Stan Allen Villa VPRO

Yong Yong Feng Feng See ARCH 572

Section 6 (Abrahamson) (Abrahamson) Paper STRUCTURES: Stan Allen, “Villa VPRO”

This paper analyses Stan Allens re!ie" o# $%R&%s %illa %'R a b*il+ing #or the hea+,*arters hea+,*arters o# the %'R broa+casting company in Hil!ers*m the -etherlan+s an+ compares it to 'iet Stams re!ie" o# the same b*il+ing as "ell as Allens o"n re!ie" o# .e Corb*siers Carpenter Center/ 0hile Stam analyses the b*il+ing #rom the i+ea o# the classical !illa an+ ho" it is trans#orme+ an+ e!ol!e+ by $%R&% Allen is more concerne+ "ith the 1ho" o# $%R&%s +esign metho+s rather than the b*il+ing itsel#/ 3n other "or+s Allen approaches approaches the b*il+ing #rom #rom an i+eological i+eological point point o# !ie" "hile "hile Stam *ses *ses a more phenomenological an+ analytical approach/ Allens re!ie" o# the Carpenter Center similarly re4ects this concern #or ho" an+ "hy choices "ere ma+e in its +esign/ 3+eology is something that .oos *tilies hea!ily in his parable o# the 1'oor .ittle Rich $an "here his ctional architect sees his role as to +esign the complete li!ing en!ironment/ .oos *ses this to arg*e against this type o# total +esign "hile Allen applies it in the con!erse to +escribe $%R&%s "or as lan+scapes that are open to change/ This comparison s*ggests that the lens o# i+eology can be a po"er#*l tool #or analying b*il+ings b*il+ings beyon+ their s*r#ace appearances to *nco!er the mo+es o# +esign an+ practice that are operating behin+ the scenes/ Allens re!ie" re!ie" o# the %illa %'R %'R appears a#ter a short +escription +escription o# o# the b*il+ing b*il+ing in "hich its architects emphasie both an 1o8ice lan+scape approach as "ell a +esire to "or on an+ e9hibit problems o# in#ormation an+ +ata/ The +ra"ings an+ +iagrams that accompany sho" the !oi+s that mae *p this lan+scape as "ell as the m*ltiple layers o# systems s*perimpose+ on the plan/ Allens re!ie" itsel# is title+ 1Articial :cology; An :+itorial 'ostscript in+icating both an interpretation o# $%R&%s "oring metho+ #rom a biological perspecti!e as "ell as a +esire to both a++ on to an+ comment on $%R&%s +escription/ +escription/ Allen characteries $%R&%s approach as one o# 1ra+ical pragmatism "here a st*bborn insistence to "oring rationally thro*gh +ata b*t not thro*gh con!entional +esign metho+s res*lts in *ni,*ely *ne9pecte+ o*tcomes (Allen <=>)/ The articial ecology

Yong Feng See ARCH 572

Section 6 (Abrahamson)

o# the title is its res*lt "here the *npre+ictable nee+s o# the client necessitate+ a b*il+ing that co*l+ be 4e9ible an+ open to gro"th an+ change e!en a#ter the b*il+ing is constr*cte+/ 'iet Stams re!ie" begins "ith %'Rs "ish to ha!e the ne" b*il+ing e!oe the !illa atmosphere o# its ol+ o8ices/ He spen+s most o# the re!ie" "aling the rea+er into the b*il+ing thro*gh a +etaile+ +escription o# the spatial se,*ences an+ e9periences "hich is s*pporte+ by large photos that sho" the "i+e !ariety o# !illa?lie spaces in the b*il+ing/ Stam compares the b*il+ing to Herman Hertbergers Centraal @eheer an+ arg*es that the latters repetiti!e spaces allo" in+i!i+*als to claim their o"n territories "ithin the b*il+ing "hile the %illa %'R restricts s*ch appropriation instea+ o8ering !arie+ spaces to mo!e thro*gh creating ones o"n narrati!e/ Tho*gh both re!ie"s are o# the same b*il+ing they +i8er greatly in their metho+s o# +escribing the b*il+ing the ey concepts *se+ an+ their analysis o# "hat is signicant in each b*il+ing/ Stam taes a clearly phenomenological approach that priorities the spatial !is*al an+ tactile e9perience o# physically "aling thro*gh the b*il+ing "hile also connecting it to the concept o# the !illa an+ historical prece+ent/ Allen on the other han+ +oes not re#erence any specic b*il+ing element or space in the b*il+ing in his re!ie"/ He is instea+ more intereste+ in the architects "oring metho+ an+ ho" it +i8ers #rom the con!entional practice o# architect*re/ Ho"e!er Allen also seems to proect his o"n interests onto his interpretation o# the b*il+ing/ Tho*gh p*blishe+ t"o years a#ter the re!ie" Allens concept o# in#rastr*ct*ral *rbanism is almost e9actly the same as the 1articial ecology that he *ses to +escribe the %illa %'R (Allen 13n#rastr*ct*ral Brbanism)/ 3t also goes #*rther than $%R&%s o"n report "hich *ses the term 1lan+scape to +escribe the bl*rring o# interior an+ e9terior in terms o# space an+ topography b*t not in the biological sense o# a #rame"or #or change that Allen interprets/ As a "i+ely p*blishe+ architect an+ in4*ential !oice o# lan+scape *rbanism Allen brings in m*ch more o# his o"n i+eas into the re!ie" compare+ to Stam "hose +escriptions o# the



