There is Music in Every Building | Tom McGlynn | TEDxCambridgeUniversity

Summary

This script explores the profound connection between architecture and music, highlighting the parallels in their compositional elements and creative processes. The speaker, an architect and music enthusiast, delves into how both disciplines share terminology and can be experienced similarly through rhythm, harmony, and texture. The concept of 'frozen music' is discussed, and the script culminates in a unique experiment where a building's facade is translated into a piece of electronic music, demonstrating the tangible and intangible interplay between the built environment and sound.

Takeaways

• 🎼 The speaker is an architect who deeply intertwines their love for music with their profession, finding parallels between the two creative fields.
• 🏛 The concept of 'frozen music' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is introduced, suggesting that architecture is a solidified form of sound.
• 🎶 The script discusses the shared language between architecture and music, with terms like 'rhythm', 'dynamic', 'harmony', 'texture', and 'composition' being used in both fields.
• 🏢 Architectural components such as columns and windows create visual rhythms, while music uses sound to create auditory rhythms.
• 🎹 The choice of materials in architecture and instruments in music both contribute to the texture and overall composition.
• 📐 Architectural drawings and musical scores serve as instructions for the construction of buildings and the performance of music, respectively.
• 🏗️ The process of building a structure is compared to an orchestra performing music, with each element contributing to the final composition.
• 🎵 The speaker's brother, a music producer, collaborated with them to translate the facade of a building into a piece of electronic music, demonstrating a direct correlation between architectural design and musical composition.
• 🏛️ The script suggests that different architectural styles may correspond to different genres of music, such as punk for chaotic compositions or free jazz for fluid, non-standardized forms.
• 💻 The impact of technology on both architecture and music is highlighted, with computer-aided design and electronic music composition being prominent in contemporary practices.
• 🎼 The speaker encourages the audience to use their imagination to 'hear' the music of architecture, proposing that the built environment can be experienced as a symphony of visual and auditory elements.

Q & A

What is the relationship between architecture and music according to the speaker?

The speaker believes that the relationship between architecture and music goes beyond coexistence. They see music in every building and suggest that with a little imagination, one can experience the music inherent in architecture.

How does the speaker describe the concept of 'rhythm' in architecture?

In architecture, 'rhythm' is described as visual and refers to repeating patterns such as rows of columns or the arrangement of windows.

What is 'dynamic architecture' and how does it relate to music?

Dynamic architecture involves changes and variations, like a façade that steps in and out or up and down along its length. This can be likened to the dynamics in music, which involves changes in volume and intensity.

How does the speaker connect the concept of 'harmony' in music to architecture?

The speaker connects 'harmony' by stating that a building can demonstrate harmony if there is similarity in the design of different building components or if different building materials complement each other.

What is the term that the speaker identifies as crucial for both architecture and music composition?

The speaker identifies 'composition' as the crucial term for both architecture and music. It refers to the planned arrangement of parts to form a whole, whether it's the arrangement of building components in space or the arrangement of sound in time.

How does the choice of materials in architecture relate to the choice of instruments in music?

The choice of materials in architecture gives buildings texture and form, similar to how the choice or range of instruments and sounds available to a composer gives music its unique texture and form.

What does Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's famous quote 'architecture is frozen music' suggest according to the speaker?

Goethe's quote suggests that architecture can be seen as a solidification of sound, giving physical presence to what would otherwise be an aural experience.

How does the speaker attempt to translate the visual components of a building into music?

The speaker and their brother, an electronic music producer, worked together to create a musical representation of a building's façade. They considered each bay of the façade as a bar in the music, translating the structure and variations into different layers of rhythm and melody.

What does the speaker suggest when they say that a building built by hand is a 'performance' of the architectural design?

The speaker suggests that the construction of a building involves human interpretation, errors, and imperfections, much like a live music performance, which can add unique qualities to the final outcome.

How does the speaker encourage individuals to experience architecture and music?

The speaker encourages individuals to use their imagination to experience the music of architecture by looking at buildings, reading the facades, and finding the underlying rhythms, melodies, and harmony, thus enriching their experience of the built environment.

What is the speaker's final analogy for the relationship between a building, a street, and a city in terms of music?

The speaker's final analogy is that if an individual building can be translated to a song, then a street is like an album and a city is akin to a full record collection.

Outlines

00:00

🎼 The Harmonious Union of Architecture and Music

The speaker, an architect and music enthusiast, explores the profound connection between architecture and music, emphasizing that they are more than just coexisting interests. They draw parallels between the two fields, highlighting shared terminology such as rhythm, dynamics, harmony, texture, and composition. The speaker suggests that every building has an inherent musicality, and with imagination, one can 'hear' the architecture. They discuss the idea of translating the visual and spatial elements of buildings into aural and temporal components of music, referencing Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's notion of 'frozen music.' The speaker also contemplates the differences between classical and modern architecture and their respective musical counterparts, suggesting a loss of musical alignment in contemporary architecture due to the stripping away of ornamental elements.

