MODULE 1

CONTENTS:

• Architectural theory in Historical perspective

• Types of Design
• Pragmatic Design – Advantages, Disadvantages and outstanding examples
• Iconic Design – Advantages, Disadvantages and outstanding examples
• Analogical Design – Advantages, Disadvantages and outstanding examples
• Canonic Design – Advantages, Disadvantages and outstanding examples
• Architectural Criticism
• Definition and Sources of Architectural Criticism
• Criteria for Architectural Criticism
• Role and function of Criticism in Architecture
• Relationship between Criticism and Judgement
 MODULE 1

ARCHITECTURAL THEORY IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:

• Architectural theory is the act of thinking, discussing, and writing

about architecture.
• Architectural theory is taught in all architecture schools and is practiced by the
world's leading architects.
• Some forms that architecture theory takes are the lecture or dialogue, the
treatise or book, and the paper project or competition entry.
• It has existed in some form since antiquity, and as publishing became more
common, architectural theory gained an increased richness. Books, magazines,
and journals published an unprecedented number of works by architects and
critics in the 20th century.
• As a result, styles and movements formed and dissolved much more quickly
than the relatively enduring modes in earlier history.
• It is to be expected that the use of the internet will influence architecture in the
21st century.
• The term theory of architecture is simply the accepted translation of the Latin
term “ratiocinatio” as used by Vitruvius, a Roman architect-engineer of the 1st
century CE.
• The term is used to differentiate intellectual from practical knowledge in
architectural education, but it has come to signify the total basis for judging the
merits of buildings or building projects.
• Such reasoned judgments are an essential part of the architectural creative
process.
• A building can be designed only by a continuous creative, intellectual dialectic
between imagination and reason in the mind of each creator.
• The historical evolution of architectural theory is assessable mainly from
manuscripts and published treatises, from critical essays and commentaries,
and from the surviving buildings of every epoch.

TYPES OF DESIGN:

• There are generally four types of design as follows,

▪ Pragmatic Design
▪ Iconic Design
▪ Analogical Design
▪ Canonic Design
PRAGMATIC DESIGN:
• Pragmatic design is simply the use of available materials and available methods
of construction.
• Pragmatic design is generally the application of design concepts that are
already in existence without any innovation.
• For example, In case of selection of materials or finishes, pragmatic design is
simply selecting such materials and finishes from a catalogue without any
space of innovation or creativity.
• Architectural Example of Pragmatic Design is: JMD Pacific Square, Gurgaon.

ICONIC DESIGN:
• Iconic design is even more conservative in approach.
• Iconic design effectively calls for the designer to copy existing solutions for a
particular project.
• By using Iconic techniques designers might begin with solutions and modify
them to meet the new conditions.
• So basically, an iconic design is modifying existing solutions and applying it to
the proposed scenario.
• Architectural example of Iconic Design is: Signature towers, Gurgaon.

ANALOGICAL DESIGN:
• Analogical design results when the designer uses analogies with other fields or
context to an architectural context.
• The use of organic forms in architecture which offer ways of generating
beautiful and also efficient structures are characteristics of the
architect/engineer Santiago Calatrava is a best example of analogical design.
• The inspiration for the form could be a direct analogy from nature or any other
field.
• Few architectural examples of Analogical design are: Lotus Temple, Gateway
tower, Valencia Opera house, Lyon Satolas station.

CANONIC DESIGN:
• Canonic design relies on the use of rules such as planning grids, proportioning
systems and approaches of the same.
• Le Corbusier’s “modular” can be seen as an attempt to produce canonical rules
that allowed for more iconoclastic designs.
• Canonic design is a very systematic and mathematical approach to a design
problem.
• Few Architectural examples of Canonic design are: Unite d’Habitation in
Marseilles – Le Corbusier, Carpenter Centre for the Visual Arts.
ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM:
Criticism:
• Criticism refers to the art of analysing and estimating worth. It is also referred
to as an unfavourable comment on faultfinding.
• Criticism is an evaluative or corrective exercise that can occur in any area of
human life. Criticism can therefore take many different forms.
• Criticism is also the study, evaluation and interpretation of literature, artwork,
film, and social trends.
• The goal is to understand the possible meanings of cultural phenomena and the
context in which they take shape.

DEFINITION AND SOURCES OF ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM:

• Architecture criticism is the critique of architecture. Everyday criticism relates
to published or broadcast critiques of buildings, whether completed or not,
both in terms of news and other criteria.
• The criteria based on which architectural include:
▪ Aesthetics
▪ Proportion
▪ Functionality
▪ Architectural style
▪ Choice and use of building materials
▪ Built environment or context
▪ Sustainability

CRITERIA FOR ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM/JUDGEMENT:

• Fairness in Judgement: First, the critic should be a ‘man of principles’. Fairness and
clarity are essential when judging a design. The design should be assessed as per its
own requirements rather than taking another project as a basis for comparison. A
civilian’s house can never be judged along the lines of King’s Palace.

• Logical Reasoning: The critic should always have a logical reason behind the
argument. “Emotion doesn’t trump reason,” says Robert Ivy, CEO of the American
Institute of Architects. Of course, having an affinity towards a particular designer
or style isn’t wrong, unless it affects the way in which others are criticized. The
goal behind criticism should never be insulting the architects or their designs;
rather it should be pointing out the wrong in order to improve the whole situation.

• Building a Persuasive Case: “The critic has to build a persuasive case–brick by

brick,” says Cathleen McGuigan, Editor in Chief of Architectural Record. The art of
 convincing is very significant to make criticism more constructive. The critic’s
opinion is not of any use if the receiver does not understand it and truly agrees
with it. Describing a real life experience as an example to prove a point might help.

• Adequate Delivery: Sometimes, it is the language that ruins a good critic. Poor
delivery may ruin the effectiveness of a critique, even though the critic is right and
has good intentions. Similarly, appropriate delivery may, even, promote an
egocentric criticism. The critic should deliver the message in a positive and
motivating manner, without hurting the target’s sentiments. The evaluative
language like “You are wrong” or “This is a stupid idea” may not be of any help
whereas “I feel like this may be a better solution” might just work wonders.

• Objective Commentary: Criticism should be more objective. It should be specific,

relevant, and to the point. Focusing on the problem at hand helps in understanding
the context. “Your design lacks this” is anytime better than “Something isn’t right
but I am unable to put it”.

• General Knowledge of Architecture: Awareness of the past, present, and possible

future issues and trends of architecture is a genuine requirement for a critic to be
capable of commenting on an architectural design. Also, experience as a practicing
architect can be very advantageous.

• Understanding the Architect’s Point of View: Lastly, it’s essential for critics to put
themselves in the shoes of the receiving architects in order to adjudicate the
design properly. Doing this will enable them to understand the problem from the
architect’s point of view and hence deliver more appropriate suggestions.

ROLE AND FUNCTION OF CRITICISM IN ARCHITECTURE:

• In many cases, criticism amounts to an assessment of the architect's success in

meeting his or her own aims and objectives and those of others.
• The assessment may consider the subject from the perspective of some wider
context, which may involve planning, social or aesthetic issues.
• It may also take a polemical position reflecting the critic's own values. At the most
accessible extreme, architectural criticism is a branch of lifestyle journalism.
• The critic's task is to assess how successful the architect and others involved with
the project have been in meeting both the criteria the project set out to meet and
those that the critic himself feels to be important.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRTICISM AND JUDGEMENT:

• Criticism is generally the expression of disapproval of someone or something on

the basis of perceived faults or mistakes. The analysis and judgement of the merits
and faults of a literary or artistic work. The judge is called a critic.

