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.

BP #7

Last week we read The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton. He talks a lot about how "A thought-provoking number of the world's most intelligent people have disdained any interest in decoration and design, equating contentment with discarnate and invisible matters instead" (de Botton, 11). He also talked about how St. Bernard of Clairvaux was so unfocused on his surroundings that he walked all the way around Lake Geneva without realizing it was there.
For me, a happy place or space is somewhere that has lots of natural light. I'm basically nothing without the sun and it's amazing how much the sunlight can change my mood. That's the biggest thing. I prefer clean lines and simpler styles-crazy rooms just make me feel crazy.

Friday we traveled around campus in groups looking for happy places and spaces. Many areas came to mind, mostly active and outdoor spaces. We walked by the fountain/pond by the EUC, the meditation room, the garden by the fountain, the swingset by the EUC, the tree by the library, down college avenue, and then some. It was a sunny day and many people were out, making it easy to spot a happy place.

For my place I decided to talk about the tree by the library. It's hidden away on the right side of the library and probably overlooked a lot. It's a huge tree with plenty of shade underneath and plenty of places to sit and hang out around it. There's even a bike rack, prompting people to stop and sit for a while. When I think of an outside place on campus many come to mind. For me, if I'm going to hang out outside on a pretty day I'd like to do it where there aren't a ton of people crowding up the place. This shady area around the tree seems like the perfect spot to me and makes me happy.

And, look, it's marked by a sacred circle

For my space I chose the Weatherspoon Art Museum. Right when you walk in you see how much light is let in from the atrium skylight. That alone is enough to make me happy. Last semester I had a class in the main lecture hall and it was dark, dark, dark in there. There were no windows and the lights were always off because my teacher showed powerpoints to go along with her lecture. When I'd walk out of the door to the class and see all the light that the building lets in, it would automatically lift my spirits. I chose to show the chandelier that hangs over the stairs of the building because I think it's got a happy disposition to it. The materials and colors by the lit windows just seem happy to me.

A quote that really stuck out to me was when de Botton said, "We seem divided between an urge to override our senses and numb ourselves to our settings and a contradictory impulse to acknowledge the extent to which our identities are indelibly connected to, and will shift along with, our locations".  While we may want to get caught up in life and focus on other things, it's ingrained in our nature to care about what's around us. We personalize our bedrooms because that makes us happy. We paint our living rooms because that neon green the crazies who used to live here painted it drives us crazy. We adapt our spaces to what brings us delight. "Belief in the significance of architecture is premised on the notion that we are, for better or for worse, different people in different places" (de Botton, 13).  I think that this is part of the concept of an architecture of happiness.

RR # 7

For my reading response this week, I focused on the Shwezigon Pagoda in Pagan. While somewhat reflective of a former Buddhist university, it stands as a prototype for future temples (or pagodas) all over Myanmar and beyond. Its stacking of terraces that tell stories of Buddha and lead to knowledge and wisdom lead you upward to a circular form surrounding a main stupa (or statue). Talk about following the rules, there's harmony between levels as well as circles and stacks, the building reflects an older one, and contributors can up their statuses by donating panels to go inside the temple. It also relies on stacks and they add not only commodity but firmness. The golden outside adds delight. The Shwezigon Pagoda not only looks to the past but also to the future of architecture...a real golden midpoint.


sources:
http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/myanmar/bagan/shwezigon.php
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/burma/bagan-shwezigon-paya-pagoda.htm
http://www.asiaexplorers.com/myanmar/shwezigon_temple.htm
A Global History of Architecture by Francis Ching: pages 315, 396, 397

Personal Space...The Behavioral Basis of Design

In Robert Sommer's Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design, Sommer talks about the theory that "certain arrangements of people are more suited to certain activities than others" (Sommer 61). He decided to investigate the problem from the standpoint of certain attitudes (cooperation, competition, or separate action) and see how people arranged themselves. The most common arrangement was corner to corner or face to face arrangement for casual conversation.

This is important to keep in mind when designing a dining table because, well, that's the point of a dinner. If there aren't opportunities for people to have conversation the dinner isn't going to be very successful. For the table I designed in my space I wanted it to be one where many conversations could be held. Therefore, I made it a large square table. Each person needs, basically, 2 feet of space at a dining table. By making my table 5x5 I allowed for more than one person to sit on every end of the table, leaving no one person at the end. I made my table so that an identical 5x5 table could be attached via metal hook underneath so that it would accommodate more guests for the event as well. When not in use the table can go outside on the screened-in patio.