05:02

🏛 Translating Architectural Forms into Musical Compositions

This paragraph delves into the idea of matching contemporary architecture with modern music genres, proposing that buildings like the Hayward Gallery could be likened to punk, the Pompidou Center to techno, and the Guggenheim to free jazz. The speaker reflects on how architecture and music have evolved together, influenced by societal factors, and how the advent of computers has impacted both fields, leading to a prevalence of electronic music and computer-aided design. The speaker's personal experiment in translating the facade of a building into music is described, with each architectural element represented by a musical component, creating a rhythmic and harmonic piece that mirrors the building's design. The process illustrates the potential for a direct sensory translation between the visual structure of a building and an auditory experience.

10:03

🎹 The Limitations and Potential of Architectural Musical Interpretation

The speaker acknowledges the limitations of translating three-dimensional architectural designs into two-dimensional representations, both in architectural drawings and in music software. They discuss the nuances of experiencing a building or a piece of music firsthand, which cannot be fully captured in simplified diagrams or readouts. The speaker also considers the role of human interpretation and imperfection in the construction of a building, likening it to a live music performance rather than a computer-generated score. They encourage the audience to use their imagination to experience the 'music of architecture,' suggesting that personal interpretations will vary and that the built environment can be enriched by this sensory crossover. The speaker concludes by likening individual buildings to songs, streets to albums, and cities to a collection of records, inviting the audience to engage with their surroundings in a new, musical way.

Keywords

💡Architecture

Architecture refers to both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings and other physical structures. In the video, architecture is not only the speaker's profession but also deeply intertwined with music, suggesting that every building has an inherent musical quality. The script uses the concept of architecture to draw parallels with music, such as rhythm, harmony, and composition.

💡Music Lover

A music lover is someone who has a deep appreciation for music, often engaging with it both actively and passively. The speaker identifies as a music lover, which influences their perspective on architecture, allowing them to perceive buildings with a musical sensibility, as evidenced by their experience of designing with music playing in the background.

💡Coexistence

Coexistence refers to the state of living or existing together, which in the context of the video, describes the relationship between the speaker's professional and personal interests in architecture and music. The speaker finds opportunities for these two passions to intersect, such as designing buildings while listening to music or observing architectural structures while wearing headphones.

💡Rhythm

Rhythm, in music, is the organized flow of sounds in time, while in architecture, it refers to the visual pattern of elements like columns or windows. The script explains how rhythm is a shared term between the two disciplines, with architecture having a visual rhythm and music having a temporal one, as seen in the speaker's description of designing buildings with repeating patterns.

💡Dynamic Architecture

Dynamic architecture involves buildings that exhibit changes and variations, such as facades that step in and out. This concept is used in the script to illustrate how architecture can have a dynamic quality similar to the changes in musical dynamics, where different elements of a building can create a sense of movement or progression.

💡Harmony

Harmony in music is the combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce a pleasing effect. In architecture, harmony is achieved when different components or materials work well together. The script discusses how a building can demonstrate harmony, drawing a direct parallel to the pleasing combinations of musical notes.

💡Composition

Composition in both music and architecture refers to the arrangement of elements to form a whole. Architectural composition involves the spatial arrangement of building components, while musical composition arranges sounds over time. The script uses composition as a crucial shared term to highlight the planning and structure behind both disciplines.

💡Materials

Materials in architecture are the physical substances used to construct buildings, such as timber, glass, and brick. In music, the equivalent would be the range of instruments and sounds. The script explains how the choice of materials gives buildings texture and form, similar to how the choice of instruments contributes to the overall sound of a musical piece.

💡Orchestration

Orchestration in music is the arrangement of instruments within an ensemble to produce a particular sound. The speaker loosely aligns orchestration with the ornamentation and sculptural forms in architecture, suggesting that the combination of different elements in both fields contributes to the overall aesthetic and experience.

💡Electronic Music

Electronic music is a genre that employs electronic instruments and computer technology in its production. The script discusses the role of computers in creating both contemporary architecture and electronic music, highlighting the organized repetition of components in both fields as a result of technological influence.

💡Translation

In the context of the video, translation refers to the process of converting the visual and spatial elements of architecture into the aural and temporal elements of music. The speaker explores this concept by creating a musical representation of a building's facade, translating its rhythm, structure, and materials into a composition.

