Building Simply 01:
An introduction

As a studio, we strive to create places which are beautiful, ethical and contextual. With this in mind, our work is informed by the principles of ‘Building Simply’ - architecture of simple forms, thoughtfully composed and constructed in a logical, legible and resourceful way from local materials to create a sense of timeless beauty and authenticity. Places are designed and constructed in a direct but refined way, with quiet appropriateness and genuine functionality in mind, rather than the louder formal manifestation of iconic architecture. A responsible, ethical and economical approach to resource use and a critical approach to site are adopted, resulting in buildings which are cost-effective, intrinsically sustainable and express an empathy with the landscapes in which they sit.

This series of articles explores the idea of building simply - what it means in terms of design, construction and sustainability; what we can learn from vernacular building; why we advocate this approach; and what the challenges are in the contemporary context.

This first article in the series introduces the concept of Building Simply and explores the benefits and challenges of this approach to architecture.

What do we mean by Building Simply?

Dictionary definitions of ‘simple’ include honest, straightforward, unaffectedly, frugal, humble, readily understood, without complication, and without unnecessary elaboration or superfluous ornament. In our work, ‘Building Simply’ means to design and construct in a direct and ordered way to create buildings of simple form and visual calm. Construction complexity is reduced and often involves the appropriate use of a predominant local material. Resources are used in an economical and responsible way and projects are always founded on a critical response to site and context. Building Simply results in buildings and places which are quietly appropriate rather than loud and ‘iconic’. For us, Building Simply is not concerned with purely visual simplicity; it is concerned with minimisation to give tectonic clarity and not minimalism as an aesthetic style. This approach to architecture is timeless rather than fashionable. The principles of Building Simply relate to all stages of a project, from defining the brief through to design, construction and inhabiting a place. In the following articles in this series, we explore how the principles of Building Simply can inform design in terms of relationship to landscape, composition and order, materials, construction and sustainability.

Why do we advocate Building Simply?

A reaction

Building Simply is, in some ways, a reaction against the purely commercially driven attitude towards architecture which results in complex ‘iconic’ buildings that are wasteful and do little to improve people’s everyday lives. It is not a new idea. Many of the qualities of Building Simply can be traced back to prehistoric dwelling and are seen perhaps most clearly in vernacular buildings. As well as traditional examples, architectural history demonstrates a variety of movements which also embodied the ideas of Building Simply such as Shaker architecture, Japanese Wabi, ¹ Cistercian architecture and Minimalism. The motives behind such movements vary; some are political, some religious, some ethical, some financial, and some a reaction against something complex or ostentatious. Whatever the motives, history demonstrates a recurring desire for the simple.

Abstract study of mass and space in a traditional stone house, in the style of Eduardo Chillida’s ‘Gravitations’.

Slow

In the developed world, we live in a society where, generally, we want everything now! Thanks to the internet we have easy to access data and material things almost instantly. However, fashions change and we can dispose of our possessions just as quickly; in a throw-away society, the world around us is constantly changing. Building Simply, though, is ‘slow’. It has a sense of timelessness and permanence which gives a feeling of security and stability in an unstable world. It is durable and ages gracefully, so that it will not be rejected when the fashion changes.

Belonging

Building Simply gives a sense of belonging. Building is rooted in place. All too often buildings have no connection to the place the occupy; they could be anywhere because the materials they are made from have come from around the world and no effort has been made during the design process to relate to surroundings in terms of form or composition. Building Simply aims to use local materials and responds to topography and context, giving meaning to both the building and the landscape in which it sits comfortably. It makes sense of its surroundings.

Essence, clarity and beauty

By reducing architecture to its essentials, it becomes easier to understand and relate to. This is to the benefit of both the user and the architect, as Florian Musso explains in the essay, ‘Simply Good’,

“The satisfaction of understanding something. To have found an “ultimate” solution. To have no need to constantly and painfully redefine oneself and one’s world view. To believe in something. To know what is right. To have a direct connection to food and materials without industrial alienation. To belong to a community with a fixed structure. To put things to use rather than use things up. ² The architect’s need to clearly explain stands vis-à-vis the interested observer’s need to understand. Reduction to the essentials not only decreases the level of complexity of the structure, but strengthens the role of the architect in the diverging construction process. ³”

There is an innate beauty in the clarity which simplicity brings.

