Architectural knowledge helps people to open a new perspective towards architecture. The knowledge and practice during studying architecture shape an individual and unleash a new world towards surroundings and almost everything. The celebration of space will become phenomenal to the mind of the learners. The built environment will speak to you in a rhythmic way that feels like a piece of music.
Public spaces, skyscrapers, community spaces, etc. have different stories to tell. Light, materials, sound, scale, aesthetics, contents, memories, etc. plays an important role during these spaces’ design process. Architects design in a very sensitive and sustainable way nowadays that works as a language to communicate. Experiences and memories vary from person to person towards a space. As an architect, the design process becomes a way to connect the idea to reality.
From the beginning of the learning process, the understanding of architecture changes in a dramatic way. Color, shapes, patterns, history, context, etc. works as a catalyst to the design process. For example, the details and building process of a community space do not work the same as before learning architecture. More concern about the activities and purposes has become important to shape a community space.
The knowledge opens up the insight of the understanding of certain things. Such as before studying architecture, the idea behind any space or architecture would be nominal which starts to resonate after the evaluation of the mind in architecture. It directs one to think from a simple paper clip design to the biggest skyscrapers. The design process behind any architecture becomes more prominent to the eye of an individual where attention to detail becomes innate.
Public Spaces | Architectural Knowledge
Public spaces offer open access to all. People have been engaged in various kinds of activities in public spaces since very ancient times. People use it as a living room in the city. Plazas, squares, parks, etc. are acting as public spaces where people from all classes are gathered and celebrated. Public spaces are a representation of a city where people are engaged in various kinds of activities.
Proper management and people engagement fulfill a public space to become a part of a great city. Critic and writer John Ruskin said, “The measure of any great civilization is its cities and a measure of a city’s greatness is to be found in the quality of its public spaces, its parks, and squares.” Public spaces are acting in a very complex and organic way that spreads their impact on society easily. People enjoy, celebrate, and exchange their time and pleasures in public spaces in a particular way. So, the design of public space has to be very engaging and user-centric.
If you look at the image below, this place locates at the heart of the capital of Bangladesh. This space rejuvenates nature. People are engaging in various activities here. The current scenarios of this space are amazing. People come to this place to celebrate and enjoy their leisure time here. Architects designed this place in a very particular way to create a connection between culture, climate, and ecology.
One can easily see through the thought process of the architect to create this space from a rejected place to a public square for mass people gathering with the knowledge of architecture. The ability directs one to observe not only the purpose of gathering in a public space but also the multiple organic complex functions possible from that space.
Community Spaces
A community space is a place for a group of people to gather. Generally, a community space is a place for sharing knowledge and ideas among the community. This space varies from place to place and is a highly context-based space. Community spaces serve a specific purpose to the community. Such space encourages interaction, developing connections, sharing skills, etc. to make a strong bond between people.
This image of the community space of ‘Bangladesh’s Rohingya Refugee Camp’ is a remarkable project which provides various kinds of activities to the users. This vernacular architecture gives a unique space for the users to learn, share and develop their skills in their life. This particular space not only provides mental support but also gives the inspiration to lead a life. The users are also engaged during the design process and made a very instigated structure.
For selecting a community space, a specific context is always a concern. An architect can easily comprehend the idea behind the local building technique and the affordability of that structure by his architectural knowledge. It separates the perspective of an architectural fellow from a commoner in the arena of the thinking behind the structure, the emotional states of the people of that community, their thinking process, and the vulnerability of the situation that the architect might be thinking of while designing.
There are so many other scopes of space to observe that can change your perspective of architecture. By continuing this search, you can find yourself in a new realm of knowledge and understanding that will help you to know more about the inside of a design process.
Here is an interesting quote one can easily relate to from Architect Peter Zumthor “Architecture has its realm. It has a special physical relationship with life. I do not think of it primarily as either a message or symbol, but as an envelope and background for life which goes on in and around it, a sensitive container for the rhythm of footsteps on the floor, for the concentration of work, for the silence of sleep.”
References | Architectural Knowledge
Baan, I. (2017). Serpentine Pavilion by kere Architecture. [Photograph]. (London: https://www.kerearchitecture.com/work/design/serpentine-pavilion).
Ruskin, J. (1871). Fors Clavigera.
Baan, I. (2016). A Momentary Pause in Time | Place Making at Faculty of Social Sciences, Dhaka University. [Photograph]. (Dhaka University: https://www.sthanikconsultants.com/copy-of-architecture-as-landscape-e).
Hassan, R. (2019). Integrated Community Center in Hindu-Para Rohingya Refugee Camp
. [Photograph]. (Cox’s Bazar: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/rizvi-hassan-hindupara-community-center-bangladesh-rohingya-refugee-camp-03-21-2020/).
Zumthor, P. (2010). Thinking Architecture: Third, Expanded Edition. Switzerland: Birkhauser.
