Peer Dialog 2

Tyler B

I enjoyed Tyler B’s designer investigations, especially the one about Ferdinand Porsche. I am a car lover but never bothered to investigate the background of the designers of cars and their history. Definitely it is something different and educational for me. I also liked Norman Foster’s unusual ‘cigar’ shaped building. As somebody whose passion is interior design, I appreciated his inclusion on designer Poul Henningsen. I didn’t know of him before, so I appreciate Tyler’s choice very much. His Artichoke lighting fixture is an exemplary design of contemporary style.

Trevor R

I like the best part of your design investigation that you chose those designers, architects or the architecture company that we see almost every day in here Columbus. I have been to the Nationwide Arena many times and I can attest to the fact that It transformed the Arena district.

Mike B

I must say that I am already amazed by his design sense and miles and miles of blogging capability.

I also tried to investigate my designers whose work I really like but never heard of them before, like he did. I enjoyed the picture of Kalman’s photographs and posters in the magazine. It is fun and humorous but the same time, it carries intended messages well. I can see them over and over and laugh.

Class Reflections 04

I am really enjoying my design 200 class. I believe this is not a typical way to learn but the information I am getting from the class is going to last forever in my mind. It was amazing and surprising for me to watch all those videos of “Designing and the Environment” because although all know the beauty in nature and how we are inspired by them, Janine Banyu’s “biocmimicry in action” video demonstrates the point wonderfully, showing with specific examples how much we can learn from other species about constructing viable structures from homes to bacteria repellent surfaces to bullet trains. It reminded me once again very prominently that we are not the only creature who can build their own homes and protect them from harsh climates. It is true that no matter what, nature never stops creating, coloring giving new life to the earth in beautiful forms.

The video of portable incubator was a definitely a great invention that I could appreciate, as I came from a country where infant mortality rate is very high. The story of the Sabita and her infant Rani shown in video exactly matches with my experiences with countless village families.  So, a thoughtful and clever design of an instrument once again will contribute to savings human lives.

Lastly, I want to say that the whole video was an eye opener as a “learning how to design” point of view. I felt one more time that taking the design major was the right choice for me.

Face hunt

camera lance cap.

Space heater

Step Stool

Can Opener

Garage door opener

110 V - 220 V adapter

Vent of a car

Speaker

Pencil sharpner

Bathroom faucet

Group of five does scavenger hunt: My take

Methodology for scavengerhunt: We were four peers from the group of five cards, Tyler B, Trevor R, Courtney S and me who went around OSU campus following the clues in the assignment and used Tyler’s iPhone to take photos of buildings and things.

Clue01:

We decided to go to the Art library to find a Barcelona chair. We took the photos from different angles and Courtney posed for us on the chair.

The Barcelona chair was a statement of German renewal of art, sophistication and luxury after the devastating First World War. Named after the host city Barcelona, the chair was exclusively designed by Mies van der Rohe for the German Pavilion, for the International Exposition of 1929. An icon of modernism, the design of the chair was inspired by the campaign and folding chairs of ancient times.

I thing most interesting look of this chair is its unusual legs. All four legs are curved and looks like foldable and legs are very thin compare to the sit, however very proportionate and modern.

Clue02:

We went to the architecture library to find our favorite designer chair. Although not my first preference, I decided to stick with group’s choice, the Red and Blue Chair, because everyone the chairs has its own identity and characteristics. And it’s hard for me to decide my favorite one.

The Red and Blue Chair was a chair that came out of modern European art and design movements after 19^th century impressionism. Cubism emerged with geometric lines, bold shapes, with rectangles and cubes, signaling a break from natural curve, perhaps humankind’s domination over nature, or perhaps moving into the abstract world of ideas and purity of thoughts. Similar movements spawned across the continent, the Dutch flavor being De Stijl (“The Style”), with members Theo Van Doesberg and Piet Mondrian being the two most prominent members. Designed in 1917 by another member of the movement, Gerrit Rietveld. It represents one of the first explorations by the De Stijl art movement in three dimensions. As one can see from the construction, the straight lines, rectangular edges, the bold and vibrant primary colors, it is as if the designer worked hard to conceive the essence of the idea “Chair”. In the end, though, the eye catching chair is not very comfortable to sit. Form over function…

Clue03:

Wexner Hall was designed by Peter Eisenman and Richard Trott. To me it is a mixture of form and function, a unique building whose façade was made out partially of red bricks and rectangular grid metal framework. It gives me a feeling of labyrinth, and I have gotten lost in it before.

