The Idea of
Beauty in an Urban Assemblage Dimensions of Space Arch 715 Fall 2019 Orvieto, Italy
APDESIGN 1
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Topics
The Whole Harmony, Diversity, Adaptability, Permeability and Imagination 14
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Activity & Health Health and Cittaslow 27
Flows & Nodes Roman City Planning Diagram and Compression and Release 40
Dimensions of Space Arch 715 Fall 2019 Orvieto, Italy APDESIGN
Systems & Strata Sectionality 50
Multiscalar Relationships Territories and Functionality 57
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Architecture and life are fundamentally connected. The spaces around us shape the way we perceive and interact with the world we live in, so what shapes space and with what logic?
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Desire shapes all. Throughout time, humanity’s desire has prompted the use and evolution of primary tools; every man-made object is a derivative of initial objects. In his book Architectures of Time, Sanford Kwinter states that “no object…escapes the perpetual onslaught of differentiation according to which objects are continually becoming different from themselves, undergoing transformation” (8). Through the passage of time, primary tools can be seen in a variety of transformations, but they still maintain their original essence. The “in-between” is where creativity and evolution lies. In other words, the way in which humans choose to combine and use these objects is what spurs innovation. The gradual transformation of these primary tools is a result of human thought and creativity used to create new links between these objects and the whole they assemble.
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The desire spurring this perpetual transformation of objects is directly related to the relative importance of human needs. Abraham Maslow outlines this principal in his 1943 work, “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Humans desire tools for utilitarian convenience, hence the creation of primary objects. These objects and their derivatives give one the means to satisfy the first, most essential, human desires: those needed for survival. Once these needs are fulfilled, however, mankind desires more in its quest for self-actualization. This desire to expand consciousness is universal, and it spurred the creation of art and pure self-expression. These pursuits allow for the intellectual growth of humanity. However, human creation does not have to fit neatly within one category or another, although some do. The difference between art and tool is a spectrum; an object can easily be both ornate and functional. The in-between of this spectrum, between form and function, is where the architectural assemblage lies.
Self-actualization
Esteem
Love/Belonging
Safety
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The Urban Assemblage Humanity’s environmental priorities have evolved over time, and so have the spaces they have created. Certain qualities, however, have endured. Each of these lasting elements that make up a harmonious urban assemblage satisfy desire. This gradual development of space, dependent on the wants and needs of its residents, has created assemblages which have survived for thousands of years. Upon studying these urban spaces, it is apparent that they have many similarities. The evolution of humanity’s desires have led to the development of the five most essential ingredients to a successful urban assemblage: the harmony of the whole, the integration of multiscalar relationships, synthesis of systems and strata, efficient use of flows and nodes, and promotion of health and wellbeing. Together, these ingredients interact to form a harmonious urban assemblage, fostering a sense of place, wholeness, and identity. Although these concepts have individual complexities that may seem separate from one another, in actuality, they are connected and work together to form a greater whole. Everything must be connected to assemble a system of formal relations that functions at multiscalar levels: an urban assemblage.
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Orvieto, Italy ...is an example of the successful integration of these ingredients. Located in the Umbria region of central Italy, Orvieto is home to around 20,000 people. The community was initially constructed by the ancient Etruscans, who strategically built the city on a cliff of volcanic rock. Very little of the Etruscan civilization remains, however, since it was destroyed and rebuilt by the Romans during the height of their empirical rule. Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the rule of the city changed hands several times, and traces of the medieval remnants of several of these civilizations remain. In 1860, the municipality of Orvieto was formed as we know it today, and its people have since maintained its traditional values despite the city becoming a popular tourist destination.
