Sinusoidal Architecture
Introduction
Sinusoidal architecture is an aesthetic modern movement in
architecture that interacts with natural elements. First, the architects
interested in sinusoidal structures are inspired by and imitate the
wavy forms of natural phenomena such as the circular shapes of
ocean waves and snails’ shells. Second, they attempt to be in
harmony with natural colours by using materials that reflect the sky
various lights or they adopt transparent roofs and walls that allow
the penetration of light. Third, being close to nature, such
architecture appears to be revolutionary and seems to be a call for
freedom. To illustrate this movement we selected three exemplary
forms of architectural structures: Pavilions, porticos, houses and
centres.
Pavilions
A pavilion is a summer decorative building structured in a park or a
large garden, most of the time it is used for entertainment or shelter.
In architectural language, pavilion refers to a subsidiary building that
is either positioned separately or as an attachment to the main
building. Often its function is creating pleasure and providing a place
to rest. Pavilions also offer shade to shield us from too much
exposure to the sun. All ages and abilities can enjoy a pleasant
outdoor setting here; these are designed to be accessible and
gathering points. Let’s see two examples of pavilion: Selgscano and
martell:
Selgascano Pavilion
Selgascano pavilion is a swimming installation for Brugge Triennale.
Commissioned by the city of Bruges and floating in the canal called
Coupure it serves mainly as a platform for bathing and swimming,
creating a new access to the canal water. It serves as well as a place
for activities and reunion for all neighbours around. The installation
consists of a steel rods structure covered by a pink-orange
fluorescent vinyl, material that has never been used before in a
building.
Pavilion Martell by Selgascano
True to their aesthetic of transparency and openness to the outside
world, SelgasCano constructed the pavilion from a metal framework
covered by a translucent material developed by French brand
Onduline. Strong and watertight, the material is permeated by a soft,
changing light which creates intriguing iridescent effects. The
rainbow reflections thus created are ideally suited to the architects’
aesthetics. This large pavilion, composed of flexible and organic
shapes, is in harmony with environment, the architects defending the
idea that “nature must prevail over architecture“. The Pavilion also
illustrates the transversality of technologies, uses and materials,
which is a major focus for future projects developed by the
Foundation.
Inflatable seats installed in the structure, attached by straps, will
allow visitors to sit, lean, or stretch out in the context of workshops,
concerts, presentations, conferences, markets, games, moments of
relaxation, wanderings, etc.
The House of Farewell by Tayo Ito
A portico facing the lake, a covered walkway, a canopy perched on
white columns for an atmospheric landscape made of lines and light,
sheltering a secluded cavern, a place of shared memory. It is the
Meguri no Mori, the Funeral Hall of the city of Kawaguchi, Japan
Contact with the natural elements, water, vegetation and light, has a
calming, comforting effect, and Japanese architecture has always
incorporated natural features, sometimes in miniature form, for
purposes of harmony and peace. A farewell temple, in a
crematorium, is a perfect theme for Toyo Ito.
The funeral hall was borne out of a desire to merge evocative
symbolism with a logical structural rationale. The flowing plane of
white concrete is reminiscent of the smoke that rises from the
cremation furnaces, while also appearing as a part of the landscape,
connecting ground, sky, lake and hill.
To create a structure that is at once ethereal and permanent, Ito
sought to produce a wafer-thin shell of concrete that would appear
to float despite the material’s inherent heaviness. In order to achieve
this effect, the formwork took on a vital role, and it was employed in
a manner that evoked the ceremonial process of the crematorium
itself. As Windeck explains, “The formwork is the actual architecture,
and the concrete is only there to document it in order to
permanently preserve its memory, just as a death mask is made to
preserve the facial features of a departed person.”
Dancing House
The site of Gehry's Dancing House was originally occupied by a house
in the Neo-renaissance style from the end of the 19th century. That
house was destroyed during bombing in 1945, its remains finally
removed in 1960. The neighboring house (with a small globe on the
roof) was co-owned by Czech ex-president Vaclav Havel, who lived
there from his childhood until the mid-1990s. He ordered the first
architectural study from Vlado Milunic (who has been involved in re-
building Havel's appartment in the neighboring house). Afterwards
the Dutch bank ING agreed to build a house there, and asked Milunic
to invite a world-renowned architect. Milunic first asked Jean
Nouvel, who rejected the invitation because of the small size of the
site (491 square meters); he then asked Frank Gehry, who and he
accepted the challenge. Gehry had an almost unlimited budget,
because ING wanted to create an icon in Prague. The construction
started in 1994 and the house was finished
The building is an example of deconstructivist architecture, with an
unusual shape. It reflects a woman and man (Ginger Rogers and Fred
Astair) dancing together. Construction is from 99 concrete panels
each of different shape and dimension, each therefore requiring a
unique wooden form.
Fisher Centre
Opened in 2003, Fisher Center is a small concert hall that showcases
opera, orchestras, and other musical performances. Of the design,
Gehry writes, “The front façade of the building can be interpreted as
a theatrical mask that covers the raw face of the performance space.
Its abstract forms prepare the visitor to be receptive to experiencing
the performances that occur within. In passing through the doors of
the building, entering into the building’s lobby, and settling into its
theaters, audience members go through a series of transforming
experiences that prepare them for the performance about to begin.”
Indeed, Gehry creates unexpected, twisted forms. His work has been
called radical, playful, organic, sensual — a modernism called
Deconstructivism. This sculptural building would reflect light and
color from the pastural landscape of New York's Hudson Valley.
Undulating stainless steel canopies project over the box office and
lobby. The canopies loosely drape over the sides of the theaters,
creating two tall, sky-lit gathering areas on each side of the main
lobby. The canopies also create a sculptural, collar-like shape that
rests on the concrete and plaster walls of the two theaters. Like most
of Gehry's architecture, the Fisher Center brought much praise and
criticism all at the same time.
Kenitra train station, Morocco
The Kenitra train station was opened in November 2018. Built as a
transit hub for Morocco’s high speed rail through Kenitra, north of
Rabat, the station cost MAD 400 million. It was designed by Silvio
d’Ascia Architecture, an international design agency based in Paris,
alongside Moroccan firm Omar Kobbité Architectes
The Kenitra station was imagined as a jewel case framing the
renewed identity of traditional Moroccan architecture in an urban
context, in particular, thanks to its sinusoidal facade , a
reinterpretation of a moucharabieh expanded to the scale of the city.
Conclusion
These sinusoidal structures exemplify aesthetic modern
architecture that strive to add an aesthetic touch to buildings
by drawing from natural elements as well as benefiting from
their colours and lights and thus expressing the sense of
beauty, pleasure and freedom of expression.
