AIC COLOR 2002 SI - "Color & Textiles", Maribor (SI), 02.08.29-31

In 1999-2000, Hic et nunC designed and printed about 70 m² of curtains for a classroom with large windows on north and south façades, generating the discomfort of pupils, due to overheats and glare. This design task was part of a larger process, including a previous consultancy for the choice of appropriate colors for the new individual benches and chairs, and post-occupancy evaluation of the impact of the printed curtains on pupils’ behavior and well-being in this classroom of the Athénée Royal de Rixensart, an elementary school in Belgium.

Aim of the design is to provide a solution combining the necessity of a solar protection and a visual screen with the need for a spatial balance between the scale of the group of pupils and a personal anchoring for each individual. The entire composition is made of colorful silkscreen prints of a unique pattern on the curtains. The curtains, made of three-meter high hangings pieces of serge cotton, natural-colored, were chosen for both the low cost of their production and maintenance, but also for their easy manipulation by children.

By taking in account space and user specificities, the nature, graphic delineation, size and color of an abstracted floral pattern are defined to reach the objective of virtually rescaling the classroom: (1) The perceptive dynamic generated by the composition of the colored patterns has to provide the balance between the scale of the group and the one of the child. (2) Territorial anchorage and appropriation of the space are achieved by the association of a textile support and the colorful patterns organized according to a horizontal segmentation and vertical rhythmic. Colors, pattern, composition, and the interaction between those perceptual factors, have to rescale the classroom dimensional characteristics to its perceived size, in accordance to pupils’ scale sitting on individual schoolchild's benches. (3) Pattern, colors and the textile support have also to act on a semantic dimension, as a mean of personalization.

The paper discuss in detail: (1) The entire process, which is of a type evaluation-design-evaluation, with on site and full-scale test of the pattern, scale and colors, as well as the global composition. (2) The results of a three years assessment program, based on a post-occupancy evaluation approach and a questionnaire focusing on three topics: general preferences (colors, shapes and patterns), perception of space (depth and anchoring) and users’ feeling (comfort and quality). (3) The proposed guidelines for similar designs.  

Reference : CAPRON Jean-Luc & HUYSMANS Marie-Hélène, "Textile Design based on Built Environment and User Specificities: Re-scaling a classroom with colored patterns on textile" (paper), AIC COLOR 2002 SI "Color & Textiles" - Book of Proceedings (V. Golob, S. Jeler & Z. Stjepanovič ed.), Slovenian Colorist Association & University of Maribor, Maribor (Slovenia), 2003, pp. 69-76.

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Keywords: built environment, colored patterns, children, perception, behavior.

Illustration: Silkscreen prints on curtains in a classroom, by Jean-Luc Capron and Marie-Hélène Huysmans.

Journée d'étude « Architecture et développement durable », ISA St-Luc Bruxelles (BE), 00.11.18.

Référence : CAPRON Jean-Luc & HUYSMANS Marie-Hélène, "Facteurs humains, environnement construit et développement durable ", Le développement durable : quel impact sur l'architecture ? (B. Thielemans ed.), I.S.A. St-Luc, Bruxelles, à paraître.

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Illustration: Intervention sérigraphique sur la protection solaire intérieure de la paroi sud, par Jean-Luc Capron et Marie-Hélène Huysmans.

International Symposium, Fondazione Giovani Michelucci, Firenze (IT), 98.03.26-27-28.

Taking in account the impact of the hospital built environment quality on patients recovery, and more especially on stress caused by illness and the perpetual confrontation to a quite "strange" and "depersonalising" environment, emphasis have to be put on human factors by means of positive sensory stimuli. A mean would be visual art integrated to built environment, and especially to the space boundaries, such as walls, ceiling, or window screens. And the formal attributes of visual artistic expression, such as shape, colour, or scale, as well as cognitive attributes, can change the perception that patients have of their environment, as well as their image of self.

