Where I draw my inspiration..

I am constantly going this summer... I know its my first post since the semester ended but i'm trying.  being a summer camp counselor and all but my kids and i were thinking of ways we can still be creative today. Then when I came home I found this list and thought it was very helpful. I enjoyed reading it and laughing because I'm sure all of us have been there. At 3 am with no where to turn.. 

FINAL portfolio!

Final Unit Summary 3

MODERNISM

BP 14

Object: CRX

My car is a big influence. I have been the owner of 3 hondas, 2 civics and currently a crx. The body style of this car is very appealing to me. Although it is a bit boxy, the hatch makes it much more aerodynamic. These cars are also very fuel efficient 40+ MPG :)

A crx meet in Ohio

Space: Bust Your Butt Falls

This space is one that I have truly grown to love. The atmosphere of this space is what pulls me in. I have been going to this space ever since I was little and every time we go the rocks change, so we climb them every time. There is a rope swing off to the right that is used often in the summer. During the summer months it can get pretty crowded by tourists but they add life to this unique space and make it that much more interesting.

Building: Syndney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is an inspirational building to me because of the way it is constructed.  The folds in the building seem to implicate the sails of a ship. In a way a singer voice, reaching the highest peak of their performance, the notes traveling upward with the folds in the building.

Place: Highlands, NC

I have been going to Highlands NC ever since I was a young girl. It has always been a place full of inspiration for me. All the love and heart you feel from the locals makes me always want to come back. My great grandfather was a preacher who traveled that area for many years spreading the word. He had a small piece of land that was passed down to my grandparents. Once they retired they moved up there year round. I visit several times a year. I love to just drive up the mountain roads and look out my window, staring at all the amazing stone work done to several houses, with large glass windows over looking the gorgeous view. To me this place brings in so much love and is truly a huge part of who I am.

Cullasaja Falls located in Highlands

The view over looking the Blue Valley from Higlands.

A local Frozen yogurt spot that I stop at overtime I visit Highlands.

Rendering!

Saint Mary's: A writer's retreat

 Transitioning through a space:

RR 13

Extra Credit

“The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts”

Two views of design...

Media vs. Eames Legacy

Today in my group we talked about how important the “whole” is.  Media portrays design as being really simple, all about surface, no substance. In reality design consists of thousands of trial and error processes. HGTV design shows make it seem like everything just poofs into place. That is why education is important in a sense. With an education you learn the facts and are able to challenge yourself. Your views are not just directed towards what has always inspired you, but you take a wider approach. You can learn from not only going to school though. Experiences can be gained from traveling the world, looking at magazines and just paying close attention to your surroundings.  

After all a television show is only 22 minutes long, how much process can they show in such a short amount of time. Design shows fail to tie in an over all concept, or make the whole building or space work together. The whole space is much more important than all the neat individual spaces. 

Eames was all about his belief and stuck to how he felt as a designer. Many designers on TV change their work to please their audience and don’t do what they believe in. Eames didn’t change for anyone, and that is what made him famous. Designers today are constantly altering their work to please the public eye, piecing things together as they see fit.

BP 13

Scandinavian Modernism

Example: Saint Catherine's College, Oxford

Scandinavian modernism also known as swedish modernism has changed design as we know it today. 

It's philosophy: "Beauty for all" has been carried on by the phenomenon we know as IKEA.

The geometric shapes and clean lines have become a big part of the design style we see today.

The style is functional furniture, natural materials, light wood, white, and accents of color. 

This particular place: Saint Catherine's College shows a great example of scandinavian modernism. In this building they use natural materials and make the space look functional. 

This style of modernism has impacted us tremendously in the design world today. 

Color Week!

Color week we learned about how to find the middle mix of two colors and more. We created a "harmony" between colors. This week was fun because we got to experiment and use color aid paper. Although it was super expensive! haha

RR 12

BP 12

Good design for all!

A park, a park is a place anyone can come to. Lots of activities are done in this space. A park is designed with everyone in mind. Parks are used by different cultures as a meeting and playing place for everyone. Therefore a park is a space in which good design for all is followed!

This is part of the park where children come to play.

Parents and adults have this space to view the landscape and do what they wish.

Unit Summary 2

Falling water or Monticello?

Falling water!

The details in the building are created by working around the trees and topography that stood before the building. These beams are made around the trees, so the trees are not torn down. This building combined with the site showcase a work of art. The two create a harmonious environment.

rr 11

bp 11

The rise of modernism...

