Bruges, Music, and The Space Between: An Architectural Thesis

EXPLORING RELATIONSHIPS
OF BRUGES, MUSIC, AND THE

SPACE BETWEEN
EXPLORING RELATIONSHIPS OF BRUGES, MUSIC,

AND THE SPACE BETWEEN
A Design Thesis Submitted to the
Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
of North Dakota State University
By
Isaac Karley
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of
Master of Architecture
Primary Thesis Advisor
Thesis Committee Chair

May 2014
Fargo, North Dakota
Cover - Figure 1 - Bruges alley

Retrieved from visitbruges.be
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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VI-IX
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4-7
8-9
10-13
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16-21
22-23
24-27
28-29
30-45
46-51
52-57
58-63
64-67
68-77
Figure 2 - 1334
Retrieved from visitbruges.be
Signature
Tables of Contents
Tables & Figures
Abstract
Problem Statement
Statement of Intent
Proposal
Narrative
User/Client Description
Major Project Elements
Site Information
Project Emphasis
Plan for Preceding
Program
TP/UI Research
CASE STUDY: Daeyang House &
Gallery
CASE STUDY: Villa Malaparte
CASE STUDY: Salk Institute
Case Study Summary
Historical Context
78-81
82-83
84-87
88-89
90-91
92-93
94-97
98-109
110-111
112-113
114-115
116-117
118-141
142-163
164-179
180-181
182-185
186-187
188
Goals for Project

Site Analysis
Site Narrative
Qualitative Site Aspects
Quantitative Site Aspects
Figure/Ground
Climate & Site Graphs
Site Pictures
Programmatic Requirements
Programmatic Relationships
Design
The Artefact
The Experience
Process Models
Final Presentation
Notes
Reference List
Previous Studio Experience
Personal Identification
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

C
IV
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Figure 1.
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Figure 22.
Cover image
1334
Reflections
Hotel prisenhof
Bruges concert hall
Rooflines
Clay tiles
Canal homes
Concertgebouw
Europe map
Bruges map
Bruges aerial
Church of our lady
Les demoiselles davignon
Albert einstein
Ken & Ray
Schedule
Se grada familia
Se grada statues
Kln cathedral
Kircher & the ear
Lucca choirbook
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Figure 23.
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Figure 44.
Musurgia universalis
1572
Bruges rooftops
Steven holl sketch
Sketch of modules
Daeyang reflection
Symphony of modules
Daeyang ceiling
Entrance
Daylight
Circulation
Geometry
Structure
Hierarchy
Mass & site
Plan to section
Malaparte steps
Malaparte roof
Isolated
Interior
Jean-luc godard
Daylight
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Figure 66.
Geometry
Circulation
Structure
Hierarchy
Mass & site
Plan to section
Fifth facade
Salk materials
Salk institute
Stairway
Concrete corridor
Two views
Daylight
Circulation
Geometry
Structure
Hierarchy
Mass & site
Plan to section
Experience daeyang
Salk sunset
Jeruzalemkerk
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The betrothal
Musical measure
Mystic lamb
St. bavo cathedral
Arnolfini
Arnolfini mirror
Lucca choirbook
The betrothal
Channel orange
Bruges at night
Bruges sun
Courtyard
Dream bridge
Sunny canal
Side street
City square
Figure/ground
Sun hours
Wind speed
Relative humidity
Precipitation
Avgerage temperature
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES (CONT.)

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Figure 89. Summer solstice

Figure 90. Equinox
Figure 91. Winter solstice
Figure 92. Sun path diagram
Figure 93. Wind rose
Figure 94. Wind direction
Figure 95. Noise & topography
Figure 96. NW site corner
Figure 97. SW site corner
Figure 98. South site edge
Figure 99. Site alley back
Figure 100. Site alley
Figure 101. View south
Figure 102. View north
Figure 103. North street photo
Figure 104. To city center
Figure 105. Pre-design matrix
Figure 106. Pre-design spatial layout
Figure 107. Artefact set-up
Figure 108. Artefact performance
Figure 109. The Chord
Figure 110. Music in bruges
122 Figure 111. Concert section

123 Figure 112. Performance stage
Figure 113. Lower level plan
124 Figure 114. Day performance
125 Figure 115. Night performance
127 Figure 116. Entrance view
Figure 117. Street level plan
129 Figure 118. Listening lounge
Figure 119. Second level plan
131 Figure 120. Vocal booth
Figure 121. Third level plan
132 Figure 122. Live room
133 Figure 123. Mixing room
135 Figure 124. Artist studio
Figure 125. Fourth level plan
136 Figure 126. Notations
138 Figure 127. HVAC section
139 Figure 128. HVAC plan
140 Figure 129. Structure section
144 Figure 130. Process models
166 Figure 150. Presentation images
188 Figure 161. Personal image
DEFINE synesthesia
from the ancient Greek [syn], together, and
[aisthsis], sensation
1. the phenomenon in which stimulation of one
sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic,
involuntary experiences in a second sensory or
cognitive pathway.
Figure 3 - Reflections
Retrieved from bezoekers.brugge.be
ABSTRACT This thesis explores music and art in Bruges,

Belgium and how it has shaped the city to
become what it is today. It is only through
this awareness of the past, and how it relates
to the present, that new pieces can be created
in such a way that will actively preserve
the citys past culture while simultaneously
creating a path for the city to once again be
considered a cultural hub of northwestern
Europe.
How does Architecture create a physical limit PROBLEM STATEMENT

to explore how music, art, and architecture all
stem from the same synesthetic dimension?
Figure 4 - Hotel prisenhof

Retrieved from best2013.eu/venue/
STATEMENT OF INTENT
PROJECT TYPOLOGY Music performance venue and

studios/public gallery
CLAIM This project hopes to create an
architecture that promotes the
advancement of art and music
within an historic setting, while
questioning the way architecture,
art, and music all stem from the
same synesthetic dimension of
experience.
OBJECT An experience that resonates

with music and art through
many different aspects of the
design. Old and new, form
and structure, materials and
layout, light and shadow, sound
and touch, people and the art,
all work together to create an
experience like musical harmony
that can only be expressed
through lived physical space.
ACTORS Musicians, artists, and the public. MANNER Creating architecture that can
provide and call attention to the
ACTION The architecture hopes to
spatial limits of the building
provide a physical space that
by exploring perceived time
invites creativity through
through dramatic architectural
imagining past experiences and
gestures, which incorporate the
future opportunities.
blending of sound and light.
Figure 5 - Bruges concert hall

Photo by Isaac Karley
Any new creation that holds a THEORETICAL

significance in the culture of PREMISE
its present, relates old ideas,
thoughts, or palpable things to
It is through the spirit of making PROJECT
the place in the time in which it
and doing that the city was able JUSTIFICATION
was created. Bruges is a beautiful
to create a place we can admire
city shaped by its past. It was
today.
However, in order to truly
once a cultural hub of northern
preserve its history, it must be
Europe. However, it is no longer
done so in an active way, through
so significant in terms of its role
creation, thus returning the
in the advancement of current
spirit
of making to a city that
culture. If the city wishes to
has simply become a beautiful
return to that idea of itself, it
museum to understand a past
must create new great things.
culture.
Figure 6 - Rooflines
PROPOSAL
NARRATIVE Bruges, Belgium is a place that I

love, and I might even go so far
as to say that its my favorite place
Ive ever been. When I traveled
there for the first time, about
a year ago, I was astonished at
how surreal it all was. As we left
the train station and made our
way over the canal and into the
medieval city, it felt like I was in
a fairytale. Through the freezing
fog, you could hardly make out
the beautifully detailed brick
buildings that lined the winding
cobblestone roads, always leaving
me to wonder what was around
the next corner. I couldnt help
but turn to the person I was with
and say, Ken, I know Im awake,
but I feel like Im in a dream1.
10
Figure 7 - Clay tiles
Retrieved from bezoekers.brugge.be
While I was already in Belgium

for a school trip, I made a point
of traveling to Bruges as soon as I
could. After seeing the movie In

