Concept Models

To really break down this piece by, Andy Davis, various amounts of aspects came into play. With the breakdown of design elements, through emphasis, line, contrast, and geometric shapes, I was able to construct some concept models from my design analysis. In total, all of the concepts were based off of the schematic designs that were from the Design Analysis Blog (below).  

All materials that were mostly used were from some black crescent board or illustration board, in creating the final model (the 4^th one below), and a great sum of corrugated cardboard was also used as well (actually, the cardboard was from left over thermal sleeves for coffee cups from various coffee shops). To add, a small amount of old blue wall covering was used to make the triangle model (the first one underneath) and small accents on the 3^rd model below.  The material I fancied using the most was the corrugated cardboard, I personally enjoy the fact that the substance comprehends with a wave so well, but in a totally different form.

I wanted to take parts of the drawings to create a three dimensional form, particularly my 4^th schematic design (you can see the picture below, under Design Analysis; in easiest terms, it is the one that appears to be like a whole bunch of curved and straight lines crammed together. As you can see, I took the main features out of the drawing, obviously, it being “line”, which is reflected through an explosion of lines in the model. 

 

Art Analysis and Diagramming

Design Analysis

Andy Davis’s piece, Sway is an overall brilliance of color and spruce of fun on a sheet of plain white paper. The emotions that we get out of it as a whole can be related back to the title as well “Sway.” Expressions of mellowness, calm, and peace are drawn out; the fact that the title represents the picture so well illustrates the same kind of feeling when riding a wave, relaxed moods of tranquility surround everywhere. A few of the ideas that it provokes are questions such as, what does that person want to accomplish today? What are they thinking about right now at this moment in time?  Knowingly the angst of the thought if the rider will finish his ride or not is mind-boggling as well; the entirety of the representation with the slow movements of curves screams out “Relax, let the wave take you on an adventure.”

To go further into depth, the elements and principles that make up this awesome doodle depicts the motions and yet, stillness of the work, Sway as a work of art. Some of the information was limited when analyzing Andy Davis’s work Sway, specifically the medium used. By appearance, the medium utilized would most likely be marker or even possibly watercolor. For some info, great deals of Andy’s works compose, of oil, acrylic, watercolor, and to just ordinary pen and ink.  In particular, watercolor or marker or whatever was used, creates that a work of art can be used with anything to achieve its aspect of something meaningful. The bamboozlement of the fact that we cannot tell either the piece is used with marker or water color makes it that more interesting to the viewer.

There is this blue line, throughout the whole piece, that intertwines the trees and rolling hills in the distance to the surfer in the barrel of the majestic wave that is overhead. The fact that the curved lines create the illusion of infinity is a touch of wonder as well. As for the use of color, remarkably, only 5 colors were used and that was all that was needed to accomplish something so mellow. The use of blues gets the sensation of a cooling rush, and then with a pop of mustard yellow, warm things up. To add as well, contrast is mostly seen in the massive wave; from details of the ocean blue compared to the tinting of white, the generation of the simplicity of nature is created.

As all of the elements are put together and broken down into their areas of thought, different views of the piece can be seen and brought out. When observing, as viewers, of this piece, we are all drawn to its’ main emphasis, the surfer in the center of the paper. The position of his hands and body soaks in, and the pose suggests sway with the flow of the wave and water. Along with that, the message most likely pertains to the world as well; this drawing is able to speak out not through words, but through its’ image. A message being, basically, let the bad things go and “sway” your way through life. 

Schematic Designs

Overlays of the elements of the drawing; a further breakdown through line, shape, emphasis, and contrast. 

Line

Emphasis

Geometric Shapes

Contrast with value and color

Thermal Enviornment Case Study: New York Times Building

Facade of the New York Times building in the daylight, with its' "ceramic wall" visible.

A thermal environment is a term defined as those aspects of a workplace that include the local temperature, humidity, and air velocity as well as the presence of radiating surfaces.The New York Times building located on the east side of Eighth Avenue between 40th and 41st Street in New York City, for example, was based on the subject of daylighting. In particular, my case study is on the thermal environment of the interior of the building as a whole. Designed by world-known and Pritzker prize winning Italian architect, Renzo Piano with Fox & Fowle Architects wanted to design a building with an objective to "encourage openness and communication with the external world" and acquires the atmosphere of "dedication to create a high quality work environment for its' employees."

The inspiration for the new the NY Times building was mostly from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of Berkeley, California. They too have the same low emission glass ceramic tube shade system on the exterior structure of their lab buildings as well. A group of visitors from the New York Company along with their designers and engineers stopped for a visit at the Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division in early 2003 to get ideas and to develop a thought process design a new structure for the newspaper corporation. NY Times wanted the Lab's input on how to create a more sustainable,and Eco-friendly work place while still maintaining the role of a powerful and sufficient corporation. "The New York Times approached the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) for advice having seen LBNL's research on dynamic façade and lighting systems. Their new corporate headquarters was designed to promote "transparency" to the public via floor-to-ceiling clear glass windows shaded by a unique exterior shading system".  

One of the most noticeable aspects of the NY Times Building is its' glazed wall of Low-Emissivity glass which consists of an energy-efficient material that helps reduce heating and cooling use. To explain, low-emissivity glass is a material more commonly used and more widely known in Europe rather than in the US. "Thin horizontal ceramic tubes placed on a steel framework one and a half feet in front of the glass will screen the double glazed, spectrally selective, low-emissivity, full-height glass wall around the building, thus reducing the building's cooling loads." By the tubes being long and cylinder-like their placement on the exterior building is so that it creates such transparent pattern that employees' and others are able to peer out and have views of New York City's beautiful roof gardens.

Exterior view of the "Ceramic Wall"

The building's cooling loads will be reduced by the screening of the Low-emissivity glass by ceramic tubes

A really interesting topic I discovered about the thermal environment of the NY Times building, was  for the internal heating and cooling systems of the magnificent structure; it uses a more energy efficient process of and use of cooling than most buildings built in this decade. The building has raised floor boards allowing enough room for an "underfloor air distributor", which requires less cooling than a conventional ducted system. To add, an additional way to save more energy, was the integration of free-air cooling into the building; "bringing in the outside air when it is cooler than the interior space."

Street view of the NY Times building in the evening time.

I would personally like to note that the appearance, firstly, of this miraculous building is just stunning. Secondly, the ideas for its structure and amazing sustainable work effort that went into building this masterpiece has been simply entertaining to research and learn about. Lastly, I would like to include, that in a sense, the appearance, again, kind of looks like a newspaper. The ceramic shades create like a grittiness, in my opinion, that reflects the newspaper's appearance. Just a little fun fact to add.



References and Sources of Info:

New York Times Building

Berkley Lab

Forest City

Welcome to my first ever blog!

Hurray It has been created, I am so pumped to be able to post anything I want on the internet, it will sure be a swell thing to do. haha Im sitting here with Jamie and we are just having a grand time working on our blogs. Im a first time blogger as you can tell. Oh this is great fun indeed!