week 4 : daniel libeskind
One very interesting way Daniel Libeskind approaches his projects is how he relates his designs based on the site. He mentions in the interview that everything is interconnected with one another, be it in the city or out in the grasslands. Being aware of the previous occupants of the space or the events that occur there are very important in creating the appropriate and communicating well with the users of the space.
.png)
One good example of this is his 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero, New York. He explains in the interview how he wanted to create a concept that is strong enough to withstand conflicts within the different stakeholders, but also create a concept that is strong and can relate well with the people.
He then answered this with “to not build anything”
He addressed the site as “more than a piece of real estate”. By not building anything, putting the old buildings supports and columns in the forefront, it helps the general public to understand the space and remember the tragic accident that happened which was 9/11. Libeskind speaks emotionally about the significance of the memorial and its particular presence on the site, including the way it interacts with the existing slurry wall that was built to hold back the Hudson River and the future towers that will rise above it on the site.
By creating a strong concept based on his research and awareness of the significance of the site, he was able to create an atmosphere that represented the tragic events that have occured in the past.
​
An opening in the wall of the space to Daniel Libeskind is very different from what the general public thinks of doors and windows. Apart from being a rite of passage, to change the atmosphere and the feeling of the space, Daniel Libeskind oftens angles the openings in his spaces. This breaks away from the usual perpendicular arrangements of doors and windows, giving the user a slight discomfort.
This discomfort is very interesting as he mentions that by tilting the window even by a small angle, he is able to change someone’s perception of the outside world, calling it “reality”. He mentions that people often associate “normal” windows and doors with movies, but he argues that the real world is full of imperfections, and framing the view with this change of angle will change the perception or amplify the effect he is trying to get the user to feel.
My prior perception of openings in the space are on the most basic level to allow atmospheric light to enter a space, to brighten up or lighten up the space. Another way that I use openings in the space is to frame important features of the site or some landscaping. The way Libeskind has used the space has given me a realisation that there is another dimension of opening up apertures in the space, by not only framing physical subjects, but also creating some discomfort/comfort to the user, introducing another dimension in creating the wanted atmosphere in the space.
​
It could be argued that some of Daniel Libeskind’s work sticks out like a sore thumb due to its abstract and angular form. One example is his Jewish Museum in Berlin. Libeskind designed an extension to the existing museum building, an 18th Century conservation building. Libeskind’s addition to the building was a large, zig zagging structure made out of metal, a drastic difference in the existing building.
.png)
The drastic difference between the addition and the existing building was seen as “soulless” and has a lack of harmony with the existing building, especially with such a historical site like Berlin. However, I think the Jewish Museum was a success instead of a failure. The heavy contrast between the two buildings create a clashing, dissonant atmosphere; similarly to the Holocaust.
Libeskind mentioned in the interview that he has directly experienced the detrimental effects that the Holocaust has brought to him and his parents. The trauma that he faced has shaped what he has become today. In context of the Jewish Museum, I think that the clashing design addressed the context of the site very well, giving visitors a solemn and distressed feelings; feelings that the Jews have been through during the holocaust.
In conclusion, I think that Libeskind’s works are very intriguing in terms of how he approaches elements in the site as well as its context. Designing a structure that can inflict a certain emotion that you want users to feel makes your design much deeper and complex.