The Concept of Scale in the Post 19th Century City - Term Paper Example

The Concept of scale in the post 19th century city Author: Student’s number: Subject: Academic Year: School: The Concept of scale in the post 19th century city In architecture, scale refers to size in relation to humans and the surrounding world. Human scale is that kind of scale that man feels comfortable with. Human beings naturally measure things against themselves and that is why sometimes they measure things by foot. Scale also refers to the spatial, progressive, quantitative, or analytical extents used to measure and study a certain phenomenon. In architecture, scale is viewed as a substitute for the word size (Johnson 1994, p.213). In architecture, scale is also connected to the perceptions of size and distance and it is a fundamental feature to the comprehension and understanding of architecture. For example, if people claim that a high rise construction building or a stadium is out of scale, they generally mean that they are overpowered by this size, a natural response if it’s understood that each is geared secondarily by human scale and principally to the scale of thousands of people (BORSI, K. 2008) The acknowledgement that scale was also a hierarchical model was one reason for the unbelievable recessional portals and other compositional gadgets of the Gothic cathedral fronts needed to map the virtually human sized doors to the huge bulk of the building, and why the classical doorway is required to mediate an otherwise immaterial human entrance to a large building. The basic part of the Architectural understanding of scale is derived from the idea of a ladder or a stair, and uses it to stretch to somewhere from the human being. Scale rests on the human being as the standard. In contrast to proportion which stands for the interrelations of physical aspects, scale designates the actual size (Maeyer&Verpoest 2008, p. 76).The real size apparently has to be measured comparative to a certain dimension like the meter or the human figure. Scale thus is usually applied to represent the relationship of the sizes and shapes of a building to human beings. Just as buildings undertake to serve human actions, similarly any building mission will recommend a precise scale. There are four main possibilities to the basic measure of scale and these are: relation to the whole, to other parts of the building, to the actual/usual size and then to human size (Buchli 2013, p. 142). Scale also has other important aspects like the expected use, closeness of the compared objects, and other factors like shape.In the history of architecture, the 19th century is a very long period hence referred to as the long 19th century. For instance, the period between 1750 and 1870 was a period of transformations and architectural evolution in many fronts especially in the perspective of scale/size (Buchli 2013, p. 19). Architects reflected on the confusions between either returning to the styles of the past periods or designing highly innovative ways of thinking and living. Architects like Nicholas Revett and James Stuart drew representations of the buildings of Rome and Greece and conducted their findings to reuse in other sorts of buildings like churches, and garden ornaments. On the same note, other architects like Etienne-Louis Boullee dismissed the past towards architecture of the imagination and that would abandon historicism and progress to a new future style. All these intellectual ideas created a wonderfully varied body of architecture extending from city and country houses, palaces and other public buildings like Greek, Gothic, Etruscan, and Renaissance among others. In this period, it became necessary for architects to expand their role in the realm of town planning to develop individual dwelling units (Buchli 2013, p. 19). Architects were seen as the instruments of change towards the reorganization of the urban territory. Different dwelling houses were designed based on different sizes/scale patterns. During the commencement of 19th Century, scale of buildings started expanding; buildings were gradually becoming bigger in size. Architects tried to come up with newer historical styles to form the facades of the buildings. The facades of the buildings were composed of units like the House of Parliament in London which contained old Gothic features, a town hall, market place, castle and a cathedral among other features.The rise of interior enclosed domesticity tends to frame understandings of domestic life through history (Maeyer, &Verpoest, 2008, p. 79). The urban buildings in the post 19th century enjoyed a renaissance. The urban block appears to have current master plans like that of Berlin, Barcelona, and Paris. Quarters in the post 19th century were the most anticipated than any other real estate because of their vibrant mixture of functions as well as the dynamic street life within the neighborhood. The scale of buildings was increased to accommodate the changing requirements of the human scale such as the need to accommodate both living and working requirements