final [drafting] portfolio

...coming full circle...

As designers get more creative and pull from new resources, INNOVATION is something to strive for. In my sacred space, I used copper walls, molded bamboo furniture, and movable louvers to set my design apart from others. “Botta has added a primal imagery that makes his buildings look very old and yet very new” (Roth 587). This is a hard thing to do, but it is something that can be achieved through innovation and forward thinking. This is what I hope to do in the future. My dream job is to design new houses with the old feel and character, but with a twist. Putting a new spin on old ideas, bringing something new to the table is what innovation is all about.



In my eyes, AUTHENTICITY is achieved in design that has strong roots. “Architecture is conceived of as a collective public entity, built up over time, continuing a dialogue with the past in the present” (Roth 593). I think this speaks to the authenticity of an object, building, or place. Like the nautilus shell, we carry the history of design along with us. This authenticity stems from designers recognizing this fact and taking that into consideration when formulating a design. They pay homage to the past in some way while also moving forward “not simply alluding in obvious ways to adjoining buildings, but by making a multilayered connection to a more encompassing history” (Roth 596).



When designing, it is important to consider the COMMUNITY around it. It is also necessary to consider the types and volumes of people using the space. It is about “creating environments for groups of people, living and working together in ancestral traditional ways” (Roth 607). For our final project in studio, we designed a sacred space for the graduate students. I created an area that could accommodate multiple students, but they could also get privacy in another area. Although it seems we have gotten away from catering to specific functions with our architecture, I think good design has to respond to the surroundings and intended use of the space in some way.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/184/385290925_8306d2c683_b.jpg

STEWARDSHIP means protecting and caring for places or property. With the threat of global warming and environmental pollution, designers are striving to protect and care for the earth as a whole. Ken Yeang’s Menara Mesiniaga and Malayan Borneo Finance Building in Malaysia are examples of being a good steward for the environment. The open areas allow for easy air circulation throughout the building. The deep recesses in apartment terraces provide shade from the sun (Roth 609). Both buildings respond to the environments, which puts them on the path to more efficient and sustainable design. As we move further into the 20th century and environmental problems, it is more important to develop sustainable design.

This week (and semester) has been about discovering who I am as a designer. I know that I am interested in historic preservation, but how can I use what I’ve learned in these classes to further that exploration and create a unique niche in the world of design. I like older buildings so much because I’ve found, especially through this class, that everything can be traced back to something before it. I also love the fact that no matter how many years pass since antiquity, that period and its architecture will never be forgotten. Designers still reference qualities of ancient architecture. I hope to create timeless designs that are viewed in much the same way.


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

[pair]ing down

Every building has some sort of conversation, whether it is a MONOLOGUE or DIALOGUE. Architecture takes multiple elements from a variety of places. Hans Scharoun’s Schminke House has a noticeable dialogue with the buildings of Gropius and Mies van der Rohe. It uses the same materials as Gropius and Mies van der Rohe, but has more energy. Sharp angular forms connect it with the dynamics of Expressionism (Roth 537). With the precedent analysis, the dialogue my building has with the HSB turning torso is best understood when considering the intention of the architects: to create a unique skyline. While these two buildings have a dialogue on one level, my building has a different dialogue with the surrounding skyline, and yet another conversation within itself.



Is it possible for a space to hold two opposing conversations simultaneously? This is the struggle I have with my Sacred Space design. I want to find ways to seamlessly integrate areas of CELEBRATION and MEDITATION into a cohesive whole. Aalto had some success with the library for Mount Angel Benedictine Abbey. The furniture is all wood, black leather upholstery on grey carpet. The color is meant to come from the books (Roth 547). This could be seen as a complete celebration of the purpose of the library – the books. Yet it is also a meditation. The neutral tones keep the energy subdued and restful, which is important in libraries. The effect of celebration vs. meditation can vary based on interpretation, time of day, or by looking at different elements within the room.



The rise of interior designers meant a change in what was ‘good taste’ in home decoration. Interior designers have a way JUXTAPOSING different elements to TRANSPOSE a space. The highly decorative, sometimes cluttered, Victorian features of the past were stripped away. Interiors were transposed to a simpler, cleaner, elegant look (Massey 127). This new style also involved the juxtaposition of dissimilar elements, such as a bold check curtain with a hand-painted wallpaper. Good designers can put elements together in unconventional ways that are still aesthetically pleasing. Surrealist painters “attempted to illustrate the threatening world of the subconscious in their paintings, most often by juxtaposing incongruous elements within the picture-frame to startle the viewer and undermine everyday expectations” (Massey 135). My goal as a designer is to take this same approach. In my sacred space, I have found a way to use marble, bamboo, and copper together in new ways to create a unique room.


