Poiana

Poiana, Poiana Maggiore

Rule Book

The rules of design are very helpful I feel for classifying buildings and determining what is most visually appealing. The rules create set guidelines that help conceptualize design. They allow us to have a broad generalized idea of what a building should have in order to not just occupy space but represent something and serve a purpose. That being said not all structures should follow that rules. Rules are meant to be broken, this is how new trends and ideas start. The rule that a structure should have harmony and order doesn't have to be followed for it to be a building. I do not think the rules are as important as the principles and elements of design but they do contribute to design influence. One rule that needs to be added is that it should serve a purpose. A structure should either serve to house something be it business, religion, what have you, or should serve to insight thought.

https://objectspacebuildingplace.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/i65.jpg?w=254&h=300
This space follows the second rule:strive for harmony+ order in all things through it balance and simplicity. It also follows the fourth rule of the Western book: emphasize surface through materiality, and the eighth rule of the Eastern book:emphasize spiritual connections through its absence of distracting elements and the centralized cross.   

Faith

Design has a great connection with representing faith. Religious buildings are often ment to increase the bond and connect to a higher power. Often the religious buildings will have artworks that depict the theology of that religion. In some Christian churches a star like shape is often incorporated because of its appearance in the theology. Other churches will have a higher point that is ment to represent being closer to God.

Light is also important to religious buildings. Light is seen as pure and good and so it important to the design of churches. Most sanctuaries have many widows to provide natural light. This also popularized stain glass.

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1773909/thumbs/o-STAINED-GLASS-WINDOW-900.jpg?1

Impact of Palladio

Palladio was such an influential designer because his pieces were so classic and had a sense of timelessness. Because his creations combined so many aspects of historic periods into one concept it gives the building a lasting and classic look. His work is very important to design because it became a standard look and the books he wrote. His work utilized symmetry and light in a way that was easy to reproduce and appealing to the eye. 

Unit summary 1

The principles and elements of design are pretty much the first thing we notice about a building. We see the contrast in color and building materials, the shape and form of the building, wither it is balanced or not, and if there is emphasis. When we look at a structure we see all of this but we often don’t see them individually but rather as a whole. The principles and elements are what make a structure a building, they are in every building wither we notice it or not.

While every building has the principles and elements they do not always have all of the principles and elements. A building can exist without having contrast or emphasis but it can still be analyzed for the lack of these elements. Design has to be analyzed using the principles and elements, they are the bases for the design. When describing a building we looked to the principles and elements, we say thing like “the big square building” or “the red brick one with the white trim”. These are the very apparent aspects of a building and the thing that most people will notice right off the bat because they are so basic.

The Hunt-Morgan house is a perfect example of how we use the principles and elements to describe and analyze a building. If we were to give someone a very basic description of the house we would say it’s the square one with the triangle like roof (shape &form), it has got one chimney on each side (balance), the front doors are right in the center and has fancy glass around it (emphasis). 

 

The Power of Ten

The most difficult thing about creating a mural from scaling a 1x1 image to an 8x8 image that is combined with everyone else's was the fact that we didn't know what the picture would be in the end. We weren't sure which direction our little piece was going to be placed, we didn't know what was up or down which might have effected how we redrew the picture. Also because we didn't know what the end result as we really didn't know if the colors we used were going to work with everyone else's. The mediums that we used to do our piece also effected the end result, it doesn't look at all unified.    

Campus Reconnaissance

   The three buildings we saw on Friday were very different in style and design, however there were some similarities. The engineering complex and Whitehall are the most similar because of their shape and form, they are both very rectangular and have straight continuous lines that add to their over all look. They both also have a sense of contrast created by the use of white material that breaks up the red brick. Repetition is also created in these buildings with the windows. Miller hall looks the most different from all of the buildings. It still has line created with the tower-like part. It too has contrast with the brick material and the stone and concrete. The most obvious difference between the three buildings is the balance, Whitehall is very symmetrically balance where as the engineering complex and Miller Hall are more A-symmetrically balanced.
   These buildings don't really make a cohesive statement, there are similarities but they don't really feel connected. Whitehall is more modern in design, the engineering complex is also modern but has a different feel to it. Miller Hall has a very different design than the other two. My favorite building is Miller Hall, this building is very unique, it has a very odd shape to it and the history of it is interesting.
         

