I just wanted to talk a little bit about Chapter 21 – Shaping One Building in the Timeless Way Of Building. I never realized how much goes into designing and constructing a building. There is a list of things that need to be recognized and I’d say about a quarter of this list I had no idea about.
I never really thought about the connection to the earth of a building. This aspect of the building and designing process stuck out in my mind. Something such as a terrace or a deck with plants and trees around it would really show a connection to the earth. There are so many things that could accomplish this such as a pond or a small fountain in the middle of the front or back yard.
Another aspect that stuck out to me was how windows are situated in the house to get maximum sunlight in all the correct areas. There are so many ways you can design the placement of windows to direct sunlight in different areas. In my opinion, the best room for maximum sunlight in a house would be the kitchen. You want a good deal of light in the kitchen, but in the living room where you watch television, you don’t want as much sunlight.
This chapter just stuck out to me, because of the sheer quantity of aspects and design processes that can be thought of. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this chapter?
That is a great point you brought up. It seems like the main focus of today’s designer is to conserve energy. Light is definitely one of the most important, due to the fact that there is so much of it to harness from the sun. Conserving energy in this day and age is a very prominent issue.
This is one of the things that designers and architects are really focusing on nowadays not only for aesthetically pleasing design but also to conserve energy. My freshman year my EDSGN 100 class had projects related to Penn State’s solar decathlon house, the ‘Morning Star’. One of the projects was to work on an effective way of ‘daylighting’ or getting the maximum use of daylight so the required energy from bulbs would be minimum. In addition the solar decathlon team also focused on ways of naturally circulating air through the house.
If you really think about it, that is one of the main goals of designing, bringing the outside inside. Plants that you put in your house or other living things bring a feeling of life indoors. Painting your walls certain colors or painting certain things bring the outdoors in. Certain scents from candles or wall fresheners really bring the outdoor scent indoors, such as beach fragrances and flower fragrances. It’s amazing how many different things can be used to bring the outdoors indoors.
I knew most of the things mentioned in this, but i just learned on one of my CE courses that earth, as you said before is put into the construction of a building, air, how much natural air gets into a building and no fumes from a newly constructed building, fire; sunlight, water; non-toxic water in the pipes, and spirit; the other elements mentioned before, how well the building is constructed effects how you feel believe it or not.
I think the main principle behind having a great building is to bring the outside to the inside. People use houses to eliminate certain things such as hot/cold weather, wind and rain. But at the end you cannot live without having them. what about having the sunlight without its heat? how about having control over the climate in the house?
Those ideas are behind people using a lot of glass in today’s architecture, and that is why the glass industry is growing since the demand for glass that insulates heat without interrupting the light.
there are many things to think of about this chapter, it is just amazing how much complicated the process of design is.