Modern Architecture

Modern Architecture has really developed  from ancient architecture. You can see this this through its material, design, and ideas. Now in architecture you see weird, different shapes. Made out of glass or mixed materials. You hardly see buildings with columns made, unless its in D.C. Also material like glass is shown on the outside more vs. inside the building. For example, the Farnsworth house in Chicago next to the Fox River. It was designed by architect Mies van der Rohe. It is transparent because it is made mostly of glass and is simple. I prefer modern than ancient architecture because it showcases modern technology and simplicity in it.

Redwood City Fieldtrip

We had a field trip to downtown Redwood city and sketched the Fox Theatre and San Mateo County History Museum. I chose my museum sketch because it was better to me. I mainly focused on the facad. So the door and flags for me were really interesting. The door was not a challenge. But, the flags were constantly waving and was hard to capture and draw. I drew a wavy flag and overall I think it looks great. I think this was my favorite place to sketch.

Group Short Project "Teenage Society"

 We had a group project and it was our first. I thought it was pretty cool because you had a lot of ideas and opinions on the topic. The topic was to  basically design a school ran by teens from the ages of 12-18. I found this really interesting because of how can we design a space that is suitable for teens to have a sucessful society and not corrupt learning environment? We decided to construct a fun and learning environment by designing a main building made of wood. Also, a track for sports. And a large pool with mini-individual circular pools. We have a boys dorms, girls dorms, and a combination of both sexes dorms. For performances we designed a mural wall held as a performance center for the students. This is our student society that will help them teach themselves.

Final Project: The Bird

This is a video of my groups final pavilion. Hope you enjoy!Excuse the back round noise.

Everest Sketch

For my sketches of Everest PHS, I chose to show my sketch of the back of the school. More of because to me it had more details and aspects to draw. I first spotted a huge tree covering the left side of the school. So, I started with the tree and quickly sketched the truncks, branches, and leafs. Then in front of the tree was a parked car. I drew a curving car as it was and added little details to it. I focused more on the details around the back of the school vs. the school. I drew the b.ball hoop and on the floor shade provided by the huge tree. Also, the bike next to the hoop. Then, a few benches on the right side of the building. I drew the outline of the school and added few detail. But saw that the stuffsurrounding it were more important and interesting.

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is one of my top favorite buildings in the world! It has beauty

symmetry, function, and a purpose behind it all. I love how a man built it as a tomb and in honor of his wife. I mean she is a lucky girl, I would love to have a building built for me. I like the symetrical facad. The building reflects one another or is the same on each  side. I adore the curved arches and white color. It represents simplicity and elegance. It also represents pure love. The strip of water in the middle gives a peaceful vibe and provides reflection.

Indian Arch. Haiku

 

 

 

 

Ajanti Caves                                                          

 

hidden beauty in nature

 

sculpted in smooth rock

 

 

These caves in India are hidden. They are sculpted on the side of a mountain side and hidden. The caves are half architecture and half sculpture. It is sculpted from stone or rock and the inside is architecture and constructed.

 



Greeko-Roman Haiku



Roman Coliseum

Greek Coliseum

Greek and Roman coliseums

 

have similarities and differences but

 

are still very beautiful and inspiring

 

 

 

I wanted to write a Haiku about not only Greek architecture but about Roman also. I wanted to write about their two coliseums. They have similarities like their basic round, circular shape. And differences like one has various statues around its outer façade. But, they are both uniquely beautiful and inspire other buildings around the world today.

 

 

 

 



Greek Architecture

Greek Architecture. It has been a big inspiration and used a lot by other nations and cultures. One their most famous inventions is the column. It has a function, beauty, and stability to it. Also, in Greek architecture it has architecture orders. These are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. They all represent a body. Doric represents a male because of its' strong support and look. Ionic is more of a female body because of its' elegant design. While Corinthian is a combination of both Doric plus Ionic.


Greek theatres was another great invention by the Greeks. The form of the theatre created an acoustic affect that allowed everyone in the theatre to hear the performance or speaker. It was easier for people to project their voices. The design was affordable because it was built in nature or on mountain sides. This also was beautiful and functional. Also, it can sit 14,000 people.

