... en r::: -- C. CD en -- J ';;} ... Kenneth Frampton n edited by John Cava o -- J n o .. c- c: -t CD The Poetics of Construction in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Architecture 9 Carlo Scarpa and the Adoration of the Joint Theseareonlysomeofthethoughtsevokedbybringingtogetherphilosophyandarch/tec· tureunderthesignofinterpretation,andIrealizethattheyareonlyhints,sparsesugges~ tlons.Itmaybenecessarytotakesomethingelseintoaccount:namely, thatedification hastwoprincipalmeanings-tobuildandtobemorallyuplifting.Botharequiteclosely tiedintoday'srathervertiginouscomingandgoingbetweenarchitectureandphilosophy, insofarasonecanIndividuateevenremotesimilaritiesbetweenthetwo. Thatis,edifica tionmustbeethical,entailingcommunicationofvaluechoices.Inthepresentsituationof thoughtontheonehandandarchitectonicexperienceontheother(weshallconsiderthis aprovisionalandlim/tedconclusion), theonlypossibilityofedifyinginthesenseofbuild ingistoedifyinthesenseof"renderingethical,"thatis, toencourageanethicallife:to workwiththerecollectionoftraditions, withthetracesofthepast, withtheexpectations ofmeaningforthefuturo, sincetherecannolongerbeabsoluterationaldeductions. Therefollowsthenedificationasafosteringofemotions,ofethicalpresentability, which canprobablyseIVeasthebasisforanarchitecturewhichisdeterminednotbythewhole butbytheparts. GianniVattimo, 1987 TheworkofCarloScarpa(1906-1978)maybeseen asawatershed intheevolu tionoftwentieth-centuryarchitecture, notonlyfortheemphasisthat heplaced uponthejointbutalsoforhisparticularuseofmontageasastrategyforinte grating heterogeneouselements. Throughouthiswork, thejointistreated asa kind oftectonic condensation; asan intersectionembodyingthewhole inthe part, irrespectiveofwhethertheconnection inquestion isan articulation ora bearing oreven an altogetherlargerlinkingcomponent such asastairora bridge. All ofthisisimmediatelyapparentinScarpa'sfirstworkofconsequence, the renovation and reorganizationofthe FondazioneQuerini StampaliainVen ice,completed in 1963.Inthis instance, astereotomic earthwork, laid intothe undercroftofasixteenth-centurypalace, isaccessedbyalightweightbridge thatactsasakind offixed hingebetweentheterrafirmaofthecampoandthe transformed shell ofthepalazzo(fig. 9.1). Incontrasttothis lightweight,flatarch resting on stoneabutments, Scarpa renderstheearthworkasamonolithicconcretetray(fig. 9.2). Separatedfrom theexistingwalls, thistrayservesnotonlytocontain butalsoto representthe seasonal flooding ofthecity. Thisshallowconcretewalkway, paved withtiles, embodiesthetraditions ofVeniceinmorewaysthanone, firstbycontainingthe acquaaltaand secondbyaffording directgondolaaccessthroughtheexisting portego.1Theceremonial natureofthis lastisimpliedbyawindingstairde scendingtothecanal andbyopenworkornamental gates,dressedin metal, thatfillthetwin-arched openings ofthe portico(fig. 9.3). Inthisway, Scarpaar rangesfortwocomplementaryentries: aneverydaypassagefromthecampo viaadelicatelyarticulatedbridge, and amorehonorificapproachfromthewa ter;an approachthat initssymbolicobsolescenceisan elaboratereminderof theoriginalmodeofenteringthepalace. As MariaAntoniettaCrippahasre marked, thewholeofthissequenceistreated asakind ofthree-dimensional inlay. The smallentrancehall-itsmosaicfloorreminiscentofadesignbyJoseph AlbersthatScarpahadoriginallyintendedtoreproduce-givesontoamarble dressedstaircaseleadingtothelibraryandalsoontoagangwayabovethe r I 9.1 CarloScarpa,FondazioneQueTin!Stampalia, Venice, 1963.Bridge. 