The Walls Have Ears Laurie Damme Gonneville January 21, 2008 (First Draft) Contemporary architecture today seems almost exclusively concerned with the production of iconic, fixed images; the haptic, aural and even olfactory components of creating a place have vanished from the architectural discourse. To address this issue, the thesis proposes the design of an underground commercial center linking Montreal's Place-de-Arts and Saint- Laurent metro stations. Through this program, the thesis will judge whether it is possible to propose an entirely new concept for the organization of commercial spaces by shifting the design focus from the purely visual to a total sensory experience. To better understand the acoustic nature of public and retail spaces, a series of soundscape maps will be drawn according to methods first put forward by composer R. Murray Schafer. The thesis also wishes to carry a haptic component of design, all the way to the final modes of representation, in the form of tactile models conveying the space and materiality of the project. Nominations for supervisor: 1. David Theodore 2. Derek Drummond 3. Ricardo Castro
2 Thesis Premise: Places Sensed, Senses Placed (Feld 2005) According to Susan Sontag, our current perception of the world is almost exclusively linked to the visual realm; we see the world "as a set of potential photographs" (Sontag in Pallasmaa 2005, 30). The question of materiality, texture, acoustics and even smell are now quasi-inexistent in the architectural practice and often thoroughly ignored in the schools. The thesis proposes an addition to Montreal's underground city by creating a pedestrian link between Place-des-Arts and Saint-Laurent metro stations. The site would be occupied by a new commercial center anchored at ground level on the current site of the Saint-Laurent station's entrance. Commercial activity is seen as the perfect program to shift the usual focus on visual advertising by reinforcing existing and implementing new haptic, aural and olfactory strategies of wayfinding and publicity. The first mode of production deemed relevant for the thesis is used to compile and analyze data gathered on the site and in programmatic precedents (Montreal's downtown shopping malls). R. Murray Schafer's soundscape studies will map the aural qualities of these places and identify architectural strategies to reproduce, amplify or subdue them in the proposed design. The thesis also aims to produce new modes of architectural representations that are less dependant on visual depiction. The project will investigate the making of tactile models in which the scale, form and texture of the design will be felt rather than seen. The thesis postulates that a new form of commercial organization and broader spacial experience can be found through the reconciliation of architecture with its inherently sensuous relationship with the user.
3 Primary Area of Study: Sensory Architecture "The modern architect is designing for the deaf. His ears are stuffed with bacon." This is the sad conclusion reached by composer R. Murray Schaffer in his book, The Tuning of the World. (Schaffer 1977, 222) Almost 30 years later, Juhani Pallasmaa's The Eyes of the Skin argues that contemporary architecture has been solely aimed at a "striking and memorable visual image. Instead of an existentially grounded plastic and spacial experience, architecture has adopted the psychological strategy of advertising and instant persuasion: buildings have turned into image products detached from existential depth and sincerity" (Pallasmaa 2005, 30) The tactile and aural nature of the architectural work indeed seem to have disappeared from the practice's discourse, and this even more strongly so in the abstract context of school-based design. The thesis wishes to address this apparent negation in the design process of senses other than the visual. Although its aim is not to design for the blind, it proposes to use visual deprivation as a tool to reconnect the built form with other senses, primarily touch and hearing. For example, comments from blind author John Hull reveal that the world of the unseeing is "a world of nothing but action. Every sound is a point of activity. (...) The world of being, the silent, still world where things simply are, that does not exist." (Hull 1990, 82) Architecture must once again become interactive, a place that is not merely observed but in fact made by its users.
4 Program: Commercial Center The thesis needs not be limited to programs specifically aimed for the visually impaired. On the contrary, it aims to displace the visual emphasis in a program used daily by all categories of people. The thesis therefore proposes a commercial center that would not need to answer to the usual visual tactics of advertisement and whose spacial arrangement would instead be based primarily on haptical, aural and even olfactory wayfinding. Department stores and other commercial venues already use touch as a form of sensory persuasion. David Howes argues that the texture or the relative lightness or softness of a fabric influences the purchasing of an article of clothing as much as its cut, color or pattern (Howes 2005). The strategy of the display racks that the customer can reach for and touch, as opposed to goods being kept behind the counter, is proof of the importance of the haptical connection. The commercial center's typical food court offers yet another example of non-visual advertising, where the optimal location of a shop is not so much in front of the arriving clientele but in such a place as to make sure that the smell of its menu reaches the consumer's nostrils first. The thesis proposes to make these strategies (and others) into fundamental design parameters. The program includes a modest intervention at ground level comprised of 300 m² of outdoor public space, 200 m² of vertical and horizontal access circulation and 100 m² of light commercial activity. The proposed size of the underground commercial center is tentatively similar to that of the Eaton Center, which occupies around 7500 m² at ground level. The center includes approximately 10000 m² of retail and 3000 m² of restoration space distributed on two or three sub-levels.
5 Site: Metro Place-des-Arts & Saint-Laurent Underground Connection The project proposes to extend Montreal's existing underground network by connecting Saint-Laurent's metro station to the Place-des-Arts complex. Gradually developed from the inauguration of Place Ville-Marie in 1962, la Ville Souterraine now spans 30 kilometers under the city, linking seven metro stations together. However, there remains missing segments in the network, primarily between stations McGill and Place-des-Arts and between Berri-UQAM and the latter. The proposed site would act as a first step towards this reunification. The thesis also aims to help bridge the two active commercial sections of Boulevard Saint-Laurent (South of Sainte-Catherine and North of Sherbrooke) by creating a new node of activity in between the two. The site includes the Saint-Laurent station entrance, the 40 by 15 meters lot being redesigned as the access point to the commercial center below. The underground component of the project runs under rue de Montigny from Saint- Laurent to Saint-Urbain (approximately 150 meters) after which a tunnel connects the project to the entrance lobby of Wilfrid-Pelletier concert hall. (See Figure 1) As the surface above the program consists largely of open space, further physical, aural or visual connections could be made along its path. In fact, such a link between Montreal Above and Montreal Below would be a unique event in the city, where the connections are usually hidden deep within buildings.
