Mont Beauvais

Distribution Test

2011-05-04T19:22:00.010+01:00

I am still aiming to keep the idea of setting up a direct relationship with the existing buildings and wider context.

Working on the Brief

2011-05-01T11:39:00.007+01:00

centre for the building is consciously shifted

Unquestionably the transept is the centre in the gothic cathedral. In a secular extension, this centre of the crossing is deliberately ignored and the centre point for the ambulatory is taken as the centre of the building.

new entrance to Basse Oevre
The radius of 60m allows the extension to meet the opening/demolished roof section at the south east of the old church to be replaced by Beauvais cathedral which can also become an alternative entrance.

dividing the mass into three general levels
The cathedral is 60m high including the roof. Divided into 4m levels, it becomes 15 levels for the extension. First 6 levels reach the level of triforium. This section requires to be the structural base for the rest of the extension. Next 6 is sandwiched between the start of the roof and the end of the first 6 levels.

facade density in terms of rings
Facades will become denser as moving outwards in plan, since apartments are located at the outer rings, privacy will be provided by this rule. The inner rings require to let the maximum amount of light into the cathedral therefore sparser structure right next to the cathedral would be the right decision.

new west facade is a hologram screen
Facade of the cathedral is always used for communicating the christianity with the public. Statues of Jesus, French kings, bishops, stories from Bible are all located around the entrances at the west, south and north, but mainly on west facades. Although the extension has a secular programme, the west facade include messages for the public through hologram technique.

replacing the temporary supports
The new system will be replacing the existing supports between the flying buttresses. Also the timber supports in the transept will be removed.

Brief

2011-04-30T10:46:00.007+01:00

Beauvais is a small French city at the outskirts of Paris in Northern France. The city has 60.000 population however it hosts the most ambitious gothic cathedral ever built with the highest vault by 48m. The cathedral is incomplete due to the collapse of its 153m central tower in 1570.

The city's growth pace is not likely to change in the next decade. Although the city's airport, Beauvais Tille is becoming important for the use of Paris visitors. Ryan Air and other European economy airlines use this airport for the passengers of Disneyland and Paris.

Our cities today are defined by destinations instead of their whole urban identities. Bilbao is Guggenheim, Sydney is the Opera House, London is Swiss-Re, New York was the World Trade Center. Beauvais already has its own icon that is built with extreme craftsmanship and care. Partially renovated by Viollet de Luc but his proposal for the completion of the nave was never got to realization stage.

What makes Beauvais Cathedral very interesting for me is this building is not a touristic destination. Only in lunch time in a weekday the restaurants around the cathedral are packed with people and when it's work hours the cathedral and it's surroundings are empty.

My proposal is about taking advantage of this attention free, lonely icon, turning it into an icon used 24/7 by the city itself instead of aiming for the attention of the people around the world. A selfish use of the great interior and exterior of the cathedral for the city itself instead of a potential audience from Chile, Japan or Australia. Iconic architecture should not be aiming to become still image in handy-cams, ready for consumption; it has to be truly part of the city life it belongs to, similar to the HSBC building in Hong Kong.

The gothic cathedrals were designed for the breath taking experience of the interior with highest vaults that can ever be achieved without any structural interruption, with very controlled daylight entering into the space. However this ambition became reality without the technology we have today therefore Beauvais Cathedral will be collapsing in about ten years of time as it is predicted by Columbia University in New York. Beauvais Cathedral is surviving from this structural weakness with the temporary timber supports built inside.

My proposal will be allowing the removal of these supports in order to fully experience the interior. The project evolved around the exercises as response to the seven chapters from "Seven Lamps of Architecture" book by John Ruskin.

Supporting the Cathedral

2011-04-28T16:07:00.002+01:00

On Site

2011-04-26T10:34:00.003+01:00

2011-04-26T10:33:00.001+01:00

2011-04-26T10:29:00.004+01:00

Simplified Extension

2011-04-24T01:30:00.001+01:00

New Nave

2011-04-20T13:41:00.004+01:00

Recovering from the Jury

2011-04-12T12:20:00.000+01:00

Looking for a scaling down operation, a more compact proposal after the reviews.

