Week 10, Metal, Reading: "Architectural Metal Surfaces" by William Zahner

I am sorry to do this but this reading was especially technical, which while necessary does not make the stuff of intelligent comments or even questions, so I am going to have to treat this like a brief summary of the reading with a few really dorky snippets about learning a new factoid I didn't have before.  I am apologize a head of time, but when the reading is dry and technical it doesn't yield much creativity on my end. 

The reading begins with a very brief introduction, about a four sentence paragraph followed by an encyclopedia like technical reading of various metals, starting with aluminum.  Each metal is assessed for its positive and negative attributes. Each metal's individual resilience and properties when exposed to environmental factors is discussed, followed by a list of potential surface and industrial treatments that would mitigate or at the very least ameliorate the potential damage from environmental exposure.  The author also included some dialogue regarding the complexities of coloring metals and the specific method used for each coloring technique, whether the metal be silver or lead.  Every Metal's reflective qualities was added along with the stability of the material.  As a practical matter, the maintenance and weathering of the different metals was discussed, where some metals require more upkeep than others, as is the case with black aluminum because stain spots and dirt can potentially accumulate on the surface.

Every metal section was concluded with a discussion about how the metal is commonly used in combination with other metals.  For example,  aluminum is commonly used as both a protective and aesthetic coating for steel.  Throughout the reading the author was constantly comparing one metal to another, offering snippets such as that copper and copper alloys are softer than most other materials and polish easier because of that softness.  Some of my favorite factoids garnered from this little technical gem of a reading included the history behind the karat system used as the measuring standard in the gold industry, not a well known fact that I had not been privy to before this reading.  I also sort of understand some of the logic reasons behind gold's preciousness, that it is a sort of magic metal that is not susceptible to tarnish and how highly reflective it is.  Oh, and I can now walk into a Williams and Sonoma and tell the uptight sales lady that cast steel is the same darn thing as cast iron.

Week 9, Stone and Brick, Keeps You Safe From The Big Bad Wolf.

Week 9, Stone and Brick, Reading: In The Cause of Architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright

This essay by Frank Lloyd Wright, The Meaning of Materials - Stone was written in a completely different manner than all of the other reading this semester.  Frank lloyd Wright's  style is more poetic than novelist, and he doesn't seem to follow a succinct flow of thoughts from beginning to end in this essay, but in a more circumspect route seems to happen upon stone during a larger personal pontification regarding the world as the architect's oyster.  The tone is very conversational, if not more of the stylings of a personal journal entry than an essay regarding stone as a material.  It is more than possible that this style of writing is synonymous with Frank Lloyd Wright, but being absolutely green to this world I have no idea.  I did feel his absolute awe and wonderment toward the materials he described.  Where, at the onset of this essay he made it clear as mud that he believed the worlds natural resources offer the architect what an art supply store offers an artist: an array of materials at the ready to be used and manipulated by the knowing hands of an architect.  The style in which he tried to explain this phenomena really treated each material as if it had a sort of intrinsic majestic quality.  The individual qualities and characteristics of the materials themselves suggest what architecturally should be done with those materials, "There is suggestion in the strata and character in the formations".  An interesting thought, not dissimilar to the main theme offered by our previous concrete reading and repeated here.  

The essay than progresses to stone, with Wright (if I may be so bold as to refer to one of the fathers of modern architect on such familiar terms without offending) stating with a matter of fact tone, that stone is the oldest architectural material, a thought that he elaborates upon later in his essay with a sort of summary about the history of the use of the material.  Prior to that history however, he spends a few short paragraphs (they were really just very loosely connected sentence streams) discussing the qualities of stone, that it is smooth, solid, heavy, durable, and it can be honed or polished, but mostly that it is a massive material.  I personally believe that through this string of thoughts Wright was trying to establish his view of stone as a sort of regal, imposing material, but instead of coming out and saying how he felt about the material, he simply described the qualities that would infer the imposition and power stone has, but again I'm a newbie to FLW's writing.  

