Institute for archaeology: a study in place

Abstract

<i>"Whoever attempts to solve the riddle of space in the abstract will construct the outline of emptiness and call it space.

Whoever attempts to meet man in the abstract will speak with his echo and call this a dialogue.

Man still breathes in and out. When is Architecture going to do the same?"</i>¹

In order to develop a language in architecture, an architect spends a lifetime building and refining the grammar and expressions he or she uses.

With study and an understanding of place, one can use architectural language to develop a dialogue with place.

Without dialogue the architecture is empty.

This interpretation of Aldo Van Eyck's statement is a beginning for this effort in design. The site, the "place," was chosen first for values which make it unique, and the project and its program were developed later. The observation of place extended from the physical environment, its history, and culture, to other aspects which make up the "spirit of place," as described by Christian Norberg-Schulz. The attempt was then to design in relation to aspects which I felt were important to the place, to create a dialogue.