Erlanger House

            Today we went on probably the most interesting trip of the semester so far. While we were walking along Indiana Avenue, continually stomping through the snow, I wondered where on earth we were headed. But we I finally caught a glimpse of the Erlanger House, I knew we were in for a treat. In a neighborhood full of your typical one family homes set along a street with a simple style that resonates throughout, there sits a brick wall. Well that’s what it looks like from across the road. However, if you follow the sidewalk to the front door (or side door however you look at it) you will see a home that is a perfect balance of minimalism and luxury.

            The Erlanger house, a real life example of what our projects could be related to, has three sections. The first is the one farthest east (where we walk in). This simple section offers the only connection between the upper and lower levels of the middle space. It also provides a threshold from the common area of the open living space to the private and comforting feeling of the bedroom and bathroom. One thing to take away from this section is that stairs made two foot wide are not meant for two way traffic.

            The next space includes the entire middle section of the house. The ground level of the middle section is really two different spaces. One offers a homey feel with a pit filling with seating right next to a fireplace, while the other offers a more professional feel with a hardwood floor to allow for Mrs. Erlanger to practice and teach dance. While these two spaces can be seen as very contradictory settings, they both center around a fireplace and chimney that offers a connection between the two. Above the before mentioned homey space is located the bedroom of the house. The bedroom is carpeted to offer a more comforting feel and oddly enough, the light switches here are found on the floor. This second level only spans half of the house as the dance area is completely open above.

            The farthest west section is home to the few utilities needed in a house. On the bottom floor you find a kitchen big enough for about 1 person and a bathroom big enough for about half a person. The idea of minimalism is definitely captured in this section. The top level of this section is the main bathroom which is also carpeted. In a place where one would want perhaps the most privacy, we still find windows and two skylights, one above the toilet and one above the shower.

            Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this house is the courtyard that sits between the first brick wall you see from the street and the glass wall of the living space. This courtyard allows for the house to seem much bigger than it actually is and it offers a very bright natural light source. This courtyard is very simple, and doesn’t even offer much space, but the idea it provides is enough to make it a very important aspect of the house.

            This tour offered new light (literally and figuratively) on the idea of minimalism and the idea of making the most with this least space. Erlanger was a very interesting house that I might use as inspiration for our next project.

The One With Arches and Trusses

            Today we took a pretty cool tour of some of the major sporting facilities on campus. While that fact alone is enough to entertain me throughout the entire tour, the topic of discussion kept my interest just as much. At each facility, we looked at the different ways of supporting raised roofs while using a small amount of material

            We started in Huff Hall looking at how the structure of the building was able to hold the building up. Huff was one of the more complex structures we looked at. Starting at the bottom, we saw multiple columns on each side of the court that stood right in the middle of the seats and even caused some seats to be obstructed. From there we found a very complex series of trusses that all worked together to evenly disperse the weight of the ceiling to the girder that runs along the top of the columns. While the system of trusses was very complex, it was actually easy to follow the path of the force of the ceiling as it ran along the trusses into the columns.

            After we were led with false hope through a tunnel connecting Huff and Armory, we finally made it to The Armory. The Armory offered a very different technique as it uses arches to hold up the ceiling. The most interesting part of the armory, other than a flat indoor track, is that the arches are made up of separate halves connected at the very top with a single pin. At the most important part of the structure, you would expect to see a very complex system, but a single pin joins the two parts of the arch and offers the main support for the roof. The roof shines light on this pin also to emphasize the simplicity and importance.

            After a few jaywalking incidents, we finally made it to Irwin. He we saw a little bit of both of the previous structures combined. To begin with, Irwin was designed to offer as large of an indoor practice facility as possible while not being too large of a structure for the space it takes up. The design then included a large supports that ran the full length of the structure as opposed to running crosswise on the structure. These supports offered a slanted roof which allow for practice without the roof getting in the way. From these supports, we see a series of truss like structures running crosswise that help take the load off the main beams and direct it to beams that are built into the concrete walls on the sides. The walls are made around the support beams and protect them from the many stresses they could get as a result of our quarterbacks trying to throw the ball.

