i.FOREWORD
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Architecture has always been about the form. The form is the mass, shape and geometry that embodies the concept and idea of an architecture. It is the form in architecture that appeals and captures the eyes of the audience. It is the form in architecture that exhibits the first impression. Herein, I put forward the attitude of a formalist in architecture for the execution of my manifesto which is titled "Architecture Form-ology".
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Properties of Architectural Forms (from D.K. Ching's Form , Space and Order)
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As opposed to the endless debate between the two modernist and post-modernist architecture dictum of "Form Follows Function" or "Function Follows Form", I propose a new dictum and propaganda in architecture that is "Form Follows Form" and "Ideas Follows Ideas". The propaganda preaches the idea of Form-mimicry and Idea-mimicry that is noticeable in recent contemporary architecture projects. The aim of the propaganda is to manifest and improvise pre-existing architectural forms and ideas through analytical studies of existing architectural works. To further exemplify and substantiate the theory and propaganda of "Form Follows Form" and "Ideas Follows Idea", I will include examples of contemporary architecture in the latter chapters of my manifesto which shares resounding similarities to one another; in terms of the Form or the Idea.
ii.ARCHITECTURE FORMOLOGY
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"Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light. Our eyes are made to see forms in light; light and shade reveal these forms; cubes, cones, spheres, cylinders or pyramids are the great primary forms which light reveals to advantage; the image of these is distinct and tangible within us without ambiguity. It is for this reason that these are beautiful forms, the most beautiful forms."
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Three Reminders to Architect: Mass in Towards a New Architecture by Le Corbusier
Architects like Bernard Tschumi stresses on the idea that Concepts and Ideas should predate Form in architecture. Looking at Bernard Tschumi's manifesto titled "Architecture Concepts : Red is not a Colour", he came up with the maxim of "Concept-Form" which implies that the architecture form should be informed or influenced by the concept or idea. 9 Tschumi's Acropolis Museum is an example of this maxim where the concept of establishing a different relationship between the street grids and the orientation of the Pantheon has inspired the form of the architecture which is configured in the format of 3 volumetric stacked cubes that are oriented in different directions. 9
Acropolis Museum, Bernard Tschumi
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As opposed to architects like Bernard Tschumi who imposes that the architectural idea or concept should precede the form, I feel that the architecture form should precede the concept. An architect can establish an idea or a concept, but how does that idea or concept gets translated into the architecture form? How does the form reflect the proposed idea or concept? Hence the terms Form and Ideas in architecture denotes a constant dilemma to architects when designing. Who is to say which comes first; the form or the function or the idea? Should "Form Follows Function" or "Function Follows Form"? Let us deviate from this dilemma as I propose that in architectural design, we start out with a form that is based on a specific idea or concept. A form that is reflective of a form of another idea. "Form Follows Form". "Ideas Follows Idea".
iii.TRENDS IN ARCHITECTURAL FORMS
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Forms in contemporary architecture can be seen equivalent to trends in fashion designs. Bjarke Ingels of BIG architects whom call his approach to architecture in his manifesto (Yes is More) as "Pragmatic Utopianism" stated that the field of architecture has been historically dominated by two different design approaches; the avant-garde of wild ideas and the extremely pragmatic boxes. 5 The recent trends in contemporary architecture can still be seen categorize into that same two categories which is the Pragmatic Form or the Avant-garde Form.
The Pragmatic (Seagram Building by Mies) vs the Avant Garde (Ontario Museum by Libeskind)
The avant-garde in contemporary architecture can be viewed as a form of style or a type of 21st century architectural movement like the modernist movement in architecture during the 20th Century. Products by "Starchitects" like Zaha Hadid or BIG architects indefinitely falls into the category of the avant-garde. Architectural avant-gardes like Zaha Hadid has established themself as a form of branding that is similar to fashion brand like Chanel or Gucci. The spawning of cheap imitations or copies of branded objects like Chanel or Gucci is all too common. Now, the act of imitating is also noticeable in the field of architecture where the spawning of various look-alike building can be seen all over in different context.
Architecture Plagiarism: comparison between Meiquan 22nd Century Project and Wangjing SOHO
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During a TEDxTalks series by Daniel Libeskind, he mentioned that When I'm 11
designing, I think not just about an object, function or technological or even cultural but something that has to do with a memory". 7 Architectural forms are always reminiscent of something; be it a particular object or memory. The act of imitation or mimicry in architecture may be based on the conscious or the unconscious mind. I call this issue or approach in architecture as Form-mimicry. Antoine Picon suggested the return to the idea of Organicism or Biomimicry in the current digital age of architecture; using nature as a model and emulating the same principles that is governed by nature in digital architecture. 8 Form-mimicry is similar to this idea and that is to emulate a specific design approach to form-making in architecture.
iv.''FORM FOLLOWS FORM"
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Architecture is an Evolution of Forms; a Form of Evolution. Form follows Form.
