        Do, Victoria : AssignmentsPlayback10.10 This lecture introduced the field and profession of architecture along with the architecture program at Georgia Tech. Starting with a thorough definition of architecture as more then just the mundane corporeal buildings, the lecture shined light on the multiple layers of information that could be extrapolated from such works of architecture from political, to cultural, to social. At the center of the lecture was the idea of buildings and how their purposes were expressed in their structure whether built by a monarchy for a king like Versailles, or whether built by a democracy for the public like the University of Virginia. The lecture was able to introduce new terms such as “individualism within unity,” “social access to power,” in addition to further defining preconceived notions of “culture.” 10.15 This lecture introduced building construction. It defined building construction and explained the industry and profession. The focus was mostly on the vision of holistic thinking and how the building construction industry is composed of several categories and levels which must be integrated efficiently for success. This requires understanding throughout and excellent communication to provide for effective management. 10.22 This lecture introduced the area of Industrial Design as “the professional service of creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer”. . It deals with the “humanization of technologies,” “product design,” and is “community oriented.” The discipline proved to have a universal impact with a broad range of applications and issues. Additionally, the school of Industrial Design at Georgia Tech was introduced. Look Up 10.10 “Individualism within unity.” This phrase harbors a very broad definition. Initially there lies the idea of an entity existing in it’s entirety amidst a bigger entity. However, when stressing the “individualism” the phrase itself becomes dynamic and multifaceted. For instance, in the lecture this idea came up when analyzing the University of Virginia campus architecture. Designed by Thomas Jefferson, the school clearly reflects the political standpoint of its origin. The buildings are centered around on the two major public vicinities of the school, the library and the massive courtyard, thus establishing the precedent of being “for the people.” Additionally, the individual buildings are all designed with the same architectural structure. Thus, a further sense of unity. However, a closer look at the buildings shows that they are indeed individual. Buildings for the sciences for example are built differently than buildings housing literature or business. From this fact is the key factor of why these buildings were built this way and why they are individual. It is because they all serve a purpose and from that purpose their structure was determined. Hence, individualism within unity is to exist amongst a society with not just a distinction but a purpose. “Social access to power.” This term in general refers to the political organization of say a society or a country and how the individual groups of people that make up the society influence the whole society. This was idea was further investigated in the lecture, primarily when analyzing the layout of Versailles. Primarily, the fact that France was a monarchy, and the castle to be the king’s home, the great building was specifically designed with that importance in mind, with the king’s quarters at the center and those officials below him and the citizens around him. The king would literally be seen in the center. Such “access” to power thus transcends a mere political format into the physical world influencing the societal and cultural. “culture.” Obviously, this word in itself is extremely broad and multifaceted with a definition encompassing everything about a group of people and their behaviors and beliefs and values. However, this lecture emphasized how the phenomenon of culture doesn’t merely exist in the mind but in material culture as well. For this purpose, the material culture being the architecture, the buildings. What is expressed and then learned from each individual detail imbedded in every building portrays a rich story of what kind of world built it. 10.15 “Holistic thinking” emphasizes the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts. In terms of building construction and the lecture, holistic thinking refers to through understanding of all the components so that the entire whole works well. More then anything, the lecture stressed how many different aspects there were to the industry. So holistic thinking is essential in building construction for it is the key in bringing all the pieces of the puzzle together to make the whole, not merely perfecting the pieces. “Communication” on the simplest level is exchanging information. However, the lecture highlighted the significance that the information actually be exchanged efficiently for true communication to actually exist. A prime example being the Building Information Model of the Boeing plane that was being engineered by people from location all over the world. The 3-D CAD model aided in the communication of what specifically was being designed so that every engineer and designer was thoroughly aware. In order for the plane to be built, accurate exchange of information was crucial. “Integrated systems” at first merely comes across as a combination of different processes. However, in the same line of reason, with “holistic thinking” and “communication” the processes and sectors must be combined thoroughly and proficiently, not simply thrown together. If systems are to be “integrated” there are to be completely comprehended and meshed together in a way the benefits the final goal or product. 