Observing the limited materials, stone or brickwork, when ...€¦ · Web viewThe materials used,...
Transcript of Observing the limited materials, stone or brickwork, when ...€¦ · Web viewThe materials used,...
Mavarine Du-MarieStudent Reference No: 12304369
Birkbeck University of London
The use of materials on the façade:hiding or showing?
(1,788 words)
The façade is the front or face of a building that has been emphasized architecturally to draw
attention to a dwelling. The materials used, such as brick on the façade, come from the very
same materials being employed in building the structure of the house. And there is a plethora
of façade styles in London dwellings that has been mainly taken from the classical orders,
which means that the building façade can be enigmatic, meaning hidden, or is decoratively
obscene meaning showing off its various parts; particularly once the dwelling has been
studied as architecture.
Historically the façade, which is seen on houses today, has been inherited from the ‘palace
façade’, as this concept was seen as the epitome of elegance and refinement for housing by
the ancients builders. Thus the façade comes from antiquity as stated by Soane “…[upon]
these immutable principles of truth and propriety, the ancients [in their architecture] of every
kind, of the most grand in number, boundless in the extent and decorated with all the
costliness that art could devise, but without confounding together the different styles
appropriate to each. Thus all the riches of architecture and her sister arts were thus called into
action in a manner most wise and politic, calculated to be the delight and admiration of their
own citizens, as well as to attract attention and excite the surprise and wonder of
strangers…”1 and therefore London façade dwellings could never be architectural classified
as ordinary buildings.
Even the architectural principles of Augustus Pugin (1812-1852) stated four premises in the
use of materials on a facade, that is, “…all ornament should consist of enrichment of the
essential construction of the building [secondly] in pure architecture the smallest details
should have a meaning or serve a purpose, [also] construction should vary with the material
employed [and] the external and internal appearance of an edifice should be illustrative of,
and in accordance with, the purpose for which its is destined…,”2 as the finishing look of a
building instructs us whether façade is hiding or showing its architecture, as Soane
commented “…the Corinthian order makes the Grecian architecture complete. The Doric
and Ionic convey correct ideas of masculine strength and female gracefulness, and in the
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Mavarine Du-MarieStudent Reference No: 12304369
Birkbeck University of London
Corinthian we trace the highest degree of elegant decoration that architecture can produce. It
is delicate, gay and impressive. Art cannot go beyond the Corinthian order: the whole
composition is of the most correct proportions and of the greatest variety, its members are
enriched with ornaments of the most exquisite fancy and chaste selection.”3
There are three examples of a façade used to hide or show the
dwellings character; the Corinthian order as at Chiswick
House which has an embossed projection of its façade
material, showing every detail of
decoration for the observer to ponder upon. Secondly the Grecian order as
at Kenwood House, which has a sculptured façade, and its material has
been enhanced to show only what features it
wants to be seen by a viewer. And lastly
there’s the Neo-classical order of Osterley
Park House, which has a flattened façade, and its material has
been rendered to making the façade be noticed up close and
highly personal with the observer who has to walk around the dwelling to appreciate the
architectural style.
Thus the façade material used to hide or show the architectural style’s importance can be
seen in the measured distances, as used in painting perspectives. There are three examples
when the discerning spectator will assess the overall dwelling’s façade artefact: in the
countryside where there is open space, the day light will emphasis the entirety of a building’s
façade, and therefore to appreciate the materials used it should be looked at from a great
distance in a wider landscape, as is the Neo-classical façade of Osterley Park House.
Secondly, in suburban areas, the façade should be seen from the middle-distance perspective
is a Greek Doric façade such as the location of Kenwood House which is suitable for this
picturesque environment. Thirdly, due to the density of buildings in urban towns, the play of
light and shadow enhances the façade of the Roman Corinthian order, such as Chiswick
House which is enclosed also by formal hedging and nearby trees, and would display itself
entirely in the foreground perspective of a painting where all its details can be admired. In
urban and suburban domestic buildings, day or at night, these dwellings are always
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Mavarine Du-MarieStudent Reference No: 12304369
Birkbeck University of London
noticeable, unlike the homes in the countryside where only the day-light hours makes the
façade visible. 4
The use of material on a façade can also be
assessed by the brick patterning5, that is,
by its bonds (Figure A) and these give the
building its main character but its due also
to the colour of the bricks used to
emphasise the wall planes and harmonise
with the ornamentation as “…colours [on
buildings] can be seen from the side, from
the front, from above and from below. It
(figure A) can be seen in deep shadow, in conditions
of blazing sunshine or harshly against a bright sky. In each condition the same pigment [of
brick colour] may take on a different shade, tint or tone of the same hue…”6 and the beauty
of bricks can be enhanced by the choice of mortar used for pointing by the choosing of tone
and colour, for example the Victorian architects used black mortar with the building
brickwork, and other lighter shades were used to give and leave an artistic print for as stated
“mortar, in fact, should know its manners and not draw attention to itself…”7 as it was
believed that this should be left to the brick patterns and other features on the façade dwelling
to show the different effects of the materials.
