Coming Full Circle

Community

Design is very important when it comes to community. The Disney Concert Hall is a great example of this. The building was very innovative being made out of titanium, yet they did not think of the community. The reflection off of the building created a heat island effect on the adjacent condominiums and caused the temperature to rise 15 degrees in some cases. Disney having the money and resources made the titanium more abrasive and dull. Since the incident, the concert hall has received much praise and made the city, “A major attractant and a cultural magnet for downtown Los Angeles” (Roth 600). The community has benefited from the concert hall and shows how one building can change many things.

Innovation

Frank Gehry was very innovative when it came to designing the Guggenheim Museum. The government of Basque wanted a building that would “bring tourists and cultural venues to the heart of the city” (Roth 600). Gehry and his team usual used copper sheets, but due to health concerns had to come up with a new similar material. The result was the highly expensive but rare and durable titanium. The skin was applied to the building that “they fluttered and shimmered in the wind, contributing a special luster to the museum.” (Roth 600). The titanium although costly was very innovative in the design sense allowing for a new direction in design. The look received much popular acclaim and soon everyone wanted their own titanium covered Guggenheim.

Stewardship

A steward is someone who is actively concerned with the direction of the affairs of an organization . That to me can not only be someone but an element that is THE direction of the affairs of organization. In our studio project, we had to make a meditative/celebrative space for 9 graduate assistants. That room had to have organization and purpose. In all of the first years designs there was an element that brought organization and purpose to the room. In mine it rice paper removable panels that brought everything together. The panels gave direction into what was public and what was private. They gave light direction as well. During the day the panels would shine onto the floor and move the light into the private space, making the graduate student more curious to see what was over there. Design is all about organization of ideas, and one element can be the steward of design.

Authenticity

This word resounds with me deeply. All throughout my life, I have wanted to be authentic, as soon as something became popular or well known, suddenly it did not have much meaning to me as before. I never wanted my ideas to be like someone else’s. That is something that I feel has sat with me as being a first year designer, we were to look at precedents for all our work. The final product, the viewer would not even know was supposed to be the precedent. I never wanted my project to resemble anything anyone else had done before. I wanted all my ideas to be original and me; even if it received criticism at least it was mine and no one else’s. The deconstructvisim movement in design is very authentic. They moved away from previous thinking “suggesting that fundamentally a building exists as an isolated abstract phenomenon.” (Roth 600) The movement was “Described by one reviewer “They’ve tossed out every orderly precept of architecture since the Greeks and have prompted the most basic questions, starting with which end is up” (Roth quoting Cathleen McGuigan). The designs were new and they showed the structure as it was. Sometimes, it came down to that they were unable to make the building due to the computer aided designs. Either way, every designer has to come up with a design that is authentic and makes them different from everyone out there. Otherwise, we will all be stuck with the crap in the suburbs the plain, repetitive, unoriginal designs.

Coming Full Circle

Throughout this year we have gone all the way from the beginning of design into history until precent day. We have gone back to the past to create new things for the future, and we have discarded the past in order to design for the future. These phenomenons have happened over and over again, and will probably continue until the end of time. As designers we have to know what makes us innovative and authentic enough to be a good designer. We are all stewards working in a specific community to make it a better designed world.

Road Trip

ROAD TRIP

Congruence
I feel the word connection works better with this. In history class we must find connections among what happened in the past to where design is now. The history we learn can give a precedent to design ideas in the future. Thomas Jefferson used pantheon as a precedent for his design at Monticello. He also received inspiration from the domes in Rome to design his very own home. He looked to the past in order to move forward into the future.

Roots
Both Thomas Jefferson and Frank Lloyd Wright were looking to design something that defined American architecture. They both found these American roots in different ways. Thomas Jefferson went back to the Roman style of architecture but with his own unique changes to it. He received inspiration from the pantheon in Rome to build the pavilion at the University of Virginia with its U-shaped pavilion and the L-shaped Rotunda attached to it. He has the main building with arms stretching out in the land. It is as if the arms are attaching the pantheon looking building into the land like roots do a tree. The same holds true for his house Monticello. There is the main building with the arms stretching outwards. Frank Lloyd Wright, however, wanted to move away from anything that had been done before and, thus, came up with his own unique style that he felt we should go in American architecture. His design at Fallingwater has the house with cantilevered into the land. Instead of arms rooting itself into the ground his design is like the house is hovering over the water and the water is what is holding the building secure. Monticello and UVA was built onto the land, whereas Fallingwater was built into the land.

