The Importance of Space - Essay Example

Analyzing Space---Hadrian’s Villa Introduction Construction is one of the most interesting things to do especially if you are architecture and you enjoy your work. It must be however be noted that construction is not as simple as it looks like. Construction requires logical thinking and planning depending on the given environment and resources available. During construction one must be able to understand elements such as space, centers, boundaries, paths and alignments during construction. According to David Summers conceptualization the center was used to define a place where heavens could be traced. According to this author the center was not articulated initially but stones were placed as signs of signifying the rising of the sun and moon. The author also argues that paths are important since they acknowledge places and centers hence providing a means of approach and departure. He further argues that the paths cannot be in place without the concept of understanding lines. According to the author most of the lines converge at the center. On the other hand the purpose of alignment is to put the center in the most direct possible contact with the external thing that may be the moon, mountain or another center. Spatial Scheme Using David Summer’s conceptualization the building was located in the center. Surrounding the mansion was a brick wall in a rectangular manner. The building was located at the center to allow for approach and departure from both sides. From the gate directly to the main entrance of the building is a path neatly done with stone blocks. The main entry faces the gate. This is aimed at ensuring that visitors do not interfere with private properties. The direct path from the gate is also important in case of emergency and this can help in evacuation. From the main door inside the building is a path that leads to the sitting room and to the diner. On the left is the visitors bedroom. There is a considerable space between the dining room and the sitting room allowing space for easy movement. The main window is located just near the main entrance door which also illuminates light into the house. The path from the main entrance leads directly to an exit which can also be used as an emergency door in case of any danger. The rear end of the building also contains a wider spacing which is open. However, this spacing is private in the sense that only recommended people can access it especially those living and working within the building. Center According to the author the center may not only establish one point but many other points depending on the location. It may be a point of contact between heaven and the underworld according to this case study. Generally, centers are usually vertical and this relate to our cardinal uprightness. This is regarded as a cultural or natural center. However, notional centers also do exist. They contain many intersections of any number of diameters. For this reason centers end up being a place where sights are made. It is important also to realize that centers do not usually mean the geographical location and in most cases it is nonfunctional located outside a building. The Romans used centers as a point of reference. Using their astronomical knowledge the Romans established the center in relation to heavenly features like the stars, moon, and the sun and geographical features like the mountains and the rivers. A good example is the Torana of Itsukushiam shrine located in the sea but shares no direct physical relations towards the main building but has stood the test of time to serve as the main center of the building. According to this author the center was not articulated initially but stones were placed as signs of signifying the rising of the sun and moon. The author says that, “if centers may be regarded as notional point, the economy of sight itself might imply that the center is the indispensable notional point from which any sighting is made, this to establish and characterize the definition of the larger world in relation to the center”. For this reason the center maintain a social hierarchy of the building in that it is the main point of reference even from other buildings surrounding it. The courtyards corridors and even the private spaces are made in relation to the central point of the building. Boundaries Boundaries are barriers that are created in order to restrict movement in the field of architecture. Boundaries can be created through several means including making demarcations. During constructions, places become more precinct forcing constructors to erect boundaries which may be in form of walls and even gates. Amongst the early Romans there was need to create boundaries between the temple and the people. This is because the temple was a holy place and only priests would be allowed. To avoid contaminating the temples, the Romans constructed barriers to the temple and sighting other places within the temple as holy of holies. Boundaries may have rigid or porous precinct depending on the importance of the building. For example, the Romans treated the temple as very holy places and therefore made rigid boundaries. However, the outer periphery of the building may contain a porous boundary to allow people to come in and out from the temple. Another example is the water boundary between the Itsukishiam shrine building and the land. From this case we realize that the water becomes a physical boundary which must be overcome in order to reach the building. On the other hand, strong doors and curtains divided the holy of holies from the rest of temple. From this perspective we can conclude that the geometry of boundary in the interior space is not rigid. Despite the Torana of Itsukushiam shrine located in the sea but shares no direct physical relations towards the main building but still remain the center of the building. The interior space may be made intentionally ambiguous or can be made in such a way that it is easily identified especially with regard to space. When