Point: Alternatives

In the alternative unit, architects attempted to find alternate ways of doing similar things that were done in the foundations unit. During the Renaissance period, architecture was all about reviving the classics and alternating it to suit their own needs. The Baroque style, on the other hand, was more about testing their boundaries of what could be done, and breaking rules of the former period.

In class, we talked about what the top ten rules of the Renaissance might be. We came up with these: single decorative façade, revive the classics, man is the measure of all things, separation of spaces, harmony through repetition, geometric patterning, patronage dominates the building industry, no building is just one style, boundaries, edges, and borders are important, and separation of public and private. The Chateau Chambord in France is a good example of how different styles come together to form something new in the Renaissance style. The castle combines two main styles – by having a Gothic top half and Classical bottom. The chateau was originally built as a hunting lodge and was altered considerable during the 20 years after it was built in order to excel. Showing almost (if not all) of the rules of the Renaissance, this castle is an archetype of Renaissance architecture.

In contrast to the Renaissance period, Baroque style is much different. Some rules we came up with were: fluidity, lack of boundaries, challenged authority, innovative, tested limits, and use of drama. The Giardino di Boboli is a great example of the Baroque style. The design of this garden was originally supposed to be of Renaissance style and more classical. But as time went on, the design had changed and captured the drama of the early Baroque period. The site uses all of what is included – the garden, trees, hill, and water with tricks to showcase theatricality. Bernini’s David is yet another example of Baroque and how it challenges authority. This statue of the biblical character can be compared to Michelangelo’s statuary version of David which is of the Renaissance style. A typical example of inside of the box (Renaissance) versus out of the box (Baroque) can be seen here. Michelangelo shows David at a standstill, copying forms of Greek sculpture in the way David is posed. There is very little movement going on and his stance is confident. Bernini’s version of David is very different. David is shown in the midst of movement (movement was a popular study for Baroque artists). Bernini’s David took a spin off of what people were used to and did something new and dramatic.

The idea of creating alternate ways of doing things is something that affects my own design work. I’m pretty sure most designers don’t go with the first thing that pops into their heads when designing something. I know when I design something, it takes many cycles of rethinking and reworking what I already have and eventually coming up with something that works. I find alternative ways of making something work to suit the needs better, just like the architects from the alternative unit did.

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For my image representing Alternatives, I chose to show a Sony Walkman (1979) and an Apple iPod Touch (2007). The designer of the iPod used what the Walkman and other portable music players could do but alternated it and changed it to be more convenient for its users when it was created.

Counterpoint: Perspective

For this counterpoint I chose the scale of space and word as my form. The space is the Trevi Fountain. When I thought about this beautiful fountain in Rome, the first word that popped into my head was magical. Tourists come to the fountain to throw coins in and wish on it. It his been said that depending on the amount of coins you throw, something different will happen. The fountain is also surrounded by stone statues, including Neptune, who is shown in my image. Because the fountain is such a fantasy-like experience, the statues seem to come to life. So for the people aspect, I imagined Neptune to be alive and he is throwing a penny into the fountain. The symbol is the penny. He is throwing just one in which means he will return to Rome one day. The aspect of nature is shown by the water that flows through it. Material is present in the stonework that makes up the fountain and statues.

Reading Comprehension 4

1.

One thing that links all 5 artifacts is repetition. All of the pieces each use repetition in their own way. The Neo-Palladian/Georgian desk and bookcase use pattern and Chinoiserie ornamentation through carvings, and other forms of decoration that are wrapped around the piece of furniture. The American Georgian Windsor chair uses repetition by the way it was built, with repeating wooden rods that make up the back of the chair. The tall clock by Martub Carlin uses a repetition of heavy gilding throughout the clock. The State Bed from Osterly Park in the Late English Georgian Style has classical ornament and swags repeating along the top canopy. The Sheraton Side Chair of the American Federal style uses repetition apparent in the design that attaches the upholstery to the frame of the chair. Also in the lines of the frame, the horizontal beams of wood are repetitive throughout the chair.

All 5 spaces have one thing in common that I notice right away – harmony. Harmony is the use of elements that relate to each other to make a visually pleasing effect. The Holkam Hall Saloon has geometric patterns that are carried throughout the room in the ceiling, wall, furniture, and architecture that are all related to each other. The Gunston Hall Stair Hall uses arches throughout the room in the architecture, railings, and wallpaper, which are pleasing to the eye when looking around the room. The bedroom of Marie Antoinette is extremely sinuous which can be hectic, but it is harmonic because everything is related to each other in its curved lines and femininity. The Saltram House Saloon is similar to the Holkam Hall Saloon because of the use of geometric patterns. The design on the Saltram Saloon’s ceiling and carpet is very similar and the use of rectangles and geometric shapes are apparent throughout the room. The Gardner-Pingree house parlor uses classical features throughout the room – especially in the mantel, window treatment, cornice and door surroundings.

The 5 buildings listed can be simply linked by their use of lines and direction. The Chiswick House uses lines in many ways. First are vertical lines in the columns used throughout on the façade in the portico as well as entry staircases. Then there are angled lines on the entry staircases, pediment, and octagonal dome. Lastly are horizontal lines of the cornice. The Drayton Hall has horizontal lines which stick out on the façade of the building, defining where each level is and also lines of the cornice and exposed staircase in front. There are angled lines in the pediment and roof. Columns on the front show vertical lines. The Pantheon is made up of several vertical lines of the columns. And similar to the other buildings, angled lines on the pediment and horizontal lines of the cornice and stairs. The Nathaniel Russell House is made up mainly of horizontal and vertical lines. Horizontality is evident in the cornice, protruding lines on the façade, and the roof. Vertical lines are shown mainly by the windows and door. Lastly, Monticello uses angled lines in the dome and pediment. Horizontal lines are in the stairs, cornice, and windows. Vertical lines are in the columns and roof.

"It is difficult to assign one descriptive term to encompass all architecture from 1600 to 1750, for several independent courses of development were being pursued simultaneously" -Roth

To me, this quote explains architects use all different developmental ideas to come up with their final product. Designs from throughout history can be related to each other because they are made up of borrowed ideas from each other.

2.

“English colonists, who settle the eastern seaboard, reproduce the houses and furnishings they knew at home.” (Harwood) When the English came over to the U.S. they wanted to mimic forms that they were familiar with from where they came from. Timber was available for use of homebuilding and furniture even though that’s not directly what the English were used to – England used more brick construction.

The Spanish found their new land in Florida as a place where they could use their own style and build upon it. The architecture follows contemporary Spanish Renaissance and some Baroque styles. Although the spanish typically used stone, adobe was available so they adopted that style of building from the Native Americans. But instead of layering the clay, they used their own style of forming rectangular bricks and stacking them. The Spanish kept their original designs of furniture, only altering them slightly.

The French recreated society in the U.S., changing things to make them more sophisticated like they were used to in France. "Steeply pitched roofs, half timber construction, and square shapes are common French characteristics" (Harwood). The floor plan of the Parlange Plantation is extremely square with rectangular rooms fitting together. The Houssaye House follows French characteristics in its steeply pitched hipped roof. The Armoires include geometric shapes.

Settlers from Germany and Holland brought native medieval building and furnishing traditions to America. Many houses mix materials, like stone and wood - seen in the Single Brother's House. In Germany, wood was a more common material and stone showed wealth. Andrew Jackson's Parlor and Chamber is a great example of a German interior. It is simple, uses wide boards as flooring, and different types of wood for furniture.

3.

It has been said that Palladio got inspiration from music. During the Renaissaince, music was an essential part of life. Composers based music on horizontal contrapuntal (with two or more independent melodic lines) style and harmony based vertical arrangement of intervals including 3rds and 6ths. The floorplan I designed is a possible Palladian villa because of the shapes used and the way they were used with inspiration from Girolamo Frescobaldi’s Balletto Terzo. The sinuous lines in the floorplan represent contrapuntal style. It is broken up into 3rds on each sice of the main floorplan with 3 shapes making up each side – excluding the porticos.

4.

"Baroque space is independent and alive - it flows and leads to dramatic culminations" - Henry A. Millon (Roth)

Agreeing with the words of Henry A. Millon, I do believe that the Baroque period stands as a form of social performance in the theatre of the world. Baroque is truly unique upon other architectural styles. It uses bold color effects, light effects, ornamentation, and maybe most of all - emotion. Bernini's Ectasy of Saint Teresa defines the use of emotion in the Baroque period. The statue sits on a type of stage, elevated and illumated in the Cornaro Chapel. The statue creates a spiritual and emotional event for people in its presence.

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In class, we talked about several buildings and pieces of architecture. One that stood out as a symbol of Baroque style is the Trevi Fountain in Rome. It takes over the whole façade of the building behind it and provides a water and light show. This fountain has become a gathering place and must-see for tourists. It demands attention – just like the Baroque style, as well as theatre.

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Perspective View of the Tugendhat House

Diagramming the Tugendhat House

final board with models

Point: Foundations

Foundation is all about where you are from. It is the way you mark your place and the start of all design. There are different ways to mark the Earth: circles, a series of lines, stacking, basing something on an axis, as well as others. For example, Teotihuahacan is a site containing pyramids that used a system of stacking to mark the earth. The Theatre of Dionysus uses stacks and circles in a sacred way. Architecture is often designed in some way around a reflection of past successes. Egypt was the prototype for Greece and Greece was the prototype for Rome. Sometimes it is a combination of reflection and new explorations.

While Rome may have used passed architecture from Greece and Egypt to influence them, they changed the designs to fit their own specific needs and wants. The Romans had to live with Greek ruins but assimilated and adapted them to their culture and lifestyle. One main difference with Roman architecture is the way structure was used. In Greece and Egypt, columns were used for support but also for decoration. The Romans found other ways to use structure and decoration separately. A widespread use of concrete and vaulting technology caused a breakthrough. Arches and domes were created – therefore columns could be used simply for looks, not structure. Buildings could be diversified instead of the standard post and lintel system from Greece and Rome.

