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 Subject/Built Work Description
Subject/Built Work Type (by function/form)
Style
Materials/Construction
Subject/Built Work Descriptive Date
Subject/Built Work Earliest Date
Latest Date of Existence
Broadly speaking, the categories of information used to describe
architectural subjects can also be applied to built works. Subjects
and built works can be described in terms of their date(s), function,
form, style, and materials used in their construction. Two or more of
these elements are often combined to create composite terms, e.g.,
Palladian villa (style and function), cruciform church
(form and function), and brick house (materials and
function).
In many cases, the subject depicted is an area within a structure
(e.g., a room) or a structural component (e.g., a capital), rather
than an architectural work. It may also be a complex made up of a
number of works, or a complete settlement. The term complex is
taken here to mean a group of buildings which are, or were at some
time, part of a larger whole—the function of each structure
being complementary to the primary function of that whole. For
example, a monastery—a community established for prayer
and contemplation—is likely to have a kitchen, refectory,
dormitory, hospital, and a wide range of building types, in
addition to its church. These ancillary buildings are not
related directly to the larger purpose of the complex, but are
necessary for the maintenance of those who perform the primary
function.
A complex, like a single built work, has a location and may have a
known name, function, dates, and related persons and corporate
bodies. Further, there may be information that relates to the complex
as a whole, just as there may be information concerning individual
buildings within it. If a system is not designed to allow for records
to be made at complex level, then there is no way to record essential
information. It can, indeed, be argued that priority should be given
to making records at the complex, rather than single built work,
level. On the other hand, the information recorded at the complex
level will be less detailed than that which would be gained from
recording each work within the complex separately. Ideally, the
repository should record the information at both the complex and
single built work level—creating one record for the complex and
individual entries on all known or significant structures within the
complex.
Function
Architectural subjects are often described primarily in terms of
their virtual or real function(s). One of the most basic uses of
function—although not the only one—is as an identifier. For
example, in the case of a drawing of a church for which the location
is known, but not the dedication or denomination, the subject type by
function (church) can be combined with any known locational
information to provide the most accurate identification possible in
the circumstances (e.g., Church, George Street, Wallsend).
There are, however, difficulties in attempting to classify
architectural subjects by function. If we take that most common and
typical of building types, house, the nature of the problem
soon becomes clear. We all have a mental picture of what a
house is, but when we attempt a connotative definition of one
we soon realize that this cannot be done with any degree of
precision. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines a
house as "a building for human habitation." This definition is far
too broad to serve any practical purpose, for it could be equally
well applied to a hotel, prison, or asylum. Attempts to narrow the
definition by describing a house in terms of its structural
form run up against the problem that houses take a bewildering
variety of forms. The problem is exacerbated by the use of narrower
terms of the generic term house, such as cottage.
The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines cottage
as "a small or humble dwelling house" or "a small country or suburban
residence." The first definition is now usually applied only in a
historical context. In the present day, the term is applied to
buildings which were sometimes far from "humble" when built, but not
to buildings which are truly "humble," such as small row houses. The
uncontrolled use of terms, particularly ones that are not readily
definable, can have implications for the retrievability of the
information recorded.
Returning to the original example of church, it is possible
to place all churches under a broader heading, such as
religious buildings. It is also possible to categorize them
more narrowly according to denomination, e.g., Anglican
church. The creation of narrower categories can, however, create
its own problems. This is particularly true of industrial buildings,
some of which can be described in terms of the process that is
carried out in them, the products of that process, or the
power source applied to the process. The result is that "a water
powered mill for the spinning of cotton" could be described as a
cotton mill, a spinning mill, or a water mill.
All three terms are correct and should be recorded. It is desirable,
therefore, that a system should allow for the function of a building
to be described by more than one term.
Subjects which are functional elements of, or areas within,
architectural works do not fit into the same hierarchies of
description as whole works. For example, a church may have a
porch, but so may many other building types. Porch does
not, therefore, belong in the hierarchy describing building types by
function or form; rather it belongs in one describing parts of
buildings. At the level of building component there is also a need
for hierarchically structured levels of description. An arch,
for example, can be a building component by form rather than function
(e.g., horseshoe arch) or a building component by function
(e.g., straining arch). Also, as with the example of chapel,
it can be applied to a structure (e.g., Arch of Constantine).
