Molly Jacques's IARC Blog.Folio

PA Final Manhattan Municipal Building

2009-05-08T08:07:00.001-07:00

The Manhattan Municipal Building, built in 1912 by the architecture firm McKim Mead and White, celebrates eclectic ornament, democracy, and civic duty. The Municipal building made such an impact that during the midst of the cold war, Stalinist architects modeled their government buildings after it in order to compete through architecture. Stalinist architects purposefully made the center towers far greater in scale in order to mark their importance on the landscape and out-do such American skyscrapers as the Municipal Building.

The Municipal building however was not built necessarily to compete with Russian architecture. New York’s population increased significantly during the industrial revolution and by the late 1800s the city was in need for a much larger city hall. After various designs were turned down a design competition was held in 1893. Thirteen firms competed, each with a three-person jury, which represented the design as a whole in order for fair judging in the competition. The commissioner of bridges and the art commission would have the final approval of the building. McKim, Mead, and White’s entry won the competition mainly because their cohesive design provided the most floor space of all the competition entries.
At the intersection of Centre and Chambers street sits the early skyscraper, the first in New York to incorporate a subway station at its base. The Manhattan Municipal Building is the center for civic life in Manhattan and is one of the largest government office buildings in the world (1). Accommodating numerous offices and departments the building also includes the official CityStore of New York City. A triumphal arch at the entrance proceeds into a tunnel that goes through the middle of the building, now only open to foot traffic was once open to street traffic itself. Transportation is largely incorporated in the building through the arch of Constantine inspired tunnel and the subway station, now used only on the south side of the building. The municipal building brings people together from all five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island) and sees about 28,000 people married each year.
The building has a romantic notion about it with its eclectic foray of classical and renaissance inspired details throughout. A myriad of sculptures including the female personification of the city cover much of the façade. These Roman inspired sculptures represent civic duty, fame, and pride. The skeleton of the Municipal building was the first to go up and is built mainly with granite and concrete.
The design of the Municipal building had a resounding effect around the world. Stalin and architects of the ‘new’ soviet society modeled such buildings as the Seven Sisters and the main building of the University of Moscow after the Municipal building. All borrow from Palladio’s three-tiered system of a large tower with smaller structures flanking each side of the tower. Each building is a white marble or stone skyscraper with Roman and Renaissance inspired details. The Reichstag building in Germany is also very similar through its use of ornament and materials. McKim, Mead, and White set the tone for many governmental buildings to come since their eclectic use of civic statues and classical roots mimic the notion of democracy and justice in government.

Thousands of New Yorkers get married at court in the Municipal Building each year. Besides being used for office use, the courts, and courtroom marriages, the building brings people from all walks of life together as it caters to many different governmental needs. It may not be the tallest skyscraper or the most magnificent but it had such an impact on the world that our 'enemies' had to re-create it in order to compete. Many people ignore it's underlying greatness since next to the rest of New Yorks skyscrapers it seems somewhat insignificant. Nevertheless, the Municipal Building is a center for democracy which reflects America's ideals through classic and eclectic architecture.

My Top Ten

2009-05-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

Looking back at my top ten I can see that I am inspired by vibrant colors, soft & curvilinear lines. I like the simple design of the mac and mid-century modern designs. I also enjoy intricate details and patterns found in oriental rugs and Indian designs. My design style would have to be a mixture of the two. Clean lines through architecture with a few intricate & noticeable details that tell story.

My parents collect oriental rugs. There are a lot of standard reproductions available that are terribly unoriginal and 'Americanized.' My parents have taught me the difference between original oriental rugs and those made in the U.S. I'm sure there can be some nice reproductions however I prefer those rugs with character. Oriental and tribal rugs tell a story through pattern, color, and figures. The best thing is that you can have one or two pieces of furniture in a room but once you add an oriental rug it seems nearly fully furnished.

I am intrigued with India and is culture, music, fashion, and religion. I am a sucker for Buddha figurines. I love bright colors such as orange, purples, greens, and blues as they use in much of Indian garb and decoration. Indian textiles and designs often have great details and patterns. These patterns sometimes tell a story, making the design of something such as a scarf into a storybook.

Vintage glasses are so fun and border on the line of fashionable and well, just plain bad. Simple and classic is always the best way to go when it comes to sunglasses.

Art inspires me in every way. Above is a painting by Edgar Degas. I could get lost in his paintings they are so rich and vivid. I love all kinds of art, whether abstract, digital, or expressionist like the painting above. Art has always been a huge passion of mine. I understand and appreciate art better than I can create it.
Mac's are designed so beautifully and their systems are so simple. I cringe every time I have to use a PC. Mac's are just the best all around.

Bamboo is one of my favorite products out on the market. I love salad bowls made out of bamboo. They are extremely light and so cute! oh yeah, and sustainable!

Eclectic mixtures of modern sleek lines and curvilinear exotic styles makes a beautiful design juxtaposition. Bringing together different design styles through art, pattern, line, and color is my approach to design.

curving staircases, especially those with a splash of color really make me drool.
The Eames Molded Plywood Chair is my favorite chair for many reasons. My grandmother has a red one and whenever I see this chair I am always reminded of her. Also I love mid-century modern and this chair is at the very top of the best designs that came out of this era. The lines and simplicity just work and the curving wood is quite appealing.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Home is one that speaks to me through weight of line and color. I think that Frank Lloyd Wright was quite arrogant yet he was very talented and his home is one of my personal favorites. I would love to live in a house such as this.

Opus Week 13

2009-04-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Self expression of architects can be seen in the monumental like structures of post modern design. Nicholas Grimshaw's work is renowned world wide and is a form of self expression juxtaposed to the simplified architecture for the masses mid century. Above is the National Space Centre in England.

Post-modern design has transposed modern architecture into a form of self expression in which the building carries a monologue from the architect himself and a dialogue between other architects and the world as a whole. This may seem like a very broad statement so lets break it down. Modern architecture of the early and mid 20th century was about the masses. Although designers were coming up with new and original ideas, their work was mass produced and therefore their work was less personalized (Roth 567). Personally I have a set of Eames style molded plywood chairs. They are not original Eames yet such items were mass produced not only by the manufacturer but also by 'knock off' companies so that design was universal. Much of post modern architecture celebrates the designer himself and his personal creation.

Mass produced modern chairs of the mid century: The Eames molded plywood dining chair

A juxtaposition is seen between the 'characterless' modern architecture of the early to mid 20th century and the creative endeavors of the post modern architecture of the late 20th century. Architects make statements through their work and they become celebrities in the world of design through their works. Frank Lloyd Wright hardly cared about the inhabitant of a house he design, he cared about his design. Wright is an example of highly personal designed architecture that does not relate to the inhabitant or the function. We see this dysfunction in the Guggenheim Museum, which is a beautiful building, but highly dysfunctional when hanging flat art work on curved walls. While modernist design was able to reach the masses critics such as Robert Venturi 'asserted that less is not more.' Modernists designs were easily universal because they were simple designs to duplicate. Venturi argues that we must recreate modern architecture in a way that we take the advancements in materials and technology and use these tools developed by early modernists in order to create modernism with 'ornament, references to the past, local tradition, social practices, and to the users' received conventional sensibilities' (Roth 568). I could not agree more because although I find early modernist architecture interesting, I would never want to live in such a characterless building. I do not think that humans work like machines and a machine for living while practical, is emotionless and does not cater to the human psyche.

The Guild House in Philadelphia was Robert Venturi's attempt to create modernist architecture incorporating ornament and other features

Venturi made a great point in his writing from the book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966) yet I don't believe that his philosophy transposed itself successfully in his work. His 'first public demonstration of this philosophy' was the Guild House in Philadelphia, an apartment complex made for elderly Quakers (Roth 569). The windows are tiny and the building reminds me of the many poorly designed buildings that attempted to take modern architecture and apply ornament. There are buildings such as this all over the U.S. and especially in Greensboro. The YMCA close to downtown comes to mind, and many other buildings built throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Despite many failures, post modern design thrived in the hands of other architects such as Richard Meier. His work, the High Art Museum in Atlanta, is a beautiful white building which plays with solid volumes which play with light and shadow. The question arises with such buildings as the High Art Museum, does art=architecture? I think that architecture is a systematic and mathmatical form of art and one can see the many systems created by the forms in the High Art Museum (Roth 571).
Buildings such as the High Art Museum above paved the way for High Tech architecture such as Phillip Johnson's Pennzoil Place, or the Louvre's glass pyramid by I.M. Pei. High tech is defined by roth as being 'an extreme excentuation and exaggeration of structure and mechanical systems' (574). Architects took the beauty of industrialism and exposed systems to a whole different level making the literal workings of the building abstract forms and works of art. Architects meditated on ornament and it's connection with modernism and what resulted on one end of the spectrum was the celebration of technology and systematic parts-which became the ornamental pieces to post modern structures.

Opus Week 12

2009-04-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

The Guggenhiem by Frank Lloyd Wright

Designers of the modernist movement began shaping and stretching the limits of a new architecture. Architects such as Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe compromised with city officials on ground space in order to stretch the Seagram Building vertically. Frank Lloyd Wright stretched the boundaries of his normally rectilinear architecture with his design for the Guggenhiem Museum. The modernist movement is defined by the machine and the stripping away of all ornament of previous eras (Massey 63).

Designers and architects of the 20th century speculated about the direction of design and many people wanted to compose a new architecture which resulted in the modernism movement and the following mid-century modern movement. Modern architects went back to basics when designer the new architecture and put a great emphasis on geometry and form. The Bauhaus, directed by Walter Gropius, fueled modernists desires and served as a creative school for the new industrial inspired architecture (Massey 67).

The Studio Wing of the Bauhaus

The Bauhaus taught a strict architectural discipline despite the it's ideas being new, this in part could be the nature of the Germans and their relation to industrialism. Lighting designs of Marianne Brandt, K.J. Jucker and Wilhelm Wagenfeld rose in popularity from the Bauhaus. The table lamp designed by K.J. Jucker and W. Wagenfeld is an almost surrealist view of a table lamp in that it is not functional as a table however much of it's form is shaped as though it should be a table. The glass bulb takes up the entire surface which could be a table, which is humorous in my mind because the user of such a design may want to set something down on it only to be reminded that the surface is round and functions solely as a light (Massey 74).

Table Lamp by K.J. Jucker and W. Wagenfeld

Post World War II the United States experienced great prosperity in the years after the war and people all over now had access to modern design. Despite the fact that U.S. just came out of a war the U.S. was energized by their success. The cold war also led the Soviets and the U.S. to compete not only in weapons and space but through design and technology.

The Pedestal Chair by Eero Saarinen used the new molded technology for plastic and employed one leg rather than four.

Mid-century was a time where modernist design could be design for all. One could by a house that came in parts, pre-assembly. The idea was that you could assemble your house on your own. New uses of plastics, aluminum, and other materials made much of this possible (Votolato 153). The 1950s was the beginning of the consumer age where people were presented with choices on materials and brands. The following is an excerpt from Gregory Votolato's book American Design in the Twentieth Century:

"During the early 1950's Sterling Ready-Cut-Homes advertised extensively their 'cut to fit homes' for self builders or self contractors. Sterling's color catalog shows a choice of fifty seven designs. Their kits included 'easy to follow plans,' all lumber, roofing, nails, glass, hardwar, paint, doors, and windows. The prices from 2,150 in 1952 including delivery to the building site, were made possible by economies in quantity production and bulk purchasing components."

Every time I think of house kits of the 1950s I smile because the idea is slightly rediculous, however house kits were quite popular and actually ended up making decent homes (Votolato 154).

House Kit Home by Sears The Westly Floor Plan

Modernism became the mainstream by the mid century and great works of furniture, architecture, and many products were developed due to the cold war and great prosperity in the U.S. Eero Saarinen's Pedestal chair is a great example of the beautiful work with plastics that came out of these modern years (Massey 154). During the 20th century architecture and design were inspired by industrialism, the development of new materials, and was fueled by the competition of the cold war.

Peer to Peer

2009-04-20T16:39:00.001-07:00

Above: The Reichstag building in Germany Below: The Manhattan Municipal Building

The Reichstag Building in Germany has many connections both physically and analytically to the Manhattan Municipal Building. Aesthetically the Reichstag uses classical elements such as Corinthian columns, arcades of windows, and side flagging towers with an extravagant central entrance. This building uses concrete and stone, similar to the Municipal building. The building is horizontal while the Municipal building is an early skyscraper. The Municipal building needed to be large in order to house its many governmental offices of the growing city of New York. The Reichstag on the other hand was probably built horizontally because it represents the unification of the German government. It is similar to the U.S.’s Capital building in that its function is important, but the symbolism behind it is far greater. Although the Reichstag was built approximately twelve years before the Municipal building, it was still influenced by the classical style of governmental buildings in the U.S. Germany was experiencing many changes in their government and the Reichstag building represents a fair and democratic society through its use of classical elements. In my essay I talk about how Stalin reshaped the Russian government through the building of renaissance and classically inspired governmental buildings. He took his inspiration directly from such buildings as the Manhattan Municipal building, and one could say that the Reichstag building also influenced him.

Reflections: Unit Summary

2009-04-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

The Crystal Palace by Joseph Paxton employed the use of glass and steel and has influenced building techniques well past the 19th century

Reflecting on the many revolutions that led to great change in the architectural and design world, architecture seems to skip a generation and then is later revived by the next generation. Gothic and Renaissance revivals can be found around the world from Cathedrals to private residences in America. With political change brought new ideas and while many were still reviving the past, some were looking towards the future and the exotic. New trade routes were opened from the east and a flood of asian inspired creations made their way through Europe, the U.S., and across the globe.
Revolutions brought new design styles. A new America brought new architectural and furniture styles, which differed greatly from the British imperial style. Also the revolutionary war changed design in that people were trying to set themselves apart from the past. Colonial America went from being highly influenced by the British to completely separation and that can be seen through the furniture of the time.

Revolutions and new trades routes changed architecture and design worldwide, however nothing affected the design world more than new materials of the industrial age. Glass and steel were the ultimate materials developed that changed architecture drastically. Greenhouses and arcades employed the use glass and steel initially. Joseph Paxton was inspired by the glass and metal structures of greenhouses and utilized their techniques in the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace needed to be erected within months and still be beautiful and revolutionary in its design. The World’s Fair, an exhibition showcasing new machines and technologies around the world, would be the function for its erection and the building itself needed to reflect the new technologies of the time. Crystal Palace was erected in record time and paved the way for structures other than Greenhouses to employ the use of steel and glass.

