' l. AN INTRODUCTORY LOOK AT THE PLAN OF A CITY When we look at the plan of a city such as Basle, we can distinguish compact geometrical forms t hat define the centre and by other, more amorphous forms that characterize the periphery. Between these areas we find Zones of disturbances, which either correspond to specific or particulary dense industrial areas, or to railway systems, whose fluid form is contrasted by the crystalline forms of the historical districts.

2. THE ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT: A PROJECTION OF THE ARCHJTECT'S PERCEPTUAL FRAME Our perception of the city is closely related to the ar-chitectural products we create. Indeed, these architec-tural products tend to be identical to our perceptions of the city. We try to seek our architectural images in the same way a detective searches for evidence at the scene of a crime, or in the way a scientist attempts to find systems in Nature. Everything lies before us already, yet sometimes we have to make enormous ef-forts to perceive even the simplest relationships. We are faced with a puzzle whose complexity increases as our culture becomes more and more discontinuous. What then, is the model that we carry in our mind's eye and upon which we base our projecte?

The scientist builds models that allow him to qualify and describe how Nature functions. Similary, we use ar-chitecture as a kind of model or too\ to help us perceive our urban reality; that is, to grasp a set of phenomena, to establish relationships between them, and to give them meaning. For this reason I shall make a com-parison between the scientific model based on atomic theory and our perception of the city. The interest in this comparison lies in the fact that the scientific model offers us images of a material world. 1 The image of the invisible is important because it allows us to in-terpret the image of the visible as a pan of a global process; in other words, as an element of a connec-tion of parts to a whole, as occurs with natural, ob-jects to a degree of complexity and variety that would be difficult to achieve in the case of artificial objects.2

3. THE CRYSTALLINE BODY OF THE CITY

The formation of a crystalline structure depends on the forces that act between its atoms and molecules. The degree of attraction between these elementary par-rieles is related to the specific structure of the crystalline mesh, and consequently, to the externa! form of the

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substance. There are crystals whose geometric struc-turing allows for stronger forces of attraction and there are other crystals whose particles move more so that the entire structure of the crystal has a greater tendency to transform.

The old traditional city can be compared to a solid crystalline body, as described in physics and chemistry. Its structure possesses a specific form that is analogous to that of a solid material such as metal, stone or ceramics. Yet this structure also has the inherent tendency to transform. In crystallography, this tenden-cy is defined as the degree of hardness of a material. This hardness can be broken clown if energy is applied or it another substance is used as a solvent that will cause the internal structure of the material to transform into a new state of aggregation. For example, when salt is added to water, the specific st ructure of the crystal is slowly destroyed, and transformed into a new state.

The historical centers of our cities (which include the palaces, squares, monuments and churches of the Ren-naissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods) also seem to us to be stable, crystalline bodies. In our minds (and simultaneously from the perspective of the slow and cautious planning conditioned by Swiss democracy) these compact historical centers appear to be imrac-table and unchanging, so that as students we never con-sidered them to be actual archirecture, nor to be the product of a working process that would engage us for the rest of our lives, but rather as fixed elements that would have to be repaired from time to time, like teeth.

4. THE DISSOLUTION OF TH E CRYSTA LLINE BODY Without a doubt, the political and cultural energy that predominated while these historical districts were be-ing created cannot be compared to that which exists today. The unity and adherence to tradition, with which the crystalline bodies of the historical city were built, evolved from a specific logi that would be unimaginable today. This is why we cannot tolerare the type of contemporary architecture that suggests the possibility of restoring old traditions by simulating the styles and forms of the past. Neither shou ld we be in-fluenced by the cynical argument that this simulated historical architecture reflects the taste of the majority.

We find ourselves removed from the historical struggles between the Church, the Aristocracy and the

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l. PRIMERA /\liRADA AL PLKOL D'UNA CIUTAT Quan mirem el pB.nol d'una ciurat com Basilea, po-dem distingir unes formes geometriques compactes que en defineixen el centre i unes altres zones ms toves que caracteritzen la periferia. Entre aquestes dues zo-nes n'hi ha algunes de pertorbaci, que corresponen a determinades implantacions industrials particular-ment denses o al sistema ferroviari la flu'idesa formal del qual destaca amb rota claredat entre les formes cris-tallines dels barris histories.

