For the final task of this unit we had to conduct an interview with an experienced designer coming from a contemporary field of design. A person who truly inspires me is a local architect, Steve Scicluna. After graduating from the University of Malta with a Bachelors degree and masters in Built Environment studies and Architectural Design, he started working with Martin Xuereb and Associates (a well known architectural firm in Malta) although he does some independent work as well for clients and also intends to open his own business soon. According to Steve, in order for one to come up with a good design, one must start with a good brief; an understanding of the use or the people using this specific space or furniture. This, combined with inspiration specifically targeted for a specific space, then come up with ideas which make sense spatially and aesthetically but most importantly, which address the client’s needs. As regards to style he describes his approach to design in three words; Minimal, Functional and Truth to Material which reminded me of many famous architects that I mentioned in other blog posts especially contemporary ones. This concept inspired me to come up with the model design for another Unit. Below are some photos of parts of the model where I kept in mind the three words when working on the project. There are a couple of architects/designers that have inspired him during the years. The three that have most affected his way of thinking are Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe and Tadao Ando. I myself am quite familiar with two of the architects since I have done some research on them already although Tadao Ando was a new name to me. Tadao Ando was a Japanese architect who started his career on a totally different path and decided he would teach himself architecture becoming one of the greatest contemporary architects. Frank Loyd WrightLudwig Mies Van Der RoheTadao AltoBeing involved in a vast range of projects ranging from hotels to residential to restoration, the architect gave up most importance to every single one of them. Although Steve doesn't mind working on big projects, he prefers working on small ones where he is in control of everything starting with architectural / structural design, ending up with interior design / finishing & detailing of the project. One of the projects of his is a small house where according to the client's requirements, which were met in such a small and compact space. It was a textbook example in which form follows function. The project was featured in a local magazine ‘Homeworks’ Issue 74. What I like the most about this architect is that any idea he comes up with he tries anything and everything to make it happen even if it requires him building it himself. The two examples below show two designs from the bathroom of the Tree house which I wrote about before. After comping up with the idea and brainstorming, he draws up plan and elevation on CAD, gathers the materials needed and starts building it piece by piece. If needed he calls in someone who is familiar with working on these materials such as concrete or pluming and continues the work from there. Then finally he finishes it off and installs it into the fitting or space allocated. When looking at different spaces and interiors, what first catches the eye is the harmony and proportion in which the space, building or piece of furniture fits in its surroundings. If it fits well and is delivering an idea which makes sense, then it feels correct. Second most important thing is the media used (material, textures, etc....) followed by good detailing. REFERENCES
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Recently deceased, it is fair to say she left a huge impact on the world with her revolutionary designs and buildings. Dama Zaha Mohammad Hadid was an architect like no other. After graduating from studying architecture and mathematics, she started working at the (OMA) Office of Metropolitan Architecture. Although she did start working during the 1970's her designs started to get popular during the 1990's. Her futuristic designs with complex forms, organic curves and elongated structures got her and award in International design compassion in 2002 and also the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004. To her surprise she was the first female Muslim that won this title which is considered similar to the Nobel price. Having visited one of Hadid's powerful buildings including Heydar Aliyev Centre in Azerbaijan, I got to witness what the fuss about her buildings was all about. Zaha also took part in an exhibit at the Millennium Dome in London named Mind Zone which I also got a chance to visit a few years ago. "Structurally the exhibit integrates the content with the usage of evolutionary materials. Its materiality is focused on the synthetic, the mind made materials of the present. The brief to create a continuous floor / wall / soffit has produced a unique lightweight transparent panel made from glass fiber skins with an aluminium honeycomb structure. Similarly the base steel structure is layered with translucent materials, which seek to create an ephemeral temporal quality.” Zaha Hadid talking about the Mind Zone Exhibit. The Vitra Fire Station was one of the first architectural projects that Zaha Hadid got featured in. Despite it being called a firestation, the building now serves a different purpose and stands as a design museum of Vitra. It is somewhat different than what Zaha is well known for since usually her structures are a bit more organic while these look a bit edgy and rectangular. References
