Development of Architecture - Essay Example

DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHITECTURE NADEENALQALLAF Introduction It is evident that architectural has been growing parallel to the growing technology as well as cultural phenomenon at large. When the today’s architecture is compared with that of a century ago, some of the things that cannot be ignored to be the main indicators of change are installations and designs of the architect works. However, it is obvious to note that there are certain things that have propelled into the architectural evolution. The main factors is the three modernism namely reconfiguration, revolution and recuperation1. The three above, has so far forced the architectures to respond to conditions and challenges in a certain manner, which later led a major role in evolving architecture. Firstly, it should be noted that modernism is a category of modernist designs and concepts that are considered radical, revolutionary and contemporary. It is better to note that these concepts have proved to revolt against the standard and the past, envisioning new aspects for future and encouraging modern and advanced thinking and scheming. In opposition to revolution, there is recuperation, which in my perspective, is the most polarizing element of modernism. It is the process of incorporating the old into new, it is sought to revise and preserve the cultural past. One of the main and simplest ways that architects incorporated elements of the past into more modern design was to use design principles from a previous or former era and combining and incorporating them with modern and contemporary principles. However, this approach to modernism lacked the aestheticism craved by others. In spite the fact that new forms and creations present the brightness of the future, the collaboration of the historical and the contemporary architecture keeps the past alive and preserves cultural identify. Furthermore, reconfiguration modernism is associated with war and new social environment. Stereotypically, war brings a lot of harms and ruins, however, in the architectural world, it brought some opposite effects. When war took place, buildings got demolished so there was a lot of rebuilding, revitalizing, and reorganization and this allowed the new modernist ways of design thinking to thrive and that is when a new prototype was introduced after. To generalize, it is most fortunate to note that technology in terms of transportation and mass production has proved to be the most wanting technology in the field of architecture2. Through mass production, the architects can get the best available materials due to the fact that mass production forms a best channel of advertisement, hence giving out a clear vision on the best materials available. Revolution 1)In the future of architecture, Cohen affirms that from the time iron structures appeared to have reached their limits, some concretes that had been rein forced gave out a spatial possibilities to the imagination that are constructive. Apart from the above, it is assumed that modernism also was among the important considerations of the industrial revolution. This took effect mostly after the building had witnessed a drastic change of structural buildings. Also the invention of both the steel and cement astonishingly evolved the architecture. 2)’should the modern metropolis be designed by reinterpreting the picturesque beauty of historical sites; by expanding on the classical principles of monumentality, as represented by the Beaux-Arts obsession with axially, hierarchy and historicism of by avoiding all nostalgia and designing a new framework for the future in inspired by a modern mechanized and rationalized economy.’ Cohen-Chapter 5. If for instance a city or town was not revolutionary modernized, does that mean the residents in it would leave to a more modern lifestyle? 3) Cohen (28) ‘Later in French and Germany, architects highly evaluated iron as a material that keeps both the solidity of stone and the lightness of spirit’ Recuperation: 4) As Hejduk notes, ‘Painting, film, and other forms of design were more successfully modern than architecture had ever been’ A painter can easily reject the principles of the norm and the past and embrace the abstract3. On the other hand, an architect must somewhat maintain functionalism in his or her design to produce a usable composition. 5) Loos: “Only a very small part of architecture belongs to art: the tomb and the monument. Everything else, everything which serves a purpose, should be excluded from the realm of art.” As Prouve created and designed houses based on complete functionality and ease of assembly. 6) Muthesius expressed: ‘More than any other art, architecture strives toward the typical. Only in this can it find fulfillment’, Cohen, The Future of Architecture. When people consider massive architecture that refers to a specific era and region, they consider the unifying elements in the works of that time. Reconfiguration: 7) Cohen, in The Future of Architecture: ‘World War I revealed and challenged the nationalist leanings that had characterized the merging architectural cultures’, war somehow birthed a new style of architecture. 