48 DIGS.NET
| 11.4.22
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P R O F I L E | E N S A M B L E S T U D I O
Dawn to dusk it raises probing consider-
ations about the built environment: What is
possible. What we need. The resiliency of
our spaces. It is where the philosophical
meets the physical.
It also is a product of modern technol-
ogy. "As first contact we enter the space
like explorers would do, equipped with
the technology that expands our vision
in the dark; throwing millions of laser
points on the wrinkles of the continuous
stone surface we register with millimetric
precision the solid structure that was built
for us and is now ready to be polished
and inhabited," the architects say of their
creative process. "Behind the scan, the
architect's eye, directing, interpreting,
creating the space again, completing
it with operations that are familiar to the
stone mass: new cuts to build using air
and light. Three skylights are carved in
the darkest corners to naturally illuminate
and ventilate the space. Stone surfaces
are thoroughly cleaned from the mold and
dirt accumulated. Translucent curtains
are introduced to delimit areas of intimacy.
Mechanical systems are integrated in a
experimenters, pioneering new ways to
think and do architecture. On visits to C'an
Terra, they've added touches, but with a
light hand, so as to let the project evolve
as it marches through time.
The site is in some ways a study of time
itself. Natural and primitive, it is a shock-
ing counterpoint to our age of comfort
and convenience. That tension, not only
between time periods but also ideas
about inhabiting space, is one of the most
intriguing aspects of the entire project.
