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.