Filed under: september 25 | Tags: Class notes/reflections, Data Collection - Alternative Energy
I found the lecture on the built environment to be quite interesting. I never quite realized how much thought actually goes into the designing and creating of every tiny detail. Comfort plays a large role in this. The Pearl Academy of Fashion, designed by the Morphogenesis architecture firm, is taking comfort into extreme consideration. It has not yet been built, but is planning to use new yet sustainable ways of cooling the building and keeping it at a constant temperature.
“The entire building is elevated off the ground, sucking air in around the edges of the building which is eventually released up through the open-air courtyards.”
It is amazing that we as humans have the knowledge and technology to create such a building. Although it also makes me question why it is taking us so long to apply these techniques to all aspects of our lives. We have the ability to create a better world for ourselves, and slowly we will begin to see it change, hopefully…
Check out this design: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/09/25/pearl-academy-london/
Design is no longer just an issue of aesthetics and functionality; the recent environmental movement has opened our eyes to a new way of thinking. For instance, Jae pointed out that we should consider light and thermal energy in design. A well designed building should, for example, incorporate a consideration for the thermal environment. Light and thermal energy can enter a space in a variety of ways, intentional or unintentional, such as windows, poor insulation, or humans. A good designer will consider these factors and work with them in order to create a structure that uses less energy while still meeting all the needs of the user and looking good at the same time. This is only one piece of the puzzle, however. There are a multitude of other factors that also contribute to an environmentally conscious building such as water usage, energy generation, and use of light, just to name a few. It is becoming clear that though it may seem like a fun and easy job to be a designer, our responsibility to the environment adds a twist to the old way of thinking.
This research carries on with Jerry’s presentation last week, and touches a bit on my realization of functionality from todays class. Joel Hesselgrn of Yanko Design has come up with a table chair. In actuality it is two basic chairs, that when laid down on the floor slide together to form a coffee table. A very simple design indeed, but something new to me. Their website states “sometimes you need an extra chair and sometimes you need a table”. A cheesy statement, yes, but it brings accross the point of the design. Functionality.
For more information visit www.yankodesign.com
Colors are aesthetically pleasing. I never considered colors to have a specific meaning, feeling or mood therefore i found todays assignment, “Your inner response to colours” quite interesting. After doing the assignment and then reading over the hand out package i was suprised to find similar discriptions of the colors because i didn’t realize how universal colours are. Puzzling together a fun color scheme for a room is fun, but i now realize that the colors have an impact. In applying this lesson to design i think i will learn to take note of colors, and question why they were chosen or why they don’t set the desired mood.
Also quoted in the handout “In ancient times…he expected colors to protect him on earth, guide him safely to heaven, and symbolize the majesty of the universe.” This quote stuck out to me because it shows how society has changed. Colours used to be viewed as having very serious meanings, and now these meanings are overlooked or rarely considered in everyday life.
I really enjoyed Jae’s presentation of the first house he designed for a client. I was shocked at the difficulty level of the house. All of the considerations of light, direction of light, space requirements, measuring the individuals abilities opened my eyes to the reason for design. Up until now when being in a house i think about the layout, accessability, how the different spaces relate to eachother, and the feeling i get in different rooms, but i have never thought about the reason for the design. Design is not all about aesthetics or comming up with something new and fresh, creating a new trend or look. A pretty design without functionality is useless. Lesson learned.
