Unit Summary 10

In the unit of experience, we learned how people use a space. We learned how a space could be made comfortable or irrupting based on the proximity of people.In the unit of finishes, we learned how finishes are the minor details, but they are important for pulling the house together, such as crown molding, base boards, etc. My favorite unit was of furniture because that’s how personality is introduced in to a space, not for every space, but a majority. I liked learning about the different styles that were in fashion. The unit of representation brought all of the units together. It encompassed a lot about status. The final unit was the theories of design and I learned quite a bit on how each portion of time affects the ones in the future.

Greece. Parthenon Without Scaffolds.

We learned about classical architecture, the motifs of history, and how people use a space.

Putting it together 3

1. Art in the ‘20s inspired a multitude of styles in the world, especially Paris and Barcelona. The art nouveau movement created 2d and 3d lines in structures. Van Gogh and Matisse were only a few of the artists that inspired art nouveau. They used geometry and color in their pieces which in turn inspired the colors in art deco and nouveau designs.I think the painting, Starry Night is a probable inspiration because of the sweeping brushstrokes and the muted colors. People still rave about the painting as well as the art nouveau style. A recent place that uses art nouveau inspiration, I noticed is the Cheesecake Factory. There is orange colors and organic lines that remind me of the art nouveau style. The Paris metro stations represent art nouveau. Even if the rest of the city is a different style and they may not mesh well, the signs are iconic.

2.Art Deco was more popular in America especially in urban areas such as New York. Art Deco was about speed and motion, so many things had a streamlined look. Skyscrapers from the ‘20s encompass this idea as well. They are pointed at the top to get away from classical ideas of having the roof being the same size as the floor. It also could be because city planning needed to allow for streets to have sunlight. A blocky roof equals no sunlight for tiny streets. The Art deco movement was about objects. Furnishings and personal goods held the same streamlined look with curvilinear lines. An example would be the Miami Beach hotels that all look similar. They are small and have curvilinear lines in their exterior. Moving pictures influenced the art deco movement because it allowed people to see how Hollywood would design their sets. People wanted to emulate and decorate their homes to match those of the Hollywood starlets. The Chrysler building in New York City encompasses ‘20s Art Deco skyscrapers. It narrows itself at the top and uses steel for its exterior.

3.Good design for all includes a multitude of different styles and designers. Le Corbusier created the villa sovoye, the unite d’habitacion, and the ronchamp. They broke rules with creating different buildings by manipulating light. Frank Lloyd Wright created Falling Water, Johnson Wax, and the Guggenheim museum. The Bauhaus in Germany employed many designers like Ludwig Mies van der Rhoe. After World War One and World War Two, these designers spread across the globe, taking modernism with them. They created modernism in different scales such as Mies van der Rhoe created the Barcelona Pavilion while another designer would make a modern chair. The 20th century had a lot of voices in design. There were Scandinavian designers here. Charles and Ray Eames were a powerhouse by creating the DCW plywood chair and the Eames lounge chair. I think these items may explain a portion of modernism because they do not carry a lot of fuss. They are simplistic and in that simplicity, they are beautiful.

4.Post modernism made preservation of American landmarks important. My case study was Mount Vernon and the task of preservation has been hard work on the staff at the museum. Another aspect of post modernism is how we can use new technology to build in new ways with new materials. Technology also becomes the decoration such as lighting and electronics. A new trend has been for buildings to look deconstructed like the Disney Concert Hall. That was all possible by the use of computers to design the spaces.

5.Beyond modernism means moving beyond the box modernism had created. Designers now are focused on sustainability. They want to use Earth’s resources and borrow traditional forms to keep the structures strong. This structure looks like it’s borrowing from Ancient Egypt’s forms, but using newer materials to build it.

Case Study 10

Putting it together 1

1. Ancient humans marked the ground by using sacred circles, stacks, and groves. This was between the dawn of time and the 14th century. The picture of Stonehenge marks the fact people believed in a higher deity, maybe? From the lecture, it would seem they were marking their boundaries and making one’s place on the earth. They could have been sending messages through these sacred circles.Avebury, England is especially known for these strange stone circles that encompass the land. Stacks like pyramids are among the ancient land in the middle east, but they are prominent through South America as well. Ancient people made stacks because it was a good way for the materials like stone to stay in that formation for a long period of time. Most of all these structures were a good possibility of communication with a higher power. A later boundary technique that may have been inspired was the Great Wall of China through the Chinese. That is a good example of people saying where their boundary is on land. Most of all it was interesting that from east to west, people have been marking the ground since the dawn of time; Mesopotamia to the Ohio Valley in the US.