8) Cohen, in The Future of Architecture: ‘Right after World War I, the first effect was an unprecedented increase in the number and size of military cemeteries. ‘In some considerations, holding a commemorations and constructing cemeteries is a way for people to recover from war. Videos: These videos illustrate modern architecture and postmodern architecture; I found them very interesting as they exemplify the differences between architecture today and a few years back, showing the development of architecture. Modern Architecture - A View into Modern Architecture II by Exotic Lotus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tywZfbyNp_0 Postmodern Architecture- Postmodern Architecture HD by ThanakornKomthonsawat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTOs5eWF0DE Illustrations: Revolution: An example of revolutionary modernism that caught my eye is the Buckminster Fuller Dymaxion House (1928). Until that point in history, houses were not built based on any sort of efficiency other than the Sears Roebuck homes that could be ordered from a catalog. This house was mathematically planned and was designed to be light and efficient. The design of the house lacked traditional architecture thoughts and was different than the ordinary houses that were built before 1928. Buckminster Fuller DymaxionHouse project (1928) (The Art of Architecture PDF, M, Linder)The Dymaxion house compared with the Sears Roebuck homes shows the difference in design and scheme. http://www.lostlandmarks.org/fullertoncomparison.jpg The introduction of computation and digital technologies has created a drastic influence on architecture in recent years. The Walt Disney concert Hall (1999-2003) designed by architect Frank Gehry is an example of one of the most recent creations of revolutionary modernism. http://www.archdaily.com/441358/ad-classics-walt-disney-concert-hall-frank-gehry/2003/ We can see clearly from this image that the use of reflective stainless steel surfaces is present; these surfaces are there to engage light. The use of stainless steel reinforces the way in which revolutionary modernism revolts against the notion used in the past. The Art of Architecture PDF, M. Linder Gehry has developed a new signature of paramedics to architecture through the use of sweeping and undulating surfaces to create fluid free form. Also, architects are able to perceive the building as a whole before it is built through the use of recent software and technologies that have become valuable tools that they can experiment with. The Art of Architecture PDF, M. Linder The first architecture made entirely by cast iron was the Iron Bridge built by British architect Abraham Darby III and Thomas Pritchard in 1779. Iron made it possible to show the structures of buildings as their surfaces, bringing a different form of architecture than before. http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02209/ironbridge_2209822k.jpg Later, the French architect Stephen Sauvestre designed the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, France (1887). It was built using iron as iron was highly evaluated as the material that keeps both the solidity of stone and the lightness of spirit. Once again, this is an example of revolutionary modernism in terms of use of material. http://images.mapsofworld.com/travel/2013/02/eiffel-tower.jpg Recuperation Corbusier’s ‘Five points of architecture’ were combined with Greek structures to recuperate them. The way he converts the Greek architecture into something modern is through a clever use of technology, by using photography, by framing it, through close up photographs and the way the photograph was taken makes it seem more modern. Le Corbusier recuperated classical architecture in his modern houses with his inspiration coming from the Acropolis in Ancient Greece (Cohen 127). As Corbusier did this, he created a new understanding to modern architecture. The Art of Architecture PDF, M. Linder The Acropolis in Ancient Greece, which inspired Le Corbusier when he was designing the Greek structures. http://spirittourism.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Top-Five-Monuments-in-Greece.jpg An example lecture of Le Corbusier’s reinterpretation of classical architecture can be seen in Villa Savoye, built around 1929 in France. It resembles Greek architecture like the Parthenon in which rows of columns on each side hold up the rest of the structure. Le Corbusier recuperated these elements, but implemented them using a more refined technology for that time; reinforced concrete (Cohen 128).  Another modification from classical architecture seen in this building is the odd number of columns used on each side, rather than an even number. http://utopiadystopiawwi.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/le-corbusier-villa-savoye-1928-29.jpg?w=545&h=329 Le Corbusier’s ‘Four compositions’ (1929).Le Corbusier studied the classical configurations and essentially modernized them to generate an up to date series of compositions for building arrangements. The Art of Architecture PDF, M. Linder Goldman and Salatsch building by architect Adolf Loos. He used Doric Columns in his design; he used green marble as his building material and left the façade bare in its upper stories (1909-1911). Loos’ involvement in recuperation looked backed to classicism, drawing inspiration from the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds. The Art of Architecture PDF, M. Linder Examples of the ancient Greek and Roman inspiration Loos had when designing the Goldma and Salatsch. (Left: Parthenon, Athens, Greece, right: Colloseum, Rome, Italy) http://www.castlenorth.net/Contact/Mullen/art_images/Parthenon.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/ Reconfiguration: Frank Gehry’s masterpiece design for the Guggenheim Museum, in Bilbao, Spain (1991-97)Gehry is a great example of an architect that focused on modern architecture in terms of revolution and reconfiguration. The Art of Architecture PDF, M. Linder http://thebesttraveldestinations.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Guggenheim_Museum_Bilbao_Spain_02.jpg Der NeueZollhof Office Complex in Dusseldorf, Germany (1994-99) http://farm1.staticflickr.com/64/180564245_4d6da5f679_o.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5483/9263060586_e42cd3a8f4_o.jpg Le Corbusier, Still Life (1920) The Art of Architecture PDF, M. Linder Bibliography Babers, Charles. Architecture Development Made Simple, Second Edition. 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