The Freshman s Guide to Architecture

01

THE FRESHMAN’S GUIDE TO

ARCHITECTURE

THE FRESHMAN’S GUIDE TO ARCHITECTURE

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CONCEPT PG.6

CONTEXT PG.114

PARTI PG.48

DIAGRAM PG.82

STUDENTS’ INTRODUCTION PG.03


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STUDENTS’ INTRODUCTION This is the forum that started it all. . . We were wowed at the indiscriminant stupidity of the design community as a whole. I mean, “. . .having a guide to something could mean having someone or something who has experienced it before and will lead the way,. . .”, what third-rate architecture school did they go to? That is clearly precedent. Though some of the commentators were doing their best to rectify the misunderstanding, none of us felt anymore comfortable letting freshmen at our university struggle to interpret the contorted gob of information being thrown at them which supposedly describes concept, parti, diagram, and context. To the upcoming freshmen of architecture schools everywhere, here is your guide to good architecture.

-Disgruntled Architecture Students of LaTech

DIRECTIONS TO READ BY: I ALSO FEEL THE HUGE NEED TO WARN WHOMEVER IS ABOUT TO READ THIS. THIS IS NOT A REGULAR BOOK AND SHOULD NOT BE READ A SUCH. THE NOTECARD SECTIONS OF EACH BOOK WERE UNCENSORED AND UNEDITED (EXCEPTING THE OCCASIONAL RESIZING). WHICH I FEEL ADDS A REALITY TO THE BOOK ITSELF. THE NOTECARDS FOR EACH SECTION ARE ARRANGED SO THAT THE FIRST FEW YOU READ ARE FROM SECOND YEAR AND ASCEND IN CLASSIFICATION UNTIL THEY ROUND OUT WITH THE GRADUATE STUDENTS. TAKE EACH ONE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT, I DON’T TAKE EVERYTHING SAID IN THESE SECTIONS AS ABSOLUTE TRUTH. THESE THINGS ARE QUITE OPEN TO INTERPRETATION AS YOU WILL FIND OUT. FORM YOUR OWN OPINIONS, BUT MAKE THEM INFORMED OPINIONS. . .ALSO, THE NOTECARDS ARE PRINTED SO THAT YOU, THE READER, COULD RECREATE THEM BY CUTTING THEM OUT WITH A HANDY PAIR OF SCISSORS. IN RETROSPECT, THAT WAS NOT REALLY A GREAT IDEA, HOWEVER IF YOU WANT TO CUT UP THIS FAIRLY PRICEY BOOK, FEEL FREE TO. IN FACT HAVE FUN. NO SERIOUSLY, NOW THAT I’VE MENTIONED IT TO THE EDITORS WE MIGHT CHANGE THE NAME TO “CUT THIS BOOK UP”.BUT I DIGRESS, THE SIMPLEST WAY TO EXPLAIN HOW TO READ THE NOTECARD SECTION IS EXPLAINED IN THE DIAGRAM ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE.

-EDWARD LAMB


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CONCEPT

INTRO PG.08

NOTECARDS PG.09

CONCLUSION PG.27

PRO EXAMPLES PG.28


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Concept [kon-sept]

-noun1. a cognitive unit of meaning -an abstract idea or mental symbol sometimes defined as a "unit of knowledge," built from other units which act as a concept's characteristics.

WILLOUGHBY’S INTRODUCTION to concept

If a concept serves as the essence of a design where all the parts serve that essence, then nothing in the composition should appear accidental. A design where the removal of any element would disturb its overall composition works when all parts serve a coherent and appropriate intent. Thus a concept is essentially an abstract image, a thing (reasoned or imagined) that draws forth coherence and order where none existed before; it is a realization we have (sometimes visual, sometimes verbal; usually both) about inseparable characteristics in a design.

(adapted from my 1999 paper “On Parti”)

A design usually begins with an inspiration, a moment where thoughts and feelings converge upon a specifi c problem. As we become inspired, a concept about the problem at hand usually takes shape (I believe it will inevitably if a person is creative). Concepts can be visual and ideal—either way, a concept should serve to inspire the representational act of design. Our inspirations must coalesce into simple concepts about a more complex problem. Determining a concept is part of the initial phase of developing a solution to a design problem. Inspiration is never immediate—it is continuous. A concept is an unfolding of possibilities—a mental conversation about what is a good, coherent, and appropriate solution. A concept crystallizes from our critical thinking when considering the contextual data associated with the problem at hand: program, site, a client’s aspirations, and a world of other concrete and abstract considerations. A good designer mistrusts their fi rst inspiration and pursues the problem further, exploring the full extent of what’s

possible before narrowing in on a single concept.

A concept is an initial synthesis of various elements of a design. A concept sets forth a comprehensive approach for further design development, leading to something real. In some ways, a concept is the not yet materialized essence to a design circumstance. A concept is a way by which we as designers draw order to the diverse decisions that must be made throughout the course of design. A concept is a coherent statement that coalesces the varied impressions we feel about a particular building program into one idea. Establishing a concept is the initial step for expressing an idea through architecture—and to be a work of architecture, it

must be expressive.


