Voices... Opus week 5

The presence of the power of the church is displayed within the architecture of the Hagia Sophia. It’s elaborate surface decoration within the inside shows the wealth and importance of Christianity. This power is “bathed in a mystical, suffused light issuing from the hundred walls and mosaics” (Roth 290). This light illuminates presence of the spirit of the Lord. This phrase presence had me thinking since Ash Wednesday and the first Friday where Catholics can't eat meat are this week, it is leading up to be a sad time of the year in Catholicism. The night I get my ashes there is always a sad presence within the church most of the time it is cold and raining outside and the mood is completely sullen.

Image found at <http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/hagia-sophia-photos/nave-general-view.jpg>

In doing my precedent analysis last week for my justification, I took into great consideration the gesture that The Empire State Building puts fourth among New York City. Its great hierarchy rises above this City bringing hopes and values back to the American life, especially since it was built during the depression. This concept of the Empire greatly impacts the work force. New York is an empire itself, in America it holds the stock exchange and power of money within one city. This brings me to my studio project I am working on. I am doing my precedent analysis for a place to bathe for people who are handicapped and in a wheel chair. My culture is based off the Romans, “Roman life focused on temporal comforts and pleasures, as the Roman bath well illustrates” (Roth 275). In doing this analysis I am studying circulation especially since my clients are handicapped. I am also interested in keeping the materials and finish similar to a Roman Bath house. The use of natural and artificial light will also impact the clients experience in their place to bathe. Like the Empire State building brought values and hopes, I also want my place to bathe to do the same for my clients. To have them in full relaxation revitalized and happy.




An aspect of a moment is something to take in with appreciation. Moments are placed throughout architecture like secret messages. One that sticks out boldly is in the Church of San Marco in Venice, Italy. A huge cross hangs from the center before the apse. Through this beautiful cross you are able to see the altar “the walls are covered entirely in gold-backed mosaic, presenting figures of the apostles, saints, and angles“ (Roth297). I find this moment beautiful to lead your eye to the heavens which above is placed a dome. This is something I find interesting being an iarc student. The exterior concept of this dome to open up to the sky is brought onto the inside where the surface decoration elaborately frames this architectural masterpiece. In my design of a bath for a wheelchair I would like to take these moments of revitalization and have the clients experience them as if there was no hassle. To do this I will have to manipulate how the client enters the water. For each tub I would like them to experience something different. Each slight move of the ramp can change the design. Within these moments I would like to stick to code to keep my clients safe.
Image found at <http://www.shafe.co.uk/crystal/images/lshafe/Venice_San_Marco_Interior.jpg>


Here is a moment inside the bath where the client can lay down or sit around the fountain to experience the space.

The duality of San Miniato al Monte is represented through the physical church, and the geometrical order of chaos. After the Roman Empire ended, a form of chaos was brought among the people. To solve this architects incorporated geometrical patterns to bring control back to the church. During this time it was crucial to be "united by a common culture and language" (Roth 325). This language was geometry. Not only does a church serve a purpose of duality, however any space can. A good design has commodity, firmness and delight in other words the commodity can be manipulated and still contain it's elements. For example our dining space that I am building in 3d max. Not only is it a dining space, it can be transformed into what is needed of it.

Every piece of architecture took metric into consideration. The golden section was the rule of thumb in the design process for each masterpiece built. For example in San Vitale the symmetrical balance of the apse leading your eye to the altar is breathtaking. Everything is to scale and planned perfectly. "San Vitale also has a double shell of two octagons, with an adjacent atrium" (Roth 288). This metric balance leads me straight to my problem this week. Designing a ramp that has to submerge into a bath. This ramp must meet metric code for the ADA and be creatively placed.

Here is a model that shows how the ramp flows into the bath to submerge the client into the water.

In summary this week I've payed close attention to the architecture of the church. The presence of spirit and power within the great height. The precedent study before anything was done and what the church now represents. Each space contains a moment and a message to the reader. Every church has duality yes it serves a religious purpose, but it is a meeting place, it can be used for marriage, or funerals. This space is relative to everything and everyone. This duality conveys its metric measurement. Everything is balanced and planned from the flying buttresses to the rose window it all ties together.