Acupuncture Architecture
Acupuncture Architecture is a method of planning and problem solving developed by the US design practice, wHY, directed by Kulapat Yantrasast.[1] Although the term is typically used in relation to architecture and planning, it can be applied to multiple types of complex problems which require a holistic approach, applicable in fields ranging from screenwriting to software development.
Use in Historic Renovation Projects
wHY first applied Acupuncture Architecture as an approach to working with historic museum buildings, including the expansion of the Speed Art Museum[2] in Louisville, Kentucky, multiple gallery re-installations at the Art Institute of Chicago[3], and the comprehensive renovation of the Asian Art Museum[4] in San Francisco, California. These projects required a highly sensitive design strategy, addressing important structural issues while seeking to preserve the essential character and spirit of the building. As Yantrasast has described it, referring to the Speed Museum[5]: “The museum has existed for more than a century: it has lived before us and it will continue to live after us. We only touch it for a short time. So, we should be doing something that has lasting value well into the future, but we’re not trying to fix the museum in its final form. Our goal is to allow the museum to continue to thrive, not to provide a conclusion.”[6]
A Holistic Design Strategy
Acupuncture Architecture enables architects to pinpoint the specific locations in a building or public space which prevent it from functioning as a “healthy” whole. The process starts with in-depth analysis, identifying problems as well as opportunities for growth and improvement in key points or areas of the project. Potential problems might amount to the fragmentation of programs, unaligned circulations, limited accessibility in physical, visual, and psychological terms, and general unfitness of programs and spaces – all of which cause inefficiency or obstruct operation and connection. A design strategy is then developed to address each of these locations in turn, bringing the different areas into harmony and re-energizing the site by allowing for new types of experiences and interactions – in the case of a historic renovation project, bringing new relevance to an aging structure while respecting and reinvigorating its historical integrity.
The iterative and highly localized approach of Acupuncture Architecture seeks to reveal, unify, and amplify the pre-existing qualities of a site rather than imposing unnecessary additions. It is directly opposed to what Yantrasast has described as architectural “cosmetic surgery,” whereby a dramatic solution is applied with the aim of changing surface appearance without consideration of the internal functioning and overall health of the structure. Such an approach, when applied in the context of architecture, risks disrupting the most characteristic or cherished aspects of a building or site, potentially causing long-term damage.
In the case of the proposed design[7] for The Ross Pavilion and West Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland, wHY applied the Acupuncture Architecture approach to an urban park in a UNESCO heritage site. During the five-year transformation of the Asian Art Museum[8] in San Francisco, wHY used the strategy of Acupuncture Architecture to positively impact the wider streetscape and urban area of Civic Center, creating a new façade on Hyde Street to activate a previously under-used urban space. Applied at different scales, Acupuncture Architecture can radically change the way that humans interact with their environment, generating new, sustainable ways to optimize pre-existing structures.
References
- ↑ Loos, Ted (2018-05-24). "The Architect Kulapat Yantrasast Loves 'Making Good Spaces'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- ↑ "https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/buildings/expanded-speed-art-museum-opens-in-louisville_o". www.architectmagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-07-10. External link in
|title=(help) - ↑ "10 art galleries and museums by Kulapat Yantrasast". Dezeen. 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- ↑ Nash, David. "The Man Behind the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco's Major Transformation". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- ↑ "WHY expands Speed Art Museum with corrugated metal facade". Dezeen. 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- ↑ "Architecture Acupuncture: Kulapat Yantrasast". Outerknown. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- ↑ "The Quaich Project". Retrieved 2020-07-10.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "wHY Unveils $38 Million San Francisco Asian Art Museum Addition". ArchDaily. 2017-09-27. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
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