shadowed memories; exploring architecture and the uncanny
DESCRIPTION
Document required to graduate with a Master of Architecture degree from Wentworth Institute of TechnologyTRANSCRIPT
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
introduction Thesis Abstract 6 Definitions 7
research Visuals 10 Research Essay 14
development Site 26 Program 31 methodology Charcoal 37 Models 41
product Plans/Section 49 Perspectives 54 Model 65 Design 67 conclusion Presentation 70 Poster 71 Annotated Bibliography 72
Architects continue to design spaces to be bright and open filling rooms with light; eliminating traces of darkness and shadow. This thesis is questioning the over use of light in architecture and seeks to create an architecture of shadow. Exploring the strange and mysterious through the understanding of the uncanny.
THESIS ABSTRACT
The modern consciousness is one of anxieties
and fears of unknown dangers. Memories of past
traumas rest in the shadows of our mind, fearful
that the past may repeat itself. These memories are
instances of the uncanny, a triggering of the return
of the repressed. A fleeting glimpse of a familiar and
strange feeling, almost as if your dreams or worst
nightmares can come true.
Among the shadow there is a beauty that has
become harder to see. There is a fear associated
with shadows, Irrational thoughts and fears of what
can possibly be hidden among the shadows. Most
contemporary architecture consists of open spaces
that are flooded with bright light and large surfaces
of transparent glass. Spaces are illuminated until all
the fragments of the shadows are eliminated from the
corners. In these bright open spaces there is no place
to escape your own thoughts, memories and search
for identity and meaning.
There is a place where the world is viewed
differently, in traditional Japanese culture they would
look back at their history. Their ancestors lived in
darkness; the mystery of the shadow became a
source of beauty within the darkness. Soft warm light
is diffused from paper lamps, gently enveloping a dark
room. There was an elegance created by the depths
of shadow. These traditions and values are much
different to those today. Ignoring history we look toward
advancement and progress. We want new, shinny and
bright. Spaces have lost their humanistic feeling and
are being drowned out by light. Where is there to go to
regain a sense of identity? The spaces we inhabit have
the power to shape our experiences and identities.
Using shadows can help recover the loss of intimate
spaces in contemporary architecture, providing a
secure place to inhabit the modern unhomely.
DEFINITIONS
Uncanny is a concept developed by Sigmund Freud of an instance of something that is strange yet familiar of the same time making you feel unsettled. It is the return of a repressed memory; something that was frightening lead the mind back to what is known and familiar.
Homely is something that is familiar and agreeable. It is something that is meant to be private and kept out of site.
Unhomely is the literal translation of the word Unheimlich, the German word for uncanny. The opposite of homely (heimlich) is something that ought to have remained secret and hidden but has come to light. The opposite of the familiar.
When forced to spend a week in darkness, my perception of light, shadow and space dramatically changed.
As a result of Hurricane Irene, in the summer of 2011, I spent seven days in the shadows. Experiencing moments of uneasiness and fear as well being entranced by the flicker of candlelight across a dark surface.
This thesis has been a journey. First finding its way in my life experiences, travels and thesis preparation course work. Evolving through the struggles of program, discovery of a successful methodology and charcoal covered hands.
Inspired by my Special Topics Studio travels to Portugal these collages are compossed of images taken in Lisbon: a city of bright light and deep shadows.
In my first representation I was trying to show the duality between light and shadow; shadow cannot exist without the presence of light. Another aspect was how shadows act as figures that can move through the presence of extreme brightness.
The next iteration I wanted to explore the idea that shadow can be perceived as an object and as space. I created a relationship between the intensity of light versus the intensity of shadow. Shadows are moving towards thresholds of light.
VISUALS
Early in the fall semester I looked at the works of artist James Turrell, who uses light as his primary medium to create space. Turrell uses light to address the nature of visual perception. He uses bright light and shadows to affect space and the views sensory experience of light and space.
I also analyzed black and white movies to understand how shadows can be used to convey a mood and set a scene. I specifically looked at The Cabinet of Dr. Califari (1920) for its use of painting scenery to help convey a mood of instability and mystery. Black and white horror was appropriate to watch to analyze the relationship between uncanny, mystery, darkness and shadow.
To help clarify my thesis topic and get inspiration I looked at examples of artists and film to gain a better understanding of how light and shadow create space. These are two examples.
James Turrell, Afrum (White), 1966, purchased with funds provided by David Bohnett and Tom Gregory through the 2008 Collectors Committee, © James Turrell, photo by Florian Holzherr
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Church of the Light © Tadao Ando Architect & Associate
The Jewish Museum Berlin, arch. Daniel Libeskind, 2000. The interior of the Tower of Holocaust.
I also looked at how light and shadow can be used in the built environment. Researching several architects who have strong ideas about the presence of light and shadow in their designs. Two architects that stood out were Tadao Ando & Daniel Libeskind.
I looked at Ando’s work as examples of how shadows can be beautiful. As a Japanese architect his de-sign ideas went along with what I read in Jun’ichiro Tanizaki’s book In Praise of Shadows. Darkness and shadow and is prominent in Japanese architecture.
Daniel Libeskind is a contemporary architect who makes use of the uncanny as a response to the postmodern condition, drawing from traumatic history to inspire his designs. He uses darkness and a shadow to convey a mood in his designs; the image above is an interior shot of the Tower of Holocaust. In the darkest moments you feel as if you will never escape, but the trace of light restores hope.
To organize and connect the threads of our thesis we made image maps to key terms with images. Also producing a visual abstract to represent our topic in a single image.
This was an investigation of how my thoughts branched off from my key term: Shadow. While creating this I noticed a lot of overlapping ideas and influences. How light/shadow is used to cre-ate space, how it influences transition and how one occupies. All of these things are affected by the uncanny. Which is an instance where something can be familiar, yet foreign, resulting in a feeling of uncomfortably strange or uncomfortably familiar.