San Francisco Field Trip 5/28/13

Today we went on our second trip to San Francisco. We visited many beautiful churches, schools, and historical landmarks. Besides ourselves, phones, and food we brought something new, our sketchpads. In which, we used in the past few days to make multiple drawings or short sketches of a hallway or staircase. We visited the "Painted Ladies" and I did a quick sketch mainly focusing on the left corner house, mainly because I thought it was the most appealing to me and I thought it was so beautiful in my eyes. I also thought it was interesting how these houses were used in multiple movies and photographed a lot.

Another beautiful landmark we visited was the Saint Mary's Cathedral. My first reaction was: Wow! It is huge and has a unique design. I loved the scale and futurist geometry to it. I learned that it seated 2,500 people. I found the inside more fascinating. The glass chandelier was a symbol of our prayers going to God and it also was beautiful with it being clear and having natural light make it shine. Also when you look up, you can see the colored light through the glass windows in a line going up. Another aspect I really enjoyed the piano playing. Mainly because enjoy playing and listening to the piano. It gave the church a soothing, peaceful vibe in the church. It felt peaceful and safe and sacred.

We also visited the Congregation Emanuel at SFU. I thought it had more aspects to it than the Cathedral. It was larger and had more artificial light rather than natural light. I liked the Cathedral more because I adored the simple beauty and natural lighting.

Memorial Day 2013

Memorial Day

Today is the day that we remember those that fought and died in war for our country. America in particular Washington D.C. has many memorial buildings for those brave soldiers. There is the WWII, Vietnam war, and Navy Seals memorial sites. The Vietnam Memorial is beautiful! It is a long V wall that gets short to tall to short. It has all the names of the soldiers that died from the war. It is a black marble wall and white engraved names. The WWII memorial is a huge circle of the names of all the countries across the world. Its shape and columns signify beauty and remembrance.




 

WWII







Mesopotamian Arch: Haiku

Haiku

 

  Mesopotamian Architecture

    It represents great authority and power

  through its' high temples and invented archs 

Egyptian Architecture

Egyptian Architecture.....

Is one of the oldest types of architecture. For example, the Great Step Pyramid of Dijoser, which dated back to 2700 B.C. So about five thousand years ago! It is the oldest pyramid that is still standing in the world. In Egyptian culture pyramids are made as tombs for kings. Pyramids are a mix of religion and superstition that make up the Egyptian culture.

Dating back to 1250 BC, in which the Great Temple of Ramses. It is carved from rock. And is built on a hug scale. The size is massive and the detailed carvings are magnificent. King Ramses had 100's of children and tons of wives. But one wife in particular Nefertari, was who he built another temple next to his. Egyptian culture has helped shape its culture and architecture. It has also inspired other nations and cultures around the world. Like the Louvre Museum, it has a glass pyramid in its courtyard. It descended from ancient Egyptian architecture. This is also shown in the Luxor Hotel of Las Vegas. It is a pyramid shaped hotel. Overall, Egyptian architecture is ancient, cultural, religious and inspirational. Egyptian culture is unique and opened the world to an entirely different type of architecture.

Column and Beam: Ideas that changed Architecture

Today we had presenters: my good friend Koby and Sergio. They presented about aspects or things
that changed Architecture. The two aspects included Columns and Beams. There were multiple
examples and facts I learned. Such as, their functions and significance. For beams, it is a sequence of
repetition. The repetition connects to stability. In which, beams are repeated in a pattern in order to provide a stable structure and beauty. Also, it is made with different materials to provide beauty to a structure. Like, wood, steel, stone, and many more.

Columns. When I hear columns I picture Roman architecture and huge stone, detailed columns. There is more to columns than its' beauty it provides, as you can see in Roman architecture. It's function is to connect a structure/building. For example, the picture below shows multiple columns connecting a structure. Am example, from Rafael was bridges. Whether it'll be the Golden Gate or Bay bridge just for example, it is built with columns and beams. The bridge is flexible and experiences a lot of wind, so flexibility equals stability. Because if it was stiff than it would collapse if experiencing wind and weather conditions.

