blog post for april 16th

This is a MacBook Pro laptop, my laptop to be more precise.  When i think of modern things i think of something oozing with technology and filled with meaning and purpose multi functionality.  This Apple product is what I would consider to be a pinacle of modern design, sleek and elegant with a sort of sensuality among it giving an almost erotic feeling to the user that comes from the raw power and infinite amount of knowledge that can be obtained or manipulated from just a swipe of your finger or the punch of a key.  It is ascetically hideous to me yet beautiful in its purpose sort of the appeal of a dump truck an ugly lumbering mechanical beast but beautiful in its purposeful design.

Blog post for april 9th: good design for all

One such object comes to mind when thinking of good design for all and that object is dum dum dum A CAR!!!!  Yes the car, having evolved from the most simple of rotary engines to the now ever complexing collage of metal and electronics, is an object that I deem as being well designed for all persons.  The car can accommodate you weither you are short or tall, skinny or wide, and cars are now being designed or have been for almost a decade that can park themselves and soon will probably even be able to drive themselves with the help of global positioning satellites.  Oh the automotive industry is a world of change to better meet the needs and wants of those who would be using them.

reading response 12: Fall away sweet darlin'

Reading Response 11: Trapped like a rat in a box!

Unit summary 2

“The world changes” barks the raving politician.  “Does it really?” Questions the Architect.  The world is both if you look at it from a broader view than most will care to admit that they do.  If you just step back from your desk, computer, book, or whatever implement is currently occupying your attention you may come to realize that the world does evolve, more specifically architecture does evolve.  This like one of my other favorite arguments can be linked back to nature, does the world change yes it changes and then reverts after a certain amount of time to a previous state which is either a positive or a negative depending on your flavor.  We see in the world of architecture that there is a continuing growth of technology, design, and how those two things interact with each other to become a thing of beauty, sometimes completely by mistake. 

With changes in design come changes in almost everything that has something to do with design which is pretty much everything man made to this date there has always been a person who has taken a look a need,  or a want and who has designed a better way of making things work or make them work “better”.  Getting a little out there, back to the point I am making from our past weeks in class, CHANGE , IT IS EVERYWHERE AND IT IS EVERYTHING! That is the message that I am gather and or trying to convey from my observations in class.  We see the world of architecture constantly evolving from fad to the next and then several fads later reverting or taking extreme precedence from an older fad to bring a new life to it.  We are supposed to illicit change in our profession yet all we seem to do at times is copy from what we have seen in the past, or take tiny details and plaster them on a fake façade that doesn’t fit in the context of the space that you are trying design or the feel that you are trying to evoke from those that pass by.  Even the most radical designers or architects have taken some sort of inspiration from previous designs and or nature “COPYING!” and thus we come up with a new movement or age of design.  We as architects consistently come back to two main civilizations for inspiration or means of tracing those two are the Greeks and the Romans.

If you were to ask me what “art deco, or victorian styles are” I would blunt say to you that they are a Ford model T with a fresh paint job, there by stating that they are nothing new just a spruced up version of Greek Architecture or Roman.  Now I am not stating that there aren’t variances in all ages of architecture, rather I am stating that nothing is really new just a better way of doing something through evolution in both man and evolution in technology.  I will give Gothic its own little section of architecture because I simply adore the cathedrals, the contrast of light and dark, is such a beauty.

What is life, without a good GAMBLE?!?! Reading Response 10

Blog post for march 26th

For my object i am choosing to deconstruct, figuratively not literally, my blue jeans.  I cannot think of anything my american than a broken in pair of denim blue jeans.  But to be honest I don't really know how to break down something like a dollar bill that has so much hidden pieces of our country just washed all across it almost as if it is slapping us in the face screaming "look at me im not just a fancy little drawing I HAVE A MEANING."  What I can pull out of this exercise is the feeling of a sense of security whilst being home or having something that reminds you of home "USA".

Pure insanity

architecture (or design) parlent friday march 16

This is a 2011 porsche 911 gt3 rs 4.0.  This object speaks to me, it tells me its purpose in life, and that purpose is speed.  This car was designed for speed on or off the track, but having a stripped out interior to save weight a lowered profile for increased aerodynamics, a huge rear spoiler to increase down force to help keep traction even during acceleration in the corners.  SPEED is a need!

