Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House

This is one of a kind glasshouse that excited in that time of period. This was something extraordinary of architecture.

This is one of the three famous family homes that are found in the US by a Germany architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Mies he was already famous in 1938, when he fled Nazi Germany for the US. Mies is known for the architect of the glass and steel in a modernist style.

Farnsworth house is found 60 miles southwest is near the fox river in Plano Illinois. This house shows a great example of the Modern domestically architecture. As you look at this architecture you'll see something neutral and simple. No decoration, no nothing. As you can see this house has one bed, one cupboard, and one wardrobe. Infect this was a weekend house for a single person.

That single person was Dr. Edith Farnsworth. she was 42 years old and a kidney specialist  It all begin in 1945, downtown Chicago. She has bought a piece of land near the Fox river. Farnsworth asked for architecture Mies to help her build a weekend, get away, house. They say that there were something more than business between them. this house represents the heart of architecture
.

He didn't take the job only, but he used this as an advantage to build something that he never has build before. When Mies when seeing the place where the house is going to be build, he came with the idea to make the surrounding of the house with glass so she could see the nature around here all the time.

Edith liked the idea when your inside it's like your outside. she could imagine that every day when she wakes up she could see the beauty of her surroundings. It like there is not separation from the architecture to nature.

The structure rest on eight individual steel i beams. A terrace that is on the west side. It's like you're near the river from the inside of the terrace. The principle of this house is less is more. Less stands for less interruption in the interior. Mies was captivated by space. in this space practically you can do whatever you want.

The structure includes these materials. First there is the roof that contains a steel frame slab of concrete, the glass that are made of a thin  membrane and another slab of concrete headed and covered travertine marble for the floor. in the centre of the exterior there is a single tub that holds the house and its fixed to the ground and as interior  there is  a cor made of rear primavera wood is in the centre of the house. Mies kept the height of the house more than five feet above the ground this is because of flooding.

In the house, you find two bathrooms, A kitchen and laundry room.

Visitors from all around the word go specific there to visit this house and they say that this is a perfect distillation of modernist architecture.

But this building took more time than expected. Dr. Edith Farnsworth started to get irritated  it wasn't only that it took a lot of time but because the cost was much more than they have discussed. she wasn't happy to about the concept of the building it was transparent, it means no privacy, not so much space and no storage. The problem was that Mies was more interested in the form rather its use.

In 1951 the house was ready. the cost of the house turned up to seventy-five thousand dollars it was nearly double amount on what they had agreed And the thing was that she had to pay and she wasn't satisfied.
You will notice Mies design this is because a huge part of his work is all with an open Terrance. glass around the building, individual steel i beams to hold the structure and minimum of furniture and decoration in the interior.

This is the Barcelona pavilion. At school,  we have two unit that indicates Mies van der Rohe work. Well we have the Barcelona pavilion that we are working on it in 3ds max, Barcelona chair Mies van der Rohe furniture design and Farnsworth house we have to do the technique drawings of the house and by this blog it helped me know the story behind the technique drawing.

Reference:

hotmonger, 2009. Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House[video online] Available at: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M3p9iKITaA > [Accessed 11 Nov 2009].

Charles and Ray

Charles and Ray 

The essence of the company begins with the marriage of Ray Cassel. Ray Cassel was a talented painter and Charles Eames who was a successful architect, who didn't continue school and never got his license.

These were Charles words "Eventually everything connected"

• Furniture
• Toys
• Photography
• Films
• Exhibition
• Architecture

These are connected to one word... CREATIVITY

The Eames chair had a long process. At the beginning, it wasn't easy to create this chair.
It first started when Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen entered a competition at the museum of modern art in 1940.

Their goal was to create something innovative, Low cost and mass produce chair. This had to be mold with the body to create the shape because they didn't want to make upholstery in  this chair because it was not something original and high cost to produce it and to buy it.

Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen the mission was to mold the plywood to one direction that the back becomes a seat. But they Notice that it was uncomfortable and as a look it wasn't created because of the creaks that there was from the back of the seat so they covered it with upholstery.  They won the competition but the problem was that this chair couldn't be mass produced. There wasn't a machine that could bring the chair into that shape.

After many experiments,  Eero Saarinen didn't want to work on the chairs project anymore. But Charles he didn't give up. And that was the time when he met Ray Cassel. She helped him with the chair project.

First Design that Charles and Ray created was the splints. They experimented with the technique of wood molding. This   leads to developed a plywood splints. This technique they first mold it and then heat and press. This invention was really useful for the world war 2.

