Casino Design and Architecture
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Casinos are a type of building typology built mainly to cater to most types of gambling activities. It is a spatial environment defined and designed for the indulgence in pleasure and entertainment. Casinos are usually constructed as part of complex developments of hotels, restaurants, resorts, shopping malls and other tourist attractions.
Historical Perspective
The original function of casinos is to facilitate entertainment through games and other forms of recreational activities that involve different forms of gaming and gambling. The word casino was from the Italian word 'casa' meaning a country villa or pavilion and primarily used to house civic events or town gatherings. nearing the end of the 19th century, casino establishments also included sports as part of the activities other than gambling. In American history, the quintessential from of building that resembles casinos is the saloon. Saloons are small local bars where the town inhabitants gathers, eats, drinks and play games where they bet and gamble. Over time the function of the casino as a space changed and in today's society, the casino is viewed as a place for gambling and other recreational games.
Design and Architecture
The architecture and design of the casino encompasses many architectural styles in different periods of history. One of the regarded pioneers of casino design is the Grand Casino designed by Charles Garnier in the1870s. It was the real-life basis for the building design of Casino Royale, the popular James Bond movie and novel. The design of the Grand Casino inspires a certain elegance and glamour in its neo-baroque architectural style. The structure is accentuated by magnificent copper domes onyx pilasters, gilded galleries and the rich bas reliefs in the façade. It is typically a model of the Beaux Arts School of design as its architect, Garnier, was a proponent of the Empire style he referred to as Napoleon III which he utilized in his design of the Paris Opera.
This evocative and expressionistic nature of the design of the casinos in the 19th century influenced the foundation of the modern and diverse styles of casinos in the 20th century. As the aesthetic sensibility in Europe and in extension the United States shifted to eclecticism and postmodernism.in arts, architecture followed suit as well.
The most prevalent and widespread design of casinos are seen in the "supercasinos" developed in Las Vegas, Nevada. The imitative architectural style used is extensive in motif, exotically vulgar, neo-constructivist even and iconoclastic in disposition. Robert Venturi, a radical postmodern architect wrote in his architectural theory books about the architectural heritage and symbolism of the Las Vegas casinos.
The casino experience of space is indulging, fantasizing and thrilling. People are irreverently drawn to casinos whether they gamble or not because they feel the allure of the place in all its frenzied design and the frenetic activities of people inside it. It facilitates the endeavor of gambling and stimulates people to forget their problems and experience the thrill of gambling and winning. The impression of escapism is one of the things why people are drawn to it and it will continue to captivate people for generations to come. |
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Author Resource:-
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By :
Jessie Stone
Submitted
2011-02-05 01:48:23 |
Article From Article Mayhem
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