What do buildings represent

The Taliban made it an early order of business to destroy this year old symbol of a competing faith. Just as we see convergence in our phones, radios, music players and tvs, we will see further convergence within the building itself.

Form will follow an expanded function. How much of the ultimate physical entity, a building, will we be able to shove up into the cloud? Marketing: The new crafters of building symbolism Size Matters Even in current times, we see competition on the playing field of architectural symbolism: who has the tallest building? Malaysia built the enormous Petronas Towers and immediately gained recognition as a world class economic power.

The incredible feats of construction taking place in Dubai have done much the same for them. Emerging economies express their greatness with colossal buildings, but seven of the eight largest buildings in the world were designed in the US.

These places may have had the financial wherewithal to create great structures, but they needed to import the expertise. And what of our symbolism? Is our dearth of tower cranes sending a world-wide message? Does the exportation of our architectural and engineering expertise to distant corners, assisting others build symbols of their greatness send a message?

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After the terrorist attacks of September 11, , the 16 acres of land often called Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, where the twin story towers of the World Trade Center stood, passed from being the financial capital of the U.

The memorial, most of which is scheduled to open Sept. Plans also call for ,sq-ft of retail; a future performing arts center; and eventually five skyscrapers, including the 1,ft-tall One World Trade Center formerly known as the Freedom Tower. The development is helping define a new generation of more-robust and safety-conscious skyscraper construction in an age of potential terrorism.

Slow down. The layout of the public wing symbolises the power of that structure. From first inception through to last stroke of execution, the CMC seeks to avoid preaching, dominating or patronising in any way. Instead, it symbolises the national spirit of exploration and independence — an empowering contrast to the mores of old Europe.

There are certain symbolic elements common to the spaces that the major religions make use of, right the way around the world. The buildings are set apart from their surroundings, either literally by walls, hedges and distance, or figuratively, by differences in architecture and style.

There is an entry space, when you noticeably move from the profane to the sacred. Inside, there is a deliberate cultivation of stillness, usually compounded by dramatic lighting and, where possible, oppressive or impressive architecture. The common idea, of course, is to emphasis those powers greater than man, and to leave the visitor in no doubt as to where he or she stands. The superlative church in Christendom — the largest, grandest, most historically rooted, most decorated with masterpieces of artwork, and so on — is St.

Thoroughly traditional in its use of symbolism, it seeks to convey a strong sense of awe and historicity. To be in St. Despite the changes recommended by the Vatican II conclave — namely, making church architecture and services more accessible — St. The old basilica dated back over a thousand years to AD, and by the fifteenth century it was in a very poor state of repair.

Nicholas asked local master architect Bernardo Rossellino to design a replacement. Pope Julius commissioned another architect redesign the replacement, Donato Bramante. He started a plan based on a Greek equal-armed cross with a large central dome. Bramante himself died soon after taking the commission, in , and the work passed to the master Raphael, assisted by Antonio da Sangallo and Giocondo da Verona.

They perceived more space was needed, and changed the design to a Latin cross plan. Construction started, but outlasted the architects once again — the last, da Sangallo, dying in Construction however outlasted not only Michelangelo, but also two more architects, Vignola and Giacomo della Porta. This history alone is a strong symbolic statement of the power and authority of the building. A century and a half in the making, realised with the vision of ten master architects and countless scores of craftsmen and artisans… this is a building that took twice as long to be born as most of us can hope to live.

Such endeavour is a very powerful symbol of the Church Eternal. The Benediction Loggia runs above the entrances to the church. This is the balcony from which the Pope gives his Christmas and Easter blessings to the square, the city and the globe, and when a new pope is elected, the announcement is made from here. Symbolically, the Loggia — and the Basilica itself — are the interface between the Catholic church and the world at large.

In keeping with this, the archway to the left side of the basilica is the Arch of Bells, and serves as the entrance into the Vatican State; a visa is needed to enter.

The entrance to the church itself consists of five ornately-illustrated doorways, representing the breadth of human experience of religion. The next is the Door of Evil and Good, depicting scenes of St. Augustine defeating heresy, various martyrdoms, and the Vatican II council.

In the centre, doors from the original basilica form the official standard entrance, and depict scenes from the lives of Jesus and Mary, and the apostles Peter and Paul. A totally different form of symbolic holy space is found in the Church of St.

Brendan the Navigator, in Hilliard, Ohio. During this time he certainly made it to Scotland, Wales, England and France, and it is thought he may have ventured as far as Greenland and the Canary Isles. Building on the symbolic power of St. On the inside however, the spatial emphasis is entirely different. The internal space projects upwards, forming a cone over the congregants, symbolising the tents that have been such an integral part of Old Testament lore.

