TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
The Houses of Parliament, London Truthfulness in Architecture Redefined
Y1S2 2021 TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
Abstract: From the Enlightenment of Laugier to the Industrial Age of Pugin, there is a shift in ideologies with regards to what is deemed as good architecture. Their approaches to rationalism is slightly different, with Pugin focusing on the ‘character’ of architecture, its aesthetics, ethical and religious, while Laugier was mainly focused on the structural purity of the architecture. However, since the former is a development of the latter, parallels can be drawn from the simple planning, functional appropriateness and structural rationality of the Houses of Parliaments, to that of Laugier’s initial taxonomies of order and solidity. With the aid of a religious and moral compass, Pugin was able to demonstrate a similar, if not, higher level of clarity and systematic application than that of Laugier. Despite the stylistic constraints of the design of the Houses of Parliament, this essay aims to study the developments of Laugier’s Principles of True Architecture and that it is not limited to Classicism or specific in style. But rather the essence of truthfulness is understood and internalised by Pugin, and later on expressed through the precedent of the Houses of Parliament.
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
Introduction: The 19 Century London saw severe income disparity arising from the industrial revolution, triggering social unrest. The illness in the people and also in the government. George IV and his leaders were corrupted and lavish on taxpayers’ money on Georgian architecture and the Napoleonic wars. The decay of English Architecture arouse from the highly deceptive classical styled edifices, where long facades, stucco fronts and false columns were used as cover up, mocking the visual literacy of the public of that period. Such falsifications also reflected the King and his Court. Frivolous, foolish, spendthrift, Pugin saw these architecture as the moral degeneracy of the leadership in London. As such when most of the Palace were destroyed by fire in 1834, it was the best time to bring about change in the reformation of social values through the work of architecture that will stand the test of time. The Houses of Parliament was designed by Sir Charles Barry and A.W.N Pugin in 1840. Together with Sir Charles Barry’s Classical inclination in the general arrangement of the building1 and the Gothic structural purity of Pugin, irregularities of the site2 and the informal grouping of the towers and skyline3 are able to be resolved and eloquently generate the Picturesque. Barry was rational while Pugin induced a moral vision in the Houses of Parliaments. Pugin saw architecture as a powerful tool, given the difference in morality of styles and could potentially reform society. Pugin saw the grandeur and sublime virtues of
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Fletcher, B., Cruickshank, D., Saint, A., Blundell Jones, P. and Frampton, K., 1996. Sir Banister Fletcher's A history of architecture. 20th ed. London: Architectural Press, p.1092. 2 Barry, Alfred. 2011. The Life And Works Of Sir Charles Barry, R.A., F.R.S., &C. &C. London : J. Murray. p.237. 3 Fletcher, B., Cruickshank, D., Saint, A., Blundell Jones, P. and Frampton, K., 1996. Sir Banister Fletcher's A history of architecture. 20th ed. London: Architectural Press, p.1100.
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
Medieval Churches, capable of triggering emotions and strive for the sole purpose of worshipping God. Honesty demonstrated through revelations of its structural mysteries and the purity of faith, administrative to the soul, reflects his personal ethics and values in designing. Pugin’s pursuit for an architecture of truth, through the Gothic Revival Style, will be seen in the Houses of Parliament.
Simple Logical Principles Simplicity in planning and construction of the Primitive Hut by Laugier, can be seen in the ingenious planning of the lucid hierarchies differentiating between public, private areas and the grandeur4 of the Houses of Parliament. While Laugier offered simplicity through a reduction of building components to the fundamental column, entablature and pediment, Pugin has internalised simplicity as a mode of organisation, with form as it’s resultant. With separate entrances to predetermined nodes, Barry devised the circulation to be exclusive and specific to user. (Image 1)
Image 1: Plan of the Houses of Parliament
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Ching, Frank, Mark Jarzombek, and Vikramaditya Prakash. 2017. A Global History Of Architecture. p.643.
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
Furthermore, the seamless link of the three courts allows Queen Victoria to see the speaker of the commons 450 feet away. This clear and simple organisational axis is powerful in translating the idea of a reformed system of transparent leadership, where there is greater collaboration between the Lords and Commons to build a better nation.
Appropriateness to Function Just as the entrance of a great city ought to be decorated to have an air of magnificence and greatness5, the Royal Entrance (Image 2) also has an elaborated design, to bring about the grandeur and respect for royalties. The dichotomy of ornamentations and the appropriateness to function was well articulated and balanced by Pugin as he sees the importance of function and purpose as a key design principle by Laugier. Doors are panelled with tracery, and the margins externally enriched with a continuous band of delicately wrought quatrefoils.6 The wide staircase coupled with craftsmanship of design is not superfluous. Since the Victorian Tower is a place to welcome the Royals, such extravagant designs are necessary and fitting to the function, keeping in line with the appropriateness of form to function. The Architecture hence has an important role to play to compliment the spaces’ function and enhance the quality it intends to express.
