What is : Transparency ?
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| Foundation Cartier ©Alain Alele/Flickr |
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| Glass House by NAF Architect and Design |
Physical transparency is an idea made simply possible by making large sheets of plate glass a prominent feature of the building, it is in essence a defining feature of modern architecture.
Transparency is a medium to open up closed spaces to Light and air.
Transparency however as stated by an essay by Rowe and Slutzky is not only the visual transparency but also a includes spacial transparency.
"Transparency means a simultaneous perception of different spatial locations. Space not only recedes but fluctuates in a continuous activity" - an essay by Rowe & Slutzky.
This is depolyed by what they also called "phenomenal transparency", as indicating spatial depth through the layering of planes.
There are many ideological meanings for transparency within the rhetoric of modernity:
■ Means of promoting health.
■ Promoting a social and democratic society.
■ An illusory device that has its origins in Greek thought - French critic Henri Lefebvre.
■ Means of promoting health (case study) :
Alvar Alto's Paimio Sanatorium 1928, Finland.
The basic functions of the building have been resolved so that each wing of the building and the functions within it form a unit of its own.
A-wing is the patients' wing with the sun balconies, the most important architectonic element, facing south.
B-wing contains the common spaces: treatment rooms, dining hall, library and common rooms.
C-wing contains the laundry, kitchens and staff accommodation.
D-wing contains the boiler room and heating plant (single-storey).
■ Means of promoting a social and democratic society (case study) :
Norman Foster's reconstruction of the Reichstag (Reichstag dome) 1999, Berlin.
The masonry dome was destroyed in world war II, which was later recreated in glass and made publicly accessible to enable the inhabitants of the reunified Germany to participate visually in the process of democracy that can be seen by the chamber bellow.
■ Interpretation of french critic Henri Lefebvre (case study) :
Here the french critic Henri Lefebvre interpreted it as an illusory device that has it's origins in Greek though, an approach to the world based on mathematical logic and reason.
Lefebvre sees the transparency of Gothic architecture as a means of replacing the dark world of myth by the radiant light of God, bringing Christianity out of buried crypts and making it transparent to the eye.
Note : Gothic Architecture almost exclusively emphasizes :
1 - Light - plenty of windows, whenever possible.
2 - Ribbing - roof ribbing to conceal the roof.
3 - Pointed Arches - Not Roman pointed arches.
4 - Buttressing - Whether flying or columnar.
References:
https://architecturality.wordpress.com/tag/transparency/
http://www.alvaraalto.fi/net/paimio/paimio.html
http://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/reichstag-new-german-parliament/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture
100 Ideas that Changed Architecture by Richard Weston:
■ Means of promoting health (case study) :
Alvar Alto's Paimio Sanatorium 1928, Finland.
The basic functions of the building have been resolved so that each wing of the building and the functions within it form a unit of its own.
A-wing is the patients' wing with the sun balconies, the most important architectonic element, facing south.
B-wing contains the common spaces: treatment rooms, dining hall, library and common rooms.
C-wing contains the laundry, kitchens and staff accommodation.
D-wing contains the boiler room and heating plant (single-storey).
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| Floor Plan |
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| Floor Plan (Openings ) |
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| Floor Plan (A,B,C,D wings) |
■ Means of promoting a social and democratic society (case study) :
Norman Foster's reconstruction of the Reichstag (Reichstag dome) 1999, Berlin.
The masonry dome was destroyed in world war II, which was later recreated in glass and made publicly accessible to enable the inhabitants of the reunified Germany to participate visually in the process of democracy that can be seen by the chamber bellow.
 |
| Reichstag new German parliament - Interior view |
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| Reichstag new German parliament - Exterior view |
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| Reichstag new German parliament - Section drawing |
Here the french critic Henri Lefebvre interpreted it as an illusory device that has it's origins in Greek though, an approach to the world based on mathematical logic and reason.
Lefebvre sees the transparency of Gothic architecture as a means of replacing the dark world of myth by the radiant light of God, bringing Christianity out of buried crypts and making it transparent to the eye.
Note : Gothic Architecture almost exclusively emphasizes :
1 - Light - plenty of windows, whenever possible.
2 - Ribbing - roof ribbing to conceal the roof.
3 - Pointed Arches - Not Roman pointed arches.
4 - Buttressing - Whether flying or columnar.
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| Interior of Amiens Cathedral, France. |
References:
https://architecturality.wordpress.com/tag/transparency/
http://www.alvaraalto.fi/net/paimio/paimio.html
http://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/reichstag-new-german-parliament/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture
100 Ideas that Changed Architecture by Richard Weston:
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