Yes! I am working my way through architect Christopher Alexander's 4 vol. magnum opus "The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe". I want to know more about how the order in Creation informs the principles in human sub-creations. Ordered beauty is visible, it is objective--I want to know what is behind it!
We learned about Christopher Alexander in university, yet I didn't read his work directly. Now that more and more people mention him, it might be a good idea to give it a go.
His buildings do look interesting; a sort of austere take on Arts and Crafts and Medieval vernacular in general.
Sums up nicely much of what I've been ranting on about privately to my family for decades now! The notion of a centrally placed entrance struck a chord. I remember the first time I attempted to find the main door at the Barbican. Non-hierarchical buildings simply don't function. It's almost as though the architect is deliberately wasting our time as a spiteful revenge on an innocent public for the painful consciousness of his (or her) lack of talent.
Contemporary buildings are confusing to the public, that's what architects refuse to admit.
I'm not sure the reason is pure spite (maybe unconsciously it is). Early modernists, Barbican architects included, saw historical cities as chaotic slums; they liked the Cathedrals and palaces but they didn't see any reason for conserving a more organic street like something you find in Rye or Canterbury.
Their idea was to come up with rational, 'functional' principles that would replace this 'chaos'. What this really meant was transforming cities to follow the logic of industrialism. Beauty, visual hierarchy etc. were in the way of achieving this.
Interesting. I've always thought traditional architecture was better, nice to see it fleshed out a little.
You also see this in older non-Western cultures like China. It would be interesting to compare to see what's part of the contingent historical heritage of the West, what's part of being an old culture, and what's simply human.
Yes! I am working my way through architect Christopher Alexander's 4 vol. magnum opus "The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe". I want to know more about how the order in Creation informs the principles in human sub-creations. Ordered beauty is visible, it is objective--I want to know what is behind it!
We learned about Christopher Alexander in university, yet I didn't read his work directly. Now that more and more people mention him, it might be a good idea to give it a go.
His buildings do look interesting; a sort of austere take on Arts and Crafts and Medieval vernacular in general.
Sums up nicely much of what I've been ranting on about privately to my family for decades now! The notion of a centrally placed entrance struck a chord. I remember the first time I attempted to find the main door at the Barbican. Non-hierarchical buildings simply don't function. It's almost as though the architect is deliberately wasting our time as a spiteful revenge on an innocent public for the painful consciousness of his (or her) lack of talent.
Contemporary buildings are confusing to the public, that's what architects refuse to admit.
I'm not sure the reason is pure spite (maybe unconsciously it is). Early modernists, Barbican architects included, saw historical cities as chaotic slums; they liked the Cathedrals and palaces but they didn't see any reason for conserving a more organic street like something you find in Rye or Canterbury.
Their idea was to come up with rational, 'functional' principles that would replace this 'chaos'. What this really meant was transforming cities to follow the logic of industrialism. Beauty, visual hierarchy etc. were in the way of achieving this.
Interesting. I've always thought traditional architecture was better, nice to see it fleshed out a little.
You also see this in older non-Western cultures like China. It would be interesting to compare to see what's part of the contingent historical heritage of the West, what's part of being an old culture, and what's simply human.
I think the characteristics of vernacular architecture are universal in all cultures.