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| : 40 JALAN SEDAP in review |
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| A SENS(E)-IBLE HOUSE: DESIGNING FOR HUMAN EXPERIENCE IMAGE is everything in the world of fashion. The desire to create an image, stylish and temporal, all too often results in the seduction of architecture into the realm of fashion. And yet, for HYLA Architects, image is not what it is all about. "This is not a photogenic house", cautions Mr. Han Loke Kwang of HYLA Architects of his newly completed project - a 365 sq.m. semi-detached residence on Jalan Sedap. This statement might seem strange coming from the young, Australia-trained Singaporean. However in this case, "un-photogenic" in no way implies "unattractive". In fact, the residence is very well designed, both in formal proportion as well as in its use of a contemporary palette. The concern that the house may not stand well under the lens is due to a shift in the design away from the visual pleasures of expensive veneers and ornate details common in current design trends, toward ambitions beyond the visual. Many critics have deliberated over the preoccupation with image-making in current architectural practice. Some argue that this image-conscious culture of visual consumption can only lead to a reduction of values and meaning in architecture. This concern has led many architects to return to an emphasis on craft and imagination; an architecture of substance and more weight. (1) Mr. Han is one such architect. The glitz and gloss of stylistic trends do not interest him or his team of young designers at HYLA. "Clarity of form and space, and how one experiences these qualities, are our interests," Han affirms. Their architecture cannot be readily understood as an image but rather as a sequence of sensory-engaging experiences. For a photographer, representing such human encounters that engage all the senses is a challenging yet fascinating task. Perhaps it would be better stated, "This is not a house easily photographed". SENSE AND SENSIBILITY A pivotal figure in Scandinavian architecture and highly influential in 20th Century design since the 1930's, Erik Gunnar Asplund reinforces this shift away from aesthetics and towards a multi-sensory architecture: "The idea that only design, which is comprehended visually, can be art is a narrow conception. No, everything grasped by our other senses through our whole human consciousness and which has the capacity to communicate desire, pleasure, or emotions can also be art." (2) In his sensitive pursuit, Han has undertaken a valuable architectural endeavor: designing for the human experience. Clearly, an authentic and sensitive architecture is one where the meaning is found in human interactions, evoked in the everyday acts of inhabiting and occupying. "The house is about the body and how it is expressed through people's movement from space to space·how directions influence a person's experience," agrees Han. The house is not a showcase for novel design approaches or a selfish pursuit of vanity. It is about the people that interact with and within the house. Engaging all our facilities, the house has been conceived as a sequence of multi-sensory occasions, with greater significance placed on the spatial, tactile, and auditory experiences than visual engagement alone. Architecture is normally understood from a predominantly visual perspective, but an architecture that can also be read through a thoughtful series of human interactions creates a more substantial and meaningful experience. SENSATIONAL ENCOUNTERS In an essay regarding sensuous architecture, Juhani Pallasmaa offers a provocative perspective on experiencing architecture: "Authentic architectural experiences derive from real or ideated bodily confrontations rather than visually observed entities. Authentic architectural experiences have more the essence of a verb than a noun. The visual image of a door is not an architectural image, for instance, whereas entering and exiting through a door are architectural experiences." (3) Han explores this concept of bodily confrontations in a distinctive central corridor element, located between the two rectilinear forms that make up the house design. The corridor defines a singular spine that becomes the primary source for such architectural experiences. "Quite simple really," Han points out, "it's just a series of sliding forms expressed at the corridor on all three levels. It is an interaction through movement." Moving through the house, we become aware that what would normally be considered secondary spaces for transit, such as hallways, entries, stairs, skylights, and decks, are celebrated as the primary mediating structure. These transitional spaces are orchestrated as a sequence of movements that not only direct us, but also directly involve us. The evidence of this involvement is clearly written on the walls. On one of the 230x230 steal columns along the central spine, we discover a children's magnetic tic-tac-toe game in progress. Perhaps unintentionally, this child's delightful discovery of the magnetic properties of his own house, revealed in the act of interacting with the architecture, demonstrates the emotive qualities evoked by its materiality. |
There are many other examples where concrete, metal,
glass and stone elements of the house enhance our experiences at a human-scale.
The most obvious of these is the network of precast concrete flooring,
found only at the main corridors and stairs, which connect all the rooms
on all three levels. As soon as you step onto one of the 1050mm wide
panels, that span between steel frames, Han continues, "there is
a slight springing sensation as you walk along the corridor and up the
stairs." The sensation reverberates up my legs and enhances an
awareness of my body movements.
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Reprinted with permission from: Singapore Architect 214 2002 issue Writer: Alan Yeung Woo Photographs: Albert Lim K.S. |
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Loke Kwang| View Flash Version (Macromedia Flash Player required) | Download Flash Player | back to top |
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