While machines, technologies, and materials of the era inspired Joseph Paxton and other architects, Phillip Morris and many others followed the philosophy of the hand-made aesthetic. The Arts and Crafts movement, English-Free Architecture movement, and the Aesthetic movement all began in Great Britain. Phillip Morris rejected the machine and thought that well crafted, hand made furniture and design was the best way to approach design. Breathtakingly well-crafted woodwork and hand-made textiles were the direct result of these movements. Not all designers of these movements completely agreed with Morris’s strict handcrafted philosophy and they thought that machinery, if used wisely, could make a design better. These movements quickly took off in the U.S. especially in New York and Chicago, where the Arts and Crafts Movement would soon influence Frank Lloyd Wright and lead the arts and crafts style into the 20th century. These movements were very simplistic in design compared to the extravagant baroque and renaissance designs of the preceding era. These simplified designs eventually allowed for even more abstract ideas to occur in the early 20th century with the beginnings of modernism.

New materials, revolutions, design philosophies, and design movements from Great Britain define design of the 19th century. Architects were reflecting back on the past while moving forward with new technologies in building. The connection between the past and the present had not been severed and would not be severed until the modernist movement. Architects of all time periods continue to reflect on the past for inspiration. We try to find a balance between the past and the present and it will continue to be a struggle in many architects minds on whether to reject the past in order to move forward or to learn from the past in order to make better designs for the future.

Opus Week 11

2009-04-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

The AEG Turbine Factory, industry as the inspiration for architecture

Picasso's self portrait, he is among the the artists that worked with abstraction and cubism

The roots of modernism lie within the arts and crafts movement, post impressionism, expressionist and cubist art, and the industrial revolution. Artists of the early twentieth century explored the abstraction and flattening of art. Architects, designers, and artists toyed with different geometric patterns and designs. The rise of industry and the invention of the automobile and airplane inspired architects and designers to find a architectural model for the future rather than following Greek, Roman, and Renaissance models (Roth 519). World War I brought the use of new materials and many advances in the industry which in turn helped the modernist movement (Roth 520).

The word congruence implies fluidity and a constant which relates to the congruence of eclectic revivals in many public buildings. The Manhattan Municipal building, which I am doing my precedent analysis on, is an example of an classic eclectic building with it's statuettes and triumphal arch. The materials used are mostly concrete but a new form of building takes place because many of the eclectic buildings in New York and other large cities at the time are skyscrapers. Technology of the 20th century is employed in order to build these skyscrapers yet designs inspired from the roots of architecture-the classical era-are used (roth). So while the classical tradition is continued with new materials and technologies the modernist movement pushed forward with the creation of the Bauhaus in Germany.

The Bauhaus's main building

Architectural training changed drastically with the creation of the Bauhaus and architects were trained across many disciplines and were later able to choose which design discipline fit them best. Sweedish modern and architects from the Netherlands were also a large part of modernist design. Their concepts for modern were less strict than those of the Bauhaus. Alvar Aalto is a large contributor to the Sweedish aesthetic that was brought to America around World War II. Aalto's work is described as a more 'humanistic scandanavian approach to modernism' (Massey 86). The Bauhaus focused on machine and like Corbusier, finding the most functional machine for living. I think that the Bauhaus created beautiful work but much of it is cold and far to utilitarian for my taste. I enjoy the less invasive scandanavian work. Artists and architects were exploring the use of the machine and how it fit into our everday lives. I think that no man works as a machine and a machine for living might sound pleasing, but in reality it is not 'humanistic'.

ApartmentTherapy.com is one of my favorite websites which features photos from modern apartments. Many of which are eclectically mixed with modern and traditional elements. Above is an example of the Tulip Chair.

The idea of compression and release is a very broad concept in the the design world. Undulating walls automatically comes to mind such as in Gaudi's work. In class we spoke about a skyscraper that used bay windows in each apartment, thus creating undulating walls across the whole building. Compression and release also speaks to the way steel and glass are molded. The 20th century brought architects to play with curvilinear walls and different forms such as molded plywood. Charles and Ray Eames were among the most renouned for their work with molded plywood, however I would like to look at Eero Saarinen's work with the Tulip Chair and his molding of plastic. The Tulip Chair was made out of one mold while many of the chairs at the time were made in parts. Without the technological advances of the war the creation of such chairs would not have been possible (Massey 155).

The new technologies brought by both of the wars in the 20th century allowed architecture and design to move forward at a rapid pace into the modernist movement. The abstraction and reduction to the basics made designers start from the beginning and build from there. Corbusier began with the basics and moved forward as did Charles and Ray Eames, both Eero and Eliel Saarinen, Alvar Aalto, and the many designers of the modernist movement. A congruence of the same revivalist architecture is seen throughout this time where architects and artists were trying to find a new architecture. The underlying factor in this is technology. Technology bound together the new concepts (modernist architecture) and the old concepts (classically rooted architecture).

PA Draft Essay

2009-04-08T08:53:00.001-07:00

New York’s population increased significantly during the industrial revolution and by the late 1800s the city was in need for a much larger city hall. After various designs were turned down a design competition was held in 1893. Thirteen firms competed, each with a three-person jury, which represented the design as a whole in order for fair judging in the competition. The commissioner of bridges and the art commission would have the final approval of the building. McKim, Mead, and White’s entry won the competition mainly because their cohesive design provided the most floor space of all the competition entries.
At the intersection of Centre and Chambers street sits the early skyscraper, the first in New York to incorporate a subway station at its base. The Manhattan Municipal Building is the center for civic life in Manhattan and is one of the largest government office buildings in the world (1). Accommodating numerous offices and departments the building also includes the official CityStore of New York City. A triumphal arch at the entrance proceeds into a tunnel that goes through the middle of the building, now only open to foot traffic was once open to street traffic itself. Transportation is largely incorporated in the building through the arch of Constantine inspired tunnel and the subway station, now used only on the south side of the building. The municipal building brings people together from all five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island) and sees about 28,000 people married each year.
The building has a romantic notion about it with its eclectic foray of classical and renaissance inspired details throughout. A myriad of sculptures including the female personification of the city cover much of the façade. These Roman inspired sculptures represent civic duty, fame, and pride. The skeleton of the Municipal building was the first to go up and is built mainly with granite.
The design of the Municipal building had a resounding effect around the world so much so that in the midst of the cold war, Stalin and architects of the ‘new’ soviet society modeled such buildings as the Seven Sisters and the main building of the University of Moscow after the Municipal building. All borrow from Palladio’s three-tiered system of a large tower with smaller structures flanking each side of the tower. Each building is a white marble or stone skyscraper with Roman and Renaissance inspired details.

Opus Week 10

2009-04-07T22:23:00.001-07:00

Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio is a beautiful example of the Arts and Crafts style.

Craft defines a design that is made with skill and dexterity. The Aesthetic movement, Arts and Crafts, and the English Free Architecture movement focused on excellent handmade craft, particularly in woodwork and textile designs. Designs such as the beautiful arts and crafts interior of the Gamble House by Greene and Greene represent excellent craft in that each piece was made with care (Massey 22). Homes today exhibit the worst kind of craft in order to build them quickly and cheaply. The Arts and Crafts style is not cheap, especially if the design is completely handmade as William Morris advocated for throughout his lifetime. Many designers throughout the Arts and Crafts movement and it's various 'sister' movements incorporated both handmade and machine made elements. Morris's ideals were just that, ideals, and many realized that machines were not the enemy. What the design movements of the 19th and early 20th century focused on was detailed designs made with thought and craft.

An interior view of Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The separation between public and private spaces became less defined in the beginning of the 20th century with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and the modern movement. Frank Lloyd Wright searched for his own style as well as an American style in his work which reflects the arts and crafts style. Wright worked under Louis Sullivan and took much of his inspiration from the work he did with Sullivan and his firm. Wright came into his own however and developed a very recognizable style of his own that went far beyond the original 'Chicago-school' style of architecture. Wrights work was inspired by nature and integrated the outdoors into the interior through large windows and stone and natural materials. Through this outdoor/indoor design, Wright chose not to follow traditional home designs where living areas are specifically designed. His floor plans such as those at Falling Water have no defining walls, simply a few load bearing walls and columns (Massey 84).

The Holocaust Memorial in Berlin

Design is a visual language. It can tell a story and evoke feelings without words as art does. Two similar examples which were designed to evoke very strong emotions in the people who walked through the spaces are the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin and The Holocaust Museum in the United States. The Holocaust Museum in the US exhibits dark feelings of fear and gives the viewer the experience of being in the holocaust itself. Small doorways, sharp angles, and the use of concrete tell the viewer how cold and hard life must have been like living in the camps of the Holocaust. The use of concrete and many sharp rectangular prisms of all different sizes describes the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. It is a "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe" designed by Peter Eisenman. The space is very abstract and one experiences the space through it's design language. Personally I see the many blocks as representing the coffins of each individual affected by the Holocaust. It is difficult to navigate freely through the space since the blocks are presented in grid form. Some choose to walk on top of the blocks while others weave throughout the rows. The blocks are thick and heavy which represent the weight of the deaths on the German people and all those involved (http://www.holocaust-mahnmal.de/en).

Antoni Gaudi was inspired by the techniques used by Moorish architects.

Architectural techniques are passed down to each generation. Techniques that have consistently been followed throughout time are those first developed in classical Greece and Rome. Columns and decoration inspired by classical designs some of the most popular techniques in architecture alone. Arrangement of spaces has even translated from ancient times into modern architecture. The Baths of Caracalla and their arrangement of large public space inspired Pennsylvania Station in NYC by McKim, Mead, & White (Roth 505). Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi developed his famous style through inspiration from techniques of the Moors such as the 'molded forms based on curved structural walls' (Roth 511).

An early image of UNCG's Quad. Are these buildings bringing the campus historic character or simply using too much energy and not providing enough housing for our growing campus.
Virtual renderings can be very helpful because they are detailed and precise. Although many argue that they lack character and that is why students must learn different drawing techniques. The comparison between virtual and hand-crafted harkens back to the argument between handmade and machine-made designs. One finds character in hand-made and historic designs. A local issue right here at UNCG is whether or not we should demolish the historic 1920's dormatories in the quad. There is a great need for more student housing and these dorms are using more energy and space then they need to be. Demolishing these buildings would be unsustainable and would take away the architectural character these buildings bring to the university. The dorms in the quad remind the students that UNCG is a historic school. UNCG started as a school for women and now sororities mainly live in the quad, making the quad a historic home for women students. The other issue is that the dorms are not sustainable as they are and UNCG needs more dorms. Building a new dorm in a new area means cutting down trees and interfering with the environment as well, so each option will be unsustainable, we really must find the lesser of the evils.
Virtual renderings such as the one above show a great amount of detail, yet I think that hand drawn renderings provide much more character and a designer is able to express their concept through stylistic techniques rather than computer animation that is the same for every rendering.

Craft and techniques help to create a space that is narrated through a specific design language. The 20th century gave way to the development of space planning and modernism. Whithin the latter sphere of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st we saw design become a virtual experience. Many argue that these virtual techniques, although precise, are not as personable as handcrafted renderings are. Just as handcrafted is often preferred by many, so are older buildings compared to brand new buildings. As designers we struggle between following the past and creating new forms for the future and how we build these forms can be just as important.

The New World Trade Center

2009-04-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post blogs unless I have an assignment but after researching the Manhattan Municipal Building for my precedent analysis project I was curious about the new world trade center building. I was reading an article about the Municipal Building saying that it might be turned into apartments and its offices such as the department of marriages and city hall would be moved to tower 4 of the new World Trade Center. Apparently there are going to be 4 towers to the new World Trade Center. The design was unveiled three years ago! I feel so out of the loop.

Freedom Tower is the original tower planned for the site and is supposedly going to be the tallest building in the world according to it's architects Skidmore, Owings and Merril (SOM). Three more towers were then added to the site designed by Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Fumihiko Maki. The order of the towers are from left to right as follows: SOM tower 1, Foster tower 2, Rogers tower 3, and Maki tower 4. The designs are breathtaking and I am very excited to see how this grand center of architecture comes about. Of course each building has the safest building technology available such as separate staircases for firefighters in case of an emergency. I think I will let these designs speak for themselves!

Right: Richard Roger's tower 3 design

Opus Week 9

2009-04-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

The Peacock Room in London

The culture and art of the east was illuminated to the western world when trade routes were opened up in the 1800s. Westerners loved eastern art and a flood of eastern inspired designs washed over cities such as London. The Peacock Room in London is an example of eastern inspired design in a western context. The man the room was designed worked in the Shipping industry and was obviously involved in trade, so it was only appropriate that his decor reflect his work (Massey).

Crystal Palace

New sources of materials and technologies rotated the direction of architecture completely. The 19th century saw the introduction of glass and metal into structures starting with the Crystal Palace. An expo showing the newest technologies of machines from around the world were shown off in the new machine-like technology of the glass and metal structure of the Crystal Palace (Roth).

Stained glass from Tassel House.

Floorplan of the main stairway in Tassel House showing the iron work and curvilinear details

Metalwork soon went from representing the straight geometric angles of machines to the curving organic qualities of the art nouveau movement. Movement and fluidity were beautifully captured in the metal work of such designs as the Tassel House designed by Victor Horta. One could say that art nouvaeu used the same sources of materials such as metal and glass and revised the male-like machine form of design into a colorful feminine form. Irony can be seen in art nouveau in that organic and human forms were recreated with industrial materials. (Massey)

The Stewart Building in NY now demolished.

While new design movements such as the arts and crafts and art nouvaeu were taking over the design world, buildings of the nineteenth century were still reflecting back on the past. The Stewart Building in New York, now demolished, is an example of a 19th century building with elements of the renaissance pasted on the front facade. The building employed art neavou elements along with the renaissance designs. The building is an early skyscraper/office building. If the building wasn't so hard to find information on I would have done my precedent analysis on it. In the library on campus there are a few very large books with plans of such buildings as The Stewart Building and that is where I first discovered it.

This week we've seen that architects were not fully branching out from the past and were still able to reflect upon ideas of the renaissance while they developed their work in art nouveu and the aesthetic movement. New trade routes and the very beginning of new technologies showed the beginnings of a new direction for architecture which would be later fulfilled in the 20th century.

Alternatives Unit Summary

2009-03-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Bernini

Design movements tend to repeat themselves every other generation. This is because we desire to set ourselves apart from the previous generations in order to show that we have evolved. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Christianity went from being the alternative religion to the religion pronounced by kingdoms throughout the European world. Christianity and Catholicism especially proved a great influence over architecture of the middle ages as seen through cathedrals. During the middles ages the world was introduced to both Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Romanesque architecture evolved into Gothic, then history repeated with Greek and Roman revivals of the Renaissance. Romanesque cathedrals were characterized by many of the same elements that characterize Gothic architecture such as groin vaults, cross plans, and pointed arches. Arcades, arches, and statuettes were ideas translated from Rome into this transitional style of architecture between Rome and the middle ages. Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance architecture are connected through details and foundations in that details such as arches and columns were used throughout, and foundations such as cross plans are also found in each period. Each type of architecture was an alternative to its immediate predecessor.