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YOU JUST CAN’T COUNT ON THE HARD WORK OF SOME PEOPLE CAN YOU?FILLING OUT ONE SIDE OF THE CARD AND NOT THE OTHER, HOW DARE THEY?!?

THEY’RE LUCKY THESE NOTECARDS ARE ANONYMOUS.


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STUDENT’SCONCLUSION to concept cards There seems to be a general misunderstanding of

concept present in today’s architecture students. Some seem to think that since a concept is purely verbal, they can ignore it. Sometime concepts are put off until the end of projects and then the student ends up with a project riddled with ambiguity. This is not desirable. It is a feeling that I’ve though out, that the best buildings are the ones that you can sink your teeth into. Anyone can go into rhino or cad with the intent of creating a trendy building or a sexy form, but at the end of the day your mind starts to wonder: What am I leaving the viewer or occupant with? If it is just a nice visual then you can dive head-fi rst into the sea of anonymity that is the Architectural world of today. People always enjoy the thought of a building just as much as (if not more than) the visual aspect of it. They like having something to let thier minds run loose on at the end of the night. One student when fi lling out the notecard that the concept, “an. . . idea that dictates the essential form of the building.” I agree very little with this statement. It seems that the most shallow buildings arise out of a embedded and narrow-minded concern for what the “thing” looks like. I recall a great architect and speaker saying something like, In the beginning I make a concept and all design is informed by it. I pay no attention to how it looks, but only to how it functions and how it’s functions tie back to the concept. When I fi nally fi nish, then I look at the building. If it is ugly, it is wrong. The architect should not pay attention to the form as a thing unto itself. Only if it is an avenue to explore the concept in a metephorical sense can it be deemed as a worthy point of focus. I feel the need to point out that all of these words and ideas (concept, context, parti, and diagram) are hard to defi ne without talking about the others. This one seems to be infl uenced by the context and informs the diagram. It goes hand in hand, however, with the parti. The parti is simply the visual representation of the concept with attention to other ideas melded in. So while it represents the concept, it is not the concept. It is a concept in a diluded form.


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THE VW FACTORY IN DRESDEN BY GUNTER HENN EMPLOYS AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT WHICH IS TO SAY IT IS NOT EVIDENT BY LOOKING AT THE BUILDING BUT IS EMBEDDED IN HOW IT IS UTILIZED. THE CONCEPT FOR THIS BUILDING IS THE CAR AS ART AND THE BUIILDER AS ARCHITECT. FOR THIS REASON THE ARCHITECT CHOSE SLIDING HARDWOOD FLOORS, FLOOR TO CEILING GLASS WINDOWS, AND USED LARGE GYRATING MACHINES TO ALLOW THE “ARTISTS” TO ACCESS THE CAR FROM ANY ANGLE. THE OWNERS OF THE CAR-TO-BE WALK THROUGH THE FACTORY AND CUSOMIZE IT.


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L’HEMISFÈRIC, THE DISTINCTIVE EYE-SHAPED CONSTRUCTION DESIGNED BY SANTIAGO CALATRAVA, WAS THE FIRST ELEMENT TO BE OPENED TO THE PUBLIC IN THE CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, IN APRIL 1998. THE BUILDING’S UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE COMES ALIVE AS THE LIDS OF THE COLOSSAL “EYE OF KNOWLEDGE” OPENS UP TO REVEAL THE FASCINATING SETTING. THIS REPRESENTS A FORMAL CONCEPT WHICH IS TO SAY, IT UNDOUBTABLY LOOKS LIKE AN EYE AND IS POSSIBLY THE EASIEST CONCEPT TO IDENTIFY.MOST LITERAL FORMAL CONCEPTS ARE DISCOURAGED DURING SCHOOL AS THEY ARE FAIRLY UNIMAGINATIVE HOWEVER CALATRAVA’S BUILDING IS A SUCCESS.


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THE MUSEUM'S DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SERVE AS AN OBJECT LESSON IN GEHRY'S STYLE AND METHOD. LIKE MANY OF GEHRY'S OTHER WORKS, IT HAS A STRUCTURE THAT CONSISTS OF RADICALLY SCULPTED, ORGANIC CONTOURS. THE BAY AREA OF BILBAO HAS BEEN BARREN OF SHIPS AND GEHRY INTENDED TO BRING THEM BACK IN THIS BUILDING. IT IS REFLECTIVE OF THE SHIPS THAT USED TO SAIL IN BILDAO’S PRIME. ITS BRILLIANTLY POLISHED TITANIUM PANELS RESEMBLE FISH SCALES, ECHOING THE OTHER ORGANIC LIFE (AND, IN PARTICULAR, FISH-LIKE) FORMS THAT RECUR COMMONLY IN GEHRY'S DESIGNS.


