Ornament - Chin Yi Hong 1001542729

From ' Organized Crime: The Role of Ornament in Contemporary Architecture ' written by Kyle Miller , he mentioned that ' Rather than being viewed as additive or an appliqué , ornament can now be understood as an integrated , performative , functional building component , one that bears technical responsibilities such as enclosure , aperture , daylight modulation and temperature control . It rejects the superficial applications of previous architectural genres and simultaneously seeks the authenticity that was sought after in Modernism ' . 

As far as I know , apart from the form and function , ornament is still playing an important role in architecture . In term of designing a building , people are still pursuing complex aesthetic design . I am not saying all of them but if it is in the range of capabilities and enhancing the visual affect of the building , it is still worth to be added on like the icing on the cake . To me , ornament is not only the ornament , it symbolizes the era , even the evolution of a new epoch . Cite the example , ' the evolution of culture is synonymous with the removal of ornamentation from objects of everyday use , ' mentioned by Adolf Loos , I would rather be convinced by ' perspective was not the discovery of anyone person , it was the expression of the whole era ' mentioned by Reyner Banham . As my opinion , ornamentation cannot be removed from the evolution of culture , even culture itself is the ornamentation of an era . Ornamentation does not degenerate our civilization , on the contrary , it fulfills the enrichment and it shows the evidence of progress . 

In my point of view , ornament is predominantly influenced by cultures , religions and races . Different races have different cultures and religions . By far , ornaments are utilized to convey the different cultures and religions which are numerous nowadays . Here a single example will suffice , when you see a ' Qian Nian ' ceramic mosaic , you will not consider it as an European architecture . In other words , the distinction of different ornaments is clearly distinguishable . 

In my case study , I would like to choose the Beijing National Stadium .

Beijing National Stadium , commonly known as the Bird’s Nest . It was designed by the Pritzer-Prize-winning Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Piere de Meuron , with artist consultant Ai Weiwei . It is commonly known as the Bird’s Nest .

The circular shape of the stadium represents heaven, but has been described as a bird's nest , with its pattern inspired by Chinese-style crazed pottery . A series of cantilevered trusses has been designed to support the roof , shading the seats . The stadium was designed to incorporate elements of Chinese art and culture . The National Stadium's main structure is an enormous saddle-shaped elliptic steel structure . 

the crackle glazed pottery

As in the design concept of the stadium , it strongly assimilates the culture of Chinese . The steel structure represents the cracks of the pottery . It is well ornamental and symbolizing the evolution of the era .

The ornament of the stadium , which is also the structure of the building . It is not only an ornament but a technical system too , it is what makes the building stand out from others . 

In a nutshell , the conclusion of my point of view , with the change of time , ornamentation is not only an ornamental element , it has been an integration of different elements , such as culture or technology . It is indispensable and irreplaceable . I believe , it will last forever and coexist with the evolution of the new epoch .