Showing posts with label IAR221. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IAR221. Show all posts
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
US2..Reverberations
Text Sources:
Understanding Architecture, Leland M. Roth
A Gobal History of Architecture, Francis D.K. Ching, Mark Jarzombek, Vikramaditya Prakash
Sunday, March 27, 2011
BP10...Messages of Revolution
The flag of the United States of America
The American flag is an everyday fixture which we see on TV, in front of government buildings, on the uniforms of service men and women, in front of schools buildings to mention a few locations.
The original flag of the United States of America had 13 stars arranged in circular pattern with 7 red and 6 white stripes. The stars represented the original 13 colonies which were British territories during the early colonization period. After the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776, the flag of the United states was flown for the first time.
There are several different theories about the origination of the flag design.
- Grand Union flag
- George Washington's family coat-of-arms--white shield with two red bars underneath three red stars.
- Sons of Liberty flag--nine vertical then thirteen horizontal red and white stripes which represented the thirteen colonies during the American Revolution.
The original stars are arranged in a circle and I believe that it signifies equality among the 13 states. The color red signifies passion and white signifies purity. The possible interpretation of the colors could be the birth of a new nation, pure and equality for all unlike the British empire.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
RR7...Renaissance
A Global History of Architecture: Francis Ching
Understanding Architecture: Leland M. Roth
Sunday, February 20, 2011
BP6...Gothic Cathedrals as Road Maps in Search of LIGHT
For our history and theory of design course, we studied Gothic Cathedrals in Germany, France, England, and Italy during the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages (450-1500). In Europe, the Middle Ages were characterized by uncertainty, the One Hundred Year War, and the bubonic plaque which killed approximately one million people. The architecture in Europe, was heavily influenced by local circumstances. However, the ultimate universal goal for the cathedrals were to reach heavenly lights through vertical lines.
The local interpretation of the structures can be seen with the Monastery Church of Saint Michael in Hildesheim, Germany. The church has massive stone walls to withstand attack and at the same time, the towers point heavenward. The church has a dual function; it serves as a stronghold and a gateway to heaven (Roth, 315). The "Delight" aspect of the monastery church is almost non-existant. I also believe that Germany's physical location on the northern part of the European continent with its limited sunny days, dark & gloomy skies may have played a role in the architectural interpretation of the monastic church in Hildesheim. The structure does not appear to allow much natural sun light to enter the building.
Saint Michael, Hildesheim, Germany , 993-1022
In France, Gothic architecture of the 10th through the 12th centuries were dedicated to local saints who had been persecuted by the Romans and thus becoming martyrs for their faith (Roth, 314). Churches were built to house the relics of these local saints. It was also believed that the relics had healing powers. The return of some stability allowed believers to take part in the pilgrimage to these sites. The early Gothic churches of France were massive, stony, fortress-like structures with limited natural light inside the structures. However, with more political and economic stability, the later Gothic cathedrals were characterized by deconstruction of the walls and the subsequent introduction of the flying buttresses in order to bring heavenly light into an earthly structure. The church of Saint-Sernin, in Toulouse, France was dedicated to Sernin, the first bishop of Toulouse, martyred in the 4th century. Again, Gothic churches during the Late Middle Ages in France, depict the transformation from the fortress-like structures to more celestial, light, and transparent architectural styles evident in the cathedral of Notre Dame De Amiens. The structure reaches toward heavenly lights with its vertical lines, stained glass windows supported by flying buttresses. The outer facade is bedecked with biblical ornamentation which serves as a road map for the illiterate masses.
Notre-Dame de Amiens, France, 1220-1269
In Florence, Italy, Gothic Cathedrals were influenced by Roman architecture. The San Miniato al Monte, Florence, Italy, 1062-1200 is an example of continuing the influence of Roman architecture with clear geometric patterns on the marble veneer (Roth, 324). Unlike in France, Germany, and England, Italy's southern physical location brought in more natural light and it can been seen in the lighter color palette of the outer facade of the duomo. Lastly, the northern European countries had limited access to ancient Roman architecture unlike their Florentine counterparts. This access allowed the Florentine architects a wider interpretation of Gothic design principles. Not only could light enter through the celestial windows, but light also could be reflected on the clean geometric shapes and light color palette of the outer facade.
