histories matching vocab

• 5 Points on Architecture: These are principles defined by Le Corbusier as the core of modern architecture. They include:
  
  

  • Pilotis: Columns that raise the building off the ground and act as load-bearing elements

  • Roof Garden: A flat roof designed to be used as a garden, reintroducing nature into the city.

  • Free Plan: Interior walls can be placed freely, independent of structural needs.

  • Free Facade: The facade is also independent of structural concerns, allowing for flexible openings.

  • Horizontal Window: Windows that run the length of the building. These were preferred by Le Corbusier for their effect of bringing in more light (not exactly true) and emphasizing the horizontality and calmness of the structure.

• Ambulatory: a covered passage that typically encircles the apse of choir of a church, behind the high altar, allowing for movement of the worshippers without disrupting services.
  
  

• Architecture Parlante: This term refers to architecture that "speaks" through its form and symbolism. Otto Wagner's Vienna Post Office Savings Bank, for example, uses details to communicate ideas about the artificiality of architecture.
  
  

• Bricolage: but the concept is alluded to in the discussion of eclecticism and picturesque architecture, which combine different elements or styles in a more or less casual way.
  
  

• Byzantine: Byzantine architecture is associated with the Eastern Roman Empire-preference for domes, seen both in basilicas and centrally planned churches
  
  

• Collectivism: This concept relates to the idea of designing for the collective, rather than the individual. This is relevant to the discussion of Le Corbusier's Unite d'Habitation, which is a form of collective housing that was intended as a model for communal living.
  
  

• Complexity and Contradiction: Book by Venturi, one of the most important works of architectural literature. It marks a turning point in American architecture and architectural theory. “Less is a bore”. It demonstrates an approach to understanding architectural composition and complexity, and the resulting richness and interest.

• Contextualism: The idea of an architecture that responds to its context is discussed in relation to Alvar Aalto's work, which was seen as a poetic reaction to the Finnish climate and landscape.
  
  

• Critical Regionalism: countering the placelessness and lack of identity of the International Style, but also rejects the whimsical individualism and ornamentation of Postmodern architecture.

• Deconstructivist Architecture: Piranesi's drawings, which presented impossible spaces, alludes to the ideas that would later influence Deconstructivism.
  
  

• Design Intelligence: a methodology used in architectural practice in various design phases to enhance decision-making and communication, often using BIM.

• Earthen Works: This term is used to refer to the diversity of architectural styles, highlighting non-European traditions, in an effort to push back against Eurocentrism, with examples such as mud urban landscapes of cities like Lagos in Nigeria.
  
  

• Eclecticism: This refers to the combination of different styles and elements in architecture, often without a unifying principle. It is noted that while some postmodern buildings embraced a form of eclecticism, they also sought to comment on the past, rather than simply copy it.
  
  

• Enlightenment: This refers to a philosophical movement that emphasized reason and rationality, and this was seen as the impetus for Neoclassical architecture and urban planning-Enlightenment’s influence on the creation of a new, objective system of organizing information.
  
  

• Frieze: This is a decorative band, often found near the top of a wall or building- in Baroque architecture, the frieze was often left ornament-free, but it could also carry the dedication of the church.
  
  

• Functionalism: Functionalism is referenced in relation to modern architects who developed forms that were tightly constrained by functional needs. Alvar Aalto, for example, employed functional discipline as a poetic response to the climate and context of his designs.
  
  

• Gesamtkunstwerk: This German term, meaning "total work of art", refers to a work in which all art forms are synthesized. The Schröder House is described as a good example of this concept, where every detail is integrated into the building's overall aesthetic.
  
  

• Geometrical Abstraction: This is the use of simplified geometric forms in art and architecture. The style group, for example, aimed to create a language of forms based on geometric shapes. Le Corbusier also thought geometric forms were most suitable for the machine age.
  
  

• Globalization: Globalization is mentioned in the context of architectural production and consumption, where some contemporary buildings share a similar aesthetic regardless of their location. It is also noted that the spread of Eurocentrism through colonialism has influenced how architectural history is taught and practiced.
  
  

• Harmonic Proportions: Renaissance architecture was based on the idea of harmonic proportions. This refers to the use of mathematical ratios to create visually pleasing forms. Mannerism is presented as a challenge to this principle.
  
