Unit Summary 4

Light and color are often very noticeable in a space. They can be used to make a space seem larger or smaller, warmer or cooler, light or heavy. The absence of color can make a room feel cold and eerie, an abundance of color or lighting can make a space confusing and uncomfortable. Light and color need to be balanced in order to make a space more enjoyable or evoke the correct response.

In this unit we looked at a few art galleries, these spaces had an absence of color on the walls so that guest could focus on the art that was being displayed. The rooms that had art on display also had lighting that was meant to direct attention to the art. The lights were mounted so that it was at the best angle to highlight the art.

Light can really manipulate a space, it sets the mood of the space and works alongside the other elements. Color contributes the tone of a space and also works along with the principles and elements. They also work in conjunction with scale as they can manipulate the perceived size of space.Space can be analyzed and described using light and color.

      

Case Study 4

The Al-Rifa'i Mosque in Cairo Egypt is made of sandstone and is situated in an area that is surrounded by other sandstone buildings and desert. I constructed my model from cardboard to simulate the qualities of sandstone. For the light test I places the model on several different color papers to see how the building would react to the color. The model really didn't do much when interacting with color, it didn't reflect the color or absorb it in any way. When i put in on my carpet which is a lighter brown and my wall which is beige the model acted just how the building does with its surrounding buildings.
For the light study I took a cell phone light that has a blue tint and mimicked the path of the sun. The Mosque is a solid structure and so I made the model very solid as well. Because of this the model cast a shadow that rotated with the light. I also tried a slightly removed artificial light, the model wasn't reflective or anything so it really just absorbed the light. I also sat the model out in semi-direct natural light and it behaved the same. The Al-Rifa'i Mosque cast a very solid shadow and absorbs the light that directly hits it.        
       Sunlight travels over 

Color becomes a camouflage 

Sturdy shadows are cast

UK Art Museum Visual Essay

This painting uses color in an interesting way. Unfortunately it was the only item I got to photograph before my phone dyed.

The UK art museum is really a beautiful building, It blends well with the rest of campus and the auditorium inside is breathtaking when lit. The art museum portion is also beautiful the lighting is soft and gives a warm feel to the rooms. The lights hit the art works just enough so that the artwork really sticks out. The room is pretty barren of color so that the artwork is able to stand out.

This is a sketch of one of the larger display walls that are used to showcase the artwork. It is barren of color so that you can focus on the artwork. The other is a sketch of the exterior of the Singletary center.

 
The sketch on the left is the auditorium which uses light to direct the attention of the audience. the sketch on the right is of a statue that is displayed outside the art museum, the metal it is constructive of reflects the light and adds to the art. 

 

These are sketches all demonstrate how that light is used to spotlight different artworks. the lighting of the art museum is just as important as the artworks that is displayed.  

Newman, Singletary, SAVS

All three of these buildings have a facade that are fairly void of color but light really hits the buildings in unique ways. The SAVS building is intersting in the light because the red brick really shows through and the grid on the front creates neat shadow pasterns. The Newman centers interaction with light is really noticed in the interaction with the crucified Jesus the way the light draws attention to that really showcases the fact that it is a religious institution. The Singletary center gains more personality when it's in the direct light, the buildings angles and curves become more of the focus, also the contrast of red brick and white concrete become more present.  

Loudon House Exploration

Creek light by Karen Spears is an amazing piece that captured my attention intermediately, from far away you can tell exactly what this picture is, but the closer you get the harder it is to tell. This painting is a beautiful swirl of colors that insistently calms you, and when you back away about five feet it becomes am amazingly vivid view of light shining through tree branches and reflecting in a creek. There is no real light in this picture but the artist used color to make it seem like light really was shining onto a creek. The was the first piece I saw at the Loudon house but it really stuck with me. The way the colors run together and imitate light make this painting feel real.  

The gallery space at the Loudon house was beautiful, so beautiful in fact that someone was having their wedding there so I didn't get the chance to see all of the gallery space. From what I did see I was impressed, of course the walls were bare so that they wouldn't subtract from the art but it was still a beautiful space. The hardwood floors were such a gorgeous color, some areas had a darker stain than other. I did notice that the windows seemed small but there was a lot of light coming in and the intricate pains of the window made them very interesting. The gallery felt very peaceful probably because the soft lighting and muted contrast of the white walls and hardwood floors.

The exterior of the Loudon House is very interesting, it is very castle like but the colors don't really fit with what is typical thought of as a castle. The white exterior and blueish green trim are used somewhat as camouflage, it makes the house fit in more the houses that are around, but the overall architecture really isn't hidden. Light is really important to this building.All of the windows really help to capture light and make the building seem less dense.
     

The Loudon House is in an interesting place, When going to the house you can tell how downtown has changed, there are some old buildings that are being converted for new uses, there are some areas that are highly impoverished, and then fairly close there are very nice homes, so it is quite odd to see the make up of the area. Also the fact that the building is in a park is interesting, right next to it is a youth center with a gym, so its really a very odd grouping. the house is just kind of existing there with out any real reason. Most art museums are in "culturally rich areas"where as the Loudon House is really isolated.

Unit Summary 3

Materials are probably the biggest influence in design. The materials place limits on what can be achieved and the impact the building will have. The buildings that we looked at in this unit were made of a variety of materials from wood, to concrete, to glass, to plastic, the buildings were all very unique and were made this way because of the materials that were used in their construction. 

The materials help us to understand a building because it is how we conceptualize its construction. We know what the materials are so we can better understand the space. Materials can have a huge influence on the scale of a building, take the coliseum for example, because of concrete it was able to be as massive as it is. 

Material is very important to the principles and elements, it influences the lines, color, texture, sometimes even the light and harmony is influenced by the materials used in its construction. A building can be analyzed and described using material but it has be accompanied by the principles and elements as they link the materials used to the design.

  

The first image is the Long Leeds House which is constructed with brick, but the important material in the building is the glass. The large number of glass windows is what makes this building stand out and seem impressive. The second building the Parthenon, it is constructed of concrete by using this material the building was able to have a large dome with an oculus. The last sketch is the Colosseum which was also made of concrete, the arches allowed for it to be built taller and wider so that more people could use the space.

Campus Building Light and Color

Central One has someone of a monochromatic color scheme. For the most part it is different shades of brown with some grays. This color scheme helps the building fit with the surroundings, but still highlight certain portions of the building. The light for this building during the day is really noticed in the large glass doors and the multiple widows which glint from the sunlight. At night the building is illuminated with street lights which soften the look of the building.

Light+ Color 1

Light and color can make a place seem soft and relaxing or intense and stressful. The use of light and color to manipulate the tone of a space is very impressive. The  Knossos Palace in Crete Greece is a perfect example of how light and color can manipulate a space. The interior has very few windows and the walls are solid stone, but the light from the ceiling and the red details on the columns makes the space lighter, it warms the space and makes it seem larger.  

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Canstruction

The cans were very difficult materials to construct buildings with, this was mainly because we were stuck with the size and shape of the can so we had to do very simply buildings that had straight lines. We chose Stonehenge and a temple mainly because we knew that we could stack the cans in a way that somewhat resembled the structures. The whole class built the pyramids since its easy ti stack cans into a pyramid. This activity really showed the limitations that are put on designs based on the materials used.