Opus Post 6: Macro to Micro

Porch, Court, Hearth-

The Greek and Roman city, and structure plan was always to have a grand entrance called the porch, a receiving area called the court and a private area known as the hearth. Each of these areas has a distinct relation to the Greek and Roman culture. The porch represents the ideal aesthetic beauty and leads to the court which in a house is the living room and receiving area for guests. In a city the court may be the forums, the theaters, baths and other public spaces. It is the most ornate room so as to show off the family wealth when guests are present. The court represents the classicism that developed. The hearth is the bedroom of a house hold and is private where only the keepers of the household go. In a city this area would be the residential area around the public spaces. 

Composition-

Composition refers to the way in which a graphic is organized so that it is most effective. In doing our large inspiration pictures I sat in the MHRA and had to think about placement of myself- where I would sit and how much ceiling or floor I would show. When doing our drafting assignments I've found that there are subtle ways to be creative in establishing your own style of certain elements such as north arrows, graphic scales, trademarks and titles. Although some of the listed things such as my graphic scales aren't particularly original I try to have a consistency of where they are placed on each of my drafting assignments. I've created little carbon paper trace cutouts so that I can have the same north arrow as well as trademark in all of my drafting assignments. 

Diagram-

In doing my diagram for the MHRA I focus on the hierarchy of ornateness through the building. I found that as would be expected the court areas are the most ornate while the hearth areas such as the offices are arranged in cramped hallways seeming disconnected from the open, bright and abstract style of the rest of the building. I think it's interesting how the right side offices seem to be more approachable and linked to the ornateness of the rest of the building apart from the front offices.

Impression-

Impression can refer to the lasting impact or remembrance one may have for a particular design.

Detail-I chose to do my detail on the water fountain in the MHRA. They are actually grouped into twos. I like the button in that it is shaped and "flowy" like water. They also float in the air in that they stick out of the wall rather than being separate water retrieval receptacles. 

Reflection-

Thinking about how to put all of our translation models into one portal/panel composition was not an easy task. Focusing first on the Baths of Caracalla helped us find a foundation for our design. Using the cardboard to our advantage helped us create an impression that our arch is actually eroded. There is also much detail in the stratified texture and its overall composition tells us that it is a porch to to its office.