-
DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING
The Modern Architect: Designing for Wellbeing
The general public tend to have a veryidealisedview of what an
Architect is; Ive witnessed it
when discussing my potential degree choices with friends and
relatives. Most people see an Architect
as a master of all disciplines, one that is bothcalculated and
creative, systematicand stylish, intelligent
and innovative. Whilst many Architects are well versed in
different fields, I dont believe that an
Architect can be defined by a list of desired qualities or
attributes. There is just as much a broad
range of Architects as there is people and each has his own way
of doing things. However, I do
believe that Architects should all have one common motive: to
improve the wellbeing of others
through their work.
Throughout this essay, I will be exploring how modern Architects
have enhanced the wellbeing
of individuals and societies in the past, and how they continue
to do it today. In order to understand
my views more fully, I should point out that I am an engineering
and architecture student - which
some might argue gives me a more scientific view of the subject.
By looking at modern Architects
both past and present, I hope to form an idea of the direction I
would like to take my future.
The most fundamental principles behind modern Architecture come
from the Architects of the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was Louis Sullivan who
penned those famous words form ever
follows function1 in 1896. When considering the functionality of
a given building, I ask myself Does
this address the needs of all those who will interact with it?,
and this is the same notion Sullivan
conveyed through his widely recognised mantra form follows
function. He expressed this not only
with words, but consistently throughout his work. Sullivan was
often commissioned to design
buildings to accommodate large businesses. Due to the
commissions being predominantly city-based,
there wasnt space to spread the offices over a vast plot of
land. He tackled this problem by building
upwards. Not only did this avoid requiring more land to
accommodate the number of offices, but the
high-rise nature of the buildings improved the quality of life
for those within, by enabling the workers
to look out on a view much more appealing than a city street and
by letting in fresher air and more
light. Im also sure that the sheer fact that this type of
building had never been seen before instilled
the workers with a sense of excitement that they were a part of
something new and interesting.
One such example of this high-rise solution is the Guaranty
Building, designed by Sullivan and
Adler in 1894. The Father of Skyscrapers2 designed this
skyscraper for all of the aforementioned
reasons, but what I find interesting about this building in
particular is that he incorporated
JACOB SMITH "1
-
DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING
decoration into almost every aspect
of the building (see right). Here, he
has let ornament compliment the
vertical and horizontal elements of
the structural design. I think it is
important to recognise that his
concern for function does not lead
to compromise on the aesthetics of
a building by any means; rather he
understands that it can induce
positive feelings for those who come
into contact with it, feelings which they will carry into their
daily lives.
Frank Lloyd Wright worked under Sullivan, and undoubtedly learnt
much which he later
adopted into his own work. This notion that architecture should
be designed with peoples individual
needs in mind, was conveyed succinctly by Wright when he said
There should be as many kinds of
houses as there are kinds of people and as many differentiations
as there are different individuals. A
man who has individuality (and what man lacks it?) has a right
to its expression and his own
environment.3 I agree with Wright, surely considering somebodys
personality enhances your ability
to design in order to improve their life. His wide range of
different buildings show that he designs this
way, but that doesnt in any way suggest he believed in that
people should be separated by their
differences. He felt strongly that all things should be one, and
developed a new kind of architecture
which he hoped would bring mankind closer together, and closer
to nature.
Wright took all elements of a building into consideration and
determined how they could all
work together to create what he called Organic Architecture. His
reasoning was that because nature
works in such a unified manner, to recreate this in architecture
would mean that there would never be
a bad design, and that people would feel more comfortable living
in this environment4. He really
cared that there was cooperation between the building, its
occupancy and the site and was genuinely
convinced that this architectural harmony would improve the
wellbeing of those dwelling within;
passion which I find admirable. For me personally, I think that
living in such a house as the Frank
Lloyd Wright Classic Fallingwater would make me feel a lot more
comfortable and secure. There is
something about being tucked away in a peaceful location, and
being exposed to the natural stone
used in the building (below) that would instil a feeling of
security and serenity - feelings which would
JACOB SMITH "2
-
DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING
enrich the quality of my life. Therefore, I say that Wrights
organic architecture effectively enhances
welfare.
