IAR 221: China's Modern Skyline

Shanghai

• Contains some of the tallest buildings in the world.
• The skyscrapers in Shanghai are very expensive to produce and build.
• The skyline in Shanghai has a lot of modern characteristics.

Skyline in Shanghai, China

China contains some of the most modern buildings in the world today. With its city being so big and filled with culture there's no wonder why there are such a variety of different skyscrapers.  I really appreciate the contrasting shapes within the buildings and all the buildings combined.they sort of have a unity that is brought together by their differences. In the Shanghai district the skyline seriously looks like something straight out of a fantasy movie. This skyline contains both modern and classical influences. There are some buildings that contain the classical Roman columns and some buildings with elegant draped fabric. I feel like the contrast and similarities between these types of buildings not only shows the advancement of China, but also the history of the world. 

The modern buildings in Shanghai evoke many different emotions. I would say that some of these buildings are unwelcoming. I say this not only because its hard to find the entrance on half these buildings, but because they look very machine like.

Skyline in Greensboro, NC

If I had to compare the Shanghai skyline to another placed based off of extreme differences, I would choose Greensboro. These are two very different looking skylines. Though there are some similarities, the differences definitely out weigh them. First Greensboro is built off land with no body of water near by unlike Shanghai. Secondly Shanghai has more of a color palette to their buildings instead of grays, blacks, and beiges. The reason I feel that the skyline in Shanghai is so colorful is because they want those buildings to be seen anyway. Not only does size matter in advertising these large skyscrapers, color also plays an important role. 

Skylines can be seen in a lot o f different cities. The most common factor that you will see in all of them is a sense of modernism and size.

Skyline in New York City, USA

I feel like most skylines in the USA have a sort of business conventional style instead of more fantasy modern like buildings. The buildings in the USA are modern, its just displayed in a different way.

Sources

en.wikipedia.org

rasktravel.com

visitingdc.com

IAR 221: Modern Exhibit

Barcelona Pavilion

Barcelona Pavilion

• Designed by Mies van der Rohe's
• Built in 1929.
• Location is Barcelona, Spain.
• This structure was built to be an exhibit for everyone around the world.

The Barcelona Pavilion is a very modern structure for its time. Though there are many ancient structural themes occurring in this building, Mies constructs them in a way that portrays elegance. I would say the most important elements of this building are its materials. There are a wide range of contrasting materials as well as materials being there to echo each other. Some of these materials include glass, marble, onyx slab, milk glass, metal, etc. 

Like many buildings of this time finding the entrance was challenging since most houses before these kind framed the front door, sort of welcoming you in. I do believe that modern buildings are welcoming too, just in a different way. If you look in the picture you'll see the small body of water that sits beside the Barcelona Pavilion. I feel like the combination of water and materials like glass and marble really adds serenity to the modern structure. It becomes a very calm and quiet place.

Barcelona Pavilion Floor Plan

The columns in this structure are very interesting. The appearance of the columns has a reflective chrome sheathing on them to sort of go along with the other reflective surfaces in the structure. The columns form a structural rhythm of two rows of four, in syncopated relationship with the walls, which are sometimes quite close to the columns, sometimes further away.(Ching, 732). I kind of feel like the columns aren't needed.  It would look more aesthetically pleasing if the walls supported the structure because I love the marble surface of the walls. 

Present Day

Recent Modern Houses

Geometrically the Barcelona Pavilion reminds me so much of modern houses we have today. The sharp corners and contrasting materials are very prevalent in many modern homes. A lot of them also have flat roofs, which could cause a little problem with rain if that's not taken into consideration when it is being built.

Sources

pushpullbar.com

                                                              bryndakirk.wordpress.com

homedesigncorner.com

http://www.imahnahome.com/uncategorized/freemans-bay-modern-house-belinda-george-architects.

IAR 221: Crystal Palace Fairs

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace(front)

• Designed by Sir Joseph Paxton.
• World fairs were held within this building.
• The structure was mainly made out of steel and glass.

From first glance the Crystal Palace resembles a huge greenhouse. It's arched glass ceiling echoes the elements of a greenhouse. These elements were put in place by Paxton who was an innovator of steel and glass greenhouses.( Ching, 664). Paxton played these elements up even more by adding plants and trees in the inside of the the nave of the building. Many plants and trees died due to the heat and humidity within the palace. A lot of contrast was added to the building with the actual people who were on exhibit in the building. These people were usually slaves and native americans. There ancient setups and customs were opposite to the new innovation of steel and glass.

Trees & vegetation in the Crystal Palace

Many fairs were held within the palace. These fairs would sort of advertise new products on the market. These products were mass produced or handcrafted products from other cultures. Millions of people flocked to these fairs to buys materials and to view the structure and exhibits.

Paxton's idea for the Crystal Palace was for it to look delicate, but large at the same time. The palace consist of light weight elements that were built on site.(Ching, 664). 

Present Day

Greensboro Coliseum

The Crystal Palace in many ways remind me of the Greensboro Coliseum. Architecturally the glass on the coliseum and the palace echo each other. The pattern of the glass and the support beams are very similar. I have also seen many plants within the Greensboro coliseum as well. 

This weekend the coliseum held the craftsman show, which they have every year. In the craftsman show are a couple hundred artists selling their handcrafted artwork. It's sort of like fairs they used to have in the Crystal palace.

In today's culture we still have many conventions that cover things from anime to apple products. I feel that the innovation of the Crystal Palace influenced the fairs and conventions that we have today.

Sources

                                                                      en.wikipedia.org

londonwalkblog.blogspot.com

tigerrag.com

Frank Lloyd Wright

Ward Willits House

Front view of the Ward Willits House

• Built between 1900-1902.
• Wright designed this house with influence from Japanese architecture.
• This house broke the rules of the normal suburban home.
• Ward Willits House is located in Highland Park, Illinois.

Frank Lloyd Wright was a designer who supported English arts and the Crafts movement. A lot of the suburban homes that were being built around this time contained this idea. When Wright begin to build suburban homes he broke the rules by opening up more space within the houses he was designing. Wright played with horizontal lines and contrast while designing the Ward Willits House. The horizontal lines in the design add more space to the outside of the house as well as the inside. The dark stained wooden members contrast the white stucco on the walls.(Roth, 497).

Ward Willits House Floor Plan

Wright was famous for hiding things such as water heaters and regular heaters within structures he placed in the rooms or in the structure itself. He felt that they we not aesthetically pleasing. As you can see in the floor plan the Ward Willits house is built in a landscape principle, but also has that cross mid section where spaces contributed around within the structure.

Present day: Falling Water

There are a lot of similarities and differences between Falling Water and the Ward Willits House. These houses were both built in the 1900s. When looking at the environment or starting places of both designs you can see that they are drastically different. Falling water starting place was on a stream bed in the middle of the Pennsylvania woods. Wright's principle for Falling water was to incorporate nature into the structure rather than leveling it out and building something on top of it. For the Ward Willits house Wright designed these structure on a flat suburban area in Illinois.

The similarities of both these designs mainly have to do with the idea Wright had for both of them. First, both designs had Japanese influence. Secondly these designs both contain a lot of contrast. With the Ward Willits House it's more in the color of the structure on the outside. In Falling Water the balconies in the structure overlap and cross each other. Lastly the most important similarity in my opinion was Wright's idea of opening up the space. The spaces Wright created were multi functional and no space went without purpose.

Sources

delmars.com

m.eb.com

wright-house.com

IAR 221: England's National Style

The Georgian Style

Example of a Georgian style home

• Georgian style first originated in England.
• The two main qualities of georgian architecture was functionality and serviceability. 
• Georgian architecture was also used in the American colonies that the english controlled.(Ching, 581).

Georgian architecture began with the rise of King George I. King George is known for creating the system known as the Whigs. Soon after all the political changes came architectural changes. This change was known as Georgian architecture. Most Georgian style buildings were brick with simple doors and windows. These building were also very symmetrical and almost always had some sort of walkway or porch leading up into the building.

Stratford Hall Plantation

Georgian architecture was adopted by the mercantile class, who were involved in coal and agricultural ventures.(Ching, 581). This led to Georgian architecture going abroad to places such as America and Ireland. 

In my opinion these buildings are very elegant. I would say mostly upper class people resided in these homes. These Georgian style buildings remind me of modern day mansions. When I compare mansions and the Georgian style building I'm mostly referring to the type of class that is associated with the buildings, not so much on the size. Some of these Georgian style buildings are only 2300 square Ft, but the elegance and simplicity of the architecture makes them grand in their on way.

Modern day Mansion

Sources

ratethismuseum.com

thehammocksonthesound.com

flickr.com

IAR 221: Hacienda Communities

Haciendas 

Ancient Hacienda, Yucatan.