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The Whole “Everything is interaction.” Sanford Kwinter
An assemblage of parts establishes a unity which works to form an overall function. Manuel DeLanda states in A New Philosophy of Society that “in assemblage theory, persons always exist as part of populations within which they constantly interact with one another” (32). This part-to-whole relationship works similarly in the context of the urban assemblage. A sense of wholeness only exists when all ingredients are present. Harmony, diversity, adaptability, permeability, and imagination: these are the values that create a notion of wholeness within the urban assemblage. They are ever-present and create an active public realm that connects everything back to the whole. The assemblage provides a diverse range of forms and functions that situate themselves to effectively contribute to the public realm, and the possibilities within this set of harmonious elements create a successful part-to-whole relationship.
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Harmony Harmony is found in nature. Its proportions and multi-scalar relationships form a complex assemblage that serves as a precedent when creating urban space. It requires a similarly intricate system of balanced relationships that allows for an ease of navigation between various territories. For an urban assemblage to retain its identity, the built environment must be harmonious with itself. Within the built environment, harmony is perceived as having contextual awareness, or when buildings visually, physically, and conceptually relate to one another. Harmony recognizes prevailing patterns when a noticeable contribution to the identity and essence of the city can be formed within the assemblage.
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Manifested through proportion, rhythm, materiality, variety, and repetition, it is vital to urban identity that these characteristics communicate and establish patterns. In order to reinforce the edge of the public realm there must be a balance between solid and void. This results in a rhythmic pattern or a repetition of a series of finite elements that can be carried out across multiple buildings. Contribution to the whole denotes itself in not only an aesthetic manner, but in a manner of public usage as well.
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Diversity Diversity of singularities contributes to the enhancement of the overall assemblage; it is a concept occurring in nature, and a sense of variety creates interest and ease. Diversity also serves practical purposes. A means of differentiating elements of an urban assemblage can assist humanity in selflocating and pathfinding, and ease of navigation helps contribute to the efficient function of the assemblage. An urban assemblage fulfills many diverse functions. Smaller singularities perform a diverse range of functions, creating a larger urban assembly that functions in a diverse and unique manner.
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Adaptability Adaptability of the urban assemblage has a dramatic effect on its overall success. It manifests itself through materiality, time, evolution of human desire, and advancement of technology. Within these criteria, the urban assemblage is manipulated to satisfy whichever desires are most pertinent at the time. As George Kubler states in his book The Shape of Time, “nothing is created unless it is desired.� Desire inspires change, requiring adaptability in the urban assemblage. Spurring the development of materiality and technology through time, desire causes the continual manipulation and growth of the assemblage – which is constantly evolving.
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Permeability Permeability is the ability to navigate complex webs of relations; it is a crucial ingredient in the urban assemblage. Integral to coding and signals of any kind of environment, it allows for a dialogue between humans and space. It is a signal of spatial usage; it conveys levels of privacy and creates clarity and connectivity within the assemblage Permeability is integrally connected to the expression of public and private and served and service space. Degrees of permeability create a code for humanity - a way of understanding how a territory is used and who may enter. This complex navigational process is similar to that in nature and is inherently understood by humanity. Permeability provides a way of navigating and understanding the urban assemblage.
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Imagination Imagination has the unique ability to affect everyone in different ways, at different times, and in various spaces. In art, understanding serves the imagination; however, in knowledge, imagination serves the understanding. Public space is where imagination most easily flourishes in the urban assemblage. A piazza can be a concert setting, a market, a meeting place, or a relaxing space to pass time. It allows for the movement of a street or sidewalk to relax, and for the pedestrian to be at ease. Public space is a respite from the city and allows for imagination to prevail. It transcends race, age, gender, religion and identity in ways that institutions often cannot. They do not discriminate; anyone can use public space as they so choose. It is essential for humans’ mental health to have access to these spaces, and, therefore, an integral part of community and the urban assemblage. According to Kubler, relationships between form and function suggests that there needs to be a third entity within the creative process.
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Since modern society has transitioned to a more technological world, activities that once brought us close are no longer. Now, a lack of public space is causing us to lose our sense of imagination and community. In order to promote this quality among individuals, successful public space, or “the sandbox,� is essential to resurrect this vital human experience. An active urban assemblage has to engage an active imagination. In this instance, the sandbox is a place of free flowing public gathering.