Looking at the effect of light and shadow has on cre-ating space. People occupy shadow but are drawn to the light, because of the unsettling fear of what lies beyond the shadow.
RESEARCH ESSAY:The Mystery and Beauty of Shadow; Architecture and the Modern Unhomely
Introduction:
In western architecture spaces are bright and
open, eliminating dark shadows and dimly lit spaces.
Within these illuminated spaces there is no place
to escape the glaring light and be at home in the
quiet depths of the shadow. Contemporary western
architecture is made up of glowing white spaces,
losing a sense of intimacy and atmosphere that could
be experienced in a soft subtle light. In other cultures
shadows are embraced and seen as beautiful and
important to everyday life. In Western culture there
is a sense of disconnect in the world, architecture no
longer provides us with a sense of intimate life to shelter
us from the anxieties and unsettling qualities of the
world around us. We find ourselves in search of a place
of refuge, a place to call home. Occupying shadows and
darkness can provide the opportunity to address these
feelings of disconnect and estrangement in both positive
and negative ways; enhancing the unsettling feeling
brought upon the mystery of darkness or providing a
comforting place within the beauty of shadow.
Japanese culture depends on shadows to
enhance the beauty of everyday life. In the west we
find discomfort in the darkness. There is a fear of
the unknowable; what could possibly be lurking in the
shadows. We find shadows to be uncanny, something
that is both strange and mysterious in an unsettling way.
Having an irrational fear of the dark limits opportunities
to embrace the beauty of shadow in design.
Looking at the contrast between the uncanny
and beauty of shadows I have found two sources that
help support each of the two different ideas. Looking into
the uncanny my primary source has been architectural
critic and historian Anthony Vidler who presents a
series of essays in his book The Architectural Uncanny
that examine examples of the modern unhomely. Vidler
is grounding his claims in psychoanalyst Sigmund
Freud’s concept of how the uncanny occurs in the
contemporary sensibility. Freud’s essay The Uncanny
is very important to read in order to understand the
root of the psychological aspects into the uncanny. An
example of a contemporary architect who draws from
the uncanny is Daniel Libeskind who responds to the
trauma and memory of a place to create architecture.
This is discussed in his memoir, Breaking Ground:
Adventures in Life and Architecture. Libeskind’s design
approach is to address the catastrophic events of a
place through architecture. Depicting the overpowering
and lasting emotions in the Holocaust Museum in
Berlin and the master plan for Ground Zero. To achieve
a lasting impression he manipulates light and shadow,
explaining that there is a mystery of light “light is about
letting the darkness be there” 1. Similarly, Louis Kahn
has very strong opinions about the use of light; using
natural light gives the space presence. As discussed
in historian David Brownlee’s book Louis I Kahn: In
the Realm of Architecture (1991), the study of light
is important when looking into shadow, for shadow
cannot exist with out light.
Darkness is important for visual perception;
architectural theorist Juhani Pallasma discusses this
in In the Eyes of the Skin (2005). In his book he claims
1 Libeskind, Daniel and Sarah Crichton. Breaking ground: [adventures in life and architecture]. (New York: River-head Books, 2004): 69.
that the suppression of all the senses has led to a feeling
of detachment in the built environment. In one section
he discusses the visual importance that darkness has
and questions the abundance of light used in today’s
architecture, “How much more mysterious and inviting
is the street of an old town with its alternating realms
of darkness and light than are the brightly and evenly
streets of today!”2. Shadow has a significant meaning
to other cultures. Architect Luis Barragan designed
in Mexico where the sun is extremely bright and
overpowering. Shadows and darkness are a place
of refuge from the constant presence of heat and
gleaming light that radiates from above. The book
Barragán: Space and shadow, Walls and Colour (2002)
written by art historian Danièle Pauly discussed how
Barragan saw shadow as a place of refuge from the
2 Pallasmaa, Juhani. The eyes of the skin: Architecture and
the senses. (Chichester; Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Academy;
John Wiley & Sons, 2005): 46
radiating Mexican sun as well as an opportunity for
refuge within shaded private and intimate living space.
There is a beauty in occupying shadows; Japanese
author Junichiro Tanizaki discusses the beauty of
shadows in his essay In Praise of Shadows (1977). The
dim light and subtle shadows of spaces in Japan reflect
not just the beauty of the space but the beauty and the
perception of everyday objects and people within the
space.
All of these authors will be investigated in this
essay with the goal of discovering a connection be-
tween the beauty and mystery of shadow. In order to
address the loss of intimate life that is present in to-
day’s architecture and culture.
The Uncanny
We occupy bright rooms, turning on the lights
to banish any trace of darkness, fearful of what could
possibly be hiding in the dark corners and small pockets
of overlooked space. The fear and mystery of the
unknown is defined within the theory of the uncanny. To
understand the Uncanny, one must go to the original
source; Sigmund Freud’s essay, entitled The Uncanny.
Freud’s essay is divided into three parts. First he
explains the meaning of the term uncanny; in German
called heimlich and unheimlich (homely and unhomely).
A word that relates to the feelings of fear and dread
that brings back the feelings of the repressed. Second,
he examines how the effect is depicted by figures,
places and narratives found in literature and fairy tales.
Then lastly explaining the anxiety and fears of losing an
eye or limb, the fear of the double and the “unconscious
compulsion to repeat”3.
