“The ideal form of the gallery as a white cube is inseparable from the artworks exhibited inside it.”

[Brian O’Doherty – Inside the white cube]

Today, we are all familiar with the “white cube”. If you’ve ever been into a contemporary art museum, you’ve definitely experienced it: plain white walls, polished floors, basic furniture, artworks evenly lit from above (with the quiet help of artificial lighting).

This aesthetic, first experimented in the United States in the 50s, has come to define our idea of space in an art gallery. Its concept focuses on the intense relationship between space and visitor.

Alfred Barr’s “Cubism and abstract art” exhibition in 1936 – MOMA, New York. First example of the revolutionary “white cube” display method.

     > The interior

Total white abolishes any perceptive connection with reality, emphasizing a quasi-religious atmosphere in which time and social space are excluded. This neutrality makes the viewer concentrate on individual masterpieces, with nothing interfering with the experience. In this way Art frees itself from the idea of the exhibition as “introduction of a piece into a room”.

“We have to be able to forget that there are walls and have found no better way to do that, than with pictures. Pictures efface walls. But walls kill pictures.”

[Georges Perec – Species of Space]

     > The viewer

Let’s now focus on the visitor’s attitude. The space we have to interact with is aseptic, low on human presence: a kind of space in which the reception desk and the restrooms are so hidden that you can’t find them. This interior liberates the public from the sensation of being observed, favouring a personal connection with the artworks.

Marcel Duchamp – “Étant donnés 1 la chute d’eau, 2 le gaz d’éclairage”

Is it a coincidence that in the same years Marcel Duchamp proposed the installation Etant donné ?

[read all about  Duchamp’s installation ]

---

Due to this lack of real life objects, the viewer is led to an attitude of reflection. In this way the “white cube” perfectly contributes to the aesthetic of silence: nothing is to be touched and people are rather quiet, no one laughs or is allowed to talk loudly. To the extreme, this atmosphere might even intimidate a less prepared public, making them uncomfortable in such a situation. What if we were intruders?

Out of the box / White fetish?

Ultimately, the “white cube” is a sort of label. It marks the shift from the gallery being the container, to it being the content itself.

Perfectly recognizable from outside, the “white cube” is conceived as a place free of context, out of daily life.

It says: “in here you find art”. And it establishes a separation between what is to be kept outside and that which is inside.

The hardest part is to apply this concept of gallery without forgetting the context, something which is done by David Chipperfield in his Am Kupfergraben 10 Gallery in Berlin.

Read more >>> Am Kupfergraben 10 Gallery | David Chipperfield

Other examples of buildings successfully integrating their “white box” interiors with the surrounding context:

After all, most museums and galleries still employ the “white cube” as the favored way for displaying art. But how often is it used as a model beyond its real meaning?

Passing on the intricate roots (social and historical) which came together into the well-known “white cube” concept, we can’t forget that some artists proposed over the years their own personal revolutionary idea of gallery space.

Kurt Schwitters’ Merzbau (1923-44) was an ever-changing gallery. Friedrick Kiesler proposed a cornerless panel setup for the Art of this Century exhibition (1942) in New York’s Peggy Guggenheim gallery. In his famous Sixteen Miles of String (1942), Marcel Duchamp erected a  spider web that totally shocked the public. And the list goes on.

There’s more than just white boxes

A confirmation of that is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry: perhaps the architecture that single-handedly tried the most to demolish the purist space style.

Its unusual form made of curvy reflective facades is home to a massive hall, where Richard Serra’s steel sculptures are displayed together with the museum’s structural elements and the city of Bilbao’s views.Frank Gehry’s approach values the potential of the museum as a catalyst of urban renovation more than its role as an art container.

As it often happens, this is the case where no one and everybody is right: there’s several iconic buildings out there to prove the Guggenheim’s success and there’s countless “white boxes” that put us in front of an artist’s masterpiece.

The “white cube” has been theorized by Brian O’Doherty. A writer that selected two words that perfectly suit an idea of space that everyone had at the time. Still present after fifty years.

Why?

