Video Review: Architecture

Prairie Style: Frank Lloyd Wright:

·         Wright was concerned with a harmony between the client, the environment, and architecture. – Evidence of this is apparent in his construction of the Tomac Home.

·         The style is natural and echoes the lines of the prairie. He layers horizontals that grow out of the land so that the home looks like it is growing out of the land in a way.

·         Wright is an innovative genius; he coaxed people out of their box-like holms and into an open living space.

·         We still see his open living space style in most holms today.

·         My favorite home shown was the Fraser residence in Ontario – The design and structures are so unique and I love how the whole thing is crafted using beautiful wooden forms.

This video relates to the text because it is about Frank Lloyd Wright and there is an entire section in the book analyzing and celebrating this revolutionary architect’s works.

I enjoyed this film because I am really impressed with Wright’s ingenious designs. I never knew that the open floor plan that most homes today posses actually reflect one man’s original idea. This added depth to my understanding of architecture because I can see how one plan for design can really affect the way we live.

Architecture: The Science of Design

·         High rises are a result of demand for space for living/working in downtown areas.

·         Two parts of a high rise: Superstructure- above ground and Substructure: Below ground (can be by pounding steel rods far into the earth’s surface) The Substructure plays a very important and strategic role.

·         Buildings actually sway a little in intense winds! Good thing they are built to withstand high winds.

·         2 groups of people responding to houses: One group says to build more sky rises, another group values the individual home more than buildings.

·         Intelligent homes seem really cool, and probably something that will be standard one day, but based on the awesome yellow outfit this movie seems to be made in the 80’s and these homes haven’t become too popular, this is because the price is still too out of reach for average homeowners to afford.

·         Concrete has gone from antiquity to all modern forms and colors in architecture.

·         There are many components that go into cement making and much research is done to improve its strength.

This video relates to the text because it goes into detail about high rises and their purpose and structures. The text starts talking about high rises in the section about steel-frame construction.

I thought this video was helpful in analyzing why high rises were implemented in the first place, and how much work goes into making the functional and safe. I am surprised that intelligent homes were created so long ago and still haven’t been popularized. I wonder how long it will take for this to happen and if this will change the face of architecture.

Classical Architecture

·         Ancient and classical architecture has influenced architecture ever since.

·         There is harmony in symmetry as symmetry is aesthetically pleasing, much of classical architecture was built around this idea.

·         Buildings that were unique at one point such as the Banqueting House shown are no surrounded by so many classical detailed buildings that they don’t stand out.

·         Would be the basis for the Baroque era of architecture and the painting of ceilings.  

·         The use of unusual, new, interesting, and untraditional materials in the 1980’s “classical” style of architecture was considered “preposterous” to many.

·         Purist vs. Post modern Classicists- clashing ideas of classical architecture and how it should be used today.

·         Technologically advanced and ‘green’ advanced buildings can still be built with the classical style in mind. They are modern but still traditional.

This video relates to the text because the book describes how classical aspects of architecture still appear in society today. The book doesn’t touch on the opposing views of purists vs. post modern classicists so it was nice to have this insight.

I really didn’t enjoy watching this video, but not necessarily for its content. Classical Architecture is a boring topic for me, it simply doesn’t interest me like modern and innovative architecture, even though I understand that much of it has influenced these styles. I also was frustrated watching this film because the vocal sounds were loud then really soft where I couldn’t hear them. The sound and video both broke up at multiple parts making it even harder to understand what they were saying.

Frank Gehry: Architecture as Art

·         Gehry loves architecture that appears to be ‘in movement.’ -Movement is a key element of the artwork that Gehry creates with his structures.

·         He has created simingly every kind of structure; Homes, apartment buildings, shopping malls, city buildings, etc.

·         Every work of his looked completely different from the next. It’s almost as if his only predictable style was being innovative and unique. He did continuously use a decomposing form and utilized natural light.

·         Some architects explore a deeper special and formal investigation while others show a concern for the relationship between the buildings and their environment (like Frank Gehry).

·         “I have to fall in love with the place and the people to make a building”- Frank Gehry.

·         The D.G bank in Berlin- Gehry completed his architecture on the inside since the outside had to be somewhat standardized as a city building.

·         The architecture can be apart of the overall artistic experience with music, dancers, light shows, etc.

·         9/11 effected architects in the sense that there is ‘something missing’. There is also a rationalization now for stricter controls. There is a new fear that has changed the work of architects.

This video relates to the text because the text highlights Gehry’s museum in Bilbao in Northern Spain. This is just one of his monumental works it was nice to see so many more in the movie.

I liked this video a lot because it put the highest concentration on the ART in architecture (hence its name) It didn’t stop at structures and forms but went into the connection with the environment, people, dance, sculpture, music, etc.

I chose this film because I really liked the Gehry’s museum highlighted in the text and wanted to see more of his unusual work.