BP3: acropolis | xianzang palace

When considering the idea of SPACE, one must think about what it is used for. Is its purpose based of off the surrounding landscape? Is its goal to direct you through that landscape towards the focal point? Or is its purpose simply used as a place of POWER? All of these questions can be manipulated and dug through when in the context of Acropolis and the Xianyang Palace.

One, the SPACE had a sole purpose to direct you towards the statue of Athena on top of the hill. The other, simply a space whose purpose was to have and reveal POWER through its form and function. When thinking about POWER, one must consider what exactly exemplifies such control. Is it the columns seen repeatedly across Acropolis, or is it the idea of repetition through stacking at the Xianyang palace?

These structural patterns seen in both also contribute to the EXPERIENCE one gets while communicating through the space. This EXPERIENCE could occur through use of materials or ornamentation of the columns or simply what one feels when progressing through the space.

One may also experience certain things concerning the various PRINCIPLES discovered through the site. For example, various beliefs, the worship of a god or emperor. There is also a sense of ORDER when observing these two sites, and with that order brings HIERARCHY. The combination of stacking and grouping can be seen in both, with the arrangement of columns throughout. With geometric patterns comes a sense of hierarchy as well. The stacking and repetition serving as protection, both through balance and proportion.

All of these factors can be seen not only in architecture in history, but on the UNCG campus as well. There is repetition throughout, shown through groups and stacks. Many buildings around campus, including the Foust and the archway outside the Ferguson building have a spirit of repetition and unity. The experience one gets when walking through such a symmetrical group of columns is very powerful because it gives off an overwhelming sense of order. When also considering the idea of EXPERIENCE through ORDER, the quad is a good example. All of the dorms are identical, equally spread out in two rows, all centered around a courtyard area. Ones experience when traveling through the quad is very powerful, as if there is a silent knowledge of the ORDER and POWER the space contains.

When spaces bring a sense of power, order, experience, and hierarchy, one cannot help but question why it was designed the way it was. But that is, I believe, one of the beautiful things about architecture, because when one is questioned by a design, it comes from a place of intriquement.

Bound Portability | diagraming and early gestures

Here are some rendered diagrams of the shelter, explaining how it opens and closes. Also, here is some early sketches including rough dimensions and ideas.

Bound Portability- final model

Here are some images of the full scale model of the shelter. I used cut up tee shirts to bind cardboard together. It has the ability to be open during the day, with the front flaps held up by each other, and simply pull under the structure at night for privacy along with more bedding support when sleeping. The floor was coated with newspapers, cardboard, and bubblewrap for instillation.

Bound Portability

For this assignment we were asked to create a homeless shelter for one. My first idea was to create something that was joined in a way that was portable, because one would not simply stay in one place at a time. My design of the structure begin with a simple gesture of lines and how they were joined, and evolved from there, but retaining the same spirit. Here are some images of the process sketch models.

Perspectives of the barn

Here are the two perspectives of the barn, along with a perspective from the other building. Each were hand drawn and rendered with marker, then taken into photoshop to add further detailing such as the glass cubes, light flares, and scale figures.

Model of the barn

Here are a few images of the final model of the barn shown in the drawings in previous post. We have a Tupperware box full of scale models and folded triangles, each showing how our design evolved from the beginning.

Manipulation through folds

These are some images from my final project first semester, second year. For this assignment we were asked to design a wellness center for cancer survivor patients. My group developed a very gestural spirit to our design of the two structures on the site, both buildings having manipulated ceilings through the process of folding triangles in a way that dividing the space without actually doing so.

Here are some of the process drawings I did for the structure that including the kitchen, art studio, and simple storage. They were drawn using conte cran and graphite.

putting history into practice

For this assignment we stepped outside of the classroom and walked around campus for about 30 minutes. We were asked to take a second look at what we would typically walk by without notice, and consider what we've been discussing in class recently, such as circles, groups, and stacks.

In this sketch that I did I observed various circles, groups, and stacks around campus. One thing I noticed multiple times was the amount of grouping throughout campus. I drew one example of this, which is the columns shown outside the Ferguson building. Another example I noticed was the buildings in the quad. All are uniform and proportionate to each other, centered around a courtyard like area. There were many examples of circles across campus, college av, the fountain, and the EUC especially. There are repeated dome like ceilings in the EUC, along with a sun pattern below the domes. Each dome also had an oculus in the center of it, which is notably seen in the Pantheon. The music building on campus emulates the idea of circles extremely well. Everything appears balanced and unified, even simply the benches in the outside entrance to the building, all emphasizing repetition and harmony. One example representing both circles and stacking is the fountain on campus. It does a nice job of creating a sense of balance with the half circles and full circles stacked on top each other in a fluid motion. The circles surrounding the fountain also do a good job of directing your eye, focusing it, leading it upwards towards the actual fountain.

One thing we were asked to consider while observing circles, groups, and stacks around campus was to ask ourselves if we think that environments influence RITUALS, or if rituals influence ENVIRONMENTS. I believe that it is the environment that has control. For example, the fountain is a known for a place to gather and socialize with friends, telling us that it is the environment that influences the ritual. This is strange to me, however, because historically it appears to be the opposite, that many rituals controlled how the overall design of that space was positioned, Stonehenge for example.

reading response 1

burj khalifa (continued)

Two floor plans, two site diagrams of the hotel.