Read more about      WATERFRONTS as opportunities of urban renovation

BENIDORM WEST BEACH PROMENADE
A colored stroll along the beach

The promenade designed by the architects at OAB is not a frontier between the sea and the city, or just a path to walk on Sundays. It is an in-between space where the transition from the city to the beach is easier than ever.

Designed as a colorful and wavy ribbon, this walk on the beach is a dynamic space with several areas for stopping and relaxing. It’s also an ideal stroll: a sinuous and soft path where you can take your time and watch the sea… right at the edge of the city.

To provide a coherent and, at the same time, various image, the waterfront is composed by three different layers:

> the edge of the path, made of white concrete
> the colored paving
> street furniture, vegetation and water

While creating a new topography that plays with lights and shades, the organic shapes are meant to recreate the motion of waves and the fractal structure of cliffs. The promenade collects different circulation flows (some along the way, some across) and always allows direct access to the beach.

WEST KOWLOON IN HONG KONG
A place to escape the city

Just inside the West Kowloon Cutural District, this waterfront is a sweet escape where you can do all that’s impossible within such a frenetic and crowded metropolis. You can stroll along the boardwalk simply enjoying its quietness, but you can also go jogging, rent a bike or have a picnic; there’s plenty of paths and play areas which are also lit at night.

This waterfront is able to be attractive without being an attraction. West Kowloon waterfront has some special features (the prismatic lights that emulate the towers of the skyline), but they are all vey delicate and soft elements. In fact, the most interesting aspect is the simplicity of its design. The promenade’s role is not to astonish the public, but to give the city what people who live in big cities need: a place to rest and to breath.

TORONTO CENTRAL WATERFRONT
A unifying ‘Multiple Waterfront’ for the city

After many decades of planning and development, Toronto still didn’t have a unified and coherent vision. The new waterfront, designed by West 8, addresses exactly this deficiency, creating a new image for the Central Waterfront.

The idea of a unique and articulate waterfront is made of four different gestures that create the ‘Multiple Waterfront’.

> the Primary Waterfront is a continuous water’s edge promenade, with a series of pedestrian bridges
> the Secondary Waterfront is a renovation of Queens Quay Boulevard with a new urban promenade and set of public spaces
> the Floating Waterfront is composed by a series of floating elements that offer new boat moorings and public spaces in relation to the lake
> the Cultures of the City creates the necessary connections from Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods towards the waterfront

The new waterfront extends along 3.5 km along Lake Ontario and in direct proximity to the downtown business district. With all its curves and wooden path, is not just an architectural and cityscaping exercise, but also a hub for collective activities and open air experiences. Besides the city-lake connection and the public accessibility, the project also brings the idea of a sustainable and ecologically productive ‘green foot’ in the culture of the metropolis.

BARCELONA’S RAMBLA DEL MAR
Sculptural waves between the city and the sea

The ‘Rambla del Mar’ was conceived by Albert Viaplana and Elio Pinon, two catalan architects born in Bercelona. Their idea was to continue the system of ‘Ramblas’ that runs through the city, connecting the historical heart of the city to one of its newest districts: the olympic port.

The ‘Rambla del Mar’ is also able to connect the European historical centre with the Mediterranean idea of experiencing the seafront.

The most interesting element of the project is the 300-meters-long dock, placed upon a series of pillars anchored to the sea bottom. The boardwalk is covered with a particular African wood named ‘bolondo’, which is characterised by a strong resistance to use and water decay (like ‘teak’). Along its edges are some benches and the iconic sculptural elements that clearly emulate the sea waves.

MARE VERDE IN PALERMO
A dreamlike lawn in Sicily

The meaning of the Italian ‘Mare Verde’ is ‘green sea’, and this is also the meaning of the whole project. Thanks to this large area, covered by grass, filled with colorful elements and punctuated by informal sitting, Italo Rota creates a strong connection between the water and the city. In fact ‘Mare Verde’ stands between the beach-life  and the urban life, between relax and socializing. The promenade is the common element that makes this connection possible.