Only a complete integration of visual arts into the built environment could create atmosphere that help patients therapy. Therefore, we would like to propose some guidelines that could help harmonious dialogue between visual arts and architecture. For instance, colours convey symbols and meanings, but have in addition the spatial virtue to be advancing or receding. Of course, visual arts are not the only factor for a better and shorter hospitalisation. Yet, by the inherent human character of the artistic expression, it gives patients the opportunity to get out of their obsessive thoughts driven by anxiety; generating stress and increasing sensation of pain.

Référence: CAPRON Jean-Luc & HUYSMANS Marie-Hélène, " Un approccio percettivo delle arti visive in ospedale: tessuti stampati e spazi circoscritti - A Perceptual Approach of Visual Arts in Hospitals: Printed Textiles and Space Boundaries ", Arte e Ospedale - Visual Art in Hospital (Fondazione Michelucci ed.), Gli Ori - maschietto&musolino, Firenze, 1999, pp. 301-311 + color pages pp. 28 - 29 & book cover.

Illustration: Cover of the proceedings with print by Marie-Hélène Huysmans.

Colloque "Architecture et musée", Musée Royal de Mariemont (BE), 98.01.15-16.

Le musée n'est pas cette chose contrainte dans sa boîte, il doit s'ouvrir vers le monde. Des exemples japonais nous montrent des comment synergies de divers types peuvent s'établir entre activités muséales et sociétales. Des synergies d'ordre évènementiel peuvent être générées par l'activité muséale. Ces synergies de divers types peuvent être développées entre les expositions et les activités de notre société. Elles sont largement exemplifiées par des cas d'étude japonais. Le Japon est utile à l'analyse en ce qu'il permet de porter un autre regard sur notre réalité occidentale. Cet intervalle culturel permet de poser certaines questions essentielles et de proposer des ouvertures riches en potentialités. Le terme " muséal " fait référence à la forme grammaticale " teki " propre à la langue japonaise. Ce suffixe transforme un nom en adjectif nominal et signifie " à la manière de ". Il permet de forger des mots nouveaux aptes à formuler de nouveaux concepts. Apposé au mot musée, l'ensemble signifie " à la manière d'un musée ". La dimension sociétale de l'activité muséale importe autant que la forme de l'exposition, son contenu ou son contenant. Dès lors, la cohésion sociale résultante de l'acte muséal devient aussi importante que l'objet ou le support du musée qui se matérialise dans l'action.

Référence : CAPRON Jean-Luc & HUYSMANS Marie-Hélène, "Synergies d'ordre évènementiel générées par les activités muséales au Japon", Architecture et musée (actes du colloque organisé au Musée Royal de Mariemont), La Renaissance du Livre, Tournai, 2001, pp. 129-153.

Colloque "Le bois: vers une nouvelle éthique architecturale", Faculté Polytechnique de Mons (BE), 99.04.30.

A l'évidence, le Japon est un pôle majeur de l'architecture en bois ; on y trouve la construction en bois la plus ancienne qui nous soit parvenue, la pagode du Horyu-ji qui remonterait au VII° siècle. D'autre part, la richesse perceptive du bois est : sentir les odeurs de bois, toucher un objet en bois, caresser le grain du bois. Par leur structure, les matériaux ligneux font appel aux sens premiers, tel le toucher et l'odorat ; l'aspect tactile associé à l'odorat est proche du gustatif, le plus brut. Si le bois y est le matériau de construction de prédilection et si l'architecture japonaise, tant savante que vernaculaire, est un modèle, c'est non seulement par les techniques constructives développées par ses charpentiers, mais aussi par l'osmose qui règne entre ce peuple et les matériaux ligneux.

Référence : CAPRON Jean-Luc, "Habiter le bois : esthétique des matériaux ligneux au Japon", Le bois : Vers une nouvelle éthique architecturale (actes du colloque -) (J. Natterer ed.), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - Faculté Polytechnique de Mons, Mons, 1999, 11 pp..