architecture of textiles:

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1 architecture of textiles: design thinking for local contexts Honors Senior Research Project Chelsea Brown, BS in Arch, 2013 Peter Wiederspahn, Faculty Advisor

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3 The study of traditional cultural materials provides insight for the design of contemporary architecture in cities of the developing world. Precedent exists within the images, materials, and climactic responses of cultural artifacts, however the methods of adaptation for architectural design are yet to be defined. As seen in many developing countries, the rapid modernization of urban centers, such as Mumbai, has supported the construction of countless generic buildings that fail to relate to their locality and fall short of design innovation. Many researchers have critiqued the urban environments and architecture of many of India s major cities, including Mumbai; however few have proposed real methods of creating better spatial conditions. Published interviews with both Rahul Mehrotra, a Boston-Mumbai based architect and professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and anthropologist Arjun Appadurai, provide insight into the theoretical approaches to the design of new urban environments, of which local identity is a major concern. Appadurai suggests understandasbtract 3 ing first what it means to be local, then creating a spatial idea of what that local is, allowing one to get a deeper sense of what it means to produce, inhabit, and sustain spatial relations. 1 Similarly, Mehrotra suggests identifying lessons from globalization for application in local contexts in order to create distinct identities for each of India s cities, thus creating unique architectural responses that are very much of that place. 2 Combining the process of these two experts, that of understanding both locality and the benefits of global methods, suggests a method for creating new contextually relevant architecture. 1. Appadurai, Arjun, Illusion of Permanance, in Perspecta, no. 34 (June 2003): Art & Architecture Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2012), p Mehrotra, Rahul, Between Equity And Impatient Capital: Making Indian Cities, in Journal Of International Affairs 65, no. 2 (Summer ): Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 26, 2012), p.137.

4 4 METHODOLOGY 3. Frampton, Kenneth, Prospects for a Critical Regionalism, in Perspecta, vol. 20 (1983): JSTOR (accessed Sept. 9, 2012). In line with Kenneth Frampton s Prospects for a Critical Regionalism, my research similarly deconstructs local traditions and foreign influences, then analytically proposes methods of design thinking for the reconstruction of a modern context. 3 Understanding the use of textiles in Mumbai as both a temporary construction material and cultural expression, my research makes in initial conceptual leap connecting textiles with architecture. This connection allows both textiles and architecture to be understood outside their typical definitions, and aids in my research of local traditions in Mumbai. Methodologically, my research has followed a loosely linear sequence of (1) defining the terms related to both the topics of textiles and architecture; (2) making conceptual connections between the two sets of terms, with textiles in Mumbai as a test-bed for these connections; (3) compiling a matrix diagram of the conceptual connections between architectural and textiles terms; (4) travel to Mumbai to document and critique the conceptual connections thus developed; and (5) reformation of concepts and revision of matrix into specific-generic design thinking paradigms. The final result of this process of research, analysis, and reordering of an existing cultural material textiles explores the visual, material, and spatial manifestations of Mumbai s culture for the development of a broad-based design thinking that incorporates tradition with contemporary culture. At the outset I defined the terms of my architectural thought as identity, grounding, and boundary. These three terms served to delineate the various aspects of architecture s aesthetic, cultural, and spatial qualities into more broad based terms that move beyond specific architectural moves into the realm of architecture s social applications. Similarly, I defined the terms of my investigation of textiles as aesthetic, means, and environment. After elaborating upon the definition of each term, I plotted them in a matrix, from which I began to draw conceptual connections, pages 6-7. Within each cell I listed initial ideas relating to the intersection of two given terms for example the crossing of textile means and architectural grounding as well as questions for further research and a brief list of relevant articles that I anticipated would aid in my later expansion of the cell s conceptual contents. The matrix then became a conceptual map that lead my in-field research in Mumbai. Over a two-week period

5 I visited a number of open public spaces, parks, and markets, documenting instances of temporary construction, textile structures, and screening elements. Information gathered while in Mumbai has thus influenced the content of the matrix and its application. Moving away from a processbased conceptual research framework, the matrix is now a solutions-based framework, illustrating potential methods of design-thinking. 5

