Grammar:Syntax

Audience

Audience is a very important part of design and must be considered heavily when creating a new design, space, or piece of architecture. Like with writing stories, the audience is who is receiving the information or using the design. A children’s storybook would not be written with a high amount of legal jargon, as would a college textbook use elementary language. A design is much the same in this aspect. A design must be considered for who is using the space and how it is to be perceived and utilized. A building constructed for medical purposes would not be designed without wheelchair or disability access! Instead, it would be designed to accommodate its users and inhabitants to make the space more comfortable and useful for them. This goes with interiors as well. Certain types of furniture are placed in a room for a specific purpose and works well with its surroundings. 

Character

Character represents a person in a story or narrative as well as the nature of a story or design. In design, the character of a building describes the overall feel and uniqueness of the space and allows for it to eminent a certain presence. A mistake, many times, can be a blessing, in that it gives a design character and eventually becomes one of the most important features of that project. A designer has character in himself and that character influences his designs in turn, encouraging him as a designer and enhancing his design skills. The drawings of my nature display a certain character in each piece of nature that I collected. I experimented here with exaggerating those special characteristics and making them really exhibit their own character. 

Transition

Transition pertains to the way things change in a design. “the way it transitions into something else.” The rhythm of a design often dictates the transitions that happen throughout a piece. As one portion of a design moves and changes into another a transition is created. As designers we strive to create a smooth and delicate transition to where the entire piece is unified in itself and creates a sense of conversion from one thought to the next without breaking that rhythm and defining its limitations. 

Revisions

Revisions in design are imperative to their development and the overall discovery of new ideas. It acts as constructive criticism in a way and allows a designer to see the flaws in the design so that he can change and develop it to create new concepts and make it more useful for its users. Without revisions, a designer could make a mistake that could potentially be detrimental to the design and cause it to be less effective in its commodity, firmness, and delight. 

Datum

A datum is a point, line, or surface used as a reference, as in surveying, mapping, or geology. It helps to determine where things are to be positioned and allow for a visual effect as well in designs and presentations. The Datum line represents a visual separation in a sense and allows for a smoother transition through the design. In the presentation board for Suzanne, my group decided to create a cardboard arch with a strip of brown paper behind it, extending all the way across the board to act as a datum line for the presentation. 

Precedent Analysis Outline

I. Massaro House Introduction 

a. Named for the resident 

i. Where its located 

b. Architect 

i. Home wasn’t actually built until 2007 

ii. Frank Lloyd Wright’s original sketches and plans 

1. Floor plan 

2. Three elevations 

3. Building section 

II. Construction and Interesting design qualities 

a. Triangular Grid 

b. Because of the time of the design, some internal qualities were updated such as heating and electricity.  

c. Six fireplaces were capped.  

d. Incorporates the terrain 

i. Just like the Greeks considered the natural elements around them and used the nature in their designs. 

1. Smaller rock - kitchen and bathroom wall 

2. Whale Rock – exterior to entry and interior wall  

a. 12ft tall – 60ft wide

Views

1. Site Plan

2. Floor Plan

3. Exterior Left Side View

4. Interior – Kitchen

5. Front view from water

6. Interior - Fireplace view

7. Interior - Dining Room

8. Interior - Ceiling detail (Rock Wall Formation)

9. Exterior Right Side View

10. Interior – Bedroom

11. Exterior – Fireplace view

P - WEEK (opus #7)

Professional

When speaking about professional, there are many approaches one could take. You could take the route and understanding that a professional is one that follows an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain. This person tends to be an expert in that occupation and earns their living by means of this “profession.” Professional could also suggest the manner in which something or someone is presented. If it, or they, were presented in an unprofessional manner, one would suggest that they lack the necessary ways to communicate an idea in an orderly and appropriate fashion in regards to the audience. Someone who shows up to work dressed in inappropriate attire can be viewed as unprofessional. A presentation given in an informal, unorganized and incoherent manner is viewed as unprofessional and is frowned upon. For a presentation, or presentation board, to be professional, it must be simple, coherent, and organized to convey a sense of order.

Process

A process describes the journey a designer takes throughout his career or throughout a project. This process displays the different steps it takes to reach a final goal or design. It ranges from the brainstorming and idea-creating portion to a segment of organizing many ideas and simplifying them to create a more conceptual abstractness. From this point, a designer moves through the process and develops his designs, working to recreate them and enhance them to be a better designed final product.

Periphery

A periphery is the essential outskirts or restrictions of a city or urban place. It is similar to a boundary in that it defines and surrounds the external limitations of a space. It delineates a certain space or district and places emphasis on that boundary and its importance in the space or design. As with the Greek city of Athens, the Acropolis was designed in a way that has paths leading out to farms and more flat landed areas with homes and other public buildings. “At the base of Akropolis, paths leading out to the surrounding farms eventually became streets and along one of these, northwest of the mass of the Akropolis a roughly triangular, open space was set aside as the agora, whose boundaries were defined by surrounding houses and public buildings.” (Roth 222) Roth shoes how the boundaries of the Akropolis are designed around the space and are emphasized in that Periphery. 

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Portfolio

A portfolio is a compilation of works by an artist, designer, or architect that is usually carried and contained in a flat, portable case. This collection of works is usually what people show and present to a client or employer to illustrate the quality and examples of their work and ability. Organization is an imperative part of the portfolio as a whole. It makes things easy to find and read, making it easier to communicate one’s work and designs. Organization and coherency boosts the professionalism of the portfolio, allowing clients to view your quality and skills as a professional designer. 

Perspective

Perspective is helpful when visualizing a space from a certain point of view. It is a picture that employs a technique of locating vanishing points to recreate the space in a certain point of view, capturing it in the state in which it exists before the human eye. The way we perceive the building or space changes from the point of view. One can view the space front a frontal position, where a single vanishing point exists. One can also view the space from a different angle in which more than one vanishing point might occur. These vanishing points and perspectives aid in making a drawing proportionate to the way we would visualize it by the human eye. 

Detail

This is a detail of the Ferguson building I produced to contribute to the building project in suzanne's class.

MACRO:MICRO

Porch/Court/Hearth

Beginning with the early Greeks, a new wave in the design cycle arose, creating a new theory in architecture and interiors that began to shape the design world and influence every building structure from that time forward. The porch, court, hearth theory suggests that every building, city, or structure has a specific space that fits the commodity of a porch, a court, and a hearth. The porch, would be defined as the “entryway” or the beginning. It can be a literal porch, as on a residential home, or a figurative porch, as in the Acropolis in Athens. The court, or the meeting area, is where people congregate to interact with each other and entertain company. The Hearth is the more private section of the space, where only certain groups of people are to enter.  These structures, or sections, of a home or building are a “tripartite arrangement [that] begins with the reception spaces and is followed by the great hall and a private section.” (Blakemore 6) Blakemore shows how this arrangement unifies the design and how a building cannot be complete without one of the three. It defines the space and the sections within it, allowing its users to move comfortably through the space and using it effectively.

Composition

A composition includes arranging things in a way that makes it an easily coherent and well-designed structure or image. In our studio critiques, there are always several comments made about the compositions as a whole, but I feel as though something cannot be a composition unless it is well designed in a way that makes it easily comprehensible. If a design considers the basic principles of design, such as commodity, firmness, and delight, then it can effectively be considered a composition. 

Impression

Impression can be defined as the first and immediate effect of an experience or perception upon the mind. It evokes a certain sensation in a person, causing them to experience a space in a unique way. For example, the Salisbury Cathedral we discussed in History this week gives off a certain impression when you are standing beside it. “The Gothic cathedral was yet another byproduct of the Crusades, for when the first crusades saw Constantinople on their way to the Holy Land, they marveled at the size and wealth of the city and the vast scale and splendor…” (Roth 328) It is such a majestic building and awes the viewer, giving off a distinct impression. 

Another example of a structure that evokes a certain impression, is Stonehenge. The majestic quality of the structure itself presents a great impression on the person experiencing it. The magnitude of the structure evokes a sense of inferiority in a person. The studio project from this week required us to create a portal, drawing influence and aspects of a certain precedent building or structure. I was assigned Stonehenge. I felt as though the most important part of Stonehenge was the mystery of its construction and the magnitude of the structure. This gives off a certain impression to the viewer, making them experience the impact of the greatness of the structure and leaving them with an everlasting sensation.

Detail

Details enable a designer to zoom in and really concentrate on the smaller aspects of a building or structure. Many times, it is human nature to just take in the magnitude of a composition as a whole and ignore the more miniscule aspects. The details, sometimes give more of an impression than the composition as a whole. This week, Suzanne had us continue on our building project, and instead of zooming out and capturing a moment, we were to zoom in and concentrate on the details of the space. I feel as though it really helped me actually consider the smaller aspects of a building or structure that are just as important to its composition as the building itself. 

Diagram

A diagram is helpful in drawing out different aspects of a building, space, or city. It aids in the comprehension of how people interact with the space in terms of traffic, fixed elements, circulation spaces, and the visual aspects of a building. There are several types of diagrams that can be helpful when defining various aspects of the space: Analytical Diagrams, Zoning Diagrams, Matrix Diagrams, Bubble Diagrams, and many more. In Suzanne’s class, we have continued even further on our building projects, and have progressed to diagramming the space within our group. We are covering several different important things, such as circulation, context, function, hierarchy, and gesture. Hailey Sudderth and I worked together to diagram the circulation space of the Ferguson building. We highlighted the central locations where people congregate and the human traffic flow throughout the building. 

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).

 

 

 

Fergusson Inspirations

VOICES

 

Metric

The Metric system is the most widely used system of measurement known to human kind. It provides a universal tool to gauge and assess the size and proportions of any physical quantity in a single unit. As designers, a metric unit is very important in defining distance or space as well as the functionality or commodity, of that particular space. As Christianity spread across Europe, the medieval architecture began to reflect the different uses of scale and proportion in the designs of the buildings such as the cathedrals and churches. Roth demonstrates how this scale and system of measurements was imperative to the designs when he discusses the development of the church of Saint Pierre. “The external buttresses were too small to resist the forces created by wind loads, the buttresses gradually bent and cracked.” (Roth 336) The mistakes made in the construction and design of these buttresses shows the importance of exact measurements and metrics. To help with the flaws of the scales and proportions, the systems changed. “As functional and social needs shifted over the course of the Middle Ages, So did the placement and measurements of the structures.” (Blakemore 71) The metric system allows for a universal measuring arrangement that helps reduce the amount of design mistakes when regarding scale and proportion. As in Stoel’s drafting assignment of the critique room, the impact of a metric mistake can make quite a difference. The position in which I placed the columns is incorrect due to a flaw in my measuring. Because of this, the structure itself may be less structurally sound and the integrity of it is weakened.

Precedent

Many times, designers create their own stylistic work by drawing influence by what is known as a precedent. A precedent is essentially an inspiration to aid in the thought process of creating something new. Often, too, designers will pull certain stylistic details from another designer or artist to create their own distinct style or techniques. Suzanne’s group “building” project has enabled us to really consider the option of drawing inspiration from other’s ideas, concepts, and techniques to create our own style. The 8 ½ X 11 drawings we did of our buildings were to be drawn utilizing a certain style from an artist we found interesting. These drawings serve as a prime example of how we can turn to a precedent to enhance and develop our own work. We gain a level of understanding about our own work by looking at the different techniques, medias, and materials from other artists and applying them to our own work to make a composition that is truly unique. “Although there is a paucity of actual pieces of furniture available for study, documentary evidence from literary sources, reliefs, wall paintings, sarcophagi, and marble and bronze parts extend our knowledge about characteristics of Roman furniture. From sources it is clear that the Romans relied on Greek prototypes of the Hellenistic period for their inspiration.” (Blakemore 61) Blakemore suggests here that the Romans drew their inspirations from the influence that the prototypes of Greece had on their architecture and furniture. A prototype is another excellent word to describe a “precedent.” By drawing inspiration from the influences of the prototypes, we as designers can make more headway to the hybrids of our designs.

Presence

The presence a building emanates can be a very important aspect of its purpose and stature. The effect of the structure can be a very strong one by simply examining the grandeur of the composition. The overwhelming complexity of a building can make quite an impact by its presence by simply existing against a less celebrated structure. It establishes a sense of Hierarchy by celebrating the “moment” or the overall feeling it projects.  Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture began to change the thought that complex architecture was the only kind that established a certain presence on earth and through history. “Those external qualities of architecture that had appealed to a cultivated visual sensibility gradually were replaced by an architecture of simpler elements, fostering a sense of mysticism.” (Roth 275)

Moment

A moment to me is to capture a particular segment of time and space that seems to be a powerful and important occurrence. It celebrates a certain part and aspect of a design or a composition in a way that makes it an important “moment” of that space. This leads into Hierarchy in a way, by showing the importance of a certain aspect of the design. Roman architecture stands as a prime example of compositions that have important moments. The churches and cathedrals were very important buildings in the society of the Romans, but the appearance aided that importance. The façade, being the most important, visual and decorated side of the building, contained a “rose window” that casts light upon the altar, highlighting that certain aspect of the design. “Between the towers and admitting light to the extension of the old church nave was a great, round window, the first of the rose windows that so distinguished later gothic churches.” (Roth 330) It captures a special instant of a composition and celebrates its uniqueness. 

