This thesis explores the significant impact of Lawrence Halprin’s work on architecture, highlighting his contributions to both theory and practice. Halprin designed architectural projects as collective endeavors, involving diverse voices to enrich his work with an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach. His interest in freeway design aligns perfectly with his ideas on an architecture of movement, designing freeways as architectural open spaces and, just like all of his other architectural designs, concerned with the people who use them and how their movement completes each architectural project. The difference between these spaces lies in the concept of speed, and how different speeds influence visual perception. Halprin adjusts his architectural language to better respond to a faster aesthetic but does not renounce its principles, the ideas of a “condensed” or “hybrid” space, are applied to all his designs and are tailored to better suit the specificities required by the technological manufacts. His revolutionary ideas about infrastructure integration with cities and their architecture were rooted in practical possibilities rather than mere idealism. With his definition of Traffic Architecture, Halprin along with Buchanan, but also Louis Khan, and later the Smithsons, begun to codify and define a true theory of road design (of low and high speeds) in the city as an urban and architectonic event. Halprin’s holistic approach to public space design was another groundbreaking contribution. He emphasized the importance of integrating them within the larger urban fabric of the city, ensuring that each design intervention was part of a dynamic, interconnected system. Halprin uses intrinsic aspects of nature into his designs, because of its ability to inspire, at the same time, a sense of peace and serenity alongside feelings of trepidation and uneasiness. By directly taking inspiration form the more wild and powerful sides of nature, rather than its more quiet and pastoral qualities, Halprin is able to build a personal architectural aesthetic that resembles the process-like aesthetic qualities of nature, without imitating its physical forms. His designs, aimed to create experiential interactions by blending man-made forms with elements derived from nature as he believed in creating an “experiential equivalence,” where urban environments could evoke the same emotional and sensory responses as natural settings. His work emphasizes nature's dynamic processes, like erosion and water movement. Halprin’s idea of participation extends well beyond a momentary practice, beyond the workshops or even design development phases, it lies in the fact that the people who occupy his designs, participate in making them complete. The plurality of uses and mis-uses of his architectural projects are the key to understanding Halprin’s participation principles, a kay interpretation lies in the “openness” of the designs and their ability to project and evoke certain behaviors from people. The workshops serve as a way to liberate and teach the participants that they can and should participate in all of the spaces of the city as it is their presence and their innovative uses that allow for these spaces to become places.
Questa tesi esplora l'impatto significativo del lavoro di Lawrence Halprin sull'architettura e sull’architettura del paesaggio, mettendo in luce i suoi contributi sia teorici che pratici. Halprin concepiva i progetti architettonici come sforzi collettivi, coinvolgendo voci diverse per arricchire il proprio lavoro attraverso un approccio interdisciplinare e collaborativo. Il suo interesse per la progettazione di autostrade si allinea perfettamente con le sue idee su un’architettura del movimento, concependo le autostrade come spazi architettonici aperti, e, come per tutte le sue altre opere, concentrandosi sulle persone che li utilizzano e su come il loro movimento completi ogni progetto architettonico. La differenza tra questi spazi risiede nel concetto di velocità e nel modo in cui le diverse velocità influenzano la percezione visiva. Halprin adatta il suo linguaggio architettonico per rispondere a un’estetica più rapida senza rinunciare ai suoi principi fondamentali; le idee di uno spazio "condensato" o "ibrido" si applicano a tutte le sue progettazioni e vengono adattate per rispondere alle specificità richieste dalle strutture tecnologiche. Le sue idee rivoluzionarie sull'integrazione dell'infrastruttura con le città e la loro architettura erano radicate in possibilità concrete piuttosto che in puro idealismo. Con la sua definizione di “Traffic Architecture” (Architettura del traffico), Halprin, insieme a Buchanan, ma anche a Louis Khan e, in seguito, agli Smithson, inizia a codificare e definire una vera e propria teoria della progettazione stradale (a velocità ridotte e elevate) in città come evento urbano e architettonico. L’approccio olistico di Halprin alla progettazione di spazi pubblici rappresenta un ulteriore contributo innovativo. Sottolineando l’importanza di progettare spazi che fossero concatenati al tessuto urbano, assicurandosi che ogni intervento facesse parte