Key Stylistic and Spatial Elements of Inigo Jones Interior - Essay Example

? Key Stylistic and Spatial Elements of Inigo Jones’ Interior of the Project Report Introduction Architecture in Germany has gone through various transformations and trends, whereby the major and most influential ones were experienced during the era of Inigo Jones. Jones was educated in an environment that made him learn new drawing techniques that did not exist in Germany of his time. Due to the diversity in the background of various architects, their outputs have a significant variance. This essay seeks to present an evaluation of Inigo Jones’ work by focusing on spatial elements of his masterpieces. The analysis will be supported by the use of relevant examples. Inigo Jones Inigo Jones was the first Briton architect who contributed immensely to the architectural history. In most of his architectural designs he employed rules of proportionality and symmetry. This enabled him to be unique among his fellow architects, as his work was outstanding and revolutionary. Examples of buildings that he designed and supervised include Whitehall and Banqueting House, which are very important in tracing the history of changing trends in architecture (Worsley & Jones, 2007; Gerbino, Johnston, University of Oxford., & Yale Center for British Art, 2009). His passion in architecture was motivated by tours he made traveling around Italy where he studied Ruins of Roman buildings and Andrea Palladio’s works that contributed immensely to his understanding of architecture (Fazio et al., 2003). Palladio Design Palladio architectural style was named after the architect who contributed greatly to Roman architecture. His designs were considered flexible for both the rich and middle classes, who could afford them. This ensured that he interacted with all the social classes while undertaking his assignments, an activity that made him more recognizable. To meet the demand of various clients from different social classes, the design sizes were changed and alternative materials used without variation of consumers’ satisfaction, which was important in gaining loyalty as well as attracting new clients. The houses could meet specific needs such as entertaining guests and giving the right impression to tenants (Gerbino 2009). For instance, the Loggia was spacious, hence, being used for performances, dining and holding talks. Loggia’s ground floor was used for activities such as food preparation, laundry and storage. The left and right sections of this house comprised of symmetrical rooms, which could be used for studying, and official activities, as the owner deemed appropriate. The rooms varied in sizes and shapes, while the main shapes were rectangular and square. The middle part of the house contained the main living space that could be used by house owners and guests. The Palladio design facilitated implementation of security measures by house owners. In this case, it provided a design that did not partition the open loggia from enclosed rooms, thereby making it inaccessible to unauthorized outsiders. There was a wall that kept off authorized intruders from accessing specific areas that were used for storage of small things in the house. Moreover, these areas included rooms that offered accommodation rooms to servants, among other professions. The remaining areas of the compound were utilized for gardens, fishponds and orchards (Fazio et al., 2003). In Palladio design, all design elements had to be considered and at the same time to ensure their proportionality; in fact, these design shapes were kept as simple as possible. This was aimed at reducing error margins in his work, thus enhancing efficiency and effectiveness. As such, the output was very precise and thus provided ultimate satisfactions to clients. In ensuring the shapes and symmetry are adhered to, the shape of the land, position of water channels and roads were dictated. Orientation of the building also determined interior design, especially positioning of various rooms that were used for various activities. For instance, the barns had to be designed to the south of the building, thereby ensuring that hay that was stored inside remained dry; natural factors such as the direction of wind, and the rain pattern determined the direction chosen. Spacing between two floors was eminent in Palladio design to ensure that the rooms fit the intended purposes without modifications (Markschies 2003). Palladio architecture differed from designs of other architects because other architects made use of standard series in their designs unlike his designs that led to the birth of both two and three dimension. During his stay in Italy, Jones got a strong command of proportions and forms, which were important aspects of design that he learnt from Palladio work. Through the basic knowledge obtained from Palladio, he was able to make inventions, which gave architecture a new image. Most of the work he initially undertook required a lot of refined detailing of the building designs that took time to produce (Anderson 2007). Architecture began to be a complex field, due to increased difficultly in determining the sizes of house proportions and best materials to be used, after the emphasis of precision were affected for professionals. It was similarly difficulty to establish the type of stairs to be used in a building and their location in order to ensure their efficiency. In order to deal with this challenge, Palladio decided to develop standards that could only be altered specific situations. The standards were to ensure that the works at the time were made of high quality, and enhance uniformity. Due to the diversity in the external factors such as soil, landscape and construction materials, it was necessary to do a lot of study to establish basic building standards that were helpful in designing other houses (Gerbino 2009). Jones’ Architecture Jones’ work in Whitehall was classical being contrary to the building style in England, which was known as Jacobean architecture (Anderson 2007). Despite this, the design strongly brought out Jones’ inspiration, which he had acquired from the Palladian architecture. In the design, he had incorporated courtyards plus the Banquet house. Jones designed flat roof with the use of balustrades along the roofline. He designed the three-floor house, of which the ground floor was to be used as a store, and this was accomplished through designing small sized windows for the ground floor space; banqueting space was designed in first floor, and it was characterized with a hall that was twice the height of a normal house. Windows in this floor were partitioned using ionic pilasters. Jones also designed the Bouquet House, and Nicholas