Immediately when i hear the word metric I think of a way to measure something. In all aspects of design size and scale are a guiding factor for proportion. The metric system is also a link that ties many cultures together because so many countries use it. Although the metric system is a very important tool to measure I think the word has a whole lot more meaning. In history we learned that it also means ways of thinking of the building as a system. A perfect example of this is the Baths of the Diocletian In Rome. One way it functions as a system is through its use of water. The water that is used is remarkably carried from the hills through aqueducts to supply the whole city. This very water is what holds the whole bath together. There are three specific rooms for washing which were the caldarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium. These words represent the hot room, the warm room, and the cold room. The rooms might have been separate, but they functioned together as a system because they all shared the same water and basic purpose. The baths also was metric in the fact that it served as a place of use for all classes of civilization, meaning it brought the people of Rome together. And finally it served as a system with its many functions because, "The bath was designed to serve the needs of the body in its pools and exercising gardens,to feed the mind in its libraries, and to reward the eye in its vast molded spaces".[1]
[PRECEDENT]
The best way to get inspiration for the future is to look to the past. History can be the best measure in design because it can show what worked and didn't work. Having a precedent can help to focus a design and draw from the world around us. Foundation civilizations would look to the previous civilizations to get inspiration and better their work. Borrowing can be seen in the churches of late Byzantine times. "The Russian people modified the Byzantine church architectural form and made it something uniquely Russian"[2], which shows that the Russians used Byzantine churches as a precedent , but made their style still very different. However, Roth states that in Constantinople "they built one castle so clear and functional in form that it became the symbol of them all".[3] The Romans also used precedents to create their masterpieces. The "Romans relied on Greek prototypes of the Hellenistic period for their inspiration".[4]A precedent can be anything from a style to a piece of furniture, just as long as it inspires the design. Precedents serve themselves as a link to the past in the form of the present.
[PRESENCE]
Looking back to the saying commodity, firmness and delight it is important for everything to have an aesthetic appeal. An amazing piece of architecture just has that certain presence that sets it off. It can be contrasted against other buildings, or the landscape on which it sits. An example of this is the Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral sits on a suburban lawn which really shows the contrast between the building and the landscape. Either way, for something to stand out it has to have a presence that makes it unique. Relating back to the Baths of the Diocletian, Emperor Diocletian made this bath so beautiful and stunning because he wanted it to have more presence than that of the Baths of the Caracalla. Architecture was used, and is still today, as a way to show the feeling of superiority of ones society over another. Presence can be achieved in many ways too. Whether its a through the use of light, materials, or structure all can be effective. Architecture is a tool to show of what really symbolizes a society.
[MOMENTS]
A space can really be defined by the "moments" inside it. This week we looked at buildings and did sketches of what we saw as important places that defined the space. The moments were not supposed to be a specific detail rather than an overview of a certain section. We did this so that in the end we would have a plethora of images that captured my building. Once again going back to the Baths of the Diocletian, there are many moments that can be found inside. Each room itself is its own moment in the building, which all link up to form one successful and beautiful piece of architecture. One moment could be the library, and another could be the caldarium, and together they make a full picture. Along with their being moments in space, there are also moments in time. Architecture is a snapshot of history and culture. Each building, or moment, is a little piece of what it was like to live back in time, and a clue to the cultural and societal beliefs.
[DUALITY]
These week is the climax of duality. The duality between black and white is so strong, and in studio this week we focused on how the two compete, yet make a full composition. I also looked at the duality between words and design, and how they correlate. My design had to incorporate the word balance and still be visually pleasing. In architecture, duality is also present. Delight was important for the presence of a building, but commodity is key to the duality of a building. Many pieces of architecture serve more than one purpose, or better stated, successful pieces of architecture serve more than one purpose. Relating back to The Baths of the Diocletian it served a variety of dual purposes. First, it was a place for all the people of Rome, everyone from the rich to the poor and male to female used these bathing quarters. They all had separate bathing times, yet they all used the same building to do so. The bath also serve a dual purpose because they are more than just a bath. They have libraries, exercising gardens, and much more. They also serve as a critical social spot. With everyone of the city meeting here it was a chance to see the other people of society. Churches also had dual purposes. Christian people "required not only buildings that would accommodate large numbers of converts, but also enclosed spaces that would facilitate hearing the spoken word and chanted psalms."[5] Altogether, a building must serve commodity to be fully functional.
[WRAP-UP]
This week was really about a focus on architecture and how it has represents a "voice" for society. Having a precedent has its own voice, which is then translated into a new work. Using the work of the past can help with new designs that speak a completely different story than before. Commodity and delight also have a voice in architecture. Having multiple functions, or dualities, makes a piece more useful and worth building. The piece however must also have a presence to be successful. The more presence a building has the brighter and more expressive the story it tells. The piece also has separate voices inside which are captured through special moments. All these moments work together and form a system of parts that create the final piece. These ways of thinking that the moments come together as a system is a metric which has a unified song.
[CITATIONS]
1-Roth pg. 275
2-Roth pg. 294
3-Roth pg. 307
4-Blakemore pg. 61
5-Roth pg. 279
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