Posts filed under 'Architecture & Design'
Bauhaus essentially is an influential style in modern design that was developed during the early 1900’s. Also known widely as the International Style in modern design, Bauhaus is characterized by a marriage between form and function. Establishing harmony between the function and the design of an object is the primary aim of this popular school of design.
Bauhaus started from a school in Germany where its name was derived from. The school was known as a place where students were taught to combine handcraft with fine arts. The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius, a German architect who developed the new approach to creating designs that meet technical industrial standards both in their aesthetic and functional aspects. This new approach to design was able to have a profound influence on Modernist architecture and the subsequent developments in art and in its other facets such as interior design, industrial design as well as typography.
The foundation of the Bauhaus style came during the time of political and cultural upheaval in Germany. The fall of Germany during World War I brought also the fall of censorship that led to radical experimentation which included the field of design. The Bauhaus was greatly influenced by the Modernism movement which had its origins come from as way back as the 1880’s. The movement had already made is presence felt even in a conservative Germany.
The Bauhaus style is associated with design innovations during its time characterized by radically simplified forms, the merging of form and functionality and the unity of technology and art. This approach to design seems to grow out of trying to adapt to a modern world with the many technological innovations that come with it. Bauhaus aimed to establish a new method to design that tries to include the aspects of the modern world on how a certain object is to be shaped and formed.
The Bauhaus style not only brought its approach to designing buildings and houses. Because it started as a school that tried to merge craftsmen with artists, the Bauhaus style came to envelop other aspects of design. It found its way to furniture and graphic design. And with its influence came the emergence of what became the basis for modern Western architecture and design.
February 27th, 2008
Art Nouveau is an international style used in art, architecture and design that became popular in the beginning of the 20th Century. The style is characterized by its flowing and curvilinear designs that incorporate floral and other plant-inspired accents. Its name was said to have been derived from the name of a shop in Paris that exhibited art pieces that followed this approach in design and style.Art Nouveau was said to have been introduced by Siegfried Bing, a German art dealer in Paris. He owned the shop called Maison de l’Art Nouveau, which showcased the artworks of artists with similar styles that later on became known as the Art Nouveau movement. It was in fact, from his shop that the name of the movement was derived from. The movement further spread out into other countries aside from France during the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s.
The Art Nouveau style is characterized by its dynamic and flowing curved whiplash lines. The style also features the use of hyperbolas and parabolas. The designs used can be seen as forms that seem to spring to life and transform into having their plant-derived features. In art, the movement was followed by notable artists like Aubrey Beardsley, Alphonse Mucha, Edward Burne-Jones, and Gustav Klimt. The movement can be associated by the styles of the Pre- Raphaelites and the Symbolism movement. But unlike Symbolists, Art Nouveau has that distinct visual look. Its artists are also open to the use of new materials, machined surfaces and abstraction for the sake of pure design.
Art Nouveau is considered to be a total art style. This means that it does not just cover just one section of a design aspect but a hierarchy of them. Art Nouveau has covered other types of artistic design including architecture, interior design, decorative arts, and a range of visual arts.
February 20th, 2008
The Crystal Cathedral is one of the most impressive of the modern churches today. The Crystal Cathedral is a Protestant mega church that is located in Garden Grove, Orange County in California. It is recognizable by its all-glass structure, hence the name of the said church.
The main sanctuary building of the Crystal Cathedral was designed by renowned architect, Philip Johnson. This soaring and impressively designed cathedral features over 10,000 windows from top to bottom covered with tempered, silver colored glass. The glass is held in place by a lattice framework of white steel trusses. Inside, the interiors include statuaries, fountains and greenery. The Crystal Cathedral also covers an area that can accommodate over 3,000 people during worship services. There are also four bronze statues present that represent Bishop Fulton Sheen, Norman Vincent Peale, Billy Graham and Robert H. Schuller, the founder of the Crystal Cathedral.
