Essay Example in Architecture: Court of Honor

The court of honor can be described as an impressive Franco-British place of grandeur that was designed by Imre Kiralfy. It is known as the largest exhibition in Britain as it occupies 140 acres in west Londons Shepherd Bush. The area it occupies is branded as the White City. This is because of the white plaster on its structure. An artificial lake is enclosed by the Court of Honor. An ornate bridge crosses it in the middle. In the water, small gazebos are seen protruding, octagonal and with a topped dome. Oriental architecture is noted on the bridge and gazebos. Everything in the Court of Honor was built in a neoclassical style.

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The paper aims to review the Court of Honor and the urban issues challenging us in relation with the above topic. The paper will also involve answering the papers questions and giving a brief summary of contemporary issues that are affecting society.

About the Court of Honor

This exhibition is unique and it has an apolitical setting. Two countries, Britain and France, for the first time in history, had mutually sponsored the international exhibition. This mutual collaboration was viewed as having different motives. Some believed that it meant good will; others thought it was a sign for the London-based tension to end, while others thought it affirmed the imperial stature of Britain.

Many have disparaged the use of the Oriental architecture in the Court of Honor. It is said to have been displaying Britain as a powerful empire because it conquered India, thus the use of the Oriental style. It is therefore ironic, that in commemorating Britains friendship with France, they deliberately used the Oriental architecture to contend with the imperialism of the French.

What are the Urban Issues Challenging Us Today?

A city without buildings and architecture seems impossible. Architectural designs are displayed all over the different cities around the world. In todays modern world, the architectural buildings have failed to co-exist peacefully with nature or human goings-on. This case however, was not witnessed during the pre-modern times. As we have noted above, the Court of Honor surrounded a lake; this means that the architectural building integrated peacefully with nature.

Is respect for natures systems part of human nature?

According to Thomas Heyd, nature loses its indispensable character and its value when it becomes altered by humans. Between nature and humans, a strong theoretical separation exists. Nature is nowadays considered as non-human.

Can we still see ideas of nationalism in physical environments?

In this modern ere, nationalism is often coined as the resistance between nurture and nature. The idea of nationalism is still seen in physical environments. An example of this is the neo-classical buildings that exist in Brazil, Finland, Romania, Russia and Taiwan. These buildings architecture have often led to the connection of nationhood.

Are our national parks still important to us?

National parks are still important to their respective countries. They help a country to promote its nationalism. National parks help protect a countrys natural heritage. The conservation of nature acts as an icon of national pride. National parks also boost up the tourism of a country. The tourists visit these places because they are unique and humans should learn to take of the national parks.

Do we still see international influences in designs in the U.S.?

Designs in the United States are still influenced by international architecture. The most prevalent type of architecture seen in the modern era is Greek-inspired. Houses, buildings, and monuments in the U.S. have borrowed this idea. It is now known as the Modern Greek Architecture. The materials used for construction by the Greeks in the pre-modern era included: metals, terracotta, wood, limestone, marble and, unbaked bricks. These materials are still used nowadays by contractors in homes, religion buildings, and even political buildings

The Greek architecture is dived into three styles. They are the Doric mode of architecture, which is the most commonly used architecture around the world. The second style is the Ionic order, which is more elegant and intricate than the Doric style, and, thirdly, the Corinthian style of architecture. Some of the buildings in the U.S. with the Greek style of architecture include the White House in Washington, D.C; the Norway Oslo Trading Building and the Dougherty County Chamber of Commerce in Georgia just to name a few.

Summary

Architecture is an important part of our different cultures. It plays a big role in representing the various designs of different countries. Some of the countries, like Greece have very unique architectural styles. Architecture can have an impact on economic and social development. It also helps us to connect with the past. It can also be used to express the values of a country. Tourists also visit countries where exquisite architectural buildings can be found. This boosts the economy of the country and makes it a recognizable place of touring.

We as humans should learn how to co-exist peacefully with nature. We must learn to distinguish between human domination of the natural world and human involvement with the natural world. We should learn to use nature with respect in a way that it will benefit from our interaction with it.

However, not all things are positive on the architectural side. A number of architectural buildings have received negative appraisals by the community. Some have even been termed as dreary looking. Other buildings have aggressively offensive architecture, while others desecrate their original representation. Others have just been built for attention purposes.

Contemporary issues that affect society

The society is affected by a number of issues including: 1) urbanization many people are leaving the countryside to move to the towns where there are architectural buildings. This means that more houses are developed to support the budding population therefore destroying more nature to achieve this. It leads to habitat destruction. 2) Pollution the more buildings erected, the more the environment is polluted. 3) Species extinction habitat destruction often leads to loss of wildlife as more space is used up to sustain the population. 4) Crime- the more urbanized a place becomes; the more criminal activities are carried out. Especially in big luxurious malls, criminal activities like terrorism are carried out. 5) Unemployment opportunities with everyone relocating to the cities, employment rates keep diminishing further and further. 6) Overcrowding- this causes the standard living of the population to go down.

Conclusion

Architecture, like any other thing, has its advantages and disadvantages. However the advantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages. Architecture also provides a living for the architects.

Bibliography

Chiles, Katie. 'The Court Of Honor A Treasury of World's Fair Art & Architecture'. Hdl.handle.net. N.p., 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.

Samiei, Kaveh, 2013. Architecture and Urban Ecosystems: From Segregation to Integration. The Nature of Cities

Thomas. Heyd, ed., Recognizing the Autonomy of Nature, Columbia Univ. Press, 2005

Bliangas, Jonathan., 2011 Ancient Greek to Modern Architecture with Greek Influence GreekGateway.com 2015