N.A Issue 2 by North London Collegiate School Jeju

N A ISSUE 2

CONTENT p4 Editor’s Note p7 How to Approach Architecture p8 Introduction to Isometry p27 Isometry beyond Architecture - Fashion p28 Geometry from Nature

By Aaron Gustav Swaffer

p11 M.C. Escher - The Pioneer of Geometrical Architecture p12 Steven Holl - Light and Shadows p14 Antoni Gaudi - Aesthetic Curvatures p18 Ando Tadao - Raw Beauty p20 Ricardo Bofill - Spanish Urbanism p22 Luis Barragan - Simplicity in Modernism p26 I.M. Pei - Popularizing Modernism

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CREDITS EDITOR

WRITER

Jinwoo Chun

Hyeon Moon James Choi

DESIGNER

Alex Heo

DJ Baik

Hyun Min Lee

Jinwoo Chun

Eunice Park

Siyeol Choi

Jean Kim

Jaeyoon Kim

Robbin Moon

Haeseong Kim

Sangwoo Park

Claire Park

June Kim

Sean Park

David Kim Jubin Park Chanhwi Lee Eunsoo Lee

ISSUE 2

“Architecture is a visual art and the buildings speak for themselves.” This quote of Julia Morgan, an American architect, inspired the NLCS Architecture Society to write this publication. We will listen to what buildings speak and translate their words of beauty to our audience. Ultimately we hope to raise appreciation of architecture as a form of art between students.

In this issue of our publications, our audience will be informed on the use of different perspectives and how isometry was introduced into the realms of architecture over the years along technological developments. We will also be discussing about the impacts of isometry on art and fashion beyond architecture along with interlinked themes with isometry such as patterns and geometry.

For those who are not aware of the NLCS Jeju Architecture Society also known as the ARCSOC, the ARCSOC is the leading group of passionate students in NLCS Jeju, exploring the wonders of the world’s architecture. For years we had many students joining our society to pursue their interest in architecture and we provided them with various opportunities such as producing podcasts, 3D modeling, CAD design, and holding exhibitions. For those who are eager to join us, please contact Jinwoo Chun, the chair of the ARCSOC.

Furthermore, there will be various architects and architecture that will be introduced in this issue and a lot of these architects have a exciting story in their lives and hence I suggest that you stay tuned and read till the end.

To achieve our ultimate goal to enrich students in terms of architecture, we will be introducing new architectural concepts and architects on a regular basis through publications. This month, we will be presenting isometric projection in architecture and how it progressed to its current form along with introducing architects from Steven Holl to Luis Barragan who will provide rich insight on the variety of the world’s architecture.

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Jinwoo Chun Head Editor

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APPROACHING ARHITECTURE Written by David Kim

The question “What is architecture?”is one of the most basic but also one of the most challenging things architects ask themselves in order to help outline their designs. This is necessary as while artists work from real to abstract, architects work from abstract to real. But the real question for people like us, who are not directly related to the field of architecture through occupation, is “how should we approach architecture?” and “should we care about architecture”. Architecture is inseparable from our life as it is a part of everyday life that everyone is accustomed to enjoying. Some assume that although architecture is necessary, it isn't as difficult or special as we think. However, according to Seri Lee, Head of architecture department in Cheongjusi, since she first encountered the studies of architecture, she believes that architecture should be special, complex and separated from our lives even though it is part of us. However there are communication barriers between those who build and those who see making it difficult for us to understand architecture. I think this is the result of our perception. One of the students majoring in architecture claimed that architecture is getting recognized only as a physical and functional facility and expressed sorrow. Also, the act of building a house so easily and tearing it down so fruitlessly presents that people just see architectures as value of real estate for buying and selling. However, we should change these kinds of perspectives towards architecture. Some think that architecture only requires space to live and the necessary functions and size. However, architecture is a place where everyone stays, lives, works and spends time. It will be necessary to create a place that suits you, not a place to be printed in bulk, and to understand the space you live in. In order to achieve this goal, we will have to know the correct definition of architecture. Of course the question “What is architecture?” is a philosophical question but in simple terms, the definition of architecture itself is the art and science of designing buildings and structures.

