WISDOM AND DOUBT / JUHANI PALLASMAA

The theme of this year's Helsinki Design Week is Wisdom. To do this subject honor, HDW's team decided to make sure that the attendants come to the event charged and updated - they are gifting their audience a series of columns that tackle the subject of wisdom written by selected thinkers, designers and creatives that will be published during the following nine months before the event starts.

The first column in the series comes from Juhani Pallasmaa -  Finnish architect, professor emeritus and writer:

// Wisdom is not identical with intelligence or knowledge. It is a hidden mode of creative vision, arising from certain outsideness and distance, combined with an empathic identification with the situation. While knowledge aims at certainty, wisdom is grounded on the acceptance of doubt, uncertainty and the possibility of failure. Wisdom is not necessarily a result of specific education; a fisherman, hunter, farmer or a traditional craftsman can possess remarkable wisdom in his/her work. Knowledge and skills are facts, whereas wisdom calls for relatedness and a distinct humanistic and life supporting perspective. In the post-industrial cultures, broken into countless specializations, we are especially in need of the unifying visions of wisdom. Yet, in our current quasi-rational culture of persuation, insistance and manipulation, wisdom is a disappearing quality.

A wise person keeps him/herself outside of the center of action, as wisdom arises from internalizing and grasping simultaneously large entities and the merging of peripheral and focused attentions. The technologized societies are split into countless domains of expertise, individuals who are assumed to know and master a specific area of knowledge or activity. However, expertise is a focused capacity, whereas wisdom arises from an unfocused and comprehensive understanding. Expertise is valid only within its limited and constrained area, whereas wisdom is the capacity of grasping complex entities, often consisting of conflicting aspects, requirements or dimensions. Most of the seminal societal tasks, such as political decision making, planning and  architecture characteristically consist of conflicting realities, intentions and interests. Situations in real cultural and societal activities merge numerous dimensions of reality and, consequently, they cannot be resolved with intellect, reason and logic. In his inaugural lecture as Member of the Academy of Finland in 1955, Alvar Aalto pointed out the irreconcilable inner structure of design tasks: ”In every case one must achieve the simultaneous solution of opposites. Nearly every design task involves tens, often hundreds, sometimes thousands of different contradictory elements, which are forced into a functional harmony only by man’s will. This harmony cannot be achieved by any other means than those of art”.[1] Aalto´s statement could well terminate in the word , ”… wisdom”.

In the modern world, architecture is usually seen as problem solving; architectural projects are even commonly called ”solutions”. The use of this notion reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of architecture; it does not solve problems, as it mediates our relationship (movements, physical and sensory conditions and mental experiences) with the world, both natural and man-made. It is an irreplaceable mental mediation between us and the world, not a problem to be solved by intelligence and expertise. Indeed, philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty argues: ”We come to see not the work of art, but the world according to the work”[2]. This argument reveals the mediating and dialogical essence of artistic works, including architecture.

Joseph Brodsky is critical of our culture of expertise : ”In the business of writing what one accumulates is not expertise but uncertainties”[3]. In the poet’s view, even master craftsmen are engaged in uncertainties rather than expertise. Wisdom acknowledges evolution, processes and change, and contains a temporal judgement that fuses the time perspective in its judgement.  

Knowledge and skills can be taught, studied and learned, but wisdom grows and matures by itself through lived experience. Wisdom is contextual; the wise individual sees the phenomenon in its total context and dynamics. In traditional societies wisdom relied on mythical and symbolic knowledge and magic, while in our self-claimed age of reason, it is an exceptional human gift. It is not a conceptualized and structured mental construction; it is a natural ability to sense the essences and interactions of things. 

