The New Grand Tour: 2010

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Intro

Contemporary imaging technology can be a multitude of media from television, photography, and the internet. The new world is bursting at the seams with information channeling back and forth as rays of light in fiber optic cables. From day to day routines to planning the most important events in our life, the internet is the most important communication tool created since the telephone. With the creativity minds (the general public) around the world we have developed a massive data base that information is constantly being streaming in from ever continent but since it is open and free then it is up to the user to filter out the nonsense and false information which can be a headache of a job. Companies such as Google have led the way to create a search engine that gets straight to the point. “It used to be that the Internet made information available, but Google makes it accessible” says Ken Auletta. Just as a teacher guides their students Google is guiding the people through the World Wide Web.

I live on the internet just like millions of others. The internet has changed every aspect of our life and we depend on it just as much as water, power, and food. To have a quick history of the internet’s development visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hIQjrMHTv4. In the morning I wake up and I’m immediately called to my computer to check my email, social networks, weather, and news. I can accomplish the first three within five minutes and this is even before I have left my bedroom in the morning. The point is that we have the potential to be in contact with anything or anyone the minute we wake. This may be useful depending on your personal or professional life but is so happens that I’m constantly probing the depths of information due to the nature of school and education.

“Here is an enormous incalcuble force… let loose suddenly upon mankind; exercising all sorts of influences, social, moral, and political; precipitating upon us novel problems which demand immediate solution; banishing the old before the new is half matured to replace it;…. Yet, with the curious hardness of a material age we rarely regard this new power otherwise than as a money getting and time-saving machine…. Not many of those….. who fondly believe they can control it ever stop to think of it as…. The most remendous and far-reaching engine of social change which has ever blessed or cursed manking (Quoted in Boorstin, The Americans: The National Experience, p. 581)

This fast-forward life style has its benefits but when does it become too fast and when are there too many choices. To the point that is mentioned above “banishing the old before the new is half mature” I feel that the internet is a blessing and a curse at the same time because it feeds the instant impulse that people are consumed by in society today. I think it filters down in to fields such as architecture and our desire to plan, design, build and sell in unreasonable time lines. The digital programs and internet combine to give the design and construction process a faster turnaround time but like the internet some ideas may not have time to mature and fully be understood before we move on to the next building.

We are now confronted with interpreting past methods of communication where they stand today. One educational tool that we are developing is a new grand tour of Rome and a new way to analyze the way in which we study architecture as it evolved. At the creation of the Grand Tour one had to gather the means to make the journey to Rome to witness the magnificent buildings first had. This allowed them to experience the sights, touch, and sounds of the place. They also had the privilege of interacting with the local culture that is closely tied to these structures. They would record everything they saw by sketch and drawing and would serve as a reference once they returned home. The next stage of developed came with the invention of the camera. Individuals now have the capacity to capture perspectives of a structure fairly quickly and easily interpreted by others. The Sturgis collection was gathered over time and arranged for the viewing of young professionals interested in the grand tour. This album contains images of the buildings that were easily reproduced in comparison to drawing or sketching, so it served as way to spread the information of these buildings. The final stage is the present day with the internet at our fingertips with a combination of videos, imagines, and text about nearly every subject including the monumental buildings of Rome. With the speed of information we know about buildings before they even begin construction, get to watch as they are erected in real life or through documentaries, and see the building in its completion in a short time frame. This constant recording and surveillance of the world gives us a different perspective of the world and takes away some of the surprise if or when we actually come in contact with the building.

“The internet is anarchy. It doesn’t have a government, it doesn’t have a head, and it doesn’t even have a map. Its information and connections” – Barlow to Rocky Mountain News, December 6, 1994. The fantastic element about the internet is that it is not controlled or own by one single person. With a computer and internet access anyone can surf and collect the information they require. This is enormously different than the isolated systems reserved for a few individuals or institutions. The grand tour was originally accessible to young men with significant amount of money to travel to Rome for extend periods of time. Today it is no longer a question about where to find the information but rather how? Speed and accuracy is the key to navigating the seas knowledge floating around the internet and my blog represents a glimpse into a combination of multimedia sources all located on a single page. Potentially an individual can take the grand tour on Google earth and find its place in the world along with brief descriptions of earth building. Or maybe someone would like to take a look at a collection of images. The last and quite possibly the most interesting resource may be videos posted by ordinary people. Their candid videos capture the sense of a place, the noise and the tourists in a way that a commercial video does not. In a way we have a collective memory now and the lines between what we do as an individual and as a community are blurred with the introduction of the instant communication of the internet.

