Architecture is basically the design of buildings, that is the whole building not just the external decoration of the surfaces as many think.
The best definition I have heard is :-
Architecture is a language. To use a language you need to understand words, the grammar, punctuation and composition. If the architect is good they can create poetry.
The composition of a building that can be called architecture follows the same aesthetic principles as does a composition of paintings, sculpture, music, dance, drama and literature.
I believe that good architecture is an honest expression of the structure and function of the building.
The structure should be the architecture as it is in the older Gothic Cathedrals like Westminster Abbey which was the most advanced technology of the time..
The later Gothic Cathedrals had surface decoration stuck over the structure that hid the beautiful lines of this honest method of construction. Later generations thought that these buildings were beautiful because of the ornate surface decoration and lost the truth of it all.
Christopher Wren when he designed St. Pauls Cathedral in London found that flying buttresses were required to support the dome from spreading the structure below. He built walls with fake windows to hide these flying buttresses which to me is bad architecture. I would have thought “ this system of construction is not working with the architecture” and looked for an honest solution to the problem. If the design concept requires structural solutions that are incompatible with the architectural design then the architect should question his design concept..
I am an architect who loves the expression of the structure. If a structure is designed with the utmost simplicity and pure logic using an uninhibited sense of pure aesthetics then it is architecture even if it is a bridge.
To create a work of architecture the building has to be designed using the principles of good design.
Most people who see a successful work of architecture respond to it and like it, if they are not too prejudiced by misleading conditioning. When they build they will copy the Elements of the design they like and wonder why their building falls short of the one they copied. The reason is that Elements of a design have to be composed in accordance with good design principles. Although many a good design has been created by not conforming to accepted principles you will find that their Elements have been arranged in relationships using methods like unity, harmony, contrast, proportions and repetition.
A good example of this has been Georgian Buildings. A well designed Georgian Building has certain proportions specific to Georgian buildings which is the relationship between the height and width of the building, the windows and doors and the panes of glass in the windows. Many people have seen a well designed Georgian building, liked it and asked their builder to build them one the same. They give the builder the layout and room sizes they want not understanding that they have not complied with the usual Georgian proportions. The result is a mishmash of an unpleasant arrangement of Georgian elements often of the wrong proportions. The owners then wonder why their house is not as good as the one they copied. As I have previously mentioned, although I consider Georgian architecture to be good from a pure aesthetic aspect I believe that it is not relevant to today and especially not relevant to Australian conditions.
Most people are being mislead about the meaning of ‘Good Proportions’. When a real estate agent says “this building has good proportions” he erroneously means that it is BIG. The true meaning of ‘Good Proportions’ is that the height in relation to the width and in relation to the depth are pleasing.
In the nineteenth century some artists/scientists tried to define the best proportions for a rectangle. They studied all of the best works of art and architecture as decided by history and found that the proportions were all close to a relationship of length to width or to height was one to one point six one eight (1:1.618). They named it the ‘Golden Mean Rectangle.
It can be geometrically constructed by drawing a square, place your compass point at the centre of the bottom side, draw an arc from the top corner through ninety degrees, join the bottom side with the end of the arc and this is the length of the Golden Mean Rectangle. This Golden Mean Rectangle can also be sub-divided by using the ratio of 1:1.618. Personally I attempt to use these proportions as a general guide when painting, sculpting or designing buildings.
Architecture is a particularly difficult ‘Fine Art’ because it has to be functional , practical and structurally sound as well as having to comply with a myriad of planning and building regulations some of which are not practical or functional.
Architects are lucky to get commissioned to design a building in which they have the freedom to apply in total their design skills to the best of their ability. There is usually far too many constraints imposed by their client’s preconceived ideas of what they perceive as good design. There are always the limitations imposed by the budget, by rules and regulations, by the site and by town planning controls.
A great architect like Frank Lloyd Wright would not undertake to design a building unless his client gave him the freedom to design it his way. Most architects have to be more humble because they need to get a steady flow of work to finance the cost of running their practice and so have to take on work although most of their clients have stupid usually currently fashionable ideas about design. The result is that architects seldom get the opportunity to do work to the best of their skills.
The process of constructing architecture is BUILDING.
Architects need to know the process of building because that is their medium. Many don’t.
When filling out forms at the age of 13 before starting high school and answering the question ‘what career path do you want to take?’ right near the top of the list was Architect;
I did not know what an architect was or what they did. These days it would be unusual if a 13 year old did not know what an architect is but, unless they had a parent who is an architect, they would not know what they do except that they draw plans. Lawyers think that is all that architects do.
The public generally is not aware of the services that an architect can offer nor the advantages that can be gained by having a building designed and the construction administered by an architect.
Perhaps some of my adventures in the building industry will illustrate ‘what an architect does’ in addition to being able to design buildings.
When I started working at Hassell and McConnell in 1954, architects for the buildings they designed, were still in control of the building process as was Sir Christopher Wren when he built St. Paul’s Cathedral in London in the sixteen hundreds.
The services that an architect can provide, if he has adequate training, are:
Advise on selection of a site
Consultation and advice on the needs of the Client
Advice on the budget for building
Design of the project building or buildings, landscaping and services. (to fit the budget)
Interior Design
Co-ordinating specialist consultants, if any.
Advice on the most appropriate building contract to use
Preparation of contract drawings, specifications and schedules.
CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION; - Generally consists of the following:-
Calling for tenders for the construction
Advice on the selection of a builder and sometimes sub-contractors
Fill in the contract form and guide the client on the selection of best choices for the project,
Make regular inspections of the building and issue instructions to the builder.
Evaluate progress payments on a monthly basis and issue Progress Payment Certificates to the builder (copy to the client)
Issue a ‘Contract Variation Order’ to the builder for every change to the building whether caused by the client or by conditions or by the architect. A contract variation order will often cause a change to the completion date and or the contract sum.
Maintain a schedule of : Architect’s Instructions, Contract Variation Orders and Progress Payments certified.
Organize regular site meetings and keep minutes. (or you may instruct the builder to do this.).
Keep the client informed.
Issue a certificate of completion only if you have to (with caution).
[Some court judgements have created a precedent that basically goes ‘If the architect has issued a certificate of completion then he has guaranteed that the building has been constructed exactly in accordance with not only the contract but all regulations and rules which is an unreasonable thing to expect unless they have been the “superintendant in the proper sense”].
Keep a list of defects that become noticed during the Defects Liability Period. Some may have to be fixed immediately others should wait until near the end of the liability period.
Those defects that interfere with the function of the building have to be corrected immediately others are better left until the end of the defects liability period because they may deteriorate during that time.
I believe that the architect should brief the specialists consultants such as structural, civil, electrical, hydraulic and mechanical engineers and give them direction as to the way the architect wants it done to suit his architecture. Many architects today think that by doing that they are taking on the responsibility that should be the consultants but I believe that by correct wording of the brief the responsibility rests with the consultants.
INTERIOR OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH – ALICE SPRINGS 1983
The best definition I have heard is :-
Architecture is a language. To use a language you need to understand words, the grammar, punctuation and composition. If the architect is good they can create poetry.
The composition of a building that can be called architecture follows the same aesthetic principles as does a composition of paintings, sculpture, music, dance, drama and literature.
I believe that good architecture is an honest expression of the structure and function of the building.
The structure should be the architecture as it is in the older Gothic Cathedrals like Westminster Abbey which was the most advanced technology of the time..
The later Gothic Cathedrals had surface decoration stuck over the structure that hid the beautiful lines of this honest method of construction. Later generations thought that these buildings were beautiful because of the ornate surface decoration and lost the truth of it all.
Christopher Wren when he designed St. Pauls Cathedral in London found that flying buttresses were required to support the dome from spreading the structure below. He built walls with fake windows to hide these flying buttresses which to me is bad architecture. I would have thought “ this system of construction is not working with the architecture” and looked for an honest solution to the problem. If the design concept requires structural solutions that are incompatible with the architectural design then the architect should question his design concept..
I am an architect who loves the expression of the structure. If a structure is designed with the utmost simplicity and pure logic using an uninhibited sense of pure aesthetics then it is architecture even if it is a bridge.
To create a work of architecture the building has to be designed using the principles of good design.
Most people who see a successful work of architecture respond to it and like it, if they are not too prejudiced by misleading conditioning. When they build they will copy the Elements of the design they like and wonder why their building falls short of the one they copied. The reason is that Elements of a design have to be composed in accordance with good design principles. Although many a good design has been created by not conforming to accepted principles you will find that their Elements have been arranged in relationships using methods like unity, harmony, contrast, proportions and repetition.
A good example of this has been Georgian Buildings. A well designed Georgian Building has certain proportions specific to Georgian buildings which is the relationship between the height and width of the building, the windows and doors and the panes of glass in the windows. Many people have seen a well designed Georgian building, liked it and asked their builder to build them one the same. They give the builder the layout and room sizes they want not understanding that they have not complied with the usual Georgian proportions. The result is a mishmash of an unpleasant arrangement of Georgian elements often of the wrong proportions. The owners then wonder why their house is not as good as the one they copied. As I have previously mentioned, although I consider Georgian architecture to be good from a pure aesthetic aspect I believe that it is not relevant to today and especially not relevant to Australian conditions.