Developing the Extensions

2011-03-30T19:28:00.000+01:00

This is how the extension will be supporting the existing flying buttress while also providing circulation to the triforium level.

Views

2011-03-30T15:02:00.003+01:00

Approaching the cathedral from south east. The new walkway between the proposed extensions.

Back to Two Centers

2011-03-29T20:06:00.004+01:00

Flying Buttress Extensions

2011-03-28T20:06:00.003+01:00

Decissions

2011-03-28T12:42:00.004+01:00

I've been editing the work, putting it together for the preview presentation on friday.

There's a new guideline I've found on my last visit to the site which is originated from the chapel walls. Following that line, these triangular "mini mountains" are formed. 4m is the ceiling height for the spaces shown.

There are two levels in these slices, at +4m in this rendering above, below the first level is pulled up to +8m, and the second is at +24m.

Two levels for now.

Endless Survey

2011-03-27T16:03:00.003+01:00

The accuracy of the digital model is very important for the proposal. It feels almost an endless process but I've just updated the openings (gray colored). My aim is to understand the daylight entering the cathedral properly after this accurate openings study.

Two Centers

2011-03-24T00:32:00.023Z

After my visit to Beauvais, I felt the importance of the daylight and how it affects the interior more than anything else in the cathedral.

The challenges for the design is becoming clearer,

LIVING AROUND THE CATHEDRAL

WHY

Beauvais is not a touristic city, the cathedral should not be treated as a potential tourist attraction. It is more interesting if the amazing interior of the cathedral becomes part of the city life more than one day of the week, the proposal aims to pull people to LIVE around the cathedral, not TOUR.

Beauvais is at the very center of Amiens, Rouen and Paris triangle and its airport is increasingly used by budget airlines and Disneyland Paris visitors.

HOW

- Good transportation links to airports, stations and other cities.

- Interesting vistas, pleasurable interactions with the rest of the city fabric, landscape.
- Jobs, only Beauvais Cathedral has three unemployment agencies on the perimeter of the building.

CELEBRATING THE INTERIOR

WHY

There is an endless, ongoing effort to keep the exterior of the cathedral clean and attractive while the interior requires much less work to maintain itself beautiful and functioning. Also, in terms of structural decisions, flying buttresses were the sacrifice done for the atmosphere created inside the cathedral. The proposal must be a continuation of this effort, celebrating the interior, feeding it with functions that are host around the cathedral.

HOW

- Additional structure, supporting the cathedral on the sides.

- Some of the chapel windows and upper openings will become alternative entrances to the cathedral.

- It is not affordable to sacrifice from the daylight entering the cathedral. Therefore new openings can be considered.

Lille hosted the great development in 90's developed around the Eurostar International Station. Still the airport of Lille is being used as half of the Beauvais-Tille Airport. While the population of Beauvais is very low in comparison to Amiens, Rouen and Paris.

Since on this triangle all cities have their own cathedrals, I compared the size of Amiens, Notre Dame of Paris, Rouen and Beauvais Cathedrals next to each other with the numbers in the maps.

Bridging the Spaces

2011-03-23T14:45:00.006Z

The interior of the cathedral is the most important space in the building. I would like to be able to make connections between the spaces around cathedral by bridging the two ends on two sides every time. The challenge by doing so is keeping the sufficient amount of daylight that gives the character to the interior of the cathedral. In the representation above, the walkway height is 4m and the width is defined by the existing openings.

Introducing these connections prevent some of the daylight enter the cathedral, to balance this, the old location for the tower can be opened up again, which can also become the "mountain top" for the proposal.

Flying Buttresses

2011-03-22T17:42:00.006Z

It has been very busy two weeks with Technical Studies submissions for AA fifth years, therefore the project blog has not been updated. From now on, you can see more updates for the next few weeks.

The resolution for the existing flying buttresses is becoming clearer, sharper with my third visit to the site.

