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Article
Publication date: 7 November 2023

Safa A. Alhusban, Ahmad A. Alhusban and Mohammad-Ward A. Alhusban

This research purpose was to explore the meaning of historicism, architectural historicism, the architectural attributes, design principles, elements and ornamentations of…

Abstract

Purpose

This research purpose was to explore the meaning of historicism, architectural historicism, the architectural attributes, design principles, elements and ornamentations of churches in medieval Western architecture, and how they were reflected in contemporary churches' design in Jordan.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used the historical descriptive–interpretive qualitative research method. Around 24 Western medieval churches were selected, studied and analyzed to explore the common design attributes of each historical era. The design attributes of each era were segmented under three categories: Design principles (plans' typology, facades, shapes, details, composition and building form), design elements (openings, towers and entrances) and ornamentation (sculptures, paintings and interior decoration). Additionally, three modern Jordanian churches were analyzed using the same method to compare with the historical churches through personal observations, field trips, researchers' memories, site visits, archival records, plans, images, books, slides, details and note-making. Different types of evidence were used, such as determinate, contextual and inferential. In addition, different tactics for analysis were used in analyzing the historical churches: site familiarity, use of existing documents, virtual and visual inspection and comparison with conditions elsewhere. Credibility was achieved when the results were reviewed and compared with the original and similar information.

Findings

Early Christian design principles, elements and ornamentations were reflected in Jordanian churches more than in Byzantine, Renaissance, Romanesque and Gothic. The design principles of Western medieval architecture were reflected in the selected Jordanian churches more than in ornamentation and design elements. Moreover, this research found that the highest reflection of Western medieval architecture on Jordanian churches was in designing the plans, which is a basilica with a central nave and aisles followed by opening styles, façade, shapes, entrances design, composition, painting and the minimum reflection was in sculptures. Additionally, there was no reflection on tower design and interior decoration.

Practical implications

This research encourages architects to enhance architectural historicism by focusing on historical styles in contemporary designs and using design elements, principles and decorations of historical styles in medieval architecture to enrich the variety and originality of architectural design and create new modern stylistic architecture. Architectural historicism increases historical self-awareness and helps a generation of architects to answer the question: In what style should be built.

Originality/value

Learning the design principles, not copying the past, is becoming a trend for most architects. Architectural historicism introduces new temporal elements, gives a new meaning and primary function to architecture to become socio-temporal and contextual contrast and reflects the essential points of references of the past through design methodology to express the present. The advantage of this research is to put an end to architects' role in syncretism and subjectivism. Instead, historicism architects equipped with the necessary knowledge and supported by the published research and inventors of historical architecture, can choose, imitate, adapt, borrow and use the correct historical forms that originated in a given period.

Details

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 June 2010

Christèle Boulaire, Guillaume Hervet and Raoul Graf

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how individual creativity of internet users is expressed in the production of online music videos and how the creative dynamic among…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how individual creativity of internet users is expressed in the production of online music videos and how the creative dynamic among amateur internet video producers can be characterized.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers became readers and authors in the aim of providing the academic community with a scholarly narrative of creative YouTube video production. To develop their narrative, they explored the narrative woods that have grown up on the other side of the monitor screen in the form of videos inspired by one song.

Findings

The collective creative force is shown not to be expressed merely through the semantic and non‐semantic montages that make internet users into postmodern tinkerers, but also through such mechanisms as imitation, diversification and ornamentation. This force and these mechanisms give rise to chains that link and connect individual minds, imaginations, interests, enthusiasms, talents, abilities and skills.

Practical implications

As part of a relationship, or even a “conversation” to be initiated, sustained, and maintained on behalf of an industry organization, or brand with its consumers, the authors believe that the way to deal with digital participatory culture and the creative force manifested in innovation communities is to capitalize on these creative chains as judiciously as possible.

Originality/value

The authors suggest that this process should be part of a high‐impact interactive marketing strategy likely to promote (self‐) enchantment and foster loyalty among community members through (self‐) enchantment, particularly via the coproduction of a story, with community members creating the scripts.

Details

Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7122

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1993

Jan Clee and Ruth Maguire

Describes an investigation aimed at establishing theimportance of the library environment in influencing the useof the library and its facilities. The methodology consisted…

Abstract

Describes an investigation aimed at establishing the importance of the library environment in influencing the use of the library and its facilities. The methodology consisted of interviews with a senior member of the library staff and with users; observation; and a Delphi study which involved submitting; qestions on the future of libraries to a number of experts. Comments were made on layout and guiding; the system for borrowing and returning material; seating; heating; lighting and noise level; colour scheme and ornamentation; and suggestions for improvement. Shows that although individual factors in the library environment do affect a user′s perception, it is the total library envirnment that has the greatest effect. Makes a number of suggestions for improving the library environment.