Modernism

https://objectspacebuildingplace.wordpress.com/2015/08/19/villa-savoye/

The Villa Savoye designed by Le Corbusier in 1928-1931 is an example of international modernism. It is a solid color and form which is a key to modernism. The majority of the building is lifted off the landscape and has a solid simple shape. The building is a stark contrast with the landscape which is not always typical of modern construction but can be when it is international modernism. The lack of solid construction on the base countered by the solidness of the second story make the building appear to float above the landscape and defy physics, this is a classic example of the key elements of modernism. The solid strip of windows in the second story and the wall of windows underneath are again an example of modernism because of the amount of natural light that is let in and this also helps the structure to blend with the landscape and give the interior a lighter and more open feel. 

The Villa Savoye is an example of modernism because of the simplified colored scheme, structural design, and use of windows. This Villa in Poissy, France is a constructed in the international modern style.   

Hunt-Morgan House

The Hunt-Morgan House is a perfect example of the federal style. The house is perfectly balanced and has all of the classic elements including a symmetrical facade and thirteen pains in the windows. 

The Parlor and dinning room are balanced with matching fire places. The color of the baseboards and the fire place trim match the green color of the china. The windows let in the majority of the light that illuminated the rooms. The rooms are very structured and have a square and rectangular shape to them.

http://www.bluegrasstrust.org/images/photo-huntmorgan.jpg

The upstairs rooms are varied in style as one was renovated in the federal style and one was done in the Victorian style. The Federal style Master bedroom is also very balanced and is light with design elements. the windows again lets in the majority of the light. The furniture is light in both color and design, as compared to the Victorian furniture which is dark and heavy. The Victorian room is also dark and has much larger furnishings that are far more decorative than functional.  

      

Gothic Cathedrals

The Amiens and Duomo cathedrals are varied greatly in style and design but both had similar struggles in regards to construction. The Amiens in France is built in a completely different style than the Duomo of Florence because of the differences in time period and location.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/0_Amiens_-_Cath%C3%A9drale_Notre-Dame_(1).JPG

http://history-of-architecture-frank.wiki.uml.edu/file/view/florence-duomo-aerial.jpg/226746768/florence-duomo-aerial.jpg

It is important to consider the construction of these buildings as it gives insight to why they look the way they do. The design of these structures were greatly influenced by what could be accomplished by construction. The designers had their set ideas for the buildings and this challenged the builders to try and stretch what abilities they had. The Amiens of France had notable design issues that resulted in some collapses, the Duomo's dome was an engineering feat of the time but it would not be left out for the purpose of design. The construction would have been of great concern for governing officials as the safety of there citizens would be their responsibility.

The Amiens and Duomo show the importance of design to Gothic cathedrals as a whole because they are both great engineering marvels that were pushed to such lengths because of the demands of design. These structures show us that design doesn't have to be achieved through conventional methods. Because of these buildings we are able to achieve many design elements today that would have been other wise impossible.

Acropolis + Xianyang

The Acropolis is a very well known historic sight but many only know of the Parthenon. The Acropolis is the sight of several structures all with immense symbolism and purpose.       

http://www.goddess-athena.org/Museum/Temples/Parthenon/Parthenon_NW_from_W_rec_Painter.jpg

Xianyang is also a very historic sight of great importance. It too is made up of several structures all with immense meaning. 

http://www.mildchina.com/travelimage/hengdian-movie.jpg

While these two structures seem vastly different in style and purpose they do have some similarities. Both maintain a sense of balance. The Acropolis has more asymmetrical balance while Xianyang has more symmetrical balance. 

Both the Acropolis and Xianyang have a sense of unity that helps to draw your eyes over the structures. 

The Acropolis uses emphasis to make you focus on the Parthenon, the location, size and layout of the Parthenon in comparison to the other structures. Xianyang also uses emphasis to draw attention to the imperial city, the scale of surrounding structures and the layout helps to draw attention to it.  

