Foundation: Unit Summaries

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“A wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house: and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” Mathew 7:24-25, the Gideons International New Testament.

The foundations unit of Roth’s Understanding Architecture it’s Elements, History, and Meaning has helped me further understand that it is always a good idea to build upon a foundation. Weather it be education or architecture it is of the up most importance for one to “build” a good steady base otherwise the whole project has the potential of crumbling at the base line.

In keeping with the reading, the most important inspirational idea I was able to walk away with was that all good architecture consists of three main principles: commodity, firmness, and delight. Starting with commodity, Vitruvius once suggested that functionality meant that there was an agreement between all rooms and spaces. Commodity of a building is the suggestion that all areas have a meaning, purpose, and concept: as to why they are. Roth (2007), “For example, a hospital emergency room is a place where most people experience great anxiety, the architect might determine that creating a restful, domestic atmosphere like that of a home living room, with a view out to an enclosed garden, rather than an antiseptic, clinical atmosphere, would help reduce those anxieties.” (p.19) That's why design with meaning a purpose is so important.

Firmness is the actual physical ability to stand upright by oneself; or the hardness of a material. Stonehenge is one of the Seven Wonders of the World because of its massive size and peculiar shape. Its structure is so ingenious in the way that it has been able to withstand the tests of time. After all shouldn’t that be how all structures are built, with purpose and strength to outlive its builders?

So if commodity is the idea behind the work and firmness is the physical strength then there is one more key element left, delight- or the visually pleasing esthetics’ of a design. In accordance with Roth (2007), “Beauty meant that the appearance of the work is pleasing and in good taste, and its members are in due proportion according to correct principles of symmetry.” (p.11)

In committing to memory, the sturdiness of a foundation is key to the success of a structures whole. “A man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.” Luke 6:48-49, the Gideons International New Testament. More simply put, it all comes down to how well the foundation is crafted.