 

 

 

2. Egypt was a neat time in history in terms of architecture. They had a strong sense of orientation. In the lecture, it was mentioned that maybe through the Nile, they separated life and death, They did a lot of city planning because they knew were they wanted specific buildings and where they wanted them to face. There were and are many halls and stacks in Egypt. They liked linear buildings. They were masters at making a prototype and then carrying it out for thousands of years so it would be an archetype. The pyramid started from a mastaba, which is a flat roofed tomb, to the archetype of the tomb of kings with a pointed top. The depths of halls would be shortened to better fit the needs of the Ancient Egyptians. The lecture mentioned that it was possible for male and female to be an important part of architecture during ancient Egyptian times. The kings had larger tombs that were very noticeable and often held association to a higher power. The queen’s tombs were less noticeable with a flat roof. They were off to the side usually. I wonder if that is because the queen’s preferred it that way or they were made to leave their body that way? I totally believe a Queen would want a large pyramid for herself.

3. Ancient Greece held their architecture and designs to a high regard, Everything they designed had a purpose; a meaning. They wanted to reach the ideal. There were orders such as tuscan, doric, ionic, corinthian, and composite. Each one held a different meaning, so if an ionic column was incorporated in a building, it was probably for a female goddess such as Athena because the ionic column is thinner and more graceful than a doric one. These are archetypes now in the design world. We use them in classical setting such as education buildings. Greeks were one of the pioneers, so we honor them our education settings to remind us to broaden our minds like they did. The Greeks came up with the idea of walled cities for protection such as in the Citadel at Tyrins. The Lion’s Gate was one of the first gateways. The Treasury of Atreus was the introduction of a tomb with a circular dome in it. Water was important to the Greeks, It became the epicenter of wherever Greeks lived. Water was seen as ideal because it was important for survival. Many more aspects including those mentioned here made ancient Greece an empire in it’s day.

4. The ancient Romans knew how to build an empire. They borrowed many things from Ancient Greece. Their trade routes offered them to communicate with the East, which brought many new ideas to the Romans. This made Rome a melting pot. There were several buildings that the Romans held to a high regard. Public baths were important to society because it was a ritual. There were different bathing times for men then women and children. Large markets such as the Trajan market were to bring commerce and people together. Forums were needed so people could speak their mind to a large group of people at one time. All these building types brought people together. Rome was very interested in vertical expressions of architecture. Was that because it was a male dominated empire? Probably. Rome decided to take what they borrowed from Greece and not apply the meaning behind it to their empire. They mainly used the columns like designs as decoration. Arches and columns were supposed to be a celebratory building for a military victory or something similar. The colosseum was a structure from Greece and it was used to hold entertainment for the masses to distract them from the strife of Roman life.

5.The medieval times were marked by religious imagery in churches. There was a lot of innovation and storytelling in churches. Many people in the medieval time period went on pilgrimages to follow the path the saints took in their lifetime on Earth. Some innovation was individualistic sculptures on corinthian columns. Stone carving was popular. Early graphic design in fabric was a new innovation as well. Churches such as Notre Dame in France were built with new flying buttresses that allowed maximum glass with minimum stone. The glass which was most likely stained glass told religious stories in the church walls. Many people couldn’t read then, so it allowed for them to bask in the stories. Church design became vertical and ascended toward the heavens.The power of the church was at an all time high because they were becoming wealthy. The gothic enterprise began with the spectacle of the vertical building and light sweeping in from the ceiling.

Putting it together 2

1. The Renaissance was an important period of time in human history. Humans were coming out of a time where people were mainly concerned with religion and starting to build ideas that would be important to architecture and design as we see it today. In the lecture, it was mentioned that this was an in-between time. People were trying to rediscover culture unlike the ancient times where they where constantly inventing and looking forward. Italy is very important to how we look back on the Renaissance today. There was a shift in thinking.I observed from the lecture that the Renaissance was a rebirth of antiquity, so they were looking back on past culture to redefine their lives. Instead of being a part of a public setting, they focused on the individual meaning themselves. They backed off from religion and wanted government to direct their lives. They also, rediscovered the natural world. We tend to do this once our looking forward stage needs a rest. They used natural proportions and old architectural styles to mark individuality instead of being uniform. Instead of using religion as a way to direct the public, deity worshipping was a more one to one affair. I think the picture below says something about the Renaissance because they were taking designs from Ancient Greece and using them in their buildings, but they were not using the meaning of the design as the Greeks did; it was more decoration.

2. Venice was and is an interesting design port. They had never built anything like it before, so it was a wonderful new idea. It mainly stays medieval because it was hard to not be unified on a floating city of stone. Individuality would have been more difficult. All of the buildings have to be unified like because it’s a lone floating city. The Piazza San Marco is the major square in Venice unifying it in a larger scale. Venice has a distinctive atmosphere or a genius loci. The lecture mentioned that the snaking waterways and canal, crisp colors, and sparkling water are what make Venice distinctive to other parts of Italy and even the world. It is hard to reproduce another Venice because it would take away from it’s genius loci and the distinctive geography that is needed to make the canal. However, in Las Vegas, they have tried to replicate it, but it doesn’t compare because the atmosphere is not the same. I chose a picture of the main square because I think it is a good example of unity and that represents Venice well because as the Renaissance would progress, Venice needed to stay medieval because of the tendency to be a unified place.

