Posted: May 21st, 2015

Relationship between the concept of ‘Air’ by Barthes and Tadao’s Ando’s Water Temple architecture

Paper, Order, or Assignment Requirements

The essay will be a piece of theoretical architectural experimentation/critique centered on two key elements: 1) The concept of ‘Air’ by Barthes and the architectural piece ‘Water Temple’ by Tadao Ando

The conditions for the essays are as follows:
• The essay will carefully explore the relation between the concept and the piece of architecture.
• The essay will focus on critical analysis and interpretation, exploration and experimentation. Not
description.
• The essay will be 2500 words long (+/- 10%). The word length does not include endnotes.
• The essay will be presented in A5 format.
• The essay will include a minimum of 4 original analytical images.
• The essay will be fully referenced.
• The referencing must conform with the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, endnote system: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/16/contents.html

Your essay should:

1. Introduce the key concept to be explored and name the piece of architecture to be critiqued. The introduction should state what your key exploration will be. The introduction is where we should find an assertion or question, as well as a clue to what comes next. The body of the essay follows this up with evidence/exploration, taken sequentially and cumulatively, building up to the conclusion.

2. Introduce the piece of architecture being critiqued. Who designed the piece of architecture, when and who for? Why was it chosen? What is significant or intense about it? What was the function, the program? What are the formal and typological  classifications? What did architects say about the new program in theoretical texts or other writings? You may wish to use original analytical  images to introduce the architecture.

3. Identify and address the key conceptual idea that will provide the basis for the critique/exploration. Where did the concept emerge? Who are the key theorists or philosophers involved? Explain and explore the concept as clearly as possible. Explore the key characteristics of the concept. Explore other ideas related to the concept. How is it imagined that the concept will relate to the architecture?

4. The main part of the essay should be a critique/exploration of the architecture in terms of the conceptual idea and its key characteristics. You should articulate the relation and explore how the ideas help to frame the architecture… either focus on the theory/concept as a force of appropriation, as a relay between thought and practice or as a means to critique or create architecture. Remember that critique is creation and what you are creating here is not just a perspective, but a mode of understanding/engaging/exploring.

5. Consider what the critique/exploration achieves. How does it change other people’s critiques of the building? How do the conceptual understandings introduced change the way in which the piece of architecture may be thought?

6. Conclusion. This reiterates your opening question/hypothesis and states what you have found. This is not the place to open up an entirely new line of inquiry, or to propose an idea that contradicts everything you have previously said.