        Why was it so important for something to be considered modern?

In architecture and design people at the beginning of the twentieth century were searching for something new, something better.

With technology today we do the same thing. Take cell phones for instance every month or so a new phone is coming out, better than the one before it. We are constantly searching and experimenting to make the latest product better.

The iphone, specifically, was considered the most modern and advanced phone, for a few months. The phone is very sleek and clean, geometrical and easy to use. 

Where my inspiration comes from...

All inspiration has to come from something, somewhere out there....

Personally i draw my inspirations from photographs, objects, or spaces that feel to come alive in front of my eyes. When starting out with an idea I imagine the whole site as a blank canvas, molding the space into it is needed for.

Repetition of lines

west wintergarden, docklands, london

A nice set of colors to work with...

photo by: Jinu Martin

RR 10

BP 10: The Camera

The object I believe represents a revolution in design is the camera. The pinhole camera was first invented around 1000 AD. From then the camera has been refined hundreds and hundreds of times. The camera changed the ways in which we saw the world. We were able to record photographs easier than ever before. Instead of taking time to paint a portrait we could just snap a shot, freezing time.

The Pinhole Camera

The polaroid camera

35mm SLR camera

DSLR camera

Above are just a few generations of the camera. Photography now doesn't seem like such a revolution, but imagine what life would be like without photographs... 

Value Scale!

Value Value and more value using various types of media!

bp 9

colonial expansion

Because we were a new country and starting out we referred back to other countries and things that had already been designed, for example building in rome. These buildings influenced the way houses were built and cities were arranged.

TO the US


















the pantheon has the large front portico which we adapted into our georgian style homes.



FROM the US




Language is different everywhere you go but in a sense it all still fits together. Different buildings have a different style language. In class we said a word is like one detail about something, then a sentence is a combination of words adding up to make a sentence, Then a phrase is the over all concept.

RR9

RR 8

blog post for march 14th!

Reading Response 7

Blog post 7

The Architecture of Happiness

To each their own. This saying is true when it comes to what the architecture of happiness truly is. Different things make different people happy according to their life experiences. I think instead of a "set" of rules for architecture and design it's more or less a set of guidelines. These things guide you in the right direction, to obtaining a happy space or place.


A happy place
Starbucks located in the EUC
The smells coming from inside, the store bursting at the seems. the warm laughter that can be heard from inside. The rituals that occur in that place, make it "happy." Knowing what to expect when walking in.


A happy space
the sanctuary downstairs of the EUC
The spaces downstairs uses repetition within the space to create peace, balance and unity.

Feb 21st, RR 6

Blogpost 6 Feb. 21, 2011

               When investigating the Cologne and Salisbury cathedrals we discovered that both acted as a safe haven from the rest of the world during the rough time. These cathedrals could be thought of as their own region, separating themselves from other building designs, and reaching towards the sky. The definition of region is an extensive, continuous part of a surface, space or body. Gothic Cathedrals are very extensive and you see continuous concepts in design today deriving from that. Many designs have adapted to the idea of a vast open, tall, intricate ceiling as seen in the gothic cathedrals.
            From all the details that when into the gothic cathedrals you can speculate some of what their ideals were. At the alter of the cathedral there were 9 windows grouped into threes. Catholics believe deeply in the father, the son and the holy spirit. These groups of 3 stacked upon one another, resemble that relationship. The most light is let in at the alter. Catholic's believe that Priests are closest to God. Light behind the alter, hitting the priests shows their holiness and closeness to the the Lord.

        The cathedral is like a city of God, where people wanted to be inside the gates, sheltered from the rest of the world during the dark ages. The emperors had a weak centralized power and the cities were growing massively in size. People relied on the church as a safe haven. The circle around the cathedral symbolizes the sacredness of the space to the people. Serpents and evil surround the gates, trying to get inside.

Light box Complete!

We were to create a 12x12x18 light box. Making cuts in the box we were to create 4 spaces within the box, using light or shadows as the spaces.


After that process we then used wooden skewers and bristol board to three-deminsionalize the 4 spaces.

I created 4 spaces using one cut in the box and bristol board held up by a skewer.

Unit Summary 1

Week 1 : Looking in + outward, humans materially encounter the cosmos + construct inhabitable signs + symbols as objects, spaces, buildings + places.

The study of object, space, building and place is important when focusing on the history and theory of design. Looking closely into something at a certain scale can have a very different outcome. If you focus on an object in a building you may gain more information from the object that in return relates back to the building. This process gives you a deeper knowledge of what the building or over all space is about. If you break down something to examine it and then build it back up it tends to make much more sense.

Week 2 : Circles, groves + stacks stand as humanity’s first elements + principles of design throughout a world populated by diverse human expression. 

Humanity’s first elements copied things that we find in nature. Our life experiences help us make the connections between the shapes and what they mean or resemble to us, individually. We associate circles with the sun, moon, and sacred spots. We think of groves as groups of trees, things that reach vertically and groups of people. Stacks can be thought of as mountains and can show hierarchy. These concepts all relate back to the principles of design. The principles of design are contrast, repetition, emphasis, unity, harmony, balance and proportion. It stands true across the world that these shape influence the way we build. These shapes are useful because they emulate the natural environment. 

Do environments influence rituals or do rituals influence environments?

Environments influence rituals. The way an environment is shaped creates the rituals that go on within the space. People move within a space according to how the space is designed. Even if a space is being designed for a certain ritual, the environment around and outside will influence the ritual and why that ritual takes place where it does. 

week 3 : The buildings atop the athens acropolis serve as archetypes for all western architecture + design; elsewhere, humans expand groves + stacks.

The two concepts of groves and stacks are combined and found in many architectural buildings all around the world. Palaces and temples are examples of groves and stacks together. Repetition within a group of columns, such as the ones on the Parthenon, lead a persons eye to the object in the center, which has much more importance. The groves along the outside of the structure are marking the sacred place inside and telling stories about that temple.

week 4 : diverse building types abound in the west. empires stand tall throughout the world. trade routes bring people, goods + ideas into proximity.

Although throughout the west there are many different building types, most follow somewhat of the same guidelines. The guidelines are commodity, meaning useful arrangement, quality and interrelationships, firmness, which talks about the structure and stability of the building, and delight, what makes someone’s eyes happy. “The end is to build well. Well building hath three conditions: commodity, firmness, delight” said Sir Henry Wotton. Building types relied upon what they needed to do within their city. Rome used arches as a support system. 

The story behind my dining space

Our next project is to create a dining space for a getting to know each other memorial day mandated by the United Nations. 

Concept: Bringing people from all over the world together, fighting world hunger

Fighting world hunger is a very difficult task, but together, with an approximate population of around 6 billion people, it can be much easier. I am bringing 5 others from 5 different continents together for one meal. The 5 others I chose are donors and very giving people who are trying to help feed others more unfortunate than themselves. All of them speak english as well as their native tongue, so communication won’t be as difficult. I want a piece of everyone’s culture brought into the space and the meal. People like to surround themselves with familiar things, so having something that resembles home to each individual will make them feel more at home. This unity, this group of people, who are so dedicated to helping others, this is what my dinner is all about. This meal will bring a part of every continent together, although these 6 people are only a minute number compared to the whole world it will give them a better sense of unity.


My space is going to focus on circles, a round shape because it symbolizes a special spot along with the sense of unity and togetherness. It isn't easy bringing together 6 different people from completely different cultures. The table will be round and each seat will have the individuals continent on the back, creating a sense of uniqueness about each person. 

This Feist will be held twice a year, during the winter and summer solstice. In turn the space will reflect these important dates during the year. The floor will show the movement of the sun on those days. There will be an arched bend across the floor by a differentiation of tiles. 

The overall space is to create a sense of togetherness, while still pointing out the differences each person brings to the table.

Reading Response 5

Blogpost 5

http://www.flickr.com/photos/photosb/5137547901/lightbox/

Repition carries itself across the page

as if it were waves

Growing in volume

The tempo peaks at one end of the structure

Provoking the feeling of pure joy

Hitting a note that high.

Reading Response 4!

When reading in Understanding Architecture I was amazed by how Rome had this standard of "Go big or Go home." To them bigger was always better.

Pictures taken from:

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/jul05/pollice/index.html

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/st-peters-basilica5.htm

http://www.toursofthevatican.com/st-peters-basilica-tour/

DESIGN MANIFESTO

Design; to conceive or fashion in the mind, to invent.

    We as designers are inventing spaces; Spaces and environments that shape our thinking and emotions. These spaces affect people in ways we can only imagine. When we design something it goes through several processes in trying to achieve the overall goal. Some jump right into drawing and sketching ideas, while others spend hours upon hours thinking about what they will do before they do it. I am very guilty of this. Sometimes you just have to go for it and refine,refine, refine.The overall goal is to be aesthetically pleasing, sustainable, and practical.