The project is both a public space and a landmark, both architecture and land art. Through its oneiric (i.e. dream-like) characters such as the small skittles or the golden pillars, people reach a different dimension, where they can take a break from the city.

The promenade is the perfect medium between city and water. 

On one unique path, the promenade joins the urban experience, made of walking, meeting people and reaching places, and the calmness of the water, determined by the possibility to stop and relax, to spend your time however you want. Not just man, not only nature, the promenade is a separate layer that collects and connects the different ways of life.

Photos from
OAB Office of Architecture in Barcelona
West Kowloon
West 8
Pinterest
Barcelona.org
Divisare by Europaconcorsi

They are rather complicated areas of the city as they combine two different realities and their respective actors and dynamics: the harbor and water.

> The Harbor

Traditionally, it is a chaotic place where fishermen drive their bargains, where ferries and ships continuously leave and arrive, with their never-ending streams of people. The fascinating and folkloristic aspect often give in to the bad reputation of the harbor, especially in big cities: a poor and fairly dangerous district.

Trieste _ Italy

> Water

Wheather it’s the beach of a hyper-touristic destination or the riverfront of a historical city center, water will always be an extremely attractive urban element, both for tourists and residents.

Amsterdam _ Netherlands

Waterfronts are a city’s business card and maybe its most important postcard.

But they can also offer a great opportunity for urban developement, to upgrade forgotten and under-used parts of the city.

Great examples of waterfront design:

Hamburg, a prime example of waterfront and harbor development. Some keywords (water, public, ecology, history, adaptabiliy) and a long-term vision to revitalize a bleak district.

Copenhagen, a masterplan made of iconic volumes connected through the “fil-rouge” of the existing public promenades and open spaces.

Amsterdam, where the reinterpretation of the traditional dutch canal house helps redesign two peninsulas in the city’s docklands.

> HAFEN-CITY in Hamburg <

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain, Hamburg’s role in Europe grew impressively, becoming a crucial hub in central Europe. Moreover, with the growing of the Baltic Sea area, the city was able to leverage its connections with northern Europe.

> Hamburg understood its huge potential for development, and quickly decided to exploit it

The idea to transform the borders of the port around the city center was first considered in the 1990s. In that period, port capacity was built up south of the River Elbe, leaving some central areas on the north banks nearly unused. To begin with, they had to take control of the whole area: most art of the lands belonged to the city of Hamburg but buildings mostly belonged to private businesses.

In 1996  the well-known Hamburg architect Professor Volkwin Marq presented his first study on the urban regeneration of the port peripheries, laying down some of the development principles that are being used now (for example, the urban structure and the principle of mixed uses)

> In 1997 Professor Volkwin Marqhe presented “Vision Hafen-City

An area of over 150 hectares was to be developed into an upmarket inner-city mixed use district with residential, work, cultural and leisure; the removal of the HafenCity area from the Port of Hamburg was provided by the simultaneous establishment of a special fund under public law to hold “city and port” assets.

> An ideas competition was launched at the end of April 1999 and an international jury chose the winner in October: Hamburgplan, a Dutch-German team with Kees Christiaanse/ASTOC

> The masterplan was finally approved by the Hamburg Senate in 2000.

Then it was opened to the public.  The key points of the masterplan were discussed through a series of exhibitions and events. In the following years, this masterplan has demonstrated to be effective and well functioning. Basically, it can be bescribed by 5 +1 keywords: water, public, ecology, history, adaptability and FORESIGHT.

> Water and buildings

The project set a strong connection between water and building, both under the formal and functional aspect.  It takes shape through the accurate design of the borders, but it also conceives the buildings’ elevation as a device to protect the city from potential floods.

> Attention to the public space

The whole masterplan is woven with a fine-grained mix of uses (dwellings, schools, sport services, …) and many ground floors are designed as public open spaces (parks and green areas).

> Ecology

Noise levels, odours and air pollution were analyzed and calculated in order to reduce them and to create better living-conditions in the new district.  Connection to the district heating system, with its existing pipe infrastructure and gas power station, will be a suitable solution for providing electrical power and heating for HafenCity whilst minimising CO2 emissions and conserving Energy. Moreover, the run-off water from roofs and land surfaces will be drained directly into the Elbe and the harbour basins.

