[ALTERNATIVES] unit summary

Ritual Shape Buildings and Building Shape Rituals

         In the churches circles are a very sacred form and symbol because it is the connector from earth and heaven.  In the Church of the Nativity around the center of the cross is a circle.  With it being on the alter, the circle allows the focus point to be the cross.  There are also circles found in the designs of Santa Constanza and Hagia Sophia.  Also being developed from a circle pattern is a dome.  It allows light to come into churches.  In the church of the Holy Sepulchre a dome is the sacred burial spot, but still has function.  The courtyard separates the dome and the basilica where the people gather in one area so they can hear.  After a while architects and designers started to test the boundaries and break rules of the normal rituals and go outside the box.  

The Duomo, in Florence, Italy, shows the rebirth of antiquity, individualism, and humanism.  It rediscovers the natural world and is a reglorification of the state as a work of art. The Venezia is known as the city of floating stone, where you can find Santa Maria della Salute, while there is still a dome on this church it is a pilgrimage church inside a city.  The Doge’s Palace, in Venice, is designed to resemble lace. Glass and lace were important materials in Italy.  Filippo Calendario’s design did a good job in doing so.  Piazza San Marco is the principal square of Venice.  It is the only urban space called a piazza in Venice.

Grammar:Syntax

[Re]visions

A new model of something.  In design we do a lot of planning and thinking and it can sometimes be to complex and so we revise it and turn it into something better.  Last week we went on a nature hunt and found inspiration from things in nature.  We drew thumbnails of the patterns we saw from the things we found in nature.  And this week we have designed a model to reflect what patterns we found in nature and that also ties into a celebration story from our life.  It is also suppose to work with light and shadow, so if one model doesn't work we revise it to make it work.

Audience

When designing something a key factor is to think about how the audience will react to it.  The designer wants the audience to be wowed and amazed by the design.  At the DATS program we went to at High Point University, Alexander Julian was one of the speakers.  He talked about when he was called and asked to design the new UNC basketball jerseys.  He had a design in mind, but wasn't sure how the basketball players would feel about it.  He thought carefully about his audience and how he would get the players to like it and so he called Michael Jordan and asked if he would mind coming with him to show the design.  He did, and the players thought well if Michael Jordan likes it we'll wear it.

 

Character

The most common definition for character is the character in a story.  Another is, how the person acts would be his character or characteristics.  And in design an architect makes his building more interesting and delightful by the character it shows.  For my History and Theory of Design class we were to pick a building in the 20Th century that we will be working with through out the whole semester.  I chose the Mercedes-Benz Museum because of the character is has.  It is a modern design, designed to take the shape of a three leaf clover.  

Transition

A change or movement from one place or thing to another.  Transition takes place a lot in design.  Whether its the change from one level to another or to a completely different idea.  I think of transition having a lot to do with a pathway or road to lead you to where your suppose to go, but I think the transition is noticeable.  Like in a house when you walk from a living room to the kitchen the transition you made is from couches and a television to a refrigerator, sink, and cabinets.

Datum

A line or point used as a reference to measure.  When I think of a datum line I think it should be around eye level when things are hung so that it's easier to see.  When we were planning and placing images on our presentation boards about our buildings we used a datum line, making sure everything lined up and were evenly spaced so that you wouldn't be distracted.

To summarize this week, I feel like as a designer you should think about the audience and giving you design character and if something doesn't work you should revise it.  The transition you make from one place to another should be thought about and when hanging things up use a datum line. 

Precedent Analysis [deliverables]

[outline]

The Mercedes-Benz Museum

I.  Introduction

II.  Body

       A.  History/Background

             1.  Why it was built?

             2.  Who built it?  When?

                    a. Key dates

3. What is it used for?

             4.  What does it represent?

       B.  Building Itself

             1.  Size

             2. Shape

             3.  Materials

             4.  Interior 

              5.  Exterior & Surroundings

       C.  Museum Tour

              1.  Admission

             2.  What will you find where?

             3.  History

III.  Conclusion

       A.  Why I chose this building.

       B.  Summary of all.

[views & media]

• plan view, 1':1/4", pencil on bond
• front elevation, 1':1/4", pencil on bond
• section cut (n-s), 1':1/4", pencil on bond
• section cut (e-w), 1':1/4", pencil on bond
  
• 1 point interior perspective, colored pencils on bond
• 1 point exterior perspective, markers on bond
• 2 point exterior perspective, markers on bond
• interior detail, colored pencils on bond
• exterior detail, watercolor on bond
• diagram, pen and colored pencil on bond

[questions]

What should I focus more on in the essay?

Are the drawings a good variety?

Precedent Analysis (new)

The Mercedes-Benz Museum is located in Stuttgart-Unterturkheim, Germany.  UN Studio was very creative in the design process, and it was completed and opened in 2006.  This steel structure with modern glass houses around 100 cars.  It is a spiral ramp showcase, with a tour starting at the earliest models to end with the newest.  The building is shaped with three rounded corners, in the shape to mimic a three leaf cover.

