Keese, Brett
GSD 4141, A-1
Fall 2015
A Brief for a Villa
Though Pliny’s Laurentine villa was once a physical construction, archaeologists and historians are left with abstract and unconfirmed evidence of its composition. Before its demolition, the villa was a statement displaying Pliny’s affluent life; but now, with nothing but Pliny’s own description and questionable archeological remains, the villa simply evokes a question. Without confirmed evidence of its image, the villa takes the form of a narrative. Du Prey’s account of the many reconstructions of Pliny’s villa demonstrates that the letter is much like a project brief, inviting interpretation and models that represent its ideals. Pliny’s description outlines the desires to be fulfilled …show more content…
As a non-architect, Pliny instead focuses on experiential moments of the various rooms and gardens. He does not place significant value on form, order, or exact proportion of the architecture. His brief instead provides a detailed account of his ideal home, uninfluenced by the semantics of architectural terms. The villa is composed of experiences - warm, bright, fragrant - and the orientation of the spaces in regard to light, thermal comfort, and views to the sea. Even the approach to the villa from miles away has particular quality - of speed and texture. When he does speak of physical arrangements of space, it is with the aim to clarify the qualities of theses space; in describing the connection of two rooms, Pliny says “the angle formed by [their] projection[s].. retains and intensifies the warmth of the sun”. His descriptions do not reference the structure of space, but rather how it is …show more content…
Whether intentional or not, there is a relationship, a common overall structure, amongst all of the proposals. Because Pliny's brief leaves so much undefined, there is a general organizational logic that emerges from prior architectural knowledge: both a history of Roman architecture and a functional understanding the program of a private residence. Despite the lack of explicit architectural terms by Pliny, each of the reconstructions default to established principles of classical architectural order and ornament (Fig. 1). Yet, it is the imprecision of Pliny's brief that invites inventiveness on the part of the designer. Pliny only outlines qualitative aspects, and as people of deduction, we can’t help but imagine what architectural form might create these qualities. The brief evokes reactionary images of almost intangible, phenomenal qualities like heat and wind, but also conceptions how one would move between
GSD 4141, A-1
Fall 2015
A Brief for a Villa
Though Pliny’s Laurentine villa was once a physical construction, archaeologists and historians are left with abstract and unconfirmed evidence of its composition. Before its demolition, the villa was a statement displaying Pliny’s affluent life; but now, with nothing but Pliny’s own description and questionable archeological remains, the villa simply evokes a question. Without confirmed evidence of its image, the villa takes the form of a narrative. Du Prey’s account of the many reconstructions of Pliny’s villa demonstrates that the letter is much like a project brief, inviting interpretation and models that represent its ideals. Pliny’s description outlines the desires to be fulfilled …show more content…
As a non-architect, Pliny instead focuses on experiential moments of the various rooms and gardens. He does not place significant value on form, order, or exact proportion of the architecture. His brief instead provides a detailed account of his ideal home, uninfluenced by the semantics of architectural terms. The villa is composed of experiences - warm, bright, fragrant - and the orientation of the spaces in regard to light, thermal comfort, and views to the sea. Even the approach to the villa from miles away has particular quality - of speed and texture. When he does speak of physical arrangements of space, it is with the aim to clarify the qualities of theses space; in describing the connection of two rooms, Pliny says “the angle formed by [their] projection[s].. retains and intensifies the warmth of the sun”. His descriptions do not reference the structure of space, but rather how it is …show more content…
Whether intentional or not, there is a relationship, a common overall structure, amongst all of the proposals. Because Pliny's brief leaves so much undefined, there is a general organizational logic that emerges from prior architectural knowledge: both a history of Roman architecture and a functional understanding the program of a private residence. Despite the lack of explicit architectural terms by Pliny, each of the reconstructions default to established principles of classical architectural order and ornament (Fig. 1). Yet, it is the imprecision of Pliny's brief that invites inventiveness on the part of the designer. Pliny only outlines qualitative aspects, and as people of deduction, we can’t help but imagine what architectural form might create these qualities. The brief evokes reactionary images of almost intangible, phenomenal qualities like heat and wind, but also conceptions how one would move between