Martin's Office

CBI Showroom - Midterm Critique

2009-10-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

Robert and John Critique...

2009-10-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

Your “beacon of light” concept still needs work. How does a beacon of light relate to the purpose of CBI? You’ve defined it before, but I think you need to keep exploring. In other words, should you take a literal interpretation of a beacon of light and shed light beams throughout the whole space? If you think you should, how does that benefit the employees of CBI and its clients. How will the beams be interpreted by visitors and users of the space? Will it really be interpreted as a symbol for CBI being a “beacon of light” to it’s community? How does the bringing of “beams of light” into the space help the quality, function, and aesthetics of the space.
I don’t know the answer to these questions. Only you two do; therefore, you should explore them more to answer these questions. I understand your concept, but think realistically about the implications of the literal interpretation of this concept into the design of your space.
You guys have explored mostly with form and structure, and you’re doing well. But I would encourage you to explore more in the zoning/programming needs of your space. How the space will be used (programming) will determine the necessity of the structure in which you’ve explored so far. In other words, are beams of light necessary to the program of the space? Keep exploring.

Good work thus far in elaborating your concept into physical forms. Your light box is great for showcasing furniture, it is a wonderful idea. But again, think abou the necessity of this as it relates to CBI and its clients, and how it will be percieved.

Micah

IARC 411 Project 1 - Pinecone

2009-09-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

IARC 411 Project 1 - leaf

2009-09-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Wright Brothers Precedent Analysis - Final Draft

2009-05-08T02:26:00.000-07:00

The research of the Wright Brothers and their goal of achieving sustained flight introduced the world to a new technology that would forever change travel and warfare. The desire of human flight had fascinated scientist for centuries; but it wasn’t until the momentum of scientific establishment by the end of the 19th century that determined the cause of flight. It was the German scientist Otto Lilienthal’s principal innovation of the translation of the shape of bird’s wings into glider wings that directly influenced the brother’s work. The gentle parabolic curve across the upper surface gave his gliders the necessary lift.

After moving to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and years of seasonal experiments, the Wright Brothers finally built the “Flyer” in 1903 with a wing warping mechanism and rudder design. The Flyer reach an elevation of about 10 feet and a distance of about hundred feet before the shift in the rudder caused it to go downward. Orville expressed the 12 second flight as, “the first time in history of the world, in which a machine carrying a man had raised itself by its own power into the air in full flight, had sailed forward without reduction of speed, and had finally landed at a point as high as that from which it started.” During the years after the first recognized flight, they first developed a truly practical aircraft; a plane that completed a 38 minute flight in 1905. The historical impact changed military potential forever as air machines became a part of military operations for the U.S. government in 1909.

It wasn’t until the 1927 Congressional act initiated the construction of the principle granite monument perched on the 90-foot Kill Devil’s hill on the memorial site. There was a call for something grand and artistic that would worthily mark the public recognition of the achievement signified as stated by Congressman Warren. But president Herbert Hoover expressed he was reluctant to dump a quarter million dollars of public money on a sand dune where only a few neighborhood natives would see it. So the other suggestion was something more utilitarian with a marine light to further the monument’s utility. The goal became to combine utility with memory; though, utility ultimately won out. The final design was to be a memorial tower that carried a powerful light to air flyers and a landing place for planes. The final design included a beacon, though as one of the architects recorded, it was more of a memorial with a beacon than a beacon glorified as a memorial.

The New York architectural firm of Rodgers and Poor were selected the winners of the design competition. The Rodgers and Poor design was anything but traditional and showed strong ties to the Art Deco movement; a popular movement of the time. The design gave expression to the aesthetics of the machine and was sculpted with highly stylized wings on each side. The wings symbolized the idea of flight and motion. The 60-foot high granite monument implied Egyptian motifs and resulted in a unique memorial, fused with appropriate symbolism and majesty, properly marking the site.

Considering the particular shape of the monument, I personally considered the design, shape, and purpose of a plane's rudder or tail fin. A rudder controls the back rear of the plane giving stability and cleanness to the flight. One of the major difficulties the Wright brothers had was stability, long enough to achieve sustained flight. The rudder became a crucial ingredient to achieving sustained flight.

The monument was designed in 1927 after World War I, a while after the modern airplane had been furthered. Looking closely at the monument, one could easily recognize an airplane rudder. Within my precedent analysis, I propose the monument has been shaped to resemble a plane's rudder. This packs in a lot of symbolism and meaning. Let me explain.

The major contributions of the Wright Brothers to America were changed war fare and travel. This allowed for America to gain ground as a world power, especially after WWII. I believe that the rudder not only stabilized the Wright Brother's air plane for sustained flight, it also symbolizes the stabilization our nation as a world power and continued success.

While the monument, through its dramatic visual forms of a wing, displays flight and speed, grace and power so well; it is the shape of the rudder that guides our experience. The monument represents freedom and the rudder guides and controls our nation through the storms.

Explorations Unit Summary

2009-05-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

Stonehenge (image from www.fairmontstate.edu)

Acropolis (image from www.flyparsons.org)

Egyptian Pyramids (image from http://cybertraveltips.com)

Robie House (image from http://forum.arts-crafts.com)

Wright Brother's Memorial (image from http://farm2.static.flickr.com)

Chrysler Building (image from http://www.cambridge2000.com)

Unity Temple Interior (image from http://i.pbase.com)

Acoustic Guitar (image from http://www.extremeguitartutor.co.uk)

Holy Bible (image from http://www.epassoc.org)

American Flag (image from http://www.ideachampions.com)

Common Themes:

Freedom, Expression, Speed, Power, Mystery, Technology, Value, Morals, Texture, Form, Light, Rythm, Symbolism

Meaning of this unit to me: Exploring = Value those who came before + Embrace the Freedom of the Future

OPUS entry Week 14 (Last one!!!)

2009-05-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

Mario Botta - House (image from media2.moma.org)

“Latent Classicism... a kind of erased classical language, in which the traces, outlines, and impressions of the constructionally based forms remain, but the ornamental detail, whether in the decorative system of an order or in idiosyncratic nuance, is eliminated.” Roth 586 (Stern, Modern Classicism, 62, 131)

The push for technologically driven aesthetic of modernism married with the principles of Classicism resulted in an attempt to create a more timeless quality. I believe this push for timeless is the true meaning of the current “sustainable” design trend. Within the Classicism movement, the idea of “timeless” resulted in blending past and historical design trends with modern technology. My idea of timeless is much more about preparing and sustaining for the future. I’ll explain later within this blog.

Aldoo Rossi - Hotel II, Palazzo (image from http://static.panoramio.com)

“...more of an abstracted form, “Seeking to reduce buildings to the purest geometrical constructs, in an effort to achieve ‘natural’ essential truths.” Roth 587 (Stern, Modern Classicism, 62, 131)

The fundamental approach to this new Classicism was more about minimalism, resulting in pure geometric forms, clean lines, and abstracted references to elemental classical forms. Classical column forms lost their elaborate decoration from the past and gained a new industrial look. With this new look, timeless attributes begin to form with the blending of technological modernism and simple classical forms.

Langdon and Wilson, with Dr. Norman Neuerberg - J. Paul Getty Museum(image from members.tripod.com)

“Classicism is not a style; it transcends the vicissitudes of time and fashion as an enduring set of principles and in those things we call classical we recognize a kind of timeless present that is contemporaneous and at ease with every historical period... Classical order makes us see the immutable laws of nature by means of tectonic fiction.” Roth 589 (Demetri Porphyrios, Classical Architecture, as quoted in Steele, Architecture Today, 142, 157)

With this quote from Demtetri Porphyrios, we see a new set of rules being applied to modern architecture. Classicism though, in its own right, brought on principles that were to be interpreted, not followed. The 18th century neoclassicism of western architecture helped to establish standards of forms and details, while introducing only minimal modern functions.

The Rasin Building - Frank Gehry (image from www.achievement.org)

“Traditionally, architecture strove for such formal vales as harmony, unity, and stability, but Deconstructivist architecture, wrote Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley, is an architecture of disruption, dislocation, deflection, deviation, and distortion; intended to promote a feeling of unease, of disquiet, and of disorientation.” Roth 600 (Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley, Deconstructivist Architecture, 17)

Learning about Deconstructivist work this week, I am shocked at the amount (or lack of) value that is placed on human life. So here is where I bring my point about timeless and how it relates to sustainability. Classicism’s approach was to create a timeless value to modern architecture; the problem is their timeless appeal came through aesthetics. My claim is that timeless should come through people and how people relate to architecture and design. Deconstructivist have no approach to timeless and how people relate to their environment.

University of Cincinnati Peter Eisenman (image from http://www.magazine.uc.ed)

“As Robert Stern noted, architects traditionally operating in the public realm had considered their task the making of buildings fulfilling grand public purposes, to create an environment that was safe, secure, orderly, friendly, functional, providing some measure of comfort in an otherwise disquieting world.” Roth 601 (Miriam Horn, A New Twist on Architecture, U.S. News and World Report, 40-42)

I believe the Deconstructivist mentality towards architecture or the design world in general, is completely harmful to the purpose of a designer. As designers we are to (as Roth points out) provide an environment that benefits the user. We should design to create a better life. I don’t care how much of a statement someone like Frank Gehry makes with his bright, metallic buildings and unusual, rather ugly forms; designers must take into consideration the life of people. Every decision a designer makes effects everything around it like a chain of events. Designers shape our world, ever since the beginning of time; therefore designers should serve the public and create better design.

Deconstructivist want people to dig into their unconscious premise to understand what a building should be. For instance, place the entrance where people can’t find it so they think about the world they live in. Peter Eisenmen is a prime example as well as Frank Gehry. The timeless theory that came from the Classicism realm of design was approached the wrong way. Designers should focus on appropriateness and relate on ideas that work to serve the public. Good design means that design helps life. It sustain life, which is my argument for timeless as it relates to sustainability. When we design for that purpose, people will use and reuse buildings. Who will re-use Gehry’s work when their original functions have left? And why should we be conscious of our surroundings? As Bill Stumpf put in his book The Ice Palace that Melted Away, “If your shoes are truly comfortable, you aren’t aware that you have them on.” (Stumpf, xii) And this is not comfort in a materialistic sense, it is a comfort that is about the lack of awareness. I believe that good design is comfortable and unnoticeable to a certain extent. People shouldn’t have to think about the space they’re in; they should be comfortable, like a pair of tennis shoes. We should be compassionate about what we design and compassionate about the people we design for. It’s a matter of opinion, but yet it’s about exploration, innovation, community, stewardship, and authenticity. That is true timelessness!