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ARCHITECT STEVEN HOLL CHOSE “A GATHERING OF DIFFERENT LIGHTS” AS THE GUIDING CONCEPT FOR THE DESIGN OF THE CHAPEL OF ST. IGNATIUS. THIS METAPHOR DESCRIBES SEATTLE UNIVERSITYS MISSION AND IT ALSO REFERS TO ST. IGNATIUS VISION OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AS COMPRISING MANY INTERIOR LIGHTS AND DARKNESSES, WHICH HE CALLED CONSOLATIONS AND DESOLATIONS. HOLL CONCEIVED OF THE CHAPEL AS “SEVEN BOTTLES OF LIGHT IN A STONE BOX,” WITH EACH BOTTLE OR VESSEL OF LIGHT CORRESPONDING TO A FOCAL ASPECT OF CATHOLIC WORSHIP. LIGHT PASSES THROUGH EACH BOTTLE IN A SPECIFIC AREA OF THE BUILDING TO DEFINE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL SPACES WITH POOLS OF CLEAR AND COLORED LIGHT.


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IT IS ALSO NOTEWORTHY THAT HIS DESIGN CAME IN A LITTLE OVER BUDGET BUT THE CHURCH, SO MOVED BY HIS CONCEPT, PUT FORTH THE EXTRA MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS CHAPEL.

THE LUDWIG ERHARD HAUS IS A UNUSUAL AND FUTURISTIC BUILDING LOCATED IN THE BERLIN; IT HOUSES BOTH THE BERLIN STOCK EXCHANGE AND THE BERLIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. IT WAS DESIGNED BY THE ENGLISH ARCHITECT NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW IN 1997.FIFTEEN TREMENDOUS ARCHES CREATE THE BUILDING’S SIGNATURE RIBBED STRUCTURE THAT ADAPTS TO THE SLIGHT CURVE IN THE IRREGULAR PROPERTY AT ITS BASE. GRIMSHAW SAYS OF IT, “WELL OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE WOULD WORK IN THE BUILDING AND THEIR INTERACTION WITH THE PUBLIC WAS VITAL. WE CREATED A PEDESTRIAN SPINE WHICH LINKED ALL THE MAIN ACTIVITIES TOGETHER. THE CONFERENCE HALL, EXHIBITION SPACES, STOCK EXCHANGE, RESTAURANTS, THE DESIGN CENTRE, THE ENERGY ADVICE CENTRE COULD ALL BE SEEN FROM THE SPINE.”


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THIS BUILDING REPRESENTS MORE OF A STRUCTURAL CONCEPT, THE 15 COLOSSAL ARCHES RESEMBLING A RIB CAGE. IN THIS WAY IT ALSO REPRESENTS A FORMAL CONCEPT. USE OF METAPHOR IN THE WAY THE ARCHITECT REFERS TO IT AS A “PEDESTRIAN SPINE” SUGGESTS THAT EXEMPLIFIES THREE OF THE FOUR CONCEPT TYPES: FORMAL, STRUCTURAL, AND

UNSANGDONG ARCHITECTS WANTED TO MAKE A BUILDING THAT RESEMBLED THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN WITH GREEN SPACES AND TERRACES PEPPERING THE SIDE OF IT. THEY ACHIEVED THIS BY SHIFTING THE FLOOR PLATES BACK AND FORTH GIVING THE BUILDING ITS DANCING MOTION.


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THE DANCING HOUSE EXEMPLIFIES THE TRANSFORMATIVE CONCEPT IN THAT IT WENT FROM BEING A VERY RIGID HIGHRISE TO A FLUID ONE THROUGH A PROCESS OF CHANGES. THIS BUILDING ALSO UTILIZES A FORMAL CONCEPT, THOUGH INADVERTENTLY.


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THE OXYGEN HOUSE BY DOUGLAS DARDEN IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF A CONCEPT RICH PROJECT. THE CONCEPT IS NOT REALLY ABSTRACT, STRUCTURAL, FORMAL, OR TRANSFORMATIVE, BUT THE CONCEPT FINDS ITSELF ENGRAINED IN ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF THE BUILDING. THE CONCEPT IS A NARRATIVE BETWEEN A MAN AND HIS TREE. THE BUILDING ITSELF IS SHAPED LIKE AN TANK AND FEEDS OXYGEN TO HIM. WHEN HE EXHALES HE CREATES THE CARBON DIOXIDE NESSECARY TO KEEP THE TREE ALIVE, AND VICE VERSA. IF HE DIES, SO THEN DOES THE TREE. WHEN HE DIES THE TREE WILL WHITHER, DECOMPOSE, AND COLLAPSE ONTO THE BUILDING CREATING HIS TOMB.

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NOTECARDS PG.51

CONCLUSION PG.71

PRO EXAMPLES PG.72


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Parti [pahr-tee]

-noun1. the visualization of the

basic scheme or concept of an architectural design through diagrams or models.

