Chapter 2: Aspects and Expectation From Society

“All fine architectural values are human values, else not valuable.”

By Frank Llyod Wright (Finest Quotes)

The way of looking things for the society has changed. How we judge a thing is also transformed throughout the century. The media has constantly replaced our perception of what beauty is because we as a society allow it to happen. A simple example here is the transformation of Honda Civic throughout the decades. The car ranging from 1988, 1998, 2009 and 2010 are different because the society perception of beauty to a car is changing. The design, functions, accessories, specifications and safety requirement are also changed to fit the society needs. As Human demands for a better living, quality and comfort.

Figure: Different decades of Honda Civic design.

Similar to design in architecture, the expectation of the society has gone higher too. The society is no longer only looking for how the building functions but rather the overall aesthetic of it. Aesthetic is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, taste and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. (Wikipedia) How do we define aesthetic in architecture in this 21^st Century? According to the survey taken, most of the participants would think that aesthetic is something with more extraordinary and fancy architecture look than the normal yet functional building. If they own a building, they think that an extraordinary design is able to promote the corporate identity. On the other hand, if they were to have a chance to build a building, they would design something more outstanding which has more organic shapes with ornamental elements on the building. The visual culture has turned either society or designer itself to appreciate the beauty of a building more than ever. It is a good scenario whereby the momentum is able to push the limitation of designers to build more impressively. The process of designing changes as men are now building not only served what the society needs but also the pleasure of eyes. Today, the society lives with the legacy of a cultural period devoted to utilitarian concerns. However, it has reduced interior and architecture to its purely practical functions.

For instance, retail shop is not longer placing the display items according to the categories in conventional way but designed as retail store that comes with a concept to fit to the brand to attract customer. The method of displaying a product changed to a more attractive way which designers treat it as an art piece.

Figure: The conventional type of boutique retail store whereby products are arranged and displayed on a standardized display stands or shelf without much creativity.

Figure: The Modern Retail Design- Fornarina in Las Vegas by Giorgio Borruso Design which applied organic shape elements that are displayed on the wall and suspended from the ceiling. The different way of promoting the brand and products has brought success in attracting customers to walk-in the retail store.

On the other hand, the reason to drive us, the society, to choose and live in a more comfortable space and luxurious environment is because the society is willing to pay for what they desire as the standard of living is getting better than before. It is a degree of prosperity in a nation, as measured by income levels, quality of housing and food medical care, educational opportunities, transportation, and other measures. (Answers.com)

Figure: The service industries have enjoyed strong growth, leading to a continued process of structural change in the economy. (Economist View)

Figure: Consumer spending accounts for over two thirds of total spending. Consumer spending has been strong in recent years, a reflection of rising living standards and low unemployment. (tutor2u)

It is the ease by which people are able to satisfy their needs and wants. Through the statistic, it shows that the service industries are having a strong growth which leads to structural change in the economy. Consumers are able to spend and willing to spend compared to olden time. The society now has the ability to spend and enjoy for the sake of ‘rewarding’ ourselves with something that could pleasure us. The money which spent on improving the aesthetic of our surroundings is one of the ways to pleasure our eyes. Furthermore, this scenario happens also when there are so many buildings being built and designed. The society sees and discuss about it. The society compares what is already happened in the market through different kinds of media. Therefore, they are able to demand for it. In fact, it involves the supply and demand economics basic rules here. Demand is the quantity of a product or service desired by buyers at certain price while supply represents how much market can offer. (Investopedia) The society demands for a different design at a certain price, therefore, designers supply the design for them.

Relationship between society and designers line chart

The rule of supply and demand between society and designer is able to boost up the design industry. Many of the designers see the potential of investing in this business. However, imitation happens in the architecture world because everything needs to be built faster due to the increasing of popularity with low budget and low time consumption. It happened as well during the 20^th century, whereby a major change happened in the world of architecture dramatically in terms of the forms, techniques, region and the use of materials because of the industrial revolution after the Second World War.

Take Seagram building for example, the luxurious materials used such as marble for the plaza benches, travertine for the lobby walls and floor, tinted glass and bronze for the curtain wall plus the carefully controlled customized details that pervade the building remind the viewer that this building is far from being the simple result of rationalized industrial production and construction techniques. The plaza is an expensive aesthetic and symbolic gesture, especially significant in the dense urban environment which surrounds it. The Seagram Building was meant to confirm Mie’s assertion that when the modern industrialized building technology is truthfully expressed, architecture became transcendent. (NYU) Unfortunately, people had misunderstood it.

