endless questions
In the context of the courage to proclaim the truth of architecture, the issue of new volumes merged with existing buildings, which are often historic buildings, is interesting. Most often, secondary additions, superstructures, extensions or fillings are designed not by the author of the building, but by another architect, and can reinforce, emphasize or decompose the original architectural concept. They can modify it without conflicting with it, or change it to its detriment. The existing architectural massing also usually has a distinctive detail. The new form may or may not be a structurally sound accent. Carved ornaments and details have always been a subject of discussion in architecture. In a building, one can distinguish details that are more or less technically and aesthetically justified. Statues, pedestals, plinths, bays, attics, ornaments, louvers, pilasters - all these additions can be both an irreplaceable complement to the space and a proposal for a secondary development of the main architectural theme.
Some features are so essential to the structure that they cannot be modified without changing the overall object. A quantitative change is possible, if it does not violate the basic structural layout, but sometimes a small modification, made in a sensitive place, can disrupt the entire layout. Changes made in architecture by another hand, however, carry less risk than similar changes in painting or sculpture. There, every detail, even the smallest in form, color or texture, expresses the personal character of the artist. Architecture operates with signs that are more general. It is definitely safer to continue the concept of a facade designed by Michelangelo than to add a new element to the sculpture of David he created in Florence's Piazza della Signoria. In architecture, the compromise of function and form is always important. The various functions of a building or its parts are interrelated through a more or less complex system of connections and divisions. An architect can plan them in a linear and logically connected way, or look for non-obvious spatial connections, planning the diversity of the object on many levels of the project. This is the case when several functions need to be combined, such as a large-scale market space, apartments and parking, for example, as is the case in the Markthal project in Rotterdam27. The combination of seemingly opposing functions can result in a synergistic effect. If the building's functions were separated and conceived as independent, uniformity of design would become unattainable. Unity at the level of the whole project may show its common function, but at lower levels differences become apparent28.
Truth is based on the judgments we form based on experience, observation, theory, reasoning and inference, and our value system, and high-quality architecture moves us and evokes positive emotions. Does this mean that we are dealing with the architecture of truth? Architecture captures attention and becomes memorable, becoming part of our biographies. It strengthens, opens new possibilities and connects with others. Good architecture broadens horizons, forces us to contemplate architectural expression at any scale, and we become an indispensable part of it29.
This raises another interesting question. Does the expression of the truth of temporary architecture entail greater creative possibilities and freedom for the designer? The architecture of the temporary national pavilions at the Expo or the Venice Architecture Biennale is a case in point. It seems that the ambition of the authors of this type of architecture is to convey the broadest possible content in an extravagant formula. However, there is more pressure on this type of architecture than when designing traditional buildings, because these ephemeral works are exposed to international criticism. Is hybrid, mobile, interactive architecture a manifestation of courage and bold visions or "architecture of concern "30 - the need to seek more solutions in the face of widespread disregard for the threats lurking on our planet? Research on hybrid building prototypes, conducted by prominent Spanish architect Iñaki Ábalos at Cornell AAP (Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning), Harvard GSD (Harvard University Graduate School of Design) and BIArch (Barcelona Institute of Architecture), shows that the reality is even closer to utopia. These and other questions will remain unanswered.
Rolex Learning Center in Lausanne, project: SANAA
Photo: Anna Martyka
identifying the truth of architecture - the search for a method
The method for identifying the truth of architecture was inspired by several ideas, theories and assumptions, which are briefly characterized below. In order to define truth, it is necessary to create certain criteria for it to distinguish it from falsehood. Truth is a judgment that is proven, as German philosopher Franz Brentano claimed. The foundation of truth is judgments based on experience, reasoning, theories and mathematical laws. So, we arrive at truth not only by observation, but also by deduction, for example. Truth communicates only facts, that is, it gives an account of states of affairs. A judgment about a fact that exists remains consistent with it31. The classical definition of truth, formulated by Aristotle, also known as correspondence, is reflected in the language of logic, where falsity is understood as the negation of the truth of a sentence p. This means that if a sentence p states something that corresponds to facts and phenomena occurring in the world, then p is a true sentence, while the negation of p (not p) is false. Conversely , if not p is true, then p is false32. A true sentence is a sentence that describes reality as it is (a fragment of reality at a given point in time). A false sentence, on the other hand, is a sentence that describes reality differently from what the facts indicate. Interestingly, true or false can only be a sentence, not a thing. Truthfulness or falsity is called the logical values of a sentence, i.e. something objective that is consistent with the actual state of affairs33. Understood in this way, truth and falsity are intuitively simple and non-negotiable concepts. A claim that it is so if it is actually so should be considered true (1), while a claim that it is not so if it is so should be considered false (0). This definition of truth and falsity is extremely idealistic. Unfortunately, the issue is more complicated and ambiguous, just as it is in human communication.
