The House Is a Machine for Living In - Essay Example

Contents Contents Introduction Conscious and Unconscious Vision in Architectural Phenomenology 4 Hegemony of Conscious Vision 4 Physical Phenomena in Villa Savoye and Ronchamp 5 The Effect of Unconscious Vision 7 Duality of Conscious and Unconscious Vision 10 Conclusion 11 The House Is a Machine for Living In Introduction As one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, Le Corbusier coined the phrase that “The house is a machine for living in”. His approach to architecture was increasingly driven by intellectualism, especially in his early works, exhibiting a meditative element in his architectural works that insisted on absolute order. Using this viewpoint, Le Corbusier showed consistency in application of these principles and, according to Pallasma, his earlier works did not place much emphasis on architectural phenomenology, although his latter works showed a shift towards this concept1. This aspect of phenomenology in architecture is referent to both a philosophy that had a significant influence on contemporary architecture, as well as an experience of building materials and built space in sensory aspects. The environment in phenomenology is defined concretely as the place, while what occurs within it “Take’s place”. The place is made up of concrete things that have material color, texture, shape, and texture, which coalesce to create the character or atmosphere of the environment. In turn, this atmosphere enhances specific spaces to embody variant properties according to the unique environmental and cultural functions that they exist in2. This research paper will seek to evaluate the meaning of the architectural phenomenology experience in terms of conscious and unconscious vision. Interpretation of the phenomenological experience using these two aspects will be carried out using two works by Le Corbusier; the Villa Savoyet started in 1928 and the Ronchampe in 1945. The two works by Le Corbusier show marked difference in terms of integrating conscious and unconscious vision in their architectural concepts. The Villa Savoyet was a masterwork in purist design and acts as one of the best achievements of Le Corbusier in creating a house that was a machine for living in3. Along with other Villas created by le Corbusier during this period, the Villa Savoyet was demonstrative of precision architecture in which every feature of the design is justified in urban and design terms, emphasizing conscious vision. However, his work in the mid to latter part of the 20th century, including the Ronchampe, testified to a shift in this concept of visual precision, instead showing a duality of architectural experience with regards to conscious and unconscious vision, which is a major element of architectural phenomenology4. Le Corbusier’s early work, especially in the 20s, was a lighting rod for many architectural critics seeking to attack the perceived failings of modernist planning and architecture, especially through his rise to prominence with catchphrases like the house being a machine to live in. His work during this era was critiqued as being too high on efficiency and science to notice the socio-cultural and architectural values, as well as aesthetics, that his work was trampling on5. The Villa Savoye is located in Poissy in the outskirts of Paris and was one of le Corbusier’s most significant early contributions, being a celebration of the industrial machine age. The Villa Savoye is detached from its physical context, which lends its design to the conscious vision of the early 20th century mechanistic/industrial context. The house, in this case, can be conceptually defined as a mechanized entity that is appealing to the conscious vision. In the commune of Ronchamp is another of Le Corbusier’s famous works, the Notre Dame Du Ronchamp. This building, unlike the Villa Savoye, is deceptively modern, appearing not to be part of the architect’s usual aesthetic and, instead, sitting like a sculpture. This inability to immediately categorize the building means that one has consider how it affects their unconscious vision, while also placing it within the context of their conscious vision6. It is a perfect example of architectural phenomenology. This research paper will seek to answer the research question; “To what extent does phenomenology affect our experience in space?” The paper will seek to answer this question by showing that phenomenology could produce a conscious and unconscious visual experience in how we view architecture. This paper will seek to support this thesis through the exploration of the definition of the experience in architectural space through interpretation of phenomenological vision. In this dynamic discourse between the conscious and unconscious vision, the paper will set out to expand on the phenomena of architectural vision, while also interpreting the experience of conscious and unconscious vision, by using the two works by Le Corbusier. In addition, the paper will also seek to investigate the dual nature of vision in terms of understanding the motives that underlie how people perceive architecture. Conscious and Unconscious Vision in Architectural Phenomenology Hegemony of Conscious Vision Juhani Pallasma, a Finnish architectural phenomenologist, has authored numerous writings on the concept of phenomenology, which have played a critical role in the development the phenomenological discourse in contemporary architecture. He writes that