Francis D’Haene
In these text Bernard Rudofsky offer us to think about connection between buildings and nature. He contemplate about garden as a living space, about relations between interior and outdoor.
In the beginning the author say how is important climate for us. Our life and activity depends on it. People always choose place for living according preferences to climate or…climate form our preferences? Maybe relations between people and nature also depends on it? The hostile environment and climate never encouraged an intimate relationship between man and nature. Mankind constantly try to control it.
Centuries ago people found the solution how to be attached to the nature if you want to be in a private space: they created garden-rooms as for the ceiling was always sky. The historical concept of the house-garden was privacy. And people created gardens with the wall to have the opportunity to feel safe being outside. In the Romans gardens in example gave us Rudofsky the materials used in interior part was the same in the garden, they created illusion of one space, also as vegetation, benches, gates and etc. created a special mood. As in Pompeii gardens order existed more as an absence of disorder.
We can exactly say that the outdoor rooms is the positional relations, relations between environment and architecture, it’s a system by illation. Author was talking about walls without specific functions. Such walls becomes a piece of art, created by nature, it can serve as a screen for shadows and reflections, and make a contrast with the trees at the same time interacted between.
Rudofsky was also talking about another sort of relationship. He considered that front lawns add nothing to the looks of the house, it belongs more to the street than to the house. As well a fence is quite pointless. So it is also confirmation that he was adherent more complex conditioned outdoor spaces. Only by wall, light, temperature and inexhaustible repertoire of architect’s tools can be achieved the perfectly conditioned outdoor garden-room.
Learning about own art way of Bernard Rudofsky it easier to understand his philosophy of room-garden. A special arrangement integrated within the landscape, front courts, forms appropriated from traditional architecture, and intimate atmosphere for the people living in the house. He felt drawn to the Mediterranean region’s sybaritic, or sensual, attitude toward life, and its houses designs with patios and protective walls blending interior and outdoor spaces.
Possible research’s theme.
I’m interested in “organic” architecture, I would like to investigate more about and think about harmony of coexistence of modern house and natural beauty, how to integrate with environment don’t disturbing it first view.