Well today marks twelve days until I am home. How crazy is that! I am really excited to come home, but it is starting to sink in now that it is so close that once I leave I will not be coming back to live……at least not in the plans yet. It is such mixed emotions, I am so happy to come home and see people but so sad to be leaving a city I love living in so much. And it will be a busy next ten days so it is going to fly by. For the past week we have been doing a lot of work. Final jury for studio is in a week and a half, so we have been working on trying to finalize our designs for that. And Monday our last project for our History/Theory class is due. So that has been taking up a lot of my weekend so far so that I can try to get it done. Then, this Tuesday our sketchbooks are due for our sketching class, so there is so much work to do and so little time!
Tonight I am going to a soccer game, FC Barcelona versus Espanyol. I am pretty excited; I have wanted to see a game since I have been here so I finally get to do it! And then Wednesday is another one which I think I will end up going to as well. It is FC Barcelona versus Manchester United.
There is not a whole lot to talk about that is all that interesting about this past week. It has just been a lot of work and classes. So instead of writing, I am going to pick some of my favorite pictures from my time here and post them below. So have fun looking at them! I will see everyone soon!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
What is space?
So this is one of the last blogs that I am going to write here, so I think that it is appropriate to break down what I have found regarding space. What is space within the city? What makes it work? Is all space good? Does “green” or plants always make it a better space? These are all questions I asked myself at the beginning, and now feel that I have enough of a grasp from research and analysis to at least try to answer them.
What is space within the city?
Space is any form of relief from the urban fabric in which people can utilize in whatever form they need. Sometimes it is a situation in which people use as a gathering space to meet and move on to the next event, other times it is somewhere where people can sit and remove themselves from the density and way of life in the city. The first can be such places as the intersections of the Cerda block in Barcelona, which were designed with chamfered corners to create a figural void that can be used for gathering or green space, or even the left over spaces when multiple city grids come together and are combined with a concrete plaza space. The later can be such places as parks, a beach, or large open spaces. They tend to be green, or surrounded by the feeling of nature, as that can engulf the person and make them truly feel like they have left the city even when they are in the middle of it.
What makes it work?
The main thing that makes a space within the city work is merely that it meets the needs of the people who live/work around it and use it. It doesn’t need to have anything in particular, just simply be utilized. That sounds so simple, but as an architecture student I was searching for something, and object or an event, that makes a space work. But there is no overriding object or event that makes every space that it exists in work. It is the people, and an unsuccessful plaza is one in which the people that are around it and using it see no way in which to utilize it and move on to the next space. When the people don’t use it, it goes into disrepair. This is when you see such events and unkempt green spaces, building facades falling apart, and spaces that turn into parking lots because that’s the only thing people will use it for. This is what the space behind the Boqueria has turned into, as well as what Plaza Reial had become before the renewal.
Is all space good?
This question is kind of a double edge sword. In one respect any relief from the urban density is good. It creates at least some form of open space in which the monotony of city blocks can be broken. But space must be planned accordingly with its surroundings. To many open spaces within a small area makes for some bad spaces. Some of the spaces will not be utilized, and fall into disrepair. There are also situations in which it is a poorly planned space or its surroundings. Some spaces I have come across were not thought out with regards to their users, which made them bad spaces.
Does “green” or plants always make it a better space?
This was a shock to me. At first I believed that putting greenery into a space immediately made it better. But in seeing multiple urban spaces, I realized that there are many extremely successful spaces that have no greenery as well as spaces that have greenery but are very unsuccessful. But I also realized that what made the spaces with greenery unsuccessful was not the greenery itself, but the effect that I explained earlier about an unused plaza that falls into disrepair because no one will take care of it. So, again, I found out in my research that it is not about whether the green space is there or not. It is about whether the plaza as a whole meets the needs of the people around it and using it. Sometimes those people need a space with greenery in which to feel a hint of nature within the city, but in other situations they need a place to meet with friends or family and to simply get outside and sit on a bench and watch the people go by.
So it ended up that all of these questions pretty much come to one answer. People the success of a space, the space does not govern what the people do. So analysis of space on a more specific level needs to involve sitting on sites and observing what the people do, and seeing what the area is in need of. It becomes important to ask questions such as what do people do here, and does it provide the situation in which they can do it in. This, as I came to find out, is a very difficult topic to actually study. It has so many layers, one must look at use and then what could further facilitate that. Sometimes it is grass and trees, other times it is a stone plaza with benches and a fountain. It is different for every city block you walk, as well as different by the types of plazas that surround it.
What is space within the city?
Space is any form of relief from the urban fabric in which people can utilize in whatever form they need. Sometimes it is a situation in which people use as a gathering space to meet and move on to the next event, other times it is somewhere where people can sit and remove themselves from the density and way of life in the city. The first can be such places as the intersections of the Cerda block in Barcelona, which were designed with chamfered corners to create a figural void that can be used for gathering or green space, or even the left over spaces when multiple city grids come together and are combined with a concrete plaza space. The later can be such places as parks, a beach, or large open spaces. They tend to be green, or surrounded by the feeling of nature, as that can engulf the person and make them truly feel like they have left the city even when they are in the middle of it.
What makes it work?
The main thing that makes a space within the city work is merely that it meets the needs of the people who live/work around it and use it. It doesn’t need to have anything in particular, just simply be utilized. That sounds so simple, but as an architecture student I was searching for something, and object or an event, that makes a space work. But there is no overriding object or event that makes every space that it exists in work. It is the people, and an unsuccessful plaza is one in which the people that are around it and using it see no way in which to utilize it and move on to the next space. When the people don’t use it, it goes into disrepair. This is when you see such events and unkempt green spaces, building facades falling apart, and spaces that turn into parking lots because that’s the only thing people will use it for. This is what the space behind the Boqueria has turned into, as well as what Plaza Reial had become before the renewal.
Is all space good?
This question is kind of a double edge sword. In one respect any relief from the urban density is good. It creates at least some form of open space in which the monotony of city blocks can be broken. But space must be planned accordingly with its surroundings. To many open spaces within a small area makes for some bad spaces. Some of the spaces will not be utilized, and fall into disrepair. There are also situations in which it is a poorly planned space or its surroundings. Some spaces I have come across were not thought out with regards to their users, which made them bad spaces.
Does “green” or plants always make it a better space?
This was a shock to me. At first I believed that putting greenery into a space immediately made it better. But in seeing multiple urban spaces, I realized that there are many extremely successful spaces that have no greenery as well as spaces that have greenery but are very unsuccessful. But I also realized that what made the spaces with greenery unsuccessful was not the greenery itself, but the effect that I explained earlier about an unused plaza that falls into disrepair because no one will take care of it. So, again, I found out in my research that it is not about whether the green space is there or not. It is about whether the plaza as a whole meets the needs of the people around it and using it. Sometimes those people need a space with greenery in which to feel a hint of nature within the city, but in other situations they need a place to meet with friends or family and to simply get outside and sit on a bench and watch the people go by.
So it ended up that all of these questions pretty much come to one answer. People the success of a space, the space does not govern what the people do. So analysis of space on a more specific level needs to involve sitting on sites and observing what the people do, and seeing what the area is in need of. It becomes important to ask questions such as what do people do here, and does it provide the situation in which they can do it in. This, as I came to find out, is a very difficult topic to actually study. It has so many layers, one must look at use and then what could further facilitate that. Sometimes it is grass and trees, other times it is a stone plaza with benches and a fountain. It is different for every city block you walk, as well as different by the types of plazas that surround it.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Public space is space used by citizens, space that is adaptable and had a changing meaning.
I have been doing some reading lately after seeing the different type of “urban space” that existed in Morocco. After seeing how different space can be viewed and approached, I wanted to find out what exactly a public space is in not only Barcelona but in Western Europe. Rome is littered with plazas, as are parts of Barcelona. But what makes a plaza? What makes it work? And how should it be approached architecturally. With Barcelona being a place where there are recently and currently so many urban initiatives to create these public spaces in the city I felt that it was necessary to try to research and see what I can find to clarify my approach even further to what I need to look for.
Research found
· There are three elements that limit the extent of a plaza: the walls of the buildings surrounding, the area of the ground, and the amount of sky over the plaza. Wholeness comes from the successful combination of the three
· Five types of Plazas (Paul Zucker p. 117-119 Plazas of Southern Europe)
o Closed Plaza: the buildings entirely surrounding the area create a confined space
o Dominated square: Incorporates axis which create unique and effective expanse of space in their direction. A structure at the head is a common occurrence in these plazas.
o Nuclear Plaza: instead of having buildings surrounding it, this type of plaza has a central focus (such as a fountain).
o Combination of multiple squares: This is a situation in which there are two plazas near each other connected by something such as a large foot path that creates a continuous domain.
o The fifth type is one that was constructed in the 18th and 19th century, and contains no recognizable square space among them. These spaces tend to be smaller openings, and reliefs created by left over space or the need for an opening in a dense area that contains no apparent edge or center.
· A “square” is a public open space located at critical points in urban areas such as road intersections or in front of public buildings for gatherings, markets, aesthetic purposes, or to ease traffic flow (Kenchiku Daijiten p. 121 Plazas of Southern Europe).
o This definition I do not necessarily agree with for the fact that I feel that spaces within the urban fabric don’t need to be for a physical reason, but can be for the mere fact of green space that relieves urban fabric and provides places for people to go and have some “stretch room.” But, in looking at the definition I feel that is important to include as it is further refining my own definition of urban/public spaces.
Then, after feeling like I have a stronger grasp on how to classify plazas and am beginning to refine my own definition of what public space is, I felt that it was necessary to at least begin researching what public spaces in Barcelona are viewed as and approached as.
· “Percieved space is the materialized, socially produced, empirical space, directly experienced, open, within limits, to accurate measurements and description. It is the traditional focus of attention in all spatial disciplines” (P. 151-152 Transforming Barcelona)
· Conceived Space: a “conceptualized space, the space of scientists, planners, urbanists, technocratic subdividers all of whome identify what is lived and what is perceived with what in conceived.” (P. 152 Transforming Barcelona)
· In Barcelona public space is commonly analyzed as a conceived or perceived space much more than as a lived space. (P. 152 Transforming Barcelona)
· Public space is space used by citizens, space that is adaptable and had a changing meaning.
After this past quite, I feel like I can fully define what I feel is a successful public space. I never thought of a substantial space within the city to be adaptable and changing, but that is exactly what it is. Yes it has parameters, edges and is a defined space, but it contains ever changing uses. Uses of a successful public space need to be able to be personally conceived by the person experiencing it. It does not have to have green space, and it does not have to be large, but it has to serve the purpose of the people using it. For example, when you walk into a plaza in Barcelona some people are reading a book, some are walking their dogs, others are meeting people while some are merely using it as a passage to another space. As an architect, to design a space that holds one purpose and one purpose alone would be setting the design up for failure. It needs to have versatility within a prescribed space. A successful urban space has no definition but that which the people tell. If the plaza is being utilized on multiple levels than it is successful.
Placa Reial is a perfect example of this. The designer created a space which brings in multiple streets and blends them together. But there is not a specific program in the space. There is not permanent urban furniture or large expanses of grassy areas for people to sit out and relax on. But it is a successful space. Restaurants have filled in many spaces, expanding out into the plaza with exterior seating. People use this space as a meeting space, as well as a gathering space and a space to relax. The fountain in the middle is constantly in use with people eating, meeting or merely resting. There are shops and places to stop, but people also use it to get from one area to the next. It is utilized on many levels, and that is what makes it so successful. It also contains elements of a couple of the five classifications defined earlier. It is a Combination Plaza, as La Rambla is a large urban space neighboring it with a large connecting path creating what feels like a continuous domain. It also has a nuclear aspect, as the central fountain draws the forms definition partially from its basis around this fountain. Then it is clearly a closed plaza as on all of its sides there are continuous buildings/facades creating a confined space. Also, one of my other notes states that wholeness in a plaza comes from the successful combination of having defined walls by the buildings surrounding it, defined area of the ground, and the appropriate amount of sky over the plaza. Placa Reial is defined by the buildings around it, that define the area of the space while providing a large expanse of light and sky above it. The three, in this instance, are melded together. One creates the other (walls defining area and openness to sky), which I feel is what a successful combination looks like. When in this space, you feel confined yet open to do what you are seeking to accomplish (or even what not to accomplish in the case of just getting away from the business of La Rambla). This I feel, at least in this instance, is what creates wholeness in a public space.