within the same block (Baydar&Heynen 2005, p 57).One main feature of the post 19th century cities and buildings is repetition and differentiation of the blocks. This feature helps to sort related and undifferentiated rooms, helps to provide consistent vertical access, helps to group spaces around one or more courtyards and this ensures that strong connectivity is achieved all the way from single rooms to the spaces between the streets. Such a plan outlines the alignment of a set of rooms distributed hierarchically based on functions. This feature of increased repetition and differentiation occurs not only in levels of single rooms but also in other buildings and blocks of large scale. The undifferentiated 1860s blocks had some disadvantages. Surveys, researches, investigations and mappings produced by several disciplines showed a succession of related concerns originating from such blocks. People perceived such blows as having problems of immorality, and overcrowding among others and they were termed as concerns of detrimental influence and association.Urban design has been exercised repeatedly since history. The genealogy of a city refers to the collection of both traditional and modern city plans depicting both built and proposed plans which are drawn using the same scale and this is a unique feature (Lathouri, Palma, &Periton 2008, p. 136). In the 19th and 20thcenturies, there emerged a new architectural design known as the Palazzo styles which were palaces built by the wealthy families of Italy during renaissance. These palaces were not built of a specific design instead they had general proportions and shape among other characteristics (Maeyer, &Verpoest, 2008, p. 79).This style is even used up to date to buildings that are symmetrical, basemented and with well-ordered rows of windows regardless of the date of the buildings The concept of scale also entails urban design which concerns with the arrangement, appearance and function of cities, suburbs and towns. It is the entire process and the outcome of forming localities in which people live, involve and connect with one another and with the physical place around them. Urban design involves a variety of disciplines among them engineering, architecture, planning and development (Buchli 2013, p. 142). The whole process operates at many scales from the large scale of the urban structure to the smallest and micro scales of streets. Urban design defines the physical space, and the setting of a place which are all components of scale. It also defines the social and cultural effects of a place in terms of how people interact with one another. The size and bulk of a building, height, depth, and width determines the scale of a building. For instance, a large building located in between other smaller buildings may be perceived as out of scale (Lathouri, Palma, &Periton 2008, p. 132). Gothic revival One the greatest famous American architects, Frank Lloyd Wright transformed spatial theories with his Prairie house of domestic and household architecture introducing open plan designs and the prevalent use of unfinished materials for construction. Some great examples of such houses are Robie House (1910), Price Tower (1955) among others. He concentrated much on the features of interior fixtures and fittings. His great work proved that European traditionalism and modernism were not the only known answer to architectural concerns in the U.S. However, a massive amount of improvement in both building design and engineering happened in American architecture due to the Chicago school and the establishment of Skyscraper architecture from 1849 (Maeyer, &Verpoest 2008, p. 78). The Gothic Revival style, a part of the mid-19th century picturesque and the Romantic Movement in architecture was also used in country homes, reflecting on the public’s preferences and tastes for buildings motivated by medieval design (Johnson 1994, p. 364). This was a real style from the formerly popular styles that drew motivation from the classical structures of ancient Greece and Rome. This style was endorsed as a suitable design and layout for rural settings where its complex and asymmetrical shapes and forms were fitting well into the natural background Thus, the Gothic style was regularly chosen for country homes and other houses in rural and small town settings. Some of the identifiable characteristics of the Gothic style were a pointed arch used for doors and windows or in roof gables; and also sharply pitched roofs and facing gables on the face with delicate wooden trim known as verge boards. In addition, the style had asymmetrical massing, anabundance of decorative characteristics that extended from upward-projecting finials to attractive verandas, as well as a comfortable and attractive human scale. All these further added to the appeal of Gothic revival style (Maeyer, &Verpoest 2008, p. 105). Gothic style houses were first built in America by rich and discerning home owners in the 1830s. Some mid-19th century Gothic Revival designs were symmetrical but mostly the best of them were asymmetrical among them