Such as the versatility of soft brick used for dressings8 on a façade that can be seen around
windows known as arches because “…the whole arch [was] carefully set out on the drawing
board, the shape of each brick being exactly determined [then] every brick would be cut with
a special saw to the required shape and rubbed down so as to make the finest possible
joint…”9 and aprons below first floor windows, which were seen “as the great virtue of
gauged brickwork [due to its] breadth of effect; with fine jointing [that] the smallness of the
unit, the individual brick is then less in evidence…”10, and even blind windows to give a
decorative touch on the façade by the use of brick patterning.
In regards to ornamentation the use of pediments, window sills, drip mouldings, pilasters, or
engaged columns can also bring about hiding or showing different features thus giving an
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Mavarine Du-MarieStudent Reference No: 12304369
Birkbeck University of London
architectural style to the dwelling and even window sizes of the façade plays a part, as Soane
stated “…many other great architects have their different opinions on the forms and
proportions of windows but, windows must be of dimensions suitable to the particular
climate in which we are to build…”11 thus the façade around the windows either hide its
frame, as in the Roman Corinthian order of house by using the material of classical
mouldings, whereas the Neo-Classical buildings show the window frames completely in the
façade. Whilst front doors are either recessed back (hidden) with an ornamented porch or its
aligned (showing) with the brick surround, even a stoop at the door can be either showing
itself by having a few steps or it can be hidden by one very low step because the main
decorative touch has been used on the pathway instead; for example in Victorian style
dwellings having a mosaic patterned path leading up to the front door.
Also Sir John Soane was of the opinion that “roofs of every description differ as much in
their heights as in their ichnographic forms, and which, it may be repeated, must be regulated
by character and climate and by the quality of the materials used in covering them…”12 but
this depends upon the measured distance the roofing is seen from by the observer, as from
the different locations the building is placed; as at a countryside house, such as Osterley Park
House, the roof wouldn’t need to show itself because of the largeness to the façade walls, but
in the suburban house the roofing would be shown in an architectural style, as at Kenwood
House, with its material of blue-grey slate contrasted against the cream walls of the façade,
but the urban dwelling of Chiswick House shows not a roof but a grandiose dome instead
complementing the façade material used to impress.
The impressions of façades designed by architects can be compared to the work of an artist
like J.M.W Turner (who also trained as an architect13) painting his pictures in oils and
watercolours, that is, assessing the perspective and situation of the landscape or an urban
environment before commencing an artistic endeavour, particularly his behaviour witnessed
on Varnishing Days14, called this because academy members were allowed to put the
finishing touches to their paintings, like architects putting the finishing touch to the facade of
a dwelling which would give it an architectural meaning; style. Also J.M.W. Turner saw and
done things differently (like an architect designing a façade), he would submit canvasses that
barely seemed touched on varnishing days (a neo-classical façade as has Osterley Park
House), he would show up early in the morning and complete the composition in a blizzard
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Mavarine Du-MarieStudent Reference No: 12304369
Birkbeck University of London
of activity, never removing his formal attire nor standing more than a few inches from the
object of his attention (Greek Doric façade as at Kenwood House). He would add spittle and
snuff into the oils, all the while urgently working the canvas with brush, knife and fingers to
build up the oils texture on the canvas (Roman Corinthian façade as that of Chiswick House).
He would then pack his materials and depart in silence without even glancing back, leaving
his finished painting to do the talking, similar to an architect and the builders’ craft using the
materials assembled for an architectural masterpiece, as stated in a lecture entitled “The
Beauty of Life” by William Morris who asserted that “the natural weathering of the surface
of a building is beautiful and its loss disastrous”15 as to the visual pleasure that can be gained
from a dwelling’s façade if the materials are used creatively.
