Ornamental or Essential

Role of ornament in architecture, it is a kind of decorative art with many types of expression. Usually for purposes of decoration or embellishment., but rarely used as a structural part. Ornament can be described as sculpture, creatures, human or non human figures. But in terms of Architectural ornament, it can be only a pattern or artwork carved from stone, wood or precious metals, formed with plaster or clay, or painted on a surface as applied ornament, in other applied arts on the main material of the object may be used.

Many Kind of ornamental styles and motifs has been developed followed by architecture, such as in textiles fabric, portrait wallpaper and other objects where the decoration may be found in the building. The pattern or design is more likely to used traditional drawings from geometrical shapes like patterns, plants, and human or animal figures.

In cultural aspect, ornamental used to symbolized as luxury in past ancient time, it means that the more ornamented a building, it also represent the wealth and power of the owner being. Typically this is the way for rich people showing off their richness and ability to afford the cost of labor’s handcraft, the more labor has gone into its production and the more expensive it is.

During the global movement in growth of Technology. From the era of Industrial Revolution and mass production has changed everything. Human who had exposed to the higher technology found that ornament has no functional use nor needed. People would only want the basic needs with high efficiency even though with the very basic design. Meanwhile, with the economic need for growth, the ornament can be imitate and manufacture in various quality and mass volume. With these factors, had cause the value of decoration became lower than ever.

The concept of ornament had been a long discussions, as on architectural ornament has been popular in every age. Due to its social and psychological functions, has almost uninterruptedly been a major topic for discussion. Back in the contemporary architecture until nowadays, can see the increasing of the ornamentation, where the ornament is all contained within a surface or a façade. Which allowed separating out of the modernism of internal function from the elevation decorated with ornaments. There are architects whom are still using ornament as the element in architecture design, which decoration will never run away.

Although nowadays, ornament is no longer an essential element to architecture, but there are still some people continue to like it. Perhaps architects need to begin to find out the meanings of ornamental in architecture. The problem is that most architects seem to have lost the confidences in applying the elements of ornamental, but in too literally way by just apply the ornamental element in front elevation façade. Perhaps the people are doing right instead of simply applied.