• Judgement is the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible

conclusions.

• An architectural criticism would often result in a judgement. Through criticism the

architect would get to know the flaws and drawbacks of the design proposal and
through judgement the architect would be able to arrive at sensible and
appropriate solutions to the criticised points.
 MODULE 2

CONTENTS:

• Society and Design

• Role of Designer in the society
• Design for performance
• Behavioural aspects of Design
• Design generation process
• Role of logic and intuition in concept generation
• Design process – stage wise development
• Step by step development of design from problem definition, site analysis to
post occupancy evaluation as the last stage of design.
 MODULE 2
SOCIETY AND DESIGN:
• Consideration of the Society and Design results in a Social Design.
• Social Design is design, which is mindful of the designer’s role and responsibility in
the society, and the use of the design process to bring about social change.
• Within the design world, social design is sometimes defined as a design process
that contributes to improving human well-being and livelihood.
• Designers and creative professionals have a responsibility and are able to cause
real change in the world through good design.
• Designers have responsibility to the society over the choices they make in design
processes.

ROLE OF DESIGNER IN THE SOCIETY:

• Design and the role of a designer in the contemporary society is an outcome of
industrial revolution, which led to mechanization of the workforce through the use
of machinery.
• Now it extends to cultural, social and economic phenomena where the designer
plays a significant role. Therefore design could be understood as a form of human
intervention to make our surroundings more user-friendly.
• Designers are people with creative design knowledge and users are people with
knowledge in using specific products, services or systems. Users respect designers
as a profession and will employ them to design their projects or products.
• Designers transform their ideas to designs to apply to their properties.
• Designers work in a multitude of fields, from fashion, architecture and graphic
design to web and user experience.
• The real work of a designer involves a process that brings forth the greatest
possible outcome despite imposed limitations.
• The initial unification of multiple pieces of information and preconditions packed
into a proposal is part of the design process. The chief designer serves as a guide in
coordinating the flow of this information.
• Two-third of a designer’s job is communication. The first part of a designer’s job is
to find the right people with the right information.
• The second part is the actual work of design.
• The last part is relaying information from the finished product to the right people
in the right way.
• The job of the designer when creating new products is to clearly relay the benefits
of a product to the layman and lead them to a proper understanding.
• The designer, even when not actually designing, must be continually sharpening
their insight so that they may regularly contribute fresh ideas.
ROLE OF AN ARCHITECT:
• An Architect can also take the responsibilities of the following,

▪ General Manager
▪ Auditor
▪ Supervisor
▪ Social consciousness
▪ Umpire
▪ Educator
▪ Advisor

STATEMENTS OF REQUIREMENTS (SOR):

• The SOR is a document prepared by clients or in the verbal statements
communicated to supplies, it is based on the user functional needs.
• These user requirements are converted into performance requirements, which can
be explicit or implicit.
• Such document should include information about what is essential to the client.
• The SOR should be dynamic, not static, and should include more and more details
as projects proceed.
• This document should be prepared at different levels of granularity, how detailed
the documentation is at each stage depends on the complexity of the project and
on the procurement route chosen for the project.

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS (PR):

• Performance requirements translate user requirements in more precise
quantitative measurable and technical terms, usually for a specific purpose.
• Supply team prepares a document that includes objectives and goals, performance
requirements and criteria.
• It is important to include “indicators of performance” in the way that it can be
measured the results against explicit requirements, whether qualitative or
quantitative.
• Performance indicators need to be easily understood by the users and the
evaluators.
FUNCTIONS OF DESIGN

• Design not only serves the purpose passively and mechanically, but many layers of
hidden meanings associated with them. The importance lies in its ability to fulfil
these 3 demands.

Aesthetic:

• Related to the beauty of form.

• Sensory and beauty values.
• Concerned with the judgment of visual taste.

Teleological:

• Related to function, purpose, application and usability

• Practical aspects such as usability, communicability, making an impact

Semiotic:

• Related to meaning and theme of content.

DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE:

Structural performance:

• One of the primary functions of a building is to provide a safe shelter.

• Structural performance is directly linked to the safety of occupants and properties
under the shelter of the building.

Performance of physical environment:

• This category of performance includes solar, thermal, moisture, acoustics, lighting,

wind and air, energy, and many others that have an impact on the quality of built
environment, both indoor and outdoor.
• In a world of green, sustainable, and low-carbon design, these performance issues
are becoming the new focuses for architects to design responsibly.
• These performances issues have one thing in common, i.e., they can all be
quantified to different degrees.

Aesthetic and cultural performance:

• These performance issues have long been the focal point in architectural design.
• The form, organization of space, material selection, colour, shape, and details all
play a role in determining the aesthetic and cultural performances of a building.
• These performances are often difficult to quantify.
BEHAVIOURAL ASPECTS OF DESIGN:

There are 6 types of spatial qualities,

• Proxemics
• Personal space
• Territoriality
• Small group ecology
• Anthropometrics
• Defensible space

Proxemics:

• The role of space and distance in human communication.

• It is the interrelated observations and theories about spatial factors in face to face
interactions

Edward T. Hall’s space zones:

Intimate: (6inches -18 inches) close friends, family

Personal: (18inches - 4 ft.) casual, common in everyday conversations, only permissible
touch possible.
Social: (4ft. – 12ft.) consultative, business environments, retail stores
Public :( 12ft. or more) public speaking, presentations
Lots of socially necessary exceptions like elevators, crowded bus, train, concerts etc.
SPATIAL ARRANGEMENTS:

Arrangement is an issue of task style of leadership and interpersonal factors.

• Dominance/leadership - end of table

• Socio/emotional - middle, eye gazes & head position.
• Task: cooperative – side by side, access for competition, relationship + topic.

Seating arrangements and communication:

• Opposite - adversarial/competitive
• Adjacent – cooperative
• Corners – cooperative
• Power - head of rectangular table, facing the door

Status and power:

• People with higher status may literally be higher& occupy more space i.e. top
floor, corner office, higher chair
• High status people sit at the head of the table
• High status people have greater permission to violate others’ space
• Higher status people touch more objects, including other people.
• Types of encroachment: violation, invasion, contamination

Personal space:

• Personal space is the small invisible, protective sphere maintains between the self
and others.
• It is the personal bubble we carry around with us which may vary by gender,
culture, & situation.
• It is dynamic, portable, situational or contextual and never gets shared (ex:toilet)

Territory &Territoriality:

• Group of behaviour settings that a person personalizes, mark, own and defend.
• Primary: exclusive to owner, central to daily function, guard against intruders.
• Secondary: not exclusive, ex. watching TV, reading magazine.
• Public: available to almost anyone for temporary ownership.
• Defining characteristics of territoriality:
• They contain spatial area
• They are possessed, owned, controlled by an individual
• They satisfy some needs or motives like status
• They are marked either a concrete or symbolic way

• People will defend or feel discomfort if they are violated by intruders

Uses of territory:

• Coordinate activities i.e. hold group together, propagation, courtship – resting &
feeding
• Regulate density
• Provide hiding place

Territory vs. Personal space:

• Territory is the physical area we claim as our own.

