TIME AS A PHENOMENOLOGY IN WORKSPACES

(IT)

ARCHITECTURAL THESIS REPORT

Submitted by

KEERTHANA A

In partial fulfillment for the award of the degree

Of

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE

IN

ARCHITECTURE

C.A.R.E SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

TIRUCHIRAPALLI 620 009

ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI 600 025

SEPTEMBER 2020

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 BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE
Certified that this project report “TIME AS A PHENOMENOLOGY IN

WORKSPACES (IT)” is the bonafide work of “KEERTHANA A” who carried

out the project work under my supervision.

SIGNATURE SIGNATURE

Ar. T. JUDITH BELINDA LAURA Ar. Godwin Emmanuel J

HEAD OFTHEDEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR

Associate Professor Associate Professor

C.A.R.E. School of Architecture C.A.R.E. School of Architecture

27, Thayanoor, 27, Thayanoor,

Tiruchirapalli 620 009 Tiruchirapalli 620 009

Submitted for Anna University Dissertation Viva-voce Examination held on September 2020 at

C.A.R.E. School of Architecture,Tiruchirapalli, affiliated to Anna University, Chennai.

Signature :

Name :

Internal Examiner External Examiner

Date :

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It brings me abundant joy in expressing my gratitude to all those who have

been a part of my 10th semester B.Arch thesis project.

Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my guide

Ar. Karthikeya Chaaya for his constant motivation, enthusiasm

and valuable suggestions through my thesis.

Besides my guide I would like to thank our HOD Ar. Judith Belinda Laura

for her constant encouragement and our director

Ar. Vijayakumar Sengottuvelan for giving me this opportunity to display my

skills professional skills through this project.

My sincere thanks also goes to all the faculty of C.A.R.E School of

Architecture for their timely support and insightful comments.

A special thanks to my friend Nihara. B and my other juniors and

classmates for their help and constant support.

I thank my family for their unconditional love and support.

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ABSTRACT

Time and space co-exist, without space there is no time and vice-versa. The
phenomenology of time directly impacts humans. ‘Change is an unavoidable
process which happens over time. The change in seasons, climates, day to night
is a circular process which happens at different intervals. These changes were
always a part of us. With technological advancements buildings were made in a
way such that the users were made ignorant of these processes. This eventually
led to people getting frightened of time. This research aims to see the users,
space and time as a single entity. Urban workspaces such as the Information
Technology sector being the most vulnerable to this phenomenology of time
will be taken as the typology.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Chapter 1 : INTRODUCTION

1.1 AIM
1.2 OBJECTIVE

Chapter 2 : SLOWNESS AS A MOVEMENT

2.1 Cittaslow - The Slow City Movement

2.2 Movements that followed

Chapter 3 : ‘THE SLOW SPACE MOVEMENT’ - A summary of a blog on

slow architecture and aspects of it by Aamodt/Plumb architects

3.1 Slow spaces in cities increase well being

3.2 Beauty in Architecture

3.3 Designing the experience of Space

3.4 Phenomenology in architecture

3.5 Designing with empathy

3.6 Sverre Fehn

3.7 Junk space and the death of architecture

3.8 History of the concept of time

Chapter 4 : SPATIAL ANALYSIS ON LECA SWIMMING POOL BY

ALVARO SIZA
Chapter 5 : Criticism of the work of Steven Holl and in extension, the
phenomenological approach to architecture
5.1 Simons Hall MIT - Steven Holl
Chapter 6: A summary on the paper - ‘THE SPACE OF TIME ’ by Juhani
Pallasma
Chapter 7: Synopsis of the paper ‘A MODEL OF ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTROL AND EFFECTIVE WORK’ by Dr. Michael O’Neill, Senior
Director, Workplace Research, Knoll,Inc.

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Chapter 8 : TYPOLOGY - URBAN WORKSPACES : THE IT SECTOR
Chapter 9 : SITE
Chapter 10 : DESIGN EVOLUTION
Chapter 11: FINAL DESIGN
Chapter 12: REFERENCES

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Chapter 1 : INTRODUCTION

In the earlier days time and space was seen as a single entity.Time did not exist
without time and vice versa. With the technological advancements slowly time
and space started becoming two separate entities.

Ageing, decaying, rotting, withering are processes that happen over a period of
time. Nature, old towns are evident examples for the effect of the factor- time.
Nature is directly dependent on time- seasons, climate occur through a passage
of time. Earlier buildings were made in a way nature was also a part of it.
People were consciously aware of the changes that happened around them. With
modernization we have aimed to create buildings which are always young and
new. These buildings completely shut us down towards the effects of time.

It is really important for us to be constantly aware of the changes that happen

around us.

1.1 AIM

To integrate users, space and time as a single entity.

To understand or interpret the phenomenology of time.

