This summary is a reflection upon the main phd text.

 

The Tricorn Concrete Monstrosity or Design Masterpiece?

Summary of PhD by Reem Cappi, Portsmouth 1997

 

The reason that I chose to do a dissertation on the Tricorn was because I was intrigued by the degree of good and bad press that had been written about a building. I must admit that I also felt undecided about the building, I would regularly walk around the Tricorn and I could see that it had some very attractive features, particularly in the shape and form. I could also see that there were some very unattractive features, like the materials used, and the interior and exterior was deteriorating with age, and the vandalism did not help. So bearing all of this in mind, I decided that the Tricorn would be an ideal subject to do a dissertation on, as I wanted to learn more about architecture, so that I could make an informed choice. Hence the title: concrete monstrosity or design masterpiece.

I started my research by studying architectural theory, at first it was a daunting experience, because of all the unfamiliar jargon, and what seemed to be vast endless lists of variations, cross categories and the plain bizarre. After a while I was able to digest and reflect on the gathered information. I found out that the Tricorn built within the Brutalist ethos, and could be classified as Late Modernist. Brutalism is a style in architecture that focuses on brute materials or natural materials, like concrete, and uses the sculptural qualities of concrete as the aesthetic quality.

Late Modern architecture rejects ornamentation much like Modernist architecture. Adolf Loos, the man considered to be the pioneer of Modern architecture, writing in the beginning of the twentieth century, suggested that the use of ornamentation signified a degenerate society. I feel that his assumptions were partly based on the economic climate, where the machine was taking over manual labour, and was beginning to be seen as the path to progress and evolution. However the new machine age meant that goods could be mass produced for a fraction of the cost of employing skilled crafts people. Loos felt that by rejecting the ornament would help crafts people from being devalued, and what he considered to be a form of slavery.

The Modernist and Late Modernist movements in architecture wished to socially engineer society, by sanding down class divisions, created by the dominant class. Both movements felt that by rejecting classical styles and instead producing machine metaphor buildings, with extreme logic and circulation would be the pragmatic solution to housing a modern mass society. In a way the machine became the new religion, it was idolised and reproduced in all aspects of design, not just in architecture. The Brutalist style in the Late Modern movement, is a romantic notion that is very expressive. Leading philosophers felt after the industrial revolution, that classical forms in design were no longer appropriate in the representation of modern society. This was further reinforced by the assumption that using classical designs was an indication of a lack of innovation and creativity.

Late Modern architecture attempted to make the pragmatic solution invented through Modernism, more aesthetically pleasing. The ideal in Brutalism is to create moving relationships out of brute materials. Le Corbusier has influenced many architects through his inspirational designs, both in Modernist and Late Modernist styles. He felt that concrete with its sculptural and plastic qualities, reflected aspects of human individuality with its blemishes and birthmarks. The Tricorn's design is based on such a philosophy, it is truly unique. From a Marxist point of view the Tricorn structure neglects market fetishes, a term used to describe the gloss and gleam used to dress up a product to encourage consumerism. It could be suggested that the Tricorn was too brutal, and too scientific for its environment, its dark alleyways and numerous entrances and exists have made some shopper's both uncomfortable and fearful. At the same time the Tricorn is positively original and individual1 and can be compared to abstract art/expression. One thing is for certain is that the Tricorn stands out from the backdrop of the city of Portsmouth.

The most interesting aspect of my background research into architectural theory was Defensible Space, by Oscar Newman. This work by Newman critique architecture as a whole, and made some remarkable statistical research on designs in architecture that actually encourage crime. The Modernist and Late Modernist extreme logic and no compromise pragmatic solution received the most criticism. Apparently the numerous entrances and exits, or in other words the circulation, combined with the cutting off of main streets, that stops the natural surveillance all contribute to making a building a crime zone. The irony of the situation is that many of the architects believed that such additions in the design were to be the compensation for the lack of decorative ornamentation, and instead resulted in mazes of escape routes, and plenty of unviewed space.

Oscar Newman suggested that such designs only emphasis the possibility of escape for criminals. Newman also pointed out that Modernist and Late Modernist architecture both use uniformed styles in the interior and exterior finishes, another aspect considered at the time to add aesthetic quality. But residents and users can only interpret such treatments of lifts and lighting as representations of mental hospitals and prisons. I do not feel that any group of professionals should try to socially engineer society, however I do feel that architects have a responsibility to the public to design buildings in the interests of the occupants and users, rather then for admiration or gratification from the architectural world.

I feel that I will never forget the Tricorn, not only because I have devoted a lot of time and energy, but also because it is one of those things that i will never be able to make my mind up about. And I expect that I will change my views on it again. Ultimately I am pleased that a building has given me so much insight. I hope that I will experience other things that in different circumstances could be just part of the background, but turn out to have a fundamental affect of my life.

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