6 TEXTILES 6 MATRIX Explores the themes relating to use of textiles. AESTHETICS: MEANS: IMAGE/PATTERN TOOLS/TECHNIQUES IDENTITY: CULTURE/TRADITION Visual associations between textiles and architectures, referencing each other seen in patterns, screens, and layers of thresholds Tradition in symbology Temporary architecture of street markets, slum residences, and special events Repetition of pattern, fabric, color, application aid in forming a cultural/traditional identity ARCHITECTURE Explores the themes relating to use of textiles. GROUNDING: SITING/REPETITION BOUNDARY: LINES/WALLS Urban fabric and continuity of image Temporary structures have permanent presecnel iterations of structures vary; frequency throughout city creates urban fabric Visual/perceptual edges Physical boundaries are layered, gradual progression from exterior to interior Materiality as it relates to culture Tools to create repetition, typologies Temporary market structures near train stations Systems of enclosure Textiles used as physical boundaries Temporary construction implies socioeconomic permanent boundaries

7 7 ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE/EXPERIENCE Regionalism Use of screens, layers of thresholds, and deep shadows Economic class division through application of A/C Temporary responses to weather Typological adaptability to climate: open markets, screens, deep overhangs Spatial qualities of boundaries Expansion of space through overhangs and shade Blurring of boundaries through spatial depth BIBLIOGRAPHY Alsayyad, Nezar, From Vernacularism to Globalism: the Temporal Reality of Traditional Settlements. In TDSR vol. VII no. 1 (1995): Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 14, 2012) Appadurai, Arjun. "Illusion of Permanance." Perspecta, no. 34 (June 2003): Art & Architecture Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed July 27, 2012). Burns, Carol J. High Performance Sites. In Site Matters. Edited by Carol J. Burns and Andrea Kahn. New York and London: Routledge, Cerasi, Maurice. Type, Urban Context and Language in Con lict. In Typological Process and Design Theory. Edited by Attilio Petruccioli. Cambridge: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture Frampton, Kenneth. Frank Lloyd Wright and the Text-Tile Tectonic. In Studies in Tectonic Culture. Edited by John Cava. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2001, Frampton, Kenneth. Prospects for a Critical Regionalism. In Perspecta, vol. 20 (1983): JSTOR (accessed Sept. 9, 2012). Frampton, Kenneth. Introduction: Re lections on the Scope of the Tectonic. In Studies in Tectonic Culture. Edited by John Cava. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2001, Mehrotra, Rahul. "Between Equity And Impatient Capital: Making Indian Cities." Journal Of International Affairs 65, no. 2 (Summer ): Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 26, 2012). Rapoport, Amos. Attributes of Tradition. In Dwellings, Settlements, and Traditions. Edited by Jean-Paul Bourdier and Nezar Alsayyad. Lanham: University Press of America, Semper, Gottfried. Style in the Technical and Tectonic Arts or Practical Aesthetics. In The Four Elements of Architecture and Other Writings. Translated by Harry Francis Mallgrave and Wolfgang Herrmann. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989, Vellinga, Marcel. Anthropology and the Materiality of Architecture. In American Ethnologist, vol. 34, no. 4 (2007): Wang, Wilfried. Sustainability as a Cultural Problem. In Harvard Design Magazine, no. 18 (spring/summer 2003): 1-3.