  

• Hierarchical Order: the idea of organizing information alphabetically was intended to be non-hierarchical, but in fact, in the first encyclopedia produced in the Enlightenment, architectures around the world were measured against ancient Greek architecture. In another example, it is noted that the Bauhaus had a hierarchical structure, with architecture at the top.
  
  

• Labyrinthine Clarity: a term Aldo van Eyck used, reintroducing elements of the vernacular into architecture with labyrinthine clarity. Using geometric shapes and clear lines in floor plans.

• Linear Perspective: This is a system for creating the illusion of depth on a flat surface. The Piazza della Uffizi is described as a masterpiece of perspective in depth.
  
  

• Massiveness: The concept of massiveness is touched upon when describing early Baroque architecture. The emphasis on material rather than structure is also discussed in the context of Baroque architecture.
  
  

• Mastaba: an ancient Egyptian tomb structure with a rectangular base, sloping sides and a flat roof. Made of wood, mud bricks, stone, or a combination.
  
  

• Neoclassicism: This is a style that draws inspiration from the classical architecture of ancient Greece and Rome-the Enlightenment stimulated interest in this style. Piranesi's work is also discussed in relation to neoclassical emergence.
  
  

• New Fragmentation: fragmentation of units, cubes or other (geometrical) shapes, together creating a building. used in Deconstructivism.

• New Objectivity: a name given to the Modern architecture that emerged in (German-speaking) Europe. It remodelled many German cities in the 20s and 30s.

• Non-places: This is a concept described by Marc Auge and referenced by architectural critic Hans Evilings, to define a contemporary condition in which the built environment erodes the sense of place and becomes generic and non-symbolic.
  
  

• Painterly Style: This term describes an approach to architecture that emphasizes the use of light and shade to create a sense of movement and dynamism, as seen in Baroque architecture. This involves blurring lines and creating an illusion of constant change.
  
  

• Pilotis: See "5 Points of Architecture" above.
  
  

• Promenade Architecturale: “architectural walk”, a concept developed by Le Corbusier that refers to the ‘itinerary’ of a built environment, a “fourth dimension” of movement, time and change.
  
  

• Rationalism: This refers to an approach to architecture that emphasizes logic and reason-rationalist perspective that inspired interest in classical periods of ancient Greece and Rome. It is also noted that the romantic movement emerged in reaction to the over-rationalization of society.
  
  

• Romanticism: This was a movement that emphasized emotion, individualism, and the subjective, which emerged in reaction to the rationality of the Enlightenment. It influenced architecture through the picturesque style and the use of asymmetrical and irregular forms.
  
  

• Skeletal System: in the Baroque period, the structure of the building was less important than the material itself. However, it also discusses how modern architects used the skeletal structure of buildings as a means of expression, such as the expression of steel supports in Otto Wagner's Vienna Post Office Savings Bank.
  
  

• Standardization: in the context of the modern movement, in which architects were interested in creating type forms that could be mass-produced.
  
  

• Structural Rationalism: The text mentions that Art Nouveau designers were influenced by the structural emphasis of French structural rationalism. It also references Viollet-le-Duc's work on Gothic rationalism.
  
  

• Talud-Tablero: This term refers to an architectural style in Mesoamerica that involves a sloping base (talud) supporting a rectangular panel (tablero). It is referenced in a broader discussion about the importance of acknowledging the contributions of architectural traditions beyond Europe.
  
  

• Techno-Romanticism: the integration of modern technology with artistic and philosophical ideas from the Romantic movement, emphasizing creativity and a return to craft values. how some people believe that modern technology can inspire creativity, bring back of a “genius” and create a sense of unity.

• Type-form: This refers to a standardized architectural form that can be adapted to different uses. Le Corbusier’s “five points” are seen as being a generic solution and a type-form that he would use for the rest of his career. Type-shit.
  
  

• Universal Space: This idea is discussed in relation to modernism, where architects sought to create spaces that were not tied to any specific culture or context.
  
  

• Volumetric Simplification: This is a characteristic of modern architecture in which buildings are reduced to simple, geometric volumes. It is also noted that despite a simplified exterior, the interiors of buildings may be complex.
  
  

Zeitgeist: This German word refers to the "spirit of the age" or the defining mood or intellectual climate of a particular period. The text also mentions that artists and architects believed they should make the inner meaning of their own times visible.