Spirit of architecture 1 0:15 everything is designed. Nothing happens by accident.

0:20 (norman foster) its either well designed, mediocre or badly designed and the quality of that design affects the quality of our lives. 0:41 (becky anderson) what is great architecture and whats its function over and above providing u places to live and work in? Well over in the course of this program, well be examining architectures role in society. How it affects our lives and how it shapes our environment. Then well meet some of the leading architects who played their part in defining an entire era; An age that many of us can now call our own. 1:10 (alain de botton) i think that, uhm, architecture is for a lot of things. Its for sheltering, its for storing, its to where you put your clothes in. But one thing thats its really for, at the end of the day, is to lift our spirits. Good architecture should make us feel better about the world we live in. It should give us a reason to live. Its like a beautiful day; it should give us a sense of optimism. 1:32 (becky) de botton is one of the great architectural thinkers of the half past century 1:38 (alain) i think there nothing more harmful than the belief that somehow, beautiful architecture is a luxury that is a bit pretentious. Its a basic right . 1:47 (becky) although not an architect in his own right, alain de bottons theories are in keeping with some of these generations finest practitioners. 1:55 (alain) the 20th century saw the terrible idea that the working classes of the word could be housed in fairly revolting, drab, concrete buildings and it didnt really matter because nice architecture was a luxury. It was a bourgeois luxury, so theres no point in getting it right. Thats been proved to be a disaster. 2:13 (alain) people who are made to live in ugly circumstances become inside ugly and degraded people; who then start to react to an antisocial way of their society. So if youre interested in a functioning society, you also need to have beautiful architecture. 2:31 (becky) the man many say personifies the role of architectures social crusader, is Oscar Niemeyer. A controversial figure, his work has made an indelible stamp on the very way that we view things. He was responsible for Brazilia; an in 1960, south America and did the world had never seen anything like it. 2:53 (Oscar niemeyer) for me, the major concern in brazil shouldnt be about architecture. Our most fundamental concern should be making young people understand what life is really about for them to recognize how small we are. 3:07 (becky) his great friend fidel castro once said of the two of them, that they were the last communists on this planet; and in pioneering the use of reinforced concrete, it wasnt just niemeyers politics that upset many traditionalists at the time. At more than a hundred years old, he still has the capacity to shock.

3:27 (oscar) i think good architecture, the type of architecture i prefer the most, is the architecture that looks to be different, the kind of architecture that doesnt repeat itself, the type that assumes a role of artwork, a work of art for me is something that surprises. 3:43 (becky) surprising people is what Niemeyer has been doing all his life. He continues working today and he is still striving to be different. 3:52 (oscar) what really gives me joy is when i look at a building that i designed and know that its not the same as the other ones. Its a bit different. It surprises, it amazes. 4:03 (becky) niemeyers architecture iconic. But according to some, his legacy will be his contribution to society. 4:11 (alain) when brazilia was built, it wasnt just an architectural discussion it was really a discussion about what sort of a country were going to be. Because if you get the buildings right, the rest of the country will almost mold itself in the image which the large sort of legacy building has defined. So people are shaped by architecture as much as architecture is shaped by people. 4:33 (becky) so far, weve examined architectures role in shaping society. That Oscar Niemeyer played a role in influencing the character of modern brazil, for example is in no doubt (what) were gonna hear next from arguable the worlds leading architect of our times, Norman Foster. Before that, a look at 6 recent contenders for the prize of worlds leading architectural projects, and were gonna hear about the issues impacting the industry in 2008. 5:04 (Charles Jencks) architecture is one of the greatest art. It used to be called the mother of arts and; in a great building, like great theatre. Or music, youve moved on a visceral level. Youre moved to laugh and cry at the same time and i think it convinces you of the idealism inherent in all of culture in other words, it can transport you as a great symphony.

Spirit of architecture 3

0:00: (becky) for better or worst, londons landscape is forever changing. When the great fire of London swept through in 1666, it destroyed one of Londons landmark, st. Pauls cathedral. But its very destruction allowed creativity to flourish. The architect Christopher wren rebuilt the cathedral in 1708. Wrens masterpiece defined the era and his works still dominates londons skyline, the place where it is best view today is from a bridge design by a man whose work is now seen in cities around the world. He maybe based in london but his appeal and attitude is truly international. 0:50 (becky) I caught up with lord norman foster in Barcelona and began by asking him what the purpose of architecture is.

