Spectacle Parked

Nomadic Device: Line Drawings

Nomadic Device: Images

Model of Sydney Opera House

Reading Detail & Poetry

1.    As the technique of detailing changed from the hands of the craftsman to the tools of the architect, how has the resulting construction of details changed? Explain in terms of scale, material and cost.

The construction of details has drastically evolved from the hands of the craftsman to the tools of the architect. Craftsmen used to be the masterminds of detail construction, that’s what their focus on the whole construction would be, unlike the architect that has to overlook every piece of the construction. Craftsmen would have the opportunity to deal with detailing at a real scale and with the materials on hand. They were able to design the details and see them as prelims and alter them if needed. As detailing transitioned from the craftsman to the architect, this one-on-one experience with the details was lost. Since the architect has to deal with so many aspects of the construction, details become a secondary thing in the designers mind. The architect imagines and draws the details instead of being able to explore the materials and see how it looks at a real scale. Craftsmen would pay much more attention to the details since this was their priority making the process more costly and more successful. Details lost their uniqueness and became standard as they transitioned from the hands of the craftsman to the tools of the architect.

2.    How does "geometrical relationship" of individual details provide an understanding of the whole building if "indirect vision" localizes the viewer and "habit determines to a large extent even optical reception"?

By creating a geometrical relationship between the different details, the viewer is exposed to a repetition that he perceives in each individual detail. Subconsciously, the mind of the viewer starts to comprehend the structure as a whole. This gives the designer the power to manipulate the viewer’s perception and gives him the opportunity to convey his ideas thoroughly.

3.    Carlo Scarpa's details are a "result of an intellectual game" where the Open City buildings are constructed from an act of poetry. Describe what role the detail plays to "tell-the-tale" in each of these environments.

Carlo Scarpa’s details “tell-the-tail” of how the construction process is affected by the development of human understanding of the structure. They explain how the human’s perception of the building changes as it’s being constructed.

On the other hand, the details on the Open City “tell-the-tail” of the poetic relation of the building to its site. It emphasizes on the uniqueness of each site and how repetition of construction should not occur because of this individuality.

4.    Pendleton-Jullian writes about the Open City as emerging from and being in the landscape. Does allowing landscape to initiate "the configuration of territory and space" challenge Western building notions, and how so?

Western building is greatly challenged by this idea of allowing landscape initiate “the configuration of territory and space.” Western construction very much ignores the fact that each site is unique since it can be manipulated as they wish. The site should be the least manipulated as possible since it’s relation to the building is what makes it unique and not the same repetitive monotone pattern created by Western constructions.

5.    Describe some detail conditions of the Open City that convey "lightness" as Pendleton-Jullian refers to.

“Lightness” can be seen in several detail conditions of the Open City. The Hospederia is a great example of lightness in its materiality and construction method. Both of these aspects are brought to its minimum to convey a sense of openness that welcomes every person coming into Open City. Another sense of lightness is conveyed through the construction method that allowed design changes as the construction process occurred. All of these aspects are what make Open City such a poetic act.

Sydney Opera House ( Final Poster )

Updated Material List

Qty.  Item                               Price       

1      1/2" Birch Plywood         31.77

3      Barrel Bolt                       8.67

1      #8 1/2" Screws                 3.77

10    1/2" Cut Washers             1.90

1      5/16" Wood Dowels         2.97

4      1/2" Hex Nuts                  3.92

2      1/2" Wing Nuts                1.86

2      1/4" Wing Nuts                1.86

2      1/2" Threaded Rod           8.94

2      1/4" Threaded Rod 1/2     2.28

2      Casters                            9.92

1      1/2" Threaded Rod 1/2     5.96

                                         
                          TOTAL       83.82