CONTEXT & BUILDING II
WHAT "CONTEXT" MEANS TO YOU THIS TIME ?
From the ending we made in my blog last week, I conclude that architecture is a deeply complex field and context is everything, architecture without context have no meaning at all. The reason I’m holding this view is further strengthen by 3 articles we’ve read through in this week. As we understand from the articles, each of them again press on the issue of CONTEXT but by their own architectural way. Context is the main factor to think of during designing, along the architectural history and until nowadays. None of the architecture stands for no reason, and perhaps the reason behind them are just one, which is the CONTEXT. Contextualism is at the centre of our thoughts regarding the built environment and as always constituted an important data source of architectural design.
​
Therefore, in this blog I’m going to reveals the faces, meanings and roles of context in architecture by narrowing analysis of 2 case studies from the 1900’s and also our contemporary time, in order to showcase the ways of architects from different era coordinates their building design interrelated with the importance of CONTEXT.
​
​
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Woolworth Building by Cass Gilbert 1913
To my mind, I think that the greatest meaning bring by the word CONTEXT is – a building whose design transcends its immediate environment and rises beyond the realm of “existing contextually”. Instead, it creates its own context, play a major role in the identity of a city, and is most probably, a famous icon of its era. The case study I’ve choose to illustrate this “absolutely contextual” idea is the Woolworth building.
​
Skyscrapers emerged in Chicago the 1880’s as a way to concentrate commercial office functions within the limited space downtown. The economic boom of the 1920's and extensive real estate speculation encouraged a wave of new skyscraper projects in New York. The Woolworth, which towers 60 stories and 792 feet above Broadway between Park Place and Barclay Street in downtown Manhattan, was the tallest building in the world when it was completed, in 1913. Financed in cash by the five-and-dime millionaire Frank W. Woolworth and designed by architect Cass Gilbert, the building won widespread acclaim for its pioneering steel-frame structure and stunning interior and exterior appearance. The Woolworth Building’s importance resides not simply in its aesthetic distinction, but rather in its capacity to shine a light on New York’s broader historical context. The tower sits flush on the Broadway side of the large V-shaped block that contains City Hall Park. This means that we can view Woolworth from a distance and see its full height with an unobstructed view, rare in such a densely built area. The result is that the tower seems to move endlessly upwards. The building’s white-glazed terra-cotta tiles accentuate the piers that run from base to top with few interruptions from cornices or the window spandrels. Set in a neighbourhood alive with commerce, dining, transportation and infrastructure; the Woolworth Building is, was, and always will be a New York City icon. In fact, Woolworth headquarters only occupied a floor and a half of the completed building; the owner hoped to make a profit by renting out the rest. Among the building’s ground-breaking features, apart from the exterior lighting, were its water supply system and its high-speed electric elevators, which offered both local and express service. In addition to offices, the Woolworth Building contained a shopping arcade, health club, barber shop, restaurant and social club. As a conclusion, the Woolworth is contextual in and out in the way that it reveals about the modern urban landscape of the time (by the process of conceiving, financing, and constructing skyscrapers as well as the mass phenomena of consumerism, marketing, news media, and urban spectatorship that surround them) and at the end it reflects not only the Woolworth company success, but the success of twentieth-century commerce as well. However, building’s gothic appearance somehow arouse public opinion and critique but according to what Case Gilbert hold is that “whatever ornamentation was hung on the surface had nothing to do with the structure itself, the building expressed by its structure and steel frame.” Woolworth building had become the New York true frame, frame of contextualism underneath by the gilded age of New York City commerce and architecture.
​
​
Contemporary architecture pay much attention on CONTEXT, as well as architecture last century did. Contemporary architecture is now in the new movement of evolution. This phase of that evolution is noticeable from many masterpiece of architects such as Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and so on. And each of them stand for something it when we take a deep study upon them, not difficult for us to realise that the main factor which plays among them are Context also, just that their Context is in another perspective.
​
​
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Kunsthaus Bregenz Gallery by Peter Zumthor 1997
In the Kunsthaus project it was anticipated to place an independent as well as self-assured object among the extant buildings along the shoreline (as a row of single objects). On the other hand the architecture of the structure itself as Kunsthaus was to have as its content theme of light- of the work with and of light. It appears as if the city had carefully worked itself toward the lake- with no closed edge. Peter Zumthors ‘intervention’ is as decisive as it is sensitive- the glass tower focuses this modest ‘skyline’, makes visible- above all consciously so. At the same time the placement of the lower administration- and service building at right angles creates a further city square which not only upgrades the communication between the two new buildings, but also takes up a dialogue with the street space and structurally completes the ensemble.” Because of the existing building which stands parallel to the street, the area behind it was an inner city fallow, it lacked life and lacked the critical aspects of a public square. Now by means of form planning, the area has been transformed into a quality urban area.
​
Throughout the 100 years, we could see that how Context play it roles in architecture field. From the Woolworth building we see the larger picture of context while he Kunsthaus Bregenz gallery was more to a context of the site. The reason I made this comparison is to showcase that no matter the context is small or big, they are both important. It is the most important doctrine that our contemporary architecture always needed. Examination of many aspects/facets of contextual design has in actuality allowed for reflection of the importance of architecture and consistency in design; and consideration of its natural ability to promote original, effective solutions with a sense of place.
​
Once I heard Sarah Parcak quotes “In archaeology, context is everything. Objects allow us to reconstruct the past. Taking artifacts from a temple or an ancient private house is like emptying out a time capsule.”
​
While in my opinion,
“In architecture, context is everything. The past and existing context allow us to construct the present and future of the place. Forgetting them is also like emptying out a time capsule.”
Just as Adrian Forty quotes “Architecture as a dialogue with the surroundings, both in the immediate physical, but also as a historical continuum”. Architecture we built on land is not belongs to us but the place and it can only be evaluated by context embodies in it.