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Reading 17 Nature’s Numbers by Ian Stewart

Key Words:

Pattern: This reading points out the patterns that occur naturally all around us.

Symmetry: Animals are symmetric when you look at them quickly, yet are complex and unsymmetrical when you look at a smaller scale, such as placement of the heart and other organs.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think mimicking nature’s symmetries is a good thing to do in architecture, or is this a boring form of architecture?
2. How can we take lessons from nature’s patterns into account in making structures which are stronger against nature’s forces?

Reading 18 The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics. Edited by Timothy Ferris
Key Words:

1. Loneliness: What got to me about this reading was the emphasis on how lonely being a mathematician can be. It is like you speak a foreign language and cannot even communicate with those closest to you.
2. Discipline: Those who wish to study and understand mathematics must be diligent and study in order to understand the complexity which is math.

Discussion Questions:

1. To me, architecture is a universal language. Was this reading meant to contrast the differences between mathematics and architecture, or to highlight the similarities?
2. Ferris emphasizes the lack of credit mathematicians receive. Are architects in this day and age over-credited or under-credited for their designs?

Posted by ficke012 at 06:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reading 16 Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus

Key Words:


1. humbleness: I feel this is a very fitting word to describe the science of biomimicry. In order to practice biomimicry, a scientist needs to step back and realize that although they have years of training, nature still knows best.


2. nature: This reading highlights nature’s beauties and goes in depth by looking into naturally-occurring structures which could be mimicked in our everyday products in order to make them more efficient and effective.


Discussion Questions:


1. How could mimicking nature allow for better architectural structures? Which idea would be the most effective, mimicking form, method, performance, or behavior?


2. Do you think biomimicry could be the answer to the problems society is facing today? Do you think it is a step towards sustainability?

Posted by ficke012 at 12:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My group's term project is focusing on Ensuring Environmental Sustainability. We will be presenting our project to the class, so I thought it would be a good idea to focus in on presentation styles that work well for a large audience.

Both of the above images show very important aspects of presentation. The top one utilizes white space with great effect. This is a good way to bring focus to a certain image.

The second image will work very well for my group project. The map does a good job of informing the reader of location and is a clean way to display information.
Both images found at http://www.graphis.com/brandingusa.php

The crooked picture on top catches the eye and causes the reader to actually digest the image in order to understand it. This rotation of the image is a good strategy to break up monotony and draw the eye to the image.

The second photograph shows the importance of light and shadow. Correctly using the properties will create a very dramatic effect.

Both images were found at http://www.polyscene.com/






The above images are both fairly common ways to display information, in a graph or in a diagram. The reason I chose these is because of how the images were used to the advantage of the writer. The above graph shows a drastic change, therefore making the reader more interested and intrigued by the subject. The diagram is very well put together and the use of bright colors and different size fonts draws the eye in and actually makes you want to look at it. The main reason I chose both of these is because they caught my eye and I actually stopped and read the information they offered. This is the most important goal of any information-conveying tool.

This image was used in an article which was titled, “Does Daylight Savings Time Save Energy?” Not only did the photograph catch my eye and make me crack a smile, it also is representing another issue in our society: the blind acceptance of “facts.” I think this is a great eye-opener as it lets people start questioning what they see as fact and possible make a change in their own lives. On the topic of sustainability, it is incredibly relevant as many don’t understand the impact small changes can have.

The above image was found at http://earth2tech.com/

I found this image very interesting. It is a creative way to display one image-or many- and makes you rethink what it is to present images.

It was found at http://www.tofslie.com/






This is a very attractive layout. It focuses on one main image on one side and then shows thumbnails of less important images. This would work very well for a presentation on sustainability in low-income housing. If we were to do a case study on an existing home, the thumbnails would allow for details of important aspects without taking up numerous pages.

This image was found at http://www.commonbrand.com/

The images above show another way to focus on one image while also showing thumbnails. This style puts more focus on the thumbnails than the above image. I also like the siplicity of this document. It conveys a lot of information without the use of words. I think this is the key to a good presentation.

