UNIT SUMMARY

Jesus Christ - I find the most inspiration from My Lord and Savior. He guides me and inspires me more than any material on the planet.



Calla Lillies - One of my favorite flowers. the structure, shape, smell, color,... the beauty, perfection and elegance found in a flower as invigorating as this is simply inspiring.




Beach - North Myrtle particularly. A sunrise makes all the difference. the sounds, sights, smells, and feelings there are unique, calming, and inspiring. Its where i feel at home.




Piano-forte - Music is the universal Language. When I'm playing piano i get a LOT of inspiration that influences my designs.




Cities at Night - Brooklyn Bridge




Lightning




Space - specifically the Eagle Nebula...





Spider Webs - perfection and strength



Willow Tree

Jellyfish - the glow and manipulation of light intrigues me.




Edinburgh Castle - Edinburgh, Scotland
The land is such a gorgeous and inspiring part of the designs throughout scotland. Edinburgh castle displays it very well

[Reflections] |||||| Unity Summary

The reflections unit of our history and theory of design class covered a range of topics ranging from the industrial revolution to “east meets west.” It covers the Romanesque Revival and the main principles of it, including social change, need for meaning, romantic past, and other things in the past that can be studied.

The idea of cities and traditional structures were being modernized and constructed with newer, stronger, and more sustainable materials. The Trinity churches in New York and in Boston are prime examples of this. Concrete, metal, and glass were discovered and combined to create a new technique. Architects and designers discovered that metal strengthens the concrete as well as cast iron and glass in terms of verticals. There are many buildings and structures around the world that portray these materials in an effective way. The Brooklyn Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, and the Crystal Palace are among the most famous structures that bring together the new combination of materials to create the newly constructed formations.

Frank Lloyd Wright had a very impressive and innovative way of using concrete, glass, and steel. The majority of his more recent designs particularly displayed new techniques of combining these materials whilst still returning to the roots of basic design as he did in his own personal home and studio. Other homes and buildings he has designed, however, use the concrete, glass, and steel in an innovative way as well as taking advantage of the landscape around it.

Fallingwater is a prime example of the way concrete and steel comes together to support glass. The large cantilever over the waterfall supports itself from the reinforcements in the concrete by steel and incorporates the nature around it. The reflections unit revels on several buildings of this nature by Wright and other designers and architects of the age.

The Monadock building introduces bay windows in skyscrapers to add a hint of visual interest as well as a view of the city and allowing for light to enter in a large amount. Another interesting feature of the building is that the exterior façade supports the entire building in an expensive manner as apposed to the Home Insurance building that introduced the freestanding façade for the first time in design history.

The reflections unit covers many different examples of skyscrapers, industrial buildings and homes that bring together new materials and techniques that gain influence from the Romanesque Revival and other eastern ideals. 

Unit Summary - Alternatives

The Alternatives unit of our history and theory of design class revolved around extending past the basic principles of design that we learned about in the theories and foundations unit. From the central principles of design such as commodity, firmness, and delight, the alternatives unit dove straight into applying those fundamentals to design as it changed throughout history.

            As Christianity spread across Italy and become the major religious force, the church setting became a very important aspect of the designs that originated in that era. Monastic churches began to be constructed far away from urban spaces and stood as a basis for how churches were shaped. People were concerned about the world coming to and end in the year 1,000, so they began to become more involved in their religion, which called for more churches. The central theme of millennial observations was that everything that still existed on earth descended into Hell when the world ended.

            Romanesque architecture became an imperative part of the time as well. Romanesque, meaning “in the manner of Rome,” held Roman architectural ideals such as their ever-famous column details, pilasters, arches, and rose windows. The oculus tended to not face heaven, but opens to a civic space. Elaboration at the head of the church was another important ideal in building and creating these massive Romanesque churches. Families, who in turn, were granted indulgence, sponsored the series of chapels. Their ticket to heaven was hypothetically guaranteed. The façade was and is the most important part of the cathedrals. It was meant to appear bigger and more magnificent, making the structure itself take on these qualities as well.

            Geometry played a large role in the design and construction of these cathedrals. They influenced the platonic clarity and beauty of the structures as well as the interlocking theme of a transformed classical order. The renaissance played a large role in influencing the designs of the cathedrals. Though the principles were present before the renaissance, they started to be written down and heavily considered. During this time, people were obsessed with order, and with order came the geometry that was so imperative in the designs of the cathedrals.

            As we moved to Venice, we noticed in class, that the gothic architecture, forms, and motifs tended to be quite a bit more organic. Venice is known as the city of floating stone. The stone that most of the buildings were constructed from gives it a simplistic look in a way as well as allowing it to compliment well with the large amounts of water throughout the city.

By looking at several different examples across Venice and Spain, we were able to deduce that water is used in a variety of ways. It transforms light and makes it dapple as well as helping to extend the distance and make a space look much larger.  The king’s desire was to know that his kingdom was large and vast, and by having many water features, the designers were able to get that illusion across. A hall of mirrors was also used for the same effect.

I found the alternatives unit of our history and theory of design class a useful and memorable one. It aided my sight of how the basic principles of design were applied to the designs and cathedrals throughout the renaissance and gothic eras, as well as how they developed over that time period. The millennial observation was an interesting concept to see how the design reflected human nature and the thoughtfulness of geometry in relation to those designs. 

FOUNDATIONS UNIT SUMMARY

The Foundations unit of my History and Theory of Design class covered the basic principles of design and how it relates to the earlier human civilizations such as the early Mesopotamian societies, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans. Each civilization received a different impact from the influence of the changes in the design cycle, altering it and expounding on it to make it unique. Though the different locations and people influenced the changes in the designs, they all revolved around the central themes of commodity, firmness, and delight.

Commodity, Firmness, and Delight are three different terms defining a different aspect of design, but all relate to each other and are dependant of the other to create a well-designed space. This is first shown through the Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies, where their designs served a certain purpose, whether it be the city of El Kahun and its unique use of space, (commodity) or the distinct firmness and magnificent beauty of the Pyramids of Giza. The commodity, or use, is highly evident in each structure and design, as well as the firmness and ability to withstand pressure and natural elements. The delight, many times, takes care of itself, but as designers, we must consider all three of these aspects as a whole to create a well thought out and a respectable design.

The Foundations unit continues as we reach the theory of the three part “porch, court, hearth.” During this lecture, we learned that every building from the early Greeks to the present contains a porch, a court, and a hearth, in some shape or form. These three portions of a building unify it, making it, again, a well-designed space. Blakemore defines this theory well by saying that the structure or sections of a home is a “tripartite arrangement [that] begins with the reception spaces and is followed by the great hall and a private section.” (Blakemore 6) Blakemore confirms the theory that every building or city has a porch, a court, and a hearth. This is a prototype that is continued, improved, and enhanced as time passes.

From the porch, court, hearth theory, the foundations unit moved on to recognizing archetypes, prototypes, and hybrids as changes throughout the design world. The archetype, or the ideal, represents perfection. The prototype, in contrast, is every step that a designer takes to get to the archetype. Every piece of art and architecture throughout history and time in general is a prototype. It sets the standards for the designs to come, and influences each in a way, leaving its mark on history and introduces new ideas and concepts for new designers to develop in their own work. The roman coliseum is a prime example of how each prototype is combined together to create the hybrid, or the result. “As in the Theater of Marcellus, the stone arcades incorporated engaged columns – unfluted Doric on the ground floor, then Ionic, Corinthian, and finally Corinthian pilasters on the uppermost, fourth story.” (Roth 267) The different column orders are used simultaneously with each other in the coliseum, demonstrating how each prototype influences the other to create a hybrid.

The foundations unit covered some important principles of design that are still being used today, and are essential to each designer’s growth. From the Egyptians to the present, commodity, firmness, and delight is utilized and considered greatly in design to create a well-designed space. From there, the theory that every space, city, and building has a porch, court, and hearth, is introduced and continued throughout time as well. This was another important movement in the design cycle, one that still influences the designs we have today. Not only did the unit cover the main principles of the commodity, firmness, delight, and the order of a building, it also expounded greatly on the movement throughout history in relevance to archetypes, prototypes, and hybrids. It showed how each idea (archetype) gives way to greater conceptual designs (prototypes), and how each influences the next to create a finished or new product that is well designed (hybrid).

 

 

 

The Massaro House - Frank Lloyd Wright (PRECEDENT ANALYSIS)

The Massaro house is an aesthetically pleasing home built on a spectacular site on Petre Island on Lake Mahopac in upstate New York. The brilliant designer, Frank Lloyd Wright, began this building as a few simple pencil sketches in the 1950’s before resolving that his ideas would be expensive and difficult on this waterside location. Many years later (2007), Joe Massaro employed architect Thomas A. Heinz to construct the home from the five original sketches by Wright.

I have always been interested in Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs and his unique way of expressing different appearances and defining the space as well as its exploit. The Massaro house is one of his designs that particularly jumps out at me because of its location. Just as in Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous home, Falling water, the Massaro house is built around the natural environment. Being built over a lake and out from a rock, this building contains special construction and design techniques. Much like the Greek’s idea of design and construction, the home was built around nature, and with much consideration of it. For example, it is built from and around a large grouping of rocks. One of these rocks is actually incorporated in the house itself and used both as a visual aid as well as a physical aid. It is utilized as part of the kitchen counter and extends to another room of the home.

I feel that taking consideration of these details and using the natural environment in the design itself is an admirable quality in a designer. I also feel as though researching this building will aid, improve, and develop my own skills as a designer. The world of design has been developed over time to include precedents from earlier designs and structures such as this. Many things can be learned from Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings, and can be considered as new designs are being created. I welcome the opportunity to delve deeper into the mystery of Frank Lloyd Wright’s design of the Massaro house and am excited to discover more of the details of its design. Hopefully my analysis of this building will allow me to further my own developments and designs and inspire me to use some of the same principles of Frank Lloyd Wright, such as his knack for designing around beautiful locations and environments rather than vise versa. 

(A sketch of the Massaro House that I drew)

Timeline 425 BC-425 AD

Institutions 425 BC

• (431) The Greek physician and philosopher Empedocles articulates the notion that the human body has four humors: blood, bile, black bile, and phlegm, a belief that dominates medical thinking for centuries.
  
• (430) First performance of Sophocles’s Oedipus the King
  
• (429) The plague of Athens, a devastating epidemic, hit the city-state of Athens in ancient Greece during the second year of the Peloponnesian War, killing nearly 1/3 of the population
  
• (427) Greek Historian, Herodotus, composes Historiae in which he argues for an environmental case of human variability as a cause or adaptation to differing environments.
  
• Pythagoras of Samos, Greek Mathematician, discoverer of the Pythagorean theorem.
  

Governance 425 BC

• (431) the Peloponnesian War begins between Sparta and Athens and their allies.
  
• (428) Mytilene rebels against Athens but is crushed.
  
• (428) Sparta attempts to crush a rebellion on Corcyra, but cancels the efforts when the Athenians try to intercept them.
  
• (427) Platea surrenders to the Spartans, who execute over 200 prisoners and destroy the city.
  
• (427) the Athenians intervene in Sicily to blockade Sparta from the island
  
• (425) Nehemiah institutes the 3^rd and final return from exile and rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem. Later he oversees the political restoration of the land of Israel.
  
• (425) The Athenians invade Sphacteria and defeat the Spartans in the battle of Pylos.
  
• (424) Sicily withdraws from the war and expels every foreign power. Thus, Athens is forced to withdraw from the island.
  

Commerce 425 BC

• (425) Demosthenes captures the port of Pylos in the Peloponnesus.
  
• Olive oil was the principal fat consumed
  

Technology 425 BC

• (432) Athens adopts a 19 year cycle of synchronizing solar and lunar calendars.
  
• The Greeks invent the Anchor with Flukes
  
• The Greeks invent linear perspective
  
• The Greeks start to use shear-leg cranes for construction and loading of ships.
  
• Trebuchet catapult is the first used by followers of the Chinese philosopher Mozi.
  
• Cast Iron is first used in the Chinese kingdom of Wu with the innovation of the blast furnace, and soon becomes widespread for agricultural tools and weapons during the Warring States.
  
• The Chinese hydraulic engineer Ximen Bao oversees an enormous canal system for agricultural irrigation.
  
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Institutions 425 AD

• (425) Buddhism begins to spread to Southeast Asia
  
• (425) last known useage of Demotic
  
• Armenian alphabet created by Mesrob Mashtot
  
• Anglo-Saxon futhorc alphabet used in England
  
• (431) St. Patrick, completed the conversion to Christianity in Ireland
  

Governance 425 AD

• (425) October 23 – Valentinian III becomes Western Roman Emperor
  
• (430) Ilopango erupted, devastating Mayan cities in present-day El Salvador.
  
• (433) Attila the Hun was leader of the Huns
  
• (439) Vandals conquer Carthage
  
• (440) The Anglo-Saxons settle in Britain.
  

Commerce 425 AD

• Unable to find information on commerce at this time.
  

Technology 425 AD

• Horse Collar invented in China
  
• Heavy Plow in use in Slavic lands
  
• Metal Horseshoes become common in Gaul