New York and Chicago are two major cities where growth can be seen in their impressive skylines. Machines, steel, and concrete were the main parts of the thread that helped create skyscrapers. We can see three important moments in these buildings, how they touch the ground, how they hit the sky, and what happened in the middle. I appreciate the attention that was given to these moments considering it must have been a challenge to incorporate good design in such a massive structure. Designers went back in time to help with this challenge. We can see it in the Gothic style of the Trinity Church in New York, and the Renaissance style in the wavy exterior on the Reliance Building in Chicago. Looking back is always important, but the industrial revolution was about looking forward and created positive economic changes that were so desperately needed.
Art Nouveau continued this trend of only moving forward. The ever-moving line seen in curved steel and geometric flowing wall coverings, invited people to stop and appreciate the design as they passed by. Geometry creates form and our professor said, “Form itself is what we appreciate.” We are mesmerized by the trippy architecture and this brings enjoyment to the people. Building on this, we move to the glamorous Art Deco period that is really all about enjoyment for the people. This is the time when the movies start, and movement and optical illusion are their main focus. Both of these styles are embraced for a short time but then we move toward simplicity.
Charles and Ray Eames lead the way with their furniture designs and famous case study house called, Eames House. All the parts of the structure were manufactured off site, then transported, and finally, simply put together like a puzzle. The design had to be well thought out since it needed to come together seamlessly on site. This must have been a challenge to avoid any errors on the day of installation. Their use of bold colors and textiles made this home have a different feeling than some of the other modern buildings that were being criticized for feeling cold. They seem to have been a popular design team because unlike other modern designers, they were not just designing for themselves, but for others as well. Interior design started soon after because very few architects were listening to what people wanted for their interior spaces.
The intentions of interior designers are good, but over decorating interior spaces have created a quick fix to the problem. We now transport stuff from all over the world without consideration of the impact this has on the earth. This also promotes surface verses substance. Who has better stuff in their homes instead of thinking about the community and what could make it better. Everyone likes to look at nice things at home or work, but at what expense? Designers need to be the leaders in promoting awareness of what will be left behind. The first unit we studied this semester was about spirituality, religion, power, and measuring the stars. In my first unit summary I wrote, Architecture shows us about our values, successes and failures, aspirations, physical and social needs, cross-cultural insights, attitudes towards nature, and techniques available at a certain time in history. It is important though to remember the way Vitruvius saw it, stay balanced and keep it simple. I picked the image below because the last thing our class discussed was coming FULL CIRCLE in how we design. This term is important to me and that is why my blog is called Full Circle. I want to constantly look back, look forward, and always keep moving in a positive direction.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxXB8Tz0cHKbG8C_jc7RsKfHtNrdhbTwGxhJVEcLMd99L2VTpt8A71Mvb-uEgGIlUTpdwLk3svFJ-B4jkwtMF0YSzKU1vr0WcWG7pBOe1RZMLvPWfVeZXq5TnqRxMvBp9qc7ja94H0n3c/s320/Full+circle.jpg
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