Vidler uses Freud’s text as a primary source in
The Architectural Uncanny. Looking at how Freud links
the theory of the uncanny to the domestic or homely
and how this creates “problems of identity around the
self, the other, the body and its absence”4. These fears
3 Freud, Sigmund. The Uncanny. (New York, New York: Penguin Books, 1940): 145
4 Vidler, Anthony. The architectural uncanny: Essays in the
and anxieties of the individual that Freud explained in his
essay take a large part of modern consciousness and
nostalgia. Vidler looks at how contemporary architects
look at their own studies of domesticity and how the
uncanny can be used to push architectural ideas to
their limits in order to change the way spaces are used
and perceived. Addressing the relationship between
the psychological and physical meaning of home, the
uncanny is associated with a feeling of homesickness
and nostalgia for a true and natural home in the face
of the anxieties and terrors of the modern world. The
goal of this thesis is to use shadows and darkness as a
tool to address the feeling of homesickness in today’s
culture. The presence of shadows has the possibility to
reclaim the feeling of home and provoke uncertainties
that already exist in the modern consciousness.
Daniel Libeskind is one example mentioned in
Vidler’s The Architectural Uncanny as an architect modern unhomely. (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1992): x.
who addresses the uncanny. Reading Breaking Ground
provides a look into how an architect addresses the
feeling of “homesickness” after the lasting trauma
of the holocaust in Berlin, or the aftermath of 9/11
at Ground Zero. In his memoir he explains that
architecture today lacks imagination and that a great
architecture should address the past of a place and
the people who created the history. The uncanny is
a feeling that was evoked after the trauma’s of WW
I & II and hasn’t been released from the modern
consciousness. Architecture can be used to exploit
the unconscious5. Addressing the traumas and fears
that are still present but rarely addressed.
Libeskind looks into how architecture can
address the trauma that has destroyed a city and it’s
presence. In the wake of catastrophe there is a void
and emptiness within the city fabric and in the lives of
its citizens that shouldn’t be ignored. As an immigrant,
5 Vidler xiv
the feelings of displacement and like he does not belong
resonates with Libeskind. He uses architecture to
explore and represent the brutal disruptions that have
the power to forever twist and transform the continuity
of everyday life within the community. Focusing not
on single events in history, but on the forces and
catastrophes that leave people feeling disconnected
from their own home. Libeskind goes against the
Modernist belief that buildings should present a
neutral face to the world; he asks “Do we want to be
surrounded by dull soulless buildings or do we want
to confront our histories, our complicated and messy
realities, our unadulterated emotions and create an
architecture for the 21st century?”6. Asking more from
architecture and the people, who inhabit those spaces
Libeskind’s design process, uses light and shadow to
create and manipulate an atmosphere within a room.
He created a relationship between light in darkness
6 Libeskind 12
in the Jewish Museum in Berlin to evoke the scaring
presence of void and emptiness already present in
the city. Allowing the visitor to feel the overwhelming
immensity of fear and loss that was felt during and
after the holocaust. The uncanny can trigger feelings
that aren’t explored in architecture. Light and shadow
can create this atmosphere that architecture does not
explore.
The Significance of Light and Shadow
The apprehension of being in dark and
shadowed spaces does not exist everywhere. In other
cultures shadows are embraced and are integral
to everyday life; providing an escape from the sun or
creates an ambiance. Shadows are important to the
Eastern cultures of Asia. Japanese author Junichio
Tanizaki writes about how shadows and darkness are
essential in Japanese culture, creating a beauty in
ordinary life that western culture does not experience.
The importance of shadow is tied to historic traditions;
growing from the realities their ancestors faced living
in dimly lit rooms:
“A light room would no doubt have been more
convenient for us, too, than a dark room. The
quality we call beauty, however, must always
grow from the realities of life, and our ances-
tors, forced to live in the dark rooms, presently
came to discover beauty in the shadows, ulti-
mately to guide shadows toward beauty’s end”
7.
Tanizaki compares the traditions of Japanese culture
to the western view. Arguing that the West is always
pushing to create bright open spaces to push out
the deep shadows and any hint of what the darkness
can hide. We do not understand the mystery and
atmosphere that shadow creates. The Japanese
discovered that darkness has the possibility to
enhance the beauty and mystery of common objects,
7 Jun’ichiro Tanizaki. In praise of shadows [Inei raisan.]. (New Haven, Conn.: Leete›s Island Books. 1977): 18.
spaces and people, finding beauty in ordinary things
that the west fails to experience. For example, Tanizaki
states, “Our cooking depends upon shadows and is
inseparable from darkness”8. In darkness food is more
appetizing as it sits in its dark container, resting on a
table in a dim space that is lit simply by the flicker of
candlelight. Dwelling among the shadows can enhance
the mundane aspects of day-to-day life.
Louis Kahn had strong views on light, calling
light the “giver of all presences”9. Kahn used shadows
to enhance light; light and shadow were used in Kahn’s
buildings to differentiate the “ideal world from the
world of daily experiences”10. Brownlee uses Kahn’s
later works as examples of his simplest and strongest
architecture. The use of natural light was an important
8 Tanizaki, 17.9 Brownlee, David Bruce, David Gilson De Long, Museum of Contemporary Art, and Philadelphia Museum of Art. Louis I. Kahn: In the realm of architecture. (Los Angeles; New York: Museum of Contemporary Art; Rizzoli, 1991): 204.10 Brownlee 205.
force in his designs, creating a mysterious dynamic
within the relationship between the experience of
silence and light. Claiming that it was structure that
defines the substance of a building and natural light
gives life to those spaces. In Exeter Library, Kahn
creates a poetic language of bringing a book out from
the dark library stacks out into the light. On the outside
perimeter light enters into small individual study
spaces, here the individual can control how much light
they wish to experience as they study and read.
The use of shadow is something that the west
overlooks, but it has been proven in other cultures to
provide beauty, depth and meaning to the most basic
objects, everyday activities and the architecture we in-
habit. It is important to enhance light and balance the
presence of deep shadows within brilliant light in order
to create contrast and meaning within the spaces we
occupy.
Loss of Intimate Life
In The Eyes of the Skin, Juhani Pallasma discuss-
es how the mind, body and the use of all five senses
can perceive and influence how a space is experienced.