10.22 “Humanization of technologies” does not simply refer to technology made for humans but more so technologies made for humans with humans in mind. More often than not there is that wall that exists between human intelligence and the intelligence of machinery. The humanization of these machines focuses on the wall, the interface, the interaction of the human with the machine. To humanize in this case is all about making something user friendly in a sense. Entirely usable by humans. “Product design” at first glance merely looks at the making of a product. But it is much more than that. Design incorporates every detail and every factor about the product to be. When the product could range from anything to everything that can be bought, that means there are a lot of details to be considered: function, structure, shape, color, manufacturing, materials, user etc. It essentially is about designing the world around us and what steps are taken to get to the final result. “Community oriented.” Products are not designed for the sake of making the product. They are made for the people that will use the product. Thus Industrial design is people oriented. Putting this in bigger context, it is community oriented. There is this continuous underlying idea of putting everything in context; how the product will interact with the user and how that interaction influences interaction of the user and the product with other users. 10.12 Bibliography 1. Allison H Peña (2006). Wade in the Water: Personal Reflections on a Storm, a People, and a National Park. American Anthropologist, 108(4), 781-798. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1192716181). 2. Ceci Connolly (2005, October 3). 9th Ward: History, Yes, but a Future?; Race and Class Frame Debate on Rebuilding New Orleans District :[FINAL Edition]. The Washington Post,p. A.01. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from National Newspapers (27) database. (Document ID: 905610281). 3. Darryl Lorenzo Wellington (2006, October). New Orleans: A Right to Return? Dissent, 53(4), 23-35. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1150275661). 4. ELIZABETH KOLBERT (2006, February). WATERMARK; A REPORTER AT LARGE. The New Yorker, 82(2), 46-57. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 994586481). 5. Emily Chamlee-Wright (2007). The Long Road Back: Signal Noise in the Post-Katrina Context. The Independent Review, 12(2), 235-259. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1338166641). 6. Gary Rivlin (2006, April 25). In Rebuilding as in the Disaster, Wealth and Class Help Define New Orleans. New York Times (Late Edition (east Coast)), p. A.24. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from National Newspapers (27) database. (Document ID: 1026503161). 7. George W Bush (2007, September). Remarks on Hurricane Katrina Recovery Efforts in New Orleans. Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, 43(35), 1134-1137. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1334430111). 8. Jason DeParle (2006, August). ORPHANED. New York Times Magazine,6.26. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from National Newspapers (27) database. (Document ID: 1110029131). 9. Jenna M Loyd (2007). Katrina: A Racist Disaster. Review of medium_being_reviewed title_of_work_reviewed_in_italics. Capitalism, Nature, Socialism, 18(3), 122-129,134. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1330808951). 10. Joyce Marie Jackson (2006). Declaration of Taking Twice: The Fazendeville Community of the Lower Ninth Ward. American Anthropologist, 108(4), 765-780. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1192716171). 11. Margaret Graham Tebo (2007). REBUILDING PROJECT. ABA Journal, 93, 39-43,66. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1327908261). 12. Mark Scharfenaker (2006). Battered New Orleans. American Water Works Association. Journal, 98(1), 18-24,26,28,30,32. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry database. (Document ID: 976358351). 13. Merrill L Johnson (2006). GEOGRAPHICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE "NEW" NEW ORLEANS IN THE POST-HURRICANE KATRINA ERA. Geographical Review, 96(1), 139-156. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1157285541). 14. Rebecca Solnit (2007, September). THE LOWER NINTH BATTLES BACK. The Nation, 285(7), 13. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1338379891). 15. Robbie Ethridge (2006). Bearing Witness: Assumptions, Realities, and the Otherizing of Katrina. American Anthropologist, 108(4), 799-813. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1192716151). 16. Shannon Lee Dawdy (2006). The Taphonomy of Disaster and the (Re)Formation of New Orleans. American Anthropologist, 108(4), 719-730. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1192716121). 17. Thomas Doherty (2006). When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. Review of medium_being_reviewed title_of_work_reviewed_in_italics. The Journal of American History, 93(3), 997-999. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1191379211). 18. Wendy Carson (2006). After Katrina: The Depopulation of New Orleans :[1]. Objector,3-5. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1050185711). 19. Will Sutton (2005). New Orleans' Lower Nine Fades, Fades, Fades Away. Nieman Reports, 59(4), 37-40. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 973240631). 20. Evan Thomas, Arian Campo-Flores. (2005, October). The Battle to Rebuild; In a fierce cultural storm, the future of the Lower Ninth is buffeted by race and politics :[U.S. Edition Edition]. Newsweek, 146(14), 36. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 903093701). 21. John S Petterson, Laura D Stanley, Edward Glazier, James Philipp. (2006). A Preliminary Assessment of Social and Economic Impacts Associated with Hurricane Katrina. American Anthropologist, 108(4), 643-670. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1192716081). 