Concept
As designers we must all have a concept to start the design process. The Sculptured House by Charles Deaton, the concept he had for his house was “People aren’t people aren’t squares, so why should they live in squares?” He designed his own home first as a sculpture and then put in the floor plan. His work is livable art. I feel that his concept of creating a home that does not have any room with a straight wall fits humans more than the houses today. His work shows that form is important when designing. The Sculptured House also allows light to hit in the key areas of the house, where the panels of windows are and the less important features are in the back. This is just like art, the artist will highlight its most prominent features of a sculpture and hide the ones that are not.

Materiality
At Fallingwater and Monticello we learned about different materials the designers used and how they define the designs. At Fallingwater, the concrete slabs are cantilevered above the natural stone of the land. Frank Lloyd Wright wanted to create a space that was built into the land instead of a house that was simply built onto the land. His creation of stone and the natural elements that make up Fallingwater makes it seem like the water is rushing right underneath the house and the house is one with the natural materials. In studio we were to research three different materials and find out how they were used, the cost, and availability of the materials. The materials I had were silk, glass block, and rice paper. All of the materials I had known prior to the research, but I found out a lot of different design ideas from them. I learned how silk is made by insects and takes a long process to make. The knowledge we have about different materials helps decision making easier, if the resource information is already known.

Compression/Release
At Fallingwater, there is a lot of compression/release happening. The hallways are dark and narrow leading to the private areas of the house, and when a person finally gets to the bedroom they are let out into a very bright open room. This design innovation is used to distinguish different areas from one another. The dark hallways deter unwanted guests from the private areas, and the release in the open areas, makes the viewer feel more at ease in the space.

Between Silence and Light

Between Silence and Light

Craft is something to pay close attention to when designing a space. The care and time we put into the craft of our design really shows when it comes to the overall finished product. At falling water there was a craft issue during the construction process. The Kaufmann’s discussed the structure of the building with a group of engineers, who told the Kaufmann’s that the building would require additional support. Wright was outraged upon hearing of this, but the support was added and the result was added weight. Furthermore, the steel was laid to close together causing a weakening in the slab. Also no attention was given to the deflection that would occur when the scaffolding was removed. This minor craft error allowed the cantilevers to sag 10% when the scaffolding was removed. Kaufman Sr. and Wright would have many heated arguments over the issue but eventually the contractor was removed and construction continued. Over the years the cantilevers sagged more and more until it was deflected around 30% more than it was supposed to be. A group from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy invested in restoring the cantilevers. They carefully removed the floor inserted steel rods into the concrete that pulled the concrete back to its intended position, and then replaced the floor. Had no one paid attention to craft of the building it might not still be around for us to appreciate and enjoy. I pay close attention to my craft in my projects, because if something is off it takes away from the beauty and enjoyment of the project. For my light project I made sure that my craft was impeccable so that everyone would enjoy it the way I did and not pay attention to errors instead.
Public/Private
The first years went on a trip to Monticello and Falling Water recently and viewed the works of late 19th century and early 20th century designers. I was fascinated by falling water and the use of Frank Lloyd Wright’s way of using a dark tight hall that leads to the private areas makes the viewer feel that this is a space that they are not supposed to be. The public areas are more open and airy feeling giving the viewer the feeling that this is where they can relax and are able to be. These open rooms are the living room and dining room as well as the open land surrounding the house. Technique
In design I feel that all designers have a technique to something that sets them apart from everyone else. Something that is original to them, and when viewing the work, the audience can tell who that piece belongs to. Frank Lloyd Wright designs broke away from the cookie-cutter houses of that time and went in a new direction. His prarie houses