Wisdom is usually related with age, as only rich experiences of authentic life and culture can prepare a person or group for the required diffuse attention and judgement. The common view suggests that responsible decisions in demanding situations call for intelligence, but emotive and empathic capacities are more essential. Choices of wisdom are usually based on emotive, not rational certainties. Mark Johnson, another philosopher, claims: ”Emotions are not second-rate cognitions; rather they are affective patterns of our encounter with our world, by which we take the meaning of things at a primordial level [… ] Emotions are a fundamental part of human meaning”. [4]  Wisdom fuses knowledge and emotion, intelligence and memory, reason and vision, certainty and doubt. It also calls for imagination, and, in fact,  it is fundamentally an imaginative skill. But wisdom has also an ethical component, as there is no wisdom without ethical judgement and responsibility. Wisdom is an existential gift, and it is undoubtedly the highest of human qualities. //

[ Source: Helsinki Design Week ]

OCTOSPIDER / EXPOSURE ARCHITECTS

Breaks can be very beneficial to our workflow and productivity. When done properly, they prevent "decision fatigue", help consolidate memories, replenish attention, restore motivation and consequently help us in achieving our highest level of performance.

The architecture of one corporate canteen in Bangkok supports some concepts of quality "downtime" by giving its users a change of environment, connection with nature and by provoking movement. 

Designed by Exposure Architects, this canteen sits in the center of Satin Textile manufacturing plant’s ‘campus’, elevated with slim concrete and steel legs 8m above a shallow artificial pool made from the factory's cooling system drainage water. 

The canteen is accessed by a long pedestrian ramp that climbs up, tangents the building, and then leads back to the ground finishing a semicircle. Three long dining hall arms radiate from the central elongated body of the cafeteria. They are clad in glass offering the diners a calming view of the surrounding nature and taking them briefly away from the work environment. 


/Eating has always been a social event, a need transformed into a ritual for all social classes”, writes Exposure of their inspiration behind the design. “Today’s life has endangered this act, has brought it back to mere functional activity. In designing a factory cafeteria, it has been therefore of paramount importance to give some nobility to the moment of eating, while keeping always in mind the notions of efficiency, timing and economy. //



/Based on the strength of its guiding concept (the web of a spider or the tentacles of an octopus, if we are to be led by the compound name that the project has been given), Octospider is also an intelligent revisiting of the architectural promenade concept and a study on centrality in the relationship between volume and space. It originates in the obvious pleasure of organizing a neo-constructivist pathway along which one encounters a curved generator with four interpenetrating, resolute, sharp lines. It is finalized in the contrast between the opposite principles of the weightiness of matter and the lightness of an upward thrust that is made possible by 12-centimetre diameter poles up to 8 metres long, nearly at the limit of their tensile strength. //

JUST DO IT HQ AT THE CHURCH / NIKE

Built in 1855 but closed and secanctified in 2011, the Church of Epiphany has gotten a new life as a pop-up basketball facility to be used as a training space for local high-school teams.
Nike took over the building earlier in 2018 and turned it into a basketball training facility containing a state-of-the-art basketball court, sports gym, and locker room offering activities such as interactive youth workshops, training, and school clinics. By introducing how the power of sport can be a catalyst for change, the aim is to inspire youth to follow their dreams. 
The conversion work took a little over than a month to complete. Design is the work of Storey Studio, a British design studio that has previously collaborated with Nike on a number of projects.





This church conversion project is the latest example of Nike's engagement in so called "brand urbanism", a growing trend of companies taking on urban development projects in exchange for exposure:

// Created in partnership with the local community, these kinds of projects are aimed at serving both. The Just Do It HQ is yet another example of brand urbanism by Nike, where the brand gets to create vibrant public spaces for the city. While the city gets to enjoy additional financing and physical upgrading by the brand, the brand gets to interact with the community and its following in a more personal way.
However, their influence isn’t just local as the brand usually attracts media attention, gaining international exposure and goodwill. With brands increasingly allocating their marketing budgets to brand urbanism, it tells something about the effectiveness of this strategy. However, it raises questions about the future of our cities.'
Pop-Up City has dwelled on this question that raises both enthusiasm and concerns. Check out this sports court by an architecture firm in Mexico City for example. //

[ Source: Pop-Up City ]

5 LESSONS / NORMAN FOSTER

A few quotes I picked up from "5 Lessons From Norman Foster’s Lecture at the Barbican", an article I read at ArchDaily:
1. Architecture is more than a building
As obvious as this may sound, it is easy to fixate on a facade or roof, the most ego-driven aspect of any project. But what we can lose in the quest for Instagram perfection is the true purpose of architecture: designing a space to be used by a community. 

