Introduction: ENVD 5311

Class Information:
ENVD 5311 Interior Design in Rome
Summer Session 1 2015
Dr. Michelle Pinson
Department of Design
Texas Tech University

The purpose of this blog is to explore the relationship of architectural elements in Italian architecture with those of Texas Tech Campus. The clearest relationship is expressed in the dominant style of Spanish Renaissance architecture that is found on campus. Spanish Renaissance architecture arose out of the Italian Renaissance and is inspired by the classical elements from antiquity and the Greco-Roman tradition.

Our class spent three weeks in Italy during the dates June 3rd - June 23rd, 2015. We stayed primarily in Rome but also traveled to Tivoli, Capri, Florence, Pompeii, Venice, and Vicenza. During our time in Italy we explored monuments from antiquity, visited showrooms of iconic Italian designers, and toured museums, basilicas, and villas. We spent our time with the works of Giotto, Calatrava, Michelangelo, Renzo Piano, Brunelleschi, Palladio, Carlo Scarpa, and many others who have shared in shaping the architecture of Italy.

Through a series of blog posts, I will share my observations on the intersection of architectural elements that link my journey abroad with the Texas Tech Campus. An analysis of the principles of design will drive the content of the posts and will contain images, diagrams, and pages from my personal sketchbook of my travels.

Although this blog is a class requirement I also hope that it will be useful to future students who are considering studying abroad with the Interior Design program at Texas Tech University. It has proven to be an invaluable learning experience. There's nothing that can describe what it is like to see with your own eyes and hands the things you've spent years studying from the pages of textbooks. Words, photos, and media can only say so much. Nothing can truly communicate the impact of a space as when you are a body moving through it. I highly recommend this class and hope it will become a yearly tradition that will inspire the future graduates of the Interior Design program.

GUNS UP.

Rhythm/Movement

Definition: Rhythm and movement are closely linked. Rhythm is achieved when the elements of a design are repeated to achieve a sense of movement. Movement is when the use of elements direct the eye and/or the body. A sense of movement is often achieved with the arrangement of color and form.

Government Building at Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy.

Rhythm was very important during the Renaissance in Italy. The architecture of that period interpreted the typical classical rhythm of Doric, Ionic, then Corinthian. In the image above at Piazza Navona you can see how this idea of progression in three counts was applied to the three main levels. The first level is taller in height and more rustic in its surface application and stonework. The second and third levels are progressively smaller and lighter. In this way a vertical and horizontal rhythm is established on the facade. The implied movement through drawing the eye of the viewer is also very vertical - horizontal based. Geometry was very important during the Renaissance and much of the architecture of that period was based on some very simplistic forms.

Bledsoe Hall at TTU in Lubbock, Texas.

Bledsoe Hall references this progression as well. You can clearly see the three levels and the difference in type and scale in the fenestration from the first level till the third level. Again, this linear and largely symmetrical facade establishes both a vertical and horizontal rhythm.

Fenestration Detail, typical rhythm found in Renaissance architecture in Rome, Italy.

Typical Fenestration Study in Graphite at Piazza di Fiori in Rome, Italy 6/10/15

Harmony

Definition: The relationship of elements to one another that gives the viewer a sense of a coherent whole and that all elements are a part of each other and relate to each other.

Almost any example of a historic work visited during our travels would be an excellent example of this design principle. The monuments from antiquity are exceptionally harmonious because they typically follow a strict classical order or combination of orders.

Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy 6/17/15

The Loggia dei Lanzi is located at the Piazza della Signora in Florence, Italy. It exemplifies the harmony of all structures from the Italian Renaissance. It utilizes repetition and pattern in form, color, and materiality and is symmetrically balanced.

Jones AT&T Stadium at TTU in Lubbock, Texas

The Jones AT&T Stadium similarly exhibits a harmonious design through a cohesive vocabulary of design elements and principles. The arcade on the ground level also references the loggia.

Watercolor of Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy 6/17/15

design

Proportion/Scale

Definition: Proportion is the relationship between the components of a design and how they relate together. Scale refers to size and is typically associated by a reference object. The most common reference object is design is the human body. The term "human scale" refers to this.

The Pantheon in Rome, Italy. 6//8/15

 This image was taken during our first week in Rome. I intentionally selected a view with pedestrians in order to communicate the proportion and scale of the Pantheon in relation to the human form. Our guide challenged the class to explore how many students it would take to wrap our arms around a column. In this way we were able to visually and physically have a better understanding of the proportions and scale of the Pantheon.

