Analysing Architecture
250 words: Using the terms we’ve been looking at (Symmetry through to Skin) and the sub-headings below; choose an Art Gallery (from below) and provide an analysis of that building.
Remember to reference any quotes and images you use.
Remember to reference any quotes and images you use.
Analysis Sub-Headings
Introduction: (approx. 50 words)
1. Provide some brief contextual information about the building. Architect, date of construction, location etc.
First Impressions: (approx. 50 words)
2. What is your overall impression of the building? Discuss the aesthetics of the building (how it looks). Examine the Space and Shapes. Is it a Static building or a Dynamic building? (see below) Is it a modern or traditional building? Look at its Balance (is it symmetrical or asymmetrical?) What are the proportions/scale of the building in comparison to the environment and people? What is the Skin of the building? What Textures are being used? Why did they choose the materials they did? Wood implies harmony with nature, iron, bricks suggests functionality. What Palette (colour scheme) have they used?
Context: (approx. 50 words)
3. What is the context of the building? Research the setting of the building, does it fit into its surroundings?
Function: (approx. 50 words)
4. How functional are the spaces? What is the function of the building?
Inspiration: (approx. 50 words)
5. Try to find what other architects influenced this architect, where did he get his Inspiration? What makes this building different from others?
Dynamic vs Static
Architects can never forget that structures exist for human use, and they thus have to build with human perceptions in mind. As people see a structure, they think of it as either static or dynamic. Static structures appear still and solid. For example, rectangular skyscrapers are static structures. Dynamic structures draw the eye in movement to various parts of the composition; the whole cannot be taken in at a glance. Buildings that have curved or diagonal lines appear dynamic.
There is a place for both static and dynamic structures because of their effect on a viewer emotions. Static spaces are calming and dynamic spaces are exciting. Designers must consider the reaction they want to evoke with their structures.
There is a place for both static and dynamic structures because of their effect on a viewer emotions. Static spaces are calming and dynamic spaces are exciting. Designers must consider the reaction they want to evoke with their structures.
Art Galleries
Analysis: The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Word Count: 278
Introduction:
Designed in 1991 by architect Frank Gehry and built in a 'dilapidated port area' (Pagnotta, 2013) in 1997 in the Spanish city of Bilbao, the Guggenheim museum has transformed this area and made it ‘one of the top tourist destinations in Europe’ (Tyrnauer, 2010) and contains art from the mid-20th century to the present.
|
First Impressions:
On first glance, this building makes you go ‘WOW’. The overall aesthetics are quite unlike anything I have seen before. This dynamic, modern build, with its asymmetrical composition, reflective, metallic skin and juxtaposing modules, jutting out in a variety of angles creates a sense of movement and action.
Context:
Set on the edge of the Nervión River, the Museum’s ‘swirling forms’ (Pagnotta, 2013) mimics the turbulence of the river and its location in a port is reflected in the material of the skin, which ‘responds to its industrial urban context’ (Pagnotta, 2013). Its curves also follow the natural bend of the river, helping it to assimilate within its surroundings.
Function:
Its function as a vessel for contemporary art is reflected in its dynamic form. On examining the buildings plan the wide variety of differently proportioned spaces (short, squat and curved vs long, thin and curved) allows the Museum to cater to a wide range of different kinds of exhibitions.
Inspiration:Taking the location of this building into account (by the water) Gehry has been inspired by like-minded themes. The Guggenheim has been thought to have been inspired by both ‘a fantastic dream ship of undulating form in a cloak of titanium’ (Tomkins, 1997) and, like a fish, ’the panels of metal and stone applied to the surface of the Guggenheim adhere to the overlapping pattern of scales.’ (Muschamp, 1997)
|