Approaching the Postsparkasse, two stone figures float above its roof. These two human figures stand tall, on the highest point of the building. Their gestures are inviting, with their arms stretched forward, they seem to offer something to us. Even at a distance, they are clearly female. Their figures, garments and gestures appear fragile, yet also have a certain solidity. At a second look, each figure is attached to a pair of wings. Rather than lightness, the wings’ odd geometrical shape render weight and gravity. These creatures carry on their back a pair of monolithic wings that weight them down and anchor them to the building rather than set them free.
Façade Fabric: A Note from Vienna Another Look at The Post Office Saving Bank
Tonkao Panin
B uilt between 1904-1906, Otto Wagner’s Post Office Saving Bank has become one of the destinations that anyone with an architecturally curious mind traveling to Vienna must dutifully visit. It has long been a major destination along the guided architectural walk of the city and Wagner was Vienna’s most venerable, dignified and ultimate architect whose face had even graced one of Austria’s bank notes until it was replaced by the euro. Despite the vast amount of information available on the building and its architect, the Postsparkasse remains one of Vienna’s most enigmatic build- ings. With apparent patterns composed of marble slabs and aluminum bolt heads, its façade fabrics are sewn together in a distinct way unlike any other buildings along the Vienna Ringstrasse. The Postparkasse cleverly manifested both the symbolic qualities of the Classical buildings and the modern construction system. Unlike the modern building system in which the frame is self supporting and the masonry is non-load-bearing infill, the Postparkasse is a hybrid building, with concrete floors and beams supported internally by concrete columns and externally by load-bearing masonry walls. These walls themselves are presented with the Classical base, shaft and cornice. If we were to ignore the bolts for a moment, the base of the Postparkasse appears to be
monolithic as the stone base frontally shows thickness and heavy weight. Each piece of stone is curved towards the bottom creating shadows and increasing visual weight much like the granite stone base of Wagner’s earlier work, the Karlsplatz station. This frontal weightiness of the base is presented in constrast with the smooth marble surface above. This impression of thickness and weight, however, is defied by the bolt holes along the base and the exposed edge of the stone at the corner. A close inspection from an oblique angle reveals the building’s hidden constructive technique. Their corners reveal that the walls are not as heavy as they seem. What appeared to be heavy stones from the front turned out to be thin slabs of stone bolted to the wall. Here the load- bearing masonry wall was veneered by surface fabric analogous to it. Above the ‘thick’ fabric of the stone base rest thin two centimetre marble panels, also bolted to the masonry wall. These marble panels are arranged in grid pattern as opposed to the bond pattern of load bearing masonry. This grid pattern emphasizes the thin and non-load bearing nature of the marble panels. The bolts’ heads seem to protrude from the marble panels above while they are recessed into the heavy stone slabs at the base. This slight gesture accentuates the contrast between the thinness of the shaft surface and thickness of the base surface. This visualization of the weight establishes the stability of the surface. Walking away from the Postsparkasse and looking back, the two angelic figures atop its roof now seem to hold less contrast to their base. The enigmatic figures embody both lightness and weight, solidity and fragility. ment au système de construction moderne dans lequel la structure est autoportante et la maçonnerie est un remplissage non portant, le Postparkasse est un immeuble hybride, avec ses planchers et ses
U n autre regard à la caisse d’épargne du bureau de poste En dépit des montants vastes d’information qui sont disponibles à l’égard de cet immeuble et de son architecte, Otto Wagner, le Postsparkasse demeure l’un des immeubles les plus énigmatiques de Vienne.Avec ses motifs appar- ents composés de plaques de
de poids, toutefois, est défiée par les trous de boulons longeant sa base et les rebords exposés de la pierre du coin. Une inspec- tion en oblique révèle la tech- nique de construction cachée de l’immeuble. Les coins révèlent que les murs ne sont pas aussi lourds qu’ils le semblent. Ce qui semblait être des pierres lourdes du devant s’avère être de fines
marbre et de ses têtes de boulons d’aluminium, les textiles de sa façade sont cousus les uns aux autres d’une façon distincte, comme aucun autre immeuble longeant la Ringstrasse de Vienne. Le Postparkasse témoigne de façon intelligente des deux qual- ités symboliques des immeubles classiques et d’un système de construction moderne. Contraire-
poutres de béton supportés, à l’intérieur, par des colonnes de béton et, à l’extérieur, par des murs en maçonnerie portante. Cette impression d’épaisseur et
18
O n S ite review
S ewing
I ssue 8 2002
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator