The Authority for Architecture by Terry - Book Report/Review Example

Name: Tutor: Date: Course: Introduction The Authority for Architecture The essay chosen for discussion is ‘The Authority for Architecture' by Terry Q. It is about his works and wisdom in architecture and the times in which his works were published. Period of publication The period in which this essay was published is the modern times. With growth in technology, the human being lost his identity. He needs to be re-discovered. Intellectualism led to the development of the present machinery that serves in this transitional period. The human being should be discovered once more in plastic. His clear will be unveiled and not to be mistaken for the materials (Terry 1990).The artists of this period are expected to be knowledgeable and idealistic. They should be able to know and understand many things and also be able to generate many ideas about architecture that are not out dated. The things they design should be simple but come with the necessary beauty. The present period especially in the architectural field looks confused and mixed up. Artists need therefore to strive to come up with things that are relevant in this period (Terry 1990). Discoveries that are emotionally and intellectually viable and relevant to people. Artists should be inspired by life to discover things in a simple and sound manner. They can use their profession to express themselves by utilizing material and structures of architecture that are totally different from the other. As artists obtain inspiration from different dimensions they need integrate them with the various elements of implementation in order to ensure that there is harmony and unity in their work. This will help to get rid of the confusion and mixture of things that is there at present. In the past this unity has been exterior but now it is necessary for it to be made to become interior. Interior architecture emphasizes on the good design of the inside. Contrary to this the exterior architecture of today gives much emphasis on the out side so that the eyes that will see it will be entertained (Terry 1990).This needs to change so that the interior style is adopted. Every architectural effort has unity in it. That unity should now be focused on the interior instead of the exterior. Houses that are being constructed need to carter fro the comfort of those who will stay in them instead of just seeking to please the eye from the out side. All inner life forms should be expressed in architecture. Decoration, dream and action should all be encompassed in this type of architecture. The combination of colors in such a work of art should be attractive. The architecture of the present time has tried but not succeeded in doing this. It has not unified the person using the house and the internal environment of the house. It instead of displaying the universal feeling it majors on accidental and occasional things. It is made by the intellect through thinking and calculating but denies the desire of the heart its place. Today’s architecture seeks to fulfill the need for hygiene in its works but in the process it turns out to be boring without comfort and much activity to people. Avant garde architecture has no reality in itself since it is depended on the machine and not nature. Technique is not an answer to the problems of architecture but is a way of reaching a certain end. If we insist on rationalized and normalized art we shall always end with products that have no life or soul. They are not appealing to the heart of man. Even though we may reduce our cost prices we need to move a way from that. The author – His work and philosophy In 1937 on the 24th day of July a boy was born in the United Kingdom. He went to school at Bryanston School and afterwards joined the Architectural organization. This boy turned out to be the famous architect Quinlan Terry. At one time he learnt architecture under the watch of Raymond Erith being himself an architect. Terry is a Briton who has worked extensively in America and other places. He boasts of having designed buildings like the library at Downing College in Cambridge. In fact, this design made him scoop the Building Year a ward back in 1994. In his safe also, he has the 1982 European Prize for the reconstruction of the City of archives. Terry owns a firm together with Francis Terry LLP. They state that this firm follows in the foot steps of Raymond Erith in designing buildings. They use this style to come up with traditional designs of buildings. Terry is known for the Abercrombie residence in the USA. Another famous design by him is known as Brentwood cathedral in Essex. Terry was given the award of the best modern classical house by the Ferne House in 2003. He also got the Third Annual Driehaus Prize. This was a great prize given to successful traditional artists and classical artists. At one time, the British Prime Minister at that time; Margaret Thatcher, appointment Terry to do renovation on 10 Downing Street. He is also the designer of Waverton House on which Matthew Brettinham’s style of the 18th Century has been applied. He also has a record of creating a mansion in Gothic style in Regent’s Park in London. The figure shows Quinlan Terry’s design of Fawley house. (Quinlan Terry 1990) He also designed the rebuilding of a church that was destroyed through bombing in London. St. Hellens was redesigned in the mid 1990s. With the help of Steffian Braddley architects, he is also the designer of the outside envelope of New Margret Thatcher infirmary at Chelsea Royal Hospital. Terry Quinlan in his new book ‘Authority of Architecture’ criticizes the current designs of buildings in favor of the old styles. He says the present modern designs are not real and that they have lost touch with the soul of human beings and that they no longer give comfort but only seek to please the eye. They are designed to take care of the aesthetic needs but not what they are meant for (Quinlan Terry 1990). Terry says that in all or at least many aspects the old designs are far much better than the present designs. He himself is a proponent of the classical designs as opposed to the modern ones. He uses eight principles in his book to explain his point. First of all he looks at the materials used in both designs. The materials applied in traditional designs he says are not reactive with weather elements. They remain the same be it in high or low temperature. Traditional materials have a small ability to expand while the modern materials like reinforced concrete, steel, plastics and aluminum expand more (Gray 232). If a modern structure is not designed with expansion joints then it cracks. He also says that modern materials require high temperatures to manufacture something that pollutes the environment. For example steel, cement and large glass sheets need high temperature in their manufacture. Traditional materials like sand and stone or bricks will not measure to that level of fossil fuel energy consumption. Another thing that he points out is the window spaces, (Quinlan Terry 1990). He observes that traditional designs had windows placed in the right places within the wall size. They are centrally placed and can allow enough ventilation in the room. They can also help to keep the room cool in summer and the house does not loose a lot of heat during winter. Therefore, energy is never wasted in heating the rooms or keeping them cool. He compares this to the present modern designs which have so big windows. Terry observes that the windows can be so wide and long running from wall to wall and extending from