It has been more important for people to appreciate architecture because the average annual working hours has increased for people around the world. According to last year's statistics, the average annual working hours of Koreans were 1,908 hours. However, the average working hours the OECD countries checked were 1,687 hours. Therefore, people need a place to come back to at the end of the day and call ‘home’. People coming after work should have their own space which fits them and makes them relaxed. After the pandemic, people started to spend even more time at their home. Office workers work from home and students take online classes. Even the medical staff returns to their home after their work. The meaning of ‘architecture’ has become more important these days and in modern society. Hence, we should change the point of view of architecture. Recently, there has been a growing interest in architecture. It is time for people who create architecture to make an effort to communicate. Not only creating an architecture which includes size and shape but which is also pleasant and safe. In addition, it needs a process which increases the understanding of the building a little more for people. Those who run or work in the design office of the older generation will not be able to change this perception. It is up to us to change the perspective or not. The future of architecture is up to you, are you willing to make a difference or keep it as it is? Think wisely.

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ISSUE 2

ISOMETRY: AN INTRODUCTION Written by Hyeon Moon

What is isometry? Are we talking about isometric exercise? Or isometry in mathematics? Although they all have a potential definition of what isometry means, in the context of architecture, isometric is defined in two means: as another facet of graphic design or as a way of presenting visuals by drawing three-dimensional objects in two-dimensional planes. An appropriate example of isometric, in terms of general definition, is a view from a bird’s eye, because the view from a bird’s eye provides a two-dimensional image that is a three-dimensional construction or landmark.

Whether the view is a top view, or a bottom view, or front, or left, or right, the object can be drawn in various ways. Just like the figure below, one image provides many perspectives. Based on reality, for example, an isometric blueprint of architecture will help you visualize a more clear and accurate image because it provides multiple views.

This technique of visualising three-dimensional objects in twodimensional images is called isometric projection. In this method, as both advantages and disadvantages are valid, it is questionable whether the isometric projection is a productive and efficient method or not.

The isometric projection is argued to be a good method with following reasons; 1. It gives multiple views. 2. It provides accurate measures. 3. It illustrates the liveliness and nature of a three-dimensional object.

On the other hand, the isometric projection is also considered to be a method with disadvantages and they are; 1. It fails to provide a real view like a hologram, but provides a twodimensional view. 2. It shows a distorted appearance due to the lack of foreshortening. 3. It misinterprets shape and depth.

While both sides state agreeable stances, I feel that isometric projection and the view is great as a supplement. With the blueprint of architecture, the isometric blueprint will be able to provide multiple views, accurate measures, and how it will look in a three-dimensional plane. Although itself alone may not be helpful for some people, it is a great technique to visualize a three-dimensional object in a twodimensional image if the purpose is to visualize a three-dimensional object and want that three-dimensional nature of the object to be seen.

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PATTERNS OF ESCHER Written by Sangwoo Park

Day and Night By Escher

Patterns are common elements that are repeated in a piece of work, used to decorate the art piece to attract viewer’s attention. Patterns are a baseline skill which creates a soothing psychological effect on the viewer which stays in our mind for a longer period of time. This is because the human mind is somehow satisfied when able to discern a certain rhythm.

Patterns had been used in the primary forms of art since ancient times. Patterns can be observed in a pride of lions on the walls of 20,000 years old Lascaux Cave and on the cord-markings in the first pottery made 10,000 years ago. Patterns are used in many forms through different artists. They may use color to signify a pattern, repeating a single or select palette of colors throughout a work. They can also use lines to form patterns such as in optical art.

One of the artists famous for using patterns is M.C Escher. He was born on 17 June 1898 from Leeuwarden, Netherlands. He was a Dutch graphic artist who made mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. His work was neglected in the art world but after he died, in the late twenty-first century, he was celebrated in exhibitions across the world and his art became internationally recognised.

Relativity by Escher

His interest in art started while he was traveling through Italy, visiting Florence, San Gimignano, Volterra, Siena, and Ravello. He was impressed by the Italian countryside, by Granada, a city in Spain, and by the Moorish architecture of the fourteenth-century Alhambra. The intricate decorative designs of the Alhambra featuring interlocking repetitive patterns in the coloured tiles or sculpted into the walls and ceilings, triggered his interest in the mathematics of tessellation and acted as a powerful influence on his work.

M.C Escher is famous for his use of black and white pattern drawing. He was a master of tessellation, creating symmetrical designs and planar tessellations, which he described as congruent, convex polygons joined together. His work was also influenced by the traditional drawings of Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer. For example, his work “Cycle” shows his use of patterns of a person turning into an erratic geometric pattern. It also shows how the pattern changes into simpler shapes, into cubes, then becomes architecture and finally resurfaces as terrace tiles. His use of color depth and the smooth change of the patterns made the art piece much more significant and shows his use of isometric shapes. .