Architecture is similar to language as a system of signs from which we build words, sentences and eventually a story. And like non-fiction it reflects reality through the prism of the creator's feelings. The language of architecture operates with a certain set of individual sentences, logically connected and forming a larger story, which is also subject to reading by the viewer. When analyzing architecture descriptively, we use a metalanguage, because we are actually making statements about a statement formed in a lower-level language34. In short, we are characterizing an utterance belonging to the language of architecture. Assuming that architecture is one of the many types of human communication available, one can see the analogy of interpreting architecture to interpreting non-fiction. It is possible to create a certain type of narrative about architecture, choosing among many possible themes. Richard Kapuscinski observed Third World societies. The experience of participation allowed him to report inquisitively on events from different parts of the world, while letting the story pass through the prism of his own personality. An analogous situation occurs when describing architecture. We study the design, observe and use the buildings - we study their form and relationships by participating in the life of the buildings. We observe and participate35 so that the result is a narrative consisting of descriptions, analysis, criticism, comparisons and conclusions. This narrative is a manifestation of our individual image of reality, passed through the prism of our knowledge, experiences and emotions. Extracting the truth of architecture is based de facto on ex post research, for the reason that we are unable to know the intentions, state of knowledge, emotions, intellectual abilities and design workshop of the architect. Even if we report on our own creative process, we already describe the past as transformed in our mind.
The result of the analyses conducted in this study is a matrix that can be used to build a story about truth in architecture (Table 1). The matrix includes ten architectural realizations, which were subordinated to a dozen affirmative sentences that describe the spatial situation. Contemporary buildings that were constructed in the last decade and represent a high level of artistic and architectural creation were selected. The selected buildings, together with the accompanying public space, perform important urban functions, and at the same time are attractive and accessible not only to residents, but also to visitors from other cities. The selection of buildings does not exhaust the full catalog of objects meeting the criteria presented above, so the most interesting, in the author's opinion, realizations are presented here. A similar situation occurs with the set of sentences. More than a dozen statements describing the facts in important categories for good architecture were proposed. These sentences were subjected to logical valuation, according to the facts. They can be used to create a meta-language of architecture, a kind of story - a kind of non-fiction. However, not all sentences in the narrative are always true, which is in accordance with the theory of coherent truth.
{The matrix that inspires the creation of a meta-language on the truth of architecture,title=Table 1. The matrix that inspires the creation of a meta-language on the truth of architecture}
Table 1 The matrix that inspires the creation of a metalanguage on the truth of architecture
compiled by Anna Martyka
summary
I would like the summary of the research conducted in this study to remain questions. The most important one is: what distinguishes the truth of architecture? It is certainly an architecture that represents a set of positive values of a timeless dimension, such as dialogue, relationships and emotions, logic and legibility of form, or originality and creativity of the creator. Architecture has always been the result of innovative explorations corresponding to new conditions, styles, patterns of space organization, functions, forms and compositions of spatial structures. It seems that in today's technology-dominated global reality, it is difficult to still rely on the Platonic triad - beauty, goodness and truth. On the other hand, however, man's predilection for such qualities as safety, harmony and beauty of the living environment is timeless.
Architecture is a form of artistic expression that creates an image of human activity. A large number of raw material and human resources are required to realize a single building or larger structures. Therefore, architects have a responsibility to create a built environment that is friendly not only to humans, but also to other forms of life. Important today is the idea of sustainable development, the origins of which date back to the 1980s. It is a manifestation of the growing awareness of the impact of humans on the environment. However, it focused only on the materials used and economical technologies. Nowadays we need an architecture that not only meets the wishes of the investor or the requirements of thermal insulation and beauty and aesthetics, but also one that is sensitive to the values of repairing, preserving and maintaining the natural environment of our planet. For the truth of architecture manifests itself in its beauty, utility, harmony, safety, sensitivity, creativity, synergy, identity, culture, stability, ecology, sustainability, closed loop, and above all in the courage of its creators.
***
The truth of architecture is multifaceted, revealing itself through all the ideals possible for it. An architect should become a truly empathetic creator of the built environment, but this requires courage.
