[foundations] unit summary

one idea that stuck out to me as i reviewed the foundations unit was about competing elements and striking a balance between them. how to you achieve balance between male and female?... real and ideal?... superhuman scale and human scale? … past and present? … civic and religious? … as with anything, it is difficult to achieve perfect balance, no matter how hard we try… sometimes we intentionally leave things unbalanced… and sometimes what seems balanced in one context is not deemed so in another.

balance can be approached in a variety of ways. hapshepsut is an example of achieving balance between male and female. as a female ruler, it was imperative to gain respect. she did so in the construction of both male and female forms. her temple was horizontal and built into the landscape, whereas the obelisk at the temple of amon soared vertically from the land (a wu-wu form). the same balance is achieved with triumphal arches and columns like the column of trajan. both of these elements can be integrated into the same structure, such as in the baths of the diocletian, which has rows of columns and arches throughout. the greeks, however, did not strive for balance. they denied reality and focused on the ideal. their cover-up of imperfections by using optical illusions speaks to this fact. the way societies deal with balance varies throughout history and can be interpreted in different ways.

throughout the foundations unit, the most recurrent design element was scale. our natural sense of hierarchy tells us that the largest object is the most important. exaggerated scale emphasizes the significance of the designer or the function (commoditie) of the space. the trend started in ancient egypt with each pharaoh trying to top the previous one with the size and grandeur of their temples and tombs. the greeks followed suit with the planning of the acropolis. the parthenon was the largest building and the focal point of the complex. the same is true in rome with the pantheon and florence cathedral, which tower over the neighboring city. reviewing each society, i find that religion was the most important thing in all of them. religious buildings were unquestionably the most dominant buildings on the landscape. looking at the scale of architecture has given us a clue to the ideas of a culture.

www.photoeverywhere.co.uk/west/paris/slides/eiffel_tower_night3030.JPG

one structure that embodies the qualities of the foundations unit is the eiffel tower. the obvious wu-wu shape is supplemented by arches (the female form) at the base. its construction achieves balance between male and female, but also between superhuman and human scale. although the tower was the tallest structure when it was built, there are gift shops, elevators, and restaurants that are human scale and make people feel comfortable inside this grand structure. as a designer, these are all things i must consider when creating a design. the design elements in this unit basically are the foundations of any good design. questions about scale, hierarchy, form, and function must all be answered before moving forward.