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Laugier, Marc Antoine, and Samuel Wale. 1755. An Essay On Architecture. London: Printed for T. Osborne and Shipton. p.240. 6 Barry, H. T Ryde, J Johnson, George Somers Clarke, and John Thomas. 1849. Illustrations Of The New Palace Of Westminster.. London: Warrington & Son, 27, Strand. Simpkin, Marshall & Co. p.179.
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
Image 2: Royal Entrance
Legibility of Civic Function and Aesthetic Clarity Just as the Primitive Hut clearly conveys the idea of shelter, Laugier views good architecture as having a clear reason and articulation. Barry changed his original flat roof to a pitched one to make this a fireproof palace, fitting for the future. The new pitched roof with cast iron slates, coupled with the design of the heating system, created bays divided from each other by hexagonal buttresses , terminating in open pinnacles, crocketted, and having gilded metal vanes7 for air circulation. (Image 3a & 3b) This practicality gave a more Picturesque skyline than it first been imagined, to encompass the strong romantic tradition and sensibility within the building. The adoption of this ‘modern’ construction technique as opposed to the masonry brick method shows the embracement of the Industrial Revolution. Structures that are efficient and have the potential to strive for new heights articulates a clear
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Barry, H. T Ryde, J Johnson, George Somers Clarke, and John Thomas. 1849. Illustrations Of The New Palace Of Westminster.. London: Warrington & Son, 27, Strand. Simpkin, Marshall & Co. p.231.
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
message to the public and its’ users that as they move to a new age of scientific discovery, they still hold firmly to the roots of Gothic truthfulness. This not only is an aesthetical beauty pleasing to the eye, nor purely functional, but one that suggests greater reverence to God. Leveraging on the fact that the Houses of Parliament will be a national monument and a symbol for the United Kingdom, Pugin is trying promote a moral society guided by faith like of that of the Middle Ages, one that is God-Centred. This also marks Pugin’s divergence away from Laugier’s definition of truth in architectonics and nature, to pursuit for a higher purpose. One which concerns the spirit and evoking conscience into design.
Image 3a: Façade of Westminister Palace
Image 3b: Air Ventilation to the Houses of Lords
Pure Geometric Expression - In planning or forms Laugier mentioned in his essay that we should occasionally “abandon symmetry, to throw ourselves into the low and singular: Let us mix agreeably the soft with the hard, the delicate with the rugged, the noble with the rustic, without deviating from
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
the true and natural.”8 This seemingly conflicting ideas, is successful in the case for the Houses of Parliament, as the classical balance of horizontals and verticals across the façade (image 4), complements the asymmetry of the plan.
Image 4: East Elevation of the Houses of Parliament
Perhaps, such a juxtaposition of form apparent in the Neo-Gothic style can almost be accredited to a natural human predication. The idea of a multi-layered and sensorial experience is necessary to satisfy the psychological needs. Even in Chinese Gardens, it is apparent that the hardness of the rocks on the soft grass field, generates the resultant harmonious landscape that is pleasing to the eyes. Hence, to say that Pugin adopted Laugier’s idea of mixing contrasting elements is not entirely true as it might be Pugin’s own intuition to compose the Houses of Parliament in an asymmetrical manner.
Structural Purity – clarity and ‘honesty’ of structural system or expression of structure/materials Respecting the ‘perfection’ of Greek Architecture, Laugier argued that true beauty and honesty is derived from the essential parts and if ‘added there to by caprice,
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Laugier, Marc Antoine, and Samuel Wale. 1755. An Essay On Architecture. London: Printed for T. Osborne and Shipton. p.255.
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
consist all the defects.’9 This shows that Laugier was critical about the ‘transparency’ of structure, where structural mysteries are not hidden away from the public’s eye, but embraced in an ingenious way. Following the Chapel of Henry VII, Perpendicular Gothic Architecture was self-consciously employed in the structure and aesthetics of the Houses of Parliament. In maximizing the window space to bring maximum light in, tracery and lacework to explicitly show that the large rectilinear windows (Image 5) are in fact composed our of smaller parts. The highly articulated fan and ribbed vaults (Image 6 & 7) exposes the gravity defying mysteries.
Image 5: Large Rectilinear windows
Image 6: Fan Vaults
Image 7: Ribbed Vaults at St Stephens Entrance
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Laugier, Marc Antoine, and Samuel Wale. 1755. An Essay On Architecture. London: Printed for T. Osborne and Shipton. p.12.
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
Through the use of lines to accentuate the process of construction, Pugin developed his own way of interweaving his structural magic with clues that at first glance might look ornamental, but essential in explaining to people how these forms are made. Just as how excess materials should not be used to cover up joints or deformities, nothing is hidden in the presence of Pugin. This in fact also lay the foundation of the understanding truthful architecture for Pugin and put Pugin on equal levels with Laugier for their interest in structural purity.
