The Order Problem Set

Problem 5 Tutorial: Hierarchy by Articulation

Question: Of the two buildings below which is the best example of the use of hierarchy created by articulation or detail?

Adler & Sullivan, Carson Pirie Scott Store, Chicago, Il, (1899-1904)

Louis I. Kahn, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CN, (1969-72)

At the detail scale in building, a higher level of articulation or detail is most often used to draw attention and create richness in a particular area of the building. For example, in Adler and Sullivan' Carson Pirie Scott Store below, our attention is drawn to the highly ornamented entrance, while the rest of the building is quieter and receeds into the background.

The antithesis of hierarchy is the ideal of equality. Many modern buildings are expressions of equality. Below are two excellent examples.
Skidmore Owings & Merrill Lever House New York City, NY (1952)	Mies van der Rohe Seagrams Buildling New York City, NY (1958)

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