Mock, Blog Post 7, IAR 221

An architecture of happiness is a place where the identity of the self can tie into. According to DeBotton, it's an intimate space and an psychological sanctuary. In his writing, it sounds like nature and playfulness also play key roles in the happiness of architecture. The "rulebook" is also similar to the ideals of happiness and architecture. Order, harmony, groves (nature), community, and spiritual connections are all important.

The Library represents a happy place on campus, it is a place of community and it ties into the psychological world through learning and expanding minds. This is where some people may find identity by studying the things that they love, it can also be an intimate space by studying alone, or it can also be a playful plays by going in groups of people.This building also shows harmony and balance by the entrance. It's half circle is visually appealing. The building also incorporates stacking by that stairs and groves of trees surrounds the area.

  

Reading Response 7

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpvettiyattil/sets/72157606684490627/

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSUPWU2GqerEr9v5MJFzd5BV5e8LL5WevektFUVT72QVUugMIATIw

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS1ianZCiaSaCFCTY4JU5qJpvy8L2MjdGFwZUDkaeLw2YFL-YFK

Mock, Blog Post 6, IAR 221

Regions and Cathedrals

The Cologne Cathedral (on the right) is located in Germany. It's characteristics include: two spires at the entrance, more buttresses, more columns, taller and narrow (to support the height), more windows, height frames it's Holiness, detailed doors, and located more in the city.

In comparison to the Salisbury Cathedral, (below on left) located in England. It's characteristics include: more spacious, wider and shorter, has a road leading up to it, more arches, rectangular with stacks, width frames it's Holiness, wider nave, and it's located in a more rural area.


Based on these comparisons, specific cathedrals are based on regions. Germany has a taller cathedral, that is almost like an arrow that reaches upwards to God and represents the sky and infinite. It's features are darker and it's more arrow like, these features are based on characteristics on German architecture. Whereas in England, the building is light color, but even though it is shorter, it is much wider, which is a characteristic of English architecture.

Even though cathedrals vary from region to region, they all have one theme in common: the reach upwards to God and the heavens, trying to bring a heaven to earth during these medieval times. The tower is important as it reaches for infinite. There is a centralized point in all cathedrals, making God a focal point on earth. They all have an aspect of real versus ideal. The real is that these buildings can only be as tall as the modern technology of the time lets it be, the ideal is the reaching upward towards the heavens.



Cognitive Map:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g186414-Salisbury_Wiltshire_England.htmlhttp://causafinitaest.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html

Mock, Reading Response 6

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Modhera_SunTemple.JPG
http://www.4to40.com/indian_travel_places/index.asp?p=Ahmedabad
http://divyadarisanams.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html

Mock, Unit Summary 1, IAR

Foundations—the Building Blocks to Society

            This unit was about starting from the beginning, to some of the earliest known societies around the world and their first ventures into the architecture and design world.

Stonehenge is an important monument that shows early planning
blueprints, it also ties in the cosmos with buildings.

Beginning with Stonehenge, as a monument that shaped creativity, the world has thought about the use of materials of the old civilizations and thought of them as their modern day creations. “At the center of their cosmology was a connection between the smelting of ore and sun” (Ching, 47). Stonehenge was about the universe, light, and alignment. The precision is remarkable, it lines up with certain cosmological points and it had different phases of being built and changed. It is important because there was a model of it found buried in the ground in the city that Stonehenge is near, indicating that this was thoroughly planned and the model was a blueprint.

            Other important features of this unit include the Egyptian pyramids. These represented the Sun God reflecting light and life on the earth, it shined on the point of the pyramid, spreading it’s light down the four corners to the earth. Not only was it a burial chamber, but also it showed the layers of society, the bottom starting with the slaves, going up to the nobility and the Sun God. Yet again, this is another building that reflects the universe.

            Greece was another important society in this unit, it’s building revolved around order, proportion, and perfection. The idea for Greece was real versus ideal in their building structures, they strived for perfection. The Erectheion was their monument that defined them because that is where Poseidon struck at Athena, and Athena created Greece.

