Painting Architecture

Painting as Process and Method in Architectural Design

This thesis investigates the method of painting to create sensory environments within architectural design. Drawing inspiration from phenomenological perspectives and acknowledging the potential of painting as a tool for spatial exploration, this study explores how painting can be utilized to foster tranquility and emotional regulation within architectural spaces. Specifically, it examines the process of using painting as a methodology for rapid prototyping and iteration in architectural design. Through the selection of materials, color palettes, and canvas textures, this research aims to understand how painting can facilitate the creation of sensorially engaging environments, contributing to a deeper understanding of the intersection between art, architecture, and human experience.

Background and Significance

The symbiotic relationship between painting and architecture has long been acknowledged. Both disciplines wield profound influence over human experience and spatial perception. While architecture traditionally prioritizes pragmatic concerns such as functionality and construction of buildings, contemporary discourse increasingly recognizes its capacity to evoke emotional and psychological responses, transcending mere utility to create immersive sensory experiences. Similarly, painting serves as a potent medium for expression, capable of conveying intricate narratives and emotions through visual representation. Despite their distinct histories and techniques, painting and architecture share fundamental principles of composition, form, and spatial organization. They both engage with the manipulation of space, light, color, and materiality to evoke specific moods while creating meaningful spatial experiences.

In the exploration of this intersection, the significance lies in its potential to expand the conceptual and methodological frameworks of architectural design. Drawing inspiration from luminaries such as Zaha Hadid, Alvar Aalto, Pezo von Ellrich Hausen, Santiago Calatrava, Steven Holl and Ellsworth Kelly, this study delves into the transformative power of painting as a tool for spatial exploration within architectural design. As Alvar Aalto articulates, the act of painting allows architects to momentarily transcend the complexities of architectural problems, tapping into instinctual creativity to generate innovative design solutions.

Background and Significance

It is essential to clarify the purpose of architectural paintings. Unlike purely artistic endeavors, architectural paintings allow for an intuitive working process, in which the creator’s spatial thoughts and intentions can be projected into potential architectural features. They are not merely aesthetic expressions but rather serve as communicative tools, projecting alternate spatial realities and inviting interpretation. Within this context, painting emerges as a vital means to facilitate the communication of ideas and exploration of spatial concepts within the architectural design process.

Painting as Generative Media

Central to this exploration is the concept of painting as generative media. Acting as an extension of the architect's self, painting facilitates embodied thinking. As the architect immerses in the creative process, the act of painting transcends conscious thought, giving rise to spontaneous and intuitive design solutions. According to Pallasmaa, the potential of our imagination is not limited to our minds alone. Our entire physical makeup harbors fantasies, longings, and aspirations. Therefore the hand and the mind are inseparable entities, informing and enriching the other in a symbiotic dance of creativity.

Abstraction in Painting and Architecture

Abstraction emerges as a crucial aspect of both painting and architectural design processes. Paintings, with their inherent ambiguity, invite interpretation and imagination, transcending literal representation to evoke emotional and sensory responses. Similarly, architects must abstract reality to conceptualize and communicate architectural ideas, as the final architectural artifacts often represent abstract intentions rather than tangible realities. Thus, understanding the role of abstraction within both disciplines is pivotal to comprehending their intertwined relationship and creative processes.

Objectives and Scope

This study aims to explore the transformative potential of painting within architectural design, drawing upon its generative qualities, communicative power, and capacity for abstraction. By illuminating the symbiotic relationship between painting and architecture, this research seeks to enrich architectural practice with new perspectives and methodologies, fostering more intuitive, engaging, and human-centered design solutions.

What is vital to consider is that architectural paintings can help architects stimulate their creativity and imagination. Architectural paintings are often underexplored in their potential application to the design process, and there is limited explicit investigation into the creative process involved in making architectural paintings. This research aims to uncover the implicit creative approaches of architects who utilize painting as a tool for design. The results will examine the way in which painting can effectively contribute to architectural design processes and developments.

Pavilion design

As the methodology of using painting in architectural design emphasizes creation and iteration, the pavilion design which ends in a hybrid painting does not represent a finite space, but rather a plan that could evolve and be altered with further discussion. Integrating both explorative perspectives and texture studies into a cohesive approach, the pavilion design began as a set of 9 perspectives, abstract plan and elevation as well as a texture catalog. The design process remains intentionally slow-paced, reflecting the methodical nature of the work. The use of larger canvases offers more room, both literally and figuratively, to ponder, explore, and experiment before finalizing the designs.

The design journey began with creating perspectives to capture "moments" of walking through the building. These perspectives function as snapshots of different spaces within the architecture, providing a foundation for the abstract plan and elevation drawings that follow, which illustrate how specific parts of the building could potentially materialize. Additionally, a supplementary texture catalog is introduced to suggest the potential textures of walls without specifying their material composition. The ultimate goal is to create a hybrid painting that encapsulates all the ideas from the perspectives and integrates them into a comprehensive representation.