9.2 CarloScarpa,FondazioneQueTiniStampalia. ground-floorplan: 1.woodenbridge 2.entry 3.foyer 4.concretecauseway 5.stepsdowntocanalentry 6.galleryentrance 7.radiators B.maingallery 9.secretdoor 10.smallgallery 11.stairtolibrary 12.gardenportico 13.fountain 14.stonelion 8 15.sump 16.oldwell 17.steppingstones 18.lilypond 19.outflow 20.porter'scourt 21.gardencourt 9.3 CarloScarpa,FondazioneQueriniStampalia, ornamentalgates. -----c-"-- 9.' CarloScarpa,FondazioneQueriniStampalia, mainexhibithall. 300 entranceareathatleadsintothegreathallonthegroundflooroppositethe portago. Thestonegangwaycrossingtheportagoisalmostlikeabridgeover lookingthelagoon;from itonecanseetheebbandflowofwaterplayinginto thecisternsplacedonvariouslevels.Asheetofglassseparatesthisgangway from thegreathall. Theradiators in thegreathallBfeconcealedwithinapara/ Ie/pipedwithgoldenlinesandglasspanelsfittingintoeachother, whichhas ageometricsimilaritytothemosaicin theentrancehall.Seventeenthcentury mouldingsandremnantsofwalls, clearlydistinctfrommodernadditions, Brevis iblethroughout.2 Scarpa'scharacteristic useofrevetment makesitselfevidenthereinthetraver tineliningtothewallsofthegreathall, where, apartfromthetraditional useof stonecladding,thereisthesuggestion ofametonymicexchangebetween wood andmasonry; betweenwoodasitisemployed inthedeckand handrailof thebridgeandtravertineasitislaidupagainstthewallsoftheexhibition space (fig. 9.4).Stonethusappearsintwo aspects; inthefirstsimplyascladding and inthesecondasakind of"wood,"where itisincised, inlaid,andhingedas ii'" ,-?"" r:, J ~\ Iii = ~ I~ ~ - ~ rF 301 l ] though itwere petrifiedcabinetwork. Such areading isimpliedbyaslotted brassrail, letintothestonecladdingtoform ahorizontalgrooveateyeheight, forthe purposesofhanging pictures.This material interplayisenhanced by10 centimeter-wide, ground-glasspanelssetflush withthetravertine revetment. As translucentcoverstoneontubes, these luminousaccentsrun acrossthewall likeadescant,echoing asimilarmodulation in theconcretefloorthat issubdi vided bystripsofIstrianstoneofthesamewidth. Thesetranslucentcover platesconstituteaseriesofvertical accentsthatdoubleupinpairsastheyrun down thedepthofthespace. Scarpamayhavederivedthis syncopated ar rangement in partfromthe Neoplasticistwall reliefthatTheavan Doesburg de signed forthe CafeAubette in 1926(fig. 9.5)and inpartfrom Le Corbusier's proportional system, aspublishedin hisbookLeModulortwentyyears later (fig. 9.6). Stonetreated ascabinetwork isalso evidentinthe hingeddoortothesidegal lery, madeout ofasinglesheetoftravertine, that iscutoutonitsfront and carved on itsretroface (fig. 9.7).Throughout, brassisthe keyforthismetonymic transposition between stoneand wood, sincetheinlaid picturerail, running aroundthegallery, recallsasimilaruseofbrassconnectors in the bridgehand 9.5 rail. Suchaccoutrementsalludebothto marinedetailingandtothekind offit TheovanDoesburg,CafeAubette,Stras tingsfound ineighteenth-centurygentleman'sfurniture(fig. 9.8). bourg,1926-1928.Elevationofcabaretwall. 9.7 Likeall ofScarpa'sbridges, theQuerini Stampaliapasserelle isstructured about CarloScarpa,FondazioneQueriniStampalia, 9.6 thethemesofbearing andtransition, which mayexplain oneofthe least doortogalleryannex. LeCorbusier, Modularsystem,1946. noticed featuresofthisbridge, namelyitscontrived asymmetry, particularly sincethedatumon eithersideisalmostthesame(seefig. 