1.2 OBJECTIVE

To take a portion of an information technology building and incorporate the

phenomenology if time into it.

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Chapter 2 : SLOWNESS AS A MOVEMENT

The idea of slowness first originated from Italy as the ‘Slow Food Movement’
in 1986. The main objective of the slow food movement was to make the
consumer aware of the process and take part in it. This encouraged the local
foods and the food biodiversity. It made people aware of the process which
resulted into immense increase in respect towards food and made people
experience every munch of their meal.

As the farmer poet Wendell Berry says, “Eating is an agricultural act”, it

follows that producing food must be considered a gastronomic act”.The
consumer orients the market and production with his or her choices and,
growing aware of these processes, he or she assumes a new role. Consumption
becomes part of the productive act and the consumer thus becomes a co-
producer. The producer plays a key role in this process, working to achieve
quality, making his or her experience available and welcoming the knowledge
and knowhow of others.The effort must be a common one and must be made in
the same aware, shared and interdisciplinary spirit as the science of gastronomy.

Each of us is called upon to practice and disseminate a new, more precise and,
at the same time, broader concept of food quality based on three basic,
interconnected prerequisites. - Manifesto of slow food movement.

2.1 Cittaslow - The Slow City Movement

This was inspired by the slow food movement and expanded to many countries.
The goal was to create slow cities for better life. Slow cities meant that the
people were aware of the history the culture the heritage and were able to
connect to the present and the processing of it to the future. Cities encouraged
more public spaces more walkways and made people to look around observe the
surroundings and value their identity.

The recurrent theme of Cittaslow is identity: the soul of the local communities
engages with modernity without being unduly influenced by globalisation.Our
responsibility towards the natural world and the coming generations requires us
to be frugal and concerned for Mother Earth. Rediscovering Slowness means
choosing a future of quality, for ourselves and, in the spirit of solidarity, for
others. -Manifesto of Cittaslow

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2.2 Movements that followed

Slow living movement

Slow photography movement

Slow art movement

Slow fashion movement

Slow architecture movement

Chapter 3 : ‘THE SLOW SPACE MOVEMENT’ - A summary of a blog on

slow architecture and aspects of it by Aamodt/Plumb architects

Since 1970’s the idea of slow movement has impacted many areas of our daily
lives. This idea of slowness originated with the growth of technology and its
increase in the rate of production. The idea of slowness was not to literally to
slow down but to rather to experience the wholesome - the idea, mainly the
process and finally the end product.

As Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slowness, describes it, Slow is “calm,

careful, receptive, still, intuitive, unhurried, patient, reflective, quality-over-
quantity. It is making real and meaningful connections – with people, culture,
work, food, everything.”

3.1 Slow spaces in cities increase well being

‘Humans have evolved to crave both prospect (opportunity) and refuge (safety)’
- British geographer Jay Appleton in 1975.In landscape theory, this is
represented by the safety of the cave and the opportunity of the savannah with
its unexplored territory and wildlife.

Cities are places full of opportunities and this what attracts people towards
them. But what refuge does a city offer to its people ? Cities are an amalgation
of different kinds of people from different places. These people in the cities are
here for the prospects a city offers but how do the people feel more connected
towards a city ? A refuge is a place where people go for comfort, peace, to relax
and to vent out.

Temples have always been a place for hope in our culture and lifestyle. They
are spaces of serenity solitude and faith

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Image : Mylapore Kapaleeshwar temple, Chennai

3.2 Beauty in Architecture

‘Beauty is the promise of happiness’

Beauty is always something which is relative. But it is common that beautiful is

something that evokes one a sense of happiness. And happiness is one of the
fundamental needs of a human being.

De Botton writes in the book Architecture of Happiness: “The buildings we

admire are ultimately those which, in a variety of ways, extol the values we
think worthwhile which refer, that is, whether through materials, shapes or
colours, to such legendary positive qualities as friendliness, kindness, subtlety,
strength and intelligence. Our sense of beauty and our understanding of the
nature of a good life are intertwined.”

The three laws of architecture according to western philosophies are: solidity,

utility, beauty. And a refuge is a space which needs beauty. Beauty provides us
happiness which in turn gives one peace; pleasure and cities are in need of these
beautiful spaces.

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Image : Traditional Chettinadu house - Dakshin Chitra, Chennai

Beauty is subjective and changes with a period of time according to each society
and its needs. According to de Botton, German art historian Wilhelm Worringer
suggested that over the span of human hishistory
tory societies have oscillated between
a preference for abstract and realistic art, and that those preferences have
changed based on what the societies themselves were lacking.

