The Immeasurable And Measurable In Architecture - Part 1

“A great building must begin with the immeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed, and in the end must be unmeasured.”

- Louis Kahn

We don’t live in a natural environment; we live in a constructed environment, and so, as architects there is a lot we can do to make life better for people. There are several types of architects; Louis Kahn was considered an enigmatic thinker and philosopher, whose modern aesthetic language makes an intimate connection with places, landscape, people and culture. Kahn’s architectural processes included different layers of art, technology, functionality and design philosophy. Quoting his own words, “Architecture is the thoughtful making of spaces”; in this essay we’re discussing the thoughtful making of spaces through different stages of the design process in which the measurable and immeasurable aspects of architecture play a key role in creating an ‘unmeasurable’ spatial experience for the users.

What makes the distinction between creating a house and a piece of architecture? That difference is art. Architects have a powerful gift to translate an idea or a sketch into a proposal, and later into a customized design product for a user. This relationship between the architectural space and people actually happens only when the architect intentionally puts his/ her thoughts and design considerations and runs through a series of processes associated with the original idea, concepts, and an understanding of tangible and intangible elements encountered during these stages. Effectively, these immeasurable thoughts and considerations create the essence of architecture, that are developed later on through sketches, diagrams and drawings.

Image source: Troppo architects (www.troppo.com.au)

The first phase of architectural design starts with what can be identified as the pre-design stage. Pre-design includes the project scope, project goals, project budgets, project scheduling, and leads to the development of a building program; this stage includes both immeasurable aspects of ideas and concepts to measurable calculations and engineering processes. This part of the design process may slightly contradict with Louis Kahn’s statement, but ideally during the project planning and pre-design stage most of the measurable aspects of scheduling and budget calculations are done by engineers, but those eventually lead to the design process, which is purely architectural and involves design thinking where the immeasurable factors play the most important role.

What are the measurable things that an architect encounters during the design stage? That would be the context, boundary lines, site dimensions, area, height of the buildings, volume, etc; all of these are important factors which influence the spatial quality. But considering the present day world scenario it is equally important to have a calculation of the energy consumption and demand, along with sustainability which is another important measurable fact that needs to be addressed by architects from the beginning stages of design till the end of construction and finishing work. These energy/sustainability factors weren’t a major concern when Louis Kahn mentioned the ‘measurable’ many decades ago, yet his words could be interpreted today in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability, that add dimensions of timelessness to his philosophy and legendary work as an architect.

Many architects are unaware of energy realities, like their energy consumption, and underestimate the associated cost and the potential for saving money by only considering the efficiency of the building, even without considering natural means of achieving thermal comfort. This energy use translates into carbon emissions, affecting climate change. The building sector is responsible for thirty percent of final energy use around the world. According to calculations, energy demand in the building sector could increase thirty percent by 2060. Architects have an important role in keeping the energy consumption minimum, which should start from the pre design stage itself, we have modern tools and sophisticated technology to calculate the energy consumption of a building, during and after its construction.

It is estimated that an energy efficient high-rise building costs 15 percent more than a standard building, however the actual cost varies between 5 percent to 10 percent, if you consider the effective benefits to the owner in forms of reduced electricity bills. Energy consumption after the construction could be reduced by proper architectural interventions. This creates a more sustainable building and benefits the user. ‘Measurables’ in terms of sustainability should be considered as important as creating a quality space and form.

The beauty of architecture lies in the making; being among the oldest professions in the world and having evolved over several thousand years, architecture is a profession of creation. At the same time, architects play the role of major consumers of materials, resources, and energy. Great architects design new buildings the same way we occupy space and time in new ways, rather than creating elevations of boxes or shells, or interiors with trending furniture or colour combinations and compositions. Interaction between the architectural form and human life is the connection that architects create; the nature of the connection defines the quality of architecture, which is indeed, unmeasurable.

Reference

1. Commstock, Paul. "An Interview with Louis Kahn Biographer Carter Wiseman,"Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine California Literary Review. October 8, 2007.

2. Miranda, Carolina A. "Louis Kahn's Salk Institute, the building that guesses tomorrow, is aging — very, very gracefully." Los Angeles Times. November 22, 2016, Retrieved September 25, 2020.

3. Urmo, Mets. “Of the Measurable and Unmeasurable in Architecture”, (2020, August 31). Retrieved September 25, 2020, https://ajakirimaja.ee/en/urmo-mets-of-the-measurable-and-unmeasurable-in-architecture/