History Study Notes

1950 Building Design

During the 1950's, many homes were either International Style or Ranch Style. These were small, single -
family homes meant for households of four. The picture to the left was a typical picture of what sort of home
was thought to be "the American dream."
Ranch Style is usually referred to as a single story house often built with a very horizontal appearance. This style
came from many of Frank Lloyd Wright's earlier designs.
The most common characteristics of International Style buildings are rectilinear forms; light, with little
architectural detail; open interior spaces; and a visually weightless quality. These homes were usually made of
glass or steel.
In kitchens, basements, attics, sunrooms, and even sometimes the main livingroom, a very popular way to
decorate homes during the 50s was with Knotty Pine walls, and Resilient floor tile.
Another very popular style of the 50s was pastels. People would often put these soft colors in bathrooms, which
we sometimes still see in older homes today.
In terms of furniture, large pieces with bulky, rounded edges were the style.
Minimal architecture
The concept of minimalist architecture is to strip everything down to its essential quality and achieve
simplicity.
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The idea is not completely without ornamentation,
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but that all parts, details and joinery are
considered as reduced to a stage where no one can remove anything further to improve the design.
Minimalist architects and their works
1.Tadao Ando
His design concepts are materials, pure geometry and nature.
He normally uses concrete or natural wood and basic structural form to achieve austerity and rays of light in
space.
He also sets up dialogue between the site and nature to create relationship and order with the buildings
2.Kazuyo Sejima,
use white color and transparent elements to create the building
3.John Pawson
The materials in his design reveal the perception toward space, surface and volume.
Moreover, he likes to use natural materials because of their aliveness, sense of depth and quality of individual.
4.Alberto Campo Baeza
He values the concepts of light, idea and space.
Light is essential and achieves the relationship between inhabitants and the building.
Ideas are to meet the function and context of space, forms and construction.
Space is shaped by the minimal geometric forms to avoid decoration that is not essential.



Symbolism In Architecture:
When architectural forms become the vehicles of contentin plan, elevation, and decorationthey are symbolic.
Their symbolism can be understood consciously or unconsciously, by association to a building one has seen
before and by the fact that it suggests certain universal experiences . One comprehends the meaning of symbols
that are new, as well as those that are known, by association, because the laws of statics restrain builders from
putting them into forms so completely unfamiliar that they do not suggest some tradition, just as the structure of
language permits endless new meanings but retains a fairly constant vocabulary. The meaning of architectural
symbolsor of wordsmay even change, but the process must be both logical and gradual, for, if the change is
irrational, the purposecommunicationis lost.

Monumental Architecture:
The concept of monumentality pertains to everything from palaces and administrative
complexes to temples, fortifications and tomb constructions. monumental buildings areculturally constructed
places, enduring features of the landscape that actively express ideology,elicit memory and help to constitute
identity. Architectural complexes communicate and reproduce certain meanings, and help to shape relationships
of power and inequality between thosewho dwell in or use such buildings and those who visit or simply
pass by them
Buildings, therefore, are more than just accumulations of materials, shapes and designs;they also serve
as expressions of human intention and design, experienced both during and after their construction
Lotus Temple:
The Lotus temple was designed by architect, Mr. Fariborz Sahba. The temple complex consists of:
the main house of worship;
the ancillary block which houses the reception centre,
the library and the administrative building;
the restrooms block.
The temple proper comprises a basement to accommodate the electrical and plumbing components, and a lotus-
shaped superstructure to house the assembly area.
The beautiful concept of the lotus, as conceived by the architect, had to be converted into definable geometrical
shapes such as spheres, cylinders, toroids and cones. These shapes were translated into equations, which were then
used as a basis for structural analysis and engineering drawings. The resultant geometry was so complex that it took
the designers over two and a half years to complete the detailed drawings of the temple
The Lotus temple from inside to outside has various layers > Arch--Inner leaf, radial beams and
central hub--Interior dome--Entrance and outer leaves.All these have been Constructed efficiently
stagewise.


A thorough calculation of loading has been worked out.
Reinforcement calculated and provided also to result into the required shape along with the structure to
be able to bear the Load calculated.
Concrete has been used as the major construction material.
Marble cladding on the structure has been marvelously done- which gives it a flawless appearance.

Modern Building Design
Common themes of modern architecture include:
the notion that "Form follows function", a dictum originally expressed by Frank Lloyd Wright's early
mentor Louis Sullivan, meaning that the result of design should derive directly from its purpose
simplicity and clarity of forms and elimination of "unnecessary detail"
materials at 90 degrees to each other
visual expression of structure (as opposed to the hiding of structural elements)
the related concept of "Truth to materials", meaning that the true nature or natural appearance of a material
ought to be seen rather than concealed or altered to represent something else
use of industrially-produced materials; adoption of the machine aesthetic
particularly in International Style modernism, a visual emphasis on horizontal and vertical lines
International Style:
absence of ornamentation
box-shaped buildings
smooth wall surfaces
expansive windows
cantilevered building extensions
Formalism:
flat projecting rooflines
strict symmetry
high-quality materials
columnar supports
Brutalism
weighty massiveness
rough-surfaced, exposed concrete walls
broad, expansive wall surfaces
deeply recessed windows
Expressionism
sweeping, curved rooflines and wall surfaces


nonexistent or minimal use of symmetrical
or geometric forms
faceted, concave, or convex surfaces
arched or vaulted spaces
Views on Design:
A designer can be said to be both technician and artist.
A designer plans things for manufacture or construction. The difference between a designer and a craftsperson or artist is
that designers usually develop things that have requirements set by others and will ultimately be produced by others.
Design is a widely used word. It is applied to any process where an outcome is being planned rather than relying on chance.
So people in all sorts of occupations speak of designing aspects of their business activities. In many cases they are using
the word as a synonym for plan.
The requirements that a designer works to are both objective and subjective. The objective requirements are easy to
understand. They are technical and business requirements that allow for measurement and direct comparison. How much
will it cost? What is the best material? When can it be finished by?
Its the subjective, creative side of design thats hardest to explain and hardest for most people to understand. The aesthetic
side of design relates to fashion, human behaviour, emotion and cultural influences such as the cultural meaning of symbols.
Design is a planning process. It produces the best solution based on the stated business objectives and the information and
resources available. It uses a methodical procedure to ensure that solutions are well thought out and all the known criteria
for success are considered.
Designers must balance the needs of their employers with the needs of the intended users of the design. These are often
the employers customers.
If the design doesnt meet the needs or desires of the end user, rather than just the commissioner of the work, then sales will
be compromised.
In addition designers must reconcile their own standards of aesthetics, quality and ethics with the requirements of the
intended commercial purpose of their work. Both designer and client should also consider community values and
constraints.