“Abstract art, infused as it was with harmony, stillness and rhythm, would
appeal
al chiefly to societies yearning for calm — societies in which law and order
were fraying, ideologies were shifting and a sense of physical danger was
compounded by moral and spiritual confusion. Against such a turbulent
background, inhabitants would exper
experience
ience what Worringer termed ‘an immense
need for tranquility,’ and so would turn to the abstract, to patterned baskets or
the minimalist galleries of Lower Manhattan.”In the twenty
twenty-first
first century, in the
age of instant communication, political turmoil and climate
climate catastrophes, this
need for tranquility, and what we would slowness, feels to be even more
important.

Architecture has always been a powerful tool in expressing emotions. One famous example of powerful
architecture is the Jewish museum by Daniel Lebeiskein. But certainly it is not a building of beauty. One cannot
spend time to relax or for peace in this museum.. It was purposely designed in a way to feel fear, discomfort and
violence.

Image : The Jewish Museum

3.3 Designing the experience of Space

Experience impacts people and in turn it impacts their behaviour. Architecture

has always had the power to give a certain experience to people. Juhanni
Pallasma believes that architecture operates in the human brain and nervous
system.

Architecture creates environments and it is scientifically proven that

environment alters the behavior
behavior.

3.4 Phenomenology in architecture

With the growth of modernism, post modernism and contemporary architecture
form making has become a very dominant theme. People and the environment
are seen as two different entities. Phenomenology understands a world wherein
people and the environment co-exist and mutually define each other.

Slowness and time is a phenomenology in architecture. The main concept of

Aamodt/Plumb architects is to cultivate an appreciation for good building

3.5 Designing with empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. In design
empathy is where an architect puts him in place of the user.

“We define a good building as a building that holds meaning for the users,
brings them joy and connects them to the world, to others or to themselves in
some way. A good building does not just satisfy our basic needs but helps us to
understand ourselves and our place in the world. It mediates between our being
and our environment, providing a filter through which we can see ourselves and
the world. It is not a benign shelter, but a lense that we create for experiencing
the world and ourselves within it.” - Amodt/Plumb Architects.

Empathy is one of our basic human traits that make us different from other
species. Skin is the most important medium through which we are in contact
with the world.

Neuroscience proves that there are mirror neutrons in the brain which maps
emotions of the others and reflects it onto us as if we were experiencing it. This
mechanism is called the ‘Embodied Simulation’.

Embodied simulation does not only connect us with other human beings but
also with the world, the space

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Image : The leather-clad door handles at the Villa Mairea by Alvar Aalto

The leather-clad door handles at the Villa Mairea by Alvar Aalto are an example
of how sensitive the architect was in designing the physical point of connection
between the user and the building. Instead of leaving the cold metal bare to
draw heat away from the body, he wrapped them in leather so the contact would
be skin to skin.

3.6 Sverre Fehn

Sverre Fehn a Norweighn Architect sought to understand the human existence

in the world. In all of his projects he explored different ways to create a place to
be or the place between the earth and the sky.

According to Fehn this space in between the earth and the sky is a place of
comfort which can be touched felt and experienced. His major philosophies
were meaning, authenticity, human existence, sensual experience and the search
for place. And these are the fundamentals for a slow space.

Fehn in his career had worked with open Norweighn landscapes. He defined the
space between the two planes- The earth and the sky. The discussion or the
connect between these two planes are visible in all his projects and the vertical
elements are de-emphasised to connect with the open landscape.

The Nordic Pavillion

Here the roof is made using slender concrete beams placed at right angles to
each other. The voids between the intersections of the beams allow daylight to
penetrate through the pavillion. This change in light and shade with time creates

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an unique quality of the space. Even rain is let to pass through this roof giving a
natural context to the exhibition.

Image: Nordic Pavillion, Source: Archdaily

According to Fehn, to find a place in the world one has to be truly present,
ivolve all the senses in dialogue with the materials around. He beleives one
converses through the pores of the skin, the ears and the eyes.

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 The groin vaults in limed plaster contrasted with the red brick floor instantly recall the earth and sky. Walls and
ceiling blend together into one continuous soothing ceiling-scape that envelops you in a warm glow of diffused
light. The brick floor is the earth underfoot, made of the rough clay and heavily textured compared with the
plaster vaults.

3.7 Junkspace and the death of architecture

“Junkspace” is a rambling, brilliant lamentation on the death of architecture by

one who actively participated in its demise. It was a scathing critique at the time
it was first published, but now 16 years later, it can only be seen as a prophecy.
A siren call fully actualized.

The idea of Junkspace was talked about by Ren Khoolas in 2001 which as way
forward of his time. The threats of junkspace was forseen by him and should
have been taken as a warning for the future.

Junkspace is the main counterpoint or the villian for slow time

With the Industrial revolution the pace of the world had rapidly increased. There
was mass production of products, machines replaced men, cars replaced horses
and flights replaced trains. In the present scenario the world is aiming towards
speed or more faster possibilities.

