Opus: The P Week

Periphery. Periphery can be defined as the outlying boundary of and area or shape. In architecture, it is critical to work in accordance with the periphery, or the outer parameters instilled by nature or other forms of boundaries. An example of a city/location which has a strict periphery to abide by is the city of Venice. Venice is surrounded by water and their architectural limits must work in accordance with the natural limits. Many natural forms seem to make architectural endeavors impossible, but over time, people have learned to adapt to their natural limits. Venice has learned to adapt to the rise and fall of the tides of the sea by creating higher stoops to entry ways. Also, the peoples from Venice accept the tides and continue their daily lives despite the rise of the sea. Peripheral vision is the side vision or the outer most images available to the visual spectrum, or the boundary to which the eye is able to see.




Portfolio. Portfolio is the accumulation of works to make up an entire vision of work. A portfolio is usually organized and provides clarity to what is perceived by the author to his audience. In architecture, this may include floor plans, sketches, accent ideas, dimensions... The criteria as to which a desired outcome is planned and made possible logically on paper. Being an artist, my senior year in high school I was to create an art portfolio in my AP art class. My portfolio was comprised of all my works of the year, including my concentration pieces which all were related and my breadth pieces showing my abilities with other materials. My concentration pieces were all progressing forms of body art from more traditional to modern using text, warm colors paired with grayscale. To me, the concentration form of my art portfolio is what I think of when I consider an architectural portfolio. I feel that it is comprised of many works to establish a central goal, and is tied together with related elements. My art portfolio is something that I am probably most proud of from my high school career, and that also makes me assume that an architectural porfolio is dear to the designer and has had many, many hours invested in it. A portfolio is a clear representation for others to see the thoughts and intentions of the designer.



Process. Process is an event or happening that is achieved over time. When I think of process or a process I think of a passing of time, no process can be achieved at once. The Renaissance was a process that sprouted from Italy. It was not as though the Roman Empire falls, then there's automatically the Dark Ages, and then in a days time that turns into the Gothic era and then soon after the Renaissance. There was a process leading to these different stages in time, architectural styles developed and ideals changed from the classical time to the Renaissance. The process included the use of arch systems and orders and domes, the intentions or goals became altered and the technological abilities improved. Also, the construction of a form in itself is a process. There must be the ideas, the portfolio, the technoligical abilities, the peripheral allowance, the commodity, firmness, and delight to be determined before the ground is even broken and the structure built. And the building itself is another process, from the foundation, up. Nothing in architectural history or in the theory of design is capable without the undergoing of a process, whether substantial or not. Being an artist, my pieces were a process as well; from the initial goal, to the plan for the design, to the intital ground breaking or the beginning of the drawing process, to the adjusting what has been begun in the creation as opposed to the vision, to the final, complete piece.



Perspective. Perspective holds several definitions or forms. Perspective can be defined as the way in which an individual perceieves what is before their eyes. Despite the intentions of a designer, the perspective of the viewer in their own hands. Perspective makes me think of the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Different angles of a structre can aslo be a way of looking at perspective. The designer should consider the delight from different angles, whether its elaborate or fluid, but it is important for different angles to be visually pleasing.
Also, perspective can be a form of drawing. In my drawing class i have learned drawing in one-pint and two-point perspectives . This enables you to draw one or two viewing angles on a two dimensional sheet of paper to make a three dimensional appearance.



Professional. When I think of professional, I think of the quality of a work. The more professional, or the more clear the design is, the more seriously it is to be taken. By taking a professional appeal to a design, the audience is more likely to respect the designer. Also, professional refers to the intelliegence of an individual with their profession. A professional individual also has respect because of the way in which they carry themselves.