http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdXjlqSQ1N4
Monday 30 July 2012
Tuesday 24 July 2012
Peer Review 1: Sharchitecture
Team 37 (Sharchitecture) appear to be a very well organised, efficient group in terms of their communication and sharing of work. They have a tumblr blog set up (http://sharchitecture2012.tumblr.com), and have set up a facebook page for their personal communication to share ideas and information. Their work seems very collaborative (working together on tasks instead of everyone doing an individual task) and there is a clear group understanding of their ideas on utopia and dystopia.
Their images of the site were done at a high standard. The right elevation of the city site was particularly well done, with deliberate and clear links to the short story, displaying their understanding of the ideas behind the story. They had clearly edited and manipulated the photo to relate to parts of the story and there was a consideration of how Holloway may have experienced or reacted to the space.The other elevations and sections were also carefully compiled and show an interesting use of collage and photoshop.
While their 123D catch was not very successful, their stop animations were done in an interesting way. They explored not only the methods of creating the GIF, but creating a narrative as well. One stop animation included their avatar, creating a story with its movement. The other showed an understanding of creating motion and capturing time through stop motion.
Their overall presentation was well planned and organised as they had all their work on their blog which created a neat and easy way to see their whole body of work. From their explanations, it was clear they very interesting ideas about utopia and dystopia and it will be intriguing to see how they develop in later projects.
123D Catch: Pot Plant
W Y Chan
The dystopian vs. the utopian
Dystopias and utopias have been portrayed multiple times in literature. We often associate dystopia with images of ruins, and failed cities but the idea of a dystopia refers to a repressive controlled society. It refers to a social context instead of a physical state of a city or area. A utopia is the opposite of a dystopia, it refers to a ideal community or society that has a perfected socio-political legal system. Utopia is a Greek word, it literally, and ironically, translates to "no place".
In The Ultimate City we are shown two very opposing cities. The Green City is an orderly, strict city, while the ruined Metropolis becomes a destructive, dead home for others. When wondering which of these cities is a utopia or dystopia, it's very easy to call the Green City a utopia simply because of the stable economy, the eco-efficient power, and docile community. However, Halloway reveals that the Green City is often restricting and controlling of their society, making it more of a dystopia.
In many senses, the Green City is closer to the idea of a "Utopia" than the Metropolis is. However, I believe it is somewhat a matter of perspective. For Halloway, the Metropolis is his utopia. He sees so much potential in the ruined Metropolis and to him it is a Utopia, free from the restrictions of the Green City. This shows that utopia is really a matter of perspective and because of this, Utopia cannot truly exist due to people's conflicting ideas and perspectives. This being said, it does not necessarily mean that reaching for a utopia-like is not beneficial.
The story plays with cities with contrasting ideals and social standards. Though one may seem more clearly "utopian" than the other, it really is a matter of opinion. We often cannot appreciate the good qualities of our society without a comparison. The ideals of a utopia while unrealistic, can be something to strive for. A dystopia or utopia is dependent on the social interaction within it. In that sense, it is similar to architecture. Architecture is not only about the building, but how people interact with it. The experience of a building is key and depending on what experience you enjoy or understand best, your own idea of utopia will form from it.
In The Ultimate City we are shown two very opposing cities. The Green City is an orderly, strict city, while the ruined Metropolis becomes a destructive, dead home for others. When wondering which of these cities is a utopia or dystopia, it's very easy to call the Green City a utopia simply because of the stable economy, the eco-efficient power, and docile community. However, Halloway reveals that the Green City is often restricting and controlling of their society, making it more of a dystopia.
In many senses, the Green City is closer to the idea of a "Utopia" than the Metropolis is. However, I believe it is somewhat a matter of perspective. For Halloway, the Metropolis is his utopia. He sees so much potential in the ruined Metropolis and to him it is a Utopia, free from the restrictions of the Green City. This shows that utopia is really a matter of perspective and because of this, Utopia cannot truly exist due to people's conflicting ideas and perspectives. This being said, it does not necessarily mean that reaching for a utopia-like is not beneficial.
