A trip to the library

1. To start off I wait to leave my house until the rain/ice has stopped.
2. Once leaving the house i turn to make sure the door is locked.
3. I then watch my step coming down the stairs since the stairs have a layer of ice on them.
4. I continue to look at the ground and watch my step since the driveway is also ice.
5. I almost fall but catch my balance.
6. Then i slide down the rest of the driveway like i have ice skates on.
7. I then plug my earphones in my ears and turn on a jam.
8. I shuffle through a couple songs and find the song i want which is Blue on Black by Kenny Wayne Sheppard Band
9. I decide to walk past the bus stop because it sort of wakes me up.
10. So i start ti head down my back alley way and i notice our neighbors trash can is in the road.
11. I then text him letting him know.
12. While my hand was out i couldn't help but notice how cold it was on my bare hand.
13. While continuing to watch every step and walk i slipped my phone back into my pocket.
14. I looked down the road and noticed how slow everyone was walking.
15. I then came to the conclusion that the sidewalks are going to suck walking on due to the fact that they are straight ice.
16. I then realize this walk is going to take twice as long than normal.
17. So i headed down the Lane Ave, and happen to  notice some individuals walking in the road.
18. I also feel bad for the peoples cars for being iced over. I have a garage so i don't have to deal with that.
19. Once down Lane Ave i get to High St and notice it seems to be dead which is rare.
20. I then walk across the street and turn to my left and see some girl fall. I couldn't help it, i laughed.
21. While walking on campus i notice signs reading "watch for falling ice"
22. I also notice the bus stops have been packed, i guess no one wants to walk.
23. While walking i notice the trees crackling and breaking because the ice is too much for them.
24. The trees are very beautiful. They seem to glisten from the ice.
25. I then change my song, not feeling it.
26. I notice some heavy machinery being brought in.
27. I feel bad for the construction workers who are working in this crappy weather
28. I wonder why OSU waits to do all the construction in the winter.
29. There also seems to be a waterline break or something because there is water everywhere.
30. Also the oval seems to be dead today. Many people probably said screw school today.
31. Being an architecture student, i love the building on the south side of the oval that is a Romanesque style and the tower on it is beautiful.
32. These type of buildings catch my eye.
33. I also notice whats left of a male reproductive organ made of snow in the middle of the oval.
34. I can't help it but smile and sort of laugh.
35. I see the Thompkins statue and wonder why he has a statue.
36. I'll have to look that up later.
37. I also then think of Gordan Gee being self center. And i think that because:
38. He said that TCU doesn't deserve to go to the national championship because they don't play anyone tough.
39. I bet he will make something to commemorate himself.
40. I approach the front door and open it. The door is pretty heavy.
41. I walk up the half flight of stairs and walk through the security things. I can hear a ring through my ipod when i go through them.
42. I touch the statues head for good luck.
43. The library is very open.
44. It has a lot of natural sunlight.
45. I'd compare it to Plan Libre by Le Corbusier
46. That is good it saves on the bills and creates a natural atmosphere.
47. I start to walk up the steps and notice the lights are under the steps. That is a unique look.
48. I also notice the library is very symmetric. Makes it easy to find things.
49. I can't help but notice that my legs are burning.
50. I finally find a seat and it is looking out over south campus and its a beautiful view with everything glistening

Hidden Faces

Identities of Companies

Key concepts that people commonly confuse is the image of a company and the identity of a company. The image of a company is how the company would like to be seen in the customers eyes which most of the time is never how it actually is and the identity is the reality of what the company offers or gives. The identity is crucial in the design/architectural world because your reputation is what you have. You want to be known to be efficient and not problematic. Then the customers will spread the word around that this company is true and was very easy to work with. If you have a good image but don't live up to it then you problem won't succeed as a business/company because people won't come to you for work. Plus a good identity will help you by having people to come you instead of bidding on jobs or entering competition.

Scavenger Hunt

Clue number 1: Barcelona Chair by Mies Van der rohe. The story behind the chair is in 1929, architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was asked by the German Republic to design a location for the 1929 International Exposition. This happened to be held in Barcelona, Spain, hence the that is where the barcelona chair got its name. Mies van der Rohe wasn't the lonely mind on this project, him and his partner Lilly Reich, collaborated to create these unique furnishings. The chair then became manufactured throughout Europe and the United States but then Mies van der Rohe ceded the rights of the chair to Knoll, who then trademarked the Barcelona name.

Clue number 2: Corbusier Cow Hide Chaise Lounge. The Cow Hide Chaise Lounge was originally designed in 1928 by Le Corbusier. The chair is a classic iconic design piece that was stunning for its time because its frames happened to be made of chromed steel, a new technique for its time. The magazine i am reading is called ICON. ICON is an architectural and design magazine. Every month ICON interviews the most exciting designers and architects and visits some of the new architectural buildings and talks about their concepts or techniques. Its, "Whats happening in today's Architectural and Design World."