As a newbie though I thought it really interesting that FLW included how other cultures throughout history regarded stone and in some cases his judgement of their use.  He wrote that Asians loved stone, the Byzentines, Mayans, and Egyptians used stone with real love and understanding. Alternatively he criticized the Greeks and Romans for their use of the material stating that the Greeks, "abused" stone and that the Romans were apathetic toward the material.  All of the statements were overly simplistic view points that summarily dismissed any and all other thoughts regarding the matter by simply labeling some of the ancient architectural greats. I guess that when you are FLW you can write such things without fear of criticism.  However, I am sure that the great Roman and Greek ancient architects wouldn't have agreed that they didn't know how to handle the building material they are probably best known for using.  

Week 8, Concrete, One of My Favorite Things!

I wanted to have a picture of the interior of the DC Metro system because of how well they utilized concrete into their design.  I have really enjoyed seeing all of the different geometric patterns formed by the concrete, and think it lends itself well to the function of the space.  I think it speaks to the utilitarian dynamic.  I also think its pretty significant that the design incorporated sound dampening panels, that is why those panels are concave.  I am not sure which came first, but I would be willing to bet that form followed function on this one.

This is a little prettier than the metro station, but still the same material.  I really like the aesthetic of concrete countertops, especially in residential kitchen applications because they are so much more substantial than other residential finish options, they are poured in place so they offer a thicker more substantial look than a granite alternative.  

I'm sorry but if you can make a building, a countertop, and a chair out of this material it really is a material that has no definable set of design rules, although the chair without any cushions would not be very fun to spend much time in.

I think this stair case shows a good example of cantilevered concrete, a style/use mentioned in the reading

Concrete counter tops really offer a designer more versatility than the standard sizes of quarried stone, and again the thickness of the countertop makes the look very modern and unique to the material

From chair to counter to an entire house.  Concrete is so versatile.  It does really seem to be the material of modern design and architecture, or at least it is very aesthetically aligned with that style.

Great shot of the metro walls and ceiling in DC, those white panels are made of natural and manufactured fibers in an effort to add sound dampening to the space.

I know I already included a shot of a concrete staircase above, but I included this one to because I thought it was unique in that it isn't as cold and modern as the cantilevered version above.  This applications seems to offer a more transitional style, possible more suitable to more traditional design aesthetics.

Week 8, Concrete, Reading: "Liquid Stone, New Architecture in Concrete, By Jean-Louis Cohen and Martin Moeller, Jr.

This weeks reading about concrete concentrates on concrete as a material that does not fit with a specific architectural style and explores historically why that trend developed.  The reading begins by introducing this idea that there exists a law of materials, where each material by virtue of its unique qualities and structural characteristics creates an individual architectural style associated with it.  But, concrete is the anomaly or exception to this law of materials, having no single or even easily identifiable architectural style categorization associated with it.  The reading then suggests that concrete's problem isn't that it has no aesthetic, instead it has too many aesthetics associated with it.  The historical development of these various aesthetics are discussed, including a background on the individual architects responsible for creating the styles and their arguments/reasoning for their respective styles.  The architects' various reasons are provided for their preferred concrete design aesthetic and arguments are provided as to which style is the 'correct' use of the concrete forms.  The author discusses trabeated structures, cantilevered slabs, parabolic arches, shell structures, and chicken-dome structures as the various styles that were at one time in concrete's hitory prefered by a given architect.  The reasons offered for each concrete design aesthetic varied greatly and included that:  shell structures utilized the isotropic features of concrete, and so therefor was a strong aesthetic genre for the material (no I did not know what that work meant before that reading, but now that I do I am going to add it to my vocabulary). 

After reviewing the history of concrete, or as the reading points out, the lack thereof, the author suggest that concrete is now used in such a way as to focus on its mass and density.  It also clearly states that concrete's history is very disconnected, where each development in the use of the material has no link to the next.  It is a material that is unique in its treatment by architects, where it is always considered and treated as a new material without a history even though it has been around for a century and a half. 

While the material does have a history, one that the reading explains, I think the author's point here is that each aesthetic created through the use of the material really does not have a history, or at least not a developed one that can be traced from one architect to the next.  The author then offers that concrete as a material has always had a bad image, as a sort of marginalized aesthetic, if not a down right ugly connotation associated with it.  As evidence of this ideology towards the material, the author includes a section where he inserts the great Frank Lloyd Wright's attitude toward concrete, as a sort of 'mongrel' material.   Frank Lloyd Wright's opinion is then quickly followed by a few paragraphs discussing again the influence of the ugly association of the material on the historical development of the material;  the composition of the material was changed in an effort to make concrete appear more like stone, an effort that led to artificial stone manufacturers.

