James F. OGorman and Vitruvius Architectural Ideals - Essay Example

James F. O’Gorman and Vitruvius Architectural IdealsTo come up with the structural design of a building, the need the building is required for is an issue of significant concern to the architect. From this, the requirements needed to come up with a building, the plan, and other graphic considerations are developed to come up with the design of the building. Buildings are not only erected to keep the occupants away from heat and rain, but many factors are considered which will make a building recognizable as a significant architectural design (O'Gorman, 14).

Historically, builders would concentrate on the needs of the clients they are building houses for, but this has changed today since the government is involved in giving the go ahead for erecting a building. Design of buildings has been computerized to incorporate software that will come up with perfect designs. The architect and the client come up with the most viable design after considering costs, space and other limiting factors that may operate in the building process. A building program will enable the architect to come up how best to erect the building while considering the needs of the client and the state rules to be followed.

This paper will elaborate on how the architectural design of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities compares to the Architecture by James O’Gorman and Vitruvius ideals. James O’Gorman ideals explain that the foundations of a building need to be firm so that the building is stable. Weak foundations will mean that the whole building will be weak hence it may collapse or repair will be expensive in case of damages on the building. The building program will entail a written expression of the building, and from this, the builders will incorporate the ideas to erect a stable building.

The architect will work on the program to change it to a three dimensional figure, which is the building. The shapes and sizes of the rooms in the building will be determined by the needs of clients of the building. Shape is determined by the type of building type, its purpose and the timeline the building is built (O'Gorman, 21). The Gothic cathedral is an example of a building in the historical context that applies the use of planning on the space of buildings. Symmetry is used in the designs to come up with buildings that will stand out as works of superior architectural designs.

For buildings to be excellent works of architecture, symmetry needs to be applied to make buildings appealing to the viewers eyes.The University of Minnesota twin cities expresses the ideal of, firmness, symmetry, beauty and space in its design. The building has strong pillars that hold the building to the ground, and this makes it stable. The main building is large to accommodate a large number of students, and this meets its purpose. It is beautifully built, spacious, and appealing to anyone who sees it.

Vitruvius’ ideals are that a building should be firm, appealing to the eye and serve its purpose. This is achieved when the materials used are of exceptional quality, which will give the building a beautiful look hence it is appealing to the eyes. Proportionality will also give the building a beautiful look since the dimensions of the building will be the same hence contributing to stability and beauty. The concepts of James O’Gorman and Vitruvius are comparable to those on the book since they all touch on the need of stability, beauty and proportionality in buildings.

These ideals will make a building last long, and appealing to the eyes of the viewers, and these are fundamental architectural design requirements.Work CitedO'Gorman, James. ABC of Architecture, 1998. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Pp17-30. Print.