Between Silence + Light

craft
In studio this week, our light projects were reviewed to determine their success. The biggest problem with my “water box” was craft. In the woodshop, I struggled to get the measurements close enough to make a seamless composition. Although the box looked decent overall, a closer look showed that my craft needed more attention.
Craft has always been important in design; for example, “craft guilds, organizations that trained apprentices, set standards of conduct and workmanship,” (Roth, 327) We can see that even in rural Europe, the craft of a design has always been important. This is why today we still strive for commodity and firmness through our craft.



public/private
After reviewing Fallingwater, a home by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, I found that public and private space were very important. Fallingwater is a great example of organic architecture, and harmony with nature. The home is designed for a family to live in, yet there are both public and private spaces. It is intimate in the private areas, yet informal and spacious in the public areas. Also, Wright’s design urges the inhabitant toward the outside, the most public space of all.
Like Wright, Mies Van Der Rohe’s Tugendhat House is separated into public and private space. “The study is separate from the living area by a Malaga Onyx partition…”(Massey, 77).



technique
In History class this week we learned about the 18th and 19th centuries great advances. One of the most important advances was the implementation of glass and iron in architecture. This was an age where steam ships and trains were introduced; therefore, information and knowledge traveled faster than ever before. This was the early Industrial Revolution: iron could be easily manufactured at a large scale to be used in construction. Many different iron forms could be mass-produced in factories, and later glass was used extensively with these iron frames. “Architects also were presented with new building materials, cast and wrought iron as well as glass, in quantities never available before, thanks to improvements in mass production.” (Roth, 471). One of the most famous examples of this technique is the Crystal Palace in London. The structure is made entirely of prefabricated materials, including illuminating plate glass and enormous iron trusses.



language
In drawing class, we are beginning to study the language of drawings. For the trading spaces project, we used one of our classmates’ drawings and redesigned the interior. In design, our language is our concept. We found that developing a concept allows us to create a more cohesive design that is easier and more enjoyable for someone to read.
In the 1800s designers used “Classical ornamental details in favor of a personal, invented, ornamental language[…]” (Roth 503) This allowed the designers to effectively communicate with the person viewing the design.



virtual
Since I did not go on the class trip to Monticello and Fallingwater, I was still able to experience the beauty of each home. For Monticello, I found an online virtual tour of each room in the Jefferson estate. “the computer now makes possible the virtual creation of building projects that were never executed.” (Roth 611). It was exciting to see what my classmates had seen in their tour. Because I still had to produce drawings from Monticello, I drew this fireplace in Jefferson’s bedchamber from the virtual tour.



Overall this week I learned alot about Monticello and Fallingwater. Even though I was not able to go on the trip, my classmates have been able to recreate the experience for me. I have also learned very much about the 18th and 19th centuries as they relate to design. As a whole, this week has been very informative and I look forward to learning more.