Bruges, a very dark comedy that
uses the setting of the medieval
city as a character as much as
it does a place for the story to
take place, I had to go to see it
for myself. And I have to say
that, writer and director Martin
McDonagh, got it so perfectly
right. He tells the story of two
hitmen from Dublin who are
forced to hideout in Bruges after
a hit goes horribly awry. The hit,
which the audience learns a little
bit into the movie, involved the
younger of the two men, Ray,
who had been ordered to kill a
priest. However, in the process of
doing so, he accidentally kills a
little boy who was confessing his
own sins, kneeling in front of the
altar. This causes Ray to spiral
into a suicidal depression as he
tries to reconcile his view of
himself, as a person with decent

moral standards, with the fact
that he just killed a child.
The plot of the movie only
unfolds through getting to
know the characters, who are
surprisingly human considering
the line of work they are in. You
learn almost immediately that
Ray is not at all excited about the
prospect of staying in Bruges, a
place he cant possibly imagine
could hold his attention for two
weeks, with Ken, his business
parter, who is rather excited as
he proclaims, Bruges is the most
well-preserved, medieval town
in the whole of Belgium!. As
they travel throughout the city
and sightsee, Bruges becomes a
third character which you begin
to know and understand through
the dialogue between Ken and
Ray. It becomes quite clear,

through how each of the two
men interact with the city, that
it is a popular tourist attraction
that seems to take pride in the
dream-like qualities one might
interpret.
While the movie In Bruges was
the way in which I was initially
introduced to the city, I was
forced to understand Bruges
through the story Martin
McDonagh chose to tell. It then
inspired me to travel there,
which ultimately birthed an idea
for me to base my Architectural
thesis on. So, when I returned
to the U.S. and started work on
this project, I needed to deepen
my knowledge of the city in
order to ground the work that
would come. This led to a sense
of initial frustration, as I was
11
only able to further understand

the city through whatever I could
find on the subject; I was again
forced to see Bruges through
other things, i.e. books, art,
music, and architecture. This,
of course, is the only way we
can learn about something that
we cant directly experience,
whether that limitation exists
because of physical distance or
the passing of time. This initial
dilemma, in fact, led me to some
very interesting texts and pieces
that helped me see just how
significant the city was during
the 14th and 15th centuries, and,
in turn, has helped me see Bruges
through a lens of my own.
12
Figure 8 - Canal homes
Retrieved from fastcompany.com
Filled with art, architecture,

churches, and music that had
a heavy hand in affecting the
cultural and economic landscape
of northern Europe in the earliest

stages of the Renaissance period,
it is hard to dismiss Bruges as
an historically significant place.
Whether you personally agree
with Ken or Ray on the value
of its beauty to your own
experience, it seems as though
there are plenty of people in the
world that do value its beauty.
As the city depends on much
of its current wealth through
tourism and shopping, Bruges
has been extremely successful
in revitalizing a vibrant culture
within a city that has had some
tough economic times in the last
couple hundred years.
While Bruges has gained
prevalence once again as a
desired destination for people
from all over the world, it has
lost its sense of urgency to
continually grow within the

current context of a world
culture. It has found its niche
as the most well-preserved,
medieval town in the whole of
Belgium (McDonagh), which
has provided a beautiful place
to visit, but seems to have lost
sight of the fact that the city is
a physical creation of a vibrant
cultural and economic spirit
that pushed creation in the first
place. It is not viewed by the rest
of the world as a place that is
relevant in the current cultural
landscape of northern Europe,
which is another aspect that the
movie In Bruges is also great at
capturing. This is seen through
Rays obvious lack of respect
for Bruges, and little pieces of
dialogue from other characters
in the story, as evidenced in the
statement, Why would you
ever need to go to Belgium?.
It is important to note that it

is obviously not Paris, Milan,
Barcelona, or New York; cities
that continually supply the world
with new ideas, products, and
sources of inspiration, neither
should it seek to be. What
is important to understand,
however, both for the world
and more specifically for Bruges
itself, that it was at one point
considered a major influence
on the advancement of culture.
In order to preserve the city, as
organizations like the United
Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) have begun to do,
we must look beyond simply
preserving and restoring the
physical character of the city and
start a conversation about how to
revitalize the spirit that made the
city feel like it does today, like a
fairytale.
13
USER/CLIENT DESCRIPTION
OWNER The owner of this building would
be something of an art director
that is knowledgeable about
music and art.
CLIENTS The users of the building would
be the public and different
artists, both musicians and
non-musicians, that would be
interested in renting out the
studio and performance spaces
for any duration of time.
EMPLOYEES The employees of this facility
would include the director and
any sort of facility management
or employees that the director
would choose to employ to help
organize events, spaces, and
classes.
14
Figure 9 - Concertgebouw
Retrieved from spectable.be
MAJOR PROJECT ELEMENTS

While Bruges already has a larger PERFORMANCE
concert hall for more formal
musical events, this building
would provide an additional
STUDIOS
space for concerts and musical
performances. This venue would
differ from the existing concert
space in Bruges; it would be
more catered to the creation and
performing of music that is more
prevalent in todays popular
culture as the city currently lacks
space for such artists to perform.
Studio spaces for musicians

allow this building to become
not just a museum for past ideas,
but rather for establishing a
continuum between past and
present creations. It is the hope
that the work which would come
out of this building could help
return to Bruges the creative
spirit that helped create the city
in the first place.
APARTMENTS Two apartments would offer a

place for musicians and artists
to stay while doing there work.
This allows for this building to
become not just a stop, but a
destination that is conducive
for artists and their work habits
during their stay in Bruges.
15
SITE INFORMATION
16
Figure 10 - Europe map

Retrieved from Google Maps
REGION Flanders, located in northern

Belgium
Belgium, located in northwestern
Europe, is split up into two
different regions. The southern
part of Belgium, known
as Wallonia, is a primarily
French-speaking area, while
the northern part, known as
Flanders, primarily speaks
Dutch. Brussels, the countrys
capital sits in the middle of
Belgium and becomes a sort
of melting pot between the
two different regions and
their cultures. As with many
places in Europe, space is quite
condensed. With anticipation
of an influx of new immigrants
to Belgium, many people in
Flanders believe that they will
have an issue supporting an evergrowing country.
17
SITE INFORMATION THE CITY Bruges, Belgium

The city of Bruges, Belgium
is located in Flanders and is a
UNESCO World Heritage site
which is highly protected and
extremely well maintained. Here
is an excerpt from UNESCOs
website about the city:
Bruges is an outstanding example of a
medieval historic settlement, which has
maintained its historic fabric as this has
evolved over the centuries, and where original
Gothic constructions form part of the towns
identity. As one of the commercial and cultural
capitals of Europe, Bruges developed cultural
links to different parts of the world.
18
Figure 11 - Bruges map

Tourism, in the forms of

shopping, dining, and
sightseeing, is a major industry
in the city. Though this project
might seem to go against the
idea the city has for its future,
it is worth recognizing that

preserving a culture through
the making of new, historically
conscious works, can be more
valuable than mere restoration.
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SITE INFORMATION
PLOT 5 Katelijnestraat
Bruges, Flanders, Belgium
The site is surrounded by many
beautiful and historic buildings,
including a major church, The
Church of Our Lady, as well
as one of the oldest hospital
buildings in Europe, which
now serves as one of the citys
most well known art galleries.
Currently, the site sits empty in
place of a former 5-story mixeduse building and is surrounded
by many different shops, local
businesses, apartments, and
tourist attractions.
20
Figure 12 - Bruges aerial

Figure 13 - Church of our lady
Retrieved from keungatimec.blogspot.com
21
PROJECT EMPHASIS Creating a building that is

conscious of and reflects on
the past in its own identity
and frames moments of the
citys history, both through its
architecture as well as through
the works presented and created
within it.
1. Pieces and ideas of different
genres being displayed within
the building is essential for
illustrating the fact that great
pieces of work take many
different forms. Any one person
can draw creativity from any one
work, whether it be a painting,
building, or a song.
22
Figure 14 - Les demoiselles davignon
Retrieved from arts.wincn.com
2. It is only possible to be aware

of what the future could hold or
fully understand how one relates
to the present if they have a
grounded understanding of what
has come before.
23
A PLAN FOR PRECEDING

RESEARCH The majority of my research will
DOCUMENTATION be focused on the relationship
between architecture, art, and
music; the known and the
unknown. I will look at how
that relationship has evolved
through time and what are the
current trends when looking to
the future. Research will also be
conducted through a series of
case studies about new buildings
and renovations in the city of
Bruges to help understand how
current architects are dealing
with the challenges offered
by strict design restrictions
within the city. The case studies
will also be focused towards
museums and different types of
performance facilities.
24
Figure 15 - Albert einstein

Retrieved from hohoa.org
Throughout the design and DESIGN

research I will employ a mixed METHODOLOGY
methodology of quantitative and
qualitative research. This will
In order to document the entire DESIGN PROCESS
be done through a concurrent
process, I will be reading, DOCUMENTATION
transformative strategy guided
sketching, journaling, taking
by the Theoretical Premise and
pictures, creating videos, making
Unifying Idea. Throughout the
music, or anything that seems
entire process, I will constantly
necessary to the project and to
be analyzing, interpreting, and
the process.
reporting results from statistics,
interviews, case studies, direct
observation, and archival
searches.
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Figure 16 - Ken & Ray
Retrieved from mymediawelt.de
Figure 17 - Schedule
Graph by Isaac Karley
27
PROGRAM
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29
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THEORETICAL Structures provide a place for

