HARTAIXX2016-V012900

Summary

The script discusses the radical and transcendent architectural project 'Cenotaph to Newton' by Étienne-Louis Boullée, which manipulates light and darkness to evoke the sublime. The design features a spherical structure symbolizing the cosmos, with a complex processional space guiding visitors from darkness to the illuminated tomb of Newton. The project emphasizes the architect's role in creating light and space, reflecting on humanity's place in the universe, and serves as an educational tool for students, illustrating the enduring impact of Boullée's visionary ideas on modern architecture.

Takeaways

• 🌌 The project 'Cenotaph to Newton' by Étienne-Louis Boullée is a radical and emblematic work that explores the manipulation of light and darkness to evoke the sublime in architecture.
• 🌍 The design of the 'Cenotaph to Newton' is unprecedented, featuring a complete globe that symbolizes both the Earth and the Universe, emphasizing our metaphysical place within it.
• 🏛 Boullée's architecture is characterized by abrupt transitions from lightness to darkness, and from narrowness to vastness, aiming to manipulate human responses to space.
• 🌳 The use of nature in the 'Cenotaph to Newton' is innovative, with concentric rings of funeral cypresses creating a natural Elysium that blurs the line between landscape and architecture.
• 📜 The building's processional space is complex and is best understood through its section rather than its elevation, guiding visitors through a journey of descent and ascent to reach the sacred center.
• 🕋 The experience within the 'Cenotaph to Newton' involves a dramatic play of light and darkness, with the building oscillating between day and night through the ingenious use of pierced globe skin to recreate star patterns.
• 🌟 Boullée's work theatricalizes the oscillation between the subject (the person in the building) and the object (the cosmos), and between inside and outside, Earth and Sun.
• 📚 The drawings of Boullée's visionary projects were pedagogical tools intended for students at the academy, illustrating ideas about buildings rather than actual constructions.
• 🏙 The legacy of Boullée's designs continues to influence modern architecture, as seen in Le Corbusier's urban planning for Chandigarh and the use of monumental forms to evoke the sublime.
• 🏛️ Aldo Rossi's architecture of death also reflects the neo-Enlightenment attitude, where architecture, geometry, and philosophy converge to create an image of transcendence, directly inherited from Enlightenment architects.
• 🎨 Boullée's architectural imagination underscores the importance of ephemeral or unbuildable architecture, challenging the boundaries of what is deemed possible in architectural design.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the project 'Cenotaph to Newton'?

The main theme of the 'Cenotaph to Newton' project is the manipulation of dark and light to create a transcendent effect, exemplifying the sublime in architecture.

How does the 'Cenotaph to Newton' project relate to the concept of the sublime in architecture?

The project embodies the sublime by using abrupt passages from lightness to darkness and narrowness to hugeness, designed to evoke strong human responses to the space.

What is unique about the design of the 'Cenotaph to Newton'?

The design is unique in its unprecedented radicalism, featuring a complete globe that serves as a double emblem of the earth and the universe, reflecting our metaphysical place in the cosmos.

How does Boullée use nature in the 'Cenotaph to Newton' project?

Boullée ingeniously incorporates nature by using a succession of double concentric rings of funeral cypresses, turning the building into a natural Elysium and blurring the lines between landscape and architecture.

What is the significance of the processional space in the 'Cenotaph to Newton'?

The processional space is significant as it guides the visitor through a journey of descent and ascent, culminating in the sacred center marked by Newton's tomb, symbolizing a transcendent experience.

How does the building manipulate light to create a theatrical effect?

The building manipulates light by piercing the skin of the globe, allowing daylight to filter in and recreate the patterns of the stars, theatrically illuminating the interior to mimic a night sky.

What philosophical concept is Boullée referring to with the 'Cenotaph to Newton'?

Boullée refers to the Copernican revolution and the displacement of the earth as the center of the universe, emphasizing the idea of the sublime and our place in the cosmos.

How does the 'Cenotaph to Newton' reflect Boullée's architectural imagination?

The project reflects Boullée's architectural imagination by combining geometry, philosophy, and the concept of infinity to create an image of transcendence and challenge our perception of space and the universe.