The invention of the wheel by the Sumerians was based on the idea and concept of a mechanical device kno wn as the potter's wheel. The wheel was invented in order to aid the moving of heavy objects from one end to another. 1 Mankind has thus begun to improvise the idea and mechanics of the wheel through many generation of experimentations. The invention of the wheel has then sparked many other inventions like the gears in clockwork or the ferris wheel. 1 Architecture design process should be seen similar to the process of the evolution of the invention of the wheel. Much like Bjarke Ingels whom called his approach to design in architecture as an evolution of ideas rather than the revolution of an idea. 4
Evolution of the Sumerian's Wheel
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Therefore, while the modernist and post-modernist movement impose the dictum of "Form Follo ws Function" or "Function Follows Form" I impose the dictum of "Form follows Form" and "Idea follows Idea". It is a propaganda that suggest a mode of drawing ideas and inspirations from past or existing works and improvising it to fit a particular context. It is also a propaganda that preaches the understanding of design techniques used in contemporary architectural designs. Like Bernard Tschumi who acquired inspiration through analysis of film making techniques, the trends that are blooming in contemporary avant-garde architectural design can be seen as a form of techniques like the ones used in film-making. To understand this idea of" Form Follows Form" and the idea of the evolution of forms in avant-garde architectural designs, I shall use a few examples of recent contemporary architecture in the typology of the towers. The following images are a few examples of different tower done by different architects which is very similar to one another.
Rodovre Tower by BIG Architects (Left) and RT&O's The Capers (Right)
HSB Turning Torso by Santiago Calatrava (Left), Beach and Howe St. by BIG architects (Middle) and Contorted Cayan Tower by SOM
Max Reinhardts Hause Project by Peter Eisenman (Left), Beijing CCTV by OMA (Middle) and Keelung Harbor Service Building by Neil M.Denari (Right)
New Art Museum by SANAA (Left) and De Rotterdam by OMA (Right)
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Note the similarities shared amongst of these towers. All these towers are the products by different architects in different context yet they share a common typology. There is the Jagged Zig-Zag typology exhibited by the Rodovre Tower by BIG and The Capers by RT&O or the Shifted Volumetric Cubes typology exhibited by the New Art Museum by SANAA and De Rotterdam by OMA. As mentioned earlier, these typologies of form should be seen as a format of design techniques applied to a hypothetical vertical cuboid form. These wide arrays of design techniques seen in contemporary architecture form should then be studied and explored so that one could consciously apply these techniques in their future architectural endowment.
v. /DEAS FOLLOW IDEAS" 11
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Architecture is an Evolution of Ideas; an Idea of Evolution. Ideas follow Ideas.
Apart from Form-Mimicry, Idea-Mimicry is also prevalent in the field of architecture. In the figure below, let us observe the envelope of the two Decorat11
ed-sheds" by 2 different architects. Both projects implemented the exact same idea or technique of manipulating the fagade panels in order to create a faint image of the portrait of a person when viewed from afar.
Facade of BIG's Arlanda Hotel (Left) and ARM's Swanston Square (Right) 11
Rem Koolhaas' idea of the malleable ground surface in his Strategy of the Void" was depicted by an image of his hand lifting up the ground plane. In Peter Eisenman's Ten Canonica l Building", he compared Koolhaas' image to 11
another image depicted by Corbusier that featured the same idea which was Corbusier's hand pulling out the modular units of his Unite D' Habitation. 3
(Left) Rem Koolhaas Idea of the malleable surface (Right) Le Corbusier's idea of the modular
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The idea of the modular plugged-in apartment units by Le Corbusier might have also been the source of inspiration for Peter Cook's idea of the Plug-In City in which the idea of an urban environment where modular residential units would be "Plugged-in" to these giant mechanical infrastructures. 2
(Left) Le Corbusier's idea of the modular (Right) Peter Cook's Plug -in City
That image and idea of Le Corbusier's hand pulling out the ready-made apartments has continued to spawn new ideas in contemporary architecture such as the Project R6 by REX which was also depicted by an image of a hand manipulating the form of the building.
(Left) Le Corbusier's Concept Diagram for Unite D' Habitation, (Right) REX's Concept Diagram for Project R6
Bjarke Ingels of BIG architects embraces the idea of rec ycling or reusing architectural forms or ideas in his practice where he encourages the act of reusing old iterations of architectural models, which are archi ved in his office, for different future projects. The 'Ren' building by BIG in China, for example, was a reiteration of a previous scheme that was rejected by a different clientelle. 4
BIG Architects' models archive storage in their office
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This illustrates the point that architectural forms and ideas do not appear out of nowhere, they are the product of evolution of pre-existing architectural forms and ideas.
vi .AFTERWORD
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Thereon, in this competitive industry of architecture, should originality be taken into account in the design aspect? Mies Van der Rohe once stated that "It is better to be good than to be original". In my opinion, originality in architectural design is but an abstraction of its meaning as nothing should really be deemed as original. In short, architects or architectural students should learn to know their precedents before embarking on a project. To craft a beautiful architecture, we shall look at the propaganda of "Form follows Form" and "Ideas follows Ideas" in order to manifest ideas and inspirations from existing architectural projects and improvising the manifested ideas on a given context. The new and improved architecture that you would leave behind would then set the new benchmark for future architects and designers. Yet another sequel of "Form Follows Form" and "Ideas Follows Ideas". We shall treat design in architecture as an evolutionary process for the many generations to come.