6 Modes of Production: Soundscapes and Tactile Models In order to map the aural qualities of space, R. Murray Schafer's work on the World Soundscape Project will be closely investigated. Selected commercial spaces will be visited and recorded, then mapped according to the strength of their sonic identity (See Figure 3). A soundscape diary will be kept, listing the nature of specific sounds heard in these places. The method will help define the aural qualities of different architectural spaces (enclosed/opened, sleek/textured) as well as indentify the existing strategies in sonic advertising and wayfinding. The second mode of production is more closely intertwined with the design phase of the thesis. It proposes an investigation of tactile models to blindly visualize overall shapes as well as interior volumes. The technique is inspired by the recent European trend in museology, where parts of exhibitions are reproduced or presented as scaled models for the visually impaired to touch (Lang 2001). Such an example can be found in Graz, Austria, where the entrance of Peter Cook's Kunsthaus displays a Braille-annotated bronze model of the museum itself (See Figure 2). The materiality of such artefacts would be experimented with, the use of the Rapid Prototyping Machine or CNC mill could offer many options in terms of scale, detailing and texture. The result of these investigations is intended to inform the final method of representation of the thesis, with visually concealed tactile models replacing the traditional maquette.
7 Conclusion: Through the design of a new underground commercial center in downtown Montreal, the thesis aims to demonstrate that architecture must reconnect with the issue of sensory design. With the help of soundscape mapping techniques and tactile modeling, the process of architecture could once again involve the hands and ears of the designer and the product engage those of the user.
8 Committee and Resources: The choice of David Theodore as a primary advisor stems from previous experience in the studio context. Professor Theodore's approach to diagramming could greatly influence the graphical interpretation and analysis of the soundscape experiments. His expertise in modeling software could also guide the production of the tactile models. This semester, Derek Drummond's Civic Design course focuses on Retail Strategies and Their Impact on Urban Life. The resolution of the program of the thesis would greatly benefit from Professor Drummond's input. Ricardo Castro, it seems, has always been interested in the qualities of architectural spaces beyond their mere visual appearance. The subject of sensory architecture could be further developed with his help. The proposed thesis could be more deeply investigated with input from a visually impaired person, who benefits from a more intimate knowledge of tactile and aural experiences in buildings. It is the wish of the student to find such a resource in the near future.
9 List of Primary Sources: World Soundscape Project, Barry Truax (ed.). 1978. The Vancouver Soundscape. Vancouver: A.R.C. Publications The Soundscape is an acoustical survey of Vancouver. It offers historical accounts to help map the acoustic evolution of the city. It then enumerates the features of the contemporary Vancouver soundscape, from natural phenomenon to radio broadcasts. In addition to the book itself, a two-hours long recording of various soundscapes provides us with concrete examples of different environments, their elements of continuity as well as specificity. These recordings will be used to train the student's ear in order to adequately gather data for the thesis. Schafer, R. Murray. 1977. The Tuning of the World. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. This book is the synthesis of Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer's involvement in the World Soundscape Project. The author argues that we suffer from an overload of acoustic information and explores ways to restore our ability to hear the nuances of sounds around us. Along with this exploration of our acoustic environment, it also proposes various methods of data collection that will inform the procedure chosen for the thesis' own soundscape analysis. Hull, John M. 1990. Touching the Rock: an Experience of Blindness. New York: Pantheon Books A first person account of a sighted man who became blind as an adult. Among the personal recollections can be found many anecdotes concerning the author's relationship with his environment, from sound recognition and tactile clues to the perception of the body in space. This narrative will be used to derive important spacial, tactile and acoustic criteria to keep in mind both while conducting the exploratory research and during the final design.
10 List of Secondary Sources: Connor, Steven. 2005. Michel Serres' Five Senses. In Empire of the Senses: The Sensual Culture Reader, ed. David Howes, 281-303. New York: Berg Publishers. Drobnick, Jim (ed.). 2004. Aural Cultures. Toronto: YYZ Books, Walter Phillips Gallery Editions Feld, Steven. 2005. Place Sensed, Senses Placed. Towards a Sensuous Epistemology of Environments. In Empire of the Senses: The Sensual Culture Reader, ed. David Howes, 281-303. New York: Berg Publishers. Howes, David. 2005. Hyperesthesia, or, The Sensual Logic of Late Capitalism. In Empire of the Senses: The Sensual Culture Reader, ed. David Howes, 281-303. New York: Berg Publishers. Lang, Kathleen. 2001. Art for the Blind. Art a Go Go. http://www.artagogo.com/commentary/artforblind/artforblind.htm Malnar, Joy Monice and Frank Vodvarka. 2004. Sensory Design. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press Pallasmaa, Juhani. 2005. The Eyes of the Skin, Architecture and the Senses. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons
11 Appendix: Figures Figure 1. Proposed site Figure 2. Kunsthaus Graz, Braille annotated bronze model
Figure 3. Sound event map of Boston (Schafer, 1977) 12