Otaniemi Chapel
1
1 www.jokela.org/geocaching 2 www.worldmap.com 3 Dutch Institute for Study Abroad 4 www.erichenyey.blogspot.com 5 eng.archinform.net 6 AALTO, Alvar, 'Art and Technology,' in G. Schildt, ed., Alvar Aalto: Sketches. Tr. S. Wrede. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1978; 125-29 7 7 8 8 AALTO, Alvar, 'The Architect's Conscience,' Lecture given in Munich, 15November, 1957. In Karl Fleig, ed., Alvar Aalto: 1963-1970. NY: Praeger, 1971; 6-8. AC, 249-52 9 www.flickr.com/photos/andrewpaulcarr 10 AALTO, Alvar, 'The Architect's Conscience,' Lecture given in Munich, 15November, 1957. In Karl Fleig, ed., Alvar Aalto: 1963-1970. NY: Praeger, 1971; 6-8. AC, 249-52 AALTO, Alvar, 'The Architect's Conscience,' Lecture given in Munich, 15November, 1957. In Karl Fleig, ed., Alvar Aalto: 1963-1970. NY: Praeger, 1971; 6-8. AC, 249-52 11 11 AALTO, Alvar, 'Art and Technology,' in G. Schildt, ed., Alvar Aalto: Sketches. Tr. S. Wrede. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1978; 125-29 the close context 3 the immediate surrounding of the entrance access 4 MATERIAL AND STRUCTURE Site context Finland in Europe 2 4 red brick walls and floor; wood ceiling 4 pebble floor veneering and wood fence INTENTION -SCANDINAVIAN REGIONALISM -ENVIRONMENT 6 natural light penetration 3 lateral window for light penetration 9 THE SITE The Chapel is located at N 60' 11.366 E 024' 50.253 , which is Espoo near Helsinki, Finland inside the Helsinki Technical University. 1 Otaniemi Chapel (1956-57) by Kaija Siren (1920-2001) and Heikki Siren (1918- ) First, there is a huge lateral window in the main hall. The windows enable an abundance of natural light to penetrate into the hall from the upper back, the light penetration creates a transparency and ambiguity between the nature and the interior. The changing shapes of the shade and angle of incidence of the light enables a more dynamic indoor environment that reacts to the surrounding context. Second, transparency of materials are emphasized to foster the relationship between the chapel and the natural settings surrounding the chapel. The variation of spacings of wood beams and posts define spaces of various enclosedness and visual connections. The focal point of the main hall goes beyond the altar and falls onto the woods. Altar, chairs and other elements are kept minimum so as not to overshadow the natural views surrounding the chapel. orgaization of densities of elements as a visual device 3 the focal point of the hall goes beyond the altar and falls onto the woods 4 -LOCAL CONTEXT Other than the correlation to the culture of the broader region of Finland, the Chapel also adapts to the close context of the site, that is the Helsinki Technical University. The Sirens made use of local pebbles to surface tracks and courtyards, red bricks for supporting walls, conifers for trusses, ceilings and veneerings. The material and color are similar to that of the existing buildings of the university. The human scale of the structures and the rhythm created by the dense, thin modular elements make the building so subtle and intimate that it immerses into the university context without any awkward violation to the order of the existing buildings. -CULTURE 10 THE ARCHITECTS In the Otaniemi Chapel, exposed timber trusses were installed on the roof of the main hall. The trusses are composed of timber with steel tension rods. A forced perspective of the trusses and the tilted ceiling exaggerates the spatial depth of the hall. The use of timber in trusses and the forest-like rhythm imposed by the vertical elements were intended to incorporate local culture into the contruction of the building. 3 4 ARCH2004 mid-term assignment Cheng Siu Tai 2007401899 REFERENCE INFLUENCE AND PUBLICATION The Otaniemi Chapel is an important example of Scandinavian Regionalism that is done by local Finnish architects other than Alvar Aalto. It is this participation of local architects in the movement that makes the regional idea of Scandinavian architecture so diverse yet representative. The idea of the chapel that invites the nature into the inside and the local materials that composes the structures imposed great influences on the composition and material consideration of later works of the region. The chapel is situated in the periphery to the North East of the University. It is on a low hill with dense vegetation cover and conifers. The chapel was built on the demand of the university students and firstly owned by the student body of the university. The project is funded mainly by students and partly sourced from donations and loans from the society. Kaija and Heikki Siren is a couple and had their architectural firm founded in 1949. They practiced architectural design and businesses together all the way in their span of the career. Kaija graduated from Helsinki Technical University in 1948, which it is the sames school in which the chapel was serving. There is a combination of materials utilized in the project and mainly there is an interesting