Tone, Not Bulk

During my personal training session last Friday, Ron- my trainer- assured me that our focus was on strengthening and toning my muscles. He told me that I was not to worry about building bulk because my stretches and exercises are targeted for building lean muscle mass, not big muscles.

Our conversation would not leave my head. I remembered a photo of Tryvanstårnet that I took while visiting Norway in 2005. Though my workout situation necessarily excludes the result of one (bulk) for the other (tone), this image causes me to contemplate the question of whether a building can be a product of both. From the perspective of an architectural massing language, that is.

As a material, I typically think of concrete as ‘bulk’. Hefty, weighty, and chunky are adjectives I use to describe its essence as an element of an architectural form. Viewing the tower from below, as I did when I captured this image, gives me pause to observe that tone and bulk are equally present. Since the majority of the project is concrete, the use of volumetric toning (base and spire), while keeping the design’s bulkiness (midsection) evident, is intriguing and thought-provoking.

*There are many photos online that depict the entirety of Tryvannstårnet, if your curiosity is piqued.