Waterfall by Escher

ISSUE 2

ARCHITECT STEVEN HOLL

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LIGHT AND SHADOWS Written by Robbin Moon

Simmons Hall (MIT)

Steven Holl, known for making good use of the light and darkness entering the building in his work, is famous for designing the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and is one of the most important masters in the American architectural world.

Stephen Holl was born on December 9, 1947, in Bremerton, Washington, USA, and entered the University of Washington in 1971. After entering the University of Washington, he went to Europe to continue his architectural research in London and Rome. Then after his long pursuit for knowledge, he opened his own office in New York, working as a professor at Columbia University since 1981.

Ever since, Steven Holl has been working on architectural projects around the world in recognition of people and has won several architectural awards, including the Progressive Architecture Award (PA) in 1991 and the AIA (AIA) Award in New York in 1992, Simmons Holl.

One of the many masterpieces of Steven Holl is the Daeyang Gallery and House which is the only structure designed by Steven Holl in South Korea. The Daeyang Gallery and House is divided into three parts, and for convenience, we will call them A, B, and C. The exterior of this building is made of a proper mixture of concrete and wooden panels, and the interior emphasizes the beauty of emptiness using white walls and wooden panels. A is designed as a residential area and has all the necessary elements for housing, such as living rooms and kitchens. B is designed to be a good place to meet with meetings or appointments as a group party venue. In general, only wooden panels were used to emphasize comfort. C is a completely pure white space as a gallery. It may look a little cold, but I think it is the most appropriate space for stairs, angles, and light entry. Unfortunately the Daeyang Gallery and House is not currently open to the public. Daeyang Gallery and House

Another famous piece of architecture by Steven Holl is the Simmons Holl, which is one of the many dormitories of MIT(Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Steven Holl built the Simmons Holl using porous techniques, which is an inevitable choice according to the characteristics of students' dormitories. Nevertheless, he made good use of his identity, light, and emphasized spatial beauty. The monotonous elevation of the outer wall grid pattern changes into a colourful elevation building that changes depending on the change of the mass cut off with a knife, partially used irregular windows, deep windows installed at the end of the outer wall, and red, yellow, and blue colours used around the outer wall windows. While regular gratings were used outside the building as an important design element, the interior is composed of biological concept design elements. Simmons Holl is also called a sponge among students because the exterior of the building is similar to a sponge.

Currently, Holl is recognized as one of the most influential American architects who combines theory and practice around the world. In his early work, Steven Holl focused on constructing the exterior of the building through pure geometrical forms or combinations rather than interior spaces. From the late 1980s, he was influenced by various phenomena appearing in space and the phenomenology of interest like objectivity through his experience and viewed space as a dynamic point of view according to the movement of observers rather than a fixed point of view. Since then, Steven Holl has recognized the importance of the interior space of the building and intentionally did not insist on a single form of style, but sometimes tried to convey a deeper meaning to the interior space with faith in phenomenological experiences in space, even if it looked awkward.

To give the author's personal opinion on Steven Holl, I believe Steven Holl is an architect who has broadened the field of architecture. Previously, the use of light and shadow was not considered as a crucial element of architecture, but Steven Holl changed this after introducing his own style of putting light and shadow to the world of architecture by artistically expressing light and shadow. By changing the conventions of architecture and creating an unique style, Steven Holl is now an architect to be remembered for decades if not centuries.

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GAUDI AND CURVES Written by Hyun Min Lee, Jean Kim

Antoni Gaudi is perhaps the most leading architectural figure of Modernisme or Catalan Modernism with his works reflecting his unique style. The Catalan Modernism in simple terms is the Catalan society’s cultural movement in search of its own ‘national identity’(appeared in the 19th century). Gaudi was greatly inspired by this cultural movement, therefore we can see various Catalan Modernism architectural styles in majority of his work: Park Guell, Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, Casa Batllo and the church of Colonia Guell. For example Sagrada Familia, the most iconic architect by Gaudi, combines elements of Art Nouveau, Catalan Modernism and Spanish Late Gothic design. However, Gaudi has his distinct style which is marked by floral, reptilian, baroque and geometric designs. The Catalan Modernism style has similar geometric patterns such: curves, dynamic shapes, rich decorations with floral and other natural motifs and materials such as ceramics, mosaic tiles and glass. The most famous example consisting this style is Sagrada Familia.