In the case of the Arch of Constantine, the question as to
whether the arch was a structural component or a structure in
its own right would be resolved by ruling that it should be described
using the narrower and more descriptive term triumphal arch.
The usefulness for retrieval purposes of the information entered
will, once again, depend on careful choice of terms and consistency
in their use.
Form
Architectural subjects can be described in terms of form as well
as function. In practice, form is often used to qualify function
(e.g., panopticon prison). On occasion, a building may be
describable in terms of form only, as in the case of basilica.
This is, however, relatively uncommon, for although most buildings
have a function, few have a form that is reducible to a descriptive
term. Some types of church can be described in terms of their form
(e.g., Benedictine plan), but many cannot. A typical medieval
church may have some or all of the following elements: nave, chancel,
aisle or aisles, west tower or towers, central tower, transepts,
apse, porch. The church, as with so many buildings, is the sum of its
parts, and these will not often be easily describable other than in a
sentence or sentences. Form and plan are closely related and are
often interdependent concepts. For example, round tower is a
description of a building in terms of its form (tower) and its
plan (round), although the fact that it has a round plan also
provides a narrower and more descriptive term for the building's
form. The interdependence of the two concepts, and the difficulty of
distinguishing them, argues for their being conflated into a single
category: Subject/Built Work Type (by function/form).
Style
As with other areas of subject description, style lacks an
agreed-on and consistent terminology. For example, a given building
may be described by one cataloguer as Victorian Gothic (AAT)
and by another as Gothic Revival (AAT), both of which terms
are generally accepted by architectural historians. Some terms have
not won general acceptance, e.g., Gothick (a term for the 18th
century Gothic Revival that overlaps with Strawberry Hill Gothic
[AAT]). To allow retrieval by style, the terms used in
records should be controlled by either a word list that specifies
preferred terms, or a thesaurus that is structured in such a way as
to allow for retrieval by related terms.
Materials/Construction
A subject may be described as made up of a number of principal
materials. Materials, like form and function, have a number of levels
of description, and this hierarchy has implications for retrieval.
Stone can be described more narrowly in terms of type of stone
(e.g., sandstone), and these types can themselves be described
more narrowly (e.g., old red sandstone). The way in which a
stone is cut is often used as part of the descriptive term (e.g.,
sandstone rubble), or instead of the type of stone (e.g.,
ashlar). When describing structures depicted as built of
baked earth, one may describe a structure as being built of
brick(a narrower term), red brick (the narrow term
differentiated by color), or stock brick (the narrow term
differentiated by type).
Many narrow terms describe both the material and the method of
construction. Unbaked earthstructures, for example, are often
described using narrow terms such as adobe, cob, and
pisé—different words for the same material, but
denoting different methods of construction. In the same way,
timber-framed, a term often used in the context of materials,
is both a material and a method of construction. Stave church
describes a type of church by means of construction, but also tells
architectural historians that the structure is built of wood and is
likely to take a particular form (having open aisles on all sides of
the central space).
As with the other elements of subject description, there
is a need to recognize that individual terms occupy particular
levels in the hierarchy of description, that they may have
synonyms, and that they can be bound terms. [1]
It is important therefore that the terms recorded in this
category also be controlled, preferably by an online thesaurus.
Subject/Built Work Description can
be used to qualify information recorded as an access point.
For example, the materials depicted in a particular subject
may be recorded as brick and cast iron, but
the description can elucidate and qualify this information
by placing it in context, e.g., "warehouse of fireproof construction
with cast iron frame and brick outer walls."
Phases in the Development of Built Works and Complexes
Many single built works and complexes change over time. They can
be enlarged or reduced in size or remodeled, or acquire new
functions. A typical English parish church, for example, will often
contain evidence of building campaigns of the 13th, 14th, and 15th
centuries and is likely to have been renovated in the 19th century.
Changes of function have become more common in recent years with the
conversion of industrial buildings into offices and apartment blocks
and of a wide range of building types into museums.