In Architecture the modern movement rejected handicrafts. Architects aimed at

more faster construction methods. This led to the invention of software which

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replaced hand drafting, pre cast structures and even 3D printed buildings. This
mechanical technology has helped people overcome their inhert slowness.

“We are running out of natural resources. And everybody is stressed out. We
have invented all of these time-saving technologies but we feel like we have less
time than ever. The scarcity that exists today in the developed world is not food,
clothing or shelter, it is time.” - CEO of IKEA

3.8 History of the concept of time

According to the Ancient Greeks there were two conceptions of time- The
Chronos, The Kairos.

Chronos is the chronological or experential time. Kairos refers to a momemt of

happening or an event of significance. Kairos also has a spatial element with it.
According to Aristotle the space and the time was the proof for Kairos.

The ancient Incas regarded time and space as one. The Japanese concept of ‘ma’
also relates time and space.
“All experience of space is a time-structured process, and all experience of time is a space-
structured process.”

- Gunthur Nitschke

This notion of time contrasted to the Western ideas of time and the Eucledian
geometry.

But in 1905 Einstein found the ‘Theory of Special Relativity’ which proved that
the Ancients Greeks, Incas and Japanese were right. The theory of relativity
stated that the ‘the time is the fourth dimension of space’. Time is dependent on
the reference frame and spatial position.This continuum of space and time is
known as the ‘space time’ and the things which happen in the space time are
known as the ‘events’.

This discovery was so revolutionary that Architecture has stillnot figured out on
how to adapt this theory.

Architecture has had its base set on the Euclidean geometry and cartesian
coordinates, this has resulted into a more relatively static architecture. But, there
are few people who have attempted to view time and the space coordinates as
factors.

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Sigfried Gidean in his book ‘Space, time and Architecture’ has addressed this
idea. Art theory has experienced slowness as a condition of contemporenity.
Philosopher, phenomenologis Juhanni Pallasma have tried to understand the
relationship between time and space.
Nature has never failed to make us realise our existence or presence. Nature has
always been comforting, soothing and it does slow down. That is why people
want to spend their breaks, vacations in nature.
The Grand Central Station, New York is a built example for providing such an
experience. The scale, proportion and espescially the diffused light quality is so
comforting. Even though it is built in a very busy context it slows down the
people passing through it.

Beams of light flood the Grand Concourse in the 1930s.Photo: Hal Morey / Getty Images

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Image: Courtesy of the New York Transit Museum/Grand Central Terminal

Chapter 4 : SPATIAL ANALYSIS ON LECA SWIMMING POOL BY

ALVARO SIZA
Situated on the beaches of Leça de Palmeira, the Leca swimming pool blends
with the magnificent ocean behind it. From any angle of the pool the edges are
not visible and are purposely blurred to give a sense of the wide expanse of the
pool with the ocean. Alvaro Siza aimed to create a subtle rejuvenating space
which merged with its natural context. He retained most of the rock formations.
This is a good example for slow spaces. Siza focuses on making the user move
through different spaces of different qualities before reaching the pool.
The pool is completely submerged with the landscape and is not visible from
outside. One first enters through a ramp which further leads into dressing rooms
and shower counters. The emphasis in the light quality is visible at any point of
the building. The roof is detached from the walls and allows in streaks of light
into the dressing spaces. Further one passes through a series of corridors some
completely open to sky, some partially enclosed giving one a rich experience of
transition. He chooses not to disclose the pool entirely at the starts he allows the
user to undergo through various transition spaces with different qualities of light
and shade.
The use of material has been sensibly chosen. The raw exposed concrete is a
shade lighter than of the natural stone. The juxtaposed material demonstrates
Siza’s appreciation of the natural setting with his restraint to avoid imitation.

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Image: Leca Swimming pool , Archdaily

There has been extensive use of linear wall planes in the Leca Swimming pool.
Using these walls Siza has given a vast range of experiences.
The use of a single plane emphasizes the setting in front of it and disconnects
the background.
Two planes placed close to each other create a sense of direction and linearity.
This emphasizes movement and gives a sense of compact enclosure and due to
the lack of pausing spaces it keeps people to be in motion through it.
5A break in any one of the planes shifts the focus towards it and breaks the
linearity.
In the composition of a visual construction, a plane serves to define the limits or
boundaries of a volume. If architecture as a visual art deals specifically with the
formation of three-dimensional volumes of mass and space, then the plane
should be regarded as a key element in the vocabulary of architectural design.
Planes in architecture define three-dimensional volumes of mass and space. The
properties of each plane — size, shape, color, texture — as well as their spatial
relationship to one another ultimately determine the visual attributes of the form
they define and the qualities of the space they enclose.
- Architecture form, space and oder by DK Ching

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The swimming pool is completely submerged and is not visible from the road. Siza makes the user to undergo
different transitions before disclosing the complete view of the pool.