[Re] Actions

Rotation
In design there is always rotation from one source to the next. Everything goes in a continuous cycle that eventually starts back at the original design or source. In history we have been learning a lot about how history has shaped design and there was a rotation in design patterns. As we learned at the very beginning Rome and Greece shaped the world through their designs. They were the foundations for the different design patterns throughout the rest of the world from then on. After the American Revolution the Americans wanted to break away from the Roman style that Great Britain had adapted over the years, and instead go towards Greece in their designs. They wanted to revive the past in a different way thus starting a whole new rotation of thoughts. The Baltimore Cathedral revived the Grecian Ionic columns. The portico was “Supported by some of the most beautifully carved Grecian Ionic colums of the period.” (Roth 461) The Romans had borrowed from the Greeks and now that the Roman style of designing was being challenged the cycle was being started over again by the Americans. All designs have to go through a cycle where the designer must go back to their original source and start over reworking the idea further to make a better design for the customer.
Movement
There were a lot of movements going on in the 19th century, both physically and in design as well. People were relocating and moving due to the industrial revolution. Factories were being built and workers were needed everywhere. The urban growth was popular as well. People were moving from rural spaces out into the urban areas. This influx of people caused places like Paris to be rebuilt and reshaped to add order and for health reasons. The sewers were draining into the river where the town got the water from. “When Napoleon became emperor in 1852 he embarked on a rebuilding of the city of Paris” (Roth 491) the town was demolished and the new city went up housing parks and new sewers and it restructured the town to new architecture to house all the people and no longer be a health hazard. Another movement in design was the arts and crafts movement. “To create a fully and contemporary environment was the pivotal aim of the movement” (Massey 33) William Morris was obsessed with going back to the guilds and design without machines. He felt the Crystal palace and the objects in it were all bad design. He set out to reform the design standards. His reformation led to the arts and craft movement and was “fee of any attempt at deliberate copying” (Roth 493). Design can cause a movement across the world. Items seen in Paris may be reproduced in America. This movement of ideas is all about what makes the design revolution unique and inspiring. We all want to be inspired and inspire those around us with our designs.
Reflection
Reflection to me is capturing light and mirroring it back to the viewer. In Versailles I the king’s goal of was to show off his power and having it all relate back to himself. He did this through the elaborate gardens and even more so in the hall of mirrors. The hall of mirrors reflects back the beauty of the outdoors and brings it indoors to command the space as explained by Roth “Windows face the gardens westward and banks of mirrors on the opposite walls reflect the light throughout the room” (Roth 419). This reflecting back of ideas also can be looking back on designs and seeing was wrong and correct about the project. Designs are never right the first time, and we must look back at our work and redo it until it is correct. That is what makes designers so successful. Is being able to look back at their work and recreate it into something new and innovative.
Source
Source is going back to the origins of designs. I feel that source and rotation go hand in hand. In order for a rotation to occur there must be an original source. It is like a precedent in where it’s an initial idea where designs are built off of. In the 19th century the designers were reviving the past in their own unique ways. “Architects were turning increasingly to specific source models, in a wide variety of historical styles, resulting in revivals of Greek and Roman Classicalism.” (Roth 461) These sources made American design what it is today. In studio we were to find a natural object and design our wooden creation around it. I found a cherry blossom tree and designed a wood feature that would cast shadows all throughout the project. My source is what made me think about the different aspects of the design and how it correlated to my wood project.
Illumination
Illumination is highlighting a feature of the design. It is all about creating the correct hierarchy of the space in order to make that object, color, space, really shine. Everything that makes up a space must have one selling feature that makes the space unique and special. This is what we as designers must do in order to create a successful design. Our projects in studio were to be illuminated by natural light. I created a “coral like” feature that had folding layers to capture the light and create shadows throughout the piece.

Grammar: Syntax

Revisions

At the heart of all designs there is revision. No design is ever finished on the first try. Designers must constantly revise their project to make it better. The royal chateau at Versailles was originally a hunting lodge but it was revised to be bigger and bigger until the French Revolution. When it was built in 1624 the building was small in size, but in it was enlarged in 1631-1636. The chateau at that time had “Several geometric garden parterres laid out west of the chateau, defining an axis centered on the lodge and stretching westward into the landscape” (Roth 417) When Louis XIV came into total control of the building he ended up drastically changing the chateau even more after his minister of finance made his own chateau much more extensive than the kings. The king had his architects wrap a new building around the existing building and leave that untouched. The plan was to “celebrate the king, his rule, and his military victories through numerous allusions to Apollo.” (Roth 418) He also made the landscape more elaborate by adding more water features like pools, fountains and water basins. To further his extensive building the infamous Hall of Mirrors was added to the west façade to reflect the large outdoors into the massively decorated indoors. Every detail that was put into the revised building that is Versailles radiated the notion that all things were to come back to the most important feature; the king. The revising of the small hunting lodge into a large château is hard to imagine

