Atmospheres

1. How does Peter Zumthor talk about the "Magic of the Real" and explain how this compares, in terms of the subtleties, to Michael Benedikt's "Architecture for Reality"?

Zumthor talks about "Magic of the Real" as architecture that creates a mood when you experience it. Zumthor declares that there is an emotional response to a persons experience of a space that creates this mood, or "Magic of the Real." Benedikt's "Architecture for Reality" does not deal with an emotional response. His reality comes form the "matter of fact" simplistic understanding of nature and reality. 

2. Material Compatibility, Temperature of a Space and Levels of Intimacy are some conditions that both Peter Zumthor, in “Atmospheres”, and Richard Serra, in “Weight and Measure”, make a point of articulating when consider space. Where in their explanation of these overlapping conditions are they similar and where do they differ?

Zumthor and Serra have similar conditions in which have a reaction to a persons experience of space. Zumthor creates conditions to affect the mood of a space, thereby affecting a persons personal, emotional response to that space. This is a more internal effect of a person. Serra takes a more direct approach. His sculptures are meant to be seen and have an immediate effect on a person. Zumthor creates a mood with temperature and levels of intimacy as a person moves through a space. Serra creates an immediate level of intimacy at the Duveen Galleries. His two sculptures create a mass that interacts with the architecture, and the person. This intimacy is immediately experienced, as well as held throughout the entire experience of the space. This is something Zumthor's architecture does not do. His conditions build a mood as a person experiences a space. 

3. Zumthor looks towards experiential conditions when creating architecture, what are other methods architects use when generating architecture and what is the corresponding building?

One method an architect may use when creating architecture is to look at the relation of the architecture he is creating to the site on which that architecture will be placed. The resulting building is one that moves with the site, rising when the site rises, descending when the site descends, and moving around objects on the site, such as streams, trees, etc. Founding can be a condition that architects consider when generating architecture. A high budget apartment complex will generate a different architect, than a low budget apartment complex for low income families, or persons. A high budget complex might have a pool, exercise center, and laundry mat right there on the site, while a low budget complex would consist of just buildings with rooms for people to live in. The aesthetic beauty could differ greatly between the high and low budget projects. There is more to work with when dealing with a greater budget. 

4. For Zumthor at the end of the day, after figuring use, sound, place, light and the other listed conditions, if the coherence isn’t beautiful the process is started again. Beauty is simultaneously subjective for the individual, as held “in the eye of the beholder”, and universally recognizable. Define your subjective understanding of what beautiful architecture is.

Beautiful architecture is architecture that is design well for its use and possible future uses, is built and designed to be structural sound, and has is aesthetically pleasing. There is beauty in function and structure. The aesthetic appeal comes form using proportions, geometry, symmetry, rhythm, and other systems in your design. Function and structure are parts of architecture experienced physically everyday by people and it is easy to recognize their beauty. The aesthetic appeal provide by proportion, geometry, etc. is an inherent quality in people and it is present in all architecture throughout history. 

Weight and Measure

1. What were Richard Serra's goals for the installation?

Serra wanted to create sculptures that would be read as volumes, not as planes, slices, objects, cuts, or lines. He wanted his sculptures to act as a counterweight to the columns and the weight of the stone. He want to create a horizontal axis to balance the vertical axis created by the architecture of the building. He wanted his sculptures to react to the volume and scale of the space in a comparable way to the architecture. 

2. Define the field Serra is referring to when he states that his sculptural elements need to create "enough tension within the field to hold the experience of presence in the place". How do you define "experience of presence"?

Serra is defining the horizontal field created by the top plane of each sculpture. This horizontal plane  stretches from the south gallery, across the octagonal space, to the north gallery. The "experience of presence" is part of the reality of architecture. It is architecture that belongs simply because it exists, and is non-apologetic. Serra creates this by adding his two sculptures to the gallerias, and having them read as volumes comparable to the architecture of the galleries.   

3. How do the columns, pedestal condition, octagonal space and vertical axis challenge Serra?

The columns represent a sculptural experience in themselves because of their shape and size, and Serra had to balance this with his own sculptures. Their circular shape prevented Serra from using the circular shape for his sculptures because of contextualisation. The circular shape would be too similar to the column shape. The pedestal condition is created in the octagonal space. Anything placed in this space appears to be raised even though there is no actual pedestal. Serra had to remove a sculpture from this place when deciding where and what number of sculptures to use. Placing an element here would cause an interruption in the horizontal plane, or experience, created by Serra's sculptures.  The vertical axis creates a challenge for Serra because he has to create sculptures that react with this axis to read as volumes of the gallery space.  

4. What is effective in terms of the shape, scale and number of the two square elements in the Duveen Galleries?

The square shape is effective in not representing the architecture of the space two closely, however the shape helps the sculptures read as volumes, by not drawing too much attention to their form to read as objects. The number two is effective in the same sense in that not having multiple copies allows the sculptures to read as volumes and not as separate objects. The scale of the objects is comparable to the architecture of the space, and is able to create a relation to that space, which having a smaller scale would allow it to be too familiar and not relate to the space. 

