1 MILE TEMPLE

1 mile Temple

2018 . Spring

when

Pangong-tso . India

where

Temple + Observatory

what

instructor

David Gersten, Michael Young, Yasmin vovis

Astronomy has long existed aside from human civilization. Before religion was apart from politics, many of the times, astronomy was adopted as revelation of god. Interpretation of what was written in the sky sometimes proved righteousness of the ruling power. Even today, with different reasons, observation still plays its role. For this studio, observation of one’s particular interest will hover through the end to the design. Either a building could be an apparatus for observation or a fallout of itself.

Phase 1 _ study of dome

Long after the discovery of earth being a sphere, dome structures had been widely distributed across different cultures as a representation of the celestial body. The structure itself embed the perception of observing the sky. Studying the architectural apparatus of observation is what this phase is aiming for.
Onion dome was widely perceptive across muslim culture. Humayun’s Tomb is one of the structures conveying the essence of islamic apparatus of a dome. Built in 1572, at the age of the Mughal empire, the main dome is positioned at the center of an axisymmetric configuration.
Its significance stands out not only as a prototype of Taj-Mahal, but also as being the first structure to contain a double dome, a feature borrowed from Persia. The mausoleum is situated at the center of the square podium, which is also the center of the entire site. At the top of the mausoleum is the 42.5m high Persian double dome, flanked by pillared kiosks, or *chattris*, which are a distinct Indian architectural feature. This combination of Persian and Indian architectural styles work beautifully together, thus making Humayun’s Tomb a great example of a hybrid of styles of two separate cultures.

Phase 2 _ texture, surface and representation

The way of interpreting certain observations developed in its way of representing. Heat maps and contour maps are basic representations of filtered raw data. Parameters scaled with temperature or height clearly convey its purpose. Surface representation used for this phase also follows a specific standard.
Ants, creatures that reside in a colonial state, are masters of leaving traces. Their chemical scent is what functions as contours, leaving a topographical memory of their world. Likely, nested trails might seem sporadic but are formed with an algorithmic cluster of geodesic curves. Destination points generated through noises by Perlin pulse direct ants to crawl over the surface, creating geodesic curves that regress to the starting points.
Nomadic tribes, like ant trails, mark their own trails for living. Tibetans specifically, roam the highlands of central Asia. Their nomadic livelihood and theocracy emerge unique way of dwelling. Polyandrous marriage and devotion to buddhism. What kind of architectural apparatus could be driven from the observation of tibetans livelihood?

Phase 3 _ 1 mile temple

Welcome pilgrims and roamers who made the final reach to this destination. What has brought you here? Have you found what you wanted?
What has been found here will not depart form here. Where to start and where to end is depended on yourself. It is unsubstantial and has no enclosure. It is real but forgotten.
You can eat, sleep and pray. An endless loop will repeat until you depart. The ring is a mile long, a unit measure or a reflection of repetitive fulfillment. The ring is a compound filled with fragments of time and action. The ring has no origin but will conclude with withdrawal and reset.
You are voluntary prisoners of the ring. No one but yourself has enforced you to participate. What you will leave behind is a decision of your own. What you will depart with is nothing but void.
Three chambers will be offered accordingly. First, ramp of purification, everyone is welcomed. But the trail is set and cannot be contaminated. Secondly, the agora, prisoners will be center of resonance, to saturate or deplete is choice of your own. Lastly, the prayer’s room, the ring does not impose anything. Time and action is only what you should offer.
The ring is not a building. Its apparatus only functions to the occupants who are willing. To those who are not will find no function, egress and not even its existence. Remember you are the voluntary prisoners of the ring.

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