Monolithic
describes an upward thrusting mass or object that breaks the horizon line to reflect the pull of gravity
and demand attention. monolithic forms include the large upturned stones erected by our ancestors
, the enigmatic black slab in Stanley Kubrick's movie 2001 : A Space Odyssey,
the monumental columns and obelisks that occupy the locus of countless city squares ,
and the deterministic silhouettes of residential tower blocks.
However, the latter example is far away form the common perception of the monolith as a mediator
between heaven and earth.
One does not argue with monolithic structures ;
they are massive,seemingly immovable,solidly uniform and more often than not
, uniformly dull. When heard in archispeak ,monolithic can sometimes refer to oneness
but generally describes an architectural one-liner , a take-it-or-leave-it environmental statement,
or a stand alone edifice usually of large proportion and often without significance.