We experience the world using all of our senses, while
architecture is typically experienced visually. Pallasma
claims that the suppression of the senses has lead us
to a feeling of detachment and alienation in the built
environment. In the section entitled “The Significance
of Shadow”, Pallasma discusses the importance dark-
ness has for our visual perception, in darkness the eye
obscures the limits of distance, skewing what can be
seen as an expansive depth or a feeling of nearness
close enough to touch. Most people do not know is that
the eye is most attuned for dim light rather than bright
light. Suppressing our vision by entering a darker space
or closing your eyes awakens the imagination by mak-
ing visual images unclear, thus allowing for interpreta-
tion and thought. Bright light can abruptly stop these
unfocused trains of thought, “Homogenous bright light
paralyses the imagination in the same way that homog-
enization of space weakens the experience of being,
wipes away the sense of place” 11. Pallasma concludes
that contemporary architecture would benefit from the
presence of shadows.
In Pallasmaa’s writing he references Mexican
architect Luis Barragan who claims that because of
excessive illumination and transparency to the outside
world “we have lost a sense of intimate life, and have
become forced to live public lives, essentially away
from the home” 12.Further expanding on the idea’s of
Luis Barragan, Daniele Pauly’s book Barragán: Space
and shadow, walls and colour is an in depth look at
Barragan’s search to capture and create shadows in his
designs. In Mexico, the sun is sharp and overpowering,
so dwellings are places of refuge. Shadow and dark
spaces away form the hot and bright sun provide a
means of relief; Barragan sees the importance and
beauty of “shadowy” spaces. The presence of shadow 11 Pallasmaa 46.12 Pallasmaa 47.
sculpts the inside of the dwelling to create intimate
spaces. Barragan criticizes transparent spaces, saying
there is no space, a part from the bathroom, for privacy
or a place one can shut him or herself off in and “feel
sheltered”13. This source is addressing the importance
of shadow as a contrast to the bright sunlight, creating
a calm and peaceful atmosphere for one to inhabit.
Conclusion
The fear and anxieties of modernity has
shaped architecture. The uncertainties and fear of
the unknown prompted the need to flood dark spaces
with vibrant light. Frightened by what couldn’t be
seen but had the potential to harm changed the way
spaces were designed. Modernist architects created
illuminated spaces that were open to one another
and to the outside world, eliminating the irrational 13 Pauly, Danièle, Luis Barragán, and Jérôme Habersetzer.
Barragán: Space and shadow, walls and colour. (Corr reprint of original ed. Basel; Boston: Birkhäuser. 2008; 2002), 158.
completely. In attempts to escape and illuminate the
possibilities of the unknown the sense of intimate life
has been washed away along with the shadow. There is
a mystery and beauty to shadow and darkness; there is
a contrasting duality to them. Western culture has the
opportunity to rediscover its infatuation with the beauty
created by the depth of shadow as well as understand
the possibilities of what lies within the depth of that
same shadow. In the darkness a sense of identity,
previously washed away by the light, has the possibility
to return. In the shadow a sense of home and place
within architectural spaces can be restored.
REFERENCES
Brownlee, David Bruce, David Gilson De Long, Museum
of Contemporary Art, and Philadelphia Museum
of Art. Louis I. Kahn: In the realm of architecture.
(Los Angeles; New York: Museum of Contempo-
rary Art; Rizzoli, 1991)
Freud, Sigmund. The Uncanny. (New York, New York:
Penguin Books, 1940)
Libeskind, Daniel and Sarah Crichton. Breaking ground:
[adventures in life and architecture]. (New York:
Riverhead Books, 2004)
Pallasmaa, Juhani. The eyes of the skin: Architecture
and the senses. (Chichester; Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-
Academy; John Wiley & Sons, 2005)
Pauly, Danièle, Luis Barragán, and Jérôme Haber-
setzer. Barragán: Space and shadow, walls and
colour. (Corr reprint of original ed. Basel; Boston:
Birkhäuser. 2008; 2002)
Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō. In praise of shadows [Inʼei raisan.].
(New Haven, Conn.: Leete›s Island Books. 1977)
Vidler, Anthony. The architectural uncanny: Essays in
the modern unhomely. (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT
Press, 1992)
Determining an appropriate site and
program for this thesis was crucial. My site had
to be charged, inspired by history and has traces
of memory. Next I need to determine a program
that could help aid my thesis and not solve it.
No Haunted Houses, Fun Houses, Hostels, or
Museums.
To say I struggled with program would be
an understatement; I changed my program three
times in one week.
I needed to find a program that would be
appropriate in shadow as well as could address
issues of identity, way finding and estrangement. It
seemed to be an impossible task. Nothing seemed
to fit, until I was given a suggestion: Death. This
was an opportunity for all the pieces of my thesis
to come together.
SITE When it came time to choose a site it was
important for me to find a site that had traces of history
as well as an open area to provide a lot of light. The
site I chose is located in East Boston, a former point of
entry for immigrants coming to Boston. Inspired by the
uncanny, I am drawing from the unsettling feeling of
immigration, an issue important to Boston’s past and
still continues today. People no longer immigrate by
sea, but through the neighboring airport. Immigrants
often have a feeling of being displaced, searching for the
feeling of home in a culture completely different from
their own. There are also insecurities and anxieties felt
by the residents when a new and unknown presence
comes into their established community.
The site chosen briefly served as an entry point
for immigrants to Boston. Once they arrived they were
processed on the ship (or in the nearby immigration
station) then would proceed into America. From the
dock they would ascend a staircase, known fondly to
immigrants as ‘The Golden Stair’ acting as important
transition moment that symbolizes the arrival into
American and its promised opportunities.
