What is the role of proportion & organization in architecture today? Are proportion & organization necessary for human habitation & functioning are they compositional strategies of drawing and design, some combination of these; or something else?
ARTICLE READING
LECTURE 09
Back in the days, proportions and organizations are such important factors to a design of a building these important factors are stressed out through the architecture in the past. It could be clearly seen throughout the Greek and Roman architecture across the globe, where they strongly implement the use of geometry and proportion accordingly. As time went on, I do believe that the role of proportion & organization had revolutionized just as the approach to design had in this era. Although some still practice the use of proportion & organization the same way as in the past, but above all that I still think that proportion and organization plays just as an important role in architecture today compared to the past, even though it might be for different reason.
I came across one example that shows the use of proportion and organization just as in the past, but in the same time it implemented something new to it of this era. Chinese Coin House is a project of recent years, in fact it was just completed in 2013. This house inspires security and balance through its square form. Immersed in a round base, it inspires creativity and harmony from the sky. These two shapes -sky and earth- are present in the Chinese coin. The main shape of the Chinese Coin House relates to prosperity. On both its sides, the Milky Way was expressed, utilizing the concept that irradiates prosperity. From this we can clearly understand that the architect uses the geometry of a coin as an inspiration and of a symbol of peace and harmony in his design. Just as in the past where building is built in a balance and to show stability and proportion.
All the house’s measurements are based in the Golden Number (or Golden Ratio): number Phi (Fi) Phi: 1,618. This number is found in the geometrical distribution of patterns, such as sunflower seeds, a bee’s body, even in the human body. Ancient Egyptians used this concept to build the pyramids. Ancient Greeks used it to build the Parthenon. Leonard da Vince applied it to his masterpiece: the Mona Lisa. The Eiffel Tower was also built under this same principle. I think that today’s architecture is leaning more towards free flow design and not to be limited by standard measurements, but I do believe that these proportion measurements are still as important, and free flow design can still be achieve with these standards, where it is shown in this project.
Chinese Coin House, by Juan Carlos Menacho
From the floor plan we could clearly see the use of proportion, and a implementation of various geometry but still maintaining a free flow design.
Many of the ancient cultures that accumulated a profound wisdom applied to the functioning of nature, gave a transcendental importance to location and to the way houses were built. Throughout centuries, observing the interaction between house and man led to the wise conclusion that our inner coherence, physical and mental health and our abundance and happiness depended on how our houses were built. There are several schools of thought that have recovered and restructured this wisdom.
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When building a house today, it’s no longer possible to ignore these factors. Some examples are determining a location site according to the earth’s electromagnetic lines irradiating low intensity gamma rays; distributing interior spaces in a house, considering location of the four cardinal points, or using the golden number or ratio phi to establish the proportions of longitude, depth and volume (this measurement is needed to recreate spaces, giving its inhabitants stability and harmony). The Chinese Coin house was conceived considering all these principals, providing characteristics of an immeasurable value for the well-being of the family and guaranteeing the house is constituted as a real energetic battery. And in this case, I do believe that proportion and organization still plays a role in architecture today, but with a different approach.