Thursday, October 27, 2011

Thumbnails

When I thought of the thumbnails for the signage I thought of what factors would play in. I thought instantly about the patterns of the couches. I thought it would be interesting for the signage to relate to the couches rather than to oppose.


Tuesday, May 3, 2011

BP14

My favorite space is located on 9 corners lake in upstate new york. Growing up in upstate new your makes me appreciate the little things in like. SUch as, a secluded lake on the top of a mountain where there is not cell phone service, cable, wireless internet, power, or even any boats besides the ones you move your self. I love the simplicity and pureness of it.

Friday, April 29, 2011

US 3 | Explorations

In the late 1800’s America, was trying to make a name for itself. We began associating our self with the word modern. Designers, such as, Mckim mead and White and Louis Sullivan began toying with ideas like heightening the skyline decorative exteriors, and masonry. The use of straight lines and bold colors began to be a trend during this time.

One of the most acclaimed designers during this time was Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright began to make a bold statement in his architecture by using dramatic lines. A lot of his designs had Scandinavian influences. The world fair was a away for different countries to showcase their latest designs and ideas. Before the world fair the appearance of different countries was not as relevant in the design world because people did not travel as often. The world fair brought the ideas of multiple countries to one place at one time. The idea of straight lines and bold colors was a common idea in Scandinavian design. Wright took advantage of these. You can see it greatly in his most famous design, Fallingwater. Fallingwater water was built on a side of a mountain right above a river. The idea of the house being built into the landscape is an understatement. The house is built around the side of the mountain. For example, a rock that is on the side of the mountain is used as a piece of the floor instead of being removed.  The use of iron and glass in the house shows the influence from the world fair. Fallingwater resembles the crystal palace that was built entirely our of steel and glass. Wright not only made a bold statement in his architecture but also in his private life. America is famous for the deceit and affairs within the corporate world. Wright was no stranger to these things as well.

At the same time the art deco movement was going on around the world. The art deco did not really spark from anything, but was more design without precedent. The many names for this Art Deco period show the relevance of it throughout the world. The Art Deco world strayed away from the bone like structure with just glass and steel. The Art Deco added the skin to architecture. They also liked the appearance of curvilinear shapes, not rectilinear. The designers liked fluidity and connectivity. In Antonio Guadi’s design of Casa Mila, he demonstrated the use of curves very well. The out side of the building looks as if it is a layer of skin draped on top of a steel skeleton structure.

















From there we transition back into straight lines and glass. Designers also began to use the height of the sky to their advantage. The realized that with the technology that they had they were able to create large buildings in a small amount of space. For example, The Seagram building in New York City stacks glass boxes on top of each other. They begin larger on the top and start to get smaller on the top. These buildings also use the ideas from the Grecians of the porch court and hearth. The outside of the building is the area in which the guests enter and are received. They are then welcomed into the court, which is usually the reception area of the building, which they are then directed into the hearth of the building. The hearth of the building would be the private office areas towards the top of the building.

Now that the American public is more concerned about their wealth and outward appearance, homemakers begin to design their homes. This is the birth of interior decorating. It begins as hobby but then turns into a profession. The media highly influences design at this time because the socialites within the city begin to showcase their work in popular magazines and newspapers that are see throughout the United States. Media also begins to show off different architecture that is now seen throughout the country. The problem with media so highly influencing design is that sometimes it is not translated correctly. This begins somewhat of a design flurry throughout the world with different design languages mashed together. Media turns into the modern version of world fairs. Due to technology it becomes easier to share different designs.

Monday, April 18, 2011

BP13

Scandinavian design has a legacy that is somewhat overlooked. Many designers think that they are designing things that are "modern" because they are using straight lines and mute colors, but really we get that influence from Scandinavia. There legacy is throughout the world but often times designers credit themselves and our decade for being to modern when in reality we are being highly influenced from the past.