Details

Library Management, vol. 14 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 August 2011

Slavik Jablan and Ljiljana Radović

The purpose of this paper is to consider the history of certain modular elements: Truchet tiles, Op‐tiles, Kufic tiles, and key‐patterns, which occur as ornamental archetypes from…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the history of certain modular elements: Truchet tiles, Op‐tiles, Kufic tiles, and key‐patterns, which occur as ornamental archetypes from Paleolithic times until the present. The appearance of the same ornamental archetypes at the same level of the development in different cultures, distant in space and time can be described from the cybernetics point of view as a specific kind of self‐referential systems or cellular automata present in the intellectual and cultural development of mankind. The aim of this research is to show a continuity of the development of ornamental structures based on modular elements used as ornamental archetypes.

Design/methodology/approach

Research of the material from archaeological findings, history of art, painting, architecture, and applied arts.

Findings

Existence of universal geometrical construction principles based on modularity.

Practical implications

Creation of new patterns or designs (e.g. TeX‐fonts, tiles, etc.) based on modularity.

Originality/value

The paper presents a new explanation of constructions of labyrinths and different Islamic patterns.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 40 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1966

Abrasive blasting is favoured for cleaning metal surfaces before applying protective coatings. Its use has been extended to improv‐ing the surface of building materials, quickly…

Abstract

Abrasive blasting is favoured for cleaning metal surfaces before applying protective coatings. Its use has been extended to improv‐ing the surface of building materials, quickly and quite cheaply, so avoiding costly ornamentation of dull buildings; better weathering is an added bonus.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 13 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1987

F.W. RATCLIFFE

In his remarkable essay “On books and the housing of them” Gladstone was apprehensive of developments which have since become major problems of library administration. He observed…

Abstract

In his remarkable essay “On books and the housing of them” Gladstone was apprehensive of developments which have since become major problems of library administration. He observed that “already the increase of books is passing into geometrical progression” and he predicted that it was “in truth difficult to assign dimensions for the libraries of the future”. He proposed in somewhat pointed terms a Victorian version of Boston Spa. From the evergrowing mass of books, items would have to be selected for “interment”, “burial”. “Undoubtedly the idea of book‐cemeteries such as I have supposed is formidable. It should be kept within the limits of the dire necessity … But it will have to be faced, and faced perhaps oftener than might be supposed. And the artist needed for the constructions it requires will not be so much a librarian as a warehouseman ”. He speaks of “boundless' demand for books, of their processing and of their housing. Of special interest in this essay are his comments on preservation. “If we wish to give to the block [of the text] a lease of life equal to that of the pages, the first condition is that it should be bound. So at least one would have said half a century ago. But, while books are in most instances cheaper, binding, from causes which I do not understand, is dearer, at least in England, than it was in my early years. So that few can afford it. We have, however, the tolerable and very useful expedient of cloth binding (now in some danger, I fear, of losing its modesty through flaring ornamentation) to console us”.

Details

Library Review, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Article
Publication date: 21 March 2019

Iftekhar Ahmed

The purpose of this paper is to present a community-led “informal heritage management” of the chini-tikri work of Kosaituli mosque, Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. It critically explores…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a community-led “informal heritage management” of the chini-tikri work of Kosaituli mosque, Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. It critically explores the interrelationship between the craft, existing social capital and informal heritage management.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper assesses the existing local policies, strategies and the top-down conservation efforts led by government and identifies the shortcomings. The study uses Kosaituli mosque as a case study as it displays some of the finest surviving examples of the chini-tikri work. Using observation, open-ended interview and focus group discussion as research tools, the study explores the challenges that the craft and craftsman faces, how existing social capital supports the informal heritage management process and the interrelationship between these critical elements.

Findings

The results shows two clear issues. First, the informal heritage management system has been continuing to protect and manage the local heritage while fighting several challenges. Second, though they require external support, they want to keep the “community ownership.” The study recommends how the craftsman can be revived through incentives and capacity building to facilitate the survival of the craft with a three-step process: identifying the rare craftsmen, providing them due recognition and transferring the traditional knowledge to the next generation.

Originality/value

No similar prior studies were carried out in Old Dhaka that focus on this subject. This paper can contribute in new policy formation not only for Bangladesh but also will potentially guide other cities that face similar challenges of disappearing craft and craftsman.