Clue 04

Science and Engineering Library

The SEL library and the Mathematics Tower were designed to form a harmonious existence with already existing simple brick buildings at the north campus area, but not without uniqueness of the architect Phillip Johnson. Given and monetary and stylistic constraints that he had to work with, I think he has done a wonderful job with the designs of the SEL library and the Math Tower, simple, but beautiful and elegant. With beautiful Spanish Andalucian arches (left over of eight hundred years of Muslim civilization there), and impressive façade, with an open area full of trees, the SEL library stands out as one of the most eye pleasing on the north side of campus.

Mathematics Tower

Clue 05

One of the most imposing buildings on campus is the new Thompson Library, designed by the architectural firm Acock and Associates. I visited the old main library a few years ago, and it was an imposing building then as well, but it was pure function and no form, if you consider book storage being the only function of a library. Damp and dark, it reminded me of a coffin. The new library is a breath of fresh air and natural light, by contrast. It is very inviting from outside and comfortable inside, and I really like the interplay between glass and concrete. The only complaint about the library is that it no longer holds the amount of books the old library used to. Then again, libraries not only need books, they also need people there checking out the books. I think the new library design by Acock and Associates accomplish that harmoniously.

Reading Reflection 02

Last week I enjoyed every moment of class, specially the video footages and not to mention the idea of finding and researching all the architects, designers and their works. It was amazing but also surprising to see that a group of people from different fields work together in one company to create a cohesive design. A unique shopping cart created any manner that they asked was not approved yet the thought and idea presented was really something to learn from. Creating a wheel chair functioning like human was something that gives a positive feeling about learning how to design and gives a huge encouragement to the budding designers.

I learned that for design consideration, environment is very important. In home people can design their home with their personal choice but when it comes to the point of designing office, mall or any bigger aspect, design should  be more environmental friendly. Cultural differences are also bigger issue of designing within the framework. For example, in Japan homes are vertical rather than horizontal, because of shortage of space.

Communication looks like something really necessary for any design for modern life too. General advertisement or brochure on how to use a product, or chart or map, diagram without anything will be confusing.

Design is a marriage between form and function, and realization that failure of every project can help a new improved creation.

Yes is More!

Bjarke Ingels introduces hedonism in a sustainable way

I seem to relate to the work of Bjarke Ingels the most. This 21^st century architect is young, bold and in your face. He is very much for a sustainable living, energy and cost saving designs, but he doesn’t believe for a single second that such a design and living has to be austere, plain, uninteresting, drab and ugly. He founded the architectural group BIG in Copenhagen, Denmark to counter just that. His motto, “Yes is More” is a testament to solving modern living problems headlong with genuine inspiration, ingenuity, and a deep sense of functional beauty. For example, his housing project Mountain Dwellings in a flat area Copenhagen takes that bold inspiration and created a beautiful set of urban apartments as if they were constructed at the slope of a mountain. Not only the setting and view act as exciting to the dwellers of this apartment complex, they can enjoy green living through green house-like terraces which are private and semi-public with a walk-out to roof gardens whose plants change with seasons.

 

His idea of “Hedonistic Sustainability” gave rise to the amazing design of waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen, on the roof of which people will be able to ski with different levels of skills. This is going to be the biggest structure in Copenhagen producing electricity to 140,000 homes and at the same time, enjoyment to thousands of skiers. Also, the specially constructed “chimney” at the top of the plant will let out 440 lbs of carbon di-oxide in a smoke ring, which Ingels says, would turn “the symbol of pollution into something playful, as well as reminding the residents a clear sign of the pollution they are causing.

To know more about his works in details, please visit:

http://www.archi-ninja.com/interview-with-bjarke-ingels/

http://www.big.dk/

http://www.ted.com/talks/bjarke_ingels_3_warp_speed_architecture_tales.html

http://www.dwell.com/articles/bjarke-ingels-of-big.html

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/04/bjarke-ingels-talks-hedonism-sustainability.php