• ‘Keep out’, ‘private property’, ‘no trespassing’ signs.
• Territory is defined by boundaries, occupancy, and ownership

Anthropometrics:

• It deals with measurements of dimensions & certain other physical characteristics

of the body.
• Comparative study of human body measurements and properties.
• Abilities relative to different human activities and micro environments.
• Range of heights that will be comfortable for different user groups.

Small group ecology:

• Considerations of the critical environment behaviour relations in small group

situations.
• In addition to Proxemics, small group ecology deals with how dimensions, shape,
size etc. influence interpersonal contacts.
Defensible space:

There are 5 factors that make a defensible space:

• Territoriality : the idea that one's home is sacred

• Natural surveillance : the link between an area's physical characteristics and the
residents' ability to see what is happening
• Image : the capacity of the physical design to impart a sense of security
• Milieu: other features that may affect security, such as proximity to a police
substation or busy commercial area.
• Safe Adjoining Areas : for better security, residents obtain higher ability of
surveillance of adjoining area through designing the adjoining area

USER GROUPS & DESIGN:

• Different user groups have different user need and use pattern and are affected in
different ways by quality of new environment.

• Different User groups:

▪ Gender based
▪ Age based
▪ Ethnic group
▪ Physically challenged

Barrier free design:

• Design for those with physical or other disabilities, involving the provision of
alternative means of access to steps (ex. ramps and lifts) for those with mobility
problems.
• It is the design for disability including mobility, vision, hearing, speech, cognitive
within public or private sectors.
• It is also called universal design: the concept of designing all products and the built
environment to be aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent possible by
everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life.

Design for crime prevention:

• Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is a multi-disciplinary

approach to deterring criminal behaviour through environmental design.
• Strategies for the built environment are natural surveillance, access control and
territorial reinforcement.
• CPTED principles of design affect elements of the built environment ranging from
the small-scale(such as the strategic use of shrubbery and other vegetation) to the
overarching, including building form of an entire urban neighbourhood and the
amount of opportunity for ‘eyes on the street’.
DESIGN PROCESS – STAGE WISE DEVELOPMENT:
 I. STAGE 1 : CLIENT PROFILE / CLIENT DISCUSSION / DESIGN PROBLEM
STATEMENT
II. STAGE 2 : LETTER OF AGREEMENT
III. STAGE 3 : DESIGN PROGRAMMING
IV. STAGE 4 : SITE ANALYSIS
V. STAGE 5 : DESIGN CONCEPT
VI. STAGE 6 : SCHEMATIC DESIGN
VII. STAGE 7 : DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
VIII. STAGE 8 : CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION
IX. STAGE 9 : CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
X. STAGE 10 : EVALUATION

ROLE OF LOGIC AND INTUITION IN CONCEPT GENERATION:

• Every time we have to make a decision or solve a problem, we are either using
intuition or logic or a mix of both.
• Logic is a way of using a set of concrete rules and formulas that is learnt over time
to come up with a decision.
• Intuition on the other hand is a way of using abstract information we have
received from different aspects of our life to create a sensible reasoning to come
up with a decision.
• Both processes have their own merits and demerits, and everyone has their own
ways of using them to making decisions.
• Both logic and intuition have their own use cases where they shine.
• Logic is mostly used in hard sciences where precision is required, such as while
solving math or science problems.
• Intuition is used mostly while doing autopilot tasks like running, walking, moving
your arms, driving etc. that we usually take for granted and where the variables
are very dynamic.
STEP BY STEP DEVELOPMENT OF DESIGN FROM PROBLEM DEFINITION, SITE
ANALYSIS TO POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION AS THE LAST STAGE OF DESIGN:
• There are 5 design phases to architectural services.
• They are,
▪ Schematic Design
▪ Design Development
▪ Construction Documents
▪ Bidding
▪ Construction Administration.
• These phases are the breakdown of how architects define their design services.
• They are the steps of an architect’s role in design.
• The five phases of design are a way for Architects to break up the work they do
into categories.

PRE-DESIGN:
• Pre-Design is a general term for what we do before we start designing a building.
• This will include preliminary research on the property owner’s part and the
architect.
• Clients do not always hire an architect for this portion.
• This can include helping developers decide if they should purchase a property.
• We often do a zoning analysis in pre-design to determine what we can build.
• Additionally a Land Survey and site analysis is part of pre-design.
• The client gets a property survey by a licensed land surveyor not an architect.
• The developer may want to establish a project budget in the Pre-Design
Architecture phase.
• Essentially pre-design will be determining the information we need to begin
design.
The few factors to consider are:
• Site Analysis
o Survey, Geo technical, financial, etc…
o If we are dealing with an existing building: asbestos testing, lead testing, or
other hazardous materials investigation.
• Zoning Analysis / Code analysis
o Establish what you can build, as for use and size.
o Specific Code Issues that may affect the project.
• Project Scope
o Client must identify to the best of their ability the project scope of work.
• Project Goals
• Building Program
o A Building Program is a list of the proposed uses.
• Project Budgeting
• Project Schedule
o Sometimes this may be too preliminary to establish.
• Selection Of Project team

SCHEMATIC DESIGN:
• Schematic Design is the first phase of design.
• It will account for approximately 15% of the architect’s work and therefore the
fees on the entire project as well.
• In schematic design the architect and the owner discuss the project and any
requirements provided by the owner.
• The architect does precedent research and analysis of the property.
• The analysis will include zoning and building code issues that may affect the
development as well as site analysis.
• Programming is part of schematic design.
• Programming is when the client provides the architect with a list of what spaces
are going into the building.
 • The architect establishes the size, location, and relationships between all the
spaces.
• The basic goal of schematic design is to develop the shape and size of the building
with some basic design.
• We develop the general plan and basic exterior design in Schematic.
• During the schematic design phase, we figure out more or less how the building
will look and operate.
• Schematic phase has a great deal of sketching, lots of meetings with the clients,
and basic design.
• Schematic is where you are really doing the general design, but not getting into
deep detail.
• Once the basic design is locked down and the architect provides the client with
drawings, the architect and owner will agree to proceed to the next phase of
design - Design Development.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PHASE:

• The Design Development Phase is going to be approximately 20% of the architects
work and fees.
• In Design Development the architect and the client will work together to select
materials including interior finishes and products such as windows - doors, fixtures,
appliances, etc.
• The architect will revise the drawings with more specificity and detail that in
Schematic Design.
• Engineering consultants will commence on the structure, plumbing, electrical,
heating/ventilation systems, energy analysis and any other project specific
systems.
• At the end of design development, a good deal of product selection and systems
design should be progressing.
• This phase concludes when the interior and exterior design of the building is
finalised by the owner and architect.
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS:
• The Construction Documents Phase is the largest of all the phases for the architect
and will be about 40% of the architects work and fees.
• In the construction document phase the architect and engineers finalize all the
technical design and engineering including structural engineering and detailing,
heating air conditioning and ventilation systems, plumbing, electrical, gas, energy
calculations, and all products and materials are selected and scheduled.
• The architect produces multiple drawing sets including a filing set for approval
from the Department Of Buildings and a separate set of Construction Drawings.

BIDDING:
• Bidding should be self explanatory.
• At this time the owner prepares to select the contractor for the job and sign
contracts to proceed with construction.
• This will typically take up 5% of the architects time and fees.
• Multiple contractors submit bids on the job or the client can directly hire a
contractor without getting competitive bids.
• The architect’s role here will be to assist the client.
• We will answer contractor’s questions, provide any additional documentation if
requested by the contractor.
• This phase can be started at the beginning of the project.
• You do not need to wait until all of the construction documents are completed but
the price will be more accurate if you do.

CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION:
• CA and accounts for at most 20% of the architects time and fees on a project in
most cases.
• While this phase is the longest, it does not usually comprise the majority of the
architects work.
• The architect will periodically visit the job site to see progress and ensure the
contractor is following the plans.
 • If needed the architect can review contractor’s monthly invoices to confirm work
completion.
• The architect will be available to answer questions and provide additional
information to issues that arise.
• During this phase it is not uncommon that some additional services for the
architect arise due to change orders.

POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION:

• Many buildings do not perform as planned - in some cases this can impact on
running costs, staff and client satisfaction and performance, health, safety and
comfort.
• For repeat construction clients, learning from and correcting past mistakes in
design and commissioning of buildings can be extremely cost-effective and greatly
improve workplace productivity.
• Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is the process of obtaining feedback on a
building's performance in use.
• The value of POE is being increasingly recognised, and it is becoming mandatory on
many public projects.
• POE is valuable in all construction sectors, especially healthcare, education, offices,
commercial and housing, where poor building performance will impact on running
costs, occupant well-being and business efficiency.

Post-Occupancy Evaluation will:

• Highlight any immediate teething problems that can be addressed and solved
• Identify any gaps in communication and understanding that impact on the building
operation
• Provide lessons that can be used to improve design and procurement on future
projects
• Act as a benchmarking aid to compare across projects and over time.
 MODULE 3

CONTENTS:

• Creativity and Design

• Concepts of creativity
• Techniques of creative thinking
• Different tools of Creativity
• Concepts in Creative Architectural Design process
• Difference between Innovation and creativity
• Impact of computer applications on creativity and design
 MODULE 3
CREATIVITY AND DESIGN:
• Design is a basic human act and has been integral to human existence.
• A creative action is something that fulfils its purpose and is something done for a
definite reason.
• Philosophy of design combines an emphasis on creativity, technology and design
methodology, with a concern for human values & needs of the society.
• Design can be considered as a problem solving activity that demands creativity
through innovative solutions.
• It generates proposals that change something that already exists into something
that is better.
• Creativity is concerned with the capacity to restructure old ideas to produce novel
solutions. And the ability to search for unusual design alternatives that go beyond
the known & familiar.
• Creative thinking enables to frame a problem from conventional viewpoints.
• It allows gifted designers to go beyond predictable solutions and explore
innovative ideas.
• Creativity in design reflects the pulse of culture, tradition and wisdom of the
society.
• Historically, every culture has charted its course of progress through various
manifestations of creative activity.

CONCEPTS OF CREATIVITY:
• Creativity tends to suggest artistic, looking for novel & statically infrequent
responses at the level of the whole building.
• Creativity is solving technical problems in new and more elegant ways, then design
becomes simple efficient and cheaper.
• The design process can be considered creative only if its relationship to the
problem and to reality is up to the mark.
• It must serve to solve a problem, fit a situation or accomplish some recognizable
goal.
• True creativity involves a sustaining of the original insight, an evaluation and
elaboration of it, a developing to the full.
• Creative architect is considered to be ‘alert, artistic, intelligent and responsible’.
They were found to be higher in social presence, in self-acceptance, in
psychological mindedness and in flexibility.
• Many architects approach design from an opposite point of view. They look to the
social sciences for generalized statements of human needs and try to satisfy these
needs by standard solutions to the architectural problems they raise.
 • Le Corbusier’s suggestion in ‘Towards a new architecture’, i.e. Standards should be
established by means of logical analysis and precise study. New forms of
architecture will develop which itself can be considered as a creative act.

TECHNIQUES OF CREATIVE THINKING:

Decision sequence in Design process:

Briefing ---> Analysis ---> Synthesis ---> Evaluation ---> Implementation.

• Creativity plays its parts in synthesis. Synthesis is generation in variety of solutions

to the problem. But one can only synthesize what is mastered already by analysis.
Analysis can only be mastered in the context of a continued struggle to synthesize-
One is motivation for the other.
• The last phase, implementation also has some room for creativity. The difficulty
with a great deal of architectural design is that creative architects are less
bothered about the simpler technological aspects of the building.
• Those who approach such technological aspects from a rational point of view, will
be busy assembling the fragments of the problem without synthesizing a creative
solution.

Techniques for enhancing creativity:

• There are generally two techniques through which one can enhance creativity and
creative approach towards design.
▪ Checklists
▪ Psycho-analytical methods

Checklists:

• Checklists are the simplest form of all devices for stimulating creative ideas.
• A list of words or visual images which one scans in the expectation that some of
them will trigger off new ideas.
• A very personal thing based on the designers knowledge of what sort of words or
ideas will stimulate him and related to the class of problems in which he
specializes.
• An engineer’s checklist may or may not be suitable for an architect and vice versa.
• The only disadvantage with checklists is that sometime they become too vague.
 Psycho analytical methods:

• Generally the psycho analytical approach towards creative thinking is carried out in
two different ways:
▪ Brainstorming
▪ Synetics

• Brainstorming: Brainstorming is a method for generating ideas to solve a design

problem. It usually involves a group, under the direction of a facilitator. The
strength of brainstorming is the potential participants have in drawing associations
between their ideas in a free-thinking environment, thereby broadening the
solution space.
• Synetics: Synetics is an approach to problem solving that focuses in cultivating
creative thinking, often among small groups of individuals with diverse experience
and skills.

DIFFERENT TOOLS OF CREATIVITY:

• Originality & Innovation: since each design problem is unique, innovation and the
search for originality are essential aspects characterizing design.
• Elaboration: The quality of a design product is very much concerned with the
ability to develop it up to a required level of detail.
• Flexibility & Fluency: the ability to define a problem from unconventional
perspectives, and the search of a large number of alternative solutions that differ
from the familiar ones.
• The above 5 factors by Guilfordwere insufficient to assess creativity in architectural
design, as it involves a large number of aspects. In addition, 7 other relevant
factors considered by Casakin & Kreitler are used to study design creativity:
▪ Consideration of problem constraints
▪ Functionality of the design
▪ Value of the design
▪ Aesthetics of the design
▪ Productivity of the design
▪ Practicality of the design
▪ Relation of the design to the physical context
CONCEPTS IN CREATIVE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PROCESS:

• Concept formulation is not an automatic activity. It’s a concentrated effort, to

develop a concept that appropriately integrates things not previously brought
together. Bringing things together is a creative art.

• 5 problems that block skill development in conceptualizing are:

▪ Problem of communication
▪ Explaining our concepts to ourselves
▪ Graphic communication - In architecture, everything must get drawn
if it’s to be built.
▪ Problem of unfamiliarity which is an extension of the first. Difficult
to invent concepts.
▪ Problem of identifying appropriate hierarchies, lack of experience to
find difficulty in deciding the brilliance of the concept.

Understanding of the relationships among notions, ideas, & concepts can help resolving
the 3 problems (i.e. scientific problem solving)

Notions:

• Similar to ideas, except that there is randomness.

