University Library in Utrecht, Tama Art University Library - Essay Example

?Introduction – Part A Wiel Arets is the architect behind the Library in Utrecht. Slessor (2000) s that Arets is part of a young generation of Dutch architects, who are in search of different ways to think about buildings and architectural design. Arets works with geometrics and materiality which is unadorned. The reason for this, according to Slessor (2000) is that detail, which might be distracting or superfluous, is generally stripped from his designs. In this way, there is a relationship between his designs and nature, achieved by dramatizing light and framing towards the outdoors. The Tama Art University Library was designed by Toyo Ito. According to Bognar (1985), Ito deals with forms which are pure and abstract. He strives to make building unique by playing with their surfaces, which, in his mind, according to Bognar (1985), “carry the meaning and the quality of space” (p. 323). The Glasgow School of Art Library was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who, having designed around the turn of the 20th Century, was considered one of the pioneers of modernism (Nuttgens, 1988). Each of these buildings have distinctive features, themes and ways of playing with light, and, in the case of Arets, sound. Each of these buildings resemble one another in critical ways, yet are different as well. This paper will explain the three buildings, their unifying principles and the way that they differ. University Library in Utrecht The qualities embraced by Arets are on display with the University Library in Utrecht. From the outside, at a glance, it appears to be box-like and black, and looks to have a strong aesthetic. The building is made almost entirely of glass, so it reflects the light and the environment. The facade, according to Beek (2005), consists of alternating opaque and transparent panels, glass and concrete. On the glass is printed jungle trees, while the jungle trees are etched, in relief, on the concrete portions of the facade. However, although the building is dark, it plays with light in different ways. McCarter (2012) explains that the building plays with light by alternating the panels of concrete and glass, and some of the glass panels are double paned and slightly off-kilter. This gives the building a three-dimensional effect, and also allows the sunlight to be filtered through and regulated. Between the panels shifting, the alternation between the concrete and the glass, and jungle patterns on the glass and concrete, the building plays with light in a way that is dynamic. Once inside, Beek (2005) describes the interior as a contrast, as the floor is reflecting and white, and this contrasts with the dark concrete panels. Once the individual comes in through the main entrance, McCarter (2012), states that there is a gallery there, and this leads to a large staircase. The main idea is that the white reflecting floor, and the contrasting dark concrete, is repeated throughout the interior. When one reaches the first level, there is an atrium that is at full height. On the inside, one understands that there are spatial volumes which correspond with the solid outside walls. Meanwhile, the glass panels vertically close the facade line. Beek (2005) states that the interior of the library consists of lecture rooms, bookshelves and archives, all on different levels, and that each of the different levels have a different style. Some of the levels feature open terraces. Some feature rooms which are enclosed with balconies. One meeting room is cantilevered, and facing the atrium completely. There is some color inside, notably red, which is the color of some of the fixed furnitures. The textures and relief on the outside glass and concrete turn out to be functional, with regards to the acoustics and the light inside the building, according to Beek (2005). This is because the relief texture on the concrete absorbs the outside sounds. The glass imprintations regulates the sunlight. Therefore, the inside building is silent and open, because of this light and sound regulation. Therefore, the building seems open and interactive, while giving the visitor a private and quiet place to study and read. Tama Art University Library This is Ito’s vision, and this is carried through to his Tama Art University Library, which is located in the Tokyo suburbs, and was completed in 2007. The building is two stories, with exterior walls made of glass, and large arches are the prominent feature. These arches cross at different point, which makes the arches bottoms slender, while still allowing the support of the floors heavy live loads. The width of the arches are all 200 mm, yet the spans vary from 1.8 to 16 metres. The large arches are made of concrete and steel (Turnbull, 2012). According to Schneider et al., (1999), the large arches allow for natural light to illuminate the interior, as well as make the interior space seem open. With regards to the interior of the building, the prominent part of the interior is the cafeteria and the ground level, which is wide open, so that it can be used by individuals who are going from one class to the next, so it serves as a kind of an egress point for students, according to Turnbull (2012). According to Schneider et al., (1999), the arches, which are placed randomly throughout the building, gives the illusion that the front garden is in continuity to the building itself. Glasgow School of Art Library According to Buchanan (2004), this library’s interior is the masterwork of the Glasgow School of Art itself. MacLeod (1968) states that the room is a 35 foot square, with an open gallery which encircles the upper part of the room, which means that the square of the room is slightly oblong. Buchanan (2004) explains that the library’s layout has eight posts which are positioned on two steel beams on the floor. Each of these posts are stiffened with a wooden facing that meets double beams, which are used to support the balcony. MacLeod (1968) states that the column rows are equally spaced apart, across the room, and that the galleries are eight feet deep, which means that they extend outward in pairs to grip the columns in space. Nuttgens (1988) explains that this design is functional, as the library is one apartment, but several stories. MacLeod (1968) states that much of the library was influenced by Japanese and Gothic architecture, because of the way that “columns pick up the loading of the gallery beams by means of extra members, cluster piers, clamped on the sides of the main columns” (p. 129). Buchanan (2004 ) states that the balcony does not protrude as far as the posts, because, if they did, the area beneath the balcony would be very dark, therefore the balcony line is held back. According to Buchanan, this design allows for there to be a decoration of the space that exists between the balcony and the post, and this decoration consists of three uprights, painted and chamfered. These chamfers are colored in blue, green, red and white, which could, according to Buchanan (2004), represent the elements of water (blue), earth (green), fire (red), and air (white). The western windows run the entire height of the three story space, which means that the tops of the windows are higher than the library ceiling, according to Buchanan (2004). And, perhaps most stunning of all, are the thirteen laps which are in the centre of the library. These, according to Buchanan (2004), look like miniature suspended skyscrapers. And the west facade, according to Mackintosh (1968), brings the modernist feeling to its highest level. The windows are grouped into continuous vertical bays, and Nuttgens (1988) states that these groups of windows become like a motif. In other words, there is a continuity – the bay window at the main entrance is echoed in the octagonal tower on the east face, and these linkeages become a theme and a departure point for the new wing. The bay window is then repeated on the south, then as three seating alcoves on the south face of the loggia (Macleod, 1968). Critical Analysis of the Design Approach of the Three Buildings Each of these buildings have different designs. Two of the buildings are contemporary to today’s world – the Ito library, built in 2007, and the Arets library, built in 1997. The other library was built around the turn of the century, along with the Glasgow School itself. The Ito and Arets libraries have similar functions, and that is to imbue these spots with natural light. However, as the Ito library has the function of bathing the entire library in light, the Arets library has the function of limiting the light and regulating the amount of light that comes into the building itself. There is a regulation of light, which comes through the alternating concrete and glass facade, and the designs on the glass, which acts as a light regulator. This might be because of the environment in which each of the buildings exist – perhaps the Ito library is postioned in an area that does not get as much bright light as the Arets library, therefore the Ito library wants to emphasize light and the Arets library wants to regulate it. The way that light is used in the Mackintosh building is similar to the Ito building, and that is that there are a great many windows which allow plenty of natural light. This might have the same function as the Ito building. As far as the interior goes, each of these libraries features very open space. The Ito building’s space is so open that students are encouraged to walk through the library to get to class, while the Mackintosh and the Arets buildings both have openings in which the ceiling can be seen from the ground floor, while the books and the balconies are arranged around the sides, so that the ground floor has an atrium effect. While this is a design feature which is common in today’s architecture, it was unusual in Mackintosh’s era, according to Macleod (1968). Therefore, it is remarkable that all three of these designs would have this same feature, even though they all were designed in different eras, or at least the Mackintosh building was designed in different eras from the Ito and the Arets buildings. Each of the buildings has a distinctive feature, which makes it stand out from other buildings. In the Mackintosh library, the distinctive feature is in the interior, and that is the modernist lamps which are built like little skyscrapers. Considering that this building predated many of the skyscrapers, it is remarkable that these lamps take on these shapes. Moreover, these lamps would look modern and elegant in any contemporary building, and the fact that they are in a building that is over a century old is impressive. With Ito’s building, the arches form the distinctive feature, and the arches are the theme of this building, much like the bay windows are the theme of the Mackintosh building. The Arets building also has a distinctive feature, and that is the etchings on the concrete and glass. This distinctive feature also is functional, as it allows for the acoustics and the light to be contained. Therefore, the fact that all three of the buildings have distinctive features which form themes are another similarity between them. Conclusion One of the unifying principles of all three of the buildings discussed above is that each of these buildings play on nature, and that nature is a part of their unifying themes. The Arets building plays upon nature by using the building facade to regulate the sounds and the light outside. The Ito building plays upon nature by allowing the natural light to pour in, and the arches serve as a way to make a continuous line from the outside to the inside. The Mackintosh building, like the Ito building, plays upon nature in that the enormous windows allow natural light to illuminate the building. Each of these buildings also boast atrium like openings, in which the ground floor can see the ceiling above, with the balconies and rooms surrounding it. While these design features are modern, it is especially surprising to see many of the same design features in the turn of the century Glasgow building. This shows that architecture has a connection to the past, that Ito and Arets respect and use to their own advantage. Introduction – Part B The three libraries above are a part of a set genre, and, as such, they need to be compared to others of the same genre, which is libraries. As it turns out, the issue of lighting and the issue of thematic elements are two issues that many libraries get wrong, and these are the main issues which make the three libraries stand out. It is clear from looking at modern libraries, however, that the issue of natural lighting is more prominent than it was before, as the libraries of today eschew traditional buildings of stone, with little light, in favor of libraries which are made of glass and much more luminous. Therefore, the three libraries fit in with the genre of modern libraries, and, they are influential, in that these libraries have taken the ideas of natural light, and the containment of natural light, as well as the openness of these three libraries, and made it into their own design features. This part of the paper will explain how the three libraries fit in with the pantheon of other libraries. The Libraries in Context With Other Libraries In reviewing the three libraries in the larger context of libraries in general, a few things come to mind. First of all, as noted, the Arets building was notable in that it controlled both light and sound into the building. According to Mason (1980), this is a design element which is one of the most important design element in libraries. This is particularly true with light, as Mason (1980) explains that light has great psychological benefits – it can make one feel comfortable, when the light is soft, as it is in the Arets building, which controls the sunlight, or sometimes harsh lighting can make someone want to leave. However, Mason (1980) states that harsh lighting is artificial light. The Ito and the Mackintosh buildings both let in plenty of natural light, which would be considered amongst the most advantageous kind of lighting, according to Mason (1980), as luminous ceilings are considered to be a top design feature. In this way, Ito, Arets and Mackitosh all tweaked the optimal design feature of luminosity, in that their designs, instead of relying upon artificial light, more relied upon natural light. Perhaps the design by Arets was the most thoughtful of the three, seeing as his design was specifically made to constrain the light that comes in through the windows. However, Ito’s building also constrains the natural light, in that much of the building consists of concrete tunnels in which natural light pours in through selected openings, so, he, too, plays around with the concept of natural light. Only Mackintosh’s building, with its large windows which stream light all throughout the library, is more traditional in that it does not necessarily find a way to constrain the light. These design elements are especially important, according to Mason (1980), in that lighting is important to any library, because the best reading conditions are when a light comes from as many directions as possible, and all of these designs accomplish this. Moreover, Mason (1980) states that may libraries have