In conclusion, as the interior of the house is inaccessible to the public, the façade thereby is a
crucial element in architecture because the ornamentation has either been visually
pronounced to show itself or it’s hidden from the spectator. Therefore an architectural façade
style gives character to a dwelling by how the material has been used decoratively and
elegantly to create an effect which has resonance and contributes something to peoples’
lifestyles.
FOOTNOTES
1. Page 244, Lecture XI, Sir John Soane: the Royal Academy Lectures, edited by David Watkin, published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-66556-6, copyright 2000.
2. Page 81, Pugin, by Phoebe Stanton, published by Thames & Hudson, ISBN: 0-500-34043-9, copyright 1971.
3. Page 55, Lecture II, Sir John Soane: the Royal Academy Lectures, edited by David Watkin, published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-66556-6, copyright 2000.
4. Introduction, Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture, by Derek Phillips, published by Architectural Press, ISBN: 0-75066323-5, copyright 2004.
5. Page 251, The Pattern of English Building, by Alec Clifton-Taylor, Published by Faber and Faber Limited, ISBN: 0571 095267, copyright 1972
6. Page 142, Urban Design: Ornament and Decoration, by J.C. Moughtin , Taner Oc and Steven Tiesdell, Published by Architectural Press ISBN: 0750642734, copyright 1999.
7. Page 51, The Pattern of English Building, by Alec Clifton-Taylor, Published by Faber and Faber Limited, ISBN: 0571 095267, copyright 1972
8. Page 243, The Pattern of English Building, by Alec Clifton-Taylor, Published by Faber and Faber Limited, ISBN: 0571 095267, copyright 1972
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Mavarine Du-MarieStudent Reference No: 12304369
Birkbeck University of London
9. Page 243, The Pattern of English Building, by Alec Clifton-Taylor, Published by Faber and Faber Limited, ISBN: 0571 095267, copyright 1972
10. Page 247, The Pattern of English Building, by Alec Clifton-Taylor, Published by Faber and Faber Limited, ISBN: 0571 095267, copyright 1972
11. Page 183, Lecture VIII, Sir John Soane: the Royal Academy Lectures, edited by David Watkin, published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-66556-6, copyright 2000.
12. Page 209, Lecture IX, Sir John Soane: the Royal Academy Lectures, edited by David Watkin, published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-66556-6, copyright 2000.
13. Page 7, Turner & Architecture, by Ian Warrell and Diane Perkins, published by Tate Gallery, ISBN: 0946590-91-5, copyright 1988.
14. Page 58, Turner’s Painting Techniques, by Joyce Townsend, published by Tate Gallery, ISBN: 1-85437-202-5, copyright 1993.
15. Page 53, The Pattern of English Building, by Alec Clifton-Taylor, Published by Faber and Faber Limited, ISBN: 0571 095267, copyright 1972
REFERENCES
The Italian Renaissance Palace Façade: Structures of Authority, Surface of Senseby Charles Burroughs, Published by Cambridge University Press ISBN: 0 521 62438X (hc)copyright 2002.
Sir John Soane: the Royal Academy Lectures, edited by David Watkin, published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-66556-6, copyright 2000.
London architecture: features and façades, by Matthew Weinreb & commentary by Ben Weinreb, published by Phaidon Press, ISBN: 0714828904, copyright 1993.
Urban Design: Ornament and Decoration, by J.C. Moughtin , Taner Oc and Steven Tiesdell, Published by Architectural Press ISBN-10: 0750642734, copyright 1999.
Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture, by Derek Phillips, published by Architectural Press, ISBN: 0-75066323-5, copyright 2004.
Turner’s Painting Techniques, by Joyce Townsend, published by Tate Gallery, ISBN: 1-85437-202-5, copyright 1993.
Turner & Architecture, by Ian Warrell and Diane Perkins, published by Tate Gallery,ISBN: 0946590-91-5, copyright 1988.
Chiswick House & Gardens, by Roger White, Published by English Heritage, ISBN: 1-85074-788-1 copyright 2001.
Kenwood: the Iveagh Bequest, by Julius Bryant, Published by the English Heritage, ISBN: 1-85074-790-3, copyright 2001.
Osterley Park, by Eileen Harris, Published by The National Trust, ISBN: 1-84359-235-5, copyright 1994.
Houses of Britain: The Outside View, by John Prizeman, Published by Quiller Press, ISBN: 1899163670, copyright 1975.
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