Eames Legacy

Today in class we discussed the importance of having an education in design and how that relates to the legacy of the Eames versus the legacy of HGTV. I think that it is possible for an individual to be a great designer while not having an education, but I also think that having a degree in design has more benefits. The design that one sees on HGTV is usually done on a time limit, therefore there is not a lot of thought put into it. I think that one thing that school helps you do is have a thought process to it. It helps by not going by your first instinct or something that you like, but something that is functional and will last. The design that is on HGTV is also very mundane. It is something that looks good, but you have seen it a million times. Being in school it teaches you how to push the boundaries on things and develop a concept. It also gives you the skills to be able to develop and create your idea before you actually execute it. It teaches you the skills to be able to render and draft your ideas out and see if they will work or not

Something that the Eames portray well is the sense of concept and belief. They are able to execute their designs well. Even today their furniture is able to be used and fit in perfectly because they were trying to do something that was different than what has been done. They made them with good craft so that they would last as well.

RR13 | the preservation movement.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

BP12

good design for all. 
the dyson ball vacuum is good design because it is very pleasing to the eye. it is also very functional because in its design because it easy to use. before you even see how well it works you are drawn to the machine. 

Friday, April 8, 2011

US 2

Church of Holy Sepulcher
As we learned in the previous unit, temples and churched were using two main themes. They used the circle, as seen in the Pantheon. They also used rectangles, like the Basilica in Rome.  The architects begin to incorporate these two ideas. They are incorporated in many different ways. The Church of Holy Sepulcher combines the rectangle with a half circle on each end. The Church of Nativity uses two overlaying rectangles and three half circles. St. Peter’s basilica uses circles on each of the four sides of the church.

Church of Nativity
The churches also begin the trend of being bare on the outside and extravagant on the inside.  In St. Peter’s basilica the presence of arches is very noticeable. The eye follows the curved line of the arches to the ceiling. The ceiling is highly decorated. The ornamentation and the detail put in are phenomenal. I think that is amazing to see the detail and precision put into these enormous churches. I feel as if people today don’t take the time and the thought in creating architecture.  I think that the idea of keeping things plain on the outside and highly detailed on the inside also portrays the idea of the church at this time. The church was a very selective group and thought that only some should be allowed within the Christian religion. I think that the architecture of churches reflect this idea as well. The outside is not something that people see as interesting, but once allowed on the inside, you are able to embrace the riches of the building.
St. Peter's
We move from the idea of Revolution into the Renaissance. The Renaissance is a time when builders decide that architecture is too free and decide to lay down some rules. Rules such as:

  • Revive the past using classical languages
  •  Strive for harmony and order in all things
  • Layer groves and stacks when possible
  • Emphasize surface through materiality
  • Follow the rules
  • Place man at the center
  • Strive for a positioned throne
  • Get some perspective
  • Expand your physical world.
I think that they are more of guidelines rather than rules.  It is the job of the architect to take the rules and translate them into their own design language.  The main idea between these rules emphasizes on the architecture being influenced by the past.  Also the idea of uniting with each other. The Renaissance is a style that was not one for trying to stand out or standing out for the classical era.

Chateau de Chambord
ChaOnce the rules are made, the first thing to do is to break them. They start to use more of their own ideas as architecture rather then trying to recreate the past. They tend to pick and choose elements form the past and blend them together. For instance, the Chateau de Chambord, in the words of Patrick Lee Lucas is “architecture on crack.” It combines the classical nature in the three stories of the palace, and takes the gothic nature and puts it on the roof.  They also start to utilize the landscape. Chateau de Chambord is a perfect example of the house being built into to ground rather than on top of.  The architecture also becomes more fluid. Rather than straight lines, they start to uses curves. In Chateau Fountainbleu the curved staircase allows your eye to easily glide up to the building. The interesting thing about the building is that it is not symmetrical. It looks as if they were trying to trick the eye into thinking it is symmetrical, but with a closer look you can see that the features are not symmetrical. This shows the Renaissance striving for independence. The Renaissance also liked to intertwine the senses in architecture. In Bernini’s Cappella Cornaro, he tries to heighten the sensed by illusions. He designs the sculptures so that when the light strikes them it looks like fabric rather than stone.
Fountainbleu

We then move into an era where architecture is not quite making sense.  In Ledoux’s Saltworks there is highly detailed classical detail on the front, but the building’s use is intended for a factory. It looks more like a building that is intended as a temple or church. This is the first time you see this amount of detail put into an industrial building. I believe that this building aids the fight of engineering vs. architecture.  In Christ Church in Spitalfields, the building is in the middle of the city and is on a small ploy, but Hawksmoor decided that a nice tall steeple on the top of the church. This doesn’t make sense to put the steeple so high when the building rises low.