PREMISE/UNIFYING us to dream, to imagine, to
IDEA RESEARCH learn, and to dwell. Whether it
be through a city, a building, a
painting, or a piece of music,
harmony between ourselves and
the world is achieved through
how one interprets the space
which they inhabit. These
spaces, defined by city streets
and building facades, alleyways,
courtyards, church bells and
their music, columns, bricks,
light and shadow, museums and
their artwork, all occur in an
existential realm, but gain their
significance through how we
interact with them. Although
the modes of representation
are quite different, the language
between all three, i.e. art,
architecture, and music, are quite
similar. While structure can be
made up of whole notes and
Figure 18 - Se grada familia

half notes, canvases and oils, or

columns, walls, and floor plates,
color may be articulated through
different chords, deep yellows
and blues, or the juxtaposition
of new and old materials. And
a third element, time, may be
experienced by musical measure,
a cubistic representation of
figures, or by the articulation of
how light moves across the face
of a wall. It is through our senses
that these elements are capable of
moving us and dramatizing our
experience of the world.
The Senses and Our Experience
Our reason may be capable
of dismissing the quality
of the built environment
as central to our spiritual
well-being, yet our dreams
31
32
Figure 19 - Se grada statues
and our actions are always

set in place, and our
understanding (of others
and ourselves) could simply
not be without significant
places. () Architecture
is manifest to those rare
places that speak back to
us and resonate with our
dreams, it incites us to real
meditation, to personal
thought and imagination,
opening up the space of
desire that allows us to be
at home while remaining
always incomplete and
open to our personal death,
unveiling a glimpse of the
sense of existence. We are
first and foremost mortal,
self-conscious bodies
already engaged with the
world through orientation
and gravity. As embodied
consciousness we are deeply

intertwined in a given
world, in an unarticulated,
preconceptual ground
that depends greatly upon
architecture as the external
order, one primarily
responsible for making our
limits present.
In this quote, from Architecture
and the Body by Alberto PrezGmez, he speaks of how
architecture allows us to dream
and to imagine. He explains
that it resonates with memory
and demands of us that we
imagine such memories in the
new space created by the work
we are interacting with. These
thoughts can feel like they can
last for an eternity, however,
Prez-Gmez argues that it, in
fact, makes you more acutely
33
34
Figure 20 - Kln cathedral

aware of the space you inhabit,

not just physically, but also in
time. The realization or extreme
awareness that the architecture
provokes, helps the users to
understand their position in
the space, which, inescapably,
occurs at an exact moment; one
that will never be the same once
it is gone. Though Prez-Gmez
may be speaking, in this context,
solely of architecture, it should
be noted that buildings are not
the only things that can cause
this same experience. A great
piece of music or artwork is
capable of doing exactly the same
thing by opening up a space
of desire that allows us to be at
home while remaining always
incomplete and open to our
own personal death, unveiling a
glimpse of the sense of existence.
However, the point that Prez-
Gmez makes, which separates

architecture from other modes
of experiential interpretation, is
its ability to physically make our
bodys limits present, through
the manifestation of walls, floors,
roofs, and windows. Juhanni
Pallasmaa can be looked to in
order to explain this further.
In his book Eyes of the Skin,
Pallasmaa makes a very similar
point, but instead of using the
term, embodied consciousness,
like Prez-Gmez does, he
explains it more simply as our
bodily senses. He explains,
Every touching experience of
architecture is multi-sensory;
qualities of space, matter and
scale are measured equally
by the eye, ear, nose, skin,
tongue, skeleton and muscle.
Architecture strengthens the
existential experience, ones
35
sense of being in the world, and

this is essentially a strengthened
experience of self (Pallasmaa,
1996).
36
Figure 21 - Kircher & the ear

Retrieved from galleryhip.com
While we can understand that

the senses obviously play a
big role in how we experience
the world, we simply cant
dismiss the way a piece of
architecture, art, or music affects
our imagination through the
senses. The connection between
what we experience with our
bodies and what we are called to
imagine, both in our memories
and in an imaginative future,
are inescapably interconnected.
This notion that our bodies are
undoubtedly linked with the
things that define and color our
daily existence is not a new idea
by any means. These ideas have,
in fact, been studied for centuries
by some of the greatest thinkers

the world has ever seen. It is only
until the last couple hundred
years that we have begun to
separate what we experience with
what we can explain as scientific
fact.
Jean-Philippe Rameau, a French
composer and music theorist
from the Baroque era, explored
music and its ability to interact
with both the rational and
experiential world. By examining
harmonic sounds as a basic
principle of music itself, he
demonstrated that one is able to
mathematically divide a string
to produce simple and complex
major and minor chords, while
that same person, could hum
a note and switch their tone to
its fifth without being a trained
musician. To him, and many
37
other philosophers throughout

history, the very nature of
musical harmony and its ability
to be so easily demonstrated both
through our bodies as well as in a
completely mathematical realm,
deemed it as a manifestation
of both natural and revealed
truth. They, in fact, believed
that this collection of truths
validated music and harmony as
something created for us rather
than by us (Dodds, 2003).
38
Figure 22 - Lucca choirbook
Retrieved from Music in Late Medieval Bruges
Athanasius Kircher, a 17th

century German polymath2, was
one of the last known people to
try and connect everything in our
world together, i.e. our senses,
art, architecture, music, science,
etc. Through his research, he
was convinced that music was
immensely important to our
understanding of everything
around us. He was able to relate

music to the human body
by comparing the frequency
produced by a string to the
frequency traveling through the
air. He argued that the frequency
traveling outside of the ear in the
form of waves, was proportional
to the frequency that affected
the inner eardrum, and this
sound, or vibration of air, created
a tone. As Michael Spitzer
goes on to explain in his book,
Metaphor and Musical Thought,
Kircher believed that only the
soul is able to make sense and
count the tones, as the mind is
too imperfect to do so. What
Kircher was in fact arguing, was
that our experience of pitch is
not something we can always
make sense of in logical terms,
but rather, it is something that
emotionally affects us. Spitzer
39
continues by pulling pieces

from Kirchers multi-part work
Musurgia Universalis, by stating,
From pitch Kircher proceeds to
the affections, and transfers the
model of string tension to the
domain of emotional arousal,
the nerves and muscles in the
human body are moved by music
like the strings of an instrument.
Thus we experience joy when the
spirits of life are extended, and
sorrow when they are contracted.
Kirchers theory of musica
pathetica portrays the body of
the listener as an object assaulted
by sound, in a state of constant
excitement and agitation
(Spitzer, 2003).
A Different World View
40
Figure 23 - Musurgia universalis

Retrieved from 3trior.com
As it was briefly touched on

before, there did not used to
be such a separation between

disciplines like there is today.
Before the Scientific Revolution,
societies thought of music,
architecture, art, religion, and
even science, as all related to
one another. Cultures used to
make paintings to communicate
with the heavens, which they
would sing songs about, or
would build architectural spaces
to create a house where the
populous could have a divine
experience. Many of the worlds
best thinkers, like Copernicus,
Kepler, and Kircher, even spoke
of the earth and the planets using
musical or mythical terms3. They
often pondered as to how they
were all related to our personal
experience and how they could
be used as a means of explaining
the world in theological terms.
These things werent merely used
41
as a way to represent the heavens,

but rather to approach them,
which was something that until
our modern-day understanding
of science, was unquestionably
the only explanation for our
existence.
42
Figure 24 - 1572
Retrieved from architectureforhumanity.org
With the Scientific Revolution

however, we, as a world culture,
gained an immense amount
of specialization with the
development of science and the
inventions which succeeded
it. This results today in an
incredibly well developed body
of information in regards to
fields like astronomy, medicine,
and building construction, just
to name a few. Our ability to
focus on parts in extreme detail,
like a cell in a body or a window
detail in a building, has benefited
us greatly in creating a more
comfortable living environment

as well as a more scientifically
accurate understanding of
ourselves, the Earth, and our
solar system.
However, this ability to
understand our world in parts,
and each part as extremely
factual and accurate information,
has by its very nature, caused
us to lose sight of the world
as a whole. In doing so, it has
hindered our ability to see the
relatedness of things through our
experience of them. Knowledge
has since taken the form of
that which is scientifically and
mathematically accurate, and
disregards our experience, or at
the very least, our experience
has become viewed as an inferior
mode to truly understand the
world which we inhabit.
This differentiation is important

to acknowledge, not so that we
can simply return to an old world
view and frame our existence
in more beautiful and esoteric
terms, but rather to join it with
our new scientific understanding
and open our eyes to invite us
to look across disciplines so
that we can solve our personal
and societal problems. What
this project is intending to do is
to call attention to those older
world views, by examining its
art, architecture, and music,
to create a place for our new
knowledge and resources,
celebrated through prior works,
to blossom into new pieces
which the city can live through
well into the future.
While music, like art and
architecture, has made its way

through history in different
forms and scales, it has made
its mark in very specific places
as well. In the 15th and 16th
centuries, Bruges, Belgium was
an economic and cultural hub
of northwestern Europe. Due to
its booming shipping industry
and beautiful architecture, the
city became a hotspot which
was filled with vibrant sounds
and images of everyday life.
The spirit of this period, which
was documented though the
architecture, artwork, and
beautiful church songs created at
the time, allowed the medieval
city to become a memorable
experience. After a period of
downturn the city has been
greatly renewed through its
tourism, yet it still seems to live
in the past. It is important that
43
new and historically grounded

art, architecture, and music
make its way back into the
urban fabric in order to promote
conversations about where the
city is headed next.
Exploration Through the
Creation of an Artefact
44
Figure 25 - Bruges rooftops

