Introduction to Architecture

what does architecture depend on

things that are already there

parallel walls (spatial organization)

a dominant feature, does not have to be ordinary Beyeler- parallel walls define space, express structure for the room, hold roof up Chapel- parallel walls frame the change from nature to the sacred view, stop your progression into the structure

what social geometry encourages people to come together

a small circular room with limited seating

altar

a table/platform for ritual and sacrifice, exists in similar forms in several different groups, can be symmetrical or asymmetrical

social geometry

"our interaction is architectural," a way of gaining psychological health, an example is a fire, people arrange themselves in particular ways

Describe several ways that architecture can be considered an art of making frames

1) architecture frames how we see the world 2) architecture frames our lives and how we live them (our experiences) 3) can frame our activities and what we do 4) architecture provides a support and structure, frames our spaces/perceptions

4 geometries of being

1) circles of presence 2) line of sight 3) line of passage 4) measuring

difference between position of human body

Tempietto- small place to worship, focal point of the city, stratification because of different levels Memorial- a memorial, large, incorporates the use of the cities' axes, stratification-represents the fallen soldiers, not really a physical stratification

Architecture can be informed by

analyzing other's works, looking at what they have done, and understanding the ways they met challenges

3 ways that buildings speak

anthropomorphically metamorphically quotation

Attributes of an archetypal cottage

asymmetrical, built into the landscape, functional and practical, can evolve over time, scale connected to human size and scale

Why does Unwin discuss the Vitra Fire Station in his discussion of the 6-directions-plus-center?

because it distorts the four cardinal directions, it does not abide by the basic rules of 6-directions plus center

what is the principle feature of merging?

becoming engrossed with the environment and being aware of what is happening in the world, our perceptions of time and space change when we are merging

4 primitive place types

bed, altar, theater, and hearth

attitudes towards ideal geometry

belief that ideal geometry produces beauty and harmony produces perfect form

how to achieve balance

between old and new, between part and whole, of materials, of structure, of use, etc

parallel walls examples

beyeler foundation, Swiss sound box

what can elements serve as

can be a symbol, metaphor, allegory, allusion, serve to make meaning

Five "things that are there" that humans have used to make architecture

cave tree water topography other buildings

examples of order

classical orders, geometric orders, ideal geometry

4 criteria for appraisal or virtues, that help you to enter into guided, effective criticism

coherence elegance balance order

basic elements

conditions in which architecture operates in (the world), the person is always at the center of architecture and its experience

hearth

defines an interior location, has different implications in different cultures, first consideration is where to put it, can divide spaces

space and structure examples

examples- Kimball art museum, greek theaters

occupying the in-between examples

experimental house, zumthor's zinc museum

architecture is-

form of art/sculpture, art of making buildings beautiful, decoration of buildings, introduction of poetic meaning into buildings, ordering of buildings according to an intelligence system, design of buildings, or conceptual organization

architecture as making frames

frames how we approach, navigate, and see the world, frames our activities, define boundaries, provide support and structure examples- table frames the meal, wall frames the room

what architecture must deal with

ground gravity weather materials size of people bodily needs/functions human behavior other architecture and places functional requirements the past (history and tradition) the future (visions of utopia and apocalypse) processes of time

Nine basic elements of architecture

ground path roof platform wall focus marker pit opening

Thermal Baths at Vals

has spatial organization- which ones?

Why does Unwinded consider this as the best possible definition of architecture

he considers it to be the conceptual organization and intellectual structure, about making sense of the world around us and creating a relationship with the landscape, how the mind touches the world

coherence

how the design works together, order within self

parallel walls

how they affect the person in several ways, how light, feeling, etc, order vs. disorder

another word for anthropomorphism

human-like

ideal geometry

ideally proportioned, symmetrical, tries to achieve perfection, unattainable, not quite of this world

inhabited wall

in-between contained within the fabric of the walls

transition, hierarchy, heart examples

kiasma contemporary art museum, street, porch, hearth

Ten modifying elements

light color sound temperature air movement smell (and taste) scale time (effects of) use materials (quality and materials of)

ground

limits a person's free movement, shapes experiences

elegance

making the difficult look easy, effortless

how does geometry of making affect the work of the designer

materials dictate what form they are created in, designer imposes a vision on the material

measuring

measure distances consciously and unconsciously, measure with their body, sense, and movements

wall

mediates between the inside and the outside, support for roof, can bear iconography, can also be a door

occupying the space in-between

mediation between the natural world and the inside world, such as a courtyard

The primitive place types such as hearth, bed, altar, and theater first arose out of human ____

necessity

theater

not as well defined, can take many different forms, almost anything can be a theater, has a complex social relationship

Functions of the basic elements

opening- 1) admits light 2) serves as a focus of the building

lines of sight

people see in straight lines, creating alignments in the landscape, has a magical quality

According to Unwin, architecture is the identification of

place

quotation in a building

quoting past designs, detailing (wood carvings) on a house

Unwin writes, "works of architecture are instruments for managing/manipulating/orchestrating relationships with the world ) with topography, climate, our gods, each other, time...) rather than merely ____ objects

sculptural

4 practices of walking

sighting reading measuring merging

bed

sleep, sex, and sickness, first consideration is to remove the inherent sense of vulnerability, has become a sight of high-design, creates implications for the rest of the objects in the room

what type of geometry did Maya Lin use

social geometry, ideal geometry, geometry of making

lines of passage

sometimes work with lines of sight, a fundamental concept to the human experience, can anticipate passage

2 themes in spatial organization represented by the plan (quizzlet 2)

space and structure and transition, hierarchy, heart

4 possible relationships between structure and order

spatial order is dominant spatial and structural order are in harmony structural order is dominant spatial and structural order are separated, they co-exist, each obeying their own logic

Common definition of architecture

study of buildings and styles of buildings

What does the drawing on the front of Unwin's "Exercises in Architecture" suggest about architecture?

suggests that people are the center of 6-directions plus center. People can define a space and mediate between the world and us

Attributes of an archetypal temple

symmetrical, sticks out from the landscape, more aesthetic based, does not really evolve, larger scale and not human based

Main idea of the book

the art and science of making sense of life through space and built form

what is the geometry of making

the construction of buildings, geometry derived from the ways they are made

stratification

the different levels of buildings, subtle and dramatic orchestration of people's experience of their relationship with the ground about the experience example- library

metaphor in a building

the flamenco dancer in the Guggenheim

6 directions plus center

the person at the center, front back left right above and below, perceive the world through our senses, implications of bodily relationships to architecture

circles of presence

the world can be imagined as an abstract space, exerting a presence, casts a circle of presence out into the world distant- circle of visibility intermediate- circle of place intimate- circle of touch-ability architecture works to assert, define, shape, and control the circles of presence in a particular situation

inhabited wall examples

thermal baths at vals, Salk institute for biological studies, an alcove definition- making spaces within walls, part of the in-between, look inward and outward, creates two mutually interdependent types of architectural space

what does the Greek word analyze mean

to loosen, to break up

7 themes in spatial organization

transition, hierarchy, heart stratification parallel walls inhabited wall refuge and prospect space and structure occupying the in-between

Definition of place

understanding all things in the landscape, creates a relationship, where the mind touches the world

"Elements such as wall and doorways, roofs and markers are the architectural equivalent of ____" (as in parts of speech in language)

verbs

prospect and refuge examples

villa e-1027 by Eileen gray definition- the relationship between a private place and an area of ground on which something is happening