Architecture, a Heightened Reflection

In such a popular city as Los Angeles, it is only justified that its structures reflect that nature. There is quite a mix in the city centre between the postmodern architectural skyrise of the US Bank Tower, the art deco Eastern Columbia Building, and even the neoclassical Los Angeles City Hall. 

The popular American film, 500 Days of Summer depicted the ornamentation of classical buildings of the Italian Renaissance Revival Bradbury Building and Spanish Churrigueresque’ Million Dollar Theater. All five skyrises are within a 5-mile radius of one another yet share little correlation in their building typologies and uses. The main character Tom in Marc Webb’s film 500 Days of Summer is noted as saying to the newly moved in Summer, “The street level isn’t so exciting but if you look up” which makes an interesting point about the discipline of architecture and what it represents. More importantly, is metropolitan architectural design truly making an attractive urban environment for its inhabitants at the street level?

Embracing Reflection

Architect and designer of the Louvre Pyramid I. M. Pei once said, “‘Architecture is the very mirror of life. You only have to cast your eyes on buildings to feel the presence of the past, the spirit of a place; they are the reflection of society.’ The glass pyramid below serves as a grand entrance but in terms of its architectural promise, I.M. Pei stated, ‘Formally, it is the most compatible with the architecture of the Louvre…, it is also one of the most structurally stable of forms, which assures its transparency, as it is constructed of glass and steel, it signifies a break with the architectural traditions of the past. It is a work of our time’”. Although the material choice signifies our generation’s contribution to the Louvre, persisting still is the respect for the existing icon in France. 

Similarly at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, French President Emmanual Macron proposed a radical proposal for the restoration plans which had some serious community pushback, “Over 125,000 people have expressed their opposition to the plans through an online petition, which emerged just two days after Macron’s announcement. ‘How can we justify restoring stained glass windows that survived the disaster and then immediately remove them? Who gave the head of state the mandate to alter a cathedral that does not belong to him, but to everyone,’”. Admittedly, the community of France recognizes the impact of this monumental statue that stands for something of much importance in reflecting France’snationalist pride. It’s what makes the following statement back said in Contrasts, 1836 by the English Architect and pioneer of the Gothic Revival, Augustus Pugin so powerful, “The History of Architecture is the history of the World”. When reading such statements and correlating them to our existing structures in our built environment, it strikes a firm reminder of the profound impact architecture holds in our lives. The responsibility of architects is enormous in both the drive to curate but often forgotten, caretaking aspects of the historical narratives that contribute to designing spaces that inhabitants can identify as home.

In the book, Witches’ Brew by American writer Terry Brooks, “A building is a home if the people who inhabit it have memories and love and a place in the world. Otherwise, it is just a building, a shelter against the elements, and it can never be anything more”. This sentiment captures why preserving historical structures such as the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris or Louvre is important. This applies to other building typologies as well where this mindset of recognizing structures are more than just buildings; they directly alter our interactions with one another where the human experience occurs.

A Critical Lens

Architecture’s subjectivity is often a topic of contention in the industry but is inherently inevitable due to the profession’s ambiguity. The critical aspect is a practice engrained in all architecture programs and resultantly our professionals in the industry seek this feedback. Admittedly though, there is a clear discrepancy between architects and the inhabitants of the spaces they design, even with the placated regulations that act as community input in newly proposed projects in the United States. This begs the question of what significant architecture consists of and where the design intent stems from within architects’ creative processes. It is what makes the emphasis on careful curation and well-informed approaches to be vital to a project’s success post substantial-completion; a term laid out by the American Institute of Architects (AIA A-201). Creating spaces that resonate with feelings of home grasps the public appeal in even defending a project’s sit-alone value regardless of the new modern aesthetic appeal that utilises innovation to enhance the human experience.

A Final Note

Ultimately, the power of architecture lies in its ability to reflect, empower, and enhance the human experience by recognizing structures are not just buildings rather they are spaces of culture, history, and identity for all that inhibit and experience them. When recognizing the diverse historical architectural landscape of Los Angeles that applies to other metropolitan cities of the United States and the world, the community’s firm stance on the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris’ restoration proposal, and the thoughtful design of I. M. Pei’s Louvre Pyramid leads us to believe how architecture resonates deeply with people. In embracing the reflective nature of architecture at this point where there are large juxtapositions of differing architectural forms and styles in the places we call home, architects are more than capable of executing the daunting task of curating spaces that honour the past, serve the present, and inspire the future. Innovation and preservation or better yet, curation and caretaking are not mutually exclusive in the endlessly bounded discipline of architecture where the opportunity to curate environments that are truly meaningful and enriching for their inhabitants is possible.

Reference List:

1. Jones, L. (2019) Neuehouse Bradbury Building by DesignAgency, Dwell. Available at: https://www.dwell.com/article/neuehouse-bradbury-building-coworking-designagency-8c70360a (Accessed: 27 July 2024). 
2. Million dollar theatre (2023) LA Conservancy. Available at: https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/million-dollar-theatre/ (Accessed: 27 July 2024). 
3. (500) days of Summer (2009). United States: Fox Searchlight Pictures. 
4. Schuster, H. (2019) How I.M. Pei brought Modern Architecture to the National Mall, Boundary Stones. Available at: https://boundarystones.weta.org/2019/05/31/how-im-pei-brought-modern-architecture-national-mall#:~:text=“Architecture%20is%20the%20very%20mirror,%3A%20Light%20is%20the%20Key.” (Accessed: 27 July 2024). 
5. Macron-backed Notre-Dame Revamp Plans Spark Fierce Online Backlash (no date) euronews. Available at: https://www.euronews.com/culture/2024/01/05/controversial-macron-backed-notre-dame-revamp-plans-spark-fierce-online-backlash (Accessed: 27 July 2024). 
6. Pugin, A.W. (no date) ‘1836 to 1839’, The Collected Letters of A. W. N. Pugin, Vol. 1: 1830–1842 [Preprint]. doi:10.1093/oseo/instance.00187065. 
7. Brooks, T., Parkinson, K. and Stevenson, D.G. (1995) Witches’ brew. New York: Ballantine Books. 
8. Design is not enough | architect magazine. Available at: https://www.architectmagazine.com/aia-architect/aiaadvocacy/design-is-not-enough_o (Accessed: 27 July 2024). 
9. The AIA A201 explained for contractors & owners (2024) Procore. Available at: https://www.procore.com/library/aia-a201-general-conditions# (Accessed: 27 July 2024).