> History

Remnants of port and railway architecture are preserved as far as possible in order to help this new part of the city establish a new identity which is consistent with its past, with its history.

> Adaptability

As all other urban transformations, HafenCity needed years to be realized; the projects take actions by different and versatile moves, adaptable to any possible changes that might affect the development process.

> Foresight

Hafen City can be managed independently but it is planned to influence its neighbourhood, to reach, step by step, a widespread strategy; it is figurehead for a new business, social, cultural and urban economic breakthrough. What takes place in HafenCity is supposed to leave its stamp on Hamburg’s city center for many decades. Foresight is actually the most important aspect of such a big and complex masterplan. 

Photos by HafenCity Hamburg GmbH    ELBE&FLUT    Kuhn – Fotofrizz

> Copenhagen INNER HABOUR <

Everything started in 2000 when the municipality of Copenhagen asked three design studio for a new development of the entire city harbour.. In particular, the studio Henning Larsen Architects was commissioned to make different proposals for the area defined by  Knippelsbro and Tolboden.

> The new masterplan changes Copenhagen’s waterfront but also aims to strengthen previously initiated design activities, especially concerning open spaces and public areas 

The studio established that the water surface had to be the floor, while the sky had to be the ceiling of the new development. They were asked to design large volumes (buildings) on each side of the harbour.

All these buildings, regardless of function, couldn’t turn their backs to the harbour: on the contrary, they were all supposed to dialogue with the water and to complement the public promenades and squares.

> The Royal Danish Playhouse (design by Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter) and the new Opera (designed by Henning Larsen Architects) are just two bricks of this great ongoing masterplan

Photos by Henning Larsen Architects and Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter

> BORNEO SPOREMBURG in Amsterdam <

https://vimeo.com/40718037

The architectural firm West 8 was commissioned a masterplan to redesign two peninsulas in the eastern part of the Amsterdam docks. These areas were meant to be exploited for water-related activities and residential functions (about  2500 low-rise dwelling units, with a density of 100 units per hectare).

> West8 suggested a new interpetation of the traditional Dutch canal house: three storey units with ground access, with internal patios and roof gardens.

At a small scale, this type was repeated in a great variety of dwelling modes and with the maximum of architectural variation. At a larger scale you perceive the perfect balance between the individual units and the long docks.

> Three huge sculptural blocks become landmarks in this residential area

Photos and drawings by West 8

A holistic vision of architecture

The sketch is the right solution to gather volumes and structure, to put together context and details. His drawings, mostly sections,  always include some natural elements like trees (relation with nature, sustainability, …) or the sun (solar exposure, shadows, …). Colors can help define different materials, while the thickness of lines shows the structure.

Some sketches focus on a particular detail, some offer a complete vision of the project, some others explain the concept. But they are all impressively communicative.

A building isn’t just a volume.

A building is made of users, functions and paths;  it’s made of different materials and it’s surrounded by a specific context. The good interaction of all parts of the project highly depends on the application of  building technologies and the knowledge of the latest innovations. But when the city canvas is empty, the architect has to create and invent.

And, last, a building is made of lines, shapes, colors, and patterns. People don’t want to live in a place they don’t like, human beings look for beauty and harmony.

A render is not ehough

A building that answers to all these matters, from technology to beauty,  surely comes from a responsible design in which every element is closely analysed.

But the most beautiful render, even the most detailed 3D model, will always show how the project is going to look like, not how it’s going to work and not even how it was designed. That’s a big loss of information, especially when each step of the project is a balanced architectural decision. A real pity.

Renzo Piano’s sketches represent his holistic vision of architecture

Architecture is made of both theory and practice, both philosophy and matter. Renzo Piano’s firm,  Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), is one of the most complete in the world: it’s able to provide full architectural design services,  from concept design to construction supervision, including interior design, urban design, landscape design and exhibition design.