Research found
· There are three elements that limit the extent of a plaza: the walls of the buildings surrounding, the area of the ground, and the amount of sky over the plaza. Wholeness comes from the successful combination of the three
· Five types of Plazas (Paul Zucker p. 117-119 Plazas of Southern Europe)
o Closed Plaza: the buildings entirely surrounding the area create a confined space
o Dominated square: Incorporates axis which create unique and effective expanse of space in their direction. A structure at the head is a common occurrence in these plazas.
o Nuclear Plaza: instead of having buildings surrounding it, this type of plaza has a central focus (such as a fountain).
o Combination of multiple squares: This is a situation in which there are two plazas near each other connected by something such as a large foot path that creates a continuous domain.
o The fifth type is one that was constructed in the 18th and 19th century, and contains no recognizable square space among them. These spaces tend to be smaller openings, and reliefs created by left over space or the need for an opening in a dense area that contains no apparent edge or center.
· A “square” is a public open space located at critical points in urban areas such as road intersections or in front of public buildings for gatherings, markets, aesthetic purposes, or to ease traffic flow (Kenchiku Daijiten p. 121 Plazas of Southern Europe).
o This definition I do not necessarily agree with for the fact that I feel that spaces within the urban fabric don’t need to be for a physical reason, but can be for the mere fact of green space that relieves urban fabric and provides places for people to go and have some “stretch room.” But, in looking at the definition I feel that is important to include as it is further refining my own definition of urban/public spaces.
Then, after feeling like I have a stronger grasp on how to classify plazas and am beginning to refine my own definition of what public space is, I felt that it was necessary to at least begin researching what public spaces in Barcelona are viewed as and approached as.
· “Percieved space is the materialized, socially produced, empirical space, directly experienced, open, within limits, to accurate measurements and description. It is the traditional focus of attention in all spatial disciplines” (P. 151-152 Transforming Barcelona)
· Conceived Space: a “conceptualized space, the space of scientists, planners, urbanists, technocratic subdividers all of whome identify what is lived and what is perceived with what in conceived.” (P. 152 Transforming Barcelona)
· In Barcelona public space is commonly analyzed as a conceived or perceived space much more than as a lived space. (P. 152 Transforming Barcelona)
· Public space is space used by citizens, space that is adaptable and had a changing meaning.
After this past quite, I feel like I can fully define what I feel is a successful public space. I never thought of a substantial space within the city to be adaptable and changing, but that is exactly what it is. Yes it has parameters, edges and is a defined space, but it contains ever changing uses. Uses of a successful public space need to be able to be personally conceived by the person experiencing it. It does not have to have green space, and it does not have to be large, but it has to serve the purpose of the people using it. For example, when you walk into a plaza in Barcelona some people are reading a book, some are walking their dogs, others are meeting people while some are merely using it as a passage to another space. As an architect, to design a space that holds one purpose and one purpose alone would be setting the design up for failure. It needs to have versatility within a prescribed space. A successful urban space has no definition but that which the people tell. If the plaza is being utilized on multiple levels than it is successful.
Placa Reial is a perfect example of this. The designer created a space which brings in multiple streets and blends them together. But there is not a specific program in the space. There is not permanent urban furniture or large expanses of grassy areas for people to sit out and relax on. But it is a successful space. Restaurants have filled in many spaces, expanding out into the plaza with exterior seating. People use this space as a meeting space, as well as a gathering space and a space to relax. The fountain in the middle is constantly in use with people eating, meeting or merely resting. There are shops and places to stop, but people also use it to get from one area to the next. It is utilized on many levels, and that is what makes it so successful. It also contains elements of a couple of the five classifications defined earlier. It is a Combination Plaza, as La Rambla is a large urban space neighboring it with a large connecting path creating what feels like a continuous domain. It also has a nuclear aspect, as the central fountain draws the forms definition partially from its basis around this fountain. Then it is clearly a closed plaza as on all of its sides there are continuous buildings/facades creating a confined space. Also, one of my other notes states that wholeness in a plaza comes from the successful combination of having defined walls by the buildings surrounding it, defined area of the ground, and the appropriate amount of sky over the plaza. Placa Reial is defined by the buildings around it, that define the area of the space while providing a large expanse of light and sky above it. The three, in this instance, are melded together. One creates the other (walls defining area and openness to sky), which I feel is what a successful combination looks like. When in this space, you feel confined yet open to do what you are seeking to accomplish (or even what not to accomplish in the case of just getting away from the business of La Rambla). This I feel, at least in this instance, is what creates wholeness in a public space.
Its starting to wind down!
For the past week has been a pretty laid back week. We have been spending a lot of time in studio, and catching up on work. We had a jury/review for studio for our project yesterday, and its only been a week and a half since we got the project. But it was really good to have the pin up and get other people’s opinions on where we are at. Ours went pretty well, they liked the basis to our project and now there are just a few changes that we need to make.
Also, we had our final exam for Spanish on Tuesday. That was definitely an interesting couple of hours. I think I did pretty well, though there were some difficult parts to the entire thing. The audio part was really difficult though. On top of the fact that the Spanish (in Spain) talk with a lisp, the fact that it was coming out of a tape made it even worse. So basically, I didn’t catch a whole lot of what they were saying in a couple of the audio parts. But I feel like I did pretty well on the rest of the test, so hopefully it balances that out. But, we will just have to see whenever the grades come in!
Other than that I have just been trying to make sure I get the work done that I need to. We have something called an Art Ticket which gets you into six art museums in Barcelona. We have to sketch four of them, but I want to go to them all because they all seem like really cool buildings. The Picasso museum is one of the ones on the list, which I am really excited to go to and visit. So far I have done the CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona) and the MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona). The other two that are required as assignments I plan on doing today, so that I can have them finished and if I do more pages then it is my choice and on my time. Even though I am not much of an art person, it has been pretty cool to go into these places that I probably wouldn’t have gone into had it not been required to sketch. But the Picasso Museum will probably be my favorite one to visit.
Monday we get to do something so incredibly cool! We are getting a private tour of the Sagrada Familia by Gaudi which is under construction. We will be taken through the entire construction site and hopefully up into the scaffolding and see things that most people will probably never get to see. I am so excited, I can’t wait! I will have a blog post next week full of pictures and telling you guys all about it!
So the time is counting down, three more weekends including this one and then I am home! I just found out that I got the job at the architecture firm that I applied for. If anyone is interested in looking at who I am working for the website is www.burthill.com . You can look in their portfolio, they have some really cool work that they do so I am really excited to go work for them.
Other than that, I guess you will just have to check into the blog next week!
Also, we had our final exam for Spanish on Tuesday. That was definitely an interesting couple of hours. I think I did pretty well, though there were some difficult parts to the entire thing. The audio part was really difficult though. On top of the fact that the Spanish (in Spain) talk with a lisp, the fact that it was coming out of a tape made it even worse. So basically, I didn’t catch a whole lot of what they were saying in a couple of the audio parts. But I feel like I did pretty well on the rest of the test, so hopefully it balances that out. But, we will just have to see whenever the grades come in!
Other than that I have just been trying to make sure I get the work done that I need to. We have something called an Art Ticket which gets you into six art museums in Barcelona. We have to sketch four of them, but I want to go to them all because they all seem like really cool buildings. The Picasso museum is one of the ones on the list, which I am really excited to go to and visit. So far I have done the CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona) and the MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona). The other two that are required as assignments I plan on doing today, so that I can have them finished and if I do more pages then it is my choice and on my time. Even though I am not much of an art person, it has been pretty cool to go into these places that I probably wouldn’t have gone into had it not been required to sketch. But the Picasso Museum will probably be my favorite one to visit.
Monday we get to do something so incredibly cool! We are getting a private tour of the Sagrada Familia by Gaudi which is under construction. We will be taken through the entire construction site and hopefully up into the scaffolding and see things that most people will probably never get to see. I am so excited, I can’t wait! I will have a blog post next week full of pictures and telling you guys all about it!
So the time is counting down, three more weekends including this one and then I am home! I just found out that I got the job at the architecture firm that I applied for. If anyone is interested in looking at who I am working for the website is www.burthill.com . You can look in their portfolio, they have some really cool work that they do so I am really excited to go work for them.
Other than that, I guess you will just have to check into the blog next week!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
With respect to my topic of study, Fez (or Morocco as a whole) is a place completely unique in itself as compared to any other place I have gotten the chance to study. There are three areas of the city and they are (in order of oldest to newest) the Medina (the Muslim quarter), the Jewish Quarter and the French Quarter. All but the French Quarter are the same type of urban design style. The Medina and Jewish Quarter contained, for the most part, no urban space……at least not to the public eye. These parts are a series of dense labyrinths only braking building mass for another alley way or street. But, as we were told by our tour guide, Fez is a city that hides its beauty. Urban space does not occur in this city in the open public form, but rather in the semi-private form. “Fezians” bring public space indoors in the form of interior courtyards. Their architecture is internally based, a big contrast to much other architecture that is very externally based. This gives the first impression that the city is extremely dense and lacking any ornamentation, but when you look further there are many relief spaces that not only contain green areas but also contain much of the architectural style and ornamentation that these people are so well known for. These spaces are just maintained within the home. And not do you see these courtyards in homes, but also in schools, religious spaces, and businesses such as tanners, weavers, potters, etc. Around the palace holds the major exception to this “rule” of spaces, because around it are open areas where the density of the city gives way and provides relief and space around that of the government.
When one moves outward to the French Quarter you can see the change of influence of design. Houses become more modern, and are in more of a neighborhood setup much like suburban United States. It is also very apparent that it is the wealthier district with the restaurants and large modern homes that line the streets with ornate gateways and mosaic designs. You can also see the more European influence in the architecture in the externally based designs and modern style (as it is an area built by French when Franc e moved into Morocco). Green Space Is prevalent here, and the main road is much like La Rambla with the large pedestrian center and vehicular traffic on either side. This pedestrian area is lined with trees and has many grassy areas forming walkways and gathering spaces and benches for people to come and relax, gather and enjoy the outdoors. This area was very full with people every time I passed it. Children were playing, adults sitting and talking and people strolling the walkways. So it seemed, to me at least, that this space is very successful and much used.
Islam is based “on the act of surrender and submission….. In Islam, the individual is not asked to surrender to a figure of a godhead but to a way of life, and it is for this reason that the Muslim does not look for a temple to worship at, but a “place” to demonstrate his capacity for hit faith.” This shows in every piece of architecture that we got to study, observe and sketch. They believe that the outside is the unstructured world while the inside is structured. It is apparent that this is why one must go through a series of corridors to enter the interior space in every building, especially homes. Everything is based around a clear center, and it is unmistakable in most, if not all of the spaces, what the center is and the division between the spaces that are considered sacred and those that are considered profane. Not only do the buildings follow these design standards, but the designs in mosaic and painting contain obvious centers, distinct edges, and obvious differentiation of space. The exterior space contains very few windows, and appears very bland. It is a stylistic design that takes that further investigation into the deeper layers to truly understand the design styles and incredible intricacies that are in everything. The center, that deeper layer, is not just rooted in design; it goes further into their beliefs. “He who resides nearest and closest to the “inside” is therefore a complete person.” This center created organization in life and design.
The house being based around the courtyard is also something that is so incredibly prevalent that one needs to know the reason. The Quran says in translation that “the inside of your house is a sanctuary; those who violate it by calling you while you are inside do not keep the respect which they owe…”, and this explains why no matter what door you come in, you can never see into the house and the courtyard. You remain around corners and in hallways until, after being guided in, you are opened up into the much protected personal space of the home and the courtyard.
