Intro to Architecture
What is the "Hellscraper" described in the Module 12 Weekend House?
**An underground home, skylit from above. A tall house with an array of solar reflectors for heat in winter. A deconstructivist building with an extreme heating system. A tall skyscraper built by an architect known as "the devil himself."
Our exploration of the Sendai Mediatheque revealed an interesting similarity between this "High Tech" building made in 2000 and the 1929 "Villa Savoye" by Le Corbusier. Which answer best describes that similarity?
**Both buildings use a variation on the "Domino" frame with columns (or "tubes" at Sendai) and flat floor slabs. Le Corbusier and Toyo Ito are both fascinated by columns that look like "seaweed" as they "flow" through slabs. Both buildings have hidden, reinforced concrete frames with slender, round columns and wide floor plates. Sendai and Savoye both have white, stucco exterior enclosures with long, narrow, "ribbon windows" all around.
The blocks of the French Quarter in New Orleans are characterized by which of the following?
**French Quarter blocks are square, with long, thin lots and buildings featuring abundant covered outdoor spaces. The curving, winding streets of the French Quarter help to increase cross ventilation in the deep & wide houses. French Quarter blocks are irregular and unsystematic, originally organized into four roughly square lots each. Most French Quarter buildings are set well back from the street on wide and deep lots on narrow blocks.
Which of the following best describes the relationship of building structure and building enclosure (glass skin) at the Pompidou Center?
**In an unusual configuration, the primary structure of the Pompidou Center is outside the enclosing glass walls. A "high-strength" type of glass is used at the Pompidou as both the primary structure and the building enclosure. The Center's glass skin covers the building structure to protect the structure from the elements. The Pompidou's glass enclosure is co-planar with the building structure making it easy to maintain.
Which of the following best describes the house called "Fallingwater" by Frank Lloyd Wright?
**It was built directly above the most spectacular natural feature of its location in Pennsylvania. It is a clear demonstration of Wright's "Prairie Style" of architecture. It is located in a suburb of Chicago - now on the campus of the University of Chicago. It is a small, rectangular, temple-like building based on the "Golden Section" as developed by the Greeks..
Which of the following is the best description of the entry to the Thermal Baths in Vals, Switzerland?
**The baths building is accessed through a tunnel from a neighboring hotel, there is no exterior entry. A modernist "portico" with broad allusions to a Roman Temple forms the main entrance to the baths building. Access to the baths building is achieved by a winding path up the steep mountain slope to a "stepped entry." A covered drop-off area known as a "porte-cochère" facilitates arrival by car to this Mediterranean Spa.
The image below depicts the construction of the Bullitt Center that we explored in class last week. Which of the following best describes the primary construction material of the frame in the upper levels of this 6-story building?
**The building uses carbon-sequestering "mass-timber" construction in the upper floors. The building is made entirely of steel reinforced concrete frames. The structure has load-bearing masonry exterior walls and a cast iron frame inside. Steel planks over pre-cast concrete frames are used throughout the structure.
Please look at the image below. This house is located on a somewhat unique site and is the second design by the architect's for that site. Which of the following is the best description of the unique features of the site which influenced the design?
**The steep slope and the row of Eucalyptus trees. Frequent flooding at the site and difficult water management requirements. Access via automobile was prohibited. Site access was only by boat from the mainland.
In the "Ville Contemporaine" or Contemporary City project we explored in class, the city of Paris (with 3 million inhabitants at the time) was re-envisioned to have a rational organization with high-speed roadways and a systematic deployment of housing and work buildings. Please examine the image below and note the "+" shaped towers in the center of the urban design. What was the purpose of those towers? What use was intended for them?
**The towers in the center were office buildings The towers in the center were airport control buildings. The towers in the center were housing for workers The towers in the center were luxury apartments
We made a close study in class of an extraordinary Japanese temple complex (depicted below) that is re-built, identically, at predictable intervals. What is the interval of reconstruction for that special temple complex that is so important to an understanding of Japanese culture and architecture?