The reading then concludes with a sort of resolution where the writer suggests that the more successful concrete design aesthetics are those that recognizes the ambiguous nature of the material.  Not those works that focus on one feature of concrete while ignoring the other intrinsic features of the material.   

Week 7 More Textiles from the wonderful design center, mostly...

Visually this carpet was stunning, in both pattern and color, with its chocolate browns, light grays, and creamy whites, in that Moroccan-themed pattern, it was a hit.  But, the texture, and specifically the material made this really interesting to me.  This rug is made out of cow hyde, and hand sewn.  Unfortunately the price reflected material.

Thought these ottomans deserved a quick mention while I was still speaking about hydes.  I couldn't flag down the sales lady in this store, but I am pretty sure that these ottomans were made from an animal other than cow, and from the looks of it possibly deer.  Just thought I should  add it under this textiles section, because after all, fur is a rare textile.

 

I added this because the seat cushion was made out of velvet (silk fibers), the rug out of a silk and wool blend, and the back out of wicker ( not sure exactly which cellulose fiber here, but I assume its some sort of Rush grass, sea grass, or palm grass, based on this weeks reading).

This is a wall covering option made out of compressed jute fibers, its overall aesthetic is reminiscent of an organic plant/grass form, eventhough it has been dyed this gold color.  Pretty fun stuff.

And here we have...drum roll please... Flax!  oooh, I mean linen, or actually I meant flax fibers that have been dyed and compressed into this tribal looking wall covering.

With all the leather and fur I have included in previous posts I had to include an alternative to all the dead animals, so here is a vinyl wall covering that is supposed to look like leather tiles.  Which I like because it offer the look of animal, without the death of one.

Just some proof that this was not realy cow, for all you conservitave meat lovers out there.

Aaha, more vinyl wall coverings for you to ooh and ah over. I liked the lantern print shown here.

Ok last one, promise.  Again just a fun, mod print on a vinyl wall covering.

The two photos above show a selection of fabrics, comprised of natural, manufactured, blended, and treated fibers.  The fabrics that have more of a sheen had a much higher percentage of the manufactured fibers while the duller fabrics were made mostly of cotton and linen.

Love this lawn furniture, I included it here because of the rope that is used to create the seats and the backs of the chairs.  The rope is most likely a jute or henequin fiber, but I am guessing at this one.

You may be wondering why there is a picture of grass in this section and that is because this is not grass, nor is it astro turf, it is an artificial grass rug intended for indoor use.  I included it here as evidence of the power of innovation in manufactured cellulosic fibers.

Week 7, Textiles Contd, Reading, "Textiles for Residential and Commercial Interiors", by A. Willbanks et al.

This weeks reading, chapters four and five of, "Textiles For Residential And Commercial Interiors" was an in depth, detailed look into the world of textile fibers (ch. 4) and yarn (ch.5).  Chapter four was organized into sections dealing with natural fibers, manufactured fibers, and the advancements in manufactured fiber technology.  The reading is meant to target readers in the interior design industry, as evidenced by the book's title.  However, chapter four in particular read more like a periodical that would appear in the science section of the New York Times (save for the really technical parts of the  reading that had to do with the microscopic cross-sections of the fibers, the NYT editors certainly would have deleted that section in their version).  While it absolutely focused on fibers, it included the political, environmental, and regulatory issues raised by all of the fibers.  In this respect this chapter really included some strong arguments for and against the use of specific fibers.  For example, while cotton is a widely used fiber, its advantages are overshadowed by it's environmental damage.  It is not a renewable material and in fact has a high environmental footprint, which is so personally disappointing to me.  Cotton is advertised as the, "fabric of our lives"  and as an American, jeans and cotton t-shirts are my staple closet occupant, not to mention my soft cotton sheets and towels.  But after reading this I am absolutely disappointed in a few things.