Overall the architectural style, both urban design wise (with respect to narrow roads and alleyways and dense city blocks) and in individual building design, is so incredible to study and has so much basis and reasoning that it is impossible to truly understand everything in such a short amount of time. Studying urban space as my topic lead me in this city to studying and observing the interior spaces and the edges and centers that occurred. Everything is interwoven, and revolves around the way of life that they live and the laws of their religion that guide them. I can’t wait to go back to cities like this and get to further explore the reasoning behind the designs that occur.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Fez: A City That Hides It’s Beauty
I have never heard a description that rang so true as this. For the last six days I have been in Morocco, and it was an experience different than anything I ever expected. From the moment we landed it was apparent that it was going to be a country completely unlike anywhere I have ever been. The airport was a small building that could only have two airplanes pull up at a time, even though only one was ever there at once. We were picked up by two small buses, and driven to our Riyad (our hotel). When the bus stopped to drop us off we were in a dense street area and saw nothing that looked like a hotel. There were people all around the buses and we all got a bit nervous to get out of the car. But we did, and about a block up the small alley we got to where we were staying which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. You walk into a little corridor, and then into an interior courtyard. All the doors to the room opened up off of the courtyard, and there was stained glass, mosaic work, and carved plaster everywhere. From here on out we were not really nervous about anything. Well, until we dropped off our bags and we walked out around the city to find a tomb and a higher view of the city without a tour guide. But once we started walking I realized that there wasn’t really anything to be worried about. It was weird walking around, though, because we were definitely in a more third world city and I have never been in a place like this. There were lots of alley ways and narrow streets, and cars were not anywhere to be seen since they were not allowed to drive in this area of the city. Donkeys are the mode of transferring materials from one place to another, and the smells were something quite …… unique. We walked around the main cemetery of the city and got to a high point where we could see a lot of the city and some areas around it. I can honestly say that Morocco looked a lot different than I expected. I expected sandy areas, desert, and kind of barren land. Instead there were mountains around, and it was very green. From here we continued to walk and saw some ruins, and then walked back into the Medina (oldest part of the city) and stopped for dinner at a restaurant that we were told was ok to eat at, since it is a huge worry of eating something that would make is sick for the rest of the trip. The food was amazing, I had shish kabab and rice and we had some local appetizers and for dessert their very good and popular green tea with mint and local cookies. Then it was an early night, we went back to the Riyad and I drew a cover page to the Morocco section of my sketchbook SKETCH HERE
Every day we got breakfast at the Riyad, so day two started out with our first Moroccan breakfast. It consisted of Marmalade, Strawberry Jam, Honey and lot s of types of bread and ended with green tea with mint ( as we began to find out that every meal ended with green tea with mint). We then met our tour guide, and were off to explore the city. We started by going to an old Palace that is now the Museum Dar Batha. We sketched here for over an hour (SKETCH HERE) and then walked up to the old city gate and had a little bit of time to sketch here. Then we went back to the Riyad for a four course Moroccan meal that was so good. For the rest of the day we got to walk around the city and go into a couple of buildings with large courtyard areas such as the schools which are called Madressa’s. In these buildings we had some time to sketch what we are learning about in school such as the difference between sacred and profane. It is interesting here because even in the schools there are sacred spaces for worship. We also, during the day, got to see how different mentalities are in a place like this under not only different lifestyles but also strongly different religious beliefs.
We had to dress covering most of our arms and could not wear anything above our knees and especially not stuff that was very snug fitting. In restaurants that had a lot of locals, there was pretty much no women, and many women had head scarf’s and wore robes called Kaftans. Being a blonde I got a lot of looks and guys trying to grab my attention. And honestly I could just feel and tell that it wasn’t in a good way. It really felt like women were not at the “same level” as men here and it was a really weird feeling to be a woman visiting a place like this. I didn’t feel unsafe at the slightest; you could just see and feel the difference in opinion of status I guess I would say.
The third day we ate breakfast and were picked up again by our tour guide. We started by walking through a different area of the Medina, and went to another Palace that family of the Prime Ministers lived in. It is also where a part of the movie Jewel of the Nile was filmed. We found out this day that our tour guide had also guided Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and a lot of other famous people. In the first place we got to sketch, and my fascination with the patterns and designs took over and I sketched a design on the ceiling (Sketch here). Throughout the day we drove and went to see the view from a fort over the city, and went to a town and saw the potters and the process of making Fez pottery and go to buy some of their work. I bought a Tagine (a baking dish for a typical Moroccan dish) and two plates. I also got hit on and given a name to call to get any help that I need if I wanted to order any more stuff. It became a joke that I made a boyfriend at the pottery place. It was pretty funny. Then we went back to the town and had lunch and then went to see a weaver, where we got to watch them make blankets out of Moroccan silk, cotton and wool. I bought one of their blankets and two scarfs. They are so beautiful and cant wait to put them up at home. Then it off into the city, and into a courtyard/house where we spent some time sketching before we went home. It is so cool each time walking into these courtyard houses and seeing the different type of architecture and the way that they preserve these spaces form the public eye. You have to walk through a series of corridors to even get into the spaces, and I find that to be really cool because they preserve their personal space. Then it was an early night, and we got to finish up our sketches and get a good nights sleep.
Day three started again with breakfast, but then consisted of no sketching throughout the entire day. We got picked up by a different tour guide and were taken out into the towns about an hour away in and around the Atlas Mountains. We got to see the way they lived in the country side and in the smaller towns, and it was even more obvious that we were in a third world country. In the first town we went to there were cave dwellers. They dug into the rock and lived down in caves. More recently they have built above the caves, to the caves are summer dwelling and winter dwelling is in the above houses. Our tour guide took us down into a cave below a house and drank some green tea with mint and he told us that in the winter the caves stay around 17 degrees Celsius and in the summer around 20 degrees Celsius so it was natural cooling and heating. Then we went through a couple other towns and then into the wooded area and got to feed monkeys! Well they called them Bourbor apes, because we were in the bourbor area, and they were some pretty big monkeys and we got to feed them bananas and oranges. It was pretty cool, something I have never done before. Then we drove back to Fez and some of us did a local Turkish bath. Let’s just say that was really interesting, and anyone who wants to know the details can just ask me and I can explain.
The last day we spent a lot of time sketching the architecture and really observing the places that we had been. We went into a couple of places that used to be inns for people traveling, and got to sketch one that was restored and now turned into a wooden goods museum. Our tour guide knew a lot of people, so he also got us into a Medressa (school) that was not open to public yet because he knew the guard. We got to walk around and look at all of the rooms and classrooms in it and what not. Then he took us to a house of a friend of his that was a carpet salesman and we got to eat lunch here and see some of the local carpets. We also got to go up onto the rooftop and see another wonderful view of the city. We also got to go to a tanner and watch how they prepare the leather. The place smelled awful because of the materials they use to clean and dye the skins, but it was really cool to see and we again got to buy stuff directly from where it is prepared and made and what not. I made my biggest purchase of my study abroad time here, but at least it is the last real purchase I am making until after I get home.
I enjoyed this trip more than I ever expected. It was probably one of my favorite places I have ever been and I believe firmly now that you have never really traveled until you have gone somewhere that takes you completely out of your comfort zone and makes you see things that truly open your eyes. Between forcing myself to bargain because it is part of their culture, and really getting down into these places that still use donkeys for transport and the need to be careful of everything you eat, I feel like my eyes have been opened up and I cant wait to go back and go to other places like it. The architecture was so phenomenal, and after learning about it for so long it was really cool to actually get to see it and be put into places to get to observe and sketch it. It is an experience I will definitely recommend to everyone to try at least once.
Every day we got breakfast at the Riyad, so day two started out with our first Moroccan breakfast. It consisted of Marmalade, Strawberry Jam, Honey and lot s of types of bread and ended with green tea with mint ( as we began to find out that every meal ended with green tea with mint). We then met our tour guide, and were off to explore the city. We started by going to an old Palace that is now the Museum Dar Batha. We sketched here for over an hour (SKETCH HERE) and then walked up to the old city gate and had a little bit of time to sketch here. Then we went back to the Riyad for a four course Moroccan meal that was so good. For the rest of the day we got to walk around the city and go into a couple of buildings with large courtyard areas such as the schools which are called Madressa’s. In these buildings we had some time to sketch what we are learning about in school such as the difference between sacred and profane. It is interesting here because even in the schools there are sacred spaces for worship. We also, during the day, got to see how different mentalities are in a place like this under not only different lifestyles but also strongly different religious beliefs.
We had to dress covering most of our arms and could not wear anything above our knees and especially not stuff that was very snug fitting. In restaurants that had a lot of locals, there was pretty much no women, and many women had head scarf’s and wore robes called Kaftans. Being a blonde I got a lot of looks and guys trying to grab my attention. And honestly I could just feel and tell that it wasn’t in a good way. It really felt like women were not at the “same level” as men here and it was a really weird feeling to be a woman visiting a place like this. I didn’t feel unsafe at the slightest; you could just see and feel the difference in opinion of status I guess I would say.
The third day we ate breakfast and were picked up again by our tour guide. We started by walking through a different area of the Medina, and went to another Palace that family of the Prime Ministers lived in. It is also where a part of the movie Jewel of the Nile was filmed. We found out this day that our tour guide had also guided Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and a lot of other famous people. In the first place we got to sketch, and my fascination with the patterns and designs took over and I sketched a design on the ceiling (Sketch here). Throughout the day we drove and went to see the view from a fort over the city, and went to a town and saw the potters and the process of making Fez pottery and go to buy some of their work. I bought a Tagine (a baking dish for a typical Moroccan dish) and two plates. I also got hit on and given a name to call to get any help that I need if I wanted to order any more stuff. It became a joke that I made a boyfriend at the pottery place. It was pretty funny. Then we went back to the town and had lunch and then went to see a weaver, where we got to watch them make blankets out of Moroccan silk, cotton and wool. I bought one of their blankets and two scarfs. They are so beautiful and cant wait to put them up at home. Then it off into the city, and into a courtyard/house where we spent some time sketching before we went home. It is so cool each time walking into these courtyard houses and seeing the different type of architecture and the way that they preserve these spaces form the public eye. You have to walk through a series of corridors to even get into the spaces, and I find that to be really cool because they preserve their personal space. Then it was an early night, and we got to finish up our sketches and get a good nights sleep.
Day three started again with breakfast, but then consisted of no sketching throughout the entire day. We got picked up by a different tour guide and were taken out into the towns about an hour away in and around the Atlas Mountains. We got to see the way they lived in the country side and in the smaller towns, and it was even more obvious that we were in a third world country. In the first town we went to there were cave dwellers. They dug into the rock and lived down in caves. More recently they have built above the caves, to the caves are summer dwelling and winter dwelling is in the above houses. Our tour guide took us down into a cave below a house and drank some green tea with mint and he told us that in the winter the caves stay around 17 degrees Celsius and in the summer around 20 degrees Celsius so it was natural cooling and heating. Then we went through a couple other towns and then into the wooded area and got to feed monkeys! Well they called them Bourbor apes, because we were in the bourbor area, and they were some pretty big monkeys and we got to feed them bananas and oranges. It was pretty cool, something I have never done before. Then we drove back to Fez and some of us did a local Turkish bath. Let’s just say that was really interesting, and anyone who wants to know the details can just ask me and I can explain.
The last day we spent a lot of time sketching the architecture and really observing the places that we had been. We went into a couple of places that used to be inns for people traveling, and got to sketch one that was restored and now turned into a wooden goods museum. Our tour guide knew a lot of people, so he also got us into a Medressa (school) that was not open to public yet because he knew the guard. We got to walk around and look at all of the rooms and classrooms in it and what not. Then he took us to a house of a friend of his that was a carpet salesman and we got to eat lunch here and see some of the local carpets. We also got to go up onto the rooftop and see another wonderful view of the city. We also got to go to a tanner and watch how they prepare the leather. The place smelled awful because of the materials they use to clean and dye the skins, but it was really cool to see and we again got to buy stuff directly from where it is prepared and made and what not. I made my biggest purchase of my study abroad time here, but at least it is the last real purchase I am making until after I get home.