Salt works
The industrial revolution inspires the use of steel and glass. The idea of architecture also turns back into the idea of glorifying ones self. The crystal palace was an exhibit intended to show off all the king’s treasures. It was also designed to be temporary. This was the first structure of the style so it was coined as the first modern structure. The interesting thing about this was that the pieces inside that the king was showing off were classical pieces from the past. So the interior again is different from the outside.
Christ Church
                                                                                                

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

OH NOO! MONTY IS PLAYING HIS CELLO AND ZE WATERS ARE FALLING!!!!!

The trip to Monticello and falling waters was PHENOMENAL. It is hard to decided which one I prefer because they are both breathe taking. So here are a few things that I liked and did not like of each places. Pro and con list always help the thought process. 

Monticello: 
Like: 






-I liked the the symmetry of the building. I liked this aspect because there is a sense of predictableness of it. I like being able to picture what it is going to look like. 











-I liked the landscape. I feel as it the house is in charge of the land it is on. Even though it is on top of a hill that is far larger than the house, Monticello is still the dominate feature. I also feel like the house is reaching out to the lawn like it has imaginary arms. 














-I liked the history of. We got to see the bed where Jefferson died! How cool is that?! The house is very nice, but it is something that could be repeated easily. But the fact that it was Jefferson who lived and died there makes the house.














-I liked the servant quarters because they were hidden under the house. The tunnels the were down there interested me because it gave a perspective to not only Jefferson's side of the house, but the slaves and servants. The tunnels were also interesting because it shows that they liked to keep stuff hidden. The lingering thought of whether there was more hidden aspects in Monticello that we still don't know about still intrigues me.










Didn't Like:








-I did not like the cemetery. Even though it was located on the outside of the landscape, I feel as if that is


























Fallingwaters
Like:







-I liked the stairs that go straight down into the water. Frank Lloyd Wright took a lot of risks building the house. The risks that are taken are proven in this stair case. It is interesting how the risks are taken are transmitted into the steps. There is a danger in butting the steps that go straight into a bustling river and it interests me. 























-I liked all the terraces that stretch out to the river. It shows how the house tries to reach out to nature. It also shows how important nature is to the house and the designer.
















- I liked the vines that came over the the outdoor patio because they also showed how the nature reaches out to the rest of the house.












Didn't like:





-I did not like the statues that were around the house. There were a lot statues that reflected multiple religions and cultures.   I know that they were a very wordily family but I prefer a trend.











-I also did not like the open space that was right passed the house. The house was in the center of the woods, but when you walk a few feet out in turns into a field.







Final Decision: After this list I think that I prefer Monticello. I like the symmetry and pridictable aspects of it. I like the history that it has and everything that it holds. 

BP11

Keeping Up With the Joneses. 
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO TRY TO BE MODERN?
WHY MUST EVERYBODY HAVE THE  LATEST THING?



BECAUSE LIFE IS JUST ONE BIG COMPETITION. 

Monday, March 28, 2011

RR10

BP10 | Headphones

Some thing that has an impact on daily like is head phones. 
They started off in the beginning really large. 
They became a fashion trend to some. 
To others they were seen a a nuisance. 
Some were thankful because they did not have to hear the racket of the boom box. 

They then began to grow smaller.
These were less fashionable. 
They were not design well.
They were even uncomfortable. 


Headphones then transitioned into earbuds.
These types began to give designers more freedom.
They became more functional and discreet.
Earbuds were also more comfortable, but most likely our generation will have horrible hearing due to these little guys.

Revolution of earphones. 



