LEED buildings are good + bad

so after the tour of northern guilford middle and high schools today, i've realized that LEED buildings aren't as much as they're cracked up to be. i say this because the schools seemed sterile and the educational environment has already been beaten of it's creativity so now where are students to be inspired to pursue their dreams? yes LEED is great for the environment, but as designers we can't forget who we are designing for...so what if we need a little guidance along the way, even if that means talking to a 5 year old in kindergarten. Didn't we learn that all we need to know in life in kindergarten?

house + universe | drawers, chests + wardrobes

1] "isn't it true that a pleasant house makes winter more poetic, and doesn't winter add to the poetry of a house?"
2] "we too are swathed in the blanket of winter."
3] "winter is the oldest of all seasons."

+

1] "concepts are drawers in which knowledge may be classified, they are also ready made garments which do away with the individuality for knowledge that has been experienced."
2] "they are hybrid objects, subject objects. like us, through us and for us they have a quality of intimacy.
=


thought] while reading this section of the book and think of all of these quotes i thought of monet's painting. this is because painting is like poetry, it captures images but also captures thoughts--winter can be like a blanket. + but objects within a home have many purposes and multiple meanings to a person. a home and the objects within that home are very intimate. a home can feel like winter that is blanketed and contains many stories from the drawers to the rickety floor.

school + sculpture as refuge + release

school has always been a refuge to me. it is like a home and a nest and a place to just be. with that said, i feel that during high school i found a release, sculpture was a way for me to express my love of nature as well as manipulate a body of clay and create something that was lasting. without mrs. chambers i don't think that i would have been able to explore texture, color and most of all shape. she encouraged me to just release and with her "guidance" which wasn't like most people think of guidance. i flourished in the ceramics, art, and tech labs. i loved it, and wish i had time and resources to explore my love again.

stability

"a house constitutes a body of images that give mankind proofs or illusions of stability"- gaston bachelard. right now so many people are worried that they soon won't have a home, and i think that this quote from bachelard speaks of many things, but i do think that a house brings many people memories and often when they live in a home they feel protected. so many people need that protection...

Squares...

my roots, although there were a lot of squares involved this project reminded me of yes first year and novem, but also my experience at parsons this past summer. i say this because i learned that a line drawing can often be transparent. so i focused on creating volume to my quick square sketches. i also thought about how they spoke of gradient, balance, rhythm, and proximity, this is because i was able to speak to the first years this morning and it truly reminded me that abstract drawings and models can guide a designer to well developed space...so much to consider.

the matrix

this was a great project for me to reflect on previous projects and what questions i still have about space, texture, color, balance, and materials--and how they all can speak the same language and be part of one another. overall, i felt that emily, my partner, and i worked well together and challenged each other to integrate our ideas.

learning styles

the re-design of the awful 204. this charrette allowed emily and me to figure out how we work as a team while learning about "learning styles" as well as materials, textures, specs, and re-working our concept. i now am becoming comfortable with my design process and strategies, so i would really like to follow a process, but still add and subtract elements that i don't feel successful either. this project seemed like a lot of practical application so maybe i can work on different applications of materials and specs for future projects.

adaptability

the current lectern in 204 is rigid and doesn't accommodate to it's user. these sketches are explorations of shape and adaptability. i would like to be able to create a lectern that can adapt to it's user and have a multitude of functions, but have a simple construction and aesthetic.