structural relationship between wood and steel bars. In the main hall, there are red brick walls and a monopitched wooden roof with wood truss and reinforcement of steel bars. The vertical forces of the entrance pavilion is supported by steel columns and the horizontal forces are reinforced by wood beam embracesures. Red brick walls are mainly used to define the interior and exterior and pebble stones are basically laid on the approach and courtyard space. The Chapel is very well adapted to the close context by its participatory approach in the vegetated site and the adaptation to the surroounding landscape. The nature is considered as part of the architecture, so that the framing of views in various parts of the building actually exaggerates the penetration of nature into the building. Otaniemi Chapel is one of the representative work of the Scandinvian Regionalism not only by its utilization of local material, but the concept of designing the close relationship between the context and the architecture. Furthermore, the Chapel shows that the Scandinavian movement was not a one-man -show of Alvar Aalto, but other local architects actually contributed to the development of the movement and a diverse interpretation of the movement could be read from these buildings designed by other local Finnish architects. Alvar Aalto: 'Finland has not been subjected to any inhibiting pressure from the result of, for instance, an older culture.' It briefly explains why the Movement was given a chance to bloom in that period of time, and in this particular country. That Finland did not have the pre-defined 'style' of architectural ideology and prototype, so that Finnish architects could be given a chance to genuinely design buildings that react and echo with the environment, context and culture. Alvar Aalto: 'living quarters are dependent on the already constructed or planned city arround them so that it is impossible to separate the two.' The participatory role of the nature and environment in the Chapel is the most significant in the composition of the main hall, the physical boundary of the site is dissloved and blurred and the penetration of nature into the building is hence achieved. Alvar Aalto: 'interior decorating and external embellishments are attempts to compensate for the lack of contact between house and natural environment.' In the Otaniemi Chapel, the utilization of material is not only for the structural purpose, it also serves as a psycological means to relate the building to the context and locl material culture. The materials for structure and embellishments are obtained near the site and used in the way similar to the vernicular houses of the Scandinavian region. The local identity and cultural value of the nearby communities could be signified by these uses of local material and technology. Alvar Aalto: 'traditions cannt be wholly cast off and regarded as used objects which have to be replaced by something new.' By saying this, Aalto is not ruling out the possibility of new technologies, but reinstating the importance of local traditions and crafts in the realms of construction and architecture. Unlike the early 1900s when the modernization and industrialization of the construction of building was fervant, in the 1950s,when the Otaniemi Chapel was built, there was an emergence of the quest for the baance between humanities and modernization. The problem of the conflict was pointed out by the following statement of Aalto: Alvar Aalto: 'the transition to a whole new life style, industrialism, has happened in a relatively short time, and certain constants, time-honored cultural forms, have been disturbed throughout the world, and obviously in our country as well.' Although the previous quotation states that the Scandinavian region 'had not been subjected to any inhibiting pressure from an older culture', but inevitably the region suffered from a uncertainty of identity in the trend of industrilization. At this point, local material and traditional technologies were utilized as a means to reinforce the identity of the local culture and community. trusses system of the main hall timber trusses with steel tension rods
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An analysis on the Otaniemi Chapel
Transcript of Otaniemi Chapel
1 www.jokela.org/geocaching 2 www.worldmap.com 3 Dutch Institute for Study Abroad 4 www.erichenyey.blogspot.com 5 eng.archinform.net6 AALTO, Alvar, 'Art and Technology,' in G. Schildt, ed., Alvar Aalto: Sketches. Tr. S. Wrede. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1978; 125-297
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8
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AALTO, Alvar, 'The Architect's Conscience,' Lecture given in Munich, 15November, 1957. In Karl Fleig, ed., Alvar Aalto: 1963-1970. NY: Praeger, 1971; 6-8. AC, 249-52
9
www.flickr.com/photos/andrewpaulcarr
10 AALTO, Alvar, 'The Architect's Conscience,' Lecture given in Munich, 15November, 1957. In Karl Fleig, ed., Alvar Aalto: 1963-1970.