2009-05-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

OPUS Entry Week 13

2009-04-29T15:24:00.001-07:00

Douglas House: Richard Meier (image from cubeme.com) “Richard Meier who has stressed purity of form and sleekness of surface while increasingly exploiting the expressive power of the irregular form introduced to an otherwise insistent structural grid.” Roth 569

Roth puts very well into words the works of Richard Meier. As late modernism diverted from the works of Le Corbusier, Richard Meier is the best example of this diversion. With clean lines and rhythmic geometry, pure white and exposed structure, Richard Meier begins late century modernism with a bold statement.

I.M. Pei's Pyramid (image from images.google.com)
“Another variant of this Late Modernism appeared in the development of modeled, or shaped, modernism, in which the rigid rectilinear geometries of mid-century steel-framed, glass-sheathed office boxes became sculpted into singular and unique forms.” Roth 573

A new way of communicating architecture came into form during the late century: sculpted forms and shapes. Mid-century architects began with the sculpted forms such as Philip Johnson and Mies Van der Rohe, but it was the works of someone such as I.M. Pei that structural forms communicated a past with a representation of the present to the future. Take for example, the glass pyramid addition to the Louvre in France.

Centre Georges Pompidou: Renzo Piano (image from cache.virtualtourist.com) Related to Late Modernism, with its preference for forms strongly influenced by structural influenced by structural systems, is what has come to be called High-Tech architecture. Roth 574

Coming out of the mid-century modernism as well was the High-Tech movement. These buildings emphasize and exaggerate building elements such as structure, mechanical, electrical, plumbing systems. The exposed skeleton became bright colored mazes of ductwork and electrical conduits, and the exposed structural steel would become the façade of the exterior.

Shanghai Bank: Norma Foster (image from www.istructe.org) “… the mega structures of the second half of the twentieth century, huge buildings encompassing many connected, functionally related activities, often made possible by the use of a repetitive, large-scaled structural system.” Roth 577

Bigger and better equals power, or the representation of power none-the-less. This seemed to be the motto of the latter part of the 20th century and still is somewhat the trend of the early 21st century until sustainability started taking hold of design. Large buildings with the help of technology pushed buildings even higher and larger, and buildings become much more dramatic.

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (image from graphics8.nytimes.com) “…since the close of the twentieth century, architects have acted at an international level, working on numerous buildings worldwide.” Roth 580

At the height of a global economy and a further discipline of an “international style.” Roth points out that Architects have been working at greater international lengths. I believe this attributes to a heightened international style… and as we will see, the sustainability movement will increase an awareness of a global architectural design style.

In summary, the late 20th century brought more technology and more international style into the mix. I believe this sits well into our explorations unit. The 20th century brought forth so many new styles into design than ever before. The need for answers I believe has brought on a need for exploration. Whether right or wrong, exploration of technology, forms, shapes, and civility have brought a new life into architecture and design.

Opus week 12

2009-04-22T17:39:00.001-07:00

Philip Johnson – Glass House (image from www.bc.edu/bc_org) “Philip Johnson… designed his own house in New Canaan, labeled the “Glass House,” as a simple cube with four glass curtain walls. The integration of inside and outside is complete.” Massey 151

The slick international style that fed its way onto the scene after the First World War was about clean lines and material minimalism. Philip Johnson incorporated these ideas into his “Glass House” in Connecticut. The thinness of the glass not only caused a visual appearance of floating, but it also furthered the idea of bringing the outside in.

Frank Lloyd Wright – Guggenheim Museum (image from www.delmar.edu) “Le Corbusier’s other great contribution to post-war Modernism in interior design was to create a more organic Modernism… Frank Lloyd Wright was also working in a much more organic and sculptural way” Massey 152

Wright’s Guggenheim Museum is where I believe modernism fell off the deep end, as well as Wright’s work. The modern thought and idea was that architecture was sculptor and art; functional needs would find a place however the building was designed. As the international scene made its way to America, I believe functional design got pushed to the side. Just as Wright’s Guggenheim is an example, curved walls don’t hold much of a place for flat paintings.

Charles and Ray Eases – Shell Chair (image from http://www.modernfurniture.com) “Leading American furniture designers too were inspired by organic, amoeboid forms.” Massey 153.

Simply but, in the case of architectural space, I don’t believe organic works all to well for functionality (in large part, although, there are few acceptations.) In the case of furniture though, organic plays a little different role. As Eame’s plays with organic curves and forms, there is much more detail and attention given to the humanistic aesthetic. Especially when curves integrate well with the human form.

Euro Saarinen – Womb Chair (image from www.metropolismag.com) “New techniques for molding and gluing plywood had been discovered by American manufacturers during wartime production for the Navy and were now exploited for furniture design, as were plastics with fiber-glass reinforcements.” Massey 155

During war manufacturing, new technologies for molding organic shapes came into place. The best place to see these new organic shapes is within furniture design. Molding plywood, plastics, and fiberglass is well imbedded into our society today. These organic forms shape well to the human body and give more comfort than furniture of the pass. Thus my argument for organic forms within furniture stands.

Hunstanton School – Alison ad Peter Smithson (image from www.williemiller.co.uk) “An architectural movement in Britain, the New Brutalists, was inspired by Le Corbusier.”

As new technology emerged from the “rubble” of the war, the governments of Europe called for a new design style. Le Corbusier was the main inspiration for the use of prefabricated structural elements within a building, especially within a building’s aesthetics. There became a frank exposure of brickwork, concrete and steel.

To summarize this new “international style” that began to shape America’s design, a lot of new technology began to shape the way design would play a role in the lives of people. With the war ending, new technologies were expanded upon. These new technologies began to re-shape the way objects and spaces were designed, with relative ease; setting loose a quick chain-of-design events that would require designers to think in a new light.

Unit Summary

2009-04-17T20:54:00.001-07:00

The Paris Opera proved that "Modern Design" could revive the past and embrace the current needs of Man.

Reflection: Mental concentration; careful consideration. A though or opinion resulting from consideration.

I think Webster’s definition of reflection clearly indicates the purpose of the Reflections unit. This unit saw numerous revolutions within an ever-changing; fast pace cycle of design. With major consideration of the past, new associations and implications resulted from design history. There also seem to numerous rules that emerged from the re-interpretation of design.

Within the movement of the Arts and Crafts and new industrial revolution was taking place. The arts and crafts movement rejected the mass production of the machine. But it was also the rise of the middle class as well as the foundation of a capitalist economy that spawned a new style of interiors. As the middle class rose in prosperity, design took on a new form. As the mass production of goods increased into the household, there were many who rejected furniture that was not produced by the hand. Designers like William Morris believed that all well-made furniture had to be produced by the hand and he rejected the works of the machine. This ethical approach found its way into small groups of artist and designers alike. The major part of this movement began to reform a lot of the design of the day. With this in mind, I believe the term Modern Design began to develop.

It was at the beginning of the nineteenth century when the development of modernism began. There was a deep association with historical architectural figures and details. This development began association with various ideological and literary concepts. Historical references were interpreted and revitalized within a new era of architecture and design. The historical references were interpreted within a functional analysis of contemporary building needs. Modern needs of the middle class as well as modern needs of government, education, and religion used historical details and classical rules of design and revitalized them to meet the needs of modern man. Functionally driven plans were the new attributes to design beginning in the nineteenth century. The rise of the industrial revolution presented architects with new building materials, cast and wrought iron as well as glass, in never before seen mass production. This in turn created new functions that were needing to be housed such as public markets; railroad stations; instruction; and housing for workers being drawn into industrial cities.

It was designers such as Walter Gropius that embraced the machine. He defined a new since of beauty when he spoke of modern man as no longer dressing in historical garments but wears modern close, also needing a modern house appropriate to him and his time. He defined this new modern to be practical, durable and yet, beautiful. It was Gropius’s concept for the Bauhaus that set the curriculum for modern design which embraced the machine. The machine inspired a new architecture and the Bauhaus school in Germany set the stage for the machine aesthetic. All this came in to course when Germany was at the beginning to develop its potential as a political and industrial power.

I believe the major attribute to the Reflections unit is that of deep consideration of historical precedent; but with the rise of new materials and methods resulting from for industry, new functions had to be housed. Modern man needed new ways to house new functions so rules of Architecture seemed to lose its staple within the world of design. Since historical rules began to lose its relevance, a new architecture had to immerge. Therefore, it makes since that we should lead into the explorations unit of this course.

OPUS Entry Week 11

2009-04-15T16:58:00.001-07:00

AEG Turbine Factory (image from www.arthistory.upenn.edu)

“Turning away from symbolic allusions and national building traditions, the purely pragmatic and utilitarian approach to design was to let functional requirements and structural solutions determine the result.” - Roth 520

With the versions of a new modern architecture, it seemed as though design reflected a utilitarian approach. Internal functionality and structure become much more of a priority for designers than ornamentation and veneer. The Turbine factory represents the idea of designing purely as utilitarian architecture; even though it brings a new aesthetic to factories.

Fagus Factory (image from http://ritsmas.files.wordpress.com)

“The architect Bruno Taut… believed that beauty and total adaptation to function were inextricably intertwined.” Roth 524

Walter Gropius defined a new since of beauty when he spoke of modern man as no longer dressing in historical garments but wears modern close, also needing a modern house appropriate to him and his time. He defined this new modern to be practical, durable and yet, beautiful. But how is something to be beautiful when it is held in a purely functional world?

Bauhaus (image from www.thebreman.org)

“The ultimate aim of all visuals arts is the complete building…” Roth 523

It was Gropius’s concept for the Bauhaus that set the curriculum for modern design which embraced the machine. The machine inspired a new architecture and the Bauhaus school in Germany set the stage for the machine aesthetic. All this came in to course when Germany was at the beginning to develop its potential as a political and industrial power.

Barcelona (image from ellenvanderslice.com)

“It was from Behrens that Mies absorbed the concept of the artist as the agent of the taste of the age, and of architecture being an expression of technical power.” - Roth 526

It was Mies van der Rohe that focused on the development of an industrialized architecture. He Barcelona in Spain used an open-air pavilion design to express the German industries at an international exhibition. His concentration seemed to perfect the industrial image in machine crafted buildings.

Corbusier’s (House: A machine for living in “Torward’s a New Architecture”) (Image from www.architecture.com)

“Although he acknowledged that “architecture goes beyond utilitarian needs,” Le Corbusier extolled the mechanical perfection of the modern airplane, steamship, and automobile as supreme expressions of the beauty of form deermined by absolute response.”

Corbusier created prototypes for the “New Architecture.” He formed houses with the idea that a house is a machine for living in. Corbusier stripped all that was from classical princibles and acknowledged the utiliatrian needs for house hold living. He seemed to admire the construction of auto-mobiles and airplanes. This shows in his work. But even with the machine attribute into his design, he was an artist, making way for color as well.

