In his article, Multiplicitous and Inorganic Bodies, Lynn tackles the relevance of understanding the principles of proportional geometry. By incorporating this principles on architectural designs, architects can achieve harmony which results to a natural, well-crafted work (Lynn, 1992). As a professor of architecture, Lynn is thoroughly concerned with the spatial bodies of inanimate objects he refers to as ‘organisms’. Lynn argues that in order to better understand any object, destroying it would be the first option. Similarly, biological sciences attempt to study the vital functions of the organs through live dissection and open surgery. In architecture, creating a plan is also a simple way of dissecting a building; with the inclusion of the design, step-by-step plan of building different sections. As Lynn also suggested, planning reduces the amount of time consumed by re-working and destroying certain parts which might not be useful at all. In accordance with the design, elements of geometry and accurate measurements are necessary in order to obtain a desirable effect. The Statue of Liberty located in New York is one good example made by Lynn that incorporates the modern yet classical aesthetic forms of design. In his article, Lynn focused in dissecting the Statue’s body and interpreting them through geometrical shapes. He illustrated the inside of the statue by a continuous, repetitive and geometrical shapes composed of rectangles, squares and triangles. Equally proportional in height, weight as well as in terms of physique, the Statue of Liberty is the avant-garde of the sculptures made in the late 19th century. Its proportion and accurate construction made it withstand the passing of time. Living organisms can be also deconstructed and bound by its own geometric exactitude; and organisms are reducible and repeatable (Lynn, 1992). He also noted of the Colossal architecture, which is acceptable in terms of art. However, although this type of architecture pleases the eye, it surely precedes and resists the geometrical exactitude. Despite its singularity as a sculpture, the Statue of Liberty in New York is a multiplicitous assembly of contingent and compliant substances results from an internal resistance to any single power, form or type (Lynn, 1992).
The first introduction of his article begins with the classification of the spatial bodies. Lynn conducted his studies with the villas made in the Palladian style in Italy. He points out the difference between mathematical and harmonic proportions of an object. Although mathematics is the language of Architecture, what distinguishes harmonic proportion from mathematical measurements is the value granted to specific ratios based on the symmetrical unity of all parts to a whole (Lynn, 1992). Inorganic bodies refer to the buildings and other man-made things whilst organic organisms are those naturally occurring in nature. In this article, Lynn points out that geometry is an essential part of architecture. Proportionality in a work can be determined if both sides of the figure is exact and physically equal. Quite a tedious work as Lynn constantly notes, maintaining proportionality is a gruesome task and requires a lot of patience and calculation.
Moreover, Lynn defines avant-garde as the highest work of modernism (Lynn, 1992). Avant-garde is the term for high style mostly linked with the figures featuring with class such as the Renaissance sculptures and architectural styles. Likewise, Lynn’s idea of avant-garde is closely linked to the so-called modernism propaganda which breaks the traditional style of building design. Instead of using the typical pencil designing technique, building designs can be made using the Autocad. In his article entitled, Design in the Digital Age written in the fall of 2005, Greg points out the recent advancements in architecture such as the Autocad, a computer programme that allows architects to manipulate the object and their design. One advantage of using this software is that architects and engineers can review the finished product on the latter part of the designing stage.
Additionally, Lynn became one of the leading editors of Architectural Design, a magazine solely created as a result of the emerging style in the modern architecture industry (Lynn, 2005). Lynn’s background in architecture and being an educator in the university and with a passionate fancy on computer aided graphics, many experts consider him as the man behind the Autocad movement. One of his many contributory articles such as Architectural Curvilinearity he argues the emergence of many different computer programs designed to make the architects’ task more convenient. Because Architecture is a continuously evolving business, the urgency of using these new machines makes the planning and designing stage more accurate. For the designing phase, architects can manipulate the program in shaping their buildings into whatever shapes they want through the use of geometrical shapes installed in the program. Manipulation is continuous and is an integral part of the design phase. Architects can accurately see the progress of their building work through the stages of their project presented in a colorful plates (Lynn, 2005). Computer aided measurements are more convenient than the traditional forms of designing. As Lynn notes in his essay, it was a remarkable feat in revolutionizing the architectural realm with such high-tech machines that makes the architects’ lives easier; thus allowing them to become more productive and produce high quality works (Lynn, 1992). Being smooth might be a continuous or developmental variation. Curvilinearity in architecture describes the involvement of outside forces in the developmental stage of the project. Internal stability is controlled by the viscous fluids which is executed in equal versus the outside forces coming exerted. Likewise, curvilinearity defines pliancy or the ability of the object to become pliant or bendable against the external forces that might cause it to break. Contemporary architecture utilizes the principles of pliancy in creating new buildings that are earthquake resistant. Architects nowadays now prefer a much simpler design of buildings composed of spatial and inorganic objects to achieve a balance whilst maintaining the modernist approach (Horwitz and Singley, 2004).
Greg Lynn, an architecture genius known for his numerous contributions in the field of architecture still contributes his knowledge and expertise to those people who are still newbies in the architecture field. His work and articles are still studied by many professionals and students worldwide.
References
Horwitz, Jamie, and Paulette Singley. Eating Architecture. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004. Print.
Lynn, Greg. 'Design In the Digital Age"'. National Design Journal 1.2 (2005): n. pag. Print.
Lynn, Greg. 'Multiplicitous and Inorganic Bodies'. Assemblage 19 (1992): 32. Web.