By this technique, they applied it to the chair. Charles has leaned from his failures so he decided that the main focus wasn't the look but the form. Although the idea of using plywood they had to eliminate because the plywood material wasn't strong enough to stand the pressure where the chair seat and the back connect. So they eliminated the first idea of a single shell to a molded plywood  separate board for the seat and the back.

By this technique, it removed the unneeded wood that was going to be fixed between the seat and the back.  The advantage of this it decreases the weight and visual profile of the chair and provides a new furniture design. 

The clients where varies so they had to test different shape, a different posture of different people for average and extreme. This was the first few process of the chair. The process helps to learn by doing.

Charles said, "In the design any structure is often the connection that provides the key to the solution."

This was something new for the new society of the UK.

The chair is still famous in today's design world and it will still carry on a new generation.

We are surrounded by Eames chair because their bar chairs, Office chairs, School chairs and dining chairs.

Reference.

Eames office. Charles and Ray Eames are among the most important American designers of the 20th century.. [online] Available at: < http://www.eamesoffice.com/eames-office/charles-and-ray/> [N.D].

Eames The architect and the painter.2012. [Film] Film of Jason coho and bill jersey. (Narrated by James Franco.) Location made  Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Michigan, USA 

Hill house

In 1902 and 1903 Charles Rennie Mackintosh build the Hill House for the publisher Walter Blackie and his wife. Mackintosh did the opposite thing on what other architects do, he first designed the interior and then dictated the exterior. Hill House  is built on a hill above the town. This house was built near the sea. Mackintosh didn't do architecture only but he did some furniture and other features. He was the first designer who introduce integrated art-architecture. This architecture is influenced by the style of Art Nouveau. Mackintosh wanted his interior to come to live. By this, he created a great composition in terms of form.

The bay in the drawing room has a relief effect on the walls, its ornamental momentum that the furniture fits in. Mackintosh liked to work his furniture in a squares way. If you can see the
As you enter a house of Mackintosh you'll notice that it's his design because the hallway has many lights and shadow, dull wood and elegantly stencilled friezes. Mackintosh design in that time of period was standard, mirrored, boxes. This style that they are still building nowadays. His theme was Scottish baronial style in an L shape. The tower,  was dismissive of the standard, symmetrical, square boxes which passed for "design" in his day (and are still being built). His underlying theme is a Scottish baronial keep or castle, in an L-plan shape. As we can see this building had a tower that is on the side, an arrow thin window, parapet, a garden It even has a tower in the corner, some narrow arrow-slit windows, a parapet and gardeners.Mackintosh wanted people to see his handwork that he did in the exterior by the shape of horseshoe opening .
This is something similar to the high-based chair that it's in the hill house and created by Mackintosh. This is called The High Back Chair it was designed in  1904 by Josef HoffmannThis house in near Turnberry it was built in 1791. Now it has become a rented house. The house style is from Glasgow style which inspiration came from the Scottish designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. As I can see in the room there is the  high-backed chairs, the pattern trough out the room, the contrast of white and black although Mackintosh design. But as a wood furniture, he used  black or white.

Interior 

We see the squares and rectangle "art and craft" furniture. They are all lined with the doors and walls.  the  light fittings and windows are mottled with many squares and rectangles.

I'm gonna focus more on the master bedroom as an interior The master bedroom is placed upstairs. This room was used by Mrs Blackie. If you take a look at it the rooms colours are so neutral. allot of white is in this room then you see the pink and rose ornaments. the master's bedroom faces west and the setting sun.

He liked to work with “pierced square”. These are the motif that Mackintosh used them in  architecture, furniture design and even the design of the carpet. The motifs are found  in the cabinet doors, chair back, and the lower shelf of the centre table.

This room remind me of my grandmother's house. This is because as you see the room its gives you a calm feeling. I'm not saying that they are the same style but the both of them gave me the same feeling.

Some architects like to make a distinctive between the interior and the exterior but with the Hill House, it's possible to notice which room it is, by looking at the exterior.

Exterior 

Mackintosh designs where influence by many designers and architects one of them was his friend Josef Hoffmann. This is the Max Biach residence, circa  Hoffman’s bedroom suite in 1904. Here we see a proof of Mackintosh’s influence. the influence is shown in the repeating patterns that the wall has, the shapes use of squares and circles and the combination of natural colours.

What's the similarity between them both?

They both are high back and in the back have has straight lines Even does elements of boxes they both have one of them are big and the other are quite small. 

 Reference. 

 ram pants cotland. Places to Visit in Scotland

- Hill House, Helensburgh. [online] Available at: < http://www.rampantscotland.com/visit/blvisithillhouse.htm> [n.d].

