Ok scratch that. I just got my computer stolen today. So ill have to redo the contours this weekend. Ill try to get them done as soon as possible. Sorry for the delay : (
Jesse
Friday, October 8, 2010
Site Model
Hey everyone!
I hope your all enjoying your final couple of days. Just wanted to give you a heads up about how things are going over here. We have been working on the site analysis as well as the model. I have most of the topo figured out and will have that ready to be laser cut for next week. Unfortunately Arron is closing the shop down till wed. We have our material for the contours and will just have to get the buildings after. Overall i think it should come out well. The contours are set up to cut out the building footprints so it should be a very clean model.
Jesse
I hope your all enjoying your final couple of days. Just wanted to give you a heads up about how things are going over here. We have been working on the site analysis as well as the model. I have most of the topo figured out and will have that ready to be laser cut for next week. Unfortunately Arron is closing the shop down till wed. We have our material for the contours and will just have to get the buildings after. Overall i think it should come out well. The contours are set up to cut out the building footprints so it should be a very clean model.
Jesse
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Endless experiences
Hey everyone,
So far it seems that there is so much to see in Istanbul we could walk for 10 days straight and we would not eve touch the tip of the iceberg, which speaks to the plurality, complexity, and beauty of the city. It has been very hard to keep up with the blog because of our tight and very full schedule, but it has been amazing here.
First I will start with the workshop at Istanbul Teknic University. We arrived early in the morning and drank tea and coffee with the department head as well as another teacher, after which we moved into the studios and met the group of students we were working with. All of the students were extremely friendly, and socializing was effortless. We began with a lecture that accompanied the exhibition we saw earlier. The lecture was extremely informative, so I have detailed notes about the period of 1910-2000 that I can photocopy and distribute. The workshop was about future Utopias of Istanbul, and consisted of each student in our class joining a studio group from the university, so each group consisted of 1 of our students and maybe 3-4 of theirs. It was very beneficial to work together, the insight offered into Istanbul from a the student's perspective was beyond helpful. The combination of perspectives seemed to create very rich and creative projects.
Once again, we are on the move, so hopefully I will be able to add more tomorrow.
Bryan
So far it seems that there is so much to see in Istanbul we could walk for 10 days straight and we would not eve touch the tip of the iceberg, which speaks to the plurality, complexity, and beauty of the city. It has been very hard to keep up with the blog because of our tight and very full schedule, but it has been amazing here.
First I will start with the workshop at Istanbul Teknic University. We arrived early in the morning and drank tea and coffee with the department head as well as another teacher, after which we moved into the studios and met the group of students we were working with. All of the students were extremely friendly, and socializing was effortless. We began with a lecture that accompanied the exhibition we saw earlier. The lecture was extremely informative, so I have detailed notes about the period of 1910-2000 that I can photocopy and distribute. The workshop was about future Utopias of Istanbul, and consisted of each student in our class joining a studio group from the university, so each group consisted of 1 of our students and maybe 3-4 of theirs. It was very beneficial to work together, the insight offered into Istanbul from a the student's perspective was beyond helpful. The combination of perspectives seemed to create very rich and creative projects.
Bryan
Hello everyone,
These impressions that have been written so far on the city have been great and I really do appreciate the amount of work/time it takes to be able to get them up on the blog. The initial impressions of actually flying to the city are great - the reflection of the water really does show that this is a city of light. It's good to know how the water front is being utilized by the city. I was always under the impression that the highway and rail acted as a separator from the city to the water front. When you are able to, can you please give further impressions on this area and maybe see if there are any patterns in where people locate/gather along the front. Also, this may be a silly question, but to get over the highway to reach the front are there several pedestrian bridges that go over the road or tunnels that go under?
The museum exhibition does indeed look interesting. With both your (Bryan and Liz) impressions I can begin to visually see how the streets are being formed and the character they portray or being run down in some areas and then how pops of color burst out. So the city is no Prague huh Liz? With being spotless every morning after the night before was completely littered with trash. I think this also starts to explore the culture in some ways. Of how there may be some kind of stubbornness of how they refuse to move out of the home during renovations. It seems as though the home is very important for the culture, are there any other aspects that you have noticed around the city that may add to this or what else seems important to the people?
Thanks again for everything, hope your collaboration is going well with the University.
Brian
These impressions that have been written so far on the city have been great and I really do appreciate the amount of work/time it takes to be able to get them up on the blog. The initial impressions of actually flying to the city are great - the reflection of the water really does show that this is a city of light. It's good to know how the water front is being utilized by the city. I was always under the impression that the highway and rail acted as a separator from the city to the water front. When you are able to, can you please give further impressions on this area and maybe see if there are any patterns in where people locate/gather along the front. Also, this may be a silly question, but to get over the highway to reach the front are there several pedestrian bridges that go over the road or tunnels that go under?
The museum exhibition does indeed look interesting. With both your (Bryan and Liz) impressions I can begin to visually see how the streets are being formed and the character they portray or being run down in some areas and then how pops of color burst out. So the city is no Prague huh Liz? With being spotless every morning after the night before was completely littered with trash. I think this also starts to explore the culture in some ways. Of how there may be some kind of stubbornness of how they refuse to move out of the home during renovations. It seems as though the home is very important for the culture, are there any other aspects that you have noticed around the city that may add to this or what else seems important to the people?
Thanks again for everything, hope your collaboration is going well with the University.
Brian
Monday, October 4, 2010
Hey guys,
the museum exhibit looks interesting. I'm glad you're having fun. Thank you all for posting your analysis and first impressions of Istanbul. Mark, your sketches look great. Liz, your post gave us a wonderful description of life in Istanbul and I really enjoyed reading it, specially the ps. part. We, as you all already knew, had only studio today, so that was great. We were working on our site analysis as well as tried to figure out what we are going to do about the model. Jesse started working in CAD on the topography lines and hopefully soon we will start cutting them out.
Talk to you soon!
Sonja
ps. Liz, that's awesomeeee if I were there that would have definitely been my dinner... and awww thanks :) and silly bandz are still safe and intact :D
the museum exhibit looks interesting. I'm glad you're having fun. Thank you all for posting your analysis and first impressions of Istanbul. Mark, your sketches look great. Liz, your post gave us a wonderful description of life in Istanbul and I really enjoyed reading it, specially the ps. part. We, as you all already knew, had only studio today, so that was great. We were working on our site analysis as well as tried to figure out what we are going to do about the model. Jesse started working in CAD on the topography lines and hopefully soon we will start cutting them out.
Talk to you soon!
Sonja
ps. Liz, that's awesomeeee if I were there that would have definitely been my dinner... and awww thanks :) and silly bandz are still safe and intact :D
Souvenirs
Hey guys, glad to see that you all are having a blast. Could you pick me up a shot glass from Istanbul and Bursa. It might be tough to find one in Bursa but if you could find me some it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks John
Thanks John
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Santralistanbul
Hey everyone,
Our second day was quite eventful, there is just so much to see in this beautiful city. We started our day by meeting up with a student from Istanbul Bigli University. He took us to an exhibition/museum entitles Santralistanbul. The museum is The Museum of Energy, and consisted of an old power plant that was renovated into a museum, with a new gallery attached to it. The museum was quite interesting, and the spaces that were created were very visually appealing, but the most interesting thing was just being able to see and interact with the old machinery and control equipment that was left. The pieces within the museum were all aimed at around the theme of energy and physics.
After moving through the Museum of Energy, we made our way to the exhibition, entitled Istanbul 1910-2000: City, Built Environment, Architectural Culture. The exhibition was extremely informative, featuring three floors devoted to the development of the city, past, present, and future. The beginning of the exhibition spoke of the modernization of Istanbul, particularly the problems faced Post-WWI, including depression, fire, migration, abandonment, and hygiene. The Galata Bridge, when built, became the symbol for Istanbul's modernization, expressing aesthetics of smooth concrete, with infrastructural tram lines. Fundamentally though, electricity was the major symbol for the transition, becoming more and more prevalent.
