STONE INSCRIBED IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Szczegóły

Opublikowano: czwartek, 25, październik 2012 15:01

Before asking the question what kind of stone is applied in architecture today, we need to try to find the answer to the question: what is architecture itself? The simplest way to answer that question is that architecture is an art of shaping space. This art is a result of aspirations and expectations of people regardless of the time and place in which and where they are living.

The modern architecture also results from our expectations, the way of life, new possibilities which the present time brings. And what is the time we are living in? It is, no doubt, the time of fast life, the time of running, being in a hurry, the time of an enormous transfer of information.

All around us we can find a space of easy and fast solutions ? squares paved with concrete cubes, buildings with plaster reinforcement. Such architecture is a result of what we need now. The need to contact with the nature, the need to go back to the silence, the need of balance, harmony are trying to push their way through all of that.

More and more often we can meet parts of cities taken out of this concrete and foamed polystyrene context, a space which is thought through, created for a man. We can see the reflection of this idea in, for example, going back to natural materials. Stone is one of them. As the most durable material and, at the same time, perfect for shaping in all forms, it has been continuously used in architecture for thousands years.

In the modern Polish architecture we can currently observe the change of attitude to this material. In 1990s it was used rarely, more often to emphasise the importance of the building (for example in banks). Stone was a goal in itself, its potential was rarely discovered, it was most often used in the form of uniformly polished facings in interiors or in the form of a slab facing of elevation.

Today it is treated as a way to reach a desired visual goal. Designers are more and more willing to use the possibility of differentiating texture and form in their projects and, at the same time, to achieve, thanks to this natural material, a wide range of effects. Moreover, today we are having an access to all kinds of stones in the world. The range of colours and patterns, which designers and users can choose from, is unlimited, which gives an opportunity to use stone elements widely both inside and outside.

Naturalness first

Coming back to our question in what way the stone is used in architecture today, I would like to start with its most important feature ? naturalness. Stone, in whose structure man interfered to a very small extent, suits perfectly when we want to create buildings that blend into the surroundings. Using Polish materials in Polish architecture is an important trend whose goal is to create the identity of a given place. It is about following building traditions and it makes the region different from other regions. I think that we can find many examples of this in, for example, Żelazowa Wola.

The architectural land management project of the Palace Complex in Żelazowa Wola was selected as a result of the competition won by Stelmach i Partnerzy Sp. z o.o. company from Lublin. It seems that they won because of the innovative approach of the architect to the tradition of the region. In the complex he used the same type of stone which can be found in the fields that surround the park. Walls and pillars of the buildings were made of granite boulders. The architect combined stone with wood, glass, steel and concrete getting as a result a symbiosis of tradition and modernity. Stone serves here as an element connecting history of this place with modern times, but it also clearly defines the character of the building.

Using stone processed by a man is characteristic for countries where it is used as a natural building material, for example in Spain, Italy or in Scandinavian countries. Scandinavia is closer to us because of rich sources of granite which can be found also in Poland. In Scandinavian countries people pay a lot of attention to carefully made details in stone and small architecture. Its elements often look like playing with texture and form being at the same time very functional. Using stone in small architecture highly increases the public space amenity.

It makes the people who use it get the positive message from it ? this is the result of the carefully thought through space with the use of high quality materials. Looking at, for example, the forms of stone bench snaking like an earthworm, the combination of modern sculptures in the place which is to attract the attention of pedestrians or a finessed way of drainage in the floor at Akker Byrygge in Oslo, it seems that Michelangelo?s thought finds its reflection in modern times and suits here perfectly: ?What one has most to work and struggle for is to do the work with a great amount of labour and sweat in such a way that it may afterward appear, however much it was laboured upon, to have been done almost quickly and almost without any labour, and very easily, although it was not.? No one could say better about the idea of stone in the surrounding architecture. Treating such common elements of the surrounding as a bench, drainage or forms accentuating landmarks (in this case... a litter bin) in a special way, taking advantage of the capabilities of stone by polishing parts of its surface, large differentiating of textures and effective searching of interesting and functional form makes everyday life an art.

The project of fountain at the public square at Akker Brygge in Oslo may be treated as a free play with stone. We can see that the designer was creating this space having in mind the people who are going to use it. This is a little bit funny form that includes the combination of stone sculptures which resemble geological quarries. The place has a few functions: this is a place where children can play, an accent at the square and the fountain makes the people get cool in hot summer days. Stone is usually associated with something hard and cold, but here it is treated like a big educational toy for children that includes information about fossils. Different forms and colours of particular elements emphasise the fact that this is a place where you can have fun.

