The Palazzo dei Conservatori in Rome, Italy, circa 1536 was the first use of Michelangelo Buonarrati’s grand order, which consists of two-story tall pilasters and a ground floor loggia. In 1947, Le Corbusier designed Unit d’Habitation in Marseille, France, which was fully realized in 1957, featuring 12 stories and 337 apartments constructed almost entirely of rough-cast concrete. These two very different architectural monuments represent the diversity in design architectural history incorporates.
Background knowledge of these buildings and architectural history tells us that they were constructed and idealized using some opposing philosophies. The idea and use of ornamentation and symbolism incorporated into Michelangelo’s design was aesthetically unique in and of it’s time, with the use of small Ionic windows and a classical clock tower. On the other hand, Corbusier’s design was spirited toward functionality and practicality, as demonstrated by the title, literally meaning “Housing Unit”. These two buildings could be seen to some as champions of their appropriate architectural styles.
So can one style be better or worse than another? Well, considering the first architect, Vitruvius, claimed that architecture should satisfy Commodity, Firmness, and Delight, the answer is yes because those are opinioned values. The functional awareness of one design might appeal to you, and the grand ornamentation of another. A hospital would be designed to best suite its purpose of circulating people and products while a museum would be designed to inspire thought and learning. The buildings previously mentioned each attempt to address its purpose best in real form, which leads to inherent differences, most notably in presentation.
Michelangelo’s Palazzo dei Conservatori sits atop Capitoline Hill, the smallest and most famous of the Seven Hills of Rome. It was built for Roman civic governmental use, which delegates the form and placement of interfacing buildings throughout the plaza. Upon first arrival to the building, you are greeted with a large, equestrian style bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius. Behind the statue is an outdoor foyer, prominent of Renaissance architecture, with stairs leading to the front entrance on the second story of three. The two story Corinthian pilasters stretching from the second to third stories are purely aesthetic, separate from this buildings function. They tie the buildings form together in an emotional and spiritual way, the way columns
