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Between The Silence and The Light Introduction Architecture is a meeting
place between the measurable and the unmeasurable. The art of design is not only
rooted in the aesthetic form, but in the soul of the work. In Phenomena and
Idea, Stephen Holl once wrote, The thinking-making couple of architecture occurs
in silence. Afterward, these thoughts are communicated in the silence of
phenomenal experiences.
We hear the music of architecture as we move through
spaces while arcs of sunlight beam white light and shadow. Undoubtedly, Holl
adopted this concept from its author, Louis I. Kahn. Unquestionably, I am
referring to Silence and Light, a concept created and nurtured by Khan, and one
that dominated the later half of his work.
Kahn had chosen the word Silence to
define the unmeasurable or that which has not yet come to be. According to Khan,
the unmeasurable is the force that propels the creative spirit toward the
measurable, to the Light. When the inspired has reached that which is, that
which known, he has reached the Light.
Eloquently expressing the architect's
passion for design, Khan wrote Inspiration is the of feeling at the beginning at
the threshold where Silence and Light meet. Silence, the unmeasurable, desire to
be. Desire to express, the source of new need, meets Light, the measurable,
giver of all presence, by will, by law, the measure of thing already made, at a
threshold which is inspiration, the sanctuary of art, the treasury of shadow.
Khan believed that in order for architectural theory to be credible, it had to
be constructed. Thirty years ago, Khan began one of his most successful
executions of the Silence and Light with the Library at Phillips Exeter Academy.
This New Hampshire landmark physically illustrates and ideologically embodies
many of Khan's concepts and incorporates many of his beliefs, synthesizing them
into a tight little package with a powerful punch. The subtleties of materiality
coupled with multiple plays of light truly embody the spirit of Khan's
philosophy at Exeter Academy.
As Stephen Holl concisely expresses Architecture
is born when actual phenomena and the idea that drives it intersect…Meanings
show through at this intersection of concept and experience. It is exactly
Khan's blending of idea and design that makes this building a model for
theoretical execution in design.
The following essay will explore the many
architectural implementations of Khan's theories from materials, to form, to
function and to the Silence and Light. This investigation shall probe the
ideology in conjunction with its realization to the approach, the circulation,
the enclosure and the details. Additionally, the Library at Phillips Exeter
Academy shall be analyzed in relationship to his theories on education,
institutions and learning.
As the quote I asked the building what it wanted to
be has been often attributed to Louis Khan, I shall ask the question, What did
Khan want the building to be, and how did he approach this challenge?
Institutions and Education Khan believed that Institution stems from the
inspiration to live.
This inspiration remains meekly expressed in our
institutions today. The three great inspirations are the inspiration to learn,
the inspiration to meet, and the inspiration for well being. The architecture of
Exeter Library captures the essence of these inspirations, offering
opportunities for all of them to blossom. Khan continued They all serve, really,
the will to be, to express.
This is, you might say, the reason for living. It is
this inspiration that enlivens the spirits of the students, and motivates them
to study and learn. I may suggest then, that if the purpose of the institution
lies within the Silence, then its physical materialization becomes the Light. If
we assume that the desire to seek truth and universal knowledge is rooted in the
Silence, then we may accept the school building to be the Light, more precisely
spent light.
Khan believed that the first schools emerged from the Silence, from
the desire to learn. Schools began with a man under a tree, who did not know he
was a teacher, discussing his realization with a few, who did not know they were
students. The students aspired that their sons also listen to such a man. Spaces
were erected and the first schools began.
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