A Title for Second Year...

I worked on a couple of design ideas for the title bar of our second year blog but all of them seemed to not turn out how I wanted. So instead I did this green and orange design attempting to compose the entire 3"x10" paper in an interesting way using green, orange, and black while also using linear and circular shapes.

A plan + 2 perspectives

Things due for Tuesday the 8th of September:

Perspective looking at the south wall of my space.

Floor plan of my space with labels on the skylight and other fixtures that are in need of information.

Perspective looking to the north wall of my space.

[Models] Literal to Abstract

In exploring the 3D aspect of my drawings I began with a very literal interpritation of the painting itself. I knew what I wanted to occur interaction wise with the structure and who would be interacting in it but the form it would take alluded me.


As seen a above, it is easy to believe that I was very much influenced by the focal point of the painting, the illuminated lattice screen form, my two were attempts at creating a form that was literal in order to gain more inspiration for the 3D affair. The concept of EDGE was thrown around but really whenever I tried to explain it I came up with contrast, which was one of the main elements I wanted to take into the painting.





Though I did not want to be literal in the least, this third image was one of my best designs and it was actually the one to help me come up with my concept. Not contrast, because its not a concept at all, but the idea of pinwheel and how the structure can use movement without really moving at all.

Urban Interactive Sculpture

Time to get the mind into gear, we have been studio deprived for a couple months during the summer break and our professors thought it would be beneficial to begin with a project thought provoking like that of our past projects to get us ready for the Nutrition Lab design project. Create an urban sculpture that can be placed in UNCG's campus and can be interactive for what every group of people you chose to cater to: [Also this must be inspired by one of the many paintings by the amazing Maud Gatewood herself from whom our building is named after.]

Here is my painting:

Maud Gatewood worked alot with both colors and shapes from everyday living to landscape, of the many more colorful and engaging pictures I chose this specific one because of the contrast between light and shadow. The painting is about 90% darkness and 10% light which is shown from behind a lattice like screen, giving the painting an almost ominous or anxious tone when really examined. I wanted to take this stark contrast of light and dark being manipulated and tweak it into my own design.

My Place: The concrete walk between the fountain area and the Quad dorms for upperclassmen.
My People: Freshmen-Senior classes, basically any student living on campus since the concrete walk is a essential pathway to and from the side of campus where classes are and dorms on the latter side.
My Thoughts for Interaction: creating a social pass through or gathering and perhaps creating an area for seating.

Main thoughts on my mind were being able to create a structure that would permit a place for people to meet and maybe even chat between classes or going to their dorms to study. I wanted the structure to

I was told to think in terms of lines in the painting for inspiration.
Think about voids in space in the painting.
To think beyond the colors in front of your face.

Sketches while thinking about these terms:



The what was our next design in the process to 3D design of models.

Its a [Joint] Effort to [Plan] Ahead...

After working the perspective from last week we were commissioned to make a plan view of that same room showing the north side of the room as well as a study area complete with chair, desk, and bookshelf. We also had to indicate lighting in the room.


Due today as well is the "Joint" subject assigned for the weekly competition: So You Think You Can Draw? I decided to observe an object that could be a joint or connection in studio and quickly picked my trusty old desk lamp with it's interesting joints and connections that hold it to the desk and swivel it around to preferred angles. The technique used is a combination of cross hatching and hatching to show hierarchy in the image and to show light and dark points.


Enjoy!

Egyptians and Minonians

First installment of History and Theory of Design II, we are starting again from the beginning architects of ancient Egypt and Minoan Greece. Beginning with the Egyptians we talked about the interiors of their temples and how light played a part in the interior space. The first example used being the Hypostyle Hall: Temple of Amon in Karnak, Egypt 13000 B.C. This hall was open aired, the interior was lined and decorated with columns and carvings, and the light was filtered into the interior through various hierarchy of columns that made rows and rows within the temple.


One of the major things that intrigued me about the structure was how similar the light was filtered in from the top clerestory to that of the Gothic cathedrals. This shows me how my favorite style period was influenced by the ancient Egyptians with their stone grates that filtered light in from high places in the temple.

Carvings within the temple were symbolistic to the gods the Egyptian culture worshiped and were responsible for telling stories about the ancient days and about the Pharaoh who may have commissioned the structure.

Basically the elements of the Egyptian temple we observed were the monumental scale from people to structure, axial progression of the interior space, carvings (narratives) into the story of the culture, & timeless materials in that the stones are still standing even today in all the glory that was Egypt in 13000 B.C.


The second culture used in class Thursday was the Minoans in Greece. We went from one climate of deserts to a climate on an island in the Mediterranean sea. The Minoans were a peaceful culture and this air of peace translated into their architecture as well as their interiors since they were pretty much open to the world. The Knossos Palace is an example of this peaceful idea in that it is not a guarded palace because the people did not fear attack in such a peaceful time. This type was multi functional in that it was a palace, a storehouse, a public space, and a private space all in one. Columns where used throughout the structure and interiors and were decorated with reds and blacks rather than just carved into lotuses at the capitals like the Egyptians.

Light was far more of an important factor and there was much more of it demonstrated in Minoan design with opened roof areas and window forms. Hierarchy is not very prominent in this design either, rather the frescoes become more elaborate. Frescoes tell a story of the culture and the myths that accompanied it, such as that of the Minotaur.

So in comparison between the two cultures:
[Picture here]

[Visualizing] a Name

You wouldn't think something like a name tag would be so tedious to do but apparently it is were Interior Architecture is concerned...

Just to get back into the swing of lettering, make a name tag for your new desk space using techniques from Drawing and Designing with Confidence. Play with various ink pens and markers to overlay your penciled lettering.

I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do, so in the end I had two finals.

This last rendition is my final name tag, while I really liked the way my name turned out in the first name tag it was alittle sloppy for my taste and did not show that I knew how to do proper architectural lettering. [Which was a big part of the assignment.] The quote I felt embodied the program I'm in and design in general.