Nature is decisively seen as separate from human. Most earlier ideas of nature had included, in an integral way, ideas of human nature. But now nature, increasingly, is ‘out there’, and it’s natural to reshape it to a dominant need, without having to consider very deeply what this reshaping might do to the human.

In our complex dealings with the physical world, we find it very difficult to recognize all the products of our own activities. We recognize some of the products, and call other by-products; but slagheap is as real a product as the coal, just as the river stinking with sewage and detergent is as much our product as the reservoir. The enclosed and fertile land is our product, but so are the waste moors from which the poor cultivators were cleared, to leave what can be seen as an empty nature.

Capitalism, of course, has relied on the terms of domination and exploitation; imperialism, in conquest, has similarly seen both men and physical products as raw material. But it is a measure of how far we have to go that socialists also still talk of the conquest of nature, which in any real terms will always include the conquest, the domination or the exploitation of some men by others. If we alienate the living processes of which we are a part, we end, though unequally, by alienating ourselves.

Nature and Nature’s law lay hid in night. God said, let Newton be, and all was light. – Alexander Pope, Epitaph Intended for Sir Isaac Newton
Now o’er the one half world Nature seems dead. – Macbeth, II, i

There are a lot of assumptions as to why we have identified a place of arrival. I will take the example of water and show a more simple example of why it is a place of arrival. “The lake gathers the world in a catoptric image, which, since it stands upside-down, reveals the general atmosphere of the place rather than its constituent things. The image, however is not flat, but comprises the height of the sky as well as the depth of the earth. The explanation it offers is therefore unfathomable, the world appears as a place of simultaneous revelation and concealment. No wonder, hence, that man always experienced lakes and bays as significant goals, where he could find rest from his wondering.” This description is quite beautiful, and the storytelling is quite good. Although, when wandering the world, I put precedence on nourishment before that of revelation of heaven and earth coming together. I liken it to the wandering of elephants, they roam for weeks without water. They gather at this place not because of refraction of lightwaves, but for nourishment. Once they are nourished they tend to have intercourse, this is the only time that I can understand heaven and earth coming together.

As a preface the author puts forth an example of Italian hillsides being represented in the peaks and ridges of architecture which shows relationship to its microenvironment. He proceeds to give a contrast position of when a natural center is not present as in a desert. It is easy to understand how a desert does not have a sense of arrival. The vast rolling empty sand hills hardly tells a person that there is a sense of place. We have seen the studies of man walking in an empty field or desert. We tend to walk in circles while we think we are walking in a straight line. I would go as far to say that emptiness without delineation is probably not the best relationship to define space. To go back to the relationship of the italian hillside and to recognize that when rain meets a solid surface it does not pass through it, but in fact rolls along its surface. To understand and to take this concept from nature and apply it to architecture is quite good. Not every relationship with nature should be made. Vast emptiness is probably not the best way to define space, but to take elements that can help us create a better environment for ourselves is what I seek.

The author puts forth that “the loss of figurally defined settlement has brought about a weakened sense of human belonging and thus a dangerous loss of identity.”  The manipulation of our environment in Boston has help to establish a healthier space and a unique identity for the public. As in the case of the Charles River Esplanade, there is a sense of arrival, where ‘heaven and earth’ come together. I would like to imagine that this is what the author may see as a decent example of traditional settlement within a modern city. As we know it today, The Charles River Esplanade is a result of the Charles River Dam. It controls the bay from changing water levels, allowing us to walk along a stable waterfront. It is a reflection of what was once there, while using modern technology to allow users to experience it, without the smell of dying oysters and human waste.

The modern city has a way of including our environment in a responsible way, but this is not always the case. Nor do I think that it should always be the case. If an individual wishes to create a space, and not include the public, an individual has every right to do so. It is more important that I put precedence on tolerance of peoples views rather than an idealistic view of what good architecture should be. That is not to say that I accept the destruction of an environment, but instead to have a dialogue in order to develop responsibility. Although the author may define the modern city as a place of ‘nowhere,’ I have to disagree. I see many examples of spaces like what is mentioned before. I can only imagine a world in the future where every piece of land is occupied, and what real connection will we have to gauge what is the natural and what is the unnatural? The author does not disagree with the construction and manipulation of space, but once it has been blurred and constructed so many times this reflection becomes something that cannot be accurately defined. To say our current representation of say an Italian hillside is any better than an idea conceived from ones own mind is not a representation is false. I do not partake in the idea that a majority has to recognize the relationship of a space to its environment in order to create a sense of place. There are moments in architecture, which we may or may not understand what is trying to be said, but we can experience it as he or she wanted us to.

W 4-7 – Programming and Codes
W 7-10 – Lyceum Competition
Online Section –  Green Practice / HVAC

In my programming and codes class we were all assigned a reading The Image of a City by Kevin Lynch. We have to familiarize ourselves with the concepts of Lynch’s 5 elements of a city, their interrelationship, and how they join to form a developing whole. In hopes of obtaining a better awareness of the fabric of a city.

• We have to develop diagrams of our theoretical site in relation to those 5 elements of a city.
• Locate and identify each element by a specific name of our choice.
• Explain in a few sentences how each of these elements works for our building in terms of its elements.

The Life Center in Needham, MA seeks to create a more vibrant downtown – shopping, eating, art, and theatre. The site is situated on what is now Greene’s Field Park. This park has defined the boundary of the Urban and Suburban since its inception by the Greene’s’ in 1989. The Greene’s’ set this green space aside for the pleasure of the community. The Life Center seeks to enhance this idea of giving back to the community, while reinvigorating the urban fabric and sustaining green open spaces for the community.

Through my site analysis I looked at parking, commuter rail, public transit, and other means of circulation. I took the ratio of facility size to usage, and derived a simulation that would flow toward the site avoiding the current buildings. This simulation showed a hierarchy of site entry that I would use to orient the building, and to massage the buildings form to accommodate its surroundings.

The South portion of the site was to extend the urban street wall, and open its facade toward the West. The Northern portion of the building was a primary circulation route, so it was important to show the users where to enter the building. While taking the Baker House, into consideration, a dormitory designed by Alvar Aalto, just as the Baker House used the stairs extruded from the surface to point toward the entrance of the building. I utilized the forms skin to formally pronounce the buildings entry. When one enters the building they are in a open transitory space, both visually and sometimes physically. Adjacent to this glass box are two larger programmatic spaces, one to the North, and one to the South. The North program contains, Art, Music, Dining, and a Green roof – for farming and relaxing. The South program contains, lobby, classrooms, library, computer room, and an exercise room. Open green spaces are situated adjacent to the glass box on the Eastern side of the site, acting as a transition between a large urban building and the Suburban fabric.

Michael Velentzas – http://michaelvelentzas.tumblr.com/

The idea of this hot wire cutter is to have the ability to reach behind the material to create super amorphic shapes. Unlike a router attachment that can only affect the surface, and has a difficult time reaching behind material. The advantage of a kinetic hot wire, is that you can expand and contract the wire, which will change the overall shape of the hotwire. The rigidity of a flat wire allows the contraction of the shape to return to its initial destination.