Highlights

Architecture and music have a deep relationship beyond mere coexistence, with the potential to experience music in every building.

Shared terminology between architecture and music, such as rhythm, dynamic, harmony, and composition, indicates a parallel in their structures.

Rhythm in architecture is visual and involves repeating patterns like columns or window arrangements.

Dynamic architecture is characterized by changes and variations, like facades that step in and out.

Harmony in buildings is achieved through the similarity in design of different components or materials.

Building materials contribute to a building's texture, similar to how instruments contribute to musical texture.

Architectural and musical compositions are both planned arrangements of parts to form a cohesive whole.

Architectural drawings and musical scores serve as instructions for constructing buildings and performing music.

The idea of translating the visual, physical components of architecture to the aural components of music is explored.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's famous quote 'architecture is frozen music' is discussed in the context of architecture's musicality.

Modern architectural styles like hi-tech Brutalism and minimalism may not align as intuitively with historic music.

The technological revolution and the rise of electronic music have influenced both architecture and music composition.

The process of designing buildings is likened to composing music, with careful consideration of harmony and interaction between components.

A collaborative project between the speaker and his brother translates the facade of a building into a piece of electronic music.

The translation process considers the facade's rhythm, structure, and variations, mirroring them in the musical composition.

The limitations of two-dimensional representations in capturing the full experience of architecture and music are acknowledged.

The speaker encourages individuals to use their imagination to experience the music of architecture, enriching their perception of the built environment.

The concept of a city as a full record collection, with streets as albums and buildings as songs, is introduced as a way to appreciate urban environments.