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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.� Jane Jacobs
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Activity & Health “We all want to be involved in the future of the places that we live.� Nantucket Project
Within the urban assemblage, various components are crucial to the overall health and well-being of humanity. The implementation of pedestrian flows and public space improves and encourages the interaction of humans. This interaction is proven to create inviting and welcoming nodes of public space that people inherently desire to inhabit; this combination creates a healthy environment and encourages the growth of community. The urban assemblage affects humanity while, simultaneously, humanity affects the urban assemblage.
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Health When discussing what it means to create healthy living conditions, it is crucial to look at the impact an assemblage has on the physical and mental health of humanity. A harmonious relationship between health and the urban environment encourages the expansion of human needs and desires, allowing humanity to strive for selfactualization. As the needs and desires of humanity expand, public spaces are encouraged to constantly evolve and adapt. Through the promotion of pedestrian routine, the urban assemblage becomes a hub for a healthy environment. The walkability of any given urban assemblage is vital to human health as well as to the health of the overall community. The possibility for communication increases when pedestrian activity is promoted, and interaction and communication between humans allows for communities to grow.
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Territory Piazza
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Context
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Flow
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Node
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Activities
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Events
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Social Behavior
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Geometry
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Stage
Fountain
Audience
Nodes Public Seating Event Space Restaurants / Cafes Stores / Shopes Hotels Monument Education Church
Piazza del Popolo, Orvieto, Italy 30
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Harmony of the urban environment has an inherent impact on the health of humanity itself. Through an assemblage of flows and nodes, a pattern is defined in a city and manifests itself in a harmonious way. The simultaneous interaction between humanity and the urban assemblage inspires the cultivation of a healthy urban environment, both physically and psychologically. Patterns can trigger a sense of harmony that the human brain can recognize, and in turn, create a sense of comfort. Triggering this sense of harmony through the implementation of patterns in public space draws humanity to it, creating a hub for interaction and the sharing of knowledge. 32
Psychologically well-received assemblages that support imagination encourage choice, movement, relaxation, and human interaction. With the integration of these concepts and an emphasis on harmonious public space, the urban assemblage can foster the growth of communities. Encouraging and supporting this growth allows for the interaction of people, and through this interaction, the sharing of knowledge and cultural values. This is a valuable component of the mental stability of a city as it encourages people to grow as individuals, as well as a society. As DeLanda discusses in his work, the assembly can be compared to an organism; the organism falls apart if one component is removed (9). 33
Through the context of DeLanda’s theory, the fragility of an assemblage’s success is exposed - it cannot be healthy if it does not promote the physical and mental health of its inhabitants. If one component is removed, the organism no longer functions. As DeLanda writes, the connectivity of a community provides for the intersection of life paths in an everyday environment. Public space is a crucial moment of this intersection because it allows for a location to be defined where ideas and cultural values are shared. It is within this public realm that societies can grow and exchange knowledge with one another.
These public realms are created and contained within an architectural edge and are dependent on the relationship between border and public arena. Public spaces are inherently successful because they are at the convergence of all flows. This organized assemblage of flows and nodes create permeability within the public realm.
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Piazza del Popolo, Orvieto, Italy
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“Towns where men are still curious of the old times, towns rich of theaters, squares, cafes, workshops, restaurants and spiritual places, towns with untouched landscapes and charming craftsman where people are still able to recognize the slow course of the Seasons and their genuine products respecting tastes, health and spontaneous customs...� Citta Slow
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CittaSlow Achieving a harmonious urban fabric provides the opportunity of the quality of life to be improved within a given city as it affects both the physical and mental health its inhabitants. A Cittaslow lifestyle allows communities to rediscover their identity, territories, and local culture through the promotion of dialog and communication between producers and consumers. Living a slower pace of life is an informed choice that can result in modern solutions to communication, transportation, production and selling.
