Ellen Section A

Canon definition

• The canon in architecture is said to be extraordinary buildings produced over time. It is a rule or standard to which we compare. 

• It involved past architecture that has applied new design techniques which provide the elements needed for the ideal present standard in architecture. Thus, it develops critical thinking in architecture and is an influence to other design styles

• The canon is strong and persistent throughout time by being repeatedly reproduced, presenting itself as a stable thing that one can always rely on to be there. (​​Mejía Moreno). It barely changes and is mostly constant. 

Canon quote

• Nasr and Volait state that,  “Attention has been given to a large range of (professional) figures involved in the design realm in the twentieth century, and yet, the same “big names” and “grand designs” are generally featured in textbooks, syllabi and encyclopedia”

• Due to this, a lot of architecture (mainly with non-western traditions) is still on the margins of architectural teachings 

Thesis statement

• While primarily learning about past Western architecture that has been deeply influential to the practice is educative, it is important to de-colonise the curriculum in order for students to gain an international exposure to various architectural representations.  

Topic sentence 1

• Firstly, there are specific buildings and architects that put to practice unique design choices, which consequently, makes them a canon in the architectural academia. 

intro to le corb

• Not only from observing this academic course but listening to other academics such as Nasr and Volait, Le Corbusier is an exemplary example of the canon. Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (1887-1965), also known as Le Corbusier is a swiss-french architect. He is seen to be the father of modern architecture due to the many works made from reinforced concrete and his five points of architecture in which many architects to this day use in design. A lot of his work clearly showcased harmony between the human scale and architecture, some of this includes Villa Savoye and Unite D’Habitation. Le Corbusier is a persisting canon that is constantly brought up in not only the UCD architecture course but architecture courses all over the world.  

Description of corb building

• One of the works seen to be his greatest achievement is the Notre-Dame du Haut.

• Notre-Dame du Haut, finished in 1950, is a chapel located in Ronchamp, France. Built by Le Corbusier after the old chapel was destroyed in a bombing in 1944, it sits on Bourlemont hilltop and its curves mimic those of the landscape below which includes a curtain of trees all around.

• The chapel is made of curved walls, with a roof mirroring this, in a crab shell-like shape. The walls are reinforced concrete but also include the stones from the old church, while the roof is made of paralleled 6cm concrete shells. Holding the roof up included columns and beams in the north and south walls. All the facades of this building differ, yet still accompany each other due to the curves and the various-sized windows.

peculiar of corb’s building

• The chapel was a new design that Le Corbusier’s fans weren’t used to. However, it was still highly welcomed due the chapel’s integration with the landscape (Dynes). 

• A reason why the Notre-Dame du Haut was found peculiar yet very interesting was due to the fact that it wasn’t like the traditional religious buildings, as this one played with light, colors and curves. It is known to be a re-invention of traditional sacred space during that time. The Notre-Dame du Haut made architecture possible to function as a sculptural presence. It introduced organic forms as a way to present the relationship between architecture and religion, especially using concrete.

what makes corb’s chapel unlike others

• Unlike many chapels, this one is not ornamented with carvings, murals or vaulted ceilings, emphasizing its sole purpose for sacredness and worship. He wanted the chapel to be a place of prayer,silence, peace, and spiritual joy. The only feature Le Corbusier explores is light. The windows have openings in which their centers are at varying degrees, causing light to be in different angles. As well, the glass is set at different depths, with some being clear glass and some being colored glass (red, green and yellow hues). He experimented with this in order to highlight the more important spaces. For example, the entrance isn’t as sacred, so there is less light there. 

• Denise Scot Brown in an interview said “ I love Ronchamp – the way he brings in light to get a religious sensation is admirable”

corb influence of light

• However, the idea of light entering space in different ways was a manner Le Corbusier adopted from North African vernacular buildings, which he discovered in his travels (Kahera). Yet the architecture world rarely discuss the manipulation and entrance of light in North African buildings, the place where this concept originated from. 

