Precedent Analysis proposal...part 2

The God Box:


source

1952

I came across the Chapel of Saint Savior / Robert F. Carr Chapel by Mies Van Der Rohe and was immediately struck by its simple facade. Currently in history we are learning about the Romanesque and Gothic Cathedrals of the middle ages, so it's very interesting to see a completely different concept for a church. As a matter of fact, churches in general are usually more decorated in a specific style. I would be very interested in exploring a new perspective on the design of a religious building. It is located on the campus of the Illinois Institute of technology in Chicago, Illinois.

This is the inspiration image, found in Design Illustrated by Christina Scalise, pg 23

My inspiration image is the second rendering on this website.

This is the inspiration image for this drawing.

Opus 6 - Macro to Micro

This week's opus is concerned with incorporating all of the small details of design into the larger composition.  This is a drawing of a detail I did of the EUC.  We practiced this kind of drawing in order to highlight special parts of the building, kind of like a vignette.  I drew the following vignette of a small detail at the cathedral in Cologne, Germany.  Even though it looks somewhat complex, it's just a small detail in a large structure.  I wanted to show the position of the stained glass windows in relation with the columns and vaults.  Light is an important part of a cathedral, which is why the windows are such a large scale in relation to the building.  The architect who originally came up with this concept, Suger, "wanted to replace walls of stone with membranes of stained glass, which filtered and transformed sunlight so that it symbolized divine illumination" (Roth pg. 324).  These are the small elements that you have to incorporate in a detail drawing. 

 Details are very important in the cathedral, especially when it comes to decorative elements.  "The same kind of movement away from structural directness in favor of ornamental embellishment occurred in the Late Gothic period as well" (Roth pg. 342).  One of the best places to include this detail is on the stained glass windows, showcasing biblical scenes.

My drawing showcases the vaults and stained glass windows, which all make a strong impression on a person inside the cathedral. The purpose of the large, elaborate structures was to bring the richness of heaven down to earth. A person walking down the main axis of the church would be awe-struck by the intricate design of the architecture.  "The presence of light, the symbol of God's divine Grace, became the preeminent symbol; the church building had to become transparent, and when it did so it was no longer Romanesque but Gothic" (Roth pg. 323).  The stained glass windows let in a glowing light, adding to the holy atmosphere of the interior.  

Composition was very important when creating our Portal project in studio.  My group mainly wanted to create balance with out design.  We did this by visually creating balance without making the composition symmetrical.  Here is a sketch idea of our panel:

The vaults and stained glass features of the cathedral also work together to form a composition.  "These elements of design...work together synergistically, each expanding the potential of the other, to create a lighter and more visually transparent architecture" (Roth pg. 323).  

Castles and cathedrals were the two main architectural achievements of the middle ages. A combination of these structures was the monastery. Monasteries were almost a fortress for the monks, which included a church. They included a porch, court, and hearth as well. The porch consisted of the welcoming area for visitors, since there were many people at the monastery besides the monks. The court was the area the monks worked in, which could be on a farm or producing goods in a workshop. The dormitory or eating areas would also be part of the court, as this is the area where people gather together. The hearth would be the church, as this is the heart of the monastery. Worshiping is why they were there and the most important place for them. I drew the following diagram which clearly shows all of these areas:

This diagram is based on the Saint Gall Monastery Plan, which "is a most remarkable document, for it is the oldest such architectural plan to survive from the Middle Ages" (Roth pg. 310).  In Suzanne's class, we have learned that the point of diagrams is to make plans or similar views easier to understand for most people.  The monastery plan is very successful at this, mainly because it's still easy to understand 1200 years later.  It translates the goal of the layout of a monastery to the person looking at it.  "This plan would remain the conceptual blueprint for monasteries thereafter." (Roth pg. 311).

Unit Summary: Foundations

The first unit of the semester, Foundations, has laid out the basic principles that guided the first structures created. From the simple post and lintel form to the use of pendentives at the Hagia Sophia, we have studied how man has borrowed from those that came before them.

All of the regions we looked at dealt with the idea of bringing godly opulence to earth. The Egyptians built pyramids and tombs worthy of the Gods and that reached far into the sky. The Greeks constructed the elaborate worship area, the Acropolis, on a steep hill as a tribute to the Goddess Athena. Rome used the dome shape as a smaller version of the universe, which culminated in the building of the Panthenon as a temple for the seven major Gods and Goddesses. Finally, the Hagia Sohpia was built in Turkey with elaborate interior décor in order to recreate heaven on Earth.