The story plays with cities with contrasting ideals and social standards. Though one may seem more clearly "utopian" than the other, it really is a matter of opinion. We often cannot appreciate the good qualities of our society without a comparison. The ideals of a utopia while unrealistic, can be something to strive for. A dystopia or utopia is dependent on the social interaction within it. In that sense, it is similar to architecture. Architecture is not only about the building, but how people interact with it. The experience of a building is key and depending on what experience you enjoy or understand best, your own idea of utopia will form from it.
Monday 23 July 2012
Three Words From the Evolution Blobs by Ting Huang
Art Nouveau:
In architecture, hyperbolas and parabolas in windows, arches, and doors are common, and decorative mouldings 'grow' into plant-derived forms. Like most design styles, Art Nouveau sought to harmonise its forms. The text above the Paris Metro entrance uses the qualities of the rest of the iron work in the structure.
Art Nouveau in architecture and interior design eschewed the eclectic revival styles of the 19th century. Though Art Nouveau designers selected and 'modernised' some of the more abstract elements of Rococo style, such as flame and shell textures, they also advocated the use of very stylised organic forms as a source of inspiration, expanding the 'natural' repertoire to use seaweed, grasses, and insects.
Swiss Re Headquarters, London
Deconstruction:
Deconstructivism is a development of postmodern architecture that began in the late 1980s. It is influenced by the theory of "Deconstruction", which is a form of semiotic analysis. It is characterized by ideas of fragmentation, an interest in manipulating ideas of a structure's surface or skin, non-rectilinear shapes which serve to distort and dislocate some of the elements of architecture, such as structure and envelope. The finished visual appearance of buildings that exhibit the many deconstructivist "styles" is characterized by a stimulating unpredictability and a controlled chaos.
I.E.: The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao by Frank Gehry, in Bilbao, Spain.
The MAXXI – National Museum of the 21st Century Arts by Zaha Hadid, in Rome, Italy
In architecture, hyperbolas and parabolas in windows, arches, and doors are common, and decorative mouldings 'grow' into plant-derived forms. Like most design styles, Art Nouveau sought to harmonise its forms. The text above the Paris Metro entrance uses the qualities of the rest of the iron work in the structure.
Art Nouveau in architecture and interior design eschewed the eclectic revival styles of the 19th century. Though Art Nouveau designers selected and 'modernised' some of the more abstract elements of Rococo style, such as flame and shell textures, they also advocated the use of very stylised organic forms as a source of inspiration, expanding the 'natural' repertoire to use seaweed, grasses, and insects.
I.E.: Casa Calvert, Barcelona, by Antoni Gaudi,
Horta Museum, Brussels, by Victor Horta
Iconic Buildings:
The iconic building shares certain aspects both with an iconic object, such as a Byzantine painting of Jesus, and the philosophical definition of an icon, that is, a sign with some factor in common with the thing it represents. On the one hand, to become iconic a building must provide a new and condensed image, be high in figural shape or gestalt, and stand out from the city. On the other hand, to become powerful it must be reminiscent in some ways of unlikely but important metaphors and be a symbol fit to be worshipped, a hard task in a secular society.
I.E.: CCTV building, Beijing, by Rem Koolhaas
Deconstruction:
Deconstructivism is a development of postmodern architecture that began in the late 1980s. It is influenced by the theory of "Deconstruction", which is a form of semiotic analysis. It is characterized by ideas of fragmentation, an interest in manipulating ideas of a structure's surface or skin, non-rectilinear shapes which serve to distort and dislocate some of the elements of architecture, such as structure and envelope. The finished visual appearance of buildings that exhibit the many deconstructivist "styles" is characterized by a stimulating unpredictability and a controlled chaos.
I.E.: The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao by Frank Gehry, in Bilbao, Spain.
Material Card 2: Northern Lights
Northern Lights
Material Card1: Pixel Pannels
Pixel Panels
Developed by Bill Price, Pixel Panels are one manifestation of the broader family of products called Translucent Concrete and Transparent Concrete, all of which seek to make concrete a light-transmissive medium. Pixel Panels use concrete as a binder within which a uniform array of polymers is added to provide translucency at a given viewing distance. The ratio of concrete to polymer may be varied to allow for limitless variations (ratios as high as twenty-five percent polymer have been achieved).