Along Marginal Street the area is
underdeveloped. Lots along the waterfront remain
vacant, abandoned and overgrown. A large fence
separates the visitor from the water and the view of
the Boston skyline. The site holds a strong memory
but has a lost sense of history, place and identity. It
is a very strange and unsettling feeling walking along
Marginal Street, the feeling of disconnect between land
and the water creates a feeling of the displacement
and disorientation for the visitor. These emotions and
historic traces that exist on side provide opportunities
to explore elements of shadow and the uncanny.
I noticed an important axis in the Golden stair, the only street in the close contexts that breaks through in that direction. The primary vehicular circulation is oriented in the opposite direction. Looking also at the importance of the view back to the city: the new home and destination of immigrants after their journey.
In this diagram I was looking at the voids located in the area. The waterfront is abandoned and leaves traces of the industrial and boating yards. This area also touches the airport, a large piece that pushes on the community. Between these large voids of space are the residential communities. I was looking at how
green space related and started to reclaim the voids. There is a greenway that connects to Piers Park then traveling up the golden stair to a park. My project can start reclaiming the void and reclaim the history that exists along the waterfront.
seperated from boston by fencefences line marginal street, land is vacanthouses do not view out toward the waterno connection to history, water once importantsense of estrangement/disconnect-needs repair
strong VISUAL connection to BOSTON
How can the presence of SHADOW help reclaim a sense of identity and history in EAST BOSTON?
East Boston is the SHADOW of Boston
MARGINAL STREET WATER FRONT//EAST BOSTON
Blocked off from the water, there is a strong disconnect created by the boundary. Losing any sense of place or feeling of identity for the area.
PROGRAM
When confronted by death you are faced with
extreme emotions. Suddenly your entire world has
shifted and you are forced to ask yourself questions
about life and death. Most have spiritual beliefs to help
answer these questions and guide them through their
loss. Where do people without religion to find meaning?
How do you understand matters of life and death
without spiritual beliefs? Where do you go to celebrate
the life of a non-religious person?
The program I chose to explore my thesis is a
funerary chapel for non-believers. This facility will serve
as a place to memorialize someone’s life and act as a
final resting place. Within the program I have created
there are opportunities for individual mourning,
intimate gathering spaces and large service spaces
that serve to memorialize the life of a passing friend or
loved one.
For those who are returning to visit and
remember someone who has passed can explore the
Garden for the Departed. Meandering through the
Garden the visitor is faced with Columbarium walls and
Mausoleums. Along these paths there are moments
to be discovered, small pockets to stumble upon while
lost in thought. In these space you can sit and reflect or
wonder the grounds lost in thought.
Beneath the earth surface holds the service
spaces, here is where you begin the journey for
meaning. In the shadow, the visitor is disoriented,
pulled around the corners by moments of bright light.
The journey starts alone, and then moves into a viewing
room to say final goodbyes and show condolences to
loved ones. Finally you move back to the shadowy light,
where a service takes place in the Memorial Hall.
PUBLIC Service & Celebration Lobby area = 2 x 3,000 sq ftLarge Memorial Hall= 6,000 sq ftMedium Memorial Hall= 3,000 sq ftSmall Memorial Hall= 1,500 sq ftPrivate viewing/mourning room Processional Hall
RemembranceMausoleumColumbarium for 2,000-5,000 urns Garden of Remembrance
PRIVATEAdministration & Support Offices & meeting areas= 1,000 sq ftLarge storage = 2,000 sq ftCold room= 300 sq ftPreparation room = 300 sq ftHolding Facility = 450 sq ftOffice= 3x 150 sq ft
GARDEN FOR THE DEPARTED
goodbye
walk
rem
embe
ranc
e
gard
en
columbariumcollection
reflection
acceptance journey
program//adjacencies & transitions
entry
grief
chapelremembrance
crematorium
lossviewing
. Turning the corner is when you see it, Boston’s harbor and the city sky-line. Finally feeling like you have arrived, you don’t notice there aren’t many buildings on the waterfront. Just one.
ARRIVAL
Some spaces feel dark and unsettling completely enclosed with only a small opening to let daylight fall into the room. Others allow glimpses into one another, obscuring the view through screens and opaque glass. You can see flashes and movements of the activities beyond. The darkness is making you feel uneasy. What is happening in this room? What is that person doing? Questioning your environment you move into another space. This room feels different, the shadows moving across the wall is intriguing. You decide to sit here a while.intriguing. You decide to sit here a while.
SPACES
Nothing looks familiar. Your eye is searching for something familiar. You’ve spent weeks looking at images, you thought that something would stick out once you were here. You start to become disoriented; all of the buildings are start to look the same as you quickly move past them.
APPROACH
CIRCULATION
You enter into a dimly lit room, once checked you are given a tour. As you move through the dark and constricting corridors you start getting disori-ented. Where is she taking me? The further you get the harder it is to re-member your way back. You move down into the earth, rooms start open-ing up to the hallway. Suddenly you are lead to a staircase, moving back up to the surface, traveling farther up into the building.
I determined early that the sequence and narrative were very important elements to developing my thesis. These were done early on and helped determine how I approached drawing perpectives throughout my entire thesis.
It was important to me to find a methodology
that would best explain my thesis. I wanted to
explore the best technique to explore and represent
all the ideas that I have spent so long developing.
Through this exploration I found the best way to
consistently represent my thesis from process to
final product.
Throughout the semester I focused on how
to develop a sequence of spaces and the best way to
experience and render shadows. My medium was
charcoal. I charcoaled everything; from drawings
to models. My perspectives were always set up
the same way, as a storyboard. Documenting the
approach, arrival and then the space. Quality of
light was explored by building models out of foam
core, peeling back the smooth glossy layer and the
covering the textured surface with charcoal.
Throughout my process I would set up the page the same way: Approach, Arrival & Space. This perspective sheet documented an early interpretation how one would arrive at this place and possible lighting conditions for the lobby space. I wanted the lobby to be a contrast between darkness and bright light entering from above.
charcoal
Initially I explored orthogonal walls and curves, in this drawing one would have to turn the corner to arrive at a viewing room. In this space the visitor would mourn in the shadows, the only source of light would be on the casket.