CONCEPT

These sketches express the concept, the main idea of the project. They are composed by few, simple elements to communicate the essence of the building. Different thicknesses and color don’t necessarely match the structural hierarchies: they just make the sketch more expressive and understandable.

They are the first (and last) spark of the project.

Kansai International Airport Terminal
Osaka, Japan (1988-94)

Parco della Musica Auditorium
Roma, Italy (1994-2002)

Zentrum Paul Klee
Bern, Switzerland (1995-2005)

Pathé Foundation, Paris (France)
Paris, France (2006-14)

IN DETAIL

This kind of sketch is a stands in between the technical drawing and art. Renzo Piano uses them to describe one particular detail, which is fundamental for the whole building: very often these elements aren’t unique or isolated, but they are used repetitively throughout the building.
In the Menil Collection and in Kimbell Art Museum, for example, the covering characterizes the project not only from the outside but also from the inside, giving rhythm to the interiors and creating special lighting effects.

Read more >> DETAILS | An illustrated library of architectural details

The essence of the project is hidden in one detail.

The Menil Collection
Houston, U.S.A (1982-1986)

Kimbell Art Museum Expansion
Fort Worth, U.S.A (2007-13)

FRONT VIEW

Front views are used to give an immediate idea of how the building is going to look like. Sometimes there’s also some information about the structure (Maison Hermès sketch) but most times you just have a general idea of the outline and of the chosen materials (MUSE and Astrup Fearnley Museum sketches).

Projects made of pure shapes and precise lines.

Maison Hermès
Tokyo, Japan (1998-2006)

California Academy of Sciences
San Francisco, USA (2000-08)

Read more >> California Academy of Science | Man, nature and discovery

MUSE Museo delle Scienze
Trento, Italy (2002-13)

Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art
Oslo, Norway (2006-12)

TECHNICAL

These sketches are very complicated: not only do they represent the whole project, but they are also extremely detailed. They contain a large number of information, using words, numbers and symbols.
The sketch of The Shard (London Bridge Tower, London) is very impressive as in one unique drawing we can find: some measurements (like the height),  the relationship with the sunlight and some information concerning the internal structure and the ground floor. The circle tells us which part is going to be the core of the building and different colors hint at different functions or materials.

Tecnical sketches that build up the project

Centre Georges Pompidou
Paris, France (1971-1977)

Read more >> HIGH TECH | Tecnology and progress at architecture’s service

Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center
Noumea, New Caledonia (1991-1998)

Lingotto Factory Conversion
Torino, Italy (1983-2002)

London Bridge Tower (The Shard)
London, United Kingdom (2000-12)

STRUCTURE AND INTERIORS

Maybe they are not hyper-realistic but they make you understand how the building works, from structure to interiors. Different thicknesses correspond to different structural elements, while different colors correspond to different functions.

In the sketch of the Morgan Library and of the Auditorium del Parco the two lecture halls are represented by a series of curved and concentric lines; doesn’t matter if they are overdimensioned or unreal: you understand the program of the building.

Renovation and Expansion of the Morgan Library
New York, U.S.A (2000-2006)

Renovation and expansion of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Boston, U.S.A (2005-12)

Auditorium del Parco
L’Aquila, Italy (2010-2012)

SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT

These sketches are very interesting as they combine structure, volume, interiors…and also the environment. The role of sun is emphasized: there are lines and arrows that shows its movement in the sky and the inclination of its rays. Moreover, sometimes the suns are two, to show different situations during the day or during the year.

High Museum Expansion
Atlanta, U.S.A (1995-2005)

Chicago Art Institute – The Modern Wing
Chicago, U.S.A (1999-2009)

Harvard Art Museums renovation and expansion
Cambridge, MA, U.S.A (2006-14)

Read more >> Harvard Art Museums | Exhibition and research combined, to harvest innovation 

That’s how Renzo Piano uses the Art of Sketches.

Each one is different from the other but they have in common one thing: they put in drawing his holistic architetcure. Even if they focus on some specific aspects (the concept, some details, some functions, …) they will always tell you something abouth the genius behind each project.