8 8 DEFINITIONS 4. Alsayyad, Nezar, From Vernacularism to Globalism: the Temporal Reality of Traditional Settlements, in TDSR vol. VII no. 1 (1995): 14. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 14, 2012). 5. Rapoport, Amos, Attributes of Tradition, in Dwellings, Settlements, and Traditions, ed. Jean-Paul Bourdier and Nezar Alsayyad. Lanham: University Press of America, IDENTITY Identity refers to both the individual and the collective, the elements that reveal a building s use, and the collection of buildings that define a built environment, such as a neighborhood or district. Identity is influenced by notions of both culture and tradition. Identity, understood as the fact of being or knowing what one is, relates to architecture in the expression of the structures, uses, construction, etc. in a built environment. The elements that inform this expression are culture and tradition, and are two distinct realms of influence. Looking to the ways the built environment is adapted to meet the demands of tradition, the influences of culture, reveals those moments that contribute to the established identity. Alsayyad lists family, ethnicity, religion, language and history as being identity-constituting elements which are handed down in a process normally referred to as tradition. 4 Tradition then is the process by which customs are passed through generations, and how this process informs the built environment is the moment of my investigation. So to look initially at the specific customs, languages and religions as the defining elements of a traditional built environment may be ineffective, as the form and influence of each change with any given environment. It is first crucial to establish a process for interpreting tradition, then later look to specific examples. In looking at the traditions that constitute a built environment, and subsequently that environment s identity, it is perhaps easiest to consider tradition in terms of its various facets, as Amos Rapoport suggests in the Attributes of Tradition. Through literary analysis of tradition Rapoport was able to deduce the varieties of applications and meanings of tradition into a relatively concise list of attributes, grouped into three major categories: on (1) the nature of groups, (2) temporal, continuity, and change, and (3) economy/tradition. 5 These groups, and associated attributes, provide a starting point, a system of categorization, from which to analyze a preliterate or vernacular built environment. This primary list of attributes is limited in scope, as it is based on the common literary use of tradition in reference to preliterate and vernacular design. Seeking to expand the scope of tradition, Rapoport calls for a definition of tradition that is meant not only to help define preliterate and vernacular design and distinguish one from another, but to help distinguish

9 them from high style, popular and other types of design, and to help define these other concepts as well. In doing so, Rapoport provides a second list of attributes that is divided into the categories of process and product characteristics, intended for the analysis of somewhat undefined traditional built environments. 6 Finally, this idea that tradition is both a process and a product is critical as it addresses the duality of tradition something that is both happening, continuing, and evolving and as an established pattern that is the result of a specific time and place. This notion will be critical in defining identity. Tradition can be assumed to have a specific scope of influence, whereas culture is much more far reaching. in what Wilfired Wang would describe as architecture s cultural footprint, or the zone of cultural influence it has as an image or symbol that can be transported across boarders. 7 And this lends to the idea that in this global world, culture although it may be tied to a specific environment, is influenced by others. How culture comes to inform architecture, and the architectural responses to culture, provides an area of investigation that is emerging in architectural discussions, as evidenced by Marcel Velligna s review of three books on the subject of materiality. This focus is significant in both its physical and social value, because it is through materiality that culture and architecture mutually constitute one another. 8 Velligna additionally calls out the need for anthropological studies in understanding the cultural influence of architecture, with attention paid to its material as well as to its social and symbolical aspects, and to the ways in which all three dialectically interrelate. t The ways in which these two elements inform one another creates a dynamic relationship. Culture, as a reflection of the contemporary, challenges tradition. Simultaneously, tradition is the singular element around which culture is formed. They are then dependent upon each other for realization, and their combination forms an identity. GROUNDING Looking to the design elements used to create architectural ties to sepecific culture, the term grounding applies to the repetition of architecture to create a fabric of a local built culture. Frampton s definition Critical Regionalism provides a starting point from which to develop an understanding of grounding: the analytical deconstruction of local 6. Rapoport, Attributes, Wang, Wilfried, Sustainability as a Cultural Problem, in Harvard Design Magazine, no. 18 (spring/ summer 2003): Vellinga, Marcel, Anthropology and the Materiality of Architecture, in American Ethnologist, vol. 34, no. 4 (2007): Vellinga, Marcel, Anthropology and the Materiality of Architecture, in American Ethnologist, vol. 34, no. 4 (2007): 757.

