observing the limited materials, stone or brickwork, when ...€¦ · web viewthe materials used,...

Mavarine Du-MarieStudent Reference No: 12304369

Birkbeck University of London

The use of materials on the façade:hiding or showing?

(1,788 words)

The façade is the front or face of a building that has been emphasized architecturally to draw

attention to a dwelling. The materials used, such as brick on the façade, come from the very

same materials being employed in building the structure of the house. And there is a plethora

of façade styles in London dwellings that has been mainly taken from the classical orders,

which means that the building façade can be enigmatic, meaning hidden, or is decoratively

obscene meaning showing off its various parts; particularly once the dwelling has been

studied as architecture.

Historically the façade, which is seen on houses today, has been inherited from the ‘palace

façade’, as this concept was seen as the epitome of elegance and refinement for housing by

the ancients builders. Thus the façade comes from antiquity as stated by Soane “…[upon]

these immutable principles of truth and propriety, the ancients [in their architecture] of every

kind, of the most grand in number, boundless in the extent and decorated with all the

costliness that art could devise, but without confounding together the different styles

appropriate to each. Thus all the riches of architecture and her sister arts were thus called into

action in a manner most wise and politic, calculated to be the delight and admiration of their

own citizens, as well as to attract attention and excite the surprise and wonder of

strangers…”1 and therefore London façade dwellings could never be architectural classified

as ordinary buildings.

Even the architectural principles of Augustus Pugin (1812-1852) stated four premises in the

use of materials on a facade, that is, “…all ornament should consist of enrichment of the

essential construction of the building [secondly] in pure architecture the smallest details

should have a meaning or serve a purpose, [also] construction should vary with the material

employed [and] the external and internal appearance of an edifice should be illustrative of,

and in accordance with, the purpose for which its is destined…,”2 as the finishing look of a

building instructs us whether façade is hiding or showing its architecture, as Soane

commented “…the Corinthian order makes the Grecian architecture complete. The Doric

and Ionic convey correct ideas of masculine strength and female gracefulness, and in the

of 6



Corinthian we trace the highest degree of elegant decoration that architecture can produce. It

is delicate, gay and impressive. Art cannot go beyond the Corinthian order: the whole

composition is of the most correct proportions and of the greatest variety, its members are

enriched with ornaments of the most exquisite fancy and chaste selection.”3

There are three examples of a façade used to hide or show the

dwellings character; the Corinthian order as at Chiswick

House which has an embossed projection of its façade

material, showing every detail of

decoration for the observer to ponder upon. Secondly the Grecian order as

at Kenwood House, which has a sculptured façade, and its material has

been enhanced to show only what features it

wants to be seen by a viewer. And lastly

there’s the Neo-classical order of Osterley

Park House, which has a flattened façade, and its material has

been rendered to making the façade be noticed up close and

highly personal with the observer who has to walk around the dwelling to appreciate the

architectural style.

Thus the façade material used to hide or show the architectural style’s importance can be

seen in the measured distances, as used in painting perspectives. There are three examples

when the discerning spectator will assess the overall dwelling’s façade artefact: in the

countryside where there is open space, the day light will emphasis the entirety of a building’s

façade, and therefore to appreciate the materials used it should be looked at from a great

distance in a wider landscape, as is the Neo-classical façade of Osterley Park House.

Secondly, in suburban areas, the façade should be seen from the middle-distance perspective

is a Greek Doric façade such as the location of Kenwood House which is suitable for this

picturesque environment. Thirdly, due to the density of buildings in urban towns, the play of

light and shadow enhances the façade of the Roman Corinthian order, such as Chiswick

