Monday, September 17, 2012
Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge
Many of the chapels of the constituent colleges of Oxford and Cambridge are architectural gems. This is Trinity College Chapel at Cambridge - one of my favorites. It is restrained, noble, and well-detailed.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
The Universal Prayer of Pope Clement XI
I believe, Lord, but may I believe more firmly. I hope, but may I hope more securely. I love, but may I love more ardently. I grieve, but may I grieve more deeply.
I adore you as my first beginning. I aspire after you as my last end. I praise you as my perpetual benefactor. I invoke you as my merciful protector.
Direct me by your wisdom. Keep me in your grace. Console me with your mercy. Protect me with your power.
I offer you, O Lord, my thoughts, that they may be about you; my words, that they may be spoken for your glory; my actions, that they may accord with your will; my sufferings, that they may be accepted for your sake.
I desire whatever you desire. I desire it because you desire it. I desire it insofar as you desire it. I desire it as long as you desire it.
I pray, O Lord, that you will enlighten my mind, inflame my will, cleanse my heart, and sanctify my soul.
May I repent of past sins, repel future temptations, correct wicked tendencies, and cultivate virtuous ideals.
Good Lord, grant that I may love you, renounce myself, do good to my neighbor, and be detached toward the world.
May I strive to obey my superiors, support my inferiors, aid my friends, and spare my enemies.
Help me to overcome sensuality by self-denial, avarice by liberality, anger by meekness, and tepidity by devotion.
Make me prudent in counsel, steadfast in danger, patient in adversity, and humble in prosperity.
Grant, Lord, that I may be attentive at prayer, temperate at meals, diligent at work, and constant in resolutions.
Let my conscience be upright, my outward appearance be modest, my conversation be edifying, and my whole life be ordered.
Help me to labor to overcome nature, to cooperate with your grace, to keep your commandments, and to further my salvation.
Teach me the futility of earthly things, the greatness of Divine things, the shortness of temporal things, and the length of eternal things.
Grant that I may be prepared for death, fear judgment, avoid hell, and obtain paradise - through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
I adore you as my first beginning. I aspire after you as my last end. I praise you as my perpetual benefactor. I invoke you as my merciful protector.
Direct me by your wisdom. Keep me in your grace. Console me with your mercy. Protect me with your power.
I offer you, O Lord, my thoughts, that they may be about you; my words, that they may be spoken for your glory; my actions, that they may accord with your will; my sufferings, that they may be accepted for your sake.
I desire whatever you desire. I desire it because you desire it. I desire it insofar as you desire it. I desire it as long as you desire it.
I pray, O Lord, that you will enlighten my mind, inflame my will, cleanse my heart, and sanctify my soul.
May I repent of past sins, repel future temptations, correct wicked tendencies, and cultivate virtuous ideals.
Good Lord, grant that I may love you, renounce myself, do good to my neighbor, and be detached toward the world.
May I strive to obey my superiors, support my inferiors, aid my friends, and spare my enemies.
Help me to overcome sensuality by self-denial, avarice by liberality, anger by meekness, and tepidity by devotion.
Make me prudent in counsel, steadfast in danger, patient in adversity, and humble in prosperity.
Grant, Lord, that I may be attentive at prayer, temperate at meals, diligent at work, and constant in resolutions.
Let my conscience be upright, my outward appearance be modest, my conversation be edifying, and my whole life be ordered.
Help me to labor to overcome nature, to cooperate with your grace, to keep your commandments, and to further my salvation.
Teach me the futility of earthly things, the greatness of Divine things, the shortness of temporal things, and the length of eternal things.
Grant that I may be prepared for death, fear judgment, avoid hell, and obtain paradise - through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Gothic Doodles
Remember two posts ago when I was going on and on about how creative I've been feeling lately and how much my vision of architecture has solidified in that past few months? No? Well, shame on you for not hanging on my every word. Anyways, below is a little sketch project that I penned in those in-between times of day during school. It's a church of a certain Gothic persuasion with the capacity of about three-hundred persons (just a guess). My specific precedent was Cram and Ferguson's rather reserved South Dutch Reformed Church in New York City.
The nave is one unified space, without columns, bounded by corridor-like aisles. The nave flows directly into the apse, which houses a fairly elaborate English Gothic altar and reredos. Large stained glass windows illuminate the space, evoking the magnificent jewelry box feeling of the Sainte Chapelle in Paris. The exterior is fairly muscular and reserved. It has very little in the way of traditional Gothic detailing, though it has a Gothic body.
As always, click to view larger. Opinions are welcome and appreciated.
