"Any relationship between a building and its users is one of

violence, for any use means the intrusion of a human body

into a given space, the intrusion of one order into another."

Bernard Tschumi (1944) is an architect, writer, and educator, commonly

associated with deconstructivism.
He works and lives inNew York CityandParis. He studied in Paris and atETHin
Zurich, where he received his degree in architecture in 1969.
During the 1970s, through drawings and written texts, Bernard Tschumi insisted
that there is no architecture withoutevents, without actions or activity.

Form follows fiction is one

example of Bernard Tschumi's rules
of architectonic notation that have
made him an internationally
influential theorist.

He has applied his theories to the

problems of cultural and educational
institutions, with his approach
evident in his successful proposal for
the project that catapulted him to
prominence, the Parc de la Villette,
Paris in 1998.

Theory

Red

of Timelessness

is not a color

A big influence on this work were the theories and structural diagramming by
the Russian CinematographerSergei Eisensteinproduced for his own films.
Tschumi adapted Eisenstein's diagrammatic methodology in his investigations
to exploit the interstitial condition between the elements of which a system is
made of: space, event, and movement (or activity).

This approach unfolded along two lines in his architectural practice: first, by
exposing the conventionally defined connections between architectural
sequences and the spaces, programs, and movement which produce and
reiterate these sequences; and second, by inventing new associations
between space and the events that 'take place' within it through processes of
defamiliarization, de-structuring, superimposition, and cross programming.

Point, Line and Surface Theory

Tschumis style of design is often an

integration of linear and curvature
forms in his architecture.
The primary basis of Tschumis
designs is the grid. Whether it be
horizontal or vertical, angled or
straight, it is usually a dominant part
of his designs.
The grids incorporated in his designs
are usually derived from
characteristics of the building site or
the city.
The linear characteristics of Tschumis
designs are often accompanied by
those of curved or organic form.
Tschumi combines the urbanistic and
naturalistic qualities of the site in his
building designs to create modernist
qualities in his designs.
Another key to defining Tschumis
design style is that his designs strive
to integrate into the environment
they encompass. However, they
dont integrate in a way that they
blend in, the integrate in a way that
they work functionally and visually

Tschumi derives the elements of

his designs forms from:
The existing layout of an
urban fabric.
Existing cyclical patterns:
Vehicular
Pedestrian
Sun/Shadow
Land/Building Use
Linear connections to relevant
city features:
Parks
Museums
Public Spaces
Monuments
Natural Land Features
Topography patterns within
the building site.

Above is a master plan of Parc de la

Villete. The red squares indicate
Tschumis connections to the urban
grid. In this project, Tschumi is
showing literal connections to the site
by the use of Follies, which are small
buildings throughout the city that
relate back to Parc de la Villette.

Parc de La Villette, Paris, 1982 - 97.

The competition for the Parc de la Villette was organized by the French
Government in 1982.
Its objectives were both to mark the vision of an era and to act upon the
future economic and cultural development of a key area in Paris.
Tschumi wanted to test his ideas in competitions with other architects, and
he entered the competition for the design of the Parc de le Villette against
470 other designers. Up to this point, he believed his architecture would be
purely theoretical. However, he surprised himself and won the competition,
the first he ever entered.
Despite its name, the park as designated in the competition was not to be a
simple landscape replica. On the contrary, the brief for this Urban Park for
the 21st Century developed a complex program of cultural and
entertainment facilities, encompassing, open-air theatres, restaurants and
cafes, art galleries, music and video workshops, playgrounds and computer
displays, as well as the obligatory gardens where cultural invention, rather
than natural recreation was encouraged.
The object of the competition was to select a chief architect who would
oversee the master plan and build the structuring elements of the park.
Artists, landscape designers, and other architects were to contribute a

Parc de La Villette, Paris, 1982 - 97.

History of the site :
First, it was the former site of a
slaughter house that employed
more than 3,000 people.

Second, two canals run through

the site. The Ourcq canal supplied
water to the city of Paris and the St.
Denis canal was used to transport
cargo and freight.

Design Requirements :
Parc de la Villettes design is the opposite of the 19th century park in the
city that Frederick Law Olmstead championed, because the residents of a
modern 21st century city are different from their 19th century counterparts,
their parks should also be different.

The idea of a city park as a naturalistic representation in the heart of the city
does not necessarily satisfy the various needs of current city dwellers.

Parisian city parks no longer serve as communal areas. Instead, they are used
mostly by children and the elderly, and function as the meeting place the town
square once provided.

Parc de La Villette, Paris, 1982 - 97.

Aerial View
of the site
while
under

Parc de La Villette, Paris, 1982 - 97.

The park is located on one of the last
remaining large sites in Paris, a 125 acre
expanse situated in the north-east corner
of the city.

Over 1 kilometer long in one direction

and 700 meters wide in the other La
Villette appears as a multiple
programmatic field, containing in addition
to the park, the large Museum of
Science and Industry, a City of Music,
a Grande Halle for exhibitions and a
rock concert hall.

Site

Parc de La Villette, Paris, 1982 - 97.

The basis of the design is the
superimposition of three
independent systems, namely:
1.

Points

2.

Lines

3.

Surfaces

Superimposition:
lines, points, surfaces.

Parc de La Villette, Paris, 1982 - 97.

