projects/les-espaces-
33 Ibid 34 Ibid 35 Ibid
dabraxas/. 31 Ibid 32 Ibid
32
33
3.0 PROJECTS
L E S E S PA C E S D ’A B R A X A S
3.5
3.0 PROJECTS
L E S E S PA C E S D ’A B R A X A S
3.5
T h e f a ç a d e s we re b uil t f ro m p re f ab ric a t e d s e c tio ns 36 , c ut a c c o rdin g t o t h eir in dividu al sh ap e s an d not in f ram e d p an e ls, s o t h a t t h e joint s are invisib l e. T h e s e p an e ls are st o n e, a mix t ure of s an d, gra y an d w hit e c e m e nt an d oxid e s. T h e ve r y light o c hre an d vio l e t - b lu e sh a d e s o b t ain e d f ro m t h e s e mix t ure s are ex t re m e l y sub t l e. 37 T h e aim of usin g t his c o nt e mp o rar y m a t e rial, w hic h h ar mo nize s wit h t h e ur b an c e nt e r, w hil e re m ainin g dis c re t e, is t o re dis c ove r t h e qu alitie s of st o n e an d c ul t ural re f e re n c e s. I t h as it s ap p e aran c e an d s o lidit y as we ll as it s a e st h e tic an d c ul t ural qu alitie s. B ofill consid ers t his proje c t a hy p er- t he at ricalize d 38 sp a c e, t o p ush t h e s e ns a tio n t o t h e ex t re m e e n d of t h e a t ric alit y (fig. 46). A sp a c e p owe r f ul e no u gh t o m ake p e o p l e w ho k now not hin g ab o ut arc hit e c t ure re alize t h a t arc hit e c t ure exist s. I n t his s e ns e, it st an ds as o n e of t h e limit s of t h e p os sib l e in arc hit e c t ure. 39 To go f ur t h e r wo ul d b e t akin g arc hit e c t ure t o ab e r rant l eve ls.
Fig.46
Fig.48
Fig.47
Fig.50
Fig.49
36 "Les Espaces d'Abraxas" RBTA http://www.ricardobofill.com/projects/les-espaces-
dabraxas/. 37 Ibid 38 "BEYOND BRUTALISM." Interview by Thomas Jeppe. SSENSE. https://www.ssense.
com/en-us/editorial/culture/ricardo-bofill-beyond-brutalism. 39 Ibid
F i g . 4 6 + 4 7 D e t a i l d r a w i n g s a n d c o n c e p t s k e t c h e s o f L e s E s p a c e s d ' A b r a x a s . " L e s E s p a c e s d ' A b r a x a s " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / l e s - e s p a c e s - d a b r a x a s / .
34
F i g . 51
F i g . 4 8 - 51 D e t a i l d r a w i n g s a n d c o n c e p t s k e t c h e s o f L e s E s p a c e s d ' A b r a x a s . " L e s E s p a c e s d ' A b r a x a s " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / l e s - e s p a c e s - d a b r a x a s / .
35
3.0 PROJECTS
L E S E S PA C E S D ’A B R A X A S
Fi g . 52
Fig.53
3.5
3.0 PROJECTS
Fig.54
L E S E S PA C E S D ’A B R A X A S
3.5
Fig.55
F i g . 5 5 + 5 7 P h o t o s o f L e s E s p a c e s d ' A b r a x a s . " L e s E s p a c e s d ' A b r a x a s " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / projects/les-espaces-dabraxas/.
