Ishika Mondal

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Showing posts from May, 2020

Art Nouveau - The New Art

- May 25, 2020

At the beginning of 1890, the US witnessed a new ornamental style of art, architecture and applied arts, especially the decorative arts known as Art Nouveau, which lasted till 1914. This new style spread throughout the US and Europe, taking on different names and character in each country, as a reaction to academic art and heterogeneous historic 19th-century architecture and decoration. The new art movement had its roots in Britain, in floral designs of William Morris, and within the Art and Crafts Movement founded by his pupils. The main inspirations for this style were the Arts and Crafts movement (handcraftsmanship and highly expressive paintings) and Japanese art (flat perspective, strong colours and whiplash curves). The characteristics of Art Nouveau were as follows: · The decoration had a sense of dynamism and movement with no distinction between the structure and the ornament · Facades were asymmetrical and decorated with whiplash curves like the gra

Louvre Pyramid - The Introduction for Modern French Architecture

- May 18, 2020

Louvre Pyramid completed in1989, designed by I. M. Pei, is a large glass and metal pyramid in the main courtyard of Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) in Paris, France. The large pyramid serves as the main entrance to the Louvre Museum and is surrounded by three smaller pyramids. Amid the controversies that surrounded the structure, Louvre Pyramid stands in front of the world’s most visited museum and despite its relative youth, it has become a vital part of Paris’ renowned skyline. The structure is entirely made up of glass segments and metal poles, and has a height of 21.6 meters (71 feet) and a base surface area of 1000 square meters (11,000 square feet). It has a total of 603 rhombus-shaped and 70 triangle-shaped glass segments, which was an effort to make the pyramid as transparent as possible. The main reason the Pyramid and the underground lobbies were created was the series of problems with Louvre’s original main entrance which could no longer handle the

Zaha Hadid- The Queen of Curves

- May 14, 2020

Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid was a British-Iraqi architect born on 31st October 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She grew up in Baghdad’s first Bauhaus inspired buildings and became the founder of the leading Zaha Hadid Architects which has designed over 950 projects in 44 different countries. She was also talented in painting, graphic arts, 3D models and computer designs. EDUCATION: Alma Mater- American University of Beirut and Architectural Association School of Architecture. She read Mathematics at The American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, where she met Rem Koolhas, Elia Zenghelis and Bernard Tschumi. Then she worked for her former professors, Koolhaas and Zenghelis, at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands of which she became a partner in 1977. Zaha Hadid became the first woman to be awarded Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004, for her internationally known theoreti

FIBRE-REINFORCED CONCRETE (FRC)

- May 09, 2020

In this world of daily new inventions, we discover new materials very often. One such material is FRC (Fibre-Reinforced Concrete), it contains fibrous materials (short discrete fibres uniformly distributed and randomly oriented) which increases structural integrity. Use of fibre for reinforcement has been continued since Mesopotamian civilization, they used the straw to strengthen sun-baked bricks. Horsehair was employed in mortar and straw in mud bricks. Asbestos fibres were used in concrete in 1900. Researches continue even today to enhance the standard of concrete and different types of fibres like steel fibres, glass fibres, synthetic fibre (polypropylene and nylon fibres) and natural fibres (coir and hay). Fibres may be circular or flat. Continuous meshes, woven fabrics and long wires or rods are not discrete fibres. FRC can be used on-ground floors, pavements and might be deemed for construction parts alone or hand-tied like beams, pliers, foundations, etc. It is

Modern Architecture v/s Vernacular Architecture

- May 04, 2020

Like any other discipline, architecture has evolved according to the needs of the people and the availability of materials. In this process of evolution, two famous styles came into the limelight, one being vernacular architecture and the other being modern architecture. Though both the styles have their timelines of origins, both are being followed to date. Vernacular Architecture reflects the environment, culture, social, religious, and geological contexts and uses specific native architectural practices. It involves an ethical commitment to the local people, location, and cultural tradition. Modern Architecture uses simple forms with no unnecessary articulation. It encompasses angular frames, upholstery and artwork, abstract and geometric patterns. Though both have their benefits, both have different paths. Some of the points are given below: Eco-friendly : Although vernacular architecture uses local eco-friendly building materials drastic climate changes are a threat

Utopian Ideas in Architecture

- May 02, 2020

The word utopia has Greek origins and was first coined by Thomas More in 1516, "ou-topos" means "no place" or "nowhere", but also refers to "eu-topos" meaning "a good place". The meaning of the word reflects the question of whether a good or perfect place can exist somewhere. Utopian ideas have always been overreaching, far too ambitious, unconcerned with details, and too willing to disregard the human consequences and maybe ahead of time. As an architect, I believe in the value of Utopian thinking, as the reality of today's world can often be difficult to face, and have always dreamed of building a better world. We are always driven by ambitions and philosophical thinking and realize the dreams and visions of a better future without the problems we face today. Today the world is facing many problems like global climate change, rising sea levels, and other environmental destruction, thus it is easy to dream of

WHAT WILL ARCHITECTURE LOOK LIKE IN 100 YEARS?

- May 01, 2020

WHAT WILL ARCHITECTURE LOOK LIKE IN 100 YEARS? If we look back 100 years from now, the architecture was nothing like it is currently, and so will be the case for the future, it would be nothing like today. To understand the future we have to look back in the past. The changes the history faced will only become the foundation for the changes the future holds. 100 years back, architects tend to gather knowledge about every possible aspect needed to design a building, from laying brick to setting the interiors. To design a skyscraper, dozens of architects sat for days to finish the layouts needed by the contractor to make the building. But today, technology has invaded the desks of the architects. Tomorrow’s architecture will be shaped by interweaving forces, including technology, concerns of the society, and the creativity of the designer. The future will have every kind of structure man could possibly imagine, ranging from rotating buildings to invisible houses, bu

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