Most people are being mislead about the meaning of ‘Good Proportions’. When a real estate agent says “this building has good proportions” he erroneously means that it is BIG. The true meaning of ‘Good Proportions’ is that the height in relation to the width and in relation to the depth are pleasing.
In the nineteenth century some artists/scientists tried to define the best proportions for a rectangle. They studied all of the best works of art and architecture as decided by history and found that the proportions were all close to a relationship of length to width or to height was one to one point six one eight (1:1.618). They named it the ‘Golden Mean Rectangle.
It can be geometrically constructed by drawing a square, place your compass point at the centre of the bottom side, draw an arc from the top corner through ninety degrees, join the bottom side with the end of the arc and this is the length of the Golden Mean Rectangle. This Golden Mean Rectangle can also be sub-divided by using the ratio of 1:1.618. Personally I attempt to use these proportions as a general guide when painting, sculpting or designing buildings.
Architecture is a particularly difficult ‘Fine Art’ because it has to be functional , practical and structurally sound as well as having to comply with a myriad of planning and building regulations some of which are not practical or functional.
Architects are lucky to get commissioned to design a building in which they have the freedom to apply in total their design skills to the best of their ability. There is usually far too many constraints imposed by their client’s preconceived ideas of what they perceive as good design. There are always the limitations imposed by the budget, by rules and regulations, by the site and by town planning controls.
A great architect like Frank Lloyd Wright would not undertake to design a building unless his client gave him the freedom to design it his way. Most architects have to be more humble because they need to get a steady flow of work to finance the cost of running their practice and so have to take on work although most of their clients have stupid usually currently fashionable ideas about design. The result is that architects seldom get the opportunity to do work to the best of their skills.
The process of constructing architecture is BUILDING.
Architects need to know the process of building because that is their medium. Many don’t.
When filling out forms at the age of 13 before starting high school and answering the question ‘what career path do you want to take?’ right near the top of the list was Architect;
I did not know what an architect was or what they did. These days it would be unusual if a 13 year old did not know what an architect is but, unless they had a parent who is an architect, they would not know what they do except that they draw plans. Lawyers think that is all that architects do.
The public generally is not aware of the services that an architect can offer nor the advantages that can be gained by having a building designed and the construction administered by an architect.
Perhaps some of my adventures in the building industry will illustrate ‘what an architect does’ in addition to being able to design buildings.
When I started working at Hassell and McConnell in 1954, architects for the buildings they designed, were still in control of the building process as was Sir Christopher Wren when he built St. Paul’s Cathedral in London in the sixteen hundreds.
The services that an architect can provide, if he has adequate training, are:
Advise on selection of a site
Consultation and advice on the needs of the Client
Advice on the budget for building
Design of the project building or buildings, landscaping and services. (to fit the budget)
Interior Design
Co-ordinating specialist consultants, if any.
Advice on the most appropriate building contract to use
Preparation of contract drawings, specifications and schedules.
CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION; - Generally consists of the following:-
Calling for tenders for the construction
Advice on the selection of a builder and sometimes sub-contractors
Fill in the contract form and guide the client on the selection of best choices for the project,
Make regular inspections of the building and issue instructions to the builder.
Evaluate progress payments on a monthly basis and issue Progress Payment Certificates to the builder (copy to the client)
Issue a ‘Contract Variation Order’ to the builder for every change to the building whether caused by the client or by conditions or by the architect. A contract variation order will often cause a change to the completion date and or the contract sum.
Maintain a schedule of : Architect’s Instructions, Contract Variation Orders and Progress Payments certified.
Organize regular site meetings and keep minutes. (or you may instruct the builder to do this.).
Keep the client informed.
Issue a certificate of completion only if you have to (with caution).
[Some court judgements have created a precedent that basically goes ‘If the architect has issued a certificate of completion then he has guaranteed that the building has been constructed exactly in accordance with not only the contract but all regulations and rules which is an unreasonable thing to expect unless they have been the “superintendant in the proper sense”].
Keep a list of defects that become noticed during the Defects Liability Period. Some may have to be fixed immediately others should wait until near the end of the liability period.
Those defects that interfere with the function of the building have to be corrected immediately others are better left until the end of the defects liability period because they may deteriorate during that time.
I believe that the architect should brief the specialists consultants such as structural, civil, electrical, hydraulic and mechanical engineers and give them direction as to the way the architect wants it done to suit his architecture. Many architects today think that by doing that they are taking on the responsibility that should be the consultants but I believe that by correct wording of the brief the responsibility rests with the consultants.
INTERIOR OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH – ALICE SPRINGS 1983
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