F i g . 5 2 - 5 4 , 5 6 L e s E s p a c e s d 'A b r a x a s , p h o t o s b y a u t h o r. Fig.56
Fig. 57
36
37
3.0 PROJECTS
EL ANFITEATRO
3.6
3.0 PROJECTS
EL ANFITEATRO
3.6
EL ANFITEATRO C A L P E , S PA I N ( 19 8 3 )
O n a slight p ro mo nt o r y ove r a c lif f t h a t d o mina t e s a m a gnific e nt view of t h e s e a an d t h e Ro c k o f I fa c h, a p ro gram of t we nt y - s eve n luxur y ap ar t m e nt s wit h c o mmunit y swimmin g p o o l an d s o l arium t ake s t h e sh ap e of a c l as sic al amp hit h e a t re. E x t e n din g t owards t h e c lif f, t h e swimmin g p o o l, t h e t r u e t h e a t e r of t h e summ e r a c tivitie s, o c c upie s t h e p l a c e of t h e st a g e in t h e G re e k t ra ditio n. 4 0
T h e t hird b uil din g is s e micirc ul ar an d e n c l os e s a c e nt ral sp a c e, w hic h is highl y p riva t e and s e c lu d e d. I t s views of t h e s e a are e nh an c e d by it s b ein g rais e d o n t wo s e mi b as e m e nt s ho usin g showe r f a cilitie s, l o c ke r ro o ms, st o re ro o ms an d a c o mmunit y l o un g e. 42 T h e dif f e re n c e in l eve l b e t we e n t his b uil din g an d t h e are a sur ro un din g t h e swimmin g p o o l is re s o l ve d wit h a c o nvex in c lin e d p l an e, a sy mb o l of t h e antiqu e amp hit h e a t re in it s sp a tial ex p re s sio n 4 3 , w hic h p rot e c t s t h e m ain o rie nt a tio n of t h e ap ar t m e nt s f ro m t h e c o ll e c tive circ ul a tio n. Two tie rs of c o ntinu o us s e a t s f o r m t h e c o nn e c tio n of t h e in c lin e d p l an e wit h t h e ro c k f l o o r of t h e s qu are.
The dup l ex ap ar t m e nt s, all wit h d o ub l e o rie nt a tio n, are dist rib ut e d in t hre e b uil din gs o rganize d aro un d a c e nt ral s qu are. O n eit h e r sid e of t h e swimmin g p o o l, t wo re c tilin e ar b uil din gs ris e al o n g t h e c lif f. T h eir f a ç a d e t o t h e s e a is c o mp os e d of a c l as sic al r hy t hm of d o ub l e pil ast e rs. T his f a ç a d e c o mp ositio n, w hic h c o r re sp o n ds t o t h e divisio ns of t h e ap ar t m e nt s, m a ximize s views t o t h e o ut d o o rs. T h e e nt ran c e s t o t h e ap ar t m e nt s are l o c a t e d in t h e re ar f a ç a d e, o n a sm all st re e t c o nn e c tin g t h e c ar p ar k wit h t h e c e nt ral sp a c e. Ea c h b uil din g c o mp ris e s s eve n align e d ap ar t m e nt s an d a p e nt ho us e. T h e ro of s are us e d as sun d e c ks re a c h e d f ro m t h e swimmin g p o o l by t wo mo num e nt al st air wa ys. 41
T h e int e rio r f a ç a d e is d e fin e d by t h e jux t ap ositio n of l arg e o p e nin gs d o ub l y f ram e d an d t o p p e d wit h p e dim e nt s. T h e e l eve n ap ar t m e nt s h a ve t h eir e nt ran c e in t h e re ar f a ç a d e, s e r ve d by a p as s a g e w hic h p arall e ls it, an d w hic h is re a c h e d dire c t l y f ro m t h e ro a d wa y of t h e d eve l o p m e nt o r f ro m t h e p ar kin g are as.
Fig 58 Rear cour t yard pool overlooking the Calp c o a s t l i n e a t E l A n f i t e a t r o . P h o t o b y a u t h o r.
40 41 42 43
38
"El Anfiteatro" RBTA. Accessed April 20, 2018. http://www.ricardobofill.com/projects/el-anfiteatro/. Ibid
Ibid Ibid
39
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EL ANFITEATRO
3.6
3.0 PROJECTS
EL ANFITEATRO
Fi g. 59
F i g . 61
Fig.60
F i g . 62
F i g . 5 9 + 6 0 P e r s p e c t i v e s k e t c h e s o f E l A n f i t e a t r o . " E l A n f i t e a t r o " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / e l - a n f i t e a t r o / .
F i g . 61 + 62 P h o t o s o f r e a r c o u r t y a r d a n d p o o l a t E l A n f i t e a t r o . " E l A n f i t e a t r o " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. ricardobofill.com/projects/el-anfiteatro/.