Instead of seeing the arches, horizontal connections as the flying buttresses, focusing on the towers forming the flying buttresses is more valid. They have a potential of becoming spaces themselves since some are 4 x 2 metres sized.

Spatial Tests

2011-03-08T16:21:00.010Z

Mont Beauvais

2011-03-08T11:41:00.005Z

The project is a lightweight structural web wrapping around the Beauvais Cathedral, supporting the Cathedral; aligned to the existing flying buttresses as extensions. While doing this, this lightweight web also hosts sequence of spaces to create a compact city around the Beauvais Cathedral just like how cities are attached to the cathedrals in Mont Saint Michel, Laon in France.

Just like how the gothic cathedrals were taking the nature: skeleton structures as their precedents, the project aims to have the same approach by forming a building with columns and arches. Supporting churches with building new extensions has been happening throughout the history just like how Sinan built buttressing for Hagia Sophia's dome and the scaffolding that was removed 2010, stayed inside the building for 17 years supporting the dome for the restoration work.

More Precision

2011-03-07T15:38:00.011Z

For the TS submission I am focusing on these first four flying buttress extensions in detail.

Even though I've been avoiding to have arches in this extension of the cathedral not to be imitating the old building, For the large spans I would prefer to have arches instead of diagonal crossing steel which makes the building very much look wild / out of context.

More like a spider-web, every perpendicular plane can be stabilized with the use of these arches also across the flying buttresses.

Flying Buttress Design

2011-03-06T18:56:00.004Z

Straight flying buttresses vs chapel extensions.

Designing the Frame

2011-03-06T14:37:00.004Z

Frame has to allow maximum level of light to go through.

2011-03-05T20:53:00.001Z

New Buttresses

2011-03-05T17:14:00.005Z

Flying Buttresses were a necessity in the Gothic Cathedral. They exist to create the amazing interior space for the cathedral without any need of a visible structural support. The cathedral extension I'm building does the same thing. The flying buttresses' extensions stand for the great interior spaces. They are the frames these interior spaces sit on and are hung on.

In the rendering below, the extensions are seen as solid frames, again. However, the interior is subtracted. Two sides of the new flying buttresses are different in terms of the location of the openings.

Keep in mind that these buttresses are used for circulation + structure at the same time. Therefore the 1m-2m thickness of them will be useful.

A very quick screen capture of two section drawings to show how two spaces intersect on the flying buttress extensions.

Three sequences

2011-03-05T14:17:00.008Z

Climbing Buttress

2011-03-03T16:17:00.005Z

The lifts and stairs that fit in this flying buttress extension.

These extensions are not solid. The solid parts only represent the space that can be filled with structure here.

Vertical Grid System

2011-03-02T21:46:00.002Z

Every flying buttress extension is seen as a perpendicular ground level, and starting from south eastern side, the grid gets bigger by 0.5m at every flying buttress extension. Red is on the both sides of the second flying buttress - meaning: none of the spaces are distorted to meet the adjacent grid, they are simply straight extrusions of the frame.

Studying the Buffer Zone

2011-03-01T16:11:00.005Z

Space in-between can be seen as a 3D masterplan base for my micro city - the flying buttress becomes the plots / city blocks. These are only the potential locations - grid for the space in between. Only a few of them might be used for occupation out of hundreds you see here.

Flying Buttress Development

2011-02-26T12:38:00.005Z

After having very helpful tutorials with Matt and Paul Lau (Technical Studies) on friday. I am working on a deeper analysis by also recording the process. So far, the project has been a design from large/overall design towards smaller scale details, now I will try a reverse approach by starting very small systems developing into a larger system.

Developing the in-between spaces

2011-02-25T02:01:00.001Z

Building up a system

2011-02-24T13:04:00.007Z

Horizontal Connections

2011-02-23T23:15:00.000Z

This is the first test for connecting the extensions with each other.

Columns

2011-02-23T18:02:00.006Z

This flying buttress type is built by using only 600mm square profile columns. only the extensions for the existing flying buttresses are added to the vertical columns. This version allows an addition of pinnacle like element to the flying buttress extensions.

