For Project 3- To think about- Passive Heating

NY TIMES ARTICLE-

Chapter 4 Speed- "The Nature of Design"

There is much in this chapter that you may agree with or take issue with. Please be open- and thoughtful when doing this assignment.

1. Orr states there is an appropriate velocity for water in a given landscape (based on geology, soils, vegetation, and ecological relationships). He also says there are appropriate velocities for money and information.  IF he is right (and you can disagree(let us know), but still give this an attempt) then is there an obligation on our part to determine that velocity? Would there be an absolute? Would cultural and geographical differences influence this 'appropriate velocity'?  What would this look like? - Take a stab.
2. Orr states that "Our assumptions about time are crystallized in community design and architecture." (Bottom pg 51) On page 52- he mentions a "New Urbanism" - develop what you think might be a 'hypothetical community' that you - as an architect/designer propose. Use Broad strokes and some specific elements that highlight principles of interrelation that might address a new 'velocity'

Enjoy!!!

NEw Building in Chelsea--- check it out!

extra credit for commenting in a relevant way!!

I think it will be a wonderful way to think about your own buildings as they are about to go up!

Special thanks to Mike Warshauer for sending the link to us!

Creativity and Play...

Please watch this...  jot down ANY thoughts on creativity, play, architecture or your current models while you are watching.

1. List your thoughts as you watched

2. What connections might exist between this video and your OWN studio practice in Architecture Class?

3. If there are any 'suggestions for your own work' that you would apply to yourself- please include them. Example ("thinking to myself-) I love building "x" but i need to be original and scrap that idea... i shouldn't- i should build on it..... or maybe it's opposite, or.......

David Orr: The Nature of Design Chapter 3

Please respond to the reading as you wish. Please be sure to address the following questions in your answer.

• Orr creates a list of assumptions that he believes "fast knowledge" is built upon. Do you agree with his list? What are his strongest notions... weakest ones?
• Based on your own experiences and that which you can refer to- do you see Orr's position here as accurate? applicable to current issues? (from page 38)"The result is that the system of fast knowledge creates social traps in which the benefits occur in the near term while the costs are deferred to others at a later time."
• Orr creates a list of beliefs that he believes "slow knowledge" is built upon. Do you agree with his list? What are his strongest notions... weakest ones?
• Protagoras was the first to say, "Man is the measure of all things"- here Orr attributes this to "fast knowledge." If not man, then who, or what do you think Orr values as a more effective measuring stick?
• How might this chapter- fast/slow knowledge be applicable to your own designs /to architecture in general?

Due October 14th, 2008

Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling

At MoMA.

See the show. Respond by describing the work, the problems they are addressing (why is this work relevant).

Buckminster Fuller @ The Whitney:

Chapter Two-David Orr: The Nature of Design

Please post all comments and discussions here. 

Chapter One: David Orr: The Nature of Design

Attach all comments/ discussion on chapter 1 here.

Questions

How does architecture affect an individual, a family, a community, or even a nation? Think of the tension surrounding the rebuilding of the trade center downtown in the financial district.

What difference does it make if a building is beautiful or ugly? In style or out of style?

Penn Station Case...

Case to examine:

New York City's original Pennsylvania Station was demolished in 1964. Built by the firm of McKim, Meade, and White in 1911, it was designed to last 500 years. It was torn down after fifty-three. It was a source of pride for New Yorkers as the structure referenced the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome. In the 1960's  it fell out of style and commercial real estate developers recognized the value in it's centralized location. They knocked down Penn Station, built a new one underground, and constructed Madison Square Garden atop it. By all accounts, the decision to replace a monumentally grand and open structure with a downscaled and buried one was a catastrophic mistake. Ultimately, it was considered one of the biggest cultural blunders of the 20th century in the United States. 

Should architectural preservation be an inherent cultural value? In what ways has New York prospered as a result of these decisions?

Resources

New Italian Blood .com

Thinking Resources. NY TIMES ARTICLE- Magazine- 4/20/08

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