 

 
 

Holy Ground:Short Project--->May 21,2013

Holy Grounds. What is it? I think it is similar or equal to a church or temple. It's somewhere where people worship and it is very sacred and quiet. Also, I believe it should look inviting and safe. So, for our short project we were suggested to design a church with couriers or anything else, that made it feel sacred and different. I liked the idea of using couriers as a gateway to the church. I drew a floor plant to show the multiple couriers to go through to get to the church. I designed multiple couriers because I wanted the person  walking through it to feel that the place was more sacred while going through the multiple couriers.  So, the basic shape of the couriers are  circular. When you enter the first courier  it is made entirely of glass. You can either go left or right  but you will have two openings of the second courier, which is made of white marble. Along the outside of the second courier is a wall of flowers-I am not sure which kind- but probably a mixture of roses and gardenias. As you enter the second courier you find the church. And in front of the church is a long, skinny water fountain that lightly flows. There also is one located in the back of the church. I think the glass being transparent makes it feel not that sacred as you enter the first courier. But, once you enter the marble courier and see the fountains, flowers, and church it develops a sense of peace and sacredness. All of these elements help me visualize and design a sacred, holy ground. 

 

These are the main components I want in my design: Water fountains, glass, marble, and flowers.

 

 

 

 

" Why Architecture Matters " by Paul Goldberger

First, Goldberger continued to talk about the Pantheon and how buildings have a common shape and its' common shape was circles. You can see it in the sphere and collums. Then, Goldberger mentioned the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The pyramid was a modern introduction to the modern space. It was a more industrialized design than the royal palace. As the criticizers began to slash Pei, he argued that the shape was one of the oldest shapes and only the materials were modern : glass and metal. Pei was right and Goldberger states that "the pyramid creates an elegant punctuation mark in the middle of the courtyard". The pyramid is able to function well because of its' size. It's big enough to hold its' own and serve as an entrance to the museum yet small enough not to overpower the museum surrounding it. So, overall Goldberger is trying to say that the glass pyramid is beautiful based on its' function, firmness, and beauty.

 Goldberger next talked about the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. The notion of the design was to create a casino hotel with a pyramid theme. The pyramid was bigger and fit everything in it. It states simple shapes can be a procrustean bed for architecture. I concluded that the glass pyramid is more elegant and full of beauty than the Luxor Hotel.

San Jose Architecture

On my field trip to the 2 billion populated city of San Jose I observed multiple buildings from the San Jose City Hall to the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose. First, we walked through the cold city streets to the San Jose City Hall. As we approached the city hall my first observation was that it was way different from other city halls I have seen. The city hall was tall and glass and said business building not city hall. Also, there was a circular, dome building in front of the city hall that had no particular purpose. It was just there and present. Overall, I thought the building itself was beautiful but not for a city hall.


 As we continued down the windy streets we visited the M.L.K. Jr. Library. I really loved the glass entrance that shot out like an arrow in shape of an triangle. This is what I visioned for the entrance of my school project. I love how transparent it is and brings light inside the library.

"La Maison de Verre": The house of glass by Pierre Chareau

 This house was designed for a newly wed couple and it is made of steel, glass, and glass block. The house is very transparent and industrial. The glass walls allow the person to feel like they are outside and inside at the same time. The not so clear glass allows you to be open and have privacy. The steel beams, rubber floors, and heavy light fixtures show how the home is industrial. Inside the house there are removable sliding doors that the Japanese use. A mechanical component is the overhead trolley from the kitchen to living room. Since the owner was a doctor in his program he included a ground floor medical suite for patients, but of course he hid it from his private areas inside the home. The owner Dr. Dalsace was a French Communist and often this house was the hangout spot for marxist and intellectuals like the Walter Benjamin, who said was inspired/fasginated by the building.

Satolas TGV : Santiago Calatrava

The TGV is a railway station attached to an airport in France. It was really expensive to build and opened in the year of 1994.  The building is mostly made of steel and concrete. I think the concept was a enormous bird with stretched out wings. The building consists of multiple arches and beams that hold the structure to gether. The architect, Santiago Calatrava is a sculptor too and is an excellent one too.

Thermal Baths Vals by Peter Zumthor (Switzerland)

 The Therm Vals was designed by Peter Zumthor in 1996 as part of a hotel. It is built over the only thermal springs in Graubunden Canton, Switzerland.The idea was to create a cave like experience that was comforting and relaxing. As you can see the bath vals are built under a bed of grass. It is buried into the hillside right below the hotel.

The bath vals were created to make the visitor feel luxurious and look at bathing through another perspective. The open and enclosed, light and dark spaces make you have a great, relaxed experience at the baths. The enclosed,internal space make the person have peace and quiet. Also, it allows the guest to explore the different rooms and temperatures in the space. The outdoor space allows you to also find peace and relax while bathing. The cool thing about the baths is in or out you can have light or dark in both areas and temperatures.


