book-2

74 STRUCTURE AS ARCHITECTURE▲ 4.39 Parc Güell, Barcelona, Spain, Antonio Gaudí, 1914. The retaining structureelegantly expresses resistance to the soil pressure acting upon it.Their irregular and dynamic architectural and structural forms appearto be expressive, but of what? First, one notes that although the buildingfunctions as a retaining wall its structural layout and detailing doesnot respond to the reality of horizontal soil pressure. Casually inclinedcolumns are no match for slipping soil, stabilized in this case by stonefilledwire cages, and contrast starkly with a nearby construction thatalso combines retaining and shelter – for at Barcelona’s Park Güell,Gaudí exemplifies structure expressing its soil-retaining function clearlyand gracefully (Fig. 4.39). Perhaps the forms express aspects of archery?Such a reading seems reasonable. The linearity and random orientationof exposed structure, as well as its dynamic qualities could well refer toarrows in flight or their quivering upon striking a target. However, asone reviewer reports, any expressive qualities primarily express thedesign process. He writes: ‘Let’s ...get straight on to what Miralles likesto remember as being essential to this project. In a nutshell, he remindsus, the project grew out of “rubbing” over other projects and out of thepossibilities offered by the need to carry out earth retaining work.’ 10 Ittherefore appears the design process itself is being expressed!Expressive qualities of the exterior structure at Bracken House, London,an insertion between the end wings of a central demolished block, haveclearer and more obvious origins. Structural members are not immediatelyrecognizable from a distance due to their relatively fine scale, madepossible by the close proximity of the primary columns, just four metres