Stonehenge

     Stonehenge has been a sight of bewilderment for centuries, but seems that the really mystery isn’t why it was built, but how.  The handout as well as the Stonehenge site conclude that it was really shear will power. The people who built Stonehenge dragged, rolled, and carried that massive stones an impressive distance in order erect Stonehenge. The creators of Stonehenge where true architects and designers because of this. They very well could have built Stonehenge closer to the location of the stones, or built it from materials that weren’t as far away, but they had a plan for its design and so they did whatever it would take to create Stonehenge. According to the Britannia website in the twelfth century a book was written that stated that only giants could carry the stones and it was Merlin from King Authors fables that convinces them to carry the stones.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03043/stonehenge_3043571b.jpg

   Stonehenge was constructed at a time when everyday life was ruled by religion.  This leads me to believe that the people who constructed Stonehenge created it to aid in religious ceremonies, it kept track of time so that they would know when specific religious events should happen, It also probably was the gathering location for important religious ceremonies (such as cremation of the deceased).

The principals and elements of design help to understand Stonehenge because they give an insight to the possibility of the thinking behind the construction of Stonehenge. There aren’t just randomly placed rocks, the defined shape and form of the monument and the created texture of stone shows that the people who created Stonehenge had planned this sight, they had the knowledge to carry out the plans and create a lasting monument.

    Stonehenge is fascinating not only to me, but to many others as well because of the mystery behind it, we will never know for certain what inspired its creation. It will continue to be an inspiration to design because of its simple appearance, yet complex planning.    

Britannia, 2013, Stonehenge, retrieved from: http://www.britannia.com/history/h7.html (Sept. 4,2015)    

Circles, Groups, and Stacks

Grouping

Pruitt-Igoe was designed by Minoru Yamasaki in 1951-1955. This is an example of grouping. The building are layout in a group like form. the idea of a grouping design and not just building being close is that fact that the buildings are all unified in design. the buildings also mimic each other in color, shape, line, and form.

Stacks 

    

Robin House was designed by Frank Lloyd Right between 1908 and 1910. This structure represents sticking due to the number of layers created by the ledges that  sticks out. the differences in texture and color give the illusion of multiple layers and stacking. the buildings balance isn't symmetrical but it isn't uneven.

Circles 

The Guggenheim Museum was designed by Frank Lloyd Right in 1943-1959. This building is an example of circles for obvious reasons. The building is circular in both shape and form. the continued line gives the building even more of a circular appearance as it draws the eye around the building.

ID 161 [Puritt-Igoe]. Retrieved from https://objectspacebuildingplace.wordpress.com/
ID 161 [Robin House]. Retrieved from https://objectspacebuildingplace.wordpress.com/
ID 161 [The Guggenheim Museum]. Retrieved from https://objectspacebuildingplace.wordpress.com/

Principles and Elements

Central 1 is a relatively new building on campus it is very similar in style to many of the new construction projects on campus. It does embody the principles and elements of design. 

Principles 

•balance- central 1 is very balanced. It is completely symmetrical when you look at the front. The entry way is the central point and both wings of the building are identical from the outside. Even the landscaping attempts to be balanced. 

•contrast-the grey concrete makes the red brick and tan stones stand out. The colors create a contrast. 

•rhythm- this is accomplish through the repeating windows and alternating of concrete, brick, and stone. 

•emphasis- this is at the center of the facade where the entry way is. The entice entry way is made of the grey concrete. Also the walk ways help to draw your eye to the center of the building.

•unity- the different building materilycrwat a sense of unity in the way they are layer out on the building. 

•proportion- everything seems proportional the windows are all the same size with the exception of the entry way which has larger windows but they seem the correct size. They aren't massive or to small. 

•harmony- Central 1 has a sense of harmony created by the repeating of colors as well as the way it blends into the surrounding architecture. 

Elements 

•line-this is evident in the grey concrete that creates a line along the red brick. 

•shape- the building is rectangular in shape but also works in triangle with the roof. 

•form- this is also rectangular with some triangles. 

•texture- this is accomplished through the brick which seems to have a ruff texture. And also the concrete with a smooth texture. 

•pattern- the windows as well as the alternating stone creates a pattern. 

•color- the red brick, the tan stone, and the grey concrete adds to the element of color. 

•light- the street lights give the building a warm glow at night. During the day the direct sunlight makes all the contrast in the colore and texture apparent.