WILLOUGHBY’S INTRODUCTION to parti

A parti is a simple diagram or little drawing, usually a plan and section, sometimes a small undetailed model (a maquette), that formalizes the strategy you’ve decided to execute visually and experientially. It’s the basic gesture you make to express your concept. A parti is a summary of your approach to the design of a building and site—it represents the

project’s essence.

Developing a parti continues an important beginning step in any methodical approach to design. To quote Louis Kahn, “When the work is completed the beginning must be felt.” At the end of the project’s development, the design should have proceeded from, and not deviated from, the initial assumptions

or concept expressed in the parti.

I believe design is an intentional activity. We have something in mind, before and during the time when pencil meets paper and drawings are made. Intention is all we have as designers to offer coherence to the multitude of decisions that need to be made in the design of a building. A parti is an initial, intentional, and predictive decision that from which, all subsequent decisions can be measured against. For instance, how does this or that new decision reinforce, or detract from the initial parti? It’s a point of reference that makes a building intentional—a coherent set of responses that develop from an initial concept. (adapted from my 1999 paper “On

Parti”)


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ACK!?! THESE GUYS AGAIN? I SWEAR IF I SEE ONE MORE EMPTY NOTECARD . . .

DAMMIT.


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STUDENT’SCONCLUSION to parti cards The word parti seems to stem from the French

words Prendre and Partir which mean to ponder or think and to depart, respectively. This is essentially what you are doing. You are visually expressing a well thought out decision you have made on the course you want your building’s design to take. A parti can be shown as a simple diagram, drawing, or model that expresses the basics and concept in your design. It is one of the most important parts of the beginning of the design process. It is your building block and goes on to be your guideline. These guidelines are essentially the reason you are designing this project in this way and can help guide you in the correct path and not leave behind your initial idea. You do not want to stray from the parti, because then you stray away from all initial meaning and purpose. You want to be able to put the parti next to the outcome and be able to tell that that is where it originated from. If you do stray away and you get lost or something doesn’t work then you have nothing to fall back on, but by sticking with this fi rst idea and expanding it there is no downfall and the idea can only become better and more rich.


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THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM IN BILBAO CONSISTS OF RADICALLY SCULPTED, ORGANIC CONTOURS AND WAS INTENDED TO RESEMBLE A SHIP. FRANK GEHRY HAS BEEN QUOTED OFTEN, SAYING THAT “THE RANDOMNESS OF THE CURVES ARE DESIGNED TO CAPTURE LIGHT.”

A SLENDER EIGHTEEN STORY TOWER PUNCTURES THE SKYLINE. THE SAN FRANSISCO FEDERAL BUILDING BY THOM MAYNE FROM MORPHOSIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF HOW PARTI SETS THE TONE FOR THE PROJECT TO FOLLOW. THE RE–DEFINITION OF CIRCULATION AND VERTICAL MOVEMENT PATHS PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHANCE ENCOUNTERS, A CRITICAL MASS IN CIRCULATION, AND PLACES FOR EMPLOYEES TO GATHER ACROSS THE TYPICAL CONFINES OF CUBICLES, DEPARTMENTS, OR FLOOR PLATES.


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IN THE CHURCH OF THE LIGHT, TADAO ANDO WANTED TO MAKE A CONTRAST BETWEEN LIGHT AND SOLID. IN THE CHAPEL, LIGHT ENTERS FROM BEHIND THE ALTAR FROM A CROSS CUT IN THE CONCRETE WALL THAT EXTENDS VERTICALLY FROM FLOOR TO CEILING AND HORIZONTALLY


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FROM WALL TO WALL, ALIGNING PERFECTLY WITH THE JOINTS IN THE CONCRETE. AT THIS INTERSECTION OF LIGHT AND SOLID THE OCCUPANT IS MEANT TO BECOME AWARE OF THE DEEP DIVISION BETWEEN THE SPIRITUAL AND THE SECULAR WITHIN HIM OR HERSELF.


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THIS BUILDING IS PETER EISENMAN’S HOUSE II. WHILE IT WE DON’T RECOMMEND BUILDING OR DESIGNING ANYTHING LIKE THIS, IT MAKES A DAMN GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW A PARTI CAN INFLUENCE THE REST OF THE BUILDING. EVEN IN A NEGATIVE WAY. HERE, INSTEAD OF BASING THE DESIGN ON FUNCTION, WITH FORM TO FOLLOW THE HOUSES EXPLORE SPECIFIC STRUCTURAL PRINCIPLES, WITH FUNCTIONS TO FIT IN AS BEST THEY CAN. THE GEOMETRY OF THE HOUSE AND LARGE EXPANSES OF GLASS PERMIT UNOBSTRUCTED VIEWS OF THE EVER CHANGING VERMONT LANDSCAPE.

