Monday, October 4, 2010

‘Architects Build Small Spaces’ in a unique international project

The Victoria &Albert (V&A) Museum based in London commissioned a special group of internationally known architects.the core theme of the 'retreat' The idea behind the exercise was to create a series of structures, which responded to .

This was a unique experimental project that formed part of ‘Architects Build Small Spaces’ series. The starting point for it was based on the idea of a tiny enclosed space that represented an escape from the humdrum of city life to a secluded for seeking peace, contemplation, creativity or shelter. One of the main aims of the exhibit was to move away from merely explaining architecture through models and drawings. Instead it let the visitor experience the architecture itself. A curatorial note explained:
“Architecture is intrinsically part of our daily experience. Yet architecture exhibits, with their emphasis on drawings, models and photographs, sometimes deny their audience an engagement with actual buildings. Using the landscape of the Museum as a test site, the V&A invited nineteen architects to submit proposals for structures that examine notions of refuge and retreat. From these nineteen concept submissions, seven were selected for construction at full-scale.

“Small spaces such as these can push the boundaries and possibilities of creative practice. A shift in scale towards smaller, bespoke structures encourages a heightened sensitivity to materials, texture and proportion. A renewed clarity emerges, allowing architects a freedom of expression that often struggles to survive in larger building projects.”
According to Bijoy Jain, the sort of unauthorized structures within the city are of found materials from metal sheets, ply, wood etc. They are dredged materials available in the city surroundings and are rather noble in their quality. What’s critical, according to the architect , is they were taking the natural light emanating from the roof that is exactly how these spaces tend to work also since they are very tight and constricted.

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