Intersession
Architecture and Design
Audie Santos
1/10/13
Jan. 10th, 2013
Today, Rafael started introduced us to our 3rd and final architectural idea, Venustas. Venustas meant attractiveness. And as usual he would go on and explain what this meant for architecture. There were multiple aspects contributing to the beauty of a building, and they are balance, proportion, symmetry, light, space, shape, line, color, material, scale, rhythm,and texture. Each one of these aspects supports the overall idea of what each person defines beauty to their own accord.
As usual, the architectural idea of Venustas had a documentary about it which we watched. The documentary focused on a French Apartment housing called the Nemausus 1. It displayed simple yet efficient ways of having more space in a home while making it appealing to the senses. The Nemausus 1 consisted of 2 buildings and a courtyard between them. The posts in the garage that support the buildings are strong because they are made of reinforced concrete.
The apartments themselves did not really have any doors or rooms but 3 parts for a family to use. The living spaces had different configurations and combinations so that each apartment room was not alike to the next. The living space consists of 2 parts, an upstairs and downstairs. The downstairs separated by a block containing a bathroom, and heater unit. The downstairs seems very open due to the large windows out looking the city. Outside there are walkways and verandas for residents to visit each other.The only door was made of glass, just like the walls leading to the veranda. The glass walls could be folded so that they could seal the apartment or reveal it to let in sun and fresh air and they lead to the verandas. Each apartment had 2 floors and was connected to the complex above it. Outside there are walkways and verandas for residents to visit each other.
Originally, Jean Nouvel who was the architect who designed Nemausus 1, planned that the actual living spaces were not to be decorated and ever forbid the residents from decorating it. It was to be kept bland with no paint, decals, or wallpaper to cover the concrete wall so that it would materialize Nouvel's idea of a modern household and how people really live. Despite the warnings residents retaliated by doing the exact opposite of what Nouvel had wanted by decorating their places. The residents won their battle to decorate their apartments.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Intersession
Architecture and Design
Audie Santos
1/8/13
Jan. 8th, 2013
Our teacher Rafael has been doing a very good job of teaching Architecture and Design and explaining himself and the ideas of Architecture to us.Yesterday, we watched a documentary on the Siza School of Architecture. The school is located in Porto, Portugal. The buildings are somewhat concealed behind the trees yet revealing only narrow views of the school. The buildings were designed so that the old trees would be removed making it seem that the school grew with the trees. The four towers of the school are located by a river bank so that it projects serenity to the students learning inside. The staff buildings are near the noisy motor way. There is an underground pathway that connects the administrative buildings to the towers. In the towers, the windows are vertical slits large enough to see all of the outside and to let in light.
Sunlight is arced through an architecturally designed curve to project reading light in the library. In the hallway it seems as if the light were coming out of the wall. The sunlight is manipulated so that it projects this way. The roof is actually glass and there are false ceilings and walls to reflect the light to create this illusion.
This helped inspire an idea on what our buildings should for the mini-projects. We have a mini-project that we do daily after watching a documentary. At the end, Rafael introduced us with a large project that should be completed by the end of the month with our table-mates. In our project we are supposed to design another Summit program school. We had to decide between using Gilroy or San Fransisco to place the school. Naturally my table partners and I chose Gilroy, because it offered less distractions to its students, where as the San Fransisco location was located next to the SF International Airport and Highway 101. Seeing as there weren't that many roads leading to the SF build site, we figured the traffic would be momentous. So we set our eyes and school on Gilroy. After the decision, we began the map and placement of buildings on the campus.
Jan. 9th, 2013
Today Rafael started us off with the normal morning presentation and then began to introduce the 3 elements of architecture. Such as Utilitas, Firmitas, and Venustas. It means utility firmness and attractiveness. Today's architectural theme was Utilitas. The documentary was on the BauHaus in Germany which was created on 1919 by Walter Gropius. BauHaus translated from German into "Building House". The school itself was a school of art, architecture, and design. Ironically the complex itself is a work of art and architectural creativity, much like the Siza School of Portugal. Like the Siza School, it offered a complex building placement that secluded yet made the students interact with each other.
In the BauHaus the strength of the building is supported by large pillars located on near the edge of the inside of the building. The steel frames on the outside of the building support the "glass curtain walls". The stairs are not rectangular at all but in a spiraling fashion. During the day, the windows along the stairwell almost illuminate the whole thing. If the sun over the eastern wing does not hit the normal window panels there are extended windows arching over the roof to get the afternoon sunshine. A row of glass windows that are constructed in such a way that they can be opened and closed by mechanical use of a pulley.
On the inside of the building, the theater uses minimal lighting through the use of the metal reflectors located above the lights. On the stage, the lights only hit the actors or stage performers by blocking the light from the audience with the use of an extended wall from the ceiling. For the furniture, the BauHaus minimizes the use of chairs in work spaces by having the students work on the floor so that their work space is larger. There are chairs in places where they are required such as the cafeteria, and theater. The chairs that are used are made of aluminum tubes and a seat, without the back to support one's back making it lightweight.
On the outside of the dormitories, the BauHaus features outward balconies for students to use for social and viewing purposes. On the roof of the dormitory is a flat space for students to use for social encounters and what not. As stated above the school was made so that people would maximize contact with each other.
