The Effect of Factors on the Art of Architecture - Term Paper Example

Running Head: Architecture Architecture Customer’s Name: Customer’s Course: Tutor’s Name: August 28th, 2012 Introduction Architecture is said to be the scientific art that is appreciated by people of different backgrounds .It is therefore the process that involves planning, designing and construction of a unique piece of art. Most of the architectural designs have been attributed to cultural a backgrounds that shows the heritage and history of certain people. Architecture does not only rely on buildings but also on arts like pictures and construction of detailed pieces of art like furniture. In our study the essay will focus on construction and to ensure that the art of architecture is appreciated, there is the need to consider factors such as social environment, space needed to put up a building, and the form in which to design a building. This is only useful if an architect can be able to coordinate different functions while incorporating technology to visualize a created art that will be in existence for a long time. With the help of sketched drawings and a technical yet practical approach, an architect is able to come up with a blue print of how a certain construction will be developed. Architecture has been developed over the last centuries where architects are focusing on building skyscrapers as they are economical in space and suite the functionality of current human activities. Any building that is being constructed should provide sustainability. By that, it is said that it should be environmentally friendly and should take much care of the surrounding activities and the demands behind its construction. Designs are a major concern in architecture as the modern art requires that they adapt to an eco friendly environment that will meet social yet environmental inspirations. Background/Relevant theory The Australian architecture has its roots on the unique indigenous artistic and cultural expressions (AG, n.d.). Before 1788 the Australian aboriginals indigenous sheltered themselves in caves and in timber structures most of which were roofed with barks. Tree branches and stems were laid on the ground to form semi-circular erections which reflected their nomadic nature live. The nomadic movements were triggered by natural cycles of seasons and search for food (Byrne, Garwood, Moorcroft & Barries n.d.). For that matter, housing was vigorous though temporary to give room for natural hunting as well as gathering. Most of advancement in Australian architecture took place after the European settlement into the continent. The remarkable historical periods in Australian architecture are as follows; colonial period which took place between 1788 and 1840. During this period, the houses were built with windows arranged vertically as strategically scaled with the human proportion. The verandahs were added in the construction to suit the harsh summers of the mainland. For example of such constructions include; conservatorium of music in Sydney which was erected in 1821 and the Sydney mint building which was erect as a hospital in 1816. The second historical period is the Victorian period (1840-1890). At this time the Australia was under the colony of England which provided most of the raw materials in the architectural industry (AG, n.d.). At this period however, furniture, art, and architecture were built with strong feeling of morality. The constructions had features like domes, colonnades, ornate masonry framed openings, and pediments. The classical architectures of this period are demonstrated well by the Australian general post office building in Sydney which was raised in 1866 and custom house which was built in 1886. This period was taken over by federation period (1890-1915) during which architecture industry underwent an evolution. Buildings erected during this period had a mix of features, shapes, styles and materials. This was due to the fact that Australian architects borrowed much from their colony-England and United States. The borrowed features included the towers, symmetry and asymmetry, parapet walls vertical doors and windows, steep roofs as well as the verandah. The buildings with such features include Queen Victoria building among others. This form of architecture building was removed by the emergence of inter war period 1915-1940. At this time Australia had its people move outside the country due to first and Second World War. Besides the scares and injuries of war, the Australian people brought home the advancement in architecture and other industries (AG, n.d.). Due to settlement and centralization of people, constructions were built large with most of the art-work being borrowed. The architecture work also moved from building housing and building to other public works like monuments and bridges. The Sydney Harbor Bridge which was raised by 1932 is one of the infrastructures built during this period. The housing now had architectural styles such as California bungalow housing, commercial building and Spanish style of housing and other foreign architectural designs. A good example of a building erected during this period is the bank of North South Wales crow’s nest which was built in 1920. After the war period the architectural industry was influenced by the post war period which took place between 1940 and 1960. It is noted that Australian suffered greatly due to the wars and as a result building materials became very scarce. It was until 1950’s that the construction material were available again in Australia. The infrastructures erected during this period had their designs bought over the counter and it marked the emergent of the modern architects (Byrne, Garwood, Moorcroft & Barries n.d.). Moreover, after the Second World War there was increase in birth rate which meant that more house to shelter the kid hence the population “explosion.” Architects works and designed were not only advancing in housing but also in other infrastructure to house new products from