Retrieved from tripadvisor.com
In order to perceive such ideas

and push for new pieces, we were
called to create an artefact that
could inform our architecture
and become a new form of
research; bridging the past
and present in some form or
another. My artefact contains
music written by a Ghent-born
composer, Jacob Obrecht, who
wrote plenty of his life while
in Bruges. In the beginning of
my own piece of music, which
contains a piece pulled directly

from Obrechts work, Missa de
Sancto Donatiano, written for
mass at St. Donatians Cathedral
in Bruges, the audio begins as a
cleaner and pure note, but as it
progresses, the notes elongate
and eventually become stagnate
in their movement, as Bruges did
from the 17th to 19th centuries.
It is then revitalized in a form
distorted by the computer. As the
music is played, it is made visible
on the wall from a laser reflected
onto a speaker, connecting our
auditory and visual senses into
one experience. Additionally, a
person becomes the musician,
and is called to connect the space
between the speaker and the
laser on the wall with two pieces
of wood strung together; this
becomes their own instrument.
The note then returns to
elongated form and fades off into

eternity; into the future.
The physical manifestation of
the artefact resembles a harp or
some other stringed instrument.
While two pieces of wood are
used to hold six strings on either
end, the strings are covered in
chalk and conducted through the
air by a player or musician. The
player orchestrating the strings,
does so between the speaker,
which reflects the laser on the
wall, turning the wall into a
canvas painted by sound. This inbetween space that is inhabited
by the strings, catches the laser
at certain points and activates
the instrument, making it appear
as though the strings are, in
fact, affecting the sound that is
being heard. The laser on the
wall starts off as a pure circle that
simply gets larger and smaller

as the pitch changes, but as the
piece progresses and the music
becomes distorted in an instant,
it causes the mirror on the
speaker to be assaulted by sound
and create a more chaotic pattern
of the laser on the wall. It is at
moment that the player would
pull back on the instrument,
causing the strings to become
taught, and the chalk would be
released from the strings and
fly into the air, suspending the
notes in the space between. As
the chalk settles, so does the
music and the laser, and the
performance calms once again,
just like Bruges.
45
46
CASE STUDIES: The Daeyang Gallery and

DAEYANG GALLERY House, designed by Steven
AND HOUSE Holl Architects features three
pavilions (one for entry, one
Seoul, Korea for living, and event space)
Steven Holl Architects separated by a reflecting pool
on the upper floor. Below the
reflecting pool is a gallery space
that features skylights that allow
you to view the sky above you
through the water. The floor
plan was inspired by a 1967
drawing called The Symphony
of Modules by composer Istvan
Anhalt. One of the main ideas of
the project was that the spaces
are silent until activated by light;
as the seasons and time of day
changes, so does the nature of
the spaces. The project is filled
with a grand sensory experience.
Not only does light animate
and change the space, acting
much like music, the user is also
Figure 26 - Steven holl sketch

Retrieved from stevenholl.com
surrounded by a plethora of
sounds, smells and textures from
fountains, rain screens, wood,
concrete, marble, plaster, and
vegetation.
47
Figure 28 - Daeyang reflection

Figure 29 - Symphony of modules

Figure 30 - Daeyang ceiling

48
Figure 27 - Sketch of modules

Figure 31 - Entrance
49
Figure 32 - Daylight
Figure by Isaac Karley
Figure 33 - Circulation
Figure 36 - Hierarchy
Figure 37 - Mass & site

Figure 38 - Plan to section

50
Figure 34 - Geometry
Figure 35 - Structure
51
52
CASE STUDIES: Villa Malaparte was a private

VILLA MALAPARTE residence designed for, and
ultimately by, writer Curzio
Capri Naples, Italy Malaparte. In 1933, Malaparte
Curzio Malaparte was banished to a small island in
the Mediterranean by Mussolini.
His return from exile didnt
lead the writer to want to rejoin
society but rather to create a
home where he could continue
to live in seclusion. The house is
a very minimalistic shape, a long
rectangular box, that sits on top
and seemingly within the jagged
rock on Capris coastline. The
floor plan does the unexpected
by not revealing the beautiful
and large horizon to anyone
who enters the home. The view
is tucked away at the end of the
house en route through several
rooms and a winding path. Once
in the room, a small vertical
window that sits above the
Figure 39 - Malaparte steps

Retrieved from youtube.com
writers desk frames the horizon

line and nothing else. The view
of all of the surroundings is
achieved once traveled up the
end of the building and onto the
roof.
53
Figure 41 - Isolated
Retrieved from youtube.com
54
Figure 40 - Malaparte roof

Retrieved from archi.ru
Figure 42 - Interior
Retrieved from forpilar.blogspot.com
Figure 43 - Jean-luc godard

Retrieved from the movie Contempt
55


56
57
58
CASE STUDIES: The Salk Institute for Biological

SALK INSTITUTE FOR Studies located in San Diego
BIOLOGICAL STUDIES was designed with the idea
that buildings should be
San Diego, CA monumental and spiritually
Louis Kahn inspiring (Perez, 2010). The
functional and formal buildings
are separated by a stone plaza
that was inspired by a fellow
architect and friend of Louis
Kahn, Luis Barragan, who called
this plaza the fifth facade. It
finishes the experience of the
space and creates arguably one
of the most inspiring and formal
architectural photographs of the
twentieth century. The buildings
were meant to inspire creativity
through the architecture and they
do just that. A quote from the
client, who was also the inventor
of the polio vaccine, Dr. Jonas
Salk, is inscribed on the stone in
the plaza that states, Hope lies
Figure 51 - Fifth facade

Retrieved from dailyherald.com
in dreams, in imagination and

in the courage of those who dare
to make dreams reality (PrezGmez, 2010).
59
Figure 53 - Salk institute

Retrieved from altitudecam.com
60
Figure 52 - Salk materials

Retrieved from flickr.com
Figure 55 - Concrete corridor

Retrieved from flickr.com
Figure 54 - Stairway
Retrieved from stardustmoderndesign.com
Figure 56 - Two views
Retrieved from jbphoto360.blogspot.com
61
Figure 59 - Geometry

62

63
CASE STUDY When looking for case studies,

SUMMARY I wasnt necessarily focused on
finding a program to examine
that would match the program I
was pursuing for my own project.
The reason for this was that I
was trying to find projects that
focused on creating inspiring
spaces. As my entire thesis is
based on the ability and necessity
to look not only at what is right
in front of you, but also in places
you might not expect to find
answers. Ive learned plenty
through these case studies about
how I would like the quality of
space to feel.
- Experience daeyang
64 Figure 64Retrieved
from homedsgn.com
For example, Villa Malaparte

deals with creating some sort of
wonderment and not revealing
everything all at once. In order to
get a vast view of the ocean, even
from a building that is placed
so directly near the water, you

still have to make the climb to
the top of the building in order
to achieve such views. Being
up there, you have to stay from
the edge, in fear of falling off
the side. Inside, the lack of large
expanses of windows create the
sense of the ocean being a prize
as it is not something that you
get great views of from most
places in the house. The best
view, which is still restricted, is
above the owners desk where he
writes. He has an opportunity to
look up from his paper and look
at the vast horizon created by the
ocean disappearing into the sky.
The Daeyang Gallery and House
was probably the case study that
was more closely related to the
program I am pursuing but still
has some major differences. It
includes a museum, performance

space, and sleeping quarters, but
unlike my proposed project, it
is first and foremost a private
residence. However, when it
comes to this project, I drew and
will continue to draw the most
inspiration from what inspired
the design and how the design
is carried though. Steven Holl
Architects dealt with music and
space by using light as a sort of
musical piece that animates the
space. With the idea that the
space is silent until activated by
light (Steven Holl Architects,
2012) is an interesting thought
and an inspiring execution on
their part. While in the museum
space in the lower floor, the
ceiling is decorated with long,
rectangular skylights that open
up to the reflecting pool directly
above. As the sun moves over
65
the building and the horizon,

the space begins to change as
light reflects off of the floors
and up walls. The water allows
the light itself to come alive as it
shimmers from the sun shining
through it. Through a mix of
materials, sharp angles, and a
plethora of experiences that
appeal to the senses, it is a truly
dynamic space and seems to be a
perfect creative space.
66
Figure 65 - Salk sunset

Retrieved from millepercorsi.it
The Salk Institute for Biological

Studies was picked simply from
the view down the courtyard
water feature that disappears
into the horizon. The water
feature sits atop the deemed
fifth facade that appears to
be clad in the same material
as the surrounding buildings.
The image created from that
space is a very inspiring image
and is said to be even more so

dramatic when you are actually
there. The building was designed
with the hopes of becoming an
inspiration for the students that
attend the university and is said
to be quite successful.
67
68
Figure 66 - Jeruzalemkerk
Retrieved from screenflanders.be
HISTORICAL As an historical knowledge is

