Notes on moving towards new architecture

Notes on moving towards new architecture

What remains unchanged in the world is change. "The building is in front of a changed norm. There has been such a great innovation in structure that the ancient "style" that still haunts our hearts can no longer cover it; I will provide you with reading notes for the new building. Welcome to read the reference!

Reading Notes for New Architecture After reading "Towards New Architecture", it is a programmatic work of modern architecture created by Corbusier. But because the language of this book is very fast and jumping, there is no clear organization. Therefore, as a beginner in architecture, students don't understand clearly enough. So I mainly felt Cobb's heroic passion and love for architecture.

Cobb's aesthetic view is completely modernist, especially favoring cubism and some futurism at that time. He thinks that true beauty must be abstract. He kept talking about volume, proportion and geometry. What he opposes most is decoration, especially all kinds of useless furniture and decoration in the house.

In addition, Cobb's "engineer aesthetics" at the beginning can actually be attributed to a kind of natural beauty. Because engineers are loyal to mathematics and natural laws, it is beautiful. Cobb highly praised the design of airplanes, cars and ships, and compared the backwardness of buildings. Cobb also put forward that "the house is a living machine", which is the most popular sentence.

But Cobb never thought that all buildings were like this. While advocating "the aesthetics of engineers", he also said that "ups and downs are the touchstones of architects. He was tested as an artist or just an engineer. Cobb did not turn an architect into an engineer, but an artist who took these factors into account and surpassed them. This artist is not an artist in the traditional sense. He doesn't care about style and a whole set of classical things. But starting from the real needs of users, we should build it correctly first, and then build it artistically.

In fact, this book can be divided into two parts, one is to call on architects to learn from engineers, and the other is to establish the basic principles of modern architectural design. The most important principle of this principle is "three memos for architects: body, surface and surface", followed by datum line (axis) and internal streamline (spatial sequence). Among them, quality is "a factor that can completely act on our senses and enable us to perceive and measure them." In fact, it is the sense of abstraction and geometry of architecture; The "surface" is divided by the directrix and conductor of the block, so it shows that the personalized plane of the block is the generator. "Contains the essence of feelings.

In the chapter of "Pure Creation of Spirit", Cobb discusses the essence of architecture, and the main point is "clear form: a unity gives vitality to works and gives them basic attitude and personality: this is pure creation of spirit." "Architecture is a time of poetic emotion", architecture is not architecture, and the combination of all material existence is architecture rather than architecture. Structure is not architecture.

Finally, borrow a sentence from New Architecture. The system of this book is not rigorous, the structure is chaotic, the aesthetic viewpoint is debatable, and some arguments are inevitably simplified. However, it is an extremely important book, a good book, a pioneering book in history, and a book that will never be erased. Although it is one-sided or even wrong, a book that puts forward new ideas and is very enlightening is much better than a book that is comprehensive, complete and fluent, but full of cliches and even dares not say a new word. "

Reading Notes on New Architecture II 1920 Charles Edward and his two friends founded a magazine called New Spirit, which is a reflection on new architecture. Besides inviting some avant-garde architects and artists to write sporadic articles at that time, most of the contents of the magazine were written by themselves. In order to make the authors appear more, each of them used more than one pen name. At this time, Charles Edward began to formally use music? The pseudonym of Corbusier.

In five years, their magazine published eight issues, such as music? As Corbusier wrote in the preface of the second edition, the article written for The New Spirit created such a situation that he "talks about architecture, likes to talk about architecture, and hopes to talk about architecture", and gradually faded the immature shell of Charles Edward. In a shy era, he showed amazing talent for expression and became a sharp-tongued and provocative architectural thinker.

