Book in Focus: Narrative Architecture by Nigel Coates
The book “Narrative
Architecture” by Nigel Coates is the first
book to directly address architectural storytelling. The development of
narrative architecture results from an introspective examination of the
client's goals and passions, the building's purpose or program, the site
environment, and frequently its historical significance. The richness of the
experience is created by condensing the information into a straightforward
topic before developing it into a comprehensive narrative.
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About the
author- Nigel
Coates is an educator, an architect, and a designer. In 1983, he and eight
former classmates established the NATO organization. He founded Branson Coates
Architecture in 1985 with Doug Branson, and the two collaborated on several
construction projects in Japan and the UK. He has created furniture and
products for Hitch Mylius, Alessi, Fornasetti, and Slamp. He is a prolific
designer. The V&A collection includes his furniture pieces as well as
sketches. He has written many publications, including Guide to Ecstacy (2003).
Coates held the position of Professor of Architectural Design at the Royal
College of Art in London for more than 15 years.
Many architects have referred to their work as "narrative"
since the early 1980s. Architects have been drawn to the story because it
allows them to interact with the city's functions and feels. It highlights the
sensory aspect of architecture rather than limiting it to mere aesthetics or an
overt emphasis on technology. In addition to discussing architecture's history,
theory, and practice, Storytelling Architecture also examines the possibilities
for using narrative to explain structures from antiquity to the present.
The
book is one of the first to address this topic specifically and was written by
Nigel Coates, a leading expert in narrative architecture.
Features chapters on other contemporary designers and
architects as diverse as William Kent, Antoni Gaud, Eero Saarinen, Ettore
Sottsass, Superstudio, and FAT to present an overview of NATO and Coates' work.
Anyone interested in architectural theory and history
should read Narrative Architecture, which highlights the importance of
storyline as a design strategy that may help architecture stay current in
today's complicated, multidisciplinary, and multi-everything world.
Additionally, the book has far more than 120 colour illustrations.
Architects have been drawn to the story because it allows
them to interact with the city's functions and feels. It highlights the sensory
aspect of architecture rather than limiting it to mere aesthetics or an overt
emphasis on technology. Being maximalist in its implementation or minimalist in
its strategy is equally simple in practice.
Narrative awakenings
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The book's first chapters sought to convey the author's
perspective on storytelling and its relationship to architecture at the outset.
The primary idea of the book is that narrative refers to an object's
simultaneous existence with another purpose. It asserts that the many physical
components of a location have the meaning of the participant's actions and
experiences assembled into a specific memory. Rarely do narrative and
architecture follow a predetermined order of meanings; instead, they employ an
antisequential framework of correlated substances that are kept in tension to
saturate the unwary visitor. The narrative coefficient is part of a system that
emphasizes poetic importance over and above pragmatism.
The book emphasizes that buildings require the most
intense symbolic content and the most effective use of storytelling techniques.
Because of their desire to portray the tale of God in every manner, including
by arranging the fatness of Christ in their plans, decorations, paintings, and
sculptures, churches frequently amass narrative.
The idea that the simple house could offer shelter and
safety has been variably viewed as the origin of the building. But as the years
went by, we discovered that architecture benefits us in many ways. Palazzo
Pubblico, the Ancient Forum in Rome, and many more excellent examples are used
by the author to further expound on the history and progress of architecture.
Given that story can be used to alter and understand architecture, the
architect may include narrative into their designs while also responding to the
environment and the schedule of their projects.
The phrase NATO has subsequently been integrated into
ordinary society. It is as ubiquitous as politics or sports, and the book
properly uses this steadily rising body of research to highlight the
sociocultural rather than scientific progression of architectural notions.
In addition to exploring the possibilities of a story to
understand buildings, this book aims to show how architecture may be relevant
in today's multidisciplinary and multi-everything era. It defines story
architecture and its broader relevance for developing and appreciating
structures within this chaotic, convoluted, multi-layered, but ultimately
thrilling everyday reality. The writers investigate storytelling without any
predetermined theory from which a new architecture may emerge. His strategy
captures the instinctive reaction that, some 30 years ago, created the NATO
group narrative architecture.
The book serves as the author's story by simply outlining
the narrative methodology and how it has changed over time in well-written and
thoughtfully segmented chapters on topics including the viewpoint of narrative,
the author's effort with NATO, and stories inspired by architecture. It also
describes how the author conducts pure narrativity, according to the author.
The book is more of an introduction that will inspire readers via the author's perspective as a designer, academic, and interested onlooker rather than the definitive work on the subject. The chapters follow each look at the story and architecture from a certain Vantage Point. The book has a vaguely chronological framework from beginning to finish, identifying significant designs and constructions, yet within this, a taxonomy appears. It is meant to assist the reader in using the story as a strategy when it is especially appropriate to develop in a communication-driven age.
References-
·
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=3Dz3GAAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
·
https://philpapers.org/rec/COANA
·
https://www.archisoup.com/studio-guide/architecture-narratives
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