Because mass was presented in Latin many people's religious experience was through the architecture of cathedrals. Stained glass and murals depicted religious stories such as the Crucifixion of Jesus. Michaelangelo's work for the Sistine Chapel which depicts a myriad of biblical stories and figures, may be the most well known of cathedral frescos. In addition, Bernini created a captivating sculpture, the Ecstacy of St. Theresa, for the Cornaro chapel which is a great example of story telling through imagery.

While some used literal imagery to inform the public about religion, cathedral architecture mimicked the idea of heaven as enormous and full of light. Architects of the time made cathedrals massive in scale and emphasized vertical elements and light more than anything else. Gothic Cathedrals such as Notre Dame of Amiens has breathtaking architectural details which mimic the idea of heaven. Patricks gothic cathedral website features the cathedral. The fourth image down of the vaulting at the cross depicts this exact notion of heaven in my opinion. The complexity of the vaulting also speaks to the complexity of the universe, God, and heaven itself.

Hierarchy is seen in these cathedrals where the alter is the most important place, raised up past the pews. Hierarchy of the members of the church can also be seen where the rich and most prominent people sit either in front or above the rest of the church members.
Moving on from Romanesque architecture the proceeding Gothic architecture of the middle ages can easily be found in castles. Flying buttresses, detailed wood and stonework, and dark heavy elements can describe Gothic architecture. Gothic Cathedrals however were full of light and rather than the dark and heavy architecture we imagine stone castles to be made of. The main differences are that the function and context of each piece of architecture. Castles were dwellings for Royalty and housed the main functions for government and the kingdom itself. They needed to be indestructable as to keep enemies from destroying the kingdom. They also needed to protect the King, therefore castles had many secret passages and were built with heavy stone elements. Cathedrals on the other hand, although strong, were not built to withstand battles. They were built for the communities worship and the display of the wealthy and religious.

Opus Week 8

2009-03-24T21:46:00.001-07:00

Mid-century Modern Furniture: A twist of modern and mid-century designs. See Phillip Starck's Ghost Chair (right)

As designers we revise our work constantly, always looking to improve upon our creations. In class this week we touched on the fact that a current generation never looks back at their parent's generation for inspiration, rather we are inspired by our grandparents era and so forth. We are not seeing the demand for avocado cabinets and orange shag rugs because that is what our parents generation made popular. Today mid-century modern is a popular twist between the style that is popular today and the mid-century designs from our grandparents era.
Relating the urge for a current generation to rebel against it's immediate forefathers, the first Americans rebelled against the British and their opposition was reflected in the furniture of the time. In class we looked at two dining chairs, one predates the American Revolution and the other was made afterward. The dining chair on the left was made before the American Revolution and reflects the heavy imperial style of Great Britain. The chair on the right is much lighter in appearance and is more clean cut in it's lines possibly represents a fresh start, rising above the heavy ruling of the King. People of the renaissance looked back not to their immediate forefathers but to their ancestors before that. Renaissance architects looked to the classically inspired Romans and endeavored to make new forms with the fundamentals of the classic world intertwined in the design (Roth 397).

Throughout history, rulers and Kings have made their mark on the landscape through elaborate building programs from the Pyramids to the royal palace at Versailles. La Chateau de Versailles, the royal Chateau grandiosely revised by Louis XIV was originally much smaller and was used as a hunting lodge. Louis XIV took his revisions to an extreme by not only adding onto the building but changing the landscape completely (Roth 418). Revisions set design apart from the norm, they make work stand out, and they have a great influence on politics and social thought for the time.

Architecture tells a story to it's audience. Architects think deeply about the context of a building when devising its plans. For whom is this building for and where is it located? An audience not only is made up of a buildings users, but also the audience is made up of viewers of the building. For example, a building represents an institution such as UNCG or a government or kingdom. The architect of such buildings should always think about what message the building projects to the world since the world is architecture's audience.

This week we were introduced to the baroque period which was an architectural movement following the renaissance in the 17th century. Focus on light, movement, color, and materials characterize the baroque period. Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini was a prominent sculptor and architect of the baroque period. His most famous work includes his sculpture of the Ecstasy of St. Theresa and the Piazza Di Pietra, also known as St. Peters Basilica (Roth 410). Piazza Di Pietra is mapped out so that all points are centralized, leading us to believe that all points really do lead to Rome.

A precise transition between one style to the next in architecture has never been achieved nor ever will be. Styles and periods overlap one another and skip generations periodically. Inspiration is drawn from numerous different eras in order to achieve a certain style. Blakemore speaks of transition as being a temporary moment between two eras (290). That is exactly what a transition in design is, a temporary moment. When we design a home the transition between the outdoors and indoors is a moment where there are two different entities joined by a common ground (the outdoors joined to the indoors through the doorway). Transitions are just as important as the main components in design because without transition our story can be lost in translation.

The datum of the midevil period left architects of the renaissance with the data to devise complicated structures such as the domes in renaissance churches. Each generation leaves a bit of datum for the next to build upon and improve. The French took what the people of the Renaissance did and revised and reworked what datum was left to them. Roth and Blakemore are historians that provide us, the next generation of architects with the datum of the past so we can better create the datum of the future. Datum now has another part to its definition within architecture because now technology holds the codes and plans that create architectural forms ie AutoCAD (1).

1. http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=2704278

PA Deliverables

2009-03-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Essay

I. Original Municipal Building
II. Design Competition
III. Winners McKim, Mead, and White
IV. Architecture of building inspired by renaissance and classicism
V. New York City Skyscrapers
VI. Stalinist architecture inspired by Municipal Building
VII. Function and resounding effects of building on New Yorkers
VIII. Connecting buildings architectural details and building materials to commodity and symbolic nature of building
IX. Conclusion pulling together buildings influence on New Yorkers and the world..

Images

3 perspectives (watercolor & ink on watercolor paper, one black, white, and gray prismacolor markers)
1 interior section elevation (pencil and ink on vellum)
1 exterior front elevation (pencil and ink on velum)
2 plan views (Colored pencil and ink on vellum)
3 architectural details (prisma color markers, and pen on white bond paper)

I have some more exact research to do to figure out the best scale for these images. We have to base these images on other scaled down renderings we find and I'm not exactly sure how to do that, or if we first must find the original dimensions of the building in order to correctly draw our buildings.

Should we have a presentation board for our images? I thought we should but I'm not sure if that would mean that we would need to determine how large our boards could be in order to fit enough in a room for presentations.

Opus Week 7

2009-03-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

P-Week

Periphery comes from the Greek word periphéreia meaning circumference. Periphery is the external boundary of a space and can be defined in architectural terms as the planning and division of space. Tying to our class discussion of Renaissance architecture the centralized courtyard is an open public area for guests in the Renaissance home. The periphery is marked off on all four sides where the courtyard gives way to the private rooms of the home. Visually this is saying that the boundary for guests stops at the periphery of the courtyard unless they are invited further into the home. You can find courtyards and plans as so in the villas and Palazzos of Italy such as the Pallazo Farnese and Pallazo Medici (Roth 376)

As designers and artists we put together our work in a Portfolio in order to look at our work as an overall picture. We see how we've improved and what we need to work on. In a broad sense architects do the same thing over time with building forms and materials. Architects look at what was successful and build upon that. The Renaissance was very much about reviving the successful parts of ancient architecture and re-working the details. The French took the ideas of the Renaissance and revived them even further (Blakemore 97). As building materials and other factors come into play we are always searching for more advanced ways of building through looking back at old techniques and improving on techniques that could be more successful. Looking at a detail in time the arch, which was extremely popular in Roman times, was transformed into a pointed arch in medieval times. Ste. Marie Souiallac features the first renditions of a pointed arch. Later the arch became even more pointed in the middle. This earie church also has detailed sculpture built into its columns of twisted bodies of people and animals. The columns and wall reliefs remind me of the column of Trajan in that they tell a story through sculpture rather than frescos. Looking at this church sends chills down my spine.

Design process can be long and drawn out in that there are so many steps one should take in order to create something original and well thought out. First one must do research, possibly a precedent analysis. Next the designer needs to brain storm ideas making sketch models and determining which ideas are successful and scraping the ideas that do not work. Then doing a series of more final models and eventually a scale model will help the designer understand how their creation works structurally and visually overall. Once a project comes to life and a designer's creation is actually built there is a whole new process of steps that come into play when physically bringing a design to life. From a history of design standpoint the architect Brunelleschi began studying Roman architecture in order to help him with his arch designs, this is like the first part of a design process in doing research or a precedent analysis (Roth 357).

Perspective is the way one views something. Blakemore talks about optical illusions in architecture through frescoes on walls and ceilings. The Sistine Chapel painted by Michaelangelo breaks the mold of simple wall frescoes in churches. Everything from the floor to the walls to the ceiling is painted with detailed depictions of biblical figures. The way the frescos are painted on the ceiling and the curve from the arches spaning across the periphery create a curved materpiece that makes it difficult to find where the wall ends and the ceiling begins. This is all because Michaelangelo painted with the perspective that these areas should be rounded and so he didn't paint the celing as flatly as he painted the walls. Thus the perspective he created is one of the most famous pieces of art in the world (Blakemore 154).

There are numerous professional design jobs today however in the 14th and 15th centuries there were mostly tradesmen, artists, and collaborators that worked together on constructing buildings. Similar to today however there were a few professionals that were well trained in the arts such as Brunelleschi who was both an artist and architect and known for the Duomo (1). Today architects are trained in drawing and the arts and many are artists on the side from being involved in architecture, IARC's own Tommy Lambeth, Stoel Burrows, and Suzanne Cabrera are all artists in their own right. A design professional today is usually trained in a broad range of subject areas and has a main focus where they are most talented or interested in.

1. http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=hgk

Opus Week 6

2009-03-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Macro to Micro

In the renaissance people were looking back at the foundations of antiquity and attempting to build off of and improve upon the building achievements made by the Greeks, Romans, and other ancient civilizations. They also were looking back at ancient texts such as those by Cicero, Virgil, Plato, and Aristotle. A new generation of thought emerged. The poet Petrarch from mid-fourteenth-century Florentine 'stressed the study of the ancient authors and reliance on one's own observations' (Roth 356). Juxtaposing the repugnant conditions of the medieval period, the renaissance focused on beauty and the appreciation of nature. Detail played a large role in renaissance architecture. Most notably renaissance churches were full of intricate details, complex plans, and innovative building techniques (Roth 358). These details were not only for aesthetic purposes but they also visually extended the space (Blakemore 97). Wood beams, intricate domes, and detailed frescoes reached across the ceilings and expanded buildings such as renaissance churches. Churches and cathedrals represented heaven and architects used building techniques such as large scale columns, domes, and entrance ways that would leave the impression of a space that was broad and as intricate as possible.

Salisbury Cathedral

Cathedrals were not entirely about grandiose scale and the impression of heaven, they also were a place to worship and socialize. Church was where entire communities gathered and one's hierarchy in the community was constituted by where that person sat during the service. Families who invested in the church were able to sit in their own private chapels during a service since their money went to the building of these chapels. Often these wealthy families sat in a balcony area literally looking down upon those below them in stature. Church, much like the opera in the 17th century, was a place to 'see and be seen' (Roth ...).

One can diagram the Cathedral to further clarify the 'circulation, hierarchy, and function' of each space. Renaissance cathedrals usually were built in a cross-plan, a plan that formed the shape of the Christian cross. People would enter from the bottom of the cross and would proceed down a long aisle with pews flanking either side. Balconies and private chapels lined the outer walls of the church, and were placed closest to the alter. The top of the cross where the horizontal section overlaps the vertical aisle is where the most important people sat in their private chapels at the closest place to the alter and to heaven. Because these people were wealthy and were the dominant contributors to the church they were closest to God and were pardoned into heaven before all others of the church.

Another factor of the Cathedral that can be diagrammed is the three pronged Porch-Court-Hearth. The Porch-Court-Hearth layout was formally introduced in Greek society. The porch, court, and hearth are exemplified in the Acropolis. The porch is the entrance and at the Acropolis it is the Propylaia. The court is the gathering space where people disperse after entering. The hearth is the more secluded area towards the back with a religious statue for worship (Blakemore 31). This set-up is also represented in Roman households and the cathedrals of the renaissance. In Roman homes the porch and court were quite similar to the original purpose of entrance way and gathering area. The hearth in a Roman household would be the bedrooms or private rooms in the back.

The Porch-Court-Hearth trio are parts that make up the whole composition of the building. Dictionary.com defines a composition as 'combining parts or elements to form a whole'.

Foundations Unit Summary

2009-03-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

“In architecture, as in all operative arts, the end must direct the operation. The end is to build well. Well building hath three conditions: Commodity Firmness and Delight.”- Sir Henry Wotton

In the beginning there was the aedicule, the cave, and various structures for living. These structures were functional and and served their purpose as firm shelter from jeopardous weather and predators. Nomadic structures served seemingly the first two conditions of architecture defined by Sir Henry Wotton: commodity and firmness. The last condition, architecture for delight, was not fulfilled until the time of Stonehendge and the Egyptians. Delight in architecture is the aesthetic value of an edifice brought on by artistic notions. People first used the concept of delight in building for religious complexes, tombs, and temples dedicated to the gods. Nomadic peoples may have had structures made for religious purposes but it is more likely that they used the natural environment around them for spiritual practices.

The Pyramids of Giza, Stonehenge, and numerous other stone structures are the first religious structures still surviving today. All serve a function and were built with such precision that they are astoundingly still standing. They also complete the design cycle and fulfill the delightful notion of architecture. Stonehenge and the pyramids were quite simple in form. What made these structures delightful was the material used such as the bright stone of the pyramids that stuck out against the sand, their grand scale, and the unity created by visual hierarchy. More complex and decorative elements manifested in buildings in Greece and Rome. Grecian and Roman architecture has also outlived its time and continues to be the foundation and inspiration for building forms today.

Male and female forms in architecture date back to the ancient world with the Pyramids representing the powerful male form. Large columns also represent the male form and the power of a government or ruler. Trajan’s Column in Rome was built in honor of the Roman emperor Trajan. Reliefs of two successful military campaigns circle up around the column. Monuments such as this one depict the greatness of an empire and its military in a highly decorative male form. Female forms in architecture are less common because almost all rulers were male and the ruler and government defined architecture established, as much of it still is today. Queen Hapshepsut's temple is an example of a female form of architecture with smaller male forms lining the entire structure. The temple is long and horizontal sitting into the rocky mountainside. It is much more about going in and becoming a part of the landscape rather than building up off of the landscape. The columns that go across the front façade of the building are male forms however they are much smaller in scale compared to the horizontal elements of the structure.

