blog post

for consumer theory, we focused on canterbury cathedral, apple (specifically the nyc cube store), and the colosseum, because they show how people adapt and how design affects our lives, and how we affect design,
for brand theory, we focused on starbucks, eiffel tower, and the vatican. they each well represent themselves and their specialty (food, landmark, religion) by utilizing design to their advantage.

Social Learning

Churches are a great example of social learning in interior environments. They provide a service to the community, and just being within the space itself can clue the visitor in on the buildings purpose. The other important thing about the interior space of churches is that social learning is very prevalent when a new user is in the space, as they learn what to do and how to behave by observing other, experienced people who are also using the space.

Anthropometrics

The good example is the chairs in Pence Hall 209, they are wide enough, feature built in desks, and although they are close together, they don't feel claustrophobic. The seats and arms are the appropriate height.

A bad example of chairs are the chairs in the first year studio. My desk does not account for my chair, so no matter what you do, the chair will be pushed in. Since I sit in an aisle, it makes it difficult for people to walk past.

(My images are having a hard time working, I'm trying to fix it but it's not working with KTower wifi. I'll hopefully have it fixed by tonight)

Central Kentucky

Keeneland, an iconic part of Lexington, is one of the best examples that provides a sense of place for Central Kentucky. By combining a cultural activity with a tourist attraction, and a lot of originality, Keeneland is a landmark that creates a sense of place true to Central Kentucky.

My Chair

Single Space

Although the Hall of Mirrors best represents European architecture of the 1500-1800s, it is one of the best examples as it expresses the opulence and grandeur that the Europeans were trying to convey. That time period was all about elegance and status and how to show it. Mirrors, gilding, and stones (marble, granite), were all ways to show your status in society. Versailles' Hall of Mirrors is a great example of this as it utilizes all three features (mirrors, gilding, stones) to convey the Palace's importance in Frances society.

1501-1800 Installation

My group has decided to install the images from space at the top, to objects at the bottom. By going from large to small, the viewer can see how culture and art have affected each other and trickled down (or up) between buildings and household objects. We also have everything (loosely) organized by date, the 1500s are grouped together, as are the 1600s, and the 1700s. Out timeframe is very interesting because it is when interior designed experienced its initial kickstart as an art form.

(I do not have an image because I was busy helping pin or handing out tape, I didn't have time to photograph)

Challenges

Some of the challenges I faced when finding images that accurately represented the 1500-1800s was how black and white ruined aspects of the interiors and exteriors, like that color and metals were used a lot to define status. Especially in France, gold gilding was so prevalent that when you take that and make it grey, it loses a lot of its unique-ness and interest. Another challenge was finding images large enough that had a enough color range to make it interesting when I changed it to black and white.

Magazine Research

Because I was not in class on Wednesday (alarm was set for 8:20 pm not am!), I was not assigned a time period. Not knowing that they were assigned by every five years, I chose my favorite issue of Lonny Magazine, which unfortunately is from 2013. This was interesting when we met in groups and compared time periods. In my group we had magazines from 1890, 1930, 1995, 2010, and 2013 (if I am not mistaken). Having an odd year was interesting as it allowed us to see the immediate transition between years, assuming we are all up to date on 2015 design magazines. 

Some things we noticed was how images we not a huge focus for magazines in the beginning, but now they seem to dominate the entirety of an issue. Another thing was details, like how they utilize colors used in the images in the text, or graphic details that make an issue less Times New Roman-y. 

Architecture and Design Book

Although there were many challenges with proposing a ten page architecture and design book, the main difficulty was selecting and narrowing down the right of information. There is so much to be said about architecture and design that narrowing it down is incredibly challenging, you really have to consider what is good information versus what is important information. Selecting images was also problematic, as what is truly the most important to one person may not be important to the next, especially when you factor in personal tastes and styles.

Light at Grand Central

Grand Central Station is a prime example of how natural light was strongly considered in the buildings initial design. The first photograph is from the 1920s, when light still streamed into the common area of the station. The middle photograph is recent, and shows how natural light no longer streams into the station, and the third photo shows why the natural light is gone: taller buildings. It is a shame that when the new taller buildings were constructed, they did not consider the timeless beauty of Grand Central Station.

Light in interior spaces is crucial to the integrity and design of a space. Light can enhance the overall mood of a space, making it dreamier or darker; light can also make a space feel more modern or historical. This heavy amount of control that light has is can make or break a space. And in the instance of GCS, it was a crucial part of its initial design, until the city out grew it.

