November 2007 Archives
. Structural elements:
-Pin-Drop
-Pin-Drop (rib)
-Pin-Drop length/height
-Pin-Drop radius
-Pin-Drop merged
-Multi Pin-Drop
-Pin multi-drop (rib)
-Multi-pin, Multi-drop (rib)
reference : Johnson Wax Building, by Fran Lloyd Wright
Formal Manifesto
The Commercial
religion and the religion of Commerce
Pilgrimage is ritualistic to
both the church and the shopping mall.
The ritual of the church is
defined by its liturgy and scripture.
The ritual of the mall is
defined by the brand value and its signage
The church is grand, holy, formal,
robust and expensive.
The mall is humble, unholy,
informal, flimsy and cheap.
These characteristics all
translate into the formal grandeur and or bareness of
the church mall. The new
church mall should adhere to all these contrasting ritualistic juxtapositions,
at times they would meet and at other times would part, going back to their
original conventional use in either the mall or the church. Like an embryo the
nave becomes pregnant with a multitude of shops profiles crowding its thick
embracing walls. An almost mono-complex organisation of the shops will
designate the transformation from and to the body of the church.
Itemised elements of
juxtapositions:
- Display (vitrine) - the nave’s body
should be host to the display of items of both the shopping and church
experience meet and transform,.
- Roof – should close and open at certain
instances, the use of natural vs. incandescent light would adjust the
perception of day.
- Aisle – breaks into the central nave changing
the procession and designation of space from the mall into the church and
the church into the mall. (transformative space – diluted space)
- Signage – icons representing the procession of
spaces or giving sense of direction.
- Paving (flooring) – would be treated in 2d and
3d to create certain designations.
- Parking – would cover and expose the points of
entry to the structure. Showcasing banality of the mall exterior vs. the
church interior and west wall.
The Commercial
religion and the religion of commerce
GOD – SCRIPTURE – ICON –
WORSHIP – COMMERCE
A simmered down version of
these gods/icons come in the shape of a simple memento or souvenir, within the
reach and grasp of our hands. From rosaries to mini-ceramic versions of the
Virgin Mary.
‘’I question…is it possible
that deep down inside some pagan weeds still managed to survive in many of
us?...I wonder?’’
But nevertheless I would
call those commercial religions.
Conversely, there would be
no reason that commercialism should be excluded as a religion in itself.
So, commercialism is the
world’s new religion!!!
Merging the two - commercial
religion and religion of commerce - would be a unity of the two contrasting
parts. By cross-referencing the logic of
the church and the shopping mall, the pilgrimage factor of worship and shopping
would be the most essential. Incorporating
that into the Nave would shape the structural back-bone of the form, taking it
back to its origin as a market ground.
The shops would then attach themselves onto the perimeter of the iconic
cross “Nave” as a host creating a melange of different church profiles acting
as temporary commercial installments.
The Nave’s flooring and width would deepen and become less
ornate/customized towards the east side, where the altar would be. The altar would then perform as a “mecca” of
people rushing to and from the shops and, simultaneously drawing people to
communicate with the recently abandoned church.
Brands change, companies
merge, new shops and products appear.
Re-locate, re-design, re-fit, but the Nave still survives and withstands
the shifting character of commerce.
