Build : Design :: Tell : Story

Build: v. to form or have formed by ordering and uniting materials; to produce or create gradually (Merriam Webster's Dictionary). 

Story: n. A narrative or account; a report or statement; anecdote; short story (Webster).

The word "story" is found in the word "history". 

In a way, history shapes design, because like history, architecture involves the interaction of humanity and nature. Though humans tell stories to distinguish themselves from nature, their stories most oft

en involve nature. Architecture also involves nature, especially now with sustainability on the rise. John Ruskin writes, "Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts- the book of their deeds, the book of their words, and the book of their art. But the only quite trustworthy is the last." Deeds and words are blown us, but art tells a true story by its physicality. In our studio class, we were asked to read fairytales, make a psychoanalysis, and dig deep for design elements such as pattern, texture, color, light, etc. This project alone displays the relationship between something as simple as a story and something as complex as a design. We also watched Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Nights Dream". This play, which was turned into a movie, involves 5 or 6 smaller stories within the main story. The intertwining of these "mini-stories" correlate with the intertwining of design elements in architecture.

Artifact: n. Something made or modified by humans, usually for a purpose; an object remaining from another time (Webster).

Artifacts are also involved with history. Usually, when one hears the word artifact, they think about a dug-up piece of pottery from ancient Egypt, or a bone from the dinosaur age. These artifacts, by themselves, tell a story, or rather, give an account of things that might have been. In architecture, artifacts are used to report history. For example, the ornamentations on the columns of the classical orders are artifacts. By seeing these artifacts, one can distinguish a Corinthian order from an Ionic order (Roth, 31). Surely the words "ornament" and "artifact" are not synonymous. However, artifacts from a native tribe could hint at which tribe it belonged to, just like how ornamentation in architecture hints at the time period of that building. In our studio class, we have been asked to create an artifact that abstractly applies to our fairytale. This artifact must symbolize the most important aspect of our fairytale without giving the literal cycle away. In our drawing class, we were asked to draw five artifacts of our own (above picture). These artifacts should have significant meaning, and perhaps give some interpretation of our values?

Multiview: Multiple & View

Multiple: adj. many; multiple.

View: n. a way of looking at or regarding something; a judgement. (Webster)

Multiple views tell multiple stories. The word "multiview" could have many different meanings in architecture. First, there are literally multiple views. For example, in orthographic drawings, you are able to view the front, the top and the side. When looking at delight, though, in our history class, we came across the manipulation of space. There is physical space, perceptual space, conceptual space, and behavioral space. All these different manipulations are multiple ways that an architect needs to view a space in order to accommodate to the multiple needs of a work. When talking about delight, Leland Roth mentions the aspect "ugliness". The word "ugliness", though, is quite general. What some people see as ugly, others may see as genius. It all depends on who and how a person is viewing something. In "A Midsummer Nights Dream" there were multiple views, or perceptions. The views in the movie differed from those in the play, and the perception of characters like Dimitrius and Lysander changed due to the enchantment. In our drafting class, we are creating a model of a seat, from which we will have to draw multiple orthographic views.

Cycle: n. A period of time occupied by a series of events that repeat themselves regularly & in the same order; a recurring round of operations or events; a long period of time. (Webster)

History is it's own cycle. History is multigenerational, and therefore changes with each generation. The partial-transfer of style from generation to generation creates a constant style, which eventually ends where it started,  because history has a tendency to repeat itself. Sir Henry Wolton said "In architecture, as in all operative arts, the end must direct the operation. The end is to build well". In this cycle, the end product defines the process to get there. In other words, a designer must have some idea of what they want the product to look like before he or she can find the steps it takes to get there (necessary materials, required time, building steps, etc.). This cycle causes the trend found in the bell curve, with multiple styles overlapping. Also, though styles overlap, function is constantly changing in the same cycle. Right now, in our history class, we are working as a team to mark history in intervals of five years, in order to find a pattern or cycle within the history of architecture. For my inspiration board (the above picture), I decided to portray my story in a cycle, because the cycle influences the design elements incorporated in my fairytale. For example, color goes from cool to warm, in coherence with the mood (ominous to happy). Scale also changes in that the least important character in the beginning of the fairytale ends up being the most important at the end. In a Midsummer Nights Dream, the multiple love cycles are in accordance to the multiple stories ( Dimitrius and Lysander over Hermia, Nick Bottom and the fairy princess, etc.). 

Translation--> Translate: v. To change from one place, state, or form, to another (Webster)

History is a translation in that it changes with generation. Translation and cycle go hand in hand in this case. As an architect, it is crucial to "design a building so that any possible future activity can be accomodated" (Roth, 14). This concept is called "universal design". As history passes, so do societal needs, calling for different uses of buildings. In Roth's opinion, buildings should be designed to serve any function necessary. In chapter 5, Roth discusses architectural acoustics, and explains that some composers, like Bach, actually translated their compositions to accommodate the piece of architecture that they wanted to perform in. In our drafting class, we created a piece of furniture intended to serve the purpose of a server, seat, table AND workstation. The design in the picture, serves all four purposes, and therefore translates from one form to another when necessary. 

As I have tried to explain above, all five of these words play a huge role in history, just as they do in design. I was taken by the amount of connection I found in these five words. Build is to design, as tell is to story. I chose the word build because when one is creating a design, there are multiple processes that he or she must go through, like a cycle. In the definition, the dictionary speaks about uniting materials. In the first semester, we learned the importance of unity in a design. A design is not just one elements, but it is a unit of elements. Design tells a story, incorporating multiple views and using artifacts to translate the cycle of history.