1923, Le? Corbusier collected and published 12 articles published in this magazine, which formed his most provocative and influential work-Towards a New Building. The original French name of this book is vers une architecture, and the English version has been translated into Towards New Architecture. The title of the French version does not have any word "new", but it is more convincing and non-negotiable, expressing the meaning that "the architecture of this era must be like this, and this is architecture". It is not difficult to see from the book that Corbusier was young at that time, and he was giving orders to his colleagues and people of that era:

He said that architecture must change the way of development after ancient Greek architecture in terms of structural practices and decoration. "Great, even the best buildings are not born this way";

He said, "Industry is like a big river flowing to its destination. It brings us new tools, which are suitable for this new era inspired by new spirit." Look at ocean-going ships, planes and cars, then why can't buildings become living machines;

He said, "we should establish the spirit of mass production: the spirit of building a mass production room, the spirit of living in a mass production room, and the spirit of loving the mass production room";

He shouted: "If you don't build (new) buildings, you will have a revolution!"

As the translator of the English version of this book said, his book is a declaration, not a "thoughtful list of modern architecture", and "some sentences are clumsy and ridiculous, leaving some Gaullism", but his words are not empty. He did point out some problems faced by that generation, even modern people, and his thoughts on "going to a new building" after reading it. This book has led countless architectural students and lovers into the field of modern architecture. It's hard for readers not to be led by him. From these sentences, they gradually realized the enthusiasm of blood boiling and triggered revolutionary impulse until they wanted to do something at once to completely overthrow the depressed old world.

Look at this book calmly, combining the development of architecture, city and human beings. Some of Corbusier's ideas are really scary. If you really listen to him, tear down old buildings and build "living machines", how cold and desolate the world will become. But as he advocated, steel and reinforced concrete have become important building materials, and a large area of flat glass and flat roof has indeed become the main form of modern architecture. Although our home is not a "machine", it does come from a standard apartment. Regrettably, the original diversity of our buildings and cities is gradually losing, but it is eroded by lazy design under the banner of "modern architecture". Without diversity, it is boring, even if diversity does not necessarily mean efficiency.

Corbusier has been constantly revising and perfecting his ideological system all his life. Moving towards new buildings is the starting point of this system, and the deepest revolutionary spirit and that "new spirit" have never changed. He keeps fighting, tearing down the old and building the new and better, because he also knows that architecture is far more than just a living machine, but should be a treasure of human spirit. Many of his later works are showing the highest level that human imagination can reach. They are unrepeatable and deeply integrated with nature and history.

Reading Notes for the New Building When I read "Towards the New Building" for the third time, it seemed that Master le corbusier was standing behind me, and he had been strangled before he finished reading it. Corbusier's thinking leaps and his language is pungent, and the deafening cry in the book is still clearly audible even after nearly a hundred years of historical dust and fog. He is like a king looking down on the world, criticizing what is in front of him and giving orders to his peers and younger generations.

After reading this book, I have two deepest feelings. One is about engineers and architects, the other is about some principles of modern architectural design.

Engineers and architects

When I first entered the school, I was shocked to hear the teacher tell us about the parametric design of buildings. The idea of inputting several instructions and changing several data to influence the attitude structure of buildings has had a great impact on my brain. I never thought that architecture could be created like this. My concept of architecture still stays in the world of square boxes.

Reading "Towards New Architecture", I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book has a simple idea in this respect.

Cobb said: "Note: Listen to the advice of American engineers. But beware of American architects. "

It is easy to feel Cobb's love for geometry between the lines. He called the feeling brought by geometry "geometric calmness" and "geometric pleasure".

He denounced the Paris Academy of Fine Arts, emphasizing volume, surface and plane. He believes that the buildings produced by mathematical calculation derived from natural laws are harmonious and moving.

But I have some doubts. If what is derived from scientific calculation is beautiful and harmonious, what science can prove it? It is true that we can cite the example of "golden section" as supplementary proof. But that still stays on the pleasure of the senses and does not give a scientific answer. Is Cobb's enthusiastic admiration for geometry a universal truth or just a personal preference?