 Tangent Graphic 2014. Glasgow Mackintosh. [online] Available at: < http://www.glasgowmackintosh.com/attraction/the-hill-house> [n.d].

John Black, 2012 . Mackintosh and Modernism. [online]

 Available at: < http://jblackdesign.com/uncategorized/mackintosh-and-moderism/>

[Sunday, January 8th, 2012 at 6:05 pm].

scotts castle, Ocean View Holiday House, near Turnberry. [online] Available at: < https://www.scottscastles.com/scotland/southern-scotland/georgian-country-house-144.html> n.d].

Style Icons, 2002, Arts and crafts movement,  United states: Todtri

The interior of the red house.

The entrance of the house shows the wealth of architectural details. The entrance hall its quite rectangular.   

Everywhere you look there are fine details that capture the eye. One of these details is the little stepping that the brickwork has.

In the original hallway it was full of vibrant coloured but now it's all painted in white.

In the hallway, there is this really good painted settle that was decorated by Marcin himself. it has cupboards above and the bench below. On the middle cupboards, there is an unfinished sequence. this image is representing the wonderful happiness of nature. This is was what Morris wanted to create in the red house.

The main front  is to the north so in winter the interior is quite cold. How the sun reflects in the room in different time and different weather it opens a new angle of seeing this house. By these visual perspectives, there are a different and interesting areas in the house.

Staircase

 The oak staircase this was modeled from Jacobean examples. infect the image of the right is quite similar.

In the stairway, there are some touches of detail like the supported  holes. The stairs reflect Gothic aspects that there are pointed and this is to point everything up to the ceiling. 

 

As you go up the stairs there are the open rafters and wood works. This was originally decorated by William Morris and his wife . This is the original painting because if you take a closer look you'll see the printing holes. These were so the workers could know what pattern to follow.

There is something in common on all  the internal. They all have brick arches. The type of arches you normally see them in the external of the main door. This was designed by  Philip Webb's design. Although the arches are not symmetrical. This is because how Webb designed.

As you enter these brick arches there is Morris original studio. This is because Morris wanted to be a painter before he became a designer. 

This incredible room that had windows on bought side so you can imagine how much light the room has and it has an open patterned ceiling.

In the living room there is an open ceiling that was covered with many king of patterns. In this room there is a huge bridge fireplace. Morris painted a motto that says "Life is short, art is forever". The living room also been painted by Edward Burne-Jones and the stained glass was decorated by Morris himself.  ,

 In the dining room there is the dark dresser that was designed by Philip Webb. These is one of the few furniture that its left in the house. From this room Morris build his company. Here it begin the fine crafts that we know today.

Morris has to leave The Red house because of the company. This is because he had a long trip to arrive and so when he got sick it was impossible to attend the management and so in 1865 they left the Red house.

Reference.

Antiques TV, 2013. Red House (part one) [video online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn1PHpfshok> [Published on Feb 14, 2013]

Antiques TV, 2013. Red House (part two) [video online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V12bcQIcIBU&spfreload=5> [Published on Feb 14, 2013]

Style Icons, 2002, Arts and crafts movement,  United states: Todtri

Gabriele Fahr-Becker,2004. Art Nouveau. Konemann : Germany

Group Work

In this task, we had to visit some local buildings that area associate with art movement and we had to observe and research about the elements of product and spatial design in public spaces and even private area.   

For Our assignment Lara Abdalla, Alessandro De Martino, Lucianne Calleja and I chose Art Nouveau. We choose this movement because Malta has a great element of Art Nouveau in our buildings.

The first thing that we did was finding some information on the internet about Art Nouveau. We already had some basic knowledge that Ms. Abela presented to us in her lesson.  Then we started searching for buildings that we have in Malta that is related to Art Nouveau.

The first place that it took us was Rose Villa that it is in Attard Street Sant Anton.  This house was what we were looking for. This was an abounded building but now it's restored to an old people's home. Obviously, it isn’t exactly how it was, like the colors but they still kept the style. Although it shows gothic revival too, because of the arch windows.  We went inside too, but it was totally different from outside.

The second place that we visit was Balluta buildings at St Julian. This even had many elements of Art Nouveau especially the gate that leads to a restaurant. It had natural forms. 

The next building was in tower road, Sliema. This was restored too. And now it’s a branch of Lombard bank. As Art Nouveau elements this building had the windows and the entrance of the door.

Next place was in Sliema Sir Adrian Dingli Street. This was full of Art nouveau style buildings such as the balconies, Windows, and doors. Then there was a hostel that with the owner’s permission we went in and we notice that the stairs had an art Nouveau style because of their structure and curves forms. In this street, we saw some typography that is in Art Nouveau style.