2. Research is king

If a decision is well researched then it can rarely be wrong, avoiding the awkward silence after a client (or college reviewer) asks “but... why?”


3. “We all gravitate to what we do best”
He claimed that he was far more useful as a designer, leading by example, than he would ever be as a politician arguing day after day. Taken at face value, this sentiment is key to the effective communication of ideas. Improving holistically is still important, but our skills are naturally weighted in certain areas; be it model-making, drawing, pitching or detailing; and in focusing on your strengths you can help maximize a project’s success. In Foster's case, it's also probably the reason why the former RAF man has designed no less than 7 airports—he's good at it.

4. Bold solutions
To be bold in architecture is difficult, as the hundreds of constraints and regulations try their best to maintain a palatable level of status quo. However, it is often in seemingly crazy ideas that change is facilitated. Creating something new—even if it means swimming against the tide—is critical for positive change within architecture, and as George Bernard Shaw once said: "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

5. “Doing more with less”
Foster frequently referred back to conversations he had with "Bucky," using him as a touchstone in what he was trying to achieve and how he wanted to achieve it. The famous Fuller quote “doing more with less” is usually attributed to the performance of a project: using technological advancements in order to create a more efficient input (less) with a larger output (more). This is seen first hand in his geodesic dome, and later the Dymaxion House, and the relatively simple mantra mimics the sustainable agenda we face, reducing global reliance on finite supplies, something Foster addressed in the new Bloomburg European HQ. You can also apply this to the time you spend at work, maximizing output and leaving space to live—something essential for general well-being.

[ Source: ArchDaily ]

SAVE OUR SPECIES / LACOSTE

To help fight for world's wildlife conservation, Lacoste partnered up with IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and created a limited-edition “Save Our Species” collection of polo shirts.

In a simple but powerful gesture, Lacoste replaced it's iconic crocodile logo with a line of emblems featuring 10 of the most threatened species in the world. Each polo shirt, rendered in white, is produced in a limited number of copies corresponding to the remaining population size of the respective species in the wild.
Featured animals are:  Those animals consist of the Vaquita dolphin, Burmese roofed turtle, Northern sportive lemur, Javan rhino, Cao vit gibbon, Kakapo parrot, California condor, the Saola, Sumatran tiger, and the Anegada ground iguana.

// SOS ensures the long-term survival of threatened species, their habitat and the people who depends on them. SOS - Save Our Species channels funds from donors to existing frontline conservation actors working to protect from extinction some of the world's most threatened species of plants and animals. //



FACE / YUMNA AL-ARASHI

Yumna Al-Arashi's photographic series captures the last generation of Muslim women with facial tattoos:

// The facial tattoos are often reflections of local astrological beliefs. The designs can be symbolic tributes to the stars, the moon or the sun depending on each woman’s personal preference. Although many women adorn their faces for cosmetic reasons, most believe that the intricate drawings connect them with the spiritual world and protect their households from evil forces. In either case, Yumna says, the tattoos are a manifestation of female strength: “These metaphysical connections translate as very powerful in these communities. Women are authoritative figures. They are the family’s decision-makers, they understand the land and animals’ needs best, they know how to use herbs to heal and they can cook. These are all essential survival skills.” The tattoos are symbols of matriarchal power in communities where women sustain the livelihood of their families. Men, Yumna says, are merely there to assist.


Face not only captures the Maghreb’s matriarchal communities, but also comments on the slow disappearance of female facial tattoos. “They started vanishing when capitalism was introduced to the region; corporate power is a dominantly male force. This in turn, saw the dissolution of the agricultural and natural power that women had controlled,” Yumna says. “It’s so easy for the media to tell people that these countries are backwards and that these women are repressed.” Yumna’s photography questions Western ‘progress’ and its orientalist preconceptions of Muslim communities by highlighting how the onset of capitalism has reorganised these traditional communities in line with a patriarchal social order. //