Also in this version, the distance between the columns are changing in every single extension. For the longest extensions the distance between the columns is 8m while in the narrow extensions the distance between the columns are 1.2m.

Rendering with the afternoon sun.

Moving away from the slab

2011-02-23T12:11:00.005Z

Instead of a straight extrusion of 2m wide flying buttress all the way until the end of the city block, gradually the buttress extension gets thinner until it becomes 200mm wide in 10 steps.

Carving openings functioning as arches can be a way of moving away from the solid walls.

This is the D-O northern extension

8m distance between each of the vertical structure of this extension. Frame gets narrow by 200mm, starting with 2000mm width, ending with 100mm.

Flying Buttress Extensions

2011-02-22T17:12:00.007Z

An updated plan for the cathedral and the Beauvais block around it. Finally everything is under control.

Steel Rings

2011-02-21T17:50:00.009Z

Flying Buttress extensions will be built with bundled steel rings. However, in this render they merge into each other unrealistically. The larger frame is 20cm in diameter and 6m wide.

Refined Structure

2011-02-19T20:54:00.006Z

The whole block around the cathedral is cleared in this phase.

Extension for the nave is straight since there's no arcs towards the ground like the flying buttresses.

The museum is removed at this point at the eastern end of the cathedral.

New Cathedral Model

2011-02-19T19:48:00.004Z

i had to start over and create a clean and light cathedral file in the end since its impossible to work with the insane size of the group cathedral model. - no ornament, purely the openings + structure.

Flying Buttress Types

2011-02-15T21:26:00.009Z

step 1

step 2

on site

Scaled Drawings

2011-02-15T18:01:00.003Z

Finally I have produced the scaled drawings from the point cloud information. This information helps me locating the rose window and temporarily nave closing section.

Flying Buttress Catalog

2011-02-10T13:42:00.021Z

These are the simplified structural principles behind the flying buttresses below. Each of them has different potentials to be developed in my version to become a new skeleton around the cathedral.

Defining a Grid

2011-02-10T12:08:00.010Z

After the jury; the heavy 3d model of the cathedral is replaced by the simple outline and structure of the cathedral. Refined in order to understand its proportions better. This will also enable 3D printing in 1:500 scale

The flying buttress extension - the circular side is limited with the eastern side of the building. Instead of focusing on the space, the focus is the frame - the buttresses now. The heavier lines in this drawing shows only flying buttress extensions, other types of structural extensions are to be added.

Space Around the Cathedral

2011-02-03T17:25:00.014Z

A radial system in plan is needed around the cathedral to construct a path that is not random. Therefore I use 48m vectors as the extension of the flying buttresses and existing structure. Only when they extend out of the city block, I shorten them to the new length. Then I draw only in clockwise direction, perpendicular divisions. The path would be continuous but not a round and perfect walkway.

Walkway Study

2011-02-03T12:56:00.007Z

Having individual worlds next to each other is the aim however is not a good departure point at this time. Working on the design of the route, later branching the spaces from the route to fill the in between spaces will be a better way - just like Mont Saint Michel.

The route is an extrusion of the 0.30 downscaled frame of the divisions. In the drawing on right, they overlap and pretty much are random. But the idea is to have different heights, widths of spaces forming a continuous route - hopefully more than one route.

At the south eastern entrance of the route, one of the in-between spaces is skipped because of the height 3,75m not allowing the formation of an internal route.

Individual Worlds

2011-02-02T18:01:00.001Z

Mountain Top

2011-02-02T15:46:00.000Z

Climbing Up

2011-02-01T21:15:00.007Z

The circular boundary is back in this version. Every level is raising 3,75m / starting from south, climbing up until the west facade / nave.

Brick Breaker Strategy

2011-01-31T14:44:00.014Z

The angle of the extension frames is the same angle with the existing flying buttresses. Directions are coming from two origin points: transept and the choir center, extending - corresponding the end of the structural grid of the Beauvais Cathedral.