2. EL PROJECTE ARQUITEC'I'Ol IC: LA I'ROJI:.CCI DEL MODEL PERCEPTIU DE L'ARQUITECTE

La nostra percepci de la ciurat esra estretament vin-culada a !'arquitectura que produ.lm. La nostra arqui-tectura fins i tot tendeix a ser identica a la nostra per-cepci de la ciutat. Com a arqu itectes, intentem trabar les nostres imatges arquirecroniques de la mateixa ma-nera que els detectius busquen proves allloc del crim i que els cientfics descobreixen el funcionament de la naturalesa en les seves investigacions. Tot allo que volem esbrinar ja existeix a priori, pero de vegades ens s ben difcil de trabar les relacions ms senzilles. Ens enfrontem a un trencaclosques la dificultar del qual aug-menta amb el creixement de la discontinu'itat de la nos-na cultura. Quin s el model perceptiu en que es ba-sen els nostres mateixos projectes?

El cientfic estableix models que li permetin qualificar i descriure el veritable funcionament de la Natura. De manera semblant, nosaltres fem servir !'arquitectura com una mena de model o d'eina per percebre la rea-litat urbana, s a dir, per interpretar uns fets, posar-los en relaci i donar-los un senrit. Per aquest motiu, a continuaci establir una comparaci entre el mo-del cientfic basar en la teoria atomica i la nostra per-cepci de la ciutat. L'interes d'aquesta comparaci con-sisreix en el fet que la invesrigaci cientfica, en examinar la realitat, ens mostra imatgts del mn i de la materia imperceptibles per als nostres ulls, pero no per aixo menys reals. Sobretot ens interessa la relaci entre el mn visible i el mn invisible.' La imatge de !' invisible s important ja que ens permet interpretar la imatge del visible com a part d'un procs global, s a dir, com un element que es relaciona amb el tot, tal com passa amb els objectes de la naturalesa en un grau de complexitat i de significaci difcil d'abastar en els objectes artificials.1

11 3-

Bourgeoisie. We learn of these struggles from books and we continue ro live in rhe patched-up remains of rheir cities. However, we understand these struggles from our own perspecrive and wirh our own variable perceptions, the way we would contemplare a painting by Velzquez or Goya.

Just as the compact city center corresponds to the crystalline body model, so can its dissolution be com-pared to rhe transformarion undergone by matter through the application of energy. The transformation of a crystalline structure to an amorphous aggregate corresponds ro the dissolution of the trad icional city and to the emergence of today's less specific, almost cartilaginous urban forms. This cartilaginous urban mass is the most direct expression of our contemporary cultural energies.

Our feelings may be divided over rhese facts, yet we feel at borne in this new urban environment, because we were born and raised in rhe midst of this process of dissolurion (which in the case of Swiss cities began just after the end of World War II). Indeed, many of our projects are directly related to the non-crystalline con-dition of the city, such as the Foto Studio Fre, the Schwarzpark, or rhe Railway Depot. On the other hand, we want to distance ourselves from the latest craze over the ciry periphery (a caprice typical of those architects who still feel that their work can be justified on the basis of images from films by Antonioni or Wenders). The current dissolute condition of the city periphery is more the result of poltica] and cultural impotence rhan the expression of a society evolving towards greater sincerity and individuality. -

l. J~ep Beuy~ frequentl) rder\ to p.1nicular pnxt.~'\ thJt ukc pbct m Nnure lnd rcb.tcs thc:m to )()Citt~. for I."X.lmple 10 \t'j, 111 /\mm (\X'hat '" Art?).

2. Ac~ording 10 th1~ imerprct.1t1on, anifi..:1.a.l obic:-ch h:1n~ to be disungui')htd un thc b.v~i.:. uf thcir lpt.Yifit chJr.h,;U.:ri~tlt.:'). th3t .,, uropcxtm: of whcther they :ue mdustriJI, cr.tft. Jn:h!tt:etur.al, ;mi\tu.;, ~lcntfi~o. or "impl~ utiliurian obicct\. Con;c:queml~. buth Jrtlo,tit: .1nd

.an:hlh~ctur.al work~ or th~ mo-.t wP.:hisuwted thnoiOo IIL. RZOG .;md de MEIJRON, Ore t-"Cr!JO~nr Ccomctru.: der \:uur (Thc Hidden Gcomctry of N~tun:), a ulk giwn 10 1989 :md publi\hed in Quad'"rns, no. 181182. Barcdon.1. I"JH9.

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Basilea Basle.

