Final Reflection Craft/Profession/Vocation Nicholas Gilman

Building upon the ideas previously presented in my design treaties, I wish to visit these concepts
in greater detail beyond the confines I have described. The central thesis for my design treatise was that
successful architecture achieved a balance of the Vitruvian triad and was punctuated by its achievement
of delight through the intentional cultivation of an emotional experience. How that is achieved is
exceedingly more difficult to define. Goldberger states that, “if it is difficult to quantify aesthetics, it is
utterly impossible to quantify the experience of being in great architectural space.” Due to the difficulty
in quantifying experiential impressions and the added complication that this achievement is unique to
each structure in how it is accomplished, I will instead discuss the elements that I feel must be
addressed to create successful and meaningful architecture within the context of aesthetic judgement
and sustainability.

The first of these elements that require further evaluation is aesthetics through a structures
form. The most prominent and quantifiable rubric for measuring the success of a structure’s form is still
open to subjectivity, and that is its balance. This is not in reference to a structure’s symmetry, but its
harmony. Balance exists in a structure when the individual elements of a structure’s form work together
to complete a balanced whole. This is masterfully represented through the work of Alberti. Goldberger
describes the execution of the balance in the composition of the façade of Alberti’s fifteenth century
church of Santa Maria Novella, where each individual component of a structure builds upon one
another, culminating in the building’s pediment. In the case of Alberti’s Basilica of Sant Andrea, each
element of the building’s façade is so beautifully proportioned that it appears as though the structure
itself, not the architect, dictate size, location, and ornamentation of each component form. While these
are symmetrical examples of balance, the same principles apply to asymmetrical structures, such as
Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion. The thickness of the walls relative to the thickness of the roof,
the size and spacing of the glazed panels, and the shape and orientation of the created spaces all offer a
harmonious balance of not only form but of space.

As important to the aesthetic evaluation of a structure’s form is the evaluation of its space. This
element of effective architecture is intrinsically tied to the Vitruvian principle of commodity. A building’s
commodity is represented through its function. In terms of creating ethical architecture, structures
cannot exist strictly for their delight. They must also serve the needs of the humans who inhabit them. A
building’s form creates its space, which in turn informs its function. Since the function of a building is
more than its ability to execute its program as efficiently as possible, fulfillment of the emotional needs
of its occupants is also required. For this reason, Goldberger prefers the term comfort to function, as it
connects more directly to the needs of the people who use a building and perhaps offers a more ethical
gauge of a building’s function. As we assess the formation of space within a building’s form, we are also
assessing its success at place making. Again, we are evaluating a structure’s ability to cultivate an
intentional emotional connection through its form and space, but this context extends beyond the
confines of the structure itself to its surrounding environment. Ethical architecture should contribute to
its surroundings, not diminish it. Whether it is situated in a natural environment or an urban landscape,
a building has a responsibility to be reverential to its surroundings in its process of place making.

Outside of the aesthetic evaluation of building exists another responsibility to creating

sustainable buildings. The AIA offers a design framework that details a broad spectrum of sustainability
initiatives that can help provide solutions to issues of climate change and social inequality. How these
initiatives are implemented into a building may depend on the programmatical or economical
requirements, or perhaps on the vocational call to service present within the architect. What we intend
Final Reflection Craft/Profession/Vocation Nicholas Gilman

to do with our craft is a product of our value system and will dictate the role we play in contributing to
or reducing social inequality.

In closing, I wish to reflect on how our vocational calling informs us how and why we design. I
find that Kahn succinctly stated the how with, “a great building must begin with the unmeasurable, go
through measurable means when it is being designed, and in the end must be unmeasurable.” The
process of architecture should begin with an idea of what emotional impression of a building should
suggest (I say suggest because the experience is ultimately individualist). The design process will then
distill this concept and manifest it into a tangible arrangement of form and space, culminating in
creating an experience greater than the summation of its component parts. In terms of the why, David
Bowe made a statement that allows me to keep this process in perspective. He said, “always remember
that the reason you initially started working was because there was something inside yourself, that you
felt if you could manifest it in some way, you would understand more about yourself and how you
coexist with society.”