Attributes

illuminate




Like as is the case with many words in the English language, illuminate has both a literal meaning and a somewhat figurative meaning. In the figurative sense, in our Perception and Communications class, we were required to draw five objects which were important to us. In this way, we illuminated things about ourselves as we sat in a circle and shared what these things were and why they were important to us. In a more literal sense, the pyramids of Ancient Egypt were designed to appear illuminated, with polished limestone and gold capping, reflecting the sun down its four corners. Zoser’s stepped pyramid, a precursor to the more evenly sloped pyramids of later pharaohs, was “sheathed in fine, white limestone” (i) to achieve a gleaming appearance against an otherwise bleak desert landscape.

idiom
An idiom is a phrase that cannot be translated well into another language or culture that the one it originates in. Nearly every language contains these phrases and uses of words, and we all use them every day, often without noticing. The Ancient Egyptians had the concept of ma’at, a word that is “impossible to translate into any European language, for it combines aspects of truth, justice, order, stability, security, a cosmic order of harmony, a created and inherent rightness” (ii). To the people of this civilization, this idiom was vital to every day life, since religion was tied so closely to their everyday lives.

material



Materials surround us all the time. We both use them to build and design and rely on them for our desks and chairs. Our material possessions can say a lot about us, as is evidenced by the “Illuminated Objects” project. For the Ancient Egyptians we have been studying, their view of the afterlife had a materialistic facet which compelled them, certainly in regards to the Pharaoh, to lay their dead to rest with “unimaginable treasures” (iii).


commoditie
firmness
delight




It is essential for us as designers to recognize the truth in the words of Sir Henry Wolton in The Elements of Architecture: “In Architecture, as in all operative arts, the end must direct the operation. The end is to build well. Well building hath three conditions: Commoditie, Firmness, and Delight” (iv). One outstanding example of these three things is the pyramids of Ancient Egypt. They were built to outlast the builders and be a home for the dead in the afterlife. They have stood the test of time-- becoming iconic through thousands of years of wear and tear from their harsh environs. Their original gleam would have pleased the eye, connecting with the thought of the Egyptians of the day that the rays from the sun god, Ra, were being dispersed down its sides. Often, a space or structure can fulfill firmness (it stands) and delight (it looks nice), but fail in commodity. One example of this, according to Roth, is Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall(v), which was intended as an all-purpose space, yet fails to work as such because it is too expansive. On the other hand, Roth points out, Charles Garniers’ Paris Opera (vi) realizes the social scene of the opera beautifully, and works well in this regard, fulfilling all three attributes: Commodity, Firmness, and Delight. For a structure or space to be delightful, it must connect with who we are and how we live along with how the space is to be used. When we build a model, such as a solution for Pat on her big city adventure or a dialog of bristol board and skewers, it is important that it works in all three regards.


In summary, our material possessions illuminate something about us and can tell us multitudes of a culture from thousands of years ago. As we learn, things become illuminated for us, and what may at first seem like something that does not translate well from paper to our minds becomes clear. And when we build whatever is charged on us, or when we design something simply because we want to, it should embody the three characteristics laid down by Sir Henry Wolton: Commoditie, Firmness, and Delight.


All quotes taken from:

Roth, Leland. Understanding Architecture : Its Elements, History, and Meaning. 2nd ed. New York: Westview P, 2006.
i. 196
ii. 192
iii. 201
iv. 11
v. 14
vi. 15