9.1).3Itseemsthat 9.8 thisasymmetryaroseoutoftheneed to meettwodifferentconditions: on one ReflectingdressingtableorRudd'stable, handthebridgehadto behighenoughto permitgondolasto pass closetothe 1788. campo; ontheotherhand ithadtocomedown lowerand moregraduallyinor dertoclearthe lintelofthebuilding entry. All ofthis iseffected bydisplacingthe bearings ofthe layeredsuperstructuresothatthepointofthehingedsupportis 70 centimeters higheronthelandwardside. Thus, onestepsupfromabutments in Istrianstonebeforecrossingtwooaktreadsontothecurved oakdeckofthe bridgeitself.Thedescent,ontheotherhand, iseffected byfivesimilartreads, the lastofwhich liesflushwiththestonethreshold tothepalace. Oftheseven woodentreads,threearesetflushwiththesurfacestowhichtheygiveaccess. This redundancy, togetherwiththesubdivision oftheoakdecking, makesthe distinctionbetweenthreshold and span ambiguous.Thedeckfunctionsasa kindoftectonicelisionthatsimultaneouslybothextendsandcurtailsone'sexpe rienceofcrossing.This inflectionfindsitscorrespondence inthebalustrading, 302 303 which isshortened onthe landwardsideand extendedtowardthe building.The unequalspacing ofuprightsthatresultsfrom thisasymmetrynecessitatesa twin-rail balustrade, sinceanunbracedhandrail would beinsufficientforthe longspan. Inthiscombination, alowerstructural rail intubularsteel and anup perhandrail in teak, wefindthatsynthesisofstructural economyand ergonomic form thatissocharacteristic ofScarpa'swork. Thehighestpointoftheacquaalta, indicated bythe heightoftheconcrete up standintheentry, finds reflection inthesurfacetreatmentofthemainexhibition space, wherethetravertinestopsshortatthe samedatumandthe exposed ag gregateconcretefloor istaken upto meetit.ThestripsofIstrianstonesubdivid ingthisrelativelyinexpressiveflooramounttoakindofbasketworkthat bonds theconcretetanking intoaunity.Thesebandsareirregularlymodulated, thereby echoingbutnotfollowingthesyncopation ofthewall revetment(seefig. 9.2). In additiontothis modulation,thesecoursesseemto besubtlyaligned so asto correspond with an existing splayintheplanformofthe building. Thus, while thefirstthreetransverseIstrianstripson enteringthegalleryaresetatright thespacethat passesfrom lefttorighttowardthegardencourt. This movement anglestothewallsoftheexhibition space, the remaining strips, nineinall (five isunderlinedbythe placementofiron radiators; avertical, encasedstackatthe singlesandtwodoubles),appearto benormaltothewallsofthe stairhall.4This entryand asingle, freestanding horizontalradiatorbracketed offthefloorto one subtleadjustmentinalignmentisaccompanied byadiagonal inflectionthrough sideoftheglazedopeningtothegarden.Theconcretestanchions supporting thearmoredplateglassgardendoorsarealsotreated aselementsinaNeoplas ticist composition, sothatwheretheaxisofoneliesparalleltothecrossaxisof 9.9 the halltheotherisrotated ninetydegrees;eachbeinginscribed with agilded CarloScarpa,FondazioneQueriniStampalia, baronitsface(fig. 9.9).This rotation issubtlyreflected inthetreatmentofthe glassdoorstogarden. glassitself,sothata10-centimeter, ground-glasslightpanelplanted on oneof thestanchionsisbalanced bytwo5-centimetersafetystripsetched intothe 9.10 plateglass. Asimilarasymmetricaltranslucent light panel and safetystripare CarloScarpa,FondazioneQueTiniStampalia, waterchannelingarden,sumptotheleft, alsoincorporated