Environment

Building Simply promotes the use of passive design principles rather than technological solutions to minimise energy use and carbon emissions. This has a number of benefits: Firstly, passive design solutions are not as complex as technological ones, so they are more reliable and likely to last longer before they need replacing or fixing. They may also be cheaper to incorporate if considered as part of a holistic design process. For example, a house will need windows anyway, but if they are designed to exploit solar gains, improve daylight levels and reduce heat loss, they also have the potential to reduce running costs and energy demand during the life of the building. Where raw, local materials and skills are used, less energy will be used in production and transportation. Massive materials also add thermal mass to a building which can further improve its thermal performance by minimising temperature fluctuations and reducing heating and cooling demands.

Economy of means

Based on the principle of an economy of means, Building Simply is sensible, rational and ethical. It aims to use a minimum of resources and technology to provide humble yet elegant building solutions. This is an ethical approach, which opposes greediness and encourages a socially and economically sustainable approach to architecture.

Often, contemporary projects by other architects (and artists) which inspire us have the principles of Building Simply at their heart.

Challenges of Building Simply

Although there are many advantages to be gained by Building Simply, in the reality of the contemporary construction industry in the UK there are many challenges to be faced in this pursuit.

Perception

Building Simply is unusual in today’s context, and is not always the expected response to a brief. The idea of a quiet, humble, unassuming building is foreign in the attention-seeking, celebrity culture where the iconic dominates. Attracting the funding and support to Build Simply means persuading clients and collaborators to see value beyond the alluring image of the superficial. Public perceptions are also challenged by Building Simply, which can be seen as plain and uninteresting. Planners may prefer to adopt a more prescriptive, style guided approach, and as architects we are left to battle against a naïve prejudice about what constitutes local character and distinction and appropriate form.

Design process

The route to designing a simple building is not necessarily simple in itself. Reducing complexity requires time and effort, an iterative review of designs and striving to make each element of the building work harder to achieve more with less. In addition to designing for Building Simply, we must meet the usual functional and spatial requirements of the client’s brief as well as planning and building regulations.

Supply chain

The materials desired for Building Simply are not always readily available. For example, many quarries have closed making it difficult to source local stone. Global markets have meant that it is usually cheaper to import materials from abroad than to use those grown or sourced locally. As well as finding it difficult to source materials, the skills required to build simply may also be limited. Traditionally, local tradesmen would have become skilled in building with local materials, and this way of building would have dominated in that particular area. Knowledge and skills would have been handed down through the generations. Conventional contemporary building requires the diverse skills of various trades, but there is little regional difference cross the country. Local building traditions have all but disappeared. Any deviations from standard, main stream methods, materials and details are often met with confusion or confrontation from builders.

Cost

Although the aims of Building Simply include minimising and using resources efficiently, it does not necessarily follow that it is a cheap way to build. When demand for a product is high, costs tend to come down. Building Simply is unconventional and therefore the materials and skills required will come at a greater expense. Unconventional or innovative methods bring with them added risks which will also increase the cost of a project.

Summary

Despite the challenges, the principles of Building Simply will continue to underpin our work. We believe that this approach can help to tackle the problems with climate change, carbon emissions and well-being which we all face, whilst providing a sense of stability, place and belonging in a fast-changing commercial world. Just as there has been a resurgence in demand for locally produced, un-processed food in recent years; we hope to demonstrate the value of simple, local building through our work.

This series of Building Simply articles is adapted from Amanda’s MPhil thesis, ‘Building Simply: An investigation into the potential for Building Simply in the UK’, 2011, Cardiff University.

Footnotes

¹ ‘Wabi now connotes rustic simplicity, freshness or quietness, and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects, or understated elegance.’ [Accessed September 2010]

² Florian Musso, ‘Simply Good’, in Building Simply, ed. by Christian Schittich (Switzerland: Birkhäuser, 2005), pp. 11-25 (p. 11)

³ Ibid. p. 25

Image references

^01A Stone barn gable, Snowdonia. Image: ALT-Architecture

^01B Stone wall Aran islands. Image: ALT-Architecture

^01C Mountain shepherd hut, Spain. Image: ALT-Architecture

⁰² Gravitation study, Amanda Spence, ALT-Architecture

^03A Mount Tindaya Project, Fuerteventura by Eduardo Chillida. Sculpture Journal. 2018, Vol. 27 Issue 3, p309-320. 12p.

^03B Can Lis, Mallorca by Jørn Utzon.

^03D Oberrealta Chapel, Switzerland by Christian Kerez.

^03E Shelter for Roman remains, Chur by Peter Zumthor. Image: ALT-Architecture

Building Simply 01: An introduction

Building Simply 01:An introduction