Why is this the first time I have heard about this?  Environmentalism and sustainability are such hot topics right now, and while i know all about the ill effects of the factory farming industry, I know not about fiber farming.  I guess you could say I am an ignorant fabric consumer, but information like what was offered in this reading does not seem widely available, or at the very least circulated.  The fact that cotton farming is responsible for 25% of pesticide use nationally alone makes me want to run and burn down my closet.  On a more positive note, while the reading did show the negative aspects of the cotton farming industry, it did give the organic cotton industry a nod for its effort to reduce pesticides and ameliorate the problems associated by the conventional cotton farming methods.  Also, while this reading really highlighted the non renewable aspects of cotton, it also highlighted and gave a surprisingly compelling argument for the use and production of another fiber, hemp.

By the author's account hemp is this magic fiber that has been historically demonized by its close association with marijuana, and thus is heavily regulated.  However, hemp fiber properties make it an especially viable alternative to that of cotton, "The pollution f soil and water by fertilizers and pesticides used in growing cotton has been a constatn battleground for environmentalists.  Because of its unique nature, hemp can easily be grown organically.  hemp is naturally resistant to mold, bacteria, and insects Hemp is grown wiout pesticides, herbicides, or agricultural chemicals."  Additionally, the reading continues to explain that hemp yield larger amount of fiber in the same amount of space than both cotton and flax.  While this reading goes on and explores the various other fibers and then yarns used in the manufacturing of fabrics, this particular section regarding hemp really sparked interest with me.
Personally, I am as anti-drug as they come, but the simple facts offered in this reading are logical, reasonable, and difficult to argue against.  As a future designer and proponent of LEED design, hemp, as the reading suggests, truly does seem the fiber of choice for the future of textiles.  Especially when you consider how strong the architectural and interior design communities push for and move towards sustainability in their designs, hemp really stands out among the fibers of the world as a leader in sustainability. 

I really appreciated this reading, but I most liked its mention of each fibers manufacturing process and its respective sustainability.  As a future designer, readings like this really add to my knowledge base especially regarding the wide-spread implications of the choices I will make on behalf of my clients.



I thought I should come back and add a few images I collected of hemp fabrics and their uses.  For some reason most of the designs using hemp fabrics look very much so like a hippie designed them.  so pleas forgive that my first few images look like hippie wear, at least we can't smell the patchouli via my blog.

 

Yes this is a hemp hippie bag, as evidenced by the lack of superior design aesthetics, but at least its sustainable

This belt really hits the trifecta for a statement piece.  Its obvious rainbow color is proof that hemp can by dyed various colors, or that you support the gay pride movement, the design is strictly hippie, and the material is ... you guessed it, hemp!

 This is a woman's hiking shoe from Patagonia.  All of the fabric is hemp, the sole and insulation are both made from recycled rubber and poly-fill, respectively, and oh yes those laces are also hemp ladies.

 I found this shirt online when I googled hemp t-shirts.  I selected this one in particular because the slogan seems as if it could have been coined by the writers of this weeks reading, because they really did advocated in the reading that hemp was nature's wonder fiber.

 

Proof that hemp cloth can come in a sophisticated fabric

Hemp fabric again here, that has been embroidered with hemp yarn to create these lovely plants

I saved the best for last.  This cute little AKC pup is all snugly on a hemp dog bed filled with hemp fiber fill.  It is really an ideal application for hemp because of its anti-microbial properties and its durability. Yaay for hemp.  This dog bed is officially on my Christmas list.

Week 6, Textiles

This week our class spent our time at the DC Design Center exploring the wonderful world of textiles.  We visited 3 textile distributors in the design center as a class, Arc Com Fabrics, Edelman Leather, and Holly Hunt.  After our class time expired I spent the next three hours prowling the Design Center in search of unique textiles and applications of those textiles to add to this blog.  Here is what I found...

 Samples of different color options of leather available at Edelman leather, I loved that they had such a large variety in each color palate.  This place would put most handbag companies to shame. 

 Again what a large variety of colors.  Huge neutral choice color palate available here.  If I wanted a beige leather couch I would have about 40 beige tones to choose between.

 These were a really unique application of cow hide with fur.  They were pieced together in a pattern, and would make great rugs.  I am not in love with the colors shown here, but the patterns give a good idea of what can be made with the fur hide.

 This Herring bone pattern was my favorite, I would love a white or cream version of this pattern as a large area rug. 

 Here is just the Herringbone pattern again, but in dark navy blue.  I like the variation in color from one square to the next, it has a more natural look than just a uniform man made product.