intotheglazed screen wall separatingtheexhibitionhallfrom fountaintotheright. theinitialfoyer. A parallelplaywith asymmetrical elementsappearsin thewaterchannel running acrossthegardencourt, in whichtwo differentspirals, arectilinearfountain in Apuan marbleand acircularconcretedrain,arethebeginningand theend ofa flowrunningfrom easttowest, passing beneath aVenetianstonelionbywhich thechannel issurmounted(fig. 9.10). ThisIslamicreferenceseemsdoubly significantinthattheflowfromtheeastnotonlyservestoevokethedepen dencyofVeniceontheOrientbut alsoScarpa'sown genealogy; hisself characterization as"aman ofByzantium, whocametoVenicebywayof Greece."Atthesametimethisfountain mayberead asametaphorforthelife cycle. AsGiuseppeZambonini haswritten: Waterisusedasacounterpointto thetreatmentofthegroundfloorofthePa lazzo. ItssourceisasmalJlabyrinthcarvedinmarblewhichsuggeststhepainof itsforcedbirth. ItIsthenchanneledthroughalongtrough.paralleltotheRio (SantaMariaFormosa)whichextendsalmosttheentirelengthofthegarden. It thenpassesbeneathastonelionthatfaces thesourceandfinalJydisappears intothedrain whichismagnificentlyexpressiveoftheideaofvortex.5 The influenceofChinainScarpa'sworkcan hardlybeoverestimated,particu larlywhen itcomestothewalled gardensofboth theQuerini Stampaliaandthe BrionCemeteryinSanVitod'Altivole.6 In both instancesafriezeofenameled tiles, asan artificialhorizon, isinlaidintocertainsectionsoftheperimeterwalls. In Venicethis ismatched bythetiled liningofalilypond laid outtothedesigns 30S InScarpa'sworkeverythingturns onthejointtosuch anextentthat,topara phraseLeCorbusier,thejointisthegeneratorratherthantheplan,notonlyinre spectofthewholebutalsowith regardtoalternativesolutionslyinglatent,asit were, within anyparticularpart(fig. 9.12). Thesealternativesarisespontane ouslyfrom Scarpa'smethod, hishabitofdraWing inrelief, wherein aninitial charcoal sketchoncard, oneofhisfamouscartoni, becomesprogressivelyelab orated andoverlaidbytraces,washes,andevenwhite-outto befollOWedbyfur therdelineations, entering intoacyclical processoferasureandredesign respectofagivenjunction, withouteverfUllyabandoningthefirst incarnationof thesolution. Inthisway, asMarcoFrascari hasremarked, Scarpa'scartoni serveasanarchaeologyoftheproject: "InScarpa'sarchitecturalproductionrela tionships betweenthewholeandtheparts, andthe relationship betweencrafts manshipand draftsmanship,allowadirectsubstantiationincorporeviiiofthe identityofthe processofperceptionandproduction,that is,the unionofthe constructionwiththeconstruing."8 Thisobservation stressestwo essential aspectsofScarpa'smethod, firstthe gesturalimpUlsepassing almostwithoutabreakfrom theact ofdraftingtothe actofmaking,andsecondareciprocityobtainingbetweenwhatFrascaricharac terizesasthetechneoflogosand thelogosoftechne;thatistosay, between construing aparticularform and constructing itsrealization (andthen, laterin thecycle, themomentin whichtheuserconstruesthesignificanceofthecon struction). Weareclose heretoGiambattistaVico'santi-Caiesianideaofcorpo real imagination. Scarpawould directlyacknOWledgethisaifinityon succeeding tothedeanshipofthe lstitutoUniversitariodiArchitetturadiVeneziabysuperim posingtheViconian mottoVerumfpsum Factum on theschool'sdiplomaand, later, byinscribingthesamelegend intohisdesignforthe school portal, thereby literallydedicatingarchitectstotheViconian