**This Shrine or Temple is re-built every 20 years. The Shrine or Temple is re-built at the death of Japanese Emperor before the next takes over. The interval of reconstruction is based on a lunar calendar, every 32 moons it is rebuilt. The Temple (or Shrine) must be reconstructed every 9 years due to the humid climate.
Which of the following is the most accurate description of the ken in traditional Japanese Architecture?
A ken pertains to the form-work of concrete construction systems typical of traditional Japanese buildings. **The ken is a unit and a proportioning system based on a 2:1 proportion - such as a 6' by 3' tatami mat. The ken is a measure of time (about 9 months). Every 18 ken, a wooden Japanese building must be reconstructed. In an extraordinary example of cross-cultural discovery, the ken is the Japanese name for a Greek golden section.
Which of the following is not an element or component of the Bordeaux Villa by Rem Koolhaas?
A wide gap (with no guardrails) between two halves of the third level, crossed only on a retractable bridge. A huge, concrete disk that can be opened like a window using a hand crank. An underground sauna and mineral bath fed by hot springs deep within the Bordeaux landscape. **A slender tension rod extending from a large steel beam to a mass of concrete hidden in the ground of the courtyard.
In the recent New Orleans Morphology presentation we discussed the topography of the city - with high-ground and low-lying areas. How much of the City of New Orleans is located below sea-level and where is most of the high-ground located?
Almost 90% of New Orleans is below average sea-level with only a thin high-ground strip in the French Quarter still above sea-level about 74.5% of New Orleans is below sea-level with high-ground areas on older salt domes in and around the City. All of New Orleans is well above sea-level with the highest points located near the center of the City. **About 50% of the City of New Orleans is at or below sea-level with high-ground areas located near the Mississippi River
**Which of the following best describes the Open Plan as we have explored it in class?
An Open Plan uses spiral staircases to "open" the floors to each other. **An Open Plan uses fewer walls to separate functions than a traditional plan. An open plan uses walls with doors that can be "opened" to change rooms. An Open Plan makes extensive use of the cantilever.
What attitude toward programmatic function is evidenced by the work of Peter Eisenman?
Eisenman follows the dictates of Mies van der Rohe and Louis Sullivan, believing that Form follows Function. **Eisenman insists on detaching architectural form from the immediate or conspicuous service of practical function. Eisenman is most interested in expressing the advanced construction technology used to build his houses. Eisenman is careful to divide his structures into bands of served and service spaces forming in a simple, tartan grid.
Which of the following best describes the "syntax of materials" at Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright?
Elliptical domes and spiral staircases define the boundaries of the rooms at Fallingwater. Basic elements like wood, stone, fire and water make up the "syntax of materials" at the house. An exposed, unpainted, steel frame enclosing a series of clearly defined rooms and spaces. **Vertical piers clad with rough limestone; beige stucco edges on horizontal slabs; and red, steel-sash glazing.
In class last week, we considered the housing proposal pictured below - a building which contained apartments, a shopping level with a grocery store, a roof deck with an elementary school and views from nearly all apartments to the sea. Who was the architect who created this vision of living in a single building with so many of life's necessary elements contained within?
Frank Lloyd Wright Zaha Hadid **Le Corbuiser Peter Zumthor
When Frank Gehry completed his Guggenheim Museum in Spain it seemed to spark a period of rapid economic growth as a formerly declining industrial town became a center for cultural arts and design. What is the name given to this economic phenomenon generated by famous or conspicuous works of architecture?
Mass-Customization The Gehry Payback **The Bilbao Effect The Domino System
The Image below depicts the dining space of the Robie House by Frank Lloyd Wright. In class, we discussed the intricate integration of all the many design elements in the dwelling—from the structural system and climate control to the design of the carpet and furniture (even the place settings at the dining table). Which of the following is the term used to describe this comprehensive control of design in a single building?
Open Plan - open to all sorts of design ideas. **Gesamkunstwerk - meaning "Total Work of Art" in English The Robie Principle - named for the Robie House. Promenade Architectural - meaning "Destination Room"
Which of the following best describes the Bordeaux Villa by Architect Rem Koolhaas?
