Beauty and Ugliness in Architecture 2024
The last Beauty and Ugliness in Architecture conference was held the 4th and 5th of May, 2024. Its aim was to highlight the revival of classical and traditional architecture, with first class lectures from leading speakers on classical and traditional architecture, pre-modern urban design, craftsmanship, restoration and preservation of beautiful buildings. All lectures were recorded and have been listed here, following our four topics:
Ornaments
Prof. Brandon Ro: Beauty and the Brain—Role of Ornament in Architecture
This presentation endeavors to dismantle the myth propagated by Adolf Loos that ornament is a criminal element in architecture. By diving into various related concepts, we aim to reveal the significant role ornamentation plays in architectural design. Our exploration will encompass an examination of the aesthetic impact of beauty on the human brain by probing into the realm of fractals and their captivating properties. As fractals exhibit measurable dimensions and qualities that attract human cognition on conscious and unconscious levels, we contemplate whether similar effects arise from viewing architectural patterns and ornamentation that can potentially reduce stress and improve health. Investigating how the human brain—particularly in its pre-attentive phase of vision—responds to architectural details, we draw the conclusion that the aesthetic experience of beauty enriches cognitive processes. Contrary to the notion that “less is more,” we assert that ornamentation holds inherent value that is intertwined with mathematical proportions, geometries, and fractal patterns. As a result, we challenge the notion that employing ornamentation in architecture constitutes a crime. Instead, ornament plays a critical role in the aesthetic experience of beauty and can have positive effects on human health and well-being.
Taran Grønlie: Beauty on the Inside
The establishment of the middle class is the precursor to the form of living we have today. If the development of the history of privacy is to be summed up, it is about making it comfortable at home. With the establishment of the middle class (in europe 1750 and Norway a century later), came the demand and production of interior products as we know them today. The establishment of the home became a safe fan. I will take us on a journey through various homes, in the time from the establishment of the middle class until our time. It is claimed that modernism has moved in and replaced our soul: That we follow the laws and rules of modernism, including in our private lives and inside our homes. In the lecture we will find out if this is actually the case.
Christiania Drawing School, by Kristian Hoff Andersen
From the very beginning of the Christiania Drawing school, in 1818, the courses on how to draw ornaments had a central role in the curriculum. In the first year, the students were making drawings of copper engravings and plaster sculptures. In the second year, the students practiced free-hand drawing, even of living models. In the final year, students made drawings of sculptures, classical orders of the pillars, and architectural ornaments. Both students of architecture and handicraft had obligatory and extensive training on how to draw ornaments. In this lecture we will have a look inside the teaching practices of ornaments at this school - of a long forgotten past, through the fragments of documentation of the teaching practices and some surviving examples of the students' own work.
Dr. Truls Walther Aslaksby: Facades and Decoration, Kristiania 1840 - 1920
Because of fire-preventing building regulations, 19. century Oslo architecture was built in brick and plastered. From the 1830s, traditional mason’s techniques were augmented by ready-made architectural ornaments. These were made by terracotta and were, in line with the empire style, few and sparsely used, and restricted to monumental public buildings. Then from the 1840s on, ornaments made of gypsum became steadily more used. This material will not stand exposition to rain, so it was mainly used under cornices and other protruding elements. After 1900 the use of gypsum was regarded as unethical – fake – and discarded in favor of traditional mason’s techniques. The texture of outer walls was in itself treated as an ornament, as well as the interplay of volumes, small crossbars in windows, etc., until all sorts of facade ornaments were banned by functionalist theory and practice.
Classical Architecture
Professor James Stevens Curl: The Necessity of Classicism—A Rich and Varied Language
The term ‘Classical’ implies something of the first rank, highest class, order, authority, or importance, a standard, or a model. It is therefore exemplary, characterised by clarity, completeness, symmetry, deceptive simplicity, repose, harmonious proportions, and is associated with civilised life, perfection, taste, and serenity. The ‘Classical Language of Architecture’ is not a free-for-all in which elements are arbitrarily thrown together: it is a highly sophisticated, adaptable system, and suggests something coherent, not meaningless, with all sorts of allusions, capable of enormous ranges of expression (like the spoken language of a culture). Modernism, however, has discarded a great language, a mighty and expansive vocabulary, and a whole system of grammar and syntax, in favour of a series of monosyllabic grunts, with the predicatable making of a ghastly Dystopia of uninhabitable cities: so, without an alphabet (only a few images of approved exemplars), a vocabulary, or a language, Modernism only represents itself and Barbarism.
Prof. Branko Mitrovic: Architectural Principles in the Age of Fraud
The talk presents the book Architectural Principles in the Age of Fraud published by Oro Books in 2022. The book is a study of the abuse of obfuscation, pseudo-philosophical jargon and the incompetent philosophical posturing by modernist architects in order to defend their work. It systematically surveys a series of obfuscatory strategies that have been used by the architecture profession in order to deflect criticism for the visual-aesthetic failure of modernism. The book shows how apparently diverse trends in architectural theory (phenomenology, deconstruction, digital theories) all use the same obfuscatory techniques and with the same aim—to suppress visual-aesthetic concerns that the modernist-trained architecture profession is not able to respond to.