• Notions are ideas that are presumed to be:
▪ Insubstantial (lacking strength)
▪ Unsubstantiated (not proven by evidence),
▪ Trivial (of little importance) when tested against other ideas.
• It doesn’t mean that notions have no rule in concept formulation. One of the basic
principles of scientific problem solving is random idea generation.
Ideas:

• Specific concrete thoughts we have as the result of an under-standing, insight or

observation - Ways to orient a building, the placement of a room/kitchen, Best
means to benefit natural ventilation, the value of energy conservation, the
importance of durable materials, transitions between forms. Best way to develop a
spatial sequence.
• Buildings & build design are composed of many small decisions and it’s important
to develop skills in generating ideas & concepts that respond to the wide range of
issues that emerge.
• Ex. Christopher Alexander's ‘A pattern language’ consists 1000 ideas about human
behaviour & reactions to environment.
Concepts:

• Specific thoughts as a result of an understanding. Thoughts concerning the way

several elements or characteristics can be combined into a single thing.
• It also identifies how various aspects of the requirements for a building can be
brought together in a specific thought that directly influences the design and its
configuration.
• A concept in architecture is an ambitious thing, the result of a concentrated &
imaginative effort to bring apparently dissimilar things together.

5 types of Concepts:

• Analogies: It identifies possible literal relationship between things. One thing is

identified as having all the desired characteristics and thus becomes a model. Ex.
western countries’ banks reflect Greek architecture.
• Metaphors: Identifying relationship, but the relationships are abstract rather than
literal. Words ‘like’, ‘as’ are used to express relationship. Ex. room as a world,
house as a dream.
• Essence: It suggests insights into the most critical & intrinsic aspects of the thing
being analyzed. It results in discovering & identifying the roots of an issue. Ideas
that tie together various parts of a building constitute essence. Ex. resorts with
central courtyards evoking Kerala traditional style.
• Direct responses & problem solving: Concepts can be developed more pragmatic
issues often explicitly identified in the building program. Many designers avoid
working on the problem at hand while trying to be creative. Ex. in a museum
circulation is the major factor, so it can be a concept
• Ideals: Ideal concepts are those that architects bring to the problem. In previous
categories, architect need to look inside the problem or at a similar problem to
discover appropriate concepts, ideal concepts. It represents highest aspiration and
goals of the architect. Ex. an architect can bring a series of ideal concepts about
energy conservation, green architecture, sustainability etc to each project.

Conceptual Scenario:

• Architects in their writings and lectures about the concept behind their designs,
offer short essays or scenarios that tie together all the important factors and ideas
that influenced their design solution.
• It expands the concept statement, turning it into a short essay that includes more
than one major issue and identifies more than one set of visual image for the
project.
 • It can be used to identify how the important ideas & issues might be left out in a
briefer conceptual statement could be brought together in a longer prose
statement. Parts of each scenario may have been clearly established from the
beginning, the scenario uses insights gained during the design process to tie it
together.
• Ex. Wright’s discussion of Unity Temple was inventive and exciting now as it was
written during the first decade of this century. ‘Why not, then build a temple not
to God in that way – more sentimental than sense – but build a temple to man,
appropriate to his uses as a meeting place, in which to study man himself for his
God’s sake! A modern meeting house and goodtime place.

Conceptual Hierarchies:

• An understanding of the hierarchal relationship between notion, idea, concept and

conceptual scenario becomes the foundation for developing a process for
generating appropriate concepts for building.
• The sequence is ordered as notion, idea, concept & conceptual-scenario based on a
pattern of increasing complexity, appropriateness and depth of thought.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY:

• Creativity is related to “Imagination”, but innovation is related to

“Implementation”.
• The primary difference between creativity and Innovation is that the former refers
to conceive a fresh idea or plan, whereas the latter implies initiating something
new to the market, which is not introduced earlier.
• The quality of thinking new ideas and putting them into reality is creativity. The act
of executing the creative ideas into practice is innovation.
• Creativity is an imaginative process as opposed to innovation is a productive
process.
• Creativity can never be measured, but Innovation can be measured.
• Creativity is related to the generation of ideas which are new and unique.
Conversely, Innovation is related to introduce something better into the market.
• Creativity does not require money as it is a thinking process, whereas innovation
requires money for implementation.
• There is no risk involved in creativity, whereas the risk factor is always attached to
innovation.
• Innovation in its modern meaning is “a new idea, creative thoughts, and new
imaginations in form of device or method”. Innovation is often also views as the
 application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs
or existing market needs.
• Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity is
characterised by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden
patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to
generate solutions. Creativity involves two processes: thinking and then producing.
• Creativity is also a discipline and a crucial part of the innovation equation.
• There is no innovation without creativity.
• The key metric in both creativity and innovation is value creation.

IMPACT OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS ON CREATIVITY AND DESIGN:

• In recent years, the computer applications and software have spread on most of
sciences and also in art and architecture.
• The commonly used computer applications on creativity and design are :
▪ AutoCAD
▪ Revit Architecture
▪ ArchiCAD
▪ 3DS Max
▪ Sketchup
▪ Photoshop
▪ Rendering software
▪ BIM Softwares
▪ Virtual and Augmented Reality

• Creative design in computational terms can be defined as the design activity which
occurs when a new variable is introduced into the design.
• Augmented reality is a live, copied view of a physical, real-world environment
whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated
sensory input.
• Virtual Reality replaces the real world with a simulated one whereas augmented
reality takes the real world and adds to it.
• Augmented reality in construction and Architecture projects involves placing a 3D
model of a proposed design onto an existing space using mobile devices and 3D
models.
• Augmented reality has a wealth of design and construction uses beyond
visualization, too. It can be used for design analysis to pick out clashes by virtually
walking through your completed model.
• One of the major elements of computation in creative field is “Parametric Design”.
PARAMETRIC DESIGN:

• Parametric design is a process based on algorithmic thinking that enables the

expression of parameters and rules that, together, define, encode and clarify the
relationship between design intent and design response.
• Parametric design is a paradigm in design where the relationship between
elements is used to manipulate and inform the design of complex geometrics and
structures.
• Parametric modelling systems can be divided into two main types :
▪ Propagation – based systems where one computes from known to
unknown with a dataflow model.
▪ Constraint systems which solve set of continuous and discrete
constraints.

• Few software that constitute Parametric design are:

▪ Power Surfacing
▪ Catia
▪ Autodesk 3DS Max
▪ Autodesk Maya
▪ Grasshopper 3D
▪ Autodesk REVIT
▪ Autodesk Dynamo
▪ Archimatix
 MODULE 4

CONTENTS:

• Contemporary movements in Architecture

• Role of individual architects in the generation of architectural form
• Study of exemplary works of architects
• Architectural Inspirations
• Architectural Philosophies
• Architectural Ideologies
• Theories of Architects
• Modern Movement theory
• Organic Architecture
• Ideas and works of Le-Corbusier
• Ideas and works of Frank Lloyd Wright
• Post Modern theory
• Ideas and works of Robert Venturi
• Ideas and works of Louis Sullivan
• Deconstructivism
• Ideas and works of Zaha Hadid
• Ideas and works of Frank Gehry
 MODULE 4

CONTEMPORARY MOVEMENTS IN ARCHITECTURE:

