Contemporary Architecture versus Traditional Architectural Design - Essay Example

?Outline Thesis: Although there are still some modern architects who embrace traditional styles of design, most modern, urban dwellers are embracing the post-industrial aesthetics of contemporary architecture. I. Introduction II. Body A. Contemporary Design 1. Author Kiel Moe identifies the concepts that support contemporary design for its complexity, composition, and integration. 2. One of the ways in which contemporary architecture is explored is through embracing the urban space and the need for environmentally responsible solutions. 3. Technology as an expression of architects is an extremely important theme. B. Traditional Architecture 1. Traditional architectural styles tend to focus on Greco-Roman aesthetics 2. Frank Lloyd Wright is an architect that married traditional architectural naturalism with modern elements that can be discussed in terms of the growing industrialism of the time. 3. Wright can be seen as part of the transition between naturalism and the Greco-Roman ideal to a more industrialized vision of architectural style. C. Architecture and Modern Life 1. One of the ways in which the development of modern identities has occurred is through the reflection of the post-industrial world in modern architecture. 2. An example of a building that was constructed in order to establish the Indian identity and create a modern example of the new economic position that India was creating was Chandigarh build by Le Corbusier. 3. India can also provide the debate against the homogenization of architectural style. 4. Most cultures are embracing the new aesthetics in architecture, however, and are supporting the construction of symbols of consumerism within their nations III. Conclusion Contemporary Architecture versus Traditional Architectural Design Name Class Date Contemporary Architecture versus Traditional Architectural Design Introduction Contemporary architectural design is a reflection of the post-industrial world with buildings being designed and constructed that reflect the modern, digital age. Contemporary architecture reflects a complexity in its design, integrating the need for sustainability and environmental responsibility through the appeal of technological solutions to those problems. Traditional architecture is typically reflective of the order and symmetry that can be found in Greco-Roman design influences, using natural materials and integrating the natural world into the works. Architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright can be shown to be a bridge between the traditional elements and the contemporary aesthetics with industrialized lines being expressed through the use of natural materials as opposed to steel and concrete. One of the problems with contemporary architecture, however, is that it is having a homogenizing effect as cities around the world are embracing the same types of post-industrial aesthetics as are found in Western, primarily American, urban centers. This has created a melding of cultures so that one city is almost indistinguishable from the next and culture identity has become all but washed away. Despite this effect, the homogenization of cities across the world is representative of the emergence of cultures from colonialism, their European conquerors now gone and their independence placing them in a position to have a space within the world economy. Although there are still some modern architects who embrace traditional styles of design, most modern, urban dwellers are embracing the post-industrial aesthetics of contemporary architecture as it represents independence and economic power in the new world economy. Contemporary Design Author Kiel Moe (2008) identifies the concepts that support contemporary design for its complexity, composition, and integration. He discusses the integration of complex systems that begin at the design stage where clients, construction teams and the architect all evaluate how the system of the build needs to work and extends that to how the environment and the systems supporting that environment and work together in a post-modern world towards sustainability. The new aesthetic is to represent sustainability through design, the system within the building working towards lowering the overall impact of the building on the environment. Through creating complexity in the composition and integrating the elements of aesthetic with functionality, modern architecture reflects a world that is looking towards solutions that will impact the future. The modern perspective on architecture is based upon the idea of functionality as it relates to sustainability. This aesthetic was born of the modernists who admired functionality over all other aspects of a building (Meijers, 2009, p.1035). One of the ways in which contemporary architecture is explored is through embracing the urban space and the need for environmentally responsible solutions. The concept of the urban space is in creating profiles that reach to the sky and provide proof of economic power. In addition to power, however, contemporary works must be relevant to modern ideas about human responsibility to the planet. Contemporary architecture must be globally relevant instead of just culturally connected to the location in which the building is placed. Sanchez (2011) writes that “the world is suffering at the hands of mankind, now more than ever. Architecture and cities should make their own contributions in order to urgently address this extremely important issue” (p. 9). The global element to architecture means brining in technology and incorporating it into the issues of environmental impact. The use of technology is an important part of the expression of contemporary architecture as much as it is useful in creating work that is efficient and relevant to current global environmental concerns. Technology as an expression of architects is an extremely important theme. The need to assert technology as a part of the design includes a system based aesthetics, reflecting the highly organized world that comes from computerized tech. Globalization means that this same aesthetic is repeated throughout the world with modern cities in one location being familiar and almost unidentifiable through any cultural reflection. Globalization of aesthetic expressions of technology includes the homogenizing effects of a world growing smaller with interconnections developing along the lines of politics, economics, and cultural adaptations of the Western aesthetic (Sanchez 2011). A building that reflects this aesthetic was designed by Carl Christiansen of the Smith|Group. The U. S. Federal Building in San Francisco, California reflects the systematic nature of technology as well as the repeating parallel forms are both systematic and functional. Traditional Architecture Traditional architectural styles tend to focus on Greco-Roman aesthetics. Two architects who are currently working in traditional styled architecture are Mark Ferguson and Oscar Shamamian. Their architectural firm builds homes that are based on traditional styles with ornate details. The homes are very symmetrical and balanced, reflecting Greco-Roman aesthetics as they were adopted in 18th and 19th century design. The residences that they have created are reflective of elegant design that is equally distributed from the center plane with an almost boxy exterior being complimented by complex interiors with arches and columns. The interiors are decorated with a great deal of ornamentation that is made from naturalistic elements such as wood and stone (Ferguson, Shamamian, & Giovannini, 2011). Frank Lloyd Wright is an architect that married traditional architectural naturalism with modern elements that can