Grammar: Syntax

[re]vision:

revise: to look over something written in order to correct or improve; to make a new version of
vision: a vivid picture created by the imagination

^ [Re]vision: Borrowing from a natural artifact to create abstract patterns

Believe it or not, architecture is ABOUT revision. From the Ancient World up to the 20th century, bits and pieces of architecture were constantly being revised. For example, the Egyptians revised the artificial mountain in Mesopotamia to become the pyramid. The Romans revised the Greek Orders to create what are called pilasters. In fact, the word “Renaissance” means rebirth. The people of the Renaissance took parts of Ancient Architecture and revised it to the revival of gothic and classical architecture. The conformity to these rules during the Renaissance led to the transition into the Baroque Era. Baroque architecture took the Renaissance rules and pushed these boundaries, revising the rules yet again. The excessively decorative Baroque style eventually calmed down to accommodate the theme of the Rococco era, which consisted of more pale colors, and less ornament. These three architectures (Classical, Baroque, Roccoco) were then combined with antiquity to form the Neoclassical architecture. “Generally, plans were less complicated […] reflecting the influence of the Roman baths of antiquity” (Blakemore 286). Neoclassical architecture is the beginning of the Reflections unit because it writes an entirely new book of rules for reflecting both Ancient and Renaissance tactics in its architecture. Without a doubt, revising to reach the highest potential possible, while still maintaining a language with the borrowed culture, is a main goal in architecture. We are learning about revision and more revision as we build multiple iterations and draw and revise drawings. Revision is what has brought us the variety of architecture we see today, and styles will continue to be revised throughout the future. Maybe some day we’ll revise architecture to build skyscrapers to the moon?



audience: an opportunity of being heard; an assembly of listeners or spectators

^The designer thinks about his audience as he works to create a concept

Audience is an incredibly important aspect to consider in design. Who are you designing for? The client(s) influences many decisions you make, such as what type of diagram to show and what type of style to choose. It is important that a designer gets to know their audience. This way, he or she will be able to design accordingly. The designer will know what colors to use, what style of furniture to use, what their space will be used for, etc. Society has always played a huge role in design, because architects take into consideration what time period they are designing for. This is what makes each era so different from the next. For example, during the Gothic period, excess attention was paid to churches due to the increasing importance of Christianity. During the Georgian Baroque, and into the neoclassical era, power and hierarchy was a main societal focus, which led to the building of palaces, complemented by luxurious gardens. The Neoclassical era aimed for classicism and antiquity at one time. “To begin with, on the one hand, the classical traditionalists looked longingly to the arts of the Grand Siecle as their source of inspiration, and, on the other hand, the antiquarians sought to rely on the firsthand knowledge of the ancients through the study of archaeological remains” (Blakemore,283). Nowadays, architects are beginning to build based on a growing need for sustainability. Because of Global Warming, it is important that architects are doing whatever possible to build “green”. Also important to consider is the concept of function. How will this building be used? Not only is it crucial to consider the present use, but also the future use. This idea of looking to the future is called universal design. If a building is universal, it can accommodate many different functions and people.

character: a symbol of representation; a distinguishing feature;

^The unique design of this chandelier to resemble an artichoke gives it its character

The character of a design develops from the three necessities: commodity, firmness and delight. Most of the time, a design is made to fit all three of these aspects. This means that a design will accommodate a time period or audience, be structurally stable to withstand disaster, and be aesthetically pleasing. Different features are usually dependent on time period. For example, the use of the oval in spatial planning marks the beginning of the Baroque era. “One of the primary characteristics of the Baroque period was a sense of movement, and one way to achieve this was to use oval spaces rather than round” (Blakemore, 156). The repetition of facades to create a palace from townhouses is characteristic of the French enlightenment. Pale colors and the use of gold décor is a character during the Roccoco era. Features also depend on the wishes of the client. Usually, a client will tell you what he or she likes or doesn’t like, and as a designer, you work from there to figure out how you should design the space. The features of this design will be different from those of another because the clients are different, and probably have different ideas of what they want.

transition:a passage from one state, place, stage or subject to another

Transition shapes the history of design. As I already stated above, transitions from one style to another have been about revision, or one era borrowing from the previous and elaborating on that style. In the beginning of the semester, we spoke about the cycle of architecture, and the constant overlap of one style with the next. This overlap is the result of many different aspects; the most important one (in my opinion) is the passage of time. When an era of new architecture begins, it develops in one area, and then spreads to many others. So, as an example, while France was moving on from the Baroque era into Neoclassicism, Baroque was still lingering in England (Georgian Baroque). “The tendency on the part of traditionalists such as Gabriel to look to the period of Louis XIV as their source of inspiration was also transitional. Although the design derivation is evident, the execution was more disciplined” (Blakemore, 290). The passing of time assists transition, but transitions have a tendency to be simultaneous, which seems incredibly contradictory to the organized timeline of architecture. Transition goes hand in hand with the constant development of new ideas. Overlap also occurs because most new ideas have some relation to previous ones, in that the new ideas piggyback off of the old, or use bits and pieces. This idea of one idea leading to another is also obvious in the process of design. In order for a designer to reach a final product, he or she must transition from what is usually an extremely broad idea, and specify the idea more and more as the process goes on.

datum: a single piece of data

^This sofa has a datum that could be considered unclear. Does this look like a sofa to you? It also refuses to rotate: another datum issue.

Architecture usually has a datum, or one single piece of “data” that tells its story. However, I look at the word “datum” as being more of a statement of purpose than a piece of data. For example, the datum in the Pantheon is the oculus. The oculus makes obvious the intention to connect heaven and earth. A datum is important because it provides information beyond the exterior. It’s a useful way to create a transition from one space to another, incorporating hierarchy of one space over the next. For example, in the Georgian Baroque, more attention was paid to public activities in spatial planning. “A new approach to space planning typified the residences of te period from about 1720 to 1770. Versatility in planning to accommodate social events was the motivating force for this change” (Blakemore, 250). This way of organizing space based on hierarchy has been used from the get go. In the pyramids, the most important space (the tomb) was usually set in the very back, under the ground, so that the journey became more personal the deeper into the pyramid. The same remains in the tripartite system of porch, court, hearth. The porch is the most public and the hearth is the most private. In fact, this spatial planning still exists today. Usually, one walks through the main entrance of a home into a foyer, where people gather, and then there is the dining/living area and the kitchen, which are also areas for entertainment. Then, whether its on the second floor or branching off into a hallway, are the bedrooms and bathrooms, or more private spaces.

All 5 of these words create a language, or an “architecture parlent”. A design is created from a transition (moving from one to the other) between styles, leading to [re]vision (or borrowing and recreating) of previous eras. This design is then communicated to an audience (whether a client or people of a time period) through character (distinguishing features) and a datum (an obvious statement of purpose). This architecture parlent is crucial for the communication of design. If architecture did not have a language, it would be impossible to connect buildings to everyday life. It would be impossible to relate the interior of a building to an exterior. When we spoke about Architecture Parlent on Monday, we spoke of all the things that played roles in understanding a language. A major part of this concept is syntax, or sentence structure. Perhaps in English it is about sentence structure, but as far as architecture goes, syntax has to do with the organization of process as well as interrelation.