WhatisArchitecture?

DominicMcAndrew

Semester22008/2009
AC1006DesignPhilosophy2

Nobodytosomebody,
butsomebodytoeverybody

About the Author

Born Dominic Martin McAndrew, 6th June 1990.
In his short existence he has powered his way
through an extraordinarily unextraordinary life
and now finds himself on the brink of greatness.
Witty, sarcastic and wise he brings his charm to
those luck enough to study in Bobby Gs School
of the Gifted, Aberdeen (commonly known as
Robert Gordon University) where he will finally
graduate in 2015. Arrogant as ever, he sincerely
hopes that you find this little gem of wisdom
enticing, interesting and invigorating.

What is Architecture?
"What is architecture
anyway? Is it the vast
collection of the various
buildings which have
been built to please the
varying taste of the
various lords of
mankind? I think not.
"No, I know that
architecture is life; or at
least it is life itself taking
form and therefore it is
the truest record of life as it was lived in the
world yesterday, as it is lived today or ever will
be lived. So architecture I know to be a Great
Spirit....
"Architecture is that great living creative spirit
which from generation to generation, from age to
age, proceeds, persists, creates, according to the
nature of man, and his circumstances as they
change. That is really architecture."
Frank Lloyd Wright

The question of what is architecture had almost defiantly

been around as long, if not longer, as what we see to today as
architecture began.
Architecture to some people may only be the means by which
their shelter is constructed. Others may, as Lloyd Wright, see
it as a spiritual component in our day to day life as passed on
by our forefathers and as we will pass on in the future.
By far the most common perception of what architecture is is
the artistic and cultural impact of a place, building or object.
The feelings of the masses of awe, comfort and content
encapsulated in a form, which while appearing strong and
sturdy ultimately will meet the same fate as human life will.
Perhaps it is this juxtaposition that makes it so compelling.
Architecture has certainly gone through a major
transformation, some appreciated,
some not. But whether an
architectural change has been
perceived to be exemplar or not
is irrelevant. The fact that in these
masses of stone, steel and timber
has condensed an era into a
strong, tangible collection is what
architecture is really about and
the reason I am doing this degree.
Change is inevitable in
architecture, architects and the
world demand such change and it
is through change that the future
is born.

One of the key factors that makes this question so hard to

answer is because one cannot pinpoint the moment in time
architecture began. It could be argued that architecture began
as soon as man started using sticks and skin to form a shelter,
equally it could be the beginning of solid structures or when
one of us educated folk turned up with a pencil and paper.
The question what is architecture will, Im sure, be
pondered by many a mind over time. Unfortunately, they will
find that there is no real answer. However the following text
will highlight some intriguing, challenging and thought
provoking ideas that although not for everyone will help
you engage in such an enormous question

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Power
"When thou art at Rome, do as they do at
Rome."
(Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, 1547-1616)

Conforming is a typical part of human behavior. We conform

to people, places and things though we may not know it.
Buildings can cause the conformism is a subtle, unconscious
manner that if looked for is as obvious as a smack in the
face. This should not necessarily be construed as a sinister act,
merely the architect planning for a
purpose and making sure that this
is what the environment will be
used for. The power of this
coercion can be as subtle as a
change in texture, or as obvious
as a physical barrier.
One prime example of this is the
Scottish Parliament. Throughout
the public areas there are changes
in flooring colour and texture the
subconsciously form invisible walls in the
guests mind.

Powerful Object?

The vaulted concrete ceiling in the entrance

lobby instantly closes in and exerts a powerful
aura, firmly setting down that this is a place of
upmost superiority.

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Believe it or not, a small mushroom shaped piece of concrete,

or more a small army of these, exerts a surprisingly strong
force in an object that would otherwise be disregarded as a
bollard. These concrete mushrooms lie dormant the vast
majority of the time, indeed being used as a play thing,
however in the event of a car bomb attack these lumps of
concrete are the difference between intrusion into the seat of
Scottish power and a pathetic protest outside.
Conformism is as part of life as life itself. As architects, it is
our right, our purpose and our need to create conformity
unless we want a riot now and again. Architectural power is
not sinister, it is merely a fact of life. In using this power it is
only a communication of the needs of ourselves, others
around us and the needs of the environment we are in.
To paraphrase the old adage:

When thou art in my building, do as

I designed
Dominic McAndrew (1990-Present)

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Dominating you?

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14

Sex
Love is the answer, but while you are waiting for
the answer sex raises some pretty good
questions
Woody Allen

Again just as with power, the title suggests that architecture is

once again a seedy manipulative movement in the underbelly
of society.
Far from this, sex, gender,
romance and beauty are
the visible essence of what
architecture is. The
association of a building to
a specific gender is quite
possibly a mix of the sexual
nature of the human mind
and the age-old sexist
ideology, which, although
not subscribed to in
everyday life is still present
on sum sort of
subconscious level within
each one of us.

