In "Architecture as Space" by Bruno Zevi, the first point that I will talk about is learning to grasp space. The article says you have to know how to see it and understand space in a building. This makes a TON of sence, especially after our community service projects. In almost every organization, the main thing that we, as students, were asked to focus on was the space and how to make it flow better and more efficient for the building and program.

The second point is the understanding of what architecture is. The article talks about how architects have to understand what the space (building) will contain. Basically the article talks about how the space inside of a church is and should be different than the space inside an office building. Also, the space inside a house should be different than the space inside a factory. Without this understanding, you cannot be an architect.

The third point is perspective. The article talks about how you have to understand the 3 demensions...height, width, and depth. It then talks about how Renaissance artists finally began to understand perspective in paintings. This also makes perfect sence. I can't imagine a drawing of a building and only being able to see it one dementially. Obviously the understanding of perspective has help very much in being able to give contractors a clear understanding of what the architect wants.

The forth point is the history of architecture. The article talks about how the history of architecture is also the history of spacial concepts. The article also talks about how the interior space is the basis for the judgement of buildings and determines whether or not it is an improtant building in history. As Lance LaVine said in his lecture, "architects often look to old, great buildings to understand architecture...mainly gothic cathiedrals." This shows that there much be an understanding of the history of architecture in order to understand modern architecture.

The fifth, and final, point is the methods of representation of space in buildings. The article talks about three of these methods...Plans, Facades, and Photographs. The plan is how we evaluate a building and experience it from above. The facades are a line of reason and is where an architect deals with the elevations. Lastly, the photographs are what gives us a three dementional view of the building, however in most cases it is everything about the building but the interior space. These methods make sence and have improved with time. All three of the methods are still very important for architecture and now, with the help of computers and technology, are even more helpful to architecture.

The article by Kahn talks about Silence and Light. He says that "Silence is a void, not a place but the desire." He also talks about how "light allows people to see and experience a structure and without light, there is no architecture." He goes on to talk about how cities are measured by their Universities and how things are expressed.

The two articles are alike the Kahn articles talks about how How cities are measured by their universities and the whole point of the Gershenfeld article is the class, "How to Make Almost Anything" and how things change as technologies change. Another thing that links the two articlse is the article by Kahn talks about how without light there would be no depth or architecture. So basically without light, there would be no need for the personal fabricator that Gershenfeld talks about in his article because humans wouldn't be able to see anything.

8-track tapes were really popular in the 1960's because they were "Totally Groovy" and cost about $300 when they first came out. This is according to people that I know that lived during that time.(my parents)

Obviously, you don't see anyone with an 8-track tape player...actually I've never even seen one in person...but something you do see everywhere is the IPOD. Obvoiusly, the IPOD is much more portable, handy, modern, useful, has a ton of memory, and you can buy it for about $300. This is one of the technologies that made the once $300 8-track tape player extinct. I'm sure that in 40 years the IPOD will cost about $10, if it's even still around and there will be something newer and better to take its place. Like what was said in the reading, "...once a technology is admitted, it plays out its hand; it does what it is designed to do. Our task is to understand what that design is..."

The way that I understand a technology as an order of nature is that after a new technology comes out, humans adapt to it, rely on it, and learn to live with it. An example is cars. I have always been around cars and I can't imagine a life that doesn't involve cars. That is a technology that was introduced and can't be taken away because it has become "natural" for humans to use and rely on cars as their way of transprotation.

To sum up Lance LaVine's lecture...which I think was the best guest lecture we've had...he talked about how Architecture is about everything, how builings show all intelligences of humans, and how buildings give ideas and house history. I never thought about any of that until he said it and I have now begun to realize how true those statements are.
Buildings show human intelligences because we can build pretty much whatever we can imagine...as long as we have the budget for it... Our buildings show that we, as humans, have an understanding for gravity, wind resistance, ground movement, different soils, and the Coriolis effect.
Lance also talked about how architects look at old buildings (mainly cathiedrals) in order to understand architecture. This is very apparent because when you look at many of the first skyscrapers, they are very catiedral and gothic looking. Some examples are the Tribune Tower in Chicago, the Woolworth Building and the Chrysler Building in New York City, and the PPG Place in Pittsburgh.

Cartres Cathiedral

Tribune Tower (built in 1925)

Woolworth Building (built in 1913)

Chrysler Building (built in 1930)

PPG Place (built in 1984)

Islamic star art that was the basis for the design of the buildings.

Drawing of the aerial plans for the buildings.

An aerial photo of the towers.

A picture of the towers in the daytime.

A picture of the towers in the evening.

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The second building that I will talke about is the Swiss Re London Headquarters in London, England. The building was designed by Norman Foster and was completed in 2004. The building is cone-shape to help with wind resistance and is also very energy efficinet. The frame of the building is shaped like muliple geometrical dimonds and is emphasised by two different colors of glass. It is a wicked Awesome building and is another great example of how design connects to mathematics.

The origional plans for the building.

During the construction...cone shaped with a dimond-shaped frame...

The building as it looks today.

Nearing the end of construction...all the windows are flat except the ONE on the top of the building.

