STORY IN ARCHITECTURE : SEQUENCE

 We are living in, walking between and working inside building. In cities, people people are busy with their work rather than looking around space.

 But, magnificent building has its own story like as people have. Everything makes up the story of the building, including looking outside, process of way in and out, its construction. The story of architecture is Sequence, communication with space.

The following examples show us the squence.

1. Laurentian Library in Firenze

There is Laurentian Library in Firenze. The library, made by Michelangelo, has thought of Renaissance and the architect's idea.

First, we can see the stairs in entrance. The feature in here is not a single line of stairs. And it is dark because there is no window with light in it. This means that knowledge is open to everyone but there is the state of darkness before people get knowledge. 

If we go up the stairs, we will find the reading room. Here is partly lighted by the side windows. By reading books, light comes through knowing. 

Beyond the reading room, there is a space for keeping books.

The ceiling of the space is a large dome but the middle of the ceiling is pierced, so the light drops vertically from above. 

So the whole light came in. While the Roman Pantheon has statues of gods, the library has books around wall. This means that Books, Knowledge, guide us to whole truth and light.

2. Ando Tadao's architecture.

Tadao Ando was a boxer but later learned Western architecture. So, his architecture shows western geometry with Japanese architecture style, and strong determination like a boxer.

His pieces show a strong will to be one with nature.

The Azuma House in Japan is made of exposed concrete. 

This shows the purity of architecture by showing the material as it is. 

And when we go inside, we see a structure that is pierced in the middle. This forces people to pass through an outside environment when passing between rooms. (If it rains when you go to the bathroom, you should get rain.) Tadao Ando said, "Why do you want to get cut off from the outside through the building?"

https://vimeo.com/223773500

And there is a light church in his. Until then, architects couldn't build a church that has a cross with light, but he made it. It is Church of Light.

3. The temples in the East

When we visit China, Japan or Korea, we will find a temple. the temples are not under but on the mountains. To see a temple, we will climb the temple and see the Buddha statue in a breathless state. 

Being out of the state makes us think of going further to paradise. And being in the mountains gives us the feeling of being cut off from the world.

There are many buildings that contain the sequence in modern times. Why don't we communicate with space for a while?