One of the interesting structural features of the Crystal Cathedral included the breathtaking glass pane making up the whole church. Each of the glass panes are not bolted into the steel truss structure. Instead, they are glued to it using silicon based glue. This provides some cushioning effect on the glass panes and allows the whole building to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8.0. The church has two 90-foot doors behind the pulpit that can be opened electronically to allow the morning sunlight and natural breezes to enhance worship services.
The cathedral also has a 185 foot long chancel area where a thousand singers and instrumentalist perform during worship services. The services can also be viewed via a giant indoor television screen as well as on another one outside located adjacent to the cathedral to accommodate “drive-in” worshippers. The Crystal Cathedral also stands beside an impressive 236 foot tall mirrored steeple that also houses a carillon and a prayer chapel. The mirror reflects sunlight and may provide different view at various times of the day, providing an added interesting feature to the already impressively looking mega church.
February 13th, 2008
The Belem Tower is considered as one of the most beautiful examples of Portuguese late gothic architecture or Manueline style. It is a fortified tower that is located in the Belem district in Lisbon, Portugal. The tower was built to commemorate the expedition of Vasco de Gama. This defensive yet elegant tower has become one of the key symbols of the city and was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
The Belem Tower was built between 1515 and 1521 to become both as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon as well as a defensive structure for the city, guarding the entrance of the Tagus River and the Jeronimos Monastery. Its principal architect was Francisco de Arruda, an architect for the military who had already built several fortresses and defensive structures of Portuguese properties in Morocco.
Because of the influence of Arruda’s work to previous designs in Morocco, the tower was built manifesting Moorish decorative arts in its arched windows and balconies. The Tower of Belem can be divided into two parts. There is the bastion which was designed with the shape of an irregular hexagon. Then there is the five-story tower itself, which is located on the north side of bastion.
The bastion contains a vaulted chamber which has 3.5 meter thick walls with openings for the tower’s 17 large caliber cannons. An open center above the casemate made it possible for the tower to dispel smoke and fumes when the cannons were used. The base of the turrets has several images of beasts which included a rhinoceros. The whole tower is also decorated with decorative stone twisted ropes. These decorative stone ropes even are tied at a knot at the north facade of the building. The upper corners of the tower walls have statues of St Vincent and St Michael. The tower also has many fine windows with arches.
The tower itself is 35 meters high. It is composed of four storeys and has a terrace that offers wonderful views of the surrounding landscape. The different levels of the tower can be reached via a narrow spiral staircase with the second storey containing covered balconies on each side.
January 23rd, 2008
The Wrigley building is located in 410 N Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. It is located in an area more popularly known as the Magnificent Mile which is the main thoroughfare of the city’s business district as well as the center for its nightlife. The impressive building was built to be the corporate headquarters of the Wrigley Company.
The Wrigley Building has been considered for over 75 years as one of Chicago’s most attractive buildings. Work on the structure started at around the 1920’s when the bubble gum magnate, William Wrigley Jr. chose the location for his company’s headquarters at a time when no major office buildings were being built north of the Chicago River. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. The firm designed the building inspired by the shape of the Giralda tower of Seville’s Cathedral in Spain and mixed it up with French Renaissance details.
The 425 foot south tower of the building was completed in April of 1921 while the north tower took until May of 1924 to complete. Several walkways were added to connect the two towers at different areas of the structure during the ensuing years. All in all, the two towers of the Wrigley Building cover a combined area 453,433 square feet, not including the lower levels located below Michigan Avenue. The two towers do not stand at similar heights. The south tower rises 30 stories tall while the north tower of the building rises up to only 21 stories.
The south tower also houses a clock which occupies about two stories. The giant clock also features four dials, each of the four sides of the tower, with each one measuring 19 feet and 7 inches in diameter. The hour hand of each dial measures 6 feet and 4 inches in length while the minute hand spans 9 feet and 2 inches long. The hour and minute hands were originally made out of redwood but was later on changed using aircraft grade aluminum for added durability.