    Refining and re-doing is a very important part of designing anything. Without refinement you may come out with a nice design, but by refining you perfect the design as much as possible. It shows in each end product.
    I have always been drawn to designs that are aesthetically pleasing. What ever you invent should show "craft". Sight is such a powerful gift that we have been given and I believe that the space should be very pleasing to the eyes.

Design for a purpose!
   Every space needs a purpose and the purpose influences how the space is designed. Without a purpose it makes designing a space difficult. Every design should be functional.

Blog Post 4

This week we learned about commodity, firmness, and delight. 

There is this one spot on campus where I believe all three are at their highest achievement.

That one spot, or sacred moment is at the front of the EUC building, the circular entrance. Through that entrance the light pours into the building. Circles make sacred, important spots. This spot stands as the gathering spot for everyone, coming from all directions. People intersect at that one spot. Circles are never ending as well. Individuals' journeys' never end there, it is just a meeting spot. The light shines in from the glass doors of the entrance and the windows at the top of the 3D form. The windows allow for light to glow into the space, lighting up the circular like sunburst on the floor. The cylinder stands tall above the rest of the building. The supports are strong and firm, holding up the form. The commodity of this space is the fact that it's a circle. Circles are a useful arrangement. The circles lead people to different entrances, one into the bookstore, one into the CAF and the other to a hallway leading to the spiral staircase. The colors and feel of the space create a sense of delight when experiencing it. Being in the space you feel as if you could do anything. It has a positive effect on the person experiencing the space.This space brings all three of concepts from Sir Henry Wotton's quote to life.

"The end is to build well. Well building hath three conditions; firmness, commodity, delight."

Reading Response 3!

For this reading response I felt as if I better understood exactly what it was that I was to do.

I did choose to write about the same thing we talked about in class and I didn't know if we could do that.

In class we talked about stacks and groups, so i related those concepts into my reading response.

Vietnam's social networking

What is social networking?

  The interaction between a group of people who share a common interest; Using social contacts to network; Using internet's network groups (such as Facebook and Twitter) to network and communicate between individuals and sometimes even consumers and businesses

      Vietnam has actually launched their own social networking site called go.vn. Vietnam's government was in fear of Facebook because they could not control it. In order to sign up though users have to submit their full name and government issued identification numbers. The government is even trying to involve the kids by creating appropriate online games and online English tests. Authoritarian governments such as Vietnam are seeking to control what is spread over the internet now, rather than always blocking other social networking sites. 

The government in Vietnam has tried to ban Facebook, but it is still very accessible. 

In the "Global Post" Helen Clark told us why the ban didn't exactly work. 

Unlike China, which blocks websites at an ISP level, Vietnam does so at the DNS level. What this means, as one IT expert explained, is that the government simply tells service providers to redirect their servers away from sites as opposed to actually blocking their access. The upshot is that it's easier to circumnavigate Vietnam's firewall than it is China's, where an estimated 30,000 censors search for illicit content on the internet.

“This is trivially easy to circumvent,” said the IT expert, who wished to remain anonymous. “All you need do is change your DNS provider to one of the publicly available ones. Google DNS is a great example.”

The ease of the work around and no official mention of sanctions mean Facebook users, which number over a million in Vietnam, can plead innocence. Users chat online, tag photos and play Farm Ville.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Fearing_Facebook_Vietnam_Launches_Its_Own_SocialNetworking_Site_/2177003.html

Blogpost 3

Blogpost for Jan. 31st

In-class we talked about ten specific design words to describe to a space

(space, power, experience, principles, precedent, site, order, scale, technology, surface)

I can use these words to describe UNCG. 

Space: UNCG is a very large spaces which inhabits thousands and thousands of people.

Power:

Experience: On college Ave. the walkway leads your eye directly to the McIver building, changing how you experience the space. 

Precedent: This also goes along with experience in a way. The McIver building shows precedent over the other buildings due to its size.

Site: UNCG is not placed on flat land. The site has a few hills.

Order: The space has orders to where buildings are placed. The libraries are close to the EUC, which is the central building overall.

All of these ten words are intertwined with one another. They make the space what it is. UNCG is a series of sites meshed together to make one large space, a space of study. People come to this space from all different walks of life, all searching for something different in life. Within this space they find it.