OCTOBER2009-MAY2010
U.S. RUS
F O U N D A T I O N P O R T F O L BORSHCHEVSKIYMAXIM O
. S. U RUS
.U .SS UR 1 YEAR M.ARCH
TO THE REVIEWCOMMITTEE Dear Reader, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this portfolio. I hope you like what you see as much as I’ve enjoyed doing it and bringing it to you. As you know I came in Taliesin from a totally different cultural and educational background- for the first time I left Russia for so long to study in the United States. It was my first season in Taliesin and it was full of new impressions and exciting moments. Every single day here I develop my skills, acquire new knowledge and learn to be a member of Community. Almost every aspect of life in Taliesin West is so different from all my previous life experience that it is really hard to say what influences me more- life in a wonderful environment of Sonoran Desert, work and study in Architectural Masterpiece or lessons given by people who know so much about Architecture and Design. I suppose these are only my first steps on the new journey called LIVEArchitecture in Taliesin. In this portfolio I share with you some of my thoughts and hopes for the changes the School is doing in my life. Yours sincerely,
.U .SS UR
Max Borshchevskiy
INTRODUCTORYLETTER
As far as I’m concerned, a long journey that took me to Taliesin started many years ago when I first saw pictures of the Fallingwater and the Guggenheim museum- I think it was my first year’s History of Architecture course in University. I fell in love with Frank Lloyd Wright’s work and his ability to create original and innovative design, amazing quality of both exterior and interior spaces. It was the first time I heard about Organic architecture as a philosophy. From that moment I started to explore Mr. Wrights creative work and his considerable impact on architectural world. Fortunately, many years later I heard about the School from my father who visited U.S. and Taliesin in Wisconsin. He liked the educational process and appreciated the fact that apprentices worked on real projects with practicing architects. However, after his story and a couple of hours spent on school’s website I had no other doubts about my education preferences. “Learning by doing” and “LiveArchitecture” in Taliesin were two major things I was interested in and felt lack of in my previous education. Nevertheless, I was very grateful to all my teachers from my previous University in Kazan- I’ve learned a lot about architecture and acquired some valuable knowledge in other related disciplines throughout six years I spent there. But I still felt that I was missing some very important aspects in architectural education. It’s hard to believe but we never had a single design-build project as an integrated practice in my previous school- all my experience in architecture and construction was strictly theoretical. We couldn’t even imagine of having an opportunity to build a structure like ModFab as a part of educational process- it was clear that we would have a chance to practice on real-life projects only after graduation. In fact I had some experience working in my father’s architectural firm on real-life commercial and residential projects- and it was a really good practice for me. However, I still felt lack of specific knowledge in architectural constructions and building structures. It was important for me to know not only design process but to understand the whole process of how the building is being built. So in my future education I’ve been looking for new design strategies, modern building techniques and architectural practice experience. I also looked forward to see and learn from many architectural masterpieces, designed and built by famous architects in the U.S. By all means, becoming a part of Taliesin community was an important step for me. When I first came to Taliesin I had no idea of how every moment of life, every event, lecture or class would give me an opportunity to interact with so many extraordinary people. Talking with them was really cognitive and valuable for me. Every time I had a conversation with people like Bruce Pfeiffer and David Dodge, Stephen and Francis Nemtin, Frank Henry and others- people who knew Mr. Wright personally or even worked with him-I realized how much they know about the history of the place, how they love it and want to share their love with others. In fact, all the members of Taliesin Community including faculty, students and stuff were always eager to help and to answer my questions and I was impressed by their open-mindness and friendliness. Honestly, it was not easy for me to communicate because English is not my native language, but I hope things would get better as I spend more time in the United States. However, I tried to learn not only from people but from a natural environment of the desert and wonderful buildings that surrounded me. Being in this place was a unique experience- every time I was walking around the Campus I saw some new motives or details I’ve never noticed before. Later in Taliesin West as Text course Professor Robinson encouraged us to ‘read’ buildings. To my surprise, it became an exciting game to learn how all the materials and structures work together, to compare Taliesin West appearance with old pictures and masters drawings. I began to understand that Frank Lloyd Wright used existing materials and forms in response to ecology and climate and tied them to original ideas and goals. What’s more, even my seasonal maintenance- guest-rooms cleanupencouraged me to explore Taliesin West and to learn more about the Fellowship history and Mr.Wrights design approaches. My understanding of the Taliesin West ensemble’s architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright’s design philosophy evolved with every class. For instance, as a part of Advanced Design Studio with Aris Georges, we explored Taliesin West master plan and existing buildings proportions and relations, made section drawings of the Drafting Studio structural beam. Sketching, Rendering and Perspective Drawing classes with Frank Henry and Effie Casey helped me to understand the beauty of Organic Architecture- to gain new knowledge from existing Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings, to realize an importance of harmony between human habitation and the natural world through design approaches.
