Context

Why is context important in terms of the architectural examples?

Context plays an integral role of importance in architectural examples. For example, it can be seen in falling water where the surroundings make it feel as if the building belongs to the landscape. All contributing factors to context influence the architectural design and vice versa. They are reliant upon each other; a building cannot be designed without a context and context with no building is just a piece of land.

In our architectural model of the Market-rate housing in Brooklyn, the context plays a very important role in its design. It influences the style of design, the setting in time as well as the people that use the space. Our specific structure is set in the year 2000 in Green Point, Brooklyn. There has been an increase in rent in the area, thus people are leaving for cheaper areas, and those who cannot afford the increase of rent are forced to live on the streets becoming homeless. The increase of rent also leads to an increase of crime in the area and our setting has become that of a low class society living in the slums of Brooklyn.

In the example of Falling water by Frank Lloyd Wright, he shows us the importance of context in the design of his building. He blends the building into the context by using organic architecture. He does this by making the stream heard throughout the whole house, specified the walls be made with locally quarried stones and the use of cantilevered terraces which resemble the surrounding rock formations. Falling water is an excellent example of the importance of context and shows us how much the context can influence our design.