40
41
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U N I V E RS I T É M O H A M M E D V I P O LY T E C H N I Q U E
3.7
3.0 PROJECTS
U N I V E RS I T É M O H A M M E D V I P O LY T E C H N I Q U E
3.7
U N I V E R S I T É M O H A M M E D V I P O LY T E C H N I Q U E B E N G U E R I R , M O R O C C O ( 2 016 )
M o ro c c o an d ot h e r re gio ns in N o r t h Af ric a h a ve b e e n an un e n din g s o urc e of inspira tio n f o r B ofill’s wo r k. 4 4 T h e o rganiza tio n of sp a c e, t h e ambie n c e, an d re gio n al m a t e rials h a ve of t e n b e e n in c o r p o ra t e d int o his p roje c t s t h e wo r l d ove r. D e t ails f ro m N o r t h Af ric a’s wa y of livin g c an b e a d ap t e d t o dif f e re nt s c h e m e s an d all ow f o r t h e c re a tio n of p ositive wa ys of int e ra c tin g an d livin g. T h e s e d e t ails m anif e st t h e ms e l ve s in sub t l e an d p ro gre s sive t ransitio ns b e t we e n sp a c e s, m a d e f ro m p l a ys of light t o un d e rst an d int e rio r sp a c e s, an d t h e o rganiza tio n of sp a c e s aro un d c e nt ral c o ur t yards, w h e re in dividu als c an g a t h e r. 4 5 B ofill h as b uil t a d e e p k now l e d g e of t h e c ul t ural f o un d a tio ns p re s e nt in t h e hist o r y of M e dit e r ran e an ve r n a c ul ar arc hit e c t ure. 4 6
spirit of t h e p l a c e. Wit h re sid e ntial c lust e rs an d f a cilitie s o n b ot h sid e s, t h e c e nt ral p e d e st rian are a is t h e b a c k b o n e of t h e p roje c t. T his m ain ar t e r y ga t h e rs t h e d ail y a c tivitie s b ot h f o r t e a c h e rs an d st u d e nt s. T h e l a yo ut of t h e c amp us f alls wit hin a g e o m e t ric grid (fig.66+67 ), r hy t hm e d by s qu are s. T h e g e o grap hic dist rib utio n of us e s was d e fin e d o n t h e b asis of t his o ut lin e, as we re t h e d e t ails of t h e f a ç a d e s an d t h e m ajo r a xe s an d c o ur t yards t h a t p un c t u a t e o n e’s jo ur n ey t hro u gh t h e b uil t e nviro nm e nt (fig.67/71/76). 4 8 T h e f a ç a d e s sh are t h e c o l o ur of o ran g e e ar t h f ro m t h e c o unt r y ’s mo unt aino us re gio ns and e mb ra c e t h e m ajo r figure s of M o ro c c an c ul t ure. T h e b uil t vo lum e s m aje stic all y e m e rg e f ro m t h e light st o n e c ove rin g t h e gro un d, f ro m t h e ve g e t a tio n an d t h e sk y.
T h e ur b an d e sign an d t h e arc hit e c t ural st y l e of M o ro c c an citie s, n am e l y t h e are a of B e n gu e rir, are t h e p roje c t 's s o urc e of inspira tio n. T h e ric h arc hit e c t ural t ra ditio n of M o ro c c an citie s like M e k n e s an d M ar rake c h, reve al t h eir hist o r y, t h eir c ul t ure, an d t h e l o c al abilitie s t o a d ap t t o sp e cific re gio n al c o n ditio ns. 47
T h e s c h e m e e n c o ura g e s p e d e st rian circ ul a tio n, w hil e t h e c o ur t yards, gard e ns an d s e mi - c ove re d st re e t s b rin g t o g e t h e r st u d e nt s an d t e a c h e rs, t hus p ro motin g int e ll e c t u al an d s o cial exc h an g e, an d st re n gt h e nin g t h e s e ns e of c o mmunit y. 49
T h e s c h e m e f o r U nive rsit é M o h amm e d VI Po l y t e c hniqu e c o mbin e s a g e nuin e re sp e c t f o r t h e
Fig.63 Detail of front facade of Université Mohammed VI Po l y t e c hniq u e. Ph o t o by a u t h o r. Fig.64 Sketch of plan. "Université Mohammed VI P o l y t e c h n i q u e " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / u n i v e r s i t e - m o h a m m e d - v i polytechnique/.
44 "Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique" RBTA. Accessed April 20, 2018.
47 Ibid 48 Ibid 49 Ibid
http://www.ricardobofill.com/projects/universite-mohammed-vi-polytechnique/.
