It is a Baroque Architecture

From my understanding toward last lecture of history of architecture class, the characteristics of Baroque architecture is taking up the same architectural elements as the Renaissance style, and adapt to use them in a greater profusion and in a more plastic and fluent manner. Interior were given greater force though they never completely lost their definition.Moreover, in Baroque architecture ,the structural members were given a similar fluency of line by means of projections and recesses, curved walls, and etc. The Baroque architecture become increasingly contain the character of living organisms by incorporate the sculpture and painting to become an integral part of architecture.

Baroque architecture proposed itself as style that evoke out of Mannerism from ,which it reformulated the set of rules in Renaissance principals. Complexity and Contradiction in architecture , as well as the ambiguity in their functions are the terms that can described the word “ Baroque”. Completely against the Renaissance architecture !!!

“Everyone images in his head a new idea of architecture in his own manner.... so that they deform buildings....They use, almost deliriously, angles and broken and distorted lines; they tear apart bases,capitals and columns which crowded stucco decoration and trivial ornaments and with faulty proportions, in spite of the fact that Vitruvius condemns such novelties” Giovanni Pietro Bellori, 1664

If look forward to the age of late modernism to Postmodernism era, we can see that the same principals have been bury in them. Boredom is the reason why Post-modernism try to break away the constraint in orthodox modernism to the new era where the architecture become ambiguity in its form and function create complexity and contradiction in architecture; the architecture can be read many ways. This has the same idea to Baroque architecture in which the architect become bored of the same old tradition ,therefore they try to stand itself as the opposition of Renaissance architecture, but Baroque has a affective result rather then cerebral.From this ideas, we can see that the relationship between Renaissance and Baroque have similar distinction in to the Modernism and Postmodernism.

TO BE CONTINUE !!!!

From Sacred to Profane space

In this lecture,we tried to go deep in the details of how the renaissance architecture developed from the term “ rebirth”, which derived from idea that the architecture of period adapted the elements from past such as Byzantine and Classical architecture.In contrast, the architectures are presented themselves in the different languages according to the context of each era as architectures changing from sacred to profane spaces.

In the ancient period, people tend to celebrated the use of “anthropomorphism” which applied to the architecture since the Roman period. The proportion that derived from man become the rational norm and standard in order to create architecture, for instance the the proportion of columns. In the high Renaissance era, we can see the clearly example of how proportion of man become the embodiment in the architecture through the drawing by Leonardo da Vinci: the “ Vitruvian man”. However, the purposes of the “rebirth” and “reuse” architectures were difference from the original purpose;therefore, the function of architectures were changed over time.

Looking back to the history of the Egypt architectures, we can see that the pyramid is created with no interior function because pyramid is a representational of worshiping god and celebration life after death. The interior space become sacred space which does not allow people to go in. As well as, the concept of Pathenon in Roman period. The building was dedicated for the celebration of the Athena God, which make the building was strictly rely on the man proportion as a representational relationship between man and god. They attempt to achieve the perfect architecture as house of god by carefully calculate the human proportion to accomplished the perfect symmetrical and accurate architecture to show the respect to god , therefore, the architecture mean in a sacred way.

In Renaissance period, for example, Bramente. He used the proportion and symmetry as a basic idea to form the building's plan .The building generated from the basic idea of creating sacred space for worshiping the Christian god.Also , we can also see clearly example from he great architecture of the Renaissance period, Michelangelo. In contrast with Bramente ,he introduced the use of Mannerist style into his work the “ Laurentian library”. The building raised the controversially to idea of perfection and symmetry in architecture. The function of the elements in the building become ambiguity whether it is really functional or just decoration elements. But if we actually look closely, the plan of the building is still based on the fundamentally of Renaissance Vitruvian principles.

“ Beauty shall result from order and from the relationship of the whole to the individual parts, of the parts to each other and of the parts back to the whole,.....” This is the quote by Andrea Palladio. He emphasized this idea through the building design of “Villa rotonda, near Vicenza”. The plan of the building is a square with an inscribed circle. The columned porticos in the form of classical temple fronts stand on all four idea of the square.Moreover, the regularity of the exterior is matched by the arrangement of the interior around the circular domed hall. This building showing that the idea of perfect building is does not only use in the sacred space for celebration of god, but the principle of human proportion and symmetry is being use in the man residential , or in profane space. The classical principle is revival in order to create for man to celebrated the standard of beauty in the building perfection ,as well as for celebrating the potential of human.

History

Brunelleschi vs Corbusier vs Venturi

For this response I tried to look close at different period and examined how these three period adopt and use history in different ways.