.U .SS UR REFLECTIVEESSAY
It was amazing to learn how well all the buildings in Taliesin West are integrated with its site, how they relate to the interior spaces. In addition, Chris Wiliams in Landscape architecture class explained to us the importance of restoration of natural landscapes, and the relation of the human being to the unique desert environment. Definitely, life in the shelter was also a good time, dedicated to celebration of Sonoran desert and its habitants. Hearing the shaking of mesquite tree in the wind and wing beats of hummingbirds at night were a totally new experiences for me. To be honest, it was not that comfortable to stay in the shelter, but I got used to it. The wonderful sunrise I saw every morning over Mc Dowell mountains when I opened my tent was absolutely worth a small discomfort. As I moved further in my learning path I developed my skills and gained new experience. The result of an extremely intense two months of work in ADS Studio was my first completed Box project. By all means, it was a remarkable study of both a historic architecture of Taliesin West as well as a contemporary design. The series of important design decisions made throughout the process helped me to be more confident in my design skills. Even though I was pretty satisfied with my design, I still felt lack of knowledge in specific issues like building codes, HVAC systems and construction methods and materials. I’m looking forward to paying more attention to them in my future Box projects and independent studies. Fortunately, the Sustainability 1 and 2 courses with Professor Donald Aitken and Barbara Harwood left me no time for frustration. The material we were offered was an essence of useful and important information about sustainable design principles and materials. This course aroused my interest in sustainable design. I realized the importance of using renewable energy resources in design and admired the efficiency of passive solar heating. What’s more, I learned a lot about energy saving technologies, recyclable and healthy materials and much more. Finally, I realized the role of LEED in architectural practice. Even though we don’t have LEED certification in my country now, I have no doubts that my new knowledge will give me an advantage over my Russian colleagues in our sustainable future. Cultural Anthropology with Professor Mary Grow was a class that required active participation in seminar discussions and debates. Frankly speaking, it was not an easy task for me because I was not so confident in speaking English even after some good practice with Box Project presentation and critiques. Nevertheless, I developed my critical thinking skills and was able to understand and articulate key concepts of cultural anthropology. It was interesting to learn about how vernacular architecture and cultural traditions of people can influence and enrich modern design process. Analyze Design Build Workshop was my first Learning-by-doing experience in Taliesin. The first phase of the project was very informative and I developed my team-working and design skills. In fact, I enjoyed the actual construction process even more. Building the prototype helped me to learn and remember a great amount of information intuitively, without much effort, while working on a captivating project. Apparently, my experience was not only about Taliesin. I traveled with my new friends across Arizona and California. I was impressed by the beauty of this country and admired the astonishing panoramas of Grand Canyon and Sedona. I can only imagine how amazing was the untouched beauty of the Sonoran Desert at the time when Frank Lloyd Wright first came to Arizona. Several months after that trip I was working on my Nature Patterns abstraction of the Grand Canyon tree, thinking about the first time I saw Taliesin West. It must have been something about the nature of the place, that I felt like I was living there all of my life. I’m very grateful to all Taliesin for an opportunity to feel myself at home and to work and study alongside with so many interesting people for these six intense months of my life.