THE DESIGN FOR THE HERNING MUSEUM OF CONTEMPO-RARY ART BY STEVEN HOLL AIMS AT “BUILDING THE SITE”. THE LANDSCAPE OF GRASS MOUNDS AND REFLECTING POOLS ALIGNS WITH A GEOMETRY OF CURVED ROOF SEC-TIONS OF THE NEW BUILDING THAT HOUSES PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY EXHIBITION GALLERIES, A 150-SEAT AU-DITORIUM, MUSIC REHEARSAL ROOMS, A RESTAURANT, A MEDIA LIBRARY, AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES ALL ON ONE LEVEL. THE NEW SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE CONCEALS ALL THE PARKING AND SERVICE AREAS. IT IS APPARENT THAT EVEN IN HIS FIRST VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PROJ-ECT HE HIGHLIGHTS TWO RECTANGULAR AREAS WHICH LAT-ER BECOME IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE PROGRAM.


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DIAGRAM

INTRO PG.84

NOTECARDS PG.85

CONCLUSION PG.103

PRO EXAMPLES PG.104


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Diagram [dahy-uh-gram]

-noun1. a distillation of an

entire building down to its base components and ideas; an act to represent the design or one of its aspects in broader strokes that can be more quickly and easily understood.

WILLOUGHBY’S INTRODUCTION to diagram

It can be argued that in order to perform analysis you need something to analyze; a doctor must have a cadaver to perform a dissection. Or can diagrams be produced at any time during the design process, and formulate into being an important part of design synthesis (like Peter Eisenman’s procedural transformation diagrams)? When does a diagram move from its role as a tool of analysis, to become a

device of synthesis and function like a parti?

“The diagrammatic or abstract machine does not function to represent, even something real, but rather constructs a real that is yet to come, a new type of reality.”—Deleuze and Guattari, “A Thousand

Plateaus,” 142.

Bucking associations with contemporary ideas about diagrams as “abstract machines” that produce a simulacra or a reduction of the real, I would submit that a diagram is merely a means of representing the distinct parts of some whole abstractly. If a parti is conjured to represent the salient and total essence of a design, then a diagram is made to express its constituent parts—to demonstrate aspects of a building design in a simplifi ed, spare, and rarifi ed set of graphic images or models. I normally think of diagrams as being analytical in nature. A diagram is normally one of a larger set of diagrams used to extract elements from an overall design for the purpose of explicating particular aspects of that design. A diagram reveals constituent elements clearly (parts of the overall design synthesis) like structure, circulation, organization, hierarchy, program, contextual relationships, and distinct

building systems.

An understanding of the use of color, line weight, line type, graphic symbols, and simplifi ed shapes are essential for making good diagrams (you need to understand the basics of visual organization and composition). Can diagrams precede a design, and be used as tool of initial analysis of a program or a site? Or do diagrams, by virtue of being abstractions in and of themselves (as a priori mechanisms), carry hidden biases and preconceptions? Are diagrams only analytical—meaning a graphic expression that can only be made after or following the fi nal design

synthesis?


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SCANNED IMAGE STILL LOADING. . .

YOU MAY BE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH YOUR BROWSER. TRY REFRESHING YOUR INTERNET TAB, AND IF THAT DOESN’T WORK HUNT THE UNLUCKY GUY WHO DIDN’T FILL THIS CARD OUT AND PUNCH HIM IN THE NADS


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STUDENT’SCONCLUSION to diagram cards A diagram is fairly simple to explain but a hard thing

to do. Or rather, to do well. Anyone can make a diagram and let it be known that it is not exclusive to architecture. Anytime you draw a map or play pictionary you employ the use of diagrams. The key to making your diagrams effective is making them clear. It is very easy to get bogged down in the incorperation of graphics that is so easily accessible in this digital age, but when designing the diagrams you have to ask yourself: is it necessary? Will this help me convey my thoughts or ideas better than an analogue drawing? Three D’s are not always better than two. In many cases I see students who are new to modeling software attemp to make good diagrams without understanding the core concepts behind them. I know too well the diffi culty that some of the juror’s face when trying to decypher some of the diagrams that the students put forth. The diagrams need to be clear. That means one aspect per diagram. They should all be from a similar view that is easily recognizable and can be quickly placed inside a model. Not literally placed but mentally imagined inside a model or plan. Less is more. Not having as many lines can become a virtue. Weeding out unnecessary lines allows the reader less things to become confused on. In sum, a successfull diagram needs to be clear, consice and consistent.


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STRUCTURAL DIAGRAMS PROVIDE A SIMPLIFIED LAYOUT AND SYSTEM FOR THE BUILDING’S STRUCTURE WITHOUT THE CLUTTERED AND TIME CONSUMING CONSTRUCTION DETAILS SO THAT A SYSTEM STRUCTURE CAN BE QUICKLY BE FORMED.


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LIGHT DIAGRAMS GIVES DETAIL TO THE SUNLIGHT/LIGHTING STRATEGIES AND HOW THEY FILTER AND ALLOW LIGHT TO FILL A SPACE IN A METHOD THAT IS APPROPRIATE TO THE PROGRAMS. THIS GIVES THE OPPORTUNITY TO BALANCE LIGHT AND HEAT GAIN IN A SIMPLE REPRESENTATION THAT IS NOT TIME CONSUMING TO CREATE.