            Rome brings us to three major ideas: firmness, commodity, and delight. “Roman cities were more differentiated that Greek cities, which were defined as central agora and temple precedents (Ching, 194). Their cities were strictly designed and had an orderly feel about them. Their plans for their cities included: roads, aqueducts, baths, basilica, temple, arch, column, market, forum, amphitheatre, coliseum, and a dome. The city grid and water were the two most important features of a Roman city; they represented an ideal city and power. The Pantheon was an important Roman structure, it was a temple form on the front, but behind it was a magnificent dome. It was the largest dome of its day, with hollow tiles. It represented the earth and the universe inside of a building. The light that shined through light up the entire building, making the colors glow. The circle and the cross define Rome, the circle being centrality and power, the cross being the perfect structure plan.

            The most important concepts that I got out of this unit are the circles, stacks, and groves tying the entire world together and the tying in the universe into the buildings. It seems that the circles and stacks are the basic building blocks for all civilizations such as the South Americans, Romans, Greeks, Asians, etc. Circles represent a sacred space and enclose a special meaning on the Earth’s surface. Stacks reach up to the heavens, some civilizations reached up the Sun God and others reached up a heavenly God, but regardless, stacks are a universal feature. Everything is in groups; whether it is people, trees, columns, or plants, groups are a universal feature as well. These three ideas create emphasis, unity, and balance through buildings and on earth.

http://eslnotepad.blogspot.com/2010/06/stonehenge-from-voice-of-america.html

Mock, Reading Response 5, IAR 221

http://www.animalcrackers.org/Images/Hagia_Sophia.jpg http://www.barber.org.uk/coins/537.html
http://www.greatbuildings.com/cgi-bin/gbi.cgi/Hagia_Sophia.html/cid_hagia_sophia_rh_002.html

Mock, Blog Post 5, IAR 221

Just as the bells and chimes build up the momentum,

The bold colors build up the contrast of this garage,

The structure is built for a certain music style,

One of old rock to be played at a high volume,

The compostion of Pink Floyd matches the proportion of this old garage.

(Free Verse)

Mock, Reading Response 4, (Actually 2), IAR 221

Mock, Blog Post 4 (Actually #3), IAR 221

MHRA

The steps leading up to the MHRA have several levels, they are almost steep, which makes it feel like the building holds a status on campus. The design of this building has a high commodity, firmness, and delight rating.

Ceiling of the MHRA.

Commodity is function and this building has two functions: to hold offices and to hold classrooms. The axis sections off to separate the two spaces. The circular glass entrances mimics the office space's glass entrance. On the other side of the axis, the classrooms lead off into a long hallway made with the walls made out of stone. The lowered ceiling mimics the tile on the floor. The two different functional areas are very distinct with their different materials. 

The building has a high sense of firmness because of the materials. The stone and metal give off a feeling of stability in the building. The columns in the front entrance also give the appearance of holding up the grand spherical room. The modern look of the building looks crisp and clean, which I think helps with the firmness rating as well as the delight rating.

The modern design plays a big role in the delight of this space. The glass entrance brings in a lot of light into this space. The entrance also has a lot of repetition and separation. The glass panels are repeated, but each row is a different size to help break up the repetition. The light color of the tile also reflects the light being let in through the windows. The tiles also seem to have a ripple effect as they move out from the axis, leading you through the hallway of the building. Because the classrooms do not have many windows, light colors are used throughout the building to help with this planning problem.

The grandeur of the building gives it it's sense of value, a circle usually marks a sacred place, but in this example, in a university setting, it marks importance. This building is a place of working and learning, which is most important to a university. The circular front, with high stairs leading up to its entrance marks it's significance. Its columns lead the viewers eyes up to the ceiling and the brick on the side lead the viewers eyes along the axis to show how big the building really is. Its significance is also shown by being built on the main road of the university. It is on the axis of the university and it's dome is supposed to mimic the dome of the EUC. It's checker pattern at the entrance is supposed to mimic the Foust Building.