Architecture
Some thoughts for discussion by Nigel A JAMES
An Intermediate Essay
Architecture
influences
us all. We live in it, we work in, we pray
in it, we learn in it, and, at the end
of the day, we are buried
in it! Architecture is all about life, and likewise
it has many different forms.
And, its
many forms depend upon only seven things. These are
imagination, time, necessity, money, prestige,
power and function. The more money and power there is, the
more pompous the building! And the same is true in reverse. But,
without good imagination there can be no good architecture.
So, what is
good architecture? This is a matter of personal taste.
Some people prefer modern, some say that Jugendstil
is better, and many people quite like the style of the 20s and
30s. But, there are two architectural styles that are above personal
taste. Everyone thinks and believes that Norman (Gothic) and
Romanesque are the most beautiful styles that there are!
So, why is
this? And, what has gone wrong with modern imagination? Why
has timeless thinking totally disappeared? Why has our
thinking become only functional? There are many more questions as
well, but one thing is true, how we live and what we build is only a
question of money.
But, the
answer can't only be money! We have more than enough to do what we
want. Maybe the answer lies in the thinking of
tomorrow! What will people say in three hundred years time about
our style of today? What would we say if we were to be them? Let's
all agree that it's time for a change! naj – April 2014
Vocabulary
and Phrases
at
the end of the day – zum Schluss
buried
(bury/buried/buried) – begraben
disappeared
(disappear/disappeared/disappeared) – verschwinden
form
– Gestalt
imagination
– Vorstellungskraft
influences
– Einflüsse
lies
(lie/lay/lain) legt
likewise
– gleichfalls
matter
of – eine Frage von …
maybe
– vielleicht
necessity
– Notwendigkeit
personal
taste – persönliche Geschmack
power
– Macht
pray
(pray/prayed/prayed) – beten
prefer
– (prefer/prefered/prefered) – bevorzuge
prestige
– Prestige
quite
– ziemlich
thinking
of tomorrow – Denken von Morgen
timeless
- zeitlos
Points
and Questions for Discussion
How does architecture
influence us?
What is good architecture?
Why does bad architecture
depress us?
Norman and Romanesque?
How should modern
architecture be?
Industrial architecture –
past and present?
Educational institutes?
Which building do you hate
the most?
Your favourite building?
Why is money NOT the
answer to everything?
What will people say in
three hundred years time?