the real meaning of phenomenology is purely viewing the essence of phenomenology7. His concept of multi-sensory architecture is the most prominent aspect of his phenomenological thesis, proposing that the elevation of sight over all other senses in the process of perception should give added impetus to phenomenology. Indeed, architectural experience is multi-sensory in nature, involving qualities of scale, space and matter that are equally measured by all the senses. However, contemporary western culture has historically regarded sight as being the most noble of all senses, which has made the process of thought to be defined in terms of seeing, a concept that was always present in Greek thought where certainty was determined on the basis of vision and visibility8. Rather than being existentially grounded in spatial and plastic experience, contemporary architecture has adopted the various strategies of psychology utilized in advertising that seek to persuade the mind instantly. This has turned buildings into products of image that are detached from the sincerity and depth of their existence. Pallasma also contends that the invention of perspective representation made the eye the focal point of the perceptive world, turning the world into a symbolic form that describes and conditions perception9. The hegemonic eye suppresses the rest of the senses, breeding an obsession with the precedence of visual consciousness above the other senses and organs. The eye becomes a flattening organ that distances and pins reality, leading to experiencing of architecture without bodily closeness and rendering the phenomenon to abstract plainness. However, unconscious vision through touching, listening, smelling and sight brings the architectural work closer and allows it to invade one’s experience. It seem that Pallasma feels that when an object is visualized both consciously and unconsciously through hearing, smell, touch, and sight, it is a more authentic and genuine experience as opposed to simply being seen. Undeniably, Pallasma contends that vision works to reveal what is already known by touch and that the sense of touch is the unconscious part of vision, in which the eye takes in distant edges, contours, and surfaces, while unconscious tactile sensation determines the unpleasantness and agreeableness of the experience10. This is the hegemony of vision, which encompasses both conscious and unconscious vision as part of architectural phenomenology. Physical Phenomena in Villa Savoye and Ronchamp One of the most recognizable houses of the modernist architectural movement is the Villa Savoye, which is a masterwork of the purist design pursued by Le Corbusier. It accomplishes his goal of creating a building that would act as a machine for the person living in it, coming across as a functional and beautiful machine11. As with the Ronchamp, the building looks different when looked at from different angles. In addition, the two buildings share similar principles of a communal sense, openness, and purity in that they are both emblematic of their function. However, Jacquet & Giraud suggest that the Ronchamp is suggestive of a shift away from rationalism that characterized the Villa Savoye and other works by Le Corbusier in the early 20th century, indicating a move away from mechanistic concepts and showing a more contextual response to it being a religious site12. In this case, the Ronchamp sought to integrate conscious vision to give it the impression of a religious building, as well as unconscious vision to give pilgrims a sense of reflection and meditation. The Villa Savoye is one of the best examples of Le Corbusier’s concept of a machine for living, in which one can find all five points of architecture; the pilotis, the roof garden, free designing of the ground plan, free design of the façade, and the horizontal window13. The Villa Savoye is lifted off the ground and supported by pilotis, allowing for the elucidation of a free façade and an open floor plan. The former involved non-supporting walls that the architect could design as they wished, while the latter referred to free floor space that could be configured without considering supporting walls. The building’s fourth point of his system involved long strips of window ribbons that enabled one to view the yard unencumbered. Finally, the roof garden was the fifth point that replaced the green area taken up on the ground by the building. The entire building is mechanistic in nature, with the ramp from the ground to the terrace allowing the structure to possess an architectural promenade. The building also has a tubular railing that is reminiscent of an ocean liner, while the driveway has a semi-circular path that has exact measurements of an automobile. These five points of architecture demanded precise formulation and concerned architectural facts that sought to appeal primarily to the conscious vision14. The Ronchamp marked a radical departure from the mechanistic/industrial nature informed by the five points of architecture. It can be seen as a reaction by Le Corbusier to structural techniques and styles, which were influential in majority of buildings15. The Ronchamp, compared to what was observed at the Villa Savoye, was an opposite reaction against le Corbusier’s own pragmatism and principles. However, it is important to note that he did not do away completely with vital elements of conscious vision such as light and the green environment to refresh the desire of