The spontaneous shift of social and political influences of the 20th century brought many changes. The rising economy and control of the West and the invitation to newer objectives of the East made not only lives reposit but also influenced the taste that could not have developed if the conditions were not too catalytic. Suddenly, the population was now closely monitoring politics and taking collective steps to vote for a leader who listened to their newer interests and worked for a better living. The only motive was peace, equal rights, family time, and science. There was no longer a monarchy, and as every political leader still does, they addressed the demands and with the help of the Industrial Revolution, found the perfect harmony of studies, economy, and settlement. One of the motives was also to showcase how their countries held reserves. For instance, America popularized skyscrapers to boast about their richness. Modernism was a product of it that developed newer styles and materials. What was only a thought till now became a possibility and the ongoing studies of History gave the ideas a foundation. Among these new ideas, movement in architecture was one of them, and it traveled a century to the present times and became one of the most significant practices of architecture, eradicating developmental problems that motionless architecture could not achieve.
Movement in Architecture | Fast Knowledge
Movement in architecture is an age-old practice, evolving with time, that introduces engineering and technology for bringing futuristic changes in architecture and establishing a better connection between the environment and the inhabitants. It is crucial to know that the present age doesn’t follow the conventionalism of architecture and uses newer ideas instead.
Historical Background of Movement in Architecture.
Before taking a closer look at the practice and determining the concept of movement in architecture, it is crucial to understand its background and the historical traces that reveal the presence of this advanced technique throughout time.
It is well understood that the use of materials such as steel, iron, concrete, and glass contribute significantly to Modernism and the structures of its style. However, it is sad to see how even the most validated authors of Dynamic Architecture do not make the slightest note to see if there is any originality that has only changed through time and the change of ideation.
As Antoni Gaudi remarked,
“Originality is achieved by returning to origin.”
Similarly, motion in architecture is an age-old practice that can be noted in the centuries-old temples of India. People of that time created some mind-bending structures using complex architectural practices and the laws of Physics, such as balance for the hanging pillars of Lepakshi temple and the reflection of Sunlight to depict time through a carved chariot wheel in Konark Sun Temple. This alone conveys the story of motion in architecture and how experiments of creating elements turned into using technology and living around the surroundings with no boundaries.
The other phase of this architecture, which began with Modernism, came to notice when Angelo Invernizzi created a rotating house in 1929 to improve the health conditions and maximize the perceived sunlight in his space. This extraordinary house was built in 1935 in Northern Italy, near Verona, and rotates at a 360° axis by two diesel-fueled motors on a curved path, speeding at 9 inches per minute. This L-shaped villa, though not too complicated, other than the engineering expertise, is the perfect example of what happens when a unique idea, architecture, and engineering meet at one locus.
Another similar example but only more sculptural and dedicated towards a professional purpose, Erich Mendelsohn, a German architect, developed Einstein Tower in 1924, built as an astrophysical observatory to help take measurements for Einstein’s radical theory of relativity. The tower was commissioned by a specialized science facility that allowed the architect to be as creative as he could get and solve the purpose. With its soft curves and a dome uphead, it indeed looks like a place where astrophysicists live. Mendelsohn gave a homely touch to it by using windows and curvatures with surroundings of natural vegetation. Further, unlike Villa Girasole, this building has no motorized basis for complete rotation. The only part that rotates is the dome which is mechanically installed on the building to take solar observations. The building, though no less than a monument of architecture from the exterior, houses high-tech pieces of equipment for scientific purposes and is an example of how laboratories can blend with architectural developments and look no less beautiful.
As the interest in movement in architecture grew over the next few decades, various architects came up with ideas, majorly in the 1950s. One of these was Yona Friedman, who proposed his concept of ‘Mobile Architecture,’ in 1958 and how cities can grow into a futuristic habitat with time. His idea was to use suspended superstructures to give maximum independence to the inhabitants and allow them to change the layout of their dwellings without any requirements for demolition. Just when Friedman proposed these hovering cities, too impressive for his time, his known work is Archigram which existed in 1961-74 and the age of avant-garde architectural movements. Archigram, unlike any movements, including Modernism, rejected monotonous and conventionalism and proposed buildings that were appropriate for not only the inhabitants of the time but also future generations. Some of the known models of Archigram are Walking City by Ron Herron, Living Pod by David Greene, and Instant City by Ron Herron.
