Figure+Arrangement+Mode=Form+Space+Style

http://www.intute.ac.uk/images/Stonehenge
The foundation of architecture relies on commodity, firmness, and delight. Humans first dwelings made of bone and animal skins have not stood the test of time, so it is hard to tell what utility they had for buildings besides shelter. But others have, like Stonehenge, and despite being surprisingly sophiscated still elude us on its purpose. Why do we still look at these buildings if they hold no meaning to us? We still look for answers because "architecture is shelter, but it is also symbol and a form of communication...the crystallization of ideas, a physical representation of human thought and aspiration, a record of the beliefs and values of the culture that produces it." (Roth 159) The Pyramids of Giza are 4,500 years old and besides being pilfered over the centuries, are considered one of the wonders of the world.Their commitment to Firmness shows that "the Egyptians valued bigness, mass, and solidity as the expression of duraility, a guarantee of unlimited security and indestructibility." (Roth 210) Because of the way religion was stressed into everyday life, every Egyptian's goal was to adher to the principal of "ma'at" which "combines aspects of truth, justice, order, stability, security, a cosmic order of harmony, a created and an inherited rightness." (Roth 192) This is also reflected in their building style, "the Egyptians never stepped back from the architectural object, never studied it reflectively as an abstract things, because, as E.B. Smith recognized, "they saw not the stone but the symbol." (Roth 210)

This semester we are working with a lot of new materials. Pat's chair is being made with chipboard, which is supposed to represent MDF (a cheap but sturdy wood, satisfies commodity and firmness but perhaps lacking on the delight). Suzanne is teaching us how to use watercolors as a medium in our drawings, which we practiced on drawings of our story artifact. In history and design we covered chapters that explore how architecture came to be and evolved from the materials in their environment. Ancient civilizations erected behomith stone post and lintel sites, towering pyramids and ziggurat temples...etc. Firmness was extremely valued and served as a form of delight, since "monumental architecture in stone was invented for more symbolic ritual structures" (Roth 168) during a time when religion was so tightly integrated into everyday life. As science progressed the Romans discovered concrete (and later reinforced concrete) which gave them more flexibility in the designs of their buildings, especially large buildings, with the help of the arch and dome.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2008/03/080328104302-large.jpg
Every society breeds their own original idioms, have stood the test of time but no longer make sense to us. Places like Stonehenge, Lascaux and the Egyptian hieroglyphics are idiomatic because their sense of commodity is lost--we are aware of their sacredness but are unsure of why. Each of our influential predecessors also developed their own sense of style (the Greeks with their columns, the Egyptians with their pyramids) Although Egypt seems very foreign to us it "is where Western architecture begins," (Roth 188) being the first to use the post and lintel system.

Several theories have been articulated to illuminate the purposes behind these mysterious buildings, for instance ancient pagan rituals were influenced heavily by astronomy, so Stonehenge is hypothesized to be some sort of sundial, or shoutout to whoever is watching in space. But for the most part buildings have shed light on what was important to the people that built them. The Pyramids at Giza built for the Pharoahs with all of their belongings and riches buried with them tells us a lot about their views on religion and outlook on life because "its greatest remnants are buildings dedicated to funerary practices, its pyramids serving as man-made mountains of burial, its temple lining the Nile with endless repritions of column after column, of court and chamber leading to yet more courts and chambers. It is an architecture of great mass and monotonous regularity." (Roth 188) These temples and tombs were so important because "things were never as good as they had been at the time of creation...that had been a golden age, where the gods inhabited the earth...the ideal world made at creation would reamin fixed for eternity as long as all the necessary ceremonies were correctly performed." (Roth 189-190)

In drafting we are learning to draw technically precise plans, elevations, and sections to illuminate our craft. In Perceptions and Communications the use of watercolors in our drawings are not only visually stimulated, but use light and color to illuminate the essence of our picture. We also built an artifact in studio pertaining to a Grimms' Fairytale to illuminate the essence of our story.

SUMMARY

Previous cultures developed their own idiomatic styles through the help of breakthrough materials or lack thereof. Having limited materials forces you to be creative, and think of new alternatives to a project. Because Pat can only afford one piece of MDF board, creating a multipurpose desk/chair/workstation out of one sheet forces you to become efficient and the flimsiness of the wood requires sturdy craft. Being given the use of color through watercolors gives our opus a whole other dimension. But because many of these idioms are now missing commodity, firmness, or delight it is difficult to tell their story. Our clothing artifact for our grimms' fairytales had to make a statement, and embody these three disciplines. There are several clues left behind however that help illuminate these ancient buildings, and give us a clue to why someone wanted them to still be here today .