Building forms have evolved from these foundations of geometric forms, gender defined architecture, and decorative surfaces. Today we still use all of these foundations of architecture to mold our modern buildings. The difference between modern buildings inspired by ancient architectural foundations and actual ancient architecture is that modern buildings have different commodities; furthermore, although ancient edifices were built firm enough to sustain the years up until now but the buildings today require hi-tech structures in order to achieve their great heights and remain firm even in a natural disaster. The foundations unit summed up the basic features that allows for us to build upon and evolve into better architectural forms today through finding the most effective commodious, firm, and delightful systems for architecture.

Opus Week 5

2009-02-25T14:03:00.001-08:00

The word metric pertains to the metric system. Architecturally this pertains to a system in the built environment. This week we learned about systems of vaults and domes in Italian churches. These systems were important because structurally the dome needed to be fully supported. The system of arches worked together to hold up the dome. ‘Aisle construction’ requires a space to be divided to create a central nave with aisles. The next part of the systems is to support the truss with ‘arcade posts’ and to support the wall with horizontal beams. Although this system gave the space more floor area the arcade posts seemed obstruct the space and actually make it seem smaller. A few types of medieval systems for beam construction were aisle construction, crown post construction, cruck construction, and hammer beam construction (Blakemore 75). Although many historians say that the medieval period was one that destroyed the architectural accomplishments of the ancient world, which it did in some ways, it also came up with certain systematic advances, the systems of construction being one of them (Roth 301).

A precedent is something that serves as a guide and helps justify something. In court cases precedents are used to determine the outcome of similar cases. Greek and Roman architecture serves as a precedent for many governmental buildings today. In our reading for this week we read about medieval architecture and castle building. Castles had a basic rectangular shape with towers at each corner. The center gate was the most important and also had a central tower. The Castles often had open space in the center and were not complete solid rectangles. This provided outdoor living space and a public place much like a forum or marketplace. Castles seized to continue their popularity past 1400 or so but the basic plan served as a precedent for residential buildings in France and other areas of Europe during the Renaissance as well as Baroque period. (Roth 308)

Presence means that something is in the immediate vicinity, or is in close proximity. It is also used in terms such as a building has a great presence, meaning that it is noticed and most often in a positive light. The presence of churches in medieval cities was a great one because an immense amount of work and detail went into these cathedrals. The community became involved in the building process. Masons and families gave money to the church in order to fund the building of it. As Patrick said in class, people were able to buy their way into heaven in a way if they help fund the cathedral significantly. Castles also had a great presence in the medieval world and one could say that the Kings who built castles did so in the same way Pharoahs of ancient Egypt built pyramids. Edward I built many castles and according to Roth he had four major projects going on at the same time between 1277 and 1300. Thousands of men worked on these castles just like slaves did in Egypt. These castles represented a King’s greatness just as the Pyramids did, and their scale and presence were what made these structures stand out. (Roth 308)

A moment in architecture is an architectural detail, the top of a column, the way the light enters the center of a chapel, the detail in an arch. Different people notice different moments. One person may appreciate the detail in a wall relief while the other may appreciate the rose window of the cathedral. Moments are personal and create the space. Connecting a previous weeks topic, a moment is a part of the greater whole.

Duality in architecture can mean many things. It can mean something can function as one or more things. There are many artifacts and buildings that have more than one purpose or function. Referencing our material for this week, castles dually functioned as the home for royalty and the center of a kingdom and its authoritative matters. Cathedrals function as a place for religion, sometimes there was a living space attatched or nearby where monks, priests, or nuns lived. Cathedrals also were places where people could show off their wealth. In the case of chapels, rich families were able to pay enough money to have their own chapel, showing the community that family’s power. Duality in special function was a characteristic of medieval homes as well. The residents of a home used the hall as a communal living space for ‘sleeping, dining, recreation, administration of justice, calls to arms, ritual, reception of guests, and living room’ (Blakemore 70)

Justification for Precedent Study

2009-02-19T20:27:00.001-08:00

Building: The Municipal Building
Location: 1 Centre St. Manhattan New York
Architects: McKim, Mead & White
Construction Finished Approximately 1914

Home to a myriad of governmental offices the Municipal Building in Manhattan New York functions as the center for civic life in the city. It is a place where one can get married in “four minutes” and approximately 28,000 couples get married every year there. It is a building where it’s commodity is just as potent as it’s architectural appeal. Its architecture is so appealing that it inspired Stalinist architects during the cold war to build ornate skyscrapers surprisingly similar in form. The building was built due to the city’s need for more space beyond the original city hall. A design competition for the Municipal Building was put in place and the architectural firm McKim, Mead and White was selected with their renaissance inspired design in 1906. The building has classical and renaissance inspired details such as Corinthian columns, groin vaults, and a triumphal arch. The Municipal building synthesizes different architectural styles in order to represent the many different functions of the building itself and the democratic practices behind it. This building is quite pertinent towards understanding design today and the design of governmental buildings in America and the world.

Opus Week Four

2009-02-18T11:16:00.001-08:00

Source:http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/1558732104_5a660032ab.jpg?v=0

This week we looked at Rome, an ancient Empire that encompassed Italy, Greece, parts of Asia Minor and the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient Roman architecture has become an archetype for numerous modern building forms today. Governmental buildings in the United States are hybrids modeled after Roman architecture mainly because Rome was considered the first democratic society. Another beautiful example of modern architecture synthesizing Greek and Roman Architecture together in a hybrid of ornament and dedication to the fine arts is the Pan Pacific Exposition of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Fransisco originally built in 1915 and later reconstructed in the 1960s.

We get our inspiration from Rome; but where did Rome get it’s source of inspiration? The prototype or the very first form of Roman architecture came from the Greeks and the Etruscans. The Greeks and Etruscans were the main settlers in the Roman Empire coming from Greece and parts of Asia Minor and the orient. The Etruscans brought with them great structural techniques for architecture were very skilled builders. The Greeks brought with them the classical orders and ornament that inspired much of Roman architecture. (Blakemore 45)

One can see the source of Roman Columns inspired by the Greeks classical orders. The Corinthian and Composite order seem to be used the most in Rome. What makes Roman columns slightly different from the Greek classical orders is the columns are often plastered onto the building and are there for ornament (these are called engaged columns or pilasters). One can see examples of engaged columns right here on campus on many of the buildings on College Ave. The Pantheon is an example of columns being used as decoration for the facade of a building rather than structural purposes. As Patrick said in class, the Pantheon would be rather plain on the outside without that front facade.

An entourage in architecture is defined in the dictionary as the environmental features surrounding a building. An entourage can also be a group of people. In this context we can look at the word entourage and think about space and how people moved in and out of public and private spaces in ancient Rome. Roth says that the "shaping of space became the essence of Roman architecture." (Roth 247) Romans put great emphasis on public space and the development of their city. The streets of Roman cities such as Pompeii were laid out in block form and at the heart of the city was the forum, a public space with civic and governmental buildings. The forum can be compared to the Greek agora. (Roth 253) Much of Roman life took place outdoors. The streets and public forums were surrounded by an environment much like that of Greece, where the sea is close and the there are hills and lush mountain sides. Although a great deal of Roman life took place outdoors there were domestic homes (domus) where the Romans lived. When entering a Roman domus such as one in Pompeii a visitor would first enter at the Vestibulum, a covered area right off of the street. Then this room opened into another room called the Fauces, another small room with a low ceiling. Finally the visitor can enter the atrium, the main reception hall which is much larger and has furnishings and natural light. Rainwater would fall into a storage space in the center of the atrium called a impluvium. Then one could enter the tablinum , an area defined by Blakemore as having 'the most commanding view of the house. It is an area between the atrium and the peristylium, a courtyard with columns and garden features. Surrounding rooms are for private use only and were often bedrooms and rooms for bathing and dining. (Blakemore 49)

Hierarchy of people was defined in the design of seating as it was in Egypt. Thrones were made for the Gods and often had reliefs of spirital animals such as the sphinx or griffen. Stools functioned as 'a seat of honor and symbol of legal authority, it was used by high magistrates or by the emperor.' (Blakemore 63) Those who were allowed to sit had hierarchy over someone who was standing.

Opus Week Three

2009-02-11T12:58:00.001-08:00

Scale informs us about what is important in architecture. The scale of the pyramids and Grecian temples was far superior to the scale of any other building forms of both ancient time periods. Scale is just as important today. The size of the U.S. capital is reminiscent of a Grecian temple sitting up on the hill side. The U.S. Capital is raised on a hill and is capped with it's magnificent dome. Although Grecian temples did not have domes they were quite massive and their columns reached towards the heavens. Pyramids were also massive and are still a mystery in their built form in how the Egyptians were able to build such masterpieces. The scale of the pyramids shows the importance of religion and the afterlife to the people of Egypt. Scale plays a significant role in the built environment allowing the viewer to understand what is important to that culture that makes up that environment.

Unity exists in architecture when all of it's parts come together to form a cohesive and concise whole. The Greeks achieved unity in their architecture in that they built into the land and their buildings were unified with their surroundings. The theater at Epidauros was built in the 4th century B.C. and is an example of architecture unifying itself witht the land. It is built into the mountain side and because it was built upwards in semicircular form the acoustics are actually quite advanced.

Sections allow us to look at an artifact or building in detail to where we can see how it was made and to better understand its working parts. Sections are a part of the whole and one will look at a building differently as a whole after seeing a section of it. One building type that is mysterious on the outside and just as enigmatic on the inside is the pyramid form from ancient Egypt. The outside doesn't give you many clues to what is happening on the inside, the entrance is purposefully hidden. Once you enter the pyramid, if you can get that far, there are many long series of mazes and passageways. Only a one or two of these passageways actually lead to something, the others are dead ends. Along the way one will encounter traps and it can be very dangerous. How do we today in 2009 know so much about pyramids? Well, I take historians and archeologists word that this is how they were built. But the most appealing piece of evidence is visual. A section of a pyramid shows the chambers and layout of the tomb. The ancient pyramids are quite complex on the inside and it shows the Egyptian's great emphasis on keeping a ruler's body sacred and out of harms way. This was done obviously for ethical reasons but mainly for religious purposes because Egyptians believed that they could preserve and use their bodies and their property (including slaves and wives) in the afterlife. The pyramid form speaks volumes about the beliefs of the Egyptians and how far they would go to protect the dead.

Boundaries are constructed in society for many reasons. They can either welcome or hinder a person from entering. In the case of the pyramids the entrance was made to hinder any person from entering the tomb. The entrance to a piece of architecture informs us about who is welcome and who should keep out. The White House is blocked off with a large fence on all sides. The White House can be viewed at a difference though saying that democracy and the President are in reach of the people, but it is under a great deal of security. Homes in the south often have large front porches and stairways that become wider towards the street making the home seem more welcome to visitors. Some boundaries are meant to block off people from entering and even viewing an area such as the Berlin Wall did. It represented the divide in the German governments and it represented the fact that Stalin wanted nothing to do with governments going against the soviets/communists.

A Vignette is a glimpse into a moment in time. It is a drawing or illustration that fades off at the edges and is not a 'complete' drawing. Vignettes tell a story by placing certain images together and by making those images the center of the vignette and the less important parts fading off the edge. It is a less formal style of drawing and it brings character to an illustration. One could say that the boundaries are implied and there is not a complete sense of unity but it is more of a detailed moment.

Overall this week has been about understanding how to approach design from different points of view. One must define the boundaries of a design project. The scale of a piece of architecture is very important because it defines the importance and the usage of the building. A building has unity when all of its parts such as scale, detail, structure, and space work together. A vignette and a section of a building or artifact takes a look at the piece of architecture usually after it is erected. The vignette and section are the detailed moments of the piece and these are just as important as the whole.

Opus Week Two

2009-02-03T17:07:00.000-08:00

Illuminate
Light and the environment determine how we orient our buildings on the land. Architects today do not think of the environment and light as thouroughly as those from ancient times. For example, the architects and planners for the Cliff Palace dweling in Mesa Verde, Colorado (Roth 138) thought about the environment quite extensively. The Ancestral Pueblo Village known as Cliff Palace is a village built into a rocky mountain side. The sun passes through the opening in the winter to heat the village yet there is a cliff overhang that protects the village from harsh weather and the scorching sun in the summer months.

Light is also a source of spiritual meaning defined in everything from the pyramids in Egypt to Le Corbusier's Ronchamp. Ancient Egyptians had a strong belief in the afterlife. Pyramids represent a Pharoah's legacy that he left on earth. They hold and keep safe all of a pharoh's worldly possessions and his body so he can use them in the afterlife. A pharoahs pyramid was his own sacred structure and not only did he want to show off his legacy but a pharoh usually wanted it to be spiritually sacred. The sun god Ra is one of the ancient Egyptians most important Gods and he is represented by the light used to showcase the structures. A beacon made out of gold was often placed at the very top of a pyramid so that the sun would illuminate down onto the top of the pyramid and down the sides. Le Corbusier's Ronchamp church has many openings for light that shine in a create an ambient and spiritual atmosphere. Such light allows for the people inside of the church to reflect and transend spiritually with ease. The judeo-christian God is also represented as light in popular culture. People use the idom "I'm going to see the light," saying they are going to go see God or in other words, they are going to die soon. Light has a sacred meaning to almost all cultures and numerous religions and this is reflected in the architecture we see around us, especially buildings for worship.

In ancient egypt the pyramids were built with a white polished stone in order for them to stand out against the sand. . The Egyptians were very smart because this is how they illuminated their important structures before electricity was ever around.We illuminate the things that are most important to us today as well. The Empire State Building, The White House, and many famous buildings are highly illuminated at night in order to show their importance.
Light has a functional purpose as well as a figurative purpose in design.

Idiom
Idioms are figurative phrases that are defined by the cultures in which they are shared. If you say that someone "kicked the bucket" you don't literally mean that someone kicked a bucket but figuratively you are saying that a person died. If you say this phrase to someone who is not American and is not familiar with such a phrase they might be very confused. Idioms can be thought of in a physical aspect as well. This week we have looked at ancient building practices and the mysterious and monumental structures of the ancient world. When we see a structures such as Stonehenge it is an idiom to us because we are a part of the modern world and a completely different culture so we do not understand the design language of the people of the ancient world. Archeologists and Historians do their best to find why and how buildings of the ancient world were built. The buildings and ruins of the ancient world are all that are left of these people. Their structures tell their stories, some are more defined than others, and some are a complete mystery such as Stonehenge.