END NOTES 1. Bradfield, J. 2013, The Invention of the Wheel: How Ancient Summerians Got Humanity Rollin'I, viewed 10/11/2014, http:// antiquity now.or gI 2013I0 8I 20I kids -bIo g -the -in ven ti on-of -the -whee I-how -the -an cien t-sumer ians -got -human ity -ro inI 11
2. Cook, P 2013, AD Classics: The Plug-In City/ Peter Cook, Archigram, viewed 10 November 2014, <http://www.archdaily.com/399329/ad-classics-the-p Iug-i n-city-peter-coo k-arc hig ram/>. 3. Eisenman, P2000, Strategies of the Void. Rem Koolhaas, Jussieu Libraries 1992 - 1993, Ten Canonical Buildings, Rizolli: New York. 4. Ingels, B 2009, Bjarke Ingels: 3 warp-speed architecture tales, onlinee video, 29 September, viewed 10 November 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v= 4AYE3w 5TWHs 5. Ingels, B 2009, Yes is More: An Archicomic on Architectural Evolution. Taschen. 6. Corbusier, L 1931, Towards a New Architecture, Dover Publications. 7. Libeskind, D 2012, Architecture is Language: Daniel Libeskind at TEDxDUBLIN, online video, 19 September, viewed 10 November 2014, https://www. you tu be. com/watch ?v=yEkDosanxG k 8. Picon, A 2013, "Digital Design Between Organic and Computational Temptations ", Architecture in Formation, 92-99. 9. Tschumi, B 2012, Architecture Concepts: Red is Not a Color. Rizolli International: USA.
IMAGES Properties of Architectural Forms (from "Form, Space and Order" by Francis, D.K.Ching) D.K.Ching, F. (2007) Form, Space and Order. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, inc.
Acropolis Museum, Bernard Tschumi, http ://www. icmc 14-smc 14. net/ven ues/acropo Iis-museum. htm I Seagram Building by Mies Van Der Rohe, http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110914/REAL_ESTATE/110919949/no-takers-for-49-stake-in-famed-seagram-bldg Ontario Museum by Daniel Libeskind, http://www. e-a re hitect. co. uk/i mag es/j pg s/to ro nto/roya l_o nta rio_museum_daniellibeskind010507_11.jpg Architecture Plagiarism: comparison between Meiquan 22nd Century Project and Wangjing SOHO, http://www.designboom.com/architecture/pirates-ai m-fo r- the-star-ch itects-i n-ch ina/ Evolution of the Sumerian's Wheel, http://antiquitynow.org/2013/0 8/2 O/ki ds-b log-the-i nvention-of -the -whee I-how -the -an cien t-sumer ians -got -human ity -ro inI 11
Rodovre Tower by BIG Architects, http://www.big.dk RT&O's The Capers, http://www.rtnq.com/the_capers.html
HSB Turning Torso by Santiago Calatrava, http ://www. e-arc hitect. co. uk/wp-co ntent/u ploads/201 0/0 3/tu rning-to rso-sweden .j pg Beach and Howe St. by BIG architects, http ://www. dezeen. co m/201 3/0 6/18/twisted-skyscrapers-rou nd up/ Contorted Cayan Tower by SOM, http ://www. dezeen. co m/201 3/0 6/18/twisted-skyscrapers-rou nd up/ Max Reinhardts Haus Project by Peter Eisenman, http ://afasiaarq. bIogspot. co m/2011/09/pete r-ei sen man. htm I Beijing CCTV by OMA, http ://www. ctb uh. org/T al IBui Id ings/Featu redT al IBui Id ings/ Ar ch iveJo urnal/CCTVH eadq uartersBeij ing/tab id/3 322/1 ang uage/e n-G B/Defau It. aspx Keelung Harbor Service Building by Neil M. Denari, http ://www. archdai ly. co m/2 746 87/keel ung-harbo r-service-b uilding-n ei I- m-denari-arch itects/ New Art Museum by SANAA, http ://www. desig nyo urway. net/b log/i nsp iratio n/2 0-m useums-that-are-fine-architectural-exam pIes/ De Rotterdam by OMA, http: //www. dezeen. co m/tag/rotterdam/
BIG's Arlanda Hotel, http://www.big.dk/#projects ARM's Swanston Square, https://urbanmelbourne.info/projects/melbo urne/swansto n-sq uare-5 51 -swan sto n-street -carlto n Rem Koolhaas idea of the malleable surface &Le Corbusier's idea of the modular, Eisenman, P. Ten Canonical Building 1950-2000 Peter Cook's Plug-in City, http://www.archdaily.com/399329/ad-classics -the -pIug-in-city -peter -coo k-arc higram I Le Corbusier's Concept Diagram for Unite D' Habitation, http://www.architakes.com/?p=1687 REX's Concept Diagram for Project R6, http://www.designboom.com/architectu re/rex -arch itectu re-project -r6-yon gsan-i nternati on al-bu si ness-d istrict/ BIG Architects' models archive, https ://www. yo utu be. co m/watc h'7v=4AYE3w5TWH s