In any design, LIGHT and SHADOW are important. Syrie Maugham’s signature was the ‘All White’ interior. She was successful with using shades of white and neutral tones to fill a room in a way that was still interesting. Richard Meier has similar success with his buildings, which were often all white. Yet there was simplicity and a play with light that was intriguing and immensely successful, such as at the Douglas House and the High Art Museum. The significance of the use of white and light in both of these cases is that light seems to represent something new, almost divine. The interesting thing is that Notre-Dame-du-Haut, white materials were used as well, but the emphasis was on shadow on the interior. Throughout history, designers have continued to explore the relationship between light and shadow.



One thing our teachers in studio have beaten into our heads is move away from the LITERAL! Get more ABSTRACT! I have found it easier to take inspiration and abstract it to get ideas for a design. It is helpful to start with the literal interpretation, but eventually this can limit the design and thought process. It is hard to push a design further without thinking deeper. In the image above, I created a pattern by painting around the edges of a leaf. However, sometimes literal is where the design stops. Michael Graves’ design of the Team Disney Building features actual caryatids of the seven dwarves. Instead of trying to convey the essence of Disney, he represented it literally. Salvador Dali took the same approach when designing the ‘Mae West’s Lips’ sofa. These designs communicate in a more straightforward way.

This week is about the voice that architecture has. The story or conversation it has with viewers and other buildings around it. Mario Botta recognized “…a need for architecture to speak once again to people, to become ‘presence’ once again…. a need to reestablish a partnership with people after decades in which architecture was so antiseptic, distant..” (Roth 567). These words get back to the idea of an architecture parlent. All architecture has a voice, an idea it conveys, an emotion it evokes. The words this week remind us of that.

[road trip]

Designers have to consider MATERIALITY when designing a space, product, furniture, or anything. The materials can limit the design or take it to the next level. We did material boards exploring the cost, benefits, disadvantages and uses of various materials. Each one has unique qualities that convey different feelings and fit into different designs. French art deco designers “used only the rarest of materials, including lizard skin, shagreen, ivory, tortoiseshell, and exotic woods” (Massey 94). These materials add to the exclusive, high-quality feeling of their work. Using more common materials might have suggested a more relaxed and lower-class feeling than they intended. The materials used say a lot about intentions of the designer, but can also speak to the context of the design.



Wright used local stone in Fallingwater. The landscape was the ROOT of the design, both physically and conceptually. The idea for a design can come from the past, the immediate context, or a variety of other sources. Just as the roots provide life to a tree, these sources of inspiration bring life to a building, a piece of furniture, or a painting. They affects the way a design is approaches, the elements that are within it, and how others interpret the design. These roots are the basis for everything else. The Art Deco movement had some roots in the ancient Egyptians. “The [sunrise] motif was probably derived from ancient Egyptian art, a popular source of inspiration…” (Massey 94). The use of the sunrise motif speaks to what the designers thought was important and how they related to antiquity. Architecture has “silently expressed how humans view themselves in relation to the cosmos, to their gods, and to each other” (Roth 519).



After studying numerous works of architecture, I find it easier to notice similarities between separate entities and how parts fit appropriately together within a whole. The planning of Fallingwater reflects CONGRUENCE with the context of the work. It is built from local stone, as well as being molded to fit into the landscape rather than changing the landscape. Fallingwater also has a special congruence with Walter Gropius’ Fagus Factory. At the factory, “the corners are not solid masses but the merging of transparent glass panes” (Roth 522). Wright follows this same idea in the window tower running between floors. As I though more about the idea of virtually eliminating a corner, I thought about the critique room in Gatewood. The corners of that room also feature windows coming together. Similarities can be found throughout time periods and building types.



CONCEPTS begin to emerge as we look as similarities between elements of a space. Concepts can only be successfully expressed when all elements are working together to reflect that main idea. Wright micromanaged everything detail at Fallingwater to ensure that his concept of an open, free-flowing natural environment was being conveyed. Sometimes the concept is not as successfully expressed. “The curious irony in the German Pavillion, designed as it was to demonstrate the ideals of achievement of German industry, was that it was painstakingly handmade” (Roth 528). Mies van der Rohe intended for the concept of showing industry and the importance of mass production, yet the parts had to be assembled by hand. So it seems that the real statement is that both machine and man are needed to create great works of architecture.