• Contemporary architecture is the architecture of the 21st century.
• No single style is dominant; contemporary architects are working in several
different styles, from postmodernism and high-tech architecture to highly
conceptual and expressive forms and designs, resembling sculpture on an
enormous scale.
• The different styles and approaches have in common the use of very advanced
technology and modern building materials, such as Tube structure which allows
construction of the buildings that are taller, lighter and stronger than those in the
20th century, and the use of new techniques of computer-aided design, which
allow buildings to be designed and modelled on computers in three dimensions,
and constructed with more precision and speed.
• Contemporary buildings and styles vary greatly.
• Some feature concrete structures wrapped in glass or aluminium screens, very
asymmetric facades, and cantilevered sections which hang over the street.
• Skyscrapers twist, or break into crystal-like facets.
• Facades are designed to shimmer or change colour at different times of day.
• Whereas the major monuments of modern architecture in the 20th century were
mostly concentrated in the United States and western Europe, contemporary
architecture is global; important new buildings have been built in China, Russia,
Latin America, and particularly in Arab states of the Persian Gulf; the Burj
Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world in 2019, and the Shanghai
Tower in China is the second-tallest.
• Most of the landmarks of contemporary architecture are the works of a small
group of architects who work on an international scale.
• Many were designed by architects already famous in the late 20th century.
ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL ARCHITECTS IN THE GENERATION OF ARCHITECTURAL FORM:
• Few Architects who contributed for the Contemporary movement in Architecture
are,
▪ Mario Botta
▪ Frank Gehry
▪ Jean Nouvel
▪ Norman Foster
▪ I.M Pei
▪ Renzo Piano
• The other Architects and their works fall under the work of a new generation born
during or after World War II including,
▪ Zaha Hadid
▪ Santiago Calatrava
▪ Daniel Libeskind
▪ Jacques Herzog
▪ Pierre de Meuron
▪ Rem Koolhaas
▪ Shigeru Ban.

ZAHA HADID:
• The Iraqi-British Zaha Hadid became famous for her intensely futuristic
architecture characterized by curving façades, sharp angles, and severe materials
such as concrete and steel.
• Few significant works are, (left to right) – Pierres Vives, University of Economics
Vienna, Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre
SANTIAGO CALATRAVA:
• Santiago Calatrava's work is said to be what unites the domains of Spanish
architecture and civil engineering. In other words, Calatrava's buildings bring
beauty and function together as one. His architectural style has its origins in
the Catalan Modernist genre, like Antonio Gaudi.
• Few significant works are, (left to right) – Train station in Italy, Arts and Science
centre in Spain, Science Museum in Rio de Janeiro.

DANIEL LIBESKIND:
• His work is often described as Deconstructivist, a style of postmodern architecture
characterized by fragmentation and distortion, seen in his design for the U.K.'s
Imperial War Museum North with its three intersecting parts inspired by shards of
a broken globe.
• Few significant works are, (left to right) – Bundeshwar Military History Museum,
Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics – United Kingdom, Central Building at
Leuphana University.
SHIGERU BAN:
• Ban developed a style known for its blend of traditional Japanese architecture with
elements of American Modernism. He was most recognized for his innovative use
of cardboard tubes as construction materials.
• Has applied his extensive knowledge of recyclable materials, particularly paper and
cardboard, to constructing high-quality, low-cost shelters for victims of disaster
across the world.
• Few significant works are, (left to right) – Centre Pompidou in France, Cardboard
cathedral in New Zealand, Golf Club House.

I.M. PEI:
• He wanted to create a mood of Chinese authenticity in the architecture without
using traditional materials or styles.
• Few significant works are, (left to right) – Grand Louvre in Paris, Kennedy Library in
Boston, Luce Memorial Chapel in Taiwan.
ARCHITECTURAL INSPIRATIONS:
• Inspirations are generally examples we procure from things around us and apply it
to our way to create something that satisfies the needs.
• Inspirations can be from anywhere and from anyone.
• Architectural Inspirations are commonly derived from nature – resulting in organic
forms, derived from references, derived from stories and derived from myths.

Here are just a number of situations, which trigger creative inspiration:

• Some people find inspiration in books.
• Some find inspiration in music.
• Some people are inspired when surrounded by nature.
• Some people grab a pad and some colouring pencils and start doodling.
• Some people become inspired to create, when an internal or external deadline
approaches. This one is really interesting, because it shows how creative
inspiration can indeed be self driven.
• Some find inspiration through affirmations or positive self-talk.
• Some find inspiration comes when they are doing some type of physical activity.
For me, it’s walking that works best.
• Some find inspiration in the design of an everyday item. (More on that in a
moment.)
• And others find all of the above work to a lesser or greater degree.

ARCHITECTURAL PHILOSOPHIES:
• Architectural Philosophies are generally defined as the expression of the
architectural style and creative process that is followed.
• Architectural philosophies vary from one architect to the one another.
• Philosophy is basically the way of life, so the past experiences and insights and
upcoming of one person might be different from the other, which results in
different philosophies from different Architects.
• For example, Oscar Niemeyer is an architect who was fascinated with curved forms
in Architecture and he tells that he is connected to such forms because he was
 bought up from his childhood days in a place which was surrounded by lush green
and mountainous landscape. Being inspired from the curves of the mountains, he
formulated his philosophies and those resulted in the origin of Organic
Architecture.
• The Philosophy of one architect would be possibly followed by that particular
architect or only few of them and not everyone agree with it because those
philosophies are linked to one’s personal self.
• Philosophies are not rules that have to be followed compulsorily in all the buildings
and projects of any particular architect.
• Philosophies are quotes or poetry that the architect quotes to describe his insights
on his architectural style.

ARCHITECTURAL IDEALOGIES:
• In architectural design, an 'ideology' may simply mean 'belief in what is important
in a work of architecture'.
• An ideology is a set of normative beliefs and values that a person or other entity
has for non-epistemic reasons.
• An ideology could be easily followed by everyone as it explains the actual way of
solving any creative problem – like a puzzle answer book.

ARCHITECTURAL THEORIES:
• Architectural theory is the act of thinking, discussing, and writing
about architecture.
• Architectural theory is taught in all architecture schools and is practiced by the
world's leading architects.
• It has existed in some form since antiquity, and as publishing became more
common, architectural theory gained an increased richness.
• Books, magazines, and journals published an unprecedented number of works by
architects and critics in the 20th century.
MODERN MOVEMENT THEORY:
• The Modern Movement of architecture represents a dramatic shift in the design of
buildings, away from the traditional forms and construction techniques of the past
and toward a new era of design.
• The styles of the Modern Movement, Art Deco, Modern and International, began
in Europe and spread to the United States in the 1920s.
• European architects Eliel Saarinen, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Mies van Der
Rohe emphasized radically new designs in the early in 20th century, abandoning
past building precedent and exploring new materials and technology in their work.
• The impact of both the Art Deco and Art Modern styles was soon eclipsed by the
development of the International style, which left a lasting impression on the
urban landscape especially.
• The International style with its starkly unornamented appearance of rectangular
shapes, punctuated with bands of windows, announced a new "modern" view of
the style and purpose of architecture.
• Inspired by the Cubism of modern art in Europe, the boxy shapes of International
style buildings embodied a new social theory of architecture as well.
• With brave new shapes and forms utilizing new construction technologies of the
time, the International style was portrayed as a new kind of architecture designed
solely to meet the needs of the common people in the Machine Age.
• Innovative American architects like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright had been
moving toward a new theory of architecture as well.
• The architecture of the Modern Movement was boldly different in concept and
design, continually testing the limits of form, materials, and function.

ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE:
• Organic architecture is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony
between human habitation and the natural world.
• This is achieved through design approaches that aim to be sympathetic and well-
integrated with a site, so buildings, furnishings, and surroundings become part of a
unified, interrelated composition.
IDEAS AND WORKS OF LE CORBUSIER:

• Le Corbusier was instrumental in the creation of the International Style.

