Valerio Olgiati: Le Corbusier lecture series

March 26, 2009 by: Renata Arpagaus

Caumasee, Flims
Swiss architect Valeri !lgiati ga"e a tal# at the Ryal $nstitute % &ritish Architects 'R$&A( n
)ues*ay, as part % the e"ents that accmpany the current e+hibitin at the &arbican, ,e
Crbusier: )he Art % Architecture- )he highly anticipate*, lng.since sl*.ut e"ent %%ere* a
re"ealing insight int the thughts % ne % cntemprary architecture/s mst intriguing %igures-
!lgiati began his tal# with a phtgraph % his recent e+hibitin at 0)1 2urich, where pr3ects
were presente* using white plaster m*els- )hey * nt e+press materiality- )hey * nt shw
cnte+t- )his imme*iately intr*uces what lies at the cre % his wr#: his nn.cnte+tual
apprach t ma#ing architecture- 1e chses actin "er reactin- 1e belie"es it shul* be
pssible t in"ent architecture an* that there is architecture that is ma*e ut % itsel%- 1e re%ers
t e+amples % a barn, a church, a temple 4 buil*ings *eri"e* %rm a certain typlgy, that %llw
their wn rules, buil*ings that are nn.cnte+tual- )hat #in* % architecture has in"entin at its
cre-
)he %irst pr3ect he presente* was the %%ice he built %r himsel% in his nati"e Flims- !n the site he
ha* trn *wn an e+isting l* barn- 5ue t regulatins, he ha* t cpy its "lume an* 62m +
62m s7uare %lr plan- 1e *esigne* a w*en cnstructin ab"e 8 cncrete pillars- 9t nly the
e+terir w* is painte* blac#, but als the interir- !lgiati strngly belie"es that a *ar# space
allws %r better e+periencing the utsi*e %rm within- 1e cntrasts the architecture % Fran#
,ly* :right with that % Richar* Meier, arguing that F,:/s *ar# spaces are e+tra"erte*, while
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Meier/s white spaces are in %act intr"erte*- Furnishing his %%ice with white plastic tables,
creating white islan*s surrun*e* by blac# space, he als %in*s ;mre cntemplati"e, mre
intelligent/-
!lgiati then tal#e* abut his prpsal %r the 9ew ,earning Centre %r 0<F, ,ausanne, a
cmpetitin which ;% curse we *i* nt win/- 1e prpse* a 80m + 80m s7uare grun* %lr
plan that e"l"es int a *ynamic three.*imensinal %igure- 1ere he e+plre* anther % his
%a"urite themes, a structure that at %irst glance seems arbitrary, while in %act being the result %
precise calculatins- 1e pints ut that in this *esign ne cannt ta#e an element away, an* that
a**ing an element wul* nt ma#e sense-
)his was %llwe* by the Swiss 9atinal <ar# Visitrs Centre in 2erne=, a pr3ect where ;we ha*
t thin# a lt t ma#e it s simple/- )he seemingly simple buil*ing is ma*e entirely % cncrete,
with brn=e win*w %rames- ) bring tgether tw such *i%%erent materials withut en*ing up
with ;an ama=ing silicn situatin in between/, the architect cmpletely sets bac# the win*ws
%rm the pening- )ypically %r !lgiati, the buil*ing cmbines a "ery ratinal l#ing e+terir with
a surprisingly irratinal, in this case e"en labyrinth.li#e interir-
!lgiati ga"e %urther %ascinating insight int his "ery persnal *esign apprach by shwing sme
% the pictures he ha* been cllecting, publishe* in 2> maga=ine as an ;$cngraphic
Autbigraphy/- )hese are the imprtant images 4 always present in his hea* when he is creating
a buil*ing:
A "iew % ,a#e Cm with tra*itinal buil*ings ;that ha"e an r*er, that are clear/- )his is
a picture that his %ather, himsel% an architect, place* ab"e his be* as a chil*- /Ama=ing