After visiting Fallingwater and Monticello, I noticed that although both had vastly different overall feels and concepts, both utilized the idea of COMPRESSION and RELEASE. Jefferson achieved this in his personal area with an alcove bed opening into a room with a high ceiling and a skylight. The compression and release was seen through the opening up of space, but also with the contrast of light between the areas. The same was true in Fallingwater. The narrow dark hallways led to rooms with a lot of window and light. This compression and release of light and space adds to the dynamics of these buildings. My goal was to achieve the same effect in my Light Habitat project.


Overall, this week is about bringing elements together to formulate concepts. My observations at Monticello and Fallingwater really got me thinking about how designers achieve this because both are successful in different ways. Even though the ideas, functions, or even forms between buildings are different, there are still a vast number of ways to make connections.


Massey, Anne. (1990). Interior Design of the 20th Century. London: Thames & Hudson

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

between silence and light

With the invention of new technology, there was a lot of debate about which CRAFT was better: handcrafted or machine-made. Morris thought that “good design could only be produced by men and women working creatively with their hands” (Massey 12). The problem with handcrafted furniture and objects is the high cost involved. Mass production allowed the middle and lower classes to gain access to these goods. “Artistic merit was subordinate to matters of technique; but industrial processes were essential to provide for the increased numbers in the middle classes and their requirements for simple, comfortable, and lightly scaled furniture for apartment living” (Blakemore 350). But sometimes nothing compares to a handmade object. It makes the artifact unique and has a certain level of craft that cannot be achieved otherwise. “The more clearly expressed the construction the more honest the piece, and the greater the contrast with the machine-carved, highly polished veneers of mainstream taste” (Massey 15). I believe this is the reason the teachers in studio stress drawing development so much. Drawing by hand gives a better idea and essence of a room than computer-generated images.



VIRTUAL is a visual representation of something without its physical presence. These visuals allow us to understand a space without having to be there… or even without the space or object even existing at all. As designers, we have to do renderings of rooms that do not yet exist so that clients can visualize the space. Using real furniture and materials adds to the realism. The result is a virtual representation of a non-existent space. The same effect can come from faux finishes. “[Ruskin] warned against the common practice of making one material look like another” (Massey 10). Yet this technique is heavily used. At Monticello, the façade appears to be brick, but it is wood sprayed with sand and made to resemble brick. On our campus, the brick crosswalks often are not brick at all. They are asphalt that is heated then stamped into a brick pattern and texture. The faux finishes or false materials are accurate enough to pass as the real thing.



The only way to achieve the desired effects is through specific TECHNIQUES. In drawing, we have experimented with a variety of mediums, drawing styles, and papers to figure out what works best for each project. One thing we practiced earlier this semester was using one colored pencil to make a drawing interesting. I used the same technique above. Techniques can be carried from one discipline to another. A designer can make a room interesting using neutrals with shades and tints of the same color. The English Free Architecture Movement was all about this idea of creating a uniform language across disciplines. What works in one context can often be used or modified elsewhere. This is the story of the Crystal Palace, designed by horticulturist Joseph Paxton. To build greenhouses, he used modular columns and beams and standardized panels of glass that could be translated into a larger building for the exhibition. The result was the Crystal Palace (Roth 487). “In a few years, the same rapidity in invention and perfection would occur in the development of the high-rise office buildings in the United States” (Roth 489).



LANGUAGES can be a combination of multiple influences, each lending unique qualities. The aesthetic movement had heavy British and Japanese influences. “Soon afterwards [Arthur Liberty] opened Liberty’s, the shop that went on to establish the exclusive ‘Liberty & Co.’ look, supplying oriental ceramics and textiles with British-designed metalwork and furniture for the creation of fashionable interiors” (Massey 26). Looking at Monticello, it is interesting to see how the French culture has influenced his work. After he came back from France, he designed Monticello II, which included distinct parquet flooring, elliptical arches, and other additions. The merge of the French and American styles gave the house a new language that made it a standout building. We borrow often from contemporary styles, but just as often from previous styles. We bring old languages and styles from silence into light by emphasizing them in new ways. “The alternative was a new approach to building design in which historically- derived details were inventively manipulated in buildings planned strictly in accord with contemporary functional requirements” (Roth 482). Bringing together a variety of elements can give architecture new life and bring it into the forefront.



As royalty accumulates grand collections of exotic artifacts and designers create innovative masterpieces, they naturally want to move these items from PRIVATE to PUBLIC. “Enlightened European monarchs and princes had been opening their residences to the public so that their collections of painting and sculpture could be viewed and studied” (Roth 473). This is the reason Glyptothek (the Sculpture Museum) and the Altes Museum in Germany were built. These great, exotic collections were moved from silence into light so that others could admire and learn from them. The same events occurred at Monticello and Falling Water. These once private residences became icons in American history and needed to be shared with the world. The only problem with opening up these spaces to the public is that a lot of the original furniture and items in the houses had to be removed to make way for tourists to circulate. At both of these sites, I found myself wishing I could see these places as a visitor to the families, rather than as a tourist. With all of the original pieces still in place, I would have gotten a more complete essence of the buildings.