Commodity : Firmness : Delight
Taking elements from ancient structures and learning what works and what doesn't work helps us in the overall design process. Architecture is never defined as one movement and then the next, there are many layers, stories, and factors that must be kept in mind. Societies and the environment in which these societies are established define where we go in architecture. So many factors come into play such as the social moral, philisophical beliefs, art and music, and political state of a nation at the time. All of these factors effect how we build certain buildings and why. For example, today there is an energy crisis and people are FINALLY realizing that we are destroying the earth due to our careless consumer habits. More products than ever before in the modern world are using recyclable and earth friendly materials. Green buildings are in demand and more people want to do their part in improving the way we build things and treat this Earth. So while the commodity of many new buildings today is to create a green/eco friendly environment the firmness and appearance of the structure is just as important. New building technologies are being utilized in order to protect our buildings from earthquakes and other disasters. Furthermore, many of the green buildings I've seen are not your traditional building with moulding and columns, they are often sleek, modern and use different products and materials that not only are eco-friendly but are quite beautiful as well. The reason why many green buildings are so modern could be that architects want to show that eco-friendly materials can be just as good (if not better) as the materials that made modern buildings before that.
Architects today have the biggest challenge of all because they must make buildings functional, stable, beautiful, and design them in a conscious matter that is good for the earth.

Material
Today we use different building materials such as adobe for homes in hot and arid environments because they work with the environment and help keep the harsh elements out and the energy that we want to use in. Solar skylights allow light to come in to a room without having extreme heating issues from lets say an entire wall of windows facing the sun. Ancient Egyptians used the stone surrounding them to build most of their buildings while other societies used wood. Materials in the ancient world depended upon the environment in which a society inhabited. Today there is a massive world for trade and materials can always be exported. Nevertheless, it is cheaper and far more eco-friendly to use local materials. There was trade in the ancient world, in fact, the Nile river was the center for trade in Egypt, the Silk road a place for trade in China, and goods and materials were often transported through these highways of trade.

Sources-Roth & Blakemore

Opus Week One

2009-01-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

A large theme in the book Understanding Architecture (Roth) is the idea of commodity, firmness, and delight in architecture. Firmness refers the structure and many architects like to play with the idea of buildings being firm, or the opposite of that. Curving undulating walls, glass boxed buildings, and many other tricks in architecture try to create an image of a building that is not simply four heavy walls and an entrance. Also architects and artists alike enjoy playing with the idea that a piece of the structure is just barely holding on or about to fall off the side. This can be better explained visually with looking at Paulsen and Gardner's Shapero Hall Pharmacy on the campus of Wayne State University. The "heavier" and larger elements are on top of the smaller structure and visually this makes us wonder how the top elements are held up by the smallest component. Strucurally architects can do this up to a certain point when built correctly.

My second image on this page is referring to Roth's discussion of delight in architecture. I drew the image of Notre Dame de Chartes from the book. I could look at this piece of architecture for hours because it is so complex and as Sir Henry Wotten calls it, delightful! I love how the two towers carry similar elements such as the bottom half of the towers have similar openings. However the top of each tower is drastically different and this makes the building much more interesting and I think beautiful.

The idea that architecture is not architecture unless is delights is based on people's personal opinions. What makes the delight of St. Basil's Cathedral any different from the color murals on dirty city streets? I'm sure that St. Basil's would amaze me if I saw it in person more than a simple mural would but a mother who's child helped paint this mural may find more delight in the more meek piece of architecture than the grand cathedral.

The reading from Roth also talks about proximity and negative and positive space. Positive space is one that takes up a space that was negative or bare beforehand. Negative space can be compared to hollowing out a cave for a dwelling. It takes an already existing solid and hollows it out. I am not in any studio courses so I am able to relate this part of the class to my sociology class when speaking about personal space. Architects and urban planners must always keep in mind how much personal space people need and cater to that need when planning a specific building. When on a crowded subway car many people are fine with being quite close to one another because it is the cultural norm. However, if one goes to the opera and pays a nice amount of money for the tickets he or she would not want to sit as close to the person next to them as they might on a subway car. It's all about the environment in which you are at the time that determines whether you will be comfortable being close to someone.

Finally tying back to where we started in class with the Golden section/nautilus shell I see there are many layers to architecture as a whole that we can pick apart and look at individually. We can look at the social and psychological implications, the artistic and visual aspects, or the structural and functional aspects. Some people might see a very plain building by Le Corbusier as the ideal form of architecture while others might view the Amiens Cathedral as the best. We are all entitled to our personal opinions because there are far to many layers to architecture for us all to agree upon.

Timeline of Ancient Events and Technology

2009-01-28T05:20:00.001-08:00

This timeline is for my design history class. By looking at the events of a certain time period we are able to see what is influencing the architecture of the time. Furthermore, by looking at two different time periods we can see where we were at one point in history and architecture and look to see where the world progressed (or did not progress for that matter)

1250 AD

I N S T I T U T I O N S

University of Valladolid founded in Spain
Meeting called in part to elect Mongke Khan, which would make up the Mongol Empire
Firestations and Firefighters in China
Printing of paper money in many countries
Welayta state in present day Ethiopia is established
End of Notre Dame School of Polyphony
Kingdom of Ghana becomes part of the Mali empire
Marinid dynasty takes over in Morocco
Kingdom of Tiemcen (Algeria) founded
Cuzco, Puru founded

G O V E R N A N C E

Egyptian captors release King Louis IX after receiving a ransom and the city of Damietta.
7th Crusade conducted when Louis IX is first captured
Expansion of Chim state
Mongols attempt to invade Japan, unsuccessful.
Battle of Ayn Jalut
Edward I King of England
Llywellyn the Prince of Wales dies in battle with Edward I
Alexander III King of Scottland
Wales divided between free states and “Anglo-Norman lordships”
Sweden Conquers Finland after almost 100 years of war
Mongols invade Poland, Hungary, and Russia. Russia under Mongol rule
Coradin Holy Roman Emperor
Treaty of Paris, France gives up territory to England
The Teutonic Knights invade Novgorod and Pope Gregory IX promotes the Christianization of the Baltic region

C O M M E R C E

First known image of a sawmill meaning sawmills were intact in 1250
Private trade grows in China. Expansion of commercial areas shows to be be prosperous
Sea trade abroad takes place between China, Islam, Africa, and many countries and provinces
Smaller trade takes place along Grand Canal and Yangzi River in China
Demand for luxury items coming from the East Indies
Ship building and crew become great sources for employment, allowing some people to gain enough income to purchase a boat for trading overseas
Early Chinese Industry develops. Can possibly be coined with term Industrial Revolution
Countries taxed on foreign goods from 10% to 40%

T E C H N O L O G Y

Vincent of Beauvais publishes The Greater Mirror, a “proto-encyclopedic work”
Albertus Magnus isolates the element arsenic
Irrigation schemes in the valleys begin in Hawaii
Religious practice constitutes the building of religious centers of significant architecture in Polynesian Islands and all over the world
Easter Island stones produced
Arabic decimal system used
Spices such as cinnamon, coriander, cumin, ginger, and nutmeg are used for medical purposes

1250BC

I N S T I T U T I O N S

Hallstatt culture emerges from Austrailia
Lapita Culture arrives at Fiji
Philistines established 5 city states in the coastal plain that is present-day Israel. (Ashdod, Ashquelon, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza)
Egypt struggles with “people of the sea” or displaced homeless people.
Famine occurs in Anatolia forcing nations to move south in order to find new land.
Olmec civiliztion emerges in Mesoamerica
The Torah is completed

G O V E R N A N C E

Destruction of Troy by Mycenaeans, end of Trojan War.
Shortly after Collapse of Mycenaean Civilization
Menestheus becomes King of Athens
Agamemnon is king of Mycenae
Death of King Rameses II
Egyptian King Merneptah wins battle over invading Libyans. Around 10,000 Libyans displaced are helped by the “peoples of the sea.”
Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt
Wu Ding becomes emperor of Shang Dynasty

C O M M E R C E

Small states such as Israel and Damascus emerge to play considerable roles in trade do to the fall of many great empires such as the Hittite kingdom
Karasuk culture noted for their iron work with bronze and their art thrives in trade
Phoenicians are strong in their trade and production of many items including writing materials. The English word for book is from the word biblion which comes from the Phoenician city of Byblos.
Walls of Troy VII and Wilusa are constructed

T E C H N O L O G Y

Rice cultivation introduced in Korea
More types of jars, bowls, and course wares developed for domestic use in the British Isles
Simple plough developed in Europe
Farming reaches Southern India
Chinese astronomers make the first recording of an eclipse of the sun
Transmission of the European Alphabet allowed for communication between different cultures. A universal language in some sort.
Chariots used in China

References
www.wikipedia.com
http://www.worldtimelines.org.uk

Chronology of World History in the Reference section at the UNCG Library
The Timetables of History also in the Reference section

A New Beginning

2008-09-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my last post was my final project from last year. So much has happened since then. Last year was really difficult for me. Moving to college and learning new habits was hard enough but I wasn't able to adjust to a schedule very well since IARC took up so much time and effort. I cannot tell you how many all-nighters I pulled. I became very well acquainted with the cleaning lady who promptly came to the 1st year section at five am sharp. I loved the program and I wanted to get started with my passion right away however, I don't think I as ready for the demands of the program. Many people who had a great passion and talent for design have since left the program. It sadens me to think of all of the talent that has left. But then again, if you are really committed, responsible, and efficient you will be able to achieve your goals in this major. Last year I was so overwhelmed I gave up. I worked so hard all the way up to the end however I had gotten so behind that I don't think I could have saved myself any more than I already did. It's easy to sleep in and not go to class when you have pulled an all-nighter the night before. I was committed to the program but at some points I needed to put that aside and worry about my health. All in all I would have done a few things differently. I would have gone to ALL of my classes every day (even if I was sick) and I would have done the work as early as I could have and used my time a lot more wisely. I was able to succeed in high school with terrible time management and I graduated with a 3.8 gpa. It may not be the best but I never pulled an all nighter and always did my homework the last minute. Needless to say I don't think my high school experience prepared me for college and especially the Iarc program.
Well, I am sure if you are reading this you are wondering if I am still in the program? I am in the Iarc program this year you could say. I am taking the design history course this year and the rest of my classes are general education courses. I needed a year away from all of the stress of the program to settle down and really focus on learning good study habits. I want to be prepared for next year when I enter as a second year. Now I have time to sleep, hang out with friends, DJ for 103.1 WUAG once a week, and do all of the things I love. Its funny how much you take for granted a good night of sleep before you enter Iarc. I'm living off campus and it is SO much easier to live in an apartment. The dorms were awful and between living in the dorms and the studio I felt like I was in prison. I am so happy to have my own room, bathroom, and I can cook now! No more Caf food!
I know I belong in this program and I will fight to be recognized as a talented designer. I have tried to imagine what I would do if I didn't do design and I can't think of anything else that I would want to do with my life. So for now I am taking some time off. If any of the 1st of 2nd years need help I am always here. I have a lot more free time than any of the Iarc students right now and I know what everyone is going through, I would be happy to help. Email: mejacque@uncg.edu

Elsewhere

2008-05-09T04:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Elsewhere. A place where other people's junk is turned into composition. Our art is funny, playful, and changes people's perception of what these everyday and sometimes strange items can be used for.
Visiting Elsewhere as a class was an interesting experience and it was something I was so glad we did. Elsewhere is so interesting and there are so many things we could play with and draw it was a never ending mess of artwork. For our 'space' that we were supposed to mark off and draw I at first tried to rearrange a bunch of toy cars and put planes and helicopters on the ground and cars in the sky hanging up. I realized that this would take forever to do so I decided to just draw something I saw at the front desk. I didn't make it to Elsewhere during the class period every time since my car broke down one day. That's what you get for running on E for a week strait. Gas prices are so high! Anyways, I visited Elsewhere in my spare time probably five more times outside of class. Being in Elsewhere when it wasn't class time was a very different experience. I loved this assignment and can't wait to visit Elsewhere again.

Object Vingettes

2008-05-06T05:01:00.000-07:00

A Statement on Consumerism

2008-05-04T21:24:00.001-07:00

This was a small project where everyone in our class picked a letter of the alphabet and we each did an illustration that represented our letter and sustainability. My letter was "C" and my illustration was a statement on consumerism. Millions of unnecessary products are put on the market each year. People are extremely wasteful and instead of recycling water bottles, clothes, and other products we throw them away. The depletion of non-renewable resources and people's carelessness is what has gotten us in this mess in the first place. FYI: I drive a brand new Mazda 6. It is a small car and shouldn't take more than thirty dollars to fill up. It took 65 dollars to fill up the other day. This energy crisis needs to stop!

Furniture Renderings

2008-05-04T05:03:00.000-07:00

1st Sketch Up Model

2008-04-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

I am so excited we are starting computer modeling. Although I love pulling all nighters making perfectly hand-crafted models...I am ready to start using the computers. I really like doing graphics on the computer and I think I'm really going to enjoy using sketch up.

Sleeping Spaces Redefined

2008-03-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

This assignment is a little different from most of our assignments. We are making a sleeping space that is supposed to redefine the meaning of a bed. We must use only a certain amount of materials for our models, using a different amount of materials may be justified; however, it needs a purpose behind it. I don't like the spaceship looking egg beds such as the Lomme Bed (third from the top). I want to use contemporary strait lines; however, the comfort of the organic shapes bring something to the table as well. I just feel like the whole rounded shapes have already been done so with my next models I am going to try to stay away from the organic look.

CAPitalizing on Re-Use

2008-03-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

Let there be light! Inspired by a contest from Terracycle, this project was to re-use bottle caps in a way that is interesting and still eco-friendly. Every day, bottles are processed in recycling centers and every bottle that still has a cap on it is thrown away. Thus, in order to get bottle caps we had to go dumpster diving! My partner Chelsea and I struggled with this idea of re-using bottle caps at first and wanted to steer clear of making something tacky and cheap looking. At first we had a coaster that looked like a flower and it was fun, yet bulky and cheap. Next we had a shower basket where the gaps that the circles made when connected allowed water to fall through, yet that also turned out to be very flimsy and cheap. Finally we came up with a bottle cap chandelier/ light fixture. We really liked the way that light showed through the clear bottle caps. We added colors that were of the same color palette as a Sun-Drop or Mountain Dew can. We even used parts of aluminum Sun-Drop Cans on a few bottle caps. There is a glue that is eco-friendly and glues together plastics, metals, and many other materials that can be used to attach the bottle caps. We used hot glue however if this were to be manufactured again, Eco-bond glue will be used. Overall, Chelsea and I are happy with out project. If we had more bottle caps I think we would use on the light fixture so the light bulb and wire is more clandestine.

Our First two iterations (shower basket and coaster)

The wire frame made out of recycled hangers

We cut out the flat circles of the bottle caps and glued them together to make larger circles.

Chelsea and our final model! Let there be light!
A view from underneath

Baths of Diocletian

2008-03-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Time for a group assignment!

