PRECIS

Posted: August 26th, 2021

PRECIS

Student’s Name

Class

Date

Precis 1

Kenneth Frampton, Studies in Tectonic Culture: The Poetics of Construction in Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Architecture (Cambridge, MA: 1995), “Introduction: Reflections on the Scope of the Tectonic,” pp. 1-28.

The book closely analyses a trace of history and contemporary forms through a structured and constructive poetry.Throughout the book, the author, Kenneth Frampton, unveils the real characterization of critical readings of German, French, and English sources since the 18^th Century to the present, further influencing the evolution of modern architecture. The book; Studies in Tectonic Culture: The Poetics of Construction in Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Architecture is a reflection to rethink the whole of modern architectural conventions. Notably, Frampton presents the notion of tectonics to describe architecture as a form of construction craft. In this case, he directly challenges the current mainstream thinking on the art of postmodernism while suggesting another convincing option. While emphasizing his point, Frampton hypothesizes that contemporary architecture extensively varies in structure and construction, just as there is variation in space and abstract forms.

The book is composed of ten essays throughout which the author builds his argument to clarify the different turns tectonic imagination and structural engineering have undertaken overtime. In this case, transformations are demonstrated through the works of different architects like Wright, Kahn, Mies,Perret and Scarpa. In addition, he illustrates that the actual constructional forms have remained integral to expression of architectural works through its evolution.Here, the aim is to show that the articulation of structural and constructional elements across these architectural works is a basis for evaluating the complete architectural works. This is evidenced by the emphasis given to the work of Mies, Kahn, and Perret. The continuities in the thoughts of these architects and their attitudes are structurally linked to the past. Thus, the author cultivates tectonic tradition consciously to depict architecture as a critical element in future forms of architectural development. The book, therefore, casts a new light on the complete modernity and previous works as experimental ideas.

Precis 2

Leon Battista Alberti, “The Ten Books of Architecture” [The 1755 Leoni Edition]

(New York: Dover, 1986), Preface and Book I, chaps. 1-2.

The book; On the Art of Building by Leon Battista Alberti presents a clear demonstration of intellectual capability and architectural knowledge by the author, Alberti. This is shown by the many references he uses to illustrate his works and detailed descriptions of different elements. The author is a Renaissance man, as shown in focus on human comfort, which is strengthened by his professional knowledge and inspirations from nature. Thus, the attention of the book is to demonstrate and explain the correct principles of building and architecture.

The book starts with a statement that “the art of building consists of the design and structure.” Hence, the interrelation between structure and design makes the building complete besides positioning all the individual components in order. According to the author, the “Art of Building” is described by the following six elements:

• The Region or the place where the building takes place
• The platform subdivisions or Compartition
• The platform, which is a spot of the Region, bounded by the building walls.
• The Walling that is, a structure developed from the ground to the top to support roofing section or internal parts as separation of an apartment
• The Apertures or openings
• The Covering that consists of any part extended in-breath and length over the heads

According to the list, the book emphasizes three main aspects that should not be neglected. These aspects specifically address the Walling and the Covering, seeking convenience, beauty, and stability in these areas. Besides, Alberti’s most significant interest, as revealed in the book,is on climatic conditions, that is, wind, air, water, and the sun. In this, he demonstrates that although the architects strived to correct defects in climate, they were limited in their efforts.

In the same way, the modern architect is greatly influenced by climatic conditions. Hence, they have to be aware of the surroundings when implementing their architectural works. Thus, the author suggests that the varying climatic conditions are critical when choosing the positioning, structure, and design of a building.

The author also discusses the hidden inconvenience of choosing a region, especially in chapter 6 of the book. These are the spirits, which he alludes as a cause of breaking or falling off of some buildings. Although modern science disputes this as there is a clear explanation of the reason buildings break, it is worth to credit the author since the time of writing the book, the issue of spirits was an essential factor of consideration. In any case, the author alludes that architects should consider such aspects. Equally, when choosing a platform, the author suggests the need to apply similar rules forselecting the Region. In this case, he assesses the aesthetics preferable in such selection. Subsequently, he appears to impose significant preference on columns. Other critical areas of discussion include spaces between columns, apertures, stairs, and window positions, among others. Therefore, the books introduce a brief review of the constituents of a building, related functions, properties, and distinct differences, as demonstrated in constructive language, illustrations, and descriptions by the author.