MATERIALITY . IMMATERIALITY
“Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light.” Quoted by Le Corbusier.
Nature of materials can be defined as the identity of a building. Materials have the ability to express their age and history, as well as the story of their origins and their history of human use. The knowledge on materials together with the latest construction methods have led to the revolution in architecture. However, the variety of materials have raise the discussion on materiality and immateriality. In brief, materiality focus on the way material display as visual sense with a physical structural. On the contrary, immateriality support the interpretation of five sense through building environment and not only on material.
“With the loss of tactility and the scale and details crafted for the human body and hand, our structures become repulsively flay, sharp-edged, immaterial, and unreal.” Quote referring materiality.
Materiality can be seen widely in architecture industry today. Most of the building design was based on the aesthetical appreciation. Physical material to express the visual of façade or interior spaces will encourage a dominance of visual against other sense. In modern architecture, the simplest and common way to enhance the building design is through materials with construction and this had promote materiality in architecture.
“Instead of mere vision, architecture involves realms of sensory experience which interact and fuse into each other.” Quote referring immateriality.
Immateriality have a different concept with materiality that it focus on the interpretation of users. Material is not the only medium to judge the senses, it focus on actions rather than forms. Buildings based on immateriality theory is lack in modern architecture because most of the architects nowadays choose to apply the known technique or material instead of exploring new design and material. User will decides whether architecture is immaterial and this lead to materiality as material decides the senses.
Materiality and immateriality have become the trend for modern architecture. These two theories was based on different kind of knowledge on material and construction to create the senses. Form and formless, Intellectual and manual, real and virtual, they are opposite in every aspect but it can be connected via the relations between architectural elements. The knowledge on materials have cause different perception of both theories.
The perception and experience of architecture mostly analyzed through the laws of visual perception. Materiality promote visual through expression of material. For instance, scale-less sheets of glass, enameled metals and synthetic plastics tend to present their unyielding surfaces to the eye without conveying their material essence or age. However, immateriality tend to convey the senses through feeling, it encourage different interpretation from users. Everyone have different perception that lead to the present of immateriality. Immaterial emphasize more on human perception rather than expression of material properties.
Besides, the aesthetic judgment of both theories is very much different. Materiality dominance on visual against other sense. Most of the architects believe that aesthetic is the identity of a building, a physically built structure is better to perceive someone sense instead of creating something that is far from reality. However, there are some different perspectives for immateriality, aesthetic is not the only value judgment to appraise a building. Aesthetic, acoustic, lighting and feeling will perceive someone impression on a building. The relations between architectural elements, spaces and users will conclude the present or absent of a building interpretation.
“A tension between conscious intentions and unconscious drives is necessary for a work in order to open up the emotional participation of the observer.”
Immaterial and material is both representative in modern architecture. However, different view of points had reject the combination of both theories. In my perspectives, we should focus more on how senses related to architecture rather than material to express sense. The forth text should discuss on “Key of Architecture – Senses”. As buildings lose their plasticity, they become isolated in the cool and distant realm of vision sense. For immaterial architecture, the improper design may cause adverse effect on senses as they have to consider on physically, socially and psychologically. Thus, it is important that we study on the sense to interpret the option of material and construction. The sense created can be based on the intention or function of building and how the user will experience it. Architecture is expected to be stable and reassuring, senses and architecture should bound to each other to emphasize the physical and sensual embodied essence of architecture.