The last place that we went was Casa Rocca Piccola. The Dining room was the only room that was in Art Nouveau style. This had many products that related to Art Nouveau like cutlery, the three Windows that enters lights , glass and much more.

For products, we went to a jewellery shop.  This shop continues of antique and modern jewellery which helped us the different aspects of art nouveau on jewellery.

According to fashion, we saw some designs that Charles and Ron had on their website. We found some clothes designs that were related to Art Nouveau.  But to confirm this we called the designers.

After this we made more research on the history of building, history of the material used and on the characteristic of Art Nouveau to add them in our presentation.

As a team we really enjoyed working together, all of us gave their best for this presentation and by the help of my class mate they helped me understand more the style of Art Nouveau because of their different opinion and knowledge. 

The Red House.

 In the mid-nineteenth century, people were fade up by the possessions  that the industrial revolution was having on the surrounding and workers that worked in the factories. John Ruskin an English art critic  said that the industrial revolution was leaving a negative impact on the workers and the client because it was cheap and mass produced product.

This was a problem in the Victorian age “cult of domesticity,”. Ruskin broth back the medieval society, this was when an artist of craftsman do everything from beginning to end by handcraft. By this a worker would be satisfied with his work and a quality product would be created for the customer.

William Morris was influenced by Ruskin's writing.

 The Red House

The arts and crafts interior where affected by Philip Webb in Red house in Bexleyheath, in England that was designed for William Morris and his wife Jane Burden in 1859.
Webb set various elements which influenced a future arts and crafts interior designs. (continued over 70years.)

The first principle was shown in the red house. The outgrowth of structure and plan that is the form, ornaments, and materials each interior must have.
The second principle was that each interior must have an original characteristic  that fits into its particular function but at the same time having a variation that links into one theme and connects each room together.
The third principle is that the interior must show its structure elements genuinely.
And the last principle that every interior must use decent material with honesty, from the large surface to tiny detail.

Craftsmanship and community

Morris wanted that house that as you see it, it represent Morris ideas, art and  craftsmanship. The mix of Morris and Webb for this house’s architecture and interior design was a successful result.  

The Red house gave a prominent lesson in the history of contemporary use. It reflects the dedication of the architect and client in the middle ages by the adjustment, vernacular forms and the interpretation of Gothic decoration. In the mid-nineteenth century for the interior, they used to form and ornament. They support its classic source but they updated its main characteristic.

Morris ideas were influenced by romanticism in literature and art and by the Gothic revivalists refusal of the machines. Webb designed the furniture of the red house. He wanted to symbolise a beginning effect to create "the blossoms of the art"  

 Exterior of the red house.

The external of the house is has quite irregular windows. Windows are different as shape and position.  And then there is the roof that as you look at it, you see that there is a rhyme with the steep roofs, prominent chimneys, Gable roof and exposed- beam ceiling. This is an example of the influence of the Gothic style that the  exterior had. The rectangular windows in the  exterior have a gothic, shape, pointed war arch.

the building itself it's not highly decorated. As an entrance, it's not impressive, but this house hides it true form beneath decoration.

Reference.

Antiques TV, 2013. Red House (part one) [video online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn1PHpfshok> [Published on Feb 14, 2013]

Antiques TV, 2013. Red House (part two) [video online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V12bcQIcIBU&spfreload=5> [Published on Feb 14, 2013]

Style Icons, 2002, Arts and crafts movement,  United states: Todtri

the history of the Wheels.

In  the world of design, the wheel was an important invention.

The first wheel was invented by the Sumerians in 3200bc.

The wheel transformed mankind. We get pass many things that has wheels in them and we don't realise.

 

A wheel is any circular object regardless of its width that roles and it might have an axial that direct the power at the pivot.
But sometimes and axial is not a necessary component of a wheel. For example, a ball bearing goes around and makes a circular motion but it doesn't rely on the axial.

Wheel and axial is one of the six basic machines that people made products with. Every mechanical device has these basic components like

•        The lever 
•          The inclined plane
•          The pulley
•          The wedge
•          The screw.

For example a pizza cutter. There is the wheel that it has the axial in the centre. The wheel's edge is the wedge  and the handles are level using a lever. The pizza cutter was invented in the 20th century by David S. Morgan of Asheville, North Carolina. The first invention of the pizza cutter was mezzaluna (half moon) by Silvio Pacitti in 1708.This consist of  a large rounded blade that its pivot had a rolled, downwards motion that slices the pizza by pressure.  But this was  When the circular pizza cutter was invented it was much more commutable to cut the pizza with a circular blade.

