The Russian Revolutionary - Zaha Hadid

Reading in accordance to lecture: German Modern Architecture: Werkbund, Bauhaus and Expressionism.  29/10/2014

Summary conclusion of video: http://bobnational.net/youraccount/index/collectionPage/1/co llectionID/139735

 

The Russian Revolutionary Zaha Hadid on Kazimir Malevich BBC Documentary 2014

Before watching this documentary I admittedly had not seen any of Kazimir Malevich’s work and when I saw the first image in the video of one of his pieces I instantly saw them as architectural pieces. The objects could show plans, elevation, sections, the movement and circulation between spaces. Maybe this was a coincidence as I’m studying Architecture and perhaps this is how my mind has been trained but I instantly liked his pieces. They were simplistic but very representative; the Black Square in my view is a very strong piece of artwork as it represents change, newness and modernity.

I like Zaha Hadid’s futuristic, modern architectural style because her buildings stand out from the crowd and have an awing presence. I like how she was greatly influenced by Malevich’s work. Abstraction is the main similarity between their styles of work; Malevich’s supremist paintings mostly contain coloured rectangular forms placed in an abstract manner. In the documentary Zaha Hadid repreadtly mentions that she portrays his work as ‘galaxies’ and references to architectural terms. I can see Malevich’s influence in her development and presentation of her work.

In my opinion Malevich’s works make me personally thing of circulation of space and also as previously mentioned orthographics. Art is open to interpretation and in the same respect so is architecture.

Modern Architecture - Alan Colquhoun

Reading aligned with lecture: European modern agendas – DeStijl, Russian Constructivism, Italian Rationalism, Spanish regionalism vs modernism, French Purism 22/10/2014

Personal summary of reading pages 73-86: 

The Urn and the Chamberpot: Adolf Loos 1900-30

In this chapter Colquhoun enlightens the reader as to why Adolf Loos stood out from the rest in his time in the architecture industry, Loos is described as ‘ a maverick that refused to join any club.’ Loos didn’t believe or follow the art style of his era, especially the jugenstil movement that ‘wanted to eliminate the distinction between the craftsman and the artist.’ Instead Loos saw a distinct separation between the two, in a sense of everyday objects made by a craftsman and creative pieces made by artists.    

Looshaus, Machealerplatz 1909-1911.

Behrens' Turbine Factory

Loos sees objects for their purpose and relates his architecture in a similar manner, for example he applied his ideas of decorum for ‘Loohaus’ in Michealerplatz. This was a piece of architecture designed intentionally for mixed use; the ground floor contained fashionable gentlemen outfitters while the upper floors consisted of apartments. Loos decorated the ground floor with Tuscan orders set in marble while the façade upon the upper floors was exposed and bare of ornament and decoration. Intentionally done so to represent the different uses of the architecture; the marble is a true representative to its client, the luxurious outfitters, while the bare skin of the apartments allows them to be personalised by their owners. 

Loos hasn’t in my opinion tried to combine classical architecture with modern how Behrens does with his Turbine Factory; I can truly see the form of an order through Behrens’s piece, a false façade. With ‘Loohaus’ Loos creates facades true to their use in his opinion, attacking other styles of architecture which decorate facades with decoration unjust to their uses.

Loos also had a different approach to his interior architecture compared to the current trends in society at his time. For example he created a ‘miniature social space, surrounded by private sub-spaces’ in his apartment designs; this style developed into ‘hermetic cubes’ in future works. Loos would refrain from allowing large extensive openings externally but would also encourage passive light throughout the internal spaces and walls through small pierced windows. Loos shared the Romantic idea that architecture ‘should be a natural and spontaneous language.’

I admire how Loos was not afraid to go against trends and the norm of his time. For example he rejected in his interiors the ‘total design’ philosophy, which incorporated separate, but matching pieces of furniture in relation to the architecture; instead Loos’ interiors ‘were made up of found objects.’ He believed that ‘Walls…belong to the architects’ and in return the ‘mobile items are made by our craftsmen.’ This backs up his ideas of keeping the distinction between art and everyday objects separate.

The Globalisation of modern architecture: the impact of politics economics and social change on architecture and urban design since 1900

This blog has been made in accordance to module requirements for the Architecture in Context module at Nottingham Trent University in relation to BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design. In total I have 23 readings to examine and provide an opinionated summary of the reading.

Reading in accordance to lecture: The idea of Modern Architecture: Adolf Loos, Art Deco, pre-war architecture. 15/10/2014

This summary is based upon reading pages 7-29

The Globalisation of modern architecture: the impact of politics, economics and social change on architecture and urban design since 1900 – Robert Adam, ebrary, inc, 2012

All human settlements were connected between the fithteenth and seventeenth century thanks to European voyage and exploration. This allowed countries to trade their goods with others, or to isolate them if they so wished.  Cultures and governments and wealth would influence the arts and styles of architecture; which is turn produced nationalism and patriotic citizens. I noticed a trend that Internationalism would not follow through from strong nationalist countries, especially is the country had an extreme government: such as Germany and Japan left their signatories for the League of Nations. Architecture was also used as a status symbol; Russia’s Monument to the third international wasn’t erected but its style and size symbolised Russia’s power and advances against other nations. Further more Architecture has also been used to represent nations; The Eiffel Tower is instantly associated and recognised as Paris, France. Architecture is used as a symbol as well as an expression of art.

Classical Architecture I believe has been spread internationally, but has been developed into various styles nationally through culture and religion. Advances in technology and industry have in my opinion sped up the slow-paced architectural movements. The 21^st century has seen astonishing advances of engineering and Architecture: the first mechanised flight in 1903, atomic bombs to the first skyscrapers. Architecture is rapidly progressing with the combination of science and design allowing new processes and materials to develop; in return allowing previous limits to be limitless and architecture to perform in whatever forms desired.