Nothing is left apart, everything in the building is Architecture.

Read more >> The art of sketches (intro)

All about Renzo Piano Building Workshop • RPBW

Photos by Alessandro Gadotti – Archivio Trento Futura, Enrico Cano, Hickey & Robertons Photography, James Iska Photography, John Safa, Kanji Hiwotashi, Marco_Caselli_Nirmal, Michel Denancé, Moreno Maggi, Nic Lehoux, Pierre Alain Pantz, Tom Fox

Some think it is a necessary step of a design: its first spark. Some think it’s the best way to capture a concept; others appreciate its artistical veil. They are often used to seize the essence of the surroundings, as a way to discover and understand reality around us.

But sometimes, sketches may seem oblosete representations, totally unable to compete with the modern and sophisticated modeling tools.

By the way, despite the success of rendering softwares, the architectural sketch is not limited  to the old generations of architects.

From the historical masters of architecture, to today’s firms, the architectural sketch proves to be a versatile tool, which is able to represent everything concerning architecture.

Ideas and structures, details and context are just some of the many aspects that a sketch can describe. Each architect has his own idea and preferences… Let’s discover some these!

Le Corbusier

During his travels, Le Corbusier realized a large number of sketches collected in his ‘carnets de voyage’. The following are taken from ‘Voyage d’Orient’ (1910-11).

Besides that, he used sketches for his projects and, most importantly, to describe his theoretical work: ‘Vers une architecture’ (1923) is filled with drawings and diagrams. Also, don’t forget that young Charles-Edouard Jeanneret was also a painter!

Aldo Rossi

Aldo Rossi used sketches to support his intense theoretical activity, much like Le Corbusier.

To Aldo Rossi, the sketch is also a way to keep working on projects, even after they’ve been built. That’s the case of his series of Sketches representing the San Catalso Cemetery (Modena, Italy, 1984).

Robert Venturi

With  ‘Learning from Las Vegas’ (1972) Robert Venturi is calling for architects to be more receptive to the taste and values of the common people. His call for a normalized architecture that is understandable and recognizable by the broad public can be traced also in his sketches. These ideas are brilliantly exposed through some funny illustrations:

Frank Gehry

His sketches are both  the ‘first spark’ and ‘final step’ of the design. These scribble-like twirling lines don’t show much about the light, the materials or the context: in fact there’s little information about the building itself. However, Gehry’s sketches communicate with remarkable immediacy the shapes and volumes, as well as their interaction… Kind of. The ghost image of the building is safe. Click here to read more about Frank O. Gehry

Steven Holl

Using watercolors, Steven Holl gives life to his sketches. These are not napkin doodles: they take time and ultimately they say a lot about the building’s design. Here, sketches are used to explain the project and they include include arrows, symbols, descriptions, as well as direct references to the image of the building through color and shading.

The next set of drawings shows some interiors and their most interesting aspects, such as materials, human scale and, especially, the use of light.

Eduardo Souto de Moura

His sketches may seem a little confused and vague, like Gehry’s, but they contain a more complete idea of the project and not only its volume or general shape. You can perceive walls and their thickness, sometimes you also have an idea of materials and decoration. Often, there’s some information about the context, like trees, streets and cars.

So, basically there’s three ways to sketch:

• Organized, clean diagrams > theory and composition
• Ghost-like doodles > volumes and shape
• Expressionist drawings > materials and light

Architects use this tool in a very personal and natural way so, of course, there is no way to sort their work into boxes. But they all fall into some combination of the above. Not only do all contemporary architects use sketching as part of their design process, they also haven’t replaced it with technology. Cad drawing and 3d modeling, as well as image editing, are largely responsible for the advances in architectural form, but their use doesn’t overlap with drawing on paper. Software requires a degree of precision and measure that is only reached through sketch.

Nicholas Grimshaw is a master of airport design and this is how he creates wonderful spaces you’d rather get lost into than just walk through.

In fact airports, unlike the bus stop, have developed from simple take-off stations to transportation hubs and are evolving into self-standing ecosystems, much like a detached branch of the city they connect. And a fully functional one at that!

