Architecture

ZAINAB USMAN
F2020-428
Book title: Analysing ARCHITECTURE
By: Simon Unwin
Summary:
Chapter 1: How Analysis Help Design
Chapter 2: Architecture as Identification of Place
Chapter 3: Basic Elements of Architecture
Chapter 5: Elements doing more than one thing

SHANZEH KAMRAN BBA-1C 01-111221-213
How Analysis Help Design

The ideal way of grasping the concepts of architecture is to make sure you put your existing skill
to use. The first step towards designing something of your own is to practice your way through.
This can be done by drawing and analyzing already drawn designs of experienced architecture
because this in turn teaches you the common language of architecture. Understanding and
practical implementation are two things that can work together and prove to be beneficial for the
reader. The writer explains how the world enjoys the relationship between order and irregularity,
how it is amused by the creativity of the human brain, and what it is capable of. Another more
satisfying level of enjoyment is to be the creator of a work rather than the person who
appreciates or criticizes the work. The writer preaches the significance of architectural analysis,
the initialization of any architectural work depends on ideas. Small ideas can give birth to
masterpieces. Different architects use different analogies and ideas to make bigger works for
example Frank Gehry, in his design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, had constructed an
enormous sculpture of curved sheets of titanium cladding. Throughout history, the foundations of
temples, churches, graves, etc have been decided by aleatoric means. No architectural project is
free of contextual constraints; their understanding is the key to producing amazing ideas. Unlike
classical Greek culture where consistent architectural ideas were used to prevent the loss of their
work, these days there’s a high demand for originality. Every new building needs its new
innovative idea to catch the public's attention. the writer recalls the journey of Le Corbusier
around Europe and into the Middle East, how his sketchbook has the sketches of buildings he
encountered on his way and how they helped him build the ‘pilotis’ which became Le
Corbusier’s great house designs of the 1920s. There are many similar examples where ideas,
drawings, experience, and analysis helped architects to build breathtaking masterpieces. the
writer highlights the importance of drawing, and how it is the primary step towards being able to
build something whether it is a house, a temple, an art gallery, or a city. And most importantly
architects are not just focused on the past or present but the future as well, its possibilities and
what it holds.
Architecture as Identification of Place

In simpler words, architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, but it cannot be
just defined by two words from the English dictionary. The initiation of architecture begins with
the slightest effort you make to survive in a place, to make it livable by building fences for
protection, canopies for shelter fireplaces for warmth, a place to sit, or a place to sleep.
Architecture is more like language, understanding it and putting it to use. Like language
architecture has its patterns and arrangements. Architecture is not only the creation of the
designer but the user also plays an important part in shaping a place, making its architecture
useful for the user. 'Places' are important to humans as they accommodate us, the things we do,
and our possessions. Architecture is an art that fulfills the needs, desires, beliefs, and aspirations
of the people by the people. Unlike other arts like painting and music architecture has limitations
like gravity that the architect has to keep in mind. Since ancient times architecture has been
considered the ‘mother’ of all arts. It is a necessary component of people and their activities. The
conditions under which architecture can take place can vary and the very complicated, for
example, physical conditions imposed by the natural world and its forces which are space, time,
gravity, weather, and light play an important role in what can and cannot be built. The writer
talks about the word 'place' which like other words has many different meanings but in the field
of architecture ‘Place’ is where the mind touches the world; it can be identified by a range of
basic elements. A place is a potential spot where a person can accommodate, understanding a
place is all about knowing that it is something in the middle of life and the things that surround
it. Its identification and arrangement helps us make sense of the world we live in. Language and
architecture are quite similar, the writer compares the two by calling 'doors and windows' the
vocabulary that is arranged in a sentence that conveys messages to others, messages that can also
be said by using words but are preferred to be said through means of architecture.
Basic Elements of Architecture

Architecture consists of two things, firstly the conditions under which architecture can take
place; they include the ground, gravity, space, light, weather, and secondly the person that is to
be accommodated in a particular place. Architecture is something between a person and their
surroundings. The writer has defined certain elements for example a defined area of a ground
which can either be a water body, or a cleared forest. A platform, which is an area above ground
level. A pit, it’s an area below ground level. A marker that identifies a place by occupying a
particular spot and by standing out from its surroundings. Focus, which in architecture is defined
by any element upon which concentration is brought to bear. A wall is a partition that separates
two areas. A roof that acts as a shelter and protects the interior from sun or rain. A path is a way
made for people to move along. Openings include doorways through which one can pass or a
window which allows light to pass through. All these are basic elements that play an important
part in composing a work of architecture. Each element has its significance and power which
helps an architect use them according to his needs. The first power of a defined area of ground is
to identify a place. A wall has the power to protect; it provides protection from various things
like enemies, weather, strangers, and outsiders. It also serves the purpose of providing privacy
and acts as a support. A doorway has the power to let people through, it is used to identify a
place, and it also provides an attractive place to sit and watch the world go by. Different
elements can be combined to create basic architectural forms, for example, four walls and a roof
when combined create a cell or a room. Different arrangements of platforms result in different
forms of architecture for example a series of platforms arranged vertically would make a set of
shelves, and arranging them at an angle would make a flight of stairs. The skill of building things
depends upon how these elements are used and put together. Knowing these elements and their
powers is important but it is just the first step towards being able to build something
extraordinary.
Elements Doing More Than One Thing

In architecture, the elements are often serving multiple purposes, for example, a wall of a house
can also be a marker identifying a place where someone lives. A wall when built forms two areas
the area that is shelter and the area that is exposed. The same is the case with a roof; the roof of a
particular place is the floor of another. An architect should be well aware of the good and bad
consequences of combining these multipurpose elements. The positioning of the elements also
plays an important role in what they are capable of doing. In the Falk Apartments of 1943, the
placing of the partly walls between the apartments have been angled so that the living rooms face
a lake, this enables the terraces to be larger and provides more privacy. One of the drawbacks is
that inside spaces close to the hill can be dark. The problem was overcome s by making streets
between the blocks. Architecture is not just about designing empty buildings and houses, it is
capable of expressing meanings, drawing allusions, evoking metaphors, and telling stories. In
older times, Minoan people, living on the island of Crete, carved deep slits into the living rocks
with chambers at their ends for the burial of the remains of the dead. These tombs were
metaphorical wombs to which the dead can be returned. Such symbolism and metaphoric
presentation can be seen throughout history where architecture is used to convey messages and
meaning. The symbolic meaning behind works of architecture can be interpreted in many
different ways even if it had no symbolism at all. Symbolism helps identify a place, the
appearance of a particular place will match people’s expectations of what that particular place
should look like. For example, the appearance of a church will match people’s expectations of
what a ‘church’ should look like. Different cultures and countries have different architectural
symbols. For example, Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris and French culture, and the
Sydney Opera House became a cultural symbol for Australia.

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ZAINAB USMAN

Book title: Analysing ARCHITECTURE

By: Simon Unwin

Chapter 2: Architecture as Identification of Place

Chapter 3: Basic Elements of Architecture

Chapter 5: Elements doing more than one thing

How Analysis Help Design

Architecture as Identification of Place

Basic Elements of Architecture

Elements Doing More Than One Thing

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