Architecture and Design
Audie Santos
1/8/13
Jan. 8th, 2013
Our teacher Rafael has been doing a very good job of teaching Architecture and Design and explaining himself and the ideas of Architecture to us.Yesterday, we watched a documentary on the Siza School of Architecture. The school is located in Porto, Portugal. The buildings are somewhat concealed behind the trees yet revealing only narrow views of the school. The buildings were designed so that the old trees would be removed making it seem that the school grew with the trees. The four towers of the school are located by a river bank so that it projects serenity to the students learning inside. The staff buildings are near the noisy motor way. There is an underground pathway that connects the administrative buildings to the towers. In the towers, the windows are vertical slits large enough to see all of the outside and to let in light.
Sunlight is arced through an architecturally designed curve to project reading light in the library. In the hallway it seems as if the light were coming out of the wall. The sunlight is manipulated so that it projects this way. The roof is actually glass and there are false ceilings and walls to reflect the light to create this illusion.
This helped inspire an idea on what our buildings should for the mini-projects. We have a mini-project that we do daily after watching a documentary. At the end, Rafael introduced us with a large project that should be completed by the end of the month with our table-mates. In our project we are supposed to design another Summit program school. We had to decide between using Gilroy or San Fransisco to place the school. Naturally my table partners and I chose Gilroy, because it offered less distractions to its students, where as the San Fransisco location was located next to the SF International Airport and Highway 101. Seeing as there weren't that many roads leading to the SF build site, we figured the traffic would be momentous. So we set our eyes and school on Gilroy. After the decision, we began the map and placement of buildings on the campus.
Jan. 9th, 2013
Today Rafael started us off with the normal morning presentation and then began to introduce the 3 elements of architecture. Such as Utilitas, Firmitas, and Venustas. It means utility firmness and attractiveness. Today's architectural theme was Utilitas. The documentary was on the BauHaus in Germany which was created on 1919 by Walter Gropius. BauHaus translated from German into "Building House". The school itself was a school of art, architecture, and design. Ironically the complex itself is a work of art and architectural creativity, much like the Siza School of Portugal. Like the Siza School, it offered a complex building placement that secluded yet made the students interact with each other.
In the BauHaus the strength of the building is supported by large pillars located on near the edge of the inside of the building. The steel frames on the outside of the building support the "glass curtain walls". The stairs are not rectangular at all but in a spiraling fashion. During the day, the windows along the stairwell almost illuminate the whole thing. If the sun over the eastern wing does not hit the normal window panels there are extended windows arching over the roof to get the afternoon sunshine. A row of glass windows that are constructed in such a way that they can be opened and closed by mechanical use of a pulley.
On the inside of the building, the theater uses minimal lighting through the use of the metal reflectors located above the lights. On the stage, the lights only hit the actors or stage performers by blocking the light from the audience with the use of an extended wall from the ceiling. For the furniture, the BauHaus minimizes the use of chairs in work spaces by having the students work on the floor so that their work space is larger. There are chairs in places where they are required such as the cafeteria, and theater. The chairs that are used are made of aluminum tubes and a seat, without the back to support one's back making it lightweight.
On the outside of the dormitories, the BauHaus features outward balconies for students to use for social and viewing purposes. On the roof of the dormitory is a flat space for students to use for social encounters and what not. As stated above the school was made so that people would maximize contact with each other.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Intersession
Architecture and Design
Audie Santos
1/9/13
Jan. 9th, 2013
The day started off with the usual presentation and introduction to the subject and idea of the day. The element of architecture on focus is Firmista which stood for stability or firmness. We then watched our daily documentary on the Pompidou Center in Paris whose building related to the architectural element of Firmista. The infrastructure of the building itself is made of entirely of porticoes and support beams. The exterior of the building shows all of the trusses and support beams left over from the porticoes to create the interior of the building, it was as if it were naked.
The inside however was very different. It serves of multiple purposes each with it's own section of the building. It features a library, an art museum, and offices. The pavilions in the museum boast their own architectural ingenuity and many colors that are attractive to the eye to differentiate things instead of using a monotonous shade of white or grey.
The outside is where all of the architectural firmness is shown. The steel frame is visible from the outside and covers the whole building. There is an escalator leading to the top of the building where the restaurant is located. While ridding the escalator you can view Paris from the glass tunnel that surrounds the escalator.
Architecture and Design
Audie Santos
1/9/13
Jan. 9th, 2013
The day started off with the usual presentation and introduction to the subject and idea of the day. The element of architecture on focus is Firmista which stood for stability or firmness. We then watched our daily documentary on the Pompidou Center in Paris whose building related to the architectural element of Firmista. The infrastructure of the building itself is made of entirely of porticoes and support beams. The exterior of the building shows all of the trusses and support beams left over from the porticoes to create the interior of the building, it was as if it were naked.
The inside however was very different. It serves of multiple purposes each with it's own section of the building. It features a library, an art museum, and offices. The pavilions in the museum boast their own architectural ingenuity and many colors that are attractive to the eye to differentiate things instead of using a monotonous shade of white or grey.
The outside is where all of the architectural firmness is shown. The steel frame is visible from the outside and covers the whole building. There is an escalator leading to the top of the building where the restaurant is located. While ridding the escalator you can view Paris from the glass tunnel that surrounds the escalator.
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