walls_screens

Here I am exploring the role of a wall as providing physical separation but not visual privacy. I think has very pertinent programmatic implications when designing an interior.

Walls_yellow&white

Walls_sandbeck and others

Walls_intro

In general people think of walls as a piece of upright construction that divides one space into two or more spaces. This “wall” surface is continuous except when pierced by doors, windows, etc. However, is the purpose of a wall solely to separate and divide or is its function greater and more varied. This prompted me to look at the physical makeup of "walls" and their role in shaping interior spaces. However several dichotomies emerged that force me to pause and revaluate what i know as a "wall."

Plane or Volume?

Negative vs Positive space?

One room or Two rooms?

The walls content? or The contents on the wall?

Can a wall be Art?

The following posts are a serious of classifactions I discovered in my analysis of walls

Shower Study

“Taking a shower is simultaneously a conscious and subconscious action. We wash our hair, face and body in generally the same fashion and routine from day to day. And it is this pattern that allows the shower to become more than a physical act. Your mind can travel anywhere in the shower, making each one an entirely unique experience.”

These images depict both our movement within the confines of a shower stall (5’x3’) as well as the transient nature of the event. We twist, turn, bend, reach, rub and rinse in a small space without feeling claustrophobic. The shower is a temporal space and our emotional and physical connection to this space are intimate.

thesis question

I'm not sure my thesis can address this, but while reading about film history, I have been thinking about what it means in this era to feel like one is a part of the film. How is it different from watching films in the 20's, 30's, 40's, etc? It seems as though previously, being a part of the collective experience of going to the movie and being a spectator was satisfying enough connection to the film. Now, merely watching a film is not enough. Being a part of a film, whether through acting, directing, producing, etc. is now the goal. We see this through the millions of videos on You Tube, all easily made and uploaded by the powerful technology that everyone posseses on their computers, cell phones, and digital cameras. But I also don't just think its about technology. The exhibition of a movie has always been seen as a commercial endeavor. This is increasingly the case. We cannot help but hear about box-office gross or view commercials before a screening. And we pay way too much for popcorn. This is all a turn-off. Film production, distinct from film exhibition, is still considered art. It still manages to feel disconnected from the commodifications of movies. In general I'm interested in any ideas people may have on what distinguishes participating in the movies now from participating in them in previous eras.

Assignment 1

Most people think that a vehicle is mainly used for transportation, but my car is much more than that. Beyond providing the freedom of driving, the space between the driver’s seat and the windshield is…

a Dining Area where I eat my breakfast and dinner every Tuesday.
a Conference Room where I can speak in person or on a “teleconference”
a Think tank where I generate ideas or obsess over situations
a Rehearsal room where I practice my singing and occasionally dance, but only while in traffic
a Dressing room when I need to apply make up or a quick wardrobe change
a Guest room for when I have to take a brief nap during a trip
an Exercise in anger management when I’m stuck in traffic
a Television that only plays scenic programs
a Welcoming Friend, at the end of a long day, ready to take me home

There is a series of dotted lines in the driver's seat showing the range of motion I have, depending on the tasks mentioned.

Urban Windows: Views into People's Private Lives

Window placement and size is very important, especially in urban residences. Too large a window (without window treatments) and there is no privacy or too small a window and the space feels like a cave. The floor on which the window is situated also controls the view. In a street level apartment, privacy or safety is more of an issue with people walking by, so there usually are iron bars or curtains.
What all windows have in common is that they frame a view. Most windows are an invisible barrier that allows people to look from the inside out as well as from the outside in. In urban settings the views usually include other buildings with windows into other apartments. Apartment building windows can create a movie like setting where you can watch the daily happening of strangers. Some people choose to add window treatments to gain privacy, while some don’t mind providing entertainment for interlopers.