            All in all, this trip was very interesting, and it opened my eyes the structure of the many buildings I see around campus, but have never been in. 

The One With Mechanical Systems

             Today we stayed rather close to home and took our second tour of THBH. However, the purpose of this tour was a little different than the last tour we took. Instead of looking at the symbolism in the architecture of THBH, we looked at how the Architect was able to bring function to form when it comes to the mechanical systems needed to keep THBH running. We started discussing the importance of Abbott, which we learned on our tour there two weeks ago, and how Abbott is responsible for all of the heating taking place on our campus. We also discussed again how our source of heat is fairly unique as we use steam to heat our buildings.
            One of the very unique things about THBH is the openness of all systems that work together to make THBH the great building it is. While we were unable to gain access into the depths of the mechanical rooms, we were still able to see a great deal of function of THBH as the function is built into the form. We started on the first floor where we saw two very large tubes that transport air into and out of the building. As one tubes pumps air into the offices and many rooms of the building, the other tube takes the air back to be recycled. You can see this emphasis of the function of the building from the west side. As the tube, which is fully visible from the outside, gets smaller to force out more air, the roof slightly slants down to emphasize the importance of this function.
           As we toured, we were able to see the water pipes, the electric lines, and the storm drains as well. The most interesting part was watching how the design of the rooms and the walls emphasized the importance of all the mechanical systems. On the far east side of the building, the glass panes above the doors have cutouts in them the size of the air tube, allowing for it to fit perfectly through and continue to pump air into the building. On the west side, every other office has a widened wall to allow for the air to be pumped down to the lower floors. Each office has a branch from this "trunk" to bring air into each room. Overall, the trip opened my eyes to the importance of the mechanical systems of each building. Most systems have their own wiring allowing them to work when others can't. The architect of THBH really emphasized this idea in the entire structure.
       

The One With Krannert

        Our last tour before Professor Hinders returns took place at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (not the Krannert Art Museum), which is a very very thought out collection of theaters and open space. We viewed from space, Krannert is a very low to ground building, except the three "towers" of the main auditoriums, that takes up nearly a full block. Our tour started in the vast 1.5 acre, also the size of 3 tennis courts, open lobby that is one of the largest around. The different intricacies of the lobby represent both Herman and Ellnora Krannert. The wooden floor was one of Ellnora's dreams. It is made solely from Teak wood from Thailand, and for the most part it is the original floor that was put in from the very start. The ceiling has a design that resembles Herman's best known work, corrugated cardboard.
        The main auditorium in Krannert is the Foellinger Great Hall, a large auditorium that seats over 2,000 people. Best known for its acoustics to provide the best sound for orchestras and large ensembles, the design of the room was very specifically designed. The main theme is symmetry as the room is perfectly symmetric. Such detail even went into every wood panel that the opposite panels were taken from the same tree to offer the same sound. A fake door was also put on the back wall to maintain this theme of symmetry, but the door handle was taken off after is was analyzed as a fire hazard. The hollow floor under the stage offers the best sound for the musicians, allowing them to hear themselves extremely well.
        Our next leg of the journey took us deep into the depths of the behind the scene levels of Krannert. As the lobby is actually the top floor, we went down to stage level, the second to lowest level, to see all of the work that goes into each production. We toured the costume shop and the scene shop, which gave us an understanding for exactly how much work goes into each and every individual play. We then walked onto an atrium of the stage of the Tyron Festival Theatre.
         After we climbed back out of the depths, we saw the stage from the audience's perspective. Two of the most interesting things to me out of the whole tour had to do with this Theatre The first has to do with the floor of the stage. To begin with, this stage has the capabilities to produce a trap door at any spot on stage. This allows for the director to set the scenery without the worry of working around the trap door, as they can set the trap door around their scenery. The front of the stage also allows for the floor to be raised to the full height of the stage or lowered to the floor. As a matter of fact, this extension can be set at any level in between. The other really cool aspect of this theatre is the fly space that reaches about 90 feet into the air directly above the stage. This area is full of catwalks and many other features that allow for different effects that enhance the overall production. As a whole, this tour greatly expanded my appreciation for the performing arts and the incredible center we have for them on campus.

Cody Simpson/Tristan Gurtler - 2/3/15 - Scavenger Hunt for Orders of Columns

               The first stop on our scavenger hunt led us to the Natural Resources Building which is located just southwest of Buell Hall. Here we found the Composite column which is characterized by having the scrolls from a Iconic column and the leafy design of the Corinthian column. 

               Next, we walked by Clark Hall and found our Tuscan Column. The Tuscan column is the Roman representation of the Doric column. It is characterized by having a simple circular base and a small collar at the top.

             As we kept walking around campus, we realized we knew where we could find every order except the Corinthian order. Lucky for us, we glanced into the small void in Newman Hall and found what we were looking for. The Corinthian column is characterized by the design on the top and above the column which resembles vines or leaves. It is also the narrowest of all the orders. 

                  Our next to last photo shoot was in front of Foellinger Auditorium where we found the Ionic order. This order is the last of the Greek orders to be created, and it is recognized by the volutes that stick off the top of the column resembling scrolls. This column also sits on a base that separates the shaft of the column from the platform it stands on.

                 We concluded our tour right in front of the Illini Union where we find our Doric Column. This column sits on plat pavement with little to no base and is topped by a smooth cap that flares out. This order is also characterized by the way it becomes more skinny towards the top.

Week 2 - Tour 4 - 1/29/15

              Forgive me for my technological ignorance, but as you scroll down from this post, you may notice that my posts are not in chronological order. I blame Google or Blogspot or any other company that this platform is owned by, but enough about the chaos here. Let's talk about the chaos that I experienced at Abbott Power Plant on Thursday. Now this chaos may seem a little different from the chaos you are thinking about. When I first walked into Abbott on Thursday, aside from noticing that my eardrums were slowly deteriorating, I noticed a system of completely controlled chaos.
               Abbott Power Plant sits on Oak Street at the end of Gregory. While this may be the farthest west campus runs, this plant, with the two iconic pillars of steam, has a different significance on campus than most people realize. When one first hears Power Plant, one automatically zones in on electricity. While Abbott does provide a significant amount of electricity to campus, about 2/3 of the total electricity used by campus, it also provides all of the steam used to heat and cool certain aspects on campus. The steam that is created from both the burning of coal and natural gas is used to heat the entire campus through a series of tunnels. The steam leaves the plant, reaching a maximum of 185 degrees Fahrenheit just outside the plant, and travels to all corners, heating the educational buildings and the residential facilities. It is also used in the dining halls in the steam tables and certain other aspects that might seem too slight to have any significance. The combination of the multiple sources of energy and power all work together to maintain one of the largest campuses nationwide. The completely controlled chaos helps to create a plan that is both economically and environmentally safe while still offering all the provision needed to keep U of I running.
              One of the only architectural patterns I saw at Abbott is not part of the original architectural design. As we walked through the plant, we came upon a threshold. Now this threshold might not be as physically important as it is symbolically. In 2010 the University pledged to gradually stop using coal as a plan to lower the carbon emissions into the atmosphere. The newer and cleaner fuel to burn, natural gas, now has its own side of the power plant, marked by a large threshold that symbolizes the transition from older to newer, more up-to-date, techniques for producing energy. Although it may not seem to be a big deal when you walk through it, that large opening symbolizes the great change between the more harmful, and for lack of a better term, dirtier energy source of coal to a cleaner source, natural gas. This difference could even be seen in the environment inside Abbott as the newer portion was much cleaner and seemed more up-to-date than the portion that houses all of the coal furnaces.