ground to ceiling. In this case they provide to much light in the room and because they are covered with glass material, heat is lost from the room so easily. In winter people are therefore forced to heat the rooms to make them warmer (Quinlan Terry 1990). Another element that Terry belabors about is the kind of roofing that is done in the modern and the traditional designs of houses. He sees a problem with the modern techniques of roofing. His major problem with roofing is that the modern roofs may not last long. He claims that they are made from materials that have a lifespan of approximately 20 years. Modern roofing is flat as opposed to the traditional roofing that was symmetrical so that the rains can be led a way. Symmetrical designs according to him resemble natural objects and therefore are the embodiment of beauty. Modern buildings seem not to display creativity in the way they are made. Every planned building must stand on a line of symmetry. Terry also looks at the comparison between the constructions of the walls in the two designs. Modern buildings have no solid walls through out. They may have beams of steel or pillars between which lighter material like glass or plastic is filled. This reduces weight especially for tall buildings. Traditional designs on the other hand had solid walls made of concrete with openings fro doors and windows (Gray 232).However he observes that modern designs can save on space and money since not much concrete is used. Congestion is bound to occur where the building is tall and with many residents. Traditional designs could not go beyond six feet because there were no electric lifts. However this was advantageous since the congestion problem could not a rise. Modern buildings will also differ with the old in the area of the span of rooms from the out side wall. In traditional houses rooms were designed in away that they could access ventilation and natural air. Rooms were made within a span of 40 feet from the out side wall. This wisdom is missing in modern designs. People in the inner rooms have to depend on artificial light and air. Lighting and air supply in these inner rooms consumes much energy contributing to global warming. Architectural beauty can be found within classical orders like Corinthian, Doric and Tuscan among others. These things were used in ancient times and have been the things to admire on olden designs. The modern designs do not use them. This means modern designs are devoid of the beauty that is provided by them. Beauty according to Terry also comes through the application of beauty moldings. These moldings were developed for so many years by intelligent people for use in architecture. Terry seeks to rediscover the long abandoned designs of the past and use them in the present designs of buildings. In his designs he has sought the technology of the past and employed it to suit the needs of these days. In his construction designs Terry has advice on the way a design should march the climatic conditions of a given place. For example places that have hot summer sun light need to have inclined glass walls that will reflect the light a way. In the summer there should be enough ventilation and this can be done by ensuring that cross ventilation takes place. The opposite should happen in winter where by heat should be encouraged to come in. the glass wall design should facilitate the entry of the winter rays into buildings. This is an example of the elaborations of the designs proposed and used by Terry. Through the methods of building that he explains in his book Terry proposes the use of simple and natural materials. He notes that the needs we have today for buildings allow for change and so the designs being done should also have that room. In the past, he says it was possible for people to determine their needs in a fast and hard way. Today this is not possible. Therefore the building designs of today need a high level of flexibility. Three major interior schemes designed by the author Terry Quinlan talks of three important things that should be used in proper combination to bring about a beautiful interior. The interior schemes he has designed make use of the color of the walls and other objects, the lighting and the curtains used inside the building. On color he says that it should be handled in the best way possible (Seideer 1954).There is no need of spreading dilute colors all over. Instead they should be concentrated in specific areas but be strong and with the right back grounds. He proposes that the back grounds should be natural materials like wood and stone or be grey. When color is used properly then there will be many hues next to each other placed on neutral backgrounds. This brings pomp into the house and in combination of other factors in becomes attractive. Another aspect is the use of light in the interior of buildings. He says that different lightings should be combined to form a harmony. Different sources of light can be used at night to transform the inside of the building. These sources may have different kinds of lights that can bring variation in the color of the rooms. Other sources of light with little power should be places strategically in the room especially in the ceiling. These can be spot bulbs or any other suitable one. Other areas like the kitchen should be lit but standard lights need not be used in such cases. Terry also looks at the possibility of having curtains with colors that are well marched within the interior of the house. When the light shines on the curtain, its color and material change the look and texture of the room thereby bringing in a beauty that could not be achieved without interior schemes (Gray 232).The light coming on the curtain should not be direct. This means it should come from a source of light that is hidden some where. Curtains are important in covering areas that have glass parts. These glasses without curtains can appear as ugly dark mirrors in the room. Fluorescent tubes can do well with the curtains and colored walls when they are used as the indirect sources of light. Interior designs work well if the objects within the building are painted properly. The color of the painting should be selected properly to avoid clashes. In visual design, the principle of counter point needs to be strongly applied. The fittings within the interior should be logical in shape and with a simple form. This will go far in enhancing the spaciousness of the room. For cost effective purposes these interior fittings should be availed by mass production. The fittings should be of high quality and pleasing to the users. Other things within the house such as cutlery and crockery should also be in proper condition. Conclusion Terry notes that the architecture industry should be filled with designers who are imaginative so that people will not just revolve around the same designs. Old designs were good and well thought out. Take examples of those that were used by Solomon to build the Temple. Such designs according to him should not be thrown a way. That is the way to rejuvenated architecture. Work cited Terry Q 1990: The Authority for Architecture in A. Paradoxis & H. Watson (edu) New classicism. Gray, E, 8 Badovici, S, From Electriticism to Doubt: Extract from Preface to E: 1027: Maison en Bord der Mer L: Architecture Vivante, Paris (1929) Cited in P.Adams Eileen Gray Architect/ Penguine. Thames &Hudson, London , 2000 pp.232-236. Seideer H.1954,House, Interiors & Projects, Associated General Publications Sydney. Pp. xv-xx. Retrieved on Tuesday October 2010>. Retrieved on Tuesday October 2010>. . . . . Read More