Another Architect who had strong governing principles was Ludwig
Mies van der Rohe, who
was practicing at the same time as Wright. Like Sullivan and
Wright (and countless others), Mies had
his own mantra for design; he believed that less is more5 and
developed a minimalist style which
influenced many modern Architects after him. He aimed to create
the next big movement in the
world of architecture, nevertheless, I believe his aspirations
were not fuelled by pride, rather by his
sincere desire to improve society after the hard times of World
War I. Like many Architects of his
day, Mies was convinced that this new style would allow for a
new beginning. With this motivation in
mind, Mies experimented and built with groundbreaking
configurations of glass and steel, resulting
in towering skyscrapers as well as smaller, sleeker
structures.
The German Pavilion perfectly exemplifies Mies longing for a
definitive change in architecture,
and shows his desire to move society forward as a whole, as
opposed to just the individuals dwelling
within. The commissioner himself desired that the building give
voice to the spirit of a new era6
and Mies was so confident that he had achieved this, that he let
the building itself become the
exhibit, leaving it void of additional
exhibition. His open design (see right) lets
the viewer explore the pavilion without
forced guidance, which conveys the freedom
and open-mindedness sought after by Mies.
I admire the ambition of Mies Van der
Rohe, and think it is a necessary thing for an
Architect. If one doesnt believe that he can
JACOB SMITH "3
-
DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING
influence people for the better, whether it be the individual or
society, he isnt going to go far.
From what Ive already observed, most Architects use buildings
and structures to benefit
mankind, based on their personal ideals of what is best.
French-Swiss Architect, Le Corbusier, took
this idea even further and intended to completely reinvent
the city according to what he thought would help mankind
the most. Ville Radieuse (The Radiant City) was never
realised but the plans give an insight into his thought-
process. Le Corbusier didnt just create this master plan
because he could, he wanted the city of the future to
optimise the lifestyle of those living there7. With his
well-
known love for geometric grids and guidelines, he planned
to have a balance of green spaces and living quarters as
well as entertainment and business (see right). This was to
create what he called a living machine8 because he
believed this city would address issues such as traffic and
noise by reducing them, but also by increasing levels of
human interaction through transportation and sunlight,
resulting in an enhanced level of wellbeing for all. I think
its important to think deeply about these kinds of things, and
whilst I dont agree 100% with Le
Corbusier that this city would be the utopia that he intended, I
do appreciate that he tried to respond
to a variety of welfare problems instead of focussing on one or
two.
Stepping away from the founding fathers of modern architecture
and moving forward in time
to the present day should allow me to see what - if anything -
has changed. Obviously, technological
advancements have opened many doors to the methods employed by
Architects, but does that alter
the reason why they design? Swiss based Architects Herzog &
De Meuron are still employing the
same philosophies behind Wright's organic architecture, as their
worry for the over-development of
Switzerland increases9. The scenery is ever being destroyed to
make way for construction but they are
determined to design architecture which fits into the
environment around it and appeals to all the
senses to create a true experience which is suited to the
natural surroundings10. One such project was
the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion (see below) where they dug 5
feet into the ground in order to be less
invasive of a public space, and arranged for seating
underneath11. The area is to be enjoyed by active
or passive interaction, and is excellent example of the
practices efforts to impede the
manhattanisation of their country and demonstrates to me that
considerations for the wellbeing of
people in an environmental context can actually lead to more
interesting and innovative Architecture.
JACOB SMITH "4
-
DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING
Taking a look at Zaha Hadid
Architects (ZHA) and Bjarke Ingels
Group (BIG) confirms my assumption
that technology has impacted modern
architecture. ZHA use complex digital
modelling and coding in their design
process12. These techniques allow
them to experiment with and visualise
fluidity in their designs, a defining
characteristic of their current work. In
the same way that Frank Lloyd Wright aimed to blur the line
between architecture and nature in
order to create comfort and wellbeing for people, ZHA are able
to literally blend the nature of the
site with the flowing curvature of their
buildings (see right). The innate care for the
welfare of people is still there, but I feel that
the larger scale makes it a little less personal
than the work of those Architects Ive
mentioned previously. They do take this
unique design style into their residential
projects, giving people the chance to
experience the merging of exterior and
interior, but it appears to me that they
contribute to the welfare of society much
more through the types of buildings they
produce. They design many centres for
various things that bring people together for
something that brings them joy, including
sport, culture, leisure, entertainment and
science13. In undertaking these projects, they
are improving the welfare of those who interact
with the architecture - firstly because the centre exists, and
secondly because it is such a beautiful
environment in which to experience their cultural activities. I
do however see a potential negative to
the large-scale cultural projects; it could lead them too far
away from the balance that they currently
JACOB SMITH "5
-
DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING
have between the mindset of a social, cultural and commercial
architect and begin to drown out the
social aspects, but as it stands they are holding up.