.U .SS UR REFLECTIVEESSAY
TABLE OF CONTENTS ADVANCED DESIGNSTUDIO/ BOX PROJECT1__________________________________________________________________________1 GRAPHICS DESIGNSTUDIO_________________________________________________________________________________________6 CULTURALANTHROPOLOGY________________________________________________________________________________________7 NATUREPATTERNS________________________________________________________________________________________________8 TALIESIN WEST AS TEXT___________________________________________________________________________________________9 SUSTAINABILITY1_________________________________________________________________________________________________10 SUSTAINABILITY2_________________________________________________________________________________________________11 PERSPECTIVEDRAWING___________________________________________________________________________________________12 HANDRENDERING/SKETCHING______________________________________________________________________________________13 LANDSCAPEEVALUATION__________________________________________________________________________________________14 ADBWORKSHOP__________________________________________________________________________________________________15 INSTRUCTOREVALUATIONS________________________________________________________________________________________16 READINGLIST_____________________________________________________________________________________________________24 LOOKINGFORWARD________________________________________________________________________________________________25
.U .SS UR TABLE OF CONTENTS
Advanced Design Studio was my first architectural design experience in Taliesin. I can say it with confidence that it was one of classes I enjoyed and learned a lot from. We were to develop a Taliesin West Campus expansion with New Design Studio and Education Facilities and present it in December as our first Box project. Aris Georges introduced us to a collaborative design process. We did a series of exercises- started with geometric proportions and conceptual modeling that helped me to understand the importance of proportions and dynamic symmetry principles in design, and continued in exploring the Taliesin West buildings and landscape interrelations- me and Gabriel Nolle did a mapping exercise looking for different types of triangles in Historic core buildings and their geometric relations to each other. We also explored Taliesin West as a prime example of an integration between indoor and outdoor spaces, and included an outdoor landscaping and hardscape in our projects. Making a section drawing of an existing Drafting Studio helped me to understand the structural system of a building and its materiality. I explored how desert masonry walls and composite wooden and steel beams interact with a ceiling and how they work together. We built several models that helped me to understand the basic principles of tensegrity and cantilever structural systems. All these exercises were accompanied with readings, video and audio materials, discussions related to design process. We also had a field trip to Scottsdale libraries and witnessed materiality of existing structures, use of indoor and outdoor spaces, shading and structure to implement in our designs.
.U .SS UR INSTRUCTOR: ARISGEORGES PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
REPRESENTATION
MATERIAL FACTS
INTEGRATED PRACTICE
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
ADS_STUDIO/BOX1 1 DESIGN COMPOSITION
I did a series of conceptual drawings and sketches for my original design, playing with proportions and geometry. I decided to use the existing Drafting Studio beam as a prototype for my structural system. But I completely changed materiality, used glu-lam beams, hanging lightweight ceilings with structural steel elements and SIP panels. I learned to integrate structural and material assemblies, experimented with design elements and constructions.
.U .SS UR INSTRUCTOR: ARISGEORGES PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
REPRESENTATION
MATERIAL FACTS
INTEGRATED PRACTICE
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
ADS_STUDIO/BOX1 2 DESIGN COMPOSITION
In my design concept I tried to implement all design strategies I thought would be important for that project. I considered cultural context of Taliesin West Historic Core buildings and tried to keep my new design in harmony with them and the surrounding landscape. The overall composition was supposed to be elegant and dynamic and at the same time be functional and logical. New structures were to be totally recognizable as a part of Historic Landmark. I was also interested in creating a new structural system that could give me more interior space and flexibility with structural integrity and efficiency. I used new knowledge of structural systems and sustainable materials I obtained in ADS Studio and other classes to achieve a new level of quality in my design project. Midpoint review reveled some weak points of my project and I tried to get rid of them in my final presentation.
.U .SS UR INSTRUCTOR: ARISGEORGES PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
REPRESENTATION
MATERIAL FACTS
INTEGRATED PRACTICE
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
ADS_STUDIO/BOX1 3 DESIGN COMPOSITION
Dynamics and rhythm -The strong accent of slightly sloping roofs and the rhythm of basic structural elements integrated into desert terrain. Reflection of the existing buildings geometry -Integration of existing studio beam 15 degrees angle and strong horizontal roof lines with using similar to Taliesin West existing buildings materials in new design. Protection from the sun/ relation to the desert -Using more insulated materials and least amount of openings and glazing on the South- South West/east sides of the buildings and using tenzel fabrics in open courtyard areas helps to reduce solar heat. -The whole building is nested in the terrain, some of the walls continuing into the terrain and rising of basic structural elements create a vision of a building growing out of the terrain.
Site plan Major Axes Existing building - New Studio- Classrooms and Lecture Hall is continuation of 45 degree East-West Taliesin axie, Faculty offices/ collaboration space/ kitchen is based on North-South Taliesin axies. And administration offices refer to 6.15 degree Atrium/East Wing axes. Site plan Circulation/ Main Entrances -continue the bridge to the main entrance to the lecture hall, add 2 new entrances from the parking lots in front of the buildings. Atrium and East Wing entrances integrate into this pedestrian circulation system of the new building. Elevations West and South Elevation facing existing Taliesin West buildings is a symbolic reflection of Sawik Mountain Rage, materials are more typical for historic core- desert masonry and concrete walls, gravel roofs. East and North Elevations of the building facing unoccupied desert area have more glass and aluminum and ceramic tile faced walls and provide picturesque views on surrounding mountains.