Figure: Seagram building with high quality of material

Things were built so quickly with architects’ desire in designing ideal buildings in the twentieth century. Buildings were built very simple and as a result even they were able to build it with a cheaper version and lower quality of material. Many architects claimed themselves are building the ideal architecture world. Copying the design and building almost similar building is a process of repurpose the last layer instead of understanding all the layers underneath. The copying was lack of depth and detail. They did not understand the intention of having high quality material on a building. They tried to imitate it, but no building can be compared with the most expensive skyscraper at that time. Hence, there was no sense of personality in design and were building for the sake of earning money. Every building looked almost the same. Slowly, the architecture world was gradually losing the significant of identity.

However, the consequences of having such practice are causing a fatal issue in the design world. Here, it is not talking about Good or Bad design since it varies according to each person. Quality and value in interior and architecture are the main key things for the causes. As we, human, are sensitive to the qualities of the stimuli as well as the senses. Heat, colour used, quality of lights, material used, ambience, sound, fragrances are able to influences one emotion. When all of these sensual aspects of a building are in harmony, it stimulates soul which nourishes and heals the human spirit. (Alternative Architecture) Interior and architecture design gains vision impression to audience to react either like, dislike, or has no feeling at all when people pass by. ‘What happens now is that the architecture and interior designing world is producing “soulless” art piece now. Soulless’ happens when the interior and architecture are formed as a mechanistic building with only the shell without any identity or senses.

Figure: There are so many similar designs available which make the society feels “numb” in looking at them and wonder how many more with the same design to be built?

It, in a long term, causes the corruption in design and architecture world. Society is now feeling ‘numb’ to see so many designs which may be a quality or no quality value available and therefore do not know how to appreciate the beauty of a good interior and architecture design. The word numb is taken to mean a stealing of the senses or the notion of being taken with shock or coldness. (CSMT) This is the matter of how much attention is gained to the quality of the environment inside and outside the building. A building should be designed to relate to the language and wisdom of the body in order to escape from cool and soulless vision. Thus, the visual impact is important to avoid soulless design. (Croome, Derek)

Previous Comment:

The points raised here are salient, but as I am sure you are aware, is still quite generic and lacks depth and validation. I expect it to grow in the next few weeks and when you start including relevant case studies (either buildings or architects) the shape and depth of the content will become more apparent.

You points here are quite controversial so make sure that you have adequate substance to back up your stand. But I can start to see your passion for your beliefs.

Chapter 3: Fame and Architecture

In the inspirational architecture world, architecture is the platform that enables architects to visualize, live and feel those dreams. In other words, they are trying to create the Utopia. Most of the time designers are not able to achieve it through reality but in visual aspect. It leads to virtual reality which is physical and virtual, rather than real and virtual. Today, the space appears as a place of uncertainty and of invention. The concept of reality is the key to understanding a radical change in the manner of re-presenting new ideas. We have reached the point in technical development whereby it enables us to produce convincingly realistic models of space and form.

Figure: The two users interact with the virtual model through the glasses and computer vision techniques.

Virtual reality in architecture design is so impactful due to the rapid-paced, innovative and continually changing nature of technology development. It is an obvious scenario where by this technology has the potential to enhance design. During the design process, it helps designer to experience more in visualization and save more time in drawing many drafts of a particular building. Once designers are able to design their preference, they post and share it on their blog, personal website and competition to create ‘attention’.

Media is important in our daily life. Through different types of media, we are able to get connected to large number of people. It also informs us what is happening around the world which reflects everything about the society. The media is slowly shaping our perception through the visuals because the society is constantly facing media whenever we are. It has also shaped our perception of what a design is supposed to be. Beside books, there are a lot of magazines available which are published every month to keep the society up to date of what is happening around the design and architecture world. Facebook, Blogger, Youtube which are the popular social network services nowadays also influence the audience of what is the new thing that could ‘wow’ everyone which makes them to share it out.

Figure: Architecture and Interior Design Group that is created in ‘Facebook’ for students, professionals, and people who like design to join so that they will keep up-to-date of what is the newest trend in the design world.

Figure: There are a lot of websites/blogs created to show off projects and art works of various designers.

Figure: Various types of magazines to reveal what is the latest trend.