di un sistema dinamico e interconnesso più ampio all’interno della città. Halprin inserisce aspetti intrinseci della natura nei suoi progetti per la capacità di ispirare, al contempo, una sensazione di pace e serenità accanto a emozioni di fascinazione ed inquietudine. Ispirandosi direttamente agli aspetti più selvaggi e potenti della natura, piuttosto che a quelli più tranquilli e pastorali, Halprin costruisce un’estetica architettonica personale che richiama le qualità estetiche dei processi naturali, senza imitarne le forme fisiche. I suoi progetti mirano a creare interazioni esperienziali, fondendo forme artificiali con elementi derivati dalla natura, poiché credeva nel creare una "equivalenza esperienziale", in cui gli ambienti urbani potessero evocare le stesse emozioni e sensazioni degli ambienti naturali. Il suo lavoro enfatizza i processi dinamici della natura, come l’erosione e il movimento dell’acqua. L’idea di partecipazione di Halprin va ben oltre una pratica momentanea, oltre i workshop o le fasi di sviluppo del progetto; risiede nel fatto che le persone che occupano gli spazi da lui progettati contribuiscano a renderli completi. La pluralità di usi e “abusi” dei suoi progetti architettonici è fondamentale per comprendere cosa intende Halprin per partecipazione; una chiave interpretativa risiede nell "apertura" dei progetti (scores) e nella loro capacità di evocare e stimolare determinati comportamenti nelle persone. Halprin si serviva degli workshop per invitare ed insegnare ai partecipanti che potevano e dovevano partecipare a tutti gli spazi della città, poiché per Halprin è la loro presenza e i loro usi innovativi a trasformare questi spazi in luoghi.
Stitching Back the City. Lawrence Halprin, Infrastructure, Open Spaces and Collective Creativity.
UMANI, VITTORIA
2025
Abstract
This thesis explores the significant impact of Lawrence Halprin’s work on architecture, highlighting his contributions to both theory and practice. Halprin designed architectural projects as collective endeavors, involving diverse voices to enrich his work with an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach. His interest in freeway design aligns perfectly with his ideas on an architecture of movement, designing freeways as architectural open spaces and, just like all of his other architectural designs, concerned with the people who use them and how their movement completes each architectural project. The difference between these spaces lies in the concept of speed, and how different speeds influence visual perception. Halprin adjusts his architectural language to better respond to a faster aesthetic but does not renounce its principles, the ideas of a “condensed” or “hybrid” space, are applied to all his designs and are tailored to better suit the specificities required by the technological manufacts. His revolutionary ideas about infrastructure integration with cities and their architecture were rooted in practical possibilities rather than mere idealism. With his definition of Traffic Architecture, Halprin along with Buchanan, but also Louis Khan, and later the Smithsons, begun to codify and define a true theory of road design (of low and high speeds) in the city as an urban and architectonic event. Halprin’s holistic approach to public space design was another groundbreaking contribution. He emphasized the importance of integrating them within the larger urban fabric of the city, ensuring that each design intervention was part of a dynamic, interconnected system. Halprin uses intrinsic aspects of nature into his designs, because of its ability to inspire, at the same time, a sense of peace and serenity alongside feelings of trepidation and uneasiness. By directly taking inspiration form the more wild and powerful sides of nature, rather than its more quiet and pastoral qualities, Halprin is able to build a personal architectural aesthetic that resembles the process-like aesthetic qualities of nature, without imitating its physical forms. His designs, aimed to create experiential interactions by blending man-made forms with elements derived from nature as he believed in creating an “experiential equivalence,” where urban environments could evoke the same emotional and sensory responses as natural settings. His work emphasizes nature's dynamic processes, like erosion and water movement. Halprin’s idea of participation extends well beyond a momentary practice, beyond the workshops or even design development phases, it lies in the fact that the people who occupy his designs, participate in making them complete. The plurality of uses and mis-uses of his architectural projects are the key to understanding Halprin’s participation principles, a kay interpretation lies in the “openness” of the designs and their ability to project and evoke certain behaviors from people. The workshops serve as a way to liberate and teach the participants that they can and should participate in all of the spaces of the city as it is their presence and their innovative uses that allow for these spaces to become places.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14242/208546
URN:NBN:IT:UNITS-208546