Robert Patzschke: New Classical Architecture in Germany
Patzschke Architects was founded in the late 1960s by Robert’s father and uncle Rüdiger and Jürgen Patzschke. In 2019 the company celebrated its 50s anniversay. From the 1990s PAT has evolved into a strong promoter of contemporary classical and traditional architecture. In Germany the firm is seen as the early protagonist in this field. The design and construction of the Kempinski Grand Hotel Adlon in the historical centre of Berlin, which was completed in 1997, set in montion a huge debate on architecture in Germany.
Sigurd Randby: The Royal Art Gallery in 2023
Sigurd will present on the classical design studio at NTNU, which marks the first Norwegian studio of classical design in a century—a course he initiated alongside Jacques Dhainaut and Professor Branko Mitrovic. He will offer insights into the transition from «modern» to traditional design, using their project «Trondheim Royal Art Gallery» as example.
Karl Fredrik Honningsvåg: Architectural Watercolour Rendering on the Drawings of New Large Classical Buildings
Architectural water painting and colouring is an art form that has long been lost among Norwegian architects - for a very long time. In the talk he will present an alternative proposal for the National Museum in Oslo - that shows how classical principles and classical practices deployed to large scale museum buildings could be done in our time. He will also show how the detailed architectural drawings can be given life, realism and depth by using architectural watercolor rendering.
Prof. Brandon R. Ro: Classical Drawing Tutorial
Assistant Professor Brandon R. Ro, AIA, NCARB, ICAA is an award-winning architect, researcher, and educator. His projects have received awards from the U.S. Green Building Council, American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association, and Walt Disney Imagineering among others. As the co-founder of Utah Valley University’s new professional degree in architecture, he has been instrumental in developing new curricula rooted in the classical tradition. Ro teaches design studios as well as architectural history and theory.
Non-Modernist Urbanism
Prof. Nikos Salingaros: Non-Modernist Principles of Urban Planning—The Scientific Approach
With the increasing urbanization of the planet, it is essential to use science to plan the human habitat. Lessons from traditional settlements define evolved elements of architecture and urbanism that have adapted to human biology. Those are verified by the latest diagnostic techniques using eye tracking and neuroscience. But Modernism implemented a strange ideology with inhuman typologies that the architecture-industrial complex forced users to adapt to. This effort continues the worst sort of massive social engineering trying to reshape humans into mindless machines. Researchers argue that the modernist built environment is generating enormous amounts of stress and long-term pathologies.
Dr. Nir Haim Buras: The Art of Classic Planning
Classic Planning is how we build cities before planning ruins them. It is a holistic method based on the idea of the unity of truth, goodness, and beauty. It is expressed in terminology of the Built environment as, “firmness, commodity, and delight“. In contemporary language, this means durability, adaptive, reuse, and an experience of beauty. Since most of what we see, standing in city streets is buildings, obviously, Architecture is of primary importance in Urbanism and to get a suitable aesthetic experience, it has to follow the classical proportions. Also significant is that manual construction contributes greatly to the well-being of passersby in that it satisfies the brains 50% commitment to manual dexterity. Most fun to contemplate and most difficult to address is the fact that cars, vehicles and even bicycles are perceived by the brain as large animals perhaps most significant is that, due to the fact that memory is locational, place making is memory making.
Jan Inge Lindeberg: Planning Norwegian Urban Fabric—Small town Coastal Architecture
Risørholmen - where 86 new family homes are built in an architectural dialect that communicates in scale and form, both with the old wooden town center and our modern lifestyle: a practical , light functionality that supplement the old town, enjoys the proximity to its commercial and cultural arenas and have the harbour, the sea and the horizon as a daily treat! But the project did not start like this . Risørholmen has been a long journey where many concepts by renown architects failed - before finally the key to solve to problem were found: Simply «More Risør!!» - meaning for this old coastal wooden town; only a friendly approach worked - to carve out the architectural style.
Michael Diamant: Caring About the Climate
The lecture will explore why traditional architecture and city planning is the solution to our modern social, ecologic and economic problems. How beauty can decentralize our countries and help small cities, while combating increase in CO2 emissions and foster local patriotism.
Justin Shubow: Ordinary people’s Aesthetic Preferences in Architecture
What are ordinary people’s aesthetic preferences in architecture, especially public architecture? This is a longstanding question that only a few have endeavored to empirically answer. In 2020, the National Civic Art Society undertook a survey of 2,000 American adults conducted by The Harris Poll of "Americans’ Preferred Architecture for Federal Buildings." The poll found that 72% of Americans prefer classical and traditional design, and there were widespread majorities across all demographic groups, including political party affiliation, socioeconomic status, gender, and race. This talk will discuss empirical studies of public preferences in architecture, with special focus on the NCAS survey. What explains the studies’ results? The talk will include a discussion of the response to such studies, including the response from architects and critics who are members of the architectural establishment. Does the establishment question the results or push back on them? The talk will also address political implications of the studies.