Missing the Floor

Lately I have been pondering floors endlessly. It began by constantly thinking about the floor in my apartment. The floor is one of the six planes separating my studio from the rest of the spaces in townhouse where I live. But for the past six months it might as well have not existed. I can see it. I can touch it. But since renovations have been completed in the space directly under my apartment, and the room has been opened up for use by the family and their guest (parents, three noisy kids under 5, relatives, construction workers, etc.) there has been zero audio privacy. I can hear everything that they say and everything they do that makes any noise. The floor, at least in regards to one of its primary purposes, has become obsolete.

What do we expect from a floor? It needs to hold up a certain load without failing. We expect our floors to be stable. We expect them to feel solid and secure. For me opacity supports this function. I recently went to the Issey Miyake store for my studio class. The floor in the center of the showroom is wood, but the perimeter of the space is transparent. The beams, then the basement level, are visible below. I always take my first steps very tentatively on the transparent area. My own hesitance reminds me of my dog refusing to walk over the subway grate or the “Visual Cliff” study in psychology classes when crawling babies will circumvent a glass floor.

I react with more trepidation to the Apple store in Soho. I am not sure if stairs are essentially the same thing as floors but the central transparent floating stairs make me feel weak. And the floor of the Pratt library, made of glass blocks, brings in lovely light but also feels insecure. Same goes for the Main Hall of the Brooklyn Museum of Art. All of these floors are structurally stable, but don’t feel that way. They look like they are floating, and seem to make one feel as if they are hovering as well.

sound and space

Esther and Antigone, especially, should take a look at this but i think all will find it interesting.

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/episodes/2007/02/22

Assign 2

The Door Knob

I guess with this investigation I am interested in exploring the physical connection with the built-environment. And what are other implications...in relationship to space & time.

"The door handle is the handshake of the buildig. The tactile sense connects us with time and tradition; through marks of touch we shake the hands of countless generation."
- Juhani Pallasmaa

With this assignment...I have a harder time with producing measured diagram and/or visual documentation. I would appreciate any input. Thanx!

Assign 1 - Sound and Space

Sound and Space

Jetlag introduces an unconstraint lifestyle that departs from the routine of daily living and the rhythm of the city. My irregular sleeping patterns make those initial moments of awakening extremely disorientating. When my eyes are still struggling to open, I lie still in my bed and listen…

I listen to the rumbling engines of the on-going traffic.

I listen to people chatting waking on the sidewalks.

I listen to the couple arguing at the corner.

I listen to the siren that slowly disintegrates at a distance.

I listen to the howling of the forceful wind.

I listen to the window banging on the window sill.

Then, I know that I am in my room… in Brooklyn. These are the sounds of New York.

In the absence of the morning sounds…

I listen to the once annoying, now familiar, subtle ticking sounds generated by the pest repellent device that I had purchased out of my fear of the more annoying.
I listen to the humming of my little portable heater.

Then, I know that I am in my room… in Brooklyn. These are also the sound of New York.

In those few moments that I am in limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness, those sounds help me to locate myself in the bed…in the room…in the city…in the world.

The world speaks to me. The world interacts with me even though I am still in my bed. If I listen carefully, it will also tell me what time it is, and perhaps much more.

Sound and Identity

In Species of Spaces and Other Pieces, Georges Perec poses the question “When, in a given bedroom, you change the position of the bed, can you say you are changing the rooms, or else what?” I do not think so.

What gives a room its characteristics is beyond its furnishings. Its identity encompasses much more than the visual cues. Therefore, I have decided to document my apartment in Brooklyn through sound. I tape recorded the sound in my apartment.

Two drawings are my intrepretation of the recording.

Narratives and short-cuts

here is a project in dessau Germany houses a federal government agency. But what stuck me was the design and how it relates to my idea of having longer "narrative" experiences along with "short-cuts" or more direct routes to functions. The plan shows the long sinous curve of the building intersperesed with orthagonal lines to make more direct paths. I think the photos are self-explanatory but I wanted to share these findings with you.

lonely planet guide to my apartment

Found this article in an old New Yorker. Thought it related to our first close-analysis-of-a-space assignment. Funny way that the writer breaks down program of his own apartment.

http://www.newyorker.com/shouts/content/articles/060424sh_shouts

New Housing Concepts book (Pratt Library)

I found a good book at the Pratt library titled, New Housing Concepts. Sara, I think this will be useful for you as well. I scanned the intro, but Im not sure if there is a way to zoom in on the image to read it. (The book is a one day loaner, and I didn't take it out, so it should still be there).

query about program

Before Tuesday, please post a question (or question) that you would like to address through the work of your thesis.

new posts

I would like to see posts from ALL of you from the first two exercises:

at least one diagram (or set of diagrams) from the close description of a place.
a series of examples (or the diagrams) of the selected deisgn element you chose to analyze.