Familia is a famous unfinished basilica which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside this basilica, this shape was used to create high vaults, and pillars that look alike with the structure of a tree. There were also other arches Gaudi used instead of parabolas. He made an arch known as catenary arches. A catenary arch is a shape that is made when we suspend a rope from the endpoint.

Gaudi utilised different forms of curves in his work. One of the shapes Gaudi used the most was parabolas. A parabola is a curve created when a double cone is sliced. Gaudi used these parabolas to create an arch. For example, there is Palau Guell in Barcelona where Gaudi first used a parabolic arch in his architecture. Gaudi did not only utilise parabolas but he also used hyperbolas which is similar to parabolas but this is a curve created when a double cone is sliced vertically. This shape was used in the interiors of Sagrada Familia. Sagrada

Due to Gaudi’s practice in the Catalan Modernism style, it gained fame and good reputation. He understood the creatively used diverse elements in his buildings. Furthermore many architects and people were inspired by his work as he was highly innovative to his work. Due to his work, parabolic, hyperbolic, and catenary masonry forms and inclined columns were developed through weighted models in his workshop.

Casa Mila, one of the most famous pieces by Gaudi, is a modern villa-like building that was planned in 1906 and constructed in 1910. On the side surface, there are curves(catenary arches) that associate with the rippling waves which were far off from the construction method of the meantime which consequently became mockery. However, the modern critics accepted his creativity and evaluated it as the start of modern architecture.

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ANDO TADAO RAW BEAUTY Written by Junghwan Choi

“Architecture should be regarded as a closed, articulated domain, but it must have a clear relationship with the surrounding environment. It is the logic of architecture to discover and manifest the invisible logic of nature.” This quotation from Ando Tadao’s interview expresses what architecture is about.

people complain about learning the basics of architecture and it’s questionable that without knowing the basics, it’s impossible to become an architect. However, later on, after studying his buildings, I changed my mind that this could be possible if the man is a real genius and filled with talent.

Ando Tadao was born in 1941 in Osaka and grew up in extreme poverty. Early in life, he was a semi-pro boxer because there was no reason to refuse to become a boxer; it was the simplest way to earn money. However, he gave up boxing once he saw the professional boxer’s match due to limitation of talent. He spent his time as a manual labour until he read the book written by Le Corbusier who is known as the father of modern architecture. Because he fancied him so much, without a plan, he decided to meet Le Corbusier so he threw himself into a transSiberian train but unfortunately, when he arrived, Le Corbusier had passed away. However, the trip wasn’t too bad because he realised ‘just using the light can be an architecture’ after visiting the Chapelle-NotreDame du-Haut.

Ando’s philosophy of architecture is about cooperating with nature such as light, water, tree, sky, wind and stone. But, most architects do consider all of them through their piece, in fact, it is essential to consider the environment of location before the construction. However, in his philosophy of architecture, there is a difference between considering and taking into account.

He further travelled around Europe and during this time, he completed his philosophy of architecture even though he never learned about architecture. Personally, it was quite hard to feel empathy because 18

INNOVATION OF MATERIAL It’s extremely difficult to summarise his pieces into a few words but if we have to, then I’ll define it as a provocative exposed concrete box. Before he began to use exposed concrete, it wasn’t a favoured material. It was only used for the foundation of the building or the surface of a warehouse. After the trial and improvement, he created Ando-made exposed concrete, which is a creation of a material where you can’t feel the weight in some sort and create the warmth after the reflection of

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light. Because of that feeling of luxurious, we can now see the Ando-made exposed concrete around the world

Furthermore, His speciality is about making the simple and worthless exposed concrete into provocation. In contrast to the outside of a simple box, there is a dynamic space inside the box. There, we recover the senses and emotions that were hidden inside the human being, which we could not experience in ordinary buildings. This is what he is trying to provoke, reviving our dormant sense of perception through dynamic spatial experience.

The mixture of exposed concrete and Ando’s philosophy of architecture has created an outcome of a building called the church of light.