Lightness - Of structure and interior space/quality of light Laugier argued that ‘Day-light should be of advantage’ to the architect10. He understood the importance of brining elements of nature into an architecture space. Sunlight was emphasised in Barry’s work where an internal spine, allows for a special sovereign’s entrance at the southeast corner of the building, is buffered by various open-air courts that allowed light into various rooms.11 Relatively more public rooms like, offices and libraries are arranged along the façade facing the River Thames to receiving most sunlight. This shows that Pugin understands how light behaves and its power as an atmospheric quality. It is not entirely certain that Pugin’s intention for bringing light in is similar to the nature-driven one by Laugier, but the intricate move committed by Pugin would surely delight Laugier. Beyond addressing literal light, Laugier suggests ‘a height and lightness equal to our most beautiful Gothic churches’.12 , where beauty comes in the form of a structural
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Laugier, Marc Antoine, and Samuel Wale. 1755. An Essay On Architecture. London: Printed for T. Osborne and Shipton. p.157. 11 Ching, Frank, Mark Jarzombek, and Vikramaditya Prakash. 2017. A Global History Of Architecture. p.643. 12 Laugier, Marc Antoine, and Samuel Wale. 1755. An Essay On Architecture. London: Printed for T. Osborne and Shipton. p.177.
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
lightness. The medieval timber hammer roof of the Westminster Hall (Image 8) firmly anchors onto the wall on one end and an angel carved on the other, allowing a span of 68 feet, without vertical supports rising from the floor. Making this an engineering miracle. Ornaments in this Gothic Architecture are not to cover any defect13, but to provide enrichment to essential construction of the building14. The ornament of the angel was not decorative, but all part of a single structural system. From the back of the angel, rises a vertical post (Image 9) that spans to a pointed arch, covering the centre portion of the whole. This goes beyond the structural logic, as the ornaments served as a metaphor that signifies the presence of God and His angels. Lifting up the place and creating an illusion of Gothic structural lightness.
Image 8: Westminister Hall
Image 9: Construction details of Westminister Hall
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Laugier, Marc Antoine, and Samuel Wale. 1755. An Essay On Architecture. London: Printed for T. Osborne and Shipton. p.53. 14 PUGIN, A. WELBY. 1841. TRUE PRINCIPLES OF POINTED OR CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. London, J. Weale. p.13.
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
The Crystal Palace Regardless of style, there was a tendency to emphasize on the solidity of architecture. The pursuit for the truth and clarity of architecture since the 18 Century is brought forth to iron, where a shift from the decorative treatment to the distinctive structural properties of materials is seen in the development of Conservatory, Carlton House (1811-1812) (Image 10) to Crystal Palace of 1851. (Image 11)
Image 10: Conservatory, Carlton House
Image 11: Crystal Palace
It is critical to note that across time, Laugier, Pugin, and Paxton all have varied definitions of what is ‘honest’ and ‘truthful’ architecture. For Laugier, truth is in purifying the practice by revealing the earthly presence and natural laws, something that the public generally are ignorant of. For Pugin, truth is exemplifying moral character and virtue. For Paxton, truth can be encompassed within the tectonics of the architecture. Despite the different approaches, they all have a similar intention for designing truthful architecture. Paxton’s thorough understanding of the construction and assembly of Conservatories has allowed him to exploit effective production processes, thereby utilising a modular approach to manifest into a huge complex. Structural truths were also demonstrated through the use of wrought-iron, normally ornamental, but now used as a horizontal girder support, and the intricacies of detailing which often is 11
TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
misinterpreted as ornamentation. However, examining deeper, one can see the use of joints that on surface level, appears ornamental, but structurally necessary. On the other hand, Pugin’s construction of the Houses of Parliaments with stone masonry stands in contrasts with the surrounding ‘dishonest’ buildings with falsified stucco façade. The ‘ornamentations’ of fan-like filigrees and vaults are no less than a way of striving for a more intense Perpendicular structure as a form of reverence. Here, Pugin makes the bold statement of an honest political space. While the Parliament was a place of transparency and upright morals, the Crystal Palace expresses the true purpose of satisfying consumerist desires, through materiality of glass and iron. Both buildings were different in approaches, with an emphasis on Perpendicular Gothic verticality and a neutral backdrop respectively, due to the unique typologies of the spaces. However, they hold true to their purpose and intention for revolutionizing and sparking change. As time goes, technology improves and our understanding for Laugier’s concepts have to be contextualised in our own context. As much as Pugin himself criticised the Crystal Palace as the “Crystal Hambug”- a place which lacks meaning and reason, I strongly believe that Paxton designed with upmost honesty and demonstrated clarity in his intentions. This misinterpretation by Pugin is likely due to his misunderstandings of the demands of the project and a new occurrence of the new typology of Exhibition buildings, where construction has to be ‘under twelve months… cheap, but also to provide for the display of goods, and the convenient circulation of visitors’15.
