Week 6 - Creation of a Place

    This week in class we presented our created places for the first time. It was a day of realizing mistakes, where most of us discovered how many rules we broke and all of the things we could have done better. However, it was certainly a time of learning. Not only did I learn which constraints I failed to fulfill, but I learned a good amount about design. We did a great job of discussing how a place implies ideas, and really focused on the different axes of the building and the implied sense of flow.

    When it comes to my place in particular, I had a vision in mind, but realized afterwards that the idea did not work. I was picturing a theater, but due to the constraints, my design would not work. Also, as discussed in class, we should not be focusing on what the place is, but instead simply on the place itself. For the next presentation, I will certainly be making some changes.

Week 6 - The Erlanger House

    This week we took a trip to the Erlanger House, over in Urbana on Indiana Avenue. I've been to the house before, but it is always interesting to check the place out. It's not your conventional home, and the front is actually a brick wall, as seen above. The crazy thing is that this house is across the street from a lovely park, and I think most people would want plenty of windows in front to see the park. However, the Erlanger House has privacy, and it's own set of nature. Inside that brick chamber is actually a courtyard, and there are plenty of plants and animals in the courtyard and back yard when the weather is nice enough.
    However, the privacy is not what makes the home. The home has hard brick walls, and symmetry throughout. The house is incredibly minimal, hiding away utilities, the refrigerator, and even wall switches and outlets. The house also has a dance floor, and is very open. While this makes the place great for entertaining, I personally feel it lacks coziness and a sense of being a home. I would not want to live there if it was up to me.
    Overall, in an architectural viewpoint, the house is very well done. It's well planned, and certainly achieved what Mrs. Erlanger wanted in a home. She had privacy, elegance, and a place to entertain. The place is certainly a unique and cool place to check out.

Week 5 - Raise the Roof

    This week we took a tour through some of the campus buildings, looking at Huff Hall, the Armory, and the Football Training Center. We focused on the methods used to hold up the massive ceilings these buildings have.

    First up was Huff Hall. It does a great job of having many trusses that lead into one another, creating almost a web that supports the roof. The largest flaw with this gym was the multiple pillars in the stands, which block the view of events from the seats at times. We next looked at the Armory, as pictured. The ceiling is a surprisingly beautiful set of arching trusses, which come all the way from the ground up until a single point where they are held together by a single peg. The armory has never really struck me as too visually appealing, but I really could appreciate the inner track area here. Last we looked at the Training Center. This was interesting because the trusses run long ways across the building, and then secondary supports run the shorter path. Since the building was kept small enough, this was a cost effective way to make sure the roof was high enough for sports to be played inside.

Week 4 - Threshold

    This class session we discussed thresholds, and everyone had to bring in a threshold that they made, whether it was a model, a drawing, or a poem. I took a twist with the assignment, and did a threshold that relates to me. Since I am a Computer Science major and work with a lot of different software, I made a website. Websites have many thresholds in them, with one of the biggest forms being links to other pages. For this reason, I made a page that lets you choose between architecture and computer science, bringing you to a site about either one. My site can be found here: http://sapatostudios.com/threshold/

    Of the other projects, a few interested me in different ways. The drawbridge was very cool, since it really did function and could be raised or lowered. Also, I enjoyed the horse race bets, as it was an unconventional threshold, similar to my project. It will be interesting to finish up the rest of the thresholds and see what else is out there.

Week 4 - Mechanical Systems Tour

    This week we stayed right in the building, Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, and looked at our own mechanical systems. It's interesting because we don't heat or cool ourselves with gas or electricity, but instead use steam provided by Abbott Power Plant. This is actually common for most buildings on campus.
    When it comes to the specifics of Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, there are two lower floors that contain a lot of the mechanical systems. However, we were not able to get access down there. Surprisingly, we still we able to see a lot and discuss many things. As you can see in the picture above, if you look into the windows, there are large ducts that carry air throughout the building. Temple Hoyne Buell Hall is interesting because it does not try to disguise or hide its inner workings. You can easily see the large air ducts, but also you can see water lines, electricity, and roof drains throughout the building.
    On this tour, I learned a lot about functional design and the many things that you need to worry about when creating a large building. You don't tend to think about the mechanics of a large building, and usually instead notice the aesthetic design and the grand space. It's interesting to notice how they designed the building's air flow, and where to supply and where to return air. Even the way that the air ducts have to have pathways through the building, so there is that extra height on the building where they run, and then there are cut outs in the internal windows and walls for everything to run through. Overall, the building and the tour really help you notice how much work goes into a large building.

Week 3 - Krannert Tour

    This class we took a tour of the Krannert Center. I actually took a tour last year through Krannert, and this was basically the same tour, as we followed the same route and covered many of the same things. However, Krannert is certainly a world that I do not normally visit, so it was nice to check out what was happening throughout the building.

    We gathered in the huge atrium there, and met multiple employees and students there, all who are very welcoming. Everything there is pleasant, including checking our coats and them joking about how they will defend them. We were not able to get into all of the theaters, but we were able to view a few and discuss the specialties and attention to details of each. We also traveled down into the behind-the-scenes levels of the building, checking out the hustle of the wood shop, wardrobe, and class rooms.  

    So what did I take away from this tour, and what architectural notes do I have? I noticed that Krannert is built in both functionality and aesthetics. The building does not have a particularly notable exterior, but really shines once you get inside. The theaters are elegant and well taken care of, and it really is interesting how when a guest walks in, you simply notice the theaters and head on in. Only if you catch an elevator or head down the stairs do you see the industrial and functional design, and see how much work is really occurring. It's incredible how much goes on behind the scenes that you never notice. Another part of Krannert that interests me is the vast lobby area. We were told that it is 1.5 acres, or 9 tennis courts of space. It allows every show to be sold out and still be able to support everyone being in the lobby. Last, the attention to detail caught my eye. Materials were hand picked by the Krannerts when they donated the funds, and the acoustics and design was clearly thought out.

Week 3 - The Column Hunt

This week we needed to hunt down the five types of columns listed on our course website. Here's my findings. I decided on the "thumbs up" approach because to include myself hugging the column in the photo meant you couldn't see the column too much.

Doric

This column was a decorative piece on the West side of the Main Quad.

Ionic

This column was from the English building on the Main Quad.

Corinthian

This one was on the South side of Gregory Hall.

Tuscan

This one was taken at Grainger Library, on the Engineering Quad.

Composite

Lastly, this column was at the Natural Resources Building, on the South end of campus.