The natural matter as a new architectural paradigm

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