Case Study Rolex Learning Center, Lausanne | SANAA
Text Deleuze and the Genesis of Form | Manuel de Landa
Form is an intrinsic feature of architecture. Architects and theorists of different ages have been developing various principles in order to define the form-finding procedure. Gilles Deleuze, a French philosopher, has developed his own philosophy which we are trying to conceive through the work of Manuel de Landa, Deleuze and the Genesis of Form.
According to the essay, matter has its own capability to generate forms in a way that is immanent to the matter itself. This procedure is mainly directed by the rules of mathematics, thermodynamics and is completely natural. Unlike the modernistic perception of generalization and perfection of solids, what is important for Deleuze is not the final form/ shape but the processes of morphogenesis that take place until that form is obtained. The final form is achieved as a state of inner equilibrium of the matter/material and it does not need to impose itself onto the matter from the outside. This diagrammatic operation described by Deleuze is applied onto the fields of society, geology and evolution.
In architecture, this principle could possibly be applied by studying the inner properties of the materials used and by allowing them to influence the final form of the structures.
At the Rolex Learning Center by SANAA architects, this inner equilibrium is supposed to be found by the users of the building. It is comprised of one single fluid space of 20.000sq.m. The roof and the floor slabs undulate gently in parallel creating an artificial topography of hills and valleys with no conventional visual or sonic barriers. In this single-storey space the uses and the occupation of each space is free and defined by the inclination of the floor.
According to the architects, the movement of people is not linear but curved in an organic way, unless it is defined by strict paths. The Learning Center allows complete freedom to its users to walk, sit and occupy the space the way they want. It is almost like a park, it encourages people to choose where to go, to communicate and to develop a whole new way of learning. Although the success of this project in this aspect is doubtful, as the area to be covered is much extended and the photos available do not reveal full occupation of the space, it is a very interesting approach to design.
If we try to apply this case study in the philosophy of Deleuze, the matter that tries to reach its balance is the users of the building. The architectural form of the building is being created by human movement and occupation and only the curved background has been designed by the architects. Again, what is important here, as a principle of the function of the Learning Center, is the procedure by which people are occupying the space in order to achieve the best formation for their purpose each time – sitting, reading, discussing -, in other words the form-finding process to the equilibrium of Gilles Deleuze.
As a further research line, and as a continuation of my interest on dynamic architectural boundaries proposed by relational logics topic, I would be interested in exploring the relation between different boundaries and the architectural form generated in existing case studies as well as the successfulness of this kind of projects in terms of functionality.
Image Source http://www.architectural-review.com/buildings/rolex-learning-center-by-sanaa/8621669.article