Basllea. Emp la~ament de Schwarz. Park Basle. Schwarz Park SIIC

3. EL COS CRISTALL DE LA CIUTi\T

La cohesi d'una estructura cristallina depen de les forces que actuen entre els seus atoms i molecules. El grau d'atracci entre les partcules elementals esta re-lacionar ambla forma especfica de la malla cristallina i, conseqentment, amb la forma externa i visible de la materia. Hi ha cristalls la forma deis quals permet una gran atracci entre els seus atoms i tamb hi ha cristalls en que la fors:a d'atracci s tan debil que la seva forma externa tendeix facilment a descompondre's i a transformar-se.

La ciutat amiga tradicional es pot comparar a un cristal! estable. Cada estructura cristallina posseeix una for-ma especfica, pero tamb -de manera similar al que passa en els materials estables de la naturalesa, p.e., els metalls- t tendencia a perdre la seva forma. En cris-tallografia aquesta tendencia es descriu amb el grau de duresa. En aportar energia, p.e. calor, a una deter-minada substancia, s'inicia un procs de transforma-ci en la seva estructura interna que finalment porta a una destrucci de la forma especfica del cristal!. Es tracta d'un procs de descomposici per mitja del qua! la materia adquireix un nou estat d'agregaci.

Els palaus i places renaixemistes, barrocs i neoclassics deis barris histories tamb ens poden semblar cossos cris-tallins i estables. A la nostra imaginaci -sobretot des de la perspectiva del lem i cautels avans: de la p lanifi-caci a la Su"issa democratica- , aquests components histories i estables de la ciutat ens semblen tan ina-movibles i transformables que quan rem joves estu-diants mai no els vam arribar a contemplar com a ve-ritable arquitectura, com el resultar d 'un procs laboral simi lar al que nosaltres ens pensavem dedicar tota la vida, sin com uns elemems fixos que, evidentment, tamb necessiten esporadicamem algu na reparaci.

4. LA DESCOI'vlPOSICI DEL COS CRISTAL"L Sense cap mena de dubte, les circumsrancies poltiques i culturals en que es van basar els barris histories no sn comparables a les que regnen a l'actualitat. La cla-redat, la unicitat i la inclinaci a la tradici am b que es van construir els cossos cristallins de la ciutat his-torica (a partir d'una logica especfica) s impensable als nostres dies. Per aixo, amb prou feines podem su-portar aquell a arqu itectura conrem porania que fa com si es pogus restablir !'amiga tradici mitjans:anr la si-

mulaci de determinades formes i estils del passat. L'ar-gument cnic segons el qua! aquesta si mulaci respon al gust de la majoria tampoc no hauria de modificar la nostra opin i.

Ens trobem molt allunyats de les velles lluites poltiques pe! poder entre l'Esglsia, !'aristocracia i la burguesa, que noms coneixem per mitja deis llibres d'historia i, encara que vi vi m a les restes recom postes de les se-ves ciutats, les hem d'interpretar com la nostm propia percepci tal com fem en mirar un quadre antic de Velzquez o de Goya.

D e la mateixa manera que els barris compactes responen al model fsic del cos cristall, la seva creixent descom-posici es por equiparar a la transformaci que sofreix un material en aportar-Ji energia, per exemple, en escalfar-lo. La transici des d'una estructura cristallina fins a un agregar amorf correspon a la descomposici de la ciutat tradicional en les actuals formes urbanes. Aquesta nova massa urbana cartilagi nosa s l'expres-si ms directa deis actuals corrents culturals.

En aquesta nova situaci urbana ens trobem com a casa. Hem nascut i crescut im mersos en aquest procs de descomposici, que a les ciutats su"ises es va iniciar un cop acabada la Segona Guerra Mundial. Molts deis nos-tres projectes estan directamem relacionats amb la nova forma no cristallina de la ciutat, per exemple, el Foto Studio Fre, el Schwarzpark o el nou Lok-Depot. D 'al-tra banda, ens volem distanciar clarament de la predi-lecci, segons !'ltima moda, per la periferia de la ciutat - un caprici tpic d'aquells arquitectes que encara se'n semen legitimats desprs d'una comprensi erronia d 'algunes seqencies cinematografiques d'Amonioni o de Wenders-. L'actual forma urbana de la periferia s ms la conseqencia d'una impotencia poltica i cul-tural que no pas l'expressi d'una societat en evoluci cap a una ms gran si nceritat i individualitat. -

l. jo,.eph llcuy' ~ovint .. ha rcfcrit a dctcrminah proc..-:sso!t qut. c..s donen a la muurah:s.l i d!t ha pc)';.lt .:n rd.lCI .1mb b socittat. x-r cxcmpk'. a \V.Zs lSI lmsl ( .. Q ui ~~ .1rt?.) 1. Scgon5 Jqul'Sta intcrprctaci, cl!t oU1c~h:S anificials )h~n de di f~.n.nciar sobre 1.1 bJ5\." de les