What was the intended purpose of Boullée's drawings for the 'Cenotaph to Newton'?

The drawings were intended for pedagogical purposes, serving as examples for students at the academy to illustrate ideas about buildings rather than actual buildings.

How has Boullée's architectural imagination influenced modern architects?

Boullée's imagination has influenced modern architects by inspiring them to evoke the sublime through monumentality, geometry, and the juxtaposition of the archaic and the futuristic, as seen in projects like Le Corbusier's Chandigarh and Aldo Rossi's architecture of death.

What is the significance of the pyramidal form in Boullée's and other architects' work?

The pyramidal form signifies a connection to both ancient and futuristic concepts, representing the promise of technology and a neo-enlightenment attitude in architecture that combines geometry, philosophy, and the pursuit of transcendence.

Outlines

00:00

🌌 The Sublime Architecture of the Cenotaph to Newton

This paragraph discusses the radical and transcendent nature of Étienne-Louis Boullée's 'Cenotaph to Newton'. It highlights the project's unprecedented use of a complete globe as a design, symbolizing the cosmos and the earth's place within it. The building's manipulation of light and dark spaces creates a dramatic experience of the sublime, eliciting a human response to the vastness of the universe. The structure's processional space is revealed through its section rather than elevation, guiding visitors through a journey of descent and ascent to the sacred center, marked by Newton's tomb. The ingenious use of light, filtering through the globe's skin to recreate the night sky, theatricalizes the oscillation between the observer and the cosmos. This architectural feat is a testament to Boullée's belief in the architect's ability to create light and space, challenging our perception of our place in the universe.

05:02

🏛 The Legacy of Boullée's Visionary Architectural Imagination

The second paragraph delves into the legacy of Boullée's visionary designs and their pedagogical purpose for students at the academy. These drawings, while not intended to be built, emphasize the significance of architectural imagination and the ephemeral nature of unbuildable architecture. The paragraph connects Boullée's work to contemporary architects like Lucca Buzia, who evokes the sublime through urban planning, and Aldo Rossi, who uses pyramidal forms to create a transcendent image. The architectural imagination of Boullée, where geometry, philosophy, and the desire to understand the world collide, is seen as a direct inheritance from Enlightenment architects, illustrating a continuous thread of thought and creativity in the field of architecture.

Keywords

💡Cenotaph to Newton

The 'Cenotaph to Newton' is a project mentioned in the script, representing a radical architectural concept by Étienne-Louis Boullée. It symbolizes the idea of monumental architecture that can evoke a sense of the sublime. The project is noted for its unprecedented design of a complete globe, which serves as a double emblem of the earth and the universe, reflecting our metaphysical place within the cosmos. The script describes how the building manipulates light and dark to create a transcendent effect, with the central sphere acting as a sacred space for Newton's tomb.

💡Sublime

The concept of the 'sublime' in the script refers to an aesthetic experience that is characterized by awe and grandeur, often associated with vastness and infinity. It is related to the theme of the video as it describes the intended emotional response that Boullée's architecture aims to elicit. The script mentions how the Cenotaph to Newton uses architectural elements to create abrupt transitions from light to darkness, and from narrowness to vastness, to evoke the sublime.

💡Manipulation of Light and Dark

The 'manipulation of light and dark' is a key architectural technique discussed in the script, which Boullée uses to create dramatic effects within his designs. The script describes how the Cenotaph to Newton uses light piercing the globe's skin to recreate the patterns of the stars during the day, theatrically illuminating the interior to mimic a night sky. This manipulation is integral to creating the building's transcendent and sublime effect.

💡Processional Space

A 'processional space' in the script refers to the intentional path that visitors take through the architectural space, designed to enhance their experience and emotional response. The Cenotaph to Newton has a complex processional space, where visitors enter from the sides and navigate downwards through a dark corridor, leading to a moment of transcendence as they emerge into the sacred center marked by Newton's tomb.

💡Pedagogical

The term 'pedagogical' in the script highlights the educational purpose behind Boullée's visionary drawings. These were not intended as actual buildings but rather as illustrations of architectural ideas for students at the academy. The script emphasizes the importance of such ephemeral or unbuildable architecture in shaping architectural imagination and pedagogy.