humans. Instead, it potentially marks his unwitting acceptance of architectural phenomenology by integrating the conscious vision and unconscious vision. The building was elegant and beautiful and was sort of a pilgrimage, although not an entirely religious one. The buildings power can be felt both emotionally and physically, especially as it engages the senses spiritually16. In this case, the sensual textures on the walls draw one’s hand to touch them, while the light directs one’s gaze towards the heavens. In addition, the cool air is calming to one’s spirit, while the scent of candles burning is relaxing to the mind. In short, the building, unlike the Villa Savoye, is one dripping with phenomenology. The Effect of Unconscious Vision Normally, when viewing architecture or other objects, one is not fully aware that vision constitutes a concealed aspect of unconscious experience as shown in the Ronchamp. As one looks, the eye also touches even prior to seeing the object, at which point one has already touched the object and judged its surface texture, temperature, and weight17. Touch constitutes an unconscious component of vision, which is a tactile experience that determines the object’s sensuous qualities. Touch and its unconscious sense is a mediator of messages related to repulsion or pleasure, distance or nearness, and rejection or invitation. This unconscious dimension present in touch has been neglected in today’s architecture that is focused on sight. While post-modern architecture may amuse and entice one’s eye, it does not present domicile for the human mind and body. The haptic fusion between place and space surpasses desire to touch, as well as the need for physical comfort. Bourne-Taylor & Mildenberg recognizes this need for a merger between the building and the self-using bodily intertwining, in which the building has corners and nooks that make one more likely to curl in, which belongs to phenomenology of inhabiting and that it is only those who have learned this who can inhabit the house with intensity18. This pleasure of curling up in a house is also suggestive of an unconscious association between a womb, and the image one has of the room, which is a pleasurable and protective room that one constructs inside the womb and can re-experience a child’s undifferentiated existence concealed in the human body. However, today’s architecture tends more towards offering mere “wombs” of glass that people can inhabit. Norberg-Schulz contends that humans see hardness, softness, speed, and depth in objects, as well as discern odor19. When a painter wishes to express his worldview, his color systems are required to generate an indivisible collection of impressions, failure to which the painting would only hint without presenting diversity, presence, and unity that defines reality and governs experience. Thus, when experiencing artistic work, humans actually use ideated sensations to imagine genuine encounters of a physical kind. Tactile values are the most important of these ideated sensations, in which authentic work will stimulate the ideated sensations related to touch, which is life-enhancing20. These aspects discussed above seem absent when viewing the Villa Savoye, which may be as a result of Le Corbusier’s then fascination with purism. Despite its majestic nature, its inability to appeal to the unconscious makes it seem almost uninviting and cold, especially due to its white paint and total exclusion of decoration, making it seem more like an industrial machine. Achieving an important aim for the purists, viewing the building gives one the sense that the house is technological and gives it a less traditional and more modernist look. In fact, Dovey defines the Villa Savoye as one of the earliest examples of modernism, which was the result of the architectural schools at the time that taught the essential nature of functionality, focusing equally on aesthetics as part of function, rather than complementing function21. By experimenting with space and light, Le Corbusier is able to create a harmony between function and aesthetic, designing the Villa Savoye to revolve around what modern humans required22. As modern era humans revolved around paper and reading, Le Corbusier saw the need for light and surrounded the building with windows, while also increasing space to improve each room’s versatility. Although the balance between function and aesthetic made the Villa Savoye more organized, this was at the expense of the human unconscious experience. The Ronchamp, on the other hand, is expressive of the human unconscious experience, especially as can be seen by his removal of typical aesthetic from the building, as well as spatial purity that necessitated him, not to over complicate the building. Rather, there is an unmistakable attempt by Le Corbusier for the Ronchamp to be reflective and meditative in purpose, requiring that it appealed to the unconscious vision, a major aspect of architectural phenomenology23. The walls are painted in stark white, just like the Villa Savoye, adhering to the purist mentality in ensuring that light entering the chapel would become washed out, creating an ethereal atmosphere. This effect by the light appeals to the unconscious vision by evoking emotional and expressive qualities that create enhanced sensations that is more in tune with the chapel’s function as a religious building. Ronchamp is placed on the top of a hill, which gives one the sense that it is on a pedestal, albeit a