Floor plan - The composition consists of two separated buildings , connected by tenzel fabrics shaded courtyards and paths. One includes New Studio for 30 students, chill space, two classrooms and lecture hall for 80 seats. The second one includes collaboration space, restrooms, faculty offices, kitchen and administration offices. Two parking slots one for 13 one for 8 cars are shielded by masonry walls. Main paths that connect buildings are oriented in the way to see most important aspects buildings ,surrounding landscape and mountain views. Structural system is based on Taliesin West existing 16x16 feet grid.
Structural systems/materials -building unit is 16/16 feet . - Main structural member is prefabricated glue-lam beam top coated with metal for protection from the sun / concrete base/ metal shoe/ steel plate connections. -Structural reinforced concrete walls stabilize the system. -Hanging roof system/ SIP panels/ gravel roof - partly hanging on cables/ skylights -Self-sustaining walls- wood framing/ SIP panels / ceramic tile faceing -Aluminum cassette glazing system/ low-Emission/ tinted glass
INSTRUCTOR: ARISGEORGES PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
REPRESENTATION
MATERIAL FACTS
INTEGRATED PRACTICE
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
ADS_STUDIO/BOX1 4 DESIGN COMPOSITION
LEARNING OUTCOME: My first Box project was a great opportunity to familiarize myself with a unique environment of Taliesin West and Sonoran Desert. I learned a lot about design process in hot climate, gained new skills in construction methods and usage of new materials in the environment. I developed my skills in collaborative design and understood how to present material in clear and professional manner. Critical review was a good chance to learn to respond to questions and to learn on mistakes. I totally appreciated the Design Studio educating process as it really helped me to explore design beyond bias and boundaries.
INSTRUCTOR: ARISGEORGES PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
REPRESENTATION
MATERIAL FACTS
INTEGRATED PRACTICE
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
ADS_STUDIO/BOX1 5 DESIGN COMPOSITION
Graphic Design Studio with Aris Georges helped me to learn new principles of graphic design language. I developed a new graphic style which I applied in my first Box project. And I also became more comfortable using digital design tools like Corel Draw and Photoshop. The first exercise was to design your own name- and I used geometric proportions of Golden Section to create a grid and to develop letters. I found the way to ascertain the bias and forces that impacted my taste in graphics. Business card exercise provided me a chance to experiment beyond boundaries, create my own unique style. Box title page design helped me to strengthen my design skills and ability to realize the power of graphics in architectural presentation. By all means, the Studio put me on a new level of understanding of design techniques by establishing the impact of my graphics on my architectural work.
.U .SS UR INSTRUCTOR: ARISGEORGES
PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
REPRESENTATION
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
GDS_STUDIO DESIGN COMPOSITION
6
Fieldwork Exercise Cultural Perspectives of Landscape & House Jason Silverman th
The interview took place on the balcony outside the Guest Dec k in Talies in West on the 15 of January 2010, between 4.30 and 5 p.m. When I first ask ed Jason about his favorite place in landscape surrounding Taliesin West, he said that there are many, and one of them definitely is the place outside the main studio, on the gravel terrace prow. He told me that when he wants to reflect, he often comes out to the point. “When you stand here”, he said“you feel yourself in the middle between the desert and the mountains, and the horizon, and these magnificent buildings”. “I can stand and look at the buildings and see how amazing they are for being so old and so big, and at the same time so low, so horizontal! And when I hav e time at the end of the day I usually come here, look at the sunset and have a feeling of being in the heart of that place, being strongly connected to it.” But when I asked him about the memories/ stories which this place hold’s for him, he didn’t know what to answer. “Maybe I should speak about Taliesin West in general. Because there are so many different memories I have from different places. And nothing really ever happened on the prow. Maybe the question for me personally wouldn’t be, if there is a favorite place on the property, because Taliesin doesn’t mean that to me. So from a larger stand point, I want to speak about Taliesin as a whole, as all the buildings here are the part of the landscape, and landscape is a part of the buildings, and together they create this totally unique place”, he said. “There are so many layers of being here, because I’ve been here often on for many years, of course I’ve got nothing on for most of the people who’ve been here for 50 years. But there is something about Taliesin being the only thing left of the desert in this