Details

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 December 2018

Alexander Styhre

The economic system of competitive capitalism strives toward liquid markets wherein the cost for transacting is minimized. Liquidity is mostly addressed in association with…

Abstract

Purpose

The economic system of competitive capitalism strives toward liquid markets wherein the cost for transacting is minimized. Liquidity is mostly addressed in association with abstract markets (e.g. the securities market), but also consumer markets are determined by liquidity concerns. The purpose of this paper is to examine the shopping mall concept, developed by the architect and social reformer Victor Gruen during the early 1950s, as a form of production of capitalist space, intended to reduce transaction costs. As an auxiliary benefit, Gruen envisioned the shopping mall as a cultural and civic center in the midst of the satellite town of suburbia, the new site of urban expansion during the post-war boom decades.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews secondary literature on the historical development of the shopping mall as a consumer space. In addition, relevant economic and social science literature is referenced.

Findings

The architecture, design, ornamentation and day-to-day management of the shopping mall were premised on a consumerist way of life, ultimately serving as an all-too-visual index of the triumph of competitive capitalism in the cold war era. However, Gruen’s accomplishments were gradually compromised by the interest of money-minded developers and construction industry actors, and the shopping mall arguably never fulfilled the social and cultural function that Gruen anticipated. Regardless of such outcomes, the production of capitalist space as scripted by Gruen is still determining everyday life in consumer society, making Gruen a key figure, albeit only limitedly recognized, in the history of late modern society and in the capitalist economy.

Originality/value

The paper emphasizes the role of Victor Gruen in the post-Second World War period, being one of the most influential practitioners and social reformers in the era. Furthermore, the paper stresses how market liquidity is a key concern in Gruen’s project to create a communal space for the American suburban population in the era of the expanding welfare state.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, vol. 17 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 June 2022

Veronica Ng and Regine Chan

In the face of urbanisation, there has been prior and current discourse on the gradual thinning out of street identities. Particularly, the diasporic identity of streets such as…

Abstract

Purpose

In the face of urbanisation, there has been prior and current discourse on the gradual thinning out of street identities. Particularly, the diasporic identity of streets such as Petaling Street (Chinatown) has received increasing attention due to diverse development and gentrification plans for the purpose of tourism and urban development. Current and future urban development plans of Kuala Lumpur have led to the need to analyse Petaling Street's identity. Taking this as a point for departure, this paper aims to analyse the contemporary diasporic identity of Petaling street in the face of rapid urbanisation. While there have been studies that addressed Petaling Street's identity, the focus has been from social, cultural and perceptual perspectives which relates to the intangible aspect of place. Taking an alternative stance, this paper studies the contemporary meaning of Petaling Street through the visual communication of facades.

Design/methodology/approach

Adapting from Odgen–Richard and Parsaee, semiotics, or the study of signs and symbols, is applied as both theoretical and methodological concept to draw meanings. It examines the visual communication of the cultural products that have evolved from the social processes in shaping the street character. Particularly, this paper examines the street identities by studying the contestation of urban sign and symbols of selected street facades.

Findings

The findings reinforced the contestation of identities in Petaling street, with key signifiers of signages, ornament and colour being physical aspects that contest a sense of Chinese-ness. The functional meaning portrayed by the facades due to social, political and economic factors led to the contestations of meaning formed by society that has left the street in a state of irrelevant and unfamiliarity.

Practical implications

It calls to action for retention of significant urban elements of street facades to prevent further diminution of diasporic meanings which characterise Petaling Street as a whole in the process of urbanisation.

Originality/value

It provides basis to understand the contemporary identity and values of Petaling Street and the shift in meanings that has left the street in a state of irrelevant and unfamiliarity. This can prevent further diminution of diasporic meanings which characterise Petaling Street as a whole in the process of urbanisation.

Details

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 17 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-6862

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 17 December 2005

Patricia H. Thornton, Candace Jones and Kenneth Kury

We contribute to the literature on institutional and organizational change by integrating two related areas of study: the theory and methods of analysis informed by the research…

Abstract

We contribute to the literature on institutional and organizational change by integrating two related areas of study: the theory and methods of analysis informed by the research on institutional logics and historical-event sequencing. Institutional logics provide the theory to understand how the content of culture influences organizational change; historical-event sequencing reveals the underlying patterns of cultural transformation. We apply this dual perspective to the cases of institutional stability and change in organizational governance in three industries: accounting, architecture, and higher-education publishing. Research on governance has focused on changes in organizational design between markets, hierarchies, and networks. Missing from this research is an understanding of how institutions at the wider societal level motivate organizations to adopt one of these governance forms over another. We examine how the governance of firms in these industries has been influenced by the institutional logics of the professions, the market, the state, and the corporation by focusing on three mechanisms – institutional entrepreneurs, structural overlap, and historical-event sequencing. Overall, our findings reveal how accounting was influenced by state regulation producing a punctuated equilibrium model, architecture by professional duality producing a cyclical model, and publishing by market rationalization producing an evolutionary model of institutional change in organizational governance.

Details

Transformation in Cultural Industries
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-365-5

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