I remember that Tadao Ando, another master, mentioned in Tadao Ando's Repeated Defeat and Repeated Wars, "The brilliance released by that hand (Ju Chi's hand-painted plan for participating in the national Kyoto International Pavilion competition) is by no means produced by digital modern design technology." Tadao Ando's nostalgia hides the author's confusion and thinking. Is this another hobby?

Architect Zaha studied mathematics in his early years, and his works boldly used space and geometric structure. Can her current popularity serve as an example for Corbusier? I think, however, rigorous mathematics can organize logical structure for us, but whether it is Corbusier, Tadao Ando or Zaha, they emphasize thinking. It is with thinking that the architecture in Cobb's eyes will "move"; It is with thinking that Tadao Ando's architecture will be "happy"; It is with thinking that Zaha's architecture is worth pondering.

Some principles of modern architecture

1, style

Cobb's "three memos of architects" in his book are volume, surface and plane. At the beginning of this chapter, he mentioned that "architecture has nothing to do with various styles." I really like the metaphor he used-"Louis XV, XVI, XIV or Gothic, but for architecture, it is just a feather inserted in a woman's head; Sometimes it's beautiful, sometimes it's not, that's all. "I want to solve my doubts this semester.

Looking back at the homework of the basic course of design, the starting point of my consideration is this: is it good-looking or not? What is made is often unsatisfactory. Now it seems that my starting point is very problematic.

Good-looking and beautiful may add icing on the cake to the building, but more often than not, it is gilding the lily. If we can't find a meaning of embellishment, I think we can delete it with a stroke of the pen.

2. Light and shadow

Cobb mentioned more than once in the book: "Architecture is the brilliant, correct and ingenious performance of some matching building blocks in the light." I'm quite touched by this. When my classmates and I were doing cognitive exercises in Shanghai Grand Theatre, we observed that the sun shone on the water ladder in front of the theater, and the water was sparkling, and the shadow left by the lights on the facade flashed like water.

I think this is the "performance" that Cobb mentioned. From the flashing of water waves, we can read the architect's thinking, and from the transformation of light and shadow, we can see the hidden story. What an intriguing review.

3. "Blind"

Cobb used three very difficult metaphors-ocean-going ships, planes and cars.

In Ocean Shipping, what Cobb wants to tell us is to dare to imagine and innovate. He said: "architecture is boring in old habits." With the development of the times, the technology we can master is getting higher and higher. "The past is the necessary back wall", so we don't have to stubbornly use the present. The teacher said in the design class that we should break before we stand. Many times, we dare not change our works, because we don't want to use our brains to think of a new way, or take the risks brought by taking a new road. This is exactly what Cobb strongly opposes.

In Plane, Cobb wants to talk to us about the appearance of the building. We can't see "a bird or a dragonfly" from the plane. We want to see "a flying machine". By analogy, the works we designed can't be as disgusting as a fancy metaphor (Fulushou Hotel). It should be able to tell people directly what it is. A chair is used for sitting, so its shape should tell us that it is a chair and can be used for sitting. This is the meaning of architecture.

In Cars, Cobb emphasized "standards". Once the standard is established, fierce competition will occur, and the pursuit of victory will promote research, "so progress." I think of the teacher's words-architecture is not a perceptual subject, it is rational, and there are many internal logics and laws that affect architecture. "Standards" are based on appropriate questions. In order to improve, standards must be established.

Some predecessors engaged in the construction industry told me that there are two ways to read "Towards New Architecture". The first way is to read "New Architecture", mainly to feel the heroic spirit of Cobge and his perseverance and enthusiasm for repeated deliberation and in-depth thinking on architecture; The second reading method is to grope in the building for a period of time, chew carefully and feel the deep thinking under Cobb's fanatical writing style.

When I first read "Towards a New Building", I felt the master's wild and playful, and I was quite happy. At first, I thought I had gained something, but in my reflection, I felt nothing. Therefore, I look forward to reading old books again in a few years, so that I can really understand the master's spirit in one second.

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