BP 6: COMPARING AMIENS & COLOGNE

Friday in class we talked in our groups about the compare 4 cathedrals website. We each got a square from the chart found on the website and our group got "composition: regional differences come to bear on design features" connecting amiens cathedral in france and cologne cathedral in germany.

Amiens, France

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       Cologne, Germany

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Gothic architecture started up in France when Charlemagne showed up around 800 CE (Roth 301). French cathedrals were known for their double towers among other things. They really set the standard for Gothic architecture. Amiens cathedral was the purest version of Gothic architecture and is modeled by the Cologne cathedral. Because Germans didn't really have a distinct Gothic style until as late as the 14th century (according to medieval-spell.com), the Cologne cathedral was modeled closely after the Amiens cathedral. German cathedrals later became known for their single spires and tall, tall towers. For this reason I wouldn't say that the cathedrals really were super clear pictures of regional differences. The Amiens cathedral, yes, is obviously French. The Cologne cathedral, however, is on its way to being distinctly German. Because it's taller and, frankly, scarier than the Amiens cathedral it definitely has its own character and can be considered German but because it's modeled after a French cathedral and has two towers it's not 100% German.

Although the Cologne cathedral was closely modeled after the Amiens cathedral the two have their differences. The Amiens cathedral has a more appealing and happier facade. It's also built more to the ground, showing the friendlier relationship of God and man. The cathedral is surrounded by dense buildings and therefore it's more integrated into the city (probably because it looks happier). The whole building seems to have a more light, airy appeal on the outside and reflects the happier relationship between God and man.



In contrast the Cologne cathedral does not smile upon anyone. It is tall and dark and makes man feel very small compared to God. It's almost a reminder of how little you are in this world compared to God. Maybe it's also a reminder of the looming fate that lies ahead if you don't get inside and do some worshiping? This building is a good example of what my team learned during the "coke can cathedral" exercise. To make our building taller we had to spread out the base a little. Because we did that, our building was able to be much taller. Contrasting the dark and frightful facade, the inside of the cathedral is immensely lit. This is probably due to the amounts of flying buttresses all around the building. They expand out and let in a lot of light into the space.




here is a cognitive map that tells something of the medieval world:

texture explorations

In drawing class we were told to pick a textile, stone, wood, and carpet sample from the studio library and practice drawing it. We had to do a 5-square value scale for each at full scale as well as a 1"=1' scale for each. We also had to use a pencil and a pen for each material. The carpet proved to be pretty hard and time consuming. Because I used bamboo which is pretty linear the wood wasn't too hard. The textile wasn't easy but wasn't difficult. What took the longest was the smaller version of the tile. I had to do a lot of stipling to get the right textured look and that took forever. Overall, I think my composition came out nicely.

RR #6: a truly sacred spot

design manifesto

i believe that design is a process. while for most people, it's somewhat intuitive and comes naturally, that's only part of the process. you also have to consider the objective, the situation, the utilities at hand, etc. you can't just jump in, do a little, and call it quits every time-you have to experiment, make models, re-make those models, and keep editing until you have an end product. becoming a designer isn't easy either. you've got to learn a lot first but having all of this background knowledge in your head is very helpful when approaching a task or situation.
i also believe that good design is contagious. it should make you want to see more. when i see something that is well designed i automatically look for more by the designer. this also shows that good design is exciting and inspiring. we look to fellow designers for inspiration in our own designs. no one design is 100% original. design is also functional, thoughtful, and purposeful. everything that is made has a purpose and much thought should go into the design of a space, object, etc

dining room precedents

To me a dining space should be comfortable and exciting. Colors in the room should echo the excitement of the gathering of people and they should be able to sit comfortably and enjoy their meal and their time together. Here are a few spaces that I found inspiring...


[social space]

palazzo lobby

Having grown up in Las Vegas I know a little bit about "exciting". The crazy colors and patterns (and sounds...hello slot machines everywhere!) provided a nice contrast from the dry brown landscape of the Nevada desert. The pictures are ones that I actually took the last time I was there. The whimsical umbrellas are located above a central, social space and definitely give people something to talk about.



[dining space]

Bringing color and interest to the floors, walls, or chairs makes the room more exciting and lively and that has an effect on the people in it.



[ritual space]

The Church of San Leolino in Panzano, Italy was inspiring to me because although it's got grandeur and an element of seriousness it still has color and life to it without covering the walls in stained glass.