There are, however, difficulties in recording information about
phases in the development of a building in such a way as to make its
retrieval meaningful. Take the case of a building erected between the
years 1941—1945 as a torpedo factory and converted
in 1970—1979 into an art center. If the
information recorded in the date categories is to be related to the
appropriate function, the occurrences of both fields should be
designed in such a way that they repeat together.
Example:
Phase 1:
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SUBJECT/BUILT WORK TYPE (BY FUNCTION/FORM):
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torpedo factory
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SUBJECT/BUILT WORK DESCRIPTIVE DATE:
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1941—1945
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Phase 2:
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SUBJECT/BUILT WORK TYPE (BY FUNCTION/FORM):
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art center
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SUBJECT/BUILT WORK DESCRIPTIVE DATE:
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1970—1979
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To ensure that the information recorded in the date categories
is related to the appropriate function, these categories must
be linked. Similar relationships would have to be established
between dates and any other categories that are phase-specific
(e.g., STYLE, MATERIALS, etc.). The Guide recommends
that if information specific to phases is to be recorded in
categories designated as access points, phases should be differentiated
according to the guidelines included under Subject/Built
Work Identification.
Considerations for Implementation
The retrievability of records by aspects of their subjects will
depend on the degree of control imposed on the information entered.
An important element of this control should be a hierarchically
structured thesaurus. The use of an online thesaurus opens up the
possibility of search at a number of levels of description (e.g., all
domestic buildings, or all houses, or all row
houses). Systems without such a thesaurus may require separate
fields to record two or more levels of description (or to allow
multiple occurrences of the subject fields).
Category:
Subject/Built
Work Description
Definition:
A discursive text that describes the formal aspects of the subject or
built work and its identity, function, history, significance, or
associated issues or problems.
Discussion:
A good description can help researchers in visualizing a subject and
determining whether it is relevant to their research. This category
helps to compensate for the limitations of expression inherent in the
associated terminology-controlled categories.
The description of a subject or built work has two parts. The
first, and more important on the core level, is a basic and
relatively objective account of the subject/built work. This provides
users with a relatively straightforward description that includes a
minimum of interpretation (e.g., that makes no attempt to assign
building type by function if it is otherwise unknown). This basic,
pre-iconographic level attempts to answer the question, What is the
representation of? The second part may be a more subjective,
historical and/or iconographical analysis, seeking to answer the
larger question, What is the representation about?
Descriptions can link a number of concepts into expressions such
as limestone crockets on sandstone Gothic flying buttresses.
The relationships conveyed may be difficult to preserve if recorded
only in separate categories. In addition, if there is uncertainty
about any aspect of the subject, such as its identification, the
description can convey this, along with possible alternative
interpretations.
Example:
SUBJECT/BUILT WORK DESCRIPTION:
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...limestone crockets on sandstone
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Gothic flying buttresses...
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TYPE (BY FUNCTION/FORM):
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crockets
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flying buttresses
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MATERIALS:
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sandstone
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limestone
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STYLE:
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gothic
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If the subject corresponds in some way to a built work, that
correspondence should be described. For example, if the design shown
on a drawing was rejected for another design, both may be described
in order to point out the differences. In some cases, project
requirements may be important to the description, as with competition
entries. Stages or phases may be given, including changes of program
requirements, principal architect, form, site, function, or
client.
Examples:
More than any other
building of the 1930's, Battersea Power Station was probably the one
most associated in the public's mind with the idea of modernity. But
essentially Scott's work of this period followed the middle way,
neither leaning toward traditionalism nor toward modernism. Scott was
the consultant for the exterior architecture only. Engineering design
began in 1927, construction in 1929, architect J.T. Halliday
(1882—1932) of Halliday & Alligate was then brought in and
in 1930 Scott was asked to 'improve' upon Halliday's proposals... For
the moment it remains as Pevsner described 'one of the first examples
in England of frankly contemporary industrial architecture' but the
power station is due to be closed down some time in 1983 and though
listed by the Government as being of architectural and historical
importance the future for this London landmark is uncertain.