When asked by the hotel owner to add a clock in the baths, Zumthor refused to insert a clock. When asked why, Zumthor answered by saying that he did not want the visitors to be in a rush to leave instead he wanted them to relax without worrying about time or where they needed to be in 20 minutes. As always the boss gets what ever they want ,so Zumthor designed a medium sized skinny clock in the baths. It was not exactly what the owner wanted ,but it was a clock.

Site Planning*

The first thing you do when  you have a client is you develop a site plan.In order to develop a site plan the first thing you need is a program. The program is basically a list of things the client wants. For example, if a client wanted you to design a home then you would ask : What is the program? And they would answer with a list of things they want like balconies, a hidden library, or a swimming pool. A program is basically a list of  specific aspects the client needs/wants in their building. This stage is also when the architect starts to seek problems with the project. Then, you start designing the building. This is always the hardest part for an architect because the number one thing architects hate is staring at an empty paper. Once you have a quick sketch, you start to develop a concept and then your design is finished. Also, during the designing process  you start to solve problems from the program. Also, keep in mind while developing a site plan is to keep in mind the site environment, the user, and the program. These things will help you to accomplish a site plan for your client or self.

Wagenfeld.

This lamp represents simplicity. Wagenfeld designed this lamp for the Bauhaus and it became famous everywhere. He was only 24 years old when he first designed the lamp for an assignment at the Bauhaus. His pieces were simple and industrial. Although the lamp is his most famous piece, he also made teapots, plates and etc.

I especially love the simple design and how modern it looks. Even though Wagenfeld's pieces look fragile and artsy, they are reliable and their design makes them work.

Stanford Architecture

After our trip to Stanford, I look at things differently now. First I loved the church. The stain glass allowed the light to enter and add color to the church inside and out. The arches on the outside of the church makes you feel welcome to the church. Also, the beautiful detail on the arches create even more beauty. When you enter you see a huge dome in the middle of the ceiling that makes the building feel huge and it allows more light to enter. The detail on the walls and ceiling make you feel like this place is important and sacred. The stain glass windows tell a story of Christ and adds light and beauty.

Monuments: Beaty & Memorial (MLK Day)

Monuments are usually buildings to do in remembrance of a person or significant event that has become significant to society or a social group and is part of history because of how beautiful and how it represents a beautiful sensational part of our history.Personally I love monuments and everything they represent. Some in particular I love is the MLK memorial. The memorial commemorates the year that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became a law.
The first thing you see is a huge statue of Martin Luther King Jr. And on the side is a quote that caused a lot of controversy : " I was a drum major for justice, peace, and rightousness".  In the back of the statue is a hill split into two. You walk in between the split hill and there is a semi-circle wall filled with quotes by MLK.

"The Michaelangelo of the 20th Century"

Le Corbusier. . .  is the best architect of the 20th century. He was born in Switzerland but became a French citizen. He was not only a famous architect because he was also an artist and writer. He was known as an pioneer for Modern Architecture. His work spands from Europe.India, and America. Centre Le Corbusier is a art museum dedicated to him.  

The Villa La Roche is my favorite building by Le Corbusier. He designed it for a Swiss banker/art collector. The whole house is like an art gallery or architectural promenade. Le Corbusier was inspired by his trip to Acropolis in 1911. When you walk in there is blues, whites, and reds that provide color. The modern yet simple shapes in the house make it timeless and amazing. La Roches art hangs all over his home.

 

-->Utililitas/Firmitas/Venustas<--

What is Architecture? This is the question we ask ourselves when we think of the meaning. When you think of Architecture you might picture a nice building or any building. When I think of Architecture I picture the Bauhaus or the Washington Monument. But, I didn't really have a definition or meaning for Architecture. I do know three ideas that relate to architecture that come from the "Ten Books on Architecture" by Vitruvius. This was the first Architecture ever written. The first  ideas  was Utililitas which translated to utilities. This means that a building is defective relating to the usage of the building. For example, a hospital has light colors and is comfortable so the patient and family feels comfort and wants to stay in order to be healthy. The second idea is Firmitas and translated means firmness or stability. Firmitas means that not only the building can stand up, but it can also can survive through weather conditions. The last one is Venustas and translates to beaty or attractiveness. Venustas shows the artistic creativity in a building that makes it attractive.