RESEARCH always a necessity when truly
attempting to understand any
one thing, person, or place, in
Brugess case, its history is the
very thing that gives the city an
identity and relevance in todays
culture. In 2000, the entire
city center was recognized as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to the organizations
website, Brugge [Bruges] is
an outstanding example of a
medieval historic settlement,
which has maintained its
historic fabric as this has evolved
over the centuries, and where
original Gothic constructions
form part of the towns identity
(UNESCO). Although Bruges
is thought of today as a tourist
destination for those exploring
northern Europe and is deemed
by some as The Venice of the
North, it has not always been

thought of as such.
The city of Bruges was founded
in the 9th century by Vikings
and the name is thought
to be derived from the old
Scandinavian word brygga,
meaning harbor or port(A
brief history, 2011). During the
12th century, Bruges began its
rise as a cultural and economic
hub of northern Europe. Being
a major administrative and
military center of the region,
aside from the popularization of
Flemish cloth, people from all
walks of life flocked to the city,
creating a bustling center and
melting pot of many different
cultures. The 15th century
brought Flemish art into the
cultural forefront by talented
painters like Jan van Eyck and
Hans Memling. Some of their

works, specifically van Eycks, are
still highly regarded by scholars
and art historians as some of
the best works of the time and
are considered some of the
earliest influential works of the
Renaissance period.
While the 15th century
was considered to be The
Golden Age of the area, the
development of the port in
Antwerp, another Belgian city
located about an hour north,
led Bruges into a steady decline
toward the poorest city in all of
Belgium. The building of canals
in the 17th and 18th centuries
caused the city to regain some
of its maritime power, but not
to the extent it had during the
medieval period. During the
19th century however, Bruges
69
started to get back onto its

feet with the resurgence of an
appreciation and interest for
its previous artistic prowess.
It became a major tourist
destination for those from all
around the world wishing to
admire the architecture and
tradition that made the city what
it is currently.
70
Figure 67 - The betrothal

Retrieved from wga.hu
For Bruges, the medieval period

was a time in which the city
was at its wealthiest and most
prominent. During that time,
the space and happenings of the
city were defined and narrated by
art and music. Christianity and
the church played an extremely
integral role in everyday
tradition and culture. The church
bells would ring to tell people
when it was time to go to work,
for the beginning of mass, to
close the inns, to warn of coming

thunderstorms, fires and armies,
etc; it structured peoples days.
Music was not just heard within
a sacred space inside the church
but you could also hear it while
out and about. It was sung in the
streets by everyday citizens and
professional performers alike,
and was often accompanied by
performances. There were, and
still are, church processions
which included music; the
market square was often defined
by the horn players that breathed
life into the place. Even the
sounds of everyday life could
be thought of as music. It was
everywhere.
Jan van Eyck, as was mentioned
earlier, was a very influential
painter in Flemish art. His work
has helped us to broaden our
Figure 68 - Musical measure

Retrieved from best2013.eu/venue/
71
72
Figure 69 - Mystic lamb

Retrieved from allart.biz
understanding of Bruges and

its position in the culture of
northern Europe during the
thirteenth, fourteenth, and
fifteenth centuries. One of his
most famous works, the Ghent
Altarpiece or Adoration of the
Mystic Lamb, was commissioned
for a cathedral in Ghent, Belgium
and was finished in 1432 in
Bruges. Thought to have been
designed alongside his brother
Hubert, who died in 1426, it tells
the story through 12 different
panels, eight of which on hinged
shutters, of a more forgiving and
merciful God than was depicted
in many paintings created
during the Medieval period. The
work plays with time and space
through many different subjects
and images within the painting
itself. One panel in particular
shows an angel playing the
organ and, if examined closely,

one can see that she is about
to press the keys F, C and A.
Reinhard Strohm, a German
musicologist who has taught at
Kings College, Yale University,
and Oxford University describes
the panel in this way, The time
lapse between her action and
the perception of the chord is
extended to eternity (Strohm,
1985). Right beyond her,
another angel is about to play a
viol but is resting, while a third
angel, plays the harp and keeps
count of the musical measure
with her fingers on her partners
shoulder. Four panels to the
left of the three angels, another
group of angels are seen singing
polyphonic music. These two
panels, among other images
included within the painting,
speak to a precise musical
Figure 70 - St. bavo cathedral

Retrieved from 8houradventure.com
73
measure in which the whole

painting takes place.
74
Figure 71 - Arnolfini
Retrieved from lesmaterialistes.com
A second painting by van Eyck,

Arnolfini Portrait, finished in
1434 is considered a document
of ceremony which took place
in Bruges in 1434. It shows
Giovanni Arnolfini raising
his right hand and taking
the oath to marry Giovanna
Cenami, who stands beside
him, pregnant, with a dog at
their feet. On the back wall of
the Bruges townhouse shown in
the painting, you see the phrase
scribed in Flemish, Johannes
van Eyck was here. Right
below is a mirror that shows
the reflection of the townhouse
in which the ceremony is
taking place, as well two people
standing in the doorway, the
painter himself and a witness.
The oath that Giovanni Arnolfini

is taking is promised for a
lifetime, not for eternity. The idea
that at some point the subjects
will cease to exist and the oath
will be no longer pertinent, is
symbolized by the one candle
that is burning in the chandelier
above them. It too will dissipate
given time. The very nature of
what the painting is, a document
of ceremony, along with van
Eycks attention to detail and
moments of the ceremony, places
this image in a very particular
moment.
A third painting, St. John
Altarpiece by Hans Memling and
finished in Bruges in 1440, is
also described in Strohms book
as such, that delicate moment
when the child was about to
touch the finger of the young
Figure 72 - Arnolfini mirror

Retrieved from educa.madrid.org
75
princess. Mystic suspense and

happy leisure are juxtaposed, as
St. Barbara keeps reading her
Book of Hours, and a smiling
child-angel enjoys the sound
of the portative organ which
he is playing. Strohm goes on
to explain all three of these
paintings in a way that describes
how they can relate us to the city
and how the city relates us to the
past and to today.
76
Figure 73 - Lucca choirbook
Retrieved from Music in Late Medieval Bruges
These pictures also

encapsulate motion and
space. We are aware that
the townscape of Bruges
is just beyond - or rather,
on our side of the picture,
facing them. Here, where
we stand now and look at
the pictures, these were the
people, the houses and the
activities of a city whose
hectic business, disorders

and violence cry out from
page after page in the
archives. It is strange that
the works of the painters
have come to resemble more
the Bruges of today - a
peaceful and orderly town
whos medieval architecture
spells nostalgia - than that
of the fifteenth century: the
liveliest, wealthiest and most
complex urban community
of North-Western Europe.
It was the home of more
than 30,000 people - princes,
priests, friars, soldiers,
housewives, prostitutes,
artists and artisans, bankers
and beggars. The noises of
the marketplace, the inns,
the workshops, the stockexchange, the public baths
- they have all died, and
so have the music and the

song of the nightingale in
the orchard. And yet, these
sounds have shaped the
townscape, contributing to
its order and to its disorder.
The sound of music is still
frozen in the shapes of
Bruges (Strohm, 1985).
It is through these things
themselves, some located in the
archives, some in the museums,
some in the churches, and some
just residing in the rigmarole of
everyday life and city tradition,
that we are reminded of this rich
history and time.
Today, Bruges is a city that
has regained its identity as a
successful port city but it is
mostly dominated by tourism.
The city is again lively and
relevant to the culture of the

region like it once was, however,
it is not so for its present day
activities or productions that
happen within the city currently.
While very well preserved and
beautiful, or as Strohm explains
a peaceful and orderly town
whos medieval architecture
spells nostalgia, it has an
opportunity to reawaken itself
and become an inspiring city
recognized not just for its history
but for its future.
Figure 74 - The betrothal

Retrieved from wga.hu
77
78
Figure 75 - Channel orange

GOALS FOR The goal of this thesis project,

PROJECT on a personal level, is to explore
what it means to merge music
and architecture together. As
Ive always been fascinated
with both and continue to see
many parallels between the
two, I would like to explore
the relationship even further.
Bruges was picked as a site for
the project because, upon visiting
the city, I was immediately in
awe of the history demonstrated
through the architecture, in
addition to the shear density
of the medieval city. Narrow
alley spaces served as a major
inspiration for the project and
could maybe even be thought
of as the reason why I chose
to do this project there in the
first place. I love the cramped
nature of these alleyways and the
curiosity they evoked in me as I
always wanted to go down every

single one I saw. As my idea
evolved of what the project could
be, I imagine that my desire to
live there began to take over.
Approaching the project more
academically, I still look to my
personal intentions to inform
this direction. I realized through
my schooling that the more I
just go with my gut on things,
the better my projects turn
out. Fighting a will with a fear
of not wanting to get too close
to something can be just as
dangerous as getting too close.
With my love of music and my
love of architecture, creating a
space that would merge the two
and provide a space within that
relationship for someone like
me to participate gets me very
excited. But aside from my love
of the program and the city, I saw

