Global/Local

There are so many different factors affecting architecture globally such as climate, geological conditions, locally distinct speciation of plants and animals, and the geographical differences of human cultures and histories. Many architects and designers have to design and build around some of these conditions.
Things such as global communication networks, global trade, multinational corporations, mass production and industrialization, consumer culture around the world, widespread global access to materials and resources, international trade and construction standards, and internationally applicable building codes lead us into globalization. Because of our fast paced, technology world, we can build with knowledge that generations before us didn't have. This I believe is helpful but also hinders our environment because we are always thinking of the newest piece of technology to fix our problems when in reality that may create more. We can't just think globally though, we have to think locally as well when we design. If there are some materials and tools that can be made locally, support it. Global and local can go hand in hand.

Technology and Architecture

Today there are some many different technologies such as cell phones, computers, ipods, etc. Even when you are at the store there are different technologies there such as the cash register. Everything seems to be run by technology. Today for one of my projects, I had to cut on the cnc router down on south campus. In the old days of architecture and design, you had to cut everything by hand. This time I got to put a file in a machine and it did all the cutting for me.
One thing has always stumped me though. What happens if our technology went away? How would we react and what would we do? Would we still be able to function on a day to day basis? At your house your food would go bad, you wouldn't be able to heat anything up, and you would have no electricity. Could we really live without technology?
Technology in architecture has been so helpful and useful but i think we have lost the touch of hand drawings and actually working with our hands to put things together... not making a computer do it for us. Also I think architecture and technology goes great together cause it allows us to explore different options of building our projects. All in all, technology like anything else has its ups and its downs.

This I believe interior design should...

When I think back to past projects, there is one thing that I have always tried to do, I want to help create memories for people. This may sound a little too romantic for architecture or interior design but in thinking back to past experiences, family vacations, the town I grew up in, etc, I recall a lot of good memories. In each one of those memories is a building or interior that I remember. I can recall the shapes, colors, and how I felt in those spaces. I want to create that for others. In everybody’s mind is an ongoing movie. Each person has their own plot, scenes, characters, and locations/props; these scenes/locations are usually interiors. I want to help create these interiors.

The question that was put given to me was, “This I believe architecture or interior design should…” and throughout this blog I will try my best to answer that question and to provide examples but also try to incorporate other thinkers who may or may not share the same opinion. I will tell you why or why not I agree or disagree.

This I believe interior design should be seen as a tool that God has given is not only to give back to the environment but to also give back to other people. I do agree with sustainable design. William McDonough stated in his sermon Design, Ecology, Ethics and the Making of Things, “If we understand that design leads to the manifestation of human intention and if what we make with our hands is to be sacred and honor the earth that gives us life, then the things we make must not only rise from the ground but return to it, soil to soil, water to water, so everything that is received from the earth can be freely given back without causing harm to any living system. This is ecology. This is good design. It is of this we must now speak.” I know for me that I wasn’t even aware of the damage we are doing to our planet until I came to deign school. Okay well I was a little aware but frankly I didn’t care. However my opinion has changed since then. So much waste goes into our environment and yet were does it all go? I mean eventually we are going to run out of room to store it all. So why do we not care about where our materials go and who reaps in the toxins? It is so easy just to pitch everything in the garbage, let the garbage man collect it and be done with it. We live in such a fast paced world where people hate to slow down…we all say we want a break but as soon as we get one we are filling it up with other activities. I think it is very important to get involved in sustainability. If the younger generation sees how important it is to us, just maybe they could go even farther with the idea.

I do think there is a connection between God, the environment, and us. In Clyde’s Pick-Up by William Bryant Logan, he states, “God tells Moses, ‘Take off your shoes, because the ground where you are standing is Holy Ground.’ He is asking Moses to experience in his own body what the burning bush experiences: a living connection between heaven and earth, the life that stretches out like taffy between our father the sun and our mother the earth. If you do not believe this, take off your shoes and stand in the grass or in the sand or in the dirt.” I believe there is this longing inside of us to be connected with nature somehow. You may be asking how does this apply to interior design? Deep down inside of us, when we slow down and stop to focus on others than just our selves, we are aware of this longing to help people, to give them a space that they are familiar with, a space that they can call there own, something that is normal. In a book called The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle, the seventh longing he talks about is the longing to make a deep and lasting impact. Bickle states, “As human beings we are desperate for a life of meaning, relevance and significance. We long to make a contribution to the lives of those we care about. We experience great enjoyment when we bring pleasure to others. This, too, is a legitimate longing placed in our hearts by a God of meaning and purpose. It is fulfilled by anointed service in his kingdom, resulting in rewards that literally last forever. God designed his people to make a relevant impact in the lives of others. In fact, Jesus wants us yoked together with him in the holy mandate that the Father has given him to disciple the nations (see Matt. 28:19). As we reject our tendency toward self-centered isolationism and walk out the second commandment at our Bridegroom’s side, we will satisfy the longings of our hearts.” To create and design is one of the many gifts God has given us. This is what interior design and architecture is about, giving back to the environment and our community.