Transcripts

I am an architect and a music lover

architecture is my profession and I'm

lucky enough to enjoy a passion for it

well as a bedroom DJ and record

collector music is my hobby in my life

there are many opportunities for the two

to co-exist I design buildings with

music on in the background I walk around

cities looking at buildings with

headphones on but I believe the

relationship between architecture and

music is way beyond coexistence for me

there is music in every building and

with a little imagination we all have

the potential to experience it there are

many parallels between architecture and

music both have their specialist

language but it's striking how many of

these terms are shared if we look at a

list of the elements of music we can see

that many of these terms are regularly

used to describe architecture rhythm in

architecture is visual and describes

repeating patterns such as rows of

columns or the arrangement of windows

dynamic architecture involves changes

and variations a facade that steps in

and out or up and down along its length

for example a building can demonstrate

harmony if there is similarity in the

design of different building components

or different building materials sit well

together building materials give

buildings texture and form primarily

describes a building's shape but the

crucial share term is composition

meaning the planned arrangement of parts

to form a whole architectural

composition is the arrangement of

building components in space sense with

our eyes musical composition is the

arrangement of sound

time sense with our ears architectural

composition is given its distinctive

character or quality through choice of

materials timber glass brick and so on

and the musical equivalent is the choice

or the range of instruments and sounds

available to a composer strings

percussion brass and so on both

compositions are dreamed up in the

creators head and put to paper as a set

of instructions for others to execute

architectural drawings instruct builders

on how to construct a particular

building while a musical score instructs

musicians on the performance of a

particular piece picture at the busy

building site with all the builders

holding drawings for their specialist

trade each working away on the different

parts of the building to create the

whole now picture the orchestra and all

the musicians with their sheet music

each playing their part in combination

to perform the overall piece of music as

we have seen parallels can be drawn

between architecture and music but the

fundamental difference is that one is

visual set in space and one is aural set

in time so can we translate the visual

physical spatial components of

architecture to the aural intangible

time-based components of music can we

look at a building and hear it sounds

the late 18th century German writer

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said famously

architecture is frozen music this

suggests solidifying giving physical

presence the sounds in his time the

predominant architectural style was

Baroque and Gothic architecture came

before the significant buildings from

these areas were palaces cathedrals and

churches with their elaborate sculptural

stained forms both internally and

externally still today they represent

some of the most

compelling examples of musical

expression inbuilt form I don't know a

lot about classical music but loosely

speaking I am able to align its

orchestration and melodies with ornament

craft organic sculptural form if we

strip away these aspects from

architecture as the modern movement did

in the early 20th century and more

recently hi-tech Brutalism and

minimalism

I feel intuitively less able to align

contemporary architecture and buildings

with historic music if we think of the

classical buildings of the past in terms

of the classical music of the past what

might be the appropriate music for today

to draw parallels with contemporary

architecture thinking of well-known

buildings we might say that the south

banks Hayward gallery with its chaotic

composition of concrete forms and its

spiky pyramidal roof lights would be

punk

the Pompidou Center in Paris with its

repetitive steel frame exposed

factory-like services and pipework and

these futuristic tubular walkways and

escalators would be tech name and the

Guggenheim in Bilbao with its

free-flowing forms that interweave or

collide with one another and its lack of

standardized rhythm must be a kind of

improvised free jazz over the ages the

style of architecture and music has been

influenced by external factors such as

politics war fashion what about today we

are in a technological revolution with

computers at the heart of everything

the primary instrumental music is

electronic there are many forms house

techno dubstep drum and bass even most

pop music today is electronic with the

introduction of computers as a

compositional tool over the last few

decades I think it is more apparent than

ever that both contemporary architecture

music involve the organized now

computer-aided repetition of a series of

components think of the repetitive

facades of new office blocks and then

think of the repetitive beats of the

latest electro pop chart-topper we

design buildings in a similar manner to

the composition of music the starting

point can vary but ultimately the

finished piece consists of a series of

components the arrangement of components

into a series of layers held together by

the overarching rhythm or structure both

composer and architect must carefully

consider the harmony between these

layers how they interact do they

complement one another or is there a

conscious jarring for dramatic effect do

they sit in line with the rhythm or do

they break the mold is it a consistent

repetitive flow or are their acts

variations changes that create moments

of interest so if both architecture and

music are compositions with rhythm and

harmony at their call

can we look upon a building and imagine

its visual components as sounds

translating it to music I think we can

but I wanted to put this to the test

this is the facade of a building for

Jesus College in Cambridge that I helped

to design my brother is an electronic

music producer and we agreed to work

together on a musical representation of

this facade it lends itself well to the

test because there is a well-defined

order and clear rhythm to the visual

composition we've considered each bay of

the facade as a bar in the music the

primary structure in this building is

set out as brick piers these are

repetitive and set at regular intervals

establishing the beat as the core

framework for the rhythm of this facade

at the base of the building the space

between the brick piers is subdivided

into eight this introduces another layer

of rhythm that we've translated to a

drum pattern here my brother imagined

walking past the building running a

stick along the stone fins as you go on

[Music]

the next layer the bays are split into

four and we've added another layer of

rhythm a sequence of four piano chords

that set the groove and reinforce the

metre of the composition

[Music]

on the floor above the bays are split

into two and here we introduce our first

layer of melody - elongated undulating

chords giving a harmonic warmth to the

piece and the top floor the bays are

also split into two here the balconies

are open to the sky and so the sound is

high-pitched and allowed to rise up we

opted for a vocal sample to represent

this so now the only thing missing are

the foundations and I think these are

best represented in music through the

base foundations are set out support the

structure above in the same way that a

bassline supports the rhythm in music

when we add all these elements together

we can hear the eight bars of the music

tracking across the eight Bay's of the

facade

[Music]

where the facade design is repetitive

the musical composition is repetitive

and where there's variation in the

facade there is variation in the music

with some simplification and minor

tweaking the color-coded architectural

drawings and the readout from the music

creation software begin to resemble one

another but these simplified

two-dimensional representations fail to

describe the nuances of the compositions

that you would experience by visiting

the building or listening to the music

the drawings miss the three-dimensional

qualities of this facade the depth the

recessed and protruding elements the

play of light and shadow

the colored blocks in the music readout

failed to visually describe the dynamics

of the music the modulated sounds the EQ

the frequencies and filters but these

aspects are key to the drama of the

compositions we could have gone further

in terms of translating architectural

components to sounds I think that

different forms and different materials

would elicit different sounds for

example the brick columns in our facade

that we saw earlier to my mind would

sound very different to any of the

columns in these images but the

composition for today was intended to be

diagrammatic the electronic score

resembles the drawings but what about

the actual physical building electronic

music is generally composed on computers

it is these computers that perform the

finished piece creating the final

recording while the drawings are

produced in the perfect world of

computers the physical finished building

in fact involves human interpretation

errors and imperfections essentially a

building built by hand is really a

performance of the architectural design

therefore perhaps it would have been

better translated to a live music

performance think again of the

similarities between the orchestra and

the busy building site so what role do

you play in all of this well with a

little imagination

I believe you can all experience the

music of architecture both are

subjective each of you will have your

own musical interpretations of any

building

I'm sure the buildings that look that

you find attractive will sound good in

your head

and those you don't won't imagine

walking down a street as a passerby we

can catch a glimpse of the building and

hear a snippet of its song or we can

stand back taking the full facade unpick

its structure materials layers and here

the full symphony hopefully this will

enrich your experience of the built

environment and if an individual

building can be translated to a song

perhaps a street is like an album and a

city a full record collection so next

time you walk around a city or visit a

building take a moment to look at the

architecture read the facades find the

underlying rhythms melodies and harmony

and enjoy imagining each building song

play out in your head

you