A noble material

Stone is used more often in public space due to the fact that its exceptional durability and attractive design cannot be compared with other materials. This allows for making multicoloured and fancy floors serving as kinds of carpets on our squares. Currently, we are more and more often going away from the idea of a uniform stone pavement and we are concentrating more on a thought-through one. This makes a town square more man-friendly, the surface upon which he/she walks can be swept, and various accents that appear on the floor help with it. Squares are becoming public living rooms where people have good time.

Another feature of stone is, undoubtedly, the nobility of this material. Both small architecture elements and big buildings made of stone are of a very high quality. They make a permanent and clear element of space. This feature of stone has been appreciated by people for ages. This is the reason why stone monuments were raised to commemorate people, gods and art and to pay a tribute to their credits, and to stress that they will always have a special place in the hearts of people. This trend continues in the modern architecture. Still, besides experiments with other materials, stone is the one which appears to immortalize all that is passing in the best way.

The new building of the Opera in Oslo may be a good example here. A beautiful, white, marble ship that anchored on the shore of the fjord. Stone became here its hull and deck where the wide ramps lead to. The whole external part of the ship was covered with more than 30,000 marble slabs. Shining white of the marble hides in itself a wonderful art ? the opera. The metaphor sculptured by hundreds of craftsmen who followed the project designed by Snohett company. When you have a closer look, you can see that each and every slab in the yards and ramps was designed individually.

The slabs are striped at different angles, spotted and also combined with one another at different angles. Seemingly uniform stone slabs make a pattern out of lines and textures. The European Commission and the Mies van der Rohe foundation awarded the first prize to the Opera building in 2009.

The nobility of stone as a material is appreciated by the greatest architects in the world. In Poland one of the best buildings, which received a lot of awards, is Metropolitan in Warsaw designed by Norman Foster. Looking for a proper form in order to combine the modern character of the building with its historical localisation (in vicinity of old structures before the war), the architect used vertical stone elements. They make a vertical screen, which, when you look at it from an angle, it looks as if it was built of stone. Whilst when you look at it straight, it allows to have a look inside. Norman Foster used granite slabs in this elevation. The building, not only because of its form, but also by means of materials used, suits the prestigious place where it was built.

Unlimited possibilities

Another elevation stone which is often used now is sandstone. It is particularly liked by architects because of its neutrality that corresponds well with modern design, because of its matt texture and warm colour which, in combination with wood and steel, gives an impression of man-friendly architecture. Using sandstone in elevations of residential buildings refers to urban villas. Apart from smooth slab elevations, we can often meet elevations with such details as stripes sculpted in stone or various textures.

We can also ee many interesting effects in the elevation of the Provincial Administrative Court in Warsaw made by Stanisław Sołtyk from the studio Sołtyk & Sołtyk Architekci. In this case the building corresponds with the surrounding buildings by means of its material and vertical divisions. The emphasis is put on the details of sandstone elevation, which has a modern, simple form and constitutes a decorative element of the elevation. Unlike granite, the differentiation of sandstone surface does not result in colour and polish contrast and, thanks to that, a uniform character of elevation can be maintained marking on it some subtle divisions and patterns which are visible in the proper light and from a proper angle.

One of the new interesting projects in this style is a residential complex in Warsaw district Powiśle. The buildings look like paving stone cubes out of which the stripes were taken alternately making horizontal slots with terraces and windows. When looking at this complex, one more association that justifies the use of sandstone in building elevations comes to my mind ? the vicinity of the Vistula River whose one of the characteristic features is sandy shores spreading along the river bed. Sandy elevations seem to directly correspond to the sandy shore of the river.

The trend including coming back to natural materials, man- and environmentally-friendly, seems to be stronger and stronger also in Poland. Good for us. The use of stone is becoming more and more popular and makes the quality of our space, both public and private, much higher. We can write a lot about its use today, when its availability and possibilities of working on it are practically unlimited. I tried to collect some thoughts and observations interesting for me from my professional point of view. They might serve as a starting point for discussions about a wider use of this material in Poland. Using it not only in exotic character, but, most of all, as elements accompanying everyday life and traditions which, while getting a modern form, inscribe into our landscape in a harmonious and permanent way.

Arch.: Monika Maślanka-Kozikowska

• « poprz.
• nast. »