UVCSp15Module12.1

module 12.1

building basics

A r t 1 0 0

U n d e r s t a n d i n g V i s u a l C u l t u r e

Why study architecture in a class on

visual culture?

The built environment is an incredibly important part of the

visual world we inhabit.

We need some understanding of the

physical places where we spend our time.

Actual space Virtual, mediated space

Why study architecture in a

class on visual culture?

Our actions &

behaviors

are

organized &

shaped by

the spaces

we inhabit.

Architecture is the most social

of the arts.

It governs how we live together and the

circumstances under which we

encounter each other.

imagine

a space where you feel

private

a space where you feel that

you are in public

what did you picture?

What approach is best to take?

Through specialized terminology used in architecture?

e.g., flying buttress

Through ways architects visualize the finished product?

Typologically, through the different kinds of buildings?

• single family vs. multifamily residence

• church vs. courthouse

• library vs. stadium

Through the physics underlying technological innovation?

• post and beam

• arch

• dome

One introductory approach:

learn specialized vocabulary

Cathedral construction Skyscraper construction

Another approach: how do architects communicate

visual information about their designs?

PLAN

SECTION

Traditionally, architects drafted building plans in pencil

on blue print paper.

Scale models were a commonly used form of architectural visualization.

Today, many architects use AutoCAD or REVIT, which permits

rendering in three dimensions alongside many other features.

building typologiesClassifying the variety of architectural forms by type, for example:

Religious vs. secular

Residential vs. commercial

a third possible approach

Secular vs. religiousPalazzo Vecchio, Florence c.

1298Notre Dame de Paris

c. 1163-1250

These typologies are

remarkably durable over time.Champaign County

Courthouse, Urbana, IL, 1901 Palazzo Vecchio

cathedral type

Notre Dame de ParisNational CathedralWashington, DC

another approach is

to focus on the

physics of building

Post and lintel construction

Stonehenge

Temple of Athena

Nike

Diagram of Arch

Roman arch in

Provence

Colosseum, RomeRoman aqueduct, spanning

the Pont du Gard

dome

Filippo BRUNELLESCHI

"Duomo," Santa Maria del

Fiore, Florence, Italy

1419-1436

WATCH a video about

Brunelleschi's engineering

of this dome.

LEARN MORE about the

history of this amazing

structure.

engineering

a dome is

not an easy

proposition!

Having said all that,

we are going to try a

different approach.

Frank Gehry

(born 1929)Born in Toronto, Canada

Moved to Los Angeles at 18

Multifaceted career as truck

driver, designer, architect,

Frank Owen Gehry

in 3 works1. Gehry House, Santa Monica, 1985

2. Dancing House, Prague, 1996

3. Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA, 2003 [next class]

Gehry HouseSanta Monica, CA, 1978

Renovation of existing bungalow

House for himself and second wife

Gehry HouseSanta Monica, CA 1985

In an ordinary

neighborhood

View of front facade

Exterior at night

axonometric projection

front façade

detail of front entry

front left facade

front right facade

kitchen/dining interior

detail of kitchen window

kitchen window

living room interior

“Easy Edges” Side Chair,

1973

“Easy Edges” side chair

in Gehry’s living room

The Dancing HouseProminent location in Prague

Completed in 1996

Funded by ING with almost unlimited budget

Frank Gehry, “Dancing House” Prague, 1996

exterior view

from across the river

building in context

“Fred and Ginger”

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers

Top Hat (1935)

Exterior detail,

glass “corset”

exterior detail

exterior detail, fenestration

interior, rooftop restaurant