Video Clips

Google Earth Tour

Grand tour on google earth
This feature will allow you to see the relative location of each building to one another and to the rest of the city. It also provides bried descriptions and points of interest close by.

Arch of Constantine

Arch of Constantine
Google Earth Model

21m high, 25m wide and 7m dt was erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312. Dedicated in 315, it is the latest of the existing triumphal arches in Rome, from which it differs by spolia, the extensive re-use of parts of earlier buildings "

Vatican City

Vatican City
Google Earth Model

"The name "Vatican" is ancient and predates Christianity, coming from the Latin Mons Vaticanus, meaning Vatican Mount."

The Pope is the head of the Vatican City government

"The Pope resides in the Papal Apartments of the Papal Palace just off Saint Peter's Square. It is here he carries out his business and meets foreign representatives."

The Pantheon

The Pantheon
Google Earth Model

A temple dedicated to all the gods is known for its oculus. It uses a traditional temple front but the main structure is circular with a dome top. Materials, crafts, and art were gathered from all corners of the empire at the time to decorate and create the interior spaces. The use of concrete helped them achieve this form but the weight of the material posed a problem as they built up and in with no key center piece.

Parthenon

Parthenon
Google Earth Model

Located in Athens Greece, it was created for the goddess Athena (the protector of Athens) by Iktonos and Kalikrates. It is upon the acropolis which is an elevated rock hill above the town. It represents a holy place that is separated from the civic by a journey up the abrupt rocky face hill.

The Vittoriano

The Vittoriano
Giuseppe Sacconi in 1895
Google Earth Model

Monument to honor Victor Emanuel who was the first king under the newly unified Italy. It is large in comparison to most buildings in Rome and it contrasts the surrounding neighborhood with its brilliant white surfaces.

Colosseum

The Colosseum
Google earth

Construction began under the emperor Vespasian and completed under Titus rought 80 AD. Capable of seating 50,000 for view gladiators combat one another.

Old St. Peters Church

St. Peters Church
Google earth model

The Church is a tomb for St. Peter as well as a church to hold regular services. It is believed that the resting place of St. peter is directly below the alter. Construction began in 26 under the rule of Constantine and took roughly 30 years to complete. Early on the plans for the church change several times. Below are examples of a few variations.

Maxxi Museum

1999 Maxxi Museum
Zaha Hadid

National Museum that houses contemporary art work "In addition to the two museums, the MAXXI also features an auditorium, a library and media library specialized in art and architecture, a bookshop, a cafeteria, a bar/restaurant, galleries for temporary exhibition, performances, educational activities."

"Particular attention has been given to the natural lighting, by the thin concrete beams on the ceiling, together with glass covering and filtering systems"-

karmatrendz

Auditorium Parco Della Musica

Auditorium Parco Della Musica 2002
Renzo Piano

The auditorium is a creation of Renzo Piano in a northing section of Rome that was once used for the 1960s Olympic games. It consists of three halls of various sizes with a central outdoor seating/performance area. The first is named Sala Petrassi (seats 700), second Sala Sinopoli (seats 1200) and finally Sala Santa Cecilia (seats 2800).The materials used for the structure are "gracefully-thin red brick, travertine floor" and in addition a red cherry wood on the interior.

Jubilee

2003 Jubilee Church
Rome Italy
Renzo Piano

Three large precast concrete curved walls define the church in much the same way the Sydney opera house is constructed. The concrete is a special mix to maintain the pearly white surface and because of this its appearance changes through out the day and seasons. This is a modern version of a church but still tries to capture light in an inspiring way just as its predecessors did. Richard Meier states that the design was also drive by reducing the heat gains of the structure.