[2]
The subject is a
theoretical project for a garden house consisting of a central block
and two pavilions. The plan of the central block has the form of a
stretch octagon curved inward on the two longest sides. These two
sides are approached by double stairs and constitute the front and
back of the building. The short sides on the long axis open into the
two pavilions (joined at right angles to the central block), which
are square in plan and contain stairs leading to the upper floor. The
pavilions are two stories high, while the area above the central hall
is open to the sky. The second story exterior walls of the pavilions
are enframed by Ionic pilasters. There are two fountains, one each at
front and back.
According to the
inscription on the drawing, this is Juvarra's second project for the
Antamoro Chapel. Although there are some features in common with the
built work, such as the altarpiece that extends into the vault area
interrupting the entablature, the concave altar set on a convex
stepped platform, and the angled corner columns, the design differs
from the executed chapel in several important ways. The second
project includes an arched panel on the altar wall, extending from
the altar through the entablature into the vault ending in a
semi-circular arch, in place of the translucent oval glory in the
built work. In addition, the figure of S. Filippo Neri is rendered as
a relief or painting, instead of the executed statue in the round.
Also, the saint is set on a cloud mass rather than on a pedestal.
Details of the decoration which differ from the built work can be
found in the busts or urns set on the cornices of the lateral doors,
and the figurative relief in the altar frontal, both replaced in the
chapel with flaming hearts. Flat ribs demarcate the vault in place of
the ornate volutes in the built chapel. In general, the treatment of
the wall and vault surfaces in the second design for the chapel is
restrained and planal in contrast to the plastic articulation of the
built work.
Implementation:
descriptive
optional
single occurrence
Category:
Subject/Built Work Type (by function/form)
Definition:
The purpose and/or form of a subject/built work.
Discussion:
This category embraces a variety of concepts, including:
occupants (slave quarters), activities (steel mills,
cyclotrons, pilgrimage churches), development practice (tract
houses), ownership (collective farms), location
(squinches), administrative purpose (corporate
headquarters, courthouses), form (axial-plan, three-story,
stave churches), construction techniques (cantilever
bridges), patterns (rinceaux), and many other aspects.
When recording form and function, emphasis should be placed on
aspects that are important, influential, or unusual (e.g., archaic,
advanced, or innovative). It is not necessary to record conventional
characteristics inherent in the subject or built work (walls, doors,
windows, stairs, roofs, etc.).
In addition, when cataloguing architectural documents, emphasis
should be placed on recording characteristics of the subject as
depicted. If built works are also being recorded, it is important to
preserve the distinction between the characteristics of the subject
and those of the built work. For example, a drawing may depict a
basilica (form), and the cataloguer may know that it
represents an identifiable church (function). However, the
fact that it is a church is not evident on the drawing. It may also
not be evident that the flying buttresses (form/function) are
made of limestone (materials). Only what is evident from the
item being catalogued should be recorded. Maintaining the distinction
between the item and any corresponding built work makes it possible
to distinguish and retrieve by aspects that were proposed but not
built. This principle is also in keeping with the Guide's
focus on the documentation of architectural drawings and related
materials, not on built works directly.
If a subject is a part of a broader subject (e.g., a clock
tower of a parliament building), a separate record should
also be made for the broader subject.
Terminology:
When using the AAT, terms from the Built Environment
hierarchies may be appropriate: Settlements and Landscapes (RD);
Built Complexes and Districts (RG); Single Built Works (RK). Some
terms from Attributes and Properties (DC) and Design Elements (DG)
may also be used.[3]
Implementation:
access point
terminology-controlled
core
repeatable
Category:
Style
Definition:
A characterization of a subject or a built work according to
distinctive features that are typical of a particular school, region,
culture, ideology, or era.
Discussion:
The concept of style is generally most useful for drawings made after
the late 18th century because of the increased awareness and
selective use of styles after that date. For example, distinctions of
style are useful for drawings by C. A. Busby for the Picture House,
Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, because proposals
were made for Gothic Revival and neoclassical styles.
Words denoting style can be interpreted in a number of ways, and
therefore present difficulties for retrieval. It is recommended that
terms describing style should be used only when they convey
information not inherent in other categories. If the style is
unexpected —that is, unusual —this fact should be
recorded.