10 Frampton, Kenneth, Prospects for a Critical Regionalism, in Perspecta, vol. 20 (1983): JSTOR (accessed Sept. 9, 2012). 11. Frampton, Kenneth, Prospects for a Critical Regionalism, in Perspecta, vol. 20 (1983): Burns, Carol J, High Performance Sites, in Site Matters. Edited by Carol J. Burns and Andrea Kahn. New York and London: Routledge, 308. traditions and foreign and contemporary influences for the reconstruction of a modern culture/civilization. 10 The notion of grounding relates to architecture that is of its place, meaning the architecture exudes a sense of belonging to a particular site or context. Elements that influence the notion of grounding siting, or belonging include materials, massing, typologies, and building uses, among others. Each of these elements influence the architecture, pushing it in some way, creating a dialogue between the architecture and its site. Both the site influences the architecture, and architecture on the site. Frampton s Critical Regionalism discusses the inclusion and appropriation of outside modern influences in the design for local contexts, calling for the analytical deconstruction of local traditions and foreign and contemporary influences in contemporary construction of modern cultures/civilizations. 11 This requires a critical understanding of the context and interpretive work on the part of the designer to create modern-contextual architecture that resists mere symbolism. Repetition of structures works together to form a fabric of built culture that creates a sense of uniformity from afar, but with closer inspection reveals the individual elements working together. Grounding, refers to both the physical area of a specific site and the modes of creating architectural connections to that site, both physically and cultural. Critical to the notion of grounding is the influence of local culture. What are the elements that distinguish this site from another, how does a universal building type adapt to various sites, or groundings? How are these elements analyzed and reinterpreted? Where do sites begin and end? Context can be understood in terms of a cultural or physical site, or perhaps both. In this way sites can be interpreted as boundless, composed of living, constantly changing elements. Involved in the processes of living change, architectural sites are part of a dynamic system of cultural and material realities. 12 These realities are separate and evolving matters, with their occasional overlap creating different conditions and contradictions in the formation of an architectural site. Analysis of these two realities, the cultural and material, yields a dynamic understanding of a context and its various modes of influence.

11 BOUNDARY The delineation of rooms or enclosures, how boundaries are made, and the significance of those boundaries; in addition, the construction of an environment and responses to climate. How do these things relate to the construction or continuation of a context? How are spaces created, what are their qualities? As a continuation of grounding, boundary takes on the three dimensional qualities of contextual design. boundary, as a system of enclosure determines the extents of a space. I am interested primarily in the type of enclosure and how it is associated with the use of the space it defines. The system of enclosure refers to the materials of the enclosing surfaces as well as the boundary lines. Materials and lines should then be considered for the effect they are producing within a space. This supports an approach to contextual design that does not rely on symbolic imitation to form connections to the a local context, but seeks a way to embody the qualities of the existing in order to further develop the built environment. Frampton praises Alvaro Siza y Viera s buildings in their ability to form tight responses to local contexts. This is achieved through a process that is patently tactile and materialist, rather than visual or graphic. 13 It is this emphasis on the physical qualities of materials that is essential in the formation of space. Analysis in terms of placement, values, construction of specific materials present in a local context will lead to informed design decisions that relate back to the context through the continuation of the local material language. This continued material language aids the connection between new and old within the specific built environment. Then is it also important to consider the spaces within a building relating to on another, as well as the exterior context, and the larger built environment, with the connections formed through material appropriation. Understanding these elements will help in determining the values of the spaces of a local context, that can then be applied to new spaces created and the experience of each Frampton, Kenneth, Prospects for a Critical Regionalism, in Perspecta, vol. 20 (1983): 151.