I enjoyed this trip more than I ever expected. It was probably one of my favorite places I have ever been and I believe firmly now that you have never really traveled until you have gone somewhere that takes you completely out of your comfort zone and makes you see things that truly open your eyes. Between forcing myself to bargain because it is part of their culture, and really getting down into these places that still use donkeys for transport and the need to be careful of everything you eat, I feel like my eyes have been opened up and I cant wait to go back and go to other places like it. The architecture was so phenomenal, and after learning about it for so long it was really cool to actually get to see it and be put into places to get to observe and sketch it. It is an experience I will definitely recommend to everyone to try at least once.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Family Visits Spain!
The past week has been so much fun……Lauren, Jake, Mom and Dad were all here and I got to show them where I have been living for the past three months. I met them at the airport on Friday, and from there we drove down to stay at a hotel on the beach in Calafell/El Vendrell. It was really cool to finally get to go to the towns outside of Barcelona, especially to stay on the beach. The hotel was so nice. Its right on the beach, and really short walking distance from the town center area where there is some shopping and restaurants. That first night we got to the hotel, and it was late enough in the day that we just went to dinner and then back to bed.
On Saturday we woke up and went to drive around the countryside and go wine tasting. After getting a bit lost, we finally found one of the wineries and did a tour and tasting. It was so neat to see a winery and how it worked. This was the first wine tour I have been on, and to see one in a region where the wine is so popular was really a lot of fun. One of the rooms they took us through on the tour even recreated the smells as the seasons changed so that you could really get a feeling for what it was like during that actual season. After that we went back to the town and did some walking around and mom, Lauren and I did some shopping. We went out for dinner again that night, and since the family was not used to the fact that dinner starts here at around 9:30 to 10pm we went back to the hotel afterward and slept.
On Easter Sunday Lauren, Mom and I woke up and got a massage in the spa in the hotel. It was my first real massage, and it was awesome! Plus, I got to see a whole other section of the hotel. After that everyone slowly got ready and then we went out to go sight-seeing around the area. We drove up to the Calafell Castle, but it was closed for Siesta (the mid-afternoon break time) and so we drove to some of the other towns and ended up in Sitges, a big beach town with a really cool old section. We walked around there for a while, saw the old section, and Lauren and I did a little shopping at some stands. When we left there Jake, Lauren and Dad wanted to go back to the hotel so Mom and I dropped them off then went back and saw the castle and an Archaeological site that was in the town we were staying in. We ate that night at the buffet in the hotel since most things were closed for Easter Sunday, but there was so much food that I don’t think anyone was complaining.
Monday we were off to Barcelona, and before we got to the hotel we drove to Parc Guell, a park designed by Gaudi, a famous architect. It was really cool to go there because I haven’t been yet, so it was as new for me as it was for my family. Lauren and I bought some jewelry there that was Gaudi style designs, and I bought some birthday gifts for some of my friends whose birthdays are while I am here. I took them out to dinner at a popular Tapas Restaurant, and they seemed to like it a lot. It is one of my favorites, so it was cool to take them there and see if they liked it.
The next two days I didn’t get to go sight-seeing with my family. We had full day classes, in which we did a lot of sketching and studies of areas of the cities. Right after class each day I met up with my family and got to hang out for a bit before and after dinner. Tuesday we went to a restaurant that I have been wanting to try on La Rambla, and the food was really good. Then on Wednesday we found a little Italian places on one of the ramblas, the Rambla Reval, in the historic district.
I just left them, which is really sad because I won’t get to see them for a little over a month. But, tomorrow we leave for Morocco which should be a really cool experience. We are spending five nights and six days there, and we have a tour guide that will be showing us around the entire city. So keep updated and find out how that trip went!
On Saturday we woke up and went to drive around the countryside and go wine tasting. After getting a bit lost, we finally found one of the wineries and did a tour and tasting. It was so neat to see a winery and how it worked. This was the first wine tour I have been on, and to see one in a region where the wine is so popular was really a lot of fun. One of the rooms they took us through on the tour even recreated the smells as the seasons changed so that you could really get a feeling for what it was like during that actual season. After that we went back to the town and did some walking around and mom, Lauren and I did some shopping. We went out for dinner again that night, and since the family was not used to the fact that dinner starts here at around 9:30 to 10pm we went back to the hotel afterward and slept.
On Easter Sunday Lauren, Mom and I woke up and got a massage in the spa in the hotel. It was my first real massage, and it was awesome! Plus, I got to see a whole other section of the hotel. After that everyone slowly got ready and then we went out to go sight-seeing around the area. We drove up to the Calafell Castle, but it was closed for Siesta (the mid-afternoon break time) and so we drove to some of the other towns and ended up in Sitges, a big beach town with a really cool old section. We walked around there for a while, saw the old section, and Lauren and I did a little shopping at some stands. When we left there Jake, Lauren and Dad wanted to go back to the hotel so Mom and I dropped them off then went back and saw the castle and an Archaeological site that was in the town we were staying in. We ate that night at the buffet in the hotel since most things were closed for Easter Sunday, but there was so much food that I don’t think anyone was complaining.
Monday we were off to Barcelona, and before we got to the hotel we drove to Parc Guell, a park designed by Gaudi, a famous architect. It was really cool to go there because I haven’t been yet, so it was as new for me as it was for my family. Lauren and I bought some jewelry there that was Gaudi style designs, and I bought some birthday gifts for some of my friends whose birthdays are while I am here. I took them out to dinner at a popular Tapas Restaurant, and they seemed to like it a lot. It is one of my favorites, so it was cool to take them there and see if they liked it.
The next two days I didn’t get to go sight-seeing with my family. We had full day classes, in which we did a lot of sketching and studies of areas of the cities. Right after class each day I met up with my family and got to hang out for a bit before and after dinner. Tuesday we went to a restaurant that I have been wanting to try on La Rambla, and the food was really good. Then on Wednesday we found a little Italian places on one of the ramblas, the Rambla Reval, in the historic district.
I just left them, which is really sad because I won’t get to see them for a little over a month. But, tomorrow we leave for Morocco which should be a really cool experience. We are spending five nights and six days there, and we have a tour guide that will be showing us around the entire city. So keep updated and find out how that trip went!
Architecture in Calafell and El Vendrell …… and Prep work for Morocco!
For Easter weekend I went with my family to a town on the beach about forty five minutes south of Barcelona and then they spent the last three days in Barcelona. It was really cool to see the smaller towns around Barcelona and how they compare architecturally and in regards to my topic. The towns are not very dense and not very large, so they naturally need less planned open spaces. So it was hard to observe urban space and green space since it was a more rural area and green space was everywhere. But, town planning wise, it was interesting to observe how they worked. There is the same idea in the town center areas of the lower level being commercial and restaurant, and the upper areas being housing. But this was a relatively small area, and outside of that the housing space goes all the way to the bottom level. The beach area, and the houses and shops that bumped up to it, reminded me a lot of the way our beach edges are designed. It was shops at the core area and townhouse and apartment style as you move away, and then there was a boardwalk space with movable vendors and then the beach. The height of buildings is kept pretty much at three to four floors, so it was not a town that has been built up.
Also, another thing that we saw that was really architecturally interesting was the Torres Winery that we visited. When you first drive up you see an older style brick looking building which contains the store and the beginning to the wine tour. On the tour they drove us through the vine fields to the actually winery area. It was completely different that what I had pictured, they took a completely modern direction with the architecture. They also explained how it is a very green complex, and that they use solar panels to power the building and a lot of green materials in the building. I thought this was really interesting as I pictured old wineries like this to still have these heavy brick buildings and not be very up-to-date with the movements that architecture is making. But I was very wrong in that.
For the two days before we leave for Morocco, we have done two full days of sketching class. So, I got to see other parts of the city and look at the architecture in Barcelona again. The first place we went on the first day was a place inside of the cemetery on Montjuic. It is a memorial space, but what really caught me in regards to my topic is having this open space in the city system that completely seems to be removed and cancel out the noise of the very close neighboring port. Walking up to the space you can hear the noise from the port, but as you cross the threshold and enter the area, surrounded by cliffs on three sides, you feel as it you have completely left the city. It is very soothing and contemplative and a very successful space within the city. I would not call it an “Urban Space”, but as a space within the urban space it was incredible to me how removed you can feel. The main part that really pertains to my topic that I want to discuss is our further study in Montjuic. I have been there before, but not looking in as much detail as we did for class. We went to the Botanical Gardens and I got to observe a large scale designed green space in the city. It feels completely removed, and noises are cancelled out. There are platform areas from which you can look out onto the city, but you feel like an outsider looking in, when actually Montjuic is within the city. It is a phenomenal place to get away and be removed without having to drive outside of the city limits. Montjuic is a successful creation of green space within the city, as well as having individual parts that further remove the person from feelings of urban to country. For the city, it creates a space that is an extreme relief from urban density.
It is Wednesday night now, and I am reading information for our trip to Morocco tomorrow. We will get to not only look at the city as a whole, but also get to look into how they internalize their architecture and base it around courtyards and inner gathering spaces. This is much in contrast to a lot of the architecture that I have seen and studied, so it will be really interesting to get to see and study this architectural type.
Also, another thing that we saw that was really architecturally interesting was the Torres Winery that we visited. When you first drive up you see an older style brick looking building which contains the store and the beginning to the wine tour. On the tour they drove us through the vine fields to the actually winery area. It was completely different that what I had pictured, they took a completely modern direction with the architecture. They also explained how it is a very green complex, and that they use solar panels to power the building and a lot of green materials in the building. I thought this was really interesting as I pictured old wineries like this to still have these heavy brick buildings and not be very up-to-date with the movements that architecture is making. But I was very wrong in that.
For the two days before we leave for Morocco, we have done two full days of sketching class. So, I got to see other parts of the city and look at the architecture in Barcelona again. The first place we went on the first day was a place inside of the cemetery on Montjuic. It is a memorial space, but what really caught me in regards to my topic is having this open space in the city system that completely seems to be removed and cancel out the noise of the very close neighboring port. Walking up to the space you can hear the noise from the port, but as you cross the threshold and enter the area, surrounded by cliffs on three sides, you feel as it you have completely left the city. It is very soothing and contemplative and a very successful space within the city. I would not call it an “Urban Space”, but as a space within the urban space it was incredible to me how removed you can feel. The main part that really pertains to my topic that I want to discuss is our further study in Montjuic. I have been there before, but not looking in as much detail as we did for class. We went to the Botanical Gardens and I got to observe a large scale designed green space in the city. It feels completely removed, and noises are cancelled out. There are platform areas from which you can look out onto the city, but you feel like an outsider looking in, when actually Montjuic is within the city. It is a phenomenal place to get away and be removed without having to drive outside of the city limits. Montjuic is a successful creation of green space within the city, as well as having individual parts that further remove the person from feelings of urban to country. For the city, it creates a space that is an extreme relief from urban density.
It is Wednesday night now, and I am reading information for our trip to Morocco tomorrow. We will get to not only look at the city as a whole, but also get to look into how they internalize their architecture and base it around courtyards and inner gathering spaces. This is much in contrast to a lot of the architecture that I have seen and studied, so it will be really interesting to get to see and study this architectural type.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Topic of study for class
For studio, as i have said before, we are to observe a topic of choise throughout the rest of the semester and document on our blog what we figure out. I chose to do Green Space in the city, and have slightly skimmed the top of this and am delving more into it for the last two months. But as i thought about my topic, I realized that I needed to clarify not only to everyone, but mostly to myself so that I can look at spaces with the objective eye and perspective necessary to truly analyze. SO, here are the first questions that I decided to address:
1. -What is Green Space by definition?
2. -What is Green Space to me?
3. -Does it need/require vegetation?
4. -Does it have to be large like a plaza, or can it be small like a sidewalk?
5. -Where is it appropriate/necessary or not?
6. -How much is to much? Is there such thing as to much?
7. -Do cities today need more Green Space?
After listing out the questions that I feel like needed to be answered, I did some reading and started to answer them.
1. A defenition that I found of green space states that it is any piece of land covered with vegetation. Which stands true to what I originally though it was. But, I feel that in an urban context, which is what i am studying it in, there could potentially hold a slightly different definition.
2. Based on some of the research I have done, and observing the city around, to me Green Space could potentially be something a bit different. In a city, I want to explore if green space can revolve around a gathering space larger that just the area in front of the building. I still lean towards the fact that Green Space requires vegetation, but I am looking to explore if in the urban context other types of areas can be "Green Space".
3. At this point in time I feel that vegetation, at least to some degree, is necessary to make a space a Green Space. But, in walking around a city I have seen some areas with vegetation that dont accomplish what the purpose of green space is and become very un-inviting places, as well as spaces that have no vegetation that break the urban fabric and create less density and outdoor gathering spaces which I feel is a major purpose of Green Space. But Green approaches can be addressed on the small scale on sidewalks and such.
4. Green Space in the urban context is a relief in the density and fabric, and therefore needs to, in my opinion, stand as a larger space than merely a sidewalk or a street corner. It needs to break the urban fabric and create a space in which people can freely gather at least slightly seperated from the busy denseness and built environment of the city.
5. Green Space is necessary wherever the are of the city has gotten to dense, and there are no spaces of relief in which people can gather.
6. When well designed, a specific space can never be to "Green", but excess comes when many plazas begin being put extremely close to one another and removing all of the urban fabric. Green Space is meant as a relief in the city, not to completely replace the city. Excess can also come when nothing is accomplished by the space. This can be caused by poor design or poor location.
7. This is more of an opinion question, but one I feel like can be re-addressed at each analysis and especially at the end. After traveling to a bunch of cities, I feel that all major cities need to address the topic of Green Space more and can start by creating more zones of relief throught the city. So many of the cities, especially the old ones, have some green spaces in the old area, especially around the ruins and things of the sort, but once you move to the outer newer areas it becomes more dense and built up. Even if it is addressed in areas such as making buildings more green and putting Green Space on the tops of buildings, it is something that will help a lot especially with the battles we are fighting with the environment right now.
So, there is my beginning break down of my topic. In breaking down my thoughts, I have narrowed my topic a bit to be Urban Space from a Green perspective. I want to analyze where green spaces are in a city, and what makes something an urban space versus a green space. This may be a lot to tackle in two months, but i am going to try my best to look at spaces and see if they work and which topic they fall under.
1. -What is Green Space by definition?
2. -What is Green Space to me?
3. -Does it need/require vegetation?
4. -Does it have to be large like a plaza, or can it be small like a sidewalk?
5. -Where is it appropriate/necessary or not?
6. -How much is to much? Is there such thing as to much?
7. -Do cities today need more Green Space?
After listing out the questions that I feel like needed to be answered, I did some reading and started to answer them.
1. A defenition that I found of green space states that it is any piece of land covered with vegetation. Which stands true to what I originally though it was. But, I feel that in an urban context, which is what i am studying it in, there could potentially hold a slightly different definition.
2. Based on some of the research I have done, and observing the city around, to me Green Space could potentially be something a bit different. In a city, I want to explore if green space can revolve around a gathering space larger that just the area in front of the building. I still lean towards the fact that Green Space requires vegetation, but I am looking to explore if in the urban context other types of areas can be "Green Space".
3. At this point in time I feel that vegetation, at least to some degree, is necessary to make a space a Green Space. But, in walking around a city I have seen some areas with vegetation that dont accomplish what the purpose of green space is and become very un-inviting places, as well as spaces that have no vegetation that break the urban fabric and create less density and outdoor gathering spaces which I feel is a major purpose of Green Space. But Green approaches can be addressed on the small scale on sidewalks and such.
4. Green Space in the urban context is a relief in the density and fabric, and therefore needs to, in my opinion, stand as a larger space than merely a sidewalk or a street corner. It needs to break the urban fabric and create a space in which people can freely gather at least slightly seperated from the busy denseness and built environment of the city.
5. Green Space is necessary wherever the are of the city has gotten to dense, and there are no spaces of relief in which people can gather.
6. When well designed, a specific space can never be to "Green", but excess comes when many plazas begin being put extremely close to one another and removing all of the urban fabric. Green Space is meant as a relief in the city, not to completely replace the city. Excess can also come when nothing is accomplished by the space. This can be caused by poor design or poor location.
7. This is more of an opinion question, but one I feel like can be re-addressed at each analysis and especially at the end. After traveling to a bunch of cities, I feel that all major cities need to address the topic of Green Space more and can start by creating more zones of relief throught the city. So many of the cities, especially the old ones, have some green spaces in the old area, especially around the ruins and things of the sort, but once you move to the outer newer areas it becomes more dense and built up. Even if it is addressed in areas such as making buildings more green and putting Green Space on the tops of buildings, it is something that will help a lot especially with the battles we are fighting with the environment right now.
So, there is my beginning break down of my topic. In breaking down my thoughts, I have narrowed my topic a bit to be Urban Space from a Green perspective. I want to analyze where green spaces are in a city, and what makes something an urban space versus a green space. This may be a lot to tackle in two months, but i am going to try my best to look at spaces and see if they work and which topic they fall under.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
So, I have decided a new format for my blog. I want to keep everyone updated at home as well as keeping up to date with my topic of study for class. So I decided to switch back and forth in each blog post what I am writing about. Every other post will update everyone on what I am doing, and have pictures of what I see and do, and the ones in between will be analysis and sketches and pictures of the topic that I am doing for class. So hopefully it doesnt get to confusing, but I think it will be cool for everyone to see both the work side and the fun side of what i am doing here. And to help that I am going to start posting the work that I have been doing so that everyone can see i am doing just as much work as I am fun stuff.
This past week has been awesome. Two of my really close friends were here, and that can never go bad! Caryne got here Thursday March 6, and Amanda got here Saturday March 8. I had classes starting monday, so i mostly just got to spend late afternoons and nights hanging out with them, but they got along really well and had each other to go sight seeing with. So that worked out really well.
Last Sunday, though, i got to take them around the city and show them where i live. We went down to the port area, and shopped a lot at all of the stands that are set up. We all spent more money than we wanted to, of course, but love everything we bought and absolutely can live without any of it! We also got to eat a huge seafood lunch. I havent had a real seafood meal here yet, after stuffing ourselves with all of it I can honestly tell everyone it is as good as I expected. After that we worked our way to the beach, and around the Olympic village. We walked a lot, but even I got to see stuff that i have never seen before. So that was a lot of fun.
All of the other days, when I got out of class I got to go back to the apartment and then go out to dinner with them. We went to a tapas bar one night, the most a mazing mexican place ever another, and pretty much every resteraunt that I have been to since being here. One day we go to meet up for lunch, and we went to this sushi place that is down the street from my apartment. It was sooooo good, but made me miss home because I eat so much sushi at home!
We also went out to this one place on one night called the Champagneria (I probably spelled it wrong), which is a place that sells bottles of cava for 2 euro and has amazing sandwhiches for pretty cheap. Pretty good for poor college kids. Cava, for anyone who doesn't know, is the local version of Champagne. It is so good! That same night we went to a latin bar, and then to an Irish pub. I had to show them all of the fun places to go!
Thursday was Amanda's 21st birthday, so we went out to a nice dinner at a place that in my opinion has the best Paella that I have eaten here. We got to drink wine and eat dinner and it was sooo much fun and so good! Then we went to this bar called Chupitos, which is a place that has a menu the size of the wall full of drinks and stuff. I was so glad I got to take Amanda out for her birthday, and especially that she got to spend it here!
Friday Caryne left, and then today Amanda did. I am definately not happy to have them leave, it made me miss home more than I thought it would, but it was so much fun to have them come visit! On Friday the family is coming in, so i have something to really look forward to!
Well, I gotta actually go and accomplish some work. So I will update again soon!
This past week has been awesome. Two of my really close friends were here, and that can never go bad! Caryne got here Thursday March 6, and Amanda got here Saturday March 8. I had classes starting monday, so i mostly just got to spend late afternoons and nights hanging out with them, but they got along really well and had each other to go sight seeing with. So that worked out really well.
Last Sunday, though, i got to take them around the city and show them where i live. We went down to the port area, and shopped a lot at all of the stands that are set up. We all spent more money than we wanted to, of course, but love everything we bought and absolutely can live without any of it! We also got to eat a huge seafood lunch. I havent had a real seafood meal here yet, after stuffing ourselves with all of it I can honestly tell everyone it is as good as I expected. After that we worked our way to the beach, and around the Olympic village. We walked a lot, but even I got to see stuff that i have never seen before. So that was a lot of fun.
All of the other days, when I got out of class I got to go back to the apartment and then go out to dinner with them. We went to a tapas bar one night, the most a mazing mexican place ever another, and pretty much every resteraunt that I have been to since being here. One day we go to meet up for lunch, and we went to this sushi place that is down the street from my apartment. It was sooooo good, but made me miss home because I eat so much sushi at home!
We also went out to this one place on one night called the Champagneria (I probably spelled it wrong), which is a place that sells bottles of cava for 2 euro and has amazing sandwhiches for pretty cheap. Pretty good for poor college kids. Cava, for anyone who doesn't know, is the local version of Champagne. It is so good! That same night we went to a latin bar, and then to an Irish pub. I had to show them all of the fun places to go!
Thursday was Amanda's 21st birthday, so we went out to a nice dinner at a place that in my opinion has the best Paella that I have eaten here. We got to drink wine and eat dinner and it was sooo much fun and so good! Then we went to this bar called Chupitos, which is a place that has a menu the size of the wall full of drinks and stuff. I was so glad I got to take Amanda out for her birthday, and especially that she got to spend it here!
Friday Caryne left, and then today Amanda did. I am definately not happy to have them leave, it made me miss home more than I thought it would, but it was so much fun to have them come visit! On Friday the family is coming in, so i have something to really look forward to!
Well, I gotta actually go and accomplish some work. So I will update again soon!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I promise i am trying to get better at this!
So its been a while and so much has happened since then! The time after i last wrote we were preparing for final review of our second project. The review was scheduled for thursday before we left for spring break. On thursday it was pushed to the monday we get back, and then friday early morning i hopped on a plane to greece!
Athens was amazing. There was so much green space and it was such a beautiful city. At every plaza there were multiple trees, at least in the area we went around, and with so many roman ruins it added to the immense patches of green. The first day we were there, after we landed, we decided to just walk around and basically observe the city. Our hostel was pretty much at the base of the Acropolis, so we were pretty easy access to most of the areas we wanted to see in the day and a half we were there. When we started to walk around the corner to the acropolis, it was a city that then opened up to what felt like walking out into a smaller town. The acropolis is up on top of the hill, and the base is surrounded by so much grassy open space it was incredible. And right behind it from the direction we were coming was a mountain that was completely trees. We walked past a really modern building, that is apparently the new acropolis museum, and were so fascinated that we decided to figure out when we could go back and actually try to go in it. It was eventually figured out that, though it is still under construction and not open yet, they let people in between ten and twelve am.
Lindsey and i decided to go ahead and go up to the Acropolis, us history buffs just couldnt wait till tomorrow. It was so incredible to look at from below there was just to much of a draw. Everyone else decided to walk around some more, and that we would just meet up with them in the hostel in a couple of hours. Going up to a place that is thousands of years old was one of the most incredible experiences. And just the fact of seeing a piece of architecture that influenced so many people throughout history and that we have learned to much about was just incredible. We had to walk up the hill to get to the entrance first though. The area around was so well designed. It felt like we were in a garden that had planned paths and organized flows of travel. There were so many trees, it was almost like they had created an area in the city that removed you from the city. And this was what we had to go through to get to the entrance. In designing all of this green space, and maintaining it all the way up to the "hill" madethe experience so relaxing and removed you from the knowledge that the city is so built up around it. When we got up to the top, everything that was up there just made us awe struck. It was such a cool feeling to stand where people stood for so many years, and just picture how it was before time took its toll. At 5:30pm though they started blowing whistles and kicking everyone out, so it was our time to leave, and stop admiring, and go to the hostel to meet up with everyone else.
