ARTH- 452E The Skyscraper Exam #3

Historical Referencing

"Breaking the boundary between Traditional and Modern design by adapting historical styles to industrial processes and by using symbolism and decoration in a Modern way. The designs are "both-and," combining modern technology with historic symbolism, comfort with elegance, function with fun."

[According to Vincent Scully], architecture is fundamentally a matter not of individual buildings but of shaping of _______________________, and that, as in Paris, Uruk, or Siena, is done by the law.

Community

[According to Robert Venturi], even the house, simple in scope, is _________________________ in purpose if the ambiguities of contemporary experience are expressed.

Complex

[According to Ken Yeang], while this perception of the decentralized building style [i.e., suburbs] seems ideal and "green" to many, it is actually anti-ecological because the _______________________ layout of built forms disrupts the natural ecosystems over a wide land area.

Dispersed

[According to Robert Venturi], in their attempt to break with tradition and start all over again, [orthodox modern architects] idealized the primitive and the elementary at the expense of the ___________________ and the sophisticated.

Diverse

COMPARE or CONTRAST Johnson and Burgee's "Pittsburgh Plate Glass Complex" (1984) with Richard Rogers & Partners' "Lloyd's Building" (1979-86) in terms of: HISTORICAL REFERENCING and STRUCTURAL EXPRESSIONISM.

Pittsburgh Plate Glass Complex: Historical referencing: Looks like a glass castle in the sky Structural Expressionism: Structure is on the inside of the building, hidden from the rest. LLoyd's Building: Historical referencing: Hi- Tech building so it places a visual emphasis on their building skeletons - mostly steel but also sometimes concrete and even wood. Structural Expressionism: incorporated structural elements as part of the building design.

COMPARE or CONTRAST Skidmore, Owings and Merrill's "Lever House" (1951), John Hancock Center (1970) and "AT&T Corporate Center" (1989) in terms of: HISTORICAL REFERENCING and STRUCTURAL EXPRESSIONISM.

Historical Referencing: Lever house looks like a glass box whereas At+t building has a stony facade and is somewhat neo-classical looking. Structural: Both structures are "hidden" and not being used for any aesthetic purposes.

For each of the following sustainable design strategies, EXPLAIN(not just list) one designed product example:BIO-DEGRADABILITY, LOW WASTAGE, LOW ENERGY USAGE.

Low wastage: Kimberly Clark Company, "Tube-less Toilet Paper Roll," 2014 It is estimated that 17 billion cardboard toilet paper tubes are thrown away every year worldwide. Bio- Degradable: Frito-Lay Corporation, "Compostable Sun Chips Bags," 2010 Low Energy Usage: "Experimental Solar Houses" built at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Transit-Oriented Development

Maximizing residential, business and leisure areas in a comfortable walking distance of public transportation.

[According to Robert Venturi in 1966], Architects can no longer afford to be intimidated by the puritanically moral language of orthodox _______________________ architecture.

Modern

[According to Vincent Scully], All human culture is intended to protect human beings from _________________________ in one way or another . . . Architecture is one of humanity's major strategies in that endeavor.

Nature

[According to Vincent Scully, the automobile] has not only obliterated the community's physical structure but has also made us feel that the community's ______________________ protection is unnecessary.

Psychic

[According to Ken Yeang], the skyscraper offers the greatest possibilities for ___________________ of precious resources.

Recycling

Incremental Urbanism

Small-scale, gradual move to larger and more permanent structures, rather than the wholesale change of an entire district "overnight."

For each of the following sustainable design strategies, EXPLAIN(not just list) one designed product example:SOURCING LOCALLY, NO TOXIC SUBSTANCES, RECYCLED MATERIALS USAGE.

Sourcing locally/No toxic: CURB Advertising Agency, "Natural Urban Advertising," 2009 Recycled Materials: Bart Bettencourt and Carlos Salgado, "Scrapile Furniture Collection," 2014 Sourcing Locally: Whole Foods

Structural Expressionism

repetitive expressive use of a dynamic structural element, usually angular or curvilinear, conveying a sense of motion and force

LIST and EXPLAIN three designed products by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott-Brown that utilize their idea of "both-and."

"Breaking the boundary between Traditional and Modern design by adapting historical styles to industrial processes and by using symbolism and decoration in a Modern way. The designs are "both-and," combining modern technology with historic symbolism, comfort with elegance, function with fun." 1. "Campidoglio Tray" for Alessi, 1985 2. "Village Tea Set" for Swid Powell, 1986 3. "Chippendale Chair" 1755

LIST and EXPLAIN three elements of Robert Venturi's "Grand's Restaurant" (1967)that exemplify his theory of "Complexity and Contradiction."

"In Modern architects' attempt to break with tradition and start all over again, they idealized the primitive and the elementary at the expense of the diverse and the sophisticated. In their role as reformers, they puritanically advocated the separation and exclusion of elements, rather than the inclusion of various requirements and their juxtaposition." 1. Signage for the coffee cup 2. Cut off typography 3. Clashing colors and sign in the middle of type

EXPLAIN the following criticisms of New Urbanism:-THE NEW SUBURBANISM-THE USE OF THE VERNACULAR-FORM-BASED ZONING CODE

"The New Suburbanism might be a truer label, because the new theme that links these projects is the redesign of that vast area in which most Americans now live, sprawled between the metropolitan center (which is emptying out) and the open countryside (which is rapidly being devoured). "Distressing, though, is the tendency of [Andres] Duany and [Elizabeth] Plater-Zyberk, when addressing Neo-Modernists, to suggest that they employ the vernacular in their projects only because it is popular with their clients . . . It makes a joke of everything Duany and Plater-Zyberk have come to stand for, and it denies the historical facts of their rise."