As for BIG Architects, although they have the same technology at
hand as ZHA, I feel that they
make a much more personal response, delivering exactly what the
people want and need in order to
enhance their daily wellbeing. One of the key principles behind
BIG Architects design philosophy is
crowd-sourced design, meaning that they go to the people and see
what they want. Researching and
gathering information before and during the creative process
ensures that each decision that they
make is informed and not just stylistic preference14. Bjarke
Ingels talks about the worry that many
people see sustainable architecture as
boring, which motivates his to create
sustainable designs which improve the
quality of life. One of my favourite
buildings which really captures the genius
of this ideal is The Mountain (see left).
Each apartment block of this residential
complex is engineered to enhance the
wellbeing of its residents. Each one has an
unobstructed view of the surrounding
landscape and the use of timber inside
and out is a nice homage to Wrights idea
of Organic Architecture, especially with
the roof gardens. However, Ingels
describes this kind of design as something
more - Architectural Alchemy - which is
the idea that you can actually create, if
not gold, then at least added value by
mixing traditional ingredients15. It seems
to me that BIG have really considered
every aspect imaginable to ensure people feel good living here,
right down to the beautifully
perforated faade displaying a mountain. This is what gets me
excited, the fact that an Architect cares
enough about the people to create something entirely for their
benefit, with considerations for
function, form and features in equal measure.
All Architects want to improve wellbeing in one way or another,
and I think the best way to do
that, the way I have resolved to proceed in my life, is by first
informing myself of the needs of those
JACOB SMITH "6
-
DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING
for whom I am designing by hearing from them and not just the
client, akin to BIGs crowd-sourced
design philosophy. I have seen how a genuine concern for
wellbeing is a key motivation to these
Architects and I should never design something purely based on
my personal stylistic tastes. However,
something that has always been with me is that I will never
design something which fails to meet the
needs of the intended inhabitants, in lieu of aesthetics. After
all, a house without a roof, regardless of
how beautifully crafted the faade is, is simply of no use. This
has always been part of my thought
process and takes root in Sullivans ideals. I hope to develop
with time and create my own processes
in order to fully design for the wellbeing of individuals and
societies alike.
JACOB SMITH "7
-
DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING
Bibliography
1 Louis Sullivan: The Struggle for American Architecture
(http://louissullivanfilm.com/sullivan/) accessed 15/12/2014 2
Kaufman, Mervyn D. Father of Skyscrapers: A Biography of Louis
Sullivan. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. accessed 15/12/2014 3
AIDEC World. Frank Lloyd Wright: The Architectural Genius is as
Contemporary as Today
(http://www.aidecworld.com/people/frank-lloyd-wright/) accessed
15/12/2014 4 Elman, Kimberly. Frank Lloyd Wright and the Principles
of Organic Architecture (http://www.pbs.org/flw/legacy/essay1.html)
Accessed 15/12/2014 5 Craven, Jackie. Mies van der Rohe, Modern
Architect
(http://architecture.about.com/od/architectsaz/p/vanderrohe.htm)
Accessed 17/12/2014 6 Weston, Richard (2004). Key Building of the
Twentieth Century. W.W. Norton and Company. Accessed 17/12/2014 7
Merin, Gili. "AD Classics: Ville Radieuse / Le Corbusier" 11 Aug
2013. ArchDaily.
(http://www.archdaily.com/411878/ad-classics-ville-radieuse-le-corbusier/)
Accessed 17/12/14 8 Merin, Gili. AD Classics: Ville Radieuse / Le
Corbusier. 9 Herzog, Jaques in: Julie Paucker. Wohin treibt die
Schweiz? Zehn Ideen fr eine bessere Zukunft. Munich, Nagel &
Kimche, 2011.
(http://www.herzogdemeuron.com/index/practice/writings/essays/bild-von-der-schweiz.html)
Accessed 23/12/2014 10 Foundations AKC. Herzog and de Meuron.
(http://www.foundationsakc.com/people/contemporary/herzog-and-de-meuron)
Accessed 23/12/2014 11 Herzog & De Meuron. Serpentine Gallery
Pavilion.
