Ornament & Austerity (Revised)
Ornament = Crime
Ornament in historical architecture known as variety decorative art or expression used to embellish parts of a building. Object that defined as figurative elements made by carved, formed, or painted arts with noble material that requires finest workmanship and time consuming labor. The more labor has gone into production equals to more expensive it becomes. Hence that, ornamental used to symbolize luxury, the more ornamented building; it representing the wealth and power. As critic response to this, whichever Ornament that serves no practical purpose was defined as crime as lecture delivered by Adolf Loos in 1910.
But in contemporary architecture, the return to ornament is an iconic evolution of the building. The emphasis may be more on function or relevant intention rather than merely craft beauty which only seek for attention, with the icon that comes with sustainable and friendly purpose. Thus that, Ornament as decorative element may no longer define as crime with some aspects as describe below.
Function
Renzo Piano’s Malta parliament, located in Valletta, Malta. With its public space and its evolution of the historic fabric of the city walls, it moves beyond ornament as icon to make a public place, a new piece of city. Here, the ornament becomes an acknowledgement of the building’s importance to the people.
The parliament’s facades are finished in solid stone and eroded by the direction of the sun and the views around it, creating a fully functional device that filters solar radiation while allowing natural daylight inside, but also maintaining views from the building.
Each of these blocks of facade has been sculpted by a numerically controlled machine. This result is a stone imitated architecture that is fitting for its historic context but also brings function to the building itself.
“Architecture imitated, yes—but imitated culture. Monumental building reproduced the necessary forms of a primitive but rickety construction in permanent and noble materials.“ Quoted by Joseph Rykwert.
Technology
"Perforated Facade Panel" also known as shading device which is an architectural solution that leaves a ventilated chamber between the wall and covering. In architecture practice, it is considered as the most efficient system for resolving the building’s insulation, especially to enhance the thermal comfort behavior of the building.
This wide range of cladding panels can be economically mass produced in short time and adapted to most of project’s demand, enabling customized panel cutting and flexible formats. Typically brings adaptability, flexibility, fine cutting-edge aesthetics in much great durability at the best advantages more than just aesthetic crime.
“Architecture was concerned primarily with necessity, and its true essential beauty depended on a direct and economic satisfaction of man’s most urgent physical needs.” Quoted by Joseph Rykwert.
Culture
"Ginza Place", a showroom building designed by Klein Dytham architecture firm, located on the main junction of Ginza shopping district in Tokyo, Japan. In seeking a solution that reflects the craftsmanship synonymous with Ginza's past and present, they developed a facade design inspired by traditional “sukashibori” latticework, which is small item like basket or tableware to reflect the traditions of craft that is the mainstay of Ginza.
The panel system acknowledges traditional Japanese forms but they intend to create a permeable facade like basket's hole, that welcomes the community get in and contributes to the social atmosphere of the neighborhood.
“…such a development will only be valid if it is seen to be necessary, not gratuitous:
as long as it will be seen not as a problem of ornament or not ornament.” Quoted by Joseph Rykwert.
Conclusion
Ornament is commonly defined as merely an element generated for pure aesthetic value, as opposed to holding some greater functional purpose.
However, this kind of definition may misleading people in contemporary era. Since many aspects are associated with modern functionalist approach has been designed and achieved an equally aesthetic principle.
Ornament then, has a more complicated definition which is more closely allied with the humanity rather than simply a nonfunctional element.