Green Skyscraper

"The future objective must be for a more economical use of land achieved through a higher density or intensity in land use in new planning schemes, couple with a program of infill developments."

EXPLAIN the 1993 New Urbanism Charter's recommendations for NEIGHBORHOODS, COMMUNITIES, CITIES & TOWNS, and URBAN PLACES.

- Neighborhoods should be diverse in both use and population. - Communities should be designed for the pedestrian and public transit, as well as the car. - Cities and towns should be shaped by public spaces and community institutions. - Urban places should be framed by architecture and landscape designs that celebrate local history, climate, ecology, and building practice.

EXPLAIN the following concepts of New Urbanism:-PROVIDING MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING-RE-THINKING PARKING-INCREMENTAL URBANISM

- Providing the "Missing Middle" Housing: Fill-in the gap between the suburbs and the city: duplex, triplex, courtyard apartments, bungalow courts, townhouses (row-houses), multi-plex, live/work spaces, "mother-in-law" or "granny" flats . . . - Re-thinking Parking: Policies that neither favor the car nor the pedestrian, and providing a variety of parking options in addition to the usual parking lot: both on-street (parallel, angled, median) and off-street (open-air lots, parking garages, underground parking facilities) - "Incremental Urbanism": Small-scale, gradual move to larger and more permanent structures, rather than the wholesale change of an entire district "overnight."

Translated into practice, ecological design means the intensification of existing built-up areas and, where feasible, the use of agriculturally-unproductive land for ______________________.

Building

The Rural-to-Urban Transition (or "Transect")

Allowing for single-family housing, just not as a mono-culture occurring everywhere that is not "downtown."

[According to Vincent Scully],The International Style built many ______________________ buildings, but its urbanistic theory and practice destroyed the city.

Beautiful

[According to Vincent Scully], the New Urbanism, so-called, is in large part a revival of the Classical and vernacular planning tradition as it existed _____________________ International-Style Modernism perverted its methods and objectives.

Before

[According to Robert Venturi], where simplicity cannot work, simpleness results.Blatant simplification means bland architecture.Less is a _______________________ .

Bore

EXPLAIN (not just list) three examples of the growing concern for the natural environment after World War 2.

During and after WW2 there have been huge amounts of chemical warfare used. ... Wars impact the environment, atomic bombing, fuel leakages and chemical weapons being the most damaging. They cause damage to the ecosystems, pollute the environment and kill millions of humans and animals. The environmental impact of roads includes the local effects of highways (public roads) such as on noise, light pollution, water pollution, habitat destruction/disturbance and local air quality; and the wider effects including climate change from vehicle emissions. FOR EXAMPLE: the standard vehicle motor of the 20th century, the internal combustion engine, only operates at about 20% efficiency. In addition, such engines produce LARGE amounts of noise and air pollution.

[Ken Yeang's] contention is simply that the issue of ecological design of large buildings . . . is just as vital as the ecological design of the smaller building types -in fact more crucial, because of their scale and volume of consumption of ____________________________ and materials.

Energy

[According to Vincent Scully], the work of Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk . . . reclaims for architecture, and for architects, a whole realm of environmental shaping that has been usurped in recent generations by hosts of supposed ______________________ .

Experts

Missing Middle Housing

Fill-in the gap between the suburbs and the city: duplex, triplex, courtyard apartments, bungalow courts, townhouses (row-houses), multi-plex, live/work spaces, "mother-in-law" or "granny" flats . . .

EXPLAIN the following concepts of New Urbanism:-SUBURBAN RETRO-FIT-THE RURAL-TO-URBAN TRANSITION (or TRANSECT)-TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

Suburban Retro-Fit: The transformation of suburban areas into urban areas - "Form-Based" Zoning Codes: The regulation of land development to achieve not only specific uses but also specific urban forms - The Rural-to-Urban Transition (or "Transect"): Allowing for single-family housing, just not as a mono-culture occurring everywhere that is not "downtown." - Transit-Oriented Development: Maximizing residential, business and leisure areas in a comfortable walking distance of public transportation.

COMPARE and CONTRAST Ken Yeang's "Menara Mesiniaga Tower" (IBM Headquarters, MALAYSIA, 1992) with Johnson and Burgee's "AT&T Building" (New York, 1978-82) in terms of:SYMBOLISM , STRUCTURAL EXPRESSIONISM and FLOOR PLAN.

Symbolism: AT&T resembles post modern "Chippendale" dresser where as The M tower is modern, green, and cylindrical. Structure: Steel, granite, marble cladding for the at&t building. Steel, aluminum, open balconies for the M tower. Floor Plan:M tower: circular and open/ At&t is rectangular and all closed in.

Ambiguity and ______________________ are everywhere in [Robert Venturi's] architecture of complexity and contradiction.

Tension

Form-Based Zoning Codes

The regulation of land development to achieve not only specific uses but also specific urban forms

Suburban Retro-Fit

The transformation of suburban areas into urban areas

In summary, the ecological design of the skyscraper and other large buildings as the high-energy and materials-intensive urban building types of cities today is a matter deserving ________________________ attention from our ecological designers.

Urgent

Another aspect of the skyscraper's built form is that it has extensive ____________________ surface areas . . . which affects the extent of solar penetration or build-up into the interior.

Vertical

[In Robert Venturi's architecture of complexity and contradiction], apparent irrationality of the whole, or characteristics of a part will be compromised for the sake of the ________________________ .

Whole

Keystone

a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together.

Broken Pediment

a pediment in which the cornice is discontinuous or interrupted by another element

High-Tech Architecture

uses structure and building services for aesthetic effect