Blog Post-Poetry Composition

Free Verse:

Dancing in the wind to a tempo all ones own.

Rhythm seen only in the repetition of these objects. 

Common items turned into a structure of beauty.

Balance producing perfect harmony.

Rigid yet graceful in a style all ones own.

Reading Response #5

Hagia Sophia:

Hagia Sophia located in Istanbul, Turkey is the Church of Holy Wisdom, it is a former Byzantine Church and a former Ottoman mosque.  Although today is now a museum and is known as one of the great buildings of the world.  

- 532-37 CE

- one of the greatest buildings in the Western world

- a 30 meter square is in the center

- an earthquake destroyed the dome in 557 CE

- Anthemius and Justinian produced the dome structure

- one of the most talked about buildings in Christian world

- a second and new one was built

- the dome was scalloped with 40 ribs

- windows along the base making it appear as if it is floating

- a screen of columns and windows close off the east and west arches

- the building can be looked into on both sides

- the sense of drama that pervades the building is created by the north and south galleries

- this divides the buttressing into different segments

- the vaults were made of thin brick

- to prevent problems buttresses were put on the exterior

- light shines directly into the nave

- the building appears to be effortless

- ones eye moves to each surface making it seem like structure was no present

- covered with gold mosaic

-the exterior of the Hagia Sophia

- the interior dome of the building

- a plan view drawing of the building

Reading Response #4

The Colosseum:

The Colosseum in Rome was from 72-80 CE, it was the first and largest theater that was designed as a freestanding object holding up to fifty thousand people.

- aerial view of the Colosseum

- this shows the exterior wall of the Colosseum

- the interior of the Colosseum

- common element in Greek and Roman cities
- built with concrete vaults
- it is still standing today
- it sits in a valley between three hills
- known as a landmark
- can be be seen from all directions
- was a place for public punishment until the 8th century
- gladiatorial combats and the exhibition of wild beasts took place
- there is a balanced interpretation of structure and mass
- the wall was fifty three meters high
- the layers of the wall were divided into Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian
- no openings were on the forth story
- to support awnings large masts were clamped against the building
- was at Rome's center
- similar to the Temple of Fortuna
- used for entertainment, sports, and battle
- columns appeared to be more structural than they actually were
- has underground vaults
- it has survived through earthquakes, fires, and lootings

Campus Circles

The location on campus that I found most successful was the back entrance to the Jackson Library.  Everything was on axis and looked like it was placed where it was for a purpose.  It was done this way because it was one of the main buildings on the original campus.  The axis it was located on also contained the Stone Building, Music Building, and Education Building.  Looking from any of the locations, you can see the others perfectly.  The back entrance to the library was also on axis with the statue of Duncan McIver.  All of this greatly added to the successfulness of commodity in this campus circle.  The firmness of the space is just as successful.  The most obvious would be that it has withstood the test of time and remained in good condition for as long as it has.  But with firmness being deeper then just this, it also is successful in the way that it serves as a front porch into the library.  The columns give it the entryway sense as well as making it recognizable as an important location on our campus.  The delight of this space is successful as well.  It flows well with the other older architecture on the campus that is still standing.  This entrance is the most beautiful part of the library.  The addition to the library serves its purpose but is in my opinion the most tasteless building on our campus.  The materials used on the back entrance are classic and timeless.  The overhang provides shade from the sun while still allowing light in between the columns.  It also allows for a place to have recessed lighting for when natural light is no longer prominent.  The final successful element of this campus circle is the message it sends across.  Circles are placed in important or sacred spots.  The placement of this circle into the library represents a place of knowledge on our campus.  We know that knowledge and wisdom are significant to our campus because the theme is carried through to the statue of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom.  This was the most successful campus circle to me because when I was there, all the features we were to look for made sense and I feel that even non-majors would be able to see the great layout and beauty of this campus circle.