Szenina Russo
Questions and Topics for Your Blog Posting:
1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
VIDEO 1: Frank Lloyd Wright grew up in Wisconsin, growing up around nature provided this to become the center of his ideas. I thought it was interesting how he described buildings and houses, this backstory leads up to his design generation. He didn't like how there were brick on the superstructure of the houses with half windows. It bothered him that there were exact dimensions to the story of the building, walls and roof. I didn't know that he disliked the interior and exterior so much of the typical home built in the mid twentieth century as well as jazzed up houses. He didn't like attics or basements or the slanted roofs. The chimney was another feature that he wanted to altar in his designs. I thought it was interesting that the size of the doors would be fit for the average person and in scale. Frank states that he would make a house that was meant to be interior space for shelter. He used abstract forms of the natural world in his interior designs. Louis Sullivan used a much more free flow to his architecture. Frank borrowed a lot of idea from Sullivan and Henry Richardson, it seemed as though they were in favor of each others designs. They borrowed and used ideas of theory. Democracy is the center of his house with organic forms from Sullivan.
The first prairie house was made by Dwight Perkins and then Frank Wright made a house following. There is roman brick, rhythmic roofs and distinct arches. I did not know how involved Wright was involved in the community of Chicago that would spark his creativity. 1892 combined his professional life with his private life by building his studio nextdoor. Wrights homes peaked interest of business persons and the diverse identity these houses provide, they saw the logic in his designs over ornate. I absolutely adore the integrity that Wright always built with and borrowed from Sullivan. There is a very strong sense of protection in his homes, including the Wright house in Buffalo. It is a modern home, that was open, old fashioned and logical. I did not know that the fireplace was seen as sacred because of its importance. Other architects look at Sullivan and Wright long after their achievements, that their manner would be carried out. The richness is not important Wright and fellow architects.
VIDEO 2: Commercial buildings or skyscrapers are discussed when addressing issues and aspects. Contemporary cities have certain characteristics to them that are the result of urbanizing building. Apartments are sparse and hard to get, so we keep building up or adding. Value in cities go up. High rises is a result of steel and cement discoveries. The buildings are made in a practical manner concerning the substructure and superstructure. Steel or wood would be pounded into the ground to support the building or set on a large slab of concrete expansion out of the perimeters. This would have to hold the dead weight and living weight, the wind is a very tricky aspect to build with. Wind blowing at a hundred story building, it breaks up into vortexes and then can make the building rock. The joints must absorb this to avoid the building from falling. Ventilator is needed for high winds to collect data on speed and turbulence, to understand the restraints the weather may provide. Planting trees or other buildings place in certain places will avoid high winds or help this from making major issues with the superstructure.
Snow accumulation is another problem. Building around a highway has to do with avoiding polluted air. It is all about being able to live and work in an area. A smart apartment is discussed in the video of a computer connected all of the electrical parts of the house. The nervous system are all connected to a relay board that active certain inputs. The needs of a human can be answered by this system. Smart houses are really interesting and I honestly did not know how much it is able to control or dictate a humans life. Voice command is a feature that helps the elderly or people who need a fast paced life. These ideas of computers in homes are also linked to buildings or operations. Public buildings can implement computers to make life easier. The sphere is a center of artists and engineers with the use of concrete. Concrete has been around since antiquity, and now is fundamental in societies today especially in cities. Sand, lime, stones, silica, iron and water are all elements used to make different types of concrete or gypsum. Reinforced concrete is used when the superstructure is being built up, it will crack and the mortar will be contacted. Compression resistance has been challenged and modified throughout time to make concrete as indestructible as possible.
2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The text provides all of the necessary vocabulary to understand the videos There is use of diction that can make it difficult to grasp the main concepts of the videos if not understood. The text provides the fundamentals of the videos dictions and concepts for the videos. As For the Frank Lloyd Wright video, the text directly explains and references his work in relation to Louis Sullivan. Louis Sullivan’s building are made through the steel-frame construction which is a skeleton frame construction. His ornament reflects classical architecture whereas he incorporated the international style as well. The text references other forms of modern building such as suspension and cable stayed structure. The text also talks about reinforced conretethat is the mixture of cement, gravel and water mixed together. The text also directly references Wright and his background as a architect. He was known for not only domestic architecture but also commercial buildings. This section talk about both of the videos that I decided to watch. Fabric architecture could also be intertwined with the videos I watched to take concrete as a material and push it toward new technologies. That is using computers or advanced technology to aid in the design or make up of a building.
3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of Architecture?
VIDEO 1: I enjoyed the video on Frank Wright and how the narration was provided on their lives. I did not know all of the time that Wright had spent in Chicago and how his relations impacted his idea on prairie homes. It provided some information that I already knew but also aspects to his architect and his design that was new. I have taken tours of Wright’s Martin house in Buffalo but it was interesting to understand the borrowing or inspiration from other architects that made him get to where he is. This video also provided information of his background and childhood of where he grew up. It was also helpful that the buildings were explained in depth and their main purpose.
VIDEO 2: This film was educational and informative on the basics of building materials. The processes and reasoning for why builders go about a certain structure was explained. I also thought that it was important to understand and know the fundamentals of concrete. I think that it was helpful to understand not only concrete as a material alone but its contributions to buildings. Concrete is a material that has been around since antiquity, which has formed and changed throughout time. I thought that it is important to understand how the material is manipulated to fit modern times.
4. Why did you choose the films that you watched?
VIDEO 1: I decided to watch this video because I really enjoy learning about architecture and especially in Buffalo. Architecture has always peaked my interest, especially with traveling abroad. It seems that the more I got into art history, the more I became completely fascinated with it. I love to know how, why and the ideas behind a building. It becomes a work of art that has so many layers and dimensions that you just can’t get from a painting sometimes. I wanted to know more about this architect, become more informed on his style so that I would be able to discuss and understand this with others. I enjoy learning concepts in society that are related to art and how I can connect them to modern aspect to life. I think that Wright was extremely organic and modern in his thinking and this is something that I did not know prior.
VIDEO 2: I choose this video because I have taken courses that talk about concrete in the antiquity sense but not modern. I really am not as educated as I would like to be when it comes to modern building. I completely love architecture, its materials and how people have approached it throughout the ages. I choose this video to widen my knowledge about the material and apply it more to contemporary concepts. I think that the way that Romans used concrete during the Roman Empire is such a success in human history, it was interesting to understand how concrete is used for modern issues like wind or snow. I also wanted to grasp the idea of how builders go about tall concrete skyscrapers.
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