Rome is very similar to modern cities and our own civilization. There was a more horizontal expression rather than vertical. Because of the way the empire held back Rome, they fed and entertained people to cover up their flaws and defer people from the truth. The idea of Roman design was to have extravagant pleasure. Aside from arches and domes, mosaics were also brought into design and could tell stories. Arches were useful because they are able to capture space in Rome and also make buildings bigger.

The way the structure of a building relates to the surface and need is an important thought process in designing a building. For example, a circular space for a church can be a good idea with few cons. The good things are that sound travels in a round space. This is helpful for the speaker so that he or she doesn’t have to speak as loudly or maybe not use a microphone. Circles show equality. Everyone is spread out evenly so they aren’t competing for power. Some negatives are that sound bounces and can only go so far. This can limit the size of the space to something smaller.

Architecture and civic life is another foundation that we talked about. In other words, architecture should be placed to make sense for the city and its uses. Pompeii is a good example of this. Pompeii is captured exactly how life really was because of the Volcano hitting the city and preserving everything until it was discovered. There is a wall surrounding the city, meaning that it was most likely a former military town. The main buildings that are necessary for the community are conveniently located using cardo-decumadus, or a city grid. The bath is located at the crossroads, instead of the core of the city. The baths are something that the people in Rome used a lot. People regularly met there, so access was important.

The Roman Colosseum best represents Rome, as well as the foundations unit. It marks the earth by using circles, stacking, lines, and axis all together. It is shaped as the Roman arch, allowing space to be captured and broadened. The roundness incorporates the use of circles and quality. Stacking is apparent by the stacked seating. Lines are created throughout the colosseum by the structure and the columns creating a vertical axis.

Human Interaction

The way humans interact with their surroundings is something that is not always noticed. Furniture and other built objects are so natural for us to use, but we can often forget that they were designed to be perfect for us. My study compares everyday objects and the quality of the design relating to human use. While some things are a perfect fit, others seem to miss the mark.

Reading Comprehension 3

Cologne Cathedral

1.

Cologne vs Salisbury: Inside/Outside

From my first impression of both the Cathedrals, Cologne and Salisbury, they appear to be very different externally. Cologne comes off as dark and scary while Salisbury seems to look more pleasant and fantasy like. This has to do with the differences in styles of architecture – Cologne being Gothic and Salisbury being Early English Architecture. Their interiors are oddly similar, in contrast to their different exteriors. I think this is because of reflection and how architects looked back at past architecture. Salisbury is more proportionate to itself. It is tall but spread out, which helps it look even and consistent. Cologne is extremely vertical and not spread out. Being in an urban setting, compared to the flatness of the site of Salisbury, it makes the cathedral look even taller.

Cologne vs Amiens: Composition

I do not believe that regional differences exist. Architects were constantly bouncing ideas off of each other even if they didn’t know it. The architect who designed Cologne could have gotten the idea of two towers from French cathedrals, seeing as it is very different from many other cathedrals in Germany and the double tower is apparent in French architecture. I think a paradigm during the Gothic Age was extremely important. Because the Gothic Age lasted so long, there had to have been some sort of pattern or reference to look back on and keep the style going. Starting in France and moving throughout Europe, different regions must have had individual takes of the Gothic style, which were combined and passed along. Although Amiens and Cologne are similar structurally, I don’t think it is neither a coincidence nor a notion of region exactly. I do think region can be thought of in a greater sense that can define this similarity – region meaning the same part of the world.

Cologne vs Florence: Symbol

The Florence Cathedral combined new and old architecture by the construction of the dome in addition to previous Renaissance architectural styles - together representing the early Renaissance style. Cologne is a perfect symbol of Gothic Architecture – especially in Germany. Key materials used were brick and/or stone, both of which are included in Cologne. Another characteristic that is common in Gothic Cathedral architecture is the use of columns, vaults and flying buttresses. All three of which are heavily apparent in Cologne. Externally, I feel like Florence was an inspiration to the architecture surrounding it. The buildings look similar in color, material, and style. The designer may have wanted to set an example for the city in architecture, which was clearly successful. As far as Cologne and the language externally, I think the designer may have just wanted to stress the verticality and how it is stretching towards heaven.

2.

From my knowledge of medieval history, I would assume that the context of this illustration would be in a medieval hall. These were key pieces of architecture and culture for people to gather. Many halls had kitchens to use for preparation of meals, which is where I think this illustration was based off of. As far as the architecture of most halls, the illustration would have shown more arched windows and a vaulted, timber trussed ceiling. Kitchens typically had the same timber and detail. In many kitchens, cooking was done using a fireplace and cauldron – similar to what is shown in the illustration.

Penshurst

http://www.history.uk.com/historical/images/articles/Penshurst-Barons-Hall.jpg