• This was a movement defined by rectilinear forms, open interiors and
'weightless' structures.
• Le Corbusier laid out these tenets in his five principles of new architecture,
published in 1927. He advocated:
• The Pilotis – a grid of columns to replace load-bearing walls, allowing
architects to make more use of floor space.
• Free floor plans – flexible living spaces that could adapt to changing
lifestyles, thanks to the absence of load-bearing walls.
• Roof gardens – a flat roof covered in vegetation, which keeps
moisture consistent and regulates temperature.
• Horizontal windows – cut through non load-bearing walls, these strips
provide even light and panoramic views.
• Free facades – open and closed sections that allow the facade to
actively connect or separate interior and exterior design elements.
• Clearly, Le Corbusier’s philosophy was as much about function as form.
• Much of his work centred on how good architecture can affect social
landscapes too.
• Large apartment blocks that offered spacious housing, shaded social spaces,
roof gardens, shopping streets and other amenities. These would be houses
for the masses not merely to inhabit, but to truly live in.
VILLA SAVOYE BY LE CORBUSIER:

• The house was originally built as a country retreat for the Savoye family.
• The Villa Savoye, which is probably Le Corbusier's best known building from the
1930s, had an enormous influence on international modernism.
• Its design embodied his emblematic "Five Points", the basic tenets in his new
architectural aesthetic.
• The Support of ground-level pilotis, elevating the building from the earth and
allowing the garden to be extended to the space beneath.
• A functional roof serving as a garden and terrace, reclaiming for Nature the land
occupied by the building.
• A free floor plan, devoid of load-bearing walls, allowing walls to be placed freely
and only where aesthetically needed.
• Long horizontal windows for illumination and ventilation.
• Freely-designed façades functioning merely as a skin for the wall and windows, and
unconstrained by load-bearing considerations.
• On the ground floor are the main entrance hall, ramp and stairs, garage, and the
rooms of the chauffeur and maid.
• The first floor contained the master bedroom, the son's bedroom, guest bedroom,
kitchen, salon and external terraces.
• The plan was set out using the principal ratios of the Golden section, in this case a
square divided into sixteen equal parts, extended on two sides to incorporate the
projecting façades, and then further divided so as to fix the position of the ramp
and the entrance.
• The Villa Savoye uses the horizontal ribbon windows found in Le Corbusier’s earlier
villa projects.
IDEAS AND WORKS OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT:

• His Prairie houses use themed, coordinated design elements (often based on plant
forms) that are repeated in windows, carpets, and other fittings.
• He made innovative use of new building materials such as precast concrete blocks,
glass bricks, and zinc canes (instead of the traditional lead) for his leadlight
windows, and he famously used Pyrex glass tubing as a major element in
the Johnson Wax Headquarters.
• Wright was also one of the first architects to design and install custom-made
electric light fittings, including some of the first electric floor lamps, and his very
early use of the then-novel spherical glass lampshade.
• According to Wright's organic theory, all components of the building should appear
unified, as though they belong together.
• Nothing should be attached to it without considering the effect on the whole.
• To unify the house to its site, Wright often used large expanses of glass to blur the
boundary between the indoors and outdoors.
• Glass allowed for interaction and viewing of the outdoors while still protecting
from the elements.
• One of Wright's earliest uses of glass in his works was to string panes of glass along
whole walls in an attempt to create light screens to join together solid walls.
• By using this large amount of glass, Wright sought to achieve a balance between
the lightness and airiness of the glass and the solid, hard walls.
FALLING WATER HOUSE BY FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT:

• The house was built partly over a waterfall.

• Falling water stands as one of Wright's greatest masterpieces both for its
dynamism and for its integration with its striking natural surroundings.
• Example of Organic Architecture.
• Wright's passion for Japanese architecture was strongly reflected in the design of
Falling water, particularly in the importance of interpenetrating exterior and
interior spaces and the strong emphasis placed on harmony between man and
nature.
• The organically designed private residence was intended to be a nature retreat for
its owners.
• The house is well-known for its connection to the site.
• It is built on top of an active waterfall that flows beneath the house.
• The fireplace hearth in the living room integrates boulders found on the site and
upon which the house was built — ledge rock which protrudes up to a foot through
the living room floor was left in place to demonstrably link the outside with the
inside.
• Integration with the setting extends even to small details.
• For example, where glass meets stone walls no metal frame is used; rather, the
glass and its horizontal dividers were run into a caulked recess in the stonework so
that the stone walls appear uninterrupted by glazing.
• From the cantilevered living room, a stairway leads directly down to the stream
below, and in a connecting space which connects the main house with the guest
and servant level, a natural spring drips water inside, which is then channelled
back out.
 • Bedrooms are small, some with low ceilings to encourage people outward toward
the open social areas, decks, and outdoors.
• Wright had initially planned to have the house blend into its natural settings in
rural Pennsylvania.
• In doing so, he limited his colour choices to two colours, light ochre for the
concrete and his signature Cherokee red for the steel.

POST MODERN THEORY:

• Postmodern architecture is a style or movement which emerged in the 1960s as a
reaction against the austerity, formality, and lack of variety of modern
architecture, particularly in the international style advocated by Le
Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van Der Rohe.
• In the late 1990s, it divided into a multitude of new tendencies, including high-tech
architecture, modern classicism and Deconstructivism.

IDEAS AND WORKS OF ROBERT VENTURI:

• Venturi's architecture has had worldwide influence, beginning in the late 1960s
with the dissemination of the broken-gable roof and the segmentally arched
window and interrupted string courses.
• The playful variations on vernacular house types offered a new way to embrace,
but transform, familiar forms.
• The facade patterning demonstrated a treatment of the vertical surfaces of
buildings that is both decorative and abstract, drawing from vernacular and
historic architecture while still being modern.
VENTURI HOUSE BY ROBERT VENTURI:

• The Vanna Venturi House, one of the first prominent works of the postmodern
architecture movement, is located in the neighbourhood of Chestnut
Hill in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

• Many of the basic elements of the house are a reaction against standard Modernist
architectural elements: the pitched roof rather than flat roof, the emphasis on the
central hearth and chimney, a closed ground floor "set firmly on the ground"
rather than the Modernist columns and glass walls which open up the ground
floor.

• On the front elevation the broken pediment or gable and a purely ornamental
applique arch reflect a return to Mannerist architecture and a rejection of
Modernism.

• Thus the house is a direct break from Modern architecture, designed in order to
disrupt and contradict formal Modernist aesthetics

• The site of the house is flat, with a long driveway connecting it to the street.
• Venturi placed the parallel walls of the house perpendicular to the main axis of the
site, defined by the driveway, rather than the usual placement along the axis.
• Unusually, the gable is placed on the long side of the rectangle formed by the
house, and there is no matching gable at the rear.
• The chimney is emphasized by the centrally placed room on the second floor, but
the actual chimney is small and off-centre.
• The effect is to magnify the scale of the small house and make the facade appear
to be monumental. The scale magnifying effects are not carried over to the sides
and rear of the house, thus making the house appear to be both large and small
from different angles.

• The central chimney and staircase dominate the interior of the house.
IDEAS AND WORKS OF LOUIS SULLIVAN:

• Through his exploration of organic ornamentation and steel-frame construction,

Sullivan became a vocal advocate for the development of uniquely American
architectural forms.

• He used natural ornament as a metaphor for a democratic society.

• For Sullivan, a building should respond to its own particular environment, just as a
plant would grow “naturally, logically, and poetically out of all its conditions.”

