Drafting Portfolio

Explorations

(Image taken from: http://www.jazzguitarzone.com/jazzcity.jpg)

Music is one of my passions, and i think that a lot of creativity or thought stems from it. The guitar is one of my favorite instruments and takes a lot of precision and craft to make. 

(Image taken from: http://www.drivesafenv.com/images/bicycle_yellow.png)

The bicycle is not only a very functional design, but it is very earth friendly and a fast way to get around, and keep healthy.
(Image taken from: http://www.analogartsensemble.net/blog/rubberband.jpg)

The rubber band is also one of my favorite designs. Not only does it help when you haven't had enough time to do your hair, especially in this major. 

This house not only holds so many fond memories for me but it's location is perfect, two blocks from the southern jersey shore, and walking distance from every shop on the island. It is extremely functional, even for a family of seven. 

(Image taken from: http://www.salotteries.com.au/library/Telephone-results.jpg)

A telephone is one design, or invention that has developed over time. It started out large and difficult to maneuver, but it is now small enough to fit in your pocket and works without buttons.  It's incredible to think of how things develop. 

(Image taken from:http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/uploads/partners/Papilio/500/1685_pair_of_ceramic_door_knobs_in_

bronzeb_main.jpg)

What did people do before there were doorknobs? Door's would not latch. They would stand open. YOu would have to prop something against them in order for them to stay shut. 

La Tour Eiffel is my favorite structure. A monument not only for France but for one of my fondest summers.

Although I don't get to see mine very often, being an I.Arc major, i think that a bed is my favorite thing. 

Shoes are some of my favorite items of clothing. They say a lot about the people wearing them. 

Surfboards are great designs as well, they have to be a certain form in order to cut through the wave, and almost like an upside down ship they have fins that allow them to move steadily down the wave. 

Coming Full Circle

Stewardship, or "the management of another's property, finances, or other affairs" is what architecture is all about. The property of others is in our hands, and we have to take into account everything that may affect. Finances, lifestyles, and many other important aspects of life revolve around it. 

Most design follows certain guidelines, trying to resemble it's surrounding buildings or environment. In that sense a community, "a particular area or space considered together with it's inhabitants,"  is created; but it is by using unique design that still connects with it's surroundings that we can be innovative. This idea of suburbia where people live in eerily similar houses that are designed in such a way that you have no obligation to ever know the people you live next to is truly creepy. 

( Image taken from: http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/images/2007/09/22/suburb_2.jpg)

Innovation, "a new method, idea or product," is how we move forward as a culture or civilization. If anything from this class i've learned that design is about innovation. This innovation can be achieved by taking from past designs and changing them to fulfill the function that is needed for our culture today. One building that i feel fulfills this idea of "innovation" is The Whitney Museum of Art in New York. 

(Image taken from: http://www.visitingdc.com/images/whitney-museum-address.jpg)

This Whitney Museum of American Art is made out of similar materials as its neighboring structures, but has a very unique shape so that it stands out. It is distinguishable from the other buildings.

The authenticity, "of undisputed origin," of past designs shows what is necessity and what is plainly for aesthetics, so by studying past designs we can decide for ourselves what we need, and what should be changed.

Monticello is a great example of the authentic design of the past that we should draw from. For the time period for which it was built it was extremely innovative with it's functionality and aesthetic value and today we draw from Jefferson's techniques of evaluation of what's needed.

 

 

[pair]ing down

This week in studio we worked, and are continuing to work, on a project in which we design an interior for two rooms in the studio art center. We were asked to remove the middle wall between the rooms and act as if the two rooms are one. We created a model of the walls and windows, and this week we worked on adding architectural elements or changes to the space in order to make it into a public space, and a private space. 

 

(add photo of model) 

Meditation/Celebration

The Model is intended to not only show public and private, but also meditation and celebration. This means having a space that inspires relaxation while still providing a good amount of activity. 

Transpose/Juxtapose

"cause of two or more things to trade places with each other"

"place or deal with close together for contrasting effect"

Everything in this model has to show a certain duality. By transposing or Juxtaposing certain things we can accomplish show these dualities. For example by adding a  place where steps lead you up into a more celebratory space where seating and a table are provided my design shows a division between public and private. In my space you walk into the public space and in order to enter into the more private space you walk under an archway and walk up two steps, raising you to a higher place. 

Light/Shadow

A way of expressing relaxation or celebration is by manipulating light so that it adds lines and inviting projections of shadows into the room. The archways that i used to help separate the public from the private space also helps to create a celebration of  light projected onto the interior of my space. 