Within last lecture of history of architecture,we were traveled back through time to the period of Renaissance architecture which was began in Florence since C.I420 and developed until C.I770. The main topic is focusing on the pioneer architect of the era “ Filippo Brunelleschi”. His name become famous from his career by putting the finishing touch to Gothic architecture and invented dome of Florence cathedral. This dome which what we can called as a “new” construction technique which done by studied from how the “ Pantheon “ constructed. He apply the knowledge from what he has been extracted from Pantheon and develop to his dome in Florence cathedral. This show how history become significant in order to further develop the a new advance construction method and technology.

Moving on to the next era, where modernism come to play a role after the world war where architecture try to create what is called a new “utopian world”. This era is a void of history, modernism attempt to simplify the richness ornaments in the past and turn them into pure abstract form. But does modernism really reject the idea of bringing back the history ? Le Corbusier, his name is embodied in the name as a great architect of the modern era, but his writing “ Toward a new architecture”; he tried to draw a connection between history and the new industrial age of automobile. Le Corbusier’s work reflect the idea of anthropology where the forms were derived form human proportions.This proportion was evoked since the Greek architecture which the order of the column derived from scale of human proportion , for instance the doric column can be refer to the proportion of men.

In Post-modernism, history become arise again as it played a role against modernism era. History and architecture are combined together in a way to create what we called “ hybrid” architecture. In this case history is being use in different way to how Brunelleschi and Corbusier did in the past. Robert Venturi attempt to extract the history in a conceptual way.He apply it with the technology to create his work of architecture that define himself as an opposition to modern architecture. In this way, history is used to communicate Venturi's languages through architecture.

Bigness or the problem of Large by Rem Koolhaas.

“Only Bigness instigates the regime of complexity that mobilizes the full intelligence of architecture and its related fields. One hundred years ago, a generation of conceptual breakthroughs and supporting technologies unleashed a architectural BigBang. By randomizing circulation, short-circuiting distance, artificializing interiors, elevator, electricity, air-conditioning, steel , and finally? The new infrastructures formes a cluster of mutations that induced another species of architecture”

This is quote is a brief explanation about the idea of “Bigness”. Bigness theory by Rem Koolhaas based on the ideas that when the building become too large and massive in size that ones can no longer capture the essence of its true experience that the building try to convey. As Rem Koolhaas mentioned in one of the five theorems of “Theory of Bigness” that “Beyond a certain critical mass, a building becomes a Big Building. Such a mass can no longer be controlled by a single architectural gesture,or even by any combination of architectural gestures”. The example of the building that we can clearly see is the “ Embassy Building” in Thailand. The building itself is killed by their massive size. Compare the size of this building to the other , we will noticed that the size of this building is much more bigger than the football fields. The interior spaces does not serve the best use space of in term of utilizing. As Aj. Taylor mentioned in the class that what he have seen is the space is use for “ children playing remote controlled car.” The size of the spaces make the building lost quality of being as a architecture because it is hard to maintain functional aspects within the spaces such as the quality of light , circulation, the position of air-conditioning and etc. I used to visited this building too 6 months ago. The large spaces rather make the interior become unfunctional. The interior layout make the circulation of people scattered around and struggle to find the way.

In my opinion, in order to creating architecture, ones should not take a consideration that “large and massive” building is perform better. In term of how people look at their exterior , it may does their job as impressing the viewers. But once they go into the space , if the building become too large and complex; there are so many factors that need to take in consideration such as electricity system , light, circulation and much more. If the building can not find the way to intellectually integrated them together, the building will start is lose the essence of being a quality architecture, and once the people does not understand and appreciated it so what is the point of design !!

Expressionism in Architecture

This week of history of architecture lecture , we look deeper at another side of post-modernism where the architecture focusing mainly on the highly expression of the form and complex structure. Form become dominant feature over the function of the architecture. Architect play with visually effect that create by richness of the form that make one architecture stand out from the other in the surroundin context.

I am particularly interested in “ Gateway arch” designed by Eero Saarinen. This building express itself in term of abstract expressionism form of architecture. In a first glance when I look at the image of this building , I rather imagine as it is another great piece of sculpture, because of the abstract structural shape that look as it is can not be functional. The building is designed as weighted or flattened catenary arch which clean, simple in their shape, but as well as innovating which is what make its meaning become ambiguous. People interpret it according to their assumption and experience. This monument has very contradict idea to modernism where “materiel reveal truth” , but in this case the stainless exterior skin covering a sandwich of two carbon steel walls with reinforced concrete tend to “ conceal the truth” ;hiding the interior structure ,and interior programme. Unlike the modernism where interior is a vital role of architecture ,but in this case exterior become crucial point of architecture.