Fame is the lifeblood of architecture. Fame and architecture examines the dynamics behind the fame game in architecture from a historical perspective, impact on education and the way in which contemporary architects negotiate it. (Wiley) The media is the most powerful media tool to ‘born’ a celebrity architect as known as Starchitect. It sets out to display some of the most creative designs from works around the world. Designers seek the publicity and establish themselves and their work ahead of others. They need to establish a strong reputation in this most competitive professional field in order to become famous. In fact, there are a number of highly influential designers and architects who are bringing the architecture trend to the market through all these media. Somehow, it influences the design process to change and they may turn out to be asking themselves, ‘how to show off among the best in this Starchitect Century?’

In order to stand out among the best, designers would design something impressive in form but how about the function which is not a very healthy scenario. Fame has motivated architect to build ever more ambitious architecture in the starchitect world. Fame has made architects design because of publicity in the world. It, in other way, affects the mindset of designers, architects and students to design something to impress people and make people how to just to remember you but not the architecture. The society behaves such a way to expect a better or extraordinary design is because it involves the pride of an individual. It represents a sense of one’s personal status or ego emotion that is a product of praise on independent self-reflection. (Wikipedia) The architecture is now representing a self, a culture, a society and a country.

For example the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao which is a museum of modern and contemporary art by Frank Gehry, an American who achieved popular fame in Spain. It is a building structure made of titanium, glass and limestone was celebrated as the most important building at that time. The project was successful to get the attention in an architectural competition. The competition was held to actually redevelopment the city of Bilbao and the Basque Country by Basque government authority. Because of the use of unorthodox materials and inventive forms, Gehry’s design was selected to win in the competition.

During his interview, he mentioned that he does not get fuss to detail everytime he designs; instead he goes with flow of the construction. Although he brings architecture experience into play, he lets the form be the main thing concern. The reason why he has such idea is because the form is able to replace decoration of architecture. He is putting passion and feeling into the building without restoring to 90’s century model. He noted as well that architecture is becoming an icon and legion. Gehry is designing based on what looks good which have successfully caught the judges’ attention. The building function is following the form whereby the form has created something new to open the eyes of society. The society talks, discusses and critics about this museum. Regardless of how well or bad the building was designed; it has successfully grabbed the attention almost the whole architecture world.

Yet, in order to design something impressive, it often involves the extraordinary form of a building. The form plays important role here. This is a dangerous thinking which abandons the originality function of a building that would cause the crisis of form and function.

Figure: There are many new buildings designed which involve outrages form published on media to the pleasure the eyes of society.

Many of the architects or designers see the potential to become famous by designing an outrages form of building. Therefore, they are having a mindset to create attention during design process. A lot of visual drawings are produced with the advancement of technology regardless of whether it will be built or not. Having design competition is also one of the reasons that drive them to produce more. The drawings may be seen exciting to the judges, critics and public as they portray what may be physically impossible or unrealizable. However, some designs normally generate controversy in design competitions. The design now is going insane. Designers are trying hard to impress in a way causing the form is not functioning. They are trying hard to ‘pleasure’ the audience eyes as human are normally judging things by the way they look.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, although it has successfully revived the town by having the iconic building, it does not really work as a public space. Critics arise that the form might be great but not for the architectural spaces. The large scale has ignored the human perception which created uninviting up close distance.

Some even named the building as a Hall of Shame as it does not fulfill the requirement as a public space. It actually ignores the relation to its context although it is near to the centre of the city. Secondly, there are too many of randomness used on the form throughout the design process. To many, it is an art piece rather than a building which abandons the original function of a building.

Similar to those creative design works, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao affected many of the new designers to design something impressive which adapt the randomness to apply into the design. There is no objective-oriented design process where everything is created by random. It will eventually also produce buildings with only the aesthetic value but without the functionality of a building.

Figure: New generation designers’ art work with bombastic form.

The visual culture has affected the process of designing which contributes to produce our architecture nowadays. It has affected the new generation of designers to design also something just to impress people’s eyes in future. At the end, randomness seems to be applied in the design and thus there is no objectivity in designing a building in future anymore.

Previous Comment:

The last paragraph in this chapter needs to be more controlled and validated. I understand that this is still a draft, but your passion for this is obvious. You need to direct that passion and ensure that the points are communicated clearly; with adequate explanation, examples and, most importantly, objectivity.

