VISAGE OF MODERNITY
Aryazopa Tjong | 08111840000055 | KELAS A
Le Corbusier’s Five Points Implemented to Induce Fear
Le Corbusier’s vision of “free plan, free facade” and the architectural freedom it provided have massively impacted architecture until today. Elements and aspects of Le Corbu’s thought can be seen in buildings everywhere. Yet since its conception with the zeitgeist of the third industrial revolution, a lot of critics have debated modern architecture’s downfall in many different aspects, from social, cultural, and performance implications. This project will also debate against Le Corbusier and his promises on modern architecture, specifically the beauty of modern architecture. If a building is designed according to Le Corbusier’s five points on architecture, with the intent of inducing fear on its user, can it still be defined as a beautiful building?
To answer the question, Le Corbusier’s theory could be broken down to its elements, and implemented according to the prospect and refuge theory, which dictate how unclear, obstructed views and unsecure, unprotected places can increase discomfort on the user. A building use which that is fitting of this concept is a cemetery, where there is a clear distinction between the spaces belonging to the living and the dead. In this project, a specific typology will be chosen to be explored, which is the catacombs. This particular typology is made up of multiple tunnels connecting into one large network of graves, and have no known modern counterpart, perfect for the context of the project. With all aforementioned contexts, the resulting design criteria is to design a building with poor refuge and prospect using modern architectural elements (pilotis, loggia, cantilevers, enclosures, etc.), resulting in an irregular, ambiguous space.
To emulate the irregular, twisting and turning and looping galleries and tunnels of catacombs in a modern manner, the construction must be altered. Underground tunnels will be replaced with cantilever loggias, floating above ground. Most of the cemetery space will be risen above ground, held in place with concrete shear walls and pilotis as supporting structures. The pilotis will also support roofs, creating long loggias in which natural light can enter and open the view in a wide angle. Another aspect that will be altered is the arrangement.
The ground’s irregularities and other conditions then can be neglected. By this point, the twist and turns of catacombs carved according to the ground’s properties is not relevant anymore, and the direction in which catacombs can be arranged is more flexible. To reflect on that aspect, designing a modular system will be appropriate, where modules can be adjusted to meet other requirements, such as the boundaries of the site. Basic geometric shapes and their interactions between one another can be explored to find an arrangement with optimal connectability and space capacity. This project adopts the arrangement of tetrominoes, the T-tetromino in particular, to generate spatial configuration. The resulting design looks randomly generated at first, but in reality has a specific pattern that loops back. Repetitive modern elements will further disorient a person wandering within the building.