ARCH1202 Project 2 - Precedent Studies

Left - Saint Benedict Chapel, Middle - Sydney Opera House, Right - Riola Parish Church

Apart form being assembly places to house gatherings and performances, these 3 curved buildings have become landmarks and are recognized from all over the world.

Saint Benedict Chapel, is located in the small Swiss town of Sumvitg.  When the former chapel was destroyed by an avalanche in 1984, Peter Zumthor designed this church and was completed in 1988.  While the use of timber cladding blends the chapel with its surrounding buildings, it's teardrop shape, the tall bell tower and its setting on a vantage point in the alpine valley allow it to stand out from the village.  Due to different levels of weathering, the colour of timber cladding on each direction varies from silver to warm orange, creating a gradient of natural colours on the chapel's surface. 

The structure of the chapel is similar to that of a leaf, with its vein running along and acting as support.  The vein structure continues from the roof to the walls, forming the "base" of the whole building.  The double-heighted timber columns leads one's eye upwards to the openings, giving a sense of space in an enclosed space which is actually quite small.  This effect is further enhanced with the use of metal in the interior walls, reflecting the light from the openings and illuminating the hall. 

Designed by Jorn Utzon, Sydney Opera House is no doubt one of the most recognized buildings in the world.  When one travels up to the podium, the view of the harbour is being blocked by the stairs, leaving only the "sails" and the blue skies in sight.  With just glass underneath, there is a sense of lightness and the sails seem to be floating in midair.

Apart from the appearance of the exterior, Jorn Utzon put a lot of effort in designing the performance spaces.  Wave and  tree branches were the inspiration of the minor and major hall.  The wave forms would flow elegantly along with the music from the performing stage to the audiences in the minor hall, while the complex branch-like forms would spread out from the convertible stage which could be placed in 6 different settings for different audiences engagement in the major hall.  However, none of the above were being transformed into reality due to the dispute between the Australian government and the architect.  It is such a pity that Jorn Utzon's original ideas were not reflected on the Opera House.

The Parish Church in the Italian small town of Riola designed by Alvar Aalto, with its baptistery was finished in 1978.  The curved roof diffuse light entering through the building, "transmitting" them along the wall.  The curves are placed closer to each other at the western end to intensify the lighting there.  Along with asymmetrical rib reducing in size towards that end, all these lead one's focus towards to the altar and the cross on the western end, emphasizing the presence of  the holy spirit in the church.

The church locates in the mountainous region of Italy next to a stream, nature plays an important part in the site.  The exterior profile of the church, along with the slanted top of the bell tower, forms an axis, addressing the forms of the mountains surrounding the town.  That shape of the landscape is continued in the interior with the help of the shape of the structural ribs.