[Re]actions

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there was much exploration going on.  From exploring new lands, to trade, to the industrial Revolution, there was much movement in the literal way, but also in the way of design.  “By the mid-nineteenth century, Britain led the world in terms of trade and enjoyed great prosperity” (Massey 7).  Also during this time, people began to build with glass and steel.  Some amazing buildings, such as the Crystal palace, were created during this time.  

In design, we tend to look back, or reflect, on the ideas and styles of the past.  If you look around at some of the buildings in American, our capitol for example, go back to the style of the ancient Greeks.  Then there was the Gothic Revival. “The Victorian Gothic Revival was mainly inspired by Pugin and his interiors for the new Houses of Parliament building designed by Sir Charles Barry.  The style continued in use into the twentieth century, feeding into the Arts and Crafts Movement” (Massey 9). 

Not only does source go back to where an idea originates, but since we have been studying perspectives, I have found that source can also refer to the vanishing point, the source of the drawing, where everything seems as if it could have been pulled from that point.  I feel that is the effect, because every line that is not horizontal or vertical goes to this point, which makes it seem like they came from this point.    

Rotation, I believe, would have to do with the rotation of ideas from country to country.  This is why we can find the same style in different places all around the globe.  As people explored, they took their ideas and styles with them.  When the British began colonizing the Americas, they brought with them the style of architecture at the time. 

Illuminate: In Studio, we have been working with light and shadow.  We had to create something using ¼” MDF.  It had to show the relationship between light and shadow in a creative way.  I started out with a box that had little “windows” in the sides.  From there, I added six slats into the box with the same design as the outer panels.  I then went from six slats to four.  Finally, I ended up with something that looks kind of like a bookshelf, but it still uses the same pattern as the original pieces.   When put in the light, it causes the shadows to crisscross and form a checkerboard pattern. 

Grammar:Syntax

[re]visions:  Revision is going back and looking at the work one has done and changing it and manipulating it to make it better.  With architecture, this could mean making something of a different scale or style or simply changing a design for structural purposes. 

audience:  In design, the building or space needs to fulfill the characteristic of delight.  This means that it needs to appeal to its audience.  For example, if you were to design a space meant for children, it would need to appeal to them.  This could involve things to climb and play on and bright, fun colors.  Another example would be Versailles.  It was designed to please the King of France and to show that he had the most money and the most fabulous house.  It was to be large and elegant to show his power and his royal status.

Character:  Every piece of architecture has it’s own character.  Patrick was talking about how, in France, all the houses in parts of France were connected together and all shared the same basic façade.  This was character of the whole complex, but not of each individual house.  With houses today, we see a similar case.  Many houses, especially in developments, tend to look basically the same as all the others.  However, on the insides, each home has it’s own character.  

Transition:  Throughout time, architecture has been through many transitions.  From the early civilizations to modern day, architecture has been revised and changed.  Transition is also very important when creating a presentation because you need to be able to move form one thing to another.  The project need to be understandable to those who look at it so that the information can be put across in a neat and readable fashion.

Datum:  In our last project for drawing, we had to set up project boards.  My group chose to run two datum lines through our boards.  We had a larger red datum line running on the top that went from a solid line to the brick layout of the floor.  On this was the title of our building and our names.  Under the diagrams, was the other, smaller datum line.  On this one, we wrote our statement about our building.  The datum lines were used to establish order and boarders within our project

P Week

Periphery refers to the edge of something, such as the edge of a building.  I would associate this word to the walls of a space.  In Drafting, this could refer to the boundary created around the edge of the paper.  

A portfolio is very useful in showing a person's work.  It is used to keep the artwork or other things together and in a place where the person can go back later if they need a work.  For Drafting, we keep all of our assignments in our portfolio.  A portfolio, however, does not have to be paper copies of everything, it can also be found online.  Our blogs are like online portfolios.  They are a place for us to keep our work and be able to talk about it and let others look at it.

Every good project starts with a beginning model or drawing, but through a Process, it is developed and made better.  It is always important to be able to show your process, show how your ideas have changed through trial and error or the thoughts of others.  A person's portfolio is a good way to keep track of a project's process.  One example is the process each group had for the pathways project.  We began with drawings, throw up sheets, and ideas.  We took those and made many more drawings and models.  Through the ideas of our fellow students and the teachers, we created our final ideas and began casting.  We had many critiques and will be installing the final pieces soon.

We have been working with perspective since last semester.  We looked at one point, two point, and three point perspectives.  In Drawing this semester, we did perspective drawings for our group project, where each group had a building.  My group ended up choosing two perspective drawings per person for the final presentation boards.  Now we have begun again with perspective drawings in Stoel's drafting class.  

For the project for drawing, with the buildings, we were to create final presentation boards.  These boards were to present the information about our group's building in a functional and professional manner.  It is important to be professional when presenting your design and your ideas, because you want the client to choose you and your design over all the other choices.   

