The Last Resort: Building Big Architecture in Big Landscapes

<p>Accommodating large groups of people typically requires large architecture. However, in precious landscapes, such as National Parks, large architectural interventions are often opposed on the grounds of an aesthetic cost to the landscape. Most of the building activity that has attracted this opposition detracts from the natural environment by both dominating the landscape and being indifferent to it. In attempts to mitigate aesthetic damage, other buildings are composed in such a way that is ‘sympathetic’ with the landscape. Employing strategies of fragmentation, dispersion, miniaturization, and camouflage, the ideal of these approaches is an invisible building. But because no building is invisible, this is an unproductive direction for the discipline. The high-end resort typology would require a relatively large footprint and would suffer the same critique as the approaches noted above. What strategies do architects need to take to develop large buildings in the landscape that are neither invisible nor an aesthetic expense? And, in the pursuit of large architectural interventions, how can these operations enhance the qualities of the landscape, such that the landscape is made more intelligible, more spectacular, more powerful or more dramatic? Forming the first section of this thesis, a proposed high-end resort development at Waikaremoana critically explores formal solutions that enhance the Urewera landscape. Employing a research through design methodology, a critical analysis of both problematic and exemplary precedents has unearthed a range of formal strategies that enhance and detract from the landscape respectively. A ‘before and after’ comparison technique has been employed throughout this analysis - and the design process - to determine whether the interventions strengthen or weaken the landscape. In response to the densely forested site, the scheme employs cutting as a general formal gesture - generating both an ecological and cultural cross section through the site, while providing pedestrian access from road to lake. Developed through an intuitive design process, the scheme has tested the architectural possibilities of occupying a cut and how such an intervention may enhance the dramatic qualities of the landscape. Highlighting the intellectual implications of the issues raised throughout the design process, a written argument forms the second section of this thesis. This proposition looks to the cutting formal traditions of land-art, particularly of the 1960s-70s, for insight into architectural forms that enhance the landscape. Reading the cut as “not landscape” and “not architecture,” Rosalind Krauss’s (1979) “Sculpture in the Expanded Field” provides a starting platform for this inquiry. Several overlooked cutting interventions within Te Urewera build on this knowledge, rethinking various aspects of the cut and how it can operate to enhance the landscape. Providing connectivity, security and a place for confrontation, a cutting formal strategy offers opportunities to enhance both architecture and the landscape.</p>

The Last Resort: Building Big Architecture in Big Landscapes

<p>Accommodating large groups of people typically requires large architecture. However, in precious landscapes, such as National Parks, large architectural interventions are often opposed on the grounds of an aesthetic cost to the landscape. Most of the building activity that has attracted this opposition detracts from the natural environment by both dominating the landscape and being indifferent to it. In attempts to mitigate aesthetic damage, other buildings are composed in such a way that is ‘sympathetic’ with the landscape. Employing strategies of fragmentation, dispersion, miniaturization, and camouflage, the ideal of these approaches is an invisible building. But because no building is invisible, this is an unproductive direction for the discipline. The high-end resort typology would require a relatively large footprint and would suffer the same critique as the approaches noted above. What strategies do architects need to take to develop large buildings in the landscape that are neither invisible nor an aesthetic expense? And, in the pursuit of large architectural interventions, how can these operations enhance the qualities of the landscape, such that the landscape is made more intelligible, more spectacular, more powerful or more dramatic? Forming the first section of this thesis, a proposed high-end resort development at Waikaremoana critically explores formal solutions that enhance the Urewera landscape. Employing a research through design methodology, a critical analysis of both problematic and exemplary precedents has unearthed a range of formal strategies that enhance and detract from the landscape respectively. A ‘before and after’ comparison technique has been employed throughout this analysis - and the design process - to determine whether the interventions strengthen or weaken the landscape. In response to the densely forested site, the scheme employs cutting as a general formal gesture - generating both an ecological and cultural cross section through the site, while providing pedestrian access from road to lake. Developed through an intuitive design process, the scheme has tested the architectural possibilities of occupying a cut and how such an intervention may enhance the dramatic qualities of the landscape. Highlighting the intellectual implications of the issues raised throughout the design process, a written argument forms the second section of this thesis. This proposition looks to the cutting formal traditions of land-art, particularly of the 1960s-70s, for insight into architectural forms that enhance the landscape. Reading the cut as “not landscape” and “not architecture,” Rosalind Krauss’s (1979) “Sculpture in the Expanded Field” provides a starting platform for this inquiry. Several overlooked cutting interventions within Te Urewera build on this knowledge, rethinking various aspects of the cut and how it can operate to enhance the landscape. Providing connectivity, security and a place for confrontation, a cutting formal strategy offers opportunities to enhance both architecture and the landscape.</p>

Galarkin Method with GeoGebra in Differential Equations

Let us consider d 2 y d x 2 + y = Q ( x , a ) , y ( 0 ) = y ( 1 ) = 0 , x , a ∈ ( 0 , 1 ) . . In the following paper, various differential equations will be displayed, which willbe solved using Galerkin’s numericla method and where formal solutions and their numerical approximations can be seen with GeoGebra animated Apptles.

