Topography

The ground's significance to architecture cannot be understated. Architect Vittorio Gregotti captures the essence of this when discussing the ground in relationship to the foundations of architecture: “that first and secret surface of contact with the earth on which the work rests, that first connection that distributes the force of the load, dispersing it into the ground, is obviously itself both the result and the beginning of all construction projects.” ¹ While buildings may artificially suspend us from it, architecture is fundamentally created in relationship to the ground ² — it is also the datum by which we experience architecture. It is something that is physically there, with or without us, and at the same time more than its physical composition. Robin Dripps, writing on the complexities of the ground, proposes this idea:

Metaphorically, ground refers to the various patterns of physical, intellectual, poetic, and political structure that intersect, overlap, and weave together to become the context for human thought and action … It is easy to understand how the earth's rough and bumpy surfaces, its uncertain and shifting fixity and its damp porosity could be considered qualities that would destabilize physical, political, and even psychological equilibrium. ³