22. Now What? The Lessons of Katrina. (2006, March). Popular Mechanics, 183(3), 60-73. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 991121471). 23. Rachel Breunlin, Helen A Regis. (2006). Putting the Ninth Ward on the Map: Race, Place, and Transformation in Desire, New Orleans. American Anthropologist, 108(4), 744-764. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1192716161). 24. Robert E Lang, Karen A Danielsen. (2006). Review Roundtable: Is New Orleans a Resilient City? American Planning Association. Journal of the American Planning Association, 72(2), 245-257. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1039290291). 25. Susan L Cutter, Christopher T Emrich, Jerry T Mitchell, Bryan J Boruff, et al. (2006). The Long Road Home: Race, Class, and Recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Environment, 48(2), 8-20,2. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 994799381). 26. The Soul of New Orleans: Asserting Rights of Low- and Moderate-Income Families in Hurricane Reconstruction. (2005). Multinational Monitor, 26(9/10), 29-32. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 939414641). 27. William R Freudenburg, Robert Gramling, Shirley Laska, Kai T Erikson. (2007, September). KATRINA: Unlearned Lessons. World Watch, 20(5), 14-19. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1324754061). 28. Sontag, Deborah. Forced From New Orleans, but Neighbors Still. (cover story) New York 29. Times, 10/12/2005, Vol. 155 Issue 53365, pA1-A18, 2p, 1 map, 5c; (AN 18517836) 30. Schwartz, John. How Low Is the Lower 9th? Ward's Fate May Lie in the Answer. New York 31. Times, 4/25/2006, Vol. 155 Issue 53560, pA24-A24, 1/6p; (AN 21054477) 32. One year on. Economist, 8/26/2006, Vol. 380 Issue 8492, p23-24, 2p, 1c; (AN 22171465) 33. SOLNIT, REBECCA. THE LOWER NINTH BATTLES BACK. (cover story) Nation, 34. 9/10/2007, Vol. 285 Issue 7, p13-17, 4p; (AN 26341389) Assignment 9.30 9.17 Architecture, Culture and Behavior 1. This lecture focused on how the built environment is shaped by the activities and psychology of people. First, there was an in depth analysis at the serious issues that exist in America due to obesity. This topic then transitioned to the immense benefits of utilizing stairs and thus the design of such. Following this was an investigation into other types of designs that could greatly improve people’s lives like an innovative architecture for hospitals. The lecture dealt with important terms like activity, health, and environment, and how they influence architecture and design. 2. Activity: the general idea behind the term activity centers around an idea of function and action taking place. However, further research brings forth the idea of activity as an existence of energy. The lecture talked about Americans lack of activity which is the major contributing factor to obesity. Well, in terms of just functioning, the issues of obesity are not carried across, but from a sort of scientific approach, throwing in the idea of energy and how much of it is spent or conserved if you will, there is another dynamic to the problem of obesity and how crucial activity is in looking at obesity and solving it. Health: initially, health has a simple definition of ones biological wellbeing. Yet, the lecture and another look at the definition gave incite to a psychological aspect to the term. For instance, obesity proved to be a major factor in causing depression among Americans and in hospitals, patients proved to be biologically healthier when they were in more positive, happier environments. Thus, design for things like hospitals require research into how to not only how to treat infections of perform surgery, but also about the patient as a human being. Environment: Environment for the most part deals with the surroundings and what exists amidst it. However, learning from the lecture and looking up the word proved that there are numerous factors and details that compose an environment. For instance, when talking about stairs, ideas were proposed to increase stair usage such as changing the aesthetic of the stairs from color, to photographs, to adding things like music. Also when talking about the hospital environment, there were factors such as sound acoustics to natural lighting, to the layout of the hospital rooms. 9.19 Atlantic Station 1. This lecture focused on the ideal of building Atlantic Station and how it affected the places history and how it currently interacts with the area around it. This analysis was done through film and primarily photography and dealt with topics like preservation, modernism, and authenticity. 2. Preservation: First preservation means to retain pieces of history. But this lecture looking into the actual process of preservation and the nuances in the decision making process of what to keep and what to get rid of. Modernism: Modernism in general looks at what isn’t traditional and how it is innovative. The lecture was able to highlight the consequences of modernism as well. For instance, how Atlantic Station as a utopian sort of village in the heart of Atlanta that replaced a very historic steel mill with shopping centers and condominiums. Authenticity: Roughly it means, what is original and not what is false. However, the lecture showed that there is a more metaphorical definition to the word. For instance, trying to build “new old buildings” is a contradictory matter for the new building that mimics the old is not authentic and is far less valuable for it lacks the history, and wear of time. 9.26 Palladio 1. This lecture took an in depth look at the renowned architect Palladio and more specifically what made his buildings so noteworthy. This was done by analyzing the houses and comparing their layouts to each other as well as to classical buildings. It was determined that Palladio’s experimentation with classical elements such as ration created a sort