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PUBLIC/PRIVATE OR SERVANT/SERVED DIAGRAMS CAN BE MADE FOR BUILDINGS THAT HAVE A DIVISION OF SPACES FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC AS OPPOSED TO THOSE INTENDED FOR THE OCCUPANT(S) ALONE. IT CAN DEFINE THESE DIFFERENT PROGRAMMATIC ELEMENTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH CIRCULATION TO CREATE A SYSTEM OF ORGANIZATION THAT WORKS FOR BOTH GROUPS.


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3D DIAGRAMS CAN SHOW MULTIPLE SYSTEMS IN A DYNAMIC FORMAL SYSTEM THAT IS MORE GROUNDED IN THE DIMENSIONS OF REALITY.


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ENVELOPE AND ENCLOSURE DIAGRAMS HELP CREATE A SYSTEM FOR DIFFERENTIATING THE BUILDING’S CLADDING FROM ITS THERMAL ENVELOPE. THE DIAGRAMS CAN HELP DEFINE WHERE PROGRAM CAN BE PLACED AND MORE ACCURATELY OUTLINES THE BUILDING’S INSIDE/OUTSIDE THRESHOLD.

CONTEXT

INTRO PG.116

NOTECARDS PG.117

CONCLUSION PG.133

PRO EXAMPLES PG.134


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Context [kon-tekst]

-noun1. sanything that informs

concept and includes information regarding cultural, technical, formal, and programatic concerns.

WILLOUGHBY’S INTRODUCTION to context

Context is all that feeds into a design: spatially, materially, temporally, technically, and humanly. Context is the web of data that tends to surround a problem we are seeking a solution to. The context is the data we gather and how we go about analyzing it (like a journalist following leads and gathering data when writing a story). The context of any design is set into being fi rst and foremost by the intelligence, knowledge and skill of the designer. But in the broader sense, once can see the “context” of any given project includes, but is not limited to: art and architectural history, the persistence of forms and formal patterns of behavior, culture, built and grown settings (cities and countrysides), client (the people who will use the building) , programmatic needs, codes, professional ethics, available materials, available skill-levels, available technology, time

(including the zeitgeist), and budget.

Context is what we work with in order to design, which includes the whole milieu our design works within. Context must be internalized to the best ability of the designer in order for him or her to conceptualize or derive a parti (intelligence gathering). Alvar Aalto called this the “three-in-the-morning feeling” (from his famous article, “The Trout and the Stream,” written in 1947), or the sensation of being overwhelmed by the magnitude and complexity of a design problem. This sense of being overwhelmed and challenged by the problem at hand is the full internalizing and analysis of the scope of a given design problem. And only after that point of feeling fully steeped in the context can a solution be conceived to answer the design problem (thought and feeling merge in a conceptual statement about the design problem). If we know little about the context of a problem, then we will only affect little or make massive oversights. But if we know much, then we are better prepared to achieve much and be more inclusive in our solutions.


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MAYBE THEY’LL GET IT ON THE NEXT GO-ROUND. . .

Y’KNOW, THE NEXT TIME THEY’RE ASKED TO FILL OUT A TWO-SIDED NOTECARD FOR A 150+ PAGE BOOK.


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Context can be many things. It can relate directly to a specifi c site close to your building or it can be information surrounding a problem that needs to be addressed. Context can be as general as the world or as specifi c as your immediate surroundings.

Alvar Allto uses the particular qualities of the environment, and the historical, technical, and cultural traditions of modern society as context to understand psychological needs.

Toyo Ito has defi ned architectural context as “clothing” for urban dwellers. This theme revolves around the equilibrium between the private life and the metropolitan, “public” life of an individual.

Morphosis’s design philosophy arises from an interest in producing work with a meaning that can be understood by absorbing the culture for which it was made.

Glenn Murcutt’s motto, ‘touch the earth lightly’, convinces him to design his works to fi t into the specifi c landscape features. His works are highly economical and multi-functional. Murcutt always considers context such as wind direction, water movement, temperature and light surrounding his sites before beginning the design process

Samuel Mockbee considers people and their circumstances as context. The buildings often consist of a combination of vernacular architecture with modernist forms

STUDENTS’ CONCLUSION to context cards

“I SPENT LONG PERIODS GETTING MY RANGE, AS IT WERE, WITH NAIVE DRAWINGS. I DREW ALL KINDS OF FANTASTIC MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPES, WITH SLOPES LIT BY MANY SUNS IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS, WHICH GRADUALLY GAVE RISE TO THE MAIN IDEA OF THE BUILDING. THE ARCHITECTURAL FRAMEWORK OF THE LIBRARY COMPRISES SEVERAL READING AND LENDING AREAS STEPPED AT DIFFERENT LEVELS, WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPERVISORY CENTRE AT THE PEAK.” - ALVAR AALTO


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VYBORG LIBRARY ALVAR AALTO 1933-35

