Bull Series

Bull Series: An Analysis of Architectural Significance

Buildings are passed throughout the day; however, little is realized about the core architectural significances of buildings. Vitruvius, a renowned Roman architect and engineer, stated that an architectural sound building must consist of delight, firmness, and commodity; in other words a structure, be it simple or complex, must be aesthetically pleasant, must be structurally sound, and must serve it function. In spite of these criteria, common spectators assess a building’s prominence only on delight or aesthetics, and the architectural significance, build, and function are often ignored. It is important for a person to be educated in architectural history and construction; not only will the artistic design draw a spectator, but also the architectural features will fascinate the viewer. A team design of a gallery, from an architecture class, is reduced to demonstrate the core of the building. This bull series shows the significance of the basic architectural engineering in a building’s function amidst the appealing design.

I prepared a Google SketchUp representation of the gallery Mohad Zahid, Drew Smith, and I designed, and reduced it to bare lines in order to show the buildup of the construction. The gallery, at its fullest representation, shows what a passerby would see at a glance; this representation includes texture, the environment, one of which is a superfluous pond, and the aesthetics—aesthetics which only represent one-third of the building. It is regardless if the viewer thinks this gallery is attractive because they are still missing two other components used to assess any building: build and function. In the first reduction all texture is removed from the gallery; although, this reduction may seem insignificant, but without texture, a viewer becomes more open to the engineering and function of the building. The second reduction removes all color to a simple front elevation sketch of the gallery. This cutback gives the viewer perspective on the firmness of the building, for the structure of the roof, the division of floors, and the foundation of the gallery is shown; these characteristics are essential because they represent the groundwork of the gallery. The final reduction, as well the most basic representation of the gallery, serves the significance of delight, commodity, and firmness. It may be hard to believe that this basic representation shows aesthetics, but modernism is represented, which is a type of aesthetic; modernism is the rejection of historical precedent, ornament, and prefabricated elements. Simplicity is shown throughout this gallery without historical architectural markers such as dentils and rusticated stone work. This reduction gives the viewer an insight into commodity, for the basic build and outline of the gallery is shown. One may argue that this representation is the most complex due to multiple lines; however this depiction shows the assembly of the building and the basics of architectural engineering. The lines on the bottom of the building display the most basic way the gallery’s foundation can be placed; moreover, the lines underneath the roof show how the covering of the building will be supported and justify the division in the roof. Most importantly, this picture provides insight into the function of the building, which is to support paintings and sculptures and provide a space for gathering in a conservative manner. These series of reductions, clearly provides the make and architectural significance of the gallery.

The bull series on the essential architectural criteria helped enhance my understanding on the basic essentials in architecture. It improved my ability to justify an aspect of a building. The more knowledge I accumulate on architectural issues will allow me to assess a building’s architecture objectively. Most importantly, I learned not to judge a book by its cover, for the aesthetic elements of any building do not justify the beauty. As ironic as it may seem, beauty not only includes delight, but also it includes firmness and commodity. Simplicity and complexity do not judge the greatness of a building, but the architectural markers and engineering truly define the personality and magnificence of a building.