45 Ibid 46 Ibid
42
43
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U N I V E RS I T É M O H A M M E D V I P O LY T E C H N I Q U E
3.7
3.0 PROJECTS
U N I V E RS I T É M O H A M M E D V I P O LY T E C H N I Q U E
Fig.68
Fig.65
Fig.69 Fig.66
Fi g.67
Fi g.70
F i g . 6 5 - 6 7 S k e t c h e s o f p l a n . " U n i v e r s i t é M o h a m m e d V I P o l y t e c h n i q u e " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / u n i v e r s i t e mohammed-vi-polytechnique/.
44
F i g . 6 8 -7 0 E l e v a t i o n a n d s e c t i o n d r a w i n g s . " U n i v e r s i t é M o h a m m e d V I P o l y t e c h n i q u e " R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / u n i v e r s i t e - m o h a m m e d - v i - p o l y t e c h n i q u e / .
45
3.7
3.0 PROJECTS
U N I V E RS I T É M O H A M M E D V I P O LY T E C H N I Q U E
U nive rsit é M o h amm e d VI Po l y t e c hniqu e is ve r y mu c h imb u e d wit h a s e ns e of c ritic al re gio n alism; insistin g t h a t t h e b uil din g is re f l e c tive of t h e c ul t ure an d t ra ditio n of it s re gio n t hro u gh it s d e sign an d m a t e rialit y.
3.7
t h e n a c t t o p reve nt t h e walls f ro m c ra c kin g wit h t h e c h an gin g t e mp e ra t ure s by abs o r bin g s o m e of t h e ex p ansio n an d c o nt ra c tio n. T his p ar tic ul ar ve r n a c ul ar e l e m e nt is c ar rie d ove r in t h e U nive rsit é M o h amm e d VI Po l y t e c hniqu e ( Fig. 71/75/76). Wh e re as t h e o rigin al int e nt of t h e ho l e s in t h e m e din a walls we re t o b e us e d f o r t h e s c a f f o l din g an d subs e qu e nt ve ntil a tio n, t his c o nt e mp o rar y ap p lic a tio n is m e re l y mir ro rin g it s a e st h e tic t o re ap p ro p ria t e wit h a dif f e re nt t y p e of f un c tio n alit y; gl a zin g. T h e qu antit y an d o rd e r by w hic h t h ey are ar ra ye d p rovid e s amp l e
I n n e ar by M ar rake sh, t h e f o r tifie d walls aro un d t h e o l d m e din a are ramp ant wit h p e r f o ra tio ns ( Fig. 73+74). Wh e n t h e walls we re o rigin all y b uil t, t h e b uil d e rs ins e r t e d wo o d e n b l o c ks 5 0 s o t h a t t h ey c o ul d c limb o n t h e m as t h e walls got high e r. O n c e t h e walls we re c o mp l e t e, t h ey t o o k t h e m o ut, l e a vin g t h e p un c t ure m ar ks. T h e ho l e s
3.0 PROJECTS
U N I V E RS I T É M O H A M M E D V I P O LY T E C H N I Q U E
d a y lightin g wit hin t h e int e rio r, ye t t h e d e p t h a t w hic h t h ey are e mb e d d e d in t h e walls p reve nt s dire c t an d sust ain e d p e n e t ra tio n f ro m t h e h arsh d e s e r t sun ( Fig. 72).
Fig.72 G l a zin g d e t ail. "U nive rsit é M o h amm e d V I Po l y t e c hniq u e" R B TA . A c c e s s e d A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 1 8 . h t t p : / / w w w. r i c a r d o b o f i l l . c o m / projects/universite-mohammed-vi-polytechnique/.
F i g . 71 D e t a i l o f f r o n t f a c a d e o f U n i v e r s i t é M o h a m m e d V I P o l y t e c h n i q u e . P h o t o b y a u t h o r.
50 Marrakech Riad. "The Medina of Marrakech." January 08, 2015. https://www.marrakech-riad.co.uk/2015/01/the-mysterious-holes-in-the-walls-of-marrakech/.
46
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47
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U N I V E RS I T É M O H A M M E D V I P O LY T E C H N I Q U E
3.7
3.0 PROJECTS
U N I V E RS I T É M O H A M M E D V I P O LY T E C H N I Q U E
F i g 7 3 E x t e r i o r w a l l s o f t h e m e d i n a i n M a r r a k e s h . P h o t o b y a u t h o r.
F i g 75 E x t e r i o r w a l l s o f U n i v e r s i t é M o h a m m e d V I P o l y t e c h n i q u e i n B e n g u e r i r. P h o t o b y a u t h o r.
