Meditation/ Celebration---
Our recent studio project was about transforming a studio window into a meditative and celebration of light. My particular window was very bright and illuminated my entire space every day. Therefore, I had a great starting point for directing such a consistent and strong amount of light as I pleased. I decided to create a sense of meditation with the shape of the circle. I made circular cut outs which were representative of unity and the visual evenness of the form which is pleasing to the eye. I made large circular cut outs as well as smaller drill hole circles in various clusters to make twinkling light. Within my square window fitting there are the two different circular patterns as well as waves in the lower left and upper right corners that show gradation. I placed identical pieces on top of two larger circles and a few solid waveforms partially over the wave cut outs to give a 3-D effect. I wanted the forms to appear as though they were literally being forced out of the window by the strength of the light.
When we experience a feeling of meditation, we feel at peace and at ease about the current situation. Celebration is a party, a festival, a joyful jubilation. Combined, this can yield captivating results. Roth pg. 552, “When I built this chapel, I wanted to create a place of silence, of prayer, of peace and inner joy. The feeling of the sacred inspired our efforts.” The Notre-Dame-du-Haut explained in the quote above by Roth expresses this culmination of meditation and celebration. Speaking on peace, inner joy, sacred, silence, prayer, yet a chapel for a collection of people brings these two experiences together in a harmonious manner. The results yield a beautiful celebration of light and shadow, as well as a simplicity that brings one to meditate on and radiate in God’s glory in this place.
Window Unit Sketch
Light and Shadow-
In drawing class we are learning to work with markers and other new media in the process of rendering. When rendering, it is important to show light and shadow casting on the ground plane as well as on the building walls. For centuries, the idea of having shadows and light casting off in various directions has been essential in the design world. If we look back at the Egyptian pyramids and their strong sense of light and shadow as well as the Mayan temples, we can see how they strategically designed their structures to manipulate light and shadow. The Mayans were able to build architectural structures that cast light through squares on tops of prestigious buildings to represent when dates, seasons and times of the day changed. I see that by drawing light and shadow, I can represent the architect or designers intent by using markers to show light and shadow.
Consistently in the history of our world, there have been design’s that express the importance of light versus shadow. In Roth on pg. 551, “The brilliant whiteness of the rough stucco exterior is in the sharpest contrast to the dark interior, which is lit only by small apertures in the south wall filled with colored glass, and by the reflected light scooped up in the towers and splashed down on the altars below.” Roth speaks about the Norte-Dame-du-Haut Chapel and its unique interior design to bring about meditation and celebration in a single instance. When formulating a feeling in a space a designer must be conscious of the colors and textures in the space. The white stucco versus the dark wood furniture and details is tranquilizing. The light that floods in from the windows (to the East side) of the building illuminates the altar, making an angelic statement. The contrast of white and rough versus dark, hardy, smooth wood furniture is pleasing to the eye. The light from the windows adds to the magnificence of the moment created at the altar and the soft shadows that fall around the chapel itself.
Transpose/ Juxtaposition—
In studio I am building a graduate meditation space that gives you the sense of a caterpillar’s metamorphosis. I am using various materials and forms to give the graduate a feeling of cocoon to freedom as a butterfly, a transition from intimacy and a personal journey into a more social atmosphere. Throughout the space’s interior architecture, there are verticals and horizontal lines, lots of transposing and juxtaposing occurring without even adding in excess elements. Due to the room’s form, I am actuating some of the vertical structures such as the prominent columns with one of my three assigned materials. The columns will be done in Purple Heart wood and the natural lines within the wood will juxtapose nicely with the vertical framework on the windows it is near. The low ledges on the windows will work well to transpose the verticality of the deep pomegranate colored columns and long drapes that will be hung from lowered ceilings.
A way in which an architect can make a building visually intriguing is by adding both the element of expectancy and elements of surprise to a building’s construction. One way in which an architect can achieve this is by juxtaposing and transposing portions within the space. Roth describes the Schminke House in Germany on pg. 537, “In essence, his buildings from this point onward were either tall vertical shafts of stacked levels, or single horizontal boxes, most often containing a single universal space.” Roth is stating that this building is historically well known for its delivery of angles and constant appearance of motion.
Literal/ Abstract—
My graduate room inspiration is the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. It would be easy to design a room that was white and close to the body to reflect a cocoon and to have fabric that was multi colored and resembled wings and green walls to show tree tops but that would be all to literal. I had to think abstractly and to utilize senses and specific materials as well as consider the client. I interviewed two grad students and they both said they would like a tranquil space that provided liquids to sip on while they relaxed. I wanted to incorporate their ideas into my inspiration. I do not want someone to look at my space and call it themed; I want them to be able to see an abstraction of my inspirations, to make the room speak of my design and my creativity, rather than a scientific study or childhood room theme.
To be forward thinking, I believe a designer must be able to balance the literal and the abstract. There are moments when that line between the two can accomplish unique works of architectural art. Roth illuminates this point on pg. 554, “The rising shells suggested sails in the harbor and the undulating ceilings of the auditoria not only recalled the surrounding water but also suggested sound waves.” This building is able to be unique and abstract from a viewers perspective, however, when zoomed out to birds eye view, one can see the similarities of the architecture and the sails. In my theory of design class, I am researching the IAC Building by Frank Gehry and his building also deals with the idea of sails over water.