Most of the rock formations are retained and the building moves along with it. The rocks and the built form seep
into each other at places. .

Image : The ramp towards the pool, The stairs Source : archdaily

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Chapter 5 : Criticism of the work of Steven Holl and in extension, the
phenomenological approach to architecture
– A Summary of the review essay ‘Steven Holl and his Critics’ by Gareth
Griffins.
Steven Holl is considered to be one of the foremost practitioners of
Phenomenological architecture, which by his own admission is influenced by
the school of thought lead by Juhani Pallasma. Phenomenological architecture
strives to create structures that capture the human experience within the context
of localculture, history and way of life.
Steven Holl responded to a panel of artists and architects in the 29 th Annual
International Association of Philosophy and Literature Conference held in the
University of Helsinki between June 2 nd and 7 th of 2005. The review essay
captures the essence of this discussion documenting the criticism to Holl’s
work, mainly the Kiasma museum of contemporary art. The panel consisted of
philosophers Robert Mugerauer and Patricia Locke, architects Juhani Pallasma
and Rachel Mcgaan and artist Grady Gerbratch.
Robert Mugerauer points to the potential anomaly in Kiasma, which is
supposedly a master piece of phenomenological architecture containing
elements of typological and figurative architecture. The use of ramps and
orientation towards a central void to emphasise the primacy of the vertical
orientation over the horizontal. This has to do with the bodily experience of
gravity which is typologically represented with such elements.
Patricia Locke take is that Steven Holl’s architecture is not totally
phenomenological as they arise out of scanning his initial impression captured
in his water colour which is then altered for the mathematical correctness. Also,
Holl’s works adhere to a rigorous mathematical proportion system, that of the
Golden Section.
Phenomenological experiences can hardly capture such accurate
proportions.Rachel McCann that the whole concept of phenomenology is
transitional and that to capture such moments in art or architecture is
inadequate. It is the experience of every individual with the form that counts
and cannot be generalised into one
phenomenological structure. To architecture as standalone is not enough to
represent phenomenological structures. It should be supported with language,
scientific knowledge and philosophy.
Grady Gerbratch took the audience through an audio essay, an work of art in
itself –a soundscape of ones journey through Kiasma. Gareth contends that such
soundscapes might be in contradiction to the actual structure and also force

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22255users to experience something that is beyond their own experience of the
building.
Juhani Pallasma lauded Holl’s architecture for their rootedness in the culture
and geographic soil of their locations. This is in direct contrast with the views of
Kristian Gullischen, one of Finland’s greatest living architects who opines that
while the interiors of Kiasma where refreshingly unconventional, the exterior
was typical of American attitude towards urbanism, an independent object
dropped into the European texture. Gareth attributes this contradiction to
Juhani’s familiarity with Holl’s work and his contribution to Kiasma.
Philosopher and democracy and human rights activist Thomas Wallgren
criticises the disconnect between the psychological and political experiences of
the phenomenological approach. He questions the pollical correctness of Holl’s
looped hybrid housing project in China in the backdrop of China’s drive to
destruct the old
city fabric and uproot whole communities to complete big infrastructural
projects like the Three Gorges Dam. He also faults Holl being circumspect to
typological architecture as the Looped Hybrid Housing project resembles the
student housing project that Holl built for MIT.
5.1 Simons Hall MIT - Steven Holl
The MIT commissioned Steven Holl to design a dormitory which would
encourage student interaction. Holls idea was to create a building which would
act as a sponge - absorb the day light through large openings and pass it through
the building in sections. This breaks in the section to transmit light would act as
interactive spaces for the students

Image: The Simons hall MIT

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Holl referred as these openings as ‘lungs’ as they would bring down natural
light and circulate the air up. In this building he has balanced the solids and
voids. His emphasis of bringing in the daylight is very strong and this passage
for the light seems like a cave like sculpture cutting through the rigid geometry
of the building.
The abundance of windows creates a constant flicker of changing lights as the
different rooms are occupied, resembling a city skyline at night. These windows
also welcome plenty of sunlight and natural ventilation for each room. Each
residential room has nine operable windows, and an 18-inch wall depth allows
low-angled winter sun to warm up the building and allow the rooms to stay
shaded and cool during the summer months.
“For Simmons Hall, the new undergraduate dormitory at the Massachesetts
Institute of Technoloy, Holl infects a perforated, monolithic box with contained
spaces that curve and unfold towards natural light.” Holl’s design was able to
meet MIT’s expectations for a more interactive environment with beautiful
spaces through his contained city. The building is both “rational and intuitive”
and creates a lively, well-lit urban condition in a completely enclosed structure

