a pattern language

A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein is a really helpful little book to have on hand. It lays out basic features of any house or space and tells you what the space is, helpful, commonsense things about the space, and some aspects that should be included in the space. It breaks things down into different categories and many of them can be used in this as well as future projects. Here are a few that can be incorporated into St. Mary's.




1. THE INTIMACY GRADIENT
"Unless the spaces in a building are arranged in a sequence which corresponds to their degrees of privateness, the visits made by strangers, friends, guests, clients, family, will always be a little awkward."


This section suggests that the private bedroom shouldn't necessarily be in the front of the house and so on. The level of privacy should start off open to the general public and should narrow down to public, semi-public, and then to private. 





2. COMMON AREAS AT THE HEART
"No social group-whether a family, a work group, or a school group-can survive without constant informal contact among its members."


This section talks about how access to common areas should not be at one end of the space or through the middle of the space but should be tangent to the space to be most successful. Common areas should not be hard to get to or to locate and should always be open and available for groups to gather.




3. THE FLOW THROUGH ROOMS
"The movement between rooms is as important as the rooms themselves; and its arrangement has as much effect on social interaction in the rooms, as the interiors of the rooms."


Here, the size of circulation space is discussed. If passageways are too small it makes people feel unhappy and uncomfortable. Generous passageways are favored and can sometimes include furniture and such. Also, "A hall or passage that is generously lit by the sun is almost always pleasant." 

BP #10

Warren De La Rue made the first known attempt to make an incandescent light bulb in 1820. He put a platinum coil in an evacuated tube and put an electric current through it. It was pretty efficient, but way too expensive to use commercially.

Throughout the 1800's many tried to make a more cost-efficient version of this light bulb. In 1879 there was finally a breakthrough. Thomas Edison and Joseph Wilson Swan created an incandescent lamp that burned for around 13 hours. Edison developed a lamp with bamboo filaments that lasted 1200 hours the next year.

The invention of tungsten started the development of the modern tungsten filament incandescent light bulb by the General Electric Company and William Coolidge in 1906. This is the light bulb we use today.

In 1930 photo flash light bulbs were introduced into photography.

General Electric created a fluorescent bulb in 1938.

The first fluorescent bulb and fixture were displayed to the public at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

In 1976 Ed Hammer invented an efficient, spiral shaped compact fluorescent light bulb. This is the bulb we see and use more and more today.

Today we see incandescent bulbs, CFL bulbs, LED lights, neon lights, and more.

Only when we think back to the days of candles and oil lamps do we realize just how far we've come. Thank goodness for revolution!


sources:
http://invsee.asu.edu/modules/lightbulb/meathist.htm

RR #10

http://www.arthistoryguide.com/Arts_and_Crafts_.aspx
http://decorartsnow.com/category/wallppaer/c-f-a-voysey-trustworth-studios-wellspring-textiles-burrows-extreme-makeover-david-berman-the-spotted-pig/
Massey Reading
Understanding Architecture by Leland Roth

the 'up' house...recreated

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE

RR #9

With trade and exploration continuing to grow, the introduction of coffee to Europe was a pretty big deal. Men automatically took it over, shutting out the women, and made large coffeehouses that replaced their usual pubs. Energized and stimulated by this exotic drink, the men would gather in coffeehouses to talk business, science, politics, and much more. While tea eventually overpowered coffee in popularity, many many MANY coffeehouses are still around today.




 sources:
http://archnet.org/library/images/one-image.jsp?location_id=11988&image_id=97864
http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~plavchan/h115/intro.htm
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/history-heritage/pages-in-history/dublin-coffee-houses/index.xml
http://www.ineedcoffee.com/09/london-coffee-house/
http://www.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/coffee/Coffeehouses.html

BP #9

colonial expansion...sharing thoughts and ideas

sources:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16277/16277-h/16277-h.htm
http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/media_center/image_gallery/historical/ray_kroc_and_fred_turner.html

dining space

In 2015 the UN instated an International Eradicating Hunger Day for all nations. On this day a meal is shared, through the use of social media, with people elsewhere in the world. This event is biannual and coincides with the winter and summer solstice. 

     The event is set up by the UN and families can sign up to share meals via Skype with other families around the world on this day.  My family signs up and has a fundraiser for this event every year. We raise money for fighting world hunger and invite our neighbors over for the meal. This year we've been matched up with a family in Peru. Luckily we're on the same time zone so we'll both have our meal at 4:28. A few weeks before the meal we chat with the family via Skype and get to know each other a little. We then exchange our favorite traditional meals. We'll make theirs and they'll make ours.
The table for the space is 5x5 but another identical one can be connected to make more seating for guests. The chairs are big and comfy a couple of them are small sofas. The main idea of this space is comfort. We'll Skype with the other family on our mirror tv above the fireplace. This way, we share a meal and expand our cultural horizons...all while raising money to eradicate hunger.

These are my final drawings:

axonometric drawing and elevations

When you first walk into the room to the left you see the sideboard which contains cut-outs in the wall. These cut-outs provide shelving and storage for dishes, glasses, etc. To the right you see the fireplace and the mirror/tv above it. Looking forward, you see the large, extended table and past that the glass doors that open to the covered patio.

plan view

The 5x5 tables can be joined or disconnected and moved around. A table and extra chairs can be used out on the covered patio or chairs can be turned and placed in front of the fireplace as well.

top, front, side of table and section view/elevation of sideboard

The table is a solid wooden 5x5x2.5 table. The chairs are comfy and upholstered. There's a variation of chairs and sofas to promote comfort and lasting conversation at the dinner table.

model

Although I think that my project turned out pretty successfully, I really wish that I would've been more efficient with my time and spent more time perfecting and completing it.

BP #8

In a nautilus shell, the shell grows as the inhabitant outgrows it. Each time, the chamber gets a little bit bigger, allowing for a bigger opening. The same can be said for design. As we learn more and grow more, so do our surroundings.

image sources:
http://www.travelbbb.com/tag/giza/
http://crystalhatchlings.com/EasterEggs/Stonehenge.htm
http://www.planetware.com/picture/athens-acropolis-parthenon-gr-gr003.htm
http://www.great-structures.com/amiens-cathedral/
http://www.florence-on-line.com/palazzos/palazzo-medici-riccardi.html
http://www.ursispaltenstein.ch/blog/weblog.php?/weblog/the_hall_of_mirrors/

RR #8

During the 16th century many design and architecture ideas were flowing. While previously buildings were built to be tall and reach toward God and the heavens, buildings were now being built outward and asserting power. Yards and landscaping were also being introduced. Ornate bushes and fluid-shaped fountains were being brought in (and to quote Patrick about the Chateau Fountainbleu, "We got some squiggles, kids!"). Andrea Palladio democratized architecture and gave importance to the little people, or the domestic buildings and made them look just as important as the churches and palaces.