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modernism of Le Corbusier in favour of modernism
full stop. It is clear that these positions, nourished
by ‘complexities and contradictions’, are not leading
Philippe Samyn towards any sort of imitation of tried
and tested formulas, but rather towards on-going
research – as attested to by the constant presence of
his sketch books. Philippe Samyn’s ‘classicism’ can be
seen in most of his urban compositions, such as the
monumental organisation of the surroundings of the
Aula Magna in Louvain-la-Neuve
(01-268 and 01-291)
,
in which the development echoes the architecture. It
can also be found in the organisation of networks and
repetition of volumes, as in the competition project for
the Campidoglio Due city hall in Rome
(01-526)
, the
project for the surroundings of Leuven railway station
and the Siemens project in Schaerbeek
(01-267)
. It
can be seen yet again in the landscaping compositions
that accompany his structures, such as in Marcinelle
(01-286)
, Gerpinnes
(01-320)
and Rome
(01-375)
.
This is much more than a response to the symmetry
of structures – it is a profound trend.
Although an aesthetic of buildings must result from
the use of techniques and materials, the aesthetic
of the works of Philippe Samyn express much more
than structural balance. They are the result of a set of
physical data that is linked to energy savings, durability,
natural ventilation of interior spaces and, of course,
‘volume and displacement indicators’, of which he has
made particular use in his research into wind turbine
construction. The architecture is thus a complex and
complete set of responses to the environment and the
economy; it goes far beyond a primitive functionalism
that is content merely to respond to user’s vital needs,
even if it means systematising production.
Among the texts in which Philippe Samyn justifies
his environmental stances, we must cite ‘The Narrow
Earth’, a lecture given during the 18 November 2000
session of the Fine Arts Division, and published in 2001
in the Royal Academy of Science, Humanities and Fine
Arts of Belgium’s Bulletin de la classe des sciences. In
it, the author denounces hastily thrown-up construc-
tions – which result in their just as hasty destruction
– as well as the ‘dilution of the city into the surrounding
countryside’
7
and ‘megalopolises with makeshift infra-
structures in developing countries’, all of it resulting in
unpardonable waste. By noting a general indifference
in architectural teaching for environmental architectural
techniques, Philippe Samyn opposes the naive belief
that nothing is impossible to build and that everything
can be solved, which diverts the architect from his or
her mission. He also rises up against certain environ-
mental abuses of modernism in the 1920s (which
was in such an inventive phase that one can only
protest its continued use today), as well as against
ready-made solutions and business as usual in terms
of thermal insulation.
All of this does not distance us from an aesthetic;
on the contrary, it gives it an enlightening role.
Ultimately, we return to one of the primary options of
functionalism, which is making the form dependant
on the content. Functions should not be ignored, of
course, but a multi-purpose approach is infinitely prefer-
able to the unequivocal aspect of orthodox modernist
solutions. Today, the speedy obsolescence of functions
calls for it, while the sociological and technical com-
ponent of the site requires it. Thus, the composition
of family units, like the infrastructure, is a variable
that housing should take into account, and the rapid
changes in office automation leads to a rapid refitting
of workspaces. Nevertheless, many buildings are not
adapted (or not adaptable) due to the rigidity of their
initial design. It is important for living and workspaces
(and even leisure spaces) to survive if we want to avoid
their ‘premature destruction’, as discussed in ‘The
Narrow Earth’. This sometimes means an aesthetic
of fluidity and transparency, an aesthetic found in
many works by Philippe Samyn, such as the Espace
Christian Dotremont in Nivelles-Nord
(01-379)
. This
may also introduce a relative morphological neutrality,
as is the case with the restructuring of the Brugmann
Hospital
(01-312)
.
01-375
Renovation of the
eni
headquarters, Rome, 1998
01-320
Head offices of the Compagnie
Nationale à Portefeuille,
Gerpinnes, 1994-1995