Sculptor Alex
McAndrew on
Paris Expedition

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Hertzog and De
Muron: Walker
Art Centre

Above is a typical example of the macho-chauvinist rough and

ready to smack you in the face variety of architecture. Bold
geometric forms, dominating appearance and a rough
appearance are typically male according to our inner sexist.
Its a mans world. At least, architecture still typically is.
Male architects, male buildings testosterone everywhere.
Manhattan for example is spewing into the bay with
testosterone. Skyscraper after skyscraper, each one bigger
and better than the other. Sounds familiar? For decades men
have been designing these phallic forms in ever increasing
enormosity.

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Norman
Foster: Russia
Tower

Perhaps Lord foster has

something to prove with the
180 floor, 25000 person city in
the sky.

Simply softening the lines of

these buildings instantly turns
them into a sleek, slender and
beautiful female building.

Bringing in the stereotypical feminine flower further

emphasizes the girly nature of Crystal Island.

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Norman
Foster: Crystal
Island

Feminine buildings
prove nothing.
They simply are
what they are a
form of beauty.

Zaha Hadid:
Nordpark Cable
Railway

The finishes of a
female building is
also often different.
So, the
architectural world
is out dated, sexist,
chauvinist, egocentric and macho?
For the most part
in the current
climate, yes. And it will be until the exclusive club of the
crme de la crme architects has been refresh. The beginning
of this happened, not with the work of Zaha Hadid, but with
the fame and publicity she accrued. It is therefore, down to
my generation of architects and those that will follow us that
will truly complete the metamorphosis of the architectural
landscape into the sexual equality scenario we have had in
society for many, many years.

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Fair is Fair

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20

Race
It doesnt matter if your black or white
Michael Jackson

Following on with the theme of humanizing architecture, we

can also bring race into the mix. However race is possibly not
the best word to use, ethnicity seems to fit this better we
are not discussing colour of buildings, more the cultural
relativity.
Architectural history as we know
it, indeed how it is taught in out
very institution, is merely a history
of what us in our self righteous
western world perceive to be the
crme de la crme of our crop of
architecture, inadvertently

disregarding the
just as
commendable
architecture
found beyond
the border.
This is purely
Figure 1&2: Pretentious or Practical
caused by our
racial past. The
white mans belief that he is all that matters in the world,
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purist, wisest,
strongest, most
powerful and most
educated has lead to
the omission from
history of ethnic
architecture indeed
at has been segregated
from white
architecture.
As was the norm in
society for until the
1960s ethnic
architecture, just as
ethnic people
themselves was deemed inferior to that of the ever-wise
white mans. There skill in adapting to their situation,
resourcefulness of building materials and their ability to
design, build and maintain themselves was somehow
overlooked.

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Black

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White

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Yellow

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One world

One architecture

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27

Architecture is
Architecture is the life and
soul of our society. It is as
much a kingpin in out lives as
our husbands, wives, parents
and children. The ability to
subconsciously convey so
many different ideologies is far
beyond that of any politician
or activist.
Architecture is to the world
what a soul is to a person.
Architecture is also far behind
the moral thinkings of modern
day society, yet because it is in a simple built form and not
some raving lunatic shouting in our faces we accept it. If a
human was to say have the things connotated with
architecture they would almost certainly meet an ugly demise.
I can draw parallels between the question of what is
architecture to such dilemmas as where is the universe and
what came first the chick
or the egg?. No one can
defiantly say when
architecture began, or even
what architecture is. Yes
architecture includes the
buildings us westerners see
day to day, but who is to
3 sticks and a skin
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say it cannot include 3 sticks and a dead cows skin or a cave

somewhere deep underground.
I feel that architecture does not have to be created by man.
Ideed for something to be architecture I agree that is has been
created by man for man. But ARCHITECTURAL, anything can
be architectural even a baboons backside. This kind of
natural architecture has all too easily been flown by by the
architectural powers that be. We all came from nothing but
earth and water and that to is where architecture originated.
It does not need an arrogant fool with a degree, nor does it
need recognition, but architecture is everywhere. It is the land
we live, grow and develop - underneath our feet, all around us
and ultimately in the future above us. We cannot escape it, as
it has been part of the very fiber of our being since the dawn
of time.
Why would we want to escape it? It has, after all, provided us
with the world we have today. Yes, I agree, our world is not
perfect it never has been. Maybe architecture is the way to
fix it. If it has the ability to take on such ideas as race and sex
who is to say that a particular type of architecture in the right
place and the right time could not change the world. I, my
peers or those that will follow us could change the face of our
planet.
Films in the early 21st century show the future as being a dire
and desperate time, where the previous occupants of the
planet have royally fucked it up and now everyone is having to
scarper somewhere else in the universe.

Scape concepts:
Sarah Schneider

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What I say to these film

makes is they are the ones
that have got it all wrong.
The budding young
architects that turn up to
university everyday
although hungover have
a passion deep inside of
them to change the world.
We can, and those we will
educate will follow us.
Our humble planet only
gets better from here on
in, you better push your
sock down because we
are going to knock them
right off.

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References
Architecture now
scran

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