Carlo Scarpa's layered architecture makes visible the process of becoming and the time-related sedimentation of material and meanings. This book examines Scarpa's fields of influence and intellectual roots and puts them in perspective with former theories and their interpretation of architecture as layered.
This book explores the principle of layering in architecture, focusing on its mechanics, applications, and meanings. While layering is a common topic in 20th and 21st-century architectural discussions, it is often underdefined. Layering connects the structure and skin of buildings, facilitating the creation of diverse architectural spaces over time without a hierarchical design approach. Three types of layering are identified: temporal layering, which reflects changes over time; spatial layering, which sequences spaces; and material layering, which stratifies individual planes. Historic cities exemplify temporal layering, revealing their evolution like a palimpsest, a concept familiar to archaeologists studying civilization remnants. In these urban landscapes, recent layers help trace the city's physical history, while contemporary architects introduce new strata. Cities embody multiple layers, offering a nuanced understanding of time where the present coexists with the past. At the building scale, layers contribute to spatial composition, integrating walls, structures, and decorative elements. Architectural layers convey information about function, origin, and cultural expression, with materials, light, and color serving as potential elements of this strategy. Material layering distinguishes spatial enclosures into floors, walls, and roofs, with individual elements often comprising multiple planes. The architectural enclosure
San Francisco International Airport, originally Mills Field Municipal Airport, opened in 1927 when much of the Peninsula was pastureland. Over the years, it evolved from a modest administration building to the expansive International Terminal completed in 2000. This terminal serves as a vital connection between land and air, recognized for its innovative design as America’s first mid-rise terminal. It spans five levels and integrates various transportation modes, including cars, buses, BART, and an internal light-rail system. Design architect Craig Hartman of SOM describes the terminal’s roof as a “floating, sheltering plane,” symbolizing the transition between the ground and air. The structure, resembling a bridge, features a 380-foot span between central columns, creating a sense of lift-off for travelers. Built on friction-pendulum base insulators, it is designed to sway during earthquakes. The roof's trusses evoke images of the Bay Area’s rolling hills, airplane wings, and birds in flight, elegantly capturing the essence of airport design. Anne-Catrin Schultz, an architecture scholar with a Ph.D. from the University of Stuttgart, teaches at California College of the Arts and City College of San Francisco. Timothy Joseph Hursley, an architectural photographer with a rich background, has his work showcased globally.