theories reading

1. BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
(ARC61303)
SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (AUGUST 2018)
Name: SARAH BINTI MOHAMED ESA ID No.: 0324805
Lecturer: MR PRINCE Tutorial Time:
Reader/Text Title: COMPLEXITY AND CONTRADICTION IN ARCHITECTURE Synopsis No: 2
Author: ROBERT VENTURI
At the beginning of the article, the author speaks about his liking towards the complexity and the
contradiction in architecture based on the richness and ambiguity of modern experience
including those that exists in art. The article talks about the author’s point of view and several
arguments about the complexity and contradiction in the modern architecture.
There were several issues that the author has pointed out in regards to how the character of
being vibrant yet logic that were being implemented in architecture designs have been avoided
by most modern architects caused by the increasing of the quantity, complexity and difficulties
that they need to solve. This leads towards architects perceiving the phrase “less is more” in a
way for them to solve a problem as how it should be solved rather than thinking of which
problem they would solve. In my opinion, I feel that the phrase “less is more” can only be
appreciated by architects rather than the people, thus “less is bore” as mentioned by Robert
Venturi, is the phrase that might use by normal people towards architecture in the modern era.
Buildings are made for the people to experience it and not just architects. People want to see
and experience something interesting and meaningful in a way that they are able to appreciate
architecture. In the article, the author has pointed out that an architecture which includes varying
levels of meaning breeds ambiguity and tension which then reflects the complexity and
contradictions of content and meaning. Through several examples that the author has
mentioned, he has proved that double meanings exist in the phenomenon both-and can involve
in the metamorphosis as well as contradiction where in ambiguous relationships, one
contradictory meaning usually dominates another, but the relationship is not always constant in
complex composition.
In conclusion, I believe in whatever Robert Venturi has stated about his opinions and
argumentation on the way architects in the modern era tend to restrict themselves to think of a
way to design a building by avoiding any complexity rather than to think outside the box and
solve the complexity that comes with it. Because of this, I believe that that’s the reason to why
most of the modern buildings all seem monotonous and boring to the eye of the non-architects.
Word Count: 390 Mark Grade
Assessed by: Date Page No. 2