The proportion of classical columns themselves also directly relate to the proportions of the human form. The Pantheon contains Roman Corinthian columns which were adapted from the original Greek Doric columns. Of the Greek Doric, Vitruvius wrote "...they measured a man's foot, and finding its length the sixth part of his height, they gave the column a similar proportion, that is, they made its height, including the capital, six times the thickness of the shaft, measured at the base. Thus the Doric order obtained its proportion, its strength, and its beauty, from the human figure" (de Architectura, Book IV). Human scale was the reference that inspired the proportions of the classical orders.

Analysis of Scale: Corinthian Column Base at the Pantheon in Rome, Italy 6/8/15

ICC at TTU in Lubbock, Texas

The Pantheon has been an enormous influence in architecture since the Renaissance. The Pantheon was the first structure to contain an occulus. Domed structures with a central element are often attributed to the Pantheon for this reason. In the image above the central element at the International Culture Center is visible and the relationship to the Pantheon is implied. The central element at the ICC proportionally references the occulus in placement, Comparatively, the ICC is constructed at a smaller scale than the Pantheon.

Balance

Definition: The distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. There are three types of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial. Symmetrical balance occurs when elements are the same on both sides of the design. Asymmetrical balance occurs when both sides of the design are not similar but still balanced. Radial balance refers to when elements are arranged around a central or beginning point and may or may not be similar.

Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, Italy 6/20/14

 Palladio was a master of geometry and symmetry. The Basilica Palladiana was his first work and was instrumental in his rise in popularity. The symmetrical balance in his architecture was a trademark of Palladian design and this project was no exception. Another consideration is that sometimes balance is perceived. This structure is actually not perfectly symmetrical. It was designed to wrap an existing Gothic structure that was in need of renovation. Palladio played with the proportions of the elements to achieve the perception of perfect symmetry.

Chemistry Building at TTU in Lubbock, Texas

 There are numerous buildings on campus that use arcades designed with symmetrical balance. This image is taken from chemistry building. Here the repetition of elements achieves balance. 

Sketchbook Entry for the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, Italy 06/20/15

 These sketches explore the relationship of site, interior, exterior, and a segment of a repeating design element.

Emphasis

Definition: Emphasis is the part of the design that immediately captures the viewers attention. This is often achieved with a focal point that is almost always intentional.

Establishing emphasis through placement of a focal point: Fontana del Mascherone, Villa Giula in Rome, Italy.

Fontana del Mascherone, Villa Giula in Rome, Italy.

The orientation of monuments and key architecture in relation to the site was crucial in the development of the city of Rome. Persons of wealth and influence would widen roads leading to their commissioned structures. This progressional emphasis would flaunt their power and wealth. The preceding images were captured on one of my daily walks to class. The Fontana del Masherone sits at the end of t-intersection and is a focal point. Emphasis is clearly established from a distance.

Education Building at TTU in Lubbock,Texas.

Administration Building at TTU in Lubbock, Texas.

Both the Education and the Administration building at Texas Tech have a central emphasis focal point. Here too it is progressional. There is a marked difference because at TTU the path supports the emphasis whereas the flanking buildings in Rome develop the emphasis for the fountain. The results are the same with a centered focal point supported by the conditions of the site.

Contrast

Definition: The state of being strikingly different from something else. Such as how black and white are in complete contrast with each other.

Museo Dell'Ara Pacis in Rome, Italy 6/11/15

Richard Meier was the architect for this museum that houses the Ara Pacis. This museum is the only new construction in the city center of Rome since the fascist era. The contemporary design is in stark contrast with the remainder of the city center. There continues to much debate in regards to this. There are questions about sensitivity to the site and respecting tradition. The image above clearly communicates the extreme contrast of this architecture compared the largely classical, renaissance, or gothic structures of Rome.

Sam Rayburn Library at TTU in Lubbock, Texas

The library at Texas Tech is also similar in it's stark contrast. It is not Spanish Renaissance and contrasts against the majority of buildings on campus. Comparatively, it shares materiality and colors with the rest of the campus which Meier did not directly incorporate.

Watercolor of Museo Dell'Ara Pacis in Rome, Italy 6/11/15

This watercolor was painted with water from the fountain at the Museum.

Pattern

 Definition: The repeating of a design element such as an object, symbol, or color.

Basilica Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy

 The facade of Basilica Santa Maria Noella relies heavily on pattern. There is a detailed geometric pattern and also a color pattern with contrasting red, white, and green marble that is vernacular to the region of Florence. The detailing by Alberti is classically inspired but the most notable element of the pattern in the facade are the scrolls. Alberti was the first to use scrolls in this application and the design later spread to other regions in Italy.

West Hall at TTU in Lubbock, Texas

 The West Hall facade relies on a pattern in materiality and in symmetry. The mirroring and repeating of elements establishes a pattern. An adaptation of scrolls is also incorporated.

Facade Study of Basilica Santa Maria in Watercolor and Pen in Florence, Italy 6/17/15