Clue number 3: This building is The Wexner Center and it was designed by Peter Eisenman. Something interesting about this building is that this building was built on Columbus' grid not Ohio States grid so the building's grid is off. Also the Wexner Center is located on the old Armory. Eisenman wanted to incorporate this so he built a steeple on the corner so it resembled the old armory. Recently the Wexner Center has had water problems but hopefully that's fixed for good.

Clue number 4: This is the Mathematics Tower designed by Philip Johnson. This building is made from millions of bricks and that is how he wanted it, he wanted to resemble the "old" feeling of a building and tie it into the surrounding older buildings.This building also has many arches (as pictured) to resemble an older structure since the arch was the strongest method of building back in the Roman days.

Clue number 5: This is Thompson Library which was designed by Acock and Associates. What's unique about Thompson Library is that is is a collective architectural building meaning it was built in three phases: the original, a Second Italian Renaissance Revival Style Structure opened in 1913 then the 14 level stacks tower with wings and pavilions was added and completed in 1951 and finally a modernist addition to the west, completed in 1977 by Acock and Associates.

Universal Design

Many people go around day to day not noticing problems veiled everywhere. Humans want a world that is comfortable and functional no matter whatever physical limitations. That is universal design and universal design aims to create products and environments usable by all people without the need for adaptation or specialized design. Just because some product works well for you doesn't mean it works well for everyone. As a designer you want to make whatever product you are working on as universal as possible that way the product is more effective. Also you want to make this product equitable meaning you want to produce designs appealing to and usable by people with diverse abilities, but of course you don't want to segregate or stigmatizing anyone. That's hard because society has a wide range of preferences and skills. These principles appear to be common sense but still many products and homes aren't user friendly. This usually is because designers think of interesting solutions to these  user friendly problems and the solution is not cost efficient, so achieving universal design objectives requires even more creative thought and often more initial investment. It would be in the governments best interest, from societies stand point, to push for laws requiring universal design, even if it is going to cost them more money.

Ivan Sutherland

In this post modernism age, one of the most influential inventions in the design and art world would be the autoCAD program and the different variances with it. The man behind this invention was an American Electronics Engineer/Computer Scientist named Ivan Edward Sutherland. Sutherland was one of the first people to write a computer program, although it was 12 bits of memory, it was the first step to success. While obtaining his Ph.D. he developed his thesis, "Sketchpad: A Man-made Graphical Communications Systems.", the first graphical user interface. He imagined that people should be able to draw precise lines on the computer. Not only did he do this he also made it so you could zoom in and out. Unlike designs or art from the era before everything had to be done by hand. With the computer you could make perfect, straight lines in a blink of an eye and you could manipulate that line in ways you couldn't do with the hand. And if you messed up you wouldn't have to start over or erase you could simply undo the process. Thanks to Ivan Sutherland's "Sketchpad" technology, the CAD program and photoshop programs have enabled us to design unimaginable things to the past designers and who knows where this will take us 

Sources:

Rheingold, H.  Virtual reality. Harvill Secker, 1991

Markoff, J. Computing pioneer challenges the clock. Computing, 2001

Le Corbusier

One of the most well known architects from the Modernist age would have to be Le Corbusier. He was a French architect who designed: Villa Fallet, Villa Schwab, Villa Plesch, Pavillon de l'Esprit, Villa Meyer,, Maison Cook, Maison Pllaneix, Villa Church, Villa Stein-de Monzie, Salon d'Automme, Villa Baizeauz, and many more buildings. Le Corbusier came into the spotlight because of his Plan Libre concept. His plan had faith in the industry, remember he was around during the time of the industrial revolution. Because of the industrial revolution he believed that items and frame work should be industrialized. He also believed that architecture, in contrast to the production of utilitarian household goods, belongs to the realm of art. He rejected decoration in the applied arts and like Loos, Corbusier placed  utilitarian objects outside the sphere of art, in the realm governed by the laws of technical and commercial evolution. Le Corbusier was also known for his theory of 5 points and form. The 5 points of would be concentrated on column, roof garden, free plan, ribbon window, and free facade. The theme was very abstract and had a strong horizontal influence. The buildings he designed were very square like todays office buildings and stretched horizontal. He was the first real successful person to incorporate this.

sources:

Risselada, Max. Raumplan Versus Plan Libre: Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier. 010 Publishers, Rotterdamn, 2008.

Blake, P.  Le Corbusier, architecture and form. Penguin Books. 1964