something that I felt was lacking
within Bruges. When I was there
I never felt like there was an
established industry beyond the
port activities or tourism, and
upon further research, I realized
that music and art were huge
influences on its development in
the Middle Ages. So, merging art
and architecture seemed like the
perfect fit for a city that seems to
lack an identity rooted in what is
happening today within its walls.
As far as my professional skills
go, I wanted to work more on my
research skills, and specifically in
understanding the history of the
profession itself. I do believe that
I have broadened my knowledge
in such areas and am more
prepared to enter the workforce
than I was several months ago.
79
80
Figure 76 - Bruges at night
Retrieved from hotelnavarra.com
The last several months, which

have focused on the design
aspect and BIM modeling have
been key for me in strengthening
my skills in such applications.
In a professional world that is
pushing farther and farther into
programs like Revit, I believe
that it is important for me to
not only be competent in those
programs but to understand
their capabilities and restrictions
better than the average
architecture student in order to
be competitive anywhere I want
within the job market. With
that being said, I would like to
learn how to use the applications
in ways that not only help me
design the building but help me
communicate somehow what it
might be like to be in the space
itself. I would like to use these
programs with other techniques,
and merge graphics with a strong

historical knowledge to create
images beyond the standard
rendering that we see so often
used to realize or understand
the building.
When I think about what my
ultimate goal of the project is,
it doesnt necessarily fit within
the realm of personal, academic,
nor professional. The goal is to
simply communicate my ideas.
In everyday life, whether youre
at home talking to a loved one,
at work talking to a client, or
making a piece of art, you are
constantly trying to figure
out the most effective way to
communicate to whomever you
are speaking to. Communication
is paramount and can go a long
way for someone if they are good
at it.
81
SITE ANALYSIS
82
83
SITE NARRATIVE A Site visit from March 4, 2013:
84
Figure 77 - Bruges at night
The site seems kind of small.

It would need to be an entire
building taking up the site.
I think? The facade would
almost have to be something
that is completely the same
as the surrounding. All the
other buildings that have
been created in the area
seem to have a facade that
completely matches but the
rest of the building doesnt
seem like it needs to fit in.
I dont want to start making
any decisions now. All
the shops around the area
seemed to close at about
6pm. The street was pretty
busy during the day with all
the souvenir shops around
but seemed pretty quiet after
the sun started going down.
I wonder what could work

there? There doesnt seem
like there would be too much
space to be inspired by the
alleyway and turn that into
a major design part. Maybe
something that splits the
building and empties into a
courtyard in the back of the
lot. Maybe something that
mirrors the other side of the
street. Might want to figure
out what else is around
there. Should do some
checking on stuff to see what
I got today. Something about
the streets and the alleys is
that they arent completely
straight. They curve ever so
slightly, maybe that carries
you through. Is it because
you cant see anything of
what is at the end but you
know that something is back
there? Is it because it is so
tight and there seems to be
nothing for anyone to hide
behind? I dont really know.
It feels like a fairytale land
though. It really does. So
many people around but
its a bunch of older people
or others on holiday it feels
like. Im not sure what to do
with it. Well see.
Upon my initial impressions
of the site, I thought it looked
small and was not quite sure if
there was enough space to place
a thesis project on it. However,
I now believe there definitely
is. The building that was there
before was a five story hostel
and had some shops on the first
floor. The site is surrounded by
different shops and restaurants
and is down the street from two
Figure 78 - Courtyard
85
86
Figure 79 - Dream bridge

major tourist attractions within

the city. One is The Church of
Our Lady, which is on the same
side of the street and is just
beyond the river to the north
of the site. On the other side of
the street, also to the north, sits
one of Europes oldest hospitals,
St. Johns Hospital. It is now a
museum but houses some of the
most famous paintings from the
area, including Memlings St.
John Altarpiece as was discussed
earlier in the book. The river
features frequent riverboat
tours all year round as tourists
walk down the historic streets,
stopping at chocolate shops
and lace shops. There is a street
directly to the north of the
site that actually has a garage
entrance that carries from the
street, under the buildings, and
opens up on the northern edge
of the site. That street is home

to private residences and a few
small business, like dental offices.
87
QUALITATIVE SITE ASPECTS

SITE FEATURES The site itself is a blank slate that
is surrounded by a collection
of private residences, public
businesses, and two courtyards.
There was previously a building
existing, a five-storey hostel, on
the site but it is no longer there.
LIGHT The majority of the sunlight
would be taken into the building
from the street-side facade.
The top floors might be able to
grab more sunlight, if sitting
high enough, but the building is
surrounded by other buildings.
VEGETATION There is vegetation that is
prevalent in the courtyards both
to the south and the east of the
site but is non-existent along the
streets due to the dense nature of
the city.
88
Figure 80 - Sunny canal

A river that is used exclusively WATER

for travel and tourism is located
half a block north of the site.
The site itself is pretty sheltered WIND
but does get wind that travels
over the buildings and down the
streets.
The site is surrounded by a HUMAN
previously built environment, CHARACTERISTICS
one that has been there for
hundreds and hundreds of years,
since the medieval times.
The building that was there DISTRESS
before was demolished and
there is currently an empty
hole that takes up the site. It
will be important to not disturb
the buildings around it when
excavating.
89
QUALITATIVE SITE ASPECTS

SOIL No soil information is found
at this time as it has proven to
be difficult to obtain Flemish
records and reports.
WATER QUALITY The fresh water supply is
contaminated by the merging of
saltwater but is easily treatable.
UTILITIES Utilities are currently on the site
and readily available.
TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY There is the slightest upward
slope reaching to the northwest from the site but is almost
non-existent.
90
Figure 81 - Side street

VEHICULAR TRAFFIC Vehicular traffic is somewhat

steady and frequent along the
road in front of the site. Speeds
rarely exceed 20 or 25mph as the
streets are narrow and pedestrian
traffic is high.
Pedestrians walk on the PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC

sidewalks and enter into different
shops and restaurants along
the road. During the day, the
sidewalks are usually anywhere
from 50%-75% full.
The visual form of the site is VISUAL FORM
dominated by the neo-gothic
facades that line the streets
across from and near the site.
The site is, again, dominated SITE CHARACTER
by neo-Gothic architecture
that was constructed between
the eleventh and seventeenth
centuries. It is a shopping
district, as is most of the city,
and is dominated by tourism and
small local businesses.
91
92
Figure 82 - City square

Retrieved from ivopopov.be
Figure 83 - Figure/ground
93
CLIMATE DATA
GRAPHS
Figure 84 - Sun hours

Figure 87 - Precipitation
Figure 85 - Wind speed

Figure 88 - Average temperature

94
Figure 86 - Relative humidity

95
Figure 94 - Wind direction

Figure 89 - Summer solstice

Figure 90 - Equinox
Figure 91 - Winter solstice

Figure 92 - Sun path diagram

Figure 93 - Wind rose

Figure 95 - Noise & topography

96
97
98
Figure 96 - NW site corner

99
100
Figure 97 - SW site corner

101
102
Figure 98 - South site edge

103
100
99
104
Figure 99 - Site alley back

Figure 100 - Site alley

105
106
Figure 101 - View south

107
103
102
108
Figure 102 - View north

Figure 103 - North street photo

109
PRE-DESIGN Museum - 6,000 sq. ft.

PROGRAMMATIC Hostel rooms - 4,000 sq. ft.
REQUIREMENTS Public kitchen - 100 sq. ft.
Studio space - 6,000 sq. ft.
Performance space - 4,000 sq. ft.
Ticketing - 100 sq. ft.
Entrance - 300 sq. ft.
Public bathrooms - 1,000 sq. ft.
Classrooms/breakout rooms,
private room - 2,000 sq. ft.
Administration - 1,000 sq. feet
Circulation - 3,000 sq. ft.
Mechanical - 3,500 sq. ft.
Maintenance/laundry - 3,000 sq.
ft.
Bike storage - 100 sq. ft.
Parking & entrance - 2,000 sq. ft.
Retail - 2,000 sq. ft.
Rooftop patio - 6,000 sq. ft.
110
Figure 104 - To city center

Retrieved from ds-lands.com
111
112
Figure 105 - Pre-design matrix

Ticketing
Entrance
Performance
Museum
Bike Storage
Parking /
Entrance
Classrooms
Public
Kitchen
Admin.
ESSENTIAL
DESIRABLE
NON-ESSENTIAL
H
PU OS M
BL TEL US
IC R EU
KI OO M
TC M
ST
PE UD LO HE S
RF IO UN N
O SP G
PU
R A E
T
BL
IC MA CE
IC E KE NC
BA NT TI E
AD C TH RA NG
M LA RO NC
IN SS O E
CI IST RO M
M RC RA OMS
PA
RK AIN UL TI S
IN BIK TE AT ON
G E N IO
& ST AN N
EN O C
TR RA E
A GE
RE NC
TA E
IL
HOSTEL ROOMS
PUBLIC KITCHEN
LOUNGE
STUDIO SPACE
PERFORMANCE
TICKETING
ENTRANCE
PUBLIC BATHROOMS
CLASSROOMS
ADMINISTRATION
CIRCULATION
MAINTENANCE
BIKE STORAGE
PARKING & ENTRANCE
RETAIL
ROOFTOP PATIO
Studios
Lounge
Patio
Hostels
Figure 106 - Pre-design spatial layout
113
DESIGN
114
115
116
Figure 107 - Artefact set-up

