Netherlands-based firm Open
Platform for Architecture (OPA) is breaking conventions by
building into the earth, rather than above it.
To date, OPA has already conceived of
three promising underground designs -- The Plinth, The Holy Cross and Casa
Brutale -- collectively named the Terra Matter Trilogy.
The Plinth was
designed to be a cultural center in Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan as part of a
competition. The Holy Cross, if
built, would be a place of worship.
The third vision, Casa Brutale, was commissioned after images for
the house wedged into a cliff, went viral online. It will eventually be located
in Lebanon.
So, what's the attraction of life
underground? CNN Style speaks to Laertis Vassiliou, cofounder of OPA, about the
future of architecture.
Architects these days are exploring more
diverse landscape opportunities, designing for example, projects located underwater, in
the forest, in the air, and so on. What inspired you to go underground?
Vassiliou: Underground architecture has
been around since the medieval times, and longer. People lived in caves, and
dug holes to build houses. It's not something new. I wrote a thesis on
underground buildings and their past at the National Technical Institute of
Athens in 2006.
But that [the thesis] is what got me
interested in what was still unexplored when building underground, and the
right opportunity came with the Bamiyan Cultural Center in Afghanistan. I
wanted go back to the roots, back to earth to see what happens. So I went down
and placed the building inside the earth instead of above it.
What are the benefits of living
underground?
Vassiliou: There are many benefits,
although I believe that we still cannot exploit it fully. There are benefits of
earth's thermal insulation, and you can also be protected from harmful
environmental issues like UV [ultraviolet waves].
It is very safe, unless you are in a
very seismic continent. There is also the negative perception that people
already have of this underground world and the darkness that comes with it, so
there's functional benefits versus psychology.
Living underground often has a dark and
eerie connotation. What elements did you put in in your design to make these
underground structures more appealing?
Vassiliou: People hate underground
architecture because humans are meant to live on earth, not inside earth. My
ambition through this trilogy was to reconsider underground architecture and
make people love it.
For Casa Brutale, I put a large façade
towards the stunning view and the light reflecting onto the pool water creates
an aquarium-like feeling. Enough playful light makes it more atmospheric and
transcendental.
Was the chapel of the Holy Cross harder
to design than the other two because you had to consider religious elements?
What religious design elements did you include?
Vassiliou: Mainly it's the cross. The
cross as a typology or as a shape has been a very popular shape in designing
churches, but making a façade and organizing the space into an extruded cross
was very challenging. I also built religious iconography into the concrete, but
the whole space is pure and is just focused on the atmosphere.
Your second underground project, Casa
Brutale, became an internet sensation. And the project will eventually be
built. What's the latest on this?
Vassiliou: It's been a very exciting
ride but I could never say that it's been a smooth journey. We worked really
hard with the press because for the idea to come true, ideally it'd have to
become an internet sensation. So I told my design team, 'If Kim Kardashian can
break the internet with a picture of her butt, we can do it with some
interesting architecture, too.' Since then, we've had a lot of new projects and
clients and it's going well.
Were your renderings and the surrounding
landscape based on an actual place on earth, or did you just picture a cliff
when you conceived of its design?
Vassiliou: I pictured breathtaking cliffs
by the Aegean sea, and Greek islands in the Cyclades. Folegandros and Serifos
are the actual places where I rendered. They are very beautiful places with or
without my building.
How do you think this project will
impact people and the contemporary architecture scene? What do you hope to
achieve through the Terra Mater Trilogy?
Vassiliou: In architecture, usually a
client visits the architect and commissions a project. But I first designed a
building that could be placed in some places, and found a client later. That
was a big bet for myself, but it worked. People can now work and become known
for what they can do, not for what they have done for other people and
companies. I've seen many interesting projects hitting the internet and it's
awesome that people are going for their inspirations.
All three projects seem to have
Brutalist style characteristics. Why?
Vassiliou: I love concrete. I decided to
pay a tribute to Brutalism with the Terra Mater trilogy because it was a very
sincere and honest movement and phase of architecture. But I wouldn't go much
further into that. I like modernism, big façades, and minimalism.
What's next for OPA?
Vassiliou: I am trying to avoid having a
signature architecture. I said no more underground buildings otherwise I'll get
a new nickname -- like 'mole.' It will be interesting to work on high rise buildings
which I am very keen on. I'd like to continue as a minimalist and work with
simple, pure, and honest materials like light, water, and reflections.
0 Comments