• Haciendas usually specialized in certain things.
• Slaves that resided in the Haciendas were usually bound to that Hacienda forever.(Ching, 557
• The word Hacienda comes from the Latin word focere which means "to make something".(Ching, 557)

Haciendas go back to the 1500's made to be communities that were mostly populated by slaves. The slaves that made up these Haciendas were usually African and Native Americans. The reason why I also refer to Haciendas as communities is because not only did the slaves work there, they also lived there. The Mexican people had to ensure that the people and themselves got what they needed since the Haciendas were far from metropolitan centers.

Panoramio, Ancient Hacienda

For this reason Haciendas varied in size. Some Haciendas had its own market place, cemetery, jailhouse, etc. I feel that another reason they built a little community is because the slaves and their descendants were stuck there. There was porbably children  and older people there and they also had to be some sort of order.  All these communities focused on producing things. Things like coffee, sugar cane, cotton, food, etc.

Cotton

Present Day

Haciendas in my opinion remind me of big factories. Factories all over America rarely make everything. They usually specialize in one or two things. My aunt used to work at UNIFI. UNIFI made yarns and fabric for textile products. My aunt would spin yarn for ten hours because that was her job. They provided areas where they could eat or rest . As far as the architecture, factories and Haciendas are very large in size. The spaces within these structures a made for production and easy traffic flow.

Sources:

http://www.colonial-estates.pvoss.de/mexico-historical-haciendas.htm

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/23870526

http://kaufmann-mercantile.com/organic-cotton/

IAR 221: Power Kingdom: Shwezigon Pagoda

Power Kingdom

• In the 12th century the Pagan ruled over Myanmar.
• The Pagan religion was Buddhism, but they adopted the Hindu way.
• Location: Southeast Asia.
• Monarch system.

                                                  

Shwezigon Pagoda

The Shwezigon Pagoda Kingdom was considered a powerhouse in Southeast Asia. The capital that the kingdom was located in is Arimaddanapura. To the Pagans this grand kingdom wasn't nearly enough. Shortly after they begin building smaller temples around the structure, which gave it more significance.

Front view: Shwezigon Pagoda

At the top of the structure is a tall sort of pointed dome. From looking at the city it is obviously one of the tallest structures in the city. Its very reminiscent of a "wu wu", which is based off of who is the most dominant. While observing the structure I also noticed that in this picture it is lighted at night. This adds a extra characteristics to the dominance of the structure.

Decoration around the Shwezigon Pagoda

Along the Shwezigon Pagoda there are motifs and decoration. The decoration is there for aesthetics, but the motifs are there to tell a story. In these walls are tales about Buddha. There are also excerpts from the Buddhists text. These didactic panels were clear evidence of the religion of the Pagans. Carving faith in stone was not limited to just certain parts of the world. The influence stretched as far as Asia.

Sources

http://www.elvincountry.com/explore-the-lost-kingdom-of-arakan.html

http://www.vacationtomyanmar.com/aboutmyanmar.htm

http://www.galenfrysinger.com/ancient_cities.htm

A Global History of Architecture. Ching, 396-397

IAR 221: Faith in Architecture

Power & Faith in Architecture

·         Located in Jerusalem.

·         Completed in 691CE.

·         Octagonal floor plan.    

          Dome of Temple Mount, Jerusalem

Temples throughout history have always displayed power in architectural forms. One way this temple displays power is through the gold dome on the very top. This is basically the central focus of the temple through plan and through what it encloses. Underneath the dome lies the foundation stone. The foundation stone is believed to be the underpinning on which the world was created.(Ching, 302).

The octagonal shape of the plan has been used a lot in baptisteries. Within the octagonal shape lies a series of circles, piers, and columns that support the large dome.

Observing this structure for the first time is a bit intimidating. I feel that size and forms of temples enforces a little fear into the people who worship within them. It helps them stay on the path to righteousness. The oldest structure which contains a dome is the Pantheon. I believe this structure was precedence for structures to come and structures we have in our modern times.

Indoor football stadiums come to mind when I think of structures with domes. I always thought they placed domes on the stadium to resemble the shape of a football, but in actuality domes are everywhere in our history.

Top view of Temple Mount

          Front view of Temple Mount, Jerusalem \

Sources

http://testament25.blogspot.com/2011/08/temple-mount.html

http://israelhai.org/our-theory-ark-location-solomons-temple

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-temple-mount

IAR 221: Design comes from Everywhere

IAR 221 Colosseum: Firmness of Arches

IAR 221:The Temple of Horus RR3

IAR 221-01