ARCH109.
VISION IS QUALIFIED BY ARCHITECTURE. Never before had I analyzed the way in which what I see responds to architecture— to what is solid and what is void. Through the study of a 60° cone of vision, I discovered the power an architect possesses when dictating spatial experience. Lining a hallway with columns, for example, would modulate vision in an intriguing and perhaps confusing manner. Similarly, standing right up against a window allows sightlines to escape with significantly fewer obstacles to whatever lies beyond the window. I learned the breadth of my control when designing experiences. PRESENCE. To begin the semester, I was tasked with drawing a scaled plan of my dorm room, taking a photo from a spot in the room, and then approximating where I had held the camera in relation to the plan. In order to more precisely understand presence in a place, I carried out a more complex iteration in Marvin hall. This time I highlighted the wedges of my sight on the plan of the space in which I stood. VIEWFINDER. Each student was assigned a wellknown architect to research and whose buildings to explore. I was given Walter Gropius, but my research led me to his friend and colleague Marcel Breuer. The two of them designed Breuer House 1 in Lincoln, MA, the building I chose to partially recreate using a viewfinder. I found a photo of the interior and a semiaccurate floor plan, both of which I used to find where the photographer was standing and to extract a mini version of the space on the plan. The exercise required accute attention to details and measurements, but it was incredibly rewarding to see sightlines and a cone of vision come to life on a model.
PLACE: PRESENCE.
PLACE: VIEWFINDER.
SHOW SOMETHING YOU CAN’T SEE. This unit was my favorite of the semester. I learned how to articulate an experience to create an abstracted sculpture. Through breaking down and analyzing human kinetics at various scales, I discovered how a person can maneuver through space and around solids. MOTION. I studied the movement of a person bending and ducking underneath a handrail, crossing from one side of it to the other by squatting. It’s interesting that my final model is caterpillar-like because the motion looks quite lateral in diagram. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do something skeletal yet organic, and I think I achieved that. I built the essence of the human during several frames of the motion out of basswood sticks. I then covered the structure in papier-mâché. My final model is just strange enough that it looks like a bizarre decoration, but it is understandable once an explanation is given. I am proud of myself for using unfamiliar techniques for model-making and for challenging my innate urge to make everything angular.
SCALE & MOTION: MOTION.
SENSE. When I first did this motion, I felt a little unsteady. I wanted to smooth and symmetrical about the duck, but that didn’t really happen. I also had to stoop much lower than I anticipated. The montage is intended to show the slightly offkilter movement I attempted. It also exemplifies a bit of the visual rushing that happened. My right periphery was stable at the beginning, in the middle it was just a blur, and my left periphery was stable at the end. Overall, the motion was fairly fluid and even, but it did not feel how I anticipated.
SCALE & MOTION: SENSE.
A BUILDING IS NOT AN END. I started this project trying to make a “thing” instead of a space. I learned that the category of a building does not have to determine its form. Louis Sullivan said it best: “Form follows function.” SPATIAL JOURNEY. With a prescribed kit of pieces, I created a spatial journey with a deliberate footpath and very controlled views. I wanted slots of light to be a consistent element in order to create interest about the view outside but limit accessibility to that view. A person feels constrained when they first enter the space in a narrow corridor, but as they travel through and rise, they experience more light and thus more relief. The exterior view is finally revealed at the very end. MEASURED PERSPECTIVE. Using a plan and section, I constructed a measured perspective drawing of what someone would see inside my space at that specific point. ORTHOGRAPHICS. I drafted two plans and four sections to show the complexity of my spatial journey.
SEQUENCE: SPATIAL JOURNEY.
SEQUENCE: MEASURED PERSPECTIVE.
A RESPONSE. This was the first “real” archicture project we got to do. My partner and I learned so much about all the moving pieces it takes to design a functional yet beautiful building. It is vital for the form to respond to the site to create unity. Prior to this project, I often worked in my head, but here I had to communicate with someone else, so I discovered how important it is to sketch. SITE. For the first time, I was required to understand the place for which I was designing. The site was long and wedge-shaped, contorting in multiple dimensions as it went down the hill. Because it was located between a street and a parking lot, my partner and I had to consider pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Then we evaluated some of the natural aspects of the site: sun path, existing tree locations, and vegetation. There were several components to not only recognize but also respond to. My partner and I made a 1/16” = 1’-0” model of the site, including existing trees, land contours at every foot, existing buildings, the parking lot, and the sidewalks.
ENCLOSURE: SITE.
Bridgett Espino
MUSICPLACE. Our building function was a musicplace—a composition of individual study rooms, a common space for music professors, a performance space, and other utility rooms. My partner and I were each assigned an instrument to serve as inspiration: a harp and trumpet, respectively. We decided to develop the concept of a harpist holding her instrument by manipulating the site to hold our musicplace. Throughout the process, we kept the idea of an outdoor space framed by the land; having that crux drove our design. We developed organization and circulation a lot in plan, but we also paid attention to sections. Because we did a lot of sketching, we were able to find solutions.
ENCLOSURE: MUSICPLACE.
Bridgett Espino
Bridgett Espino
Bridgett Espino
ENCLOSURE: LE CALIN.
LE CÂLIN. Musicplace quickly became Le Câlin (French for “The Hug”). We used our idea of the land hugging the building to generate the basic form of the footprint. The angled interior walls of the individual music rooms ensure prime acoustics while providing built-in storage and furniture. The angled roofline pays homage to acoustics as well. I built a 1/8” = 1’-0” model of Le Câlin to show its general form and its relation to the site immediately around it. Bridgett built a 1/4” = 1’-0” section model to give attention to the interior detail.
First Floor - Lydia Juengling
Second Floor - Lydia Juengling
Longitudinal Section - Bridgett Espino
Cross Section - Lydia Juengling
SYNTHESIS. We drew precise 1/8” = 1’-0” plans and sections of Le Câlin. These drawings served as construction documents for our models.
ENCLOSURE: SYNTHESIS.
SPRING 2019.