Architecture-2012

After spending a semester on contemporary architecture, I have my own definition of Contemporary Architecture.  In my mind contemporary architecture can defined as creations that possess certain architectural beauty that can attract people and make people think and address social issues. The shape and design of the architecture have to be aesthetic and this beauty should be easily understood by normal people. The aesthetic can be expressed by the way the architecture is designed, the color it uses, the space it spans, the ideology it reflects, etc. Contemporary architecture should not only be a creation, it should also be a lively object that leads people to think inside of it. By looking at a contemporary architecture, one should feel like to judge what it reflects. The contemporary architecture serves as a fuel to make people aware of the issues the architecture is addressing. For example, when one looks at the Blur Building of Swiss Expo 02, the Blur Building immediately makes people realize universality is the theme for this architecture. Contemporary architecture should also solve certain problems. For instance, the recreation center at University of Cincinnati is a nexus that integrates the whole campus and attracts students to do exercise.  Without the recreation center, the campus seems to be broken pieces spilling around.

The core intention of architecture is to question the use of space and material, and there are some core elements that achieve this goal. Today’s architect should bring fresh ideas into a space and shape materials to perform new functions. Architecture should be designed to provide a functional universality. That is to say the space is designed with a common sense of use or function. The structure should also have aesthetic integrity. There should be purpose to the design of the structure, design elements flowing through the building, and guiding you naturally though, providing natural highlights through the space.

Whether the design is pleasing, abrupt, or somewhere in the middle, there needs to be a intended effect in the space. The worst thing that could happen is the client not fully understanding the artist intent in a work of art. The architect is an artist, and the art is crafted through materials. An artist is only limited through the means by which the art is created, and questioning and taking these materials and the space takes the art to new level, forever innovating and creating new possibilities that impact the entire world.

-DJ

Contemporary architecture is an analysis and interpretation of space and the world around us. A contemporary architect renders buildings and objects that hold meaning to him or her, but may not be the same to another person. Contemporary architecture is a mastery of interpretation and demonstration; in order to excel as a contemporary architect, a person cannot place boundaries upon what is to be interpreted. For example, a grove of trees in contemporary architecture may take on many different interpretations, whether it be the view of the leaves, the space between the trees, the sky view, or the tree trunks. Each represents something that can be defined, but contemporary architecture places a limit or definable confine on a portion of space.

Contemporary architecture is a open and flexible art form, where the only right answer is the one that you can defend. A box made out of twigs may be contemporary architecture if the architect of the twig box has a meaning or purpose for the box.

There is an ongoing purpose to create something brand new with contemporary architecture and it is shaped by a competitive world. This brings about new views of architecture, and new interpretations. That is the greatest thing about contemporary architecture: Newness.

Architecture gives people hope. The architects either give people a roof or export a theory. In the past architecture probably meant to make some buildings that have certain functions, however, contemporary architecture may have to think about cost and efficiency. Therefore people would not only thank them for the physical things, but also for the mentally gain. The contemporary architecture conveys more duties than it ever does. Architects may take environment into their consideration: materials, structure, technology, and ideology, everything that may be eco-friendly. From the goal, which to bring a roof and comfort to people, to the purpose to create or keep harmony between people and nature, the contemporary architecture may focus on the whole ecosystem.

Contemporary architecture conveys a sense of meaning, purpose, and beauty through the construction, functionality, and art of the building. Architecture is pushing the envelope of what we know and finding new memory through visual lines and curves. Architecture is rapidly becoming long breathed in the world of green and promptly changing with technology. The space of the architecture is important. Contemporary architecture requires a programmed space for human activity. A cloud can be contemporary architecture if it has a program and is built by an architect. We can imagine the world as the product of a contemporary architect. It is through the observation and involvement with the architecture that we can find the meaning, which is often not always understood or appreciated.  Contemporary architecture is the mastery of space and geometry.  The world is becoming more efficient with its resources and contemporary architecture meets the changing efficiency with its design for the area defined. Modernism in architecture is an attempt to frame nature and limit the functionality to become more utopian like and contemporary is a way to frame the human function and allow for more personal customization of the defined space while pushing the envelope of artistic design.

Relating sensory space to physical space, contemporary architecture relates the tangible purpose of material to the human perception of the world. Adapting the mental perception of material cannot change the fact that architecture is the construction of space. Contemporary architecture attempts to redefine space through the adaptation of material while remaining true to the tangible properties that are intrinsic. Construction need not be hidden, but celebrated, and contemporary architecture brings that to the forefront. Enclosed space is not necessary for the creation of architectural masterpiece. Contemporary architecture appeals to the idea that separation of space is significant, without materials creating boundaries.

Approaching a scope of work, not as a limitation, the contemporary architect sees client’s wishes as an opportunity to reinvent the purpose of design. Collaboration between architect and client defines the contemporary horizon that the profession is approaching. Reconnecting artistic desires to functionality defines the movement in the modern world of technological advancement. As Wabash focuses on the liberal arts, contemporary architecture forces the mind to approach the construction process as a whole system, and not simply a design project. Contemporary architecture thinks critically about invention of feeling, and remains true to the work that creating a structure entails.