The Role of Architecture in Maintaining Decorum and Honor of Political Buildings
This paper is going to discuss about the importance of architecture in a political building such as assemblies and parliaments in maintaining democracy through public voice. It will also highlight the fact as to how different architectural structures are responsible in maintaining the decorum, dignity and honour of the room. It emphasises on how public voices are influenced by any architectural monuments or structures inside the political buildings. Like for example, the podiums over which speakers are made to speak for their national requirements, or any dignified structures from the national history that holds optimum dignity and respect. All of these adds value to the arrangements in assemblies.
The paper also focuses on the overview from the past where architectural monuments and structures spoke for common man’s struggle, belief, strength and valour.
Overview
Architecture, a statutory structure, not only portrays beauty, elegance and history, but also demonstrates hope, struggle, culture, power, economy and political statement of a society. Primarily, architecture, a vision of an architect, is a preference of a healthier thematic expression of neutrality, although, history reveals it being a major tool to symbolize power, politics, and authoritarian structure during revolution in Rome and Nazi Germany. Architecture, in the form of monuments, scripted verses, structures lets one remember the history and the legacy of a nation by keeping it alive. Politics and architecture share an intertwined bond since these two came into existence. On political level, the architectures reveal visual metaphors that expose something regarding power, existence, history of survival and strength in its own way (McCarthy-Cotter, Flinders and Healey 2020).
As claimed in “Architecture is politics” by Mitchell Kapor that it aligns with the political systems with the help of a structural model that conceptualizes the political power to connect it with the world. Therefore, a structural and complementary connection has always been there between them on political strata. Architecture helps in revealing the strength, power, struggle, blood and tears involved in the past history which are embodied inside the monumental institutions aided by political powers. As per Maurer (2020), the statutory monuments are the living proof of power, commands, valour, success and failure of different individuals responsible for the formation of their identity in the political arena. As for example, we can consider the axial structured architecture in assemblies that ensures more power to the community or the individuals that have a hold over the seats or symbolizes specific power to control the political conducts (Rumrich 2020).
Retrived from: mentalfloss.com/article/73794/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-bastille, 2022. [image].
On the other hand, the non-axial structure invokes the assurance towards maintaining the equality in different parts if the assembly and lets the choices in the hands of the common people instead of setting up of mastery regarding one certain and specific goal. Additionally, the non-axial monuments usually connects to the political power important the masses in order to voice their opinion inside the parliamentary assembly as an initiative to maintain equality and commonness regarding expression, freedom of opinion, right to vote, right to show disagreement with the already existing governmental structures, show opinion regarding any law, rule or regulation. Eventually, the architect structure that demonstrates the top to down power distribution shows the top authority holds the maximum power in the political arena rather than the different communities. It is a living proof for the inmate images that supreme control of the societal structures (Szamosi et al. 2020).
The Influence of Architectural Structures on Public Voices
Retrieved from: (Architecture and liturgy, 2022)
As the sheer revelation of power and valour demonstrated by the architect structure and monuments guide us as we look into the world through its point of view, we encounter a relationship in between the political power and the monumental structures consistently among people, inside assembly to support public voices. These help us with the choice to visualize the societies and their respective cultural, social and political practices and statements prevailed in the past. In practical scenario, the political situations are conditioned and seasoned aligned with the country’s history regarding various social and political revolutions, struggles and movements. So anything that represents the past of the nation in respect with the view of politics cannot be ignored or overlooked by any political leaders or public voices raised in the assembly. As Headley, Blount-Hill and John (2021) said, all the political verses, rules, regulations and campaigns should be a reflection of the past struggles of different individuals, in the lieu of the architecture that speaks a thousand words of the political scenario in the past. Therefore, political leaders, public voices use the architected monuments in order to express their own way to understand the society and its reality. And, also they thrive for the ways they want to achieve to see the nation and its citizens in a better possible way by enforcing their opinion, point of view and follow a path to impose their accumulated and authorized power over to the populace. But nothing of these is negotiated by ignoring or overlooking the architecture monuments speaking of the past valour in its statutory form. If we look closely in the history, we will see that the architectures not only possess power and politics but also they are the symbols of domination and misuse of power over the unprivileged as well (Karimimoshaver and Winkemann 2018).