F i g 74 E x t e r i o r w a l l s o f t h e m e d i n a i n M a r r a k e s h . P h o t o b y a u t h o r.
F i g 76 E x t e r i o r w a l l s o f U n i v e r s i t é M o h a m m e d V I P o l y t e c h n i q u e i n B e n g u e r i r. P h o t o b y a u t h o r.
48
49
3.7
5.0 CRITICAL REFLECTION
4 .0 A N A LYS I S
B ofill, a dmit t e dl y, al wa ys re gard e d c a t e go riza tio n as an imp e dim e nt t o k now l e d g e. 51 A s su c h, h e d eve l o p e d a t e am of like - min d e d in dividu als f ro m var yin g b a c kgro un ds w ho sh are d ap p ro a c h e s t o c ritic al t hinkin g an d simil ar d e sign s e nsibilitie s. A gro up of not o nl y arc hit e c t s an d b uil d e rs, b ut als o a w rit e r, a p aint e r, a s c ulp t o r, a p hil os o p h e r, an e n gin e e r, an d a m a t h e m a tician, all livin g an d wo r kin g o n sit e: "B re a kin g knowl e d ge d own int o dif fe re nt dis cip lines and a r tistic sp he res is us e ful fo r t he p urp os es o f sp e cializa tio n, b u t t he wo rl d is no t c o mp a rt me nt alize d in su c h a way. I n o rd e r t o und e rst and so cie t y, and eve n a r t, o ne must b re a k t he fro ntie r o f t he dis cip line, b re a k t he s c he me o f t he c a t e go r y. A rc hit e c t ure was a dis cip line ve r y c loist e re d in its own lo gic. I want e d t o o p e n it up and c o nfro nt my p roje c ts wit h t hes e a l t e rna tive a p p ro a c hes." 52 R. B ofill B ofill's s e arc h f o r t h e e quilib rium t h a t wo ul d all ow m a ximum p e rs o n al f re e d o m an d m a ximum c re a tive f re e d o m h as b e e n a lif e l o n g e n d e a vo ur. B ut a t t h e e n d of t h e d a y, t ot al f re e d o m—like abs o lut e p l e asure—d o e s not exist. B ut b uil din g a sp a c e w h e re p e o p l e c an f e e l f re e is a p os sibilit y t h a t c an b e un d e rst o o d an d re c o nst r u c t e d. T h e rein lie s t h e p oint t o w hic h B ofill t rie s t o utilize arc hit e c t ure as a m e ans t o inf lu e n c e
51 "BEYOND BRUTALISM." Interview by Thomas Jeppe. SSENSE. https://www.ssense. 13 com/en-us/editorial/culture/ricardo-bofill-beyond-brutalism. 52 "Why Are Historical Towns More Beautiful Than Modern Cities?", ArchDaily,
https://www.archdaily.com/795215/ricardo-bofill-why-are-historical-townsmore-beautiful-than-moderncities, (September 13, 2016).
50
Q u i t e e v i d e n t l y, a s s e e n t h r o u g h t h i s c r o s s section of some of Ricardo Bofill's avantgarde works from the 1960s until current d a y, h e p r e c i s e l y e m b o d i e s t h e t e n s i o n between the present and the past. His career is representative of an approach by which he designs under ever-changing circumstances, often motivated by distant ideologies and s o c i a l c o n d i t i o n s . 53 His system-based design process that underpinned his earlier work, serves as a critical tool to later reappropriate architectural and ideological interpretations under new paradigms. M u c h l i k e t o d a y, S p a i n f a c e d a c r i t i c a l housing situation in the late '60s when Bofill was starting out. Immigration into the major cities resulted in housing s h o r t a g e s i n u r b a n a r e a s . 54 A s s u c h , B o f i l l ' s preliminary focus was on producing housing that responded to urban growth. Engrained within each of his projects was a strong social consciousness and a firm belief in the n e e d f o r n e w a f f o r d a b l e w a y s o f l i v i n g . 55 As a response to this context, he began to develop architectural principals aligned with progressive development and the ability to the mutate and absorb change. Bofill's projects reformulate the way its occupants relate to the urban sphere. From a f o r m a l p o i n t o f v i e w, t h e y a l l o w o n e t o think of an architecture defined by its use of architectural systems and laws, and beyond theoretical forms and technological c o n s t r a i n t s . To v i e w a p r o j e c t a s a n a l w a y s unfinished process, capable of adaptation amongst changing conditions. 53 "BEYOND BRUTALISM." Interview by Thomas Jeppe. SSENSE. https://www.ssense. 13 com/en-us/editorial/culture/ricardo-bofill-beyond-brutalism. 54 Ibid 55 Ibid