 Edelman's new leather collection, full grain leather is stamped and then died to look like crocodile.  It is also covering the table underneath the samples. 

 This shows a unique variety of patterns, furs, leathers, and even what seemed to be painted leathers.  The metallic leathers were especially interesting, because they still retained a softness similar to the other leathers. 

 This snake skin leather looked and felt so real it freaked me out to touch it.  It turns out that they stamped a piece of suede for this snake skin appearance and texture, and then triple dyed the material for the snake-like color.

 Edelman treats their leather with a water wicking treatment, so your suede doesn't die when you spill on it.  Very practical and techno of them. 

 Not only neutrals, but every color of the rainbow.  I really cannot imagine what I would use bright purple leather, neon green, or pepto-pink, but just in case they have it available.  Or maybe the apt wording would be just because you might need it, they have leather in that color.

 Water-wicking on not only suede but also leather.

 Braided leather ottoman.

 Some custom furniture options. Ottoman and desk behind.  These both are Edelman furniture pieces that can be covered with any of their available leathers, so if I wanted I could have pepto-pink leather furniture!

 Leather floor tiles in herringbone pattern.  This floor is 5 plus years old and still looks crisp and new.

 Another option of leather floor tiles, just in case you don't like leather floor tiles. 

 Real patent leather.  I have only seen plastic, synthetic versions of this stuff.  The real thing somehow looks shinier and more fake than the synthetic alternatives. 

Week 6, Textiles, Reading, "Textiles for Residential and Commercial Interiors, by A. Willbanks et al.

Though the cover is as interesting as the subject matter covered by the reading, the technical quality of the reading left me hoping for more.  It was a bit more like reading the scientific journals of a fiber lab researcher than writings of an architect or an interior designer.  It was however, incredibly in depth, a little too in depth though.  If I am ever expected to recall the cellular level of anything, let alone the drapery fabric I may or may not run and hide.  Or, now as an alternate option, I can run over to this reading and read aloud.  That would be an impressive social trick.  Back to the reading though.  This particular chapter focused on the fiber classification system and fiber properties, which on a macro level means the general pros and cons of each fabric, (yes in their generic name) which is probably the most useful information I took away from reading the chapter.   Although, it was not the most fun part of the chapter, that I reserved for the few pages at the beginning of the reading which suggested a number of methods to identify an unknown fiber, chief among them, the burning test.  The reading suggested that this would be necessary when clients brought in their own custom fabric.  The reading then included a table that described the burned and flame qualities of various fibers.  While interesting and incredibly fun, in a mad scientist sort of way, I cannot imagine burning a potential clients fabric in the feeble attempt to identify a material.  I am quite sure that hat trick would not go over well in any sort of client-designer relationship. 

Getting beyond the sparky section, the remainder of the reading focused on the fiber aspects such as composition, molecular structure, external physical features,  and the properties of the fabric, such as durability, strength (tenacity), resiliency, and reflective properties.  One of the terms in particular that I preferred over some of the other more bland terms and concepts in the reading was the 'hand' of the fabric, or in laymen's terms the quality of the feeling of the fabric under the hand of the end user.  This in particular intrigued me because in a reading where the clear intention of the writer was to deconstruct fabric into its most basic scientific parts, she couldn't convey a thorough understanding of the object without including the very inherent subjective nature of any fabric, its feeling to the purchaser.  While cotton has been so aptly coined as the, "fabric of our lives", others might shy away from the fabric in search of a more durable alternative, or even hand.

Week 5, Wood, Reading, "Frank Lloyd Wright and The meaning of Materials" by terry Patterson

This weeks reading was intriguing because it was written by a third party giving Frank Lloyd Wright's opinions and general ideology towards wood.  The opinions of Frank Lloyd Wright seem well researched, documented, and supported, but it is still an article written by someone expressing another's point of view.  That idea that this was someone else writing about another's state of mind in selecting materials really bothered me when I was reading the article.  I know it is an analysis of Frank Lloyd Wright's disposition toward wood as a finish material, but I think she really exploited his ideology towards wood in such a way as to make Frank Lloyd Wright seem exceptionally flippant towards the material.  And maybe that is how he was toward the material, but for someone to portray him that way, even just a little bit does seem a bit like blasphemy against the god of architecture.

