Point: Explorations

During this semester I learned several new things one of which was how designers explored different ideas through their buildings. However I have come to realize that over time the more explorations that are done the problems that are encountered. For example the first style that stood out to me as a way to explore new designs and ideas was from the school of Bauhaus. Things began to be more cubed and geometric. This was an extreme change from the glitz of the Art Deco movement and a way to explore new colors with a more primary color palate like reds, blues, yellows along with hues of blacks and whites. While there were very interesting buildings that were created during this time, some of them often had major problems. For example the Farnsworth house which was designed by Ludwig mies van de rhoe, was a very interesting building in concept with its immaculate exterior windows, but it had several problems like over heating in the summer time, and it often flooded throughout the year.


The main idea behind this movement was to eliminate all ornamentation and historical references, thus determining the form of a building based off of its function. While this style did not have a precedent to draw its ideas from, it was however a leader making way for future movements to reflect on and explore ways to redefine these ideas. One of the styles that we began to see later on down the road that draws inspiration from the Bauhaus movement is the Deconstructionalist movement or the “high- tech” period of modernism. The Centre Georges Pompidou is one of the main buildings that shows evidence of influence from the Bauhaus movement. In this building we begin to see the return to geometric and cubical shapes as well as the primary color palette of blue, yellow, and red. However like most other designs there is a new aspect to the technological form of design. While the Bauhaus focused more on shaping the form of the building around its function, the buildings during this movement exposed the structural integrity of the building on the exterior. Roth states, "The exterior, therefore, is a maze of color-coded air ducts, electrical conduits, and Plexiglas-enclosed escalators. It is an exoskeletal building, with the skeleton made up of exposed steel members … It is architecture-as-machine elevated to the most prestigious cultural level" (Roth, 577).


While some may view this particular building as a piece of art, I personally fell that it was not a very successful movement. However there are the few buildings that I believe helped to define this movement one of which was the IBM tower in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. I felt like this building was a true exploration in the form of technological modernism. The idea of this building was to expose the technological structure of this building, and what better way to do it than by new technological advances to do so. This is one of the first buildings that we have studied during this semester that used rotating panels on the exterior making it a machine that’s ahead of its time.



The Explorations unit has given a clear understanding of how designers overtime have used precedents from time periods before in order to explore new ways of design. Whether its from a small scale house like the Farnsworth house or a large tower like in Kuala Lumpur designers have began to explore new concepts and ideas with the technology and machines we have today. However this still leaves us with the question of what the heck happened in the suburbs?

Point Reflections

During this time period we see several ideas that deal with reflection. This ranges from architecture styles to reflections of self and nature as well as reflections upon economic times in this country. For example we see in the Red house a return to the reviving of traditional style houses. When designing this house Kent drew upon elements of design from past styles and reflected them through his work. Even in the Marquand Residence in New York there is a sense of reflection on past styles because this place of residence somewhat “smashes” different styles together. Even in the Richardsonian style of architecture we see a Gothic revival in buildings such as the Trinity Church, which is similar to churches that have been created before over in Europe like the Salisbury Cathedral. We see that the idea of creating something totally new during this time period is invalid. Most of the ideas that are seen are those that reflect on ones that have come before, and either add to or combine ideas in order to design something that has a new view to it.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trinity_Church,_Boston,_Massachusetts_-_front_oblique_view.JPG


