Virtual Temple - The paradigm of a new building

Between other archetypes emerged in the constructive gibberish, this past century saw to born and to evolve architectural constructions, some, consolidated in the metaphor of the high-tech, as the parisian Georges Pompidou Center (by R. Piano and R. Rogers), endowed of a colossal full elements structure of machinist making; other, they guaranteed in spatial proposals of superlative order, indicating the skyscraper as ideal prototype. The Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building or the World Trade Center, between prominent others urban watchtowers located in the United States before jumping the barrier of the years ´50, were putting name and figure to the bet that the man launched to the laws of the consistent nature in reaching and inhabiting the increasingly close band that separates us from the celestial limits. A few days ago was reading an already late article of L. Fernández-Galiano (in daily EL PAIS. January 20, 2000), that was citing as in other daily, in The Economist, were taken issue with the capricious coordination with which emerges this magnificent architectural model: the financial clairvoyant predict the future counting derricks, and each extended period of stock exchange euphoria lets as witness a built record. Also, indicating to various buildings before appointees, narrates as several of they terminate their construction during some economic expansive cycle; exceeding this second millennium with cities whose air graphic draws a sinuous skyline.

Though considerate for much persons as a constructive old kind, the projection of this great and estylized standard of building returns to take body to final of century with the appearance -in Kuala Lumpur- of the Petronas Towers, built by César Pelli. Noticeable sign that indicates as the architectural field where are adhered the creative and technical proposals of this particular buildings race continues rotating constantly; harboring within of the ideas, material and instruments catalogue that formalize the work, all the new advances originating direct or indirectly of the adaptable digital plot to the configuration of the immovable. For example, the elements used to certify the structure and the coating of the skin of the building, based mainly on matters like the concrete, and metallic, are substituted in many cases by material more ethereal -as the glass- than give priority to the interior-external contrasts game to obtain, in spite the so extraordinary proportions concerning volume that acquires this multifunctional edifice, a light presence construction.

Nevertheless, it may be that it will be in the singular geometry in a way agreed to distinguish the print of these where is noted in greater degree the intermediation of the digital hegemony. Very meaningful the case of Frank O. Gehry, who in their waved constructions (we recall meander it you marine references morphology of the Guggenheim-Bilbao) appeals to the machine and to software as CATIA (program used by Boeing to design their planes) to delineate the volumes as well as to elaborate and repair calculation fissures. César Caicaya (collaborator of Gehry in the assembly of the referred museum) supports that without the computer technology still we would be designing the Guggenheim Museum... The great advantage of the computer technology, from the creative point of view, is that the computer makes different mathematics operations according to is ordered. The computer seal in one way or other the pieces, but has much capacity to obey the different orders. He concludes asserting categoricaly that the computer is not magic since needs of the creative influx of the artist.

Will be the architecture, no doubt, one of the most favored disciplines with the incorporation of the computer technology to the graphic middle, absorbing the multiplicity of resources that permit the sketch not only of diagrammatical plans, but also of constructive space modeleds from solid forms and effects that imitate with great realism the natural phenomena as well as the fictitious: if the computer serves to simulate in a realistic way the stampede of a dinosaurs herd, I don´t believe that it will be difficult to build a building. This phrase by Ken Sanders (The digital architect. EUNSA. Pamplona, 1998), takes issue with what he designates as the Jurassic Park syndrome. He censure the use -anarchic and excessive in many cases- of graphics generated by computer in many disciplines belonging to the audiovisual types collectivity.

Many centuries before this sequence of technical progress, in romanesque period and later in the gothic, the principal metropolis of Europe were accepting in their urban tracing other type of architectural monuments that were pursuing a different aesthetics to the seconded in the physiognomy of the monuments described before. Evidently, constructions no prepared -by the era in which emerge- to harbor in his framework any technological ostentation that it would not be some that other left wit of the mind of the erudites, consecrated then as expert in scientific and artistic interventions, and moved to the paper through the existing calligraphic rudiments in that moment. Favorable dates to build large cathedrals. Temples, robustly established to extol inside the eminent grace excused to the orb by the divine being that live in their high and bulk stony parapets, whose individual evolutionary direction is made patent throughout the artistic chronology as identity review converted into persistent testimony of past eras.

Little time after this irruption of the greates cathedrals (if we consider a pair of centuries as a short time interval compared with the stretched historical baggage that loads on our back), Michelangelo Buonarroti, recognized artist in all creative fields impelled during the Renaissance, was settling many of their artistic positions through countless epistles directed between other to his brother Buonarroto, to Julio II, to Clement VII or to collected members of the Medicis as his great friend Lorenzo. Between these written, of the most assorted thematic, I want to remain me with one transmitted to Baldassare di Cagione, his providing of marble in Carrara.

Baldassare: You have me very astonished because you said me -much time back- that you had cut great quantity of marble blocks; you have enjoyed during long months an enviable time, auspicious for the shipment; I gave you hundred gold duchies; then, Why your delay? I request you load all the marble immediately, and bring it as soon as possible. I will wait until final of month. If it has not arrived for then, I will use the means that it has recommended me someone that is occupied with much greater diligence of my matters. You make wrong in tormenting and abusing of the confidence of a man that provides you fatty earnings.

Obviously, the attention that confers me said text does not envisage the expeditious method indirectly suggested by Michelangelo to B. di Cagione to impose the urgency in his work. Rather, it would wish that this epistolary fragment introduced us in the kernel of the present essay.

A "contemporary" Michelangelo, that adopted the formulation disposed by the digital technology to the service of the new arts, would be served of a record or graphic daily in which materials and construction instruments emerge of the technological goods list that constitute the current stadium of the architectural production. Furthermore, in clear allusion to the written previous, the artist would stroke of the -electronic- pen the delays emerged in connection with the requests, substituting the vehicle for the reports transmission, that is to say the calligraphic missives, by the instant e-mail. A series of changes (not imaginables and sure that unnecessary in personages of such inventor capacity) that make possible which today is faced the creative project from a wide fan of technical viabilities, but that do not supply in any case the mastery of the author. Factor that we should have very in counts when we expanded our creative force with help of increasingly sophisticated utensils that have been gone approximating to the artistic age-old field gradually reinforcing to a large extent the instrumental plot.

In this same line we launch hypothesis on the recently inaugurated millennium. Temporary preface that perhaps proposes to the architectural field some constructive orders that suggest renewed creative premises removed from the canons that decades -even centuries back- were commanding the assembly of various constructive print and residential purpose buildings. There are many kinds that framed within this practice midway between the art and the technician, all encompassed of equal form in numerous architectural segments differentiated by the function that propose each one of the constructions. However, for the case that happens, we will center our interest in an architectural model widely intervened from his past conception: the religious temple.

The following points impact textual and graphically in the evolution of our project. Clarifying, in any case, that the originality of this does not remits to him of the compliment of a series of criteria referred to the constructive order as well as to the ethical paragraph distinctive of the idiosyncrasy which affects an architectural performance as programmed.