This week was about ways we transition styles, artifacts, and spaces from privacy or darkness into a more glorified light. There are so many great moments in architecture throughout the world that are not well-known because no one has shed light on them. The same can be said about nature. It is mind-blowing to think about the intricacy of nature and all the things we do not know about it. It is also exciting to think about all the new things we will discover about both architecture and nature in the future.


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

Massey, Anne. (1990). Interior Design of the 20th Century. London: Thames & Hudson

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

for every action there is an equal and opposite [re]action

MOVEMENT naturally draws attention. Even when looking at a large complicated scene, the slightest movement will instantly grab our attention. Designers want to spark this type of interest in the viewer through their designs. The Beaux-Arts style speaks to this idea. “The style is characterized by the asymmetrical whiplash line that gives a sense of dynamic movement wherever it is applied: to furniture, wallpapers, stained glass and metalwork” (Massey 32). Even in the highly lavish and extravagant interior, items with this whiplash mark will instantly stand out. In my design for studio, I created movement with overlapping curves, constantly leading the eye to new places. This also made me think about Kim Middlebrooks’ presentation for Retail Retold last semester. She designed a camera store with curved walls and digital wave on the walls to lead people through the space.


Movements can also be the organization of people to evoke change. In the arts they are a REFLECTION of the times. It can be a reaction to new technology available, social or political problems, or a new way of thinking. In reference to Ledoux’s city of Chaux: “… but it is significant that so much open space was set aside around it in a green belt. Ledoux was reflecting the new sensitivity to nature that arose in the Age of Reason” (Roth 452). When one person dares to be innovative and take advantage of the changes, others will follow suit. This is the story during the Industrial Revolution when manufacturing plants and mass production were in the forefront. Cast iron and glass became widely used because of their quick production and installation. But not all ideas are met with immediate approval. In reference to the Victorian period, John Ruskin “saw the ugliness which surrounded him as the unavoidable result of the miserable conditions for the majority brought by the Industrial Revolution. He took issue with the Victorian fashion for cramming as much as possible into a room to symbolize the owners’ wealth and status…” (Massey 10). Movements that came out of the Industrial Revolution may not have been approved then, but have become important precedents for modern-day architecture.



Reflection can also involve looking back. We can understand where things came from… their SOURCE. The source of the modern shopping mall is a mix of the Baths of the Diocletian and Burlington Arcade in London. As architects explore different time periods and styles, they “begin to mix historical references, in what could be called synthetic eclecticism, resulting in a new amalgamation of disparate elements” (Roth 470). Bringing ideas from a variety of sources generates new ideas. The source is usually recognizable, but has been adapted in new ways. The study of Greek temples influenced the church at Sainte-Genevieve, which in plan is a Greek cross. The church itself is like a Greek temple turned inside out, with an internal colonnade for structure (Roth 447). In my projects, the source of my inspiration may not be as easily recognizable as coming from a flower’s leaves. The same can be said of decorative artifacts imported by the West from China. The Chinese designed these based on the aesthetics of the specific countries. This time period is also the source/beginning of China’s trade relationship with the West.



As we make links across time periods and genres, we find that no styles or ideas are ever lost. Everything comes back around, just like with fashion. Design and ideas are on a ROTATION so to speak. Forms from antiquity are brought back, such as with the Grecian and Gothic revivals. No idea is ever lost, only put on the back burner for a while. When they come back to the forefront, they are adapted to react to the new context. ‘While designers imitated past styles they also made a conscious attempt to develop a new fashion’ (Blakemore 347). This allows old ideas to be used in new, relevant ways. The ottoman above takes the traditional form, yet revamps it in a new way, using rubber pieces all around. I find that the same is true with me and my designs and drawings. As we were rendering perspectives this week, vocabulary, design concepts, and critiques from last semester and earlier this semester have re-emerged. I had to react to these and find ways to address them in my current project.



Our project in studio is about ILLUMINATION. We were asked to design an artifact that reacts to natural light. I had to think about how each piece of my model affected light. It was interesting to see how light affected the tonal quality of the MDF. From these observations, I further revised my design to increase the control of the artifact over the light. Light can create a sense of theatricality, such as in the Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Bernini. Light can create a sense of divinity, such as in the Gothic cathedrals. Light can also be used to create a sense of openness. The glass and iron buildings created open spaces that let in lots of light and seemed to bring the outside in. Blending the boundaries between interior and exterior makes the walls seem to dissolve away. These are all things I considered when thinking of how to make my project react to light and vice versa.