Overall, Cittaslow strives for environmental conservation, the promotion of sustainable development, and the improvement of urban life. Moving forward with a more human centered approach to life, the project will “respect small realities in a more globally connected world” and give the soul back to local communities without the influence of globalization. CittaSlow celebrates the spirit of place, and the notion that physcal places can have soul.
Founded in 1999 in Orvieto, the headquarters of the movement, Cittaslow has now been expanded to 30 countries and over 252 cities. The city of Orvieto embodies the values enriched through the Cittaslow movement and can be seen in the community’s everyday life. Because the majority of restaurants and artisan shops produce food and goods with the use of local products, they are representative of the local territory.
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“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” Winston Churchill
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Flows & Nodes “Lowly, unpurposeful, and random as they may appear, sidewalk contacts are the small change from which a cities wealth of public life may grow.” Jane Jacobs “Flow” refers to movement through space. Be it on foot, by car, or on a train, the way people flow through the built environment is a pivotal part of its assemblage. . Nodes are hubs of activity and the main crossroads of travel. Between these nodes, pathways connect and control the flow of people. This heavily influences the way people experience and interact with the space around them.
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The Roman City Plan It is common that cities are organized on a grid. Buildings are arranged more or less in rectangular blocks, and streets and sidewalks run between them, meeting at right angles. This system creates a city plan that efficiently manages flows. Over 2000 years ago, this precedent was established by the Roman City Planing Diagram , and it is still followed today. These plans always included two main flows: the Cardo Maximus and the Decumanus Maximus. Running north to south, the Cardo Maximus often served as the main axis of the city as well as an economic and civic center; this thoroughfare would intersect with the primary east-west axis, the Decumanus Maximus, in a central location. The intersection formed a prominent circulation node—an interface in the network where paths converge.
Primary
The forum was often located at this overlap. These two primary axes formed an important navigational tool for the cities’ inhabitants and provided a means of orienting oneself. Serving as the main paths of travel, these streets were appropriately sized for large flows of people and accommodated the entrances to the city as well as the most important vendors and civic buildings. Both flow and commerce were concentrated on these two thoroughfares, facilitating travel and community.
The clear organizational hierarchy and simple efficiency of circulation in the Roman City Planning Diagram makes it relevant even in modern times, and the remnants of ancient Roman streets can still be experienced in cities throughout Europe.
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In the sectors formed by the intersection of the primary axes, secondary streets were planned in a grid formation to facilitate further permeability. Their width and prominence were often proportional to their frequency of use; this created a sense of privacy on smaller streets and signaled their usage to pedestrians.
Primary
Secondary
Secondary
Tertiary
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Orvieto, Italy
Nodes
Pedestrian Traffic
Vehicular Flow
Orvieto’s flow system is comprised of eleven primary nodes. This collection consists mostly of intersections and piazzas, in addition to entrances to the city and public transportation. Many of these nodes are strategically placed along the primary paths of the city - the remnants of the ancient Roman Cardo and Decumanus Maximus. Today, these streets are the primary flows throughout the city, and the nodes serve as the main crossroads of travel.
Walking and pedestrian movement is the primary form of flow the city. The main paths of pedestrian flow are concentrated along the Corso Cavour, which served as the Decumanus Maximus in ancient Roman times. Via del Duomo, running roughly north to south, serves as the other thoroughfare. Walking traffic also tends to congregate at the piazzas and intersections of main roads, as illustrated by the tan shading. The circles delineate the vertical circulation of pedestrian traffic: a funicular, an elevator, and escalators. These facilitate foot traffic to and from the hill.
Vehicular transportation is secondary in the city; most people travel on foot. However, , cars are permitted on certain streets in Orvieto, and the green lines outline the primary paths used for vehicular traffic. Many of the primary pedestrian thoroughfares do not permit vehicles, so the majority of car travel occurs around the perimeter of the city. Several parking lots, signaled by dots, are provided around the edge, allowing citizens to park and travel the rest on foot.