Europe like cars and other mass production (Richard, Robert & Peter, 1994). Memorial Chapel and St Paul’s College are examples of buildings constructed at this period just to name but a few. Another period of architect’s evolution is marked from 1960 to 2000 and given the name-The late twentieth century period. During this period, most of the advancements were on music, technology, design, architecture and politics. It was during this era that art and architecture experts started questioning the social value (Thompson n.d.). In their search for the answer to the question, they encountered the concepts of beauty, love, neighborhood, environmental conservation, and peace. These brought the need for alternative housing and need for low cost as well as low energy materials. The structures erected during this era were made of natural materials such as mud bricks, pole structures, recycled bricks, earthen floors. They were also built with glass walls, prototype solar collectors, shingle roofs and single walls (AG, n.d.). One can call this era the explosion period of architecture work to much integration of technology and advancement in this area during this period. For example the use of computers to design and assimilate structures. The Australian structures built during this era are like Sydney Opera House built in 1960 and the Australia Square which was completed in 1967. The last period of architecture evolution is the environmentally sustainable period which took place in 2000 to where we are currently. Architects over the recent years have realized the impacts of humans to environment and they are coming up with strategies to mitigate the effects. The scaling is both in macro and micro form and one of the ways is to reduce the negative effects associated with greenhouse effect (Richard, Robert & Peter, 1994). Moreover they are introducing new ways of disposal as well as sanitation. For that reason, architecture design and features have largely been affected and modified to embrace environmental sustainability. For example, the houses are built with cooling systems, CCTV cameras, solar panels, and other state of the art equipment and features. The Lennox Head Recreation Hall which was completed in 2006 is a good example of the modern architecture advancements. The house has a cooling system, a turbine on its roof; the system is solarized and can be closed during winter (Thompson n.d.). These developments in architecture come with policies, guidelines and code of ethics. The government of Australia has provided for architectural practice act; which among other mandates provides for registration of architects and their architectural businesses. It also provides for the architectural practices in guiding the construction industry (AG, n.d.). There are boards that oversee that the practices are upheld and that any professional architect is registered with the board. In addition, they provide training and education to architects as well as educate the public of the regulation, responsibilities and importance of architecture. The board also has the some regulations and guidelines kept for the architects such as registration files, administration and policy files, registers, and procedure, protocol and guidance (AG, n.d.). Code of conduct of Architects In Australia, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) represents architects and outlays the desired behavior not forgetting their code of conduct. The institute provides that there is protection of Australia’s indigenous interests through the buildings that architects come up with. Its main aim is to protect and enhance the quality of environment that people live in and among its commonly upheld values are to maintain ethical behavior of the people to be involved in construction, in terms of job opportunity there must be equality that has to be practiced, all architects are supposed to be just in all their undertakings, in their professional work they should ensure that their buildings are constructed in a excellent and in a professional way. In order to achieve the above expectations, all architects are required to consider the public interest before hand by incorporating activities that involve the citizens of Australia and the professionals. They should be environmentally friendly and involve the interests of the indigenous citizens in Australia in coming up with architectural designs. Architects are to involve the public in participation and contribution of ideas of the likely designs that are to be constructed. In all their activities the profession should carry out their plans with natural and cultural environment in mind. Due to the current environmental degradation, the profession should implement other strategies for building and among them maintain an ecological environment that seeks to save on material that can be recycled and come up with energy saving designs. In their daily activities, all architects should aim at developing new strategies that will increase the knowledge and the cultural backgrounds of Australian citizens. To support this there are certain followed code of conducts that guide this profession in carrying out its work while protecting the interest of the public. To the clients Among the conducts outlined in rendering of services to clients, architects have the responsibility to act in reasonable manner so as to abide by the accepted standards of National Competency. They must however engage in a contract that considers the interest of the people where they are going to build. In case there is a likelihood of a conflict between the interest of the people and business interest, there must be effective communication. Architects must also practice fairness while engaging in building contracts as they are to consider the later effects if the building is not constructed in the right way. Architect should however practice their profession with due care and diligence and also carry out their work with no delay and should also consider doing work with a reasonable time