Retrieved from ds-lands.com
THE ARTEFACT As stated earlier, the artefact

was used as a tool to bridge
past Bruges with how it can
be interpreted today. The light
nature of the artefact was
something that became a heavy
influence on the design of the
building. Something became very
interesting about taking a piece
of music and figuring out how to
capture the sight of it in the space
between. Another interesting
piece of the artefact that played
a significant role on the design
was the idea of modern-day
technology merging with and reinterpreting old music and ideas.
The piece of music by Jacob
Obrecht distorted and made
visible on the wall by a highly
animated laser was an interesting
sight to see, but most effectively
communicated that music hasnt
changed all that much. Obviously
technology has led us to greater

possibilities with recording and
creating sounds, and ideas have
advanced to give us more to
draw from, but overall, the same
feeling can be achieved from a
piece whether it was written five
or five hundred years ago.
Figure 108 - Artefact performance

117
PAINTING AS In 1985, a former Oxford

INSPIRATION professor named Reinhard
Strohm published a book called
Music in Late Medieval Bruges.
In the second paragraph of the
first chapter, he begins to tell
the story of music in Bruges
through these different pieces of
art created towards the end of the
Medieval period:
In the Ghent panels by
Hubert and Jan van Eyck,
an angel is seen playing the
organ: she is about to press
the keys F, c and a. The time
lapse between her action and
the perception of the chord
is extended to eternity (...)
Musical measure determines
the precise moment in time
in which the whole picture is
set (Strohm, 1985).
118
In the passage, Strohm speaks of

an eternity, one created by the
subject of the painting and the
action she is about to complete.
Though he speaks of a finite
moment in which the painting is
supposed to take place, through
a perceived musical measure, the
eternity occurs only because
the viewer is never actually able
to hear any of the sounds that
would take place if the painting
became a reality and time were
to progress. So, the perception of
the sound must occur through
the viewers imagination.
119
120
Figure 109 - The Chord

Rendering by Isaac Karley
PAINTING AS The building begins to take shape

FACADE as if the painting were projected
onto the front of it. The Chord
starts on the facade of the
building, on the right side, where
the organ player sits in respect
to the rest of the panels. The
glass of The Chord juts out of
the facade and extends through
the building, passing under
the larger concrete structures,
like musical notes would pass
the staffs in a piece of music.
There are eight of these concrete
structures, creating seven
openings that frame the sky and
point to the heavens, signifying
the seven hours of prayer that
structured the citizens days
during the period in which the
Ghent Altarpiece was created.
The only moments the sky would
be visible from the lower levels
of the building, would be in the
path direct path of The Chord.
Figure 110 - Music in Bruges

Collage by Isaac Karley
121
Figure 112 - Performance stage

LOWER LEVEL The lower level is where the

concerts would take place. South
of the main hall, there is a storage
space for different equipment and
art to be held when the spaces are
being used for different events.
North of the main concert space
is a lounge for the visiting artists
to relax before their concert if
they so choose. The smaller stairs
that occurs between the lounge
and the exhibit space would be
for used for a private entrance for
the artists, as well as emergency
egress for the public, which
supplements the other fire-rated
stairs in the southwest corner.
The lower level also houses the
mechanical room that would
hold the necessary equipment to
heat and cool the building.
122
Figure 111 - Concert section

Figure 113 - Lower level plan

Plan by Isaac Karley
LOUNGE
R.R.
PERFORMANCE/
GALLERY
STORAGE
MECH.
123
As a performance space, this PERFORMANCE

main concert hall is meant to
serve as a smaller venue (capacity
180 persons) to offer the public a
space to see mainstream acts that
wouldnt have the opportunity
to perform in the larger concert
hall located just directly outside
the citys inner ring. This element
of the program offers artists
the opportunity to create their
music on the upper floors of the
building and perform it on the
lower level.
124
Figure 114 - Day performance

Figure 115 - Night performance

125
Figure 116 - Entrance view

STREET LEVEL The street level of the building

serves many different functions
as well, but remains entirely open
to the public. The entry of the
building offers an initial view
down The Chord but turns
the public away and funnels
them past reception and into the
building. During concerts, the
main floor would become a place
to sell concessions, drinks, and
merchandise, as well as provide
an upper level to watch the show.
The building is pulled away from
the surrounding structures,
creating 1 meter wide alleys on
either side.
126
Figure 117 - Street level plan
VEHICLE ENTRY
RECEPTION/
TICKETING
CONCESSIONS
PERFORMANCE/
GALLERY BELOW
ENTRY
127
Figure 118 - Listening lounge

2nd LEVEL The second level of the building

would be used by a mix of the
general public and the people
who would work in the building.
A conference room is located
on this floor, with views of the
performance/gallery space below,
and would be used to meet with
the public or incoming artists.
It is at this point, on the second
floor, where The Chord starts
becoming suspended throughout
the structure. A glass floor would
allow you to cross from one
floor plate to another without
obstructing view down The
Chord from other points in
the building. This floor would
also feature a lounge where the
public could listen to music of
the artists choosing, offering a
different way to experience the
art in such a public structure.
128
Figure 119 - Second level plan

CONFERENCE
ADMINISTRATION
PERFORMANCE/
GALLERY BELOW
PUBLIC VIEWING/
LISTENING LOUNGE
129
Figure 120 - Vocal booth

130
3rd LEVEL The third level is where the actual

art would be created. While the
mixing room is located directly
across The Chord from the live
room and the isolation booths
(where artists would record
vocals), artists are demanded
to collaborate and create their
own music across the buildings
Chord. The distance created
by this major design element is
reconnected only by the artists
collaborating with one another
and creating the art, transcending
the physical space the users are
limited by. While the sound from
the lower levels seeps up between
the spaces in the floor and
surrounds these rooms, they are
the only spaces in the building
where sound is completely
contained within themselves.
This is done to provide the best
recording quality possible.
Figure 121 - Third level plan

ISO BOOTHS
LIVE ROOM
MIXING ROOM
131
132
Figure 122 - Live room

Figure 123 - Mixing room

Collage by Isaac Karley
133
Figure 124 - Artist studio

4th LEVEL This floor offers the final piece

of the program. Two apartments
are located on this top floor to
offer places for different artists to
stay during their trip to Bruges.
They are located at the top to
offer the most amount of privacy
necessary and have the ability
to exit out the back northeast
corner of the building. This exit
and stair would be completely
private to the artists and
buildings staff. It is completely
necessary to offer these artists a
place to stay in order to make the
building become a destination
that allows them to focus
entirely on creating in such tight
quarters.
134
Figure 125 - Fourth level plan

APARTMENT 2
APARTMENT 1
135
ARCHITECTURE AS Sections and floor plans of

NOTATION this building were drawn in
a relatively simple manner as
basic line drawings. Architects,
like musicians of today, speak of
their medium through notation5.
It is through simple lines and
notes on a paper that we can
determine what a space might
feel or sound like. It is by making
connections like this that we can
begin to draw even more detailed
similarities between the two
disciplines and start to see them
as inter-related to one another.
136
Figure 126 - Notations

Drawing by Isaac Karley
137
MECHANICAL
CHASE
MECHANICAL
AIR SPACE
CREATED
ALLEY
MECHANICAL
ROOM
138
Figure 127 - HVAC section

STORAGE
The mechanical room, located SYSTEMS

at the front of the building on
the lower level, would house
all the necessary equipment
for the heating and cooling of
the building. The ductwork
and piping would enter the
ceiling and be distributed to the
different concrete structures
where a chase would allow
the necessary equipment to be
distributed to different floors and
spaces throughout the entirety
of the structure. The heating
and cooling units would need
to be controlled throughout the
building using separate zones, as
the building houses residential
units and spaces, like the studio
and isolation booths, that would
need extreme control over
temperature and sound.
Figure 128 - HVAC plan
Drawing by Isaac Karley
139
Figure 129 - Structure section

STRUCTURE
Going along The Chord, the
larger floor plates begin to look
like pristine white keys cutting
through the entire building
from front to back. In order
to preserve the holistic nature
of the way they are viewed
through such an open plan, it
was necessary to separate smaller
spaces from the larger floor
structures. This is noticeable
in the conference room, where
the floor appears to be floating
and the glass does not touch
the ceiling. This element of a
floating floor gives the effect
of notes on top of the larger
structure. This differs however,
on the third floor (the studio
spaces), where the notes appear
as isolated boxes sunken into the
keys of the main floor structures.
140
This gesture was done for two

reasons: 1) To simply give the
recording and mixing spaces
more room vertically without
having to raise the height of
the entire building; and 2) To
differentiate the program on this
particular level. The sinking of
these spaces was inspired by the
artefact, which showcases the
spaces where the new music is
being created. By dropping them
down and creating a separation
from the pristine white nature
of rest of the building, the actual
structure becomes apparent
through the drastically vibrant
colors of the steel beams. This
speaks to the mythical-like
aesthetic qualities of the city
being separated to reveal that
which supports it, the art and the
music created within Bruges.
141
PROCESS MODELS
142
143
144 PROCESS MODELS
Figures 130-149 - Process models