💡Ephemeral Architecture

Ephemeral architecture, as mentioned in the script, refers to designs that are not intended to be built or are temporary in nature. Boullée's drawings exemplify this concept, serving as a means to explore and convey architectural ideas rather than as blueprints for construction. The script suggests that such architecture on paper is significant in influencing and inspiring future architectural thought.

💡Unbuildable Architecture

The script uses 'unbuildable architecture' to describe designs that, due to their scale, concept, or other factors, are not feasible to construct in reality. Boullée's visionary drawings are cited as examples of this, emphasizing the role of such conceptual designs in architectural discourse and education, even if they cannot be physically realized.

💡Architectural Imagination

Architectural imagination, as discussed in the script, is the creative and conceptual process of envisioning buildings and spaces that may not be constrained by practical considerations. The script highlights how Boullée's work, along with that of other architects mentioned, demonstrates an architectural imagination that combines geometry, philosophy, and the pursuit of the sublime.

💡Transcendence

Transcendence in the script refers to the idea of surpassing ordinary experience or understanding, often associated with spiritual or philosophical insights. The Cenotaph to Newton is designed to induce a sense of transcendence through its architectural features, such as the manipulation of light and dark and the journey through the processional space to the sacred center.

💡Cosmos

The 'cosmos' in the script is used to represent the universe or the totality of existence. The Cenotaph to Newton is described as a project that embodies the order of the cosmos, with its central sphere serving as a metaphor for both the earth from the outside and the universe from the inside, emphasizing our place within the larger cosmic scheme.

💡Enlightenment Architects

The script mentions 'Enlightenment architects' in the context of a tradition of architectural thought that sought to understand and represent the world through reason and intellectual inquiry. Boullée's work is seen as inheriting this attitude, with his designs reflecting an intersection of architecture, geometry, and philosophy aimed at creating images of transcendence.

Highlights

The radical and out-of-control nature of the project 'Cenotaph to Newton', which exemplifies Goulet's interest in the manipulation of dark and light to produce a transcendent effect.

The unprecedented radicalism of the complete globe as the first design of its kind, symbolizing the cosmos.

The idea that buildings can be dark and gloomy yet produce sublime effects by calculating abrupt passages from lightness to darkness.

The use of nature in the design, with concentric rings of funeral cypresses, blurring the lines between landscape and architecture.

The complex processional space of the building revealed in the section, with a journey from the sides to the sacred center.

The experience of entering a seemingly infinite dark corridor leading to a transcendent space marked by Newton's tomb.

The ingenious manipulation of light and dark within the building, creating an oscillation between day and night.

The architectural claim that architects create light, demonstrated by piercing the globe's skin to recreate star patterns with daylight.

The theatrical oscillation between the subject and the cosmos, inside and outside, and Earth and Sun.

The mapping of the universe's structure to challenge our sense of belonging and place within it.

The description of the monument's interior as a vast sphere with no beginning or end, evoking the mechanism of the sublime.

The performance of infinity in architecture, a concept new to the field.

The legacy of Boullée's designs as visionary drawings for a recreation of society and public edifices.

The pedagogical intention behind Boullée's drawings, intended for students at the academy to exemplify architectural ideas.

The influence of Boullée's architectural imagination on contemporary architects, such as Lucca Buzia's plan for Chandigarh.

The architectural imagination where geometry, philosophy, and the sublime collide to create an image of transcendence.

The direct inheritance of this architectural attitude from Enlightenment architects, who aimed to reshape the world around them.