2008-03-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

Team Ferguson

For this project we were divided into groups of about five. We analyzed buildings on UNCG's campus and sketched out their floor plans, uses, and architectural details. We then took our drawings, bubble maps, and detail sketches and made a presentation board. I thought it would be a lot easier to plan out a presentation board however I learned a lot from this experience that I wouldn't have guessed I would. For example, we had to have fifteen 8.5x11 drawings and they had to fit on certain size boards with many other different size drawings. We had to make a scale layout of what our board would look like in order to see if everything would fit and to make sure we had an appealing and effective layout. A lot of hard work and time went into this project, and a couple dollars as well. In the real world, presentation boards are extremely important to designers because it is the first thing a client sees and if the client doesn't like the board, the design usually doesn't come to life. Overall I was really pleased with my group's work and I am very proud of the outcome of our board.

To the very left, outlined in red are our detail sketches of the building. The diagram was done by heather and shows the different sectors of the Ferguson Building.

The next diagram was done by Christyn. This shows how the floor plan is layed out and what it connected to what.

The final diagram was done by Lily and shows the private and public areas of the building. As you can see the building has a lot of private rooms that we didn't have access to.

Our group chose earthy tones and coordinated the colors and the layout. We worked for a very long time on the board and I was not expecting it to take that long. This project definitely prepared me for our presentation boards in our studio class as well.

Quick! Draw Somebody!

2008-02-26T20:18:00.001-08:00

Wow it's been a long time since I've drawn people. I need to start again because these are really scary haha.

Drinking Coffee & Drawing

2008-02-19T23:12:00.000-08:00

I didn't like the way my coffee shop drawings turned out at all. Needless to say I don't like these either. Maybe I just don't work well in coffee shops, I don't know...

Coffee Shop Drawings.

2008-02-19T20:35:00.001-08:00

I really wasn't into drawing today. You can tell because my drawings are embarrassing. I might go back and redo this whole project if I have time and the grades aren't final on it. I absolutely hate these!

Perspective Drawings of Ferguson

2008-02-19T20:32:00.001-08:00

For this assignment we looked up drawing styles we wanted to recreate and we tried to emulate these styles through out perspective drawings. I drew perspectives of the Ferguson building on campus. I am really pleased with the way they turned out but it took a ton of time to get the angles and everything right.

"God Is In The Details"

2008-02-19T20:27:00.001-08:00

Some of my favorite things

2008-02-19T20:26:00.001-08:00

I wanted to practice my hatching so I drew some of my favorite things around my room just for fun.

Scale Figure Inspiration

2008-02-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

A little Behind...

2008-02-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

So the flu has taken over my ability to upload most of my work. I am trying to get everything back in order though! I finally got some decent medicine today so hopefully I will feel better soon! I will probably have everything uploaded by Saturday =D

What a Mess!

2008-01-29T06:07:00.001-08:00

I really enjoyed this assignment and I think I have improved when it comes to drawing objects. People are still pretty difficult for me though. I had no problem drawing messy areas since my room is ALWAYS a mess! My favorite were the last two drawings I did because I spent the most time on them and I was slow and deliberate with my strokes. It takes a lot of time and work to make a drawing beautiful with cross-hatching. It makes you really appreciate the drawings where the artist's cross-hatching is soft and life-like.

Lead Pencil Studio Exhibit

2008-01-22T22:25:00.000-08:00

The signs of a pack rat

2008-01-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

First Project of the New Semester

2008-01-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

2x4
Objective: design a self-sustained system
Parameters: make no less than six cuts.
use all the material provided; no more, no less.
use no fasteners and no adhesives

At first I loathed this project; however, once I got into the workshop I really got into it. I was inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. My approach was very minimalist. I made a groove through the center of the entire 2x4. Then I took a piece of the side and made the square and rectangular shapes that fit into the groove. We had to use every last piece of the 2x4 and other than the pieces that ended up as sawdust I used every single piece. I can't wait to use the wood shop again!

Here are a few of my first ideations and my final idea.

Textured Leaves

2007-12-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

A little Photoshop fun with our final assignment before winter break! I really loved this drawing activity, even though it would have been a lot better in the fall when the leaves were beautiful colors and not all of them were dead. But that is the sign that the Holidays are coming! Merry Christmas to all my IARCers, I hope everyone has a wonderful break.

A Moment In Time: A Time Capsule Completed

2007-12-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

People were waiting for the scanner so I didn't get a chance to upload my orthographic drawing properly, I will be sure to upload it tomorrow morning though.

Sustainability for a Better Future

2007-12-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

What is Sustainable or 'Green' design? Water shortages, pollution, and the disappearance of millions of non-renewable resources are all caused by the production of products. Green design is making a conscience effort to preserve as much of the earth's resources as possible when buying or making anything from carpet to roofing systems. Everything can be made 'green. When making something out of wood for instance, one can choose where to buy their wood from. Companies that are sustainable in the wood industry replant trees and make sure their impact on the environment is as small as possible. What's even cooler about green design is that items still can be beautiful and sustainable.

Sustainable Design is Achievable
1. Green Roofs
2. Sustainable Textiles and Fabrics
3. Energy Efficient Windows
4. Energy Efficient Insulation
5. Energy Efficient Lights
6. Bamboo/Cork Flooring
7. Solar Powered Roofs
8. Recyclable Building Materials
9. Eco-friendly plastics
10. Materials approved by environmental groups such as LEED

Foreign Design Magazines

2007-12-09T13:37:00.001-08:00

I absolutely love design magazines, especially ones that are like books with large pages and thick paper. I recently splurged on a $20 design magazine from Australia called InDesign. Instead of issue numbers there are Volume numbers, making it more reminiscent of a book. The Magazine is thick and filled with some of the most interesting buildings, products, and art. The majority of buildings and environments featured are located in Melbourne. I've looked through this magazine maybe a hundred times and I still find articles and pictures I haven't read yet that I find fascinating. It is definitely worth the extra money.

JA (The Japanese Architect) is a magazine I found online. The layout and photographs and everything that it features is streamlined, simple, and clean. It has great photographs and features great buildings in Japan for design firms and such. JA's sister magazine A + U (Architecture + Urbanism) is also a Japanese magazine that is available in Japanese, Chinese, and English. I prefer A+U over JA simply because it is less simple! JA is too simple for me and is almost boring. JA's only strong point is that it features fantastic buildings. A+U features articles about architects, products, buildings, and all sorts of design. A+U is more of an international magazine considering it features everything from the Chrysler Building to a state of the art airport in Germany. I don't think I would want a subscription to either of these magazines, but I would enjoy owning a few copies.

Before I start, I just want to say that Italians are some of the best designers in the world. Domus is a very professional Italian magazine with clean well planned layouts and articles. Just looking at the ads is interesting because they are from a different country so I have never seen this type of design. Ads in many American design magazines are easily disregarded, but the Italians know how to advertise. My favorite part about this magazine are the graphics. Graphics help explain the articles and features in a light that is much more interesting than simply text and photographs. Domus is a beautiful and professional Italian design magazine that thick and will keep your eyes glued to the pages for hours on end.

(I found this interesting piece created by Vered Zaykovsky. It is a coffee table created with no glue and no cutting. It is glass and six Domus magazines folded in a way that is sturdy and quite pleasing to the eye.)

10 Environments

2007-11-24T02:41:00.000-08:00

What girl would not love to have a powder room like this with magenta upholstered walls and shiny chandeliers? Well, maybe a girl that doesn’t like pink wouldn’t like it very much, but I love dark bold colors in small spaces sometimes. Who says you can’t go dark in a small space? It’s dramatic and if you pair dark colors with light and reflection such as mirrors it is balanced out. This powder room is very sparkly, pink and quite girly, yet it still has sophistication to it. What is really interesting is that the molding and trim is painted silver, which is not a very common color for trim. Nonetheless, the silver trim is a much better choice than white because it is not such a stark contrast against the magenta walls and the silver is repeated in the mirrors and other glass fixtures. Featured in Big Style 2007.

Can you really turn a small closet into a powder room? You can with certain elements such as a sink that slides into the wall when not in use. I love the use of space in this 38 x 57 inch room. You don’t need much to make a powder room comfortable and useable. The built in display cabinets are an interesting shape and make the room seem taller and more spacious. Built in cabinets may cost a little more money than regular cabinets, but they take up much less space and look far better than cabinets that stick out of the wall. It’s amazing what designers can do with a little imagination and lack of space. I absolutely love the idea of the sink as a drawer. I wouldn’t think it would be possible because you have to have pipes connected to it in some way, however the designer must have found a way. Overall, this powder room looks very simple, but there are so many little things that made it work as a powder room and not a tiny closet. Featured in Big Style 2007.

This is the living room of Parisian Antiques Dealer Florence Lopez. Her style is very eclectic and it is reflected in her different styles of art and furniture. The angles in the architecture of the ceiling reflect the angles in the modern artwork and furniture. My favorite piece in this room is the lamp with zigzag angles that almost reach to the ceiling. The muted light blue contrasts beautifully with the light beige in the room. The day bed looks very comfortable and I love the upholstery. This eclectic room is very different from most designer rooms I’ve seen and that is why I like it so much. Featured in Inside Out November 2007.

This may not be my favorite design, however I really love the idea of it. This is a Greek revival house circa 1839. The designer, Mark Christofi chose a bold pattern for the walls because it was unexpected. I adore old homes, and using retro and fun modern furniture in old homes is very trendy and cool. The large graphic pattern is a little too bold for me though. I think that designers can do something in an old home that is modern and new, as long as they know what they are doing and don’t go too far with their design. Featured in Color November 2007.

Simplicity is key in this airy home in the Netherlands. Everything in this room looks very expensive, however the designer did a great job in choosing each item very carefully. The vase on the table just so happens to be from Ikea. I absolutely love the artwork in this home; it’s by Mary Waters and fits the room quite well. The contrast of black and white is not too stark and is warmed up by the flowers and the beige accents. If you look closely you can even see the inlayed detail in the wood floors. I would love to live in this simple but elegant house.
Featured in InsideOut November 2007.

Blue, red, and tan are beautifully paired in this kitchen and dining room. The deep blue tile in the kitchen breaks up the wood floors and cabinets. I love how you can see the grains in the wood and the old weathered floors are gorgeous. The dining room is even more gorgeous. My favorite part is the mixture of different styles of chairs. The wooden chairs have great detail and bring an old world charm to the world. The red chairs are more modern and add a pop of color to the room. I can’t seem to find anything that I don’t like in these two gorgeous rooms.
Featured in InsideOut November 2007.

This colorful and airy room is actually quite small. The choice in color and furniture really makes a difference. A mostly white room with a few colorful accents makes a place seem much larger. The colors are gorgeously put together; they don’t quite match but they compliment each other well. The clear polycarbonate chairs are really interesting considering they are in a classic style yet are clear and trendy. The clear chairs recede into the background and are a pleasant surprise when discovered. I’m not a fan of foe fireplaces, however this one doesn’t bother me that much. I really like the tile background and the simple white architecture of the fireplace. This room is very cute and youthful and refreshing. This is a great example of designing a room to make it seem larger using beautiful pieces that are both classic and trendy. Featured in Big Style 2007.
I absolutely love the colors used in the Gramercy Park Hotel’s restaurant. The deep red is so dramatic and the texture in the curtains and rug works wonderfully with the sleek chairs and tables in the restaurant. The popular combination of black and red are offset by the brown in the brick and wallpaper. The curtains seem to provide privacy, yet the tables are right next to each other and I’m sure that people might feel uncomfortable being able to see other people at their tables so close to them. I think that if the tables were spaced differently that people would enjoy the privacy and design of the restaurant a bit more. Featured in Elle Decor November 2007.

This is a living room in a New York apartment designed by Steven Gambrel. I love the graphic carpet and the pop of yellow in the sofa. The sofa is beautifully upholstered and looks quite comfortable because of its size and depth. I don’t exactly love this room; however, I enjoy a few elements and the way they work such as the juxtaposition of the modern sofa and carpet with the less refined coffee table with bamboo legs. I’m not a fan of the wall art and the bright gold lamps. The gold is gaudy looking I think that black and white photography or wall art would look much better than the light blue over-sized painting above the sofa. Overall I think that the designer did a great job in putting together some of the pieces, nevertheless I would personally change some of the accessories if I designed the room myself. Then again, taking risks is what design is all about. Featured in Elle Decor November 2007.

When first glancing at this photo I thought it was a bar or nice restaurant, when in reality it is the Nokia phone store in New York City. This store makes buying a phone like going out to a trendy bar. The bright pink neon walls are glossy and almost translucent. I really enjoy the black background where the phones are displayed. The background breaks up the store in a horizontal line running to the back of the store that draws the viewers eye towards where the phones are, which is the exact purpose of the store. This is a fantastic environment for a chic and trendy New Yorker for sure! Featured in Elle Decor November 2007

Process Zine

2007-11-20T12:31:00.002-08:00

RonChamp & Visual Arts Center by Le Corbusier

2007-11-15T14:03:00.001-08:00

Here are some sketches from the same afternoon of Melia and Lyndsay posing with our platonic forms (cubes).

Sketch Model Drawings

2007-11-15T13:37:00.002-08:00

These are drawings of some ideas for our Time Capsule project. The first one is the one I will be working on. It is a sculpture with cubes that will be able to store artifacts such as a letter to ourselves in the future or sketchbooks, drawings, etc. The more uniform blocks on the left represent us coming into the program not knowing where to go and the more random blocks represent us finding our individuality and our own purpose in life. The bottom drawing was supposed to be a sculpture that you could walk under outside. I really don't like this model but i was meant to represent the 'world of IARC'. It is a little cliche and I think that a less literal approach is much more punctual and makes more of a point.

Platonic Form Shadings

2007-11-07T21:26:00.001-08:00

Block Drawing

2007-11-06T15:49:00.001-08:00

If you l0ok at this from the bottom my drawing gradually becomes more accurate. We've been drawing our platonic forms in class and it's a lot more difficult than it looks due to all of the angles.

Shading Techniques

2007-11-06T10:36:00.002-08:00

Exercises 2.10-2.12
Exercise 2.9

Exercise 2.8Exercise 2.7

Exercise 2.6

Exercise 2.5

Exercise 2.4

Exercise 2.3 (still need to upload)

Ex. 2.1 & 2.2

Still Life Shading

2007-10-23T14:00:00.001-07:00

Today we practiced different types of shading with our drawings. I have room to improve, of course, but I was pretty pleased with the outcome of my drawings.

10 Designers You Should Know

2007-10-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

Renzo Piano is one of my favorite architects. His work amazes me because it is so intricate yet so simple at the same time. He knows how far to go and where in his designs and that definitely shows. His work includes the Centre Georges Pompidou in France, which is featured in my blog on buildings. What is even more important is that instead of having his own 'style' like Frank Gehry, Piano really keeps his clients in mind and designs for his clients, not himself.

