Textured Spaces
As beams of light outline the ramparts of the fort, the night is transformed into a magical oasis of beauty. Impressive in daylight the Lal Qila in Delhi is astounding during the sound and light show that throws up the stupendous walls of red sandstone in a mesmerising dance of shadows enhancing the structure and making history come alive. Even otherwise, unaided by technology, the texture of the sandstone coupled with its earthy hue makes this edifice a distinguished presence.
Texture is the narrative content in architecture. Nuances of a built form, both external and within are rendered dynamic throwing up a dialect for the user to understand, making the view an experiential one. So, even though a roughness or smoothness should be a tactile experience it can suffice even as a visual one. Like all three dimensional surfaces, textures have an impact on or elicit a response from an observer.
Built forms evolved as mimetic examples of nature when humanity moved out of cave dwellings. The materials they used were those around them, derivatives of the earth and its offerings. Shelters and structures reflected the natural surroundings; the coloured streaks of stone and grains in wood. With time and technology treatment of materials improved, substitutes were invented and finally buildings could be outcomes of a predetermined design and not purely organic imitation. This means that today, materials can dictate the story that a space tells. The use of sculptural compositions gives the user a unique experience. A great example is schools mirroring this concept thereby creating a beneficial learning environment for their students who can see and touch the milieu that cocoons them.
The inherent Texture
Every material has an inherent texture; ranging from fibres and particles to ridges and furrows. When used un-tampered these aspects impart their characteristics to the space they embrace and give the built form a very specific identity. This aspect is evident in the efforts of some famous architects: Hassan Fathay, the renowned Egyptian architect worked tirelessly to revive the use of adobe brick architecture in which mud serves as the main ingredient and imparts the richness of its properties to the buildings. Another well-known British - born Indian architect, Laurie Baker is celebrated for his exposed brick construction and the ubiquitous perforated brick screen causing intricate patterns of light on walls. Sometimes the use of light can be cleverly manipulated to insinuate that a surface is textured thus resulting in an illusion that serves the purpose of what an architect is trying to portray.
Natural textures project rusticity when they are used in the rough mien. They transform into sophisticates of the construction industry when dressed, polished or worked on to improve their finish. Today, plastics, glass and metals afford smoothness in texture hitherto unavailable. The evenness of surfaces allows them to be worked into forms and features for application and adornment. Frank O Gehry's glass creation for Louis Vuitton in Paris is conceptualised on the 'transparent' nature of glass and its fluidity. He hopes that it will make the viewer question ‘What is that?’
The Impact
Building textures impact opinions. India's Taj Mahal evokes awe and romanticism due to the grandiose use of marble. The Egyptian pyramids are shrouded in mysticism as they nestle in the sand with their dressed stone facades. Le Corbusier's Saint Pierre church in France is impressive in form and internal ambience of exposed cement. The Oriente station in Portugal by Santiago Calatrava makes travel enjoyable due to the experience of the gothic-inspired construction elements soaring overhead suffusing the interiors with daylight.
In all the above examples the construction materials have made the building stand out and take on an identity that will last. And yet, whether ancient or new-fangled, all textures are affected by their environment. As some materials like stone, age, they change making them more distinctive than before. The play of light on older monuments creates drama, enticing the eye to devour the intricacies being highlighted. New buildings use light through cut-outs, glazing and reflective surfaces to fashion an imagery bringing emotions to the fore. Colour is another implement that designers use to give added dimension to a texture. Be it stained glass of churches or the Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe with all glass walls. The architect said this about his creation "Nature, too, shall live its own life. We must beware not to disrupt it with the colour of our houses and interior fittings. Yet we should attempt to bring nature, houses, and human beings together into a higher unity."
The Synergy
There is a synergy between the green outdoors and the artificial inner sanctum; an airy feel epitomising the breaking of shackles or boundaries. Use of colours indoors affects the ambience significantly as it is an enclosed space. The red spectrum espouses warmth and comfort, the blues veer towards sophistication and the clinical while the colour palette has a repertoire of hues that work in varying genres of design.
Somewhere along the way, in a burst of creative enthusiasm, designers went amok in encasing one material with another to give the required texture. Veneers have spawned a whole new aspect in interior design. Finishes no longer have to depend on the intrinsic quality of the building material. Textured paint and wallpaper energise verticals while faux wooden veneers enrich a simple floor. Cladding in tiles is de rigueur. While in one sense this layering offers a new look and protection to the sub strata below it may lead to visual clutter as textural options become endless and the caveat in its use is often ignored.
However, making rapid strides is the movement to go back to the basics. Sustainable architecture recycles old materials and retrofits existing buildings to reduce energy consumption that affects the earth. This in turn presents buildings in a new light as adobe bricks, earth sheltered spaces and bamboo construction that have a native charm, contribute to responsible design idioms that result in green buildings. Some industrial set-ups are working hard to produce 'green cement', one that will reduce carbon di oxide emissions that contribute to global warming. All this will impact architectural visages, that are in the future going to be a symbiotic relationship of old and new textures.
Interior design has been replete with themes drawing inspirations from manifold influences. Steampunk is a décor genre that brings out texture in architecture in a whole new or rather 'old' way. Its buzz words are refurbish, reuse and recycle where all aspects that are old become part of the scheme of things. Furniture is distressed by scraping paint off and ageing it. The final result is a textural symphony that is soothing and comforting. Minimalism is another genre where simplicity reigns supreme, ornamentation is limited and the essence is in textural linearity and the geometric.
The last word
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Ar. Swati R Kiran
It is comforting to note that many new-age architects study the past, interpret it in their own way and produce thought provoking new age designs. Many draw inspiration from nature and the result is organic in form and sensibilities yet modern in connotation. This is best summed by in the words of Frank Lloyd Wright "Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art."
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