LECTURE 04
ARTICLE READING
What is the role of honesty and deception in architecture today? Is honesty and deception predominantly about the expression of structure, the relationship between interior and exterior, the expression of goals and challenges of the architect; some combination of these; or something else? in other words, if a fourth text were added to this chapter what would the argument be about today's architecture in relation to honesty & deception?
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Most iconic or newer architecture today may look remarkable, however some can be deceptive when it comes to its functionality. This is also related to today’s way of ornamentation, covering up a building with flashy facade designs can be seen as deception for some because it does not actually reflect its function. One example is the Kluczynski Federal Building (1974) – one of the several buildings of the Chicago Federal Center complex in downtown Chicago. There are vertical I-beams that runs across the facade of the building but it does not function to support any weight, rather just a decoration.
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During this period, the use of steel was at its pinnacle point, Mies wanted to portray the sense of industrial look at the exterior part of his buildings. However, not all contemporary architects today are bandwagoning along this trend of ornamenting facades, such as Tadao Ando. By using clean line and sheer simplicity, simple geometric forms have characterized his work over the past three decades. Ando orchestrates masses and voids, choreographing their interaction with trademark Tadao Ando precision. The structure is firm, tranquil, and even a bit mysterious. There are no irrelevant ornaments or embellishments to distract the eye of the inhabitant. Stripped to the bare essentials of shape and volume, a building must be exceptionally well-conceived to be successful. Not fabricating the material he uses are smooth-as-silk concrete.
However based on Fil Hearn, architecture should reflect its time of age, and I truly agree with this phrase. if we come to an understanding “reflecting its time of age” it has to reflect all including technology advancement not only in architecture but also engineering, mechanical, and many more. With all the advancement today, to me, building should not look the same when it used to back in the past centuries, buildings today should show what today’s potential and the ability that we are able to do and to me, that is being vibrant, colorful, unexpected, large, extra and unique in many ways
Zaha Hadid Frank Gehry
There are some well known architects today that shows examples of what today’s potential Is. To be able to express and showcase what materials and technology can do and that there is no limits is to me honesty.
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