12 12 The terms aesthetics, means, and environment fall within the heading textile as they convey idea about both the appearance and functionality of textiles. In the early phase of research these terms created a basic framework for observing textiles, reading their use and cultural values for an architectural language. Aesthetics Referencing the visual qualities of textiles, including color and pattern and formal qualities. Light may also play a role in the aesthetic qualities, whether it is allowed to pass through the textile or made to stop at its edge. I am interested in determining when the visual elements have specific ties to cultural traditions, whether certain colors and patterns have implied meanings. Conversely, I would like to note the moments when aesthetics have given way to practicality, when does necessity of function prove more important than the look of a textile? Each of these instances could greatly alter the experience of the space, and so ultimately I am interested in how aesthetics move beyond image to reflect and define the spaces they are applied to. Means Looking to the tools and techniques used to establish the performative and aesthetic goals identified in the previous segment, means explores not only how the textiles are made embroidered, woven, or printed but also how they are applied, whether draped, covering a surface, or held in tension as a roof. Construction of the textile itself may or may not play a critical role in how it is used in a specific space. In addition, how textiles are used to construct spaces is essential to my research, specifically their use in public spaces. How are textiles used to create temporary shelters? What are the qualities of textiles that aid in creating temporary structures? Do the aesthetic qualities of the textile still read when used to define spaces? Environment Both the climatic influences and experiential qualities of textiles define spaces and as such the boundaries and enclosures common to specific cultural traditions, for example weddings, festivals, and markets are considered to be the delineation of environments. I am interesting in how the decision to use textiles to define spaces alters the experience of that space, and in

13 the case of temporary applications, how textiles alter a public space both before and after their implementation. I would also like to document how textiles are used in regards to local climate conditions and mass population use. Ultimately, I seek to document and understand any typologies found in Mumbai. 13

14 14 BOUNDARY aboundaries in Mumbai are both physical and social, and in both instances are deeply layered. Physical boundaries are found in walls, screens, and building types; social through class and occupation. Windows rarely appear as simple punched openings but are layered elements extending past the plane of the wall. Patterned metal screens cage windows, creating a zone to dry laundry or filter the air and light. The screens blur the distinction between pure opening and enclosure casting deep shadows over the windows, limiting visibility to the interiors, fig. 2. Windows screens used this way recall the screens of the Mogul empire, used to shield the public s view of women, however allowing women clear view to the exterior. Aided by Mumbai s temperate climate, most buildings allow fresh air to flow freely. Without the seals required of air conditioning (traditional) buildings allow a slow progression from exterior to interior, with these boundaries often changing as the day and season progresses. Fabric overhangs extend- Figure 2. Screens covering windows.

15 15 Figure 3. Temporarary awnings extend retail space by creating ing from buildings to create shade, claiming small portions of the sidewalk as its own. Beyond this a room or retail space may face the street, its entirety visible from the sidewalk. Housing or private offices may lay behind or above these retail spaces (research building types). This building practice presents a permeability not found in new construction. Walled off and entirely sealed, new office buildings are forbidding, appearing inaccessible and entirely detached from their surroundings. Boundaries allows or deny engagement with Mumbai s streets. The typical retail spaces that line the street provide an overhang above the sidewalk, claiming a bit of public space as their own. The retail space is an extension of the street, bringing the market environment into a semi-enclosed environment, fig. 3.

16 16 TEMPORALITY Temporary structures abound in Mumbai most are made of found materials, plastic tarps, sun umbrellas and can be seen on every street in an endless number of iterations the chai stand, the jewelry cart, the slum residence. The temporality of these structures, a result of the life span of their material construction, does not deter from their ability to inform the urban condition in which they exist. The presence of temporary structures becomes a defining characteristic of Mumbai, sustained by easy replication and minimal maintenance inherent in their buildability. The area surrounding the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai s financial district, is characterized by the wide boulevards the British historically superimposed on the traditional Indian city, along with British imperialist architecture. Today this imperial urbanism of wide streets has given way to crowded places of commerce, in which temporary structures provide the platform from which hawkers selling clothing and basic household items, fig. 4. The temporary structures, the stands where each hawker displays his goods, are made of fabric materials. Used to create shade, an umbrella Figure 4. Covered arcade provides shelter for street hawkers.