Furthermore we began to see a reflection of man and nature through out this time period. In fact during this time craftsmanship became an important factor when it came down to design. There were some people that felt that the machine was the way to go and lead to the future of design, however some people felt that man made items and hand crafting were important and these were the believers in the Arts and Crafts movement. One of the pioneers of this movement named Charles Ashbee gave same clarification on what the idea behind this movement was when he stated “ We do not reject the machine, we welcome it. But we desire to see it mastered.” With this in mind it makes it evident that those who were firm believers in the idea of hand crafting, were only reflecting on and celebrating the craft and intimacy of and work.
During the major growth of the second city Chicago, the World’s Colombian Exposition was a large reflection of both the architectural and economical growth of this country. While the city of Chicago was all about cutting edge and exciting new designs. The Worlds Fair was a time to celebrate and honor the discovery of this country by Christopher Columbus. With this idea the architects who did the buildings wanted to stick with a more classical design that was closer to the Beaus art style. This was very symmetrical, balanced, and done on a grand scale. However the irony in this situation is the fact that the ones who designed and built the buildings were from New York. Even though Chicago had the opportunity to host the World’s Colombian Exposition it was in fact New York who was able to establish its dominance as the countries first city, by designing the white city. " Wealthy American aristocrats seek to establish an identity of social prominence based on European opulence, as reflected in their elaborate mansions and furnishings."(Harwood 346) This is exactly what New York did, they took advantage of this opportunity in order to subtly incorporate the fact that while Chicago may be the new economic hot spot; New York was the original and still remained the trail blazer for Chicago.



http://www.teslasociety.com/beautifulnyc.htm

Point Alternatives

While studying this unit, it has become evident that the idea of alternatives is seen throughout different time periods. However In the Baroque period it seems to stand out even more. This is because people during this time period are interested in pushing boundaries and breaking the rules that were set by architects before them in order to express their own personal statements. The renaissance period, which came before Baroque was all about the revival and rebirth of architecture. However we learned in class that renaissance is only a part of a complete cycle of revolution and “as one cycle ends an new one begins”. Patrick gave a good example of this in class with his “super cartwheel” showing that once the cartwheel was complete one would return to their original state, but off balance. This example can be used as a metaphor to compare how after the renascence came to a full cycle a new one began in the baroque period. This new cycle was offset by the fact that architects knew the rules and boundaries set by the renaissance but began to test and break them through alternative forms of building. When looking at this new cycle in baroque we can see that where man was the measure off all things in the renaissance period, things are now focused more on the theatrics of man and their emotions, which is captured in the designs and ornamentation of buildings. One example of a building that does this is the vestibule to the Laurentian library; the steps in this building emphasize the movement and idea of upward progress with fluid like structures. The detail of the steps is a repetition of movements that exaggerate what could have simply been steps to get a person from point A to point B.



Michelangelo who was considered as one of the leaders of the transition from the renaissance to the baroque period was an expert at finding a way to come up with theatrical alternatives to sculptures, paintings, or architecture. One example was his work o the Sistine chapel, where each of the Biblical depictions contains exaggerated paintings of people who are out of proportion. Even the poses that they were in seemed to be exaggerated the movements of the people even down to the smallest detail like the hands in The Creation of Adam.




Michelangelo who was considered as one of the leaders of the transition from the renaissance to the baroque period was an expert at finding a way to come up with theatrical alternatives to sculptures, paintings, or architecture. One example was his work o the Sistine chapel, where each of the Biblical depictions contains exaggerated paintings of people who are out of proportion. Even the poses that they were in seemed to be exaggerated the movements of the people even down to the smallest detail like the hands in The Creation of Adam.
Details like this are seen all throughout the baroque movement emphasizing on movement. Even in the architecture of buildings such as the Palace of Versailles. The hall of mirrors in this building creates a form of movement by either “thrusting” one outside as they walk through the hall or pulling the outside garden into them the interpretation is up to the person’s experience. This is done though the use of oversized mirrors, which counter act the light that floods in through the large arched windows. The arched ceiling as well as fluid like ornamentation adds to the rhythm that flows throughout the hall. Even details like the glass chandeliers and the pose of the golden candle holders emphasizes on movement in the space.


Buildings like this are examples of the strong overall idea of creating alternatives to boundaries and rules that were set by time periods before. They also show the emphasis on movement, and the idea of taking things that have been made and expanding and making them your own.