51
6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY
A nn a Puigja n e r a n d G uill e r m o L ó p ez, “Revisit in g Sys t e ms: Ric a rd o B o f il l a n d Wa l d e nm a nia,” in T h e Ave r y Review, n o. 7 ( A p ril 2015). A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. h t t p:// a ve r y rev iew. c o m/is su e s/7/rev isit in g - s ys t e ms. B a nh a m, Rey n e r. M e g a s t r u c t u re: U r b a n Fu t u re s o f t h e Re c e n t p a s t. N ew Yo r k: H a r p e r a n d Row, 1976. B o f ill, Ric a rd o. "RI C A RD O BO FI L L: B E YO N D B RU TA L I SM ." I n t e r view by T h o m a s J e p p e. S S EN S E. A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. ht t ps://w w w.s s e ns e.c o m/e n - us/e dit o ria l/c u l t u re/ric a rd o - b o f il l b eyo n d - b r u t a lis m. "El A nf it e a t ro" RBTA . A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. h t t p://w w w.ric a rd o b o f il l.c o m/p roje c t s/e l a nf it e a t ro/. "L a Fa b ric á" RBTA . A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. h t t p://w w w.ric a rd o b o f ill.c o m/l a - f a b ric a/. "L a M u ra l l a Roja" RBTA . A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. h t t p://w w w.ric a rd o b o f il l.c o m/p roje c t s/l a mu ra l l a - roja/. "L e s Es p a c e s d'A b ra xa s" RBTA . A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. h t t p://w w w.ric a rd o b o f il l.c o m/p roje c t s/ l e s - e s p a c e s - d a b ra xa s/. M a r ra ke c h Ria d. "T h e M e din a o f M a r ra ke c h." N E WS. J a nu a r y 0 8, 2015. A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. ht t ps://w w w.m a r ra ke c h - ria d.c o.u k /2015/01/t h e - mys t e rio us - h o l e s - in - t h e - wa l ls - o f m a r ra ke c h/. "RBTA – Ric a rd o B o f ill Ta l l e r D e A rq uit e c t u ra - A rc hit e c t u re, U r b a n D e sign." Ric a rd o B o f il l Ta l l e r D e A rq uit e c t u ra. A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. h t t p://w w w.ric a rd o b o f il l.c o m/. "Ric a rd o B o f il l: "W hy A re His t o ric a l Tow ns M o re B e a u t if u l T h a n M o d e r n Cit ie s?"" A rc h D ail y. S e p t e m b e r 13, 2016. A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. h t t ps://w w w.a rc h d ail y.c o m/795215/ ric a rd o - b o f il l - w hy - a re - his t o ric a l - t ow ns - m o re - b e a u t if u l - t h a n - m o d e r n cit ie s. "U nive rsit é M o h a mm e d V I Po l y t e c hniq u e" RBTA . A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. h t t p://w w w. ric a rd o b o f il l.c o m/p roje c t s/u nive rsit e - m o h a mm e d - v i - p o l y t e c hniq u e/. "Wa l d e n 7." B o l u d d h a. A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. ht t p://b o l u d d h a b c n.c o m/p o r t f o lio/wa l d e n - 7-2/. "Wa l d e n - 7" RBTA . A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. h t t p://w w w.ric a rd o b o f ill.c o m/p roje c t s/wa l d e n -7-2/. "Xa n a d ú – Ric a rd o B o f ill Ta l l e r D e A rq uit e c t u ra." Ric a rd o B o f il l Ta l l e r D e A rq uit e c t u ra. A c c e s s e d A p ril 20, 2018. ht t p://w w w.ric a rd o b o f il l.c o m/p roje c t s/xa n a d u/. D i a g r a ms s o u r c e d f r o m R i c a r d o B o f i l l Ta l l e r D e A r q ui t e c t u r a. " R i c a r d o B o f i l l Ta l l e r D e A r q ui t e c t u r a. A c c e ss e d
A p r i l 2 0, 2 018. h t t p://w w w.r i c a r d o b o f i l l.c o m/.
A l l p h o t os by a u t h o r exc e p t : Fi g.29-31,36 -38, 50, 55, 57, 61, 62
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