Elevation, section & interiors: this is where airport design really lies.

A pioneer of high-tech architecture, it is still Grimshaw’s signature and which typology, better than airports, to showcase the prowess of naked structure?

Structural and architectural devices to bring natural light in, a slender structure to create wide-spanning spaces and lightweight see-through materials. These large buildings with gigantic footprints are made into pleasent dynamic spaces that remind us of the accomplishment of flying and of the excitement of travel.

click here to LEARN ALL ABOUT HIGH-TECH ARCHITECTURE 

Zurich Airport | Zurich, Switzerland, 2004

Incheon Airport | Seoul, South Corea, 2011

London Heathrow Airport, Terminal Two Concourse B | London, UK, 2014

Pulkovo Airport | St Petersburg, Russia, 2014

Frankfurt Forecourt (masterplan) | Frankfurt, Germany

Istanbul New Airport (in construction) | Istanbul, Turkey

[All photos courtesy of Grimshaw Architects]

Among the high-tech buildings, there are four main typologies: the knit (Norman Foster’s Swindons Renault Distribution Centre), the mono-directional tunnel (Norman Foster’s Sainsbury Center, Renzo Piano’s Osaka Airport), the geodetic dome (theorised by Buckminster Fuller) and the tall building (Norman Foster’s Swiss Re in London).

One of the most effective examples is the Pompidou Centre (Paris, 1971-1977), designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano. In this project the ventilation system hangs from the façade: all its ducts and pipes are prominently shown in elevation. The “pipe concept” is recalled also in the access to the building as visitors enter trough a large tube.

Richard Rogers, thanks to his modernist and functionalist designs, is one of the most representative high-tech architects . Among his projects: the Millennium Dome in London, the Senedd in Cardiff, the European Court of Human Rights Building in Strasbourg and the Lloyd’s of London.

High-tech architecture also spread the message of a renewed belief in the power of technology to improve the world and to achieve a new industrial aesthetic. This aspect is particularly evident in Kenzo Tange’s buildings. Below, are some examples that illustrate his architecture and his design concepts:  Fuji Television Building, Hiroshima Peace Center, IHD Center, Pavilion for Osaka Expo 1970, Tokyo’s St Mary’s Cathedral, Tokyo Metropolitan Governemnt Building, Yamanashi Culture Hall and Yoyogi National Gymnasium.

Other significant examples of high-tech architecture include Jean Nouvel’s Torre Agbar in Barcelona, I.M. Pei’s Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong and Norman Foster’s Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank HQ.

But where are the forerunners we were talking about?

Characteristics of high-tech architecture have varied somewhat, yet all have accentuated technical elements. They include the prominent display of the building’s technical and functional components and the use of pre-fabricated elements. Glass walls and steel frames were also immensely popular. This leitmotif have certainly be  influenced by Modernism, Mies Van Der Rohe highrise buildings in primis.

Let’s move to Italy.

Another high tech forerunner is “La Rinascente” headquarter in Rome, designed by the Italian architect Franco Albini in 1957-61. “La Rinascente” literally means “the rebirth”: the design maintains the basic massing of the 1887 building and transmutes the previous geometry into steel. The façade recalls to Renaissance and to surrounding buildings, but all traditional manners are reinterpreted by contemporary technology. Structure is not hidden but it’s taken outside both for ideological and functional reasons: not only to show the contemporary technologic progress but also to have an interior free plan.

If we continue our research about high tech origins’ we can’t pass over Antonio Sant’Elia, even if none among his project has been realised: drawings and designs are all that remain from his great experimental work.  Antonio Sant’Elia was one of the best exponent (and the only architect) of The Futuristic Mouvement, an Italian school of thought that developed in the 20s during Fascism. His concept was to apply every possible new technology in architecture, especially in the mobility field. Among his most famous designs there are some multifunctional centers that hosted both airport and train station inside one unique structure, at different levels. Nowadays it doesn’t seem so strange, but at that time the projects was really groundbreaking…too much to be built for real.