The old school head phones were then transitioned into a modern style. 
They are used today more as a fashion statement more than anything. 
You can even get ones with your own personal base in it



Just for fun :)




Sunday, March 20, 2011

BP9

The White House
The white house demonstrates classical architecture. It also used the idea of the landscape to accentuate the building. The building itself conquers the the landscape horizontally. 

RR9

Monday, March 14, 2011

BP8

1. STONEHENGE | built fairly low. focuses on something greater than humans. circular. 
2. PARTHENON | built for the worship of athena. uses the landscape to its advantage.
3. BATHS OF DIOCLETIAN | start of the building higher up. made for the use of humans, no recognition of a higher divinity. 
4. ST. SERNIN | built up to show the authority that the church has over the city. shows more of the power of the church rather than the power of god. glorifying to themselves. 
5. CHATEAU DE CHAMBORD | horizontally and vertically focused. built completely centered around people. no respect to a higher divinity. 

they all relate to the beginning an each other because they all are focused on something, whether it be a higher divinity or humans. they are built to show the authority and power of whoever the building reflects. they also grow up structurally along the corse. they start off low and begin to grow vertically, as the ego's of people begin to grow as well. 

the nautilus shell represents how they all go around a circular motion. 
the circular motion shows how they all relate back to the beginning and each other. 

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Color Bootcamp.



One week. $100 worth of paper. A huge migrane. What does this sound like? 
Color Week!


We got to have the chance to explore the world for one whole week. We learned about the middle mixes  between all the colors and how. Doing this, we learned the relationship between colors. 



Middle mix between blue and orange. 

Using all the colors in my palette to describe the seasons

5 way mix

2 way mix

3 way mix

BP7


My happy place on campus would be in the EUC on the ground floor. That is where there is an interactive wall that has falling pebbles.  The pebbles recognize your shadow and fall around it. The pebbles vary in color as well. This makes me happy because it is something unique and fun. While we were playing with it we were all laughing and giggling. It brought out our inner child, and whenever I think of my childhood it always makes me happy. 










A happy space on campus would be the meditation room. I like having my alone time and the places I am at most often are in my dorm room or the studio. Most of time which are heavily populated by people. The meditation room is a place where I can focus on things that I have to do or just spend time in prayer. Whenever I leave that room I always feel refreshed and ready to conquer whatever tasks I have. It is probably one of the only places that I can focus for long amounts of time. When I finish my work it makes me happy. 

Monday, February 21, 2011

RR6




Source
Understanding Architecture, Roth


Images
http://www.mtsd.k12.nj.us/645912592812946/blank/browse.asp?
          A=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=55087
http://www.visualphotos.com/image/1x8737381/interior_of_sainte-foy_abbey_church_c_1124_conques
http://www.awesomestories.com/assets/abbey-church-of-st-denis---upper-choir
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amiens_plan_.svg

Sunday, February 20, 2011

BP6 | Sharing the Light.

Seeing the light through 
Salisbury Cathedral 
The cologne and salisbury cathedrals were built during the dark ages. The church was seen to be the light of the "modern" world at the time. The dark ages were also a really hard time for Christianity. The Catholic church did not feel the need with the Gospel, they felt that by living what they thought was a Christian life was what was going to get them into Heaven. They understood that good works is what salvation was all about. So instead of going out into the dark world and spreading the light of God they kept it all within their cathedrals, figuratively and literally. The vaulted ceilings within both cathedrals allow the light to penetrate heavily. The windows are also arranged into three different sections stacked on top of each other. The catholic church was focused on three things, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The architects of the church were most likely Catholic, so were their mind sets were already focused on the number 3. The stacks of the windows prove this.
Seeing the light through
Cologne Cathedral 