the remodeled Hermitage. The freedom in design gave the architect the authority to locate rooms where needed and to design the building according to the requirements of its occupants. This style satisfied the intellectual needs and social aspirations of home owners and suggested a high decent character (Maeyer, &Verpoest 2008, p. 78). European architecture in the 19th century mostly focused on classical idiom motivated and inspired by archaeological findings and this produced the large scale upgrading of London by Robert Adam and John Nash and later on the rebuilding of Paris by Georges Haussman. Symbolized Decoration Chinese architecture has a preference to apply the symbolized decoration on the outer side of buildings even up to this time. The dragon and phoenix were seen as celestial figures and were normally used by Chinese architects during the 19th century. The Chinese dragon signifies the model of yang (male) whereas the phoenix signifies yin (female) (Maeyer, &Verpoest, 2008, p. 79).They were used as decorative symbols on buildings, cities and temples to show the emperor as a real dragon and a son of heaven. Such decorations are even applied in the current architecture.An example is the Kwan Yin temple which was erected by Chinese immigrants in the early 1800’s. The building represents typical Chinese architecture and has dragon sculpturescovering the roof edges. These ceramic monuments of the dragons are termed as the custodians of the temple (Johnson 1994, p.367). Since the late 19th century, Chinese architecture has agreed on using European architectural techniques. The 19th century was a period of industry, experimentation and of new materials. Improvements in iron, steel, and glass created the technological foundation for most of the late nineteenth century developments in architecture. Since the opium wars of 1840, Chinese architecture has exhibited several styles blended together with other modern trends (Maeyer, &Verpoest, 2008, p. 79).During this period, traditional Chinese constructions were still being built. Nevertheless, many profitablebuildings like restaurants, hotels, and other marketplaces were extended to provide more space to cater for social activities. In the industrial age, more western building styles and supplies were used in Chinese architecture, particularly in Shanghai and Qingdao. Roofs were made with colorful glazed covering and the carvings and paintings of brackets became more elegant (Heynen, 2005).  Despite all these improvements, the structural ideologies of Chinese architecture remained unaffected. Architecture of Western cultures is different from Chinese palaces in that there are no vaults, arches and other dome construction techniques. Instead, Chinese architectural designs have roofs with golden tiles, red-painted pillars, stairways with white marbles and they pay attention to balance and symmetry. The decorative particulars changed much during the late 19thcentury. Most important and quality buildings still contained sweeping roofs, courtyards which were open, screens and wooden columns. However, commercial buildings like restaurants, hotels, stores, and even government buildings began to include western elements (Johnson 1994, p. 363).19th-century architecture was significantly influenced by past architectural actions and foreign, glamorous styles, which were modified to the new technologies of the modern age. The revitalizations of the Greek, Gothic, and Renaissance designs were merged with up-to-date engineering methods and materials. In the Western world, Historicism applied past empires and cultures, and used ideas inspired by them to stimulate national reminiscence. The main categories of the 19th century architectural styles included: Greek revival of between 1800 and 1900, Gothic Revival of 1810 to 1900, Neo-Renaissance and Richardson Romanesque of 1840 to 1880, Second Empire between 1850 to 1880, Exoticism between 1800 to 1900, Industrial Architecture (1850-1900), and Skyscraper Architecture of 1885 to 1900. All these styles are even applied up to date (Buchli 2012, p. 67). Skyscraper Architecture In the late 19th century in the U.S, it was the potentials of steel and iron in the erection of multi-storey buildings and structures that were most efficiently exploited. After the fixing of the first safety elevator in buildings, it became likely to use and build tall and heavy buildings. Skyscraper architecture was first witnessed in New York, but thiscategory was mastered by the Chicago School of architecture throughout the late 1880s and 1890s, thanks to forerunner architects such as William Le Baron Jenney (1832-1907), Daniel Burnham (1846-1912), Dankmar Adler (1844-1900), Louis Sullivan (1856-1924), and Cass Gilbert (1859-1934) (Korom 2008, p. 393). Richard Upjohn's Trinity Church of 1841 to 1846, now have been left insignificant by the skyscrapers of New York's Wall Street, flown above its environswhen it was built and symbolize the downfall of the styles by the development of vertical architecture, which came to rule over the American urban environment (Buchli 