ENGLISH FOR ARCHITECTS NATIONAL SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

SEMESTER TWO

INSTRUCTOR  : Pr.Saadani

15 MAY 2020

According to Le Corbusier, Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of

masses seen in light. For him Architecture with capital A was an emotional and aesthetic
experience, but if we restrict our definition of architecture solely to those buildings that raise
our sprites, then we would end up with rather a short list. According to which dictionary you
use, architecture is defined as the art, or science, of building, or as one of the fine arts, that
is to say it is concerned with the aesthetic arts as opposed to the useful or industrial arts
such as engineering. When the Crystal Palace was erected in Hyde Park, London, in 1851 it
was praised for its space, lightness and brilliancy and for its ‘truthfulness and reality of
construction’, but the conviction has grown on us that it is not architecture: it is engineering
of the highest merit and excellence, but not architecture. The foremost critics and theorists
of the day such as John Ruskin and William Morris contributed to the debate. Generally they
agreed that the distinction between architecture and building could be summarized as:
Building + Art = Architecture

Architecture :It is a definition that some people would still agree with today but this dualism
between art on the one hand and utility or function on the other is an unsatisfactory one. If
we consider the enormous variety of types of building that exist in different parts of the
world, we still find that there is considerable debate about what should be included in the
term ‘architecture’ and what should not. Many would agree that important buildings such as
palaces, temples, cathedrals and castles should be included, but would disagree about the
inclusion of cottages, garages or railway stations. So although we may take great delight in
the mosscovered thatched roofs and mellow walls of country cottages, or the way that pole
and mud homesteads blend into the African landscape, some would argue that they are not
architecture because they are not designed by architects. So although such buildings may be
visually pleasing, they were not deemed worth studying as architecture. These cottages and
homesteads are examples of traditional or vernacular architecture, which embodies
particular ideas and aesthetic notions.

They were consciously designed, following traditional patterns that evolved and were
handed down from generation to generation. Although vernacular architecture has
influenced individual architects and indeed was the inspiration behind both the British and
American domestic revivals of the 1880s, it has generally been studied separately from polite
or monumental architecture and has been seen as a branch of anthropology, of construction
history, or of social history. Bernard Rudofsky’s Architecture without Architects (London,
1965) was a pioneering study of traditional architecture, and the tittle is revealing. Because
architecture is such a vast subject there have been many attempts to limit it, or to break it
down into more manageable areas. Factory buildings were studied as industrial archeology
and as an aspect of labor and industrial history; railway stations as part of engineering and
transport history; and steel-framed buildings such as skyscrapers, or iron and glass buildings
such as the Crystal Palace, as construction history. Grouping buildings according to their use,
such as castles, palaces, factories or railway stations, is another way of breaking the subject
down, as is grouping them according to the methods or materials of construction

Definition of Architecture from the view point of famous architects Architects

1/ Peter Eisenman Architecture is definitely a political act.

2/Zaha Hadid Architecture is unnecessarily difficult. It's very tough

3/ Bernard Tschumi Architecture is always related to power and related to large interests, whether
financial or political

4/ Richard Rogers Architecture is too complex for just one person to do it, and I love collaboration

Mario Botta Architecture is an artificial fact

5/ John Ruskin Architecture is the work of nations

6/ Norman Foster Architecture is an expression of values – the way we build is a reflection of the way
we live.

7/Mies van der Rohe Architecture is the real battleground of the spirit

8/Rem Koolhaas :Architecture is a very complex effort everywhere. It’s very rare that all the forces
that need to coincide to actually make a project proceed are happening at the same time

9/ Richard Meier Architecture is vital and enduring because it contains us; it describes space, space
we move through, exit in and use

10/Renzo Piano Architecture is a very dangerous job. If a writer makes a bad book, eh, people don't
read it. But if you make bad architecture, you impose ugliness on a place for a hundred years

Which one of the following items is True or False. Write “T“ for True and “F“
for False before each sentence.
1. Le Corbusier defined Architecture as the art, or science, of building, or as one of the fine
arts, that is to say it is concerned with the aesthetic arts as opposed to the useful or
industrial arts such as engineering. ……

2. Crystal Palace was erected in Hyde Park, London, in 1851 praised for its space, lightness
and brilliancy and for its engineering. ……

3. That Architecture equals Art plus Building is a matter of Dualism between art and utility.
4. In the eyes of Renzo Piano, Architecture is a very perilous career.

5. Some factors such as being delighted, mellow, pleasing and pleasant can't be considered
the manifestation of Architecture. ……

6. Norman Foster deems Architecture the reflection of our life.

B. Choose the correct answer.

1. According to the above-mentioned text “Architecture “ means ……..

a. Architecture is vital and enduring because it contains us; it describes space,

space we move through, exit in and use.

b. Architecture is always related to power and related to large interests,

whether financial or political.

c. Architecture is the real battleground of the spirit.

d. All above-said items

2. “Homestead“ means ……..

a. A house, especially a farmhouse, and outbuildings.

b. A person's or family's residence, which comprises the land, house, and

outbuildings, and in most states is exempt from forced sale for collection of
debt.

c. A + B

d. None
3. “Archeology“ goes to ……..

a. The study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the
analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.

b. The scientific study of fungi.

c. The scientific study of crime and criminals.

d. A published collection of poems or other pieces of writing.

4. Which one of the following choices stands for “Monument“?

a. A large, impressive house

b. A complex system of beliefs.

c. The building of something, typically a large structure.

d. A statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a famous or notable

person or event.

5. “Vernacular“ is closest in meaning to ……..

a. (of language) Spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second
language.

b. The language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.

c. Architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than monumental buildings.
d. All above mentioned items

6. “They“ agreed that the distinction between architecture and building could be
summarized as: Building + Art = Architecture. “They“ refers to ……..

a. Rem Koolhaas and Mies van der Rohe

b. Richard Meier and Zaha Hadid

c. Peter Eisenman and John Ruskin

d. John Ruskin and William Morris

C. Consider the Issues below.

1. What is the difference between Architecture and Engineering defined by Le Corbusier and
John Ruskin or William Morris respectively?

2. Are there any common points between Peter Eisenman and Bernard Tschumi’s attitudes
regarding the definition of Architecture?

3. Why is Crystal Palace not deemed as an Architectural work?

4. What is the difference between Architecture and Engineering?

5. What is Vernacular Architecture?

6. What happened in 1880s?