Designing with Air: Rethinking Architecture Beyond the Wall
ArchDaily publishes a feature exploring the concept of air as a primary architectural material, challenging the traditional focus on solid elements like walls and lintels. The article argues for a parallel history where construction is defined not by occupying space but by what moves through it, treating buildings as thermal valves and sites of filtration. It references the Blur Building (2002) by Diller Scofidio + Renfro on Lake Neuchatel, Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, as an example of this approach. The piece is part of a broader discourse on lightness in architecture, linking to a related article on the psychology of floating.
Key facts
- Architecture is traditionally defined by solid elements like walls and lintels.
- The article proposes a parallel history where air is the primary construction material.
- Buildings are described as thermal valves with gradients of moisture, velocity, and heat.
- The Blur Building by Diller Scofidio + Renfro is cited as an example.
- The Blur Building is located on Lake Neuchatel in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, built in 2002.
- The article is published on ArchDaily.
- It links to a related article on the psychology of lightness in architecture.
Entities
Artists
- Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Institutions
- ArchDaily
Locations
- Lake Neuchatel
- Yverdon-les-Bains
- Switzerland