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Name:  Bank of China Tower

Where: Hong Kong, China

Architect: I.M. Pei

Built: began on April 18, 1985

I found this building interesting, and for it's time, it was a true innovation in architecture.  For a few years, it was actually the tallest building in China.  

these photos were from the DATS symposium in High Point, North Carolina.  

These are photos of the final product from the portal project.  I worked with Neal and Chey on this project.

Unit Summary: Foundations unit

            The foundations unit did just as it says.  It set the foundation of architecture.  In this unit we discussed different ways that people found to build things, such as the post and lintel type of construction from Stonehenge.  This idea was carried all the way up through to the Greeks and the Romans.  Stonehenge provided us with the mystery of how this ancient civilization was able to lift these huge rocks up so that they sit on top of two others.  Another civilization that provided us with a mystery was that of the Ancient Egyptians.  They brought about the idea of building massive columns.  The question was once again how had they been able to achieve this?  When looking at the surroundings of ancient Egypt, we saw that there was mostly sand.  This meant that they would build up the sand around a column as it was being built and then dig it out once they had reached the top of the column.  Something else we saw happening was the similarity of ideas and structures who’s people had no contact.  An example of this is the similarity in shape of the Great Wall of China and the snake-shaped burial mound of the Hopewell Native Americans.  Both have a curved structure, however they have different uses.  One is used for protection, while the other is used for burial.  Two other civilizations that share similarities in structures are the Aztecs of Teotihuacán and the people of Mesopotamia.  The both built stacked pyramids.  Another concept that was discussed in the foundations unit was the sharing and the passing down of idea.  The Romans developed the idea of columns.  This was borrowed by the ancient Greeks and became a major part of Greek architecture.  The Greeks developed the idea further.  They developed the concept of the orders.  There were four orders: Doric, ionic, Corinthian, and composite.  Theses orders were used to define hierarchy, especially on the Acropolis.  The Parthenon has ionic columns, while the buildings around it have Doric.  This helps show that the Parthenon is the most important building on the Acropolis.  With the rise of the Roman empire, the idea of columns was once again borrowed.  This time, the columns were used not for structure, but for decoration.  The Colosseum has columns of on three of its levels.  On the first is the Doric order, ionic is on the second, and Corinthian is on the top.  These columns are used to show decoration and hierarchy within the Colosseum.  The Romans developed a new concept of structure; one that was stronger and would be able to stand for a longer period.  They developed the arch.  The arch is actually the structural element in the Colosseum, instead of the columns.  The Romans also developed the idea of using a dome roof.  This is seen on the Pantheon in Rome.  It has a circular base with a dome sitting on top.  In the center of this large dome is a hole, which is called the oculus.  The foundations unit was where new ideas were brought into being.  This unit set the framework for what is to come with the cathedrals and other architectural pieces.      

Macro to Micro

The Porch/Court/Hearth combination is found in most or all of the buildings we have looked at from the Greeks to the early Christian period and the “dark ages”.  One example of this system can be found in Old Saint Peter’s Basilica.  Roth states that “in the new church basilicas, entry was from one end, where a vestibule, or narthex, was created, with the alter placed at the far end in the semi-circular apse.  Outside, preceding the narthex, a large atrium forecourt ringed with colonnades was added where the unbaptized withdrew during the Mass of the Faithful.  At Saint Peter’s, entrance to the atrium was through an imposing propylon or gate” (282).  The forecourt or atrium is the porch of Saint Peter’s, the Narthex serves as the court, and the altar is the hearth. 

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Diagrams are used to better explain a site or a plan to someone.  There are different diagrams to show different things.  A few are context, matrix, and bull’s-eye.  “For example, a highly useful type of plan is a diagram that, in presentation, acts as an informative link between site analysis findings and the more formal communication of the design solution” (Porter, Goodman 28).  Diagrams can show how people move within a space, what is around that space, and what the functions are for different parts of a building or space.  These things can be shown using color or different types of shading, from shading to crosshatching.

“Another plan drawing which is seldom made is a composite drawing of the context into which a building is to be placed” (Lockard 28).  A contextual diagram refers back to the composition of a building or space, by showing what is around it.  This could be anything from other buildings to streets to trees and other vegetation.  Nicole Robert and I were actually given the task of drawing the contextual diagram for the Mossman building.  We drew the building with the sidewalks, streets, and parking lots around it.  We also put a few of the buildings that were close to it.    

Detail drawings are usually closer up than perspective drawings.  A detail drawing does exactly what it says.  It shows the detail of a certain item.  One example of this is our assignment for drawing.  We had to each pick a detail that was specific to our building.  I chose to do a detail of the brick floor.  I chose this because bricks are something the Mossman building has a lot of.  The walls, outside walkways, and floors are all made of brick.  No other building on campus uses brick for as much s the Mossman building.

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Impression can be like the feeling one gets from a work of art, and building, or a space.  The Gothic Cathedrals are a good example because of the impression they have upon a person.  When you first walk in, the size of the structure itself and its complexity can cast  a feeling of awe on those who see it.