• Sullivan’s use of cast-iron ornament inspired by nature along the building’s first
floor and sculptural white terra cotta in the middle and upper floors illustrates
many of his theories on the design of tall buildings.

• Sullivan's work was guided by the adage that "form follows function," a phrase for
which he became known.

• He believed in looking at the purpose of a building before devising an architectural

form for it and in ensuring that usage was reflected in both the structure and the
decoration.

• He regularly repeated motifs, particularly semi-circular arches, and used materials

that could serve as decoration rather than requiring additional ornamentation.
AUDITORIUM BUILDING – CHICAGO BY LOUIS SULLIVAN:

• Sullivan and Adler designed a tall structure with load-bearing outer walls, and
based the exterior appearance partly on the design of H.H. Richardson's Marshall
Field Warehouse, another Chicago landmark.
• The Auditorium is a heavy, impressive structure externally, and was more striking
in its day when buildings of its scale were less common.
• When completed, it was the tallest building in the city and largest building in
the United States.
• One of the most innovative features of the building was its massive
raft foundation.
• The original plan had the exterior covered in lightweight terra-cotta, but this was
changed to stone after the foundations were under construction.
• Most of the settlement occurred within a decade after construction, and at one
time a plan existed to shorten the interior supports to level the floors but this was
never carried out.
• In the center of the building was a 4,300 seat auditorium, originally intended
primarily for production of Grand Opera.
• The original plans had no box seats and when these were added to the plans they
did not receive prime locations.

• Housed in the building around the central space were an 1890 addition of
136 offices and a 400-room hotel, whose purpose was to generate much of the
revenue to support the opera.
DECONSTRUCTIVISM:

• Deconstructivism is a movement of postmodern architecture which appeared in

the 1980s.
• It gives the impression of the fragmentation of the constructed building.
• It is characterized by an absence of harmony, continuity, or symmetry.
• Its name comes from the idea of "Deconstruction", a form of semiotic analysis
developed by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida.
• Architects whose work is often described as deconstructionism (though in many
cases the architects themselves reject the label) include,
• Peter Eisenmann
• Frank Gehry
• Zaha Hadid
• Rem Koolhaas
• Daniel Libeskind
• Besides fragmentation, Deconstructivism often manipulates the structure's surface
skin and creates by non-rectilinear shapes which appear to distort and
dislocate elements of architecture.
• The finished visual appearance is characterized by unpredictability and controlled
chaos.

• If we define “Deconstructivism” (although it is not a verified word in the

dictionary), it literally translates to the breaking down, or demolishing of a
constructed structure, whether it being for structural reasons or just an act of
rebellion.
• It is perhaps for this reason that many misunderstand the Deconstructivist
movement.
• It does not follow “rules” or acquire specific aesthetics, nor is it a rebellion against
a social dilemma.
• It is the unleashing of infinite possibilities of playing around with forms and
volumes.
IDEAS AND WORKS OF ZAHA HADID:

• The architectural style of Hadid is not easily categorised, and she did not describe
herself as a follower of any one style or school.
• Nonetheless, before she had built a single major building, she was categorised by
the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a major figure in
architectural Deconstructivism.
• Her work was also described as an example of neo-futurism and Parametricism.
• At the time when technology was integrating into design, Zaha accepted the use of
technology but still continued to hand draw her buildings and make models of the
designs.
• This was because she did not want to limit herself and her designs to only to what
the computer could do.
• At the same time as her theoretical and academic work, as a practicing architect,
Zaha Hadid has been unswerving in her commitment to modernism.
• Always inventive, she's moved away from existing typology, from high tech, and
has shifted the geometry of buildings.
• The highly expressive, sweeping fluid forms of multiple perspective points
and fragmented geometry that evoke the chaos and flux of modern life.
• Hadid herself, also describe the essence of her style very simply: "The idea is not to
have any 90-degree angles. In the beginning, there was the diagonal. The diagonal
comes from the idea of the explosion which’re-forms' the space. This was an
important discovery.”
HEYDAR ALIYEV CENTRE BY ZAHA HADID:

• In 2007, Zaha Hadid was appointed as the design architect of the Center after a
competition.
• The Center houses a conference hall (auditorium), a gallery hall and a museum.
• The project is intended to play an integral role in the intellectual life of the city.
• Located close to the city center, the site plays a pivotal role in the redevelopment
of Baku.
• The Heydar Aliyev Center represents a fluid form which emerges by the folding of
the landscape's natural topography and by the wrapping of individual functions of
the Center.
• All functions of the Center, together with entrances, are represented by folds in a
single continuous surface.
• This fluid form gives an opportunity to connect the various cultural spaces whilst at
the same time, providing each element of the Center with its own identity and
privacy.
• As it folds inside, the skin erodes away to become an element of the interior
landscape of the Center.
• Extending on eight floor levels, the center accommodates a 1000-seat auditorium,
temporary exhibition spaces, a conference center, workshops, and a museum.
• The building was nominated for awards in 2013 at both the World Architecture
Festival and the biennial Inside Festival.
• In 2014, the Center won the Design Museum's Design of the Year Award 2014
despite concerns about the site's human rights record.
• This makes Zaha Hadid the first woman to win the top prize in that competition.
IDEAS AND WORKS OF FRANK GEHRY:

• Gehry's work reflects a spirit of experimentation coupled with a respect for the
demands of professional practice and has remained largely unaligned with broader
stylistic tendencies or movements.
• With his earliest educational influences rooted in modernism, Gehry's work has
sought to escape modernist stylistic tropes while still remaining interested in some
of its underlying transformative agendas.
• Continually working between given circumstances and unanticipated
materializations, he has been assessed as someone who "made us produce
buildings that are fun, sculpturally exciting, good experiences" although his
approach may become "less relevant as pressure mounts to do more with less".
• Gehry's style at times seems unfinished or even crude, but his work is consistent
with the California "funk" art movement in the 1960s and early 1970s, which
featured the use of inexpensive found objects and non-traditional media such as
clay to make serious art.
• His works always have at least some element of Deconstructivism.
• All of Gehry's designs are united by their sense of movement.
• He embeds motion directly into his architecture so that his projects, flow, curve,
bend, and crumple in novel and unexpected ways, subverting traditional building
norms.
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM – BILBAO BY FRANK GEHRY:

• The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation selected Frank Gehry as the architect,

and its director, encouraged him to design something daring and innovative.
• The curves on the exterior of the building were intended to appear random; the
architect said that "the randomness of the curves is designed to catch the light".
• The interior "is designed around a large, light-filled atrium with views of Bilbao's
estuary and the surrounding hills of the Basque country".
• The atrium, which Gehry nicknamed “The Flower” because of its shape, serves as
the organizing center of the museum.
• When the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened to the public in 1997, it was
immediately hailed as one of the world's most spectacular buildings in the style
of Deconstructivism (although Gehry does not associate himself with that
architectural movement), a masterpiece of the 20th century.
• The museum is seamlessly integrated into the urban context, unfolding its
interconnecting shapes of stone, glass and titanium on a 32,500-square-meter
(350,000 sq ft) site along the River in the ancient industrial heart of the city.
• The exhibition space is distributed over nineteen galleries, ten of which follow a
classic orthogonal plan that can be identified from the exterior by their stone
finishes.
• The remaining nine galleries are irregularly shaped and can be identified from the
outside by their swirling organic forms and titanium cladding.