parts:whole

As humans, we naturally seek ORDER. We are constantly looking for ways to organize the space around us. Aedicules are ways of dividing a larger space into smaller spaces. Think about the way we put up dividers or use furniture to subdivide a large room. Order is used for clarity and ease of moving through the space. The Romans learned orthogonal planning from the Hellenistic Greeks, setting their cities on a grid pattern (Roth 253). For military reasons, having central axes facilitated movement through the city. Modern cities also use grids for the same reason of circulation. As designers plan their work, they organize the space so that their artifact is seen in a specific way. The Greeks relied heavily on this concept in the arrangement of the Parthenon and the Acropolis. The Romans followed suit in that they “set up an axis that dominated the orientation of the temple, the space in front of it, how it was approached, and how the temple was placed in relation to the forum” (Roth 250).



The arrangement and order that is established reflects the HIERARCHY of the elements within it. Objects near the center are deemed most important. At Pompeii, the civic buildings were around the largest forum near the entrance to the city. Residential building and the amphitheater were at edge of the complex. Public architecture was important to roman civilization because the city was their main focus (Roth 247). As designers, we decide what is important in a design and how to emphasize those elements while creating a complete whole. Traditionally, the most important things are in the center, at the top, or in front. In drafting, we use a hierarchy of line weights to delineate between foreground and background. The heavier lines indicate objects that are closer (but not necessarily more important). In either case, hierarchy provides valuable information that shows how a given object relates to its surroundings.



The surroundings of an object are just as important the object itself. An ENTOURAGE gives information about the full picture. The mood or atmosphere of a setting can be expressed through this small scene. With our drinking and drawing assignment, I tried to convey the subdued, low-key mood of Caribou Coffee by choosing the right colors and capturing the light in the space. I also indicated a hierarchy of importance by limiting the color to the girl in the foreground and leaving the other people blank. My thumbnails of the EUC are also an entourage used to convey the energy of the building through multiple drawings. However, an entourage doesn’t have to be sketches. The remains of Pompeii provide enough of a picture to help us understand Roman life as a whole. “When the site was uncovered… the first detailed evidence of everyday Roman life came to light” (Roth 264).






As designers we constantly look to others for inspiration and borrow bits and pieces of other designs. When we know the original SOURCE of these elements, it allows us to understand how its use and form has changed. Using fairytales and creation stories for inspiration, I created a 3-D model based on the interaction of light and dark. From that, I did thumbnails abstracting moments of that model. Knowing the original inspiration for my work can help a viewer understand my thought process and make connections to the initial light/dark relationship. The Romans were also guilty of borrowing. Unlike the Greeks, they used columns more for decoration than for support. Pilasters and freestanding were common (Blakemore 46). Understanding how the Greeks used columns allows us to see the ways the Romans adapted them to new uses.


Thinking about how societies use each other, the idea of PROTOTYPE/ARCHETYPE/HYBRID comes up. Ideas, concepts and designs are constantly evolving and building on previous models. Hopefully, later models take advantage of the failures and successes of predecessors to improve. I was thinking about examples of this concept and I thought about my thumbnails of the EUC. As I was drawing the main hallway, it made me think about the hypostyle hall of ancient Egypt. There is a row of relatively large columns that people walk through. I think I exaggerated the scale in my sketches, but nevertheless I like it and I think it works. The EUC hallway is a hybrid of the hypostyle and other works like it because our hallway bears a resemblance to ancient Egypt without copying it. There are plenty of other examples throughout the buildings I see on a regular basis.


Overall, this week was bout parts that create layers to form a whole. Understanding design is about collecting the information given, and using speculation to put the rest together. They always say you don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been. To fully experience a design, you have to know the journey behind it. At the same time, the surroundings and context are equally important to get a complete picture.


Blakemore, Robbie G. (1997). History of Interior Design & Furniture. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold Roth,

Leland M. (2007). Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning. Boulder, CO: Westview Press