Contextual Response in Architecture
- 1. CONTEXTUAL RESPONSE IN ARCHITECTURE SY - A B.Arch
- 2. Building in Context is an important tool to enhance new development proposals so that they respond well to the historic area, local context and wider surroundings. It includes making certain that the building echoes many of the architectural themes of neighbors. It is a philosophy of design that suggests, by implication at least, that it may better to be discreet than to be original. Context is defined as the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs In the words of Frank Gehry, "Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness." Architecture should be connected to when and where it is being built, and yet, it should still stand out In a rich context, architecture has to respond to the whole rather than being an entity in itself; in such cases, context or the buildings coherence has an impact on the surroundings which may enhance, degrade or have no visible effect on the architectural character of the surroundings. Georges Pompidou Centre (Paris, France)
- 3. A deep understanding of the surrounding fabric helps in encouraging a context sensitive approach. A few buildings, all existing in a historically rich context, were chosen and studied based on the parameters shown alongside. Raas Haveli (Jodhpur, India), Raghukul (Jodhpur, India) and Umaid Heritage (Jodhpur, India) respond to the context in a positive manner; whereas Georges Pompidou Centre (Paris, France) intentionally opposes it and The Louvre (Paris, France) strikes a balance between contrast and context Umaid Bhavan Palace (Jodhpur, India) Raas Haveli (Jodhpur, India)
- 4. MUSEUM OF LOUVRE The Louvre Pyramid maintains relationship with the height of the museum and harmony with its symmetry. It also forms a direct visual link between the old and the new. It is one of the best examples of balance between contrast and context.
- 5. JEWISH MUSEUM, BERLIN / Daniel Libeskind It was the act of using architecture as a means of narrative and emotion providing visitors with an experience of the horrifying effects of the Holocaust on both the Jewish culture and the city of Berlin. Conceptually, Libeskind wanted to express feelings of absence, emptiness, and invisibility – expressions of disappearance of the Jewish Culture.
- 6. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM, BILBAO / Gehry Partners Constructed of titanium, limestone, and glass, the seemingly random curves of the exterior are designed to catch the light and react to the sun and the weather. Set on the edge of the Nervión River in Bilbao, Spain, the Guggenheim Museum is a fusion of complex, swirling forms and captivating materiality that responds to an intricate program and an industrial urban context.
- 7. Subtly echoing Kahn’s building in height, scale and general layout, the RPBW building has a more open, transparent character. Light, discreet yet with its own character, setting up a dialogue between old and new. PIANO PAVILLION AT KIMBELL ART MUSEUM,TEXAS The new Piano Pavilion accommodates the museum’s growing exhibition and education programs, allowing the original Kahn building to revert to the display of the museum’s permanent collection. The Kimbell Art Museum’s original building was designed by Louis Kahn in 1972. The new building by RPBW was recently inaugurated and establishes a close, respectful and frank dialogue with this powerful yet delicate older building.