Architectural Quiz on Therme Vals

Lecture 6: Facilitating Activity

• Concepts discussed include program, organization, circulation, order, and sequence.
• Lecture was given by Maarten Willems on November 25, 2024.
• Playtime (1967) by Jacques Tati is mentioned as an example.

Architectural Form, Space, & Order

• This week's lecture material is from Francis D.K. Ching's book, focusing on pages 178-272.
• The question "Do we have to learn the book?" is posed, with an affirmative answer. This suggests a need for in-depth study of the provided text.

Complicating Activity

• Peter Eisenman's House VI (1975) is discussed.
• The building was designed to be challenging and require users to adapt, constantly being aware of its structure.

Prison Chapel – London – 1862

• A prison chapel, designed based on the "separate system," is described, along with the conditions within the space.

Panopticon Prison Typology

• The lecture includes reference to Jeremy Bentham's panopticon prison typology, a notable architectural style.
• The Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois is mentioned as an example of this prison type.

Program of Requirements

• The key question explored is what activities will the building accommodate?
• It's crucial to understand how the building will be utilized and the desired user behaviors.
• The lecture presents the need for defining architectural requirements.

Unprogrammed Space

• Lacaton & Vassal's School of Architecture in Nantes (2009) is an example of unprogrammed space.

Defining Architect

• The role of an architect is presented as translating a program into a building, drawing on the background and definition of the term "architect": arkhi - téktōn, meaning 'chief' (or 'master') – carpenter/builder'.

Herman Hertzberger - Centraal Beheer

• Herman Hertzberger's Centraal Beheer building in Apeldoorn (1972) is featured as an office building.
• Its design differs from traditional office building paradigms.

Adolf Loos's View on Users

• Adolf Loos's quotes about how (architecture) causes sentiments in users and how architects should make those more precise are presented.

Architect's Role and Tools

• The role of the architect involves understanding stakeholders and available design concepts.
• Essential tools for architects include spatial organization (linear, radial, grid, cluster), circulation/routing, and order.

The Architect's Toolbox expands on Order

• Architects use order to create spatial organization of the program (linear, radial, grid, cluster), circulation, and routing.
• Additional facets of order include symmetry, axis, hierarchy, and rhythm.
• A broader understanding of sequence (daylight, materialization, scale, proportion, mass, geometry, and more.) is important to the architect.

Linear, Radial, and Grid Organizations

• The lecture examines various spatial organizational methods through examples like the Kaufmann desert house, and Norman Foster's Stansted airport.

Routes-Circulation

• IKEA's layout is presented as an example of linear routing, in relation to circulation and unambiguous user activity.
• Museum Valkhof, a case of complex routing, leading to many choices and decisions, as well as optional activities.

Hospital Layout (Routes/Circulation)

• A hospital's layout (routes-circulation/hospital 'map') is contrasted against other forms of routes and circulation. This highlights aspects such as the complexity of hospital layouts, and the need for a clear and direct circulation/route system to allow for efficient and safe movement.

Building Organization

• The organization of a thermal facility, using Peter Zumthor’s Therme Vals, is discussed.
• This includes details such as spatial organization of program, circulation, routes, and the spatial sequence.

Architectural Concepts

• Architectural concepts like routing, circulation, sequence, and spatial organization are examined in various examples, from Tadao Ando's Water Temple to Peter Zumthor's Therme Vals.

Recap of Concepts

• A summary of concepts includes program, organization, routing, order, and spatial sequence.
• Leading figures such as Peter Zumthor, Tadao Ando, and others are listed.