pursuitof"truththrough making." While ScarpamayhavebecomefamiliarwithVico'sthought byreading Bene dettoCroce'sAesthetica of1909,anothersourcewould havebeenthe eighteenth-centuryVenetian architectCarloLodoli whowasacontemporary and apromoterofVico's ideas.9Vico'sVerumIpsumFactumwould havebeen ofthe painterMariodeLuigi (fig. 9.11).AsAlbertini andBagnoiihavesug 9.11 gested, thesetiled ornamentsin Muranoglassinitiateand enrichtheprome CarloScarpa,FondazioneQueriniStampalia, nadethrough thecourt. lilypond. ~arden The formsarectangleroughlycorrespondingto twosquares, each 12m persIde, cutbyaconcretedividingwall. Itislargelylaidoutwithlawnand 9.12 s~rubs.Asquarecoppercontainerforpapyrusplantsisinsetinalargerpond CarloScarpa,Briontomb,SanVitod'Altivole, 1969.Mapofdetails. fiveted.Withmosaictesserae;herewatercollectsbeforerechanneling. Isolated from thiS, asmallbasin(75 x 33.5 x 4.5-6em), formedofApuanmarbieofa ~urpliShhue, collects the waterdrippingintoitfromasmallpipeandchannelsit ~ntoaminiaturemaze, whereitfillsaseriesofshallowconcavitiesbeforeflowing mtoalong, deepwaterCoursein which waterliliesflourish. Attheendopposite thesmallbasin servingasabirdbathforthe wingedinhabitantsofthegarden a ~n low,cascadelendsimpetusto theflowofwater, carryingitintoproximitywith ancIentandnowdrywellhead. Ashortpathwithanumberofstepscompletes thegardeniayout, branchingofffrom thegiazedwaiioftheporticotoleadthe VIsitoreithertowardthepapyruspoolorin thedirectionofthe wellhead. 7 306 l~ E----- --,, I, oimwpnoartcatnivtitfyoraSndcasrepcaoantdtwinoplreovveildsi;nfgirsatpinhicloosnofiprmhyinogftehdeuccoagtinoniti.vAecacsoprdeicntgotfohis .. ']: ":::1: ':.. .".,,:....,, "..'.d:. ::"::f.:", '.'...," --~•• L-_ ---1 Vieo, knowledgewastobeacquirednotthrough passiveacceptancebut 7 : \ , through itsactiveformulation-foronlythen canthesubjecttakepossessionof ! it. ForScarpa, asforotherarchitects,thefirstinterventionin thisprocesswas , 1 , 'I thedelineationofthethingto beconstructed, whilethesecondwastheon-site processofitsrealization.As HubertDamisch hasremarked, i , j 0 I Theessentialgoalthereforeliesin thepurposeofverification,ifnotactuallyex II ~ perimentation, whichScarpaassignsto thedrawing, whichhastoembodyall H D necessarymisgivings. Forinstance, aperspectiveimageofastaircasedoesnot U ' allowsufficientaccuracyinidentifyingthenumberofstepsandtheirheight, let iii, alonethedetailsoftheirjointing-jointingbeingalink-up withCezanne'sdoubt. A crWcalpositionofthiskindacquiresspecialsignificanceata timelikethepres ent, characterizedbyanattempttoreducearchitecturalthoughtto thesingledi mensionofanimage, to thedetrimentofitssymbolicalandrealdimensions, In tivedetail,Scarpainsertedasmallbrasswasheratthe pointofthe thisthereisnoparadox;themanwhorevealedthefullpotentialofmuseumarchi tecturealsoutteredthemoststringentcriticismsoftheever-recurringerrorof intersection.'2 confusingarchitecturewithitsimageoranykindofscenography.10 Scarpa'saffinityforthearchaicmadeitselfmanifestnotonlyintheSCUlptural simplicityofhisform butalsointhehieraticelaboration ofhisjoints.Aswe have Amore preciseanalysisofthevariouslevelsinvolvedinScarpa'sdelineatory alreadyseen, ratherthan simplyjuxtaposethesupportandthe load(StUtzeund method hasbeenprovidedbySergioLos, whodistinguishesbetweenthree Last), Scarpawould "postpone"thefinal momentofsupport, asisevidentfrom kindsofdrawings. Thefirstisthecartone, Scarpa'sinitialdrawingon