Summary:

Corbusier set a new standard for design. His approach to modernism was bold. He set new rules. The Bauhaus school embraced the machine. And the school proved that craftsmanship and the machine do not have to be inseparable. I'm glad. Because it is the work of the Bauhaus that set forth a new approach to design. I was an approach that allowed for exploration into new materials, new methods, new technologies, and an appreciation for that of the past.

OPUS WEEK 10

2009-04-08T16:07:00.001-07:00

Paris Opera Staircase (image from http://media-2.web.britannica.com)

"The architectural building forms themselves were overwhelmingly determined by historical precedent.” – Roth 469

It was at the beginning of the nineteenth century when the development of modernism began. There was a deep association with historical architectural figures and details. This development began association with various ideological and literary concepts. Historical references were interpreted and revitalized within a new era of architecture and design.

Paris Opera (Image from http://www.ticket-finders.com)

“This associationalism became an underlying concept in the stylistic eclecticism that pervaded the nineteenth century and the later rise of historicist Postmodernism.” – Roth 469

The historical references were interpreted within a functional analysis of contemporary building needs. Modern needs of the middle class as well as modern needs of government, education, and religion used historical details and classical rules of design and revitalized them to meet the needs of modern man. Functionally driven plans were the new attributes to design beginning in the nineteenth century.

Glyptothek (Image from http://www.mikesbiketours.com)

“One of the major shifts that occurred in the nineteenth century was the need to design for building functions that had never existed before…” Roth 471

The rise of the industrial revolution presented architects with new building materials, cast and wrought iron as well as glass, in never before seen mass production. This in turn created new functions that were needing to be housed such as public markets; railroad stations; instruction; and housing for workers being drawn into industrial cities.

Houses of Parliament (Image from http://www.richard-seaman.com)

“In revivalism, two criteria determined the success of a design: the appropriateness of the historical allusion in conveying the image of the internal function, and the archaeological correctness of the form of the building and its details." Roth 472

The Houses of Parliament in London is one of the examples of new modern functions being housed in revival form. Revivalism determined the correctness of the rules of classical order on new building functions, but it was also the carefully planned internal function that exploited the improvement of the machine. The Houses of Parliament for example rived the Gothic forms but the historical references in the detailing enhanced the functional meaning of the building in numerous ways.

VA State Capitol (image from http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com)

“The problem that all revivalists faced, however, especially those trying to fit modern public functions inside a classical temple, was that it was not possible to make changes in the established model to allow for modern needs without violating the image.” Roth 475

Even thought the Houses of Parliament seemed to be successful in interpreting the past and revitalizing the use of those forms, there were still great difficulty in revitalizing the past. Thomas Jefferson was a proprietor of historical architectural forms in the United States, but was only a qualified success. For example, his Virginia State Capitol combined Roman Temple features while having un-roman windows that punched open the side walls; even though they were completely functionally necessary.

Summary:

Revivalism of the classical forms began the process in developing modernism. It was the bringing back of classical forms that spun a new revolution. It was also mass production of new building materials that sprung loose a new way of design. The focus was function; yet, interpreting the past. Modernism, as I’m sure I’ll see in my future study, was purely functional while letting go of the past. It seems as though new rules were being written. What was good and what was bad design? I think the revival of classical forms were only a small part of this design “crisis.” No-one knew where to go.

PA Essay Rough Draft

2009-04-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wright Brothers Monument

(Rough Draft)

The research of the Wright Brothers and their goal of achieving sustained flight introduced the world to a new technology that would forever change travel and warfare. The desire of human flight had fascinated scientist for centuries; but it wasn’t until the momentum of scientific establishment by the end of the 19th century that determined the cause of flight. It was the German scientist Otto Lilienthal’s principal innovation of the translation of the shape of bird’s wings into glider wings that directly influenced the brother’s work. The gentle parabolic curve across the upper surface gave his gliders the necessary lift.

After moving to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and years of seasonal experiments, the Wright Brothers finally built the “Flyer” in 1903 with a wing warping mechanism and rudder design. The Flyer reach an elevation of about 10 feet and a distance of about hundred feet before the shift in the rudder caused it to go downward. Orville expressed the 12 second flight as, “the first time in history of the world, in which a machine carrying a man had raised itself by its own power into the air in full flight, had sailed forward without reduction of speed, and had finally landed at a point as high as that from which it started.” During the years after the first recognized flight, they first developed a truly practical aircraft; a plane that completed a 38 minute flight in 1905. The historical impact changed military potential forever as air machines became a part of military operations for the U.S. government in 1909.

It wasn’t until the 1927 Congressional act initiated the construction of the principle granite monument perched on the 90-foot Kill Devil’s hill on the memorial site. There was a call for something grand and artistic that would worthily mark the public recognition of the achievement signified as stated by Congressman Warren. But president Herbert Hoover expressed he was reluctant to dump a quarter million dollars of public money on a sand dune where only a few neighborhood natives would see it. So the other suggestion was something more utilitarian with a marine light to further the monument’s utility. The goal became to combine utility with memory; though, utility ultimately won out. The final design was to be a memorial tower that carried a powerful light to air flyers and a landing place for planes. The final design included a beacon, though as one of the architects recorded, it was more of a memorial with a beacon than a beacon glorified as a memorial.

The New York architectural firm of Rodgers and Poor were selected the winners of the design competition. The Rodgers and Poor design was anything but traditional and showed strong ties to the Art Deco movement; a popular movement of the time. The design gave expression to the aesthetics of the machine and was sculpted with highly stylized wings on each side. The wings symbolized the idea of flight and motion. The 60-foot high granite monument implied Egyptian motifs and resulted in a unique memorial, fused with appropriate symbolism and majesty, properly marking the site.

OPUS ENTRY WEEK 9

2009-04-01T14:46:00.001-07:00

Gamble House Interior (image from http://www.citycent.com)

“The most important design reform movement to affect the interior in the nineteenth century was that of the Arts and Crafts.” - Massey 7

Within the movement of the Arts and Crafts and new industrial revolution was taking place. The arts and crafts movement rejected the mass production of the machine. But it was also the rise of the middle class as well as the foundation of a capitalist economy that spawned a new style of interiors. As the middle class rose in prosperity, design took on a new form.

Chair by Gustov Stickley (image from http://www.collectos.com)

“The overall impression needed to be one of comfort, richness and formality.” – Massey 8

As the middle class rose in prosperity there also seemed to be a new sense of comfort that made its way into the interiors of the home. The arts and crafts movement dealt mostly with in the interiors and played an important role in crafting much of the furniture that took place within these interiors. Department stores, mail order furniture, the rise of new books and magazines defined the interiors of the middle class, as comfort and wealth were beginning to be expressed.

The Red House (image from http://www.ukchauffeurdrive.com)

“…Morris detested the mass-produced household goods of the age and equated them with the atrocious living and factory conditions endured by the working classes. He believed strongly that good design could only be produced by men and women working creatively with their hands.” - Massey 12

As the mass production of goods increased into the household, there were many who rejected furniture that was not produced by the hand. Morris produced well-made textiles, furniture, and carpets that found there way into the interior of the Red House. He believed that all well-made furniture had to be produced by the hand and he rejected the works of the machine. This ethical approach found its way into small groups of artist and designers of like.

The Orchard (image from http://3.bp.blogspot.com)

“Morris inspired not only design reform but also new methods of training designers by hand-making objects, where previously design and manufacture had been two separate processes.” - Massy 14

Morris not only designed and produced well hand-made products; he also inspired and trained new craftsmen into the design arena. It was because of Ruskin and Morris that antiques became fashionable. Furniture that was well crafted and hand made become very much of a prized possession; though it was very costly and slow to produce.

Dovetail joint (image from http://www.crestwooddesign.com)

“The more clearly expressed the construction the more honest the piece…” Massey 15

One of the ways that hand-made productions were revealed was that of the design principle of exposed joints. The Arts and Crafts Movement of the 18880’s focused on the fact that a chair should manifest itself as hand-made with joints made visible. Joints were expressed and also exaggerated; claiming a work of furniture or product as specifically hand-made and well crafted.

Summary:

The rise of the industrial revolution, mass production, and machine made goods disgusted a certain number of designers. This in turn spawned a reform in design. The Arts and Crafts movement was at the head-front of this reform. Focusing specifically on interiors, the Arts and Crafts movement simplified design into simple-straight line; wooden products. The movement clearly rejected the machine and embraced the quality of craftsmanship, not mass production.

Alternatives Unit Summary

2009-03-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

The importance of the Renaissance era was the reformation of the classical forms; with new and interpretive ideas. The composition of the front façade incorporated with the details and impressions were drawn from the new written rules of the principles of architecture. There is a major part of hierarchy being reestablished through architecture of civil life instead of the church and a new impact that commerce has on these layers. The Venetians re-interpret those ideas and begin to clean up the gothic form through their own impressions. For example, the details that are created in the St. Giorgio Maggiore bring forth new patterns that describe well what the Renaissance period was all about. Designed by Palladio, it adapted the classical temple form into the form of the Christian church. The front façade is once again reemphasized represented the two level temple.

Over in Venetia, a new form of the Renaissance era began to arise. Venetia became the crossroads of Eastern and Western forms because of its position of the trade rout and the influence of the surrounding waters. The Renaissance brought the details of the gothic and eastern traditions of architecture and re-interpreted their own impressions. There remained a since of regularity, but the “rules” of design followed on their own impressions.

The Palazzo form provided the composition of three layers that represented the Florence civility. The base level, or first level, provided a way for commerce to interact with the building. More important civilians made their way up to the second level for entertainment purposes, and the family solved its governance in the third level. I believe this concept is represented well with the street façades of the Palazzo form. Civility was shaped through the order of geometry. The Palazzo form became the most important form outside of the church, and it the shadows and details that were created scaled to the city emphasizing the cities role of the merchant center.

The Baroque era brought forth new theatricality and a sense of absolutism to the power of the church. It was also about bringing back the classical forms that were lost during the Gothic period. As the S. Pietro defines the power of the church through its magnificent scale, it also thrust itself forward into civility ruling with its divine right. The church, through its architecture, defined its power through the Baroque era, just as in Gothic times. Baroque architecture, with its fluidity of lines and curves, became more about the theatrical world and setting life as a stage.

To summarize, the alternative unit is about re-writing of the rules and re-interpreting the past through revisions of classical forms. There was a holistic treatment of the interiors in the Baroque era. Michelangelo brought to ideas to the table in terms of the classical forms. He new the rules and then broke them. There was a new ordering of society as well within architecture. Town homes and country homes took on forms from the classical temples. The Renaissance era took the past and re-envisioned new alternatives from the past rules.