This week was about how architecture and design reacts to context and about how people react to the architecture. Newton's third law is that every action has an equal and opposite [re]action. This is true in every facet of life, especially design. It is these [re]actions and influences that keep design moving forward.


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

Massey, Anne. (1990). Interior Design of the 20th Century. London: Thames & Hudson

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

grammar - syntax

A neat arrangement makes work easier to read and understand. Around campus I noticed that the windows of the buildings follow a horizontal DATUM on each floor. To further emphasize order, some of the buildings, like the MHRA and EUC buildings, have a horizontal band that runs beneath the windows. It draws attention to the datum and emphasizes the order in the space. Throughout history, order has been an important factor in any design. “The provision of axes to attain spatial distance was an important planning concept. Corridors, enfilade arrangements, and other room adjacencies were employed for visual extension” (Blakemore 183). The organization of space facilitates communication of ideas. “Rooms in the enfilade were aligned one after the other, with connecting doors close to the exterior wall. Social order was reflected in this architectural arrangement…” (Blakemore 178). Even in presentations, datum is important. In our presentation about the EUC, we had to keep a clean datum between the pictures to keep the focus on the pictures, not on uneven spaces between them. The alignment allows effective communication of our ideas.



Throughout our studies, TRANSITIONS have always been a point of emphasis. They connect ideas or part of a space smoothly. This week, stairways have been a recurrent point of emphasis, which is fitting for the idea of transition. They mark a link between different levels or parts, almost like transitions between paragraphs in an essay. Think about Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library, the Spanish steps as a landmark in Rome, or stairs in Baroque buildings. “The staircase provided a space for spatial experiment; from the base one seemed compelled to ascend by indirectly lighted spaces” (Blakemore 181). All of these works invite the viewer to see what’s on the next level. The way people move through spaces merits just as much attention as the other parts of the building. In present-day high-class homes and lobbies, there is often a grand staircase just inside the main entrance. It is the first thing you see is usually elaborate and high on the hierarchical chain based on its placement within the building. Even in the EUC, the double curved staircase has a central location and is made to accommodate the large volume of traffic it holds every day.



Every building has a language that hopefully the AUDIENCE can understand. Every building is designed with an audience in mind. The way the audience views or moves through the space is an important consideration. Designers of churches had to keep this idea in mind because churches were made to be seen, visited, and admired. The architects have no choice but to think about the audience and how to accommodate large groups of people. The piazza and colonnade at St. Peter’s are a way to deal with this issue. “A broad space was needed to accommodate the crowds who gather at Easter” (Roth 408). An open space was incorporated into the design to meet the needs of the audience. Sometimes, the audience is installed in the work itself, as is the case in the Cornaro Chapel. “The marble-paneled sidewalls of the chapel contain ‘box seats’ in which Bernini depicted members of the Cornaro family reading and discussing the miraculous event being depicted” (Roth 403). Bernini included his own audience to the Ecstasy of St. Theresa. This part of the composition makes it unique in that he took his design a step further.



Designs often have many layers that are not understood upon a first glance. I chose to think of [RE]VISIONS as taking a second look. Things are not always what they appear to be and designs are more complex than they may seem. This was especially true of Baroque buildings. “Baroque buildings, in contrast, are so large and complex that they cannot possibly be comprehended in a single glance” (Roth 414). When you take the time to look deeper, it opens up more information about hidden details embedded in the work. This is the same process I am going through with my current studio project. We took objects from nature and used it as inspiration for our design. I started drawing a flower and leaves as I saw them. But when I looked closer at them, I found even more interesting elements that I had not seen at first glance.



Each building has an individual spirit or CHARACTER. It is the voice and language a building speaks. The architect, context, and data (single elements) that comprise it all affect the character of a building. These things make the building unique and give it a different language from others. Thinking about S. Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane, the undulating walls inside and out make it stand out from any other building. It interacts with the audience, making them want to know more about what it inside and the all the details that went into the design. I had the same feeling about the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. My drawing above shows the exterior curves that reach out to the viewers, drawing them in. I was intrigued because it had such a unique language that contrasted with surrounding buildings. This is the effect I strive for in my studio projects. I want to create a memorable character that brings the design to life.


Architecture is composed of parts that come together to form a complete thought or idea; much the same way words come together to form sentences and thoughts. The same parts can be put together in different ways to create a whole new meaning or language. A designer’s job is to put the pieces together in the right way so that the intended message is conveyed.


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

[drafting portfolio]