There are two specific examples of design from the ancient world that have had a direct influence on our world today. First up is the Porch, court, and hearth concept invented in Greece. They began to build these three spaces in every home or building to provide a sense of order. The porch is the spot that welcomes you to the space, where you are transformed to enter. The court is the gathering space in the home, the modern day living room. Last is the hearth, the heart of the space. In Greece this may have been the altar in a temple, nowadays it’s the kitchen or the bedroom.

The second form architecture that affects us is using design to order civil life. The Romans planned outdoor spaces like the baths, forums, and theaters to fit a lot of people. Their cities had roads and buildings in a grid pattern which helped traffic flow in the most efficient way possible. Since the Romans conquered so much of the world, these notions were used in parts of Europe, which in turn were brought to America.

We ended this unit with a look at the Hagia Sophia, a basilica from the 4^th century built in Turkey. It represents the fusion of different design ideas from different regions. The basilicas that came before it couldn’t find a medium between the circle and square shapes. The Hagia Sophia solved this issue by placing a circular dome over a square, inventing the pendentive. It was highly influenced by the Roman arch, as well as the importance of interior surface decoration. The versatility of the design is proven by the fact that even though it was constructed as a Christian church, it was later used as a Muslim mosque.

So far, this class has been highly influential and crucial to my journey as a designer. It is eye opening to understand how the buildings and furniture around me came to be. Learning the origins of design features is extremely useful when I’m trying to create something. For example, understanding why an arch was first developed and used would help me decide if I wanted to useit in my own design. I’m excited to learn about more periods of architecture and how they can further influence me.

image source

Circulation zone

Opus 5 - Voices

Metric

Although we don't use the metric system here, we use measurements daily in an architecture program. We have to figure out what size to construct our studio projects in relation to the scale of a person. Our measurements have to be exact in drafting. We even use it in drawing, using makeshift tools to figure out what size an object is in a sketch. Since the metric system is used in other countries, I think this word shows that our designs have to be able to translate across other cultures. You have to consider the perspective of other people when trying to perceive and understand your design.

Precedent

The Basilica structure is the precedent for many buildings, especially the cathedral. "Saint Peter's and other early churches were clearly derived from the great imperial basilicas, but additional modifications were necessitated by the special needs of Christian worship" (roth pg. 282). As you can see in my sketch from class, the basic form of a circle was added on to over time. "Subsequent churches in Italy and other parts of the West tended to follow the pattern provided by the Constantinian basilicas" (roth pg. 282).The use of a square shape, central axis, cross shape, and the dome were experimented with over time in different regions.


It took the fusion of East and West to come to a final compromise of the different shapes. This fusion happened at the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.


Presence

Hadrian's Villa from ancient Rome represents the word presence on two different levels. First, the fact that the villa was located right outside of the city, making it not "present." The political leaders used it as an escape from city life. Here, the rules of society didn't apply to them. Also, the villa is so large it has a huge presence in the area it stands. It shows off the extravagant lifestyle of the person that owns the villa compared with the commoners that surround them.


Moments

In Suzananne's class, we spent the week drawing 5 different scenes from our assigned building. I had the EUC so I chose important moments that are easily recognizable as from the EUC. A moment is something particularly special about a design, structure, or drawing. It's what kicks up a design an extra notch.

This relates to history class when learning about the pendentive. "Hagia Sophia was a physical representation of the fusion of empire and church, for to the Byzantine mind, the cube surmounted by a dome was a model of the universe, the earth covered with the dome of heaven" (roth pg.290). The goal was to create a dome structure that was even stronger and could bear more weight. This is a diagram of how the pendentive works:



Duality

Duality was important to me when designing my circulation zone for studio. I wanted to use this concept to create a place that could be used on multiple level, literally.

Duality was also important to early Christians. "During the early periods of persecution, Christians tried not to direct attention to themselves" (roth pg. 278). They met in peoples homes and burial tombs. These places not only served their regular function, but also that of a church. Later when the religion became the official of Rome, they had to create new structures that would meet all of the needs of the church. "The Christians required not only buildings that would accommodate large numbers of converts, but also enclosed spaces that would facilitate hearing the spoken word and chanted psalms" (roth pg. 279). In this age of sustainability, it's important for designs to work on multiple levels and be used for more than one thing.

Summary

The words of this week opus all have a strong connections to issues I've been dealing with in school. When building something in studio, visually designing something in our drawing classes, or learning about the past in history, these five words are important things to consider. Metric reminds us of the importance of accuracy in measurements and if a design has accurate presence in relation to a person. Presence and Moments have to do with creating something special that creates an impact in a design. Duality means taking these ideas and making something that can be used in multiple ways and has more than one meaning. We use precedents in the design world to see what people have done before us and how they used these different concepts. This helps us figure out how to build on what they have created and hopefully improve upon it.