OPUS Entry Week 8

2009-03-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

Accordingly, Saint Paul’s is a complex and brilliant fusion of traditional plan and Renaissance-Baroque formal elements and scale, its structure mathematically studied for utmost stability and efficiency. – Roth 424

It seems as though the St. Paul cathedral harks on the reaction developed during the “enlightenment era.” The cathedral embarks on classical themes but rests on French classical tradition which links back to St. Peter’s Cathedral. Being a church used for the reformation of the Catholic Church, the front façade hints to be more Renaissance, but starts to reflect back to Palladio’s ideas.

What precipitated these fundamental social changes was a cycle of interrelated sweeping reorganizations and upheavals that collectively can be labeled revolutions. – Roth 439

The reactions that began promoted a cycle of revolutions that promoted change in the way of thinking, especially in architecture in design. These changes sought a new rational approach to design, and a new social order. The philosophies that sprung these revolutions were simplistic in the way they depended upon human reason for functionality.

The philosophers - progressive-minded aristocrats as well as members of the growing middle class – believed it was imperative to strip away the corrupting influence of the ancient regime to return to the natural condition of humankind. – Roth 442

The idea of the Place de Vosges was to lift of the middle class to a “higher standard of living,” such as the kings of France. With the rise of the middle class came new forms of government by way of a democracy or a republic. These new forms of social roles brought revolutions and illumination to new ideas.

In his drawings and projects, Ledoux was freer than in his tollhouses to create architecture of pure volumes declaring functional use. – Roth 450

One wave of revolution was the industrial revolution. It brought forth a new transition to approaching architecture. Ledoux’s ideas created a sense of function for a building while bringing classical elements to “warehouse” type buildings. Although the industrial revolution began after Ledoux’s works, his ideas of functionality are the beginnings of modernism.

…architecture derived its value in direct proportion to its literary associations – that is, to the degree the historical references were in accord with the building’s function. – Roth 458

Part of this new way of thinking came in the way of stripping the elaborate to creating simplicity. This idea was brought forth into the new world of North America. The Palladian style was reinforced in the New World with the architecture of Jefferson. Buildings were designed with simplicity in mind but keeping with classical orders and allowing for the building to support its function.

Summary:

Architecturally, the “Enlightenment Era” brought forth a new language within the design world. There was a break away from the Baroque period and a new wave of gestures within the syntax of design came about. Simplicity was in order, but classical ideas of Palladio were rediscovered in a new light; especially in the new world of the America’s where ideas started from fresh. Both architecturally and socially, there were revolutions to the rules.

PA Deliverables - Wright Brothers National Memorial

2009-03-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

Drawings

1) Arial view (Scale ½”=1’-0”)
2) Plan view/section (Scale ½”=1’-0”)
3) Section view (Scale 1-1/2”=1’-0”)
4) North elevation (Scale 1-1/2”=1’-0”)
5) South elevation (Scale 1-1/2”=1’-0”)
6) East elevation (west elevation is similar) (Scale 1-1/2”=1’-0”)
7) Axonometric
8) Perspective
9) Perspective
10) Perspective

All plan/section drawings done digitally (see question #2 below) – Perspectives will be hand rendered, and then digitally rendered and edited.

Essay Outline

- History and Significance of time period (100 Words)
A brief introduction to the Wright Brothers and their significance to history and the area

- Controversy: Utilitarian vs. Grand and Artistic (100 Words)
Paragraph describing the proposals and discussions about the function and purpose of the memorial

- Anything but Traditional (200 Words)
A detailed description of the memorial incorporating all elements of design and importance of architectural principles.
Incorporating historical context as well

- Attention, Please! Do we have a “Wu-Wu” in our midst? (100 Words)
Summary, interpretations, and conclusion

Questions

1) 500 words doesn’t seem like enough to discuss a major part of history. So my question is, how much should I be spending on reflecting on literal history of the monument vs. my interpretations and reflections? My essay outline gives about 50% to actual history and 50% to my interpretations. But there is so much more I can cover.

2) I want to make my drawings as historically significant as possible as this building was built in 1930, but… my best skills are with computer graphics. I propose that my drawings be done digitally rather than by hand. I would like to use illustrator, photo-shop, and CAD to produce some cool, rugged looking blue-prints. I believe I could do this… what is your take on this idea?

3) Now that I have set out the outline and drawings; with scale, how far can I deviate from this plan? In other words, how strictly do I have to adhere to the parameters I have set? For instance when drawing my section, if I find that the scale is to large or small, can I re-set the scale? Or if I find that my outline needs to be edited while I’m actually writing my essay, can it be changed?

OPUS Entry Week 7

2009-03-18T15:23:00.001-07:00

Image: personal sketch of the Pazzi Chapel

“They (Renaissance architects) invented a term to describe their decisive break with the Gothic past, saying their work marked a renaissance, or rebirth.” - Roth 397

The Pazzi Chapel harkens back to the Roman roots. With this in mind, I’ve learned that the Renaissance period brought back the classic traditions of architecture that was lost during the Gothic period. There was a sense of renewal and revival of the past, yet, with new ideas. There are many elements to the Pazzi Chapel that prove the rebirth of the ancient world.

Image: Personal Sketch of the Laurentian Library Vestibule

“Baroque architecture was made deliberately complex. Instead of clarity, there was ambiguity; instead of the uniformity of elements and overall effect, there was studied variety; instead of regularity; contrast.” - Roth 398

Even though the past seemed to be brought back, there was a new sense of pushing ideas further, breaking more rules. Michelangelo began to challenge those rules. I believe Michelangelo brought more complexity than could have been imagined in buildings. He moved beyond the wall and the column, he pushed heights, and he created a sense of fluidity never imagined before. He was a master of knowing the rules, but yet he broke them as if they were meant to be broke.

Image: Cappella Sistina taken from www.flickr.com

“In Baroque architecture and art, the line between three-dimensional reality and mystical illusion was increasingly blurred.” - Roth 404

Because of this complexity, Michelangelo created space with a great lack of clarity. With his enormous amount of complexity, the barriers and transitions between the walls, ceilings, and floors became very unclear. There seemed to be a more wholistic treatment of the interior space. Transitions between the ceilings, floors, and walls became less significant that in the past. I chose the photo above instead of a sketch of my own because I wanted to be sure the complexity of these transitions are clear.

Image: Personal sketch of S. Pietro

“Another of the attributes that sets Baroque architecture apart is the enormous jump in scale… Baroque buildings, in contrast, are so large and complex that they cannot possibly be comprehended in a single glance.” Roth 414

Baroque architecture, with its fluidity of lines and curves, became more about the theatrical world and setting life as a stage. The S. Pietro harkened on the Courtyard, Porch, and Hearth idea of the past, but the theatrical approach to scale and complexity became the major attribute to Baroque design.

Image: S. Pietro taken from www.bb360.it

“Baroque architecture could be described as a celebration of absolutism, whether it was the commanding power of the Church or the absolute rule, by divine right, of pope and King.”

Along with this theatricality comes setting the stage for absolute power of the church. As the S. Pietro defines the power of the church through its magnificent scale, it thrust itself forward into civility ruling with its divine right. The church, through its architecture, defined its power through the Baroque era, just as in Gothic times. Complexity and scale are at the heart of Baroque architecture. Once again I wanted to show this photo of S. Pietro to truly signify the scale of the church within its surroundings, something I don’t believe a sketch of my own could do.

Summary:

The Baroque period revived the classical principles of classical architecture that was lost during the Gothic era. But along with this revitalization came new approaches that broke the rules. The rules were broken inside and out and on all scales. With a new sense of complexity and scale, the Baroque era in Italy defined new wealth, especially that of the church, and power.

Opus Entry Week 6

2009-03-04T15:39:00.000-08:00

“Among the first buildings to demonstrate this mathematical proportioning was Brunelleschi’s Foundling Hospital in Florence...” (Roth 362)

The Ospedale Degli Innocenti in Florence represents the first era of writing down the rules of Architectural principles. The display of order through geometry was a major attribute to the Renaissance style. The Ospedale produces the elements of order through the arches and repetition of the columns as well as the massive amount of symmetry imbedded in the design. The call for order of the classical themes brings back the idea of the Porch, Court, and Hearth. The porch, court, hearth theme is represented differently through the hierarchy of the stratified society in Florence. The street façade of the buildings in Florence tell the story of this composition.

“Although the heaviness of the palazzo and the window details were derived from earlier Florentine city houses, the careful proportioning of parts and the massive classical cornice show Michelozzo’s study of antiquity.” (Roth 377)

“The sense of balance, repose, and order was maintained and developed in subsequent urban palazzo…” (Roth 376)

The Palazzo form provided the composition of three layers that represented the Florence civility. The base level, or first level, provided a way for commerce to interact with the building. More important civilians made their way up to the second level for entertainment purposes, and the family solved its governance in the third level. I believe this concept is represented well with the street façades of the Palazzo form. Civility was shaped through the order of geometry. The Palazzo form became the most important form outside of the church, and it the shadows and details that were created scaled to the city emphasizing the cities role of the merchant center.

”The humanist scholar architects… sought to create a new architecture cleansed of the mysticism of what they liked to call the crude work of the Goths.” (Roth 391)

Over in Venetia, a new form of the Renaissance era began to arise. Venetia became the crossroads of Eastern and Western forms because of its position of the trade rout and the influence of the surrounding waters. The Renaissance brought the details of the gothic and eastern traditions of architecture and re-interpreted their own impressions. There remained a since of regularity, but the “rules” of design followed on their own impressions.

“The Classical elements of column, entablature, pediment, and arch remained, but the intellectual formal austerity was replaced with a new deliberate sensualism.” (Roth 393)

The details that are created in the St. Giorgio Maggiore bring forth new patterns that describe well what the Renaissance period was all about. Designed by Palladio, it adapted the classical temple form into the form of the Christian church. The front façade is once again reemphasized represented the two level temple.

Conclusion:

Foundation Unit Summary

2009-03-02T10:10:00.001-08:00

“Foundation: the basis or groundwork for anything; the natural or prepared ground or base on which some structure rests” (www.dictionary.com). I think this definition helps explain the whole purpose of the foundations unit. Especially as students, we must gain the necessary back drop of history in order to be efficient designers and architects. Just as a building rests on its supporting foundation wall, we as students must gain the necessary groundwork in order to build our knowledge of design. I have taken this personally, and for good reason. In order to gain knowledge of the elements of design and how they impact society, I must rest my knowledge on the foundation of the cultures that came before me.

Early history plays an important role in framing the foundation on which all other designs rest upon. With the shaping of the Greek, Egyptian, and Roman culture, the built environment is what shaped the civility of these cultures. The natural environment was a huge contributing factor in which these cultures were built off of in terms of the availability of certain materials and methods. But the man-made built environment shaped the civility of the culture. With the elements of design implemented, certain hierarchies, precedents, and prototypes where established within all three of these cultures.