Nathan Andrews: Let’s Build a Beautiful Arctic City
In a land of heavy snow, dark winters, and unforgiving weather, good urban design is essential for not only the wellbeing of residents, but the functioning of cities. Where traditional approaches met these conditions, modern developments do not. In this talk we will explore the unique aspects of planning a city in the Norwegian arctic, the ways modern developments fail, and how we could build a beautiful arctic city.
Arne Sødal: Planning Norwegian Urban Fabric - Case Risørholmen
Risørholmen - where 86 new family homes are built in an architectural dialect that communicates in scale and form, both with the old wooden town center and our modern lifestyle: a practical , light functionality that supplement the old town, enjoys the proximity to its commercial and cultural arenas and have the harbour, the sea and the horizon as a daily treat! But the project did not start like this . Risørholmen has been a long journey where many concepts by renown architects failed - before finally the key to solve to problem were found: Simply «More Risør!!» - meaning for this old coastal wooden town; only a friendly approach worked - to carve out the architectural style.
Traditional Architecture
Dr. Jens Christian Eldal: The Picturesque—19th Century Aesthetics and Wooden Architecture
Eldal has written a number of articles, mainly about Norwegian architecture in the 19th century. Author of several books and numerous articles about historical architecture, mainly of the 19th century. Co-editor of the Norwegian Dictionary of artists and architects (Norsk kunstnerleksikon), vol 1-4, Oslo 1982-1986. Latest publication: "Sveitserstil? Den internasjonale historismens mangfoldige trearkitektur" , Oslo: Pax forlag, 2019, about the international picturesque wooden architecture of the 19th century.
Anne Louise Gjør: How to use Older Decoration Patterns in a New Interior
The lecture will be based on the restoration of our old houses. It is actually possible to preserve old and peeling decor and we show several examples of how this could be the best solution. The field of decorative painting is about man's timeless need to surround himself with decorations. This need is naturally inside us. Decorative painting is therefore not necessarily dependent on having to recreate the decor of earlier times, but that even today one has the freedom to think new things, use old patterns in new forms, and create new decor that feels natural for our time. By using history as inspiration, and with our own ideas, we have great opportunities to beautify our buildings.
Eskild Narum Bakken: Contemporary, Vernacular and Classical Architecture
Traditional styles in architecture are alive and well, they commonly represent aesthetic patterns corresponding to human biology and psychology. Timeless styles have one common denominator: Beauty. A beautiful environment is a basic human need, it will never go out of style. This lecture presents examples of traditional styles in contemporary environments, demonstrating how they can be adapted to recent requirements and kept alive.
Olav Anders Bjerve: The Peculiar Dragon Style Architecture
The dragon style was an attempt to revive the old Nordic animal ornamentation, often mixed with Romanesque vines. The style arose out of the romantic enthusiasm for the past that arose in Norway in the second half of the 19th century as well as a desire for an independent Norwegian culture after 400 years under Danish rule and a celebration of liberation from Danish rule! In the middle of Oslo there was a majestic restaurant - called Hasselbakken, in this peculiar and rare style. The building burned down in 1936, and now after over 80 years - we want to rebuild it!
Olav Anders Bjerve: Sustainable Production of Timer
Forestry has provided the foundations for human life and materials for thousands of years. Some of the most beautiful pieces of architecture are made of wood. The forests produce oxygen and store carbon dioxide, and are thus an important piece in the puzzle to solve the climate challenges. In the recent decade there has been considerable focus in the Nordic countries on designing modernist large-scale buildings, even skyscrapers in wood. But is it really sustainable? Modern forestry is performed with extensive use of machines and the timber is mostly transported with large trucks. How can we assure that timber is used in a sustainable way in our built environment but also ensure that the extraction of timber from the wood is done with minimal carbon emission? A way to solve this could be to have a short look into our near past - in order to look at the history of timber extraction.
Pablo Alvarez Funes: Spain, Norway and the Classic Planning Institute
Funes founded the Spanish Chapter of INTBAU (International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism) in 2012, reflecting his commitment to promoting traditional architectural practices. At CPI, he is involved in teaching and managing complex projects, contributing to the institute's mission of advocating for classical planning and urban design (CPI) (CPI).
As we again turn to classical traditions in European architecture, we are confronted with the nature of our own contemporary culture and how that might be aligned, non-aligned, or just irrelevant for architecture. In that context Japanese architecture may provide a surprising contemporary backdoor into ancient as well as pre-Christian Nordic culture, and also help overcome European dogmatism.
Bruno Perenha de Silva: Brazil’s Architectural Heritage
Brazil's architectural legacy extends far beyond the works of Oscar Niemeyer and the modernist Brasilia. Over the past five centuries, Brazil has embraced a diverse range of architectural styles, including Renaissance, Colonial Portuguese, Baroque, Rococo, Revivals, and Eclecticism, enriched by visionary architects like Ramos de Azevedo, Zanine Caldas and Marcos Tomanik. Furthermore, Brazilian architecture has developed techniques refined over centuries through trial and error, deeply influenced by the country's unique culture, climate, and geography. Understanding these aspects is key for contemporary architects designing spaces that fit a humane and appropriate environment.