Thoughts on Underground Spaces

"...the idea of an underground space is fascinating because below ground, no outside point of view exists from which architecure can be observed. The architectural form becomes invisible. My only concern becomes the space that a person inside will perceive..." - Tadao Ando (Foreword to Underground Courts book).

The trip out to Motuihe takes you close to North Head (Devonport) with its underground tunnels - these intrigue me partly because of their history and also their unexpected presence (to me).

"In elevated places, you are released from the earthly environment, which allows contact with the celestial. In places deep in the earth, you are in touch with the origins of life, with Mother Earth herself...
It is natural to find peace in an undergound room. The inward, enclosed quality invites you to retreat inside yourself..." (Ernst von Meijenfeldt et al. 'Below Ground Level. Creating New Spaces for Contemporary Architecture' p21-22)

To me, buildings which leave the greatest impresson on me are not those that outwardly impress but those with long lasting impressions of their interior. The pantheon probably had the greatest effect on me, as a structure, because I did not get the full impact of the external building (perhaps if I'd had a bird's eye view, or been with a local Roman guide I would have) so when entering, the interior took my breath away. This could be analysed thus:

• low expectations
• minimal hints at what the interior would feel like before entering
• light from above, the oculus
• a strong feeling of enclosure plus a structure that draws your eye upwards rather than out
• the overpowering sense of history, partly from the relics, but also from the materials used