1. Smokers GSD: Framework to misanalyze any space.

Compulsion and repetition require distance, a distance that, transformed into spatial mechanisms, determines whether certain places are suitable for such habits. These locations are (directly or indirectly) designed as stages for these activities, forming the foundation or locus of all interactions that have shaped Smokers GSD into an organization.

Regrettably, I must acknowledge that smoking (likely and unapologetically, despite offending other groups engaged in different compulsive activities) is the only extracurricular activity that has allowed us to uncover the underlying complexity of a building whose situations seem infinite. These situations, constructed and interpreted by the GSD smoking community, serve as a constant critique of an infrastructure that resists their habits yet frequently provides appropriate stages for them.

In any case, a critical theory of a building always involves a discourse through which relevant aspects are evaluated or proposed, offering a narrative of both its stated objectives and the author’s interpretation of those objectives. My interpretation of Gund Hall is simply to provide an alternative version of the building, one composed of speculative situations through which the building is judged—or used (the terms could be interchangeable).

Gund Hall and the Frankfurt Airport form part of a select group of remaining buildings where chemical satisfaction shapes their interiors in one way or another. In Frankfurt, after a 10-hour flight and with a 2-hour layover, we once found ourselves in the smoking lounge of Terminal 1. Cramped and among similar faces, we lit cigarettes. The resounding hum of ventilation systems evoked the sanitization of the space, or the expulsion of vital vapors exhaled by individuals whose tranquility depended—almost universally—on burning tobacco and inhaling its resultant smoke.

The smell, even to a member of the prestigious Smokers GSD, was intrusive. And yet, this was the reality of the typological paradox presented by an airport (legally and spatially) to any compulsive activity requiring the crossing of a threshold to find an immediate exterior.

Could it be true that smokers are simply prisoners of interiors? Or might one say that claustrophobia and vertigo largely define the personalities of those who find satisfaction through nicotine? Perhaps both statements are somewhat true. However, I cannot shake the feeling that any space from which I cannot instantly escape feels, to varying degrees, uncomfortable or inappropriate—as if my compulsions were being denied, or rather, as if my response to any stress-inducing situation were being suppressed.

2. Epilogue of a completed portfolio

Every project, successful or not, reflects an insistence on a momentary conviction. These convictions are, ultimately, the absolution of any process of uncertainty, and their center lacks a specific place at any given moment in the present. This is the main argument behind any endeavor that involves the clarification of diverse interests which, through architecture in this case, took shape, became essential, and then, without resistance, transformed into scattered images that now illustrate their decline and eventual disappearance.

All these projects are fragile in that they could not withstand the impact of time nor the constant variability of the hand, the mind, and the matter that sought to contain and eternalize them.

On this page is the first temple I designed, thinking of Dimitris Pikionis and his stubborn insistence on rebuilding. In a similar way, I tried to reconstruct my memory of Quito’s mysticism. There are also two images of a greenhouse, which sought to hide, behind its iconic form, an uncontrolled environment. And finally, a machine that, through the heat and steam it emitted, intended to hide itself and render its inner mechanisms invisible.

While smoking lounges are an architectural typology nearing extinction, the activity finds a new light in Gund Hall. Compulsion is perfectly accommodated in its transitions to outdoor spaces. Despite regulations in both Gund Hall and Frankfurt imposing a required distance from non-smokers, it often feels as though the GSD community is far more benevolent toward smokers than the general public.

Perhaps under this roof, we all understand that our chemical satisfaction is nothing more than a desire to step out—to escape the authoritarian regime of interiors and the rules imposed over the totality of the air.

Much like Thomas Bernhard’s “Correction”, these events rewrite one another constantly, blending any hope of grasping the singular phenomenon. Perhaps, in some way, the spaces that host these compulsions—as well as the conversations held within them—are more effective in synthesizing this reductive architectural theory. A theory that emerges today (and in the U.S., after years of guerilla marketing against nicotine-related products) from the periphery and from the utmost transparency.
It is crucial to point out that no element of this text is intended to portray a desirable reality, nor to promote nicotine or tobacco consumption. However, it is equally important to acknowledge that, regrettably, no other shared space holds the same aura as that of compulsive smokers.

Smokers GSD has unequivocally stated that it never intended to constitute a formal group and that, in some way, the association is rooted in the existence of Gund Hall. Perhaps if the building were a bit less appealing to smokers or served a different purpose, the group would never have come into existence.

Smokers GSD has acknowledged that its members have attempted to quit smoking multiple times, yet Gund Hall seems to act as a catalyst for compulsive habits. According to various accounts, the desks seem to beg them every 20 minutes to abandon them for the nearby balconies.

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On this page, you’ll find first and foremost my impressions of the infrastructure in Norway’s mountainous landscapes, specifically in Jøssingfjord. All the contained force implied in the stability of mountains that seem like they could collapse at any moment. The tunnels and infrastructure, along with their embellishments, never surpassed the status of objects of contemplation—perhaps, in the same way, the words above fall short.

The project we designed for the Chilean pavilion at the Venice Biennale, unfortunately (or fortunately), received second place. The project consisted of a dark interior simulating the absolute sky in Chile’s observatory landscapes. I created the visualizations for this project, trying to capture the atmosphere of the object inserted in the Arsenale, which I had visited years before.

Also included here is the church I designed years ago with Idem for a high school in Quito. At that time, I was heavily influenced by Hejduk and Álvaro Siza. The interior was submerged in the earth, and the irregular floor plan attempted to accommodate a pulpit and a sacred plaza—as an act of pilgrimage, we would draw closer each time to the temple’s interior.

Finally, there is the breakdown of the Firefly House that I built two years ago and which remains in a state of permanent construction. I hope that in a few years, I’ll see it completed and inhabited as it was intended. This one in particular is a story of prolonged illusion. I don’t know how long the ideals I pursued will remain alive in my memory, or whether the house will withstand the passage of time. The images, the plans, the objects are consumed by time, and although I have tried to continue their development, they are undifferentiated parts of a convulsive whole to which I’ve dedicated all this time for no apparent reason—other than with the deep sincerity of working honestly and searching, searching, and searching for something that might bring peace to the spirit. A calm, serene, and powerful environment to guide my thoughts and the way I see the world.

Dennis Sola f Casa Cíclope Overgrown Casa Alma The Jaeren Route Cleaning on Cleaning on Cleaning The total model El circo de la luz Temple #2-#1 Casa Luciérnaga A villa of incidental encounters Writings © 25’

Dennis Sola f

Casa Cíclope
Overgrown
Casa Alma
The Jaeren Route
Cleaning on Cleaning on Cleaning
The total model
El circo de la luz
Temple #2-#1
Casa Luciérnaga
A villa of incidental encounters
Writings

© 25’