(http://www.herzogdemeuron.com/index/projects/complete-works/376-400/400-serpentine-gallery-pavilion.html)
Accessed 23/12/2014 12 Zaha Hadid Architects. About Us.
(http://vimeo.com/106298230) Accessed 19/12/2014 13 Zaha Hadid
Architects. Projects. (http://www.zaha-hadid.com/archive) Accessed
19/12/2014 14 Ingels, Bjarke. Mission: Create Social Infrastructure
for Resilient Cities (2014)
(http://www.wired.com/2014/11/bjarke-ingels-will-make-believe-power-architecture/)
Accessed 19/12/2014 15 Ingels, Bjarke. 3 Warp-speed Architecture
Tales. TED 2009
(http://www.ted.com/talks/bjarke_ingels_3_warp_speed_architecture_tales/transcript?language=en)
Accessed 19/12/2014
JACOB SMITH "8
http://louissullivanfilm.com/sullivanhttp://www.aidecworld.com/people/frank-lloyd-wright/http://www.pbs.org/flw/legacy/essay1.htmlhttp://architecture.about.com/od/architectsaz/p/vanderrohe.htmhttp://www.archdaily.com/411878/ad-classics-ville-radieuse-le-corbusier/http://www.herzogdemeuron.com/index/practice/writings/essays/bild-von-der-schweiz.htmlhttp://www.foundationsakc.com/people/contemporary/herzog-and-de-meuronhttp://www.herzogdemeuron.com/index/projects/complete-works/376-400/400-serpentine-gallery-pavilion.htmlhttp://vimeo.com/106298230http://www.zaha-hadid.com/archivehttp://www.wired.com/2014/11/bjarke-ingels-will-make-believe-power-architecture/http://www.ted.com/talks/bjarke_ingels_3_warp_speed_architecture_tales/transcript?language=en
-
DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING
List of Illustrations
Page 2 - Guaranty Building Detail
http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/newyork/buffalo/sullivan/1611.jpg
Page 3 - Falling Water Location
http://www.fallingwater.org/img/home_assets/FW_FALL_01.jpg
Page 3 - Falling Water Natural Materials
http://www.wright-house.com/frank-lloyd-wright/fallingwater-pictures/large-fallingwater-photos/high-resolution/c8-window-in-stone-no-frame-L.jpg
Page 3 - The Barcelona Pavilion
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Barcelona_mies_v_d_rohe_pavillon_weltausstellung1999_03.jpg
Page 4 -The Radiant City Plan
http://nitoitnilois.free.fr/photo/ville-radieuse.jpg
Page 5 - Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
http://www.herzogdemeuron.com/index/projects/complete-works/376-400/400-serpentine-gallery-pavilion/IMAGE.html
Page 5 - Heydar Aliyev Centre
http://www.artribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/1.-Heydar-Aliyev-Center-progettato-da-Zaha-Hadid_courtesy-Heydar-Aliyev-Center.jpg
Page 5 - Beko Masterplan
http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/08/dezeen_Beko-Masterplan-by-Zaha-Hadid_10.jpg
Page 6 - The Mountain Facade
http://www.architravel.com/architravel_wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mountain_Dwellings_Copenhagen_4.jpg
Page 6 - The Mountain Dwellings
http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2010/12/BIG-Mountain-Dwellings-4.jpg
JACOB SMITH "9
http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/newyork/buffalo/sullivan/1611.jpghttp://www.fallingwater.org/img/home_assets/FW_FALL_01.jpghttp://www.wright-house.com/frank-lloyd-wright/fallingwater-pictures/large-fallingwater-photos/high-resolution/c8-window-in-stone-no-frame-L.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Barcelona_mies_v_d_rohe_pavillon_weltausstellung1999_03.jpghttp://nitoitnilois.free.fr/photo/ville-radieuse.jpghttp://www.herzogdemeuron.com/index/projects/complete-works/376-400/400-serpentine-gallery-pavilion/IMAGE.htmlhttp://www.artribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/1.-Heydar-Aliyev-Center-progettato-da-Zaha-Hadid_courtesy-Heydar-Aliyev-Center.jpghttp://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/08/dezeen_Beko-Masterplan-by-Zaha-Hadid_10.jpghttp://www.architravel.com/architravel_wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mountain_Dwellings_Copenhagen_4.jpghttp://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2010/12/BIG-Mountain-Dwellings-4.jpg