0:59 (norman foster) since man came out of the cave, needed to be protected from the elements. And then becomes apparent that the quality of that environment affects the quality of your life. So, the other dimension, in that sense its about society, its about civilization, its about the social agenda. it also is about symbolism, its about the things that you cant measure. How do you measure the quality of the light, a view, sunshine. 1:33 (becky) Winston Churchill once said, we shape buildings and thereafter, they shape us. Do you agree? 1:37 (norman) i agree, totally. We were competing for a project, which we want as competition, for the new York public library, and it made me realize that i wouldnt have been at that meeting presenting ourselves if it wasnt for the role that the library played in my life when i was very very young, early teens. That changed my life. It shaped me, not the only factor but in that community where i grew up. Theres no way i wouldve gone to university if that perspective had not been opened up in part by the library. And were all influenced by our environment. 2:22 (becky) when you look at a building, what makes you feel happy and what makes you feel angry? 2:27 (norman) what makes me feel good is when the environment, if i use it in the broadest sense, has been taken seriously by everybody involved and theyve insisted on quality. And quality isnt about money. Its about attitude. Its about the quality of the thinking. You go to Rockefeller center, now thats a public space, theres a place there. You go to central park, its an extraordinary thing. You cant think of new York without central park. Its part of the infrastructure. Of course, there are iconic buildings, an over-used word, but buildings which over time still command our respect and attention. And You know, they roll off the tongue; theres the __Seguin?_____ building, you know, theres the Chrysler building, the empire state and some. 3:21 (becky) does every building that youre involved with have to be memorable and all(?)/ odd (?) unique?

3:27 (norman), i dont think it has to be memorable. If you come to our(?) studio, youll see schools that we can talk about; the way schools have changed the lives of the children in terms of their academic standing, you can measure that. You can measure it from the school they were in before. Its not just the architecture; its also about the teaching. 3:44 (becky) how would you describe or characterize the age of architecture that were in at the moment? 3:49 (norman) its an age of rapid change, its an age of rapid urbanization, its an age of extraordinary opportunity and over time, im sure that, you know, future generation will sit back and say that well, they did that well, well, they did that not so well. Its a time of dynamic change and many approaches but also extraordinary opportunities through competition systems which didnt exist in the past.

4:21 (becky) foster was chairman of the judges that gathered to choose the best building in the world. grafton architects from Ireland -- judge The bacconi (?) building in Italy was chosen because of what jurors described as its physical and conceptual density. One said it took the tough, ?????? of DNA of Milan and lifted its skirts. Either way, the team behind it had plenty to celebrate.

4:47: (Shelley Mcnamara) the sculpt (?) and anguish (?) of the project gave us real opportunity to make something special, to make something which would feel like a part of that city 4:59 (Yvonne farrell) now is the time for architecture to be a much more celebrating place and not just, if you like churning out buildings that could be anywhere in the world.... (me: HUH? *_*) so its about a certain kind of culture.

5:11 (becky) in simple terms, architects provide plans for buildings and many believe their role in society stops there. But during this show, weve learned that the key to the spirit of architecture is more complicated than that. its about the power to shape our lives. Now the sceptics amongst you might baulk (recoil) at that notion so in this final part, lets give our leaders a chance to depend themselves.

5:43: (alain) i think we live in a world where its commonly assumed that no one really knows whats beautiful or not. Theres an idea that everythings a bit relative and if anybody comes along as thats beautiful and thats ugly, they must be a snob. The best buildings help us to feel that life is worth living. They lift our spirits. They are an argument for keeping, going with our troubled world.

6:03 (massimiliano) i think good architecture is that it has good concept with good technology (?) 6:12 (oscar) architecture should serve mankind, mankinds need for shelter, for work. Unfortunately, it doesnt serve all men with the same generosity. 6:21 (zaha hadid) its an architects responsibility to make people have a good life 6:23 (Charles jencks) the purpose of architecture exist in the very small in- your (?) relationship to your house and your garden and your wife and your children, And creating a place around your life so its very personal and autobiographical. 6:39 (norman foster) its about the quality of life. Do it well, we feel better. 6:45 (becky) well, cultural sensitivity and social awareness are key themes in modern architecture but its a subject that continues to divide opinions strongly. Its critics claim its populated by the

highly pretentious, the see no great art or craft in creating places to live and work in. But i cant help think there is far more to it than that. I dont believe its too great an exaggeration to claim that architecture can bring pain and pleasure, it can impacts on great suades (?) waves(?) of society much the same ways sport, music and art does. It is this power to change peoples perceptions that for me that properly defines the spirit of architecture.