NATURAL AND CONSTRUCTED I
Still remember one of my lecturer mentioned that "architecture" is all about built environment, we built and created a environment from what people desire of. I am pretty agree with this point and until today I'm still holding this perception in my design.
What is built environment? For me it start from the word "nature". Nowadays people always use the sentence "bring back to nature", that means we just threw the nature away and now pick it up again? I would say "working with nature" rather than "bring nature back to architecture".
Most of the we inspired by the nature in creating a form or a space, but we never using the nature to strengthen our work and present in the natural way. Architecture is beyond the function and appearance but working with nature.
Branches form an incline that can be covered with leaves and moss, "so that neither the sun nor the rain can penetrate therein; and now the man is lodged." Marc-Antoine Laugier. I'm not asking man have to live in the wood, but sometimes the nature has provided what we needs.
People used to be infatuated with the "great building", the tallest building, the technology, the outstanding form and the breathtaking appearance, but now people are seeking for sense of belonging. The architecture today seem moving in this direction, creating a "home" with working with nature.
This is Tartu Nature House which is located at Tartu, Estonia by Krisma Architects, completed in 2013. Although there us no much of greenery that we always thought of nature but this project really using the surrounding factors and working with the nature. From the architect, The Tartu Nature House is a symbiosis between a zoo, botanical garden and school inspired by tree stump.
The building is situated on a site which has a strong natural character with its steep hillsides and gentle slopes that curve around the building. The central atrium is the heart of Y-shaped plan and its wings are directed towards the exterior environment.
The house is structured into different functional zones. The study wings with workshops, classrooms, laboratories, kitchen and a library are directed to west and north. The south- oriented two- story high greenhouse wing with a rising floor accommodates birds, animals and proliferating flora and is related to the outdoor activities and courtyard areas.
The courtyard areas, set between the wings of the building, are designed for outdoor activities (outdoor lectures, concerts, planting, woodwork) and work in symbiosis with the interior. Park area study paths, viewing platform and plantation zones create growth rings around the building.
The Y- shape building is combined by simple cube- like forms, archetypical steep gable roofs and a dense row of upright windows. Finishing materials are natural in tone and nature. Various treatments and surfaces of wood is used on the facades continuing inside on walls, floors, furniture and detailing. The seamed metal gable roof is typical to the historical Karlova district.
Overall in this case study we can see the architect is trying to relate back the building to the nature by using those raw material with the same colour tone with the surrounding. He is also using the typology of the site that built on the slope but not decided to cut the land to flat.
For me, we built in the nature, not against it indeed.