Chapter 6: A summary on the paper - ‘THE SPACE OF TIME ’ by Juhani

Pallasma
Our existence or presence is defined by the past, presnt and the future. This
linear progression of time is a single entity which is in constant flux. We
transform time through our endless imagination.
With the modern movement and contemporary architecture this linear
progression of time or the temporality is broken. They give an experience of a
certain moment with no connect to the past nor the future. These spaces are
what Rem Khoolas defines as ‘Junkspaces’. “Because it cannot be grasped,
junkspaces cannot be remembered. It is flamboyant yet unmemorable.”
“Architecture is not about domesticating space, it is also a deep defence against
the terror of time.”- Kristen Harries

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Architecture provides a setting which exhibits temporality. We humans fall
under this progression of time and when the environment arounf fails to aid us
in this progression or process we feel being left out. Time and Space are two
fundamental existentials. In space we desire for a specificity or recognition of
individuality whereas in we want a sense of temporaryness.
Architecture is answerable to these two dimensions. It is ought to create spaces
of specificity and give a sense of temporality in terms of time.
Time is always felt to overpower us. Humans have lost the sense of the cyclic
nature of time and defined time to be a linear and irreversible. This creates a
feel of once lost is ever lostand makes human to surrender to the power of time.
We can always shape spaces and matter but cannot change the progression of
time. The greatest desire of human is to reverse time, pause it.
One of the most fundamental task of architecture is to create a space with a
sense of belonging which regarded by most of the architects. But the other
fundamental aspect is to connect the effect of time on humans which is usually
disregarded.
The Modern movement has used materials that are immortal, universal and do
not decay or do not need care.
The modern architects have aspired to build an air of ageless youthfulness. This
reflects only the present and is disconnected from the concept of temporality.
“The forces of time attack the mordernist buildings destructively”

The buildings in the modern time prove that they lack the essence of
material. There is no porosity nor do they provide with sensuary
eperiences. Image: Honk Kong Sky scrapers, Source: telegram

The Modern era empasises more on the form

than the material. These modern buildings fail to have a sensuary experience.
Modern architecture theory does refer to the idea of ‘space time continuum’.

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But this idea seems to grounded in theory of physics but not a human
experential scale. This idea of time in these buildings is constrained the motion
within its periphery but not to the notion of time itslef being an overpowering
factor.
This incredible acceleration of speed results into a present which is not capable
of or coping up with it. This has resulted in a very spontaneous or an
environment addressing only the present moment. This Image: The turning torso
creates an air filled with uncertainty around us leading ` `
to a life full of fear and anxiety.
Ignoring the importance of experiencing time has devasting effects on human
beings. As time loses its depth, humans lose their sense of self as historical
beings.
Art has always been proving to capture the essence of time. It is a mean of
expressing limitless imagination. Art has had the capacity to take one back into
time, pause and slow down the acceleration of speed. Art ables us to extend our
temporal boundaries. The persistence of artistic images is one of the greatest
mysteries of culture.
How is it possible for art to
connect to one emotionally
even after centuries although
we do not have the
possibility of reconstructing
the feelings or intentions of
the artist?
This is because art validates
our own existence as human
beings. It brings out the
historical significance of us.
Art intensifies the existential
experience.
Image: Art in the Paleolithic Age

Architecture construction is also a defense against the anxiety of death. The

imposing usage of elements from the past overcomes this anxiety. But this has
created a consciousness of death in the humans. Architecture domesticates
space, structures the lived world and provide a horizon of behavior and
understanding. It gives continuity for existence. It is also an instrument to halt
or pause time. It is able to hold back water in times. Art is the art of
permanence. Buildings constitute cities and cities exhibit time. They make us

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pause in the present and have the ability to take us back into the slow healing
time of the past.
The temple of Karnak takes us back to the time of the pharaohs, whereas the
medieval cathedral presents us the full color of life in the Middle Ages. The
Paimio Sanatorium by Alvar Aalto is heartbreaking in its radiant belief in a
humane future and in the societal mission of architecture. Le Corbusier’s Villa
Savoye makes us believe in the union of reason and beauty, ethics and aesthetic.
These works do not symbolize optimism and faith; they actually awaken the
sprout of hope within us.
. “Form is nothing but a concentrated wish for everlasting life on earth.”
Alvar Alto’s works have always related to the human terror of time. In his
mature works he captures the human sensory experience and the flux of time.
The usage of materials- red brick, copper, stone, and wood creates a sense of
temporality. The surface wraps up the volume like skin enhancing in an organic
cohesion. He creates images of associations and recollections. For instance, in
the Villa Mairea there is a very strong establishment between the contemporary
and the traditional.
The Saynatsalo Town Hall takes one back to the childlike images in Medeival
paintings. The image of this building is conceived as a miniature town meaning
that the building has a great wealth of narrations and emotions than that of a
building.
Alto’s way of capturing time is through ruin, erosion and decay. He creates a
balance between the two opposites- the permanence(stone and brick) and the
temporariness (erosion,plants).
This speed in architecture creates spontaneous images whereas the slowness
favors a tactile environment. The power of experience rules over the power of
visual images. Eyes do not only see but also unconsciously touches the object.
Aalto aims to create a collage of different spaces in his buildings, each image
having a different remembrance. His works are not governed by a single
concept but grows scene by scene. This is all coherently connected giving a rich
experience to the user.
The western industrial culture aims towards power and domination.
Architecture of strong images refer to buildings creating single over powering
visuals. They overpower in scale, material and context. Whereas architecture
with weak images refer mostly to buildings which focus more on the experience
and context rather than creating one strong visual.

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Chapter 7: Synopsis of the paper ‘A MODEL OF ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTROL AND EFFECTIVE WORK’ by Dr. Michael O’Neill, Senior
Director, Workplace Research, Knoll,Inc.
Environment Control is the capability of individuals of individuals, groups or
even organizations to be able to modify their physical work places and choose
the work location and time to better support their work needs and business
objectives. Architecture, interior and furniture design concepts that are flexible
in nature aid environmental control. Example of such designs will be movable
partitions, flexible meeting spaces, unassigned work places, adjustable furniture,
flexible working hours etc..
Such flexible work spaces are one of
the three constituents of the concept of
environment control. The other two are
1) Knowledge of how the environment
could be controlled, 2) Organizational
policies which enable and encourage
such controls.
Environment control provides a means
for people to self-manage their
immediate surroundings in the work
place not just limited to changing the
work place, but also the ability to
choose different locations and time best
suited for their business and work
process demands. Multiple studies have
shown that environmental controls
improve the employee performance and
organizational effectiveness.
Organizations that invest in the design of such work places can extend the
usefulness of the workplace and reduce the frequency at which the interiors
need to be redesigned thereby reducing cost and disruptions to business activity.
Environmental control is empowering people to take control of their workspace
as against being governed by a rigid set of space and organizational policies.
Such a capability will be a key competitive advantage. Organizations need to

30
incorporate such design, policies and training in their core facility and space
management strategies.
Environment Control Model
The environment control model is dynamically changing and is driven by
external business drivers and organizational objectives. In this fast-paced world
of change, external business drivers can be expected to change continuously
based on which the organizational objectives will also change. Work spaces
designed with flexibility for environmental control will aid and enable
businesses to adapt, respond and embrace such changes quickly without losing
their relevancy.
Policies and training
The environment control model considers the effect of the policies that allow
people to self-manage their work spaces and the training that is provided to
people to exercise such an option. The policies and training can be looked at
from three levels of increasing granularity 1) Facility / Organizational level, 2)
Collaborative workspaces – team/department level, 3) Individual Workspaces
level.
At the facility level, the ability to flexibly configure the entire building layout to
support extension, contraction, ability to update or re-purpose the building is
important for an organization to quickly adapt to dynamic changes in business
drivers. This can be achieved by having non-permanent structures like storage
cabinets acting as workspace dividers that can enable an easy to reconfigure
Multiple studies by Robertson, Huang, O’Neill and Schleifer have concluded
that the productivity of employees increased, work space satisfaction went up
and attrition rates reduced when employees were provided with flexible work
spaces and open offices when compared to offices that were having permanent
fixtures. Collaboration between employees increased leading to reduction in
process times and productivity gains were noticeable. One more aspect that the
studies confirmed was the positive impact of training on how to use the flexible
structures to employees. It was observed that while all the above-mentioned
aspects improved between the group of employees who were provided with a
controllable work space vs. the group that was still in a conventional workspace,
improvement was much higher when the group with controllable workspace
was trained on how to control the workspace.
At the team level, the organization should provide the needed support for teams
to flexibly change their work space boundaries through architecture, policies
and training. It has been found that today’s knowledge workers have three
different work modes 1) Focus mode – Where the work is individual, needing