The nave is one unified space, without columns, bounded by corridor-like aisles. The nave flows directly into the apse, which houses a fairly elaborate English Gothic altar and reredos. Large stained glass windows illuminate the space, evoking the magnificent jewelry box feeling of the Sainte Chapelle in Paris. The exterior is fairly muscular and reserved. It has very little in the way of traditional Gothic detailing, though it has a Gothic body.
As always, click to view larger. Opinions are welcome and appreciated.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Requiem 11
I did not write anything yesterday about the memorial we observed. Remembrance of September 11, 2001, is a haunting secular ritual that deserved my editorial silence. The day has marked the lives of every American who was alive at that time in ways we are only beginning to grasp. For my generation, 9/11 represents the death of immortality. The golden age of the 90s that corresponds to the happy age of youth came crashing down on that clear morning, taking with it all of our young illusions that seemed to be so terribly optimistic - life will go on carefree forever and the Rugrats will always be on TV.
We are fragile. Life is fragile. Mortality is a force we must come to terms with. That is what 9/11 forced my generation to confront in a terrifying way. At the time, however, we were confused. I didn't know much about geopolitics, or radical Islam, or even the World Trade Center in fifth grade. But, I do know that the front page of the Grand Rapids Press on September 12, 2001, disturbed me. It was a full-page spread of the towers engulfed in flame with the words AMERICA ATTACKED emblazoned across the top in big, bold white letters. It didn't make me cry then. I knew too little then. But it makes me want to cry now. And that's the part that still disturbs me. I knew no one who died. But, I know people did die. They were ordinary, hardworking people who had committed no crime. It was a tragedy in the truest, ugliest, most heart-wrenching way.
We all remember where we were when we heard the news. I was in my fifth-grade classroom looking at an atlas (my fascination for geography bordered on obsession during grade school). It was before-class quiet time. An announcement came over the PA summoning all the teachers to the office. My teacher got up to leave. She came back and looked visibly disturbed. I remember her face. She said, "I don't know how to explain this, but someone has blown up the World Trade Center in New York." We were confused. Perhaps concerned a bit, but mainly confused. Then our Spanish teacher came running down the hall shouting, "Turn on the TV! Turn the TV on!" We did. And then we shut it off quickly. Soon, the whole school had gathered in the church and we said a rosary. I remember teachers crying.
When I got home, I remember sitting on the couch by my mom. She was folding laundry. We watched the news all afternoon until my dad came home. Then we had dinner as a family. I asked my mom why it happened. She told me it was because we are a free country and that makes some people upset. I was smart in fifth grade, so I asked why they didn't choose another free country like France. I don't remember how the conversation went from there.
Please pray. Pray that hearts may be softened by love. Pray that grief may be comforted with peace. Pray for the souls of victims. Pray for God's mercy.
We are fragile. Life is fragile. Mortality is a force we must come to terms with. That is what 9/11 forced my generation to confront in a terrifying way. At the time, however, we were confused. I didn't know much about geopolitics, or radical Islam, or even the World Trade Center in fifth grade. But, I do know that the front page of the Grand Rapids Press on September 12, 2001, disturbed me. It was a full-page spread of the towers engulfed in flame with the words AMERICA ATTACKED emblazoned across the top in big, bold white letters. It didn't make me cry then. I knew too little then. But it makes me want to cry now. And that's the part that still disturbs me. I knew no one who died. But, I know people did die. They were ordinary, hardworking people who had committed no crime. It was a tragedy in the truest, ugliest, most heart-wrenching way.
We all remember where we were when we heard the news. I was in my fifth-grade classroom looking at an atlas (my fascination for geography bordered on obsession during grade school). It was before-class quiet time. An announcement came over the PA summoning all the teachers to the office. My teacher got up to leave. She came back and looked visibly disturbed. I remember her face. She said, "I don't know how to explain this, but someone has blown up the World Trade Center in New York." We were confused. Perhaps concerned a bit, but mainly confused. Then our Spanish teacher came running down the hall shouting, "Turn on the TV! Turn the TV on!" We did. And then we shut it off quickly. Soon, the whole school had gathered in the church and we said a rosary. I remember teachers crying.
When I got home, I remember sitting on the couch by my mom. She was folding laundry. We watched the news all afternoon until my dad came home. Then we had dinner as a family. I asked my mom why it happened. She told me it was because we are a free country and that makes some people upset. I was smart in fifth grade, so I asked why they didn't choose another free country like France. I don't remember how the conversation went from there.
Please pray. Pray that hearts may be softened by love. Pray that grief may be comforted with peace. Pray for the souls of victims. Pray for God's mercy.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Reinvigorating
I have been going through an intensely creative period of late, so I do apologize for my lack of posts on this blog. Sometimes one gets too carried away on the currents of the mind, his hands do not have the time to record what is happening. The re-immersion into the academic environment has stimulated my mind in new ways - which, I suppose, is the great asset of education. It takes one out of one's sealed spheres of mental activity and forces one into foreign realms of thought. This has been happening in the area of my architectural education these past few weeks. I feel as though I am standing on a pinnacle, able to see all that I have learned about architecture as a cohesive, living thing. It's finally coming together, as they say.
