What Is Honesty of Construction?

Definition

• Similar to the term "truth to materials," honesty of construction holds that architecture relies on the natural beauty of the materials used in construction. For instance, concrete and porcelain will be used without altering their natural color or texture for an aesthetic affect. The materials which will show in the construction will be honest to their natural state and purpose.

History

• While the term honesty of construction did not emerge until the 1950s and 60s, the ethic has been in place for centuries. Augustis Pugin, a Gothic Revivalist in England in the late 18th century, had two rules for great Gothic architecture. He believed that all features on a building must serve convenience, construction or propriety and that any decorative features should follow and emerge naturally from the design and construction of the building. These tenets are, essentially, the core of honesty of construction.

Brutalist Architecture

• Brutalist architecture is a style of building from the 1940s, 50s and 60s that celebrates natural materials and, often, the use of raw concrete. The French architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, known as Le Corbusier, began the Brutalist movement with a passion for raw materials. He stated that, "Architecture is the establishing of moving relationships with raw materials," which emphasizes his belief that honesty of construction leads to successful architecture.

John Ruskin

• Late 19th-century architect John Ruskin developed some of the first natural solutions to constructing buildings in his native France and beyond. He heralded materials' given properties, the proper display of those properties, and how natural materials promote the health and happiness of those who use them or buildings made of them.