CHURCH OF LIGHT This church has a simple theme. There are no stainless glasses or decoration and only consists of essential tools for the chapel. The reason why this church became famous is because it makes a cross-shaped crack in the outer wall and the light shows the shape of the cross. This means that as the time changes the view will change. Without an expansive machinery he created this mechanism of changing through the use of light, shadow and environment which fits to the unbreakable law of symbiosis of human and environment. Furthermore, The floor and the chair are painted black due to the fact that existence of darkness expresses the light that creates a stronger atmosphere. Consequently Ando mixed the symbol of holiness of light and cross during the construction of the church creating a pious atmosphere for those who are praising.

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Ando Tadao is a man who believes in the possibilities and values of humans who come to relief. This is because human characteristics are different from that of any other being in the natural world, and it is firmly believed that the product of this human reason is expressed in abstract and geometric architecture. However, the human possibilities and values he believes in, are not obtained by ignoring and conquering nature, but through harmony with nature. His belief is that harmony between nature and artificiality, that when they coexist with each other than when they were each other, they can give greater meaning and beauty. The method is a harmony between confrontation and contrast.

RICARDO BOFILL

SPANSIH URBANISM Written by Chanhwi Lee

Ricardo Bofill, renowned postmodern-Spanish architect, has designed several masterpieces, Les Arcades du Lac Viaduc, La Marulla Roja, Xanadu. His works are peculiar for applying modern technology with extravagant designs from Louis XIV.

Ricardo Bofill was born on December 5th, 1939 in Barcelona, Spain. From a young age, he was fascinated by vernacular Spanish architecture. (Domestic, functional building rather than monumental)He went to Barcelona University School of Architecture but he was soon expelled for being part of the communist group. However, his aspiration didn’t stop. He moved to Switzerland to graduate from the University of Geneva. After graduation, Ricardo opened his workshop, Taller de Arquitectura, with his fellow architects, urbanists, engineers, who have a similar purpose. Analyze the urban cities' problems and suggest solutions.

In 1975, Ricardo Bofill and Taller de Arquitectura worked on a residential project in the French suburb. Ricardo sought to resolve acute housing problems but also interpreted the French garden. Les Arcades du Lac Viaduc is famous for its harmonious interpretation of French gardens and housing problems but also postmodernism in the 70s. The city’s distribution of blocks, elements is mostly from French gardens; however, it is simple and orthogonal like many other big cities. From this Ricardo wanted to make streets serve the role of circulation of people and big intersections, squares, and places of meeting because he believed that urban spaces are essential for human organization. Ricardo designed the houses to represent a meticulously composed garden therefore the artificial lake and rows of vegetation are included in the city. In addition to that, the houses feature concrete panels and terracotta facings which is one of the features of postmodernism(eclectic)however it also makes buildings to be double aspect. Therefore it has more views of the outside to resolve problems with acute housings.

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Another masterpiece of Ricardo Bofill and his firm is La Muralla Roja. Ricardo yearned to reinterpret post-Renaissance’s private and personal space through casbah. He created a labyrinth, a maze, with repeating and circulating casbah. It gives the impression of “constructivism”, a design incorporating straight lines, squares, and rectangles. Outside surfaces are painted with various tones of red to accentuate the contrast with the landscape. However inside, it is painted with sky blue, indigo, violate to have a strong or weak contrast with the sky. This creates the effect of a greater illusion of space. Patios are interconnected so apartments are connected. These are key to Ricardo’s plan. He tried to maximize the public space, connected the patio, painted blue inside the wall, a lot of light shining in.

The way he collaborated post-modernism with modern building technology is very impressive. He uses straight lines, rectangles, squares, orthogonal along with unique colors that contrast with the surroundings, this makes me feel hyperreal about the architecture. Unlike its impression, behind the expressive designs, there are serious thoughts made to resolve housing problems which have become a rising problem. This makes me respect Ricardo's work of architecture.

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LUIS BARRAGAN SIMPLICITY IN MODERNISM Written by Jubin Park

Celebrated for the remarkable simplicity in his modernist designs, Mexican architect and engineer Luis Barragán (March 9, 1902- November 22, 1988) went on to become one of the most influential architects of the 21st century. His work has been featured in the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and has also been awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1980 for his notable contribution to the world of architecture and design.

Barragán was trained as an engineer and travelled through Spain and France after his graduation from university. He read the writings of Ferdinand Bac, a German-French writer, designer, and artist who greatly inspired him and brought him towards the roads of arts. His journey through Europe inspired him greatly as the architecture, landscaping and urban planning conformed to his view towards architecture. Returning to his hometown in Mexico, the Mexican architect started off with a series of small residential works in Guadalajara which was his birth town.