THE HOUSE DEMONSTRATES GLENN’S ABILITY TO ADAPT HIS PRINCIPLES AND IDEAS OF ARCHITECTURE TO THE DIFFERING DEMANDS POSED BY A TROPICAL CLIMATE. DRAWING UPON INFLUENCES GAINED FROM HIS EARLY YEARS IN THE TROPICS, THE BUILDING IS RAISED ON STILTS TO AID VENTIATION, AS WELL AS ISOLATE THE LIVING SPACES FROM THE PROSPECT OF FLOODS AND ANIMALS. TIMBER BATTENS WITH SMALL, EVEN SPACING ARE CAREFULLY ARTICULATED TO PRO-VIDE A PERMEABLE SKIN, ALLOWING AIRFLOW WHILST MAINTAINING THE OUTWARD VIEW OF THE HORIZONS AND INTERNAL SENSE OF PRIVACY.


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MARIKA- ALDERTON HOUSE GLENN MURCUTT 1994

WRIGHT UNDERSTOOD THAT PEOPLE WERE CREATURES OF NATURE, HENCE AN ARCHITECTURE WHICH CON-FORMED TO NATURE WOULD CONFORM TO WHAT WAS BASIC IN PEOPLE. FOR EXAMPLE, ALTHOUGH ALL OF FALL-INGWATER IS OPENED BY BROAD BANDS OF WINDOWS, PEOPLE INSIDE ARE SHELTERED AS IN A DEEP CAVE, SE-CURE IN THE SENSE OF HILL BEHIND THEM. THE MATERI-ALS OF THE STRUCTURE BLEND WITH THE COLORINGS OF ROCKS AND TREES, WHILE OCCASIONAL ACCENTS ARE PROVIDED BY BRIGHT FURNISHINGS, LIKE WILDFLOWERS OR BIRDS OUTSIDE.


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FALLING WATER FRANK LLYOD WRIGHT 1937


PG.141

MOCKBEE BASED THE KENNEDY HOUSE ON THE BUNGALOW TYPE FOUND IN THE EARLIER DEVELOPED AREAS OF SEASIDE AND SURROUNDING BEACH TOWNS. CASUAL AND UNASSUMING, THE BUNGALOW TYPE PROVIDES THE BASIC SHELTER NEEDED AT THE BEACH, OFFERING A PLACE OF RESPITE FROM THE SUN AND SALT WATER.THE KENNEDY HOUSE SAMUEL MOCKBEE 1992

WRIGHT FELT VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THE CONNECTION TO THE DESERT. HE SAID: “ARIZONA NEEDS ITS OWN ARCHITECTURE… ARIZONA’S LONG, LOW, SWEEPING LINES, UPTILTING PLANES. SURFACE PATTERNED AFTER SUCH ABSTRACTION IN LINE AND COLOR AS FIND “REALISM” IN THE PATTERNS OF THE RATTLESNAKE, THE GILA MONSTER, THE CHAMELEON, AND THE SAGUARO, CHOLLA OR STAGHORN – OR IS IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND—ARE INSPIRATION ENOUGH.”THE STRUCTURE’S WALLS ARE MADE OF LOCAL DESERT ROCKS. WRIGHT ALWAYS BELIEVED USING THE MATERIALS READILY AVAILABLE OPPOSED TO THOSE THAT MUST BE TRANSPORTED TO THE SITE. “THERE WERE SIMPLE CHARACTERISTIC SILHOUETTES TO GO BY, TREMENDOUS DRIFTS AND HEAPS OF SUNBURNED DESERT ROCKS WERE NEARBY TO BE USED. WE GOT IT ALL TOGETHER WITH THE LANDSCAPE…”


PG.143

TALIESIN WEST FRANK LLYOD WRIGHT 1937

BY MAKING THE ENTRY ROUTE INTENTIONALLY CIRCUITOUS, A SENSE OF RITUAL AND PURIFICATION RESULTS, SIMILAR TO THE SUFFERINGS AND REVELATIONS THAT DEFINE THE RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. IN ADDITION, THE L-SHAPED WALL, WHICH APPEARS IN EARLIER ANDO PROJECTS SUCH AS THE CHAPEL AT MOUNT ROKKO, DEMARCATES THE CHURCH AS A PROTECTED, SECLUDED AREA, UNLIKE AND APART FROM THE RESORT HOTEL DIRECTLY BEHIND IT. INDEED, THE MOMENT OF PASSING THROUGH THE WALL IS REWARDED IMMEDIATELY WITH A FULL VIEW OF THE CHURCH, WHICH IS NOT VISIBLE AT ANY OTHER POINT ALONG THE OUTSIDE PATH.


