New Light on the Orders

with George Saumarez Smith

This course, originally presented as part of the 2020 Summer Studio Retrospective, presents a new consideration of the classical orders.

The orders have long embodied allegory and meaning, but recent discussion has tended to focus mainly on their physical appearance. In this talk, architect George Saumarez Smith proposes an alternative way of considering the orders that encourages them to be seen as vessels of memory rather than simply as decorative devices. The course will cover the orders from their origins to new and theoretical uses in contemporary construction.

About the Instructor

George Saumarez Smith is one of the leading classical architects of his generation. George’s work has ranged in scale from new country houses and garden buildings to large housing schemes. Much of his inspiration comes from the appreciation and study of historic buildings, combined with a keen interest in the continued use of the techniques of classical design handed down through history. George has written several books on architecture and regularly teaches classicism at schools across Europe and North America. He is also known for producing large scale drawings, a selection of which formed the basis of the exhibition ‘Measure, Draw, Build’, held at the RIBA in October 2017.

What You Will Learn

• An introduction to the five orders of classical architecture, including their origins and allegorical associations
  
• How the orders have traditionally been represented in drawings and written descriptions
• Alternative ways of considering the orders that allow for them to be seen in metaphorical terms
• Examples of recent projects that offer possible new directions for use of the orders in modern buildings

2020 Summer Studio Retrospective

This course is presented as part of the 2020 Summer Studio Retrospective, a four-week series of daily online content inspired by the ICAA's Summer Studio in Classical Architecture program and the many students who have been impacted through its unique course of study. You can find additional programs in this series here.

Tags: education, video, Summer Studio Retrospective, video course, recorded event