Unit Two Summary: Reverberations

Reverberations: a reechoed sound; the fact of being reflected
(Dictionary.com)


This word can be related to the design styles of the past. Even when the style has passed, the design's impact creates ripples that outlast the original act and can be seen later on. Architecture is often thought of as frozen music, so the concept of design as reechoed sounds is an appropriate definition. 


The most innovative designers consciously reject the standard option box and cultivate an appetite for thinking wrong.

— Marty Neumeier

Throughout this unit we examined the timeline of interlinking design cycles from the dawn of Gothic age until the rise of the Industrial Revolution. We compared and contrasted each period's encompassing style and saw them as a chain of revolutions, each time declaring their individuality in the way they designed their surroundings. Through the words and examples given by Patrick, Leland M. Roth, and Francis D.K. Ching we explored the architecture and great designers of the past. 


Over all Ideas

• Pattern of following and breaking rules
• Borrowing and rejecting previous design styles
• Finding a style that defines the time
• Evolution of design with new materials and resources

Byzantine

This is a picture of the Hagia Sofia in Constantinople. 

 From the Byzantine art and architecture that were "devoted to reinforcing religious experience (Roth, 298)," came the great Byzantine churches like the Hagia Sofia. These architects loved the illumination and spiritual presence that natural light provided, and aimed to capture it with glittering mosaics and an abundance of long windows.


Medieval

Saint-Foy Abbey is an example of a Romanesque church. It has heavier, less delicate features than Gothic cathedrals and does not have the illumination of a cathedral.

This is Notre-Dame de Amiens Cathedral in France. It exemplifies the Gothic flying buttresses, stained glass, and arched vaults. 

(Before the rules were established)
The importance of religion was apparent in the Middle ages as well and the development of churches flourished at this time. The small Romanesque churches of the early stages of this era were more fortress like and had smaller windows, due to the political turmoil they had become accustomed to. However, this absence of light did not last long. The Gothic architecture that came next mirrored the new optimistic outlook (due to the decrease in death and warfare) with "membranes of stained glass which filtered and transformed sunlight so that it symbolized divine illumination (Roth, 324)." The crusaders on their way back saw the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, and brought back those design ideas to integrate into their own world, especially that of light in the space. These stained glass windows, almond arches,  and flying buttresses are the some of the elements that define the Gothic style, much more flowing and graceful than the Romanesque churches. The following era referred to this time as the dark ages, a period that "intervened between the glory of Greece and Rome and what they perceived as their own enlightened age (Roth, 302)," but the lack of literature is made up for in the extensive carvings of biblical stories. Essentially, these cathedrals were a "Bible for the illiterate (Roth, 328)," one that did not discern the levels between classes.


Renaissance

Sant' Andrea in Italy is an ideal Renaissance building. It fits into a perfect square, and has barrel vault ceiling that alludes to Roman baths.

(The rules are formed)
In the enlightened period of the Renaissance, Florence, Italy was at the center. With their new clarity of knowledge, they wanted a more rational architecture to express it. Instead of the extreme vertical structure (heavenward push) of Gothic architecture, these new age architects wanted a "balance of vertical and horizontal elements in forms reflecting human proportions (Roth, 353)." This is a change to being more concerned with earthly forms than with spiritual reflection. These designers looked to the buildings of ancient Rome and Greece for inspiration (and the first intended use of precedents) and strove for pure forms using circles and squares- taken from the human proportion. Their goal was to achieve a "sense of balance, repose, and order (Roth,376)," clean and pure. This thought process reminds me of the functionality architects like Ludwig van der Rohe thought to be ideal in the modernism era. The Renaissance period made the rules.


Rules (western, although the rules for the east were similar):
provided by Patrick

• revive the past using classical language
• strive for harmony and order
• layer grooves and stacks
• emphasize surface
• place man at the center
• strive for position through patronage
• move forward in the secular agenda
• get some perspective
• expand your physical world

Honorable mention:
ANDREA PALLADIO
-wrote the rule book of architecture during the renaissance
-influenced many other designers, including Thomas Jefferson in his design of Monticello
-democratized the arch
example of his work:
Villa Rotunda 

Baroque

The Palace at Versailles perfectly captures the essence of  Baroque. The building itself is horizontal, dominating the earth, which is popular at this time. There is excessive decoration and detail in every aspect of the Palace.   

(The rules are broken)
The Baroque period found its design niche in breaking all the rules that the Renaissance had established. Their style continued to be rooted in the forms of the Renaissance, but in a distorted, warped way. It was "an architecture that became what Renaissance architecture was not--complex, multi-layered, molded, and plastically or sculpturally shaped (Roth, 397)." It put complexity, ambiguity, contrast, and variety in the place of the order and clarity Renaissance had in place. As Patrick said in class, "it was architecture on drugs; taking materials and making them do things they can't."The scale in this time was superhuman, not the perfect human proportions of before, and the circle was stretched into an oval. The goal was an emotional impact, which is something, along with their complexity and large scale, the Gothic cathedrals accomplish as well. However, the Baroque goes in a more horizontal direction than the Gothic cathedrals. The designer's job was to focus on the delight the building provided and to leave no rule in tact. This is the last all-encompassing style. From the foods to the apparel to the furniture, everything in the Baroque period had a connection to everything else.


Rococo

Amalienburg Pavilion is a full expression of Rococo style

The end of the Baroque era had a Rococo phase, with less "heavy architectural decorative elements and deep colors...in favor of more slender decorative features and a much lighter palate of colors (Roth,429)." This style was like a breath of fresh air from the overpowering Baroque buildings. 


Colonial

an example of colonial architecture

(Following the rules)
Although America declared its independence from Great Britain, for a while the ties we still held to Europe could be seen in our imitation of their design, such as Georgian architecture. America was especially fond of using design styles popular in France, which is where we get our landscape design and gardens. However, Americans soon made a change and began to follow the rules, finding inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome. 






Sources: The Roth and Ching text books and class notes
http://designwashere.com/80-inspiring-quotes-about-design/
http://data.greatbuildings.com/gbc/images/cid_1160198747_Villa_Capra_01.jpg

source: http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=701704636622&id=65eb2785f7b2b0f2ef6f6dfdd00bfdc5&url=http%3a%2f%2fhistory.hanover.edu%2fcourses%2fart%2famienwf.jpg
source: http://tripideas.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10-abbatiale-sainte-foy-conques-fr12-conques-france-5c0c8c.jpg_m.jpg
source: http://www.cnidus.com/fvm/2_hagia_sofia_belulrol.jpg