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design
mag
previous opening.
The
modularity of brickwork
comes into its own in creating
complex shapes such as this
intriguing “urban villa”.
this opening.
(clockwise from
above right) Although
dubbed ‘The Diving Bell’ by a
local journalist, a periscope
might be a more appropriate
metaphor for this remarkable
two-apartment building.Tall
slit windows preserve the
integrity of the facade and
internally create an intimate
atmosphere “like a room in an
old chapel.”The apartment
balconies survey the
intersecting streets.
Typical sections, specifically
though from the east-facing
window bay on first floor.
Jacq. de Brouwer didn’t use a single
metaphor to define the new apartment
building, but a local journalist quickly
dubbed it the Diving Bell. It is well accepted
in the architectural world that metaphors
can be a powerful basis for transmitting
concepts and ideas according to a
common cognitive map. However
translations that are too literal can also limit
the perception of a project.
The building consists of a solid cylindrical
volume with five window bays projecting in
different directions: on the first floor east to
Primus van Gils Park and south along Primus
van Gilsstraat; on the second floor west
towards Bisschop Zwijsenstraat; and on the
top floor north towards the Academy and
the old church of Tilburg, and south to the
city centre.
Could another metaphor be a periscope?
As well as creating a clear relation in form
and metallic-like surface, the way the bays
turn in an upward spiral as if actively
scanning the surrounding townscape, is akin
to a periscope searching for land.At first
sight the ‘periscope’ is introverted and sticks
out of its context both in materialisation and
form. However by introducing rotating bays
that visually connect to important points of
the city the architect manages to find “land”.
Whatever the metaphor given to this project,
the De Brouwer has succeeded in creating
something intriguing that puzzles the mind
by using simple tools which combine to
have a big impact.
The power of metaphor