2013, p. 142).The name "skyscraper" was first found functional in the late 19th century to building designs of steel enclosed construction that were around 10 storeys high. Later in the 19th, the Emporis Standards Committee described a high-rise building as any multi-storey structure about 100-300 feet high, or a building of around 12-39 floors; it also termed a skyscraper as a large, multi-storey structure which has an architectural height of around 330ft (Korom 2008, p. 455). Chicago's Home Insurance Building which was designed by William Le Baron Jenney was the first ever steel-frame skyscraper in the year 1885, and had a height of 138 feet, though some architects claim that New York's seven-storey Equitable Life Assurance Building, founded in 1870 takes the title because of its inventive use of a skeletal frame. There was also another early skyscraper which was referred to as Burnham and Root's Rand McNally Building of 1889 the first all-steel framed high-rise, as was Louis Sullivan's Carson Pirie Scott Store. New materials and resources, concentration of population in new urban areas which were growing very fast especially Chicago and New York in the mid-19th century, solid rock grounds, availability of capital and such other inventions like the elevator gave rise to the growth of American city buildings (Korom 2008, p. 131). The engineers were tasked with the responsibility of providing the means as the architects took over and exploited them. The first design though it was not implemented was a 28 storey skyscraper in Chicago and was pioneered by L. S. Buffington in 1887. This skyscraper came before Louis Sullivan (1890), and Guaranty (1896) had built their buildings. Sullivan’s buildings were however far much better than Buffington’s, in showing how a scraper architecture design operates. Sullivan's vertical which emphasized much through the load-bearing columns became the later subject rather than the attempt to spread vertically a historical based design for example a vertical Italian palazzo (Korom 2008, p. 455). By the end of the 19thcentury, the American Surety Building, which was designed and planned by architect Bruce Price and fully completed in 1896 gave New York the identity of having the tallest building for so many years. During the 19th century, great transformations took place in the provision of dwellings houses. Housing structures for workers had been previously designed locally by masons and carpenters without the involvement of engineers and architects (Buchli 2013, p. 142).The newly escalating middle classes, merchants and rich manufacturers, business and other professional men had only the great and expensive houses of the landed gentry to copy or envy. There was no better housing for industrial city workers. In the cities too, the clerks to the merchants and other than casual workers came to live to be with their work. A complex social class structure, particularly in Britain, came into existence. In the United States, the same impact came out in terms of money-conscious and race-conscious differences. The consequenceof all these was the resurgence of new varieties and quality in domestic building. All aspects of taste, cost, social class levels and convenience of the building location were adequately catered for. Before the 19th century, architecture was seen for the better off as building for the workers, with successful and more fulfilling solutions as far as each category is concerned: it was during the 19th century when the two categories were bonded into a new great industry of building homes. At the most unacceptable end were the jerry-built slums and shantytowns of the world's great cities (Johnson 1994, p. 378). Conclusion In conclusion, there were major architectural transformations in urban cities in the post 19th century. Buildings could now be designed as per human scale and specifications and they had new attractive features which have been discussed above .Two fundamental characteristics differentiate the post 19th century architecture and these are the use of several historical styles and the improvement of new materials, resources and structural methods. The first characteristic came as a result of the needs of the new society which is also referred to as the human scale Bibliography Baydar, G. &Heynen, H. 2005.Negotiating Domesticity. Architecture. Psychology Press. Buchli, V. 2013.Anthropology of Architecture. A & C Black. BORSI, K. 2008. Drawing and Dispute: The strategies of the Berlin Block. John Wiley & Sons Heynen, H.,(2005). Modernity and Domesticity: Routledge. Johnson, P. 1994. The Theory of Architecture. John Wiley & Sons. Lathouri, M. Palma, V. &Periton, D. 2008.Intimate Metropolis: Urban Metropolis: Urban Subjects in the Modern City. Routledge. Maeyer, J. &Verpoest, L. 2000.Gothic Revival: Religion, volume 5 of KatholiekDocumentatie-en Ondorzoekscentrum Louvain: KADOC-Artes. Amazon Publishers New York City. Korom, J. 2008. The American Skyscraper. Branden Books. Lathouri, M. 2006. The Modern Genealogy of the Urban Scale. Amazon Publishers New York City Read More