Aperture
- Architecture to Amplify a Moment
Introduction
Architecture can amplify aspects of life.
This is an excerpt from my Master's thesis where I make a proposal to present the nature of competitive swimming through four specifically defined architectural moments. The vehicle for the thesis is a natatorium with four specifically designed architectural apertures that present the extraordinary motion of the swimmer, especially to the younger general public.
The focus is on the motion of swimming below and above the surface of the water. Below the water surface, the approaching swimmer and the moment of the turn will be framed. Above the water surface, two apertures penetrate the roof above the pool. One directs sight lines to moment of a race’s start, while the other seeks to emphasize the linearity of swimming.
Apertures as an Architectural Tool
When framing a moment through architecture, a special bond is created between the architecture, the moment and the observer. By using this strategy, the architecture is given a deeper sense of purpose and the moment a greater sense of importance. This is by no means a new idea. Many architects have used this as a tool to emphasize special moments for their buildings. Louis I. Kahn and Salk institute, Rem Koolhaas and the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, Le Corbusier and Villa Savoye, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and ICA Boston, and Isamu Noguchi and Black Sun all make good use of this phenomenon, just to name a few. Aperture aims to take the idea of framing a moment one step further, to emphasize the motion of the swimmer to the bypassing general public.
The setting of this natatorium is in a busy athletic area in Gothenburg Sweden, situated among other larger sports venues. The aim, from an urban standpoint, is to fit well into the site, while also offering some of the flavor of swimming to the neighborhood. Furthermore, the project should also invite the public back to use some of the space occupied by the swim arena.
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To meet the busy event space, the building mass is pulled up on that side, to hold its presence at the street. At the same time, it is kept low towards the park to make an inviting gesture to the neighboring residents.
To reflect the interior layout of pools, the roof is divided up into four segments, one to indicate each pool. While the edges are maintained for clarity of the form, the center is divided. The lowest quadrant of the roof is broken up to give room to an outdoor pool.
The Building Mass
Apertures are placed across the project to allow for a transparent experience between the sport of swimming and the city of Gothenburg.
The roof garden is enhanced through three elements; skylights, planter boxes and a sculptural steel element. The skylights and planter boxes share the same proportions, but differ significantly in terms of size. The sculptural element of bent steel plates houses the windows for elevated views into the pool space.
An overview of the various Apertures across the project.
Working Models
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Early programmatic layout
Early bi-directional structural system.
Further exploration of a bi-directional system.
Early structural study.
Study in scale, aiming to reduce the perceived mass of the project.
A more refined model to show final facade, pool layout and structural components.
An Underwater Panorama
Aperture I
Aperture I is located on the event space, right next to the new stadium. By placing the underwater panorama adjacent to the event space, the public has a more direct access to the atypical view of the sport.
A panoramic view of the underwater world allows to observe the approaching swimmer and the motion from a front view.
Although completely alien to the sport, new possibilities for interactions between the swimmers and the general public come about.
The viewing platform is elevated to match height of the pool and to facilitate a possible interaction between the swimmers and the observers. The platform is raised and pulled away from the pool window by about a meter. The window is designed to frame the panorama under water and focusing on the swimmers.
The big opening through the skin is an attempt to create an interest and pull people in into a space with low light levels to avoid glare. The strategy was to shade the window with a drapery-like skin.
The Turn
Aperture II
Aperture II is located further down the event space, right next to the new stadium and the river. By placing the underwater window adjacent to the event space, the public has a more direct access to the atypical view of the sport. This aperture is also part of the entrance sequence.
The second aperture emphasizes the motion at the wall. In a race, when a swimmer reaches the wall it is either for a start, a turn or a finish. Either of those moments are exciting to watch which makes this position ideal for observing swimming as a sport of action.
The entrance protrudes through the skin. Some of the light filtered through the pool water is reflected by the polished walls and is visible to the street. The marking in the pavement is the rippling effect of the walls stretching out into the street to call attention to the moment.
The large walls encountered upon entering Moment II blocks the light to provide the best experience possible by the window. The window is 30cm thick sheet of acrylic mounted in the reinforced high dense concrete foundation.
Focusing on The Starting
Aperture III
When entering the roof from the north. Only a couple of meters from the opening between the steel plate covers, the window aims to capture the attention of its visitors early on.
The best way to frame the view of the start and the finish is from an elevated side view. From that point of view, the starting or finishing field can be clearly observed.
The window offers good views into the pool, especially over the diving area. The glass is angled to be perpendicular to lane four and five, which is typically where the fastest swimmers are seeded. The window becomes the aperture, or portal between the exterior environment and the pool area.
The sculpture of bent steel plates sits mounted over the concrete panels on the roof. It shelters the window into the pool area and mitigates most of the glare. The roof garden uses the placement of planter boxes to break up the scale of the large open roof scape into smaller, more intimate spaces.
The Linearity of Swimming
Aperture IV
Located at the center of the roof, the vertically focused window is also placed right above the center of the pool.
The window above aperture IV is lined with wood to give visitors a warm surface to touch. The glass is intended to be structural to provide a walking surface.
Aperture IV focuses on the linear aspect of swimming. Pool swimming, by nature is a linear activity. To reach longer than 50m the swimmers must go back and forth. To travel a minimum distance, the swimmers stay as straight as possible. The symmetry of the swimmer, the balance of their strokes can clearly be seen and will undoubtedly be amplified from this view.
Moment IV is located right above the center of the pool. This allows for the frame to match the perimeter of the pool well. Depending on the position of the viewer, all the competing lanes (middle eight) can be seen from the window.
Relating to the Surroundings
Aperture V
Instead of focusing on the swimming, Aperture V is an exception as it offers a framed view of the river from the inside.
The common position of a sauna is to put it in the center of an aquatic center. To place on the perimeter offers an immediate connection to the surrounding city.
Through a set of windows, the Sauna is connected to the infinity pool, the river and the nearby neighborhood. The most private space of the complex is connected to the surroundings through this visual bridge.
By elevating the window just above head height, the space mitigates the possible discomfort of being observed in lighter clothing. It also allows the swimmers to look above the people outside onto the surroundings with an unobstructed view.
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Floor Plan LVL 1
Floor Plan LVL 2
Drawings
Floor Plan LVL 3
Floor Plan Roof LVL
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Section AA
Section BB
East Elevation
South Elevation
Final Thoughts
By carefully selecting and framing moments of swimming, architecture can perhaps help to amplify the sport. While the special apertures are the driving force for the architectural thesis, the architecture’s relationship to its surrounding, is equally important. It indicates that architecture does not necessarily have to be appreciated as an object, a thing of mass. Rather, it can be a framework that establishes a new setting for observation. In a healthy symbiosis between architecture as a staged frame and an object of importance, a new reality is created for that object and its observer.
NAIA National Championships 2017
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Styrbjörn Torell I styrbjorn.torell@gmail.com
Münster, Germany 48149