Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Commodity, Firmness and Delight.

(01-13-11:  added title, due to lack thereof.)

Good ideas in architecture are solid, problem-solving ideas.  As simple as a stair that gets you from one level to another or a door that gives you access into another space.  For these elements to be “great”, they would need to be awe-inspiring.  A stair that was intricately detailed or built with fine craftsmanship, like the projects that Peter Zumthor wrote about in his “Thinking Architecture” essay:  p.10 “… the precise and sensuous way they use materials.” or p. 14”… the quality of the finished object is determined by the quality of the joins.”  

Conceptual ideas in architecture would take the idea of stair or doorway and turn it upside-down (in the viewer’s perspective, not literally).  Just the element on its own would be inspiring.  
  • A lovely, beautiful stair that elevates you up - functioning like an escalator, but elegant and well-crafted rather than industrial.  Maybe it goes slowly enough to experience fully a special view, or certain types of music are played at different times of the day as you ride up on this mechanism. 
  • A door or window that is transparent, translucent or opaque at any given time.  You could program it to be transparent during the day and become opaque at night for privacy and safety.  It could be different colors, internally illuminated, kaleidoscope pattern, etc., etc.  It could change as your taste changed or when you got bored.  
 Conceptual ideas push the boundaries of what is commercially available to what is only yet conceivable – inventions – the integration of brainstorm ideas with functional needs. 
 
A good concept in architecture is a space or building that is first and foremost solidly functioning for its intended purpose, but secondly, it affects you on a profound level.  It could be that it is so well-crafted that people need to look closer at the details to understand how it works together.  It creates a stir and causes intrigue and interest beyond the space itself – visitors wonder why it was done the way it does or how it works or just feel better when they are there.  It could be that you so brilliantly solved the design problem that the space is simply sublime, and there is no more perfect solution - a la Vitruvius’ “commodity, firmness and delight”.   


2 comments:

  1. Thanks for articulating all this - this will be a good place to start to talk about thesis when we all get together this coming week. To start the dialogue early, I'm curious, what do the rest of you think? Let's get all the preconceived notions out and on the table so we can all talk about them!

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  2. Love your sketches... I always tell myself, "ho hum, I'm going up a stair!" hehe

    On a more serious note, I agree with many of the statements you made. I think some of the hardest things to do is really define generic terms we use every day... 'idea', 'concept'. I'm also beginning to find its sometimes easier to define things by what they are not or draw comparisons to something.

    I've been on a curving escalator once before; it was in a mall in San Francisco. I'll see if I can try to find a picture, it was awesome! Not sure if it had music or not though...

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