Of feelings - longing and bewilderment. Because the builders of the sheds and garages tightly linked the noble concept of “architectural concept”. Type this couple of words in a search engine, they will vividly explain to you that all the fuss is for the customer, and the result will be “an informed decision of the site”. And it’s better to order a service right away with the concept.
We will go the other way
But what about the great architectural transformations that have affected the lives of generations? What about the famous social innovation in the living environment? And the ingenious urban solutions that are implemented around the world? Let's try to figure it all out without sheds.
We will not contact definitions in links, there is a disaster. We can handle it ourselves. To begin with briefly about the concept in general: this is a system of views, the main idea. If we talk about the architectural concept, then this is also a system of views and justifications for the new style, technological solutions, the destruction of the old, etc. This is a clear reason why you need to build in this way and not otherwise.
Palladianism - the first bird
Andre Palladio is an architectural conceptualist of clear water. The first in history. Few people understand how much European and American cities owe him the similarity of their architectural and artistic concepts. Step away from the famous squares or monuments by which you can immediately recognize Prague or, for example, Budapest. Walk along the medium and small European streets - you will not be able to understand which city you are going to. Because Andre Palladio wrote the famous work - “Four books on architecture”, which architects from all over the world studied and inspired. Palladianism is the symmetry, perspectives and principles of the ancient Greek style.
This concept has exactly five features:
- proportions in everything, with mathematical precision;
- absolute symmetry;
- a three-part Venetian window;
- triangular pediment;
- architectural orders - standardized columns.
The farthest railway stations and provincial cultural houses are all lined with pediments, columns, symmetrical and proportional. The concept for the whole world.
Baroque: a competitive solution for Catholics
In the history of world architecture, there are only two great eras, the main concept of which was "to be more beautiful, to please the eye." It is modern and baroque. Of course, each era has its own context, nothing arises in art from scratch. The history of the concept of the great baroque began five hundred years ago in Germany, oddly enough. Martin Luther pinned to the church door a list with major claims to Catholics in about this format: snickering, selling out, then down the list. The Catholic TOP-management did not understand in time that it had become sharply outdated - feudalism was behind, the bourgeois spring was in the yard - they had not been rebuilt in time. And the great battle for the flock began - the war of competitors, Protestants appeared.
What are Catholics? They created a completely new concept of the architectural and artistic appearance of the Catholic churches. It was a game in contrast: against the background of the harsh simplicity of the Protestants, they gave rise to the greatest era in art - Baroque. "Come in, good people, look at our beauty." Baroque is beauty on beauty, curl on a curl, solemnity, sophistication, ceremoniality. These are crazy facades of Italian churches - it all started with them. This is the Hermitage and the Catherine’s Palace with us ... By the way, in music it’s Bach, Handel and Vivaldi and his comrades. Here it is, the life-giving power of competition ...
World Champion in Architectural Concepts
Well, of course, St. Petersburg. Perhaps this is the largest implementation of a single architectural concept. And in the entire history of construction.
Of all the capitals of the world, St. Petersburg is the only city built from the very beginning according to the general plan - the concept of the architectural appearance of the entire city ensemble as a whole and at once. Paris, London and other world megacities began with small placers of crooked huts near the river, and there was no smell of concepts there.
At the beginning of the 17th century, a unified urban development policy of the city was approved - a unique case of this kind. The reason for this was catastrophic fires among wooden buildings. The new concept included a new plan with 12 perspectives and 3 rays-avenues that were supposed to converge at the point of the Admiralty spire.
Take Paris to hell
The famous radiant city from the great and terrible Le Corbusier is an example of an architectural and planning concept that has changed the face of modern cities around the world. We are talking about urban planning - a section of architecture involved in the planning and development of cities.
Almost a hundred years ago, Corbusier set about planning a city for three million inhabitants with a garden and industrial enterprises located outside the green belt. He proposed to demolish 240 hectares of old Paris in order to build a business center with skyscrapers for offices and maximum space for pedestrians, parks and wide driveways. Does it resemble anything?
Corbusier's concept consisted of four principles:
- high population density in the city;
- maximum number of types of transportation: buses, metro, tram tracks , etc .;
- many parks and green spaces wherever possible;
- unloading the city center where everyone is aiming. Outskirts development.
Comments are not needed here. All megacities of the world are now developing precisely on such principles. Paris, however, survived in the twenties: Corbusier himself abandoned this radical step. But he changed the face of the world, this is a figure of the scale of Andre Palladio, of course.
Khrushchev: easier, more, cheaper
The construction of cheap concrete boxes in crazy volumes throughout the Soviet Union began after the development of an architectural concept - justified and progressive. Now everyone loves to grumble at six-meter-high kitchens and rotten pipes. And in the late fifties, Khrushchev was a welcome alternative to barracks with toilets in the yard and the notorious communal apartments.
One way or another, it was a new height in the life of Soviet citizens. Khrushchev microdistricts are an excellent example of the implementation of a large-scale architectural concept. House-building plants were built all over the country, producing standard panels like hot cakes. As much as possible and as cheap as possible is the main idea. No frills, just features. Quite competent and successfully implemented initiative, by the way.
And finally
It is important that behind a cloud of offers of small architectural services, an understanding of real phenomena and historical values is not lost. So that the high aesthetics of new concepts are not lost behind everyday stereotypes.
Because nothing can be compared with architecture and its development in a historical and technological context. This is an amazing world of art, engineering, psychology, technology and much more.