Scott Snodgrass’ Post

Recommended Reading List For Architects and Architecture Students 1. “Architecture: Form, Space, and Order” by Francis D.K. Ching. This book introduces fundamental concepts about building form, space, and order, helping to better understand building design. 2. “Architectural Graphics” by Francis D.K. Ching. This book provides an overview of architectural graphics and how to improve and use them in presenting designs. 3. “The Architecture of Happiness” by Alain de Botton. This book explores the relationship between architectural design and human happiness, adding a psychological dimension to design. 4. “How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built” by Stewart Brand. This book reviews the process of buildings evolving over time and how to deal with changes. 5. “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. This book gives important fundamentals in architectural communication and effective language use. 6. “The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings” by Marc Kushner. This book offers an intriguing look into the future of architecture by reviewing 100 innovative buildings around the world.

In architecture, form refers to the shape, configuration, and physical appearance of a building. It’s the visual expression of a structure that includes aspects like geometry, volume, proportion, scale, and texture. Essentially, form is what you see when you look at a building. Function in architecture refers to the practical use and purpose of a space or building. It involves how a structure serves the needs of its occupants, supports activities, and enhances the experience of those who use it. The famous architectural principle “Form follows function”, coined by architect Louis Sullivan, suggests that the shape of a building or object should primarily relate to its intended function or purpose. However, this is often balanced with aesthetics to create a structure that is both beautiful and practical In today’s architectural landscape, the relationship between form and function has evolved. While early modernists emphasized functionality, contemporary architects often explore organic, fluid, and unconventional forms that still meet functional needs but also push the boundaries of technology and creativity. Team: Disha Chanda, Geet Chanda, arjun madhavan

Architects, stop being shy: it’s time to learn from your buildings... Eleanor Jolliffe explores why post-occupancy evaluation, a powerful tool to improve design and prove value, remains so often overlooked #architecture

Eleanor Jolliffe’s latest comment piece, published in Building Design, celebrates the broader role of architecture in civic impact and collaboration, exemplified by this year’s Stirling Prize winner, the Elizabeth Line. Eleanor’s piece is a reminder that architecture goes far beyond the confines of individual buildings – it's a discipline rooted in teamwork, public purpose, and a deep integration of multiple fields. Eleanor highlights the collaborative nature of large-scale projects like the Elizabeth Line and the Kings Cross masterplan, each realised through multidisciplinary efforts involving architecture, engineering, and a network of other professionals. This year’s Stirling Prize honours not just the physical infrastructure but also the collective expertise and civic-mindedness that brought the Elizabeth Line to life. Eleanor argues that architecture’s strength lies in its diversity – historically encompassing design, engineering, and civic leadership. She notes that architecture was once synonymous with “civic and intellectual leadership,” applying knowledge to benefit society. In an era where many still view architecture narrowly, Eleanor suggests the profession should embrace its ancient roots as a multifaceted, collaborative endeavour. By acknowledging architecture as more than buildings and recognising the breadth of expertise required for transformative projects, the profession can redefine its relevance in a complex, evolving world. Her article offers a compelling vision for architecture’s future – one that embraces diversity, collective impact, and a return to the “team sport” ethos that has always defined great architecture. https://lnkd.in/eTEEvhaz #architecture #collaboration #stirlingprize

Collaboration is key.

Architecture is an ever-evolving and dynamic field of the art and science of designing structures and spaces, constantly adapting to new trends in design, construction and technology. Currently, the field is evolving faster than ever before. Part of this evolution is due to new technologies available and the new creative approach of creative minds who are developing modern ways to solve old problems. In the process of finding and solving problems in the 21st century, modern architects find innovative ways to interpret the world around us. In recent years, we have seen a significant shift in architectural trends with an emphasis on sustainability, technology and innovation. Conceptually, traditional architecture, incorporating an ecological component and a socio-cultural element into the basis of spatial design, allows for the formation of functional and sustainable living environments in accordance with environmental resources, local material possibilities, cultural needs and production style. Architecture is directly related to many scientific fields and disciplines and influences other fields in the context of its own practice. As technology continues to advance rapidly, many concepts and trends in architecture and design continue to change, transform and evolve. There is a process of transition to technological and smart buildings and structures. Traditional living environments and building cultures are transformed into high-tech buildings. The constant development of technology brings with it spatial updates.

Soon coming from Routledge: Finishing in Architecture: Polishing, Completing, Ending, eds., Paul Emmons, Marcia Feuerstein, and Negar Goljan. One of the chapters is my essay, “Building as New Beginning: The Absolute Negativity of the Maison Dom-ino,” in which I propose a new basis of the modernity of Le Corbusier’s influential Maison Dom-ino project from 1914, which he conceived of as a constructional system for refugee housing during World War I. Borrowing G.W.F Hegel’s doctrine of “absolute negativity” from his Science of Logic (1816), as well as Dieter Henrich’s account of “autonomous negation” as the “key” to understanding Hegel’s Logic, I critique established formalist interpretations of the Maison Dom-ino, most notably by Colin Rowe and Peter Eisenman, as a finished work of architecture. I argue that the becoming of any possible architecture in the Maison Dom-ino implies the passing over of the system into life--a process that would generate different architectures through the different lives that would appropriate that system to create their own individual dwellings (reflecting the logical structure of the dynamic of "autonomous negation," in which self-referentiality and self-differentiation are mutually implicated). The Maison Dom-ino, as architecture, in other words, requires different architectures relative to different lives. Architecture in Le Corbusier's vision is thus deferred beyond the figure of the architect, as taken from the Renaissance, Albertian tradition. It would never reach a state of completion so long as different lives would be able to appropriate the system; rather, the Maison Dom-ino brings the tradition from which it separates (in response to specific historical circumstances) to an end, and in so doing, articulates architecture's true essentialism. The Maison Dom-ino is, in this way, modern.

Check out this book about concrete architecture. #exteriorarchitecture #design

RAMP DETAILS In architecture, a ramp is a sloping pathway that connects two different levels or floors. Ramps are often used to provide access... https://lnkd.in/gJAW_k8V #architecture #architecturelovers #design #building #construction #structuralengineering #interiordesign #cityscape #skyscraper #architecturephotography #architecturedesign #landscapearchitecture #modernarchitecture #sustainablearchitecture #architecturestudent #architecturemodel #architectureporn #architecturehunters #urbanplanning #arquitectura #archilovers #architecture_hunter #architecture_greatshots #architecture_view

The RIBA is going to spend £85million on its House of Architecture programme consolidating the architectural collections, upgrading its digital platform and spending £59million on the refurbishment of its HQ at 66 Portland Place. There’s a lot to unpick here. I haven’t done a deep dive into the finances. I don’t know where the money is coming from or how sound the business case is, but it does raise questions. Does your average person, let alone most architects, know, care, or spend any time at 66 Portland Place? Will the £59million refurbishment change that? Is a dusty, old institutional building in the heart of London the best representation of a modern profession, or is it a hollow vanity project? Architecture is currently in a tough place. Speaking with so many architects over the last six months there is a clear consensus about this. The profession’s value, esteem and public profile is at a low ebb. I don’t know if it’s ever been lower. So, a provocation. Would the £85million be better spent challenging the government’s anti-competition stance on FEES and explaining the dangers of the current race to the bottom? Would the money be better spent lobbying and establishing a closer relationship with government, as other industries do, to ensure that we have a VOICE within the halls of power? Should the RIBA be spending the money communicating in clear terms to the public and to the construction industry what architects do and the VALUE that they bring? Find out more about the House of Architecture here: https://lnkd.in/eJQWmvR7 RIBA #HouseofArchitecture #architecture