Plant GIF
W Y Chan
Saturday 21 July 2012
Three words from evolution Blob by Priya Mu
POST- MODERN :
Modern architecture started in the 20th century, where the ornamentation of the buildings were greatly reduces and simplified form of structures were used. It gave importance to the technological development and every design worked on the principle of "what we see and what we know is what we believe". Though the modern architecture was adopted in major parts of the world as one of the scientific achievements, by the end of world war II, some people started losing faith in science and rebelled against the authority who forced modernism upon them. They started to experiment on things beyond what we can see and thus the post modernism evolved. Thought post modernism started around 1950, it became a movement in the early 1980's.
Some of the well known post modern architects are Robert Venturi who is known for his 'Chestnut hill house' in Pennsylvania and Guild house' in Philadelphia, Michael Graves who is known for his 'Disney swan and dolphin Hotel resort' in Disney world, Orlando and 'Portland public service building' in Oregon. There were many other famous architects involved in this movement namely Charles Moore, James Sterling etc...
CLASSICISM:
Classicism in architecture developed during the Italian Renaissance, notably in the writings and designs of Leon Battista Alberti and the work of Filippo Brunelleschi. It places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in the architecture of Classical antiquity and in particular, the architecture of Ancient Rome, of which many examples remained.
Reference : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Revival_architecture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classicism
Modern architecture started in the 20th century, where the ornamentation of the buildings were greatly reduces and simplified form of structures were used. It gave importance to the technological development and every design worked on the principle of "what we see and what we know is what we believe". Though the modern architecture was adopted in major parts of the world as one of the scientific achievements, by the end of world war II, some people started losing faith in science and rebelled against the authority who forced modernism upon them. They started to experiment on things beyond what we can see and thus the post modernism evolved. Thought post modernism started around 1950, it became a movement in the early 1980's.
Some of the well known post modern architects are Robert Venturi who is known for his 'Chestnut hill house' in Pennsylvania and Guild house' in Philadelphia, Michael Graves who is known for his 'Disney swan and dolphin Hotel resort' in Disney world, Orlando and 'Portland public service building' in Oregon. There were many other famous architects involved in this movement namely Charles Moore, James Sterling etc...
CLASSICISM:
Classicism in architecture developed during the Italian Renaissance, notably in the writings and designs of Leon Battista Alberti and the work of Filippo Brunelleschi. It places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in the architecture of Classical antiquity and in particular, the architecture of Ancient Rome, of which many examples remained.
Orderly arrangements of columns, pilasters and lintels, as well as the use of semicircular arches, hemispherical domes, niches and aedicules replaced the more complex proportional systems and irregular profiles of medieval buildings. This style quickly spread to other Italian cities and then to France, Germany, England, Russia and elsewhere.
ROMANTIC REVIVAL:
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. Its popularity grew rapidly in the early 19th century, when increasingly serious and learned admirers of neo-Gothic styles sought to revive medieval forms, in contrast to the neoclassical styles prevalent at the time.
In England, the centre of this revival, it was intertwined with deeply philosophical movements associated with a re-awakening of High Church or Anglo-Catholic self-belief (and by the Catholic convert Augustus Welby Pugin) concerned by the growth of religious nonconformism. Ultimately, the style became widespread for its intrinsic appeal in the third quarter of the 19th century.
The Gothic Revival was paralleled and supported by medievalism, which had its roots in antiquarian concerns with survivals and curiosities. As industrialisation progressed, a reaction against machine production and the appearance of factories also grew. Proponents of the picturesque such as Thomas Carlyle and Augustus Pugin took a critical view of industrial society and portrayed pre-industrial medieval society as a golden age. To Pugin, Gothic architecture was infused with the Christian values that had been supplanted by classicism and were being destroyed by industrialisation.
Reference : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Revival_architecture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classicism
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