Materials and Materialities - Argument

With the theme proposed for this issue of "Arhitectura" - Materials and Materialities - we are dealing with a subject that is very generous in terms of possibilities of exploration. Almost any discourse related to architecture can refer to the material or materials of which the architectural object is made and to the materiality of these constructions. At the same time, almost any architectural project can be presented through the prism of the theme proposed for this issue. The selection of the projects presented in this Thematic Dossier, which seems easy at first sight, turns out to be a problem, precisely because of the generosity of the proposed subject: where to start and where to stop the selection? What should be the criteria for choosing the materials presented here?

In recent years I have had the opportunity, through the series Romanian Architecture in Details, published by Ozalid Publishing House, to analyze in detail a series of projects recently realized in Romania. This analysis, necessary for drawing the details presented in the books, the discussions, explanations and information provided by the architects during the elaboration of these drawings have helped me to understand that the decisions and solutions related to the materials used in the realization of constructions in our country do not fit into a certain model of thinking, that there is no certain pattern in the design process, at least for the detailing stage.

Sometimes the result of careful detailing in the design workshop, of a search for the optimal solution through repeated drawings, decisions about materials for finishes and especially their application are often taken on site, when they are being made, without the support of a previously drawn-up drawing. In some cases, the details of implementation are either planned or adapted during the building work. It goes without saying that it is essential for the architect to monitor the execution of the building work in order to be present on the site before or when the materials are put in place, and to have a good knowledge of the materials and the possibilities of realizing the proposed details. In this way, solutions are experimented with and continuous learning is gained from one's own experience and from dialog with those involved in the execution. These are, I believe, the situations in which the architect's request and direct involvement in the relationship with the materials and their materialization in architectural objects have a greater impact on those involved in the building process, because in these cases a short circuit is made between the act of conception and the act of realization.

For these reasons, I tried, starting from the given theme, to propose an inverse perspective on the perception and meaning of the architectural object: to look for those projects in which the material and the process of realization (or materialization) is determinant in their conception. This is why I have chosen the projects presented in this Thematic Dossier to be the result of an architectural experiment, a workshop or a summer school, because these are often the cases in which architecture starts from the material - in these situations, it is often the material used that conditions the chosen solution.

In projects of this type there is sometimes an inverse relationship to the usual design process: it is not the idea or the space that determines the choice of materials, but it is the material that dictates a particular architectural solution. This kind of approach to design - determined by the initial constraints related to the imposition of the building material in the definition of the solution, and not by the developer's requirements or the vision of the architectural space - leads the architect to carefully analyze the possibilities offered by certain building materials and a detailed knowledge of the means of realizing the proposed solutions. At the same time, materiality in these cases takes on a much more profound significance for the person involved in the solution.

In recent times, there has been a growing interest in this type of workshop, whether among students, young trainees or experienced professionals, in participating in, organizing or starting initiatives in which architects can be directly involved in the construction process, in direct contact with the materials and construction techniques.

The projects presented here are just some of the examples that could be given. Without intending to exhaust the subject, starting from these criteria - architectural workshops and experiments - the selection proposed in this Thematic Dossier seeks rather to draw attention to another way of looking at architecture, a model of the architect's involvement in the realization of the construction. At the same time, in many of these projects, models of involvement of the community in which or for which the interventions are realized are offered. The architectural object resulting from such a process, although less elaborate in appearance, is more readily appropriated by those who conceive, realize or use it.

The selection of materials proposed in this Thematic Dossier has as a secondary aim to draw attention to the fact that architectural design is not just a desk-based activity. It has to go hand in hand with on-site supervision, dialog with others - involved in both conception and execution - as well as with continuous learning and improvement in architectural practice. We therefore believe that architectural design can only be undertaken on the basis of knowledge of the properties of building materials, how they can be used and how they behave over time, but not least of the real possibilities for realizing the proposed solutions and the implications of the decision to choose an architectural solution, a material or an execution technology. This kind of awareness and involvement of architects in all stages of the realization of an architectural object is able to help to better understand the implications that architects' decisions have not only on the direct beneficiary, but also on communities and the environment as a whole.

NUMBER 3/2015 MATERIALS AND MATERIALS - Magazine funded with the support of the Ministry of Culture.