Include an edited version of your written text to summarize or explain the visuals.

For the program research, post visuals (your drawings or others).

Design Through the Ages - Keeping Age in Mind as You Design

I came across this article that I thought could be useful to Brad. It's from the Fall 2005 issue of Icon magazine (The New Hospitality) and unfortunately I can't find it online. Brad, I will scan/email it to you and would be happy to email it to anyone else who is interested. The article gives an overview of design for the following age groups: The Childhood Years, Early Adulthood, The Middle Years & Old Age (Those are the sub headings in the article). It hits on a little bit of everything from residential, play and workplace environments and discusses things to consider when designing for different age groups.

Interesting Idea for a Site

Not sure that I would fully understand the cultural needs of the region though.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/arts/design/22hous.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin

How big is too big?

To me, a project this large could never foster a sense of community even though it is proposed as one complex? So, the question is how big is too big?
State Approves Major Complex For Brooklyn

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: December 21, 2006
A state oversight board voted yesterday to approve the Atlantic Yards project near Downtown Brooklyn, removing the last regulatory hurdle for one of the biggest real estate projects in the city's history.
The vote by the Public Authorities Control Board capped three years of battles between opponents and supporters of the $4 billion project. The version approved yesterday -- eight million square feet over 22 acres along Atlantic Avenue -- includes a huge residential housing complex with about 6,400 market-rate and subsidized apartments, a basketball arena for the Nets, and a smattering of office space, with a design punctuated by elaborate towers that dwarf nearby residential neighborhoods.
The approval of Atlantic Yards, which would be built by Forest City Ratner Companies, came after several other ambitious development projects in New York City -- like a West Side football stadium and the Moynihan Station, both in Manhattan -- were rejected or stalled by community opposition and political rivalry. Atlantic Yards still faces two lawsuits, with more probably on the way, but Forest City officials say they are confident that they will prevail in court.
Yesterday's vote followed days of intense negotiation between officials at the Empire State Development Corporation, which is overseeing the project, and aides to Sheldon Silver, the speaker of the State Assembly, who has one of three votes on the control board. Gov. George E. Pataki and Joseph L. Bruno, the State Senate leader, control the other two votes on the board, which must vote unanimously for a project to be approved.
In recent days, Mr. Silver expressed concerns about the financing of Atlantic Yards. But on Tuesday, the development corporation provided his staff with a detailed accounting of about $554 million in infrastructure costs, of which $200 million will be paid for by the city and state, and a full analysis of the project's expected tax revenues, which the development corporation recently revised downward by about one-third.
As yesterday's vote approached, Forest City also offered new concessions to sweeten the deal. At least 200 of the market-rate condominiums will be subsidized and made affordable to first-time homeowners, and Forest City agreed to spend $3 million to improve parks near the development.
The developer also agreed to shrink considerably the complex's highest tower -- the 620-foot building called Miss Brooklyn by the project's architect, Frank Gehry -- so that it will be shorter than the nearby Williamsburgh Savings Bank, Brooklyn's tallest building at 512 feet. But critics said the changes were far too modest to allay their concerns over the project's size and scale.
''The changes are positive, but they're small,'' said Assemblyman James F. Brennan of Brooklyn, who with several colleagues had pushed for a much larger reduction in the project's density.
Mr. Silver said yesterday that he was certain that more changes would be forthcoming next year. But in the end, he rejected calls to delay the approval vote, a testament in part to the unusually broad base of support Forest City built for the project, including Mr. Pataki, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, dozens of unions and elected officials, and Acorn, the advocacy group for low-income people.
