God is in the Details Jim Eyre

Wilkinson EyreArchitects

Like most architects, I have a great reverence for Mies vander Rohe. When I think of him, his exquisitely detailed andextraordinarily elegant buildings come immediately to mind.He is also known for two famous sayings. The first 'Lessis more' is now so much part of common parlance thatperhaps few people know where or when it originated.These three small words have been the focus of greatdebate ever since; they have even received the dubiousaccolade of a mocking misquotation 'Less is a bore.'Perhaps they have become an easy target because thephrase is so widely recognized; yet their simplicity isprofound, and they summarize an entire architecturalmanifesto. Miess second famous dictum is that 'God is inthe details.' This latter reveals the absolute nature of Miessarchitecture, which displays such clarity that our perceptionof his buildings is elevated to an almost spiritualexperience. There is also a strong hint that working outdetails requires great application something akin toreligious fervour. It is always worth remembering these twosayings when things are getting a little complicated,particularly with regard to detailing on buildings. It is oftenworth going back and reminding yourself what it is that thedetails should speak of. A concise expression is usuallymore enduring.

At Wilkinson Eyre we recognize the importance of gooddetailing. An ingenious concept is not enough on its own.Indeed, in my view, however striking the concept, it willstand or fall on the quality of its detailing. Consideredalongside the Miesian approach, which values clarity andsimplicity, a very careful and studied look at this aspectbecomes even more crucial. Our architecture, which I seeas being broadly founded on the Miesian tradition, wouldbe very unforgiving to clumsy details or poor workmanship.In order to be considered complete designers, architectsneed to be interested in how to make things, how all thedifferent components function together. We expressourselves by working out the configuration of the variouscomponents and it is anathema to hand over control of thiselement to anyone else. It is our responsibility as architectsto try to retain control wherever possible in order tosafeguard good design and avoid unnecessary compromise with its inevitable loss of quality.

At Wilkinson Eyre we promote an architecture whichconcerns itself (amongst many other things) with thesurfaces, edges and lines of structural form. This meansthat the junctions between components require specialcare. It was Charles Eames who said 'When two materialscome together, brother, watch out', and however fantasticthe technological developments that have have taken placesince then, the statement still holds true. It doesn't get anyeasier.

Today detailing has become a rather more complex issuethan it was in Mies's time. Some of the pioneering modernbuildings were unfortunately prone to problems of durabilityand there can be little doubt that in the spirit of progresscertain fundamental principles to do with weathering,moisture and thermal behaviour were overlooked (though Ibelieve this tended to afflict lesser buildings). Now the issueof sustainability means that our concerns are more focusedon energy usage, pollution and the renewability ofmaterials. A building's thermal performance is becomingincreasingly important as a more holistic approach toenergy usage and broader environmental issues movescentre stage. Unfortunately, this means that some of themore beautifully simple details of yesteryear need moreattention in the contemporary context. We have to workeven harder in order to express what we want to in abuilding's architecture while at the same time making itperform and being economical with the use of preciousmaterials.

I think it is interesting that often, while buildings are said tohave been 'designed', the details are deemed to have been'worked out'. It may seem a curious use of languagebecause similar skills are needed for both; with detailing,however, the technical requirements mean there is lessroom for pure creative thought. The implication is somehowthat the design of the building possesses a set of detailsand the architect is charged with finding out what they are.Obviously, as an argument, this line of thought isidiosyncratic; nevertheless, there is some truth in the notionthat there is a 'right' set of details that go with any givenconcept. To develop these details and go through theprocess of designing them successfully requires an abilityto think in three dimensions about the assembly of a range

01 03

04

02

01 Detail drawing: Isometric of wall andstructure, South Gable, Stratford Market Depot, London UK, 1996 Wilkinson Eyre Architects

02 Detail: Column head, Stratford Market Depot, London UK, 1997 Wilkinson Eyre Architects

03 Detail: Wind truss, Stratford Regional Station, London UK, 1999 Wilkinson Eyre Architects

04 Detail: Rib base casting, Stratford Regional Station, London UK, 1999 Wilkinson Eyre Architects

1 Wilkinson EyreArchitects

God is in the Details Jim Eyre

Wilkinson EyreArchitects

of components and the various junctions between them. Ina sense, at this stage the architect is undertaking a form of'planning' akin to laying out a series of spaces, but workingwith and laying out a series of solid components of adifferent scale. There is something of the jigsaw about theprocess, the pieces being a mix of standard products and,where none exists, purpose-designed components. And atthe same time there are all the other considerations likekeeping the weather out, preventing corrosion andconstructing something durable.

The ultimate luxury would be to work out all the key detailsof a building in three dimensions using physical models, foronly in this way can the physical appearance and therelationship between the various elements be fullyexplored. There are some architectural practices that areable to do this, and in particular I have great admiration forthe work of Renzo Piano; he is unequalled in this respect.At Wilkinson Eyre details are formulated by being sketchedout repeatedly on paper; we rely on vision and imaginationand experience to predict what the end result will look like.

The most easily overlooked aspect of building design isthat of tolerances. It is such an important considerationalthough, unless something goes wrong, it is not usuallyapparent in the finished work. Every component of abuilding is manufactured to a designated set ofdimensions, whether on- or off-site, and each one can varya certain amount. Such tolerances are set by what a humanbeing can reasonably achieve, or by what is economicallyviable in a mechanical manufacturing process. Theaccuracy with which components can be placed into theworks on site at installation varies too, depending both onthe care taken by the person responsible for the placingand also on the positional accuracy of the componentwhich it adjoins. The architectural detail drawing is thus asnapshot of where a series of components is ideallyintended to be in space; in reality, each piece defines aspace around itself within which it could actually end up.Naturally, an understanding of this moving three-dimensional jigsaw requires some special skills, bothspatial and technical.

Dealing with tolerances seriously challenges the youngarchitect in particular because he/she has been brought upin a technological age in which computers foster an illusionof accuracy. The temptation to believe in fractions of amillimetre is as alluring as the Sirens were to Aeneas. Infact, computers have had a hugely liberating effect inWilkinson Eyres offices and in our whole approach todesign; they have encouraged freedom of thought andallow us to represent quite complex forms possessinggeometries that previously would have been preventativelydifficult to draw. However, the precision that the computeroffers is very seductive and being divorced from the realityof a building site can create serious problems. There is nobetter way to overcome these problems than spending timeactually on a building site or at a manufacturing plant.Architects in our office are encouraged to gain hands-onexperience wherever possible, following the detail rightthrough from the original drawing seeing how theserepresentations are translated into reality on site.

Linked with the issue of accuracy of detailing and what isachievable on site is the real problem of diminishing craftskills. The number and availability of skilled site operativesin the various trades is definitely in decline, a shift that goeshand in hand with the drive, now becoming a necessity,towards off-site manufacture. The fabrication of buildingcomponents is usually better undertaken in factoryconditions by specialists. As a consequence newopportunities are opening up for the architect because themachines of manufacture, controlled by computers, aremaking it increasingly possible to make one-offcomponents. At the same time the increasing specializationmeans that architects need to have a good understandingof what can be achieved, before defining the architecturalintent as a series of profiles on drawings. To retain controlone has to explore fully what is possible even if, ultimately,the fabricator is to produce the specialist design.

At Wilkinson Eyre we have been fortunate to be involved ina wide range of building and structure types. Some of thesehave involved large-scale and very public spaces which,because they are unheated, are not tied by the challengesof having to insulate everything. In these structures wehave been able to enjoy a certain bold freedom in our

01

03

02

04

01 Detail: Canopy support, Dyson Headquarters, Malmsbury UK, 1999 Wilkinson Eyre Architects / Photographer - Richard Davies

02 Detail: Front truss glazing, StratfordRegonal Station, London UK, 1999 Wilkinson Eyre Architects / Photographer - Morley von Sternberg

03 Diagrid roof structure, StratfordMarket Depot, London UK, 1997 Wilkinson Eyre Architects / Photographer - Dennis Gilbert/View

04 Detail: cable connections to mast,South Quay Footbridge, LondonUK, 1997 Wilkinson Eyre Architects / Photographer - Morleyvon Sternberg

2

God is in the Details Jim Eyre

Wilkinson EyreArchitects

treatment of detailing, a freedom that allows materialconnections to be made in a simple, sculptural way,displaying the properties of the respective materials andusing them expressively. Stratford Station is the obviousexample but many of the wide range of bridge projects wehave undertaken display the same characteristics. Otherbuildings have demanded different approaches: the self-build aspect of the Princes Club Ski-Tow Pavilion imposedconstraints on our design, for example, as did theeconomic considerations of large-scale industrial claddingin play at Dyson Headquarters and at Stratford MarketDepot.

In all our projects the firm endeavours to achieve aconsistency in the detailing. Nothing is left to chance. Everyaspect of the building must be worked out and predicted.The very nature of the architecture relies on a disciplinedapproach. Though it is difficult to generalize, we lookcarefully at surfaces, thicknesses, modulation, contrasts inmass and lightness, simple framing and uncomplicatedjunctions between materials. For us, 'Less' is more work.My admiration for Mies van der Rohe's work extendsparticularly to his economy of means. The intentions arealways clear and, by considering very carefully whatappears at the surfaces of construction, he emphasizesplanar qualities, or lightness, or proportions. The profiles ofhis details are masterly in the way that the play of light andshade works to accentuate the qualities of the architecture.In this respect in our approach to architecture I believethat Wilkinson Eyre shares strong spiritual ties with Mies.Our concerns about proportions, planes, lines andexpressing lightness are concerns that preoccupied Mies,though our overall conceptual approach to architectureembraces a greater vocabulary of form. Whether God hasbeen anywhere near our details, only time will tell.

01

02

01 Detail: Cladding and eaves, DysonHeadquarters, Malmsbury UK, 1999 Wilkinson Eyre Architects /Photographer & copyright - RichardDavies

02 Detail: Tensegrity supported glazing, Stratford Regional Station,London UK, 1999 Wilkinson EyreArchitects / Photographer - DennisGilbert/View

3