The extension is like the ball bouncing between the brick breaker block and the bricks, the in-between space is to be discovered between the cathedral and the neighbors. Entrances, walkways, vegetation is to be mapped that overlap with the proposal's site.

In-between space in plan

In-between space shown on the aerial photograph (click on the photograph for the larger image)

Elypsis Vectors

2011-01-30T14:10:00.016Z

In this version, the entrance / exit to the cathedral would be more practical (G) - making sense. divisions (H, I, J) being parallel to each other, A to G spaces are also less awkward.

As a result of this study, I can categorize the spaces around the cathedral into 6 types.

0° (H)(I)(J) can be ideal for cubic spaces

12° (E) can be ideal for circulation: lifts + stairs + escalator

13° (F)

14° (A)(B)(G)

18° (C)(D)

26° (K)(L)(M)(N)(O)(P)(Q) short but wider spaces

It is important to keep in mind these divisions are not exactly same size and some are equal to each other for the next steps, but the decisions taken for 12°, 13°, 14°, 18° in terms of the space making does not really matter, the only consideration worth to pay attention can be the 26° ones' width.

Taking the 14° slice, I divide the space in plan into 8m x 8m + 16m x16m rooms which is the same dimensions for the structural grid of the cathedral.

The perpendicular divisions can align or be completely different in every slice.

Programming the Divisions

2011-01-30T13:13:00.003Z

This is an earlier sketch done on Friday before tutorial. Showing an access at +26m above the choir, some ideas for the potential routes for going around the cathedral + the extension.

Moving away from the plan

2011-01-29T15:45:00.014Z

This scanned diagram shows the height of the spaces for the Beauvais Cathedral.

This is the extensions according to alignments, can give a clue about the height of the wrapping structure.

Structural Alignment

2011-01-29T14:56:00.004Z

Here, the extension lines meet the existing structure.

The new naming, asymmetrical nature of the new system suits better with the Gothic nature of the building. The study on right side is a potentially interesting starting point to investigate the vault heights - extension space height.

Programming the Skirt

2011-01-27T23:26:00.007Z

On Friday, Matthew suggested the structural extensions meet with the existing grid / system of the cathedral instead of being a continuation of the choir. It will make more sense to have a wrapping building that follows the existing structural system instead of a circle following the 26 degree rule of the choir.

Boundary Studies

2011-01-27T16:49:00.010Z

The descending mass - starting from the nave.

The existing structural grid of the Beauvais Cathedral (bolder lines) meeting the repetition of choir (13 degrees, rotation)

The Context vs Wrapper exploration re-make according to single centered version.

Extending Structure

2011-01-26T13:11:00.017Z

On left, there's the existing structural grid / flying buttresses extended. On right, there's an additional set of flying buttresses originated from the center point of the choir. These new addition of buttresses are meeting the existing grid's intersection points with the perimeter.

Here on left, the drawing shows the situation after the subtraction of the existing cathedral. On right, instead of making the choir extension meet the existing structural grid's imaginary extension, I prefer the repetition of the existing angles of the choir since the perimeter does not have to be circle in the later versions.

After the subtraction of the public space opening to the restaurants and cafes is shown on left. Every two chapel wall is creating an angle of 26 when it is extended towards the origin. The operation on right is about making this every 13 degrees angle in the "mountain".

The stronger lines are defining the edges of the steps descending while the lighter lines are showing the idea for the structure.

Scale Potentials

2011-01-26T00:41:00.008Z

Using the center point for the transept and the origin for the choir, new set of flying buttresses are formed around the cathedral. The study shows the maximum length (in plan) of the flying buttresses until they reach to a building on site.

The longest reaching points are more valuable as entrances - vistas towards the building, from top to the bottom, 3 sections are more to be "built" parts while the open space in front of the south facade can ideally be used as ground level.

Taking the center of the transept as the origin with 60m diameter for the extension of the cathedral is making more sense in terms of the available space around the cathedral.