Rem Koolhaas introduced his concept of "radical dematerialization" to in the Bordeaux Villa. This villa marks a return to clear and straight-forward architecture influenced by ancient classical forms and types. This is the second in a sequence of houses showing how a cube can be manipulated to create a house form. **Constructed for a client in a wheelchair, the Villa has an elevator the size of a room to access a vertical library.
Please observe the image of the SunShower House below. As we saw in the Weekend House 11 Video, this house was constructed using SSIP's. What does the acronym SSIP stand for?
Stiffened Steel Integrated Patents Small Socially Intense Project **Steel Structural Insulated Panel Solar Shower Integrated Part
Which of the following best describes the Eames House?
The Eames House was not really a house but functioned as an exhibit space for ancient Chinese pottery. The Eames House used elaborate custom fabrication techniques with extensive brick and stone. It was a model home for a high-end residential development in New York. **It is a "Case Study House" (#8) which explored the use of "off-the-shelf" parts to make a simple frame building.
Which of the following describes the Katsura Imperial Villa near Kyoto, Japan (from 1616 to 1660)?
The Katsura Villa is a compact building of finely dressed masonry with elegant 3:4 proportions. Katsura is a small wooden structure rebuilt to suit the changing needs of each emperor in the royal succession. The Katsura Villa features a large, 8 story pagoda tower building marking the outer ring of Kyoto, Japan. **Katsura is a complex array of spaces forming interconnected pavilions interspersed with gardens and outdoor areas.
What is the name of this famous house?
The Villa Savoye The Villa Rotunda (aka Villa Carpa) **The Villa Maria The Esherick House
Last week, we studied a building constructed in Seattle, Washington in 2013. That building used Solar Panels (photovoltaics) to generate much of its own power. The building was described as "Net-Zero" or "Net-Positive" in its energy use. What does the phrase "Net-Zero" mean?
The building generates more than zero watts of power. **On an annual basis, the building, (connected to the urban power grid), generates as much energy as it uses. The building uses "solar-nets" in a grid form to capture energy. The solar panels are able to generate electricity at night when disconnected from the power grid.
Please examine the image of a chair below. Although not a work of architecture per se, furniture designed by architects has often been able to convey the design aesthetic and architectural qualities of interest to many modern and contemporary architects. Sometimes, as is the case below, the furniture designs of an architect or firm are even better known than their buildings and larger works. For the famous chair depicted below, which of the following best describes the material used to construct this an many related pieces of furniture:
The chair is made of wood with a hidden steel frame. **The chair is made of molded plywood. The chair is made of carved wood. The chair is made of fiberglass with a faux wood finish.
In our discussion of the modern city last week, one factor stood out as the primary cause of the new visions of an urban environment. Sometimes thought of as "liberating" and sometimes as necessary, accommodating what new technology caused the greatest change in the way cities were envisioned?
The proliferation of supermarkets and malls The development of the steel frame The development of air-travel and passenger aircraft **The proliferation of the private automobile
Which of the following best describes the architecture of Alvar Aalto?
Typically, Aalto's buildings were strict interpretations of classical traditions and Greek architectural language. A strict restatement of early modernist principles best described in the 5 Points of a New Architecture. **Gentlerer modernism, more materially eclectic and devoted the enhancing human experience and detail. A radical architecture of shifting grids and complex formal manipulations based on highly abstract formal principles.
Which of the following Architects was an employer and a mentor to the young Frank Lloyd Wright?
William Gates HH Richardson **Louis Sullivan Henri Labroust
In class last week we examined the work of a Swiss architect who prefers to work in the in the climate and context of his home country because he feels he has a deeper insight into the nature of design in that place. One of the projects we saw was a chapel to Saint Benedict in a small village on a mountainside. Who is the architect of that small chapel in the Swiss Countryside?
Zaha Hadid **Peter Zumthor Rem Koolhaas Peter Eisenman