The project sparked an energetic and determined opposition, centered around the group Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn and elected officials who expressed concerns about traffic in the already congested area and the project's impact on the low-rise neighborhoods nearby, including Park Slope and Fort Greene. But the critics lacked the resources for a protracted battle against Forest City, which spent millions of dollars on lobbying, direct mail and public relations.
Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy and a plaintiff in one of the lawsuits against the project, vowed yesterday to stop it in the courts.
''The federal eminent domain lawsuit brought by citizens protecting their constitutional rights is rock-solid, and without those plaintiffs' properties, Atlantic Yards as we know it cannot be built,'' Mr. Goldstein said.
Since the project was proposed three years ago, Forest City has worked to dampen opposition and build support in Brooklyn and beyond. (Forest City Ratner is also the development partner in building a new Midtown headquarters for The New York Times Company.)
A once-sizable chunk of office space was given over to yet more apartments, to woo Brooklynites eager for housing, and to allay potential concerns by Mr. Silver that the project would compete with commercial properties in the speaker's Lower Manhattan district.
On paper, the project grew to a peak of more than nine million square feet, before shrinking back to the roughly eight million square feet originally planned -- a decrease that did little to mollify those residents and officials who said that the project had been far too big and dense from the beginning.
The developer has yet to divulge precisely how much money it will make on the project. But Mr. Silver yesterday played down concerns that the developers were using public subsidies to generate excessive private profits, noting that the board's official review powers were limited to vetting the state's contribution to the infrastructure costs.
''Our role is not to measure the profits that the private investors will make,'' Mr. Silver said yesterday. ''Our role is to make sure that state liability on the project will be limited to what they say it will be. And we were satisfied about that, plain and simple.''
According to a KPMG audit commissioned by the Empire State Development Corporation, a copy of which was provided to The New York Times, Forest City estimated that the overall rate of return on the $4 billion project, excluding the arena, at about 10 percent over 30 years. The accounting firm estimated the return at about 7 percent.
In a statement, Governor Pataki praised the vote, saying that now ''we can build critically needed housing including affordable housing, new community facilities, grand open spaces and increase economic development all across Brooklyn.''
Opponents of the project strongly criticized yesterday's decision.
''From the beginning, the project has been a public-private partnership in which the public has not been represented,'' said Kent Barwick, president of the Municipal Art Society, part of a coalition of civic groups known as Brooklyn Speaks that had urged Mr. Silver to delay the project. ''The vote today reflected a process that simply did not allow New Yorkers to shape the project, and the result is a plan that will not work for Brooklyn.''

Programming Question

Since cohousing is about community involvement from conception to realization, I would love to know your thoughts. You can be my preliminary clients. Specifically, if I target our demographic (25-40), what communal activities would you want? What communal activities would you not want? Would you want to live in a community that allows children? What about a community that has another agenda like sustainable living, arts, etc? Food for thought...The Danish models that I looked at were so successful because the Danes are more or less a homogeneous group. They share many cultural traditions and ideals. That is not the case in the US. We are a diverse population. How do I address that? What are your thoughts?

lecture tomorrow

February 22, 2007
12:00 pm-1:30 pm
Hoffmann’s Sitzmaschine vs. the Eames Lounge Chair
The Rubelle and Norman Schafler Gallery
A historic journey through the symbolic meaning of sitting furniture in Europe and America
by Katarina V. Posch, Ph. D., Associate Professor, History and Theory of Design, Pratt Institute

Tiny Houses

Here is a link to an article from the NYT about the rise of tiny houses. JENNIFER i thought this was particularly approriate for you. It speaks about implications of contrained proportions in a variety of ways including the issue of sustainability. Enjoy, and I hope it helps!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/16/realestate/greathomes/16tiny.html?ex=1329368400&en=15d48cc6ae034090&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

The Measured

I just finished reading an article on 'an Architecture of the Seven Senses' written by Juhani Pallasmaa.

