Benjamin RemingtonArchitecture 20 / Mid-term
Learning Portfolio
Architecture 20 has been an
interesting experience for me thus far. I’ve
entered into the class with a bit more experience
as an architecture student than many of my
classmates. However, the majority of the
material I too am encountering for the first time.
Ideas I had previously encountered in other
classes are now becoming concrete for me. These
ideas have found their way into my daily view of
life as well as influencing the pursuit of
knowledge in my other architectural classes. For
instance, concepts of proportion and perspective
now influence the way I visualize designs and
plans. My ability to express my own designs has
also been positively impacted by the ability to
represent two-dimensionally what previously had
only existed in my head. I’m now able to
augment the iterative process of my designs with
plans and sketches where previously I would
have had to rely on photographs or three-
dimensional representations. It’s a skill set that is
bound to create significant savings of time, effort,
and money for me in the future as well as
enriching my ability to think and make
effectively.
Body Drawing
At the outset of the body drawing
exercise I was a bit dubious of the
connection between the
assignment and the subject matter
of a class I assumed to be primarily
about manual drafting techniques.
However, knowing the instructor, I
should have seen it coming. As I
began considering the way the
relationship we all share with the
world is based on its scale relative
to our own bodies more
connections began to form. As a
gateway to the study of
architecture the idea seemed
perfectly natural. I was reminded
of an old book in my collection
that referenced Man’s unique
position in the scale of the
universe. The book stated that
with our bodies comfortably
centered somewhere near the
mid-point between stars and
atoms in size, we were given equal
perspective on both. I’m not sure
if more recent research into the
infinitesimally small or the
unimaginably gargantuan has
skewed the scale one direction or
another, but the idea has stayed
with me.
So too, it would seem is architecture experienced in that
same familiar human scale. Phrases which refer to the size and
capacity of our bodies like “Arm’s length”, “Eye level” or “A stone’s
throw” now seem more relevant to me than “3 feet” or “10 yards”
when describing a
place. The numbers
ultimately become
meaningless without
the physical experience
they represent. In
architecture, as in
quantum physics, it’s
all relative.
In less abstract terms,
the multiple iterations
of the body drawing
taught me various
valuable skills
pertaining to line
quality and hierarchy,
use of the architect’s
scale, and
dimensioning.
By the third iteration of the scaled body drawing (and several
iterations of the border) ideas about line weight and quality had begun
to become clearer and my technique improved considerably.
Additionally, the amount of time required to finish a border that I was
happy with had been noticeably cut down. My lettering, though far
from perfect, was also clearly improved by applying what I learned in
an in-class demonstration on using the t-square and triangle for the
vertical strokes.
Perspective Drawing
During the portions of the class dealing with the various
forms of perspective, a number of concepts I was already
familiar with began to solidify in a usable way in my
mind. The ideas of vanishing points and foreshortening
weren’t new concepts. However, I had only applied
them to planar rectilinear shapes of a limited range.
What was striking as I engaged further with the
techniques was the inevitable precision with which all of
the involved angles converged and the surety with which
the angles of surfaces always met their respective
vanishing points. The renderings of perspective that had
once seemed to me an impenetrable art, attained only
through extensive practice, were now revealed as being
reached through a tool of mathematical certainty. As
such, the tool was available to me to employ. Not only
was the discovery of another layer of order in human
perception satisfying on a purely intellectual level but it
also provided me with a higher level of confidence in my
ability to express myself visually.
2 Point perspective views and orthographic
projections - 3rd iteration - February 28
2 Point perspective views and orthographic
projections - 3rd iteration - February 28
The portion of the class dealing with orthographic projections provided an
opportunity to reinforce the connections
between three-dimensional objects and their two-dimensional representations. I
found myself forced to clearly visualize an object of my own design from multiple
perspectives; a skill which has been lacking in the past and often led to
unpleasant surprises. Furthermore, the
ability to clearly communicate the form of my creation was greatly enhanced by this
portion of the class.
One point perspective – 2nd iteration – 3/5
Freehand one point perspective with
multiple vanishing points – 1st iteration –
3/6 (with instructor alterations)
TitleInterior 1 point perspective with
geometric objects – 3rd iteration – 3/08
As the class evolved, ideas of multiple vanishing points, circular shapes in perspective, and the
construction of geometric solids began to
crystallize. Drawings that once would have required a great deal of trial and error to create a
level of accuracy necessary for believability were now easily constructed. This allowed me the
freedom from time constraints to experiment with multiple arrangements and iterations.
Reflecting on the past half of the semester I am
excited for what lies ahead. I feel that a lot of
concepts have been clarified for me that had
been a source of frustration and reluctance in
the past. As each segment of the class is
unveiled it’s as if a new mystery has been
explained. My perspective as a more
experienced architecture student at City College
allows me to fully recognize the value of what
I’m being taught. The skills are often ones that I
use on a daily basis in my other studio classes.
Many additionally can be applied in the future,
regardless of the field I choose to pursue
because they are universal in nature. Because
of the heuristic instruction in the class, it’s good
to know that years from now, even if I forget
the rules of two point perspective, I can always
take a dry-erase marker to my living room
window and it’ll all come back to me.
Conclusion
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