Jeff's Room

Crit Room

Lead Holder

Pat's Furniture

Pat's Furniture

These are my elevation views for Pat's chair.

These are the section cuts.

Quiz

[P] Week

Periphery

It is the external boundaries of a surface.  With the portal project we did we had to work with the boundaries of other objects on the wall and by not going into the boundaries of other portals.

Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of all the work we do in a well-organized carrying case.  In is a good way of storing work that you will need later on.  If you are going to an interview for a job, it allows the employer to see the employee’s ability to complete certain tasks.  It should also be in order and have things labeled.  

Process

This is a continual action of work that allows progression to happen in a forward motion.  The process of something is a well-organized plan that one goes through to get to a certain point or place.  The process we did starting with reading a fairy tale then ending at building a portal took careful planning and thinking.  The different projects we made and designed in between were part of the process of getting to how the design our portals.

Perspective

It is the angle in which you view an object and the depth of an object.  Last semester we worked with perspective a lot and learning to see things with depth.   We drew four perspective drawings.  I did an interior one point, an exterior one point, an exterior two point and a one point looking above something.

Professional

For something to look professional it needs to be well crafted and well presented.  When mounting images on a board there shouldn’t be any awkward spaces and the proximity of images should be thought out carefully.  If words are needed on a board then the architectural lettering should be very neat and readable.  Also, using guidelines will help.  This week our groups for the building projects were to put all our images on a board.  My group carefully thought about the background color, the size of each image, and the placement of the images.

Portal 114

Macro to Mirco

Porch/Court/Hearth

Within the Acropolis you can find a porch, court, and hearth.  The porch is the main entrance way.  In the Acropolis, the Propylaia is considered the porch.  "Entry is through a propylon gate into a court." (Roth, 218)  The court is the main area of open space. In the Acropolis, the area between the Parthenon and the Erechtheion is the court.  The hearth is the area that is private and only allows certain people in.  The Parthenon is only for priests to allow them to worship. 

Diagram

A diagram illustrates more about what happens with each part.  For our buildings we were assigned, we took a look at each the context, function, circulation, and hierarchy for the building then to diagram them using a key.  I looked at the function of the building.  I outlined in blue the parts of the building that were private, and outlined in orange the parts that were public.

 Impression

Impression is the image you see when you first look at it.  In history we studied the different cathedrals types.  I looked at the Amiens Cathedral in France and the impression it gives of being such a tall piece of architecture shows its importance. "Churches and other religious buildings emerged as the preeminent architecture." (Roth, 298)  They built the cathedrals making the interior a mystic image of heaven.

Detail

A detail is something that is something so small that is actually something big.  In drawing class we have been assigned a building on campus to study and draw and our last assignment was to pick a detail from that building that lets people know what building it is.  I chose to draw the arches made with brick.  Arches could be seen a lot of places, but the bridge, linking Curry and Ferguson buildings together, with the arches underneath lets people know what building you mean. 

Composition

The composition is how the different parts make up the whole.  I think a good composition that works well is one that the page is balanced out and has equal movement, context, and color.  At the beginning of this semester we were asked to draw five things that illuminate us.  I think that the image below is a good composition I did because I thought out where the objects would go on the page before I just drew them.  The text is written around the object it talks about and I think that the orange works well and there isn't too much of orange or black used.

[FOUNDATIONS] unit summary

   Sir Henry Wotton said, “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.”  Commodity is if the building has all the needs and being utilitarian.  Firmness is being able to stand the test of time.  Delight is the beauty and if the building is well pleasing to the eye.

The Egyptians were a big influence for the foundation of architecture.  The pyramids were built to have commodity firmness and delight.  The pyramids in Giza were designed to keep people out by building them to look like polished limestone so that the sun would reflect on them.  They were used to store and hide objects of value, and also some were used for burial.  Time was very important to them, they tried to make the buildings outlast the people.  They were also designed to set out from their environment.  Hieroglyphics were written on the pyramids to tell their stories.  The Temple of Amon’s architecture empowers the civilization and commands the common people to worship the gods.  Hierarchy is shown in both the Khufu and the Hatshepsut.  Both are built differently but still show it in different ways. 

The Greeks were trying to achieve the ideal and perfection.  They wanted the ultimate and had the most influence on America.  They used the post and lintel system to build temples and portals.  They built the temples for priest and leaders to use for worship.  To illuminate statues, the openings around and between post/columns allowed light to shine in.  In the Acropolis, the Parthenon is most important structure; this is shown by making it the biggest.  Also, when you enter the Acropolis it is set at an angle to emphasize that. 

The Romans were influences to build to make spaces for the people.  The most famous piece of architecture they built was Flavian Amphitheater (the Colosseum) in Rome.  They were designed to hold sport events and other entertainment.  The arches allow it to be firm and last the test of time.  The look of the Colosseum is very delightful because of the arches and the use of different column orders on each level. 

I think that this unit of foundations was very important.  It told us where designs have come from.  I think that commodity, firmness, and delight are important because they are what make the building a piece of architecture and not a sculpture which would only have delight.