Monologue/Dialog—
To understand the language of something, one needs to experience both a monologue and a dialog in that language. I am experience a daily monologue and dialog between my design and the design critics and audience in which I am designing for. My monologue is how my voice and intent for the design speaks through the work itself. The design explains what I want to convey without words. The dialog between my audience and myself during the design process is essential. If I do not listen to my clients and we do not correlate, the design will be less functional and more so about what I want and not necessarily what the client needs. This cannot happen when creating a design for a client. Therefore, monologue and dialog in design occur at different points and depend hugely on the audience in which the intended design is for. Massey pg 146 (The Quickborner Team, a German management consultancy), “The layout was designed around the traffic flow rather than the rigidity defining work hierarchies.” This quote represents the designer making the audience: employees happier and their atmosphere for work more functional.
Consistently in the history of our world, there have been design’s that express the importance of light versus shadow. In Roth on pg. 551, “The brilliant whiteness of the rough stucco exterior is in the sharpest contrast to the dark interior, which is lit only by small apertures in the south wall filled with colored glass, and by the reflected light scooped up in the towers and splashed down on the altars below.” Roth speaks about the Norte-Dame-du-Haut Chapel and its unique interior design to bring about meditation and celebration in a single instance. When formulating a feeling in a space a designer must be conscious of the colors and textures in the space. The white stucco versus the dark wood furniture and details is tranquilizing. The light that floods in from the windows (to the East side) of the building illuminates the altar, making an angelic statement. The contrast of white and rough versus dark, hardy, smooth wood furniture is pleasing to the eye. The light from the windows adds to the magnificence of the moment created at the altar and the soft shadows that fall around the chapel itself.
The image above is the Notre-Dame-du-Haut Chapel. Note: the many small windows and cut outs that allow light to stream into the space.
Transpose/ Juxtaposition—
In studio I am building a graduate meditation space that gives you the sense of a caterpillar’s metamorphosis. I am using various materials and forms to give the graduate a feeling of cocoon to freedom as a butterfly, a transition from intimacy and a personal journey into a more social atmosphere. Throughout the space’s interior architecture, there are verticals and horizontal lines, lots of transposing and juxtaposing occurring without even adding in excess elements. Due to the room’s form, I am actuating some of the vertical structures such as the prominent columns with one of my three assigned materials. The columns will be done in Purple Heart wood and the natural lines within the wood will juxtapose nicely with the vertical framework on the windows it is near. The low ledges on the windows will work well to transpose the verticality of the deep pomegranate colored columns and long drapes that will be hung from lowered ceilings.
A way in which an architect can make a building visually intriguing is by adding both the element of expectancy and elements of surprise to a building’s construction. One way in which an architect can achieve this is by juxtaposing and transposing portions within the space. Roth describes the Schminke House in Germany on pg. 537, “In essence, his buildings from this point onward were either tall vertical shafts of stacked levels, or single horizontal boxes, most often containing a single universal space.” Roth is stating that this building is historically well known for its delivery of angles and constant appearance of motion.
My purple heart column with a wooden cantilevered bench suspended from it for the graduate meditation space.
Literal/ Abstract—
My graduate room inspiration is the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. It would be easy to design a room that was white and close to the body to reflect a cocoon and to have fabric that was multi colored and resembled wings and green walls to show tree tops but that would be all to literal. I had to think abstractly and to utilize senses and specific materials as well as consider the client. I interviewed two grad students and they both said they would like a tranquil space that provided liquids to sip on while they relaxed. I wanted to incorporate their ideas into my inspiration. I do not want someone to look at my space and call it themed; I want them to be able to see an abstraction of my inspirations, to make the room speak of my design and my creativity, rather than a scientific study or childhood room theme.
To be forward thinking, I believe a designer must be able to balance the literal and the abstract. There are moments when that line between the two can accomplish unique works of architectural art. Roth illuminates this point on pg. 554, “The rising shells suggested sails in the harbor and the undulating ceilings of the auditoria not only recalled the surrounding water but also suggested sound waves.” This building is able to be unique and abstract from a viewers perspective, however, when zoomed out to birds eye view, one can see the similarities of the architecture and the sails. In my theory of design class, I am researching the IAC Building by Frank Gehry and his building also deals with the idea of sails over water.
The Berlin Philharmonic that resembles sound waves as well as sails.
Monologue/Dialog—
To understand the language of something, one needs to experience both a monologue and a dialog in that language. I am experience a daily monologue and dialog between my design and the design critics and audience in which I am designing for. My monologue is how my voice and intent for the design speaks through the work itself. The design explains what I want to convey without words. The dialog between my audience and myself during the design process is essential. If I do not listen to my clients and we do not correlate, the design will be less functional and more so about what I want and not necessarily what the client needs. This cannot happen when creating a design for a client. Therefore, monologue and dialog in design occur at different points and depend hugely on the audience in which the intended design is for. Massey pg 146 (The Quickborner Team, a German management consultancy), “The layout was designed around the traffic flow rather than the rigidity defining work hierarchies.” This quote represents the designer making the audience: employees happier and their atmosphere for work more functional.
The Quickborner Team office in Germany
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