BA3 Folly Research

"In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or merely appearing to be so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or the class of building to which it belongs." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly

In short a folly is very much what the creator wishes it to be. Within the limitations of the architecture possible. A further description of what a folly is and isn't helps give insight into what exactly I am being asked to create.

General Properties

The concept of the folly is subjective and it has been suggested that the definition of a folly "lies in the eyes of the beholder". Typical characteristics include:

• They have no purpose other than as an ornament. Often they have some of the appearance of a building constructed for a particular purpose, such as a castle or tower, but this appearance is a sham. Equally, if they have a purpose, it may be disguised.
• They are buildings, or parts of buildings. Thus they are distinguished from other garden ornaments such as sculpture.
• They are purpose-built. Follies are deliberately built as ornaments.
• They are often eccentric in design or construction. This is not strictly necessary; however, it is common for these structures to call attention to themselves through unusual details or form.
• There is often an element of fakery in their construction. The canonical example of this is the sham ruin: a folly which pretends to be the remains of an old building but which was in fact constructed in that state.
• They were built or commissioned for pleasure.

What follies are not

Fantasy and novelty buildings are essentially the converse of follies. Follies often look like real, usable buildings, but ordinarily are not; novelty buildings are usable, but have fantastic shapes. The many American shops and water towers in the shapes of commonplace items, for example, are not properly follies. Follies fall within the general realm of fanciful and impractical architecture, and whether a particular structure is a folly is sometimes a matter of opinion. However, there are several types which can be distinguished from follies.

• Eccentric structures may resemble follies, but the mere presence of eccentricity is not proof that a building is a folly. Many mansions and castles are quite eccentric, but being purpose-built to be used as residences, they are not properly follies.
• Some structures are popularly referred to as "follies" because they failed to fulfil their intended use. Their design and construction may be foolish, but in the architectural sense, they are not follies.
• Visionary art structures frequently blur the line between artwork and folly, if only because it is rather often hard to tell what intent the artist had. The word "folly" carries the connotation that there is something frivolous about the builder's intent. Some works (such as the massive complex by Ferdinand Cheval) are considered as follies because they are in the form of useful buildings, but are plainly constructions of extreme and intentional impracticality.
• Amusement parks, fairgrounds, and expositions often have fantastical buildings and structures. Some of these are follies, and some are not; the distinction, again, comes in their usage. Shops, restaurants, and other amusements are often housed in strikingly odd and eccentric structures, but these are not follies.

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly

It seems there is a little to more to a "folly" than I had initially thought. Though the description at the top of this post summarises what a "folly" encompasses the following points do highlight a blurred line in the perception of what these structures are. 

This research has also caused me to dismiss my initial intention to look into fantastical designs. For now sticking to real life examples will be more beneficial using any fantastical designs or in game structures as reference for potential embellishments to the final model to spice up its appearance slightly.

 Stone and slab seems to be the most frequently used material in the creation of "follies" likely due to the high number of medieval or ancient themed pieces with very few modern designs existing.

As a result of this and the many reference pieces I have available throughout Norwich it is likely I will look into creating a piece very similar to these style. My thoughts initially go towards a purposeful ruin of something that appears to have been far grander than what you would see now. Playing with the scale could also add an element of playfulness to the folly making the viewer appear to be a giant overlooking a quaint castle.

For now the best course of action would to begin studies in blocking out simple design and silhouettes in 2D and 3D playing around with stone arches, stairways, and pillars to create interesting ruins and models.