Contemporary Desing Part III

As we have talked about in class we are the contemporary era we are living it. Ideas and design are changing in forming into something of the future or something of now. Ideas of the past reflect design of today but with technology and new materials they can recreate old or even restore old building with new architecture. Today materials are easy to recreate to appear old. Buildings are created with new materials once again designing it and using old styles with flashy new materials.

Designers and architects have been researching green design and how by using certain products and materials they can change and the use of energy by the amount that is used and the amount created. Another name for this is green design. Green design has just become popular or even thought about being used in the last 10 -15 years. Green design may not be considered a style but it’s a direction that we are going. If we want to enjoy the earth later in our life or make it a nice place for the future generation we must start to consider green design. This has become its own style it’s unique and interesting. There are so many ways to use green design. Many different materials can be used glass, metal, recycled just to name a few. When these materials are constructed just the right way or in the right form they are extremely effective. Energy is not wasted and some is even stored for later use. A good example of both old and new architecture and green design as well is a building built in New York. The Hearst Magazine Building it was an original finished in 1928 but in 2006 an additional tower was erected. The tower was built and designed as green design. The Hearst building was the first and only building in New York City that is a green design.

This is just the beginning of hopefully many more green designs. From what we have learned green design may even be considered a style because of the use of materials and as contemporary style / design we may have found our new style.
This is a question I have for designs students. Will green design become more of a style or a technique for the future?

Contemporary Design III

Historically, almost every style can characterize a certain period of time. The Victorian Era carried us close to the 1900's with its innovative material use on exteriors, such as the Crystal Palace with iron and glass, and the amazing ability to fit large amounts of ornate and rich furniture into their homes. The Arts and Crafts is another example that characterizes the early 20th century. This style called for a return to handcrafting and simplicity with introducing more natural materials and innovative layouts.

Currently though, design is going in many different directions. There are deconstructivists such as Rem Koolhaas and Peter Eisenman, who love to push the envelope with new material uses and cutting edge technology use. The Prada retail store in New York (to the right) is an example of Koolhaas' innovative use of planes and materials.
On the other end you have a return to the classics, again, but with a twist on the earlier elements of this style. An extreme example is Greenburg's "perfected" and enlarged version of Washington's Mount Vernon. Some say that this structure could easily be mistaken to have come from a much earlier period.

So, my question is, with so many different styles happening at one time, will we ever be known to have come togehter to create the great style of our time?

Contemporary Design III- 21st century design and beyond

Just like any other transition between design periods there is always an emergence of the two styles. Right now the emerge consist of elements like straight lines, flat planes and right angles from the modern period, and complex curvilinear lines and free forms from the contemporary period. New technologies, like computerized drafting and 3-D modeling software, is making it possible for designers to have an unlimited freedom unlike before. In the past, designers (architecture and interior) have been basically limited to what they can draw onto paper letting drafting tools with right angles and straight lines being an extensive influence to their designs. I am not saying that curved elements have not been apart of architecture in the past, but if it was used the space was labeled as being special.A good example of the emergence is the Frank Gehry Walt Disney Concert Hall, which has a combination of complex curvilinear and rectilinear lines on the exterior and the interior is symmetrical with some unusual curving forms.
Some designers feel that the use of the computer will damage the production of creativity from designers, where others believe that it will give the freedom that sculptors and other hands-on crafts have- the freedom of limitations. This freedom for designers will allow the exploration of clean free flowing forms. A good example of this free flowing form is the Reebok Flagship Store located in Shanghai, China. It is clean, asymmetrically curvaceous and spaces blend seamlessly into one another, which this also allows functions of the space to overlap.

So, my question to you all is that do you believe that the use of computer related technology interrupts the production of creativity of designers and why, and also, do you feel that we will continue down this road of free flowing spaces and move away from the usual rectilinear feeling that most interiors possess?