Literal/Abstract

When assigned this project we were asked not to define it. Meaning, we were not allowed to think of it as a living room, lounge, or anything so literal. We had to think more abstractly of a comfortable place that shows the specified dualities. This was a challenge because in life we are influenced by what we know, and we have certain preconceived ideas of a  living room or a recreational room. 

Monologue/Dialogue

Monologue involves one speaker, whereas a dialogue is between two people. I believe we can learn a lot by analyzing what we say, but we learn a lot more from what other people say. In the space that i designed i force the inhabitant to have a dialogue with the room by adding a design to the ceiling that moves him or her through the space. The linear protrusions from the ceiling lead the person subconsciously to different places in the room.

Action Verbs

In history we speculate, "form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence," on how the past has shaped the present. We’ve talked about new materials that have been introduced into architectural design and how their functions have been manipulated or changed throughout the years. We also speculate as to how the choices we make, or the designs we create today will affect our future.
By analyzing what was designed in the past we can take from it and manipulate it into something that works for the world we live in now. We have to take into account the conditions of the time period in which these designs are created.
Everything that has been, is being, or will be designed has a composition, "form by ordering or composing parts in an artistic way." Architects compose things in a way to fulfill the criteria of commodity, firmness, and delight. There is a space between public and private, a specific way that we move through a space, and these are both accomplished by creating a certain composition.
If a composition is successful it will energize, "give vitality and enthusiasm to," and move people through the space. There are key aspects in a space that will create the effect of energy and one of them is natural lighting. For example in my Masterpieces of Cinema class (depicted above) we all try to skip out early, a lot of it is due to the fact that the classroom has no natural lighting. This makes you feel like you’re in a dungeon, and cannot leave, therefore you try and leave as quickly as possible. Natural lighting has so many good effects on people, it wakes you up, and it makes you healthy and happy.

In design we stretch, "last or cause to last longer than expected," the ideas created in the past to fit the commodity, firmness and delight of our current society. We take key features that were successful in the past and manipulate them to fulfill what we consider to be attractive. It is impossible to design without any influence from some other design. Therefore the way we stretch ourselves is to change for the better previous designs.

The shape, "external form or appearance characteristic of someone or something," of a space also adds energy to it as well. It makes you move through it differently, and makes you feel differently when walking through it. Depending on the function a space is meant to serve the shape of it will change.

Peer Compare/Contrast

(Image taken from http://www.new-york-city-museums.com/the-whitney-museum.jpg)

(Image taken from http://www.treehugger.com/harvard-housing-kyu-sung-woo-leed-gold-photo.jpg)

When looking at the photos above you can see an obvious similarity in the way that they seem to defy gravity in the way that the gradually grow larger as the grow vertically.  Even though they have a strong similarity in their exterior forms they were built for two completely different purposes. The top most image is an art museum in New York City, and the bottom image is a Harvard dorm. 

What interested me most about comparing these two buildings is the fact that they're very similar, and very different at the same time. The different architects used a similar design to house two totally different functions. This design does not strike me as one that applies to many purposes or places. 

Both of these buildings are completely different from their surrounding buildings. They are both made from different materials, and take completely unique forms. These difference separate them from their surrounding space. This works to an advantage for the Whitney Art Museum, but although the Harvard dorm is refreshingly interesting for a college dorm i would imagine the designer would want to create a sense of unity throughout the campus. 

The differences between these buildings doesn't stop at their interior function, they are also made out of different materials. The Whitney museum is made from concrete and the Harvard dorm is brick. Both of these materials have the structural integrity to support such a shape or form, but they clash with the surrounding materials. 

REFLECTIONS

(Image taken from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Crystal_Palace.PNG)

In this unit we explored the use of new materials. Glass and Iron started to be used more abundantly to build Skyscrapers and other revolutionary structures. There was a conflict between the use of machine and handcrafted work at this point. People were surprised and upset at how detailed and well crafted machine made products could be.

There was a competition between France and England to see who could use cast iron in a more detailed way to create immense structures. This change in material signaled a change in societal views. By using Glass and Iron it enhanced the ease of construction, it repelled disease and led to more scientific development. Glass also had the advantage of creating the feeling of being outside when you're actually inside. Blurring the lines of Interior and Exterior. 
An example of this revolutionary building technique was the Crystal Palace in London, England. (depicted above)  The Crystal Palace housed the exposition of materials brought back from new places. The entire temporary building was constructed within nine months by Joseph Paxton. Another unique feature of this building is that it was constructed around existing plants and trees which fuzzes the boundaries between interior and exterior.

The Gothic revival was very prevalent with a many architects as well. It held an ideal vision for the past and emulated old styles of architecture.

The nineteenth century was a time of rapid change, development of one's country, declaring political power, and political growth. Rural places became more urban. Public places were more detailed and elegant making a step towards blurring the lines of wealth or power.