There is an interesting quote that Gaston Bachelard wrote in regards to the strength of bodily memory...which I find relevant to Anita's instruction for us to 'measure.'

"The word habit is too worn an word to express this passionate liaison of our bodies, which do not forget, with an unforgettable house."

Pallasmmaa follows by saying "As we open a door, our body weight meets the weight of the door; our legs measure the steps as we ascend a stair, our hand strokes the handrail and our entire body moves digaonally and dramatically through space."

A very interesting article that gave me alot of inspiration for my research interest in sensory design.

In the end Pallasmaa concludes that "All experience imples the acts of recollecting, remembering and comparing."

I came across an art installation from 1992 by sculptor Winifred Lutz in the Cranbrook Academy of Art museum, Michigan. (Source Interior Design Magazine Sept 1992)

2400 Mexican beach pebbles, suspended just above the floor on a forest of jute twine, repeating the pattern of the ceiling.

This installation trigers my memory of Lexiei's investigation about the floor and ceiling (...and also Brad's wall investigation.) I think that Lutz wonderfully addressed and connected these two plans in a minimal fashion.

american folk art museum

just visited folk art museum, next to the moma. the folk art museum, unlike its pristine rectilinear giant neighbor, feels intimate and complementary to the art displayed in it. it's just a gem of a space, and i would definitely recommend visiting it. the space allows the visitor to perceive/feel the hand that made it.
www.folkartmuseum.org

a thesis idea

anita has already seen this but i'm posting my thesis idea du jour for everyone to view/comment, etc.
the urban retreat
talk therapy, individual and in groups, art therapy (a hands-on workshop?), dance/movement "therapy" (aka exercise) and meditation under one roof. emphasis on the tactile and the kinesthetic. (perhaps talk therapy can literally lift itself up from the eames lounge and ottoman, which seems to be most psychiatrists' graduation present, and can involve walks, or a more kinesthetic, or different, enriched, experience). the kinds of things in other words that one can get, at a premium price, by going to a countryside retreat of this sort, but this time in manhattan. therapy with a sense of community. what i am interested in is a space where i can tackle my problems in a variety of ways, individually or in groups. i am also interested in what is private and what is public, transitional spaces, and (this might sound facile) nature in an urban setting(just visited the ford foundation). justification for program: many people in manhattan have a therapist and a gym, though not at the same place. the proliferation of spas brings taking care of the body/mind to the forefront. tranquility and relaxation are sought after and commodified. but it's sort of a passive way of achieving tranquility and relaxation, if this makes any sense. and i am not interested in designing yet another spa in a traditional way. or a gym, for that matter.
i was watching riding giants the other day, a documentary about big-wave surfing, and this doctor was talking about how surfing, like terminal illness, was a transformative experience. but does transformation have to be either an adrenaline-laden extreme sport or the tragedy of coming to terms with death? what if transformation came about one hour at a time by doing, making, working out, or talking? i am advocating incremental, and sustainable, positive transformation, and i would like to investigate a typology of space that would make this possible. how can architecture and healing come together? how can architecture be a container for healing? conversely, how can healing help shape a transformative architecture?

OPPPS

sorry guys i had an incorrect address its
SEAN KELLY
528 West 29th street
bet 10th and 11th ave
212-239-1181

Antony mcCall exhibition is AMAZING

Hey all,
So I went to some galleries in Chelsea today some wof which were good, some great, but by far the most fascinating was the Anthony McCall exhibition at Sean Pkelly gallery. He creates space using light. its very architectural in a completely abstract way. there are drawings and photos (see image) to support the light installation. YOU ALL SHOULD GO. Particularly you LEXIE, as i think there is a strong connection to film. Ive never experienced light in this way, and id love to talk about it in class. Sean Kelly is located at 528 E 24th Street bet 10th and 11th ave.

Posting Program

Please post your ideas and references on your program. Find a viusal narrative: a photo, a painting, a film clip etc., that relates. Diagram the spatial relations in this narrative.