As the Archigram went over, its most viable product was developed by mid-century Japan through the Metabolism movement. The basic idea of Metabolist was to make buildings susceptible to change. A classic example of one such building is the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Kisho Kurokawa of 1972 which uses prefabricated parts and exchangability, using which the residents can upgrade to a newer capsule. It should be noted that this building is only a prototype of the Metabolist ideology and that they believed in movable and flexible structures. To understand that, you can refer to Arata Isozaki’s ‘City in the Air.’
Now that you know a little historical background of motion in architecture, let us move to a quick overview of the 21st century and how movement in architecture changed the architectural concepts during our age and evolved into Dynamic architecture.
21st Century and the Movement in Architecture.
With rapid advancements in the new millennia, architects participated in the storming of newer ideas and principles to address the needs and design of this century. The following sections will explain how with time movement in architecture changed.
1. Transformative Architecture.
Creating new architectural styles and practices is an effort to locate harmony between inhabitants and the environment through structures. While in earlier times, architecture earmarked symbolism and connected a visitor or inhabitant through ideas, movement in architecture established structures that connect you to the environment. Transformative architecture does not follow the exact equation of motion in architecture to move the complete buildings but has sophisticated engineering to alter a building’s exterior or interior parts by structural changes. These buildings exhibit the power of engineering and the new age of architecture that interacts with the environment giving it a sense of dynamicism with the new age.
The most appropriate example of Transformative architecture is the Milwaukee Art Museum by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, designed in 2001. The sculptural building was derived from the architect’s studies of the human body, technology, and morphology of engineering construction. This art museum has a pavilion with an exceptional structure that opens and closes, similar to the wings of a bird.
2. Responsive Architecture.
Another type of motion in architecture is Responsive architecture, which uses innovative technology and physical mechanisms to alter themselves in response to the changing environment. In addition to architectural creativity, this practice also requires computer programming and sensors. To understand it better, I am giving a brief look at the Al Bahar Towers in Dubai, which is also the first building in the city to receive an environment-friendly rating.
The tower uses an advanced model of engineered components that are controlled by sensors to flatten for screening excessive sunlight. These barrier screens are inspired by the traditional wood lattice ‘Mashrabiya,’ giving a cultural value to the building.
3. Dynamic Architecture.
Contrary to the classical beliefs of balance, stability, and rigidity; Dynamic architecture combines the greater values of technology and engineering while aligning the moods of inhabitants with their environment. This style projects the change in the form of a building and changes the notion of previous centuries in an attempt to create a new style by extending the use of technology. An example of movement in architecture following Dynamic architecture is the Da Vinci Tower in Dubai, designed by David Fisher in 2008. As the name itself explains the tower is dedicated to the Italian Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci and with its motion, it takes me to the Sfumato technique that the artist used in his paintings to create an illusion of reality.
This 80-floor building never came to life, but the architect designed its floors to respond to the sun and wind for its movement and in addition to this, targeted to produce energy.
Sustainable Impact.
Movement in Architecture is the core where new ideas take place and architects propose next-generation designs that can keep up with the coming age and work on the betterment of the lives of the people. Sustainability, a crucial field in architecture, has been gaining momentum in the discussions of finding newer styles following motion. While there are many ways a building can be energy-saving, as we saw in the 21st-century buildings, and promote the use of newer materials, it is hard to predict if together they will meet the demands of eco-environmentalism. I will suggest reading our detailed article on Sustainable architecture to understand more about it.
Final Words.
Movement in architecture is a field that requires extreme knowledge and experimentation in different fields, lacking which can bring an obstacle in the sourcing commissions, similar to how David Fisher was unable to develop the Da Vinci Tower, as he had no previous experience constructing skyscrapers. One of the things that I learned while writing about this fascinating movement is to make a healthy bond between the workforce of different niches. In addition to this, knowing the components is necessary to understand the obstacles and work closely without arguments. Lastly, this was a very brief take on this expansive practice, and I suggest you read the resource I am mentioning in the following section to learn more about it.
Resource.
Architecture in Motion: The History and Development of Portable Building by Robert Kronenburg.
Related Reads.
