Design. with P3()pLE iN MiND

“Architecture: What nature can’t make”- quoted from Louis Kahn is the perfect quote that lays the first block to the building of my understanding of architecture and design.
Nature is all around us, so it is impossible to say that it has no effect on architecture and design. It is seen in building forms, printed on textiles and used as building materials. “Nature provides the backdrop and inspiration for all design considerations”(Harwood 1) and as human beings are apart of nature, we design with people in mind.

If we design with people in mind then we must break down the barriers of culture and language in order to obtain the maximum potential of architectural purpose. If we build then we must build well. We first design for functionality and then for aesthetics
Sir Henry Wotton once said that “the end is to build well, well building has three conditions: commodity, firmness and delight.”
We must design with intent of commodity, in the sense that the purpose of the final product is fulfilled: a school is for learning, library for reading and a playground for playing.
Once this design purpose is fulfilled we must then consider Firmness. This is the idea that the design has stability. Within a school the desks are sturdy, standing on all four legs. In the library the bookshelves will hold the weight of thousands of books. And in the playground the equipment will stand strong, ensuring the safety of your children.
Lastly we must consider Delight. The design must be enjoyable. The aesthetics of a design can determine the mood of those who interact with it.

“If one room can alter how we feel, if our happiness can hang on the colour of the walls or the shape of a door, what will happen to us in most places we are forced to look at and inhabit?” This is the question we must ask ourselves constantly when designing for other people.
We must realize that every bolt, shape and ounce of color can determine the architectural happiness of the design. But we must also consider the fact that every person uses his or her senses differently according to their own personal cultural experience.

Architecture is a building form developed by people, which is based primarily on functional and aesthetic conditions, formed on the base of cultural influences. Both architecture and culture reflect changes in behavior, social structure, environment, climate, materials, construction, technology and spiritual influences. Each factors in a different element to design but, when grouped collectively, they are the reason why we design. We design to show establishments of power, places of worship, to escape from the heat or the cold. We design in a way where we incorporate a specific design language that all cultures can understand. Everything in design is symbolic and has an important meaning to each individual culture, but each culture can understand these symbols that form the design language. This language speaks in the sense of proportion and scale, rhythm, space, texture, harmony and balance, color and shape… all used to achieve commodity, firmness and delight.
But none of those elements would be important if we did not design with people in mind.

sources: http://matadortrips.com/prehistoric-england-gets-a-little-older
Understanding Architecture by Leland M. Roth
Architecture and Interior Design through the 18th Century - Buie Harwood's Book
Notes from August 23rd, 24th, 26th