Duality

Duality is interpreted as something that is multifunctional or contains more than one central meaning. Many times a structure may have one side that defines it in a certain way, but when reevaluated, can be interpreted with a different feeling. A duality can be created by utilizing opposite or contrasting colors, angles, or even décor and textures. 

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)

Parts:Whole (Opus #4)

 

Archetype/prototype/hybrid

Archetype/Prototype/Hybrid represents certain pieces in the history of architecture that influence the changes in the design cycle. An archetype stands as an ideal, or the perfection wished to be achieved. The prototype is “what gets you there”, or helps you achieve the archetype, and the Hybrid is what comes next. A prime example of this phrase would be the coliseum in Rome, Italy. It consists of four levels built in a semi circle on a foundation ring of concrete. Each level displays a different column order, representing the archetype, prototype, and hybrid. The column order, starting with Doric, and then ranging through Ionic, and Corinthian, is demonstrated throughout the entire composition of the coliseum on each level. “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) Roth further explains this organization and use of all the column orders in one building. It effectively shows how one archetype, or ideal, is sought, and how each iteration stands as a prototype for the next, which soon becomes the Hybrid. 

Source

There are many different versions of sources - light sources, influential/historical sources, water sources, etc. Water sources played a large role in the lives of the people of Egypt, as well as the Greeks and the Romans. The Egyptians relied on the Nile River as a source for trade and clean water, just as the Greeks relied on the seas and waterways that surrounded their general location and as the Romans relied on their invention of the aqueducts. “As in Egypt, where the river and desert encouraged a particularly static culture, so too in Greece a specific geography and climate influenced culture…” (Roth 215) Not only does the geography of a place act as a source for water and trade, but light can act as a very important source in drawings, sketches, and other visual elements. As in Suzanne’s class over the last week or so, we’ve been working to improve our watercolor skills. To aid our attempts, she suggested trying to locate a light source and work off the shadows and illumination of an object or space. “The light illuminating that environment is critical for the information we receive.” (Roth 85) It is a powerful element that helps an image become more active and vibrant, whilst enhancing our perception of the space.

Order

Order represents civility and organization within a composition or society. Order also demonstrates some sort of progression, advancement, or evolution. The order of the Greek columns is a perfect example of such a progression and evolution. “The role of orders was significant in defining spaces of the Greek interior; not only did they divide spaces horizontally, but they were also instrumental in creating visual interest by the attention drawn to them vertically through decorative detail in the capitals and in the entablature. The classical orders consist of the column with its base, shaft, capital, and entablature, and are classified by the capital as Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, or Composite.” (Blakemore 28) Blakemore shows how this order was an important part of Greek Architecture and how it organizes the progression over time.

Hierarchy

Hierarchy is a series in which each element is graded or ranked. Hierarchy usually exalts one element over the rest of the composition, making it superior to another part of the whole. For example, in Athens, Greece, the Acropolis is designed in a way that effectively displays the differences in superiority throughout the city. Some buildings are made more prominent, creating the Hierarchy of that space. For example, the Parthenon was constructed as a temple for the Goddess Athena, and placed in a manner that it is clearly viewable as the most important structure on the Acropolis. Next in the order of hierarchy comes the Erechtheion. It is positioned to direct the eye to the Parthenon yet still bring glory to its uniqueness as well. This continues on with each building on the Acropolis, establishing an explicit hierarchy through the entire space. 

Another example of Hierarchy that I’ve encountered this week is in my studio class. We were given three words and certain restrictions on materials but had to construct a 3D model conveying those words. One of the words I was assigned was hierarchy and I was able to effectively portray this by celebrating the smaller square in a manner that elevated it and yet still unified the composition together.

 

As I talked to a fourth year student about my three models, she suggested that another one of my models could also effectively portray this theme. The image below shows the progression of light to darkness well, whilst still drawing the eye upward to an important moment where my forms meet my linear object. 

Entourage

An entourage as we’ve seen over the last week is the background or environment of a person or thing. They are often found in vignettes, helping to frame or enhance a focal point of a scene. Places and things are often defined by their location or surroundings, or in this case, entourage. Rome is an example of such a place shaped by its entourage. “Foremost among these influences were geographic position, conquests, technology, priorities in social life, and religion.” (Blakemore 45) The Romans basically ignored nature, and were it in their way, they acted as though they controlled it and that it wasn’t a hindrance. By shaping their environment to fit them, they are defining their own entourage and designing around the natural elements. Entourages also occurred in the thumbnails of our assigned buildings for Suzanne. We were to sketch the building, paying close attention to the surroundings as well as details in the focal point.

Thumbnails - Ferguson