San Miniato al Monte, Florence, Italy, 1062-1200
In conclusion, the Gothic architecture of town halls and private residences were adaptions from the forms used in Gothic cathedrals. The result was an urban form of organic integration (Roth, 348). The concept of rising in vertical lines which characterized Gothic architecture for several centuries is currently still being used in our modern day sky scrapers.
Image sources:
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Tuesday, February 15, 2011
US1...
Unit Summary
Week 1: looking in and outward, humans materially encounter the cosmos, construct inhabitable signs and symbols as objects, spaces, buildings and places.
Week 2: circles, groves, and stacks as humanity’s first elements and principles of design throughout a world populated by diverse human expression.
Week 3: The buildings atop the Acropolis in Athens serve as archetypes for all western architecture and design, elsewhere, humans expand groves and stacks.
Week 4: diverse building types abound in the west. Empires stand tall throughout the world. Trade routes bring people, good,s ideas, into proximity.
The first week in class, we studied previous civilizations and their initial quest for constructing inhabitable, ceremonial and ritualistic spaces. The Stonehenge, ca 3000 BCE in Salisbury, England is a great example of this exploration (Ching). The plan for the Stonehenge is a perfect circle and the individual stones reference constellations. It is also believed that the site was used for ritualistic ceremonies and as a precise astronomical observatory for marking events on the prehistoric calendar. The use of a circle as a design element is also very interesting and it marks a very scared spot in its center. Circles are also a symbol for equality and unity.
The second week in class, we focused on circles, groves, and stacks as humanity’s first attempt to apply design principles in their environment. We toured the campus looking for resemblances to ancient design principles which we apply today. Civilizations before us built their cities, buildings, and ritual spaces near water and incorporated the environment into their designs as can be seen with the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak, Egypt. The lotus flower adorns the capitals of the simple doric columns and emulates the vertical human body. The great pyramids of Giza depict another important design element. The ancient Egyptians were very focused on afterlife and the sun God Ra. According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, Ra was the ruler of all that he created. The pyramids were the burial chambers and housed everything that was needed for afterlife. The idea of Heliopolis (City of the Sun) is very evident in the architecture which was used to achieve the goal of becoming close and equal to Ra. The pyramids were constructed on a square base with all four corners meeting at the center reaching toward the sun.
During our third week, we also discussed the prototype (Tuscan, the smallest), archetypes (Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian), and hybrids/composite (Ionic/Corinthian combined) orders . The archetype for all western civilization's building type comes from ancient Greece. The Acropolis temple complex of Athens was an homage to the Greek goddess Athena who won the battle against Poseidon for the patronage of the city. The temple complex sits on a limestone hilltop overlooking the agora and was a ritualistic experience which guided the priests and selected individuals (others were not allowed) toward the Parthenon. The Propylaea was the entrance to the temple, the Erechtheum, incorporated different mythical narratives of the founding of Athens into a single composition, the small temple of Athena Nike was an homage to Athena the victor (Ching). The temple buildings guided the ritual procession toward the Parthenon and followed the design elements of entrance (Propylaea), open space as the court, and the hearth (Parthenon).
During the final week of our unit summary, we focused on the elements of architecture in the Roman Empire; principles of “commoditie” --how does the building function, “firmness” --how does the structure perform, and “delight”--aesthetics & seeing the structure. The ancient Romans used cardo and decumanus in their building plans. Also, the roads and water were the first steps to developing a Roman city and made it easy for the Romans to control their vast empire. The idea of “all roads lead to Rome” was evident throughout the empire; unlike in Rome, the same city grid was used universally throughout the Roman territories. However, the surface treatment of the structures varied at local level. The Roman cities were defined by the roads, aqueducts, baths, basilicas, temples, arches, columns, market, forum, amphitheater, colosseum, and the dome. The Pompeiian ruins showed that Roman buildings were highly chromatic unlike what is visible on the buildings today. We also studied other diverse building types throughout the world. The trade routes brought people and ideas into proximity.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100211-stonehenge-stonehedge-secret-rituals/
http://www.wayfaring.info/2006/09/25/awesome-roman-aqueduct-pont-du-gard/
Ching, Frances D.K. 2011. A Global History of Architecture. New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Roth, Leland M. 2nd ed. 2007. Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning. Oregon. Westview Pres
Monday, February 14, 2011
BP5...Design & Music
I Camini di Casa Batlo'
Your composition is that of a dinosaur
Did you mean to be a scary eyesore?