Regular readers of this blog will know that I am rather devoted to traditional forms of architecture - especially in the realm of church design. This remains true. I sketch and design traditional structures to better understand the inherent order that is found in the best of all architecture. These forms remain beautiful to modern eyes, but the reason they are beautiful is seldom examined by modern architectural education. There is an unspoken attitude of "that's all lovely, but you can't design that anymore, you should do something more honest". Traditional architecture is inappropriate for our contemporary design challenges - the argument goes - because it is dishonest and does not adequately respect the materials and methods of modernity which are, admittedly, far superior to any other age in terms of brute potential.
So, the great pinnacle I find myself atop at this juncture in my education is that which attempts to synthesize the best of modern materials, methods, and sensibilities, with the timelessness and beauty represented by classical or traditional styles. I consider myself shamelessly eclectic in this way. I do agree with modernist thinking that we cannot adequately reestablish the Gothic tradition in 21st Century America - we are not peasants living under the same societal conditions of 12th-14th Century Europe. But, we can seek to reinvigorate architecture with principles borrowed from the Gothic (or whichever tradition you prefer).
Some may call this a sort of Revivalism, and it is at least partly true. When the last phase of Gothic Revival architecture hit this country, it saw the development of new, unique forms that would've been inconceivable during the High Gothic period of the Middle Ages. The Gothic style was reinvigorated - literally, given new life - in the US around the turn of the century. And its new life was utterly distinct from its old life.
If I were to design a building now - a Gothic church for instance - I would be subconsciously borrowing from theories of design espoused by people as diverse as Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Viollet-le-Duc, and numerous others. History has made them my teachers, for better or worse, and to ignore their influence on architecture does a disservice to design. I would much rather approach any project with a true sense of open-mindedness that puts the Vitruvian triad of beauty, utility, and durability at the heart and leaves a range of paths open to reach that lofty ideal.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a sense of pride among much of the 'classical architecture' establishment in this country. It is a certain species of pride that seems to say, "We were right all along." I do not identify with this point of view. Yes, I think Modernism went astray of beauty, but I do think there are things to be learned about architectural expression from Modernism. I think it will be my mission as a design professional to bridge that gap between architectural theories by being a-theoretical.
Like I said, it's been an intellectually fertile time for me.
Regular readers of this blog will know that I am rather devoted to traditional forms of architecture - especially in the realm of church design. This remains true. I sketch and design traditional structures to better understand the inherent order that is found in the best of all architecture. These forms remain beautiful to modern eyes, but the reason they are beautiful is seldom examined by modern architectural education. There is an unspoken attitude of "that's all lovely, but you can't design that anymore, you should do something more honest". Traditional architecture is inappropriate for our contemporary design challenges - the argument goes - because it is dishonest and does not adequately respect the materials and methods of modernity which are, admittedly, far superior to any other age in terms of brute potential.
So, the great pinnacle I find myself atop at this juncture in my education is that which attempts to synthesize the best of modern materials, methods, and sensibilities, with the timelessness and beauty represented by classical or traditional styles. I consider myself shamelessly eclectic in this way. I do agree with modernist thinking that we cannot adequately reestablish the Gothic tradition in 21st Century America - we are not peasants living under the same societal conditions of 12th-14th Century Europe. But, we can seek to reinvigorate architecture with principles borrowed from the Gothic (or whichever tradition you prefer).
Some may call this a sort of Revivalism, and it is at least partly true. When the last phase of Gothic Revival architecture hit this country, it saw the development of new, unique forms that would've been inconceivable during the High Gothic period of the Middle Ages. The Gothic style was reinvigorated - literally, given new life - in the US around the turn of the century. And its new life was utterly distinct from its old life.
If I were to design a building now - a Gothic church for instance - I would be subconsciously borrowing from theories of design espoused by people as diverse as Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Viollet-le-Duc, and numerous others. History has made them my teachers, for better or worse, and to ignore their influence on architecture does a disservice to design. I would much rather approach any project with a true sense of open-mindedness that puts the Vitruvian triad of beauty, utility, and durability at the heart and leaves a range of paths open to reach that lofty ideal.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a sense of pride among much of the 'classical architecture' establishment in this country. It is a certain species of pride that seems to say, "We were right all along." I do not identify with this point of view. Yes, I think Modernism went astray of beauty, but I do think there are things to be learned about architectural expression from Modernism. I think it will be my mission as a design professional to bridge that gap between architectural theories by being a-theoretical.
Like I said, it's been an intellectually fertile time for me.
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