Retrieved from: (15 Things You Might Not Know About the Bastille, 2022)
Likewise, in Nazi Germany and in Rome, the ones in the authority possessing political power tried to exercise domination and the wrong usage of their ability on unprivileged classes like the third estate people, women, children, and the Nazis, in order to carry on with their legacy, showing dominance of power, command as well as wealth to the world. Likewise, the architecture and monuments of that political phase would often have their showcase the effect in their formation (Cheng et al. 2020).
As per Urban (2018), every architecture, monuments and structures have a political dimension some way or the other. They are responsible for posing a set of values. The architectural aspect enhances political performances, in a way through activities and situations it uplifts the political proceedings. Any form of architecture comes with the potential to take on matters of complex political scenario and connect it with debates, exhibits related scenarios and conclude it with solutions in pressing issues. Architecture has always been intricately related with political power, each with its own tale to tell, individual struggle to share to the society and generations to come. These statutory structures provide a systematic structural though process and concepts of the past, promotes rigidity to the society. It relates the past with the present and the upcoming future. The relationship is intertwined in each corner of the architecture set up by the political powers in that era. At times, architecture symbolises power by depicting the authority’s control over its community, its power to influence as well as mobilize the citizen. Architecture also depicts the desired results that led to its formation by the ones in power. These are results of win, struggle, blood, sweat, tears of the ones revolting. One can take the example of the Statue of Liberty in America that is owned by the federal government of America. As Sachs (2018) said, it symbolizes freedom, liberty, friendship, public order, unity, integrity among nations and emancipation. It was set up as a symbol of cordial relationship in between the very citizens of America and France. It is a living proof of the two nation’s mutual agreement on liberty and keeping up with peace. This was the political agenda of setting up the Statue of Liberty, an iconic architecture, which even today depicts honour, respect, valour, sovereignty, and dignity by holding itself high from everyone. It was set up as a barrier that disregards oppression as well as all forms of servitudes. Political powers, by controlling the architectural structures, symbols, it manipulates the point of view of the world by modifying its history with which the world will view their power from afar. Political powers envisage structural monuments that talk of their strength and are an emblem of power to the generations to come. In simpler words, one can definitely conclude that architecture is a symbol that demonstrates power, supremacy, authority, strength and valour (Kruk 2019).
Architectural Monuments and Structures Representing Common Man’s Struggle, Belief, Strength, and Valor
As per Evans (2020), architecture has a huge and important role to play in political assemblies. It sets the mood and tone of the assembly. It does have an influence over the important meetings and pose affects on democracy, equality and transparency in terms of shared experiences. In the book named Parliament by Max Cohen de Lara and by David Mulder van der Vegt, they had documented the architectural designs of almost 193 legislative assembly buildings of United Nations. They observed and analyzed in what way the rooms are related with the governing styles of the nations. They came out with certain observations regarding the architecture prevailed inside the assemblies.
Retrieved from: (curved row theatre seating Read the rest of this article at: https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/tag/curved-row-theatre-seating/, 2022)
This is one of the interesting discoveries that are present and common in most of the legislative rooms, commonly used for holding important meetings and conducting announcements. In this structural dimension, all the seats are positioned in a way that each one faces directly the centre of the room. This concept is useful in a way that it draws maximum concentration to the meeting and the announcements for the members present in the room. This structure also calls for persuasive arguments, debates, and effective policy making procedures. Additionally, in cases otherwise, members needed to twist and turn their body to face the speakers in order to draw attention. In this new architectural structure, members are devoid of doing that. Thus, it calls for more concentration to the meeting (Chwalisz 2019).
Retrieved from: (Parliament Circle Pictures, Images and Stock Photos, 2022)
The circle seating arrangements are used as many as in nine parliaments and assemblies. In this architectural structure, the room sets are positioned in a way that it looks like an egalitarian structure. As per Farrall (2021), to recognise the hierarchical system in this structure and moreover, to maintain them, around two or some more concentric round seating arrangements are suggested to use. This can accommodate around sixty parliamentarian members as claimed Fawaid, Zamroni and Baharun (2019). This type of seating arrangements follow the path of equality where no one member feels lag behind in expressing their opinion regarding the concerning subject matter. The seating arrangements are positioned in a way that the main spokespersons or leaders are seated in the front rows and the other supporting members are seated behind them (Perkey 2018).