House which is enclosed also by formal hedging and nearby trees, and would display itself

entirely in the foreground perspective of a painting where all its details can be admired. In

urban and suburban domestic buildings, day or at night, these dwellings are always

of 6



noticeable, unlike the homes in the countryside where only the day-light hours makes the

façade visible. 4

The use of material on a façade can also be

assessed by the brick patterning5, that is,

by its bonds (Figure A) and these give the

building its main character but its due also

to the colour of the bricks used to

emphasise the wall planes and harmonise

with the ornamentation as “…colours [on

buildings] can be seen from the side, from

the front, from above and from below. It

(figure A) can be seen in deep shadow, in conditions

of blazing sunshine or harshly against a bright sky. In each condition the same pigment [of

brick colour] may take on a different shade, tint or tone of the same hue…”6 and the beauty

of bricks can be enhanced by the choice of mortar used for pointing by the choosing of tone

and colour, for example the Victorian architects used black mortar with the building

brickwork, and other lighter shades were used to give and leave an artistic print for as stated

“mortar, in fact, should know its manners and not draw attention to itself…”7 as it was

believed that this should be left to the brick patterns and other features on the façade dwelling

to show the different effects of the materials.

Such as the versatility of soft brick used for dressings8 on a façade that can be seen around

windows known as arches because “…the whole arch [was] carefully set out on the drawing

board, the shape of each brick being exactly determined [then] every brick would be cut with

a special saw to the required shape and rubbed down so as to make the finest possible

joint…”9 and aprons below first floor windows, which were seen “as the great virtue of

gauged brickwork [due to its] breadth of effect; with fine jointing [that] the smallness of the

unit, the individual brick is then less in evidence…”10, and even blind windows to give a

decorative touch on the façade by the use of brick patterning.

In regards to ornamentation the use of pediments, window sills, drip mouldings, pilasters, or

engaged columns can also bring about hiding or showing different features thus giving an

of 6



architectural style to the dwelling and even window sizes of the façade plays a part, as Soane

stated “…many other great architects have their different opinions on the forms and

proportions of windows but, windows must be of dimensions suitable to the particular

climate in which we are to build…”11 thus the façade around the windows either hide its

frame, as in the Roman Corinthian order of house by using the material of classical

mouldings, whereas the Neo-Classical buildings show the window frames completely in the

façade. Whilst front doors are either recessed back (hidden) with an ornamented porch or its

aligned (showing) with the brick surround, even a stoop at the door can be either showing

itself by having a few steps or it can be hidden by one very low step because the main

decorative touch has been used on the pathway instead; for example in Victorian style

dwellings having a mosaic patterned path leading up to the front door.

Also Sir John Soane was of the opinion that “roofs of every description differ as much in

their heights as in their ichnographic forms, and which, it may be repeated, must be regulated

by character and climate and by the quality of the materials used in covering them…”12 but

this depends upon the measured distance the roofing is seen from by the observer, as from

the different locations the building is placed; as at a countryside house, such as Osterley Park

House, the roof wouldn’t need to show itself because of the largeness to the façade walls, but

in the suburban house the roofing would be shown in an architectural style, as at Kenwood

House, with its material of blue-grey slate contrasted against the cream walls of the façade,

but the urban dwelling of Chiswick House shows not a roof but a grandiose dome instead

complementing the façade material used to impress.

The impressions of façades designed by architects can be compared to the work of an artist

like J.M.W Turner (who also trained as an architect13) painting his pictures in oils and

watercolours, that is, assessing the perspective and situation of the landscape or an urban

environment before commencing an artistic endeavour, particularly his behaviour witnessed

on Varnishing Days14, called this because academy members were allowed to put the

finishing touches to their paintings, like architects putting the finishing touch to the facade of

a dwelling which would give it an architectural meaning; style. Also J.M.W. Turner saw and

done things differently (like an architect designing a façade), he would submit canvasses that

barely seemed touched on varnishing days (a neo-classical façade as has Osterley Park

House), he would show up early in the morning and complete the composition in a blizzard

of 6



of activity, never removing his formal attire nor standing more than a few inches from the

object of his attention (Greek Doric façade as at Kenwood House). He would add spittle and

snuff into the oils, all the while urgently working the canvas with brush, knife and fingers to

build up the oils texture on the canvas (Roman Corinthian façade as that of Chiswick House).

