Too often, architecture is boring and generic, when it is not plainly ugly. But at times, architecture strikes us and provides an intense joy, transforming our perceptions. What characteristics trigger such feelings ? What makes a building great ?
Such greatness is what every Architect is seeking, but very rarely achieves. While I was reflecting on the greatness of certain buildings, it became clear that even for a specific building, it was impossible to answer precisely those questions. If there can be some reasonable explanations and plausible causes, they are always incomplete, and partial. A satisfactory reasoning seems impossible. Louis Kahn’s attempt to answer such central question is, a great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed and in the end must be unmeasurable.
When we experience nature, whether in a forest, on the peak of a mountain range, or at sea, or wherever we are in a natural setting, we feel joy and happiness, we feel peace. Whatever our beliefs are, nature connects us with the Universe, and what Louis Kahn meant here, is the ability of the Architect to design a structure that express that relationship between humans and the Universe.
Such relationship is about happiness, awe, protection and healing. Such structure should have such traits: bring joy, and a feeling of healing. Scale has no importance, what matters is when such structure confronts itself with the laws of nature. To be super natural, such structure must be spiritual, as is our relation with nature. The idea of spirituality in all living forms in the Universe must exist in such structure.
From the spiritual derives strenght, natural materiality, economy of means, natural flows of energy, beauty, diversity of forms at all scales. Simplicity and extreme complexity coexist in the Universe. What exist in nature should be in our buildings.
Too often, the straight jackets of building code and compliance, and the urge to express oneself, divert from the true path. We are all humans, but we must always remain off the beaten track.