Manifesto on Architecture

I once knew Architecture is a simple thing where Architects design structures  to provide one specific need of a person. It is a shallow meaning that a kid could think of. My dad will watch this program about mega structures constructed in Dubai sometimes and the form of the structures caught my attention. It made me wonder if there were any deeper meaning of Architecture. It was also the reason why I took up this course. During my first year and half of the first term my understanding of Architecture did not change at all. Structures to me is something dull or just a shape that would provide a person shelter or a home. Then when the third term came, a lot of terms and meaning came in to my mind to redefine my meaning of Architecture. I thought to myself, think again, if you think Architecture is just any easy course where you have to think something simple/unique without a concept then you’re wrong. I learned that being an Architect is being serious in what you do and learning to put passion, dedication, and hard work in to your design. There is also a quote from my favourite game which is Final Fantasy where a guy says “unattainable dreams are the best kind” and the story ended where the main character reached his dream. It is kind of similar in reality and I would also think of this quote whenever I am giving up.

There are thousands of reasons, explanations, and terms that define Architecture and all of what I could think of before is the most basic definition and what most people define it. It didn’t felt unique like Architecture should be and I’m glad there are a lot of people in my course there to guide me. I don’t believe that anyone one can reach their dreams without the help of others because this why God created us for. You may be the Architect who designed that certain structure but behind it there are different professional people who helped you.

So far what I want to say is that “Architecture is an experience/emotion of the designer like any writer or painter” because it is like any other song/painting/poem it is just that in a form of a structure were we feel or understand when we look deeper in to its meaning. There are instances where we could see a replica of an old structure with few modifications and tell ourselves,” well it’s just copy, nothing is unique” but if we learn more about the designer we will know that it is very unique. This is what makes us designers unique and different to each other. Each of us had our own experience and emotion in to designing that building.

Architecture is  a connection or bond between things. It could be between you the designer and your client or it could be the connection of the structure to the client or the designer but it could be all that. Today from what I observed, Architecture is trying to further make structures that initiate social contact or possible social relationship with each other.  These structures are malls, condominiums, etc. If we also look in to the past we may not notice but there are similar structures with the same functions like these modern structures.

Architecture is innovation and evolution. This is something that came up to my mind when I took up my history of architecture classes. One good example would be renaissance period. They just improved the roman architecture which made it popular. We think that history is boring but actually it is where we also get our ideas from and we just improve it and add our own style in it. I want to be able to innovate architectural styles from the past and to mix a certain  part of myself to be able to achieve greatness.

These three meaning I gave is so far what I have observed or I would call it rather premature definition of Architecture because I am only at the beginning of the course and I have a lot of time to think, learn over,   to discover the true meaning and to give my real or improved answer to the question “What is  Architecture for me”.  For once I knew that finding a definition for something was very easy, Architecture taught me that it is very challenging and you have to have this experience to able to know him better hence defining Architecture.

As an architect, I want to design something that makes a relation between a person, the structure and nature.  There are not a lot of people who enjoy nature because there some designs that confine the person to the nature.I want to design a structure that brings the environment inside it. I think that it will add more beauty to the structure because nature itself is already beauty and what if I combine both structure and nature together.

I want to make it a habit to able to think outside of the box to able to impress people with my designs and to show them that is a unique design by me. I want to be able to continue learning to able to improve myself. Some successful Architects will say to you that Architecture is hard which is true and usually a way making you feel you want to quit.  Actually everything in life is hard because we make it hard but if we do the opposite by working hard enough, eventually it will become very rewarding just like in Architecture. If you also think you can excel in this field then keep on doing what you are doing right now which is to think of designs and to draw it.

We should  share our ideas with our fellow architects to able to improve ourselves. We should not shut ourselves from others because Architecture is an open language, we can speak through our buildings or houses we design.

Can Architecture engage directly to people's experience?

