Conceptualisation
Fallingwater Pennsylvania
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright is the father of modern architecture. His philosophical concepts defined the future and direction that architecture has taken over the last seventy years. Introducing the philosophy of ‘organic’ architecture, Wright believed in creatsing a relationship between a structure and the natural environment. He strongly believed that nature had a plethora of untapped knowledge that could dictate how structures are formed. Wright argues that like nature there should be as many styles of houses as there are kinds of people. Though organic architecture was the overarching philosophy there was the freedom within it to create or utilised your own artistic expression. However, with this freedom there is also an importance of not allowing individual elements to shine at the expense of the structure as a whole. These concepts were a large step away from the structure and ruling of previous architectural eras such as Neoclassicm and Gothic Revival. Nature has an innate ability to continually perfect its form. Through this natural process Wright transferred this concept into his architecture ensuring that like nature every element of his design was deliberate and contained a purpose.
1935
Fallingwater is one of Wright’s most renowned architectural pieces. Today, it is currently a National Historic Landmark that is still functional as a holiday house as well as an architectural museum. Through the form, planning, materiality and even down to the colour scheme, Wright was able to create a piece of artwork that most illustrated his philosophy of organic architecture. Being situated adjacent to a waterfall, the design mimics a rock face with which a waterfall cascades from. This integration of the structure into the natural environment allows the beauty of the site to not be overshadowed by human intervention. Even the materials and colour schemes utilised related to the structures natural site therefore creating this organic flow between inside and outside. It was important as part of Wright’s philosophy to ensure that all the elements surrounding and within the structure related to one another and more importantly, had a purpose.
The Crystal Palace
Hyde Park, London The Industrial Revolution brought into the world many new technologies that has helped shaped and developed the way we construct today. The introduction of cast iron as a structural material, a whole new world of possibilities opened up. Along with cast iron, plate glass was slowly being perfected and the introduction of mass production of these two main materials helped bring to fruition Joseph Paxton’s grand design.
Joseph Paxton
1851
Ultimately being a large glass box there were major heat issues. Paxton’s ingenious usage of shades and louvers helped determine heat transfer and temperature control, especially during the exhibition when thousands of people would populate the structure. Being a temporary structure, the construction process also involved creating flexible connections for the Exhibition structure however; alterations were made in its rebuilding at Sydenham Hill.
The 1851 Great Exhibition was held in Hyde Park, London. The manufacturing exhibition was Inspired by the greenhouse, set to celebrate the new techPaxton developed this design nologies from around the world. highlighting the materiality and its impressiveness. The Through the use of large plate framing contained a variety of glass panels and cast iron patterning and repetition that framing, the structure with has inspired other great monuwhich the exhibition would take ments such as the Eifel Tower place was dubbed the Crystal and the Bibliothek Nationale in Palace. The structure was the Paris. This geometric patternfirst of its kind and displayed ing primarily contains rectilinear the revolutionary technologies surfaces however, this could be that had been developed. translated into various other repetitive shapes. The planning of the structure resembled the major architectural concept of form following function. The planning and form of the structure was based upon the set sizing of the plate glass.
A2. Design Computation
Over the past fifty years there has been an expansive relationship between technology and architecture. Previously focused upon the production process computing however, has also greatly impacted the architectural design process. It has provided a vast array of avenues for customisation and development of new and more advanced structures. This growing sophistication has not only provided new and innovative ways for designing but also provided performance reviews of potential designs.
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, new construction materials have evolved and developed. Technologies have provided outlets where new materials are discovered and how present materials could potentially manipulated. With computing today, there is a greater understanding of materiality through performance designs.
Ultimately, computational techniques in the architectural industry have provided problem solvers with quick, efficient and more innovative solutions to the Computation provides methworld of architecture. Through ods of analysing and solving these innovative practices, architectural dilemmas once architects have been provided inconceivable. As computerised with a plethora of opportunity design software relies heavin displaying the endless posily on the logical associations sibilities that architecture could between elements within its travel towards. system it, has highlighted the importance of every element providing purpose to the overall design of a structure. Understanding the relationship each element of a design concept helps reduce the uncertainty of its performance. Through the reduction of uncertainty, more innovative structures are being built without the hindrance of them once simply being just an unimaginable idea.