spatial se,*ences are more obecti!e in the sense that he +oes not *se them to #*rther any larger thesis abo*t "hat the b*il+ing is/ Allens interest in the practice o# architect*re is ma+e clear in his intro+*ction to the boo Practice: Architecture, Technique and Representation / Here he criticies a 1+*mb practice that ts itsel# into the bo*n+aries o# co+es an+ con!entions an+ a+!ocates #or a 1pragmatic realism "here the limits are #o*n+ not thro*gh an analysis o# the past b*t #rom a material practice that me+iates bet"een abstraction an+ matter (Allen 13ntro+*ction 9!iii)/ This is striingly similar to the "oring metho+ o# $%R&% that he praises in his re!ie"/ 3n a++ition Allen also arg*es that architect*re sho*l+ be *n+erstoo+ thro*gh the 1emergence o# i+eas in an+ thro*gh the materials an+ proce+*res o# the architect*ral "or itsel# an+ that "riting abo*t architect*re sho*l+ help to clari#y this process (Allen 99i!)/ Th*s Allen belie!es that "riting sho*l+ not simply +escribe or analye in re#erence to establishe+ con!entions b*t *nco!er tho*ght processes in or+er to open *p ne" "ays o# practice/ S*ch an approach can be seen in Allens re!ie" o# a +i8erent b*il+ing; .e Corb*siers Carpenter Center/ Here he analyses the b*il+ing thro*gh the lenses o# $o+ernism an+ mo!ement an+ ho" the b*il+ing ts into those i+eologies/ Tho*gh Allen begins the re!ie" "ith a "althro*gh o# its entrance lie Stam he *ses it to intro+*ce the concept o# mo!ement an+ ho" other architects an+ theorists ha!e +ealt "ith it th*s opening the re!ie" to a "hole other string o# re#erences an+ reso*rces/ He then goes into +etail abo*t possible in4*ences an+ processes on .e Corb*sier in creating this 1mo!ement? image s*ch as his car+boar+ c*ts an+ his imagine+ choreography o# the so*n+ an+ mo!ement (Allen <=7 <<<)/ Similar to ho" the mo+ern phenomenon o# +atascapes is a ey in4*ence in $%R&%s practice Allen i+enties the in4*ence o# lm mathematics an+ &ele*es 1any?instant?"hate!er in .e Corb*siers +esign/ The secon+ hal# o# the re!ie" #oc*ses on the *se o# rein#orce+ concrete "here the physical realities o# constr*ction an+



climate are strategically manip*late+ in ser!ice o# lightness an+ mo!ement #or e9ample in the 4at slabs "itho*t beams or capitals an+ the smooth nishes o# the concrete/ Allens re!ie" o# the Carpenter Center is m*ch longer than that o# the %illa %'R an+ more +etaile+ perhaps +*e to the historical perspecti!e o# "riting a #e" +eca+es a#ter its completion in comparison to the latter "hich "as "ritten contemporaneo*sly/ Allen also +oes not try to t in his i+eas o# lan+scape an+ in#rastr*ct*re into his interpretation o# .e Corb*sier b*t instea+ +ra"s in relate+ thiners an+ i+eologies o# his time in or+er to plot o*t the bacgro*n+ o# i+eas in4*encing .e Corb*siers +esign intentions/ Th*s both re!ie"s still align to his position on practice an+ criticism as mentione+ abo!e/ They +o not try to +escribe their s*bects in a comprehensi!e manner that +escribes the e9perience o# e!ery space an+ +etail b*t #oc*s on the ey points "here the architects intention an+ material reality colli+e to gi!e a *ni,*e res*lt  the moment "hen i+eologies "hether that o# $o+ernist mo!ement in#ormation or lan+scape negotiate "ith the realities o# the "orl+ in a 1per#ormati!e practice (Allen 13ntro+*ction 99iii)/ 3+eology plays a big role in the analysis o# any "or o# architect*re/ 3n A+ol# .oos parable o# the 1'oor .ittle Rich $an the i+eology o# the gesamtkunstwerk traps the man into a sit*ation "here e!erything has been +eci+e+ #or him symboliing the po"er o# i+eas o!er materials or spaces/ Altho*gh .oos arg*ment "as ma+e in the conte9t o# the e9cessi!e ornamentation o# the %ienna Secession an+ the nee+ #or sel#?e9pression Stam raises the same iss*e in pointing o*t ho" each space in the %illa %'R has been care#*lly an+ *ni,*ely +esigne+ to the point that the #aDa+e that e9presses these +i8erences has thirty?!e +i8erent types o# glaing lea!ing no space #or in+i!i+*al e9pression/ Ho"e!er Allen sees the %illa %'R as the re!erse; m*ch more amenable an+ open to *ser impro!isation (Allen 1%illa %'R E)/ Here it is impossible to +etermine "hich !ie" is right perhaps s*ggesting that "hile an i+eological lens can be a *se#*l "ay to e9plore the architects mo+e o# practice the act*al per#ormance o# the b*il+ing accor+ing to its



i+eology "ill +epen+ on ho" its *sers act*ally inhabit an+ occ*py it "here i+eas mae the leap into reality/ @ibliography Allen Stan/ 1%illa %'R/ Assemblage (no/E &ecember 2/ Stam '/ (?/

Stan Allen Villa VPRO

Recommend Documents