One of the striking features of the Wrigley Building is the use of about 250,000 individual glazed terra cotta tiles used throughout the structure. At the time of its construction, it was considered as the most extensive use of the material for any building. Even more impressive is how each terra cotta tile is individually identified in a computer database to enable a more consistent tracking system for a more efficient maintenance of each individual tile used in the building. The building’s interiors also contain several striking brass work throughout both to the tower’s lobbies.
During nighttime, the Wrigley Building provides the city with one of its more impressive lighting displays. Illumination for the building is provided by a several sets of lights which include 116, 1,000-watt metal halide lamps mounted on the southern side of the Chicago River. There are also seven other such lamps located at street level while 16 other lamps are located on the west side of the building. There are also 62 other lamps built on the building itself to provide the gradual brightness of the building towards the top, making it a very spectacularly lighted display at night.
January 9th, 2008
The La Sagrada Familia is a breathtaking Roman Catholic basilica that is located in Barcelona, Spain. Known as the “Church of the Holy Family” in English, this church is considered unique in the sense that it is still under construction even today. Construction on the said building began sometime in 1882 and is still ongoing today pending other areas in the overall design that hasn’t yet been started.Funding for the construction of the church is not supported by any government or even from official church sources. It has largely been funded by generous patrons and through private donations. Some funds are also taken from tickets bought by tourists who want to take a peek inside this magnificent basilica. In its current state, the said building is expected to be completed at around 2026. The intricateness of the design has largely been attributed to the ongoing history of completing the basilica.
Its detailed and highly intricate design can be credited to its primary architect, Antoni Gaudi. The architect spent over 40 years working on the project and spent the last 15 years of his life trying to complete it. After Gaudi’s death in 1926, work was resumed with Domenech Sugranyes on the reins until construction was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1935. Architects such as Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluis Bonet y Gari and Francesc Cardoner have carried on the work in constructing the Sagrada Familia since the 1940’s. Jordi Bonet y Armengol is the current director that handles the construction of the basilica.
The church’s most striking feature is its spiandle shaped towers. It has a total of 18 tall towers that represents the twelve apostles in ascending order of height. Another four stands for the Four Evangelists, Matthew Mark Luke and John. Another tower stands for the Virgin Mary while the tallest of them all represents Jesus Christ. The towers, aside from their height are also identified by other traditional symbols that stand for the Biblical characters. The smaller towers range from 90 to 120 meters in height while the tallest stands at 170 meters. Eight of the 18 towers have since been completed with the others still on different phases of construction. Construction is currently focused on building the nave as well as the southern façade known as the Glory Facade. The Nativity Facade have already been completed in the time of Gaudi while the Passion Facade was completed in 1987.
Although the Sagrada Familia is still far from finished, it is already quite a spectacle to behold. It gives quite a sight even from afar and even in its incomplete glory. The interior of the church is also quite an interesting sight to check out with the different geometrical details and a mix of different art styles that are evidently instilled on the design during the different phases of construction work since the early1880’s.
December 12th, 2007
The Taj Mahal has long been regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world. Located in Agra, India, this wonder of ancient architecture is actually a mausoleum that was built on the orders of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Aside from being regarded as one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, the Taj Mahal has also been considered as probably the most beautiful and the most elegant monument built out of a man’s love for his wife.
The Taj Mahal is also considered by many experts as the finest example of Mughal architecture which is a style influenced by elements from Indian, Turkish, Persian and Islamic architectural styles. The mausoleum houses the grave of the queen Mumtaz Mahal located at the lower chamber of the building. When the emperor Shah Jahan died years later, his body was also placed next to the grave of his beloved wife.
The domed marble mausoleum is the most recognizable structure of the Taj Mahal, although it actually is composed of a number of integrated structures. The white marble tomb structure of the Taj Mahal stands on a square plinth or raised platform that formed as the base. The tomb was built according to the style influenced by the Persians. The main building is a large multi-chambered structure with a main “iwan”, or arch-shaped doorway. The building is cornered by four tall minarets.
The marble dome of the main structure is what gives the Taj Mahal its imposing and majestic feature. The dome has a height that is equal to the base of the building at 35 meters. The top of the dome is decorated with a lotus design that accentuates the dome’s height even further. The main dome is surrounded by four smaller domed kiosks that are placed at its corners. These smaller domes have communed bases that open through the roof of the tomb and provide some lighting to the interior.
Fixed on top of the main dome is a gilded spire or finial. It was once made out of gold but has been changed to bronze since the early 1800’s. The spire displayed the integration of Persian with the Hindu decorative influences. The spire is spiked with a moon with its horns pointing heavenward, a common Islamic feature. The horns of the moon also combine with the spire’s tip to create a trident shape, a traditional Hindu symbol for Shiva.
Exterior decorations found in the main structure are regarded to be the finest of Mughal architecture. The lesser the surface area of the exterior, the more intricate the decorations become. Most of the decorations on the building’s exterior are grouped as either of abstract forms, vegetative motifs or calligraphy. This is in line with the Islamic belief that prohibits the display of human features as decorative elements.
November 14th, 2007
The Petronas Towers can be seen towering over the skyline of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. These majestic twin towers hold the record of being the world’s tallest twin structures. The twin towers were even considered as the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 at a height of 452 meters from the roof, including the spires of the two structures.
The Petronas Towers was designed by famed architect Cesar Pelli. The towers consisted of 88 floors that are largely constructed out of concrete. The towers also have a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs that are usually found in Islamic art, an indication of Malaysia’s Muslim culture. The buildings were built with foundations that go 120 meters deep. They are considered as the world’s deepest foundations which required massive amounts of concrete to construct.
The lack of availability of steel in Malaysia and the prohibitive costs of importing them made concrete the only viable material to use. Moreover, using concrete was a cheaper option since Malaysia has enough local supplies to provide the need for the construction of the two towers. The use of super high strength reinforced concrete is known to be even twice as effective in reducing structural sways as steel. It is also a material that Asian builders are more familiar with. With these advantages, concrete hands down became the best choice.
The twin towers are supported by 23 by 23 meter concrete cores with an outer ring of widely spaced super columns. This design allows the Petronas Towers to accommodate a more slender profile while providing from 1300 to 2000 square meters of column free office space at each floor. The two towers also feature a skyway which connects both towers at the 41st and the 42nd floors of the building. Due to its location relative to the ground at 170 meters, the skyway is considered to be the world’s highest 2-storey bridge. The skyway is also 58 meters long. It allows people to go from one tower to another and also acts as a safety device in case of fire or any other emergency that might occur in one of the towers.
The towers also employ an elevator system that is located at the center of each of the two towers. All main elevators in the building are designed as double deckers with the lower deck taking passengers to the odd-numbered floors while the upper deck serving passengers for the even-numbered floors. Shuttle elevators are also on hand to take passengers directly to the 41/42 level, the location of the skyway. The elevator system is also part of the safety feature of the evacuation plan for the two structures since the staircase and the skyway alone prove to be inefficient and unable to evacuate all tenants should an emergency occur on both towers.
November 7th, 2007
Fallingwater is a well known architectural masterpiece that is located in rural southwestern Pennsylvania. It is a house that was designed by well-known American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935. It was unique in that the home was built partly over a waterfall and features other architectural designs that were quite distinctive during its time.
Fallingwater was a home that was initially owned by Edgar Kaufmann Sr. who was a successful businessman in Pittsburg. The Kaufmanns owned a property in Pittsburg that contained a waterfall and some cabins that needed to be rebuilt. Mr. Kaufmann contacted Wright to the task of designing or rebuilding the property. What the Kaufmanns initially wanted was a home that overlooks the waterfall in their property. But the famed Wright had other plans. He suggested that the home be built over the waterfall. The result was an extraordinary home that became one of the most unique pieces of architecture ever seen.