Transcripts

now the historical

between the real and the ideal does not

apply in the case of the last project

that I want to talk about which is

completely radical and in some sense out

of control this is a project in which

the manipulation and of dark and light

actually manufactured Goulet's most

emblematic project it's called the

Cenotaph to newton it exemplifies

Goulet's interest in how buildings that

are dark and gloomy can produce the

transcendent effect in other words

produce the sublime and how architects

can actually calculate abrupt passages

from lightness to darkness to narrowness

to hugeness as it were in order to

manipulate human responses to space the

first thing to note is the the

unprecedented radicalism of the image of

the complete globe this is the very

first design of its kind the subject is

equally grandiose it is nothing less

than the order of the cosmos think back

to the medieval image of the city and

the universe and all the kinds of

properties or characteristics that we've

enumerated so far that relate to a

sublime architecture are reunited in

this project that literally transforms

the sphere that sphere that central

sphere into a double emblem of the earth

from the outside and the universe from

the inside only to stress our very

precarious metaphysical place in that

universe lastly boule ingeniously put

nature to work instead of using columns

he imagined an ascending succession of a

double concentric rings of funeral

cypresses trees in other words which

turned the building into a kind of

natural Elysium and conflate landscape

and architecture

now the building has a deeply complex

processional space and this is revealed

in the section

rather than the elevation which cuts

through the center of the building what

you do is that you enter from the sides

and you experience buried architecture

boules is imagining forcing us to

navigate downwards and then proceed down

a long dark and seemingly endless or

infinite corridor and then transcendence

is suggested at the end we climb a

stairs in darkness and when you emerge

into the space you're emerging into the

sacred center as it were which is marked

by a platform on which is Newton's tomb

and this is where we see this absolutely

ingenious manipulation of light and dark

and the how the building literally kind

of oscillates between day and night

remember boo lays claim that the

architect creates light what he did was

to imagine piercing the skin of the

globe so that during the day light would

come in would filter in to recreate the

patterns of the stars the constellations

themselves in other words daylight here

theatrically illuminates and creates the

inside effect of a night sky brightly

lit up by the Stars by doing so what

boule is in fact somehow theatrical

izing is an oscillation between the

subject the person in the building and

the object then cosmos itself between

inside and outside between Earth and Sun

he's also displacing and this is where

he's referring to Newton of course the

drama of the Copernican revolution of

the idea that the Sun actually displaced

the earth as the center of the universe

this is the idea of the sublime the

structure of the universe is mapped out

before our eyes

only somehow to shake to it's very

foundation our sense of where we belong

what is our place in that universe this

is belays descriptions with the drawing

before your eyes you would see what

would have been deemed

possible you would see a monument in

which the spectator would find himself

transported in the air and carried on

the mist of clouds in the immensity of

space the interior form of this monument

is that of a vast sphere into which you

arrive at the center of gravity by an

opening in the podium on which is placed

the tomb just as in nature no matter

where you look you see only a continuous

surface which offers no beginning and no

end and which the more you peruse it the

larger it becomes this is of course the

mechanism of the sublime and here for

the first time I think we have an

architecture that actually performs

infinity so to conclude how would we

think of the legacy of bullaes designs

of this approach the so called these

visionary drawings that were conceived

for a recreation of society that were

conceived to illustrate an entire

typology of public edifices it's

important in this context to realize

that boule actually made these drawings

for students their pretext is

pedagogical they were intended for the

students at the academy and served to

exemplify ideas about buildings not

actual buildings this kind of

architectural imagination underscores

the importance of ephemeral or

unbuildable architecture of architecture

on paper and the extraordinary thing is

to see how one continues to track it

down to our moment

take for example Lucca buzias plan for

the city of Chandigarh whose urban grid

he also set up in front of a mountain

range to evoke the sublime that we see

in blue lace city of the Dead and then

if you look at the rooftop of the Palace

of the Assembly local music played with

the possibility of quote unquote seeing

God by means of the sheer monumentality

of those forms that emerge both from

something deeply archaic

you have the pyramid and something

deeply futuristic the promise of

technology in this case carried forth in

the suggestion of nuclear power which is

alluded to by the truncated cone or

finally with someone like the Italian

architect Aldo Rossi whose own

architecture of death relied on the

pyramidal form this time in plan what

one critic dubbed the neo enlightenment

attitude in his work and what I think he

meant by this is an architectural

imagination in which architecture

geometry and philosophy collide and

coalesce work in concert to create an

image of transcendence this is an

attitude or an architectural imagination

that was directly inherited from

enlightenment architects who were trying

to remain the world around them