o ur purpose in this project is not to declare a determin- istic model of the architectural development of housing in the circumpolar region, but from a study of housing’s historical devel- opment to adapt, for our own use, the most representative construc- tion techniques and spatial orga- nization of societies that survived the ice age.All this is seen from a ludic point of view where the human being takes any technol- ogy, and applies any techniques, to satisfy his pleasure and needs. Manoo is a studio in which all members are concerned with the body. In every exercise we investigate and experiment with composition systems related to the human body, speculating with every possible action generated by and for it.This time, with the polar cube, we propose maybe not a new, but a different way to perceive space and objects, from the material used to build to the accessories to be used in it. In a very small area, without forgetting the human scale, spaces are generated. Performance depends on the perceptive skills of the inhabitant to make the most out of the spaces and the accessories.This statement could make us think that we are talking about dwelling in a machine, but we do not want it to be seen as an ‘artificial dwelling’ as we sup - pose Paul Shepheard might call it. It would be worth mentioning the difference that Kant makes between machine and organism, where for the former the parts are prefabricated and the whole is based on their organization, whereas for the latter, the parts and the whole evolve together. Without attempting to be a machine or organism, we assume the polar cube has characteris- tics of both. In it, even though the parts are hand crafted, they generate a system, and are meant to evolve with the inhabitant, as a result of the interaction between them. Inspired by the linear spatial order made by the several chambers of igloos, we also generate serial concentric chambers to attend the weather aspects such as wind, temperature and ice.These cham- bers have different characteristics
from the others, dimensions, openings, places, and materials in order to form filters — layers that act as screens for activities and tempera- ture.The closest to the center is, the warmest and most private. Th e external chamber, the first filter, is made with the structural system used in the wickiups of the Dakotas. A wood frame made out of thin poles tied together with leather ropes. Small twigs placed within the frame, create a thick wall and at the same time storage and wind filter systems. Any remaining voids can change their position and size according to the season and needs. The second chamber also can be transformed in size. It is lighter because it is covered with a skin, literally an animal skin mounted on a wood structure system used in the making of a lavvu , the tent of the Sami, found still in Nenets and Khants in Russia.The cover has two layers of skin, with a short outer layer that leaves a vent at soil level so air can circulate through the two layers and come out through a higher vent where the inner skin ends.There is a half cube that can be extruded so one can change the area of the second cube, adding or diminishing the area according to the desired temperature or activity to do in the interior. The stove or heater has a chimney made out of stone that is a material that retains heat for longer periods of time, and this heat is trans- mitted to the holes that are located at the top of the chimney to store jorongos , keeping them warm while they are not worn. In the bedroom we shall use leather and wool, two natural materials worn by two of the most intrepid explorers of the Antarctic, Captian Amudsen and Captain Scott. Mapping the body during sleep on a leather bed cover the fur is left untouched in the areas where the body makes contact, so it can be felt softer, smoother and warmer.The bed sheets are hand sewn with wool and the design is based on a diagram that shows the analysis of what parts of the body lose more heat during sleep, thus the different areas are sewn with several types of knots giving a particular character- istic of thickness, knots, and weight to keep a regular temperature while one sleeps. These are few examples of how we think the interaction between body and architecture can be represented.Without the intervention of the inhabitant the cube exists. But without the gesture of an accomplice requesting change, the cube is utterly mute, fading into nature. The purpose of this experiment is to gener- ate ideas that make us seek new uses and new process of understanding, and to make the act of dwelling a tectonic and interactive event with the participation of someone at the physical, mental and perceptive levels.
Polar cube: investigations from Mexico to the north Manoo
David Hernandez Quintela is a member of Manoo, Mexico City.
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