limit. In all their activities, architects should keep the client informed of the progress that they are making and inform the client of any difficulties encountered. Architects should act independently with responsibility among other professionals involved in construction and ensure that all those involved are well qualified in education and skills (May, Wilson and Skitmore, 2001). They should however not work in favors or receive any financial bribes that will lower their working standards. An architect is obliged not to let out any secret or information shared between them and the client either to another person or to any authorized authority without the consent of the client. It is their responsibility to make aware all those involved in the construction including the client of any situation that may bring about conflict of interest and that may hinder a successful construction activity from taking place. To the community and public Architects are also accountable to the public and the community at large and they are mostly concerned with the effects that construction would have on the environment and in other social settings. To ensure that this profession is entirely responsible there must be respect in the conservation of culture and natural values in any community where construction is taking place (Zarkada-Fraser and Skitmore, 2000). It is the work of architects to ensure that they are aware of the impact any construction will have on the environment. They must strive to ensure quality construction is done on the environment and that the place is sustainable for a community to live in. In communication of their services to the community, they should be true on all the information that they give out and not give out information just to favor themselves. In this, they should openly talk about the advantages and disadvantages that are attributed to construction. In all their dealings, architects should abide by the law and be aware of places that are not supposed to be constructed due to environmental factors (Zarkada-Fraser and Skitmore, 2000). To carry out the above guidelines and show respect to the public, they should ensure that their conduct is within the given jurisdiction and that they strive to give professional services to the people and community at large. To colleagues Members of this profession also have an obligation towards each other as they should not take advantage of another architects work either by coping the ideas or instances of discrimination either by race, religion, and gender or community background. It will also be ethical if professions appreciate other professions work and by this no architect is supposed to object any appointment of another architect unless with legal reasonable conditions (Pilvang and Sutherland, 1998). There should be fair criticism in each others work and in all their activities; they should provide a proper working environment for all workers and associates. To the profession Finally integrity and respect should be observed in this profession as it is also highly respected. With this all their activities should be undertaken with at most fairness and should always work towards maintaining good standards of the architect profession (Pilvang and Sutherland, 1998). In a situation where one is disqualified from acting as a profession in architecture, other professional architects should resist from working with them as this leads to not obeying the standards set. By abiding with the Royal Australian Institute of Architects’ constitution, professionalism will be maintained. Conclusion In conclusion, it is important to point out that Australian architectural development is not only influenced by the aboriginals the country, the foreign architectures and the guidelines as well as the codes of ethics. The guidelines are deeply rooted to the codes of ethics so that the architects can develop and erect structures that are not negatively affecting the environment. The move is concerned more with sustaining the environment as opposed to raising structures. The guidelines therefore help the architects to find solutions of solving the negative effects of greenhouse to the environment by using the suitable material and strategies to mitigate the effects. So, they look for alternative materials; for example they use concrete instead of timber poles. References Australia Government (n.d.) Protocol for Producing Indigenous Australian Visual Arts: Australia Council for the Art, available online at: http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/32368/Visual_arts_protocol_guide.pdf accessed on 27th August 2012. Australian Government (n.d.) Australian architecture, available online at: http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-architecture accessed on August 27th 2012. Australian Institute of Builders. (2001).Retrieved at http://www.aib.org.au/about.html Accessed on 27th August 2012. Byrne A, Garwood A, Moorcroft H and Barries A (n.d.) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander protocols for libraries, archives and information services, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Library and Information Resources Network. Eric Thompson (n.d.) Colonial Architecture. Sydney, NSW: Clarion Press. May, D., Wilson, O.J., Skitmore, R.M. (2001). Bid cutting: An empirical study of practice in South East Queensland. Construction, Engineering and Architectural Management. Pilvang, C., Sutherland, I. (1998). Environmental Project Management in Project Design, Building Research Information, The International Journal of Research, Development, Demonstration and Innovation, 26(2) 113. Richard Apperly, Robert Irving and Peter Reynolds (1994) Identifying Australian Architecture Australia: Harper Collins Publishers. Royal Australian Institute of Architects. (2001) Retrieved at http://www.raia.com.au/html/coc Accessed on 27th August 2012. Zarkada-Fraser, A., Skitmore, R.M. (2000). Decisions with moral content: collusion. Construction Management and Economics 18(1) 101-11. Read More