It was found at http://www.okapistudio.com/index.php?paged=3

Posted by ficke012 at 05:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reading 15 Search For Form By Eliel Saarinen
Key Words:

1. genuine: Saarinen speaks of the importance of being true to nature and design when creating. He attacks being self-centered in terms of design and encourages letting your design grow from-not mimic- the culture and geography which surrounds it.

2. form: Form needs to be represented both physically and spiritually.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think it is always wrong to shamelessly copy nature, or is it sometimes done in awe of nature, honoring the beauty that is nature?

2. Which characteristics of a building inform you most of its story? Is it the decoration or is it physical characteristics, such as windows and beams?

Posted by ficke012 at 02:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The built environment affects us all differently. The same building will affect us all in a different way. Depending on your image of the world, a building could leave a sense of insecurity, comfort, or just indifference.

I actually found this next image of The Westin New York at Times Square on a blog titled, “9 of the most repulsive buildings on earth.” The writer went on to say,
“this building makes me angry.
ok, so it’s situated in times square and if it had to be built then that’s probably the only home for it, but leave the gaudiness to the neon signs and electronic billboards. for $300 million i’d expect a building that turned heads for a positive reason.
the shapes, angles, colour scheme… all badly designed.
awful.”
I found this slightly amusing because it proves my point exactly. I find the building beautiful and intriguing, where this person would place it as one of the nine most repulsive buildings on Earth.

Not only are we affected by the buildings themselves, but we are also affected by the clockworks that surround our lives, such as seasons. Here in Minnesota, most people have a greater appreciation for the built world during the winter. We may actually long to be indoors, and a space can take on different levels of “coziness” depending upon the weather outside. In the summer, a space could become dreaded. Sitting in an office and staring out at the beautiful weather may make you angry with the built world, up until it starts pouring outside, and you are grateful again.





Now, onto how the build world affects who I am. Growing up in a small farming community, I have a much different sense of space and scale than does someone who grew up in a city.

Because of this, I think I tend to see beauty in the opposition of permanence. I love seeing things which have weathered and have gained beauty from the process. This is shown in the image below of a shed on my family’s farm. You can see light through the building for the missing planks and can see the roof sinking in. Being in this space makes me feel so at one with my surroundings. Wide open spaces and humble dwellings make me feel content.

Here in the city, I am faced with big, bold buildings. They sometimes exhilarate me, sometimes leave me in awe, and sometimes make me feel small and insignificant. I appreciate these surroundings, but they are not me.

I have talked about buildings as my built environment, but the built environment also includes outdoor spaces.

The Heartland Trail begins in Park Rapids and is built upon an old railway bed. The trees on either side seem to grow right over the trail and enclose you in an outdoor tunnel. Being enclosed in this envelope of trees gives one a sense of security which lets you release your cares to the wind and just be.

http://deputy-dog.com/2007/09/21/9-of-the-most-repulsive-buildings-on-earth/
http://www.thenewmans.id.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/pouring-rain.jpg
http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles21575.jpg
http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070224/070224_snow_hmed_5p.h2.jpg
http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles21322.jpg

Posted by ficke012 at 05:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reading 12 Architecture As Space By Bruno Zevi

Key Words:
1. Architecture: According to Zevi, it is any enclosed space which has a positive effect.
2. Non-Architecture: Any enclosed spaced which has a negative effect.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree with Zevi’s interpretation of architecture as independent of the façades, or do you think they play a larger role in the overall feeling of a space than he credits?

2. Which of the means of representing a building do you think has the most effect on making people understand the feel of a building?

Reading 13 Nature and the Idea of a Man-Made World By Norman Crow

Key Words:

1. Nature: The thing which constrains and empowers us most.

2. Harmony: Being in tune with the many forces which surround you.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think Minnesota fits Strauss’s idea of living in harmony with nature? Do we overtake nature? Do we let it control us?

2. Is a house which is designed for its natural setting “in-tune” with nature? What small changes can we make in order to move toward this balance?

Posted by ficke012 at 06:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)