Opus 4...Parts : Whole

Archetype, Prototype, Hybrid

An example of this phrase is "the orders." This refers to a series of columns that have been improved upon over time. First it started with the Greeks and resulted with a hybrid column from the Romans.

"The role of the orders was significant in defining spaces of the Greek interior; not only did they divide spaces horizontally but they were also instrumental in creating visual interest by the attention drawn to them vertically through decorative detail in the capitals and in the entablature" (Blakemore pg. 28). The Doric column created in Greece was the archetype when it comes to columns. They added details and made adjustments to the design with the next two columns, the Ionic and Corinthian. Then the Romans made their own changes and created the Tuscan Doric and and Composite column. The middle three are the prototypes while the last one is the hybrid, since it combines different aspects of the design.

We use this system in almost everything we design, whether in a drawing or a model. You have to create a series of sketch models and build off of that to get to your final design. The "Found in Translation" project is a good example of this.

Source

I think that source is very similar to the idea of archetype, prototype and hybrid. When designing something you have to find a source to look back to and learn from it. This is evident in the evolution of the temple structure, first found in Greece. "Perhaps as early as 1050 BCE, the crude form of the temple emerged, a wooden structure with upright columns completely around the central chamber" (Roth pg. 230). This is seen through the series of temples we learned about in History. The Temple of Hera at Paestrum had interior columns in the center of the building. However, 30 years later the Temple of Athena was built without interior columns.

Temple of Hera i

Temple of Athena


Entourage

We first learned of the word entourage in Suzanne's drawing class. The objects you include around a subject is the "entourage." I did this in the following vignette drawn at caribou coffee:


As well as in this thumbnail drawn of the EUC:

I included the tables, chairs, and the bear head on the wall in the first drawing. In the thumbnail, I tried to give a sense of the environment by showing some of the tables, chairs, signs, and lighting. This helps create more ambiance and draws you into the image. This can also be seen in vase paintings from the ancient Greeks. "For example, in a satyr play, a deity reclines on a couch while frolicking satyrs encompass a flute player who sits on a klismos" (Blakemore pg. 39). They tried to include objects surrounding their subject in order to give a feel for the space. This also helps us learn more about the ancient Greeks, such as what their furniture was like.

Hierarchy

Hierarchy is very important in design. It is shown by arranging objects in a certain order that places more importance on a certain one. Even something as simple as a power point presentation needs to show hierarchy. In Drafting, having a difference in line weight shows hierarchy. Darker lines are used for the lines of the object, while lighter weight lines are used for annotations on the side of the drawing. That way you notice the most important information first.

On a larger scale, the organization of the Acropolis is a good example of hierarchy. It begins with the smaller Temple of Athena Nike:


"Its delicate Ionic columns, only four at each end, contrast with the massiveness of the Doric columns of the next element to come into view, the entrance gate to the Akropolis, the Propylaia" (Roth pg. 232). It is much smaller compared to the Parthenon, which implies how much more important that building is.

Order


The human brain perceives order whether it was intended or not. This is based on the gestalt principle that we learned about last semester. Therefore, almost anything is designed with some sense of order, whether a building or space. The Acropolis is an example of a space designed to create order. The buildings are positioned so that you see certain buildings when standing at a specific place. Mainly it was designed to move people during a ceremonial procession. "For those quadrennial occasions, pilgrims and celebrants gathered outside the Dipylon gate on the city's northwest side and formed a procession that moved along the street called Dromos, through the agora, and up onto the Akropolis" (Roth pg. 232). The people would celebrate the Goddess Athena every four years and make their way to the Parthenon. This is a good example of design having a purpose and yet still be delightful.

EUC thumbnails

These are thumbnail drawings of different moments from the EUC building, 1st floor.

Precedent Analysis

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Johnson Wax Building by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1936

While searching for a building to choose for this projects, I came across the image of the "lily pad" columns in the second picture. This intrigued me so I decided to choose this building so that I can find out more about it. One interesting thing I've learned so far is that even though those columns are only 9 inches wide at the bottom, they can support 60 tons of weight. I wanted to choose a Frank Lloyd Wright design because we're visiting Falling Water. I think actually visiting one of his buildings will give some unique insight to help understand this structure. This building is located in Racine, Wisconsin and is the S.C. Johnson Company administration and research facility. The building is the face for one of the most successful companies and therefore is a symbol for innovation in America.

Passageway

Three sketch models for the passageway:

Rhythm
Hierarchy
Boundaries