He would then pack his materials and depart in silence without even glancing back, leaving

his finished painting to do the talking, similar to an architect and the builders’ craft using the

materials assembled for an architectural masterpiece, as stated in a lecture entitled “The

Beauty of Life” by William Morris who asserted that “the natural weathering of the surface

of a building is beautiful and its loss disastrous”15 as to the visual pleasure that can be gained

from a dwelling’s façade if the materials are used creatively.

In conclusion, as the interior of the house is inaccessible to the public, the façade thereby is a

crucial element in architecture because the ornamentation has either been visually

pronounced to show itself or it’s hidden from the spectator. Therefore an architectural façade

style gives character to a dwelling by how the material has been used decoratively and

elegantly to create an effect which has resonance and contributes something to peoples’

lifestyles.

FOOTNOTES

1. Page 244, Lecture XI, Sir John Soane: the Royal Academy Lectures, edited by David Watkin, published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-66556-6, copyright 2000.

2. Page 81, Pugin, by Phoebe Stanton, published by Thames & Hudson, ISBN: 0-500-34043-9, copyright 1971.

3. 5, Lecture II, Sir John Soane: the Royal Academy Lectures, edited by David Watkin, published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-66556-6, copyright 2000.

4. Introduction, Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture, by Derek Phillips, published by Architectural Press, ISBN: 0-75066323-5, copyright 2004.

5. Page 251, The Pattern of English Building, by Alec Clifton-Taylor, Published by Faber and Faber Limited, ISBN: 0571 095267, copyright 1972

6. Page 142, Urban Design: Ornament and Decoration, by J.C. Moughtin , Taner Oc and Steven Tiesdell, Published by Architectural Press ISBN: 0750642734, copyright 1999.



Page 5 of 6





11. Page 183, Lecture VIII, Sir John Soane: the Royal Academy Lectures, edited by David Watkin, published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-66556-6, copyright 2000.

12. Page 209, Lecture IX, Sir John Soane: the Royal Academy Lectures, edited by David Watkin, published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-66556-6, copyright 2000.

13. Page 7, Turner & Architecture, by Ian Warrell and Diane Perkins, published by Tate Gallery, ISBN: 0946590-91-5, copyright 1988.

14. Page 58, Turner’s Painting Techniques, by Joyce Townsend, published by Tate Gallery, ISBN: 1-85437-202-5, copyright 1993.


REFERENCES

The Italian Renaissance Palace Façade: Structures of Authority, Surface of Senseby Charles Burroughs, Published by Cambridge University Press ISBN: 0 521 62438X (hc)copyright 2002.

Sir John Soane: the Royal Academy Lectures, edited by David Watkin, published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0-521-66556-6, copyright 2000.

London architecture: features and façades, by Matthew Weinreb & commentary by Ben Weinreb, published by Phaidon Press, ISBN: 0714828904, copyright 1993.

Urban Design: Ornament and Decoration, by J.C. Moughtin , Taner Oc and Steven Tiesdell, Published by Architectural Press ISBN-10: 0750642734, copyright 1999.

Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture, by Derek Phillips, published by Architectural Press, ISBN: 0-75066323-5, copyright 2004.

Turner’s Painting Techniques, by Joyce Townsend, published by Tate Gallery, ISBN: 1-85437-202-5, copyright 1993.

Turner & Architecture, by Ian Warrell and Diane Perkins, published by Tate Gallery,ISBN: 0946590-91-5, copyright 1988.

Chiswick House & Gardens, by Roger White, Published by English Heritage, ISBN: 1-85074-788-1 copyright 2001.

Kenwood: the Iveagh Bequest, by Julius Bryant, Published by the English Heritage, ISBN: 1-85074-790-3, copyright 2001.

Osterley Park, by Eileen Harris, Published by The National Trust, ISBN: 1-84359-235-5, copyright 1994.

Houses of Britain: The Outside View, by John Prizeman, Published by Quiller Press, ISBN: 1899163670, copyright 1975.

of 6

observing the limited materials, stone or brickwork, when ...€¦ · web viewthe materials used,...

Documents