Understanding the Limits

2011-01-25T19:04:00.030Z

01, 02, 03 Culture - Bishop's House Museum

04 Health - Orthopedist - Florin Patrick

05 Employement Agency - Emploi 60

06 Residential

07 Government - Family Allowance

08, 09 Residential

10, 11, 12, 13, 14 Culture - National Gallery of Tapestry

15 Employement Agency - Alary Travail Temporarie

16 Retail - Des Fleurs en Plus

17 Restaurant - Le Zinc Bleu

18 Retail - Anquetil Optique

19 Restaurant - Les Palais Bleu

20 Residential

distance from the origin - in between space from the cathedral

01 77 625mm - 57 259mm

02 79 970mm - 60 115mm

03 154 933mm - 134 567mm

04 53 920mm - 32 247mm

05 64 067mm - 26 697mm

06 62 578mm - 31 109mm

07 119 314mm - 87 145mm

08 35 334mm - 10 259mm

09 149 013mm - 128 270mm

10 46 597mm - 25 254mm

11 67 615mm - 46 872mm

12 74 073mm - 53 479mm

13 71 274mm - 50 530mm

14 61 445mm - 40 702mm

15 140 865mm - 120 121mm

16 82 702mm - 57 627mm

17 77 353mm - 45 185mm

18 72 661mm - 41 241mm

19 67 210mm - 29 839mm

20 129 502mm - 107 469mm

Testing two origins

2011-01-25T17:58:00.004Z

Origin Point for Completion

2011-01-24T21:12:00.001Z

Project Brief

2011-01-19T13:13:00.004Z

Seven Lamps of Architecture

Lamp of Sacrifice - Illusion

Lamp of Truth - Wrapping

Lamp of Power - Mounting

Lamp of Beauty - Bundling

Lamp of Life - Meandering

Lamp of Memory - Containing

Thesis

Completing a major cathedral like Beauvais is not a similar task to completing Notre Dame of Paris or Reims as if they were left incomplete in the middle of a major metropolis of France. The city has a population of 60.000 and it is not likely to increase in the near future. Cars are dominant at the city center, population is not young. One important aspect of the city is presence of the Beauvais Tille Airport. The airport is used increasingly by the travellers of Paris and Disneyland. Shuttle and train services are supporting the airport. As a city, the expectation of Beauvais become Bilbao by the power of one building is unnecessary and unrealistic. However such a beautiful building the left alone, incomplete in the middle of this village like city is tragic too. It should be recognised there is a reason the most ambitious gothic cathedral ever built is incomplete and it is mainly related to the financial and cultural weakness of the city Beauvais.

Turning the Beauvais Cathedral politely into a sparkling diamond having no dramatic impact on the city life would be an elegant restoration work. What should happen with such a great interior space is, it should expand, break the ground and conquer only to become part of the city again without any banal statements against the religion. Preserving itself as a Cathedral, a new world can be built around it to prove the power of the building again.

Urban Thesis

Our world today is not about the city, it is about buildings, it is either about the free standing - object like buildings or ugly and mega buildings providing infrastructure themselves. If this is the rule of the game, we can only manipulate and shock, to prove a building can do more than being a pretty sterile background image, a wallpaper.

Like Mont Saint Michel, like Laon Cathedral of France, Beauvais has to expand has its own city around it engaging 24/7 with itself instead of being alone. The completion is not a physical addition, completion is the bridging of Beauvais with it's people. It’s a soft transitional frame providing great spaces between the spectacular interior of the cathedral and the slow city of Beauvais.

This transitional space must be heavy looking like a mountain however when it is experienced as a space should be very light looking as a structure. The observer must be surprised in the city seeing at certain angles building becomes almost transparent similar to the experience of Reims Cathedral’s facade.

Mont Saint Michel of France is a city built around a church located at the highest of a rock. Since Beauvais has the most ambitions of height among other Gothic cathedrals, the idea is to treat the incomplete cathedral as an origin for a mountain city opening into the great interior.

