In architecture, often we are confronted with two main problems: one, the technical and functional requirements of the building and the other, the space, form and ambiance. In realstanding projects these two features are inseparable and are a product of creativity. The project of the Emir Naderi Bank of Iran, designed by Rohrava Shirdel, has structural elements of creativity in organization of space, form and structure. The building has modified the traditional concept of elevation. Horizontal elements give sensibly to changes; also vertical elements of the building have changed to something 24 meters tall from each angle. A new vision of the building appears and the volume changes from a closed form to a transparent one.
The Conditions of Creativity
In daily life, for practical reasons, there has been a classification of professions like industrial design, architecture, and urban planning. Each of these disciplines has its own techniques and rules. The brain, which creates, has no such classification. Thus creativity in architecture is not different from creativity in other arts. Although creative activity is at its core in contrast with repetition and imitation, yet considering its conditions, it is classifiable into several categories.
Adaptation
There is no creativity which is not based on a tradition. Creativity is always a part of history and has a relation to what already exists. Adaptation is important in other artistic activities, such as crafts and industrial design, or sculpture. The works of Frank Gehry are similar in ambition to the paintings of Picasso and Braque. Nature has always been a source of inspiration for the architects. Santiago Calatrava is one of the architects who has repeatedly used natural and organic forms in his architecture. The TGV train station in Lyon resembles the anatomy of its own creature.
Change of Context
Each object belongs to its specific context. Taking an object or form from its context and putting it in another context can, in itself, be an innovation. A good example of this is the advertising work of the Design Company named Fontana Arte. An advertisement is composed of three parts: a few pictures of the products of this company, at the top a statement from Schopenhauer, and a big table in the middle of the page with four wheels instead of legs.
Elaboration of an Existing Theme
In architecture, as in literature, a new creative work can take the form of re-elaboration of an old subject. In sculpture one can compare the works by Tatlin and Cybo. Although re-elaboration is a structural process, the result always expresses innermost feelings. Even creative artists such as Le Corbusier and Alvar Aalto take benefit of this method. Here Le Corbusier's sketches of the historic Butt of Artisans, his preliminary sketches of Chandigarh Junior Building, and the built project are compared with each other.
Types of Imagination
Intuitive Imagination
In the stage of creative imagination the imitated elements and shapes are continuously analyzed and elaborated until they turn into concentrated abstract ideas. In the process of design, these ideas are once more elaborated and reconstructed to meet the specific requirements and needs of the project. In the project of the cultural center of Ekbatan, carried out by Shirdel and partners, with the collaboration of the author, one problem was the dual character of the elevation.
Creative Imagination
Creative imagination happens when, with the help of intuitive recognition and deduction of the previous experiences, a basically new and regenerated version of reality is created. In this stage the voice of the project itself, and not the initial imitative models, come into focus. In the example of the project for the Academy, the imitated elements change gradually in the process of design to become new elements.
Tradition, which is very important in architecture, can be presented in three fashions: A. Conservation or reproduction of what exists, which is merely a consumption of history; B. Tradition as transposing, meaning it adapts traditional elements and models to present needs and requirements; C. Tradition as transformation, where the aim is to begin with history but only to add new values to it. This concept, which is nearest to the concept of creativity, transforms the consumptionist approach towards history into a productive relationship.
Creativity, just like invention, does not mean building a completely new object. It is based mainly on the artist's cultural background. Five elements have a crucial role: the first is the personality and character of the inventor; this creativity cannot be envisaged as a job with a fixed time and rules, but depends wholly on the way of life and the reactions of the individual towards his environment. The second factor is experience: creativity is impossible without experience, because an inexperienced mind is unable to develop solutions. The fourth factor is inspiration or intuition, which is the highest level of learning, the most complex activity of the mind to explore the labyrinth of existing solutions.