Architecture Today : The 21st Century Triad We Need
Architecture is what is left of civilizations centuries after they’re washed away by war or disaster. Today in the 16th year of the millennium, if we were to be suddenly buried underneath the earth with all our confusions and contradictions within & without; our descendants would surely be in for some amusing excavations centuries from now. The era that we dwell in is made of this confusion, the chaos of hundreds of exabytes worth of information bombarding our smart devices every minute. It is indeed a big responsibility that architects pose, as the profession responsible for the quality of living of an entire civilization. The four primary types of infrastructure namely, housing, educational, industrial and public stand as the foundation to any civilization that has been under the sun. Hence, as planners, architects & engineers our generation needs to step forth and make sure that the balance amongst the four is maintained in our cities lest our civilization may crumble and fall.
Better Infrastructure makes way for a better society.
Design has an immense amount of power when it comes to influencing the way we function in our day to day life. The measure of growth and prosperity of any nation/kingdom/region has been taught to us in terms of the richness of it’s art & architecture. In the current context though, the pseudo-progress that our world believes in requires some amount of reflection. Architecture today, much like the other components of our lives has become extremely fast paced and short sighted. The rate of technological advancements today is exponentially larger than the post Industrial Revolution era, yet the focus is merely on quantity not quality. Monuments from the Ashokan & Mayan dynasties stand tall even today against the test of time & earth, while no architect/engineer guarantees a life of more than 30 years for the structures built in the present day. At the end of the day, what we get in return of the thousands of hours of the research and development is unplanned growth & uninhabitable spaces (read as decay). Such a state of architecture is not necessarily a sign of better life, and as Brecht says through Galileo's character in his play 'life of Galileo': "unhappy the land that is in need of heroes." (Brecht, 1937-1939, p.95)
Is it really impossible to be iconic and sustainable simultaneously?
Isn’t it time for green to be the new black.
The 21st Century Triad
For centuries now, architects and designers around the world have looked up to Vitruvius and his Ten Books on Architecture and the Vitruvian Triad as a reference that could help us get as close to perfect harmony as possible. Vitruvius was lucky; the earth wasn’t dealing with the issues it’s dealing with now hence he could explore the various aesthetical aspects of a structure for the generations to come. With the brief experience of three years within the architectural community and twenty years of experience as a human being, it seems like the Vitruvian Triad needs revision.
Firmitas-
It should be structurally stable and environmentally responsible.
Living in the age of steel, concrete, and carbon fibre architecture is supposed to be in its strongest form today. Yet we haven’t mastered the art of building structures that are sustainable, climate responsive and structurally stable. The world is still divided into sub divisions of Vernacular, Earth, Contemporary, Sustainable, Climate Responsive and various other types of architectural practices. While the mindlessly built everyday concrete+steel structures get approval from the planning authorities, brilliantly designed earth architecture is still not considered “permanent” and is treated as temporary mud structures. A policy level intervention will play a huge role, but meanwhile we must think of ways to converge all the various disciplines’ best into a single theory of reliability & responsibility towards the Earth and its inhabitants.
Venustas-
It should be beautiful both within and without in terms of quality and aesthetics.
When I’m working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know its wrong.
-Buckminster Fuller
The aesthetic must be derived from within. Superficial ornamentation must not be the basis of a good design. When something is made with the intent of provision of superior quality, the end product will never fail to be appealing. We are so many of us that there is a constant struggle within everyone to stand out and be iconic, or make/do iconic things, there is a need for revaluation and reflection about what/who are we trying to stand out for. Isn’t too much emphasis no emphasis at all? All the monuments that we know of aren’t just beautiful but along with their beauty they also carry an extremely superior quality of craftsmanship which makes them what they are.
Utilitas-
It must have a practical function and use innovative technology that adds convenience to function.
Material must be given its due respect, in order to bring out the best in the structure and the design. Every line and every stroke that we draw on the sheet of paper must have a purpose/function behind it. Mindless use of imported material over the locally available material has to be avoided, and the masses must be made aware that the ecological damage to the earth for their posh Italian marble isn’t feasible.