Our full day in Rome consisted of waking up and going to the Acropolis museum, the new modern building at the base of the Acropolis. This building, we learned, when they struck ground for construction they hit roman ruins with artifacts that date back over 4000 years. So, the design was re-evaluated and the building was lifted and now creates a canopy over the ruins, protecting them and opening it up for everyone to see. The floor on the inside of the building is made of glass and in periodic areas opens up so people inside of the building can look down on the ruins. After we stayed there for a while and sketched, Lindsey, Josh and I decided to start walking to all of the areas a bit to the outside of the Acropolis. We had been told the day before that we need to walk up the little mountain/hill next to it and that there is an incredible view of the entire city. Again, we got to a place where when walking around it and then up it I felt completely removed from the city. It is amazing how a city maintains the areas like this instead of letting them get built up and populated. It becomes a retreat for so many people, and is so serene in so much chaos. More cities need to have spaces like this in which it is in the center of the city, and a person can go to "leave the city" without actually leaving the city and be in a place with so much nature and calm. When we got to the top there was so much space to walk around, and so many incredible views of the city. In observing green space for class (as you have probably been able to tell that is what i am doing) I really looked around and tried to observe the city outside of where i had seen and see if the rest of the city was so observing of the necessity of green space. It appeared, that outside of the "old city" area, the plazas with trees and green space seemed to trickle away and one moved away from this center. It was a really beautiful sight to see though because at two of the edges of the cities were mountains that were vast and green and on one side you could see the water. After that we walked around the old city, and went to the Agora. By this point i truly began to realize that, as in Rome, the city maintained a lot of green space in the old areas and lost it progressively as the new areas arose. That is one thing i can say for Barcelona, at least for where i have been so far, that though there are not a lot of places in the city that maintain a lot of large green spaces, the places in both the old and the new city contain trees and at least some growth giving life to some plazas.
Sunday we hopped on a boat, and took a ferry to Santorini. The ferry ride was so amazing, we went past so many greek islands an basically just got to spend the day looking all over the Aegean Sea. I really cant complain to much. When we started to pull up to Santorini, the whole side of the island we saw were these huge cliff faces. The cities were all at the top built into the edge of the cliff and looking out over the water. Their connection to the waterfront were these incredibly long, winding paths that gradually led you up the cliff. The island was really cool, and when we finally got up to the top was like being in the country. The houses/buildings dont exceed two story, and there are just miles of fields. And from each side of the island you can see all the way across. The island was big length wise but width wise it was pretty narrow. Our time on the Island was spent visiting the black, red, and white sand beaches, going to the towns and shopping where we could. Basically it was an amazing place to just walk around and see everything. The green space is hard to explain in the city. The cities did not feel like cities, and many of the places that you walked did have trees but there was no planned green space and it was not the feeling in itself of being a city so the green space was not completely necessary. And the rest of the island was fields and farm and beach and cliff. We missed tourist season by about a week, so a lot of the touristy stuff was closed so that just meant doing what we could on our own.
On thursday i came home, with Alwin, three or four days before everyone else. And Caryne came! It was/is really exciting to have my best friend here! And then Amanda came on saturday so the week just kept getting better and better! And so far i have just been taking them around, going to class, and spending as much time with them as possible. Sunday we ate a huge lunch/dinner down by the beach. It was the most amazing food i have had so far. Seafood here is definately amazing. And i am definately going to have to eat it more.
Tonight, we are going to watch an orchestra at the Palau de Musica, which not only is it cool to go watch this but it is a really cool architectural building with what we hear is an incredible stained glass ceiling. SO that should be a really fun experience. Amanda's birthday is tomorrow, so of course we will be celebrating that. But i will get on tomorrow and i am going to be updating this with at least a little blurb every day. So keep updated and i will be posting frequently!
Athens was amazing. There was so much green space and it was such a beautiful city. At every plaza there were multiple trees, at least in the area we went around, and with so many roman ruins it added to the immense patches of green. The first day we were there, after we landed, we decided to just walk around and basically observe the city. Our hostel was pretty much at the base of the Acropolis, so we were pretty easy access to most of the areas we wanted to see in the day and a half we were there. When we started to walk around the corner to the acropolis, it was a city that then opened up to what felt like walking out into a smaller town. The acropolis is up on top of the hill, and the base is surrounded by so much grassy open space it was incredible. And right behind it from the direction we were coming was a mountain that was completely trees. We walked past a really modern building, that is apparently the new acropolis museum, and were so fascinated that we decided to figure out when we could go back and actually try to go in it. It was eventually figured out that, though it is still under construction and not open yet, they let people in between ten and twelve am.
Lindsey and i decided to go ahead and go up to the Acropolis, us history buffs just couldnt wait till tomorrow. It was so incredible to look at from below there was just to much of a draw. Everyone else decided to walk around some more, and that we would just meet up with them in the hostel in a couple of hours. Going up to a place that is thousands of years old was one of the most incredible experiences. And just the fact of seeing a piece of architecture that influenced so many people throughout history and that we have learned to much about was just incredible. We had to walk up the hill to get to the entrance first though. The area around was so well designed. It felt like we were in a garden that had planned paths and organized flows of travel. There were so many trees, it was almost like they had created an area in the city that removed you from the city. And this was what we had to go through to get to the entrance. In designing all of this green space, and maintaining it all the way up to the "hill" madethe experience so relaxing and removed you from the knowledge that the city is so built up around it. When we got up to the top, everything that was up there just made us awe struck. It was such a cool feeling to stand where people stood for so many years, and just picture how it was before time took its toll. At 5:30pm though they started blowing whistles and kicking everyone out, so it was our time to leave, and stop admiring, and go to the hostel to meet up with everyone else.
Our full day in Rome consisted of waking up and going to the Acropolis museum, the new modern building at the base of the Acropolis. This building, we learned, when they struck ground for construction they hit roman ruins with artifacts that date back over 4000 years. So, the design was re-evaluated and the building was lifted and now creates a canopy over the ruins, protecting them and opening it up for everyone to see. The floor on the inside of the building is made of glass and in periodic areas opens up so people inside of the building can look down on the ruins. After we stayed there for a while and sketched, Lindsey, Josh and I decided to start walking to all of the areas a bit to the outside of the Acropolis. We had been told the day before that we need to walk up the little mountain/hill next to it and that there is an incredible view of the entire city. Again, we got to a place where when walking around it and then up it I felt completely removed from the city. It is amazing how a city maintains the areas like this instead of letting them get built up and populated. It becomes a retreat for so many people, and is so serene in so much chaos. More cities need to have spaces like this in which it is in the center of the city, and a person can go to "leave the city" without actually leaving the city and be in a place with so much nature and calm. When we got to the top there was so much space to walk around, and so many incredible views of the city. In observing green space for class (as you have probably been able to tell that is what i am doing) I really looked around and tried to observe the city outside of where i had seen and see if the rest of the city was so observing of the necessity of green space. It appeared, that outside of the "old city" area, the plazas with trees and green space seemed to trickle away and one moved away from this center. It was a really beautiful sight to see though because at two of the edges of the cities were mountains that were vast and green and on one side you could see the water. After that we walked around the old city, and went to the Agora. By this point i truly began to realize that, as in Rome, the city maintained a lot of green space in the old areas and lost it progressively as the new areas arose. That is one thing i can say for Barcelona, at least for where i have been so far, that though there are not a lot of places in the city that maintain a lot of large green spaces, the places in both the old and the new city contain trees and at least some growth giving life to some plazas.
Sunday we hopped on a boat, and took a ferry to Santorini. The ferry ride was so amazing, we went past so many greek islands an basically just got to spend the day looking all over the Aegean Sea. I really cant complain to much. When we started to pull up to Santorini, the whole side of the island we saw were these huge cliff faces. The cities were all at the top built into the edge of the cliff and looking out over the water. Their connection to the waterfront were these incredibly long, winding paths that gradually led you up the cliff. The island was really cool, and when we finally got up to the top was like being in the country. The houses/buildings dont exceed two story, and there are just miles of fields. And from each side of the island you can see all the way across. The island was big length wise but width wise it was pretty narrow. Our time on the Island was spent visiting the black, red, and white sand beaches, going to the towns and shopping where we could. Basically it was an amazing place to just walk around and see everything. The green space is hard to explain in the city. The cities did not feel like cities, and many of the places that you walked did have trees but there was no planned green space and it was not the feeling in itself of being a city so the green space was not completely necessary. And the rest of the island was fields and farm and beach and cliff. We missed tourist season by about a week, so a lot of the touristy stuff was closed so that just meant doing what we could on our own.
On thursday i came home, with Alwin, three or four days before everyone else. And Caryne came! It was/is really exciting to have my best friend here! And then Amanda came on saturday so the week just kept getting better and better! And so far i have just been taking them around, going to class, and spending as much time with them as possible. Sunday we ate a huge lunch/dinner down by the beach. It was the most amazing food i have had so far. Seafood here is definately amazing. And i am definately going to have to eat it more.
Tonight, we are going to watch an orchestra at the Palau de Musica, which not only is it cool to go watch this but it is a really cool architectural building with what we hear is an incredible stained glass ceiling. SO that should be a really fun experience. Amanda's birthday is tomorrow, so of course we will be celebrating that. But i will get on tomorrow and i am going to be updating this with at least a little blurb every day. So keep updated and i will be posting frequently!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
So......Updates on studio. I am in Greece right now, but can update you on that when i can overview the whole trip and figure i would give an update of the work that i have been doing. When i scan the work in at the end of spring break you will be able to see what we have been doing. But the project was that we had a site assigned to us in Barcelona, and we were to create an analysis and potential transformations and present them in a layout of hand drawings. My plaza is called Plaza De La Merce, and it is down by the water. There is a design school that pretty much is the main activity on the plaza, but there is a really cool church for the patron saint of Barcelona that is at the head of the site. The plaza is simple a stone ground plane, with not a lot of activity and pretty much just a place that people walk through to get to their destinations faster.
So through the project, which was a group project, i learned a lot about the history of the site and some of the city. The city in this area became so dense that they chose this place, which used to be a normal city block, because of the entrance of the church on it and demolished the buildings on it to create a relief in an overly dense area. It is really kinda cool to look at the more urban scale, which this semester is all about, it is just kind of daunting to zoom out so much when we are so used to looking at a little area and designing one building. It is definately openin my eyes up to new ways of design.
This past week we also went to a building that used to be a hospital and was converted into a library, which is what it currently is. We were here for our sketching class, so we got to walk around a lot and really just observe and analyze how this building (or series of buildings) worked and how we felt in the space.
It is still, two months later, really cool to be studying everything about this city. There are so many pockets within in that people would never see unless they lived here, and not only do we get to see it but we get to analyze it and walk around it and observe it. It is like no where that i have seen before, and i see something new ever day that just completely fascinates me over and over again. I cant wait until today/tomorrow when i get to start taking friends around and show them not only what most tourists get to see but what is a little more hidden and has been showed to me through learning here.
Check in soon for a full breakdown of greece! I will have pictures and all of that fun stuff loaded as well as sketched that i did and studio work that i have been doing.
So through the project, which was a group project, i learned a lot about the history of the site and some of the city. The city in this area became so dense that they chose this place, which used to be a normal city block, because of the entrance of the church on it and demolished the buildings on it to create a relief in an overly dense area. It is really kinda cool to look at the more urban scale, which this semester is all about, it is just kind of daunting to zoom out so much when we are so used to looking at a little area and designing one building. It is definately openin my eyes up to new ways of design.
This past week we also went to a building that used to be a hospital and was converted into a library, which is what it currently is. We were here for our sketching class, so we got to walk around a lot and really just observe and analyze how this building (or series of buildings) worked and how we felt in the space.
It is still, two months later, really cool to be studying everything about this city. There are so many pockets within in that people would never see unless they lived here, and not only do we get to see it but we get to analyze it and walk around it and observe it. It is like no where that i have seen before, and i see something new ever day that just completely fascinates me over and over again. I cant wait until today/tomorrow when i get to start taking friends around and show them not only what most tourists get to see but what is a little more hidden and has been showed to me through learning here.
Check in soon for a full breakdown of greece! I will have pictures and all of that fun stuff loaded as well as sketched that i did and studio work that i have been doing.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wow it has been a bit since my last post! What have i done since then?! Last weekend five friends and i went to Rome. We were there for three full days and got to really explore the city and it was so much fun! It is a really touristy city but great for a visit. We also had to do sketches of analysis for our sketching class for multiple areas, as well as observe a topic of choice to document. I chose green space in urban fabric for the fact that a lot of cities have become to dense and lack green space to bring nature into the man made.
The first day we went to the Vatican and went through Saint Peters and the Sistine Chapel. I got to see paintings by Michelangelo and Raphael. It was some of the most beautiful work i have ever seen. Saint peters was like nothing i have ever seen. And because we were also doing work for studio, i looked at the plaza out front and the design of the zones inside of the cathdral and ended up using what i figured out about the zones of the cathedral in our project. When we walked over to go see the Sistine Chapel, we had to walk through the longest path through what felt like the entire museum to get to the actual chapel. But in the museum we saw a map that the vatican had made a very long time ago of what the world looked like and the Americas where like a big blob looking thing on the left hand side. It was really funny to see. After that, four of us went to go see the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, which is an area of roman ruins where royalty as well as other events occured right next door to the Colosseum. The green space that ihave noticed so far in Rome is where the ruins lay. The ruins are surrounded by greenery and not touched for preservation purposes. Other than that there doesnt appear to be other green spaces other than the trees along the river. We ended the day meeting up with the rest of the people at the Spanish Steps, which is supposed to have lots of potted greenery, but apparently in the winter it is barren except for the people sitting on the steps. I would love to see the difference that the plants make to the steps when they are all out. In pictures it looks amazing.
The second day we started with a trek to go see the pantheon. We have learned so much about it that it was something we all had to see and put aside a lot of time for. When we got there we walked around and sketched the relationship of the interior space to the exterior space. It was a really neat building to see, but kind of anti-climactic to what i thought i was going to see. But it was definately an awesome building. After the Pantheon we roamed through the city to see multiple plazas and the Trevi Fountain that is a very big tourist attraction. At the fountain we got to get Gelati which is amazing! As expected to be in Italy. I did studies of circulation and zones in multiple plazas so that i could use them as precedence studies for my studio project, and created pages of sketches to bring back for the studies.
The third day we woke up and went to see the pope speak at the Vatican and that was soooo cool. There were a lot of people there, but not as many as i expected to see on a sunday morning. He gave a speech in seven languages! It was pretty cool to hear. After that we went as a group to a plaza called Campo Doglio and then my studio group split of and we did more studies of plazas for our project. It was a pretty relaxed day, i got to try these folded pizza thing and a beer. It was an awesome lunch. Then we walked around until later in the day and went to a nice italian dinner for the third time. Such good food!
We woke up monday morning at 3am to cath a bus to the airport. It was such a bad idea to have an early am flight because the bus doesnt run as often and rome was freezing! But we got to the airport and on the plane and then directly back to Barcelona and studio.
Rome was a really cool city, but very touristy. I would love to go back and travel the areas outside of the city. At the end of the trip i realized that there are a decent amount of green spaces around the city, but they are mainly located around Roman ruins. It is a very chaotic city, yet very cool at the same time. Maybe i will take my family back there and i can see it from a different point of view!
The first day we went to the Vatican and went through Saint Peters and the Sistine Chapel. I got to see paintings by Michelangelo and Raphael. It was some of the most beautiful work i have ever seen. Saint peters was like nothing i have ever seen. And because we were also doing work for studio, i looked at the plaza out front and the design of the zones inside of the cathdral and ended up using what i figured out about the zones of the cathedral in our project. When we walked over to go see the Sistine Chapel, we had to walk through the longest path through what felt like the entire museum to get to the actual chapel. But in the museum we saw a map that the vatican had made a very long time ago of what the world looked like and the Americas where like a big blob looking thing on the left hand side. It was really funny to see. After that, four of us went to go see the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, which is an area of roman ruins where royalty as well as other events occured right next door to the Colosseum. The green space that ihave noticed so far in Rome is where the ruins lay. The ruins are surrounded by greenery and not touched for preservation purposes. Other than that there doesnt appear to be other green spaces other than the trees along the river. We ended the day meeting up with the rest of the people at the Spanish Steps, which is supposed to have lots of potted greenery, but apparently in the winter it is barren except for the people sitting on the steps. I would love to see the difference that the plants make to the steps when they are all out. In pictures it looks amazing.
The second day we started with a trek to go see the pantheon. We have learned so much about it that it was something we all had to see and put aside a lot of time for. When we got there we walked around and sketched the relationship of the interior space to the exterior space. It was a really neat building to see, but kind of anti-climactic to what i thought i was going to see. But it was definately an awesome building. After the Pantheon we roamed through the city to see multiple plazas and the Trevi Fountain that is a very big tourist attraction. At the fountain we got to get Gelati which is amazing! As expected to be in Italy. I did studies of circulation and zones in multiple plazas so that i could use them as precedence studies for my studio project, and created pages of sketches to bring back for the studies.
The third day we woke up and went to see the pope speak at the Vatican and that was soooo cool. There were a lot of people there, but not as many as i expected to see on a sunday morning. He gave a speech in seven languages! It was pretty cool to hear. After that we went as a group to a plaza called Campo Doglio and then my studio group split of and we did more studies of plazas for our project. It was a pretty relaxed day, i got to try these folded pizza thing and a beer. It was an awesome lunch. Then we walked around until later in the day and went to a nice italian dinner for the third time. Such good food!
We woke up monday morning at 3am to cath a bus to the airport. It was such a bad idea to have an early am flight because the bus doesnt run as often and rome was freezing! But we got to the airport and on the plane and then directly back to Barcelona and studio.
Rome was a really cool city, but very touristy. I would love to go back and travel the areas outside of the city. At the end of the trip i realized that there are a decent amount of green spaces around the city, but they are mainly located around Roman ruins. It is a very chaotic city, yet very cool at the same time. Maybe i will take my family back there and i can see it from a different point of view!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Its been so long since i have posted anything! But here i go!
For the past week we have been traveling through southern spain. It was the most amazing time every. We traveled through Madrid, Cordoba, Granada and Sevilla. We spent 2-3 days in each city, and did sketches at buildings we visited and had a lot of free time to walk around.
Our first c
ity we visited was madrid. We flew there last saturday, and saturday afternoon walked the city and got to go to this plaza that was huge. We spent alot of time sketching observations that we made and then got to roam back across the city to our hotel. I actually relaly enjoyed the walk because we got to see a lot of the city that we probably wouldnt otherwise have seen has we not. The second day in madrid it was raining, but we got to go visit a couple museums and draw some analytical sketches of the way new and old parts of the buildings relate and interconnect. We wlaked through this park in the middle of the city that had a lot of cool stuff in it, old statues and memorials and what not. That night we went out to dinner at a brazilian barbecue place, and then to watch the superbowl at a bar in the city. It was so awesome that we found a place to watch superbowl, there were a lot of us that were really excited. We met some people that day from Clemson that are living and studying in barcelona and a grout of architecture majors from wales. The next morning at the crack of dawn we woke up and caught a train to go to Cordoba.
Cordoba was a shorte
r stay, only one night, but it was a lot of fun to see the old Mosque and what not. We got to go into the mosque and sketch and it was a really cool building. It is not used for religious stuff anymore, so it has kind of been turned into a museum feeling space. I though we were going to see this really authentic mosque, but the christians came in and turned it into a cathedral. i was really disappointed to see some of the changes that had been made, but it was still a lot of fun to see something so old and really get to sit down and observe it and sketch it. The picture shows the inside of the mosque in cordoba, which is unique because it uses a double horse shoe arch, which when one arch on top of the other but instead of just curving down and into the column at the bottom of the arch it continues a bit more looking like its almost trying to complete the circle.
Part three was Gra
nada. This city was so cool, and the first night we got to go on top of one of the hills to a platform and watch the sun set behind the Alhambra. The picture to the right shows the Alhambra after the sun was set and they turned the lights on. It was so beautiful it is hard to explain. The Alhambra is on top of the big hill next to where we were sitting, and behind it were mountains, some of them capped with snow. The next day we explored the city, went into the Alhambra and basically got to really get a feel for where we were. This was a city that was not huge but had a lot of character and was a lot of fun. I did a lot of shopping here, which i hadnt done in the other cities. I got paintings and a bag. Also, granada is known for its Tea Houses, and the teas that have pieces of fruit and what not in them. I bought a lot of tea, hopefully it will last to be able to give as gifts.
Sevilla was the last city we visited and definately my favorite. The first day i went down to the
river and sketched and got to see the Calatrava bridge as well as a lot of other cool bridges that were on the river. Here i finally got to explore the makeup of this design that i had seen in a lot of the Moors architecture that we had seen. It is a star, but it is a little different then a lot of things that i had seen. We also went into the Cathedral de Sevilla, (the picture to the left) and Christopher Columbus' tomb is in it. There was a tower that when at the top you could look out over the entire city. This city just has so much i guess the way i would put it is flavor and character. It has a lot of old courtyards and stone sidewalks and old buildings. There is a complex called Real Alcazar that was a lot of fun to see, it was huge and had the most beautiful gardens.
For the past week we have been traveling through southern spain. It was the most amazing time every. We traveled through Madrid, Cordoba, Granada and Sevilla. We spent 2-3 days in each city, and did sketches at buildings we visited and had a lot of free time to walk around.
Our first c
ity we visited was madrid. We flew there last saturday, and saturday afternoon walked the city and got to go to this plaza that was huge. We spent alot of time sketching observations that we made and then got to roam back across the city to our hotel. I actually relaly enjoyed the walk because we got to see a lot of the city that we probably wouldnt otherwise have seen has we not. The second day in madrid it was raining, but we got to go visit a couple museums and draw some analytical sketches of the way new and old parts of the buildings relate and interconnect. We wlaked through this park in the middle of the city that had a lot of cool stuff in it, old statues and memorials and what not. That night we went out to dinner at a brazilian barbecue place, and then to watch the superbowl at a bar in the city. It was so awesome that we found a place to watch superbowl, there were a lot of us that were really excited. We met some people that day from Clemson that are living and studying in barcelona and a grout of architecture majors from wales. The next morning at the crack of dawn we woke up and caught a train to go to Cordoba.Cordoba was a shorte
r stay, only one night, but it was a lot of fun to see the old Mosque and what not. We got to go into the mosque and sketch and it was a really cool building. It is not used for religious stuff anymore, so it has kind of been turned into a museum feeling space. I though we were going to see this really authentic mosque, but the christians came in and turned it into a cathedral. i was really disappointed to see some of the changes that had been made, but it was still a lot of fun to see something so old and really get to sit down and observe it and sketch it. The picture shows the inside of the mosque in cordoba, which is unique because it uses a double horse shoe arch, which when one arch on top of the other but instead of just curving down and into the column at the bottom of the arch it continues a bit more looking like its almost trying to complete the circle.Part three was Gra
nada. This city was so cool, and the first night we got to go on top of one of the hills to a platform and watch the sun set behind the Alhambra. The picture to the right shows the Alhambra after the sun was set and they turned the lights on. It was so beautiful it is hard to explain. The Alhambra is on top of the big hill next to where we were sitting, and behind it were mountains, some of them capped with snow. The next day we explored the city, went into the Alhambra and basically got to really get a feel for where we were. This was a city that was not huge but had a lot of character and was a lot of fun. I did a lot of shopping here, which i hadnt done in the other cities. I got paintings and a bag. Also, granada is known for its Tea Houses, and the teas that have pieces of fruit and what not in them. I bought a lot of tea, hopefully it will last to be able to give as gifts.Sevilla was the last city we visited and definately my favorite. The first day i went down to the
river and sketched and got to see the Calatrava bridge as well as a lot of other cool bridges that were on the river. Here i finally got to explore the makeup of this design that i had seen in a lot of the Moors architecture that we had seen. It is a star, but it is a little different then a lot of things that i had seen. We also went into the Cathedral de Sevilla, (the picture to the left) and Christopher Columbus' tomb is in it. There was a tower that when at the top you could look out over the entire city. This city just has so much i guess the way i would put it is flavor and character. It has a lot of old courtyards and stone sidewalks and old buildings. There is a complex called Real Alcazar that was a lot of fun to see, it was huge and had the most beautiful gardens.Friday, February 1, 2008
Hmm, Updates.....well nothing new has really happened. Yesterday we had our first jury/review. It was really laid back, but was where we basically presented our work that we have done so far. It went pretty well, i got a lot of good advice and direction that i could definately use had i had some more time.