One of the major concerns of modern Istanbul is the renovation of houses. As there are still many run down houses, abandoned or derelict, the risk of fire is still very great, and because of this, as well as the will to modernize, the government is forcing many residents to renovate their houses. The problem arises when the residents cannot afford to renovate, causing the government to step in and take over renovation. While this means that the renovation happens regardless of the resident's level of income, the government then takes 52% of the property, essentially taking ownership of the property.
I could write much more on the exhibition, and probably will later, but once again, we are on the move. This time we are traveling to Istanbul Technical University for a workshop with the students there. I will also post about the great mosques we visited after the exhibition.
Hope all is well in Boston,
P.S. - If anyone in Boston thinks of any souvenirs they might want, just let us know, I am sure we would be willing to pick something up for you.
Bryan
Our second day was quite eventful, there is just so much to see in this beautiful city. We started our day by meeting up with a student from Istanbul Bigli University. He took us to an exhibition/museum entitles Santralistanbul. The museum is The Museum of Energy, and consisted of an old power plant that was renovated into a museum, with a new gallery attached to it. The museum was quite interesting, and the spaces that were created were very visually appealing, but the most interesting thing was just being able to see and interact with the old machinery and control equipment that was left. The pieces within the museum were all aimed at around the theme of energy and physics.
After moving through the Museum of Energy, we made our way to the exhibition, entitled Istanbul 1910-2000: City, Built Environment, Architectural Culture. The exhibition was extremely informative, featuring three floors devoted to the development of the city, past, present, and future. The beginning of the exhibition spoke of the modernization of Istanbul, particularly the problems faced Post-WWI, including depression, fire, migration, abandonment, and hygiene. The Galata Bridge, when built, became the symbol for Istanbul's modernization, expressing aesthetics of smooth concrete, with infrastructural tram lines. Fundamentally though, electricity was the major symbol for the transition, becoming more and more prevalent.
One of the major concerns of modern Istanbul is the renovation of houses. As there are still many run down houses, abandoned or derelict, the risk of fire is still very great, and because of this, as well as the will to modernize, the government is forcing many residents to renovate their houses. The problem arises when the residents cannot afford to renovate, causing the government to step in and take over renovation. While this means that the renovation happens regardless of the resident's level of income, the government then takes 52% of the property, essentially taking ownership of the property.
Hope all is well in Boston,
P.S. - If anyone in Boston thinks of any souvenirs they might want, just let us know, I am sure we would be willing to pick something up for you.
Bryan
September 3, 2010
Hey Guys,
So Istanbul is really nice so far, I wish you all could be here. None the less, I hope your relaxing a bit in Boston and having a little break from work.
So I was a bit surprised about the city, much different then I had imagined. I had imagined to be very similar to be most European cities that I have been too, however I feel as though it has an Asian influence. I was surprised to see that it is somewhat of a dirty city, buildings are a bit rundown, streets and sidewalks are uneven, stray dogs and cats are running around, and there are a lot of people trying to make a living to sell small useless items.
The houses are extremely dense. They remind me much of San Fransico’s housing if any of you are familiar with them. However, all the homes the stucco is painted. Mostly neutral colors, however, occasionally a bright pop of color.
The city is hilly! We live on top of a hill, so we start our day with a bit of a hike. But the view from our room is beautiful. Well, I should say the view from Nishat, Christine and my room. We lucked out, we look out over the river and the bridge, however, everyone else pretty much looks into an alleyway.
The culture, I cant say that we have fully experiences it just yet, but we have a bit of a taste of it. There is a lot of live music in the streets, what I’m calling Turkish music (who knows if it is) And there is just a lot of life to the city as the sun sets. As we were walking down the streets Saturday night after we landed, they were just filled with so many people moving through, whether going to dinner, going out for the night. It has a lively vibe to it. I will try to capture this is videos for you…
Well today we went to the Istanbul History exhibit. I was hoping to post a video that I had taken about Turkish houses. They are trying to fix up the houses and make them better but people don’t want to move out of what they call home. So the video had some interesting views down streets of the houses, and gave you a glimpse of the people living in these communities.
And then I took 2 videos along the route going from the exhibit back to the center of Istanbul (by Bus). In which I just wanted to give you an idea of the houses, and give you a sense of the city.