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concentration and full attention without the need for collaboration, 2) Active
Mode – impromptu discussions, fast paced decisions open to new stimuli,
3)Collaborative mode – Multiple persons working together on a problem.
Employees go through all these modes in a day’s work. The architecture should
enable such flexibility by providing the right kind of work spaces for all three
modes of work. Teams also keep changing with new employees joining the
team and existing employees leaving the team. The architecture should be
flexible for the teams to redraw their team boundaries. Boundaries can be
represented through variations in lighting, color, and movable furniture
elements such as screens, panels and storage elements
Studies have shown that teams that have such a workspace were found to
benefit from better inter-team communication and cohesion between the
members of the team. Group effectiveness, sense of belonging to the team, job
satisfaction and collaboration between members improved with such settings.
At the individual level, there are a number of features that can provide control:
letter trays, shelving, paper trays, storage bins, storage towers, mobile pedestals,
seating, adjustable lighting, personal air control, coat hooks, a place to securely
store personal belongings, and areas to display personal items. Adjustable tools
to support technology, such as monitor arms, keyboard trays, and laptop
supports, can all make comfort and organization better. Workers benefit from
tools to organize their work in sequence, separating active work from less active
projects, and by setting aside the least active work but being able to find it
easily. They can gain control by having easy access to electrical and computer
connections and portable computer and telephone accessories. Many of these
features are also related to ergonomic and health considerations.
Multiple studies have confirmed the positive effects of individual level
workspace control like increased job satisfaction, productivity and health.
Withdrawal of such adjustable work environment lead to increase in stress and
had an impact on the employee motivation.
In conclusion, this model provides a framework for a cohesive implementation
of control as part of a proactive strategy for reducing stress and enhancing
individual and group effectiveness. It provides a wide range of potential tactics
for implementing control depending on the scope of the project and the needs of
the organization. This model incorporates both physical and behavioral
components. It establishes the consistent relationship between opportunities for
control provided by design features, polices and training, and positive
behavioral and performance outcomes for individuals, teams and business units.
Looking forward, it may be possible to apply the design and layout of
furnishings to provide control in novel ways. A key idea is that the provisioning
of control should be transparent to the user. The features and functions of the

32
workspace that provide control (through adjustability and movement) should
conform to the needs of the user as automatically, or intuitively, as possible.
Fundamentally, environmental control is about ggiving
iving people control over the
space, as opposed to being controlled by the space and organizational policies.
Environmental control is a key capability that organizations should invest in
through policies, training and the physical work environment. By making
mak
control a central component of strategy, organizations may enhance their
competitive advantage.
Chapter 8 :TYPOLOGY - URBAN WORKSPACES : THE IT SECTOR

There are 4328 big firms and 8240 small and medium level companies in
Chennai.

In that 58% of the companies are

are located in OMR Stretch starting from Tidal
park to sirucherry 42% in rest of the area.(Especially in Guindy, Ambattur, and
rest of the area.)

There is a mass population working under the IT sector. These buildings are
completely air conditioned and prov
provided
ided with artificial lights. We often come up
with this question ‘ Why is there not enough time ?’ or ‘ How did time pass so
fast?’. The main reason is weh have been ignorant of the time passing by. Once
one enters into an IT building he/she is completely unaware of what happens
around the around the building. They do not know wether its raining or wether
its sunny neither is it day or night

Work schedule of an IT employee

Chapter 9 : SITE - Pallavaram outer ring road , Chennai. Opposite to
Kamatchi Hospital

Total area : 5.5 acres

\
Chapter 10: DESIGN EVOLUTION

The idea was to bring in natural light through the building so that the users
would be awareof the changes happening from day to night. The ‘courtyard’
was the most suitable option to daylight and create a ground
und within the
building.6.5m
A relief / Juncture To break the continuity of the corridor and also to give a
larger sense of scale
INITIAL PLAN

A SEQUENTIAL SECTION - Tracing the movement of an IT employee

38
Initial Sections :

39
Chapter 11: FINAL DESIGN

The idea was to break the central fulcrum into smaller and intricate spaces. A
Also
to include another typology of work spaces - ‘The Arcades’.’. To facilitate more
number of people as well as bring in the sense of time.
Final ground floor plan :
Section 1

Section 2

42
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Chapter 12: REFERENCES

Architectural Research in Finland, vol.2, no.1 (2018) - Architecture as

Experience - Juhani Pallasmaa

Genius locii_ towards a phenomenology of architecture

Hapticity and time _ Juahni pallasmaa_ Notes on fragile architecture

Innovation Spaces:The New Design of Work_Julie Wagner and Dan

Watch_April 2017

Thomas Allen and Gunter Henn, The Organization and Architecture of

Innovation: Managing the Flow of Technology (New York: Architectural Press,
2007), p. 28.

Knoll Workplace Research_ A Model of Environmental Control and Effective

Work_ Dr. Michael O’NeillSenior Director, Workplace Research Knoll, Inc.

Amodt/Plumb architects blog_ MA USA _ http://www.slowspace.org/

The Space of time _ Juhani Pallasmaa :

https://newprairiepress.org/oz/vol20/iss1/13/

Junkspace Rem Koolhaas October, Vol. 100, Obsolescence. (Spring, 2002), pp.
175-190.

Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0162-

2870%28200221%29100%3C175%3AJ%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M

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