Macro 2 Micro

PORCH, COURT, HEARTH

Porch - an exterior appendage to a building, forming a covered approach or vestibule to a doorway. (dictionary.com)

Court - an area open to the sky and mostly or entirely surrounded by buildings, walls, etc. (dictionary.com)

Hearth - the floor of a fireplace, usually of stone, brick, etc., often extending a short distance into a room. (dictionary.com)

When referring to porch court and hearth separately as I have in the definitions above they seem as if they are independent pieces when in fact when placed in proximity to each other within a building their meanings transform. When put together in a home or building, the porch . The court is then a open area within the home, one function of which being ventilation and cooling. The hearth then is more of a private area of the home. As blakemore would say,“tripartite arrangement [that] begins with the reception spaces and is followed by the great hall and a private section.” (Blakemore 6) This helps explain the use of the design are show how it is useful. 

COMPOSITION

Fine Arts. the organization or grouping of the different parts of a work of art so as to achieve a unified whole. (dictionary.com)

In our studio class we focus a lot on composition, especially when creating graphics for our projects. We must focus on the way things are put together to convey our purpose. Spacing of our images, words, and other components also play a major role in that if it is not carefully thought out the entire graphic can potentially be ruined. The overall composition of our graphics plays a very important role in conveying the points and main ideas of our projects.

DIAGRAM

a drawing or plan that outlines and explains the parts, operation, etc., of something (dictionary.com)

Diagrams help convey purpose and present information in a simplified way. Diagrams help show a specific part of something in a visual way to help break down the purpose. In our drawing class we have been working on a group project that takes apart individual building on campus. Our most recent endeavor within the project was to create diagrams to show the context, function, circulation, and hierarchy of the building and the spaces within it. My diagram above shows the circulation patterns of people walking within the first floor of the MHRA building. I believe that by using clean shapes for the building and different colors for different levels of foot traffic I really helped simplify and show the circulation patterns well.

IMPRESSION

the first and immediate effect of an experience or perception upon the mind; sensation. (dictionary.com)

In Roman culture architects paid more attention to the building faces and interior rather than the entire exterior. The front façade of the buildings were the place that casted the impression as far as the Romans were concerned. When looking at the front of the Pantheon one is overwhelmed by the scale first off. Then when taking a closer look the different elements of the building help hint toward its purpose. The columns, detail in the triangle above, the open porch, and the dome peaking over the top all leave you with a lasting impression of the building. When viewing the Pantheon from the side you see that less attention was paid to the circular sides of the building in that there is next to no detail. The most attention was paid to the entrance, the dome, and the interior.
“The Gothic cathedral was yet another byproduct of the Crusades, for when the first crusades saw Constantinople on their way to the Holy Land, they marveled at the size and wealth of the city and the vast scale and splendor…” (Roth 328) This explains another example of how sheer size and marvel can leave a lasting impression.

DETAIL

particulars collectively (dictionary.com)

When speaking on detail I immediately thought of the discussions in history about the details on the interior of gothic cathedrals used to show stories, In particular, St. Madeline, Vezelay. When designing the gothic cathedral there were lots of detail and thought into both the interior and exterior. I find the interior detail more prominent in that it tells stories. The stories the interior is telling refer to what was thought would happen in the ear 1000, the end of the world. Demons and visions of horrible things are depicted in close detail within the church. When looking from a distance you see the beautiful St. Madeline with gorgeous interiors but when looking closely you see the detailed story of what were to happen at the turn of the century.