Within the Egyptian and the Greek culture, religion was a key contributor in establishing the architecture of the temples. Using the design element of scale, placing these temples within the built environment, certainly shaped the polytheistic culture of the Egyptians and the Greeks. Roth speaks of the Acropolis and says, “The Acropolis was the ideal spot for these new temples (image showing the Parthenon). Rising 300 feet above the city, it put the gleaming white marble buildings inn view of the residents of the entire polis and made them visible…” (Roth 231). Scale was an important feature for the Greeks, especially in defining the importance of the Temple. The temples commanded the worship of the common people. The Obelisk’s with its masculine form (The “Wu-Wu”) stood one apart from the other, framing the entry, and bringing a since of awe and wonder within the entry of these temples. The pyramids of Egypt also paid a critical role for framing the afterlife of the Pharaoh. By standing in dominance over the landscape, the tombs of the Pharaohs tell a story of the after life and the commanding power they took. It is important to note the hierarchy of civility shaped by these architectural forms and the power of their leaders. “A staircase to heaven is laid (for Pharaoh) so that he may mount up to heaven thereby.” (Roth 201 from Spell 267)

Roman architecture also played an important role in shaping its civility. “Roman theaters, circuses, and baths were built and operated with imperial funds and were available at no charge to the public. The purpose of these expensive enterprises was to keep the unruly populace occupied, for tens of thousands in the city of Rome were unemployed.” (Roth 269) The idea of the Romans was to entertain its population, to keep the focus away from politics. With new technology and building innovation, the Romans were able to open up the interior space and decorate the space with elaborate details. “Interior Surfaces-floors, walls, ceiling – can be described broadly as revealing an obsession with ornament and ornamental pattern, a passion for luxurious materials and techniques, a preoccupation with the illusionist devices which treated solid surfaces as transparent or otherwise optimized the dimensionality of the plane, and a predilection to elaborate any surface.” (Blakemore 55) The Romans introduced elaborate decoration of the interior in order to provide the “bread and circuses” of life to its civilians.

The shaping of civility that I have encountered with the study of Greek, Egyptian, and Roman architecture gives the foundation on which future designs rest. I’ve never understood before the power in which architects bestow. As a designer, it is my role to shape civility in the proper way. By using these archetypes as an example of shaping culture, future designs should purposely promote the well being of its culture.

OPUS Week 5

2009-02-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

They (Roman Baths) combined aspects of a modern health club with that of a public library and school. – Roth 267

Almost all the aspects of the Roman baths represent our modern day shopping centers. They contained shops, restaurants, exercise yards, libraries, lecture halls, and reading rooms. They were arranged around a courtyard garden filled with sculpture. They also contained hot bathing and cool swimming pools. These intricate moments of these public spaces speak the story of the entertainment and wealth provided to the common people of Rome.

In Britain, the Romans took advantage of natural mineral hot springs that bubbled UP next to the Avon River, building there thermea and a city they called Aqua Solis (today Bath, England). – Roth 269

This quote from the Roth reading suggests the metrics of the public buildings in Rome. The powers in Rome took advantage of every natural or man-made engineering opportunity available. The large open spaces that were carried by the engineered arches, supplies more knowledge of how the society was set up as a hierarchy, and the powers that supplied the public buildings were above and beyond that of the common people.

The construction of such buildings (Roman Baths) itself provided work for those in the building trades, and the continual games and the pleasures of the baths served to divert the populace. – Roth 269

The civic structures in Rome, especially those of the baths, served as a framework for the society. By segregating those who use the space, and giving work to those who built it, the government in Rome set up a hierarchy in society that created a narrative in its civility. The dualities of this type of segregation formed the narrative for the complex.

Roman theaters, circuses, and baths were built and operated with imperial funds and were available at no charge to the public. The purpose of these expensive enterprises was to keep the unruly populace occupied, for tens of thousands in the city of Rome were unemployed. – Roth 269

The whole idea of public buildings in Rome was to keep the people entertained and not focused on politics. The presence of the Baths in Rome, with its glittering mosaics and surfaces and its theatre like and lustrous appearance, are a ploy to give “Bread and Circuses” to the common people.

Fragments of the Baths’ core, incorporated into the Renaissance Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli )Michaelangelo,1533-1536), and improved by countless others since that time. – quoted from “Baths of the Diocletains: 289 A.D.” given in class on Wednesday, February 18.

The Romans reused the history of Greek and Egyptian civility. Roman architecture is the best example of this reuse. Other societies in history have used the idea of borrowing off other cultures, and our own society in America is one of those. By borrowing and reusing history in my own work, gives me a precedent to gain knowledge and understand of the world of design. This precedent also gives me insight into the cultural affects of architecture in previous society.

To summarize my OPUS entry this week, I focused specifically on the Bath analysis that we did in class on Wednesday; mainly because all of the prompt words keyed directly to this analysis. But I also decided to focus on the baths because they resemble so many key public spaces in the American culture. The baths provide so much insight to the way the Roman society was set up and how this society functioned. I realize now that the Architecture in Rome reveals a society that much reflects our own society here in America.

IARC 221 - Precedent Study - WWBM

2009-02-20T05:12:00.000-08:00

The Wright Brothers Monument in Kill Devils Hill, North Carolina, is a sixty foot granite monument, was finished and dedicated in 1932. The granite monument sits on top of a ninety foot tall hill and symbolizes the achievements of the first successful powered air flight in history by Orville and Wilbur Wright. The Wright Brothers Monument is an Art Deco-inspired granite marker which stands as a striking memorial onto an open landscape. The monument, designed by Rodgers and Poor, a New York based architectural firm, signifies the flights and gliding experiments that the Wright brothers made on top of this and nearby dunes. Smaller markers on the site represent the four flights the brothers made on flat land. This monument serves as a reminder that the Wright Brothers taught our world how to fly and changed the course of our nation. This is why I have chosen this monument as my precedent study for the semester.

OPUS Entry - Week 4

2009-02-17T17:15:00.000-08:00

Sketch of the Aqueducts

“What the Romans produced in abundance was engineers and builders who developed architectural forms on a scale that the earlier Greeks could never have conceived.”

– Roth 250

Rome brought forth new building materials and technology that was used throughout history and even in the present day. The aqueducts are a perfect example of their innovation. The Roman infrastructure was one of the marks of power that resembled throughout the land. In the case of the Aqueduct, functionality was important, but it was the size that matter. Bigger, more masculine, means more power.

Exterior sketch of the Pantheon

“Built of concrete of varying density from bottom to top, it (Pantheon) is a model of the heavenly dome, the realm of all the gods, measuring 142.5 feet in diameter.”

-Roth 257

The Pantheon is also a great example of the Roman innovation. Here we see the introduction of the dome, a significant peace of Architectural and engineering innovation. It is an archetype that describes a universe of its own. The front façade was important to the Romans, and it was based on geometry, light, statuary, and surface decoration. But the dome allowed great spans and opened up a vast interior space.

Interior sketch of the Pantheon

“Interior Surfaces-floors, walls, ceiling – can be described broadly as revealing an obsession with ornament and ornamental pattern, a passion for luxurious materials and techniques, a preoccupation with the illusionist devices which treated solid surfaces as transparent or otherwise optimized the dimensionality of the plane, and a predilection to elaborate any surface.”

– Blakemore 55

The Romans were the first to elaborate the interiors of a space. The Pantheon is one of those examples. With the dome opening a vast amount of space the walls, floors, and ceilings became rich in ornamentation, mosaics, and paintings. With the obsession with luxury as Blakemore describes, a hierarchy of civility is introduced through the interiors, and even through the architecture. The Romans elaborated the interior environment and the entourage of civility.

Sketch of the Coliseum or Flavian Amphitheater

“(In the Coliseum) the stone arcades incorporated engaged columns – unfluted Doric on the ground floor, then Ionic, Corinthian, and finally Corinthian, and finally Corinthian pilasters on the uppermost, fourth story.

– Roth 267

The Coliseum also shows the fascination with ornamentation and decoration of the Romans; in this case the exterior façade. Columns become ornamentation instead of structural, and the architectural orders (Doric 1^st floor, Ionic 2^nd, and Corinthian 3^rd) are displayed in a hierarchy fashion - Doric 1^st floor, Ionic 2^nd, and Corinthian 3^rd. This hierarchy arrangement indicates a fascination with the passage of time and creating a hybrid and making things seem older than they really are.

Sketch of Trajan’s Market

“The focus on urban life and civic activities required the development of new building types in Roman architecture, buildings that enclosed space for the

use of the public.” – Roth 255

The Coliseum also brought the idea of bringing “Bread and Circuses” to the people, or food and entertainment, mainly to distract them from the politics. Another example of this is the Trajan Markets. The Trajan market also brings the entourage of the Roman Empire and its power. The freestanding columns and arches tell the story of victories in battle and conquest. As masculine forms dominate the landscape, power is expressed. Through the forums and public spaces, the architecture reveals the modern city, a lot like our own civilization here in the U.S.

Conclusion

To summarize my week of Roman architecture in the foundations unit of IARC 221, I’ve realized that what the Romans brought to civility and the public life is much of what we see in the present day. Their engineering and innovation of the infrastructure, their amphitheaters and public forums, elaborate interiors and vast open spaces, became the Archetype of following generations, and is still seen in our present day. With their own hybrid of the Egyptian and Greek civilizations, they became the modern city and the source of inspiration for our own civility.

OPUS Entry - Week 3

2009-02-11T13:55:00.000-08:00

“Building a temple-tomb at the base of a cliff – and even more, the raising of a huge artificial stone mountain over one’s tomb simply advertised where the treasure was stored.” – Roth 202

The Tomb of Queen Hatshepsut really defines unity in the way the temple blends with the mountains. The vertical lines of the mountains beyond coordinate the vertical lines of the columns. The Horizontal plane of the temple also blends well with the horizontal plane of the mountain. The problem with this unity is that the temple was often robbed because the mountains advertised the treasure so much. No boundaries were really defined.

“A staircase to heaven is laid (for Pharaoh) so that he may mount up to heaven thereby.” Roth 201 from Spell 267

The Tomb of Khufu sits on the land, instead of being part of the land. I believe this is what helps define the boundaries to on lookers. The pyramids stand out from the land making a statement that this is a highly regarded, sacred, and guarded place much like the pyramids at Gaza. The Khufu also buries the treasure and the body deep below the pyramid hiding the prized possessions deep in the earth, and not marking them with a mountain. Even though these pyramids defined the boundary, thieves still penetrated even the deepest of tombs.

