Presence of Water in Architecture
Water has been used as an essential element in architectural design in diverse means. The relationship between water and design of buildings can generally be linked to various purposes, including religious purposes, security purposes, cultivate supporter, a symbol of wealth and so on. Based on the differences in geographical location and cultural backgrounds, the ways in which water has been used in different architectural designs vary. For this assignment, I have selected five symbolic architecture designs, each representing a style of use of water in architecture.
Taj Mahal is one of the most iconic architectures in the world and a masterpiece of the Indian Muslim artistic expertise. It is built in an Indian city of Agra between 1632 – 1643 AD. Ustad Ahmed Lahori is the architect of Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan commissioned Taj Mahal as a tomb to commemorate his wife Mumtaz Mahal. In front of this architectural structure is a garden. At the center of the garden, four cross-axial channels connect Taj Mahal and the main entry. According to the traditional belief of Muslim, on the Day of Judgement, people will be thirsty, and Muhammad will be the one who gets the privilege of God to offer them drink to quench their thirst from the channel as known as the pond of abundance. Thus, the purpose of a water tank in the Muslim tradition is to represent their religious belief.
Taj Mahal is the largest and the earliest tomb, but its architectural design and shape make it be one of the most beautiful structure in a romantic and a serene environment. The water pond is made of milk marble skin, which gives the aesthetic design that it posses. Also, the floral shaped walls on the water pond add to its beauty. Apart from the aesthetic value of the floral shaped design of the walls of the Taj Mahal pond, this architectural design helps to strengthen the walls of the water pond. The design also has a central axis which is normally a narrow channel bisected by a narrow axis with a secondary canal. These waterways were originally built in the Persian gardens so that they could provide irrigation for the garden. They also have a spiritual significance as they a representative of the four rivers of paradise found in the kulan. Typically, the Taj Mahal pond and its other structures are the fulfillment of all the gardeners, which is to create a version of heaven here on earth.
The Forbidden City was constructed from 1406 to 1420 as a Chinese imperial palace during the Ming dynasty. A representation of the traditional Chinese Architecture, The Forbidden City, is located in central Beijing and Kuai Xiang designed the expansive complex. There is a 3,800 meters long and 52 meters wide moat that was built surrounding the Forbidden City for security purposes. Because the Forbidden City was located in the center of Beijing, Kuai Xiang designed this moat to serve as a protective wall and a barrier to defend the occupants from their enemies. There is also the Golden Water River, a man-made river that runs through the forbidden river.
The forbidden city has an inner golden water river which has five bridges along its length to add the beauty of the city the golden water river is made to flow under the golden bridges. Among the five bridges, the central bridge was exclusively used by the Chinese emperor. The royal family used two of the other bridges while the remaining two bridges were used by the court official only. The bridges are made of the marble balustrades which are carved with phoenix and dragon motifs. Water has two main importance in the forbidden city. The first signs of water was to add beauty to the city while the second importance was to act as a water reservoir in case of a fire outbreak. That follows that the architectural structure was protected from the threat of destruction by fire through the use of water from the golden water river. Also, the five golden bridges were shaped like arrows symbolically pointing to heaven because the emperor was considered as the son of heaven.
The Khafaie was built during 2650 BCE in Mesopotamia. The city was built along the river to support agricultural activities of the inhabitants. Geography was a critical factor in the construction of The Khafaie. Agriculture, being the main activity and the key to the development and prosperity of the society of that time and place, building The Khafaie along the river served the purpose to provide water to the community and support agricultural activities. Besides, the presence of water for irrigation enabled the people living in the Khalifa to produce excess agricultural produce.
The Khalifaie was also well connected with major rivers, which made it easy for navigation. Merchants could easily use the canoes and boats to move from one point to another.the presence of navigable rivers, and excess agricultural produce led to the rise of trade as an economic activity. Apart from the economic activities which emerged as a result of many rivers which ran across the land, the waterfalls provided beautiful sceneries in Khafaie city. These places provided refreshment to the people who lived in Khafaie.
Emperor Hadrian built Hadrian’s Villa in 125 CE. The vast Roman archaeological site is located in Tivoli, Italy. The villa was meant to be a retreat site for Emperor Hadrian. Water has been seen as a feature of Roman architecture. The location has an abundance of water and is one of the reasons Emperor Hadrian chose it for the construction of the villa. Fountains and pools in the Hadrian’s Villa are used as decoration and symbol of wealth. There were also man-made pools and baths in the Hadrian villa which provided water for the plants and animals in this garden. The architectural design of this garden provides systems for collecting water since water is an essential part of life, and the Romans understood that survival was dependent on the availability of water.
In this villa, some trenches redirected water to be collected in the nymphaeum found in the Great Hall. The collected water provided enough hydration to the plant and flowers along the wall which surrounded the garden. That generally means that water was used to give an aesthetic value to the Hadrian villa since the flowers and plants decorated the place. Apart from the beauty, the rivers channel to the Hadrian Villa was an essential aspect of the rustic life of the Romans. The livestock such as cattle, goats, and sheep were also watered from these rivers and ponds. Furthermore, water collected in the designated places attracted different kind of birds in the garden such as doves, nightingales, and blackbirds, which added beauty to the gardens.
Venice City is also famously known by the name a “City without land”. The Italian Maritime Empire was built the city of Venice in 421 CE. Since this city is based on fishing and trade, they choose ships and boats as their mode of transportation and built the city on an island on a lagoon. To live on the water, the foundation of their buildings was specifically meant to endure the special conditions and was also costly. To build a stronger foundation, for the city, the architect had to look for ways to strengthen these islands, enlarge them and drain them from excess water. Therefore, they dug thousands of water channels and canals and strengthened the water banks with wood. The wood pilings were also used as the foundation for the buildings. Architects made sure that they were completely covered with water to ensure that that the wood pilings could not lot.
Due to the proximity of large water bodies, the city of Venice mainly relied on water for most of their daily activities. The main economic activities of the people who loved the city of Venice was fishing. Most people could earn their living through fishing activities. Also, trade developed since the merchants could visit the city and exchange valuable items such as gold and silver with fish. The main mode of transport was by water as the ships and boats could move from one place to another as the neighboring town was surrounded by water. Venice sits along the sea and therefore the city experienced wind cool oceanic currents flowing from the east to the west. The geographical location of the city provides a serene environment which made Venice be one of the most beautiful cities.
References
Symmes, Marilyn F. 1998. Fountains. 3rd ed. New York: Thames and Hudson in association with Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.
Ehrlich, Tracy L. 1989. “The Waterworks Of Hadrian’s Villa”. The Journal Of Garden History 9 (4): 161-176. doi:10.1080/01445170.1989.10410572.
Alihodzic, Rifat, Vera Murgul, and Nikolay Vatin. 2014. “A Relation Between Function And Architectural Form In The Observers Perception”. Applied Mechanics And Materials680: 494-498. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.680.494.
Gao, Jie. “Symbolism in the Forbidden City.” Education About ASIA 21, no. 3 (2016). Retrieved from: http://aas2.asian-studies.org/EAA/EAA-Archives/21/3/1438.pdf