God is the reason why I have chosen the profession of interior design. There is a need and I want to provide that need. I want people to not only experience design not only with their eyes but with their other senses as well. I want them to remember these spaces because of their senses. Louis Kahn stated in The Room, The Street, and Human Agreement, “The room is the beginning of architecture. It is the place of mind. You in the room with its dimensions, its structure, its light responds to its character, its spiritual aura, recognizing that whatever the human proposes and makes becomes a life.”  Design starts in the mind, an idea. As designers we have to get our point across through our sketches and how we communicate it.

Carlos Castaneda – “Any path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that’s what your heart tells you…look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, one question…Does this path have a heart? If it does the path is good; if it doesn’t it is of no use.” Design has to have personal side to it. Your heart has to be embedded into the design. Why do you think many people hire Frank Gerhy, because they want a Gerhy design. Whether they like the design for the concept, function, or his different ways of constructing a building, the point is they want his personal touch. I believe your design should make people want to hire you. Not only do they want their ideas conveyed in the space but they also want what you believe in as well.

Lastly, good design is about creating a relationship with the designer and the people who will be experiencing their space. There should be something there that you can connect with, something to make you stand in awe. Design is an art and you want people to experience your art. When someone steps into your space, they should be able to understand your concept, what may have driven you to do this. You want their questions of why did he/she do this? Why was this wall placed there? And what is the significance of these colors/textures? If you can answer these questions without every saying a word, then your design has succeeded. Let the design speak for you. This is what I believe interior design should do and be.

Sustainable Practices

Our reading this week was about sustainable practices and it made me realize that yes some parts of the world are practicing this but are we doing enough? I think we take for granted the tools God has given us to build. We take from the earth but are we giving back? We live in such a fast paced world that is constantly moving and when we have to wait for something, we grow impatient. Yes a lot are for sustainable design but are we willing to wait for the resources? Are we willing to let them re-grow? In an article I read, I came across this:

“The universe is an expression of the divine,” said Jerry Roussell, chairman of the Religious Studies and Philosophy Department at Marylhurst University. “We are created to use it, not destroy it.

“It’s a responsibility, like taking care of children. We need to think of the next generation. We’ve been given this resource by God. We need to use these resources in the right way. That’s part of the Christian message.

“We’re supposed to have a right relationship with God, ourselves, others and the whole universe. We’re supposed to have a right relationship with the Earth, and part of that is sustainability.”

http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=118541668012417900

I believe God gave us this earth to take care of. So much of what we do is for our own personal gain. Lets stop and help one another and start treating our earth with more respect.

Landscape and Site/Time and Memory

I found an interesting blog about landscapes and memory but the blog had to do with historical sites:

https://blogs.montclair.edu/creativeresearch/2010/06/07/the-landscape-of-memory-why-historical-sites-still-matter/



I also found one site that was different but related to keeping the landscape the same but using it for a different purpose. Here is the project:


"Landschaftspark is a public park located in Duisburg Nord, Germany. It was designed in 1991 by Latz + Partner (Peter Latz), with the intention that it work to heal and understand the industrial past, rather than trying to reject it. The park closely associates itself with the past use of the site: a coal and steel production plant (abandoned in 1985, leaving the area significantly polluted) and the agricultural land it had been prior to the mid 19th century."


Concept and creation: "In 1991 a co-operative-concurrent planning procedure with five international planning teams was held to design the park. Peter Latz’s design was significant, as it attempted to preserve as much of the existing site as possible(Diedrich, 69). Unlike his competitors, Latz recognized the value of the site’s current condition(Weilacher, 106). He allowed the polluted soils to remain in place and be remediated through phytoremediation, and sequestered soils with high toxicity in the existing bunkers. He also found new uses for many of the old structures, and turned the former sewage canal into a method of cleansing the site." 


Design: "The park is divided into different areas, whose borders were carefully developed by looking at existing conditions (such as how the site had been divided by existing roads and railways, what types of plants had begun to grow in each area, etc). This piecemeal pattern was then woven together by a series of walkways and waterways, which were placed according to the old railway and sewer systems. While each piece retains its character, it also creates a dialogue with the site surrounding it. Within the main complex, Latz emphasized specific programmatic elements: the concrete bunkers create a space for a series of intimate gardens, old gas tanks have become pools for scuba divers, concrete walls are used by rock climbers, and one of the most central places of the factory, the middle of the former steel mill, has been made into piazza. Each of these spaces uses elements to allow for a specific reading of time.