“As a temple of Amon, it had been a sacred site since the Old Kingdom, but after the Tenth Dynasty, it steadily rose in prominence as the major sacred site in Egypt.” Roth 203

The Temple of Amon at Karnak becomes a defining boundary between the ordinary people and the temple. This temple commands for the on looker to stop in awe and wonder, and it commands the worship of the common people. The Obelisk stands in front of the Amon’s entry, shared with another Obelisk, and defines the entry through material and symmetry.

“Temple of Athena Nike – This Tiny Jewel was built to commemorate the Greek victory over the Persians” Roth 214

Defining boundaries was also important to the Greeks as well as the Egyptians. He temple of Athena Nike, in Athens, stands on top of the Akropolis as a “tiny jewel,” who signifies the Greek victory over the Persians. This little temple watches over the city and becomes a messenger in defense of Athens. I see Athena Kike, as a tiny ferry who becomes the needed protector and watcher for the Greek people.

“The Akropolis was the ideal spot for these new temples (image showing the Parthenon). Rising 300 feet above the city, it put the gleaming white marble buildings inn view of the residents of the entire polis and made them visible…” Roth 231

Scale was an important feature for the Greeks. Size and proportion played an important role in defining the importance of the Greek temple. Placing the Parthenon on top of the Akropolis placed the large temple for everyone to see. The Akropolis was placed on the hill to dominate. The placement and alignment also plaid a significant role in capturing the themes associated with the goddess and the site.

OPUS Entry Week 2

2009-02-04T07:00:00.001-08:00

Stonehenge image taken from http://eyecube.files.wordpress.com

Sir Herbert Read said, “Architecture is shelter, but it is also symbol and a form of communication.” (Roth 159) When my professors ask what language does a building have, or how it does “speak” to you, I never give it much thought. I usually shrug the question off my shoulders. But considering and learning about Stonehenge this week, I may be starting to understand how Architecture is a language all in its own. Stonehenge may be a symbol of the stratification of its society. Its layering circles may symbolize the hierarchy of its society. With this simple fact in mind, I understand that Architecture is the crystallization of ideas, a physical representation of human thought and aspiration, and a record of beliefs and values of the culture that produces it. (Roth 159)

Image taken from http://www.kierikki.fi/kuvat/maja2. The houses had trapezoidal plans, measuring from 8 to 11 feet lengthwise, and hard limestone plaster floors, with central stone-limed hearths. (Roth 166)

In other cultures, the Egyptians for example, new architectural forms and technology began to emerge, mainly do to the limited resources the Egyptians had. Columns appear for the first time inventing the form of the post and lintel construction. Columns feel the Hypostyle hall and hieroglyphics tell the story of the values and symbols of the Egyptian culture.

“Egypt is not only an ancient nation, but a state of mind, a mystery wrapped like a mummy in a mystique of death.” (Roth 188) - This a perfect example of how architecture, artifacts, and symbols heavily relate and communicate the aspects of every society. Image taken from http://www.shunya.net

The Pyramids at Giza – “Perhaps no other monument has been subjected to such probing analysis, serious scientific study, and silly conjecture. (Roth 196) Image taken from http://www.solarnavigator.net

The Pyramids in Egypt have been searched and studied for such a significant amount of time, only accumulating more questions. It is fascinating to so the symbolism in the Egyptian culture. The Egyptians were polytheistic with the Pharos ultimately having power, and were focused on the after life. Their pyramids reflect this. The pyramids stand out in the desert enforcing the idea that people must stay away and fear the power of the Pharaoh in the afterlife. The greatest testaments to their power were the pyramids and other tombs built to shelter them in the afterlife.

“Temples were more than places of worship; they combined centers of learning and administration for the nation.” (Roth 203) Image taken from http://www.lost-civilizations.net

Temples are another symbol of the Egyptian culture. They were more than a place of worship; they were a place of residence and training for the bureaucracy that ran the country. The large temples included schools, universities, libraries, and archives; they were centers for government administration, scientific and medical study, and agricultural administration; they served as public granaries and workshops. (Roth 203) The study of the temples, give us great reliance on the cultural values of the Egyptians.

I wonder if the Egyptians, or the people who built Stonehenge, knew how long there structures would remain. Or did they know how much of an impact their culture had on the remaining generations? This is important to note, because it is a strong reminder of how we as architects and designers, communicate through our buildings, values and principles that we want to impact future generations.

Timeline Entry

2009-01-28T03:45:00.000-08:00

1100 AD

I N S T I T U T I O N S
Construction of Cathedral at Chartres, France
The antipope Clement III dies at Civita Castellana after a 20-year reign in opposition to the legitimate popes Gregory VII, Victor III, and Urban II.
Pope Urban II launches the first Crusade; to re-take Jerusalem

G O V E R N A N C E
Henry I becomes King of England.
Baldwin I becomes King of Jerusalem.
In the Song Dynasty capital of Kaifeng, the number of registered people within the walls is 1,050,000; the army stationed there boosts the overall populace to some 1.4 million people.
Suryavarman II becomes ruler of Khmer empire; builds temple and mausoleum of Angkor Wat
Croatia unites with Hungary

English Normans defeat Normandy at Rinchebrai, reuniting England and Normandy

C O M M E R C E
Checkers is invented
Around this time organized societies develop in the Hawaiian Islands

T E C H N O L O G Y
Middle English begins to supersede Old English, and the dialect of the Ile-de-France begins to prevail over other French dialects.
The open field system developed by the Saxons was widely adopted
Chinese sew pages to make stitched books.
In Egypt, cloth is stripped from mummies to make paper.

1100 BC
G O V E R N A N C E
Zhou Dynasty in China
Mycenae, Lolkos, and Miletus are destroyed
Kingdom of Israel established
Phoenician city states develop

INSTITUTIONS
Fortified hill-top sites develop across north-west Europe
Flourishing of Proto-Villanovans’ culture in the Pro river valley

C O M M E R C E
Phoenician merchants found trading colony of Gadir (modern day Cadiz) near Tartessos

T E C H N O L O G Y
Phoenician traders begin spreading alphabet throughout Mediterranean
Painted grey ware develops in South Asia

http://ehistory.osu.edu
www.historycentral.com
www.worldtimelines.org.uk

OPUS Entry - Week 1

2009-01-27T18:07:00.001-08:00

Image from: "The Journey of Man - A Genetic Odyssy" By Spencer Wells

STORY
It was interesting this past week to be in Anna's Social and Behavioral Aspects in interior design.
I spent my time in class this week watching a documentary called "The Journey of Man." The premise of the video, Journey of Man, is that the ancestry of every living human being can be traced to a single small tribe in Africa. My challenge was to propose how the knowledge of the heritage of the human race affect your design work here in the 21st century.

I proposed that faith is the key dimension. We were not present at the dawn of time, so faith is a key aspect of our knowledge about our origin. With faith, comes values, purpose, and commitment. When we have faith, we establish a sense of value and purpose in our lives, giving our lives meaning. This in turn, effects how we percieve the world, therefore, affecting the way designers percieve the built environment. When I as a designer, have value and purpose to life, I will give value and meaning to my designs. To know where we come from, takes faith. But with this faith, comes commitment to life.

Image from my own personal sketch book of the "buddy chair" from IARC 301

ARTIFACTS
History in itself tells a story. Nations write history, or autobiographies, in three types of manuscripts: 1- Deeds 2-Words 3- Art

John Ruskin writes that art is the most trustworthy. The only trouble with art is that it is subjective and open to interpretation. But we can tell so much about history from the artifacts that were created; architecture, art, tools, pottery, etc. Architecture is history in a physical and intellectual sense. I've learned this week that artifacts and architecture shape our world. Look at the chair for example. It's function has primarly stayed the same throughout history, that is a fixture in which the human body can rest. But it has changed so much throughout different periods and cultures, changing through styles and materials. Artifacts tell a story about the time, it's values, and expressions. Material culture uses artifacts rather than stories. An artifact corresponds to patterns in the mind of the producer and user.

Image from my own personal sketch book: Representations of the Design Cycle

CYCLES
The design cycle is a measurement of creativity in Western Civilizaiton. The cycle represents configuations of culture and growth. It represents how things change, as well as representing how things do not change within a span of time.

URBAN SPRAWL
A lot of reading was assigned during studio (IARC 302). Part of the reading was "Home From Nowhere - Remaking Our Everyday World For the Twentieth Century" by James Howard Kunstler. I've pulled some important information out this particular reading:

- Thae basic unit of planning is the neighborhood. A cluster of smaller neighborhoods turn into a city. The original intent of zoning was to keep factories away from houses, to create separate zones for industry to carry on its noisy and dirty activities. But the effects of zoning: "Zoning results in sprawl by mandating that all componenst of human settlement be separated. Under current zoning, the only acceptable connecting device is the car and its expensive infrastructure. Therefore, it makes car ownership mandatory, and those who cannot participtate - children, seniors, the poor - are made dysfunctional and cannot use the everyday world." - Kunstler pg. 123

Zoning destroys the bonds of communities and ultimately whole cultures. I personally believe, that we need to re-focus our attention on community. Kunstler points out the five minute radius rule, where everything you need is withing a five minute walk. This would reduce the need for cars and expand the local community with pedestrians:

Image from my own personal sketch book: The Importance of Walking

THE IMPORTANCE OF WALKING
When everything is connected by a five minute walk, the car becomes unnecessary, because it becomes more necessary to walk. Think of the benifits of that idea: No parking lots or garage, a healthier community, a socially connected community because people are walking by each other, buildings with more human scale thought in because people are actually walking by, etc.

To sum up this week, the thought that crosses my mind is that I have learned, really in all my courses, is how design really impacts the community, in great and small ways. It's been a good first week. I think I'm going to have to wake up to the idea that designing is not just gettting your ideas on Auto-CAD into construction documents so someone can build your building. Design is so much more than that. Design affects every aspect of human life. The built environment, whether by buildings or artifacts, shape our world. Wow! That's kind of a scary thought. But definitely inspiring, challenging and motivating. See, I told you purpose and meaning in life shapes the way we design!

IARC_CNNC Final Drawings

2008-05-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

IARC 202 _ CNNC Final Models

2008-05-06T19:47:00.001-07:00

IARC 212 - VIZ Renderings

2008-05-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Studio - CNNC Design Develpment - 3 spaces

2008-04-02T08:54:00.001-07:00

IAR-212 MOVIE

2008-04-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

iar 212_scenes

2008-03-27T09:50:00.001-07:00

Studio_CNNC perspectives

2008-03-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

I wanted to show the actual pictures of the perspectives of CNNC at Leon's. They have a little more clarification.

Studio_CNNC Schematic Design

2008-03-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

iar_212_vote!

2008-03-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

Why Vote? in bauhaus style.