5~o.""'"s c.lr.Kh.:ri~tiqucs espifiqm:J. !t a Jir, amb indcpendencJ quc L"'ii tr.tc:u d'objcctc.) industrial,, .lrh."-lnal~. Jrquitc:cu)mc~ .lrtbtl~ cu:mfics o )lmph:m~nt utiliuri). Pt:r t.mt. l'obr;1 Jrt~t i~o:l i I'Jrquih."\..tUra o b tccnoiObi' m) '()fisticada poden ser cnu:~c:~ com objc.'CtC'S anifici.ll~ ccuiplr.lhlt.~ i altJmcnt _eSJkcifics. ja que tots ells posscc:ixcn una estructur.l complc.u i al m:ttci>. tcmp., comprcmiblc. Es pcr .1ixO qul.' !'S poden compJr.u ;unb els objc

Maqueta de la gar i ta de senyals Stgnal box model

Maqueta del dipOsit de locomotores. MOdel of the locomottves depot.

Emplat;ament Site plan

Basllea

Arqultectes Architects

Jaeques Herzog

Plerre de Meuron

Data del proJecte Project

1988

Fotograf les PhOiographers

Studlo Frel

PrO j e e te de di pOS i t de tren S El diposit s un conjunt de cotxeres i tallers diferents quant a profunditat, amplada i tamb, en part, quant a als:ada. L'e lement additiu ha estar el punt de partida per a la transformaci d'aquest objecte preexistent en una idea edificatoria. Les parets longitudinals que transcorren paralleles a les vies sn de formig i tenen unes grans ober-tures perque hi pugui entrar suficient llum lateral, ambla qua] cosa queda garantida la mitxima flexi-bi litat de cara a possibles ampliacions o canvis d's. Sobre aquestes parets longiwdinals de drrega es repengen els enrramats merallics -de secci compa-rat ivament gran- envidrats venicalment a rots dos costats i a intervals diferents per optimi tzar la llum de les bigues i la il luminaci natural a !'interior del diposit. Les superfcies de la teulada compreses entre les bigues-lluerna s'han enjardinar. Amb aixo s'ha enri-quit ]'arquitectura del diposit, no tan sois en un sentir ecologic, sin que el taps de plantes s a ms a ms una protecci i un llament ideal tant a l'hivern com a l'estiu. La garita de senyals. Els seus angles sn arrodonits. Una serie de lamines de coure rodegen tot l'edifi-ci i formen una pell exterior. Les finestres i les obertures de ventilaci alllen davant les inclemencies cl imatiques: sol, pluja, vent i neu. L'elecci del coure per a realitzar la pell protectora de l'edifici s deguda a les propietats especfiques d'aquest material.

Pro j e e t f O r a t rain de p o t The depot is a complex of sheds and workshops tbat differ in deptb, width and parrially in height. The added element was the departure point for the transformation of an already existing object into a new constructio nal idea. The walls that run parallel to the lines are made of concrete and feature large openings so tbat suffi-cient light can enter through the side, th us guaranteeing maximum flexibi lity should any extensions or changes of use be necessary in the fu ture. The metallic frameworks, with their comparatively large sections, rest on these side bearing walls. They are glazed venically on either side and at varying intervals, in order ro opt imize the light of the beam-skylights and the natural illumination inside the depot. The roof surfaces between the beam-skylights have been landscaped in an attempt not only tO in-crease the ecological value of the w ho le, but also tO insulate the building against both heat and cold. The signa! box has rounded corners, and a series of copper sheets surround the building forming an outer skin. T he windows and ventilat ion openings actas insulatio n against the inclemencies of the climate: sun, rain, wind and snow. Copper was chosen for this protective ski n by vinue of the particular properties of this metal.

Dlpsit d e locomotores. Fac;ana sud , amb l'edlflcl d 'oflclnes al davant. Locomollves depot. South facade with the ollice bulding in lrom.

