Purpose of Architecture Based on Picturing Evolution and Brasilia: A Capital of Hope

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April 26, 2020
Reading and Film Response
Reading Response
It is a common belief among laymen that architecture’s primary purpose is merely to beautify and add embellishment to the infrastructures that humans build. This idea comes from the fact that most architectural feats have a sense of distinctiveness and grandiosity compared to regular structures. Nevertheless, the chapter is written by López-Durán entitled Picturing Evolution: Le Corbusier and the Remaking of Man has shown that aside from embellishments and breath-taking sceneries, architecture can indeed be used to improve the conditions of humans who are interacting with such structures.
One example cited in the reading that supports how this alternative approach can be made was Le Corbusier’s idea that understanding “human needs” is crucial in the “search of human scale.” From this perspective, Le Corbusier designed several furniture that redefined how aesthetic objects could be utilized better in the process of healing and improving one’s well-being (148). This is clearly different from previous forms of architectural paradigms, which focuses more on the external appearances and dialectic relations between the structure and its surroundings.
Perhaps another good example of Le Corbusier’s dedication to the use of architecture to improve the human condition was his idea that these pieces of art should be a tool for the “rebirth of the human body” (154). Compared to previous paradigms of design, he correlated previously disconnected ideas such as nature, architecture, and eugenics and described how each of these concepts could help prevent the continuous “degradation of humanity” and guide them towards the future where both man and structu...