area. All have been destroyed, all pavements and lights, power lines and cars and people who don’t have a clue about what happened here. People around us don’t understand the History and the Evolution of this place.” “One of the things that fascinated me about this place is that I see the Evolution of it. Think about Native Americans- they lived here, right here on the property, and the rocks show it. And they worked here, did other things- they had some k ind of Community- and it happened thousands years ago! And they were drawing things on the rocks, they were creating pods and stuff- they must have stood up here, like you and I are standing here today looking on this beautiful view. So that’s where the story starts for me. And there is also Frank Lloyd Wright and his architecture, and how that involved. And people who are here, how they change over the years. If I take a book with some old Taliesin pictures, and go to the spot and compare them, I see how things evolve or de-evolve over the years. And the fact that the change is still happening today is very important.”- he told me. I asked Jason why all these changes are so special to him. “The thing is that this place is still here. And obviously nowadays I’m an observer, I’m not a student, not in the fellowship, but I come here and do my thing. And I appreciate the fact that I have an access to Taliesin, and people respect me. So my work is a sort of my way to contributing, to giving back. And I can observe You, and Them and watch the Evolution. We came from different times and backgrounds, but you are going to have the stories to tell about this place in 20 years, as I have a story to tell about Taliesin now. Of course, some of them will be slightly different, but in general they will be very similar.
Cultural Anthropology gave me the basic knowledge of cultural and social aspects of landscape and house. Professor Mary Grow presented us a variety of readings that helped us to explore the symbolic nature of architecture and to learn how cultural understandings shape the spaces we build. We did a field-trip exercise and interviewed a person about his/her relation to a specific place in Taliesin West. Through the interview with Jason Silverman I understood how important are traditions belonging to the house and landscape, that they always change and we contribute to ongoing social and cultural forces. Class discussions gave me an idea of how architecture and anthropology as disciplines can enrich each other through practice and cultural engagement. And also enrich modern architecture through synthesis of traditions and technologies. It became clear that vernacular architecture examples might be used as a tool to create a good architecture cross-culturally, using existing materials and building techniques. We also participated in design charette that encouraged us to create a social and symbolic space- bridge between Taliesin West and Scottsdale. In my design I’ve interpreted an important cultural text of Taliesin West, used a symbolic idea of a Spiral Arrow- the social symbol of Taliesin Fellowship and integrated it in my project, created a sustainable and iconic design, that complimented people who live on both sides of the bridge- and also united them both physically and culturally.
INSTRUCTOR: DR.MARYGROW PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
I first came to Taliesin when I was 20, and I have so many experiences of my live happened either here, or because of here, or because of people who I knew here. And you meet people here who are so interesting, even after so many years I still have a connection with them, I’m proud that I’ve shared this place with Wes Peters, Johnny Hill, and Cornelia-these amazing people who just dedicated themselves to the Idea, the Community” I asked him if there is some sort of connection with the place. “Well, the most personal part of Taliesin for everybody who studied here are the shelters. That’s how you connect individually to your experience here, because it’s like the only private space that you have, and the richest experience that you have here is staying in the shelter- the hot, the cold, the windy, the rainy, and the creatures. Many things happened out here. So when now I come to my shelter and sit out there- it’s emotional for me. I think I can call this place Home.” I asked Jason if the story of the place change over time. “It definitely does”-he said, “Some old people in Taliesin didn’t even consider you a part of the Fellowship if you didn’t k now Frank Lloyd Wright. And as the generations changed, the story changes for them, and the stories that they tell also change. And I think no one can tell you what is the next story to be told here.”
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Maxim Borshchevskiy/ 1 year M.Arch
CULTURALANTHROPOLOGY 7 PERSONAL COMPETENCE
I’ve explored two different approaches- one was creating a composition based on a pattern and geometric relations, while the second one was more intuitive and was not based on grid and pattern. I’ve learned to use Nature as a source of inspiration, generator of new ideas in design.