17 17 stands above the table where goods are displayed, while a large sheet is laid across the table, allowing the hawker to wrap up all that he is selling in one motion. This set up, as well as many other iterations, line the streets leading up to Mumbai s oldest train station. The hawkers are part of the daily cycle in Mumbai, as are the men that commute from the suburbs to work downtown. Both inform the identity of this area of the city. Bandra, an area just northwest of Mumbai s center, is physically divided into East and West halves, separated by a train station between. Bandra East and West are divided by income and class, made most apparent by the structures that are immediately adjacent to each side of the train station. Bandra East is host to one of the largest slums of Mumbai with residences built so close to the train ticketing booth and connecting skybridge one could reach their hand into an open window. Wood framed and clad with

18 18 corrugated metal, the residences present a temporality representative of work and achievement. These are temporary residences, occupied the the millions of villagers that have moved to the city in search of wealth. Walking along the Bandra East skybridge at night one can see into the windows of the slum structures to find men at work behind sewing machines. As families save more money they build their narrow houses taller, out of more permanent materials, brick and concrete. The densely packed slums spot the city and are immediately recognizable by the construction materials. The life and character of the slums is vastly different than that of a typical city. It feels as if the village has been reinvented in the urban setting. Figure 5. Layered tarps create a sense of permanence through their temporary reapplication.

19 19 Figure 6. At night, commercial stalls are enclosed in fabric. Mumbai s historic Crawford Market is composed of a larger interior market, covered by an iron structure and an exterior market, shaded by a low metal and currogated steel structure supplemented by plastic tarps for additional shading. The tarps are tied to metal structure at irregular intervals and to each other as needed. Layers of tarps lie upon each other, as the tarps deteriorate from constant sun exposure, new ones are added. The result is a web of tarps interlacing with the strings that keep them in tension, fig. 5. This process of shelter, age, and re-shelter creates an environment that is immediately representative of its past. A sense of tradition pervades the market and its necessity as an urban institution is evidenced by the recurring use of tarps for shade. Conversely in smaller, more informal markets, the layering of time worn materials is less to be found. In stead the speedy con-

20 20 struction and deconstruction of the market stall comes to the forefront, appearing as a daily installation process. Thus two types of markets occur in Mumbai, the formal and the informal, however both hold a permanent place in Mumbai s urban condition. Each reoccur, however visual presence of past markets distinguishes the two. One that is tied to a specific location, another that creates the market environment as it moves. Intentional permanence versus unintentional? For example Colaba Causeway. Well known, reoccuring daily, the stalls appear ready for deconstruction. Tarps create shade in day time, and create security at night. Closer inspection reveals hooks extending from adjacent buildings, ready to receive the line of the tarp or each day s sales. An ambiguity in temporality is created, however the place remains, fig. 6,7. Figure 7. During the day, fabric is strung from the stalls to the buildings, enclosing the sidewalk in a distinct commercial zone.

21 conclusion 21 At the outset of my research I sought to identify a research process that would enable the design of contextually sensitive architecture in urban centers in the developing world. Drawing from the scholarship of architects concerned with materiality and contextualism I began my investigation with the assumption that researching the use, prevalence, and significance of a cultural material, such as textiles, will directly inform the design of contemporary architecture. From this initial assumption I defined specific terms related to both architecture and textiles, then plotted them in a matrix that allowed me to make conceptual connections between the two topics. Further focusing my research to textiles and architecture found in Mumbai, the matrix that initially served as a conceptual framework then became a road map for onsite investigation while in Mumbai. The city thus became a test bed, in which I searched for site specific examples to elaborate, evaluate and revise the concepts thus developed in the matrix. The outcome of this process has led to a series of specific-generic illustrations. Ultimately, basing my research on two seemingly unrelated topics architecture and textiles has allowed me to evaluate each topic under a new set of terms and paradigms. In doing so, this has allowed me to deduce lessons from the specificity of the Mumbai context that are applicable to similar urban settings in numerous other developing countries. For example understanding boundary and temporarilty as conditions relating to all architecture, my research in Mumbai serves as in illustrations of broader concepts subsequently uncovered. Moving forward this research remains specific to Mumbai and textiles, however the process, the research, concept matrix, and illustrations are applicable to any number of location and materials. Through focusing on the architectural value of textiles in Mumbai, this project has had its greatest influence as an exercise in thought and research methodology.