“ I like elements which are a hybrid rather than pure, compromising rather than clean , distorted rather than straightforward, ambiguous rather than articulated, perverse as well as impersonal, boring as well as interesting, conventional rather than designed, accommodating rather than excluding, redundant rather than simple, vestigial as ell as innovating, inconsistent and equivocal rather than direct and clear. I am for messy vitality over obvious unity.”As the Venturi said about the post-modernism architecture

But if we closely examined their form and structure, there are rational reasons behind the conceptual i idea of representing monument. The arch does not only perform as being visually affecting the viewers,but also suggest movement through time and space ,invite inquiry into complex, fascinating story of national expansion. The hollow structure in the middle allowing the tram capsule to move people throughout the spaces which symbolise the idea that arch try to emphasize on movement of time and space. However, in my opinion this architecture is successful in term of creating visual effect as it is intentionally design for monumental sculpture , but it does not make the best use of their functions.

This might be because the concept of monument does not create to serve best performance in their functions, but rather create just for people to interact. That is why the interior of the Gateway Arch is just a observation tower. Also the interaction between people and monument can also raise the awareness of how is this important for built as a monument to the westward expansion of USA.

Killing Modernsim

Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture

“But even here the building becomes a diagram of an oversimplified program for living – an abstract theory of either-or. Where simplicity cannot work, simples results. Blatant simplification means bland architecture. Less is bore.”

This capture from the book name “Complexity and Contradiction in architecture “has a controversy idea from Mie’s doctrine “Less is more”. This book give introduction to the new coming era where the architecture was no longer depends on the modern language of purification and simplification, but rather the complexity and contradiction in architecture; the multiple languages based on the vagueness of modern experience. This coming style is called " Post-modernism ".

Post-modernism is obviously the movement after Modernism era.It emerged out as it attempt to break and become isolate from "boredom" which created from the idea of perfection where architectures are following the set of rules and restriction. In my opinion , Architecture of modernism can be view only one dimension, which means that it should be either black or white or either-or. Architecture create to be interpret only one side of thought due to perfection and pureness of architecture that reveal "truth".On the contrary, post-modernism try to break away from the perfection and restriction of particular context. The architecture become involve and rely on the multiple factors which make one see and interpret in different way according to their experiences. It allows architecture to be read in more dimension view points according to individual. It reflect contradict idea of modernism by partiality in "both-and", neither choose black or white ,but rather "grey" which dancing between their gap.

In addition, Post - modernism also tend to break away from the perfection and purity in their form. The buildings are not depend on the pure form, symmetrical , materials reveal the truth anymore ; function become less concerned to the architect unlike modernism where every elements play the parts of becoming an architect; "Form follows function".

The example that we can clearly see the " Mother House "by Robert Venturi .

-painted rather leave with true colour of materials.

-impure geometry

- in the upper part - pipe offset which make the building become asymmetrical

- the middle part that carved out does not perform the function, just ornament.

- the windows at both side of the house are not the same

we can conclude that " FORM DOES NOT FOLLOW THE FUNCTION "

From Europe to American modernism

This week of history class, we are tend to explore the " modernism " through the film from architectural view point.From the film " play time " by French director named Jacques Tati, this film revealed the modernism style which dominated the futuristic of urban life in Paris. The scene begin at the airport where the group of American t

ourists arrived. The scene is illustrated in the

black and white color tones; the color only a

ppears in some parts. From this we can notify that the use of color has a relation to the idea of "modernism" that tend to make the building looks pure and being " bourgeois". The interesting point about the film is how the author attempt to demonstrate the story through the background noise nor the dialogue. Furthermore, background scene of high-rise building with cover entirely with glass facade, the use of car industry, industrialize furniture and new invention technology. The theme of the film demonstrate the turning point of the society to the better world through the development of technology, society.The film try to contradict this idea through the American tourist who have lost in the maze or in the interior of the building that everything seem to mimic the mass production process. From this I think it can be linked to the idea of Modernism that try to move toward American architect. People can still beware of "new" change; they are still confuse or lostin the idea of being a "modernism" that derived from Europe.

In the early part of lecture, we were looking at a great American architect who bring the new meaning toward American modernism.His name is Louis I. Kahn. In my opinion, he is more like Post-modernism architecture.He tend to bring back the history; he viewed architectural progressing as intrinsic to the past. Rather than revitalize specific forms or styles, Kahn used them as inspiration or a staring point of his architect which adapt to his concept of " light ".Through the study of Kahn’s drawing, we can clearly notify that he is no longer felt the necessary to express common object that denote scale .On the contrary, he used media such as typically pastels and charcoal to convey a sense f mass, geometry and shadow. In a first glance, we will see that in this painting Kahn try to draw exactly what we saw; the important aspects of the building were not the details of the number of floors, but rather the scale of the building in relation to one another and the conversation between each element and the light.

If we look at the one of Kahn's famous building " Salk Institute ", his architect is focusing mainly on the quality of light in the space . In this building Kahn chooses concrete to manifest beauty of mind and act by revealing the pureness of the structure in the spaces. Moreover concrete also emphasize quality of light that enter the space, and also emphasize on the clear line that in the middle of the courtyard pointing toward the

beautiful scenic of ocean.