Materiality and Spatiality

ENDS-3245 Design and Construction Technologies V (Construction)

Lecture 2

Lecture by Anthony K. Wako

02/03/23

Materiality and
Spatiality

• Architecture exists in both

spatial and temporal space

• Buildings as tangible elements

in a way de ne how we use and
perceive space

• Spatiality is the spaces we

experience, which are de ned
by the materiality used to
demarcate them
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De nitions

• Spatiality

• Materiality

• Spatial Perception -

• Agency
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 Spatiality

• more than just passive

(generic) space in which
di erent activities can take
place / Dimensional (Height /
Width / Depth).

• The quality of the experience of

a space.

• The cultural process that de ne

and are de ned by the space.
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• Kerry Hill Resort
Materiality

• Materiality is more than

structural properties

• It informs the experience of a

building through its aesthetic,
visual and tactile qualities

• May also embody social,

cultural and historical meaning
Materiality

• Bound to each other,

architecture and materials are
considered inseparable

• Applying the right materials

requires not only knowledge
and experience on material
properties, but also sensitivity
and intuition in anticipating their
meaning and value over time

• Use of appropriate materials,

may distinguish good from bad
architecture

• Materials express their age and

history, tell a story of their
origins, and re ect the use over
time
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Materiality

• Adolf Loos - “Every material possesses its own language of forms and none
may lay claim for itself to the forms of another material.”

• Louis Kahn - “When you are designing in brick, you must ask brick what it
wants or what it can do.”

• Modernism - “truth to materials.”

Social Construction
of Space

• Meaning and memory in space

• Temporal and spatial

Experiences

• How we use space (Zeitgeist)

• Related to our perspective on

the world - Traditional (Fixed) or
Boundless (In nite)

• Boundaries de ned by
experience
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Agency

• Can be taken as the intention

we have to create or enact
change

• capacity to act independently

and to make decisions and
choices / Determined by
designed environments
Materiality

• Wood

• Masonry

• Glass

• Concrete

• Steel

• Other
 Wood

• Kengo Kuma Dental Museum

• Working with the system of

Cidori - an old Japanese toy.

• An assembly of wood sticks

with joints that allow the
building to be assembled
without any nails or metal
ttings
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Masonry

• Alvar Aalto - Experimental

House (1952)

• Inspired by the idea of an

Ancient Roman atrium.

• Experimenting with di erent

materials, forms, techniques
and proportions.

• More than fty di erent

types of bricks, arranged in
various patterns to test the
aesthetics of di erent
arrangements while also
monitoring how they reacted
in the rough climate
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• Birralee Primary School…
Kerstin Thompson Architects

• Brick masonry wall as shading

device on the East facade
 • Canning Vale High School

• Use of brick in outdoor spaces

- outdoor furniture…

• Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum - Kengo Puma & Associates

• Residence in Lira
Glass

• Farnsworth House by Mies van

de rohe

• Apple Stores - Fosters and

Partners
Concrete

• Jubilee Church of 2000 /

Richard Meier & Partners

• Curved concrete panels that

showcase the material
Stone

• Therme Vals - Peter Zumthor

• The idea was to create a

protective cave

• Building is built from layers

of quarried stone slabs
Steel

• Weathering Steel

• Stainless Steel
Other Projects

• Salk Institute - Louis Kahn

• Building had to be simple,

durable, and require minimal
maintenance.

• Was to be bright,
welcoming, and an inspiring
environment for the
researchers
Other Projects

• Ningbo History Museum -

Wang Shu

• Concept, combines
mountain, water and ocean

• Features of Jiangnan
residences are integrated
into the museum through
use of old tiles, stone and
bamboo taken from the
region