Studio - Progress and Process of CNNC

2008-02-26T17:20:00.000-08:00

iar_212 Graphic Styles

2008-02-21T09:37:00.001-08:00

Retro Modern Graphic style (Top left): This is the best example I could find that represents retro modern. This is image has no clear representation of line, but has a strong abstract form that helps play with the number 5. Its colors are not vivid, but help to engage the white from the number. There is not much use of space except for a splotch of "paint" that forms itself to wherever it wants to be.

Bauhaus Graphic style (top right): In this example of the Bauhaus graphic style the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow are used with a contrast of neutral colors of black and white. Line is strongly represented as well as firm texture from the contrast of the bolts. An italic font is used. The sizes of the colored rectangles play a role in controlling the space for this style.

Pop Art Graphic Style (mid left): In this example of pop art graphic style, Andy Warhol uses the symmetry of the square to organize his style. The same image is repeated over on all 4 corners of the square with the vividness of color in a particular pattern. Blue, green, yellow and red are represented differently in each sub square.

Nostalgic Remix (bottom left): This particular graphic style was hard to find. I figured coca-cola ads would be the best place to find a Nostalgic piece. Nostalgic is something that represents a longing or passion from the past. I will try to make a case for this image in that light. The character behind the coke is a representation of something that would be nostalgic. There is a very vivid expression in color in this ad. White with blue highlights represent the cool and refreshing quality of the drink. The font of Coca-Cola has become the staple 0f the company. Space is organized well with the negative space along the border represented by black. This helps contrast the cool refreshing qualities of the white and blue. The texture of the ice represent these qualities as well. The texture of the water along side the glass of the coke give a 3-D effect to this cartoon like ad.

iar_212_subway sublime

2008-02-19T09:52:00.001-08:00

iar_212_peculiar parallelism

2008-02-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

" Whether found in nature or created by the hand of man, beauty is open for interpretation."

IAR_202_Haitian Mat

2008-01-31T18:41:00.000-08:00

Design Crtiques_IAR 212

2008-01-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

The goal of this assignment was to take 3 well design articles from a magazine and critique them. I took 3 advertisements from two separate magazines. The 2 designs magazines were Architect and Dwell.

Finish Material Advertisement:
I believe the design of this advertisement reflects its function and purpose. The message that is being delivered here is that ordinary people can invision a design, and with this companies help, they can make it come true. That comes across from the image of the pizza man reflecting a shadow of a solid (granite like) surface. It is clear what the masssage of this design is and is very appropriate. Contrast comes into play for the composition by the shadows created from the white figure. This helps to give a 3-D effect by popping him off the page. The fine line in the middle of the page helps to direct the viewers eye and separate the two figures but still keeping the image a visual whole. There is very minimal information of the composition itself and it is effective while still giving depth and perspective.

Furniture advertisement:
I think the design of this advertisement does reflect its function and purpose as well. The goal here is too reflect the personality of the furniture, the designer has done that well with the colors. The delivery is very powerful and the graphics communicates the intent of the advertisement very well. The image acts as a unison, with the contrast of the colors being very suddle and all the colors blend very well. The space is organized well. The faded figure suggest the use of the couch, but doesn't take away from the purpose of advertising the product. There is a lot of information in this design but the composition is not too excessive. There is a lot of depth and perspective in this design.

Wooden Doors Advertisement:
The design of this advertisement reflects well the function of the companies doors: "to connect with nature." I do think the delivery of the message is appropriate and clear. The focal point is definetly the human in yellow, but the whole composition has been balanced very well. While his arm is down on the left side of the page, more animals have been added. While his arm is up on the right side of the page, fewer animals are represented; yet, a larger animal has been added. The contrast of all the colors if effective. But I think the images that are added to the background seem a little flat compared to the wooded background itself. Therefore, I'm not sure there is enough depth and perspective in this design. It is a well composed design, with strong visual elements.

Moods a Many_ IAR 212

2008-01-28T16:37:00.000-08:00

Here is my next assignment for photoshop. By using the tools discussed in class, I was able to create an image for the emotion "weird". Penguins and polar bears don't belong in the desert. Obviously this is weird. Weird = something strange or out of the ordinary.

IAR 202_Culture_Interview with Daniel

2008-01-24T13:24:00.001-08:00

Cody and I interviewed Daniel, who is an architectural student from Peru. Daniel works in the same architectural firm that I work for. He is in Greensboro for summer break (it is winter here, but summer in Peru). Daniel is 25 and is single. His father and mother live in two separate cities in Peru. He has 2 brothers from his mother's side, and 7 brothers from his father. He lives in the third largest city in Peru called Trujillo, a city located between the coast and the Andes mountains. His native language is Spanish.

Daniel has lived on his own for 6 years. He has struggled through is studies as an architectural student. He described the culture in Peru as being very corrupt, but Daniel holds to Christian beliefs. Although he loves his country, Daniel's goal is to live and work in America when he graduates from school in a year. This will give him an opportunity to provide for his brothers and family back home. Because of his Christian beliefs, Daniel has struggled mostly in Peru with his integrity. While Daniel is here in the U.S., his challenge is learning to trust people. He described the people in Peru as being two-faced. He doesn't want that for himself. He is pursuing integrity, that is one of his main goals.

Daniel has also struggled financially. Since he as pursued integrity, it has been hard to earn money in Peru. Hard work in Peru doesn't go very far. For the first years of living on his own, Daniel started to earn and save his money. Then several accidents caused him to lose almost everything he had. Through perservance, Daniel has been able to earn some of the money back to pay for his school and living expenses. He met Bill, the owner of our architectural firm, while Bill was on a missions trip for his church. Daniel described his goal of being an architect and his struggles with money and Bill decided to offer him a job in Greensboro. He has struggled to gain Visa's to get into the U.S. because of illegal immigration. Daniel has worked in the U.S.A for 3 summers now. While in the U.S. it has been easier for him to live as a Christian and to pursue his integrity. He is saving to pay for the remainder of his school, then will pursue architecture as a career in America.

Cody and I asked him to describe himself in one word. The word Daniel came up with (the best he could in English) was perseverance. He has had setbacks his whole life, but has honestly worked hard for everything he has.

I don't know if I have met a guy with as much integrity as Daniel has. He is a very hard worker and has earned everything he has. I believe integrity is a great word that describes Daniel.

IAR 212 + Photoshop pattern

2008-01-23T18:49:00.001-08:00

Here is my first attempt at photoshop. Pretty frustrating if you ask me. I took a photo of the sydney opera house, manipulated it, and came up with my own version of the building. By using patterns I created cool reflections onto the water.

The Role of Computing in Design (IAR 212)

2008-01-17T09:27:00.001-08:00

The role of computing in design has extremely changed from what it was even 5 years ago. The speed in which it takes to produce a set of construction documents has increased. Computers have almost taken out the responsibility in hand drafting, and not only drafting but modeling as well. To build a model of a building is faster today than it ever has been. Ideas can be changed with more efficiency and drawings can be produced with greater speed and accuracy. Even in engineering, computers have played a role in how we approach the structure of a building. More can be done as far as the way a building is put together because of the computer.

The future is shaping up to the point where the pencil and pen we be no more a part of design. Rendering and modeling software is becoming more realistic, helping to communicate ideas. Sketching ideas on sketch paper is becoming obsolete. Personally though, I don’t believe it will ever become obsolete. Sketch paper and sketching ideas by hand has its advantages over looking at the computer. Also, there is something to be said about hand renderings that will never be taken away.

Intent Narrative: IAR 201

2007-11-16T07:44:00.000-08:00

THE BEST OF INTENTIONS

Prepared by:

Micah Martin

The intention of the suite in “My Sister’s House” is to incorporate the idea of a “community” within the building. The idea of the “community” comes by way of three private, individual bedrooms sharing a living space and a bathroom within the suite. Even though the whole residential floor shares its own living space, the suite in itself contains a living room blocked off by a corridor, creating a private area for this “community.” This private living room is connected to each of the three private bedrooms and the bathroom that will be used by each of the bedrooms. This shared space creates a community of three mothers and their infants by encouraging interaction and communication.
The living space is intended to be left open to the corridor to create more open space. The space is to be filled with couches and chairs as well as lamp and coffee tables. This space is situated so that the four rooms that are adjacent will be easily accessible. This public space encourages interaction among the three mothers sharing this suite. Couches will invite the women out from the privacy of their rooms and sit themselves comfortably with other mothers while their infant may be sleeping. The bathroom space is desired to be open as well. Creating enough room for more than one mother to use this space is a goal.
The bedrooms are to be both nurturing to the mother as well as to the infant. A cove has been created for the mother to sit quietly in a chair with a reading lamp away from the infant. This is to create a private place for the mother without shining to much light on the sleeping infant. Space is to be designated for storage of clothes as well as storage for food and drinks. Adequate cabinet space is a desire of the bedrooms. A personal sink for washing without entering into the bathroom will be incorporated. A place to store trash and small cleaning supplies should be provided. Furniture will include one bed, a crib, and a reading chair with a reading lamp. Lighting should be well designed to provide adequate lighting.
The good, bad, and ugly materials are intended to reappear into the design of the suites. Field stone is designated to be used for the flooring of the more “community” areas such as the living room and the bathroom. The stones will be cut into a grid to represent the influences of Piet Mondrian on the building. The stones will provide a smooth cleanable surface, with subtle colors. Corrugated plastic will be used to screen private areas, such as toilets and tubs, that open up to large exterior glazing. The intention of the colors will represent a more subtle town, to create a warm and comfortable environment.
The suite will function as a community, where friends can work together to help life become more enjoyable to live.

Suite Program

Prepared By:

Micah Martin

Entire Suite
· Open Spaces
· Clean Lines
· Warm, subtle colors
· Piet Mondrian inspired
· Community environment
· Shared spaces opening to private spaces

Living Space
· To be shared by all rooms in suite
· Open to corridor
· Open to doors entering into three bedrooms and bathroom
· Field stone flooring to represent Mondrian grid (connection with bathroom)
· Place for lounging
· Place for eating
· Adequate sitting for three mothers and house sister, as well as other guest

Bathroom
· To be shared by all rooms in suite
· Door opens up to living space
· Adequate room for tub/shower
· 2 sinks with cabinet storage
· Linen/cleaning supply storage
· Water closet in more private location
· Corrugated plastic to screen bathroom from large exterior glazing
· Adequate elbow space for vanities
· ADA accessible

Bedrooms
· To be used only by one mother and her infant
· One bed for mother
· One crib for infant
· Space for mother w/reading chair and lamp away from infant
· Cabinet space for storage of food, cleaning supplies
· Closet space for clothes
· Small refrigerator
· Personal sink for cleansing
· Television
· Bed Storage
· Adequate lighting

IAR 222: Close to Home Analysis

2007-11-16T06:23:00.000-08:00

The Close to Home exhibit uses spaces and artifacts to connect the viewer to historical features. The concept that I have perceived in my mind on the exhibit is: “connecting the community through an epic story of local, modern design.” The students of this exhibit did a wonderful job in using material, light, and color as well as different sources of media to project information out to viewers. The spaces were well organized and designed for the best intent. It is my objective now, to critique the design and all the aspects of it.
Display of Images for the Women’s College. Use of orange and brown highlight the era of the 50’s and 60’s.