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Compression & Release Upon their creation, Roman streets were defined by prominent edges: the building facades that lined them. These hard barriers provided clear definition for the circulation space between them. Because of the narrowness of the roads and the proximity of the walls surrounding them, streets were defined spaces which compressed masses of people and funneled them through to their destinations. Vibrant socialization, trade, and movement took place in these confined spaces; however, their primary function was to transport humans from one place to another. 47
In order to maintain balance between both traveling and lingering behavior of pedestrians, relief must be provided from the compressive streets. This is where nodes and public spaces become imperative to the assemblage of city infrastructure. Strategically placed among the narrow streets of Roman plans are piazzas. These large public squares provide a much different expression of space compared to the narrow streets.
Building facades recede away as the space expands horizontally into a large open area. Piazzas often serve as gathering spaces for the community, as well as the convergence and overlap of many primary city routes. The rhythm and balance of transition between narrow streets and large open piazzas create the architectural phenomenon of compression and release.
Lower Area Fountain
1. Compression and Release
2. Nodes in Public Space
3. Overall Geometry of Piazza
Areas of Compression
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Compression and Release Park
Double-sided 3 Rectangle
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Compression
Nodes within Piazza
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Systems & Stratas “Beneath and beyond the stratas of function and structure, materials and texture, lie the deepest and most compulsive layers of all.� Charles Correa Systems are used to situate territories in space. There are five components that contribute to the system of formal relations: climate, structure, enclosure, public and private and served and service, and circulation. In the simplest sense, a system of structure must be implemented for any sort of assemblage to stand; however, the concept of systems is much deeper than the titles given to them. The integration and layering of these systems encompasses the in-between of all that makes up an assemblage.
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Sectionality At the basis of these systems is the strata, or the diagram for the utilitarian purpose within an assemblage. When comparing successful building sections, patterns begin to emerge as an effective method of territorial organization. The spaces have been organized in a manner that suggests a commercial level on the ground floor and more private or residential usage on the upper floors, allowing the diagram to become vertical in its dimension. In some instances, the property’s utilitarian section is placed underground. In this case, they contribute to deterritorialization by extending their interior commercial spaces outward into the public sector. This allows a dynamic relationship between living space, working space, and public space.
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The efficient integration of systems is an integral part of a successful urban assemblage. Public and private is the distinction of spatial usage and differentiation of territories; this system begins to delineate the organization of space. To physically define these territories, structure serves as support to the architectural assemblage. Climate encompasses energy use, as well as natural and geological elements, and the assemblage must mitigate the effects of climate on humanity. Enclosure provides this mitigation. It clothes the structure and creates protection from the elements. Permeating through the enclosure, circulation creates connection between differing physical and categorical territories.
Lingotto, Turin, Italy
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Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy
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Scanned with CamScanner
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Palazzo Il Campo, Sienna, Italy
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Multiscalar Relationships “When distance and convenience sets; the small, the various and the personal wither away.� Jane Jacobs
The urban assemblage consists of many complex parts, with each component existing at differing scales and interacting with one another. These multiscalar relationships are based on the assemblage of territories, the scales of which differ based on their functionalities and the aspects of human life within them. This suggests that all elements within a successful urban assemblage function first at the human scale, later combining and interacting at larger scales to form the whole.
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Territories According to DeLanda’s definition, territories create an assemblage that works to contribute to the whole (9) and can be compared to an organism fulfilling a certain function. He describes later that the elements that are incorporated in the framework of an assemblage “form a chorus that does not harmonize its different components but interlocks them while respecting their heterogeneity� (119). This suggests that each territory can form a successful assemblage at its individual scale
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while also contributing to the whole at a larger scale. Therefore, the function of an assemblage may be altered by a drastic change in the function of its parts. Because a city is operated by humans of the interiority, the entire dynamic of an urban assemblage can change based on the human activity within it.
