1. EXPERIENCING ARCHITECTURE Steen Eiler Rasmussen
Hello everyone, in my presentation I will talk about the architect Steen Eiler Rasmussen and his important book «Experiencing Architecture».
ARCH 222
ZEYNEP AZBOY

2. Steen Eiler Rasmussen Born in 9 January 1898 Denmark
Died in 19 June 1990
Danish Architect, urban planner
Rasmussen was a Danish architect and urban planner who born in 1898 and dien in He was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. This Academy teaches and conducts research on the subjects of painting, sculpting, architecture, graphics, photography, and video and in the history of those subjects. He was also made a Royal Designer for Industry by the British Royal Society of Arts in 1947.

3. Its initial puplication in 1959.
Steen Rasmussen's book «Experiencing Architecture» presents some things to look for in architecture. This is a very early instance of a popular book which focusing on how we experience architecture rather than the thing or object itself. The intent is to present some of the basic elements of architecture that may make looking at buildings a little more interesting. The intent is not to learn how to identify "good" architecture and "bad" architecture, but to try to acquaint people with some of the elements of architecture. Rasmussen breaks his book up into sections to contribute to the experience of architecture. They are; Basic Observations, Solids and Cavities in Architeture, Constrasting Effects of Solid and Cavities, Architecture Experienced as Color Planes, Scale and Proporiton, Rhythm in Architecture, Textural Effects, Daylight in Architecture, Color in Architecture and Hearing Architecture. I will mention some of them in this presentation.

4. Basic Observation Palazzo Punta Diamanti in Rome.
Rasmussen says that «It is not enough to see architecture; you must experience it. You must observe how it was designed for a special purpose,…, You must be aware of the textural effects…» When we look at English bridge at the beginning of the 19th century, it was an example of a structure with «soft» form, however we can take the Palazzo Punta as a building with a typically «hard» form. Form can also give an impression of heaviness and lightness. While the walls built of large stones as Palazzo Punta appears heavy to us, a smooth wall seems light.
An English bridge of the great canal-building, period at the beginning of the 19th century. Example of a «soft» form made of brick.
Palazzo Punta Diamanti in Rome.
A building with a typically «hard» form

5. Solids and Cavities in Architeture
Rasmussen says that solid is about forms and cavity is about spaces. Some architects might start designing by giving form to the material and according the their conception, building material is the medium of architecture, or other architects can work with the empty space -the cavity- between the solids and consider the forming of this space as the real meaning of architecture. Examples discussed include the solid constructed elements of the gothic cathedral and the cavities of the cave temples in India.
Beauvais Cathedral
Cave temple at Carli, India

6. Architecture Experienced as Color Planes
Not everything is experienced as either mass or void. Colors can give an appearance of either weight or lightness to a building. For instance, although the walls of Palazzo Ducale are massive and heavy above, it seems light because it is faced with rose-colored and white marble in a large pattern.
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
1923

7. Scale and Proportion
In the Chapter IV, Rasmussen talks about Leonardo da Vinci’s ideal man and the Le Modular which is a proportion study by Le Corbusier. The first picture is da Vinci’s work. The man’s navel marks the center, with hands outstreched he can reach the circle’s periphery. Like da Vinci, Corbusier also based on his work according to height from to man’s navel and has gone much further in his cultivation of the golden ratio. Second picture is Corbusier’s work. The man is 183 cm tall and with raised arm 226 cm. This height has great importance in architecture. In this diagram, he has shown how the various mesaruments from man’s height down, can be employed for different purposes and functions such as high desk or platform, table or various seat heights.

8. Rhythm in Architecture
In chapter 6, Rasmussen explains how rhythm creates sense a mystery. Windows can be repeated over and over again along astructure. This is very common urban attribute found within many different cities. Rasmussen picks 3 structures in Rome, Venice and London to compare window repetitions. Rome’s windows are simple but the precision of the proportion creates that balanced rhythm. In Venice, you find differet window rhythm repeated again and again. The coupled windows belong to different rooms. In London, there are three bays with an entrance door, making a more complex rhythm. This rhythm is related to a waltz measure of one, two, three, one, two, three. All three of window examples are metrical rhythm.
Detail of Quirinal Palace
Rome
Fondamenta di Canonica
Venice
Row Houses
London

9. Textural Effects Baskets from the Cherokee Reservation
Rasmussen thinks that material should always be kept in their natural function. He says that «even the noblest materials lose their caharacter when employed without skill and understanding». Materials needs to be carefully made and placed on the structure. This will enhance the quality of the experience.
Baskets from the Cherokee Reservation
Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso, New Mexico, forming her fine pottery.

10. Daylight in Architecture
Daylight gives form to our experience of surfaces. Spaces without uniform lighting which results in shadows are often more interesting than uniformly lit spaces. The changing light can be modulated by the use of shutters/shades to create different effects at different times of day. These devices are important with respect to the quality of light rather than the quantity of light. As an example, Vermeer worked with natural lights in his paintings, in this paintings you very often look from one room into another and one light to another. The light in each is very distict so that there are no ambiguous zones in his picture.
Pieter de Hooch
Jan Vermeer

11. Thank you for your attention…
Zeynep Azboy
In this presentation, I summarized almost all topics in the book. I hope you would have more ideas about the experiencing architecture. Thank you for your attention…