Today’s architecture seeks to fulfill the need for hygiene in its works but in the process it turns out to be boring without comfort and much activity to people. Avant garde architecture has no reality in itself since it is depended on the machine and not nature. Technique is not an answer to the problems of architecture but is a way of reaching a certain end. If we insist on rationalized and normalized art we shall always end with products that have no life or soul. They are not appealing to the heart of man.

Even though we may reduce our cost prices we need to move a way from that. The author – His work and philosophy In 1937 on the 24th day of July a boy was born in the United Kingdom. He went to school at Bryanston School and afterwards joined the Architectural organization. This boy turned out to be the famous architect Quinlan Terry. At one time he learnt architecture under the watch of Raymond Erith being himself an architect. Terry is a Briton who has worked extensively in America and other places.

He boasts of having designed buildings like the library at Downing College in Cambridge. In fact, this design made him scoop the Building Year a ward back in 1994. In his safe also, he has the 1982 European Prize for the reconstruction of the City of archives. Terry owns a firm together with Francis Terry LLP. They state that this firm follows in the foot steps of Raymond Erith in designing buildings. They use this style to come up with traditional designs of buildings. Terry is known for the Abercrombie residence in the USA.

Another famous design by him is known as Brentwood cathedral in Essex. Terry was given the award of the best modern classical house by the Ferne House in 2003. He also got the Third Annual Driehaus Prize. This was a great prize given to successful traditional artists and classical artists. At one time, the British Prime Minister at that time; Margaret Thatcher, appointment Terry to do renovation on 10 Downing Street. He is also the designer of Waverton House on which Matthew Brettinham’s style of the 18th Century has been applied.

He also has a record of creating a mansion in Gothic style in Regent’s Park in London. The figure shows Quinlan Terry’s design of Fawley house. (Quinlan Terry 1990) He also designed the rebuilding of a church that was destroyed through bombing in London. St. Hellens was redesigned in the mid 1990s. With the help of Steffian Braddley architects, he is also the designer of the outside envelope of New Margret Thatcher infirmary at Chelsea Royal Hospital. Terry Quinlan in his new book ‘Authority of Architecture’ criticizes the current designs of buildings in favor of the old styles.

He says the present modern designs are not real and that they have lost touch with the soul of human beings and that they no longer give comfort but only seek to please the eye. They are designed to take care of the aesthetic needs but not what they are meant for (Quinlan Terry 1990). Terry says that in all or at least many aspects the old designs are far much better than the present designs. He himself is a proponent of the classical designs as opposed to the modern ones. He uses eight principles in his book to explain his point.

First of all he looks at the materials used in both designs. The materials applied in traditional designs he says are not reactive with weather elements. They remain the same be it in high or low temperature. Traditional materials have a small ability to expand while the modern materials like reinforced concrete, steel, plastics and aluminum expand more (Gray 232). If a modern structure is not designed with expansion joints then it cracks. He also says that modern materials require high temperatures to manufacture something that pollutes the environment.

For example steel, cement and large glass sheets need high temperature in their manufacture. Traditional materials like sand and stone or bricks will not measure to that level of fossil fuel energy consumption.

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