Point_2 : Foundations

In the foundations unit, we have started to delve into specific ancient cultures to analyze their effect on design throughout history up until the present.  The overall theme of this unit tells us that design is based whole-heartedly on prototypes, on rudimentary, original models that morph through many design phases until they reach the archetype, or the pinnacle of the design phase that we generally conceive of as the climax of any cultures mark in history.  For example, the distinguishing of Egypt into three separate ages, The Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms reflects the productivity and innovation of that cultures design phase. While in the last unit, I realized that design was based on the conceptual integrity of people as much as it was about the end product; this unit taught me that design is not without a sense of emulation for the past, because no design goes untouched by the prototypes that preceded it.

As one of the oldest and still significantly intact cultures of the ancient world, Egypt stands as a monument of timeless design coinciding with its rather stagnant, dry climate, isolated borders, and the continuous flooding cycle of the Nile.  One of the earliest prototype models for Egypt was the bench-shaped architectural form known as a mastaba that served as a tomb and reflects on the reverent Egyptian belief in an afterlife.  The mastaba was later morphed through several transitional, design phases starting with the step pyramid of Dosjer that used the mastaba form and stacked three more layers of mastabas on top of one another in declining size to the final and famous pyramids of Giza that are smooth with articulated corners pointing to the assumed four corners of the Earth.  Each prototype served a function and promoted the process to a more refined model, exactly the way we as designers function. 

Another theme that should not be overlooked is the power that geography has over the perception of a cultures ideology and design language.  Perhaps no other culture best exemplifies this notion than Greece.  As Roth examines, Greece’s mainland has a rocky, mountainous terrain that quickly turns their attention to the adventurous sea for a living.  This rough existence transformed the Greeks into a people of explorers and logical thinkers finding comfort in the ideal form rather that realistic.  Like all cultures, Greece still could not escape the inevitable formation of prototypes and one of their earliest models was the megaron.  The megaron began as a three sided structure with a central row of columns all created from wood and then through progressing transitions they created the architectural orders that led to the classical temple form we see today epitomized in the Parthenon.  The nature of Greek temples created a transitional space from exterior to interior supported by the ‘opening up’ of space due to the columns.  This articulated space created different sensory environments starting at the porch or portico, followed shortly after by the large interior space or court, and lastly to the hearth or focal point.  In part, this rational and intimate design led the Greeks to transform the temple prototype into an archetype that was copied to other temples and secular structures like stoas and agoras. 

  Rome was a culture unlike any other by the fact that their culture is not named after the country, Italy, in which it resides but rather the city that houses the majority of public, civilized life.  This information alone, tells us that Roman culture was focused on the public and that their architecture was designed to respond to the needs and comforts of the public.  Rome accomplished this by using prototypes based from Greek architectural orders to engineer a wide array of public structures never seen before, ranging from public baths to amphitheatres.  The pragmatic prowess and functional focus of Rome offers steep contrast to the idealistically ordered Greeks.  The vast extravagancy through volume and embellishment as well as the entertainment through free bread and circus of this culture reflects a very modern attitude and can account for our particular interest in their designs.  Rome was a culture of invention sparked by a past filled with fighting and conquest to get what they deserved and therefore they created numerous prototypes for their new structures based on new techniques and materials.  However, they are best known for their archetype structures that served as models not just within Rome, but throughout their vast empire and still continue to influence modern design perhaps over that of any other culture.  Furthermore, they created many hybrid structures meant to resemble the Greek architectural orders with very different structural techniques.

http://www.dandelionsummers.com/assets/images/advanced_blocks.jpeg

This image is the epitome of my understanding and representation of the foundations unit.  Essentially, all structures and designs begin with simpler and smaller building blocks tested and built on one another.  These progressive attempts are known as the prototypes and correspond to the design phases of each particular culture that eventually culminate in the final and copied archetype.  Analyzing this image, design is as much about looking to the past for models that withstood the test of time as it is about the final glory of the archetype.  For example, if one walks into a gallery and admires the end product they lose half the experience by not studying the process.  Without the knowledge of prototypes there could be no archetypes.