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Shears, Jonathon. The Great Exhibition, 1851: A Sourcebook. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2017. p42
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
The cultural aspect of the Crystal Palace is also perhaps overlooked by Pugin. The shift from a stereotomic tripartite arrangement and scale of the Houses of Parliament to a tectonic, filigree-manifested Crystal Palace, shows how architectonics addresses the cultural requirements of each building. The non-heirarchical ‘container’ of the Crystal Palace is to show the power of various nations, so the building becomes a backdrop. While the Houses of Parliament emphasises on craft to flaunt the essence of Britain. Hence, we see different approaches undertaken by each architect. Indeed, fragments of Laugier and Pugin are evident even as the mode of construction changes. We see the transition of methodologies in terms of expressing their civic function as they adapt to the modes of production at their time.
Conclusion The Houses of Parliament serves as a testament to the social and cultural reformation of the 19th Century Britain. The power of architecture is seen to be constantly evolving since Laugier introduced his principles of true architecture. Importing a new terminology of structural truth, developed in France and Italy into the English-speaking world, Pugin was the first to link Gothic Architecture with truth by contrasting the honest architecture of the Medieval times and atrocities of falsification in his time. The building also goes beyond the Natural Origins of Laugier’s principles as concepts of simplicity and pragmatism were abstracted and reimagined in a Gothic Revivalist manner. The realisation of many of Laugier’s ideas evident in the Houses of Parliament, can be seen as a stepping stone for further interpretations of truth and honest architecture, like John Ruskin, William Morris and even Viollet-le-Duc.
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TOH EU JUIN | A0216178B AR2222 FINAL ESSAY | THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON
List of Illustrations: Image 1: Barry, Alfred. 2011. The Life And Works Of Sir Charles Barry, R.A., F.R.S., &C. &C.. [Place of publication not identified]: London : J. Murray. p.238. Image 2: Barry, H. T Ryde, J Johnson, George Somers Clarke, and John Thomas. 1849. Illustrations Of The New Palace Of Westminster.. London: Warrington & Son, 27, Strand. Simpkin, Marshall & Co. p.183. Image 3a: Barry, H. T Ryde, J Johnson, George Somers Clarke, and John Thomas. 1849. Illustrations Of The New Palace Of Westminster.. London: Warrington & Son, 27, Strand. Simpkin, Marshall & Co. p.233. Image 3b: Henrik Schoenefeld. 2014. “Architectural and Scientific Principles in the Design of the Houses of Parliament.” Figure - Uploaded by Henrik Schoenefeld. Henrik Schoenefeld. 2014. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/fig17_260417709. Image 4: "AD Classics: Palace Of Westminster / Charles Barry & Augustus Pugin". 2021. Archdaily. https://www.archdaily.com/789671/ad-classics-palace-ofwestminster-houses-of-parliament-london-uk-charles-barry-and-augustus-pugin. Image 5: Barry, H. T Ryde, J Johnson, George Somers Clarke, and John Thomas. 1849. Illustrations Of The New Palace Of Westminster.. London: Warrington & Son, 27, Strand. Simpkin, Marshall & Co. p.57. Image 6: Barry, H. T Ryde, J Johnson, George Somers Clarke, and John Thomas. 1849. Illustrations Of The New Palace Of Westminster.. London: Warrington & Son, 27, Strand. Simpkin, Marshall & Co. p.221. Image 7: "Palace Of Westminster | Isolated Traveller". 2021. Isolated Traveller. https://www.isolatedtraveller.com/palace-of-westminster/. Image 8: "AD Classics: Palace Of Westminster / Charles Barry & Augustus Pugin". 2021. Archdaily. https://www.archdaily.com/789671/ad-classics-palace-ofwestminster-houses-of-parliament-london-uk-charles-barry-and-augustus-pugin. Image 9: Westminster Hall, plan and details. 2021. "Westminster Hall, Palace Of Westminster, London: Section, Plan And Details | RIBA". Ribapix. https://www.architecture.com/image-library/RIBApix/imageinformation/poster/westminster-hall-palace-of-westminster-london-section-plan-anddetails/posterid/RIBA81446.html. Image 10: Trust, National. 2021. "The Interior Of The Conservatory, Carlton House, London 22291.16". Nationaltrustcollections.Org.Uk. http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/22291.16. Image 11: "AD Classics: The Crystal Palace / Joseph Paxton". 2021. Archdaily. https://www.archdaily.com/397949/ad-classic-the-crystal-palace-joseph-paxton.
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