Now back in Mexico as an architect, filled with a poetic design sense, and obsessed with a belief of developing his own style of Modernist architecture, Luis Barragán started to believe in an ‘emotional architecture’ as opposed to the thought that a house is built as a ‘machine for living’. Also influenced by the European model of modernism, he designed buildings influenced by the characteristic, straight, clean lines of the Modernist movement, often using raw materials such as stone and wood. Bright shades of yellow and pink dominated most of his works, adding life and personality to his structures. He used dramatic use of natural and artificial light to make the tones of his natural forms and geometric design become more emphasized.

Remarkably, all his works have been located in Mexico. In 1945, he transformed gardens into the layout of Jardines del Pedregal, emphasizing the beginnings of his characteristic design language. Working in his hometown in Mexico, Luis Barragán sought to explore the native country’s beautiful nature that wonderfully complemented the natural, earthy colour palette of the region. This is also widely regarded as one of the most important works of modern architecture in Mexico, and for also being the turning point for Barragán’s career as an architect.

The Convento de las Capuchinas Sacramentarias en Tlálpan (1955) is a piece of evidence to the fact that Barragán had a sharp sense of going beyond just approaching aesthetics in his works which were unusual to the other architects. The architect managed to skillfully incorporate natural light in his sculptures, paying respect to the importance of nature in architecture. Similarly, Torres de Satéllite (1957), created in collaboration with sculptor Mathias Goeritz, is an array of urban sculptures, designed with a perspective of being viewed from the inside of a vehicle while traveling to work, and was an attempt to fill vitality to civil daily lives in a city. Both pieces suggest the architect’s thoughts and attempts to fuse nature and civil lives with his style of modern architecture. His creative approach towards architecture still remains to be the pioneer of modern architecture and gets tremendous respect in Modern Mexican culture.

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Cuadra San Cristóbal

Estancia FEMSA

Cuadra San Cristobal

Casa Gilardi

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I.M. PEI

POPULARIZING MODERNISM Written by Eunice Park

Ieoh Ming Pei, a Chinese-American architect, is one of the most famous architects in the genre of modern architecture. He was born in Shanghai and he traveled to the U.S at 17, initially attending University of Pennsylvania before transferring to Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture. In 1948, Pei joined a New-York based architectural firm Webb & Knapp, Inc., as its director of architecture. In 1955, he left to start his own firm, I. M. Pei & Associates (now known as Pei Cobb Freed & Partners). One of his first major projects was the Mile High Center in Denver, Colorado which contains a bunch of geometric rectangles. After the death of John F. Kennedy, Pei was in charge of building his presidential library. The presidential library was built in Massachusetts, and the building had a triangular shaped structure with a rectangular one attached right next to it, forming an aesthetic and unique geometry. Along with these accomplishments, he continuously created striking buildings around the world, including the west wing of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (1980) and the Fragrant Hill Hotel in China (1983). The Fragrant Hill Hotel also uses different sizes of rectangles to give a magnificent form. His Mesa Laboratory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, with its abstracted, blocky forms, took inspiration from the Southwest landscape, in particular nearby Anasazi Indian villages carved into the earth at Mesa Verde National Park. The East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, opened

Fragrant Hill Hotel

in 1978, is considered one of his masterpieces of geometric precision. In the late 1980s, he began working on revitalizing Paris’s Louvre museum Originally sparking controversy for its dissonantly stark modernism, the entrance he created for the historic museum, has since become one of the most iconic representations of his work. For more than 60 years, Pei was one of the world's most sought-after architects and has handled a wide range of commercial, government and cultural projects and he was one of the best architects in modern history. He ended his life in May, 2019.

Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

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ISOMETRY

BEYOND ARCHITECTURE:FASHION Written by Eunsoo Lee

“Isometric” may seem like an absurd term; however, various uses of isometric patterns surround us in our everyday lives. For instance, currently, in the fashion industry, the popularity of isometric patterns is rapidly increasing. Globally, celebrities are seen using fashion items such as bags or wallets with colourful monograms. Well known for its high-quality tote bags, the French luxury brand, Goyard is gaining more and more manias. The brand was founded in 1853 by Pierre-François Martin and was passed on from one generation to the next, just like a family heirloom. Goyard gained fame during the 1850’s for producing travelling trunks for aristocrats: every single trunk was customised individually and was lightweight and functional, proving to its customers the worthiness to purchase from the brand and being admired by numerous French nobles. The more popular Goyard got, the more iconic its pattern became along with it. It is most likely that you would have seen the pattern in the photo above at least once. The interweaving “Y”s represents three generations, each stroke of the Y symbolising a branch in the Goyard family tree. The phrase “Celebs love their Goyards” have lately been created as more and more celebrities began purchasing from Goyard and using various bags and wallets from the brand. When you walk in the streets, you will be able to see that not only celebrities own Goyards but you are surrounded by them!