of visual complexity to the architecture that was unique. Assignment 9.09 8.29 I. Playback The primary objective of this lecture was a focus on the architectural field in classical and traditional architecture. The lecture consisted of seven different architects and designers within the MS program presenting their previous work and speaking of their opinions and motivations toward classical style and what gives it appeal and meaning. An important concept of the lecture was proportion and the attractiveness its traditional integrity gives. II. Look Up Proportion- proper relation between things or magnitudes as to size or quantity etc. The idea of proportion seems an intrinsic part of classical architecture. Several speakers during lecture emphasized their trips to France and Italy to observe the grandeur in the historical pieces of the style. Thus proportion in this sense proves to be a specific and fundamental standard in traditionally designing the individual parts of whole buildings. Vernacular-a style of architecture exemplifying the commonest techniques, decorative features, and materials of a particular historical period, region, or group of people. For traditional and classical architecture there are specific characteristics of the style that are expressed throughout the buildings. One of the speakers spoke of Place Making and vernacular which thus in this sense refers to the vernacular of the surrounding architecture and what it says about its historical foundations and the community that has inhabited it. III. Speculate Pedagogical- How is the historical essence of traditional architecture conveyed and carried out intact during the present day of cutting edge ideas? Disciplinary- What methods are used to ensure that traditional and classical style architecture retains its customary integrity in a world of increasing technology? Professional- How does a designer continue to stay innovative with each creation when the style in which it is done has many standards and traditions? 8.31 I. Playback This lecture focused on providing information and giving an in-depth look into Georgia Tech’s design entry for the Solar Decathlon 2007. This was done by first giving a brief overview of the competition itself: past winning models, objectives, rules etc. Then the actual design was shown and the step by step journey taken in fabricating the house including the issues along the way. Important ideas during the presentation were Sustainability and Integration. II. Look Up Sustainability- ability to supply with necessities or nourishment. Since the purpose of the house being built was for it to function as a standard house running by the usual means of electricity but instead via solar power, the importance of it being able to sustain and provide a hospitable environment is important. Thus in this case, sustainability deals with the ways in which the design dealt with the needs of living from power to plumbing. Integration- an act or instance of combining into an integral whole. The concept of integration presented itself in many layers. On a materialistic level it meant designing the house to incorporate and deal with different needs with solar power. On a realistic level is pertains more to the designing process. Though headed by the college of architecture, the project also involved several others from varying areas of engineering and science. Ultimately, the design reflected the successful incorporation of different elements from different disciplines III. Speculate Pedagogical- Several students and teachers worked on this project together. Did that relationship remain intact with an intensely collaborative project such as this? Disciplinary- How are the tasks required for a project so broad in scope of the disciplines it involves divided among the different disciplines successfully so as to end up with a product of quality? Professional- How do the usual professional motivations from an everyday working perspective transfer over into a competitive contest with a worldly beneficial goal? 9.05 I. Playback This lecture focused on the idea of digital design and manufacturing and how technology is increasingly used to improve and expedite means of design. This process was analyzed by breaking down the development and fabrication of various installations including the those in the College of Architecture. This included looks at the entire process from computer graphics and designs to the actual mechanized creation of the actual parts. Important concepts included mechanized iteration and combinatorics. II. Look Up Iterative- marked by repetition. One of the benefits of technological advances are machines that speed up and improve the ways of making materials. From this there is the idea of efficiently creating pieces of an installation for instance in a timely accurate manner. This thus shows an “emergent design process” that is iterative and can mass produce. Combinatorics- branch of pure mathematics concerning the study of discrete (and usually finite) objects. This term shows the mathematical engineering side of manufacturing and the degree to which technology is involved. III. Speculate a. Pedagogical- How is a distinction made between teaching or developing all this new technology and understanding the change that it is bringing about? b. Disciplinary- What are the disadvantages to increased technology in engineering disciplines that didn’t always exist with machines? c. Professional- Is too much reliance on technology by an engineer a threat when it comes to the process of engineering and designing things innovatively? http://dictionary.reference.com/ Assignment 8.29 Installation I Description Though the installation looks fluid and near delicate from a distance, further intimate inspection makes plain the copious amounts of various building blocks that compose the sound structure. The main puzzle pieces