Curves and Mythology

When asked to speak to our exit from the universe of faith into the age of enlightenment I once heard the California Poet, Gary Snyder say, "Who among us can explain how a telephone works?  We take that on faith right?"

In this way it can be said that mythology is alive and well...even in an age of "reason."

Similarly, when I find myself at work doing CADD drafting and I reach for the B Spline tool (the one that makes all the pretty smooth curves) I have often wondered exactly what it is I'm doing.  This tool, and the math associated with it, is the backbone of virtually every graphic application that does curves today.

What math is transpiring here?  It is interesting to note that you can't really make a circle with the B Spline tool without a lot of massaging.  Clearly, there are limitations that, as users of CADD software, we are confined by willingly the same way Frank Lloyd Wright frequently used multiples of a 30 degree angle because this was what his triangle possessed.  It is worth being conscious of this if one is a citizen of this CADD craft and for this reason I would recommend interested parties check out this link or this one.

Particularly the last link has a wonderfully intuitive illustration of how a B Spline is generated.

Doors and Walls

It is possible to imagine an architectural element that is both a door by virtue of its operability, and a wall by virtue of its scale.   When doors are enlarged to approach the scale of a wall we find spatial uses that, in the absence of this "Door/Wall", would have simply required more rooms.

Between the inside and the outside, large openings are a luxury most california homes may indulge in at minimal cost and great enhancement to  interior spaces.  They improve indoor air quality, natural light and views.  Used in conjunction with sun visors,  large openings are easily waterproofed and provide a mechanism for extending the living space into hospitable environs.

On Openings

Studio 711

In contemporary architectural design there is typically much attention given to the exterior massing of a buildings and this is a fundamental aspect of a building's experience.  But if one considers the inner life of a building, one realizes that the openings in a wall are frequently the most legible physical feature of the building itself and as I have continued to practice architecture, the significance of openings has become more pronounced.  Walls may be hung with art and obscured by furniture.  Floors way have similar occlusions.  Ceilings tend to be above the natural human field of view. But the opening, be it a window or a door, is implicitly a right of way for people, light, fresh air etc.  This attribute preserves an openings' visual clarity and as such, openings are deserving of esthetic attention.  By dint of their role, they will rarely be obscured by the "life" of the building.

Studio 711 Garage Door at Office