However, the videos are a bit too big, and I’m not sure how to downsize them so I will have to wait to put them on a flash drive for you when I return. I'm hoping I will have a serious of them to pass around to you, since I think video is easier to capture the life of a place then just photos.
After talking with the group tomorrow I think we should set up a flickr account that we can start uploading our photos onto so that we can send them along to you, and post the link to the blog.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening, we will be in touch soon!
P.S. Sonja I thought of you, the place we went to for dinner had waffles filled with nuttella (which pretty much looked like your pancake ones) I didn’t try them though, but I'm sure yours were better =)
LIZ!
Experiences
Hey peeps
Thanks for the quick responses. The descriptions of the city are very helpful and i would tottaly agree that its making it feel like I'm right there with you. So keep up with the poetics. If anyone has photos of the waters edges and the "entrances" as was mentioned. I'm interested in the fact that the shore has little designed intentions and yet is still fill of a rich culture. Almost makes you wonder where architecture is needed or appropriate. Maybe these areas need a new type of architecture one that responds directly with this existing culture.
Jesse
Thanks for the quick responses. The descriptions of the city are very helpful and i would tottaly agree that its making it feel like I'm right there with you. So keep up with the poetics. If anyone has photos of the waters edges and the "entrances" as was mentioned. I'm interested in the fact that the shore has little designed intentions and yet is still fill of a rich culture. Almost makes you wonder where architecture is needed or appropriate. Maybe these areas need a new type of architecture one that responds directly with this existing culture.
Jesse
Hey guys,
I wish we were there as well, but your description of the arrival was extremely vivid that it almost made me feel as if I were there. So much so that the wall seems more interesting and lively now then how I previously thought of it. Hope the weather is treating you well. Sorry it took me a bit to post this, but I wasn't sure what kind of pictures I needed. Now that I had time to think about it a bit I finally figured it out. Could you please take pictures that capture the atmosphere of the surroundings outside the courtyards to kind of get a sense of how different those two spaces are. Also once inside all the courtyards, please try to take pictures of Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque's minarets and domes if they are seen in the distance, so they could serve as reference points. I am trying to capture water and courtyards in relationship to major existing architecture. How are all the courtyards similar or different from each other? Think that is it for now. Thanks!
Talk to you all soon and HAVE FUN!!!!!! :)
-Sonja
I wish we were there as well, but your description of the arrival was extremely vivid that it almost made me feel as if I were there. So much so that the wall seems more interesting and lively now then how I previously thought of it. Hope the weather is treating you well. Sorry it took me a bit to post this, but I wasn't sure what kind of pictures I needed. Now that I had time to think about it a bit I finally figured it out. Could you please take pictures that capture the atmosphere of the surroundings outside the courtyards to kind of get a sense of how different those two spaces are. Also once inside all the courtyards, please try to take pictures of Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque's minarets and domes if they are seen in the distance, so they could serve as reference points. I am trying to capture water and courtyards in relationship to major existing architecture. How are all the courtyards similar or different from each other? Think that is it for now. Thanks!
Talk to you all soon and HAVE FUN!!!!!! :)
-Sonja
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Arrival!
We have arrived in Istanbul, after what seemed like an almost endless day(night?) of traveling. Upon coming within distance of the city, the clouds broke and we were able to see a beautiful reflection of light off of the water, foreshadowing the intense relationship of architecture and light that we will see throughout the city. The photo really does not do it justice.
Upon arriving at the airport, we were picked up and driven along the sea to our hotel, allowing us to get a prolonged experience (thanks to heavy traffic) of the interaction between the posterior walls and the city. These walls are truly incredible, displaying layers and layers of development and redevelopment, and are not simply walls, but create spaces within and around them. There are areas where you can see previous holes in the wall patched up with smaller stones. The walls truly speak to the ancient quality of the city.
Along the waterfront, life is vibrant. There were many, many people walking along the water, fishing, or having a picnic on the green space along the water. The areas are clearly not over designed and the people tend to use what is there, even if it is just an open patch of grass. The social aspect of the water as a gathering space is very clear, not only in the groups of people casually strolling along the water, but also the popularity of fishing, which seems to be just as much of a social event as a means of attaining food. I don't really have any good photos of the waterfront, but there will be some to come.