T 117-

Empla~ament Site plan

Schwarz Park, Basllea

Arqultec:tes Architects

J acques Herzog

Plerre de Meuron

Data del projec:te ProteC1

1988

Pro j e e te pe r a S eh w a r z Par k L'edifici r origen en unes reflexions sobre el lloc i la forma no s'ha determinar des de !'exterior, ni s'ha prefixat per endavam, tal com por passar de manera ms simplificada en un edifici classicista. L'estructura interna de l'edific i determina la secci, les plantes i les fac;anes. L'edifici esta organitzat funcionalment en vertical mirjanc;ant una mena de torre que, en el cas de la cuina i els banys, sn de totxo; als patis de llums i a les escales, de formig armar; a les llars de foc, de ma refractari; i a les torres exteriors, a manera de columncs, de form ig acolorit. Tots aquests elemems venicals tenen una fu nci estructural i al mateix temps se'ls ha assignat una funci espacial especfica. L'espai entre les torres, obert a diferents usos, constitueix una mena de forma negativa respecte a la potencia deis elements vert icals. L'edifici configurar d'aquesta manera porser s comparable a la pedra conglomerada, on cadascun deis componems mam la seva individualitat a !'agregar fina l.

pro j e e t f o r S eh w a r z par k The building originares from a ser of reflections on the si te, and its form was derermined neither from the exterior nor from preconceived ideas, as might have becn the simpler case of a classicist building. The inner structure of the building determines its section, the floors and the fas;ades. From the functional poim of view, the building is arranged vertically in a series of towers: the kitchen and barhrooms are of brick; the courtyards and staircases are of reinforced concrete; the chimneys are of hear-resistant brick; and tbe outer rowers, acting as columns, are of coloured concrete. All these vertical elements have both structural and specifically spatial functions. The space bet-ween rhe towers, availablc fo r different uses, consrirures a kind of negarive form tbat offsets the po-tency of rhe vertical elements. The building rhus conceived is perhaps comparable to a conglomerare of stone, in which each of rhe componems preserves its own individualiry as parts of rhe fi nal complex.

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THE SEA

Pro j e e te pe r a 1 a Di a g o na 1 u na nova estaci depuradora com a establimem de basses. u na proposta urbana per a la ciurat de Barcelona. D esistim de recluir les reflexions urbanes de la Diagonal de Barcelona a projectes d'habitatges. No estem disposats a oferir projectes concrets d'habitatges amb plantes, seccions i far,:anes per a un lloc que plameja tams temes. Qestions diferents d'aquelles que es podrien solucionar simplemem amb projectes d' habitatges. No pot ser feina nostra ofegar preguntes, sobretot abans de ni tan sois haver-les plantejat. Voldrem con-tribuir oferint alguns temes concernenrs a la ciutat contemporimia, i potser aclarir-ne algun. Vol-drem crear els prerequisits de cara a futures consideracio ns urbanes en aquesta zona de Barcelona. No sabem que s el correcte: allargar la Diagonal cap al mar o deixar la geometra imperfecta actual. Evidentmem , semi m simpata envers la situaci actual, ates que s'hi dna la fo rr,:a d'una vida urbana desenvolupada per ella mateixa. s per aixo que en aquest moment no suggerim habitatges, sin la construcci d'una depuradora com a establiment de basses, alla on la Diagonal avanr,:a cap al mar. La depuradora existent es presenta com si fos el resultar d' un deure molest de la municipalitat, apar-tada tan discretament com s possible, empesa a un costat talment es tracts d' una arquitectura cri-minal. El nou establiment ha de formar part visiblement d'un sistema circulatori, d'un procs natu-ral i, com a tal, assumira un paper important, esteticamenr i funcional, a la ciutat contempor?mia.

Empla~ament Slle p!an

Barcelona

Arqultec:tes Alchit&Cts

M arcel Melll

Markus Peter

J acques Herzog & Plerre de Meuron

Data del proJecte PtOject

198889

p rojee t f o r La Di a g o n a 1 We refuse [O limit our urbanistic considerations on the ro the sea or !eaving the present stuttering geometry as it is. Of course, we have a sympathy for the present state because it expresses the strength of an urban life independently grown. Therefore we are not suggesting any form of housing at this time. We propose instead the construction of a water purification system in the form of a pond. Where the Diagonal projects and imo the sea, at the end 7 m. geometry 7 m. Plan Cerda. The existing water purification plant now stands looking like the result of an annoying compulsory exercise car-ried out by municipal authorities -out of the way, as unobtrusive as possible, pressed ro the edge like a criminal architecture. The new plan would be a visible part of a circularory system, of a natural process and as such, would take on an important aesthetic and functional role in the comemporary city.

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