Architecture Case

August 15, 2012

"Architecture often is described as the art of sheltering. To consider is as such, we must use the term sheltering very broadly. Obviously, types of architecture exists within which people do not dwell and under which they cannot escape the rain. Architecture encompasses more than buildings. So, we can consider architecture as the art of sheltering people both physically and spiritually from the raw elements of the unaltered world" (Sporre, p. 91, 2011). The topic of architecture within this paper consists of describing how a building is assembled using at least five of the 10 fundamental elements - structure, materials, line, repetition, balance, scale, proportion, context, space, and climate. Also how the building assists or inhibits smooth traffic flow, how it stimulates the senses, and the relationship between line, form, color, and texture of the building chosen.

Description

"The term brutalism was coined by the British architects Alison and Peter Smithson in 1953, from the French béton brut, or "raw concrete", a phrase used by Le Corbusier to describe the poured board-marked concrete with which he constructed many of his post-World War II buildings" (Brutalist Architecture, p. 1 , 2011). BCBSFL (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida) structure is a high-rise and the architectural style is brutalism because most of the materials are consists of concrete. There are two structures to this office complex. The first building is known as the tower, which has 19 stories above ground and the proportion of 287.00 feet. The space of the interior has a heated area of 596,322 square feet. The second building was built later, and it is known as the center building. The balance one could say may seem off because of the difference in height. The center building has only 10 floors comparing it to the tower, which has 19 the ascetics, are not very pleasing to the eye. It may make some people think that the center building was a second thought and was not designed well. BCBSFL (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida) on Riverside Avenue in downtown Jacksonville; the completion of the building was in 1971 (City-Data, 2012).

Traffic Flow

"Design of space essentially means the design and flow of contiguous spaces relative to function" (Sporre, p. 110, 2011). Take, for example, a commercial office building. Of primary concern is the space necessary for the people intended to occupy the building. Will it host various types of executive offices, meeting rooms, training rooms, or a cafeteria? Each of these rooms places a design restriction on the architect, and curious results occur when functionality is not incorporated into the design or need (Sporre, 2011).

For instance, the tower was built first and the functionality