Nature Patterns are an important part of architectural learning at Taliesin. Frank Lloyd Wright used nature abstractions as inspirations in many aspects of his design, structure, and art. Nature patterns workshop offered us a method of educing visual principles from a natural object and applying them in the generative process of pattern-making. The first part of project was devoted to exploring and tracing of an existing abstraction by Gene Maslink, trying to analyze the geometry of grid and unit system in a piece, determine the geometric relations in the composition. This portion of the project was very helpful in the overall effect of creating my own nature abstraction.
Through exploring Nature Patterns I developed my skills in using: unit systems pattern recognition visual rhythm proportion dynamic symmetry color balance layers textures
I’ve chosen an old tree I saw near the Grand Canyon as a subject of my abstraction. It was an exciting process of observation of the natural object. I found out that an object had a specific spiral structure and developed a geometric composition, based on proportional relations of different parts subject. I learned how a generated pattern can influence the composition, worked with color balance and tried to challenge the static regularity. In my final piece I eliminated an insignificant to create a dynamic, balanced abstraction.
.U .SS UR
INSTRUCTOR: ARISGEORGES PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
REPRESENTATION
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
NATUREPATTERNS 8 DESIGN COMPOSITION
Taliesin West as Text was 4 sessions course presented by Professor Sidney Robinson and Jim Erickson. It gave us basic knowledge about historic preservation methods and techniques. We explored Taliesin West, ‘reading’ the buildings and noticing changes in constructions and materials that occurred over time. The first assignment was based on these observations- we learned to determine different periods of construction, new additions and improvements in Taliesin West. The second assignment was to solve one of the existing problems at Taliesin using different preservation strategies. I learned that there can be different approaches to preserve an appearance of a building. One way is to preserve the ‘fabric’- original materials and constructions. The other way is to preserve the ‘look’- use new materials and structures saving an original appearance. In my preservation project for a ‘Flap’ roof in the Garden room I used a combination of both and suggested to use tube steel frame instead of timber, additional support to reinforce the structure and original canvas panels for the roof to restore the original look of the Garden room.
.U .SS UR INSTRUCTORS: SIDNEYROBINSON/ JIMERICKSON PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
REPRESENTATION
MATERIAL FACTS
TASLIESIN WEST AS TEXT PERSONAL COMPETENCE
9
Sustainability course became one of the most informative and complicated studies in my first season. Professor Donald Aitken and Barbara Harwood introduced us to environmental, energy efficiency and natural energy principles applied to residential and commercial design. Through out the course we realized a personal and environmental importance of sustainable buildings. I understood the forces driving the world towards adopting principles and actions of sustainability. One of the assignments gave me an understanding of how to use and control solar radiation. I learned basics of passive solar home design. We’ve been told how to imply energy efficiency strategies in design by using proper insulation and sealing. On one of the sessions Professor Aitken explained and showed on examples the positives of using natural ventilation and effective mechanical systems in buildings. We had a class devoted to the principles of heat flow- and I learned how to calculate total building cooling and heating load and how to size mechanical systems. It was really important for me to know how Frank Lloyd Wright used natural heating and cooling in his designs- Professor Aitken showed us the “Solar Hemicycle”- one of the most energy efficient houses. Solar electric design and water heating were also a part of our class discussions. We’ve been offered a variety of readings related to new technologies in sustainable design and LEED certification. And at the end of the course we had field exercise- we designed a house using Taliesin West property as our site and Barbara Harwood was our client. It was a great experience to introduce all the sustainable principles we’ve learned during the course in our design. The Sustainability course helped me to understand the role of architects and the expended opportunities for architects in a sustainable future. Thanks to my teachers now I have no doubt that principles I’ve learned in this course will influence my future architectural design.
.U .SS UR INSTRUCTORS: PH.D.DONALDAITKEN/ BARBARAHARWOOD PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
REPRESENTATION
MATERIAL FACTS
INTEGRATED PRACTICE
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
SUSTAINABILITY1
10
The second part of Sustainability course covered principles of sustainable design for indoor air quality and human health. Donald Aitken introduced us to natural and healthy lighting in commercial buildings. Barbara Harwood explained to us how every construction material, every piece of furniture and all equipment used inside the buildings impact the indoor air quality and encouraged us to use only sustainable and recycling materials. I understood the importance of using durable materials in all construction projects and designs. I also learned about some interesting techniques for building a sustainable, healthy house. We designed posters that encourage people not to use dangerous types of plastics in everyday life. It was the first time I learned about different types of molds and it was useful to know how to prevent it in buildings. I also learned about methods of water conservation in buildings and landscapes and about collection systems used around the world and understood the importance of low-water use fixtures and appliances for conserving valuable freshwater resources.