Moving from the viewing room the visitor arrives at the chapel. The apertures created a moment where light flooded the aisles and then the seats were sitting in the shadow.
In the garden spaces I wanted there to be objects to create shadows. In this case it was the idea of a possible structure and the columbarium wall.
To understand how to make shadows and the affects of various apertures I made models, lots of models. Developing various spatial and transitional moments that could occur within my building.
I created these models out of foam core. Experimenting with texture I began peeling away the glossy surface from the foam core. After looking at precedents I decided that a textured wall captures textures best. Creating a depth to the wall and a movement to both the light and shadow when reflected on the surface.
Once the models were made I applied a layer of charcoal so the darkness and shadows of the space could clearly be seen. Photography each model in natural light allowed for a better understanding of how the shadows worked. Moving the models in the light showed how the moving sun would effect the shadows movement through the space.
The next few pages document examples of this process.
models
Models also helped me develop and explore how spaces can relate and interact sectionally. These are examples of how the viewing room and the memorial hall can view into each other.
To better understand this sectional idea I would draw a charcoal perspective or a quick sketch inside of my sketchbook.
Within these sectional models I explored movement and transition. How one would enter and move from one space through another. Here I experimented with a new material: opaque glass. Movement would be shadowed and seem ghosted behind the surface
The movement of the sun determined location of each space and the quality of light I wanted the space to receive (morning or afternoon light). Also used to explore the existing site axis then later creating my own.
This model was a tool for placement. A massing was made from foam core and was secured to the cardboard by pins. Allowing me to easily move each space through each iteration of design.
Consistency between process and product
was important to me. My goal was to create
a cohesive final product. From the start of the
semester I used charcoal and I did not want
the shadowy discovers made through out the
semester to be lost.
Final drawings were produced in AutoCAD
then acetoned onto craft paper. This paper was
chosen for its dark earthy color. Once transferred
the drawings were carefully hand rendered with
charcoal, pastels and pen.
Several representation techniques
were tested to create desired effects. The
images of shadows were clearly depicted in
final representation with help from numerous
Photoshop layers, charcoal and the laser cutter.
underground plan: 1/16”=1’-0”
This line drawing of my underground plan was produced in AutoCAD then was laser cut onto a piece of acrylic. The acrylic plan was then pinned to the wall two inches to the drawing casting a shadow on to the hand rendered version of the plan. This drawing can be seen on the next page.
underground plan: 1/16”=1’-0”charcoal rendered with arcrylic overlay
New technique created to give the drawing depth and have the drawing create a shadow of the drawing onto the drawing
perspectives
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7
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9
To help explain the experiential aspects of my project I created a series of charcoal perspectives on 10 sheets of grey scale paper. Starting from how the visitor arrives, through all the spaces underground the perspectives end on the pier. The following images are arranged sequentially and the diagram above acts as a guide to the area each sequence is drawn. Each page highlights the approach, arrival and space.
Arriving boat you make the journey across Boston harbor. Approaching a long Columbarium wall that runs along the dock. The boat pulls right inside of the building. Surrounded by water and a simple platform you exit the boat. Light enters through small circular holes, leaving you only with glimpses of light and water.
perspective 1
Once inside you descend underground through a slow moving dim elevator. Exiting you notice a dark area with niches carved into the earth. Here you sit and get lost in thought, still in shocked that you are here today. Continuing on you are unsure where to go, following the curved walls and headed in the unknown light in the distance.
perspective 2
Ahead of you is a large heavy door; slowly you slide it open along the track in the floor. You chose a seat close to the back in the dark shadowy room. A beam of light streams down from the front of the room. This light casts a soft light onto the casket of your departed friend. You work up the nerve to say goodbye then continue on.
perspective 3
Following the curving staircase you slowly move back up through the earth. As you move up the shadows get lighter until you reach a large threshold. A bright light pours through the aisles as you find your way to a seat. After the service you get up and move around the heavy wall you are faced with a tall glass window. You are level with the expansive sea in front of you; strangely you take a seat in another wall perspective 4
You head to the Mausoleum to visit with your grandmother. Pushing the heavy wooden door open light pours down casting soft light onto the grave markers. You glimpse up and see a fleeting glimpse of movement and sky from the level above. Entering the dark eerie corridor you take the elevator up to the next level. Siting up here you look in the sliver that unconsciously draws your eye back beneath the earth to the shadows moving against the floor.
perspective 5
Faced with a curved wall you have to choice which way to go. You move right, follow the curvy wall to the next space. In the front of the room there is an opening that pulls light down from above, casting light into the dim space. You head to the staircase, feeling a strange feeling of release as the compressed ceiling disappears.
perspective 6
Up the stairs a flicker of light is visible in the threshold pulling you in. Once seated you look up and have a view of the bright blue sky. This makes you think of happy memories as you bask in the warm light that flows down from the windows above. There is softness to the shadows and you find comfort in the space and your journey through the mysterious darkness.perspective 7
Going around the other bend in the hallway you approach the final viewing room. This space is small, a small opening lights the room, making this space feel dark and confined. As you glance up at the light you notice a movement to the shadow, you realize you have caught a glimpse of a person in the space above. Walking up the stairs you take a seat in the memorial hall, looking over you can see the same shadowed movement beyond the wall; someone walking outside.
perspective 8
You reach the end of the winding hallway, ascending up the stairs your eyes slowly adjacent from the shift from dark to light. In the soft shadows you move under the skylight, where the glowing light of the sun falls all around you. Finally you feel ready to go outside.
perspective 9
Wandering through the garden you are lost in thought, stopping only when you find a bench in a pocket of trees or glance over the names of the departed on the columbarium. The questions you have about death become overwhelming, the salty sea breeze pulls you toward the water. Wandering along the dock you follow the wall to the end of the pier. Here you stare out at the waves and reflect.perspective 10
DESIGN Submerged in the earth the visitor begins
their emotion journey through their grief. The walls
are rough exposed concrete, making the spaces feel
as if they were carved out from the earth. Wondering
through the processional hall the walls curve. Making
you question and uneasy about where you are and
where you are headed. Always around the corner is
the presence of light pulling you through. The support
spaces and mourning spaces are all underground. It
is when you enter the memorial/chapel spaces that
you are at ground level. These spaces act as a place
to celebrate and remember the life of a loved one; this
is why they are the brightest. Each memorial space is
a different size and is oriented in a different direction
based on the angle of the sun.