PG.145

CHURCH ON THE WATER TADAO ANDO 1988

THE BUILDING OPERATES ON THREE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF NATURE—ELIMINATE THE CONCEPT OF WASTE, RELY ON NATURAL ENERGY FLOWS, AND HONOR DIVERSITY. THE CENTER’S DISPOSITION OF SPACES DERIVES FROM AN INTEGRATION OF NATURAL ENERGY FLOWS AND THE BUILDING’S ENERGY NEEDS, ITS USE AS TEACHING AND PUBLIC SPACE, AND THE DESIRE TO BLUR THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN INDOORS AND OUT. THE LIGHT-DRENCHED TWO-STORY ATRIUM SERVES AS THE PRIMARY ORGANIZING SPACE WHILE ACTING AS THE SOUTHERN CAMPUS’S TOWN HALL, OR PUBLIC SQUARE. THE SITE IS A NET ENERGY EXPORTER, PRODUCING 30 PERCENT MORE ENERGY THAN IT NEEDS TO OPERATE AND SHARING THIS EXCESS ENERGY WITH THE COMMUNITY.


PG.147

ADAM JOSEPH LEWIS CENTER WILLIAM MCDONOUGH 2000

LOUIS KAHN DESIGNED THE SALK CENTER IN LA JOLLA...AS AN ELOQUENT COMPOSITION THAT IS SPATIALLY AND SYMBOLICALLY INCOMPLETE, WITH ITS TWO RICHLY RHYTHMICAL BUILDINGS...[WHICH] DEFINE A POWERFUL AXIS THAT IS OPEN AT EACH END AND THAT CONSTITUTES THEREBY A SIGNIFICANT GESTURE WITHIN AN AMERICAN LANDSCAPE. THE COMPOSITION OF THIS COMMON SPACE...IS PERCEPTUALLY, PHYSICALLY, POIGNANTLY AMERICAN AS IT FRAMES THE SEA AND THE LAND WHERE THE OLD WESTERN FRONTIER ENDS AND THE NEW EASTERN FRONTIER BEGINS.


PG.149

THE SALK INSTITUTE LOUIS KAHN 1959

“CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING. WE ARE EMBEDDED IN CONTEXT AND CONTEXT EMBEDS ITSELF IN US.CONTEXT IS A SPATIO-TEMPORAL FLOW THAT ALLOWS US TO REGISTER AND ORIENT OUR BODIES IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE NATURAL AND BUILT WORLD. WE NEGOTIATE AND NAVIGATE THROUGH CONTEXT.” -M. WILLIAMS

“CONTEXT IS THE ARENA IN WHICH ARCHITECTS WORK. AT A VERY BASIC LEVEL, IT’S ABOUT THE SURROUNDING PHYSICAL AND PSYCHIC ENVIRONMENT. IF ONE ADDS (OR PERHAPS REMOVES) ANYTHING FROM THIS ENVIRONMENT IT’S IMPORTANT TO DIRECTLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONTEXT IN ASSESSING WHETHER THE REMOVAL/ADDITION IS APPROPRIATE. THAT’S NOT TO SAY ONE NEEDS TO BE SYMPATHETIC TO CONTEXT; IT’S SOMETIMES APPROPRIATE TO PROVIDE A COUNTER-POINT. ONE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE ALWAYS WORKING WITHIN A CONTEXT, AND ACCEPT THAT THEIR “WORK” WILL HAVE A RELATIONSHIP TO IT, CONSCIOUSLY OR OTHERWISE.” -R. BROOKS

“CONTEXT IS PHYSICAL CONTEXT, CONCEPTUAL CONTEXT, PHILOSOPHICAL CONTEXT. THE QUEST IS FOR ARCHITECTURE TO MEDIATE BETWEEN ALL OF THIS AND MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF IT.” -K. STEVENS


PG.151

“CONTEXT IS INFORMING THE WAY YOU SITUATE YOUR PROJECT WITHIN THE GREATER REALM. THE MOST FASCINATING IS THAT IT TRANSCENDS TIME. IT’S NOT JUST AT THIS MOMENT, IT’S WHAT WAS, IS, AND WHAT COULD BE. IT’S EQUIVALENT TO FAMILY HERITAGE; WHO YOUR PARENTS ARE, WHO YOUR GRANDPARENTS ARE, AND AUNTS AND UNCLES ARE THAT MAKE YOU. IT’S A SERIES OF VARIABLES. YOU HAVE A DESIGN IDEA AND ALL THOSE OUTSIDE FORCES ARE CONTEXT.” -T. MALSTROM

“CONTEXT: THE ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH A PROJECT BREATHES.USED AS A WHETSTONE TO SHARPEN THE CONCEPTU-AL BLADE OF THE PROJECT.” -D. CALDWELL

“CONTEXT IS CUMULATIVE OF ALL EXTERNAL FORCES WHICH EFFECT EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY THE OUTCOME OF A BUILDING PROBLEM. IN THAT RESPECT, IT WOULD INCLUDE SUCH THINGS AS CULTURAL CONTEXT, POLITICAL CONTEXT, ECONOMIC CONTEXT, SOCIAL CONTEXT, ETC.” -R. FAKELMANN

The Freshman s Guide to Architecture

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