To everyone in Boston,
We wish you were here with us, but we will do our best to make sure the experiences are equally shared.
Jesse,
The first surprise I had was the usage of the waterfront. Even though highly neglected from a design point, the waterfront was absolutely filled with life. The social aspect of Turkish culture is extremely important. Hopefully this helps a little, I will post more thoughts for you, but right now we have to leave.
Bryan
Upon arriving at the airport, we were picked up and driven along the sea to our hotel, allowing us to get a prolonged experience (thanks to heavy traffic) of the interaction between the posterior walls and the city. These walls are truly incredible, displaying layers and layers of development and redevelopment, and are not simply walls, but create spaces within and around them. There are areas where you can see previous holes in the wall patched up with smaller stones. The walls truly speak to the ancient quality of the city.
Along the waterfront, life is vibrant. There were many, many people walking along the water, fishing, or having a picnic on the green space along the water. The areas are clearly not over designed and the people tend to use what is there, even if it is just an open patch of grass. The social aspect of the water as a gathering space is very clear, not only in the groups of people casually strolling along the water, but also the popularity of fishing, which seems to be just as much of a social event as a means of attaining food. I don't really have any good photos of the waterfront, but there will be some to come.
To everyone in Boston,
We wish you were here with us, but we will do our best to make sure the experiences are equally shared.
Jesse,
The first surprise I had was the usage of the waterfront. Even though highly neglected from a design point, the waterfront was absolutely filled with life. The social aspect of Turkish culture is extremely important. Hopefully this helps a little, I will post more thoughts for you, but right now we have to leave.
Bryan
Friday, October 1, 2010
Hello class,
As i said before I'm interested in uncovering the subconscious experience of being somewhere new. So if you could give it a shot to answer these couple of questions i think it would be helpful.
First off, What was your first surprise that you had about the city. Were there any misconceptions that you noticed? Are there qualities about the city that remind you of places in Boston. It would be interesting if anyone picks up on some similarities. We could even have the opportunity for me to visit these areas and document them.
Secondly..... have fun!!!! and let us know if you need anything in the states.
Best of luck
Jesse
As i said before I'm interested in uncovering the subconscious experience of being somewhere new. So if you could give it a shot to answer these couple of questions i think it would be helpful.
First off, What was your first surprise that you had about the city. Were there any misconceptions that you noticed? Are there qualities about the city that remind you of places in Boston. It would be interesting if anyone picks up on some similarities. We could even have the opportunity for me to visit these areas and document them.
Secondly..... have fun!!!! and let us know if you need anything in the states.
Best of luck
Jesse
Sketches and such
Hey Everyone,
First off I want to say I hope you enjoy your trip, you're all going to have an incredible time and I wish I could be joining all of you.
Just a couple of things that I would like to know when you get to Istanbul and are able to check out. If you could provide some pictures of the general site at various angles and maybe the 'entrances' to the site. I'm going to think more about this later on but this is a start.
The main thing I wanted to address was if it's possible for you to take pictures of your sketches and post them on the blog. I feel that I get much more out of a sketch than a photograph, mainly because it's what you see and that you are drawing what you find important of that location. It also brings a level of emotion and feeling to it as well. I think this would be a great addition to the blog and with documenting the city so if this is possible that would be great!
More to come in the following days,
Have a safe flight!
Brian
First off I want to say I hope you enjoy your trip, you're all going to have an incredible time and I wish I could be joining all of you.
Just a couple of things that I would like to know when you get to Istanbul and are able to check out. If you could provide some pictures of the general site at various angles and maybe the 'entrances' to the site. I'm going to think more about this later on but this is a start.
The main thing I wanted to address was if it's possible for you to take pictures of your sketches and post them on the blog. I feel that I get much more out of a sketch than a photograph, mainly because it's what you see and that you are drawing what you find important of that location. It also brings a level of emotion and feeling to it as well. I think this would be a great addition to the blog and with documenting the city so if this is possible that would be great!
More to come in the following days,
Have a safe flight!
Brian
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