Frank Gehry likes to push the limits of design. His buildings are crazy, abstract, and out there. He has worked on many museums and public buildings. Although I may not enjoy all of his designs, I appreciate everything he does because he knows how to get people thinking. A building doesn't have to be straight up and down. Gehry turns everyday buildings into extraordinary pieces of art.

George Nelson is very much like Alavar Aalto in that he is known for modernism. His work is now sold along side design 'gods' such as Charles and Ray Eames. Nelson studied architecture at Yale and graduated in 1928. His work includes a myriad of product design including vintage clocks and bubble lamps.

Alvar Aalto, the 'father of modernism,' was a Finnish designer. He was even acclaimed by Frank Lloyd Wright as a 'work of genious.' One of his most famous buildings he worked on was the Viipuri Library. His work is beautiful and all designers should know of Alvar Aalto if they know what's good for them!

Luca Nichetto is a designer from Venice. He is known for product design and he works with glass and makes chairs. His work is sleek, modern, and colorful. I really love his designs and I think they can appeal to all generations however his designs seem to attract younger hipsters mostly.

Michele de Lucchi is an Italian designer born in Ferrara. He is known for product design of lamps and furniture. He also does art exhibitions, writes, and everything in between. Lucchi dabbles in different areas you could say and he is a multi-talented Italian designer.

Jean-Marie Massaud is a French designer. I couldn't find his biographical information because it was all in French. But Massaud designs modern chairs, bookshelves, and other items that are like pieces of art that could be placed in a museum.

Maurizio Galante is a furniture and fashion designer. He is known for doing over the top fashion and very interesting furniture. If one could picture Couture fashion transforming into furniture design, you would have Galante's work.

Friso Kramer is a dutch designer who in the 1940s was part of a group that helped reshape war torn Europe after WWII with beautiful designs. He has worked on everything from office furniture to oil heaters. One of his most famous pieces is the Revolt chair which is now on a Dutch post stamp.

Geoffrey Mance is the new Chihuly of lighting design. His work is very reminisent of Chihuly's because of the colors and the blown glass in many of his lights. His lights are fun, colorful, and unlike most boring lights, are pieces of art.

New Design Technologies

2007-10-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

I am in love with the idea of saving space with a sink drawer! It's so cool! Who would have thought that a sink could go back into a wall? Next there will be retractable toilets and showers! Well, maybe not, but many people live in tiny spaces and need to be able to have the same amount of accessibilities as those who live in large homes have. I was very impressed when I saw this technology and I actually prefer this sink to a regular one.
This is a chic fire extinguisher, that is actually much more simple to use. I've always been afraid that if a fire happened I wouldn't know what to do because I wouldn't know how to use the fire extinguisher in time. This extinguisher is designed so all you do is pull the round nob. I could figure that part out without even reading the article explaining how it works. Emergency equipment should be extremely simple to use because people have enough on their minds in an emergency.

This is a bike designed by Puma that folds up for easy storage! Many people who ride bikes have apartments and they don't have a lot of room to store their bike so this is a great technology. The bike looks kind of funny when folded out normally but if you need the space, this is a great alternative to getting your bike stolen because you have to leave it out on the street.

Random Sketching

2007-10-11T23:12:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get better!

10 Design Firms

2007-10-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

Callison is a large architectural firm with locations all over the world. Their work includes everything from corporate health care to fashion stores. Their work to me is way too safe, they don't seem to take risks or do anything new. They're website is pretty simple to use and other than a few navigational issues I don't see much they could improve on in the aspect of the website. I really like some of the things they do however, and think that they could show off their work and make it look more high end just through the graphics in the website. Their website is like much of their work, too safe, nice looking, but on the edge of boring.

Leo A Daly is an international architecture, engineering, and interior design firm. They're work is very impressive and somewhat relates to Callson's work however it could be the more dynamic graphics of the website or something else but it seems to me that their work has a little more edge. The website is very easy to use and my favorite part is the cohesiveness of the squares and array of pictures that make up every page.

Hellmuch, Obata & Kassabaum is a very impresive firm with an absolutely fabulous website. It's high tech with its use of flashplayer and slightly hidden navigation system. To find the navigation, one must scroll over words at the top that don't even look like links. For someone who is not very good with computers, this may not be very helpful and it might even turn away potential clients. I personally really love the simplicity of the site. HOK did a very thorough job with explaining and showing off their work, location, and everything about the firm.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
is another great firm that I am really impressed with, especially with their commitment to sustainability. I like their website a lot but navigation is a problem. I think that if these websites chose to focus on the easiness and accessibility of their website through their navigation, they would be much more successful.

Gensler Architecture Firm does a really good job with making their site interactive. Even simple things make a difference such as the circles that correspond to a link all move at once when you scroll over them. It's not confusing in the least and is actually kind of fun. The simple lines on this site are really what make the attraction and focus go to their work.

RTLK Architects is a large firm with a great body of work. They design beautiful buildings in highly urban settings. One thing I notice is very popular in their designs is the use of glass, reflection and windows on a large scale. Their website is extremely easy to navigate, it's original, and they let their work speak for itself. I think RTLK's website is one of my favorites by far.

The Phillips Group definitely understands that pictures tell a thousand words. I don't really enjoy the very first home screen for this website, I think it might be too plain. Once I clicked on their portfolio I really enjoyed the graphics and the layout of the many different squares put together. Their body of work is organized very nicely and the only thing I would change would be their homepage to make it more dynamic.

FRCH World Wide has one of the most confusing websites I've come across. I understand that design is a complex system but that should only be seen by the designers. FRCH's designs are not even that complicated. The design firm designs some of the nicer KFC's and Disney stores. I think that FRCH is trying to overcompensate with their web design to make up for their designs.

Swanke Hayden Connell Architects have a very simple but easy to use website. I like the way it interacts and how their portfolio is a long list. It makes it easy to look up certain buildings. The one thing that bothers me is that it doesn't seem as high end as the other websites I've looked at. This is probably because when the pictures are loading, they are blurry for about thirty seconds and then finally load.

Interprise sounds like a great architectural firm however the website is hideous. The homescreen is full of words surrounding the brand name Interprise. Once you enter the site it is just as scrambled if not more. I think if they just simplified things that it would looks so much better and the company would probably be a lot more successful.

Metamorphosis

2007-10-11T21:59:00.001-07:00

Michelle and Monique's Projects

This project was to take two students projects and morph them into one. I made three iterations and each one is different. One is closer to Michelle's red and black boxes, and the other is closer to Monique's shoe. The third iteration is the middle ground between the two. I wasn't quite sure where I was going with this project, you could say that this project somewhat morphed on it's own. I was really unhappy with this project and am somewhat embarrassed putting these photos up. I guess you could call this a learning experience though.

10 Buildings

2007-10-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

The Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeaneret was built in 1929 and is one of my favorite buildings of the 20th century. The long horizontal window brings visual interest to the facade of the building. The windows are so crystal clear from the inside and provide a cohesive element to the house. As much as I enjoy the facade, it's the inside of The Villa Savoye that I enjoy the most. The long line of the silver pipe in the ceiling mimics the the long horizontal elements that are repeated throughout the home from the window to the columns. The pop of color against the white and the simplicity of the furniture works really well and is just right because the inside and outside of a building should be cohesive on a certain level.

The Hearst Tower is a new skyscraper technically. It was built upon the existing Hearst Corporation headquarters. Only the Facade of the original building was kept and the glass skyscraper was added on top of it. I love the triangular design on the outside and the reflective quality the glass gives. Unlike most buildings that go straight up and down, the windows are angled, giving even more reflective quality from the street. The building was designed by Norman Foster and was the first 'green' building in New York. This surprises me since the building wasn't one hundred percent complete until 2006. What I like most about the facade of the building is the way Foster merged the original 1920s architecture with the modern skyscraper.

The Palace Hotel in St. Moritz Switzerland was opened in 1896 by Caspar Badrutt. The Palace hotel is a luxury hotel in the beautiful mountains of Switzerland. Red balconies, and beautiful stone contrast with the dark green roof. The best part is the views of the snow capped mountains. Alfred Hitchcock and Greta Garbo were known to stay at this fairytale hotel. When I think of buildings in Switzerland I think of buildings such as this with wooden framework, stone, and Christmas colors. Although this hotel is somewhat stereotypical of buildings in The Alps, it is still beautiful and I'm sure quite lovely to stay at.

The Albery Theater in London reminds me of an era where men and women dressed up to go to the theater, when technology was hardly as advanced as it is now. This theater is classic and absolutely gorgeous at night with lights hanging from awnings. I particularly love the colors chosen such as the sandstone and how it contrasts with the red and black signs. The architecture reflects the time period but also references classical style architecture which makes a nice contrast between the two styles. The contrast is not extremely apparent and that is what makes this building so successful.

This is a building where a lot of white works wonderfully. The Cy Twombly Gallery at the Menil Collection Museum in Houston, Texas was designed by Renzo Piano in 1995. I really respect Piano's work because he knows exactly what he's doing down to the placement of trees and plants such as in this photograph. The tree hanging down over the steps is absolutely gorgeous and contrasts wonderfully with the white of the building and the yellow light inside. Piano knew not to use stark white, even though this was a museum, he used grays and eggshells so the art work could stand out without the museum being stark white.

The Jubilee Church designed by Richard Meier scares me. I really dislike this building on many different levels. To begin with, the building is too white, so white that It's uncomfortable. I understand that Meier and his associates were going for the look of 'heaven' but to me the white makes me want to stay away from it because it is such as sharp white. Secondly I really dislike the structure of the building, especially the three pillar like structures aiming towards the heavens. I feel like a church shouldn't have such sharp and abrasive lines, that it should comfort and shelter the people inside of it. Churches are a place for reflection and prayer, I don't think I would feel very reflective in a place like this. The last thing that deeply disturbs me is the symbolism in the building. Arcspace.com explains how Meier and his associates designed the building to represent faith beliefs. "The proportional structure of the entire complex is based on a series of squares and four circles. Three circles of equal radius generate the profiles of the three concrete shells that, together with the spine-wall, make up the body of the nave. The three shells imply the Holy Trinity, while the reflecting pool symbolizes the role played by water in the Baptism ritual."

The Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe is simple, modern, and beautiful. I love all of the angles used inside and out. The fact that the house is elevated so high off the ground makes it quite simple to access underneath the house, making it easier to do repairs and fix the framework. My favorite part about the house is actually not the house itself, but what surrounds it. The lush scenery surrounding the house looks like artwork from the inside. The crystal clear windows frame the outdoors beautifully. I really love so many things about this house but it is not livable in the aspect of it being placed into a neighborhood. This house is only comfortably livable if there are no neighbors considering the neighbors could see everything.

The Centre Pompidou in France was designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano. Construction began on the multi-purpose center in 1971 and was completed in 1977. The Centre Pompidou houses a large public library, the National Museum of Modern Art, and a center for music and acoustic research known as IRCAM. The center was made for social interaction. Pipes and all the inside workings of buildings are placed on the outside, making the building like a skeleton. People are able to see how everything works and how things are connected, which is a really interesting part of the architecture. The building becomes a learning experience in itself because of all the pipes and elements that are exposed. The bright colors and industrial pipes were probably very strange in the 1970s, but now they are quite modern and beautiful. I really love the colors used and this building seems like it would be so much fun to visit.

Art Deco Buildings are so interesting to me and the Chrysler Building particulary intriques me because of it's repeated sharp triangles which point upwards in a fashion that makes the building look even larger. For a moment in time the Chrysler Building was the tallest building in the world. That is an impressive fact but height isn't everything, and I am glad that the architect, William Van Alen, didn't sacrifice architectural beauty for height. The Chrysler Building is a masterpiece of the Art Deco period and was built surprisingly fast in 1929. With a competition to build the worlds tallest building in the quickest amount of time, William Van Alen succeeded in much more than the competition.

Casa Mila is considered a great landmark in Barcelona. The apartments were built in the early 1900's. I'm not exactly sure what the building is used for today, it seems like it would be a landmark and museum by itself. Architectural details are everywhere in this building. Living in one of these apartments would be like coming home to a Some find Casa Mila by Antoni Gaudi too free-form and much like a bee-hive or castle in an aquarium. Personally, I love the curves and nooks in the balconies of this art nouveaufairytale everyday. If I every get a chance to go to Spain, this is the first place I will visit.

Perspective Drawing

2007-10-10T13:33:00.001-07:00

Less than a week until fall break and less than 24 hours until I'm 19! This week we're working on perspective drawing. I have drastically improved on my drawing skills and I need to work on my perspective drawing so I am glad we are working on this. I really have enjoyed getting into smaller groups for our drawing class. My favorite was Suzanne's group because we got to work with magazine layouts and fonts. It was so much fun. Drafting may not be as much fun but it is something we have to do. My favorite part about being in the studio and in a program like this is that I can talk about how much I like a certain wallpaper or font type and not sound like a loser! haha. It's so refreshing to sit down and talk about design with people like it's the norm.

10 Graphic/Media Designs

2007-10-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that a few people have commented on album art for their graphic/media design research, so I think I will take this opportunity to do the same thing and share some of my favorite music with you all at the same time. While I'm talking about music, listen to WUAG 103.1 FM next semester from 5-7 on either Tuesdays or Thursdays. I am not sure which day I will have yet but I love being a DJ and I get to listen to some of the best underground and indie music out there. Indie music is the only way to go in my opinion and WUAG has everything you could ever possibly want. Now back on topic...

Julie Sokolow is a indie/folk artist with a beautiful and calming voice. Her music makes me just want to drive around and contemplate life. I really like this album design is because it gets your attention. It's not too complex, complex album art can be nice sometimes but most people really are interested in the music. Simple yet appealing album art is the most effective in my mind. If I went into a record store I would definitely pick up this album just because of the album art. I love the idea of cherries on strings hanging from a tree. It's not something you see in real life and the colors are what are really interesting. The spots of red get your attention while the white brings it all together. Also, the font is perfect because it seems to represent her personality and music. Her music is feminine, not always serious, and sometimes sad and I see that in the font and album art. Listen to the song "seasons" off of this album, it's amazing.

Joanna Newsom's music is a beautiful mix of folk/experimental melodies. She plays the harp and her music is really soothing and I have some of her songs on my sleep mix on my ipod. This is why I love this illustration of her playing the harp and putting someone happily to sleep. This illustration is really cute and I like how the polka dots are out of order and randomly placed. I also like how the illustration is not colored in and it is just black and white so we can see the background behind it. The blog where I found this said that "Joanna Newsom is music for English majors. Newsom's are not so much songs but stories—sprawling pages of verse peppered with clever rhyme schemes." I love that statement and I guess that is why I love her music so much, If in some way design was not my favorite thing in the world, I would be an English major. I love poetry and her music is quite poetic.