NY: Praeger, 1971; 6-8. AC, 249-52AALTO, Alvar, 'The Architect's Conscience,' Lecture given in Munich, 15November, 1957. In Karl Fleig, ed., Alvar Aalto: 1963-1970.
NY: Praeger, 1971; 6-8. AC, 249-5211
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AALTO, Alvar, 'Art and Technology,' in G. Schildt, ed., Alvar Aalto: Sketches. Tr. S. Wrede. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1978; 125-29
the close context 3 the immediate surrounding of the entrance access 4
MATERIAL AND STRUCTURE
Site contextFinland in Europe 2
4red brick walls and floor; wood ceiling 4pebble floor veneering and wood fence
INTENTION
-SCANDINAVIAN REGIONALISM
-ENVIRONMENT
6
natural light penetration3 lateral window for light penetration
9
THE SITEThe Chapel is located at N 60' 11.366 E 024' 50.253 , which is Espoo near Helsinki, Finland inside the Helsinki Technical University.
1
Otaniemi Chapel (1956-57)by Kaija Siren (1920-2001) and Heikki Siren (1918- )
First, there is a huge lateral window in the main hall. The windows enable an abundance of natural light to penetrate into the hall from the upper back, the light penetration creates a transparency and ambiguity between the nature and the interior. The changing shapes of the shade and angle of incidence of the light enables a more dynamic indoor environment that reacts to the surrounding context.
Second, transparency of materials are emphasized to foster the relationship between the chapel and the natural settings surrounding the chapel. The variation of spacings of wood beams and posts define spaces of various enclosedness and visual connections. The focal point of the main hall goes beyond the altar and falls onto the woods. Altar, chairs and other elements are kept minimum so as not to overshadow the natural views surrounding the chapel.
orgaization of densities of elements as a visual device3 the focal point of the hall goes beyond the altar and falls onto the woods4
-LOCAL CONTEXT
Other than the correlation to the culture of the broader region of Finland, the Chapel also adaptsto the close context of the site, that is the Helsinki Technical University. The Sirens made use of local pebbles to surface tracks and courtyards, red bricks for supporting walls, conifers for trusses,ceilings and veneerings. The material and color are similar to that of the existing buildings of the university. The human scale of the structures and the rhythm created by the dense, thin modular elements make the building so subtle and intimate that it immerses into the university context without any awkward violation to the order of the existing buildings.
-CULTURE
10
THE ARCHITECTS
In the Otaniemi Chapel, exposed timber trusses were installed on the roof of the main hall. The trusses are composed of timber with steel tension rods. A forced perspective of the trusses and the tilted ceiling exaggerates the spatial depth of the hall. The use of timber in trusses and the forest-like rhythm imposed by the vertical elements were intended to incorporate local cultureinto the contruction of the building.
3 4
ARCH2004 mid-term assignmentCheng Siu Tai 2007401899
REFERENCE
INFLUENCE AND PUBLICATIONThe Otaniemi Chapel is an important example of Scandinavian Regionalism that is done by local Finnish architects other than Alvar Aalto. It is this participation of local architects in the movement that makes the regional idea of Scandinavian architecture so diverse yet representative. The idea of the chapel that invites the nature into the inside and the local materials that composes the structures imposed great influences on the composition and material consideration of later works of the region.