are the translucent, flat, ribbon-like strips of polycarbonate plastic cut out to specific varying widths that give the structure a wavy, rippled effect. These ribbons are then methodically attached to each other in layers by nuts and bolts situated through strategically place holes. Firstly, beginning at one point, the ends of the several polycarbonate segments are bound and then branched out before coming together to be connected once more to additional ends of other segments that go on to continue the intricate chain that produces the whole installation. The complex way in which the segments were manipulated and connected is what gives the overall unique shape. Ultimately, the body of the structure exists between its two ends where all segment chains come together. Volume of the structure is created between the sites of connection. First, this is done via adjacent, perpendicular attaching of segment edges comprising bent tabs, into geometric beams for one half of the structure. This then gradually grows into repetitive twisting of the polycarbonate strips for the other. The twisted portions of the installation provide the bulk and fullness of the body at the center. In the end, the grandeur of the installation’s scale shrinks into hundreds of smaller individual elements. Accordingly, so many elements that so precisely sum up to the piece shine light on the sophistication of the design. One element in particular that portrays this complexity is clusters of minute circular perforations drilled in discrete parts of each piece. Similar pieces sharing similar shape, position, and structural purpose also share the same patterns of perforations. From this it can be inferred that these perforations were utilized as means of identification during the construction phase of the instillation. Thus, it is seen, the miniscule scale to which an exponential amount of detail was involved in erecting the installation. Full scale analysis leads to aspects of how the whole piece behaves in its own right. This installation in particular interacts greatly with light. While the polycarbonate plastic is almost completely translucent, it is simultaneously extremely reflective. Throughout the different positions of the sun in the sky, the different portions of the waves in the twisted segments are highlighted with the different angles. Speculation In setting out to create this installation, the main motivation and objective that comes across is the need to fabricate a large flowing elegance. In its creative stages it probably only began as quick sketches capturing movement and light. Issues and questions for such most likely included where to put it so that it would be seen, how to support it so that it could appear weightless and almost suspended in midair, as well as what to make it of so that the material would be of the proper stylish presence in addition to being of the right structural integrity. With these thoughts built into a reality, the installation incites images of silky ribbons or wind and conveys feelings and thoughts of freedom. Installation II Description At first it appears to be a bench. Then a single glance up, way up, reveals a three storey tall wooden installation. The bench is then a single sharp curvature of a series of thin, vertical, elongated light wooden slats that snake up to the ceiling. Laterally, the pieces of wood are the same distance apart for the height of the structure with the exception of some deliberately opened spaces on the first floor section of the installation. These were achieved by running bars through a certain latitude in the bars and fastening the bars amidst the wood pieces in sections so as to compress them closer together but farther from the other compressed sections. This inconsistency set aside, the slats continue parallel so that frontal perspective receives only vertical lines. This however, is not the case from a sideway perspective. Along the second and third story, the wooden pieces curve twice into two large distinct waves. The waves are parallel to each other, one right after the other going up and down. But rather than being perfectly horizontal, they are slightly oblique in relation to the horizon. Finally, near the top, at the third story, the installation reverses in upward direction over onto a bench like sharp curve resting on the floor of third level. It is just like that of the first level but without the jutting out of the curve of the bench along the entire length of the slats. However, the vertical wooden pieces are actually in several sections and not tall individual pieces. Consequently, there are many pieces that compose the entire structure. Each of which is labeled with number and letter for identification as part of the precise plan. Therefore the vast height and scale of the installation in its entirety proves to actually be made up of very small scale detail. Speculation The prime aspect that stands out from this installation is its immense height. Thus it would seem that the foremost motivation prompting the design of the installation was a desire to raise a structure of vertical presence. As it exists now, the nature and shape of the structure is symbiotically a part of the three levels surrounding the atrium. Accordingly, the design must have emphasized how the structure of the installation would interact with the structure of the building. Further research most likely then ventured into what material to make it of, what type of wood, how the pieces would support themselves in standing three stories high. Another possibility would be consideration of functionality and how the base would serve as a useful bench. Ultimately, the final installation spurs images of a tall, long curtain blowing softly in the wind communicating an impressive sense of altitude and poise. Link to this Page
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