Technique

Nave is the incomplete part of the cathedral, therefore the proposal starts with the line completing half of the roof for the nave. Then this nave reaches the ground level descending while rotating around the cathedral taking the transept as the origin. The lines, like a spider web are connected to each other forming spaces independent from the interior of the cathedral,

Wrapping Beauvais

2011-01-17T00:23:00.006Z

Perimeter Study

2011-01-16T14:02:00.007Z

This perimeter is defined by the railway in south and river on west.

Taking the transept as the origin and scaling down the perimeter %50 + %50 + %50 a new perimeter is formed around the cathedral.

Meandering Routes

2011-01-13T17:51:00.008Z

Mont Saint Michel from top. The built part of the Mont Saint Michel is the south and east side. This illustration is orientated towards west on top.

The entrance is from southern skirt of the mountain, the yellow indicates the route to the abbey. There's a church, hotels and tourist information buildings on the sides.The diagram on right is the interior walk including terrace round walks starting from the interior of the abbey. The experience is all interlocking indoor spaces.

The exit walk is a different route with restaurants and shops on the sides.

Flying Buttress Mountain

2011-01-10T20:25:00.008Z

As a diagram, this is the complete building. My aphorism for the Ruskin's Lamp of Memory chapter is about being against the idea of "complete building". Buildings are never complete and every room in a building has a potential of becoming another building within the larger.

The boundary, the perimeter is what divides the building from the city, fortified to become another city in itself. The criteria and the technique of defining this boundary is also important.

City of Beauvais

2011-01-09T22:07:00.016Z

The medieval city center has the Beauvais Cathedral and this perimeter can be a starting point for me.

City center of Beauvais, the train connection from south and the Beauvais-Tille Airport on north which is increasingly used by European economy airlines by Paris and Euro Disney visitors.

Impact on the City

2011-01-09T10:41:00.013Z

Disneyland

On left, Disneyland Paris. On right, Beauvais Cathedral surrounded by 3km diameter.

The 3km diameter filled with water.

Memory: Containing

2010-11-26T20:16:00.003Z

Lamp of Memory

Buildings should respect the culture from which they have developed

Life: Meandering

2010-11-12T20:15:00.004Z

Lamp of Life

Buildings should be made by human hands, so that the joy of masons and stonecarvers is associated with the expressive freedom given them

Beauty: Bundling

2010-11-04T19:14:00.006Z

Lamp of Beauty

aspiration towards God expressed in ornamentation drawn from nature, his creation

Power: Mounting

2010-10-29T20:13:00.014+01:00

Lamp of Power

Buildings should be thought of in terms of their massing and reach towards the sublimity of nature by the action of the human mind upon them and the organization of physical effort in constructing buildings.

The first study for mounting. Pixelization, interlocking rooms.
The extruded nave as a tower. Mounting from an origin.

Triangular massing as the west facade. Four sided shrinking. Tower with one side stable, three sides shrinking.

Truth: Wrapping

2010-10-22T20:12:00.011+01:00

Lamp of Truth

handcrafted and honest display of materials and structure

The first idea of wrapping the Reims Cathedral, packing it into a box with controlled openings. Inverting the building making the exterior interior.

Wrapping strategies, which openings are to be seen on Reims Cathedral, according to their transparency.

By Cristo way of wrapping, the open parts of the facade would allow the daylight to be seen through even the building is completely wrapped. The irregular lines dividing the building into horizontal layers is appreciated by different layers of wrapping in this proposal.

Sacrifice: Illusion

2010-10-05T18:55:00.015+01:00

Lamp of Sacrifice

dedication of man's craft to God, as visible proofs of man's love and obedience.

Different depths of walls, observed from different positions, allows the window to disappear and appear again.

The wall is made out of triangular elements in this version getting higher towards the ground, the opening is tested as a Gothic window in this case.

In this version, the wall is made out of a metal sheet, like a card tower and partially covered with another flat perforated element representing the sacrifice for detailing a wall.

The final wall is made out of two types of components, open vs closed, according to the position of the observer, the windows can either be seen or are hidden.