1. Points
The folies are placed according to a point-grid
coordinate system at 120 meter intervals
throughout the park. The form of each is a
basic 10 x 10 x 10 meter cube or three-story
construction of neutral space that can be
transformed and elaborated according to
specific programmatic needs. Taken as a
whole, the folies provide a common
denominator for all of the events generated by
the park program.

The repetition of folies is aimed at developing

a clear symbol for the park, a recognizable
identity as strong as the British public
telephone booth or the Paris Metro gates.

Their grid provides a comprehensive image or

shape for the otherwise ill-defined terrain.
Similarly, the regularity of routes and positions
makes orientation simple for those unfamiliar
with the area. An advantage of the point-grid

Models of the

Parc de La Villette, Paris, 1982 - 97.

Folie P6: prototype

Parc de La Villette, Paris, 1982 - 97.

2. Lines
The folie grid is related to a
larger coordinate structure, an
orthogonal system of highdensity pedestrian movement
that marks the site with a cross.

The North-South passage or

Coordinate links the two Paris
gates and subway stations of
Porte de la Villette and Porte de
Pantin, the East-West Coordinate
joins Paris to its western
suburbs.

North-south
gallery

A 5 meter wide, open, waved

covered structure runs the
length of both Coordinates.

East-west

Parc de La Villette, Paris, 1982 - 97.

3. Surfaces
The park surfaces receive all activities requiring large expanses of
horizontal space for play, sports and exercise, mass-entertainment, markets
and so forth.

During summer nights, for example, the central green becomes an open
air film theater for 3,000 viewers. The so called left over surfaces where all

Architectur
e as form
a static
definition of
architecture

VS

Architectur
e as event
a dynamic
definition of
architecture

New Acropolis Museum, Athens, 2001-09

The design by Bernard Tschumi was selected as the winning project in the
second competition for the design of the New Acropolis Museum.

Tschumi's design revolves around three concepts: light, movement, and a

tectonic & programmatic element, which together turn the constraints of the
site into an architectural opportunity, offering a simple and precise museum
with the mathematical and conceptual clarity of ancient Greek buildings.

New Acropolis Museum, Athens, 2001-09

The new Acropolis Museum
is situated at the southern
base of the Acropolis, at the
ancient road that led up to
the sacred rock in classical
times.

Set only 800 feet from the

legendary Parthenon, the
museum will be the most
significant building ever
erected so close to the
ancient temple.

Visitors to the museum will

be able to see the Parthenon
from the glass gallery.

New Acropolis Museum, Athens, 2001-09

A movement concept
The visitor's route forms a clear
three-dimensional loop, affording
an architectural promenade with a
rich spatial experience extending
from the archeological excavations
to the Parthenon Marbles and back
through the Roman period.

Movement in and through time is a

crucial dimension of architecture, and
of this museum in particular.

With over 10,000 visitors daily, the

sequence of movements through the
museum artifacts is conceived to be
of utmost clarity.

New Acropolis Museum, Athens, 2001-09

A concept of light
More than in any other type of
museum, the conditions animating
the New Acropolis Museum revolve
around light.

Not only does daylight in Athens

differ from light in London, Berlin
or Bilbao, light for the exhibition of
sculpture differs from that
involved in displaying paintings or
drawings.

It is first and foremost a museum of

natural light, concerned with the
presentation of sculptural objects
within it.

New Acropolis Museum, Athens, 2001-09

A tectonic & programmatic
concept
The base of the museum design
contains an entrance lobby
overlooking the Makriyianni
excavations as well as temporary
exhibition spaces, retail, and all
support facilities.

New Acropolis Museum, Athens, 2001 -09

The middle is a
large, doubleheight trapezoidal
plate that
accommodates all
galleries from the
Archaic period to
the Roman Empire
with complete
flexibility.

A mezzanine
welcomes a bar
and restaurant with
views towards the
Acropolis, and a

Plan at mid-

New Acropolis Museum, Athens, 2001 -09

The top is the

rectangular
Parthenon Gallery
around an outdoor
court.

The
characteristics of
its glass enclosure
provide ideal light
for sculpture, in
direct view to and
from the
reference point of
the Acropolis.

The enclosure is
designed so as to
protect the

Plan at level +92.5

New Acropolis Museum, Athens, 2001 -09

Base

insulation system was used for

protection from earthquake. Base is anchored
to the ground but the upper part separated
by cushion like ball bearings.
There

is a gap between the double-glazing of

the top floor, so the hot air from the galleries
circulates through the glass wall gaps, via the
ceiling and ends up in the basement, where it
is cooled and brought back up in the galleries.

Pedestrian bridge , France

The tubular lattice bridge

connects the old centre of
Atlantic coast town with
newer districts across the
TGV railway tracks.
It has been said that there
is no architecture without
movement. A pedestrian
bridge is not just a static
object, but represents a
dynamic vector in both its
usage
and
urban
perception.

Conclusion

Throughout his career as an architect, theorist, and academic, Bernard

Tschumi's work has reevaluated architecture's role in the practice of personal
and political freedom. Since the 1970s, Tschumi has argued that there is no
fixed relationship between architectural form and the events that
take place within it.

In Tschumi's theory, architecture's role is not to express an extant social

structure, but to function as a tool for questioning that structure and revising
it.

Tschumi's critical understanding of architecture remains at the core of his

practice today. By arguing that there is no space without event, he designs
conditions for a reinvention of living, rather than repeating established
aesthetic or symbolic conditions of design.