Stone, whom Jones knew to be well knowledgeable with classical buildings, supervised it. The house was not meant to be similar to surrounding architecture, in bid to introduce new architectural designs. By 1698, when most of the buildings were destroyed in fire, the house still remained in place alongside a few others that had been designed by Jones (Gerbino 2009). In most of the designs by Jones, a hall was very key aspect since the designs were intended to fit many activities in the royal palace; for instance, Banquet house comprised of a hall that was not only used for parties, but also for royal ceremonies. Additionally, masques performances, which were the preferred form of entertainment in England, were held in the hall. Besides, designs were prepared using Palladio architectural standard and ideas with its symbols of peace and harmony, with the sole aim of passing the same idea to future generations of architects. The minstrel gallery that was used for admission of audience, who came to watch the king as he dined, was positioned on the second floor. The gallery was accessible through external stairs with no stairs inside, which ensured that strangers did not have access to the inside the house, without the use of specific routes, which required authorization. Before, the introduction of architect Jones in the industry, the English architecture was partially influenced by Italian design, but during Jones’ times, more changes were evident, though at quite a slower pace. Jones influence did not lead to complete replacement of domestic architecture although it influenced it largely. Jones’s input in architecture was limited to the royal homes making its spread to be slow in most parts of England, because much attention of the design was given to the external facade and the window design. Initially, Jones lacked confidence in his work and this was evident through his designs (Anderson 2007). His main inspiration was to focus on building decoration although at first he lacked precision, however with time; he was able to gain confidence in his work, which was evident after he traveled to Italy for the second time where he got many drawings. He was now more focused in ensuring proportionality and decoration confidently. His understanding of Palladio made him design houses whose decorative elements were well spaced and materials carefully selected. He had a clear understanding of the communication power in drawings’; for him, drawing was very essential and he even kept a record of his previous works (Anderson 2007). The previous works were useful in making reference which making new houses as well as developing new designs. Due to his outstanding work, architects in England borrowed Jones’s ideas and many of the houses were designed in reference to his Banquet design, although their competences varied (Hart 2011). This is mainly because, despite using the same strategy in undertaking an activity, the personal input varied greatly due to diversity in personalities. Jones’s success throughout his architectural career collapsed when the monarchy rule ended in the mid-seventeenth century, as most of revolutionary works was seen only within the royal home. As such, he was only left with the option of venturing into the commercial field targeting all the social levels, but with focus on the middle class and the rich strata of society. Later the famous palace designed by Jones was destroyed by fire, which made the house unusable for its intended purpose; the hall was transformed into a chapel and later used as a museum. Jones’s designs matched social and economic status of his clients, whereby these houses were characterized by large vaults, facades with stone piers and pilasters made of rusticated Doric. For the middle class, the pilasters were made of bricks and the basements used carved stones. In the exteriors, orchestrated windows, pediments and arcades were used for decorations that appealed to the eyes. People with less wealth were able to enjoy the decoration of their houses without using expensive stone (Markschies 2003). The Queen's House This building was erected on the ground of Greenwich palace and has been an outstanding structure and a landmark in the area. During its construction it was meant to be a hunting lodge, though it has been used for different purposes. The building has two blocks, each on every side of the road, which are connected by a bridge at the first floor; the bridge is made across a public road. Truly, a reflection of Palladian work, the fades are multilateral with a dominant projecting portion. The walls are plain with the floor being rusticated, while the steps are curved leading towards the spacious main house, which is designed to handle a variety of activities. Additionally, the internal staircases are made in compliance with Palladian design, an indication of how his work influenced the architectural field. Conclusion The background determines Jones’s way of undertaking various assignments bestowed to him. In this regard, after having been to Italy and learnt about the architectural work in the country, Jones went back to England and did his work differently from that of previous architects. The incorporation of halls was evident in a number of his works as the buildings were intended to hold different activities, which would bring together lots of people. To him proportionality was an important aspect of architecture and when integrated with his creativity brought out outstanding results. Through his works, he was able to influence the English architectural style greatly, though the pace of changes influenced by new ideas was low as he mainly dealt with loyal families. With the new shape of architecture in England, architects could use the single drawing schemes to come up with many design ideas, which depended on person’s creativity. From Jones’s work, it was evident that drawing details could only be used in specific drawings, but had to be altered for them to apply in other types of design. References Anderson, C. (2007). Inigo Jones and the classical tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Fazio et al. (2003). A world history of architecture. London: Laurence King Publishing. Gerbino, A., Johnston, S., University of Oxford., & Yale Center for British Art. (2009). Compass and rule: Architecture as mathematical practice in England, 1500-1750. New Haven [Conn]: Yale University Press. Hart, V. (2011). Inigo Jones: The Architect of Kings. New Haven: Yale University Press. Markschies, A. (2003). Icons of Renaissance architecture. Munich: Prestel. Worsley, G., & Jones, I. (2007). Inigo Jones and the European classicist tradition. New Haven [Conn]: Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. Read More