Frank Gehry in the Studio

It surprised me when I first saw how our famous Frank Gehry generates idea by just using card boards to build his preference building. He actually build based on how the building is going to look like rather than concerning the function first. It makes me think that visual is the first priority in designing a building for a Starchitect to give good impression, good looking to audience. Visual is affecting the mindset of designers to build with extraordinary, crazy yet able to leave impact to public.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Visual culture is concerned with everything that we see or visualize or in other word, every aspect of culture which communicates through visual means. (Visual Culture) It simply means that the way we react or portray a situation is through the experience of what we see or have seen before. Visual is studied as a reflection of culture and as something that has cultural efficacy in its own right by contributing to the production and the changes of culture in one society. Today we live in a visually oriented society. The visual culture has driven us to see things differently. We are the visual thinker who rely on visual or image to understand the world rather than mastering information verbally. Visual culture is often affected though the visual media such as magazines, television, internet, advertisement and any other medium that has a crucial visual component. (Wikipedia) It happens because we are connected very close to the visual media each and every day.

For instance, what is the first impression when we think of “YellowMan”? Exactly! It is a trademark for Digi, a mobile service provider in Malaysia. Advertising’s messages are designed to produce feelings of lack and inadequacy that might be treated by the consumption of the image of a product. (Science Jrank) Digi has been promoting its’ products and services through different kind of medias. The advertisement no longer serves as a purpose of providing information nowadays. Instead the visual is so strong where they apply the image of “YellowMan” to implant the impression into the audiences’ mind.

Figure 1.0: The YellowMan is in action with different advertising approaches.

The way of doing it has given a strong effect produced of an experience or perception upon the mind. It, in this way, creates an influential visual culture among the mobile telecommunication market in Malaysia.

In architecture design term, visionary drawings are produced to convey some general indications of some of the intended qualities of the proposed design. (Lawson, Bryan) It is generally concerned with “what” is the design rather than “how” the design can be during presentation.

Figure 1.1 Examples of visionary drawings proposed during presentation by using computer software.

(Giant Vegetated architecture community design project and super sustainable star city design project)

The architecture world is constantly moving one step ahead to create something new, creative, inspiring, and impactful. New technology is used to produce impressive drawings are important nowadays. Therefore, designers are trying to produce impressive drawings just to give an impact in architecture world. The speed and sophistication of computer modeling have increased rapidly over the last decade. Computer software is a powerful method in creativity. Digital tool increases the register of an exploration of dimensional changes as well as perceptual and visual changes. It is the forming of ideas or concepts which is important in creativity, innovation and concept development. Designers nowadays explore ideas by using computer software which pushes their imagination limits beyond. A normal sketching skills is preferable for the intuitive design steps and it is claimed to be a limitation to develop into a various forms. The computer is designing in a way which is in theory predictable but in practice may be quite unexpected and thus apparently creative. With the advancement of the software, designers are so ‘excited’ to experiment the three dimensional form in the design process.

However, the purpose of producing a drawing has changed over time as it has the content of visualisation. The idea of visualization is the expression or representation of ideas that can bring something into consciousness. A drawing might be seen as an externalization of a concept idea. It has the potential to play a mediating role in the visualization of ideas and concepts in relation to exploring concepts. (Informa World) Visualisation in architecture is getting popular where in a competitive world as a design has to create a ‘wow’ effect to stand out among all. This is because verbal presentation is not strong enough for explanation if there is no supportive image as a picture can be more than a thousand words. The scenario is getting obvious especially in magazines, books, television programme, etc. We could see many of the ‘unbuilt’ masterworks of inspirational architecture for the Digital Age appear which in a way able to catch readers’ attention and discussion. Often when we look at one design, a design with good visual effect will be considered a good design. It has becoming a trend for us to choose what looks different as consumer behaviour is influenced by how they think, feel, reason, and select which looks the best.

The aim and objective in this dissertation writing is to examine how visual culture influences the next architecture world through designers, society and architecture approach. It is also to rise up the awareness of having this culture. Through this study, it will undertake 2 aspects of research which are the primary and secondary data resources. Primarily, the research would be done by collecting the information through survey to examine how society and designers react and behave in visual culture matter. Secondary sources would range from research from books, magazines and internet of ideologies on how architecture changes through the century base on visual culture.

“How powerful would visual culture influence the next architecture?”

- Edited from previous post 09/11/10 -