poor interiors, with no interior designs, in that objects are not brought together in a visual relationship. In other words, most libraries do not have a unifying theme in their interiors, a theme that can connect one element to another element. Ordinarily this means that the colors in libraries do not coordinate, or their interior designs are flat and aggressive. In the case of the three libraries studied, they all improved upon this basic flaw, in that each of the libraries have unifying themes that repeat throughout the library itself. Whether it is the bay windows in the Mackintosh buildings, the arches that repeat throughout the Ito buildings, or the alternating patterns of windows and concretes that go throughout the Arets building, each of these buildings have a theme with connects the different elements of the building. So, like the lighting issue, each of these libraries improve upon the design challenges of other libraries. In looking at modern libraries, in contrast to traditional libraries, it is clear that each of these libraries have been influential on other libraries. For instance, in looking at libraries in America, the traditional library resembled a building that is Greco inspired, with columns, a rectangular shape, and a facade made of stone, with little natural light. However, in looking at more modern libraries, as shown by Mattern (2007), this traditional design has changed. For instance, the winter garden library in Chicago featured as enormous open space as one comes in through the door, along with panels in the ceiling which let in the natural light. As with the libraries listed above, this library has unifying themes of arches which are used throughout the library, although these arches are not made of glass, but, rather, marble. The arches in Ito’s design, which are uniform and spaced apart in a uniform way, is echoed in other designs, such as the Salt Lake City’s crescent wall, which is part of the library, and features rectangular posts which are uniform in how they are spaced (Mattern, 2007). And, like Ito’s library has a concourse feel to it, in that students are encouraged to traverse this library on their way across campus, the Vancouver library, in Vancouver, Canada, also has an actual concourse in its library, which houses shops and cafes, according to Mattern (2007). These are how Ito’s designs are reflected in other libraries. Arets’ design can also be seen in other libraries, such as the Phoenix Burton Barr Central Library, in Phoenix, Arizona. This library has duplicated the box design of the Arets’ library, and, as with Arets’ design, the Phoenix library has a unique way of controlling the sunlight, which is the use of concrete walls, and glass which is shaded with Teflon shade sails, which prevent direct sunlight from penetrating (Mattern, 2007). Perhaps the design of the Mackintosh library is most influential of all, as it became well before the other libraries which are built around glass and natural light. According to Mattern (2007), the libraries at the turn of the century were not focused on the same design elements that Mackintosh put into his, which included natural light and modern design elements within. Rather, the libraries around this time were described as “formal, ceremonial, serious, opaque, rectangular” (Mattern, 2007, p. 55). The Mackintosh library was free from those conventions, so was considered one of the first modernist libraries, and the light fixtures were truly unique and modern. Therefore, the Mackintosh library predated the more unique and post-modern looks for the libraries, which would mean that it was influential on all that came after it. Conclusion Libraries traditionally had issues with lighting and a lack of a unifying theme. The three libraries studied in these three case studies, however, improved upon these issues, as lighting and themes were a part of all of them. Another feature was the openness of the libraries. In looking at modern libraries, it is obvious that they either influenced other libraries, or they were able to fit in with these other libraries with their design elements. Bibliography Beek, M. (2005) Living Library. London: Prestel Publishing. Bognar, B. (1990) The New Japanese Architecture. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. Buchanan, W. (2004) Mackintosh’s Masterwork The Glasgow School of Art. London: A& C Black Limited. Macleod, R. (1983) Charles Rennie Mackintosh: Architect and Artist. London: Bettina Tayleur Limited. Mason, E. (1980) Mason on Library Buildings. London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Mattern, S. (2007) The New Downtown Library: Designing With Communities. London: University of Minnesota Press. McCarter, R. (2012) Wiel Arets. New York: Birkhauser. Nuttgens, P. (1988) Mackintosh & His Contemporaries. London: John Murray Ltd. Schneider, U., Sakamao, H., Speikl, M. and Ito, T. (1999). Toyo Ito: Blurring Architecture 1971-2005. London: Charta. Slessor, C. (2000) Concrete Regionalism. London: Thames & Hudson, Ltd. Turnball, J. (2012) Toyo Ito: Force of Nature. London: Princeton Architectural Press. Read More