Dr. Anna MARTYKA
Prof. PRz, Department of Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics,
Faculty of Construction, Environmental Engineering and Architecture, Rzeszow University of Technology
1 There are well-known sayings "A lie has short legs" and "Truth, like oil, always comes out on top".
2 The issue of beauty in architecture is covered in the publication: Kosiński W., The City and the Beauty of the City, Cracow University of Technology, Cracow 2011.
3 The author of the quote placed as a motto is Pär Lagerkvist, see Kapuściński R., Lapidarium, Czytelnik, Warsaw 2003, p. 7.
4 Code of Ethics for Scientific Workers, Annex to the Resolution of the Polish Academy of Sciences No. 10/2012 of 13.12.2012, Warsaw 2012. p. 4, https://instytucja.pan.pl/index.php/kodeks-etyki-pracownika-naukowego, accessed 20.05.2020.
5 Zuziak Z.K., Scientific faces of urbanism [in:] Gzell S., ed., Architektura, urbanistyka, nauka, PWN, Warsaw, 2018, pp. 63-108.
6 Klemens Szaniawski quoted by Jerzy M. Brzezinski, [in:] Brzezinski, J., What is the Academy for? On the eminence of science, "NAUKA" 1/2012, no. 2, https://repozytorium.amu.edu.pl/bitstream/10593/5784/1/po_co_academia.pdf, accessed 20.04.2020.
7 Antas J., On lying and lying: a semantic-pragmatic study, Universitas, Krakow 2008, p. 91.
8 Ibid, p. 103.
9 Ibid, p. 96.
10 Ibidem, p. 97.
11 Polish roadside architecture situated along national road number 7 is described with brilliant irony by Ziemowit Szczerek, see Szczerek Z., Siódemka, Korporacja Ha!Art, Kraków 2014.
12 Burke E., A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, Dearborn 1834, [in:] Dyckhoff T., The Age of Spectacle. Peripheries of Architecture and the 21st Century City, transl. Rasmus-Zgorzelska A., Karakter, Krakow 2018, p. 341.
13 The authors of the project were Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers and Gianfranco Franchini.
14 The authors of the project were Dariusz Kozłowski, Maria Misiągiewicz, and Wacław Stefański.
15 Sulava A., Resurrectionist Seminary - this remarkable building is inaccessible on a daily basis. See what it looks like inside, "Dziennik Polski," 15.09.2018, https://dziennikpolski24.pl/seminarium-zmartwychwstancow-ten-niezwykly-budynek-na-co-dzien-jest-niedostepny-zobacz-jak-wyglada-w-srodku/ar/13492681, accessed 03.06.2020.
16 The design of the European Krzysztof Penderecki Music Center in Lusławice was developed by DDJM Biuro Architektoniczne.
17 Rasmussen S., Perceiving Architecture, transl. Gadomska B., Karakter, Krakow 2015, p. 6.
18 Ibid.
19 Antas J., On lying and lying: a semantic-pragmatic study, op.cit., p. 112.
20 De Botton A., The Architecture of Happiness, transl. Środa K., Czuły Barbarzyńca, Warsaw 2010, p. 74.
21 Antas J., On lying and lying: a semantic-pragmatic study, op.cit., p. 112.
22 Pallasmaa J., The thinking hand. Existential and embodied wisdom in architecture, Institute of Architecture, Krakow 2015.
23 Arnheim R., Dynamics of architectural form, transl. Grzeliński A., Juruś D., Officyna, Łódź 2009, p. 7.
24 Ibid., p. 212.
25 Ibid., p. 220.
26 The term "architecture" is increasingly being used to describe the structural structure of various types of complex systems, such as computer systems architecture, software architecture, and enterprise management systems architecture, not associated with the traditional understanding of the concept of architecture.
27 The designer of the Markthal trade fair hall is the MVRDV office.
28 Arnheim R., Dynamics of architectural form, op. cit. p. 218.
29 Goldhagen Williams S, Welcome to Your World. How the Built Environment Shapes our Lives, HarperCollins Publishers, New York 2017.
30 See Tronto J., Architecture of Care, [in:] "Self-Portrait. A journal of good space," 68 (I/2020), pp. 2-6.
31 Tatarkiewicz, History of Philosophy, T. III, pp. 178-180.
32 Antas J., On lying and lying: a semantic-pragmatic study, op. cit. p. 74.
33 See Ziembiński Z., Logika praktyczna, PWN, Warsaw 1975, pp. 57-61.
34 Ibid, pp. 11-18.
35 Participatory observation is one of the most preferred research techniques in architecture, cf. Niezabitowska E., Research methods and techniques in architecture, Wydawnictwo Politechniki Śląskiej, Gliwice 2014.