This poster reminds me of the Julie Sokolow album art because of the tree and the hearts on strings. I actually saw this poster for Ted Leo back in high school and was inspired by it. I turned it into an art project and used the same idea with the hearts on the trees. Unfortunately I didn't understand the importance of documenting your work and so I don't have a picture of it. I really don't like the colors in this poster. It seems to me that the hearts and the tree are very 'girly' and 'girly' colors would have been more effective, but then again I understand that they are trying to advertise a band. Band posters can be very strange sometimes but I think the art is so interesting and different.

Wilco is a great indie rock band with influence in alternative country. Alternative country, as in the kind you don't see on CMT. I like this band poster because the lime green really pops against the white background. The people in all different positions and outfits are really interesting and fun to look at. I think the black and white people was a very good choice because the focus should be on the band name and the the artwork as much.

I actually have never heard of any bands on this flyer but I picked it up as soon as I saw it because of the colorful and interesting artwork. This is a flyer for an art show and music at The Green Bean in downtown Greensboro, probably my favorite coffee shop ever. I would just like to say that they truly make the BEST coffee I've ever had. It's a great place to just hang out and do homework as well. Back on topic, I don't understand what deer and hearts have to do with this show but frankly, it doesn't matter. It's a nice composition even if the artwork is a little disturbing with the heart. I really like the bright color combination, it really caught my eye.

I haven't listened to this particular album by Band of Horses, but I have listened to some of their lasted albums and they are really good. Listen to "The Great Salt Lake" by them, I play it on almost every radio show I do. I really like this album cover because it reminds me of my childhood, yelling at the planes in the sky as they passed, and waving. Band of Horses has branded their name in a way. They have made all of their merchandise and album covers have the same font for their band name. I think that is a really effective strategy because it familiarizes the customer with their name. I also like how the tree and the person are black silhouettes against the bright blue green sky.

I love Polaroids and this picture makes me want to draw a Polaroid camera now. The colors aren't too bright but they are still fun and the big stripes are really aesthetically pleasing. My favorite part about this poster is the actual Polaroid picture with the three artists. The Silhouettes are done really nicely and the black contrasts nicely with all of the colors. I haven't heard many songs by Peter Bjorn but what I have heard I really like.

Blonde Redhead has a lot of different influences in their music. Some of their music is psychedelic, some is more towards the folk end, and some songs are more indie rock. When making album art or band posters I think it's really important to represent the band and their personal style of music in the artwork. I think this poster might be a little childish in the design but represented Blonde Redhead in a nice light with the colors used. Blonde Redhead is not all butterflies and stars and I think that this poster makes them look less serious. I love the colors used and the psychedelic patterns on the butterfly.

Finally a poster that captures the essence of the artist. Cat Power is a devistatingly beautiful woman who hides behind her hair and is one of the most insecure and quiet singer/songwriters ever. She makes very pretty, sad, and slow music and she often reminds me of a shy little girl with pressure constantly coming down on her (hence the arrow coming down on her head.)

Tegan and Sara recently got onto MTV and I am somewhat sad about that because their music is so amazing and I don't think Fergie and Akon deserve to be placed next to such talented artists. I think that The Con, Tegan and Sara's newest album is their best yet and the album cover doesn't really do it justice. I don't really understand the album art because the picture on the front you can't identify and the writing behind it you cannot read. But it looks like a journal, a secret, something you have to examine really well to understand. I do like the secretive element to the cover. Listen to all of the songs on this album but make sure you listen to "Call It Off."

Design + Zine = Dezine!

2007-10-02T11:44:00.001-07:00

What is a zine? Why it's a mini magazine. Dictionary.com puts it in more specific terms though.

zine also 'zine (zēn)
n. An inexpensively produced, self-published, underground publication

For this project we were to create a 'zine' for design. I picked 10 objects from design magazines that I was interested in and commented on them. Researching this project was so much fun. I sat in the library here at the studio for hours with Missy just looking at amazing design magazines, sitting on designer couches, dreaming about owning/ designing the same types of things one day. I spent a lot of time on the commentary of the objects and not as much time as I wanted to on the actual making of the zine. This is probably why the images are slightly crooked. Although there is room for some improvement, I think that the craft overall is nicely executed. The cover of the booklet was a nightmare to make. I was trying to print an irregular shaped piece of paper and get the title in the correct place. This is why the bottom of the title is cut off. I think that it could be considered an artistic touch however and that is why I left it (also the fact that I had to go to class). There were a lot of technical issues that were frustrating while making the zine but in the end I think it turned out nicely.

Magazine Layouts

2007-09-27T13:46:00.001-07:00

Have you ever stopped to look at the layout of a magazine? I don't think I ever did before this assignment. We were supposed to look at the layouts in magazines and create a page that discussed what made our studio space special. I was inspired by a few magazine layouts but in the end I came up with my own. I like the crispness of black and white and I enjoyed pages that had a burst of color, so that is what I used for my layout. I used drawings I did of the studio space and students working. It was also fun deciding which font to use.

A Place For A Memory

2007-09-26T13:23:00.001-07:00

How do you design a place for a memory? Do you take it literally and use pictures and actual memorabilia; or do you make something more symbolic and abstract? It's much more potent in my mind to design something with textures, colors, smells, and other qualities that remind you of the memory rather than using a literal approach. For this project we had to write a narrative and make a place for our memory. I like to remember the good times and one of my favorite memories is picking raspberries with my sister. Here is the narrative, I hope you enjoy!

Early in the morning she bolted out the door grasping her younger sister’s hand. They were headed for Stan and Margaret’s raspberry bushes. The bushes were in the far corner of their neighbor’s yard, the closest corner to the little girls’ house. All they had to do was sneak through the crack in the fence and slip behind the bushes where no one could see them. The younger one was five and her dark brown hair was cut in a bowl cut like most children her age. The older sister was twice her age and her long brown hair reached down to her waist and flew past the younger one’s head as they ran towards fence.
First the sisters peeked through the fence, checking to see if anyone was in the backyard, then with their hearts racing they sprung through the tiny opening in the fence and jumped behind the raspberry bushes. They scanned the raspberries and tried to find the plumpest, juiciest, and best looking ones. Their mouths and chins soon turned red and the youngest one’s white shirt had red stains at the top. Then the girls heard across the yard, “Cathy?...Molly?” It was their mother calling them. They quickly jumped up and stuffed as many raspberries in their mouth as they could as they tried to make it to the other side of the fence before their mother could find them. Their mother knew exactly where they were; it was hard to hide the evidence on their guilty chins and shirts. She just smiled and told them that Stan and Margaret had invited them to tea that afternoon and that they should probably get changed.
The youngest took a sip of her tea and then tried adding more sugar and milk, a lot more sugar. Her legs were dangling at least a foot away from the floor as she kicked them back and forth, back and forth. The older one sat slouched, stirring her tea over and over. They both glanced at each other and smiled, both thinking of the raspberry bushes and their little secret.

Below are three different iterations of the project. I have two pictures of my first two iterations at the very bottom and the rest are photos of my final. My idea for this project was to use textures, colors, and smells that reminded me of the memory. The textures of the leaves, raspberries, and dirt from the garden were a large part of my memory. The lush reds and greens of the raspberry bushes and the smell of the tea stuck out in my mind as well. My first iteration was a simple box covered in red paper and lined with real leaves. The paper seemed bland to me and didn't remind me of my memory at all. The leaves, however, really spoke to me and that's where my second iteration came in. I did the entire box in leaves for my second iteration and changed the lid slightly. Although my memory is "secretive" I felt that the lids on either box were not working. Also, the leaves were very difficult to glue onto the box made of chipboard (a material similar to mat board but significantly cheaper). I tried mod podge (a simple white glue) and then hot glue. Neither did the trick. For my final box I used rubber cement to glue the leaves. This worked wonders but smelled quite pungent. I still wanted my box to smell like tea. I mixed a very small amount of Mod Podge, red paint, and earl gray tea to make the textured outside of the box. I was really pleased with the way it turned out. The smell may not be what I had planned on exactly but the textures really work well together. Overall this is one of my favorite projects so far!

(FYI: The scroll with a leather tie is my narrative)

Final Memory Box

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First Iterations

My 'Parti'

Light and Shadows

2007-09-24T13:51:00.001-07:00

If you couldn't tell this is a self portrait I don't blame you. This was an interesting project that I was hoping would turn out better than it did. We had to sit in front of a mirror in a completely dark room with a light hitting one side of our face. Using black paper and white colored pencil we were supposed to focus on the highlights and shadows cast on our face. I really enjoyed doing this portrait and maybe I will go back later and try this again. I am a beginner at drawing, no doubt, so maybe next time it will turn out better.

Contour Profiles

2007-09-20T11:01:00.001-07:00

These are contour profiles of two of my friends here at UNCG. The first one is my friend Michael. He was pleased with the outcome of my drawing of him. He then tried to draw me, and lets just say that it made me feel a lot better about my drawing skills! haha. He wasn't serious about it though. His portrait of me now hangs on my door to my dorm room. Like Tommy says, "It's so bad it's good!"
The bottom contour is of my roommate Hannah. This is the first contour I’ve done of her that actually looks somewhat like her!

Pencil Box

2007-09-18T15:03:00.001-07:00

Design a place for your pencils using only mat board and paper.

I had a lot of fun with this project. I was very low on cash and decided to use newspaper instead of buying paper like I usually have to do. The newspaper was hard to work with at first but once I got the hang of it I really liked the outcome. Consciously placing the words and images on the newspaper was fun too because I got to decide what my box was going to be about. Making a sturdy, well crafted box was difficult at first, and making many iterations really helped me. I tried different methods of joining the sides and the lid. My first iteration was the gray box that looked like it could hold shoes better than pencils. I divided the inside into sections though so it really did hold pencils quite well. Although my first iteration was extremely sturdy, it wasn't crafted as well as I would like and the size wasn't quite right. I scaled down the size for my second iteration and experimented with paint and newspaper. I liked the size of the box and the newspaper, but the paint was messy and didn't give clean enough lines. My final iteration I am very pleased with and I use my box everyday. I think I did pretty well on this project because it is functional and is aesthetically pleasing.

Final Box

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First Iterations

Profiles

2007-09-14T08:06:00.001-07:00

The top profile is of Megan Schwartz and the second is of my roommate Hannah. The second one was drawn at about 4 in the morning. Every Friday my roommate and I have a radio show for the college radio station from 4am to 7am. It's really hard to get up but we absolutely love working there. We get to play whatever we want, as long as it's in the station. We look pretty rough in the mornings and drawing that early doesn't help with the technique of the drawing. There is such a big difference between these two drawings and I think it's interesting because they were done in the same week, just at different times of day.

Contours of People

2007-09-13T10:46:00.001-07:00

People are so hard to draw! Especially when they keep moving. :/

The drawing above was drawn in my philosophy class. This was one of the few days where I didn't fall asleep! haha. I had trouble with the angle of this drawing. It looks like the people are leaning over.

I really enjoyed drawing in the coffee shop at the euc. Again, the angles in this drawing make the couch look irregular.

This is one of the first drawings that I was pleased with. I think I am getting better!

A Place for an Egg

2007-09-12T08:13:00.001-07:00

Design a place for an egg that celebrates a quality of the egg, using only paper.

I really appreciate the originality of our assignments, especially this one. This was the first project we were assigned and needless to say it was the most challenging so far. No glue or adhesive was allowed on this assignment and working with paper is challenging when you are trying to make it fit together and hold, while still maintaining a well crafted object. My original projects used white paper with pops of color in the pillars around the egg such as red. I strove for a more natural look with another prototype by making the pillars into leaf shapes. I think this took away from the juxtaposition of the 'space age' shapes against the natural egg. Using white in the end for all of the paper made the project clean and made it seem lighter and gave a crisp contrast against the brown egg.

I focused on celebrating the delicacy and shape of the egg. The curve in the paper mimics the curve of the egg. Having the egg float in the air and almost touch the two pillars on each side but not quite reaching either one makes it precarious and shows off its delicacy. The very bottom picture I took because it was suggested that the curls at the bottom were unnecessary. I personally enjoy the curls and think they enhance the shape of the egg. They also are necessary for support, otherwise the project would lean to one side.

I really wish I kept my original prototypes for this project. I hated them at first, but during critique I realized how unique and interesting my design was. It reminded me of a space ship, and the final prototype still does, just not as strongly.

Downtown Greensboro Contours

2007-09-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

I want to ride my bicylcle, I want to ride my bike...

2007-09-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

This was done in pencil first and then gone over in pen. I think it really does look a lot sharper. Thanks for the tip Stoel!

College Ave.

2007-09-06T15:07:00.001-07:00

Sadly, this is my 2nd drawing of College Ave. I'm going to use it as my first, though, since my first drawing is so bad. I'm going to go back and do a third because I'm just not happy with it. I guess you could say that my biggest critique is definitely myself.

Frustration

2007-09-06T14:56:00.001-07:00

I've been having a really hard time with these drawings where we can't use rulers and tools other then pens. I will start a drawing and as soon as I see one bad line I quit and start a new drawing. Needless to say that my sketchbook is almost all of the way full because of this. I'm also not used to drawing buildings. My high school didn't have any interior design or architecture classes. I took art all through high school but instead of drawing I painted mostly abstract and expressionist art-which is nothing like clean and precise architectural drawings. I know this is what I want to do, there is no doubt in my mind. I guess it just takes practice right?

Negative Space Contours

2007-08-31T10:05:00.001-07:00

I think this contour is my most successful one so far
This chair was one of my first negative space drawings. It was drawn at a strange angle since it was sitting on a table and I was looking up at it. The seat of the chair you are seeing is the bottom of the seat because I was looking up at the elevated chair.
These Flowers were very difficult to draw the negative space of since there are so many irregular gaps and spaces.

Blind Contour

2007-08-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

This may be my first successful blind contour. I think it turned out well because I rarely picked up the pencil and I focused on small areas at a time. It's funny how this really does look like my hand.

Inspiration

2007-08-30T20:01:00.001-07:00

This is my first post and I am very excited to get started sketching. I came across a really interesting blog with one particular entry that I loved. This blog post showed the process of a drawing and how it can totally transform from it's original purpose. The artist was frustrated with a piece of hers she was working on, so she ripped it apart and used it for another piece that turned out beautiful. I absolutely love how creative the artist was to paste her beautiful strips of paper into a dress. The artist then sketched arms and a face with wispy hair. My favorite part about the drawing is the woman's face. Her face has an expression of complete content that is so hard to capture. I think that when a drawing speaks to the viewer and effects the viewers mood that it is a successful piece of work. Improving people's lives and inspiring others is the purpose of art and design in the first place.
Credit: penelopeillustration.com/blog