be discussed in terms of the growing industrialism of the time. He also brought in traditional Japanese architectural and art elements to the construction of his designs. The influence of Japanese ideals began through the idea of ‘Japanism’ which was an aesthetic that arose in the 19th century as European and American ideals of design began to reach for something that was different than traditional Greco-Roman design. Looking at a Frank Lloyd Wright home, one sees the connection to nature through rich woods and sometimes real elements of the natural world as they are integrated into the home design. The Japanese influence is expressed in this relationship with nature as well as the lower profile on the home and the rectangular shape repeating in the frame and the windows of many of his buildings (Nute, 2000). Wright can be seen as part of the transition between naturalism and the Greco-Roman ideal to a more industrialized vision of architectural style. Where the work of Ferguson, Shamamian and Giovannini (2011) reflects an older aesthetic that can still be seen in many federal buildings in Washington D.C. such as the White House, the work of Frank Lloyd White begins to show the transition between the sense of order and form that ruled the traditional elements of architecture to the sense of order that is found through minimalistic expressions that reflects a more Modernistic and industrial aesthetic that was growing in the 19th century. Where buildings before the Modern period showed high levels of ornamentation with wood and marble details that still ring and echo in public buildings, new materials include steel and concrete, connecting to the building of an industrialized society. Architecture and Modern Life One of the ways in which the development of modern identities has occurred is through the reflection of the post-industrial world in modern architecture. In urban centers around the world the developments of architectural monuments to consumerism have emerged as a way to establish an identity in the modern world. By creating modern buildings, tall skyscrapers filled with offices or apartments that are metallic and full of light have been a statement through which to create a space within the consumer culture for cities even where there had once been an individualistic culture. In India, as an example, the building of modern architectural monuments was a way to differentiate from the period of colonialism and to establish a new India in which economic power was being built (Herrle and Schmitz, 2009). An example of a building that was constructed in order to establish the Indian identity and create a modern example of the new economic position that India was creating was Chandigarh build by Le Corbusier. This building represented the new embracement of modern culture for the Indian people (Herrle and Schmitz, 2009). Majumdar (2001) writes that “The structure is designed to achieve climate-responsive building with a series of overlapping floors at different levels interpenetrating large, vertical cutouts” (p. 65). This new design created an environmentally friendly building intended to support sustainable systems. However, it was not as easy to create a new Indian as it was to simply build buildings to represent the new India. In order to begin to create a new modern India through architecture, the language that expressed architecture had to change. The power of these monuments to modernity were so important that traditional language for building in India had to be modernized so that it was differentiated from the way in which the nation had framed the discussion of architectural aesthetic before this time. People wanted a new India and that required new language as well as new buildings in order to express the independence of the nation (Herrle and Schmitz, 2009). India can also provide the debate against the homogenization of architectural style. As stated, simply putting up modern buildings did not create a modernized India. Losing traditional building aesthetics means that culture and historic ideals are being lost. Simply creating a building that places a culture within an indefinable urban environment does not do honor to thousands of years of tradition. What is needed is a balance between cultures and new ideas so that what has come before is not lost but what can come to pass is also reflected. There is an argument that can be made for abandoning globalization for architectural aesthetics so that cultures can continue to differentiate even in a world economy. Membership in the interdependent economies does not mean that states should lose their individuality where cultures are concerned. Crysler, Cairns, and Heynen (2012) discuss how the architectural sympathies with indigenous ideals has supported the idea that design should incorporate both local tradition and contemporary ideals in order to create a fusion of culture and modernity that reflects both the past and the future. Most cultures are embracing the new aesthetics in architecture, however, and are supporting the construction of symbols of consumerism within their nations. In wanting to create separation from imperialistic ideas and from the nature of inferiority, nations are supporting ideas that create a message of their position in the world. People of the world are willing to abandon their traditions in order to be a part of the globalized economy which represents jobs, food, and security for their future. Just like the building created by Le Corbusier in India, new construction in the post-industrial world reflects the needs that society sees as essential in creating a better future through socially responsible choices. As the modernists asserted a functional element to contemporary architecture, erasing most ornamentation, the contemporary architect sees his position as a collaborator so that they systems within the building are defined by the best possible outcomes for the inhabitants, the cities, and for the environment. Conclusion Creating cities of modern architecture is a way for many nations to assert their status in the global economy. In a post-colonialism world, the defiance against imperialism and the need to assert independence has pushed nations to embrace contemporary architecture aesthetics. The downside to this is that the world is becoming homogenized and that many of the traditional and indigenous aesthetics that were handed down from the ancestors of some nations are being eliminated in favor of contemporary architectural ideals. This means that the differences between cultures are being diminished. Creating modern cities, however, means improved infrastructure and supporting the status of nations in the global economy. The world is embracing the benefits of modern architecture as each nation finds its place in the world economy. Resources Crysler, C. G., Cairns, S., & Heynen, H. (2012). The Sage Handbook of Architectural Theory. London: SAGE. Ferguson, M., Shamamian, O., & Giovannini, J. (2011) New Traditional Architecture: Ferguson & Shamamian Architects : City and Country Residences. New York: Rizzoli. Herrle, P, & Schmitz. (2009). Constructed Identities: Contemporary Architecture in the South. Berlin: Literary Works. Meijers, A. (2009). Philosophy of Technology and Engineering Sciences. Amsterdam: Elsevier/North Holland. Moe, K. (2008). Integrated Design in Contemporary Architecture. New York, N.Y: Princeton Architectural Press. Majumdar, M. (2001). Energy-efficient Buildings in India. New Delhi: Tata Energy Research Institute and Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources. Nute, K. (2000). Frank Lloyd Wright and Japan. New York. N.Y.: Routledge. Sa?nchez, V. A. (2011).The Sourcebook of Contemporary Architecture. New York, NY: Harper Design. Read More