Postmodernism started as a reaction to Modernism during the late 1970's. The movement reacted against the traditional elements of style although it is also “ a globalizing, post industrial world of media, communication and information systems. It is organised on the basis of a market-orientated world of consumption rather than work and production…it is a world of culture in which tradition, consensual values…universal beliefs and standards have been challenged, undermined and rejected for heterogeneity, differentiation and difference.” (Bernard, 2007) . This style effected a vast amount of areas including architecture, music, fashion, literature and technology. Besides starting as a reaction, the style was inspired mostly by Classicsm, Art Deco, Constructivism and the De Stijl movement. I was lucky enough to pass by the No.1 Poultry building quite a few times when I was in London and found it quite interesting, although unfortunately I didn't know what style it fell under at the time so I didn't appreciate it as much. ALDO ROSSIDespite Aldo Rossi's claims that he " cannot be Postmodern" and that he had " never been Modern", most of his works feature the bold forms and colours ad other details which are tied with the Postmodern Movement. Rossi was an Italian architect which was first from his country to be given the Spritzer Architecture prize. The San Cataldo Cemetery (shown below) is considered to be one of the most important Postmodern structures even though it was never finished. It may look very different from the cemeteries we are used to seeing but this cube made out of terracotta serves the same purpose a normal one would. PostModernism in MaltaIn Malta we do see similar examples and qualities of this style. Below are images of some the work of the architect and artist Richard England. Dar il-Hanin Samaritan in Santavenera, Aquasun Lido in Paceville and lastly Church of St Francis of Assisi in Qawra. All three of them can be compared with Aldo Rossi's Cemetery building. Immediately you'd notice the square holes and bold colours which are clearly evident in each structure. References
![]() As a group it was decided that the topic selected for Task 2 would be about the International style. The first step was gathering the necessary knowledge and research to understand what the topic is about and to start collecting information. The research was not only limited to websites and the library, but local magazines were also used to find some examples for the presentation. Even though the research did not produce many sources, a number of places were found to posses both spatial and product designs relative to the topic choice. My role was to carry our further research about the style itself and try to find examples of buildings or interior spaces in Gozo. After finding plenty information about what the International Style is about, as well as its history and characteristics, I narrowed it down to the most vital information, which could be mentioned, during our presentation. This information included famous examples of designers and architects. After searching an interesting example of an interior, which had this style’s qualities, was found. Unfortunately since there were people renting at the time pictures were not able to be taken by the team. Since I could not be present for all of the site visitations included in the presentation I was tasked to compile the powerpoint myself. In the presentation there would be, an introduction where the international style is explained and what it is about. A section regarding information of the history and characteristics of the style was included. I also included some images portraying the examples of well- known buildings of the International Style. Once this was done, all the local examples the group found and researched were added. Although there is room for improvement in general regarding our style and our information collected as a group I believe we worked well to gather information and divided the work equally. I was also glad we were given this style to research and talk about since I’ve learnt so much and it is an interesting fact that we found so many examples on such a small island and how we never realised they fall under such a style. Most importantly the research done was connected with what was said during lessons and this also showed how the International style was influenced by the movement before it yet also influence what came after. It also comes to show how people design according to their current needs and since at the time there was need for change from the decorative elements on buildings, the need for more commercial building and also the discovery of new construction techniques, led to develop the International Style. Cubism was a short lived movement pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque around the 1900's. It was one of the first styles that revolved around Abstract forms during the Modern movement. Cubist architecture reflected many of the features found in cubist art. As cubism rejected detail and focused more on the abstract form so did Cubist Architecture. The basic features of Cubism, include asymmetrical compositions, transparency, geometric lines, sharp edges, different volumes, multi-faceted facade and simultaneous perception. Colours are sometimes also restricted to one palette. Architects also focused on the relation between inside and outside when designing a Cubist styled building. Despite its originality cubist architecture did get some negativity mainly because of the fact that the materials needed were expensive since not all materials could achieve that certain effect. Below are some images of well known cubist buildings. "The main elements of the building are assembled as a single entity in which a range of facilities are internally connected and made accessible without going outside." about the School of Management in Moscow (seen below) / Adjaye Associates & AB Studios" 12 Mar 2012. ArchDaily. Cubic Houses in RotterdamThe cubic houses were built in the 1970's by architect Piet Blom. This was not the first time that Blom had used this design and most probably that was why he had been chosen. He was asked to come up with an idea for houses which were to be built on top of a pedestrian bridge. He choose this particular design as he wanted to create an impression of a forest. Each cube would represent a deconstructed/cubist tree, creating an illusion of a forest instead of an actual village. The houses, spread over three floors since space is very limited, are exemplary of the typical cubist architectural style although the design is not practical at all. The overall design was costly but the result was a really unique one. References