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Professor Aitken aroused my interest in daylighting , glare protection and shade control systems. I understood the psychological impact on building occupants and users of daylighting and of various artificial lighting control strategies.
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The course helped me to understand that everything in buildings impacts everything else and the life of all those who inhabit them. I also understood the role of the LEED system in architectural world and how it effects all elements of architectural practice.
.U .SS UR INSTRUCTORS: PH.D.DONALDAITKEN/ BARBARAHARWOOD PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
REPRESENTATION
MATERIAL FACTS
INTEGRATED PRACTICE
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
SUSTAINABILITY2 DESIGN COMPOSITION
11
Perspective drawing was a class where we learned to think organically in the third dimension. Our studio instructor Frank Henry told us about the art and science of the accurate creation of a threedimensional image in two dimensions. I developed my skills of three-dimensional space visualization. We did a series of assignmentsperspective drawings of one of FLLW houses. We explored different techniques- one- and two-point exterior and interior perspectives. These exercises helped me to develop my drawing skills, my imagination and feeling of geometry and proportions. I also determined the organic relationship of the 3rd dimension to length and width.
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Throughout the course I developed my compositional skills and also explored the relationship of the building with its natural environmental setting.
INSTRUCTOR: FRANKHENRY PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
REPRESENTATION
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
PERSPECTIVEDRAWING DESIGN COMPOSITION
12
Hand Rendering In this class we explored different rendering techniques. We started with line drawing and continued with black&white renderings using different types of media- pencils, charcoal and ink. Then Frank Henry showed us examples of colored pencil drawings done by Ling Po and other masters of rendering. And we did several variations of colored pencil line and freehand drawings. The last assignment was to use watercolors- that was the most difficult task for me- it was really hard to show texture and material, light and shadow in three dimensions using this media. Throughout this course I developed my hand rendering and presentation skills. Sketching Sketching class with Frank Henry was a great opportunity for me to explore Taliesin West. I learned a lot from observing and sketching magnificent architecture, landscape and desert plants. I improved my ability to represent forms and nature of materials. I really enjoyed spending time outside the studio. It gave a better understanding of organic architecture and beauty of the place. Every new sketch of building or a natural object allowed me to upgrade my hand drawing composition skills.
.U .SS UR INSTRUCTOR: FRANKHENRY PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
REPRESENTATION
HANDRENDERING /FREEHANDSKETCHING PERSONAL COMPETENCE
DESIGN COMPOSITION
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Landscape Evaluation class with Chris Winters was a great opportunity for me to familiarize myself with a process of landscape architecture. I worked as a part of the team that designed a strategic plan of Taliesin West Historic Core landscape modernization and improvement. Chris Winters presented to us a couple of readings that explored and explained landscape and site planning philosophies of Frank Lloyd Wright. We also learned about how these ideas may be applied to contemporary design issues. As a part of the course we had several lectures and demonstrations delivered by visiting landscape architecture professionals. They were related to the topics of ecology of Sonoran desert and its vegetation, establishing of private and community gardens, water harvesting and landscape construction. The first phase of the course was devoted to Inventory and Analysis, Programming and Schematic site planning. We worked collaboratively to search and identify existing problems with landscape and buildings around the Campus. I worked on the problem of pedestrian and vehicular circulation within Taliesin West property and developed digital drawings showing how different groups of people/ transport move, marked dangerous intersections and problematic areas. This process helped me to become more familiar with Taliesin West site plan, I learned a lot about the original ideas of Frank Lloyd Wright design, analyzed it’s pluses and minuses. I also developed my presentation and digital presentation skills. In the second phase we identified areas for specific site improvements. I was focused on working with the existing parking area. My design for it was based on existing parking analysis. I had a concept of using a new vehicular circulation scheme, that could allow to gain more parking places and at the same time create a more pedestrian friendly environment. I’ve been also focused on restoration of natural landscape of the site, using new sustainable materials and strategies. It seemed important to introduce several design concepts with different solutions to the same problem. Throughout this process I developed my planing and design skills, learned more about innovative and recyclable materials and landscape architecture design process. Unfortunately I couldn’t complete the second part of the course, but I’m looking forward to work on it next season in Arizona. We also worked on some site improvements in the Atrium/ East Wing area- we build a new drainage system and worked together as a team on surrounding area landscaping and innovation. It was a good chance for me to develop my team-working skills and learn new information about existing site improvement strategies.