hw he manipulate* my brain/, he says laughingly-
)he painting !nement by &arnett 9ewman, ;prbably the mst imprtant/, that is nt
m*ular, in cntrast t Mn*rian/s paintings-
An image % Fathepur Si#ri, with its re* stne, inspiring him t using re* cncrete t gi"e
mre the e+pressin % cming ut % the earth, as ppse* t white cncrete with its
character % being an in"entin-
)he %lr plan % the Mitla )emple in Me+ic with its e+tremely clear spatial hierarchies-
)he Mnastery in Ar7uipa, <eru, with the tw ppsites % re* public curtyar*s, the
clur % the earth, an* blue pri"ate curtyar*s, the mst arti%icial clur-
)he abstract gl* painting % 1elmut Fe*erle, ;wh is t intelligent t e"en try t *
smething nn.re%erential/, an* the white painting % Rbert Ryman *epicting nthing, the
nn.re%erential 4 hence the ttal in"entin, which !lgiati say he wul* l"e t *-
A Schin#el 1use with an abslutely clear %aca*e an* a labyrintic se7uence % spaces
insi*e-
A pr3ect by ?a=u Shinhara, a buil*ing that l#s li#e sme irregular shac#, its interir
hwe"er cnsisting % three similar parts with a clear r*er-
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!lgati *i* nt tuch n his best #nwn, wi*ely publishe* pr3ects such as his schl in <aspels,
his Cultural Centre in Flims, )he @ellw 1use, r the Atelier &ar*ill in Scharans- $nstea* he
%inishe* his tal# with his cmpetitin entry %r )he <ermMuseumAA$, a new museum centre %r
<erm Art >allery in Russia- )he pragmatic i*ea % the buil*ing is the stac#ing % *i%%erent si=e*
b+es, their '%lr(si=e resulte* %rm their "arius %unctins, gi"ing the buil*ing its "erall %rm-
)he entire cnstructin is prpse* in white cncrete- Althugh !lgiati wn the cmpetitin a
year ag, he nw thin#s that the pr3ect will prbably nt happen-
$n an annuncement at the beginning % his lecture, !lgiati sai* that *i* nt wish t ta#e
7uestins %rm the au*ience- 1we"er, at the en* % his tal#, he was happy t be arun* an*
answer 7uestins ne.t.ne, an* a great many eagerly t# up the %%er-
1ere are sme % the mst memrable 7utes % the e"ening:
On making projects
B:e ma#e pr3ects by *iscussin- :e *iscuss- )hen we *iscuss sme mre- )hen smene sits
*wn an* *raws the planC
On designing
B)he best thing wul* be that a buil*ing wul* *esign itsel%C
On structure
B$ ne"er want t ma#e structures that are clear- $ want t ma#e structures that at %irst glance
yu * nt un*erstan*C
On the Swiss National Park Visitors Center in Zernez
B$ am nly shwing phtgraphs % the empty buil*ing- )hey went an* put up such a hrrible
e+hibitin, they phenmenlgicaly *estrye* itC
On the Swiss National Park Visitors Center haing absolutel! identical "loor plans
BSmene %rm my %%ice, wh wr#e* n this pr3ect, sits here tnight- S $ can nt lie t
muchC
On the e#ecution o" a building
B$% a buil*ing is nt precise, it is nt 3ust the %ault % the cra%tsman- $t is the architect wh *es
nt thin# in a precise mannerC
On the relationship with the public
B$ * nt want t be a ser"ant t the publicC
On Schinkel
B1e was nt 3ust a simple manC
On "ood
B:hen yu are an architect yu thin# abut %*- French %* has 20 ingre*ients an* yu * nt
#nw what yu are eating- $ li#e $talian %*- @u #nw what yu eat- $t is clearC
)he lecture t# place n 2D March 2009 an* was part % the R$&A )rust ,e Crbusier Seasn
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