3. The difference between the medieval and renaissance time period is massive. The medieval time period used public money where the no one showed wealth. There was functional housing in medieval villages. The renaissance used private money to show wealth and status in the community, especially in Italy. The picture of the Palazzo de Medici shows the money they had and the class system which told people they could afford a lot of art and status. it was vanity housing in which they were concerned with image. The medieval time period was extremely focused on religion. God controls all. The church is in control of public services and is basically the power source of the time. The renaissance differed because man was supposed to be in charge of their own destiny. Rich people held their own private chapels built by artisans who decorated them beautifully for status. The powerhouse in the renaissance were the merchants and guilds in the city-states. They were concerned with image. Medieval towns were unplanned and disorganized, They boasted slow growth where society was intertwined publicly and privately. The renaissance was a unified axis with rapid expansion and need for space. They attempted to separate their public and private dealings.

4. Andra Palladio was an extremely important architect during the renaissance period. His work changed the architecture forever. It is still an inspiration used today. He mainly focused on a main larger focus point with two accompanying sides. The picture included is of my case study, Mount Vernon, which uses this inspiration as a design for a window in the “New Room”. There is a larger pane of glass surrounded by two smaller panes. Palladio changed Venice in to having a single facade. He designed villas that had never been seen before. The Villa Rotunda was a party house that encompassed four sides that allowed the users to see different aspects of the landscape. This would tie in with the unit of experience well. He designed the Villa Rotunda to emulate the Pantheon, but on a residential scale. He also built the Villa Barburo. This had the design of the larger focal piece with two sides, but he used this on a residential scale. This made the residence have a sense of power and control because it had a vast lawn and demanded your attention. It was noted that the renaissance was known for being mainly horizontal in the layouts. This would make sense for a grand house demanding power and control.

5.The baroque design period came after the renaissance, so things were still similar, but a little different. There wasn’t a need to be a total individualist like in the renaissance. Many countries were similar in design aspects. France, England, and Spain became a part of the architecture powerhouse. They were testing boundaries and breaking rules as the lecture noted. Designers were using different mediums to express a new idea. The Baroque period used engagement with all the senses, such as using light and color for visuals. Maybe texture became involved. There was a unity among the arts unlike the renaissance where everyone was doing their own thing. There was theatricality and dramatic lighting used. The Ecstasy of St. Theresa is a good example of a designer using light and color to display an awesome piece of art. This piece is also in a church which is interesting because of the sensual nature of the piece. The designers in the Baroque period used their imagination for new ways of seeing art. They focused on exteriors and interiors together. They were in to surface design. They were for anti-rules, so new ways of building and designing could be used to explore new ways of thinking.

Branded Environments

A brand is a contract that companies use for their customers. The brand I think is recognizable is FedEx. The company uses the Ex to make the symbol of an arrow pointing right. I think this is good branding because I assume we all think that something pointing right is a good thing. The arrow pointing right makes me think the package will be safe in FedEx’s hands. It will arrive on time and no damage will occur on the box. This is how design can craft a story based on a symbol. The symbol uses lines and balance to make the logo look trustworthy. I think the Ex is proportionate to the Fex. Usually FedEx is pretty reliable, so the logo enhances the company and makes it a household name.

 

Stewart Brand

I think materials do change more quickly because of the way humans behave in and treat their surroundings. If a young group of guys lives in a house, you can bet the materials inside it will not last as long as say a group of women. The guy’s behavior usually is rough and there probably will be at least one hole in the wall by the time their lease is up. You have to replace the drywall for the next tenant. So, that’s one way materials inside a space can change pretty quickly.

The space plan and the stuff is more responsive to fashion compared to the structure which takes tons of time and effort. If you want to remodel it would be easier for the inside    plan to be assembled rather the deconstruct and construct another structure. Of course stuff can be changed very easily. It’s a simple matter of taking out what you want to change and putting in the new fashionable materials. Structure and skin is more resistant to change because it would difficult to take down and build again. Site will not change unless you move the building to another site.

Anthropometrics

“Symbolic Interactionism is the way we learn to interpret and give meaning to the world through our interactions with others.”- Scott Plunkett.

I think a good space would be an airport. Meanings, people may have for airports may be a place one goes to leave one space and enter another. I give it the meaning of excitement to explore new places. Some may see it as a negative space because they fear heights or crashes. Airport may mean different things in other countries but in English it means a place one goes to (a port) to travel in a plane (in the air) to get to another location. It is usually quicker, but expensive. People’s thought of spaces may be positive or negative based on their own experiences. A positive experience of an airport is not as strong as a negative experience of an airport. I think that is human nature though to remember fear in a space rather than a good feeling. Some people may have bad connotations for flying based on the recent frequency of plane crashes and disappearances. It’s all relative to social interactions and meanings toward a space.

Unit Summary 9

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Sense of Place

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