Material Gesture

​

In this studio, exploration of the gestures of making in relation to a material of individual choice was undertaken. The aim was to produce an architecture that is solely focussed on the relationship between the two, where the reality of the work lies within the material, the form and the act of making. The architecture that results from this approach does not reference or represent something, neither is it an abstraction, but simply attempts to exist as a physical reality. 

​

The site in the archipelago Kingdom of Bahrain, on newly reclaimed bare land: a flat field of sand facing the sea, further reinforces the logic of an architecture that has to come from within rather than the context. The project used  cob (a mixture of clay, sand, water, and straw) as the material of choice, and the process was developed by studying and experimenting with the material and making models every week, thereby deducing its unique qualities. The special character of clay is on display while working with hands, giving it an organic uneven surface which is exaggerated when it dries and shrinks. All tests and models were carried out in a 1:15 scale. The final model shown here weighed 200 kg, with the dimensions  83x41x100cm. The journey of transformation was an exciting one, resulting finally in a space which housed a sacred environment or space for ritual.

​

'Professor Holtrop's studio was a laboratory for experiments and innovation. With 24 different materials - ranging from concrete and aluminium to wax, bitumen and salt, the collective research taught us just how fundamental the nature of a material is to building. Anne was an affable, kind, and patient teacher. The studio found itself at the intersection of engineering, art and architecture.'

 

www.arc.usi.ch

​

Photographs: SG

​

Accademia di Architettura, Mendrisio

2016