Point: Foundations

During the foundations unit most of the structures that we have discussed transcended the way that architecture was viewed in their respective cultures and have taken original ideas of building further. Through out these time periods new methods are developed for more effective forms and structures. We also see the use of arches, vaulted ceilings, flying buttresses, and domes, which have lasting impacts on buildings to come. The scale of buildings are also taken to another level, as seen in the Roman temples to the Cathedrals during the “Dark Ages” and the idea of the Wu-Wu, emphasizing on the importance of the power of verticality. The idea of stacking also occurs both in the structures like the Roman Coliseum and the Cologne Cathedral. The use of stacking allowed buildings to be built upward with stronger support. Arches were also used to help support and strengthen these structures. However we see the use of flying buttresses in the Cathedrals, which was a new idea to help expand the idea of verticality and reaching Heaven. Stacking doesn't only serve the purpose of firmness, but also serves as a commodity because of it allows more room to be used, and ads visual delight to buildings like the cathedrals. At the same time the Romans stacked with the use of arches for structural support because horizontal stacking was the most important to the Romans.

http://starlightwalker.com/blog/?cat=8&paged=2

We are also able to see how important the elements of Circles are in two of the cultures we studied in this unit which were Rome and England. The idea of the circle was important to the function of worship in religious structures like the Pantheon in Rome. This can be compared to the Stonehenge in England. The Stonehenge is one of the most mysterious structures that stands today, however there are hints indicating that it could have been used for religious purposes. The idea of using a circle to worship creates an area where there is complete equality among those who are in the structure, but the verticality and scale of the structure is what emphasizes on the function of the building. In the case of the pantheon the size of the space emphasized on the power of the gods and made one feel small in comparison to their might almost forcing religious experience on them.
We also see in this unit the use of line as a form of building. It is evident with the rise of Mycenaean architecture. Unlike the earlier Minoans, whose architecture was based on a carefree culture that took pleasure out of life, the Mycenaeans built large walls around the city of Mycenae in order to fortify it out of fear of invasions. Another culture that also uses this form of building is the Roman culture with the use of structures like roads and aqueducts. While there were not exactly buildings or places of worship, these structures helped to transport people and items freely along an axial plane. For example the aqueducts transported water into the city and help provide for the baths. At the same time the roads of Rome all met at crossroads at some point or another, which almost supports the phrase “All roads lead to Rome.”


http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/South/Bosra/blog-349839.html

Point Theories

During this learning unit I learned a variety of new themes and major design movements. One of the main themes that stand out to me is the idea of Commodity, Firmness, and Delight. Vitruvius first used these three terms in order to describe what he believed was good architecture. Years later Sir Henry Wotton used these exact same terms, as a means to describe well-built structures. Over the year’s commodity, firmness and delight have held several different meanings for different cultures ant time periods. Architecture concerns not only the buildings but also the people who build as well as interact with them, this is why it is important to focus those three terms when designing a building. As a commodity the building must have some sort of use after all, what’s the point in building a structure that has no purpose? An architect must also make sure that his or her creation is stable enough for someone to interact with. Even though it may not seem as important as the other two, a building also has to have some form of aesthetics so that the person using it can take delight in it. For example

I feel that the New York Public Library fits the theory of commodity, firmness, and delight perfectly. This building serves as a public area for people to read, research, and do other things that they would not be able to do in another type of building. So it does have a function to it making it a commodity. Furthermore the structure of this building has lasted from 1895 until today spanning 94 years after it was first opened. After lasting this long it is evident that the building was built with a firmness that has served people for years. Also I personally am able to find delight in the layout of this building because it is an open space that is ornamented fairly well and represents American tradition and culture. In the book Understanding Architecture, by Leland Roth he stated that “ architecture is arguably the most accurate, the most truly revealing, human cultural artifact”(Roth, pg.12). This is indeed true because architecture itself gives others insight about where people are from as well as cultural influence that ma be evident in a structure. When it comes down to it there are several aspects in architecture, which are important to know about people: their needs, their way of life, and their culture.
In today’s society because of the diverse styles and form, it is important to understand and keep in mind the fact that there will always be a difference in taste, especially between different cultures, but the best way to handle a situation like this is by bringing all ideas to the table and compromising. Furthermore, while people of different cultures may interpret things differently the same basic theory of design is applicable to all people. Sir Henry Wotton’s ideas of commodity, firmness, and delight have a large influence in the field of design. In conclusion during this first section I have learned many aspects in regards to designing and design processing. However culture as well as commodity, firmness, and delight are some of the main points that stood out to me throughout this first section of the class.