This year was the only time I realized and added meaning to the definition of Architecture.  Like what I’ve said in my previous essays I would always say that it is a form of art and something that we express like other forms of art but only through structures and buildings. When people look at a building/structure they would either stare at it for a few moments then look away, appreciate its beauty or rather remember something by just looking at it. No experience was engaged to a person if the form is not familiar to them or if they are un-interested.

For me, Architecture directly engages with our inner experience. As what I have said Architecture is just like any other art. It affects the our experience through the design and concept of the Architect.  Most of the part that would greatly affect us is the concept behind that structure. I’d like to give an example on what our professor said. He showed us an example of a building. That building was a museum. When random people looked at it they felt amazed and surprised. They liked the building but the question is did they really understand the true meaning behind it? It even won an award despite it’s unusual characteristics/elements in and out of it. It won because the clients felt connected to it. When the building was shown to some old jewish people they got emotional. It’s like the building connected to their emotions. The tight spaces of the building reminded them of caves they were hiding in from the Nazis. Hearing this, I was simply amazed and thought to myself “I never knew Architecture can let people feel what they have experienced”. I realized that I had this kind of experiences before. I also have this experienced but it is far more pleasant than what the jews experienced. Most of us have experienced nature when we were kids. My parents would take me and brother and walk at a park. The park was full of trees, birds and there was a pond. Then after two years since I saw the park, we went to Fort Bonifacio(back then there weren’t many buildings). I forgot what building we were in but it felt like nature because most of it is made out glass and you can see the outside. Just like the park all the elements are there. Unlike the the first example our professor has given us, mine was the use of glass of the building even if the architect did not shape/form the structure he managed to put a material(glass) that would bring elements of it’s surrounding.

The example our professor given to us explains that even if that building is different from the one they had experience it is the form that affects it. Unlike in most cases that when we see a structure then go back to it again then it engages to our experiences like our houses, offices, school, etc.

As time pass by , Architecture changes the way how they express and how they let people engage their experience in their structures. Nowadays architects go further in expressing their designs in their buildings with more abstract form.

More forms of structure like churches or chapels also engages on our experience but spiritually. Most churches have paintings/artworks on the windows or ceilings. Going inside an old gothic/renaissance church makes you feel you were back in the old century, These factors let us know feel/experience the spiritual part of Architecture. Most of the great works of Architect is inspired by their religion.

I think that this is the most important factor that we should put work into when we are designing our buildings. We must have a connection to our clients so that we could apply it and capture their attention. They usually can’t explain truly what designs the want so we need to befriend them or know more about them . As we understand this truly then we can move on the higher level where we our designs speak to world.  I think this is the most hardest part but it can be your greatest achievement.

I’m really glad that entering this course opened my eyes and let me know this kind of information.  If I were in a different course right now and it’s not related to arts then I would less appreciate the surrounding structures around me. I would like a normal person feeling the same as most people do. Learning this lesson in AESTHETA makes me more curios on what things I haven’t realize yet.

3 Objects That I Find Beautiful That I would no normally look at or notice..

For our homework in AESTHETA, we are asked to pick 3 objects that we find beautiful.

For the first object, I selected a tree.

You don't see a lot of Trees these days because most of us live, study, and work in cities. I choose tree because first of all it represents nature and reminds me about it. It makes me feel cozy. It reminds me the joyful memories when I was kid where me my friends play around the tree tagging each other. Another great memory was when we still have a tree in our backyard There was a time lots of maya birds would stay there and they would sing/chirp which is pleasant to the ears.





The next beautiful thing for me are Rocks. Rocks were one of the most favorite thing when I was a kid. It reminded me of the time when I kept looking at it closely and seeing the sparkly things which is the minerals. I'd laugh at myself before because I taught that I could be rich with these rocks. The emotion that rocks give to me is happiness because I could play with it or be creative with it.

Last but not the least is Sand. Sand made me feel happy and excited because it reminded me of the beach. My family used to go to beaches when me my brother were little and we would make sand castle(another thing a liked about sand is I could also be creative with it).There was a time when my little brother was too excited to swim and he tripped. He ended up with a face covered with sand. It;s still funny to me up to now.