10 – 2016

Housed Shadows

Historically, the relief of piers, pilasters and cornices gave buildings a particular significance and power. Where the relief is expanded to become a loggia or veranda, an accessible zone, the façade acquires additional depth. This phenomenon has been known since the heyday of ancient Greece, where it took the form of the peristasis in the classical temple. As the “clothing” of the temple and the location for the cult, this was a transitional space. In a profane building an area of this kind delays the act of entering or leaving in both temporal and spatial terms, creating a ceremonial setting for arrival and departure. And it is also a place in which to linger: in both a public building and a private house. What would such a space be without the natural light that first gives it its contours? Threshold spaces are of great importance in the context of housing, and, as the city becomes denser, their content grows. Loggias, balconies and verandas are the buffer zones of densification. If used intelligently the possibility to regulate views inside and outside allows separation or exposition, as required. This is often of decisive importance for living together successfully in a neighbourhood. The space between inside and outside clothes the building, so to speak and it is through light and shade that this clothing first becomes animated. This clothing, the façade, is not only a passageway and place but also refers to what lies behind it, the building’s function. A deep façade signalises openness, makes an inviting gesture. Particularly in its plinth zone a building can contribute something to the city, whether in the form of a portico or a canopy roof: the shadow is what makes the difference. This is all well and good. But today, when investors call for a reduction in the thickness of the render coat so as to wring the last few square centimetres of profitable floor space out of the interior, the façade is generally the first element to run out of breath. On this account we are convinced that the art of building with shadow must again be put in the right light.