metaphorical one, which creates added importance about the building to the viewer’s sub-conscious24. Unlike the Villa Savoye that was entirely functional, boxy, sterile, and appealing only to the conscious vision without leaving room for unconscious experience, the Ronchamp is more of an irregular sculpture that demands interaction at a level other than conscious vision. This is the ultimate goal of architectural phenomenology, integrating unconscious vision effects with the conscious to give architecture duality of phenomena. Duality of Conscious and Unconscious Vision Architectural phenomenology, therefore, can be considered as a synthesis between the real (conscious) vision and the spiritual (unconscious) vision25, as exemplified by the Ronchamp, while the Villa Savoye is an example of what happens when the balance between the conscious and unconscious is not achieved. The conscious vision involves the body of elements that are influential in the building in achieving its practical function, which both the Villa Savoye and the Ronchamp achieve. This is the rationality or objectivity of the building’s function. The unconscious vision, on the other hand, is unsupported and unrelated to necessity, instead borne of the desire to create a building that is transcendent of practical reality and its laws. It is the tendency towards creating beauty and satisfying an unknowable knowing26. Theoretically, the conscious attends to the objectivity, while the unconscious attends to subjectivity, although the objective needs to be tempered continuously with the individual’s bias. Conversely, total subjectivity can be blurred if it resonates with near universal approval, as well as if it is validated by age value with time. Something similar to this has happened with the Ronchamp, whose subjectivity has become widely accepted over time as part of the objective goal of the building, indicating almost perfect achievement of architectural phenomenology. Conclusion Regardless of whether the aesthetics of a building are objective or subjective, they will always tend to contrast with the true work’s demands. However, unlike objectivity that is symbolic of conscious vision, subjectivity tends to blur with objectivity over time. Le Corbusier can be considered something of a paradoxical architect, in that his earlier works, such as the Villa Savoye, were entirely objective, seeking to only appeal to the viewer’s conscious vision. However, his latter works, such as the Ronchamp, showed a radical departure from this objectivity, instead appealing to the unconscious vision by being subjective, as well as objective. The Villa Savoye was symbolic of an era during which architects, including Le Corbusier, were enchanted with mechanistic or industrial functionality of buildings, leading him to coin the phrase that a house was a machine for living. However, this is against the very essence of architectural phenomenology, which insists on the experience of architectural works by a duality of conscious vision and unconscious vision. Architecture itself, just like the Ronchamp, should be an expression of this duality, manifesting in a balance between reality constraints and artistic thought. By acknowledging this duality, architecture, can gain the foundation that symbolizes architectural phenomenology. Proposal Provisional Title The provisional title for this paper will be “The house is a machine for living in”. This is a quote by Le Corbusier. Proposed subject matter: This paper will seek to explore the definition of the experience in architectural space through interpretation of phenomenological vision. In this dynamic discourse between the conscious and unconscious vision, the paper will set out to expand on the phenomena of architectural vision, while also interpreting the experience of conscious and unconscious vision. In addition, the paper will also seek to investigate the dual nature of vision in terms of understanding the motives that underlie how people perceive architecture. Finally, the paper’s research question will be; “To what extent does phenomenology affect our experience in space?” The paper will seek to answer this question by showing that phenomenology could produce more than a visual experience in how we view architecture. The academic contexts and Literature review According to Otero-Pailos, architectural phenomenology was a vital movement in the development of early post-modernist architecture27. By emphasizing on the experience that, architectural phenomenology, could bring, a new way to discern architectural theory and history was born. Indeed, the architectural phenomenologist viewed phenomenology as a liberating way to reframe the old dyad of humans and the way they view the environment28. Nevertheless, architectural phenomenology was determined to have died out in the 80s, especially due to the singular nature of the situation, as well as its attachment to a particular moment in history. However, this thesis has been denied by various authors, including Steven Holl, who defend phenomenology in architecture as still possessing a potentially productive future. Phenomenology, from the view of a philosopher, involves the interpretive study of man using their experiences on a daily basis, seeking to describe the complexity of their experiences by better understanding the relationship between subjectivity and objectivity. As stated by Norberg-Schulz, there is no objectivity in the world sans subjectivity29. Phenomenology first