burda, blog post 3, iar 221

how elements of design are used at uncg. . .
Applying
space, power, experience, principles, precedent, site, order, scale, technology, surface
to the uncg campus. . .  

space. . .




For me, the space at UNCG is divided to into 3 main sections:  Learning, Pedistrian, and Parking.
The learning portion spacially takes up the largest area, signifying it's importance in my hypothesis.

 scale. . .  
   =power. . .



As the tallest building on campus, the Jackson library (background) subliminally tells the students that knowledge is power.

 precedent. . .

Uncg sets a precedent in it's security features; it's relatively closed off from the rest of the city, well lit at night, and provides round the clock transportation for anyone feeling nervous about walking to their destination.


experience. . .
principles. . . .
site. . .
order. . .


The Foust building's site is set on top of a small hill, providing a sense of grandness as an experience to all those who walk in front of it.  Adding to it's location is a great use of symmetry and order as design principals.



technology. . .

Most buildings (if not all) used modern building techniques.  Modern technology also fills most of the buildings, from nighttime securtity to lighting to computer labs.

surface. . .


Generally speaking, the surface treatments of the buildings outside are pretty plain; brick, concrete, facia board.  But inside the Witherspoon Art Museum, the sculptural treatment of this banded surface is more like a work of art.



social networking in greece. . .

Social networking seems to be unavoidable in the world today.  It's the newest form of business communication and staying connected with people that wouldn't normally remain as a part a social environment as inevitable growth and change distance us all.
Or is it?
In doing research on how social networking effects Greece, I found there is some evidence to suggest that ancient greeks were involved in social networking as well.  According to http://www.balkantravellers.com/, Greecian temples built in Sicily about 2500 years ago were all built facing east, and research suggests that this was done in order to connect Greeks living on the edge of the empire with the Greeks on the mainland.  In their article, they quote a researcher Alun Salt:
      "Ancient Greeks who lived in Sicily had their temples face the rising sun not for religious reasons, but to adhere to Greek conventions and forge a stronger bond with Greece. . . If you were a Greek living in the Greek homeland, you knew you were Greek. The Greeks in Sicily were Greeks living at the edge of their world. They may have felt they had something to prove."

The rest of the article can be found at:  http://www.balkantravellers.com/en/read/article/1644

burda, blog post 2, iar 221

circles, groves, and stacks. . .

Touring the campus in search of elements and principals of design, it seemed like connections to architectural antiquity could be found everywhere.  Here are a few photos I took demonstrating the use of the basic elements of design on campus. 

circles:

Circles provide a meeting space, a sense of community, and link us to ancient sacred sites.

With no end and no beginning, the circle is infinite.  Below, the circular pool is infinite on both horizontal and vertical planes.

On the bridge, the half circle connects us with the man made structure and draws our eye to the nature below, providing harmony and balance between the manufactured world and the natural world.



groves:

Extending vertically, columns provide a sense of strength and power.  Repetition of this element brings importance to the structure while implying solidarity.

stacks:

Visually, stacks have a wide solid base and reach for the sky.  The provide a connection between us and the heavens, subtly connecting humans with the cosmos.

reading response 3: the greek temple. . . .

burda, blog post 1, iar 221

 reading response 1 . . .

describing myself as a designer. . . .

As I consider ways to describe myself as a designer, I think of how my designs describe me.  I think of the way I handle the process of a project, from the zygote of an idea all the way to the finished product.  I feel that interlatedness between the different parts and elements of a piece has utmost importance, and I try to find ways that connect them that may not be immediatly noticable to an audience.  When successful, the effect that is created is subconscious unity. 
Our first challenge this semester was creating a new blog header using text and a hand drawn picture.  Although I actually drew this tree a few years ago, I felt to be very representitive of my ideal design process.  There is balance between nature and man-made, organic shape and straight lines.  The design idea of economy is utilized in that the shape of the tree is created by only black horizontal ink lines and their negative space. I chose a text called "onyx"  because I thought the sharp, tightly spaced vertical appearance of the text created a visual partnership with the similar horizontal lines of the drawing.
For this semester, I would like my designs to capture the ideas of economy, balance, and unity through the use basic shapes and line.