Road Trip

This drawing shows the plan view which would be considered the root, which then leads to the room itself.

Architecture has many roots. However, in class when designing something or working on a project it often leads to different other projects. The different projects can be considered a root from the other main root. For example Massey talks about how “Andre Groult and Paul Iribe” used the inspiration of past French models to create a new style.” (Massey 74) The past French model would be considered the root from where they can get different characteristics to design the new model.

These drawing show duality of light were they are both congruent but certain characteristics such as the place of color is different.

Congruence is the state of being similar and the state of agreeing. With these two meanings you can easily relate it to drafting class. We are often asked to duplicate things that when redrawn to scale it is congruent to the actual room. When you look at things this way you can see the congruence they have. Roth talks about congruence as two buildings having the same characteristics. We see how Mies, who was put in charge exhibits combines the same characteristics in both buildings that he is working on. “ The two buildings are much the same in their free organization of space.”(Roth 527) We see that since he is designing two places at one he uses congruencies between both to combine and perhaps make it easier for him.

This is a thumbnail drawing of part of my project where you get the concept of where light comes from and shadow is created.

The main idea or main point of something is considered the concept. When you think about what you are planning on doing it is always important to have one main idea that will make all the other ideas evolve from that. For example we are working on a project in studio class that is centered on light. The concept here is showing light in two different ways where you demonstrate duality throughout your design. In my design, I decided to use a transparent paper as well as the gaps between each gap to allow light. Another example of a concept would be in modern architecture. Here we see how during the nineteenth century Hegel and Jacob come up with a concept stating, “history evolves as the result of an inner spiritual necessity.” (Roth 519) Then we see how other philosophers would add to this concept. By doing this they eventually build up history by creating their own thoughts and ideas. Later we see how people also take other peoples concepts or thoughts. For example, when Mies, moves to Behrens office he “absorbed the concept of the artist as the agent of the taste of the age, and of architecture being an expression of technical power.”(Roth 526) By taking in other peoples concepts we see how they can gain appreciation for certain things.


I decided to post this drawing of the Chrysler Building to show the intricate details it has and the metal material that was used in it. The Chrysler Building is built after the Chrysler Automobiles, so the material is similar


In designing material has a major influence. For example you have to know what kind of material you will be working on before you decided what to do. In class we are often required to work with different materials from paper to wood. This shows that there is a variety of material we can use for different things. However, what material you design to build with influences the overall appearance of your structure. For example, when going to Fallingwater it impacted me to know that Wright only used for different types of material, sandstone, reinforced concrete, steel and glass. It impacts me how he used each different material not just for looks but also for a purpose. Glass was used to let light shine through, Stone to make it fit the landscape where it would look as if rock was coming up from the ground, concrete to make the leafs blend in and steel, which was painted red, to remind people of the red color of iron ore. So from this we see that material is used in several ways. Just like Wright used material to symbolize different things Mendelsohn also did the same thing. After mendelsohn drawing different thumbnail sketches we see that after choosing his design to create a “boldly molded building” they build it of “ reinforced concrete, the material that for Mendelsohn symbolized the potential of the new century.” (Roth 535)

I decided to put this composition of several drawings of Fallingwater that are compressed into one sheet of 18x24 bond paper.

There are many ways of seeing compression. However, one way I see compression is with compressing data. In perception communication class we are working on making a composition of Fallingwater. In this project we are to compress different views of the building in one sheet of 18x24 paper. By compressing all this data we are giving people the opportunity to take in this information by composing it as a whole. I feel that when you compress information it would be more difficult to understand but you can have as much information as you need on there. In a building such as the Notre-Dame-du-Haut the curves can make it look more compressed. “When seen from outside, the curves seem to open out toward the landscape, but when experienced from within, they give a sense of compression and containment.”(Roth 551) Here we see how certain things can create an illusion and make things seem more together.

Overall Architecture came from one place in particular. However eventually it starts spreading different roots to form different concepts that overtime create congruencies. Many different building are duplicated in some kind of way except that many times different materials are used throughout the different buildings. Many times the designs on the buildings are compressed to make it look better.