What makes Fallingwater quite an interesting architectural masterpiece is that it was designed in a way that helps it become part of its surroundings, never standing out over the striking beauty of natural scenery. The house was built over an active waterfall that flows beneath it. Even the boulders of the site were integrated into the home interior instead of being cleared out during construction. The fireplace hearth, for instance, is made up of a group of boulders that was found on the site. A set of boulders protrude over the living room floor and became a part of the home.
There are stairways designed that lead directly to the water. There is a natural boulder that drips water inside from the bridge that connects the main house to the guest and servant’s buildings. The water is then directed back out, creating a stream of water that seems to go inside the room from the outside. The terraces that jut out from the waterfall below it are cantilevered to resemble the rock formations nearby. The active stream as well as the waterfall can be heard all around the home although one may not be able to see it unless one goes outside. The hoe also makes use of wide expanses of windows and balconies that give the visitor or guest have a sense of closeness with the surroundings. Every part of the home was designed according to Wright’s aim to make the home as organic as possible and integrating the man-made structures as part of the natural surroundings.
Although Fallingwater may have very unique architectural features, it also has its own set of problem areas. It seems that during the design process, the cantilever system was hastily designed and was weak to hold the balconies that were made out of reinforced concrete. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the current owner of the home-turned-museum, did a detailed analysis of the problem concerning the gradual sagging of the prominent balconies in the home. The structural work to temporarily reinforce the home’s cantilevers was completed in 2002. Aside from that, the home also has a serious problem of mold growth brought about by excess moisture all around the home.
October 17th, 2007
When you find yourself somewhere in the vicinity of London’s financial district, you may notice an odd-looking building that towers above the maze of other buildings in the area. Its unique oblong shape has made it quite a noticeable landmark in the city. It is a building known as 30 St. Mary Axe, more popularly known as “The Gherkin”.
The Gherkin is a 180-meter tall building located in London’s busy financial district, also considered as the city’s second tallest building after Tower 42. Its principal architect is from the firm Foster and Partners, headed by Pritzker Prize winner Lord Foster and Ken Shuttleworth along with Arup engineers. The building stands on the former site of the historic Baltic Exchange building which was then severely damaged by an IRA bomb sometime in 1992. The site required a new building that would take the place of the Baltic Exchange, which was then discovered to have sustained damage that was too severe to undergo any full restoration.
The building was constructed by Skanska and took from 2001 to 2004 to finish. The building made use of modern energy-saving construction and design methods in order to make the whole building more energy efficient. It allowed the building to eventually consume only half of the power that a similar conventional structure would normally consume.
The gaps that are designed on each floor create six shafts that act as part of the natural ventilation system of the building. These shafts works by trying to sandwich air between two layers of glazing to create a giant double glazing effect and provide insulation for the internal spaces of the building. The shafts also pull warm air out of the building during the summer and helps warm the building during the winter by using passive solar heating. The shafts also allow more sunlight to pass through the building interiors, providing more natural light and keeping the lighting costs down.
The building’s fully triangulated perimeter structure allows the building to have sufficient stiffness to go against structure sways as a result of wind force. Other buildings of the same size would have made use of reinforced core columns to increase lateral stability or stiffness or make use of active mass dampers, which The Gherkin never used in its design. And despite the building having that overall curved glass shape, there is, surprisingly, only one piece of curved glass used throughout the structure. It can be found on the lens-shaped cap at the very top of the structure.
The Gherkin has been considered as one of the most noticeable landmarks of London today. Its design features have made it one of the most unique buildings in the world. Not only that, The Gherkin has been voted in December of 2005 as one of the most admired new buildings in the world, from a survey of some of the largest and most prestigious architectural firms in the world.
October 10th, 2007
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