The ONLY rounded window on the whole building is the one on the very top.

1. Man and Physical Nature

Downtown Minneapolis

Downtown Minneapolis may not have the largest skyscrapers in the world, but the designers still had to deal with physical nature. Downtown is near the Mississippi River...even thought the river doesn't flood too much, if at all in the spring, a possible flood was still possibly taken into consideration when building many of the buildings in downtown. Also, the type of soil in the area was looked at an taken into consideration for the loads the buildings would give. Another natural threat is tornados, which architects have to consider as a threat. And lastly, the Coriolis effect was probably looked at a little with some of the larger buildings like the IDS Tower, Wells Fargo Center, and the US Bancorp.

2. Climate and Enclosure

Tornado Shelters

Minneapolis doesn't see too many tornados, but that is something that we have to deal with because of our climate. Because of this threat many of the buildings have tornado shelter within them to help to protect people in case a tornado does come through.

3. Gravity and Movement

The Stone Arch Bridge

The Stone Arch Bridge is obviously a bridge that helps people to span across the river. There are many other bridges all over Minneapolis...I just chose the most awesome one to talk about...

The Skyways throughout Minneapolis

I read that there are about 100 skyways in downtown Minneapolis. Also, the skyway was "invented" in Minneapolis in 1962. Skyway are an AWESOME way for people to get around in the winter. Like the bridge, they span across, not a river, but a freezing cold outside roadway.

4. Performance and Entropy

The Guthrie Theatre

I understand that performance and entropy are usually more drempt up and get trapped in the mind because of the complexity. I wanted to find something that I could use as a physical example, so I chose the Guthrie, which is a building that is obvioulsy built, and is very dreamy, fictional, and fantastic. It is a very modern style and has many features that define visionary architecture.

5. Mass and Form

The Cathedral of St. Paul

The Cathedral of St. Paul is a Beautiful Cathedral abd is an example of bulk. Like most cathedrals, this is a massive heavy building with high cielings and made of stone. It is a perfect example of bulk.

The Weisman Art Museum

The Weisman Art Museum is an AWESOME example of form architecture. It is beautiful and bends and curves in a very graceful way.

6. Materials and Tools

I'm going to use the example of the Wiesman and the Cathedral as the examples of materials and tools. Obviously, the Cathedral is a very old building and is made from stone that probably took a very long time to move into place. On the other hand, the Weisman is a very modern building made from cement and has a shiny aluminum/metalic siding and probably didn't take too long to build.

The water fountain in this example is very good visually because it looks modern, is very eye catching, and has an awesome shape to it. Texturally, it is smooth and appealing. It looks clean and inviting and your instinct tells you that you can quench your thirst there.
Some of the things that the water fountain has to offer is water, aluminum/metal, a drain, pipes, and a really cool button...sometimes I just push the button to push it...who doesn't?? Some of the frameworks of the water fountain are the pushing of the button that makes the water flow. Also, the drain in the fountain which allows the water to flow out and into the sewer. Lastly is the clockwork of the water fountain. When a thirsty person goes to the water fountain to quench their thirst, he or she pushes the button to make the water stream out. When the person is quenched, he or she removes their finger or hand from the button and the flow stops, returning the fountain to its origional state. That is why the water fountain (or "bubbler" for you Wisconsiners) is a perfect example of a phenomena.

I was taken to the Stone Arch Bridge about 3 weeks ago, with someone special, for the first time and I was surprised that I had never been told about it or taken there before. The Genius Loci of the Stone Arch Bridge is the phenomenon, structure, and style of the place. I think the area on and around the Stone Arch Bridge has some of the most beautiful and breathtaking views of Minneapolis. The views get even better at night and everything seems so peaceful and quiet. You can also hear the water in the river running underneath you, and that makes the area seem even more tranquil and inviting. The people in the area are quiet, reserved, peaceful, and taken away by the beauty and Aaww of the place. Also, the Mill ruins add a little touch of History that is hard to find in America. When I see the mill ruins I think of ancient Rome or Greece...It's really Awesome to have that History preserved and in such an awesome location. The bridge itself is a piece of history and has a beauty and elegance that makes Minneapolis seem very historical, but has a modern flare. With that, the city has done a very god job of preserving the old mills and converting them into appartments and lofts. It is really awesome to see the old mills, that were pretty much collapsing, turned into modern residential buildings with a very cool view of the river and the bridge. There

I Love how the old mills have a new modern/old world look to them. It is an Awesome view from the bridge!!

In my mind, there is no place more awesome, breathtaking, and meaningful than the Stone Arch Bridge.

None of us realized the vastness of the Exchange. It is a huge building, very old world, and unique. We walked into the Exchange and the first thing I noticed that it was surprisingly modern looking. The shops inside were filled with items and food from differnt cultures and backgrounds. It is a place for all sorts of people to meet and evperience different cultures. The space was very open and welcoming. Everyone flowed through the space very well, it was well lighted, and everything fit well together. I never would have expected anything like it in Midtown. I'm very glad I got to see it and plan on going back sometime to take a little more time to appreciate it and possibly max out some credit cards...