Jimmy Gathu
New Lister
A RESIDENTIAL MASTERPIECE OR A SHOPPING COMPLEX?
This is the question that linger in the minds of most people when they see Artist Kaligraph Jone’s house. While some people find it a fulfilling design for its massive spacious spaces, others see it as a flopped design. From an architect’s perspective, we see a lot of give and take on this controversial design. This piece tries to explore the architectural perspective into one of the most celebrated rappers in the country’s house.
They say credit should always come first before criticism. First, does the house meet the client’s needs? Is it functional? Does it meet the sole purpose of shelter? The answer is YES. The house accommodates Kaligraph with all his needs. On a tour of the house, the owner has displayed his massive shoe areas, gym, living room among other spaces. He feels that the house is adequate. Yaani, Nyumba inamtosha na mahitaji ya kwake. This is in line with a principle of design known as “Form follows function”-coined by American architect Louis Sullivan in 1896. The principle is associated with late 19th- and early 20th-century architecture and industrial design in general, which states that the shape of a building or object should primarily relate to its intended function or purpose. An example is attached below.
Figure 1 Wainwright Building in St. Louis, Missouri, designed by Louis Sullivan and built in 1891, is emblematic of his famous maxim "form follows function".
On the contrary, there are many architectural Principles that we find missing in Kaligraphs design. Basically, just like Music, there are twelve basic principles of design namely: contrast, balance, emphasis, proportion, hierarchy, repetition, rhythm, pattern, white space, movement, variety, and unity. The design seems to be lacking in all of these principle while adapting to only Louis Sullivan principle and disregarding all others. I hope Kaligraphs Music is not lacking as much, but I leave that to musicians. In short, sticking to architecture, the house has No visual balance, No Proportion, No Rhythm, No Contrast, and No Pattern. So, our professional conclusion is that the design is a big FLOP.
Figure 2 Kaligraph Jone's House
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