came into being at the start of the 20th century as a reaction to the analytical method proposed by the Cartesians, which viewed the world and as objects and subjects that reacted on each other. Along with the Cartesian method, rationalism also considered the body and the mind as separate and detached, refuting all knowledge of sensory experience or perception30. Conversely, phenomenology proposed a return to ways that sought to move away from scientific abstractions and neutral objectivism. As the century wore on, phenomenology moved away from, being solely considered as possessing consciousness as its fundamental constituent to different methodological approaches to phenomenology. While some focused on the experience of humans taking place in time, others emphasized perception as playing a foundational role in the conception of the world and in engaging with this world31. The relationship between phenomenology and architecture first appeared in the sixties. Probably the most influential figure in making the connection was Christian Norberg-Schulz, while other figures like Juhani Pallasma and Steven Holl are also identified as important architectural phenomenologists. More recently, the work of architects like Pallasma have also used architectural phenomenology as a term to introduce the multi-sensory architecture concept, which demands that vision plays a less prominent part in how humans experience architectural objects32. This concept holds that humans experience architecture in a multi-sensory manner, in which qualities of scale, space, and matter are equally measured and perceived by muscle, skeleton, tongue, skin, nose, ear, and eye. In this case, one’s sense of belonging and being in the world is strengthened by architecture, which, fundamentally, gives rise to the individual having a more strengthened experience of themselves. However, the original intentions of this search for an experience that is multi-sensory in nature has, at times, resulted in a collection of architectural concepts and details that are superfluous at best33. Nowadays, numerous urban designers and architects are again utilizing the terms of place-making and place to come up with architecture that has an increasingly social focus34. As the effects of the economic crisis bring about a reaction among architects for more individual and responsible architectural undertakings, the simultaneous environmental crisis, in conjunction with the former, has made the term place a central concept in architectural practices today. This notion that there is territorial significance in place as an expression of local and specific aspects has become especially salient in coping with the current social, as well as environmental, challenges that the 21st century brings35. It is for this reason that there is increasing belief that phenomenology is still productive with regards to architecture, as well as the fact that it will continue to play a leading role in how 21st century architecture is defined. Defending the research question To defend the research question, the paper will utilize a combination of research methods in order to collect information and appropriate materials. These will include searching the internet for relevant material, as well as libraries to get relevant books and journal articles. In addition, two buildings by Le Corbusier will also be visited as part of the social activity, while drawings and photographs will also be made from this experience. Finally, the ideas and theories from these activities will be tested and discussed. To answer the research question, the research study will adopt both analytical and practical approaches, material analysis, and drafting a case study through visiting the specified social buildings, photographing them, and documenting the outcome. The analytical and practical approach will seek to utilize critical thinking in order to discern facts concerning phenomenology in architecture, while also developing a new and useful way to look at phenomenology in current architecture. Critical thinking will be especially useful in questioning assumptions made in architectural phenomenology using observations made by visiting the buildings. Bibliography Aravot, I & E Neuman, Invitation to Archiphen: Some Approaches and Interpretations of Phenomenology in Architecture, 2nd edn, Zeta, Bucharest, 2010 Bourne-Taylor, C & A Mildenberg, Phenomenology, Modernism and Beyond, 2nd edn, Peter Lang, Oxford, 2010 Dovey, K, The Dwelling Experience: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture, 3rd edn, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Town & Regional Planning, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 1979. Holl, S, J Pallasmaa & GA Pérez, Questions of Perception: Phenomenology of Architecture, 2nd edn, William Stout, San Francisco, 2008 Jacquet, B & V Giraud, From the Things Themselves: Architecture and Phenomenology, 4th edn, École française dExtrême-Orient, Paris, 2012 Mallgrave, H & D Goodman, An Introduction to Architectural Theory: 1968 to the Present, 2nd edn, Wiley-Blackwell, Malden, 2011 Norberg-Schulz, C, Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture, 3rd edn, Rizzoli, New York, 1980 Otero-Pailos, J, Architectures Historical Turn: Phenomenology and the Rise of the Postmodern, 4th edn, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2010 Pallasmaa, J, The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses, 5th edn, Wiley-Academy, Chichester, 2013 Read More