In catholicism, the priest are the only ones with a relationship with God. They stood at the alter where the majority of light penetrated the cathedral. This made the preist the focal poing at the church. Since catholics did not talk to God personally, they did not have God's light. The priest had it all, God's light and the sunlight. As heads of the church, they are supposed to share the light with the members. The priest got a little greedy with the light and did not let other have. The priest gave those of the church a skewed perception on the Christianity. Because they did not have God's light they were not able to have a relationship with him. They saw the Bible as a book of rules rather than tools that glorify God.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Unit 1 | Summary



unit 1| Foundations
“everything we do is related to a scale beyond us.” –Patrick Lee Lucas
how do we interpret  things such as objects, spaces, building, and places? According to Jules David Prown, there is a three step was to relate what we do to a scale beyond on us. The first method would be description.  Description is the physical inventory.  What the eye perceives at first glance. Next would be deduction. Deduction is using the senses to create a link between the sight and the world. Lastly, speculation. Speculation is imaging something through they eyes through hypothesis. For example, our first observation 
of stonehenge is a pile of rocks on top of a 
hill. We the further deduce that they are arranged 
carefully in a circle. Historians have come to the 
speculation that stonehenge lines up with the 
equinox and the solstice. The circle lets us know 
that there is a sense of equality being that it is a 
complete circle. they have also concluded that 
the center of the circle was used for sacrificial 
purposes. It also showed that the inside of the 
circle were those who were included and those 
on the outside were not. Showing that there was 
a sense of hierarchy even in three thousand bc. 
This shows how Stonehenge related to a scale 
that was beyond on us. The universe is far greater 
and beyond us. 
Circles+stacks+groups

As stated previously, circles usually represent sacred spots. Stacks represent gatherings. Groups represent things stretching vertically.  The circle not only can be seen as sacred spot, but it also is the point where connections are made. Where things collide. Stacks are a way to gather things. For example a pyramid is a way to gather a dead pharaoh’s possessions and the gathering of stones in a mound formation.  Groups reach vertically, such as a group of trees. Sometimes, all three elements come together. The coliseum in Rome represents this idea well. The structure of it is in a circle. The center is used as the main entertaining space. The outside is arranged to where the layers of the building are stacked on top of each other. The columns all extended upward, creating the group effect. the reasoning for the environment which this space was built was because of the rituals performed in the space.  If the seats were not stacked up in vertically, it would make it incredibly hard for the audience to see what is going on in the middle of the auditorium.

Porch|court|hearth
In every society there is a hierarchy. Even in ancient architecture there was an order. The order helped structure things and also gave the building a sense of proportion. Of course, the most important things were the largest. The usual trend of ancient architecture seems to be that they all included a porch, court, and hearth. The porch was the entrance area. The court was the receiving area. The hearth was the most important area. The acropolis in Greece is a great example of it. The porch would be the small temple guarding the entrance, the temple of Athena nike. The court would be the center area. It is in the middle of the acropolis. From the court, our eye is drawn to the Parthenon, the temple of Athena. Even within the temple of Athena there is still a sense of order. The porch area was where are the people of ancient Greece would enter the area. Since only the priest were allowed inside the temple, the court would be the gathering area right outiside of the temple. The hearth would be the center of the temple where the statue of Athena stood.

“The end is to build well, well building hath three conditions, firmness, commodity, and delight.” –Sir Henry Wotton

One of the the biggest motivation in the ancient world, was to make buildings last. They were not worried about making a name for themselves, and then once they died, their name was lost forever. They wanted their name to live on forever. By using commodity, firmness, and delight in their buildings, they insured that they would last on. Firmness, maybe the most important of all, was to make sure it withstood the test of time. Commodity meant that it served the purpose in which it was intended. Delight meant that is was pleasing to look. Romans had a good sense of this idea. Not only did they incorporate these three ideas but also many others such as plan, roads, baths, basilicas, arches, columns, amphitheatres, coliseums, and domes. The city plan was probably one of the most influential things that the Roman empire left. Even though it started as a military plan, it was translated into many cities all over the roman empire. It is still influential in the building neighborhoods and plans today. The roman empire structure of planning streets and roads was laid out in a grid pattern. It was usually surrounding a body of water. It was firm because it was well thought out. Not only did it withstand the test of time but was replicated multiple times. It demonstrated commodity because it functioned well with all the things that goes on in a city. It was delightful because it did not have many issues and pleased numerous societies.