the space ends and a boundary are made the beginning or the end of an interior space is found. Path According to David Summer’s concept a path acknowledges places and centers for which they provide means of approach and departure. Most of the paths have a direction with respect to their goals and mostly they are accommodated to accident of surfaces. Sometimes paths assume a notional perspective and become straightforward and tend to move with rectitude and economy, circular in form or even difficult and labyrinthine. From our case study most of the paths included the pilgrimage routes which provided places where people travelled while moving towards the sacred places. This was an important practice for the Romans since their paths also influenced the religious and sociocultural organization. It is therefore very important to understand that paths cannot be discussed without inclusion of lines. The spatial articulation influences human movement within the building. For example, when the priests were entering into the synagogues and the temples they followed a certain path in order of the junior to the senior. This arrangement definitely displays a strong sense of path. In this case the movement is a cyclical form of movement as the same path will have to be followed when the priest is leaving the synagogue. While designing it is important to ensure that the paths comprises the interconnected courtyards. The paths provide means by which people move within the building and for this reason there must be a relation between the path space and the interconnected courtyards. When walls are erected within the paths they form corridors which are very important for movement. The corridors are usually narrow hence the name corridors. However, they comprise of the paths which creates specific pattern upon which people may walk. Patterns within the building determine the form in which paths are made and this consequently influences whether people will move in an arbitrary, cyclical or axial way. For example, using the Adrian’s Villa we notice that the blue stones were arranged in a semi-circular form at the center. This helped in defining the center as well as echoing the boundary. This led also to the creation of a path in the north east which coincided with the summer solstice. This path helped in the animation of the summer solstice by the power of all life giving principles which allowed for coordination in the ritual honoring of forebears. This is an important aspect that allows us to correlate the geometrical system of space with regard to the path. The entire building block is built in a semicircular manner that allows for tracing movement of the sun and paths are created using stones as signs of identification. Alignments According to the author the alignment of a place is defined in relation to something external. For example the boundary is commanded by the center. In architecture, alignments are necessary for putting the center in the most possible contact. The contact is usually sight like such that it is in contact with things like the, mountain, stars, or another center. Once the alignment is made it is possible to identify the center of the building and the world at large. This means that alignment establishes contact by facing certain directions. For example, we may say that the wall is facing east or the tomb is facing the mountain or the village is facing the river. For this reason we must understand that the concept of facing in relation to human cardinality involves near nationality by contact over distance by lines and sight. In order to justify the geometrical alignment of the entire building let us look at the Roman forums from this cases study. All the forums were not parallel to each other because the initial planned required larger spaces than what was available. This means that space played an important role in determining the alignment. There was need to alter the symmetry slightly in mostly on the Eastern precinct. This was done deliberately to avoid destroying other people’s houses. The fireproof wall with Arco dei Pantani and the columns of the temple resemble urban buildings. In addition to this, in urban architecture there is need to alter plans in order to avoid encroaching on someone’s property. The Roman forums used to be very crowded hence the need for them to face different directions. This was a pragmatic purpose in order to avoid the crowding. In relation to modern settings, constructions are done in s systematic manner to avoid crowding as well as to allow for easy movement in between the houses just in case of emergencies. The Roman forum was constructed with an aim of honoring the God of War Mars after the Romans won the battle of the Philippi in 42BC. The building Augustus forum had a sacred symbolic alignment. Statues of heroes and great Roman men were honored through the forum. With this Augustus was able to connect himself with the old Republic. Conclusion This paper has analyzed the importance of certain aspects of architecture in relation to a case study mostly dealing with ancient Roman constructions. Through the vast knowledge of architecture the Romans had in addition to their knowledge of astronomy they were able to define space, center, path, alignments in relation to construction. These aspects are useful to date and are in use in modern construction. The paper has discussed the importance of space and how it determines the social organization. The paper has also concluded that the space determines the center and the center determines lines, paths and boundaries. Great features like the Augustus forum and the Torana of Itsukushiam shrine have been used by the author to understand the importance of alignment and boundary respectively. For this reason, modern architecture borrows a lot from the ancient knowledge of architecture which determined the center of the earth in relation to heavenly features like stars, moon, and the sun and other geographical features like the mountains and rivers. Bibliography Read More