Retrieved from: (TIMELINE, 2022)
The horseshoe set of rooms are a combination of semicircular set of seating arrangements above the common parliamentary seating forms in an assembly. These are placed opposite to each other. This implies that the members are seated opposite to one another in the meeting. Moreover, the horseshoe seating rooms are consisting of single seated row of chairs as well as a number of such rows along with the plentiful aisles. This can create an environment of group discussions in the assembly regarding the concerning subject matters. In these arrangements, members feel a lot more comfortable in conducting debates with one another standing face to face. It helps in shifting focus to the main subject matter as the members face each other while speaking (Deseriis 2021).
The Relationship and Bond between Politics and Architecture
Every seating arrangement in assembly rooms is result of architectural imposition. Assemblies are said to the meeting places of the designated members who are responsible for sharing different point of views, opinions related to concerned subjects, convincing their expressions to others participating in a debate, putting forward with their political notions, compromises as well as negotiations regarding concerning topics. An architectural construction in this scenario helps in setting the situation of the assembly in such a way that the ambience inside the room speaks of the importance regarding the political assembly itself. However, at times the architectural structures do pose for complex political approaches. As with politics, there are no easy way to get through when it comes to vote, making new rules and regulations. Thus, making architectural structure keeping in mind the intensity that the room of assembly will endure is quite difficult and poses for a challenge at times. This architectural structure are ought to be transparent, consensus, rigid, as well as concrete in nature, like the ones in Horseshoe set of rooms. It must pose for democracy in the rooms, in all nook and corners (Deseriis 2021).
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Architecture, inside the political assembly, influences every action, reaction, decision making, rules and regulations, dissolution of any authoritarian concepts, debates as well as announcement too, as said by Deseriis and Vittori (2019). In other words, the architecture in a seating arrangement in a room of assembly are set and positioned in such a way that it is responsible for setting up the mood for the ambience. Similarly, it has a great influence over the members in the room as well. As per Sodangi (2018), members, bearing a great responsibility on their shoulder regarding the policies of the nations, are influenced by the architectural structures inside the assembly buildings. The members represent the democracy of the public in the nations. Thus, the way they are influenced inside the assembly room play a big role on the things that they deliver over the different topics. For example, the podiums over which the speakers speak of the concerned subject matter are placed high up the seating arrangements of other members along with a microphone. Also, many honourable emblems which are important in the history of a particular nation are also positioned in such a way that members are ought to feel dignified and responsible towards their nation while delivering a speech or participating in a debate. The heavy ambience inside the assembly are created with the architecture so as to the place is prevailed with honour, responsibility and dignity towards the country. A patriotic feeling is generated among the members present in there. The feeling must be common to all and democracy must always prevail. Not only the influence of architecture in felt inside the assembly but also the whole buildings are created in a way that it pose for statutory building, held high with dignity (Jackson 2019).
Conclusion
Architecture, over the years, have been constructed in order to make the upcoming generations be aware of the history of its nations; its struggle, wars, fights, strength, weaknesses, tears and sweat. Architectural monuments and structures pose for dignity of a place. It hold similar in the case of political buildings as well, for example, in parliaments and assemblies where democracy must prevail through every nook and corner of the building. Such architects are important in those places that can maintain the aura and ambience, comfortable yet responsible for very member present there. As for example, the different kinds of seating arrangements like curved theatre, circle room as well as horseshoe room sets are positioned in such a way that every member can participate in the meetings, debates, speeches in a properly dignified way so that everyone can be seen and heard at time same time.
Architecture is also important in raising public voice in order to maintain the democracy. Such architectural structures are important inside the political buildings, in assemblies and in parliaments. For democracy to prevail, also for maintaining the basic freedom of each member to raise voice, expression and opinion, structures such as podiums are in use inside the political buildings.
References
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