In this post, we present snippets from a lecture delivered by Sanjay Mohe for students and young architects, where he shared his ideas on how one could draw inspiration from life, nature and travel, and how one can aim to create architecture that creates a sense of surprise and excitement. The lecture was presented at Build HQ Chennai organised by RVS Padmavathy School of Architecture.
How can architecture create elevating experiences? During one of our projects, the client gave us brief of functions, and then told us they want a space that creates an ‘elevating experience’. An ‘elevating experience’ is an immeasurable quality. How do you decide what is elevating? There could be teachers who elevated your experience of a subject during your schooling, there could be a movie star or cricketer who gave you an elevating experience with a rush of adrenaline and a feeling of being charged up. Can architecture do this? Can we think back and find a moment in architectural space where we felt a sense of elevation, of something beyond and unmeasurable?
I looked back to some of my own experiences and travels, books I have read or buildings I have heard about, which had such an effect on me.
The rock cut architecture of Kailash temple at Ellora
One of the first spaces that struck me when we talk of ‘inspiring’ and ‘elevating’ were the rock cut temples of Ellora. When we visited this structure early in the morning, there were not many visitors and the experience was powerful. You feel like the whole structure belongs to the hill, it belongs to nature, it also belongs to you. At one point in time, the place was just rock. It was fascinating to think of the architect of the temple possibly looking at a blank rock and thinking of creating a monumental icon from it.
It reminded me of a statement by Michelangelo, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free”. Michelangelo’s angel was already there, and it was only that the unwanted pieces needed to be taken out.
Minimalism in graphics
Ideas for architects needn’t necessarily come from only buildings. ‘Think like a Minimalist’ is a book I came across by two young designers and creative practitioners, Chirag Gandher and Saher Vaidya. The book is a collection of clean minimal artwork to represent concepts. The graphics often have something ‘hidden in plain sight’. The image below is a depiction of a whale, and the graphic is meant to raise awareness on plastic pollution.
From the Think like a Minimalist, by Chirag Gandher and Saher Vaidya
You might have noticed this on the first glance or you may only discover it on a closer look: but the shape of the whale’s mouth is in the shape of a plastic bottle. This hidden message comes through in a subtle way, and it is this subtlety that gives a ‘wow’ movement to the viewer, when you feel like you have discovered something even if it was always meant to be there.
From the Think like a Minimalist, by Chirag Gandher and Saher Vaidya
While we are still exploring methods to craft this elevating experience, one approach to this was through hidden meanings and surprises that can be uncovered by the person experiencing the space. What are architectural spaces where this happens? We looked for some examples.
The Sabarmati Ashram at Ahmedabad
The Sabaramati Ashram in Ahmedabad designed by Charles Correa is a familiar building for architects in India. What makes the building so special is about what is absent than what is present. The building, in its simplicity, is an expression of Mahatma Gandhi’s life. Rather than a grand memorial with large statues and pictures commemorating the larger-than-life personality that he was, the museum is composed of a series of square, semi-open modules interspersed with courtyards and trees, built with local materials and vernacular design language. When you visit the building and walk through the minimal and understated spaces, you experience the simplicity and humility of Gandhi’s life. It is a jubilant feeling to make these connections and realisations on your own.
The Church on Water by Tadao Ando and the Chapel of Capuchinas by Luis Barragan
In the ‘Church on the Water’ designed by Tadao Ando, in Shimukappu in Japan, nature is an active participant in the building. The enclosure is a simple building with glass, while the cross is outside the building in the water, surrounded by a view of greenery. So while you sit in an enclosed structure to pray, that which you are praying to is outside- infinite and one with nature. I could be interpreted that you sitting inside protected– you could sit there whether it snows or rains, while the supreme power or divine is outside there protecting you.
Church on the Water (Photo: Forgemind Archimedia through Flickr)
In another church, the Chapel of Capuchinas designed by Luis Barragan in Mexico City, a similar concept plays out a little differently. Here, the worshippers see on the wall in front of the congregation the shadow of a cross. The actual cruciform is located along the side walls. The shadow evokes a feeling of temporariness, mystery and surprise.
The Chapel of the Capuchinas at Mexico, designed by Luis Barragan
Khopeshwar Temple at Kidrapur
Ancient temples often have stories and legends that add to the intrigue and experience of visiting the place. The Sri Khopeshwar Temple at Kidrapur near Kolhapur is a 12th Century Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. One of the attractions of the temple is the ‘Swarg mandap’, a hall with a circular cutout on the roof. At the centre of the hall on the floor, there is a perfectly circular rock mirroring the opening on the roof, which gets illuminated by the light coming in through the roof. It is said that every year during the equinox (the Kartik Purnima), you can see the moon at the precise centre of the circular roof opening.
The temple also has other stories: while this is a Shiva temple, there is one spot in the temple where you can also spot idols of Brahma and Vishnu at the same time, and this something you’d notice only if you are standing at the exact spot and someone who knows about this tells you about it.
The roof cutout in the Khidrapur temple (Photo: Wikicommons)
Zen Garden Ryoan-ji
Zen gardens have an underlying principle of simplicity and serenity, with compositions of rocks arranged amidst a base of smooth, small gravel raked into linear patterns. They are meant to evoke a meditative feeling. The garden at Ryōan-ji in Kyoto, The Temple of the Dragon at Peace, is a historic monument of ancient Kyoto. Unlike gardens with foliage and flowers which you stroll through, Zen gardens are meant to be viewed while seated.
The garden has 15 rocks in 5 clusters, and it is supposed to be arranged such that at any time, only 14 rocks are visible. Achieving a precise perspective to view all the rocks is a tricky task. The intended meaning of the garden has also been a riddle from the time of its conception, and the puzzles around what the rocks could symbolise add to the mystery and contemplative nature of the place.
The Zen Garden at Kyoto (Photo: Wikicommons)
All of these examples have stories, hidden meanings, and surprises. These surprises are one way to create an elevating experience of a space. They allow for a ‘wow’ moment and the chance to discovering something by yourself. The discovery, especially when the expression was so subtle, can give a hormonal rush and sense of satisfaction, and makes the memory of the space stay with you a long time.
How do these experiences and memories translate into the life of an architect or designer?
Inspiration for design often comes from nature, travels, or even childhood memories. While they may not translate literally, they are all stored away in the memory box of your mind. We see new things every day in life and our brain has immense potential for memory. We carry these memories through even if we aren’t conscious of it.
Sometime, while searching for an idea, you can reach out to this ‘memory box’ and pull out an idea or story that help the architectural process. Even as you may not realise it, you draw from many of these experiences as a designer, absorb them into your work, and they end up contributing to the style and character of your designs.
And somewhere along the way, they might help you create spaces that can create an elevating experience.
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