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The Architect at Work


During the lesson it was explained that the work of architect is related to the spatial ability, designing and generating the form of the building with interior and exterior spaces of the building. When architects start to define the design of the building, it's a little hard because the architects need knowledge also from other fields:

  • locational analysis (responsibility of town planners and geographers),

  • environmental control (specialist of building design),

  • Judgment over matters of cost (quantity surveyor),

  • interior design (skills of an artist).

Functional architecture, data architecture, solution architecture or enterprise architecture, are some different concepts, which sometimes lead us to think that boundaries between architecture and design are unclear. Some think that they are the same and there are some others think that they are just some additional concepts with different levels of the abstract. Some say they are similar concepts. And these leaded us to four distinct ways of generating 3D forms.

1.Pragmatic

It has taken place since in the earliest times, for the humans to make easier their life. The purpose of this kind of design is not only the the climatic physical modification, but also the cultural, political and aesthetic values.

The method of Trail and Error which is dated since the Paleolithic settlements, firstly was made by mammoth hunters and used for their tents. The interesting fact was that they didn't actually had an engineer or they didn't make calculations, but just from the fail retry method they achieved the one that stays.

One typical example of the pragmatic design are the igloos, which are the houses of Eskimos. They have a default scheme and it is hard to change it because they have lived like that since forever.

2.Iconic Design

It has a strong relationship with tribes and some other legends.The main theme of this method is connected with the cultural connotation, a way of building inherited from the past experiences. It also consist in a fixed mental image of a building by members of a culture and by “iconic” it is meant that an artifact reminds us of its objects by some kind if resemblance. Iconic design is related to pragmatic one, because firstly you have to deal with pragmatic design and then with iconic one, just like the building, the bricks are arranged in such a way to make the entire building.

3.Analogic Design

Instead of starting work immediately, with real materials into ‘pragmatic’ or ‘iconic’

ways, when a designer prepares drawing or model first as a representation of his intentions, the process is called ‘Analogic’ design.

Analogical thought is fundamental to creativity. This method includes the development of new forms by analogical process. The first design of this kind were Mastabas, buried tombs in piramids. Related to this method Inhotep used the anlogic forms extended from the buildings itself and he designed capitals in the shape of flowers.

Le Corbusier an architect of later years while designing firstly he raleted his ideas to natural forms. For example he designed an Unitarian meeting house by the first impression of hands clasped in prayer.

4.Canonic Design

When the designer prepared the drawings before it was being constructed, act of drawing and drawing turned into a charm, then showed up the need for pattern, order and regularity expressed through grids. The Egyptians discovered the proportional system, converting the human dimensions to the built forms.

And to reach the order and regularity, of course we need some mathematical methods and rules, mentioning the Greek. They were based in the earth fire air and water formed from regular geometrical solids.

To summarize, an architect to reach a 3D form while construction he needs to use all pragmatic, iconic, analogic and canonic.

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