In the old days, people used logs to travel things with them. when time passes Wheels took place. The wheels gained mechanical advantages because it reduced friction unlike a flat wide surface such as a log.It was invented were used to transport heavyweight.

The Ancient a long time ago invent the grinding stone,

 Which grinned large quantities of grain. It was much faster

 than with a mortar and pestle.

There's the potter's wheel is used to make clay pots. It has been invented during the bronze age. It was refined by the Egyptian 5000 years ago. With the wheel, they were creating great pottery designs and in less time. A flywheel is a wheel without weight . the flywheel had a wide range of pottery wheel

The new invention of the pottery wheel is with electric. This is less effort to use. This machine wheel works faster. There is a foot paddle near the foot to control its speed. the Electric wheels also have its kick wheel smaller than the other.

In additional from the pottery wheel and the grinding stone, was the transport wheel. This was created by a narrow carved wheel that could be connected by an axial.  An axial is found in the centre of a wheel this helps the wheel to rotate faster.

Transport 

By an image, there is an evidence that the people who invented the archaeological wheel vehicles, chariots pulled by oxen are the Sumerians. It was early 3000 Bc

The wheel continues developing inroads. It made travailing easy and in a low coast. Transportation moved some cultures to other places.

Before long wheel devices were transportation were available to farmers tilling the soil, traders transportation goods, and armies transportation soldiers.

In the industrial revolution in 1807, the designer Robert Fulton used steam power to introduce the first steamboat.  At first, the ship was high in priced to build and operate than sailing vessels, but this type of ship had some advantages. it has its own power and it was faster in storms

In the 1814 Stephenson used the steam engine technique to invent a steam-powered train. Britain supported the building of railroads in many countries such as europ. Railroads have become the ability that British export 

 During the late middle ages. An important invention was done to the ships. This was the steering wheel to direct the ship. before staring wheels they controlled by tillers, to turn, so the idea appealed to the car's creators.  In 1894 however, Tillers were becoming less effective.

Car inventor were replacing the tillers ship-inspired helms. It was simple and smaller. The first  steering wheels in a car that was shown during the Paris-Rouen race, the Panhard model driven by Alfred Vacheron. 

Now a car or a boat without a staring wheel it's nothing. The shape of the staring wheel never changes but, Some changes were made to make it for ergonomic like example power staring.

A windmill which arrived in Europe around the 12 century.

The job of a windmill is to capture the wind by those large blazes. These large blades are covered with a cloth and all together they are connected to a hub that this is attached  to an axial that its lead to gears.

The windmill center wheeled rollers help to control the direction of the winds.

Windmill evolve by time. It started from the Traditional Dutch windmill continued to windmills of American places. This was first to pump water for consumption by people and domestic animals. In 1854 was the first American windmill that was build Daniel Halladay. And last are the big turbines that generate electricity on wind farms. The first windmill was created by James Blyth and it was built in 1887 in Scotland.

The amazement about this design is that it generates energy from nature.

 

  

Machines that was popular in the industrial revolution. 

The first product to experience the "revolution" was the industrial of cotton. In the time of the industrial revolution in 1764, James Hargreaves designed the "spinning jenny," This machine was good for production because the spinning jenny with one person it can spin many threads at once. By spinning one turn of the wheel the machine spins eight threads at once.

 Richard Arkwright also invented the machine to produce yarn more efficient this invention was called "water frame" in 1764. Th difference from The "Spinning-Frame is that it was too big to manage by hands. By many experimentations, he decided to invent a the machine that works with the power of a water wheel, and this was known as the water frame. This machine produced yarn, with the right thickness and it helps fiber to twist together. This was the machine that produced strong threads.

 This invention was a combination between the spinning jenny and the water frame . In 1779, Samuel Crompton invented a machine called "Crompton's mule," This helped to produced s much strong yarn.

When this machine has been invented the thread had effectively become industrialized. the cost of making cotton threads in 1812 had lower by nine-tenths and the number of people working to change wool into yarn had been decreased by four-fifths .

 References: 

Cine, 2015. History of The Wheel - Cine. [video online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLZkbjPE_Io> [Accessed Nov 15, 2015].

autoevolution,2008-2016. 

History of the Steering Whee. [online] Available at: <http://www.autoevolution.com/news/history-of-the-steering-wheel-20109.html> [Accessed 5TH MAY 2010].

Serious eat, 2016. Scott's Pizza Chronicles: A Brief History of the Pizza Slicer. Serois eats. Available from: http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/08/scotts-pizza-chronicles-the-story-of-the-pizza-slicer.html [Aug 28, 2012].