Following up, Rosa.K is joining in on implementing monograms into fashion items. Rosa.K is a Korean brand which has lately been struck with popularity due to its isometric patterns: because designing monograms requires extreme precision, not many Korean brands were willing to use isometric patterns in their designs: Rosa.K was one of the first to attempt monogram fashion items. Just like Goyard is represented with “Y”s and Louis Vuitton with overlapping “L”s and “V”s, Rosa.K is represented through “R”s and “K”s in an isometric pattern. Rosa.K is well-known for its retro colour palette as well. Various colour combinations have been experimented with, drawing the eyes of the customers. Lately, a pink tote bag was used by Son Dambi and a white tote bag with illustrations of pac man was worn by Somi, once again highlighting the arousing fame of Rosa.K. We can clearly see that “isometry” is not only a complex and difficult concept but what we encounter in our daily life. Perhaps, from now on, you will be able to spot isometric patterns as you pass by in the streets or wait for the bus in the bus station or even when you open your own closet.

Rosa K. Bag Worn by Son Dambi

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GEOMETRY

FROM NATURE TO ARCHITECTURE Written by June Kim

The geometric patterns in honeycombs have attracted the attention of scientists and architects over many years. Honeycombs have a structure of hexagonal cells made of wax, each cell having holes for storage. The storage is for honey, which provides bees with energy they need to survive and reproduce. Since these resources are directly linked to their survival and reproduction, bees design their honeycombs very precisely and efficiently.

triangles or squares, because hexagons have more number of sides. Six walls are shared with six other hexagons, meaning that hexagonal cells require less total length of wall than triangles or squares. It reduces the amount of wax and therefore reduces the energy and time bees have to put in for making the combs. The saving of the energy and time allows the bees to put the energy to other important jobs, such as carrying pollen.

It is interesting that every single cell in every honeycomb is hexagonal. Bees could have chosen other geometrical shapes such as circles, squares, triangles, but bees always choose hexagons for building their honeycombs. In fact, they have special reasons for choosing hexagons.

The isometric patterns in honeycombs have inspired many architects and their works. Zaha hadid, an Iraqi architect, was also inspired by the unique structure and patterns of the honeycombs. She built a research campus in Riyadh(KAPSARC) based on her inspiration from the honeycomb. The honeycomb formation of the building was very effective as it reduced energy consumption in the hot desert climate of Riyadh. In addition, like the real honeycombs, the hexagonal structures of the building used the least material to create the cells within a given volume.

Hexagons are useful shapes for honeycombs. Hexagons fit each other perfectly. Every wall of each hexagon tightly meets with the walls of the other hexagon. With hexagonal cells, gaps between the cells are minimised; no space is wasted. Some of the geometrical shapes wouldn’t do that. For example, making circles wouldn’t work well in this sense as circles cannot fit with each other as tight and neat as hexagons do. It becomes very inefficient because circles create gaps between the circles, which wastes a significant amount of space.The waste of space means that bees cannot store enough resources in the comb. Hexagons reduce the amount of space wasted, giving bees more space for storage.

Through geometric patterns of hexagons, bees have created a perfect storage for their reproduction and survival. This effectiveness in resources and space in honeycombs is applied to many fields but is extremely crucial in architecture where architects are required to use space wisely. Like Zaha Hadid did with honeycombs, more architects should find inspiration from nature to build more efficient and beautiful buildings.

Then why would they use hexagons, not squares or equilateral triangles, which also fit each other neatly? To achieve better efficiency, not only the space, but also the resources used to build the honeycombs should be reduced. It means that individual cells should share as many walls as possible with other cells to maximise the number of walls they can make with a minimised amount of resources. In order to do so, hexagons are better than

NLCS ARCHITECTURE SOCIETY

KAPSARC By Zaha Hadid

KAPSARC

ISSUE 2

NLCS ARCHITECTURE SOCIETY

ISSUE 2

31 Chun Designed by Jinwoo

NLCS JEJU ARCHITECTURE