Every God RR9

Reading Response 8 Fit for a King!

Reading Response 7 Taj your MAHAL!!!!

7

Green building? How about a red one? RR6

Unit summary 1

Unit summary

            These past few weeks in our class has been learning about stacks circles and groves and their relevance in ancient, present, and future architecture.  Luckily this is not the only thing that we have discussed in class or read about for I feel that would grow to become a rather dull and unexciting topic to talk and read about.  Our discussions and readings have taken us, so far, from the pyramids of ancient Egypt to the Parthenon in Greece, to the Horyu-Ji temple in china and back.  Whilst reading these passages of immense fruition that pay tribute to humanities best feats as architects builders and over all bat shit craziness.  We as a race have built gigantic limestone pyramids in the middle of the desert where limestone is not abundant, massive obelisks to show our dominance over the land or to perhaps compensate for something. 

            As our discussions and visual and verbal representations have shown the ideas of stacks, circles, and groves being a mainstay in architecture is not something of the present; however, is a repeating idea throughout the ages.  Stonehenge perhaps the most famous of all circular “buildings”, and I put buildings in quotations because to this day we are uncertain how, why and for what purpose was it built.  The Colosseum in Rome is another famous example of circular architecture that also incorporates stacking.  Groves may buildings have been built with groves churches, temples, even beyond the buildings themselves. UNCGs campus has a very effective example of groves; College Avenue is lined on both sides with trees marking the path for students to use whilst navigating along its way. 

            Stacks are in my opinion the most evident of all the three when it comes to architectural design of buildings.  Stacking is seen in almost every single building on campus there are layers to buildings called floors which are for the most part neatly stacked portions of the building.  Multiple level buildings have been evident in architecture for a very long time since the first pyramid built.  The great pyramid of Giza is a series of stacked stones that go up to a point; it is arguable that the pyramid is the most widely recognized stacking form of architecture to date.

            Towards the end of the unit we discussed music and architecture being designed for each other.  Music has been tuned to be played in certain venues so that the clarity of the music is accented by the surroundings.  The buildings have also been designed with regards to what kind of music is going to be played inside the music hall, opera halls were designed to hold large numbers of people with big open performance stages that allow for loud vocal performances to be done with clarity and articulation. 

             All in all the main point to be taken from this unit in our class is that we see repeating ideals and values that are seen throughout history.  History has repeated itself in almost every aspect known to humanity, war, death, famine, massacre, revolutions, revelations, and why not architecture.

A place for the world to come together! RR5

Music is Frozen Architecture....

Hear the volume echo
Feel the rhythm pulse inside
Unity within

I chose a haiku, due to its form short and to the point yet holding so much power within their messages.

Blog post for february 6th

The most meaningful space that held together all three commodity, firmness, and delight I would have to say would be the main entrance way to the MHRA building.  I must admit as we all piled into the space those qualities were drowned out or buried, I guess would be a more accurate articulation of how I felt what was happening to the space.  When it was just myself standing in that room, I felt a balance to the facade that cannot be obtained from an exterior point; however, I was standing smack dab in the middle of the room so as to force the perspective and be able to envision what was drawn out or set in place for us to see.

Circles, Stacks, Groves......really they are everywhere I look! BP2

This is a picture of the back enterance to the Elliot University Center located on the Campus of UNCG,  here you can clearly see all three examples of circles, stacks and groves.

My god this has to be the ugliest building I have ever had the displeasure of looking at, built in the sixties it is resemblant of a prison and contributes to the stacks and groves but is hideous.

A very artistic addition of circles to this otherwise bland hand rail!

As we walked through campus I was taken in by the stacks, circles and groves that were so apparent in every building on campus that were previously unnoticed.

Reading Response 2 (I like my bank account like my buildings BIG!!!)

Reading Response 1

This is Me, John Rune Jeppsson holding my favorite car of all time the Porsche 911 Turbo.  As far as a cultural item cars are a part of our everyday lives used for pleasure or work we are very much a society that is Gasoline driven why not show off one of the most advanced cars every built.  As a Gear head and Porsche enthusiast I feel those are two sub-cultural groups that this item is relevant to, Porsche has always created excellent cars that perform far beyond the needs of any other automobile manufacturer.