Images: Getty, Flickr

Time Lapse

Heating

One of the most common heating systems in the Western World is the HVAC. There are also other systems, such as geothermal heating, furnaces, and radiators. While the Korean system, ondol, strictly heats the floor from below, HVAC units can be placed in the ceiling or basement with a series of ducts running through the space to heat individual rooms.

The Ancient Roman heating system, hypocausts, was a two-foot deep area beneath the main floor which allowed fire to travel, heating the floor from below. The Korean heating system, ondol, moved the heat and smoke from the kitchen area to other areas of the space through underground flues. One main similarity between the hypocaust and the ondol heating systems is the use of an underground space to heat the living area floors above.

Ondol

HVAC

Hypocaust

Infinity

The Infinity Room, an art installation designed by Doug Wheeler, is "like walking into a cloud of milk." The space is focused on physical space and how humans interact within it, using a full-day cycle of light (annotated to a short 32 minutes) to highlight the experience. Wheeler is able to control the light by composing the room to be devoid of corners.
The author of the piece, Tyler Green, went to the exhibit to experience it for himself. He said he entered the space when it was in the 'mid morning' sensation of light, it was composed of pinks and purples, but once he looked away he could see black spots due to the bright light. Then the space became so bright that his eyes began to play tricks on him, and soon he was squinting to the point of tears. By the end of his experience, Green wrote “One of the greatest experiences ever. Feel privileged to have been in it.”
Personally, I feel as though I would really dislike this installation. Maybe it's because I'm from Seattle and I am used to gloomy, grey, and cloudy surroundings. Such intense bright lights would not be something I would want to sign up for, especially since I have to live with the awful "prison lights" inside of Kirwan Tower, which I complain relentlessly about.
This space teaches me that although I personally prefer softer lighting, others can find an array of bright to soft lighting to be exceptionally helpful to their daily lives. Natural light has the ability to control how our bodies function and without it we suffer greatly.

Suburbia

For my object/space/building/place assignment, I focused on suburban houses. I originally wanted to do Italianate architecture, but then I remembered we had to focus on the 1950's to now (instead of yknow, the 1850s, in which case Italianate would have totally worked).

For details, I chose vinyl windows. They are crucial it seems to the contemporary suburban home. Economical and energy efficient, vinyl windows are a smart addition.

What suburban home is complete without some heavy, dark, La-Z-Boy furniture and Home Goods decor and beige walls?

This is a perfect example of a suburban home. Two car garage, vinyl siding, faux shutters, dormers, perfectly manicured green lawn, and a picture-perfect mailbox.

Another great example of a suburban street. American cars, wide streets for kids to play on, and houses that are all the same distance from the road. Classic!

Palladio

Palladio influenced Western architecture by heavily borrowing from Ancient Rome. He was the first to make residential architecture draw upon religious architecture. Palladio also popularized the aesthetic of buildings with the same facade on each side, and he used columns for decoration instead of support.

Rose Window

Rose Window: pretty,

detailed, encapsulating,

colorful. Rose Window

Columns

For my column compositions, I printed images that I thought showed how important and interesting columns are. Besides being an architectural detail, they are used as support. I also wanted to show the detailing in each, especially since there is such a range from simpler (Doric) to incredibly ornate (Corinthian).
Another detail I added was in the title, as each column name has an 'i' in it, I drew it to look similar to the column on that page.
I am also interested in exploring how the three columns have influenced the other columns and post that we see today. You can see similarities in many, but I will definitely be looking into it more.

[ no photo because I turned my compositions in ]

Klismos

The Klismos Chair is a perfect example of using texture and line to create a refreshing take on an everyday object. Take the legs, for example, the curved lines add an interesting component, allowing the chair to become unusual and thought-provoking. The back of the Klismos is comfortable and inviting, while the seat of it has an engaging texture, but the material allows for some give, improving the comfort of the, otherwise, all wood chair.

I personally am quite fond of this chair, I think it looks quite contemporary. I am curious to see what it would look like if it was done in lucite, or if it was upholstered; I think it would take on a completely different approach but still maintain its intrigue.

EDIT:
I found some examples of a lucite and upholstered version! Although I'm not a fan of the 'ghost chair' trend, I could get used to a ghost Klismos chair, and definitely prefer it to the upholstered one (which looks like a sad, too short dining room chair).

Rendering

My rendering was based on the principle unity. In the three buildings--Miller Hall, Whitehall, and R. G. Anderson, there was the overwhelming presence of brick and white-ish mortar. Two of the buildings (Miller and Anderson), featured large windows that allowed for a sufficient amount of light to come through. Although the buildings all look like they are from a different time period, they are unified through the brick, which I tried to show through my composition.