stiffochre his1975projectforabridgeoverthearchaeologicai remainsatFeltre(fig, 9,13) cardthatwouldthen beoverlaidwith variantsofthesamedetailontracing pa orinthevariouscapitalshewould inventinhislateryears. Asimilarprotraction per;iffoundto besUfficientlystable, theseversionswould beincorporatedinto isevidentintheground floorofthe MuseodiCastelvecchioinVerona, where in thebasicdrawingon card. Inthiswaythespecificoutlineoftheworkwould be tersecting concretefloorbeamsarecarried atmidpointbybuilt-up, riveted steel developed, with incidentalmarkingsinpencil andindiluteblackandred India beams(fig. 9.14). the postponementofthe bearing in this instancederived,as ink. Thisevolutionarymanner,sotospeak, assuredanindestructiblerecord of Scarpahimselfwould reveal, from thespatial continuityoftheground-floorenfi thedesignprocesswith regardtothe initialschema. Thisprocedurewould be ladesubdivided intofivecubicvolumes. Ineach cubeatransversesteelbeam sustained, aswehaveseen, bydetaileddrawingsontracing paperinpencH, wasintroducedrunningalongtheeast-westaxis ofthesequenceandthereby withcoloredcrayon beingemployedto identifydifferentlayersand levelsin bothplan andsection. Intheend, ofcourse,thefinal wholewastraced overat unifyingit.As heputit: theverylastminuteto produceareliableconstruction document." Iwantedtopreservetheoriginalityofeachroom, butIdidn'twanttousetheear lierbeamsoftherestoration. Sincetheroomsweresquare, Isetapairedsteel Scarpahadsuch respectforcraftsmanshipthaton occasion hewould detailin beamtosupportthepointwherethetworeinforcedconcretebeamscrossed, so suchawayastosuititsproceduralneeds. Thismuch isevidentfrom hishabit indicatingthemainlinesofthebuilding'sformalstructure. Where theycrossed offorming L-shapedbracketsoutofsteelplate, cut insuch awayastofacili theimparlanceofthatsquarewasemphasizedbecausethecrossingofthetwo tatethemeetingoftwocutsatrightanglesto each other. Scarpadrilledasmall beamsinthecentreimplies thepillarwhichhelpsdefinethewholespace. Thisis holeatthecrossing pointsothatthesawwouldchangetonewhen ithitthein thevisuallogicIwantedtouseasaframeofreference. Thewaythebeamsare tersection andthus produceacleancutwith nooverrun.Tofinish this produc- madealsobringsoutthevisuallogicbutonlyin thedetails. Icouldhaveused thesteelprofilesalreadyon themarket.13 Byestablishingthe pointoftheabsentcolumn, thecylindrical hingedjointbe 9.13 tweentheconcreteandsteel, ostensiblyintroducedinordertoallowfordifferen CarloScarpa,designforlayoutanddisplayof tial movement, was ascrucial tothearticulation ofthespaceasthebuilt-up Romanrelics,FeUre,1975-1978.Section. characterofthesteeljoist.This obsessionwiththeelaboration ofbearingwould alsoberemarked on byAlbertini and Bagnoliintheirdescriptionoftheatticcol 9.14 CarloScarpa,MuseodiCastelvecchio,Ve onnadeinthe BancaPopolarediVeronaof1978(fig, 9,15), rona, 1953-1965.Sectionthroughentrance A quitecomplexarchitecturalsystemisappliedto thetopstoryoftheBancaPo room. polarediVerona-almostamoderninterpretationofanancientorder:supports 308 309 Iongberbeuil.t NotevenaGodtodaycouldinventanAtticb.ase,fw'hichisthe onlybeautifulone;alltheothersareonlyslags. From thispomt0 vieweven o 0 o 0 o 0 thosedesignedbyPalladioareawful.Asregardscolumnsandentablaturesonly 00 00 oo0000 0••000 theGreekswereable toreachtheapexofpride. Onlyin theParthenondothe shapeslivelikemusic.15 oo 00 Withthefactum ofVenetian