Vernacular Spectacular

What if we reconsider archetypes, here specifically the roof, be treated as pure form cleansed of its associative surplus (function, context, iconographic definition), which offers the opportunity for its transformation. Here we ask, What are the qualities of architecture in perpetuity? Can we associate architectural flexibility as a typological problem of elongated permanence rather than ephemerality? Can the typology be redefined here with the counterintuitive proposition, that “type” are indeed dynamic, fluid, and evolving?

Our design proposal, which proposes an artist live-work community, can be considered a response to these questions. Dome, as a roof typology, is being investigated in our design. The building is designed as a collection of individual masses aggregated serially through a grid, which is subsequently rotated to challenge the site and trimmed by the site boundary, creating openings and revealing the sectional quality on its elevation. Each individual unit is composed of a dome as a shape making tool on top, a dome as a space-making tool inserted as a void to carve out spaces, and arches as structure tool. Some units are connected to form larger spaces while other in-between spaces become skylights penetrating through the building.

Here, the dome is the main instigator of the project, freed from its original function, context and iconographic definition. Different from the classical model of dome, which is monumental, serene and centrical, here the dome act as human scale, vernacular, scattered individual living units. The mixed play between the traditional and contemporary use of dome gives itself all the possibilities to be associated with architecture history and context, while also setting it free as a typology from any of these. The design uses architecture history to create something new, conceive flexibility as a typological enigma, or to say, achieve spectacular through vernacular.