Your colors are gold green and blue
Do you really want to argue?
Maybe one day your structure becomes less scary
Why did you need such an odd shaped chimney?
Your spinal repetition is way overdue
Otherwise your mammal form would be untrue?
From afar your texture looks majestic
Your close up makes you less dermic
Are you fearful that your secret is revealed?
Do not worry it is sealed
Your bony fingers reach for the sky
How could I have missed that cry?
Even though you are mostly stony
I figured out your amazing beauty
Sunday, February 13, 2011
RR5...Byzantine Empire
Sacred Wisdom
Sources: Ching, Francis D.K. 2011. A Global History Of Architecture. New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Roth, Leland M. 2nd ed. 2007. Understanding Architecture. Its Elements, History, and Meaning. Oregon. Westview Press.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
RR4...Roman Empire
Source: Ching, Francis. 2011. A Global History of Architecture. New Jersey. Wiley & Sons Inc.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
BP4...Commoditie, Firmeness, and Delight
In our History and Theory of Design class, we went on a campus field trip to study the principles of commodity, firmness, and delight--all found in the four structures we studied. Also, during our tour, we did a comparative analysis of the campus's current design and the Roman design principles.
The first building we studied was the Moore Humanities and Research Administration Building; next was the Elliott University Center. The third structure was the Jackson Library; then we concluded with a last stop at the Music Building.
In my opinion, the first three structures did not achieve commodity, firmness, nor delight. However, I believe the Music Building achieved all three of these aspects in the following unique manners:
Commodity: The Music Building functions as a welcoming space to both educate and promote musical creativity. As I walked north on College Rd towards the entrance of the building, I observed the pathway with its tall, undulating rails; the beautiful water fountain, found slightly to the right, was leading me to a very creative and abstract space. At the end of the path, the space led into a round structure that was partially closed-off with curved walls. Benches lied at the foot of each partial wall where students are able to sit, read, enjoy the beautiful views, or a combination of all three. Venturing further, inside I find a semi-circular, stacked brick wall which supports the round organ hall above. Preceding the wall was vinyl flooring with a multiple colors of brown and red. The floor's semi-circular shape created an attractive concentric ring around the wall.
Firmness: The Music Building is also a state-of -the art structure opened in 1999. From the outside, the red brick facade fits nicely into the overall campus design palette. The structure looks very firm and stable; even after eleven years of existence, it still appears very "new."
Delight: I believe that the pathway, fountain, and circular inside/outside spaces were very delightful. These features artfully added the creative feel of the building and helped the Music Building achieve its aesthetic purpose by drawing in the students and visitors.
I believe the Music Building represents who we are as a university--a place for both education and creativity. The building achieves this dual purpose with its specialized and diverse rooms. These distinct offerings offer an array of different majors that accommodate individual student learning and preferences. For nearly each major, there's a particular and dedicated room that focuses on these two goals; this unique organization really captures the essence of the UNCG Music program and helps classify it as one of the best in the country.
Sources: IAR 221 History and Theory of Design class notes
Ching, Francis D.K. 2011. A Global history of Architecture. New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
RR3...Athena Nike
Ching, Francis D.K. 2011. A Global History of Architecture. New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Roth, Leland M. 2007. 2nd ed. Understanding Architecture:Its Elements, History, and Meaning. Oregon. Westview Press.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
BP1...
We went on a field trip to discover how our current buildings in the landscape resembled the elements, principles, and diagrams used in humanity's first efforts to build structures on planet earth. I observed that even today, we use similar building principles as did the humans who built before us. We use circles, groves, and stacks to achieve contrast, emphasis, unity, harmony, balance, and proportion.
One of the questions to consider was if environments influence rituals or if rituals influence environments? I believe that both statements are true. In certain cases, the environment determines what gets built; however in other instances, it's the rituals that actually determine the type of building that is constructed.
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