Generally, the more specific the stylistic term, the more useful
it is. For instance, Edwardian baroque conveys more than the
general term, baroque. For styles that connote dates of the
subject as depicted, use the DATE categories for subjects and built
works. Recording dates is preferable to recording the style as
Romanesque for a subject depicting a building that dates from
1140—1157. The date is a much more powerful means of retrieval
than such a general term for style, since almost every Western
European subject from that period would be the same style. However,
date-related stylistic terms may be useful for archaic, postmodern,
or other revivals of styles or modes. For example, it may be
appropriate to record a subject as being in the Richardsonian
Romanesque style.
For styles that connote geographic places, reigns, and periods
(e.g., Burgundian, Merovingian, Georgian, French Colonial,
Hadrianic), use Subject/Built Location
and date categories.
Terminology:
When using the AAT, terms may be selected from the Styles and
Periods hierarchy (FL).
Implementation:
access point
terminology-controlled
optional
repeatable
Category:
Materials/Construction
Definition:
Substances of which the subject appears to be made, or the built work
is constructed. In the case of subjects, this category is applicable
only when the material is specified or depicted in some way.
Terminology:
When using the AAT, terms may be taken from the Materials
hierarchy (MT). Some terms from Furnishings (TC) may also be
appropriate. The AAT has a separate hierarchy for Color (DL);
this can be used in combination with MT terms if an appropriate data
structure exists.[4]
Implementation:
access point
terminology-controlled
optional
repeatable
Category:
Subject/Built Work Descriptive Date
Definition:
A natural-language expression of the span of time during which the
subject depicted was designed and/or the built work was
constructed.
Discussion:
This category applies to both subjects and built works. Since
subjects are different entities from built works, it follows that
their dates are defined differently:
Subjects
The subject descriptive date is the span of time in which the
subject represented in the document(s) is thought or known to have
been conceived, developed, and put into a final state. The design
process took place at a given time, irrespective of whether a built
work was the result. This span of time is the subject descriptive
date. In the case of design and construction drawings, the date of
the subject is the same as the Date of Execution (under Groups/Items) of the item. In the case of record drawings, the
subject date refers to the time span in which the built work was
designed.
Built Works
The built work descriptive date is the known or estimated span of
time in which construction took place, beginning with groundbreaking
and ending with completion of construction. Built works undergo
changes over time, such as renovation, rebuilding, remodeling,
additions, incorporations into larger complexes, partial demolition.
All such significant dates may be noted in Built Work Descriptive Date.
Example:
BUILT WORK DESCRIPTIVE DATE:
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1099, partially rebuilt 1266 and 1472—1480;
renovated 1655—1657; destroyed 1941
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All these dates may be quite useful to researchers, but gathering
and recording such information is usually beyond the scope
of repositories of architectural documents. For this reason
Date of Execution for groups and items is considered a core
category, while Subject/Built Work Descriptive Date is not.
If exact dates are unknown, they may be approximated, using
conventions outlined in the Date of Execution section.
Implementation:
descriptive
optional
single occurrence
Category:
Subject/Built Work Earliest Date
Definition:
The earliest possible year that design or construction of a subject
or built work was (or could have) begun. Days and months are
considered too specific to be of use for retrieval in this
category.
Discussion:
When the date is a single calendar year, that year should
be listed as both Subject/Built Work
Earliest Date and Subject/Built Work
Latest Date in order to allow
for retrieval based on date spans. If the
Subject/Built Work Descriptive Date
is expressed as a span of time, only the first date is included
in this retrieval category.
When used in conjunction Subject/Built Work Latest Date,
this category enables retrieval by date.
Implementation:
access point
format-controlled: numeric
optional
single occurrence
Category:
Subject/Built
Work Latest Date
Definition:
The latest possible date when a subject or built work design or
construction was (or could have been) finished.
Discussion:
Cataloguers are urged to be liberal in assigning latest dates when
the exact finish date is unknown. This increases the chance of
retrieving the entry when querying by date spans.
For more guidelines, see Subject/Built Work Earliest Date.
Implementation:
access point
format-controlled: numeric
optional
single occurrence
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