Tents have long been symbolic spaces where the visionary can actually contact the divine; they are place to actually meet with god. Christianity, however, is far from the only religion to consider the tent a good place for dealing with divinity.

The focus of this inside space is a large stone altar on a dais that thrusts into the main area of the church. Seats cluster around in semicircles, a symbolic audience for the altar.

Square-topped, but with a triangle carved out of the base, the altar is simultaneously table and tomb, container of both life and death. At what point does invitation and accessibility become dilution?

Possibly the single largest religious monument ever constructed, the Hindu temple Angkor Wat was built for Khmer King Suryavarman II during the 12th century. The temple was part of Angkor City, the capital of the Cambodian Khmer Empire from the 9th century through to the 15th,which held over a million inhabitants — a scale undreamed of by contemporary Europe.

During the fifteenth century, the Hindu temple became an important Theravada Buddhist shrine, but without losing any of its power or meaning. Widely regarded as an architectural masterpiece still today, Angkor Wat is surrounded by 5km of moat — symbolising the primordial oceans from which the world was birthed — with an ornate m causeway crossing it.

With its west-facing orientation and left-to-right bas reliefs — following the standard Hindu funereal patterns — Angkor Wat was almost certainly a funerary monument for Suryavarman. Vast, complex and beautiful, Angkor Wat is a dazzling complex of towers, chambers, vaults, galleries, courtyards and porches standing up to almost feet tall. The topmost level supports a quincunx cross of five towers, each with a somewhat conical shape, carved towards the top to look like tapering columns of lotus flowers.

From profile, the whole temple overall is symbolic of the lotus, representing the true soul in the moment of its opening to perfection. Angkor Wat is the universe in miniature, captured in stone — the cosmos symbolised on earth.

Its central tower, rising from the heart of the monument, is the mythical Mount Meru, at the heart of the Hindu Universe. The outermost wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world; beyond it, the moat is the primordial ocean. Wright rose to the challenge magnificently, and the building — which was inaugurated a few months after his death — has become one of the most celebrated modern synagogues in the western world.

Wright also drew on his own religious knowledge — as the son of a minister, he had a deep experience of the Bible. Determined to convey a powerful religious message, Wright created a structure that still managed to creatively embody and convey many Jewish symbols. As synagogues traditionally merge local architectural styles with with Jewish symbolism, Wright wanted to create a modern American structure that still had a powerful sense of Jewish identity.

This impression is emphasised by a pair of extensions at the front of the building that represent the thumbs of a pair of joined hands. The roof itself is a towering edifice of gleaming planes that suggests the shining crags of Mount Sinai during the revelation, but also, in a parallel to St.

Brendans, recalls sacred tent space, the Tabernacle of David, and even native American Medicine Lodges. It seems less out of place in a place of worship for a culture with a history of architectural syncreticism, however. Of all the major world religions, Islam is the least inclined to make use of symbols, considering representational images inappropriate.

This has traditionally posed a few problems for Mosque architects seeking to make a building as impressive or ornate as possible. There are ways to ensure symbolic power without the use of religion-specific symbols, however. The mosque is an incredible work of art. Every surface, inside and out, is covered in calligraphic and abstract designs picked out in blue tile with gold highlighting.

It is tasteful yet evocative, calming and spiritual, and carries strong symbolic messages of power and sanctity without ever having to resort to depiction of any particular symbol. The internal architecture, which is frequently occluded, serves to heighten the sense of mysticism.

The domed central chamber and southern chamber are illuminated by gridwork windows worked into the design of the domes so as to provide a seamless light source.

The southern chamber, furthermore, is designed as a perfect echo chamber at a few spots, a further technique for helping to awe and delight the faithful. Ghostwoods Playing With Words. As the world became more and more connected, the styles evolved, but even in modern construction, there is still an importance in honoring the cultural nuances in the built environment.

Some are modified to take on different functions, while others are demolished, deemed to be beyond repair. Architecture not only affects society on a high level but also on a more personal level, it can have a profound impact on its occupants.

Everything from the layout of the space to the material finishes can contribute towards occupant health, mood, and productivity. Sterile, concrete landscapes and unimaginative buildings cause higher levels of stress.

Designing buildings, as well as cities , to combat this, whether it be beautiful, awe-inspiring architecture, or simply a mindful connection to nature, helps humans to feel more relaxed, happy and engaged.

However, we all know the feeling of walking into a space that just feels right. Architecture is both art and science, drawing on and intertwined with psychology, sociology, economics, politics and more. At HMC Architects, our design process includes spending a considerable amount of time getting to understand the client, the community, and the environment the project will be in well before any drawings are even started.

Technology also contributes to the practice of architecture and its impact on society. Our access to global data, research evidence and the ability to communicate instantaneously with anyone anywhere in the world have drastically changed the profession.