Mat Buildings by Timothy Hyde

Mat Buildings

The article by Timothy Hyde “How to Construct an Architectural Genealogy: Mat-Building…Mat-Buildings…Matted-Buildings”, is an interesting stance upon the development of an architectural style that consists of intricate spaces and the optimal positioning of these. Just like our default connotation of what a “mat” is, “mat-building” is described as being represented by the weaving of program and circulation along with the experimentation of solids and voids in the same way that a mat is composed of various elements, strands of material that are interconnected to make the whole.

It is interesting to note how an approach of this nature is likely to be grid-like, as was shown in the various examples given of what mat-buildings are like. It seems to open an opportunity for a formal language, derived from repetition of architectural elements or gestures. By defining spaces with corridors that connect in a mesh-like fashion and that also repeat in various directions, a consistent architectural language is created, allowing the designer to even omit certain repetitions of these gestures to create more open spaces within the iterations of form.

With the arrangement of mat-like spaces that weave into each other comes the superimposition of these mats, creating opportunities for a varied built landscape which provides different atmospheres from one layer to the next, or to place it in context, from one mat to the next. Such spatial arrangements however, seem to be more suitable in landscapes that call for it, such as on a gradient, where program could change as one goes up or down in relation to the said gradient. In this way, an optimal arrangement relying on densities of spaces, whether closed or open, is created to complement any external conditions, be it views or the need for shading or sunlight within the structure.