Architectural Art & Designs
Architecture, though studied by art historians, is very different from the fine arts. Architects design buildings to fulfill a particular function (government buildings, houses, libraries and so forth), and must also consider engineering, materials, utility systems and other necessities for daily life.
That is not to say that architects are not artists, nor is it to say that architectural design isn't often poetic and visually creative. However, architects find themselves constrained by a wider public than fine artists do. The phrase "architectural art and design," usually applies to the renderings made by architects in preparation for a finished building. Renderings, or architectural drawings, allow the architect more freedom. Many architects take considerable liberties in renderings that are not always possible in finished buildings.
Other People Are Reading
-
History of Architecture
-
The history of architecture is as old as the history of humankind. Prehistoric architecture evolved to fulfill basic needs: shelter, security, storage and worship. As civilizations evolved in increasingly complex ways, so too did mankind's built environment, and architecture became a profession.
For many cultures and most of history, the names of individual architects had little import (one exception is the famous Imhotep of Old Kingdom Egypt, the architect of the Stepped Pyramid of King Zoser).
Individual architects became important and honored in Europe with the birth of the Renaissance. The Renaissance emphasis on humanism--that is, the study of humankind--emphasized the importance of individual architects and craftsmen. Brunelleschi, Alberti, Palladio, Michelangelo and others are now famous architects studied in art history classes.
Architectural Principles
-
Most people live and work in buildings that a trained architect didn't design. Vernacular architecture--made by the untrained--composes the majority of our built environment.
Architecture costs a lot of money, so architects often have to sell their ideas to interested clients. Architectural renderings often serve as prototypes for prospective clients to look at and/or suggest adjustments do.
-
Architectural Art
-
Architectural renderings, less commonly known as architectural art, have a number of requirements to fulfill. Because renderings serve to present an idea, the architect seeks to convey as much information as possible. The emphasis in architectural renderings is not on expressive qualities, as they often are with fine arts drawings.
For example, many architectural renderings of the 2000s use shadow people: transparent silhouettes of human figures. In architectural rendering, it's important to include a human figure to show the scale of the building. However, an opaque figure will obscure information about the structure of the building--hence architects use shadow people to show scale without hiding the details of the design.
Traditional Rendering
-
Architecture schools emphasize drawing and draftsmanship: architects learn how to render buildings and spaces in perspective and with naturalistic lighting. At the École des Beaux-Arts in France, architects worked with mentors in the study of fine arts and architecture.
Contemporary architects continue to use pencil sketches, pen-and-ink drawings, and watercolors to represent their designs artistically. However, many more contemporary architects now use the computer to generate architectural designs.
Computer-Generated Rendering
-
Complex three-dimensional modeling and rendering software such as AutoCAD is used to create life-like images. Architects often use computer-generated renderings for marketing, design and presentation purposes. The computer allows architects to play around with scale, textures and colors in considerably less time than rendering by hand does.
Computers also allow a broader range of rendering types, such as walk-through animations, virtual tours, light and shadow studies and panoramas, among others.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit architecture image by Sandra Lambert from Fotolia.com