craftathisside,16Scarpasteered an.u~easy cou.rse betweentheIegacy°1Art Nouveau-onethinks01Her"mannObnstsEgeypdteosld column (fig. 9.16), orPerret'snewconcrete capitaldeVised fortheMu.se .. TravauxPublics(fig. 5.42)-and amoreobjectiveelaborati~noft~ehIngedJOint insteel construction asthisappears, say, inPeterBehrenss~urblnefact~ryof 1909(Ilg.9.17) orinMiesvan derRohe's NeueNationalgalene.011968(Ilg. I 9.18). Scarpaevolvedhisjointsnotonlyasfunction~l connectlo,~s butals~,as ~c fetishized celebrations ofcraftasanendin itself.ThISsenseof nearness, ,to I· evokeHeidegger'sterm, was notonlyexpressedthrough Scarpa'sel~~oratlon fthejointbutalsothroughthepatinaandcolorofdelicatesurfacefinishes, , o . I II d'nginparticularto Scarpas demandinghighlyspecializedtechniques. am a u I. .' i _ 9.16 revivalofstuccolucido, thattraditional renderingtechniqueInwhich c~loredpg HermannObrist,MonumenttothePillar, b' ad with limeplasterandothermaterralsto 110011 1898. myieelndthaingdhlympaorblilsehdeudsstuarrfeacceosmremIniniscentofdressedstoneorlacquer.17LI'keathtee temperatechniquein painting, thecolorinpolishedplaster.app~arstoeman 9.17 fromtheinteriorofthe rendering. AsimilarsynthesisoflumInOSityandtexture PeterBehrens,AEGturbinefactory,Berlin, crops upinotheraspects ofScarpa'spalette, fromtheuseofMuranoglasstes- 1909.Detail. 9.15 andarchitraveinmetal, friezeincoloredmosaic, andcornicein whiteBotticino CarloScarpa,BaneaPopararediVerona. stone. Thelongribbonofthearchitrave, formedoftwoplategirdersofdiffering 1973-1981.Colonnade. dimensions(thelarger600romhigh, thesmaller180romhigh)joinedbyriveting plates, issupportedatregularintervalsbypairsofCOUpledcolonettesintubular iron(166mmindiameter), replacingthemetalsectionsofanear/ierversion. Thecolonetlesarefittedwithmuntzmetalcollars, actingaslinkingelementsto thearchitraveaboveandthebasebeneath. Thisisformedofdeepflats, cutand milled, rivetedtoaflat(22romdeep)laidonthemasonry. The tallcolumnson thecourtfronthaveamoreelaboratemuntzmetallinkatthebase:amotiffre quentfyusedbyScarpaandtypicalofIndianarchitecture, bymeansofWhicha squareplanbecomes,bysuccessivedivisions, firstoctagonal, thenasixteen sidedpolygonalfigure, endingupasacircle.Asmallblockofmuntzmetal, re cessedtoform thesymboloftwointersectingrings, gleamsagainstthedarkiron aboveeachpairofcolonettes. ConnectorsoftheSamemetalareusedasthe headandbaseofthecolumnstocreateasinglesupport: thesearesmallele ments, distancers, screwedtothetubularshafts, artiCUlatingtheproportionsof thewhole.14 Scarpa's excessivelyarticulatedjointsmayberead asacritical commentaryon theeconomicexpediencyofourutilitarianageor, alternatively, asaheroicat tempttocompensateforourinabilitytoequalthepoeticauthorityofclassical form. Ofthislasthewrote: Modernlanguageshouldhaveitsownwordsandgrammarjustasthishappened in thecaseofclassicalforms. ModernshapesandstructuresshOUldbeusedfol lOWinga classicalorder:... Ishouldlikethata criticCOulddiscoverinmyworks certainintentionsthatIhaveafwayshad, namelyanenormousdesiretostay withintraditionbutwithoutbuildingcapitalsandcolumns, becausethesecanno 310 311 moon,male/female, Erosffhantos, itsthree-dimensional rendering inpinkand seraeforthefloorofhisOlivetti storeonthe PiazzaSan Marcoof1966,tothe bluetiles mayalsohavealludedtomoremodern sources, tothecosmological constantinterplayamongtile, marble, metal, andwoodthat issoevidentinthe valuesofthe primarycolors in Dutch