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C.
SCALELESSNESS
Simmons Hall,
MIT, Cambridge, 1999-2002
For the Simmons Hall building, the architect uses the idea of a carved
object without a defined scale. It is a rectangular prism where two differ-
ent kinds of geometrical operations are being made. On the one hand,
there are the ‘squared subtractions’ that are made on the exterior of the
building, giving as a result the elimination of certain areas, making this pro-
cess visible from the outside. On the other hand, there are the ‘sculptural
erosions’, with fanciful shapes, which are made to create common areas
that connect the different stories of the building not only visually but also
spatially. The idea of erosion is exacerbated by the fact that the spaces are
completely irregular, not ruled surfaces, increasing people’s perception.
The skin is addressed by the use of a regular grid covering the complete
building. The grid plays with traditional conceptions by giving each room
nine small windows instead of one as it is commonly used. This master-
ful operation increases the scale perception of the block. The facade skin
treatment disappears on the places where the ‘squared subtractions’
were done, emphasizing the idea of peeling cuts, in memory of the miss-
ing parts. The grid unifies the building making each unit impossible to be
identified from the outside.
The homogeneity of the grid is also altered by the use of different colors on
the windows edges that during the night cause the appearance of colored
lights and shadows. Holl uses the painted windows to color the reflections
from the interior to the exterior and the other way round which was suc-
cessfully studied during the earlier stages of his career at the D.E. Shaw
& Co. Office and Trading Area. As a result, the final images look like those
taken from one of Holl’s watercolor sketches.