Tomorrow mornign we are leaving to go travel all around southern spain. We get to madrid tomorrow, then go to cordoba, granada and seville. It should be fun. There is a lot of cool architecture there so we will all be very entertained. And madrid is supposed to be a crazy city to go out in so we are all pretty excited.
Other than that there is nothing really all that interesting. I am sure i will have along post after this trip. SO until then, Have a good week!
Tomorrow mornign we are leaving to go travel all around southern spain. We get to madrid tomorrow, then go to cordoba, granada and seville. It should be fun. There is a lot of cool architecture there so we will all be very entertained. And madrid is supposed to be a crazy city to go out in so we are all pretty excited.
Other than that there is nothing really all that interesting. I am sure i will have along post after this trip. SO until then, Have a good week!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Well, into the third week and we are about to leave and travel around southern spain! So, this time next week i will be in one of the cities in southern spain, hopefully at a bath getting a massage. Its a tough field trip, i know. We are going to Madrid, Granada, Cordoba and Seville. Not to bad, right?
Today for our sketching class we went into this museum and underground into roman ruins. It was definately one of the coolest things i have seen since i have been here. The museum also showed what was built above the ruins like in medieval times and what not.
For the past few days i have been pretty much hanging out, seeing the city, and trying to get work done. We have a review for studio on friday, and a poroject for our history class that is due the day after we get back from southern spain. So a decent amount of work to do for the next little bit, but it is still nothing compared to what i have done back at Catholic, so i will take it.
We just booked a flight to go to rome the weekend after we get back from southern spain. We really want to go and that seems to be one of the only weekends we get to. So i am definately excited to go there for a few days.
Well, its time to leave for spanish. I will try and keep more frequent updates, and i will get more pictures up. Keep checkin in!
Today for our sketching class we went into this museum and underground into roman ruins. It was definately one of the coolest things i have seen since i have been here. The museum also showed what was built above the ruins like in medieval times and what not.
For the past few days i have been pretty much hanging out, seeing the city, and trying to get work done. We have a review for studio on friday, and a poroject for our history class that is due the day after we get back from southern spain. So a decent amount of work to do for the next little bit, but it is still nothing compared to what i have done back at Catholic, so i will take it.
We just booked a flight to go to rome the weekend after we get back from southern spain. We really want to go and that seems to be one of the only weekends we get to. So i am definately excited to go there for a few days.
Well, its time to leave for spanish. I will try and keep more frequent updates, and i will get more pictures up. Keep checkin in!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
second week
Soooo already in the second week of classes and time is flying! It definately is going quick, but good thing we still have over three months to go! We have been doin a lot of work for this week. We had to paint city plans that we create, and had a project for our sketching class due on tuesday. The studio work isnt to bad, it is just stuff that we have never done before so its not that good, but oh well. We basically have to take a given part of a city, and create the rest of it from what we know, which isnt much right now but it is getting better.
The sketching project came out really good, i was really happy with it. It took a lot of time but was definately worth it. Next week in that class we get to start looking at the history of the city starting with roman ruins! How cool is that! I am pretty excited, i love to see all the old ruins that peope discover underneath the existing city. SO that should be a lot of fun.
Spanish class.....well lets just say i can understand about 3/4 of what he says but i feel very stupid in the class because i cant seem to speak it back! Oh well, by the end my goal is to be able to keep a legitimate conversation up. We will see how that goes.
And, i did my laundry for the first time here yesterday, and boy is that a pain! There are no dryers, and water costs a ton. SO basically i had a lot of clothes that i have been rewearing because we have to and now they are taking over my room being hung to dry. I even overflowed into laying things out in the living room because my room is just not big enough! Oh well, we will get used to it i guess. Its just crazy getting used to the fact that electricity and water cost so much more here than at home. Its a good thing to get used to, so at home maybe we can be more economical, but i am definately not used to it yet.
We have been roaming a lot around the city. We went to the top of one of the mountains, and have just kind of been exploring and seeing where we are living and what not. The collage on the side is just showing everyone me and the city and me in the city! Sorry it took so long to get it posted, hope you like looking at them!
Alright, well i think it is time i maybe try to post some pictures on here so i am going to go do that and then possibly do some work.
The sketching project came out really good, i was really happy with it. It took a lot of time but was definately worth it. Next week in that class we get to start looking at the history of the city starting with roman ruins! How cool is that! I am pretty excited, i love to see all the old ruins that peope discover underneath the existing city. SO that should be a lot of fun.
Spanish class.....well lets just say i can understand about 3/4 of what he says but i feel very stupid in the class because i cant seem to speak it back! Oh well, by the end my goal is to be able to keep a legitimate conversation up. We will see how that goes.
And, i did my laundry for the first time here yesterday, and boy is that a pain! There are no dryers, and water costs a ton. SO basically i had a lot of clothes that i have been rewearing because we have to and now they are taking over my room being hung to dry. I even overflowed into laying things out in the living room because my room is just not big enough! Oh well, we will get used to it i guess. Its just crazy getting used to the fact that electricity and water cost so much more here than at home. Its a good thing to get used to, so at home maybe we can be more economical, but i am definately not used to it yet.
We have been roaming a lot around the city. We went to the top of one of the mountains, and have just kind of been exploring and seeing where we are living and what not. The collage on the side is just showing everyone me and the city and me in the city! Sorry it took so long to get it posted, hope you like looking at them!
Alright, well i think it is time i maybe try to post some pictures on here so i am going to go do that and then possibly do some work.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Hey everyone!
Alright so i am slacking on posting pictures on here, but i promise i will get to it soon!
We are in studio, doin work and hanging out......but mostly enjoying this city so much! We went out a lot this weekend, and it is so crazy how everyone here doesnt go out until 1am and doesnt go home till like 5 in the morning. I dont know if i can every adjust that much, but we will have to see.
Daddy was here this past weekend. So in my breaks from doing work for studio and our sketch class i got to hang out with him and take him around the city. He seemed like he really liked it. We went to the Sagrada Familia, and got to go inside. It is by far the most mesmerizing building i have every been in. Even as an architect i dont understand how anyone can think like that. Then yesterday we walked down to the beach and all around down there. It was so warm, i could have been in shorts and a tshirt. I cant wait for it to get even warmer. Living in a beach town in warm weather is going to be so awesome! Here are some of the things we got to see:
He left this morning, which sucks, but he and the family will be back in two months. So i will get to see them soon enough. At least he liked it and got to see where i live and what i get to see and do.
Well class is about to start, i will post again soon!
Alright so i am slacking on posting pictures on here, but i promise i will get to it soon!
We are in studio, doin work and hanging out......but mostly enjoying this city so much! We went out a lot this weekend, and it is so crazy how everyone here doesnt go out until 1am and doesnt go home till like 5 in the morning. I dont know if i can every adjust that much, but we will have to see.
Daddy was here this past weekend. So in my breaks from doing work for studio and our sketch class i got to hang out with him and take him around the city. He seemed like he really liked it. We went to the Sagrada Familia, and got to go inside. It is by far the most mesmerizing building i have every been in. Even as an architect i dont understand how anyone can think like that. Then yesterday we walked down to the beach and all around down there. It was so warm, i could have been in shorts and a tshirt. I cant wait for it to get even warmer. Living in a beach town in warm weather is going to be so awesome! Here are some of the things we got to see:
He left this morning, which sucks, but he and the family will be back in two months. So i will get to see them soon enough. At least he liked it and got to see where i live and what i get to see and do.
Well class is about to start, i will post again soon!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
So today was pretty cool. It was the first week we had a three in the afternoon class and that’s it. I slept in until about ten, and then went to the art store with josh to look at supplies and sketchbooks and what not. Then some work was done on the map/collage for Christie’s class, and then studio. It seemed like forever before class, we are just not used to such a late class with nothing else before it. But I think I can definitely get used to it!
The next studio we spent doing what is called an figure ground. A figure ground is when you color in where ever a building is black and leave all space that is open to the sky white. The way we did it is taking black paper and painting the open air spaces in white onto it. We are learning city planning, so the project started with a small area of a city and we have to figure out the rest, and try to basically create it. Its really not easy at all, we have till Monday to finish it.
The next studio we spent doing what is called an figure ground. A figure ground is when you color in where ever a building is black and leave all space that is open to the sky white. The way we did it is taking black paper and painting the open air spaces in white onto it. We are learning city planning, so the project started with a small area of a city and we have to figure out the rest, and try to basically create it. Its really not easy at all, we have till Monday to finish it.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
First blog ever!
Alright,
Six days in Barcelona, many bottles of wine, and to many baguettes later and i am so excited about the four months to come. We got here last friday, the 11th, and found our apartment which i will have pictures posted soon of it. It is awesome, very modern looking with all white walls and black furniture and stone everywhere. And we are right on a main plaza, so we are right next to studio, shops, pretty much most things we could possibly use. So that is pretty awesome. The buildings everywhere and people are awesome, and just the few days of looking around and what not have been amazing.
We have been way to interested in walking around the city to sit in the apartment and rest, so a lot of our free time has been spent walking to various places and seeing the city, especially the small back streets which are so cute! We went down to the beach on sunday and got to see the mediterranean, and all the cool looking resteraunts and buildings that are all around. There is a sculpture at the ocean that is really famous, and we were really excited to see that and we got lots of pictures of it. But our apartment is also really cool, so we do like to spend time in it. It is in a great part of the city and has some great views out of our windows.
Six days in Barcelona, many bottles of wine, and to many baguettes later and i am so excited about the four months to come. We got here last friday, the 11th, and found our apartment which i will have pictures posted soon of it. It is awesome, very modern looking with all white walls and black furniture and stone everywhere. And we are right on a main plaza, so we are right next to studio, shops, pretty much most things we could possibly use. So that is pretty awesome. The buildings everywhere and people are awesome, and just the few days of looking around and what not have been amazing.
We have been way to interested in walking around the city to sit in the apartment and rest, so a lot of our free time has been spent walking to various places and seeing the city, especially the small back streets which are so cute! We went down to the beach on sunday and got to see the mediterranean, and all the cool looking resteraunts and buildings that are all around. There is a sculpture at the ocean that is really famous, and we were really excited to see that and we got lots of pictures of it. But our apartment is also really cool, so we do like to spend time in it. It is in a great part of the city and has some great views out of our windows.
This week has been spent walking around to find shops where we can find out architectural supplies and start classes. Monday we met all of our professors, and were given the rules and scheduled for the class. Tuesday, yesterday, we went to our drawing class, and were dropped off at a metro station and told to walk with a partner for an hour each and folow our senses and note where it took us in the city. That was really cool because we ended up on alot of back streets and going by lit areas, and what not. We have to turn that into a collage and pencil drawing that denotes our choices and experience. It should be a cool project, we just have to get started on it now. The hardest part of doing work is that we are ina cool new city and it feels like a vacation. But it should get better. Then today we went out in studio and got to paint paths that we took between two plazas. Me painting....kinda funny but it was a really cool activity and i am starting to loosen up a bit more about the whole trying new artistic things. Here are some of the things that we saw:
Well thats it for now, i will post again soon! Look at pictures as they come!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