5. Describe the differences and similarities between Barnett Newman's and Richard Serra's work.

Barnett Newman's sculptures are more object based than Serra's work, and they sit in space rather than defining and belonging to that space as Serra's sculptures do. Newman's paintings are similar to Serra's work though. Newman's paintings have a vertical axis that acts in relation to the horizontal axis of the painting, as does Serra's sculptures at the DuVeen Galleries. 

Readings from Chamber for a Memory Palace by Charles Moore

Reading for paper

Theme: Axes That Reach/ Paths That Wander

Composition: Rooms That Define/ Space That Leaks Up Into The Light

Site Diagrams

Section Experiment

Revised Memory Plan

Architectural Plan

Memory Map 2

Memory Map

Final Shoe plan

Plan 1

Plan 2

Plan 3

Plan 4

Elevation 1

Elevation 2

Elevation 3

Elevation 4

Hand inside Model

Hand outside Model

Representation and Reality Questions

Stan Allen describes field conditions as “bottom-up phenomena: defined not by overarching geometrical schemas but by intricate local connections.” What are some field condition examples that can be found in the road systems of Lubbock?

The North - South, and East - West grid layout of the streets, and the way the streets are numbered and lettered. The parking lots, and especially the parking spots of parking lots. The stop signs also create a field conditions at intersections of streets. They define what happens as someone approaches an intersection.  

In part 1, Allen distinguishes a geometric relationship of classical architecture from an algebraic combination of the Cordoba Mosque. How do these two architectural examples differ?

In a geometric relationship parts of the architecture make up the whole of the architecture, and it is hard to add on or expand architecture like this. The algebraic combination of architecture is just made up of similar parts and can be easily expanded upon by repeating those parts. 

What are some other examples of field conditions that can be observed around campus?

The side walks and paths, the crowd condition that occurs when people enter the football stadium for a game, and the seats at the football stadium. 

How does a field condition stand to redefine the relation between figure and ground?

It introduces a new variable to the figure and ground by diagramming local connections in the figure and ground. 

What is the reality Michael Benedikt writes about?

The reality of Micheal Benedikt is one that has an absences of symbolism, a tangible reality. It is a physical reality where architecture just exists. The modern movement of architecture starts to represent this reality, but it has a symbolism associated with it because we live in a symbolic world, so it does not represent Micheal Benedikt's reality to the fullest. 

Benedikt describes degrees of reality in architecture as: Architecture of Dreams, Architecture of Games, Architecture of Illusions, Architecture of Enactments and Architecture of Jokes. What are some example buildings that fall under these categories?

The English and Philosophy building at Texas Tech is an Architecture of jokes because of it's use of false balconies and the misuse of brick. It uses brick as a facade and hides the support of the building. It is also an Architecture of illusion because it tries to reflect the Administration building on campus and the Spanish Renaissance style of architecture of that building. 

Benedikt describes “direct esthetic experience of the real” as being moments without symbolism. Where in our environment does symbolism occur and where in our environment is symbolism absent? What is an example of this situation?

Symbolism is present in most, if not all religious architecture, such as, modern churches, Gothic Cathedrals, and mosques. Symbolism is absent in parking lots and utility areas of architecture. These serve a function and do not symbolize anything. 

Although Benedikt’s position pulls examples from the 70‘s and 80‘s to illustrate that an architecture of reality is polar to the post-modern architecture movement, this condition continues to exist today. Where in the city would be examples of an architecture of reality and post-modern architecture?

Post modern architecture can be found is suburban homes, and even some of the homes in Lubbock. There is plenty of post modern architecture present in Ransom Canyon just outside of Lubbock. Las Vegas is also an example of where post modern architecture can be found. The parking lots and utility areas, such as man holes, in a city is where you can find examples of an architecture of reality. 

The four components that define the “realness” of an architecture for reality are: presence, significance, materiality, and emptiness (in two categories). How do these components relate to architecture? and What are some examples of architectural elements that make up these conditions?

Presence in architecture is something that makes an immediate impact on you and it asserts itself like it has a right to be there. As Benedikt describes it, it is architecture that is non-apologetic. Significance in architecture means the architecture has a collective value, and it is important to someone. It would be hurtful to someone, or some people if it where no longer there. Emptiness One is described as a containment of space. An example would be the Kimbell Art Museum by Louis Khan. Emptiness Two is architecture that gravitates a person into a new space, such as an entry way that starts out small and gets larger as it approaches a larger open area. Materiality is the appropriate and accurate use of material. Not to hide or cover up material. A misuse of material would be having an opening in an exterior wall as would be used for a window, and then putting wood up instead of glass.  

Photo 1

Point Diagram

Line Diagram

Plane Diagram

Composite Diagram 1

Composite Diagram 2

Photo 2

Field Condition 1

Field Condition 2