Neoplasticismortotheredand bluepro multiplefinishes inwhich hisworkabounds. portional seriesofLeCorbusier'sModulor.21 However,thefactthatScarpaonce Apartfromthecanonicaljointanditsattendantmembrane,Scarpaoftenconsoli employedthefigureofthesquared circle suggestsadeeperfamiliaritywith her datedhiswork abouticonicfoci; aboutpivotal sculpturalpieces such asAlberto meticlore(fig. 9.25). Ihavein mindthe"oculi"thatheincorporated intotheup Viani'sabstractmetalsculpture, poised aboveasheetofblackwater, thatplays perleveloftheOlivettistore, each onebisected byslidingteakandpalisander suchaprominentroleinthespatial organization ofthePiazzaSan Marcostore screensthat, reminiscentofJapaneseshoji, servemetaphoricallytoopen and (figs. 9.19, 9.20)orthefulcrum providedbytheCangrandestatueintheMuseo closeeach eye(fig. 9.26).22Inoneformoranotherthevesicapisciswill manifest diCastelvecchio(fig. 9.21)18orthe ubiquitousdoublecircle motifthatoccursat itselfin much ofScarpa'sarchitectureasakindoftectonic icon, from itsfirst differentscalesthroughouthiswork. While Scarpa'sobsessionwiththismotif useintheGavinashopfrontrealized in Bolognain 1963(fig. 9.27)to itslastin hasbeen attributedto manydifferentsources, oneofthemorelikelyoriginsis the BancaPopolaredi Verona, completed afterScarpa'sdeath,whereitappears themysticalideogram knownasvesicapiscis(fromvesica, bladder, andpiscis, atdifferentscales(fig. 9.28). fish).19Whilethe interlocking version ofthis iconisreminiscentoftheoriental WhileScarpaseemsto havemadelittleuseoftheroot-three rectanglecon yin-yang symbol,italsorepresentstheoppositionbetween solaruniversality tainedwithin the vesica, henonethelessusedan 11-centimetermodulewhen 9.18 and lunarempiricism(fig. 9.22). Even if,aslegendhasit,Scarpafirstencoun MiesvanderRohe,NeueNationalgalerie,Ber everpossible, and thisfigure mayberelated tothe inherentdualityofthe teredthissymbolonapacketofChinesecigarettes, hewouldsurelyhave lin,1968.Columndetails. vesica, particularlywhen itsmultipleuse yieldsthedoublenumbers22,33, 44, becomeawareofitsplaceintheEuropeantraditionand ofitslatentcosmicattri and even5.5 centimetersas ahalf-module.OfScarpa'sobsession withthis butes. Helaterbecamecognizantofthe role playedbythisfigure in thegenera 9.19 doublenumberpattern anditsrootsintraditional measureFrascarihaswritten: tion ofcertain church plans,such asBernini'sSant'Andreaal Quirinalein Rome CarloScarpa,Olivettishop,PiazzaSan Marco,Venice,1957-1958.Ground-floor (fig. 9.23),20and fromthis hewouldalsohaveknown howsuchaconstruction In Chinaelevenis thenumberoftheTao, butitisnotoften takenin thequantita plan. maybeusedto proliferateawholeseriesofequilateraltrianglesderivingfrom a tivesenseoftenplusone;itsignifies theunityofthedecadeinitswholeness. singleside(fig. 9.24). 9.20 Whateveritsattributes, itissomehowfittingthat Scarpawould employthisfig CarloScarpa,Olivettishop,PiazzaSan ureasadefinitivesymbolinhislastwork, which, asithappened, wouldalsobe Marco,section. hisownresting place: theBrionCemetery, completed posthumouslyin 1979.Ir respectiveofthe ultimatedialogicalattributesofthe vesicapiscis, whethersun/ ,,-;.......-~:,.>:. -~---~--.~='------ - "V~..--,". --_._~-~.~-::;~<'"'.~~ =-- -C'"' ~~~!I········ i." .... I 2 .." •...,..~ I a ,/ >-..-..,.' '. a ~S=r; 0/0/ =Ti'illr'i=l==0:1::1 " 9.21 CarloScarpa,MuseodiCastelvecchio,partial "'-'-"'" section,lookingnorththroughCangrande space. 312 313