Material plays a huge role in the exhibit. The key element in all the material choices represents Edward Loewenstein’s work. The material of wood keeps an honest environment, which is one of modernism’s attributes. The exposed wood rafters for some of the display bays are nice gestures as well as the details in the connections. Metal bars highlight the emphases placed on clean lines that modernism represented. Exposed wood studs for other display bays help to create the elegancy and honesty that wanted to be achieved. Each of these materials help to connect the exhibit, as well as modernism’s history, with nature. The choices of these materials did such that. Colors helped to connect to nature as well. The light forest-greens and the browns of text, images, and the wood and materials themselves connect to nature very nicely. One of Loewenstein’s goals as a designer was to connect the human experience of the home to nature, just like that of Frank Lloyd Wright. The exhibit displays this well. Another goal of Loewenstein’s homes were to create a warm, comfortable environment. The colors of the forest greens and the browns create that warm comfortable environment as well as the tint of orange that is stained on the wooden post. All of these colors invite the viewer to participate instead of creating a cold, hard environment that modernism is thought of. The colors in themselves are great teaching tools that the exhibit uses to portray modernism in Greensboro.

Light had already been provided for the gallery itself, but the layout of the exhibit helped to intensify the light. The exposed rafters that was noted earlier creates a nice detail of shadows that sweeps over the displays. The layout of the bays allows the tract lighting on the ceiling of the gallery to spotlight main artifacts. The exhibit was well designed in accordance to the light that had already been established. Use of diagonal walls help to define the space of the museum and reflect Loewenstein’s work.

In general, without the use of images, text, and graphics, the communication of information is very difficult. So the role that images, text, and graphics play in an exhibit is very vital. The Close to Home exhibit uses a range of these mediums to display information. Images help our minds to relate to the actual scene that is being displayed. Without the pictures of different buildings, landscapes, people, and objects, viewers of the display will not participate fully in the exhibit. Close to Home uses a variety of images to help bring forth what was being viewed in the 50's and 60's. Text helps to tell the story and to explain the images being shown. The Close to Home exhibit once again uses the text well. While not overloading the viewer, enough information is given from the text to tell the epic story of modernism in Greensboro. Sections details, plans, and sketches are shown throughout the exhibit to display how certain buildings were visioned, and then how they were eventually achieved. Different media is used to display this information. Although most media is successful in its attempts, I do feel that some of the media was not successful. The 3-D animations of the different interior spaces did not tell the story the way other media did. The bay that held these animations were designed well to hold the projection onto the screen, but the animation itself did not serve its purpose. As the animations were playing, the mind seemed to get lost while viewing these spaces. I do believe that these animations provided a nice break of the repetition and monotony of text and images as well as creating a nice moment within the exhibit, but the actual animation of the spaces could have achieved a lot more. The computers in the corners were a nice gesture to allow the visitor to break away from the normal way of portraying information, and explore the exhibit on a different path. It was also another way of providing more information and learn more about the exhibit.

The spaces were designed in an excellent fashion. The “mod” moments away from the gallery is a nice gesture, inviting people to the main exhibit. Once again the colors and materials come into play and invite the viewer from the “mod” moment to the Gatewood Gallery. Once inside the Gatewood gallery, the moment outside the glass in the lobby connects the visitor from the “mod” moment into a new experience. By “piercing” into the glass, this new moment reaches out the viewer and connects the visitor from the outside inviting him or her to experience the 3-D exhibit into the gallery area. What a wonderful gesture that teaches the visitors of the whole exhibit on how the intent of modern design was to connect the community through sustainable, honest, tried and true architecture and design. The diagonal wall of some of the bays obviously represents Loewenstein’s outward angled walls, connecting the inhabitant of his homes to the surrounding landscapes. The diagonal walls both unite and divide the space, creating a fluidity and openness to the gallery, which again is an attribute to modern design.
By piercing the glass, the gallery invites you to participate inside.

The Close to Home exhibit expresses the importance of a team. Throughout the exhibit, emphases is placed on how a team designed a building, not a single individual. The Women’s College of Greensboro is displayed and their work is shown as a team effort. Loewenstein’s work is shown by the representation of his firm, not just his own work. The students who designed and built the exhibit are displayed as a team. So the notion of working as a team is portrays strongly throughout the exhibit. This notion re-enforces my concept for the exhibit: “connecting the community through an epic story of local, modern design.” The whole idea of a community is about working together. It was a team effort to connect the neighborhood’s throughout Greensboro through a new approach in design, and should be a team effort to keep exploring new possibilities of design that would enhance the local community. By bringing history close to home, the exhibit educates the community about where it has come from, and where it must go.

images bottom: (bottom)Display of Images for the Women’s College. Use of orange and brown highlight the era of the 50’s and and 60’s. (middle)By piercing the glass, the gallery invites you to participate inside. (top)Use of diagonal walls help to define the space of the museum and reflect Loewenstein’s work.

Color Charrette

2007-10-26T06:08:00.000-07:00

Group Luscious's color model represents colors from our material charrette. We used natural colors from field stone while incorporating our historical perspective.

These pictures represent our sketch models from each member of the team. This is where we pulled our ideas.

iar222 : history + theory of design ii, SELF-REFLECTION

2007-10-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Comment on how this course has changed the way that you view design as a fundamental practice central to humanity.

I realize by taking the history and theory of design course that design plays an important role to the functions of humanity. I’ve always realized that Architecture shapes our lives as a society, but I don’t believe I have ever fully understood the true impact it does have. Design takes new ideas, theories and technological advancements and helps society to either embrace them or decline them. Architecture and design helps society progress as a whole. You can see it through every culture from the Greeks to present day America. That’s what I’ve learned so far from this course. Although I still don’t believe that a building speaks a language of it’s own, I do believe that Architecture expresses the progress of its culture and time period.

Select one building, space, or object that we have talked about in class or is contained in the readings for this course. As you encounter this object, space, or building, suggest how it links forward to design practice today.

I really enjoyed writing the paper for the Nebraska State Capital. I see this building a statement for the state of Nebraska itself. It proves that Architecture can express the progress of its culture. As I link it to design practices of today, I see how many architects and designers don’t take the time through their design to truly express the purpose of their design. I see picture’s of the building’s exterior and see how the stone carvings represent historic events in the evolution of democracy as a government. Wether it be because of time, money, or clientele demands, I don’t believe most designers of the present day express the same with their designs.

Accepting the view that we always fall back on history, how do we create a new perspective that both embraces the past and says something innovative about our present circumstances?

In order to create a new perspective that both embraces the past and says something innovative about our present circumstances, we have to embrace new technologies without forgetting the beauties that lies from the past. I believe technology is the biggest aspect that says something innovative about the present day. We can use these technologies and still represent history. Buildings of the past were beautiful in the way they represented their culture and time period. We have to do the same in our day. We have to move forward and progress with our buildings, while keeping in mind the historic aspects of older architecture and what made it beautiful.

Your [icons of modernism] exercise provided an opportunity to think about explicit connections between design and culture. Using the topic from that assignment, speculate on how the topic as you understand it (because of your research) influences the same topic in the twenty-first century context (2000-2007) in which we currently reside.

My group’s topic was Beatnik. It’s funny to think about the beatnik’s in the 21st century because of our way of life today. The ironic situation is that the Beatnik movement is gone, but it’s basic beliefs are still intact with our present day society. The anti-war movement, the music, the poetic response to the world, and the ultimate non-conformism to society is still in place. That affects design to a great extent. I think of designers who don’t wont to stick to tradition, who want to venture out into their own, almost egotistical approach to design. People today still want to represent their own ideas of the world and not conform to the standards that society has set. This is a very big connection to the Beatnik movement of the 50's and 60's.

Image sources: Nebraska State Capitol - www.capitol.org
Beatnik image - www.tomchristopher.com

Best of Intentions Charrette

2007-10-10T05:31:00.000-07:00

As a group, we have narrowed our design approach from the influences of Mondrian and Van Rohe of the 1940's. By creating regular rythms and interesting layers to the exterior we now have a design approach for the interior. We will begin looking at how our moment of connection can be used throughout the building. We will use open spaces and apply rythm and layers drawing inspiration from Van Rohe and Mondrian. This is the direction of our project.

We also will look at how we can apply the materials of corrugated plastic and carolina field stone to create these rhythms and layers, both to the interior and exterior of "My Sister's House"

Material Charrette

2007-10-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

Group Luscious

Good: North Carolina Field Stone

Bad: Polyurethane

Ugly: Corrugated Plastic

Handicap Layouts

2007-10-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

Elevators

2007-10-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

Means of Egress

2007-10-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

Fire Rated Assemblies

2007-10-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

Occupancy load charts

2007-10-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

2007-09-20T18:21:00.001-07:00

SEPTEMBER 20 AT 6:30 p.m.

No Light to work with this time. These five pictures reflect what the quality of light is when the sky is a filled with clouds. The first picture shows what I had to work with (this is the location of the sun behind the clouds.)

2007-09-20T18:07:00.001-07:00

SEPTEMBER 20 AT 3:45 P.M.
Hey! the light did move. I placed the machine at the same 5 locations, except this time it was 3:45 in the afternoon. The sun was shining so I got some good pictures throught the "viewer" hole. Compared to the 12:45 pictures, the light is in a different lcoation.

PICTURES @ 12:45

2007-09-20T17:14:00.001-07:00

let's kick off them blasted charretttes CHARRETTE:

My first post!
The picture shown is my "light quality observation machine" that I constructed out of white museum board and glue. The purpose of my machine was to create a dark space while allowing a small amount of light to enter. This would allow me to study a small sample of light on sight versus a large amount of light and shadows. The top circular hole is adjustable to allow different amounts of light to enter in. The side square hole is an observation hole (you gotta see what's goin' on inside).
On the site of study at 3 different times during the day I recorded 5 observations. I used the same variables each time (the same location and orientation of the machine).

SEPTEMBER 20 @ 12:45p.m.
Here is the site. I used 5 different locations. 4 on each corner of the site, and 1 in the center.
I lost some light because of clouds, but in two of the pictures the sun broke through and you can see the location of the light really well.