Week 1 - Tour 2 - 1/22/15

Our second tour looked more at the specific architecture of the two buildings on campus that collectively house the Architecture Department. We started in Temple Hoyne Buell Hall which houses the Landscape Architecture and the Urban Planning Departments. The parti THBH consists of seems to be three different buildings connected by a single roof. Two buildings are perpendicular, connected by a shared corner, and another is a curved building that also connects the two creating this vast void in the middle. The vast void creates separations between the buildings which is spanned by multiple bridges. These bridges connect the faculty building in THBH to the students’ classrooms and galleries. The walk across the bridge signifies the journey between faculty and student, creating a sense of respect from one to the other.
As we continued, we discussed the relevance of phenomenal transparency in all types of Art. More specifically, we looked at the stairway and the grey divider in front of it, noticing that when you focus on one, you lose the other in the background. Our classroom acts as an anomaly within this divider that actually creates significance. It breaks the perfectly square divider into a L shaped partition. We also see the relevance of squares on the outside of THBH. When we look at the west side of the building, we see two superimposed squares that intersect creating a figurative doorway which overshadows the real doorway on the bottom.
We then turned to look across the Military Axis at the Architecture Building. At first glance, the building looks like a replicate to all the other red brick buildings on campus, but after further examination, we saw the true beauty in all the subtle intricacies of the exterior as well as the symmetry of the interior. The Architecture Building has two chimneys, one on either side, that act as bookends to the building. Between these bookends, we read into the arches that show up above the windows. These arches are representations of the Roman aqueducts used to transport the most important necessity, water, across their empire. However, one can also see the lighter marble bands that run both horizontally and vertically along the brick. The vertical bands almost make the first and second floor windows look as if they were one window, and the horizontal band almost acts as a belt around the building. These two bands cross and display the phenomena of one crossing over the other. This reoccurring theme of phenomenal transparency again shows as we can only focus on the aqueducts or the marble bands.
The interior of the Architecture Building also has symbolism to offer. As you enter the building from the south entrance, you walk right into an area surrounded by four columns. These four columns represent the center of the building as you could go any direction from this crossing. Two directions opposite of each other, lead to large open rooms while the direction opposite of the entrance leads to a lecture hall. This main floor plan resurfaces for the most part on the above floors also. The symmetry of the Architecture Building is captured by the four main columns in as you just enter the building.

Week 1 - Tour 1 - 1/20/15

As we started our first tour, I could probably explain little to nothing about the architectural significance of the buildings and the campus here at the University of Illinois. However, as the tour progressed, many things stood out to me. The most significant was the explanation of the different axes that run through the campus. The main axis runs north and south and connects buildings such as the stock pavilion, the bell tower, Foellinger Auditorium, and the Illini Union. This axis runs through 2 of the three quads on campus: the South Quad and the Main Quad, or the LAS Quad. Ironically, some buildings on the Engineering Quad are a bit off the main axis, but the architects weren’t given much when they started. While most people see the engineers being the most concerned with symmetry, that trend fails to show up in the namesake’s quad.

The other axis we came across on our first walk was the Military Axis which ran east and west connecting the ACES Library to the six-pack. Its name is born from the old military traditions that would take place around the six-pack since it is the largest open space that is closest to the armory. The field that the Marching Illini used to practice on is now vacant and isn’t used much, so the most logical thing to do, to follow the architectural patterns of our campus, is to build another building to house a collection of knowledge. The ACES library mimics Foellinger Auditorium and is a collection of knowledge, and the architectural patterns already on campus suggest mirroring this collection across the main axis. This very broad term could include a library or museum, but any collection of knowledge would maintain the symmetry created on most axes.

Our tour ended between the UGL and Foellinger auditorium. As one of, if not the best, research Universities in the country, our job is to continue to research, discover, and publish new findings, as well as continue to growth our wealth of knowledge which resides within the many libraries on campus. As a University signifies learning and collaboration, it would only make sense if the one place where that could take place was placed in the heart of campus. The UGL sits along the main axis, but is quite different from the other buildings on the axis. Its location was determined by the Morrow Plots, and it actually reaches into the earth. The two main entrances signify temples and frame the recurring theme of the main axis. As knowledge is supposed to continue to expand, the underground aspect of the library allows it to continue to expand without us seeing its true shape. The Graduate Library also captures this sense of expansion as it has room to expand all the way around the block it sits on.