Summability of formal solutions for a family of generalized moment integro-differential equations

Generalized summability results are obtained regarding formal solutions of certain families of linear moment integro-differential equations with time variable coefficients. The main result leans on the knowledg e of the behavior of the moment derivatives of the elements involved in the problem. A refinement of the main result is also provided giving rise to more accurate results which remain valid in wide families of problems of high interest in practice, such as fractional integro-differential equations.

Monumental painting in stone Catholic churches of Eastern Galicia in the second half of XVIII century. Topography, compositional types and techniques of illusionistic monumental art

The purpose of the article is to analyze compositional types, topography, methods, and techniques used in the formal solution of mural compositions in the Catholic churches of Eastern Galicia in the second half of the XVIII century. The methodology lies in the usage of art historical methods of stylistic analysis and generally scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction. The scientific novelty of the research is in the analysis of methods and techniques used by Galician masters in the second half of XVII century for implementation of mural compositions that were interpreted, adapted to local artistic traditions. The research can be used in the attribution of saved samples of the monumental art. Conclusions. The monumental painting in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in particular in Galicia, developed in the context of artistic trends in West and Central European countries. Chronologically, the development of monumental painting in Galicia ranged from the thirties until the late XVIII century. As for the formal characteristics of monumental art, in the territory of the Commonwealth, the most common were three compositional types of polychrome: local variation of Italian «quadro riportato», illusionistic and panoramic. The basis of the first is the method of placing of the image on the vault area, framed with imitated or sculpted frame, the second is based on the quadrature and other methods and techniques of illusionistic monumental art, the third includes a panoramic image on the vault. In Galicia, the third type of vault decoration has not become widespread. Visiting masters were the bearers of these trends. They implemented the polychrome in local cathedrals, using a wide variety of methods and techniques for the formal solutions of mural compositions, typical for European art schools. Later, local artists adopted this experience, creating polychromes with certain interpretations of compositional types.

Massless fermions in planar Bianchi-type-I universes: exact and approximate solutions

Based upon the exact formal solutions of the Weyl–Dirac-equation in anisotropic planar Bianchi-type-I background spacetimes with power law scale factors, one can introduce suitable equivalence classes of the solutions of these models. The associated background spacetimes are characterized by two parameters. It is shown that the exact solutions of all models of a given equivalence class can be generated with the help of a special transformation of these two parameters, provided one knows a single exact solution of an arbitrary member of this class. The method can also be utilized to derive approximate solutions, i.e. solutions which exhibit the correct behavior at early and at late times as well. This is explicitly demonstrated for the case of the anisotropic Kasner background with axial symmetry.

The Obverse/Reverse Pavilion: An Example of a Form-Finding Design of Temporary, Low-Cost, and Eco-Friendly Structure

Temporary pavilions play an important role as experimental fields for architects, designers, and engineers, in addition to providing exhibition spaces. Novel structural and formal solutions applied in pavilions also can give them an unusual appearance that attracts the eyesight of spectators. In this article, the authors explore the possibility of combining structural novelty, visual attractiveness, and low cost in the design and construction of a temporary pavilion. For that purpose, an innovative structural system and design approach was applied, i.e., a membrane structure was designed in Rhino and Grasshopper environments with the use of the Kiwi!3D IsoGeometric analysis tool. The designed pavilion, named Obverse/Reverse, was built in Opole, Poland, for the occasion of World Architecture Day in July 2019. The design and the construction were performed by the authors in cooperation with students belonging to the Humanization of Urban Environment organization from the Faculty of Architecture Wroclaw University of Science and Technology. The resultant pavilion proved the potential of obtaining a low-budget but visually attractive architectural solution with the adaption of parametrical design tools and some scientific background with innovative structural systems.

The Obverse/Reverse Pavilion: An Example of Form-Finding With Isogeometric Analysis in the Design of Temporary, Low-Cost and Eco-Friendly Structure

Temporary pavilions play an important role as experimental fields for architects, designers and engineers, apart from providing exhibition spaces. Novel structural and formal solutions applied in pavilions also can give them unusual appearance that attracts eyesight of spectators. In this article authors explore the possibility of combination of structural novelty, visual attractiveness and low-cost by a design and construction of a temporary pavilion. For that purpose, an innovative structural system and design approach was applied, i.e. membrane structure designed in Rhino and Grasshopper environments with the use of Kiwi!3D IsoGeometric analysis tool. The designed pavilion, named Obverse/Reverse, was built in Opole, Poland, for the occasion of World Architecture Day in July 2019. Design and construction was performed by the authors in cooperation with students&rsquo; organisation Humanisation of Urban Environment from the Faculty of Architecture Wroclaw University of Science and Technology. The Rresultant pavilion proved the possibility of obtaining a low-budgets but visually attractive architectural solution with the adaption of parametrical design tools and some scientific background with innovative structural systems.