Pulled out into the water is the largest chapel,
strengthening the visitor’s relationship to the water. As
the visitor searches for questions and meaning they
are disoriented in their environment. The water is their
only reference of place and surrounding. Within the
garden and some interior moments the view of water
is deliberate or denied. An important element to the
project’s design is the relationship between the body
and the wall. Individual mourning spaces and niches
for the coffin are both carved into the wall, creating
an uncanny relationship between the mourner and
the departed. The columbarium walls play a large role
on the ground, becoming structural and organizing
elements.
Historically, an axis already exists on the site.
It was important to maintain that axis but I decided to
offset the axis I created within my building. Building along
the historic axis would cover up its historical memory
and lose its significance to the place. The visitor moves
along the axis, but not directly. Meandering through the
visitor finds his or her way.
After completing my thesis I am very proud of how I developed my thesis idea into a project. I found my methodology and final product a great reflection of my explorations into the experimental and narrative part of my project as well as the visual perception of light and shadow throughout the building. I was happy with the final result, but obviously more time would have pushed my design further. I would have loved to have further explored the relationship between the land and the water.
Based on the comments I received during the final critique there are definitely further steps needed to bring my project to a more sophisticated level. What my project lacked was the technical aspects of design. If I had more time analytical drawings of wall thickness, apertures, crisp detail drawings and more sections would have enhanced my thesis and final presentation. My project would have also benefited from a digital model. This could have provided a much more accurate and technical study of light and shadow at varying times and seasons.
Adcock, Craig. James Turrell: The art of light and space. (Berke-
ley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press,
1990)
Adcock is writing is an overview of James Turrell’s
work, Turrell uses light to address the nature of visual
perception. Describing how the affects of bright light and
its counterpart shadow affects space and the sensory
experience of light and space. This source is beneficial
to my understanding of how light and shadow can be
perceived and used as a tool to create and shape space
and the way people interact within the space.
Ashmore, Jerome. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as Fine Art. College
Art Journal 9, no. 4: pp. 412-418, 1950
Jerome Ashmore claims not all motion pictures are art
forms, but most can be considered fine art a movie to
support this is the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. To support his
claim he provided three levels of meaning; surface, literal
and symbolic meaning to distinguish an object as fine art.
The section about surface meaning discusses the per-
ception of what appears on the surface of the projected
image. The painted scenery, use of lines, shadow, lighting,
shadow and motion unite to convey a mood of “instability,
mystery and perplexity”. This source was useful to see an
example of how the uncanny and shadows are used to
create a dynamic relationship. The film The Cabinet of Dr.
Caligari will be a good example to study this relationship,
but I have pulled back from using the uncanny within Ger-
man Expressionist film as the primary investigation in my
thesis to focus more on looking into the beauty and poetic
elements that can be created by designing with shadow.
Brownlee, David Bruce, David Gilson De Long, Museum of
Contemporary Art, and Philadelphia Museum of Art. Louis
I. Kahn: In the realm of architecture. (Los Angeles; New
York: Museum of Contemporary Art; Rizzoli, 1991)
This book was a collection of essays that coincide with a
different point in Louis Kahn’s architectural career. Look-
ing more specifically at the chapter called “Light, the Giver
of all Presence” the author uses Kahn’s later works as ex-
amples of his simplest and strongest architecture. Kahn’s
use of natural light was an important force in his designs,
creating a mysterious dynamic to the relationship be-
tween silence and light. I’ve started to look at Louis Kahn
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
because of his strong idea’s about light. It is important for
me to look at light, because of its duality and relationship
with shadows.
Franklin, James C. Metamorphosis of a metaphor: The shadow
in early German cinema. The German Quarterly 53, no. 2:
pp. 176-188, 1980.
This article was a look at shadow in early German cinema
and how it can be used as a communicative function.
Discussing Plato’s metaphor of how cave dwellers
perceived shadows and echoes outside of the cave as
reality itself. The perception is weakened, portraying
a diluted hint of reality. Jung’s metaphor for shadow
is also discussed; his theory is that the shadow is the
underside of the human psyche, which provides creativity
if acknowledged and if repressed can bring about the
collapse of the individual. These metaphors became a
narrative device used in cinema. This was an interesting
source because it gave a new element to the discussion
of light and shadow in German films. It provided more
analysis into the physiological effects the metaphor of
shadow has on the human psyche.
Freud, Sigmund. The Uncanny. (New York, New York: Penguin
Books, 1940)
Sigmund Freud investigates the psychology of the
uncanny, relating it to the German translation of the word
heimlich and unheimlich- homely and unhomely. Freud
describes the feeling of the familiar and the comfortable
in relationship to its opposite of what is concealed and
kept hidden. The uncanny is a part of the realm of the
frightening relating to something that is familiar yet
repressed. Freud’s view on the uncanny was an important
source for me to read to get a further and more in depth
grasp of the theory behind the uncanny.
