MHRA Building Context Diagram

Alternatives Unit Summary

The alternatives unit was about expanding on the basic principles of design that was stated in the foundations unit and about the ancient world relating to the past.  The alternatives unit takes place in the Renaissance and Baroque time period.  One of the main concepts in the foundations unit was the principle of commodity, firmness, and delight.  The alternatives unit really emphasized commodity, firmness, and delight in the cathedrals that were being built during this time as Christianity was spreading throughout Europe.

            The duomo is Brunelleschi’s dome that is a part of the cathedral at Florence.  The duomo overshadows the city and is the epicenter of Florence.  It was thought to be a symbol for the city since it was like saying, “we can move beyond and make better.”  It is the largest dome and has the effect of a wuwu because of its large and tall scale.  The church was a prototype for another church, but the duomo made change instead of continuity because it went from medieval to gothic.  The duomo had the effect of the idea that there is connectivity between heaven and earth.  

Many churches had the plan of crossing east and west and it was very decorative element.  The Greek cross plan is a symbol of the Christian cross that Jesus died on for our sins.  Cathedrals also were decorative in the fact that they had mosaics that told stories and were very luminous.  The Rose window in st. Sernin helps focus on the alter, the most important part in a cathedral.  Geometry also played a big role in the alternatives unit as the contrast of dark and light were used a lot throughout the Renaissance.  The crossing square in cathedrals and 90-degree angles was also very geometric.

            Venezia, otherwise known as Venice, was and is the city of floating stone.  The city was man-made and is slowly sinking due to the tree trunks that hold the city up.  The water throughout the city was used for travel and borrowing.  The Grand Canal connects west and east and gives a spirit of peace.  There are many “squares” in Venice as well as a wuwu in San Marco Square.  The Maria Della Salute salutes Mary from not bringing sickness (the black plague) to Venice.  It is a celebration to the city of Venice.

            The alternatives unit tells us that it is okay to break the rules outside the box and to test the boundaries.  A great example of an artist and designer who broke rules was Michelangelo Buonarroti.  Michelangelo broke rules by breaking through surfaces of walls making them appear to be illusions.  He simplified from the old and made more height in his paintings that make them appear as if they are a part of the wall itself.  In the Capella Sistina, Michelangelo makes it hard for us to tell if the floor is the ceiling or vice versa because it could go either way with the disintegrating walls and fluidity.

            The Renaissance lead into the Baroque time period.  The Renaissance was all about rationality and the Baroque was all about emotion.  It was a time for thinking outside the box and revolution making that leads us into the next unit.  Versailles was built specifically for the king because he was the ultimate ruler and he had to have everything bigger.  He wanted a bigger house that had to relate everything to him.  The sun outside radiates out and reflects to the king because all things come back to and reflect on the king.  The revolution, however, interrupts the design process and slows it down.  The Hall of Mirrors reflect on the inside of the palace making the space look bigger and linking the outside world with the inside world by mirrors inside and waters and landscaping outdoors.  

Grammar : Syntax

Audience:  An audience is a group of people who are watching an event.  It could also mean “the act of hearing, or attending to, words or sounds.” (dictionary.com)  When you are going to a play, there is always a big audience to watch the performance.  For some people, their motivation comes from knowing that others will be watching them at some point.  In studio, we make projects that eventually get critiqued by the audience of everyone in the class and teachers.

 This model will be critiqued by my peers and teachers [the audience].

[Re]visions:  Revising is the process of making a new version of the original.   In drafting, we always make our first drawing on bond paper and then the finalized one is on vellum.  We revise the bond drawing to make it fit in the right place on the vellum so that it is in the perfect spot.  The place Vendome is similar to the Place de Vosges because the outside facades are very similar in looks, but the insides are revised completely differently.  (Roth)

My drafting for Stoel this week was first on bond paper and then revised onto vellum.

Character:  Character is something that everything and everyone has.  It is the features and traits that make up character, which makes something or someone so unique.  It is important to capture a client’s character, so that when you are designing for them you can add their own character in the designs you make for them.  Therefore, they will love what you have designed rather than something that does not have any of their taste in it.  The saltworks building has columns in the front that have much character in them because the columns are individual blocks that stack up on top of one another.  Details are what make character so unique.  “Designers searched for ornamental details that were more imaginative, gay, animated, and entertaining…” (Blakemore, 246) 

 My flower I drew has character because of all the detail.

Transition:  Transition is another word for change.  It means that something transforms from one thing to another or from one idea/concept to another.  In studio we form ideas/concepts that eventually change over a short period of time when doing a project.  We go from one idea to the next developing our concept further and deeper.  “The Regence style of chair was a transition from the primarily rectilinear forms of Louis XIV to the curvilinear contours of Louis XV.” (Blakemore, 256)   The statue of David by Michelangelo is different from the statue of David by Bernini in the way that Bernini transitioned from Michelangelo’s still stance of David to an ‘in-motion’ David.

Datum:  Datum can mean many things, but the one that relates to architecture is that datum is an item of information that comes from research or measurement.  Basically it is a single piece of information.  My furniture drawings I did for Suzanne is a piece of datum because they are assumed that they are for a family room because I drew all pieces that you would find in a family room.  A circle in the Renaissance time was used as datum and “…was an especially attractive form for Renaissance designers, symbolizing the perfection of God.”  (Roth, 360) 

This presentation board my group made follows a set of datum because it has much information.

Summary:  This weeks words are all about communication and how that communication is passed and received.  A piece of datum has character that gets revised by people to transition to another idea.  The audience receives the message and responds to it.  Communication involves grammar and syntax when writing or speaking.

Deliverables Articulation

Drawings -->

Exterior Facade Perspective: 1/4 scale on bond using white and black and grey primacolors

Plan View: 1/4 scale in black pen on vellum

Top View:  1/4 scale in pencil on bond

Detail Drawing from back of house:  4x4 bond in watercolor

View from back:  1/4 scale in black pen on bond paper

Front Elevation:  1/4 scale in pencil on vellum

Side Elevation:  1/4 scale in pencil on vellum

Hallway:  pencil on bond

 Staircase on Exterior:  black pen on bond

Roof Garden Perspective:  watercolor on bond

Outline of Essay -->

I. History

A. Name and year built

B. Designer/Architect and his background

C. Location

D. Style

II. House Details

A. Description of house

B. Rooms and their functions

C. Exterior Landscape (include garden roof)

D. Size of house and lot

E. Color choice (black and white)

III. Purpose

A. Why Modern

B. Function

C. WWII

D. Similar houses based of this house

E. What makes it stand out

Questions & Issues -->

How do I get a picture of the roof garden?

I can't find indoor pictures.

Should we mount our drawings?

Jeff's House Plan and Isometric drawings

Crit Room plan

Drafting Pencil drawing