.U .SS UR INSTRUCTOR: CHRISWINTERS PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
SOCIAL CONTEXT
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
REPRESENTATION
MATERIAL FACTS
INTEGRATED PRACTICE
LANDSCAPEEVALUATION PERSONAL COMPETENCE
DESIGN COMPOSITION
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Analyze, Design, Build Workshop with Lloyd Natof was a seven week long exciting journey in the world of furniture design and construction. We designed and build a desk prototype for a Hillside Studio in Wisconsin. The course consisted of two phases. During the first two weeks we looked on the history of furniture, identified construction and design elements, discussed furniture materials, construction techniques and methods. I learned a lot about remarkable examples of modern and historic furniture, got acquainted with specific furniture and wood-working terms. We analyzed Frank Lloyd Wright furniture including existing desks in Drafting Studio, defining their relationship to present days needs. At the beginning of design process each of us was working individually , using all the variety of design strategies and materials. The only limits were the defined desk layout and basic desk overall dimensions. I developed a dynamic and interesting composition, which was though too complicated and required a lot of effort and time to build. But through the process I learned to organize spaces and articulate different structural elements in my design. After the first phase we divided into smaller groups to work collaboratively in two different directions- Orthogonal and Diagonal. It was a great experience for me to work together with the Orthogonal team. We used different strategies, existing design elements, created new typology of structural elements and materials. I realized the importance of ergonomics and learned about typical dimensions of working surfaces and storage spaces. In the second phase of the course we started building our prototypes. It was my first Learning by doing experience in the program. We worked within a small groups with Lloyd, cutting and ripping, plaining and sanding. I enjoyed every minute I spend in the shop- I learned to work with power- tools and gained a lot of experience in wood-working.
.U .SS UR INSTRUCTOR: LLOYDNATOF PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL GROUND
MATERIAL FACTS
PERSONAL COMPETENCE
ADB_WORKSHOP DESIGN COMPOSITION
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READINGLIST Campbell-Lange, Barbara-Ann: Lautner. Taschen America, Los Angeles, CA., 2005 Stoller, Ezra: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, Princeton Architectural Press, 1999 Aguar, Charles; Aguar, Berdeana: Wrightscapes. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Landscape Designs.McGraw Hills, 2002 Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly Magazine Architectural Record Magazine
p.s. unfortunately I don’t have a bibliography because I was not in Taliesin at the time I was preparing my portfolio
.U .SS UR READINGLIST
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OCTOBER2009-MAY2010
P.S.
Looking Forward
FIN
I compared my previous Traditional education experience in Russia with Education in Taliesin and I found them totally different. But what seemed more important was that Amount and Quality of knowledge acquired in both places was almost equal. In fact this season in Taliesin seemed very intense because of the 2 months Box project and variety of classes offered in the Learning path. My previous University education was a good first step and I’m sure that with my new Taliesin experience I will have a very strong knowledge in Architecture. In the next season I would like to focus on architectural practice and Box projects, carry out the tasks of practicing architecture- learn more about code compliance, economics, legal context of architecture and construction documents. It would be great to participate in some construction or learning-by-doing projects to develop my construction and building skills. I want to take as many classes as possible. Taliesin as Text, Preservation/Construction, Writing Workshop and Tutorials, History of Architecture l&ll, The Social Life of Space and Research Design Studio are the Core offerings I want to take in Wisconsin Season. As for Electives- I am interested in Thin Shell Roof Workshop, Reading the Landscape Contract Lectures and AP projects. I’m looking forward to finish the program in two years and start to practice architecture.
And I want to thank you for your attention.
CREDITS: GRAPHICDESIGN BY MAXIMBORSHCHEVSKIY
FIN
ARCHITECTURALDESIGN BY MAXIMBORSHCHEVSKIY PHOTOS BY MAXIMBORSHCHEVSKIY, PRANAVNAIK, ARISGEORGES, CHELSEACLARK SUSTAINABILITY1/2 SLIDES/PICTURES/PHOTOS BY DONALDAITKEN AND BARBARAHARWOOD SPECIALTHANKS TO ALL OF TALIESINCOMMUNITY
LOOKINGFORWARD C
2010 MAXIMBORSHCHEVSKIY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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