Libeskind, Daniel and Sarah Crichton. Breaking ground:
[adventures in life and architecture]. (New York:
Riverhead Books, 2004)
Daniel Libeskind is a contemporary architect who makes
use of the uncanny as a response to the postmodern
condition, drawing from traumatic history to inspire
his designs. This book is a memoir as well as a detailed
account of his architectural style. He draws from his
background as a Jewish immigrant to explore ideas
about tragedy and hope and how architecture can
memorialize and reshape the human experience. This
was an interesting read, to see how a deconstructionist
architect draws from the uncanny to create a meaningful
architectural experience. This book helped stimulate
my thinking of how to draw from trauma and memory,
influencing my ideas on how to approach setting criteria
for selecting a site. Also providing information on the
importance of light and shadow to his designs that I can
draw from.
Mulgrave, Vic. Designing with light and Shadow. (Woodbridge:
Images; Antique Collectors’ Club, 2000)
Kaoru Mende is a Japanese lighting designer, who is
part of the firm called Lighting Planners and Associates
Inc. This book is about the firms design philosophy and
provides numerous examples of their built work. Mende is
interested in emphasizing the shadows to create subtlety
and depth that more accurately reflects human actions
and perceptions. Focusing on the use of light to create a
lasting impression instead of simply creating functional
urban lighting design. I think this can be helpful to look
into how to create and develop shadow with artificial light
versus the focus on the use of natural light. Mende has
an interesting approach to lighting design, using light as
a tool to enhance the human experience, this is an idea
that has the potential to influence design strategies next
semester.
Pallasmaa, Juhani. The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the
senses. (Chichester; Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Academy; John
Wiley & Sons, 2005)
Juhani Pallasma discusses how the mind, body and
senses can perceive and influence how a space can be
perceived and experienced. Providing a look into how
all the senses can be utilized in architectural design.
Commonly architecture is created under consideration of
sight. Pallasma claims that the suppression of the senses
has lead us to a feeling of detachment and alienation in
the built environment. This feeling created by the neglect
of the senses relates to my thesis ideas of the uncanny
and the feelings of estrangement that connect with
the topic. I focused in on the section about shadows,
Pallasma discusses the importance of darkness in a
practical sense. Darkness helps the eye perceive depth
and think clearly. This source also references in praise
of shadows and ideas of transparency in architecture,
providing insight into the loss of intimate life in today’s
culture.
Pauly, Danièle, Luis Barragán, and Jérôme Habersetzer. Bar-
ragán: Space and shadow, walls and colour. (Corr reprint
of original ed. Basel; Boston: Birkhäuser. 2008; 2002)
Luis Barragan is a Mexican architect who predominately
deals with issues of color and space. Important
intertwining elements are light and shadow and issues of
intimacy and transparency. Light is so bright in Mexico
it is important to design spaces that are shielded from
the sun’s rays within the shadows. This source is really
good source in relating different elements of my thesis.
Barragan sees the importance and beauty of “shadowy”
spaces. The use of shadow sculpts the inside of the
dwelling to create intimate spaces. Barragan criticizes
transparent spaces, saying there is no space a part
from the bathroom for privacy or a place one can shut
him or herself off in and “feel sheltered”. This source can
help influence my thinking about the positive aspects of
shadow and a persons desire to inhabit darkness as a
space removed from light as well as a intimate place that
provides seclusion and reflection.
Takeyama, Kiyoshi. Tadao Andô: Heir to a tradition. Perspecta
20, : pp. 163-180, 1983.
Tadao Ando’s architecture is derived from the influences
of Japanese culture and the emotional relationship to
human beings and physical objects. This article compares
Ando with Sen no Rikyu, one of Japan’s greatest tea
ceremony masters and architect of tea pavilions.
Rikyu designed differently than the traditional grander
and formal spaces, reinventing them to express the
aesthetic values found in humble houses of the common
people. Ando and Rikyu have many design similarities,
one of them being the use of light. Focusing on how
small amounts of light can effect dark spaces. This is
an important look at how spaces are designed by a
Japanese architect, this is opposite of how western
architecture is designed. It was written that southern
orientations were avoided because bright illumination in
the space would be unsettling; an interesting contrast to
the western perception of the use of light and darkness.
Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō. In praise of shadows [Inʼei raisan.]. (New
Haven, Conn.: Leete›s Island Books. 1977)
In Praise of Shadows is an essay that claims
that the presence of shadows in various aspects of
Japanese culture provide a sense of beauty that could
not be seen if it weren’t for varying degrees of light and
darkness. To support his claim, Tanizaki breaks his essay
into sixteen sections, each describing how the beauty of
shadows diffuse into every corner of Japanese life and
he compares how this differs from the use of excessive
illumination in the West. This source was a look at how
shadows can be perceived in a positive light, looking at
how darkness can affect objects, spaces, people and
experiences. This source was important to my research
because it presented a non-western approach to the idea.
Vidler, Anthony. The architectural uncanny: Essays in the modern
unhomely. (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1992)
This book is a collection of essays that discuss
the unsettling qualities seen in architecture today.
Using the idea of the uncanny as a metaphor for a
fundamentally unbelievable modern condition. Reflecting
on questions of social and individual estrangement.
Vidler, Dean of the School of Architecture at the
Cooper Union, uses the work of present day architects
(Koolhaas, Eisenman, Diller+Scofidio) as well as urban
theorists to describe the problems with domesticity.
The introduction of this source as well as the preface
was essential to my understanding of the theory of the
uncanny as well as its relationships to contemporary
architecture. Also looking at his essay entitled ‘Dark
Space’ which looks at how the fear of the dark led to
the fascination of the same shadowed areas and the
invention of the spatial phenomenology of darkness.
Another essay ‘Transparency’ looks at how modernity
is haunted by transparency; people need to be open to
themselves, each other, society and this reflected in
modernity’s universal transparency of materials and
space. This source was influential in the development of
my topic, pushing me toward asking questions about the
unsettling qualities of shadow.