The chapel is situated in the periphery to the North East of the University. It is on a low hill with dense vegetation cover and conifers.The chapel was built on the demand of the university students and firstlyowned by the student body of the university. The project is funded mainly by students and partly sourced from donations and loans from the society.
Kaija and Heikki Siren is a couple and had their architectural firm founded in 1949.They practiced architectural design and businesses together all the way in theirspan of the career.Kaija graduated from Helsinki Technical University in 1948, which it is the sames schoolin which the chapel was serving.
There is a combination of materials utilized in the project and mainlythere is an interesting structural relationship between wood and steel bars.In the main hall, there are red brick walls and a monopitched wooden roof with wood truss and reinforcement of steel bars.The vertical forces of the entrance pavilion is supported by steel columns and the horizontal forces are reinforced by wood beam embracesures.Red brick walls are mainly used to define the interior and exterior and pebble stones are basically laid on the approach and courtyard space.
The Chapel is very well adapted to the close context by its participatory approach in the vegetated site and the adaptation to the surroounding landscape. The natureis considered as part of the architecture, so that the framing of views in various partsof the building actually exaggerates the penetration of nature into the building.Otaniemi Chapel is one of the representative work of the Scandinvian Regionalismnot only by its utilization of local material, but the concept of designing the closerelationship between the context and the architecture.Furthermore, the Chapel shows that the Scandinavian movement was not a one-man-show of Alvar Aalto, but other local architects actually contributed to the development of the movement and a diverse interpretation of the movement could be read from these buildings designed by other local Finnish architects.
Alvar Aalto: 'Finland has not been subjected to any inhibiting pressure from the result of, for instance, an older culture.'It briefly explains why the Movement was given a chance to bloom in that periodof time, and in this particular country. That Finland did not have the pre-defined 'style' of architectural ideology and prototype, so that Finnish architects could begiven a chance to genuinely design buildings that react and echo with the environment,context and culture.
Alvar Aalto: 'living quarters are dependent on the already constructed or planned city arround them so that it is impossible to separate the two.'The participatory role of the nature and environment in the Chapel is the most significant in the composition of the main hall, the physical boundary of the site is dissloved and blurred and the penetration of nature into the building is hence achieved.
Alvar Aalto: 'interior decorating and external embellishments are attempts to compensate for the lack of contact between house and natural environment.'In the Otaniemi Chapel, the utilization of material is not only for the structural purpose, it alsoserves as a psycological means to relate the building to the context and locl material culture. The materials for structure and embellishments are obtained near the site and used in the way similar to the vernicular houses of the Scandinavian region. The local identity and cultural valueof the nearby communities could be signified by these uses of local material and technology.
Alvar Aalto: 'traditions cannt be wholly cast off and regarded as used objects which have to be replaced by something new.'By saying this, Aalto is not ruling out the possibility of new technologies, but reinstating the importance of local traditions and crafts in the realms of construction and architecture. Unlike the early 1900s when the modernization and industrialization of the construction of building was fervant, in the 1950s,when the Otaniemi Chapel was built, there was an emergence of the quest for the baance between humanities and modernization. The problem of the conflict was pointed out by the following statement of Aalto:
Alvar Aalto: 'the transition to a whole new life style, industrialism, has happened in a relatively short time, and certain constants, time-honored cultural forms, have been disturbed throughout the world, and obviously in our country as well.'Although the previous quotation states that the Scandinavian region 'had not been subjected to any inhibiting pressure from an older culture', but inevitably the region suffered from a uncertainty of identity in the trend of industrilization. At this point, local material and traditional technologies were utilized as a means to reinforce the identity of the local culture and community.
trusses system of the main hall timber trusses with steel tension rods