Photos by Isaac Karley
145
146 PROCESS MODELS
147
148 PROCESS MODELS
149
150 PROCESS MODELS
151
152 PROCESS MODELS
153
154 PROCESS MODELS
155
156 PROCESS MODELS
157
158 PROCESS MODELS
159
160 PROCESS MODELS
161
162 PROCESS MODELS
163
FINAL PRESENTATION
164
165
166 FINAL PRESENTATION
Figures 150-160 - Presentation images

Photos by Isaac Karley
167
169
171
173
175
177
179
NOTES
1. Though the quote does reference something I said to someone when I first traveled to
Bruges, it is a quote taken directly from the movie In Bruges. The first paragraph describes a
mix between what was described during a scene in the movie and how I view the city during
the initial moments we encountered it.
2. The term polymath is defined as a person of great learning in several different fields of
study (polymath, 2014). Kirchers study of music and sound made up only a small portion
of his body of work. The amount of writings and research he created has been unparalleled
since his lifetime. See Oedipus Aegyptiacus, one of his most notable works.
3. These ideas are set up and elaborated on through the writings of several different
astronomers, philosophers and theorists in Joscelyn Godwins book Harmony of the Spheres.
5. Until quite recently, music was not something that was experienced through a
written form, it was only something that could be understood through physically
hearing or feeling the music itself. This new way of experiencing the music requires
the viewer to imagine the experience of the sound based on what they already know
about musical notation. This, of course, is quite similar to architectural drawings, as a
certain type of knowledge and translation is necessary in order to view the simple lines
and understand what they represent, a built form. While architectural and musical
notation are definitely forms in which we can begin to understand their respective
physical manifestations, it must be noted that we are still moved by the spaces and
things they represent, more than the notation itself.
4. Excerpt from Reinhard Strohms book Music in Late Medieval Bruges explaining the seven
hours of the day in which people of medieval Bruges would pray:
180
The rhythm of urban life conforms to the churchs calendar. The three greater hours
(matins with lauds, vespers and compline) mark the beginning and the end of the day, and
the four lesser hours (prime, terce, sext and none) divide the working day into four equal
segments. Everyone is aware of these seven hours, as they are announced by the churchbells. The townspeople are reminded to pray the Seven Hours of the Dead on Monday,
of the Holy Ghost on Tuesday, of the Trinity on Wednesday, of the Holy Sacrament on
Thursday, of the Holy Cross on Friday, of Our Lady on Saturday and Our Lord on Sunday.
181
REFERENCE LIST
A brief history of bruges. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.visitflanders.us/
discover/cities/bruges/bruges_history/
Godwin, J. (1992). The harmony of the spheres: The pythagorean tradition in music. Rochester,
Vermont: Inner Traditions.
Antrim, T. (2012, May 1). Casa malaparte, a surreal work of staggering

genius.Retrieved from http://www.architecturaldigest.com/blogs/daily/2012/05/casa-malaparte-capri-italy
McDonagh, Martin, dir. In Bruges. Focus Features, 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2013.
Merleau-Ponty, M. (2008). The world of perception. (1 ed.). London, England: Routledge.
Atwood, Peter. Personal interview (2014).

Bacci, F., & Melcher, D. (2013). Art and the senses. (1 ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Christenson, Mike. Personal interview (2014).
Dodds, G. (2005). Body and building: Essays on the changing relation of body and architecture.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Gadamer, H. (1987). The relevance of the beautiful and other essays. Cambridge,
UK: Cambridge University Press
The Getty Foundation (2013, Dec 7). Ghent Altarpiece. Retrieved from https://www.getty.edu/
foundation/initiatives/current/panelpaintings/panel_paintings_ghent.html
182
Mahalingam, Ganapathy. Personal interview (2014).

Miller, A. (2001). Einstein, picasso: Space, time, and the beauty that causes
havoc. New York, NY: Basic Books.
NPR.org. (2010, December 23). Is this the worlds most coveted painting?.
Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2010/12/25/132283848/is-this-the-
worlds-most-coveted-painting
Pallasmaa, J. (1996). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses. (1st ed.). Hoboken, NJ:
Wiley.
Perez, A. (2010, May 28). Ad classics: Salk institute / louis kahn. Retrieved from
http://www.archdaily.com/61288/
Prez-Gmez, A. (1985). Architecture and the crisis of modern science. Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press.
183
REFERENCE LIST (CONT.)

Prez-Gmez, A. (2002). Body and building: Essays on the changing relation of
body and architecture. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Polymath [def. 1]. In Dictionary.com. retrieved April 6, 2014, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/polymath
Spitzer, M. (2003). Metaphor and musical thought. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Steven Holl Architects (2012). Daeyang gallery and house. Retrieved from
http://www.stevenholl.com/project-detail.php?type=houses
Strohm, R. (1985). Music in late medieval Bruges. Oxford England New York:
Clarendon Press Oxford University Press.
Wischer, Stephen. Personal interview (2014).
Williams, P., Aldrin, B., Luna, I. & Gould, L. (2012). Pharrell : places and spaces
Ive been. New York: Rizzoli.
UNESCO, (2013). Historic centre of brugge. Retrieved from UNESCO World
Heritage Centre website: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/996
184
185
ARCH 271 Architectural Design I - Joan Vorderbruggen, Fall 2010

Projects - Tea House, Boathouse
ARCH 272 Architectural Design II - Darryl Booker, Spring 2011
Projects - Montessori School, Birdhouse, Dwelling
ARCH 371 Architectural Design III - Steve Martens, Fall 2011
Projects - Wildlife Research Center, Masonic Lodge
PREVIOUS STUDIO
EXPERIENCE
ARCH 372 Architectural Design IV - Mike Christenson, Spring 2012

Project - NDSU STEM Building Conceptual Design
ARCH 471 Architectural Design V - Don Faulkner, Fall 2012
Projects - DLR Competition, San Francisco High Rise
ARCH 472 International Design Studio - Dr. Paul Gleye, Spring 2013
Project - Eilandje Port Redevelopment in Antwerp, Belgium
ARCH 771 Advanced Architectural Design - Regin Schwaen, Fall 2013
Project - regenBoston Competition
186
187
Figures 161 - Personal image

Photos by Tyler Buerkle
NAME
ADDRESS
EMAIL
HOMETOWN
188
Isaac Karley
1334 12 St N
Fargo, ND 58102
isaac.karley.2@my.ndsu.edu
Fargo, ND
You dont just make something to

become famous, or to be cool, or
to get stoned. You do it because its
amazing, and it moves you, and its
important. And then all the other
stuff is just a gift. And then you
get there eventually you just have
to trust. - L. Gabrielle Penebaz

Bruges, Music, and The Space Between: An Architectural Thesis

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EXPLORING RELATIONSHIPS

OF BRUGES, MUSIC, AND THE

EXPLORING RELATIONSHIPS OF BRUGES, MUSIC,

Primary Thesis Advisor

Thesis Committee Chair

Cover - Figure 1 - Bruges alley

Retrieved from visitbruges.be

Goals for Project

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES (CONT.)

Figure 89. Summer solstice

122 Figure 111. Concert section

Retrieved from bezoekers.brugge.be

ABSTRACT This thesis explores music and art in Bruges,

How does Architecture create a physical limit PROBLEM STATEMENT

Figure 4 - Hotel prisenhof

PROJECT TYPOLOGY Music performance venue and

OBJECT An experience that resonates

Figure 5 - Bruges concert hall

Any new creation that holds a THEORETICAL

NARRATIVE Bruges, Belgium is a place that I

Figure 7 - Clay tiles

Retrieved from bezoekers.brugge.be

While I was already in Belgium

could. After seeing the movie In

himself, as a person with decent

Ray. It becomes quite clear,

only able to further understand

Figure 8 - Canal homes

Retrieved from fastcompany.com

Filled with art, architecture,

of northern Europe in the earliest

continually grow within the

It is important to note that it

MAJOR PROJECT ELEMENTS

Studio spaces for musicians

APARTMENTS Two apartments would offer a

Figure 10 - Europe map

REGION Flanders, located in northern

SITE INFORMATION THE CITY Bruges, Belgium

Figure 11 - Bruges map

Tourism, in the forms of

it is worth recognizing that

Figure 12 - Bruges aerial

Figure 13 - Church of our lady

Retrieved from keungatimec.blogspot.com

PROJECT EMPHASIS Creating a building that is

Figure 14 - Les demoiselles davignon

Retrieved from arts.wincn.com

2. It is only possible to be aware

A PLAN FOR PRECEDING

Figure 15 - Albert einstein

Throughout the design and DESIGN

Figure 16 - Ken & Ray

Retrieved from mymediawelt.de

THEORETICAL Structures provide a place for

Figure 18 - Se grada familia

half notes, canvases and oils, or

Figure 19 - Se grada statues

Photo by Isaac Karley

and our actions are always

consciousness we are deeply

Figure 20 - Kln cathedral