Some of the points that the author bring up about Wright's treatment of wood was interesting.  The author separated the article based up different wood qualities, and Wright's treatment or answer to those qualities.  The majority of the reading focused on the 'form' of wood, while other sections discussed wood's 'workability', its strength, and durability.  It is clear that Wright's preference for the material in his work stemmed from woods natural grain and from the linear quality of the product after it had been processed by the mill.  The author also makes it plain that Wright preferred wood for its purely aesthetic value first, and other natural property of the material was secondary to its aesthetic.

The author also seems somewhat critical of Wright's definition of wood as it relates to nature.  Where, according to the author Wright's definition does not follow a strict logical constraint.  In fact, as the author makes clear as mud, Wright's definition of wood allows him a partiality toward the aesthetic over the more intrinsic values of the material.  The author compares Wright's definition against a more literal interpretation of the material, an interpretation that is spelled out through the body of the reading.  Once compared, the author then argues that Wright's hierarchical classification of the important values with wood really begins and ends with its grain.  The author offers Wright's preference for veneer as revealing this clear preference for the grain over other qualities such as its strength, durability, and form.  Which brings me to my only question this week regarding the reading; why did the author take us through that long winded journey through the complexities of Wright's preference for wood, describing all of its qualities, just to say that the only one of high import to Wright was its grain?

Week 5, Wood

For this week I thought I would start off with some great applications of wood in interior spaces, furniture, and even emulated in leather.  Wood seems to be a heavy hitter everywhere in both interior spaces and in architecture.  Maybe that's why it so strongly influences the industry.

Image taken at DC design center at Holly Hunt

 This is just a well made solid wood coffee table at Holly Hunt in the design center.  I included this picture because of the fact that this was one of the few pieces of wood furniture I found that was not covered by a wood veneer, this is a solid wood with a glossy natural stained finish.

Image taken at design center basement, design display, designer unknown

 Ok, so this is the mecca of wood.  We are talking wood bar, wood cabinets, wood paneling, wood cieling, wood shelving, wood decorations, and wood trim.  It was pretty much wood overload, but in an effort to highlight the material, this is the ultimate ode to wood as a finish material.

Image taken at DC design center, designer unknown

 Great wood writing desk.  This piece was also a great example of a solid wood desk free of any vaneers.  I really like the designer's use of metal and wood together, in an older shape.

Image taken at DC design center, designer Holly Hunt

This chair is really more sculptural than chair.  this is hand carved wood, notice how there are not any joints? That is because not only was this chair hand carved, but it was carved out of one piece. WOW.

Image taken at DC design center, table by Holly Hunt

Not wood, ceramic, but with a wood pattern on top to just make a little not to wood.

Image taken at DC design center, table by Holly Hunt

Rosewood vaneer, matched to create triangular pattern with distinct center point. Creates a sort of star effect.  Very classic.

Photo from Edelman's Leather DC Design Center

This was so unique I had to include it here.  This is laser cut suede, with a wood pattern.  So here wood grain was the design inspiration for a leather manufacturer.  I am not sure if I would ever use this, but I am happy to know it exists.

This is a Barbara Berry buffet table.  I included it here because of the two-tone wood use.  I confirmed with the sales associate that this was not a wood veneer, but a solid wood with a high gloss poly-coated finish.  She gave me some sales pitch about the special lacquer finish on those white drawers and how that justified the obscene price tag.  While I appreciated the information I just kept thinking that I hoped I would never sound like that lady when I try to sell something for a client.

Unique wall art here, a bunch of dart boards stuck together, just thought it was pretty innovative.

Wood veneer panels separated by solid core wood doors, pretty interesting.

I know it is a strange story, but these are some pictures I snapped at the men's changing room in Nordstrom.  To make a long story short, my fiance was jean shopping and all I saw was how unique the design of the dressing room was.  All of the walls in the men's changing area were treated with this wood veneer.  Unlike most wood veneers I have seen this one was matte, most usually have some sort of sheen to them.  I thought the overall aesthetic gave a funky, retro, masculine vibe, which is probably what they were going for.  I also think this designer was probably given a pretty strict budget and really made the best of it, at least from a value engineering standpoint.