The visual materiality and haptic visuality of brick and its syntax through the critical comparison of two works by Mies van der Rohe and Sigurd Lewerentz.

Abstract

In any critical-architectural analysis, the material used should not be judged solely by its superficial appearance, but, on the contrary, it must be understood as a palimpsest from which to reveal its semiotic character, its contribution to the meaning of the whole, or its syntactical capacity in relation to its pairing with other materials.
Under this premise, this article establishes a dialectical comparison between the use of brickwork during the early career of Mies van de Rohe in his Lange Haus (1927-1930) in Krefeld and its use by Sigurd Lewerentz in the Church of Sankt Petri in the parish complex of Klippan (1962-1966) in his professional maturity. The confrontation of this identical choice of material —in different contexts and executed under dissimilar tectonics— focuses on three aspects: the understanding of brick as a modular and geometric element of the whole, the detail of its precise rigging as a gymnastic exercise of construction both in the overall approach and in the contingency of the detail —corners or joints— and, finally, its ability to manifest the most visible materiality of both works. These three approaches will converge in a fourth criterion referring to the dialectic between construction, circulation and perception, which will serve to reveal the soundness or its absence regarding the internal tectonic logic. Phenomenological aspects related to materiality, the brickwork, the solutions for the material connections and constructive detailing in relation to a sensorial approach enriched through texture, light and a plasticity that provides sensitive and spatial meanings are also analysed. The artisanal attitude towards the brickwork, in both cases, will allow us to understand that the limitation of the palette of compositional elements does not represent an impediment to creativity, innovation or the reinterpretation of a rich materiality that defines and configures architectural space.