AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.09.2003, Blaðsíða 43
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Schoolhouse and sports hall in Ostfildem near Stuttgart, 1999 / 2002: chimneys of sports hall. / Skóli og iþróttahús í Ostfildern nálægt Stuttgart, 1999 / 2002: skorsteinar á íþróttahúsi.
cut holes in the walls and glaze
them to emphasise the trans-
parency of modern architecture,
where a delicate glass membrane
tries to wipe out the demarcation
line between what is inside and
what is outside - we want to
show that we have a different
attitude. The spaces we design
are generally enclosed with a
solid stone wall because we want
people to be able to sense the
physical weight.
„How does modernism help us
by building external walls of glass
when it is not necessary from the
design point of view? What do
we gain by giving people walking
up a staircase the feeling of being
outside when they are really
inside? Does this trend to trans-
parency, of being outside not
reduce the possibilities of archi-
tecture?" (Arno Lederer).
„Inside is different from outside" -
with these words we are not
advocating a clear separation
between inner and outer spaces
in buildings but only denouncing
the tendency to do away with the
difference between inside and
outside. We look upon space as
a framework, which through
physical feeling and light is clearly
defined from the undefined outer
space. We try to meet the „disap-
pearance of inside space“
because of transparency, with
architecture that makes us sense
the spaces as physical capsules.
One can describe this with the
same words as the buildings by
Emil Steffan: „Nobody will experi-
ence this architecture as being
cold, distant, unusual, pretentious
and fake. On the contrary, it is
warm, familiar and almost obvi-
ous. The reason for this is its
physical manifestation and the
forms which are part of our his-
toric memory.“
In the design of new spaces, we
put emphasis on not making the
habitable spaces too tight and
oppressive. On the contrary, here
the quality of our work is put to
the test. With carefully thought
out lighting we try to create light,
but at the same time clearly
defined spaces.
As our architecture is true to this
original idea, we really create
spaces and spatial feelings with
reference to architectural history.
Scandinavian architecture has
been an important source of
inspiration in our work. We
admired how Lewerentz,
Anshelm and Celsing finished
joints. Modern buildings, which
appear to be a natural part of the
man-made environment. This is
the goal of our architecture. In
times when artificial space
increasingly influences how peo-
ple experience architecture, we
want our buildings to be a clear
symbol of the original power that
real space has, the touch, the
feeling, the ambience of light and
colour and the touch.
We try to meet the placeless
space of imaginary artificial
worlds by creating real places.
Our buildings are not lost in stan-
dardised namelessness and can-
not be exchanged or placed
according to a whim. Our build-
ings create places. These places
are not some imaginary „sites"
but always designed to fit a cer-
tain context. Be it a central area
of a city or open landscape, our
architecture attempts to address
the special context and never
appears in isolation. ■
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