Functionality Although territories perform different individual functions, they work together to form an assemblage and create its identity. Because the whole consists of smaller parts, the assemblage of the city never feels too grand for human occupation. Individual territories operate in unison to create assemblages that signal territorial usage at the human scale. Certain territories, however, operate at a larger scale. This suggests a place for gathering and is attributed to the public realm. The multiscalar relationship in the human scale can embody a vast range of territories that are all based on human activity. Territories differ based on the usage of the territory at the time. Whether comprised of physical territories or psychological ones, the groupings serve as extensions of the human scale, creating a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Activity operates at a multiplicity of scales, and this multiscalar relationship persists from the smallest facets of human life to the entirety of urban culture and identity.
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Psychology & Time The culmination of these formal relations assembles an ideal system for a sense of connectedness among humanity and the urban assemblage. This in turn promotes idea exchange and an overall sense of wholeness and beauty, emerging from the grouping of relations that form the shape of the city both physically and culturally. These concepts align with those of Manuel DeLanda, who states that his book is designed to “argue the merits of a non-reductionist approach, an approach in which every social entity is shown to emerge from the interactions among entities operating at a smaller scale.� He also suggests that each individual element ties into the larger scale; these multiscalar relations are crucial to creating a successful assemblage through the lens of the five previously discussed secrets: harmony of the whole, integration of multiscalar relationships, synthesis of systems and strata, efficient use of flows and nodes, and promotion of health and wellbeing. These themes operate in unison with each other in an effective assemblage, thus describing architecture as an event. Time is the key ingredient to this formula; it affects all things, including any assemblage and the procession of time and movement through space. This relationship ties the proceeding elements back to making an effective assemblage. For example, the movement through multiscalar elements can create a sense of compression and release, and systems and stratas can create a new sense of understanding. Time affects all things at a simultaneous rate, and it affects everything in a noticeable and meaningful way. Personal and architectural experiences impact humanity. Events cannot necessarily be perceived in space, but they can be noticed in changes to members of an assemblage; whether that is the way a building, product, or person changes throughout time. Humanity cannot physically perceive time flowing through things, but we quantify it linearly through seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc. However, they can identify it through architecture - as the event and culmination of moments to make an overall fulfilling and beautiful architectural experience. Of course a layer of subjectivity is involved in evaluating beauty, but an urban assemblage can be enjoyed thoroughly if all relations adhere to the idea of wholeness that contributes to the essence of a successful city.
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Credits & References Quotations Jacobs, Jane. Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York , NY: Random House, 1961: ( 72,111,238,448) Churchill, Winston. “House of Commons Rebuilding.” October 28, 1943. https:// api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1943/oct/28/house-of-commonsrebuilding. Bachi Karkaria. “Charles Correa: Conscience-Keeper of the Urban Skyline Rose above All: India News - Times of India.” The Times of India, June 8, 2015. https:// timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Charles-Correa-Conscience-keeper-of-the-urbanskyline-rose-above-all/articleshow/47713186.cms
“Philosophy.” Philosophy | Cittaslow International. Accessed November 4, 2019. http:// www.cittaslow.org/content/philosophy.
References DeLanda, Manuel De. A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity. London: Bloomsbury, 2013. Kwinter, Sanford. Architectures of Time: toward a Theory of the Event in Modernist Culture. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003. Kubler, George. The Shape of Time: Remarks on the History of Things. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008.
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Editors Avery Don Jacob Evraets Natalie Grimm Alex Kinnan Travis Surmeier Lauren Uhls Brooke Welle Prof. Torgeir Norheim Contributors Krishan Baniqued Maria Laura Vallejos Barriocanal Alejandro Dowling Parker Elliott Hudson Parris Augusto Scavone
In collaboration with Kansas State APDesign & Kansas State in Italy
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