• Thus, it is important to expand the design techniques and buildings architectural teachings in order for students to learn the origin of design strategies and not only through the canon.

paragraph 1 conc

• Overall, the Notre-Dame du Haut is an important canon that should be examined in the curriculum, however, it is just as important to progress to non-western buildings as examples of architectural practices in order to expand students’ education. 

topic sen 2

• In addition, Non-Western architecture has barely been explored in the curriculum to be representations of various topics, limiting students' architectural awareness of the world.

intro to non-canonical

• The current curriculum not only in UCD, but in other architectural schools are very Euro-centric when it comes to the education of past buildings and past eras of architecture. For this essay, an unfeatured and outsider building is to be discussed and proposed to be included in the curriculum as it is an appropriate example of religion and culture being represented through architecture.

pei intro

• The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) finished in 2008 is located in Doha, Qatar. Designed by I.M Pei, this building combines Islamic architecture and modernity. I.M Pei is a Chinese-American architect (1917-2019), mostly known for the Louvre pyramid in Paris, and the Bank of China tower.His works are in various parts of the world and the common theme includes symmetry and the exploration of shapes. The inspiration for this came from cubism and just like the art style, architecture is like a sculpture shaped by solids in which its spaces, form and light need to be explored  

pei and land

• Pei ensures to do this in MIA with the building being made up of five stories with a high domed atrium in the central tower. Its materials include limestone, steel and granite, with the cream-colored limestone changing in light and shade due to the building’s geometry. The building is monolithic, made of small rotated squares which emphasizes the movement of light into the building, unobstructed by the surroundings. Likewise to Le Corbusier’s Notre-Dame du Haut, Pei utilises the surrounding environment to accompany the museum. The museum firstly occupies its own man-made island, to ensure that the building does not get overshadowed and overcrowded by other, taller buildings of the future. Putting the museum on its own land emphasised the importance of a permanent space for Islamic art and religion to be celebrated but also the building being enclosed in water reflects the practice of reflection and spiritual cleansing in the religion (Alraouf). From afar, the full facade can be analyzed which includes the solid yet moving sharp elements. 

pei interior

• The interior includes a main central space with curved double staircases. It is covered with a faceted dome that transforms from circle, to octagon, to square, and then to four triangular flaps. The change in shape reflects the patterns in Islamic art always referring to the infinity.

pei ilearning abt islamic art and why it needs to be in curric

• Even Pei himself before beginning this project had little knowledge of Islamic architecture, illustrating how there’s an underrepresentation of non-European architecture, even to those already in the profession for many years. It is apparent that islamic architecture is different and the Arab designs used to showcase religion is different from the European designs. Thus, it is important for MIA to be taught in the curriculum as it’s a representation of Arab architecture on religion. It would provide students with a new perspective of how religion is referenced in buildings. Even though the museum was designed by a Chinese-American architect, the elements of Islamic architecture are very prominent and visible. In Pei’s design process, he found a lot of influence from the Samarran-style Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo (Mannan). His research on the Egyptian mosque taught Pei the characteristics that make up Islamic architecture, strict forms and the filter of light.

Pei conc

• Overall, it is important to consider MIA as an addition to the curriculum because it begins to de-colonise the course and opens up new design ideas for students. 

essay conc

• To conclude, there is high importance in the existing canons such as Le Corbusier and his many impactful buildings. However, it is just as important to investigate the buildings that are on the margins, especially those of the non-European world. Le Corbusier’s Notre-Dame du Haut, illustrate the importance of the existing canons, as they have been influential to the current designs. Meanwhile, MIA is a non-canonical building that has value and should be taught in the curriculum because it portrays a different relationship between architecture and religion, compared to those of the Western world.

References

Nasr and Volait (2012), “Still on the margin”, p1-7

Mejía Moreno, C. (2022). Photographs of Silos: pp. 1-10

Dynes, Wayne R. (2006) “Medievalism and Le Corbusier.”. Pg 93

Kahera(2002)“GARDENS OF THE RIGHTEOUS: pg 328–41.  

Mannan (2019) Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar by I.M.Pei: , pg 1-9

Alraouf, Ali A. THE ROLE OF MUSEUM’S ARCHITECTURE , pg 1-10