Vi u io
In e na ional
jou nal o
A chi ec u e
Technology and
Sus ainabili y
Volume 2
VII
EDITORIAL
THE NATURAL MATTER AS A NEW ARCHITECTURAL
PARADIGM
The na u al ma e as a new a chi ec u al pa adigm.
A Tipasa, I see equals I belie e, and I am no s ubbo n
enough o deny wha my hands can ouch and my lips
FDUHVV7KHUHLVDIUHHGRPWKHUH
Nup ials a Tipasa: Albe Camus
The expe ience o he s one has ans o med my
a chi ec u al app oach. Wi hou p emedi a ion as
no hing in me has changed h ough he hough ,
he ac p ecedes i . I like i be o e unde s anding i .
A chi ec u al o m comes om he desi e o ca ess and
lo e he willing ma e . And in his way all p oceeds
om he ma e and he expe ience buil .
The Pa henon is he g ea human d eam aliena ed by
he s e ile o ms o he aes he ics. The a disappea s
in he con empla ion o dead o ms o plas ics e en s.
Only he e nacula building connec s he human o
his exis ence. The designed a chi ec u e pu posely
aliena es.
In e nacula a chi ec u al o ms is he ma e which
guides. A chi ec u e o s one, wood, ea h, s aw,
connec s wi h hose who li e hem. The e a e no limi s
be ween he human’s body and houses eme ging om
he si e. Wha we iden i y as sui able o ms, a e no ,
EHFDXVH WKHUH LV QR IRUP WKRXJKW 0DWWHU GLFWDWHV
and he human is guided. He lo es be o e knowing he
lo es i . He is no conce ned abou he lo e o beau y.
He pu s his body in unison wi h i s en i onmen . His
a is h i y.
Ha ing o hink be o e building is he ue pe e sion.
Pe e se e e sal ha o ces he pencil on he blank
page.
The a chi ec mus be a su eyo . He mus measu e
he e ain wi h a human s ep. S ick he wood s akes.
Place he s ones. The ac emo es he d awing. The
ad en u e can begin.
7KHFHOODURI9DXYHUWP ÓUVWVWRQHFRQVWUXFWLRQZDV
bo n o a chance encoun e . I was du ing holiday nea
he amous Roman aqueduc , he Pon du Ga d. On
he pa h I ook e e y day o each he i e , he e was
an enclosu e o cyclopean s ones. They we e s acked
by a sc apya d wo ke anxious o hide he objec o
his wo k. Tha is o say, he ba ba i y o a consume
socie y ejec ing and h owing o he g ound he
objec s used ha doesn’ wan . Seduced by he powe
o his building, I sough o know om whe e we e
d awn hose s ones. The disco e y o he qua y was
an emo ional shock.
The mons ous pile o s acked s ones sp ang o my
eyes. I was swep up in a “maels om” kine ics. I saw
a he same ime he py amids and emples o Egyp ,
he palace o He od, he g ea ca hed als and Ankho -
9DW0DFKX3LFKXDQGWKH0D DQS UDPLGV7KHVWRQHV
old me hei sec e . They whispe ed me: ake us; we
will ake you beyond ime. Each g ain o ou skin will
UHÔHFWWKHFRVPRV<RXZLOOEHDWSHDFH*ODG RXSXW
us hones ly on he g ound a he se ice o hose who
FRPPDQG RX :HOO GR WKH UHVW 7KHVH O WLF 6LUHQV
HQFKDQWHG PH , ZHQW RQ WKH GLIÓFXOW ZD  RI IRUPDO
H[LOH,PDGHDÓUVWH[SHULHQFHEXLOWLQVWRQHWKHFHOODU
o Vau e . I ouched me by changing my a chi ec u al
pa adigms.
E e y e ening a e he wo king day I pu my hands
and my ace agains he s one. I pu oge he he la ge
blocks e ec ed in he nigh wind. I sni ed he s ange
smell and powe ul millions o p isone s skele ons o
ine gangue. E e y pa o his s one was elling me
abou his li e, his des iny, I disco e ed on hem celes ial
uni e ses. I plunged in o he g ea c ash o a oms
jos led by he ene gy ha ga e bi h o ou uni e se.
I ecognized he s one as mine. The nose agains he
ma e I do e in galaxies. I saw dancing s a s, la ge
nebulae, s ella snakes, ed dwa s and cosmic swi ls.
S one eins a e he li e ha anima es us.
I hen ealized ha he ma e was ou his o y. Up igh
RU O LQJ VWRQH ZDV UHYHOHG 6KHV P  WZLQ 3DUW RI
mysel . I had no need o o ma he ma e was ma e
ha ook shape.
Indus ial echnology has aliena ed us om li ing
ma e , ou double. We a e no longe one wi h i . To
shape he blacksmi h s uggles. O dances. The ma e
likes being ca essed, shaped, shea ed, u nished. She
h p://dx.doi.o g/10.4995/ i u io-ija s.2016.7022
VIII
ge s caugh bu he blacksmi h does no possess i .
In he end i is she who makes he ules. How a will
she accep ? Fo ging s eel blacksmi h becomes s eel. I
is he subjec who possesses him. Is he same o he
ca pen e , he masone , he s onemasone . The ma e
guides hei hand o his desi e.
Indus ial p oduc s a e dead ma e . The pes ilen ial
s ench o hei o ing gi es nauseas. We build dwellings
FHOOV ZKLFK DUH ODUJH FRIÓQV ZKHUH RXU OLYHV ZLWKHU
Li es dis ac ed by he ci cus games. Schizoph enic li e
in an unknown en i onmen ha igno es hem.
Ou wo k by imposing indus ial "p oduc s" sepa a es
us om he ma e . We a e asked o make buildings like
we we e going o he supe ma ke : some pe o a ed
shee he e, some conc e e blocks he e, wo kilos o
glass suspended abo e, a box o ed o black pain
o hide he po e y.... In sho , go as o a wo ld
ZKHUHVSHHGLQFUHDVHVZLWKSURÓW+DYHEULOOLDQWOLYHV
UKLQHVWRQHVDQGVWUHVV7REHÓQDOO GHYRXUHGLQWKH
g ea machine o obli ion.
To excel you ha e o o ge . Wedding ma e o ime.
I did my nu se y school wi h la ge peasan a he .
He was bo n in he nine een h cen u y. In a ime
when men ook hei esou ces om hei immedia e
en i onmen . He knew o do e e y hing: baking b ead,
dig wi h a wooden log, make wine, make baske s.
Unde he s ems o a hazel ee ecen ly cu he d ew
long s ips o so ba k. The ba e s em, ben , de o med,
a ached, o med he ca cass. Then we b aid long ba k
snakes o blend wi h his s uc u e. The baske was
bo n o a einca na ed hazel.
I ook me en yea s o unde s and his childhood
expe ience. I is he ma e ha dic a es. By accep ing
he dic a es my g and a he engende ed wonde ul
o ms. No need o o esee hem. As a as we lo e
li ing and na u al ma e , i will p o ide us. We mus
VXUUHQGHUWRLW$FFHSWKLVLQÔXHQFH6XEPLWKLVODZ
The e is a eedom he e.
Gilles Pe audin