The site was designed with the idea that a grandfather, who might have worked at the plant, could walk with his grandchildren, explaining what he used to do and what the machinery had been used for. At Landschaftspark, memory was central to the design. Various authors have addressed the ways in which memory can inform the visitor of a site, a concept that became prevalent during Postmodernism." 

Here is the architects website and the project: http://www.latzundpartner.de/projects/detail/17

Importance of memory: "Memory has re-emerged as an important aspect of design, and has been addressed by authors such as Sebastien Marot, Frances Yates, Robert Smithson, and Peter Latz himself. For them, memory does not equal preservation but instead has a transient quality. It implies a re-representation or understanding of the past, as memories constantly shift and change as one experiences life. Marot believes that the memory of a site should be used as a design strategy, as it shows depth and a process of connection. Yates’ argument for the importance of memory comes out of her concern that architecture has become too uniform, removing the particularities of a place. These idiosyncrasies have a history with the art of memory which uses the principle of association with places. Smithson’s assertion, in his article “A Tour of the Monuments of Passaic,” is similar, in that memory recalls the past but in a way that applies it to new things. Finally, Latz claims that interrelations must be made concrete and visible and that the viewer will create their own picture of a place, not the designer (Latz, 94, 96).

These ideas of memory encompass Landschaftspark. A series of pathways at multiple levels connect sites scattered throughout the project, allowing visitors to construct their own experiences. These sites include the bunker gardens, where the fern garden is located. This garden was formed using railroad ties collected from other locations at the site, which might remind someone of the old railway that is now an entrance to the park. It is similar to the way Smithson’s essay, “A Tour of the Monuments of Passaic,” incorporates elements of the past to aid in giving meaning to things of the present (Marot, 42). By walking through the garden, an individual’s memory may be sparked when they see the typical railway ties. This might then reveal new connections, as these railway ties occupy a different space than the long lines that which they are typically associated with.

The sewage canal, which was believed to be in the same location as the ‘Old Emscher’ river, could not remain as it existed on the site, and was placed underground (Diedrich, 73). A new canal has taken the place of the sewage canal, but is now flowing with fresh rainwater. Instead of creating a more “naturally” shaped waterway, this new canal, the Emscher River, was kept as straight as the canal before. The canal aids in one’s understanding of water processes and changes in time. Markers made by soil mounds (these also break up the culvert form) allow the depth of the water to be read by the visitor to the site. Here the visitor is able to understand on a seasonal basis the process of the site and mark their experience of the park by how high the water was.

Finally, Piazza Metallica also works with ideas of temporality and memory: the landscape architects took 49 steel plates that formerly lined the foundry pits at the site (Diedrich, 70) and installed them to mark a gathering place, intended for events and performances. However, the steel plates are not meant to last; rather, they will gradually erode and decay, portraying the natural processes occurring in the site (Steinglass, 129). In a way, this piazza represents the site as a whole: as this steel decays (like the other steel on the site), more grass will grow between them. The plants will eventually fill the space, with the remains of the rusted steel amidst it."

Hand craft, Making, and Digital Fabrication

"The Hand at the heart of craft" - Bruce Metcalf
"1.2 The Hand and the Machine" & "4.0 Processes We do not see" - Stephan Kieran and James Timberlake
"The Workmanship of Risk and the Workmanship of Certainty" - David Pye

All three of these readings share the importance of making things by hand.

I found an article online mostly talking about India craftsmanship but at the beginning of the article, it goes into depth about what is a handcraft and the importance of it.
 http://www.india-crafts.com/business-reports/indian-handicraft-industry/handicraft-introduction.htm

I did like the opening statement: "Handicrafts are unique expressions and represent a culture, tradition and heritage of a country. The Handicraft Industry is one of the important productive sector. Various attempts have been made to define this broad and diversified industry. The following definition strives to cover diversity and complexity of Handicraft Industry."


It really doesn't matter what area or background you come from, what you make by hand really defines your culture. 

Order & Proportion

These readings really got me thinking about the difference between order and proportion. Order can be seen as a prevailing course or arrangement of things and proportion as symmetry, harmony, or balance.
There are several different buildings that I think can compare these two aspects:

Michelangelo's Vatican Staircase

vs. 

Morphosis Cooper Union

One is very ordered and simple while the other appears more complicated and starts out wide and then becomes narrow.

Linder Athletic Center at the University of Cincinnati

vs.

Hearst Tower - Foster + Partners

One is made of concrete while the other has glass. Both have triangle windows.

Both of these of examples have a certain order to them and their proportions have to be just right for the building to work.