Track 22

Unit 8

Architecture

Frank Gary

pages 76 and 77

Listen for main ideas and listen for details.

OK, today were going to talk about Frank Geary, one of my favorite architects.

If you see any of the buildings is designed like the dancing house in Prague. You’ll know why?

It’s a wonderful colorful building near the river. Many tourists go to see it. But today will consider Frank Geary’s work, not as tourists but as architects.

It’s understood that architectures both the science and the art of designing buildings. We use science to make sure that the building is strong and we use art because we want the building to be beautiful.

In other words, we think about the aesthetics or artistic value of the building

you I want to mention Vitruvius. The Roman architect who lived in the first century BCE.

He said that a building must have three fundamental characteristics.

1) meet its intended use. 2) be sound, which means strong. 3) be beautiful.

He wrote these ideas 2000 years ago and there’s still the foundation of architecture today.

Let’s go over these three characteristics in depth

first building was meet its intended use, architects to think about the reason the buildings being built as they design it. For example, the intended use for school is a place to learn, right.

Here architects possess themselves. What type of design is best for both students and teachers?

Second, a building must be structurally sound. What I mean by this? I mean the design was follow these basic principles. Is it safe will it last a long time, will protect people from bad weather?

architects agree that a building must be able to do all of these things.

Third, a building must be beautiful aesthetics is the harder principal to agree on, and buildings last a long time with their bill properly and so something built 50 years ago may not be considered beautiful now.

styles architecture change like with clothes or cars are to highlight what I said thus far.

In addition to meeting the intended use a building design must also be structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing the people as of one clearance.

Now, I like to shift talking about Frank Geary’s work and how he applied these three characteristics of architecture.

Have any BC is buildings like Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles for the fish dance restaurant in Kobe, Japan was like a gigantic fish.

Seaview has great when you know what I mean when I say his style is very distinct. He was an architectural pioneer who wasn’t afraid to try new ideas, is designs are exciting and inspirational because they push us to explore the possibilities.

Specifically, how can we describe his style. I can think of three words resourceful, playful, and innovative. It’s resourceful because of the building materials.

That’s playful because of the bright colors and fun designs. Mike is stored in Venice, California with giant binoculars at the entrance and its innovative because he said goodbye to traditional architecture and experimented with new ideas.

Let’s look at these three descriptions one at a time, resourceful. In the 1970s Geary started utilizing simple building materials and is designs like sheet-metal and plywood.

In fact, he’s famous for using chain-link fence kind of fence you see around construction sites to keep people out.

We’ve all seen it run building being built. Since he knew the fencing would always be there. He decided to use it is designs.

For example, he designed the mall in California with a huge wall six stories high, covered in chain-link fence. He went on use other materials for split started there. playful is designs use bright bold colors like yellow, orange, blue and gold.

Examples include the EMP Museum in Seattle in the DG bank building in Germany and finally innovative.

Many of his buildings don’t have straight walls. He uses irregular angles, and shapes. A great example of this is the victory design Museum in Germany.

That’s V. IT RA the building looks like it could fall down to be honest, but of course it won’t because Gary designed to be structurally sound.

So how did Geary develop his dynamic style? up until the early 1970s he did traditional architecture.

However, he didn’t feel allowed to be creative enough. He began experimenting with his design ideas by working on houses, including his own house in Santa Monica California which he worked on from 1977 to 1978.

Many neighbors didn’t like the design of his house, but Geary did.

Oh, yes why that he developed this distinct style. He once said that he thinks like an artist for him. A building is like a big sculpture or a big work of art.

He pushes the limits of what is structurally possible from an engineering standpoint in order to create beautiful buildings, but I want to stress he’s also said that he always keeps in mind that a building is a sculpture the people interact with.

If the building doesn’t please them as a work of art and meet the intended use. He’s failed in his objective.

In closing, I want to say that Frank Geary is a noteworthy architect because his work challenges me and other architects to consider how to use simple materials while designing strong, beautiful and purposeful structures. Go build something