A Pattern Language- Theory Reading 4

The reading of A Pattern language teaches me how i need to consider multiple factors in my design i think the concept that related most closely with the design of St. Marys House was the concept about intimacy gradients and how this gradient can be applied to design. This reading influenced how i set up my public and private spaces in my design and how i choose to shift the walls and place them at angles so they would block the line of sight to the Private areas so unless you were invited into those spaces you wouldn't necessarily notice they existed. Also this influenced me to place folding glass doors between the more Private area of the house and the public reading space so in case you wanted to separate the two you could. Overall this reading showed me that there are certain topics and things that i as a designer must be aware of and consider because if i don't then the spaces i design will not work as well as they were meant to. Design on paper is leaps and bounds away from how the physical space is and how people in that space react to there surroundings.

Reading Response #9

OLD DESIGN TRAVELS ACROSS THE OCEAN

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"...what had started as a search for economic freedom became one of Enlightenment's greatest moment.  In their search for antecedents, the American taste settlers saw themselves as paralleling the early Roman republic rather than the Roman Empire."

-Ching page 619

It is only fitting that the inspired settlers choose a monumental landmark of the roman society and integrated it into important buildings around the country. This building that was adapted into new architecture was the Parthenon.

The Parthenon in Ancient Greece

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Virgina State capital building with a Parthenon inspired front.  The front on the main structure contains columns similar to that of the Parthenon and the triangle space above to columns is also present in both structures.



This is the market in Charleston south Carolina where they bought and sold slaves.  The top floor of the building has many similarities to the Parthenon and even the repetitive windows on the sides of the building reflect to columns of the Parthenon.   



The state Capital of Tennessee is also reflective of the repetitive elements and the overall front face design except the state building has a second story.

The buildings from ancient Greece are adapted to many political buildings in the United States partial because they represent a scene of pure republic that our states with to have and they also stand as a reminder of all the great people who had influence at the time of ancient Greece and how they helped influence our way of thinking today. The building forms of ancient Greece serve as a reminder of how simplicity and repetition are important things to consider when thinking of design and how scale and shape of the columns themselves seem to relate to people which is fitting for a  republic buildings since it is the people the institution is representing.


[sources]
blogs.nationalgeographic.com
recivilization.net
mikebarr.us

New Header

I decided my old header was not reflective of me as a designer so i choose to create a new one using a photograph that i took while on vacation. To me this image shows the evolution of a object which parallels my design journey.

Reading Response # 8

FACINATION WITH CHINA
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"This interest in things Chinese lasted from about 1715 through the end of the century and manifested itself in country house interiors ans garden ornaments(Roth 456)." This interest in all things Chinese created a temporary design style that is most prevalently shown in Frederick the Great's summer Palace. 

- Western designers started using wood instead of stone in palaces
- Chinese style of ornamentation of columns
- Western use of blue and white tile roofs like at the Pagoda at Nanjing in China which was adapted and later used in the western design at the Trianon De Porcelan

Chinese Teahouse at Sans Souci Palace in Potsdam  (1757),  is one of the most famous adaptations of the chinese architectural style.  This is evident in the ornimentation as well as the choice of using wood over stone in material choice.





 "The gilt columns, which support the roof, are in the form of palm trunks opening out in luxuriant sprays of shoots as they meet the entablature. Life size gilt Chinese figures sit at the base of the columns, playing musical instruments and engaging in animated conversation (Ching,580)."



This shows the Traditional style used in Chinese architecture. The layers of roofs add to the overall emotion of the temple making both the inside and out seem grand and more consuming of the tall landscape.

The Gardens in Sans Souci reflect the temple roof design used in Chinese design and how the layers take control of the landscape.

[sources]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalbera/2731358138/
http://wanderlust-omnibus.blogspot.com/2009/10/potsdam-school-orientation-berlin.html
http://www.planetarium-berlin.de/pages/sundials/Potsdam-e.html
http://chestofbooks.com/travel/china/John-Stoddard-Lectures/China.html

Blog Post # 8

The Nautilus Shell is formed by the animal that lives inside and as the animal grows it creates a new part of the shell slightly bigger to allow the animal more room to grow. This is also true in design since we take design practices from the past and build on them making improvements as we move forward.

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(1)
Design started off with the circle at Stonehenge
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(2)
this circle soon became a column at the Parthenon in Greece
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(3)
 the column became a blue print for the Colluseum in Rome
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(4)
 this form evolved into the dome/cupola in Hagia Sophia in Constantinope
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[sources]
http://shells.tricity.wsu.edu/ArcherdShellCollection/ShellCollection.html
sights-and-culture.com
traveling-piont.blogspot.com
planetware.com
webuildpages.com

Dining Project

We were ask to design a dining room to celebrate the eradication of hunger and include attention to how social media influenced our design and also keeping in mind the summer and winter solstice. This project started of with looking for precedence and inspiration and ended in a fully designed dining room with a side board and dining table. While looking for precedence i was forced to look at objects and spaces for the little details that i could use in my design.

[Precedence]

For SOCIAL precedents i looked at a outdoor space exposed to the elements made people feel and i decided that this flow between the inside of a house and outside was very important to me as a designer. Also for social precedence i choose to think about how fairs bring a child like nature out in people and how all the stimulation from the lights and sounds effect us. In looking toward a RITUAL precedence i choose to look back to the beginning of times at Stonehenge and how the sun was the most important thing to this space and how that importance translates into my consideration of the solstices. I also thought about how wedding dinners are well planed and thought about every little last detail so i choose to look into wither i wanted a formal or informal dining experience. DINING precedence lead me to think about Asian dining practices and the clean lines of their dishes and utensils and how that clean lines make the food experience simplistic and places a importance on the food served not the decoration.

 [Parti]

My parti shows how the atmosphere of my dining space and how the soft natural tones matched with layers of colors make the space warm and inviting. While still offering a formality to the space.

[Sketch model]

 

In my sketch model i wanted to work out some of the lighting plans and overall structure and i found that i needed more separation from the rest of the house.

[Final Model]

Top View

Angled View from the Kitchen space

View from Kitchen

View showing the hallway to the rest of the house

Social Media Wall used to dine with people in other cultures and share the celebration of eradicating world hunger.

[Presentation Boards]

In the final design plans the room itself is simplistic and doe not have extra stuff without a purpose since it is celebrating ending world hunger. The sideboard and table design also accommodate the celebration as well as everyday dining since the round table is designed so the side table can slide up to it and once this is done the table and sideboard switch roles. The table is also lower than the sideboard so that when using the table for the sideboard the food bowls wont block peoples faces from the screen being used to combine the dining experience with other families around the globe. 

Social Media Device

This project was given to us as a way to research and design something that would benefit our culture in the future since social media is becoming such a huge part.  My decision was to take the normal everyday screen and make it into interlocking hexagonal panels that could be shaped in any way the owner decides. These panels could be used as a single screen or a wall installation you could even create a igloo shaped object for Young children and since the device has web cam technology then if a kid is playing inside the parents could keep a look on what they are doing.  I believe these panels add a aspect of design and interest to the everyday computer screen and by allowing it to be installed anywhere makes it a great addition to technology we already have.

Parti Board

Inspiration image that led to the choice of the hexagonal shape.

This is a simple model of the panels and how they would lock together.