History of Architecture Manifesto

If there’s a simple way to summarize History of Architecture class, it would be that architecture will never achieve the perfect state where every agrees there’s nothing else we could do to change. However, that is also the beauty of architecture itself. From the time of ancient Roman architecture to a Post-Modern world, there are so much going on in the architectural world that helps make the distinction between each period of time. The period of time we’re living in now will soon be the history of tomorrow and hence, making another mark on the history itself as having another unique types of architecture. So what makes our period stands out from the others in terms of architecture?

The 21st Century architecture is distinctive in the fact that it recognizes its history and uses the context it lives in. Architecture borrows so much from the history and yet it is made distinctive from the predecessors with the collaboration of today’s advanced technology. What does today mean? Today is not this moment. It always starts just before now and ends some time after now. How you define those limits both form and inform your point of reference. Our era starts when the internet came and now we are living in an information era where information moves on a much faster pace and knowledge had become so easily accessible. Technology has been so progressively advanced that impossible limitations of the past are now achieved and everything else is now possible.

Now, If everything is possible then what is the use of learning from history. One may not progress forward if that person is unable to learn from the past. People in our generation may strive for a certain perfect type of design and they may even achieve it in their lifetime. However, even if they do, this form does not become the one perfect standard, never changing again. Instead, the next generation considers what has been created before and strives to achieve something else. So you see why history is important? We’ve seen certain types of architecture over the course of history that was constructed, demolished, renovated, then reconstructed over and over again because history can always be further perfected. As I have said in the beginning, no design will ever achieve a perfect state. The cycle will never stop as time keeps moving. The next generations would be living in an ever-changing context for them to work. So, you see, technology is just an additional benefit to our design but history is what’s really important.

All great architects learn from their history such as Le Courbusier, who learned from Vitruvius and adapt them to his own design. The importance of history make the History of Architecture class very crucial. This manifesto will not only cover informations about architects and the buildings of each era but films and how people of that era view its architecture as well.

Bernini and Baromini Of The Baroque Era

Talking about Bernini and Baromini of the Baroque era, friend and foe of the time, is like talking oxymoron but more on that later. The Baroque era is similar to high renaissance but with much heavier decorations and much more expressive. The architects of this time was influenced by Michelangelo who introduced the Mannerist style into architecture, comparable to the post modernism of today’s era. The most important architects of the Baroque era is, without a doubt, Bernini and Baromini.

First, about Bernini, we could really see resemblances of his works to the work of Micheangelo, especially in the use of sculpture within architecture itself. However, Bernini’s work can easily be distinguished as it captures the essence of life into the sculpture, making it more realistic. This can be easily comprehensible by looking at “The Rape of Proserpina”. You can see “real” human characteristics in the sculpture, be it the dented skin on the woman’s body when wrapped by a man’s hand and the expressive face and tears. You can also that the human proportion of Bernini is much more refined and realistic, for example, his own version of the sculpture of david.

Sculpture of David by Bernini

Baromini, Bernini’s friend and rival, however, is even much more expressive than Bernini but through the use of architecture and not a human sculpture. He used shape and form in architecture to create a space that is very expressive. This is evidently seen through his work, “San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane” where he used geometric shapes such as triangles, oval and circle that are considered dramatic and evocative.

San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane by Baromini

Even if they were rivals, there were no definite judging of who was better. Bernini and Baromini, being one of the best Baroque architects have a great, unique quality concerning their works.

Applying History: Brunelleschi and Courbusier

This week’s lecture take us back through time and see the architects of the renaissance era. So what have I learn from the class? To simply answer that question, the class focuses on how the architecture masters we’ve studied throughout the course have all use history as a tool and inspiration. There is also no doubt that one of the most significant building of all-time from the Renaissance era is the Brunelleschi Dome by Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi borrowed history as a tool to build his renowned work from the ancient Roman. After his visit to Rome, he brought back the impression he had on the ancient ruins and the Roman architectures which is simply what Vitruvius has said, Principle of commodity, firmness, and delight. The first concept that Filippo Brunelleschi meant to do was to add a flying buttress but there is a rule that architects may not build buttresses in Italy so he created this remarkable Brunelleschi Dome.

Brunelleschi Dome

Another architect who we must talk about that uses history is Le Courbusier. Le Courbusier studied about Vitruvius’ man and simply make his own human proportion to make an architecture that lies within the concept of symmetry, proportion and rhythm.

So this lesson has taught me to be aware of history and make a great use of it. This is why we must pay great attention to our history class!

Junkspace

So what is a “junkspace”? It is simply an architecture that ignores all the surroundings and its context and stand tall on their own, creating a totally new context within itself. Yes, a new era for architecture has begun. With all the computer technology today, we are now able to explore a totally new concept of architecture that comes up every once in a while. Architectural design has been stretched beyond its earlier limitations and a new forms and functions are continuously introduced.

Expressionism -- Is it right or wrong?

This week’s lecture takes us fast through the postmodernism era and explore expressionists’ architectures. So the question is that is expressionism wrong? Do they destroyed everything that is architectural and turns the subject into something that is too literal? Yes, they took the concept of “form follows function” word-by-word and make a building that takes forms of their own desire. For example, a duck building that inside is selling, obviously, duck.

However, there are also great architects that makes interesting shapes and revolutionize the architectural world by being expressive. Due to the development of technology in architecture, buildings are not confined to only be a box and rectangles anymore. Architects like Frank Gehry or Zaha Hadid designs their building to have curvature and complexity.

In conclusion, there is no right or wrong in architecture (if it doesn’t collapse). One may find it to be a shallow end towards architecture and some may find it spectacular and prefer the building in unique forms.

Black, White (or...) Gray?

This week’s lecture take us to a discussion on “Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture” by Robert Venturi. When we look at the very specific concept of Modernism where it’s either “right” or “wrong”, “Bourgeois” or “Non-Bourgeois”, “Black” or “White”, if you could not choose where you stand, there’s always “Post-Modernism”

From the book, we discussed and tries to tell the difference between being “complex” and “complicated”. They are not the same, in fact they are almost the opposite of each other. Complexity can also mean simple and pure while complicated is just, well..., complicated. Post-Modernism plays between the area of being white and black, and does not limiting themselves to any set of rules. I like the fact that post-modernist architects are free and didn’t force their designs but rather making it flexible and adaptable.

Playtime by Jacques Tati

Playtime by Jacques Tati

This week, we take a brief peek at the film “Playtime” by Jacque Tati. There is a reason this film was shown in our history class. Although we did not get the chance to see the whole film, it is already clear what Jacques was trying to express through the movie. “Playtime” clearly shows the viewpoint of the director towards the modernism era. The film starts out in the airport and right from the very first scene we see how the architecture and interior looks like at the time, big glass facade building with geometric arranging inside. To their eyes, the architecture may seem futuristic but it would soon become just a normal building in the present day. Yes, the buildings shown in the film, they are seen all over in Bangkok.

The films follows a tour group of American ladies arriving in Paris. They are clearly fascinated by the modernism era but what is funny to me is that the buildings all look very similar, if not the same. There are also posters showing different countries with exactly the same type of architecture on it. Furthermore, there are also a chair that turns to its original shape once the user gets up, how the main character gets lost through all the cubicle office, it is clear up to this point that Jacques Tati is trying to mock the modernism era.

I find the film really amusing and very enjoyable to watch.