ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION - JAPAN 2009
"In
omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro"
"Everywhere I have searched for peace and nowhere
found it, except in a corner with a book."
Thomas De Kempis (1380-1471) German Theologian.
REMOTENESS
CONCEPT
This work attempts to encourage reading through ritual
stimulus. The reader will be able to recognize the place which will protect him
from the contemporary chaos. He will
also get involved in the infinite world of knowledge and simultaneously discover
the horizon and the sky. This space springs up again as a clue to spiritual
growth and knowledge shelter.
PROPOSAL
By means of simple elements (column – step), arranged
in a linear way, more complex matrixes will be created in a whole piece
orderer, which will generate an infinite progression. These elements are not
only a mixture of some geometric abstract models but the result of a rigorous
analysis of the visitor’s behavior in a wooden room. Each element represents
one of the stages that allows the reader to interact within the wooden room.
RITUAL
STAGES
1.
Approach: The visitor will head to the wooden
room, attracted by a mysterious light framed of a tenuous penumbra.
2.
Discovery: The
reader enters the wooden room and goes up. As he goes higher the space gets
narrower. Then, the person will discover a library hidden in the frames which
are at the same time, columns and steps. At this point the reader would be able
to choose a book.
3.
Concentration:
After the reader crosses the door, he will be involved by a ray of light. The
individual will find a space surrounded by an opaque light, the light of
knowledge.
4.
Reflection: The
reader will be able to contemplate the horizon by finding the balance between
the intellectual and physical worlds.
5.
Awareness: After
seeing the horizon and the sky, the individual will be aware of the existence
of eternal, remote and indestructible universe.
6.
Communion: After
having received the knowledge, discussion and debate will be held among the
individual and other readers in order to continue with the endless search of the
truth.
1. SYMBOLS
Matter: Permanent, immutable, eternal.
Stairs: Difficulty, effort, raise.
Order: Free will, origin and end, the place of
man in the universe.
2. MATERIALS
The room will be made of clear wood like the oak. This kind of wood will help reflect the light on the walls, fact that will evoke something eternal and secret. The room must be everlasting, that is why it is important to use time-resistant material.
3. ELEMENTS
The wall step: This element has been developed because
it is necessary to have an enclosure component that will allow the individual’s
concentration on the front but also deals with certain difficulty while going
up.
4. THE ORDER
The elements will be controlled by a centralized
cruciform structure that addresses the chamber in four opposite directions,
centrifugal and centripetal. This will guide all the axes to and from the
center.
TEAM DEVELOPMENT :
ARCH. OSCAR CONTRERAS
G.D ANDREA VILLADA