Audience

In design it is very important to consider our audience when we are designing. After all, we are not designing for ourselves we are designing for the public. The designer has to follow what the customer wants in order for his or her design to be successful. In Versailles I explained over the revisions that took place again and again in order to achieve the king’s goal of showing his power and having it all relate back to himself. The town’s people were the audience, and since the king did not concern himself with the financial aspect of Versailles this caused the people to be in a crisis, which led to the French revolution. The time that it all takes place is important to consider as well for audience. Now that the French revolution is over, Versailles is overwhelmingly beautiful and extravagant. Although it was not appreciated as much back then, it is more than appreciated now. The hall of mirrors reflects back the beauty of the outdoors and brings it indoors to command the space as explained by Roth “Windows face the gardens westward and banks of mirrors on the opposite walls reflect the light throughout the room” (Roth 419) The viewer cannot help but be taken back by the glory of the space. Every aspect put into the glory of Versailles is in or reflected in that space.

Character
Charter I believe is how a space is decorated to give it an appealing look. It is something that is added to a room that makes it a real stunning design. In the Baroque period in the seventeen century the apart from the chimney piece the ceiling was what gave a room character. The ceilings were decorated with plaster and “included such motifs as naturalistic fruit, foliage, curling flowers, putti, and animals.” (Blakemore 206) The ceilings were very elaborate works of art that drew the eye upward and were at such a delicate feature, that it was no wonder why they were on the ceiling. The rooms were overwhelming with the décor of the plaster designs. They were given character to places that normal ordinary people did not have. It shows wealth through the extensive detail put into the work.

Datum
Last week in Suzanne’s class we were to create a board that had a clear datum line. The Mossman building group that I was in, was commended on having a clear and successful datum line. It is an area that allowed the eye to understand what to read first and where to go from there on out. Our board had the groups pictures lined up along the datum line and on the datum line we included the title and group members. If there was no datum line, the project would not read as well and would not be as successful. Instead the eye would not know where to look first and make the board look less professional. As far as history is concerned I believe the line of reference could be that of thought and emotion. In the renaissance the world was concerned with thought and writing down all the rules of the ancient architecture and design. While in the Baroque time period it was all about breaking the rules and going towards emotion and movement. There is no datum line in Bernini’s work. His work had lots of movement, and the eye did not know where to go. The mind is constantly moving throughout his work, although this does not make his work unsuccessful, this is the way he wanted his work to be viewed.

Transitions

During the seventeenth century there was a transition from baroque to rococo architecture. The Baroque architecture broke the rules and was more about “elaborate, embellished, and complex” and focused on decorative elements and deep colors (Roth 398). However, around the end of the seventeenth century there was a transition to Rococo, which had “the use of light colors and the delicate, irregular curvilinear ornament. This transition was partly due to Versailles, due to the cramped quarters that the court had to live in. When Louis XIV died the “nobles moved to Paris, where they erected spacious private houses [and] hotels” (Roth 430) This moving from Versailles to the western outskirts of the city is further explained by Roth “ these hotels were most often painted ivory, cream white, or in pale pastel tints and were paned with delicate frames formed of lacy tendrils and wisps of gilded ornament…the Rococo interiors must have felt like a breath of fresh air after the somber interiors of Versailles, loaded with heavy pilasters and entablatures.(Roth 430) The transition was more towards going back inside the box instead of breaking all of the rules of art. The transitions that happened back in the seventeenth century speak a lot of what happens in design. Many things can impact design to change it into something new. As designers we must be open to changing our designs with the design or rebelling against them to create our own transition into something new.

Inspirational Drawings

For Suzanne's class we had to get inspiration from other artists around the world and try to find our own unique style in them. I liked trying new techniques to use water color and markers. The following pictures are first the inspiration then my own renditions of them.

Pete Scully

Eduardo Salavisa




Olha Pryymak

Thumbnail Drawings

For Suzanne's class we had to draw a specific building in thumbnail drawings to zoom in on how the building looked inside and out. My group had the Merle E. Mossman Administration building.

The drawings really allowed me to see how a certain area looked. Some Areas of the building needed updates. For instance the outside is older looking than the inside. The inside looked like it was updated within the last ten years. For this to be a building that prospective students see, I think a designer could go back and update the outside a lot better.

Scale Figures Around the World

Jours Chomes
William Chill

Fine Japanese Pastry in Seattle
Gabi Campanario

Ruben Fletcher

Laura Frankstone

Drinking and Drawing

For the Vignettes we had to go somewhere and drink and draw. The first two are Panera Bread, and the last is at Barnes and Noble.

This man stood really still, I think he figured out I was drawing him. Thanks random guy!