Week 4 Wrap Up

    There's a great Simpson's episode from many years ago where Millhouse's parents are splitting up.  The episode opens with the parents playing win-lose or draw at the Simpson's house.  Kurt and Luanne (Millhouse's parents) are on the same team and Kurt is attempting to draw "dignity."  He is maddeningly frustrated with his wife not being able to solve his sketch, leading to probably my favorite Simpsons quote of all time; "Do you want me to show it to the cat Luanne?  Cause...the cat's gonna get it...IT'S DIGNITY!"
    So what does this have to do with thesis?  Well, for the past  6 days, I have been attempting to define, diagram and analyze "authentic."  Much like tryign to draw "dignity", there really is nothing concrete to represent or analyze.  There is a great deal of personal interpretation and ambiguity that has prvented me from making large strides this week.
    However, I created some mini-sketch problems this weekend and they allowed me to move beyond "authentic" and start to explore the components of genuine and unique architecture.  In the next week, I would like to not even use the "A" word, because I believe, more and more that my thesis does not exist here.  Instead, I've chosen to focus on public space and the process of sequence and movement through space.  I am interested in how public space attracts visitors and for what function.  Is the architecture the reason for the people being there or does the architecture simply serve the function in that space.  Likewise, and more importantly, how can architecture create memorable and unique experiences for the user.  There is nothing memorable about strip malls, Kmarts or one stop shopping malls, other than the products purchased within.  Successful architecture defines the space and creates a sense of place for the individual.  The process of shopping, working, socializing becomes more meaningful when the surroundings add to the experience.

Saturday sketch problem:  I created a mini-snapshot of an urban environment that I felt worked successfully.  While streets and sidewalks follow a set order, they are not extremely rigid, allowing for varying movement through the space.  There is ample public green space and gathering space and plenty of opportunity for exploration.  This was successful in identifying some basic design ideas that I like, however this was still too broad.  Likewise, in my mind this is urban, but I can see how anyone could look at this and see it as new planned development.

On Sunday, I developed a second sketch problem to focus on more specific elements of design within an urban setting that interest me.  I wanted to reduce the scale so that I was on a truly human scale.  This allowed me to better understand how architectural elements can accentuate a space and how we view them.  How a series of columns can define a path.  How a facade with numerous reveals can create void space in the horizontal direction for people to use.  I am hoping to expand upon this model to better understand how people use space and how space can make more meaniful and memorable experiences.