Pop Design is basically another word for Popular Design which flourished during the 1950's. After the war people started opting for cheaper and mass produced materials such as plastic and fibres. Some of this style's characteristics are vibrant colours, cheap and disposable materials, strange patterns, celebrity culture and advertisement. FashionThe Fashion industry was also interested in Pop Design. Designers started to invent ways to incorporate some characteristics from this particular style into fashion. Some of the most famous were from New York such as Keith Haring and Patricia Field who did a collaboration together (some of the pictures below). We still see some designers today such as Jeremy Scott who designs a lot of Pop Design outfits, and is also famous for designing outfits for many famous singers including, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. It is good to note that Andy Warhol was another famous Pop Artist which actually began his career in fashion illustration. Some of his designs were actually featured in the famous fashion magazine, Designers , up to this day, continue to look at Warhol and his work for inspiration. Another example where designers incorporated this style into their designs: Yves Saint Laurent, managed to turn a Piet Mondrian painting into a dress successfully. Furniture DesignApart from fashion, Pop design also had a huge influence on furniture especially chair design. One from many of my favourite designers would be Verner Panton. After getting a chance to see some of his chair designs at Vitra I could see what all the fuss was about. Verner Panton used materials such as moulded plastic and fibre glass, making the chair very durable. What is truly astonishing is the fact that people today are still buying these kinds of chairs (mostly the Panton shown bottom left) for their homes/offices and designers are looking at him for inspiration. References
Deconstruct and construct, dissemble and assemble is the concept of this style. The design is meant to shock and confuse the viewer. Deconstructionism came about during the 1980's , a school of architecture that emphasises distorted forms and different volumes. Architects were inspired from Russian Constructivism which had similar characteristics to this style. Examples of the movement include; Peter Eisenman’s Wexner Center for the Artsin Ohio, Bernard Tschumi’s Parc de la Villette in France and Zaha Hadid’s Contemporary Arts Centre in Ohio ( in order of photos). Frank GehryFrank Gerhy is said to be the pioneer of the movement that rejected form and deconstruction as the name of the style itself suggests. With fragmented forms and rectilinear shapes as characteristics of most of the buildings which today are some of the most influential and most visited. After studying architecture at university and working with a firm he decided to open up his own. Little did he know he'd later become one of the most important and famous architects of all time. Some of his most famous buildings which can also be seen below are ; the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angelesand the Weisman Museum, Minneapolis. References
The duo who helped in shaping the designs of the 20th century and who influenced and still influence designers around the world. Both coming having an artistic/architectural background, together they created some of the worlds most famous pieces of furniture. They were the first to design and mass produce furniture with such organic curves using materials such as molded plywood, fiberglass, wire mesh, and cast aluminium. Apart from designing furniture the couple also experimented in the fields of graphic design, fine art and filming. ![]() Charles and Ray Eames even designed and built their own home located in California which now also serves as a space for the Eames Foundation. Ritvield and Eames."If one compares my chairs with those of Rietveld, then mine are much more naive. Rietveld started out from intellectual conceptions to which he subordinated the facts and the reality. We, on the other hand, were completely taken in by the facts, by the immediate reality, for example, that a chair in the first place is something (a gadget) to sit on, and therefore should be comfortable. Aesthetic considerations did not come first with us." Charles Eames Charles is basically saying how unlike the chairs designed by Rietveld, they payed more attention to ergonometrics and comfort rather than how it looked. When looking at the two chairs, one would obviously choose the Eames chair since it looks and feels more comfortable unlike the rigid lines and angles found on the Rietveld chair making it awkward for one to sit on. The way Eames designed most their chairs was by using moulding and shaping plywood which resulted in organic forms, comfortable seating and support. Although today many designers focus on the Aesthetics when designing furniture some still follow Eames's method . With the current hectic lifestyle most of us have having a comfortable chair is kept in mind when opting to buy one. References
![]() Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe was a german architect who's style exemplified the International Style. Starting to work in the architectural field at a very young age, it is safe to say that he was quite experienced in the field. He is also known to be one of the last Bauhaus figures and was given the title in 1930 . The first house he was commissioned to build was the The Ryder House in Wiesbaden. A rather plane and simple building with a muted palette. Quite different from the buildings he is known for but then again this design had ties with the Bauhaus. “Architecture epitomises the human being’s spatial confrontation with his environment; it expresses how he asserts himself in it and how he manages to master it.” (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe) Van Der Rohe's most famous work found in Europe is the Barcelona Pavillion which is sometimes referred to as the German Pavillion. Travertine Marble , Green Marble, Onyx Marble, flat roof, frosted glass, two pools, nude sculpture out of bronze and just a bit of artificial lighting are most of the features found in this space. In it one can also find the famous Barcelona Chair made out of steel and leather, considered as a classic 20th Century piece. Below are pictures of parts of an assignment from another Unit, using the same designs by Mies of the Barcelona Chair and the Barcelona Pavillion, with programs such as 3DS MAX and photoshop to make them look as real as possible. The task included finding similar materials and applying them to the models then late manipulating the image to look as realistic as possible on Photoshop which made us appreciate every square inch of the building and learn the true forms and materials used. References
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