The Dining Experience: A Project

Our design of a dining space was based on several parameters. We were using our dining room table that we modeled the previous week in our design. The dining room table I selected was:

We then had to choose one of four floor plans. I chose 'D' (seen below) for several reasons. First, my table was on the smaller side, only sitting two comfortably. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to choose a room in which the table would not get lost. I also felt like taking on the challenge of plan D in it's square-ness. In addition, two walls were covered mostly with windows or a double door, and I thought this could also prove an interesting challenge.

I then used my original dining space experience collage (see below) as my initial inspiration for the space. I created a client in my mind: an older, art collecting couple that is home mostly in the evenings and lives in an urban area. And I eventually worked my way to the concept of layering as a strategy for my design. I considered layering in both the dining experience and in the textures and details that I chose to incorporate in my space.

Additionally, we had to choose a painting from the Weatherspoon Museum on campus to incorporate into our space. I eventually decided on three different Matisse works: 2 sketches and 1 painting.

Additionally, we needed to have chairs in mind to work with our table. I decided on two orange, leather Parson chairs from Crate and Barrel:

 I started with a few sketches of the space, and then made two smaller sketch models (seen below posing with my bowtie wearing scale figure).

From the smaller sketches and models, I begun to get a better sense of the space in a three-dimensional form, and, after tweaking a few pieces (changed my sideboard, removed a sculpture, added a fireplace, reconfigured the doors) I decided to launch into the full-scale 1":1' model to begin resolving a sense of space and texture.

Here we have 4 elevations and a revised floorplan for a better sense of space:

From above, this is the plan view, now in a three dimensional scale:

Additional views:

A closer look at the fireplace, sideboard, and table in the space:

For the ceiling, darker wooden beams cross the room North to South, while smaller, white painted wooden slats cross the ceiling East to West:

And from the floor level, a few images for better understanding a sense of the scale:

Project 4: Ravenna Plan and Section

For this project, we were given a floorplan of the Ravenna Baptistry, which we used to determine the section. My completed versions can be seen below:

A Closeup of Fabric [A3]

Similar to our Wood 12x12, we also made a similar one detailing fabric, as seen below:

A Scaled Dining Table Model

Working with a 1":1' scale, we created a model of a dining room table from our 30x30 dining room table board from the first few weeks of school. My inspiration was this table:

Judith Miller, Furniture

This sketch is from the 30x30 board with dimensions given:

And finally, several images of my completed table:

RR7: Escaping to the Escorial

As we move into the 16th century, Spain takes the stronghold of Europe with its extensive territories across the continent and westward to the new Americas. Relatively new as a powerhouse, the empire needed a central capital, which was created by King Phillip II in 1562, 45 minutes north of Madrid in the Guadarrama Mountains. This expansive palace complex (seen below) was built in the countryside, away from major cities.

http://www.spainthisway.com/images/places/el-escorial.jpg

Philip II was "a deeply religious king and a fierce advocate of Catholicism, and designed his palace in the form of a monastery to symbolize the strength of his faith" (Ching, pg 530). Interestingly, the current trend across Europe at the time was towards classical Roman and Greek ideals infused with grandeur and ornamentation. This palace in many ways was designed as the antithesis of such, to mirror Phillip II's faith. A closeup of the exterior is below.

http://www.artisansofleisuretraveler.com/photos/El_Escorial.gif

A look at the plan of El Escorial will reveal geometric forms and a strong central axis, with the church and dome in the center. The palace gardens and courtyards are specifically incorporated into the design to form the larger square footprint (seen below).

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdTCsBQz4ojUgKThTw8wI77NqVCNgeZvJRjdt0EonpBVtTQnflYCNKM-THvJIYPAFK6QGw9JLrj4cIO-HuVsY3NBNRoOIFu_tAeK6ar20WK2xDxpDw4wQ2UOpajQLpkSTYcXQCyJT-K66/s1600/el-escorial-map.jpg

El Escorial has multiple functions, including:
- royal chambers
- monastery
- library
- church
- mortuary for Spanish kings

http://www.spain-holiday.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/royal-library-el-escorial.jpg

 The library (above) and the mortuary for Spanish kings (below).

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqjMcNIxw5I4o1_CM0V2y_Mf7gvBOCZQdziXg5mrsHBfgRJm_fPhwCy4oengqjbRFeloJ6MFHDoBjawrJH_qmRj09m0VEYqzdGxvYCq5B7FER4oMEud7XiZ1l2HvNomYMUcEEiCOhyU0/s1600/ElEscTomb.jpg

 Perhaps what I find most interesting about El Escorial is its monstrous size and, in my opinion, missed intent. One of the constant themes in the history of architecture and design is that size matters, however I would argue that it does not matter how large your building is if the majority of those to whom you are trying to persuade are too far away to see it. Unlike most other palace centers of its time, this is removed from the people, up in the mountains. While this remote situation undoubtedly reflected its chief patron's personality, I find that the lesson I take from this enormous complex is to make sure you know who and where your audience is. Interestingly, Spain begins to fall from power not long after this palace is built, and is rarely visited today except by tourists.

DA2: Travel (Coffee Mug) Reverberations

BP6 & 7: Gothic Cathedrals

This week we discussed the era of Gothic cathedrals. Team Indigo was given Cologne Cathedral to explore and compare to Amiens, Duomo, and Salisbury: