Now, had I been prepping a decade in advance to get my architecture license, I would have considered this Kaplan in front of me a daunting enemy that must be conquered to reach success, but since I am a mere intern, this familiar face for an unfamiliar field was a welcoming friend that I was relieved to accept guidance from. As I cracked open Programming, Planning & Practice and Architectural History, I felt a rush of euphoria at the sight of bolded titles and italicized subtitles (I admit this even triggered a tad bit of nostalgia. Don't worry, Enji, you have two APs coming in May. Plenty of prepbook-time...). This structural introduction to architecture was comfortable and most importantly, digestible.
Architectural History will be useful for expanding my general knowledge base and for extracting trends of change in architecture throughout history. I will be studying architecture in a chronological sequence, starting at "Classical Architecture," transitioning to some of my favorite segments such as "Medieval Architecture," and ending with "20th Century and Beyond." Architectural Planning an Programming I plan to use more extensively because it is more in the same vein as my research. The sections that will be most useful are "Programming and Space Needs," "Design Relationship to the Human Body," "Urban Design," "The Human Dimension," and "Environmental Factors." Unfortunately, I cannot sub these texts in as my only sources because my focus is more specific. These texts will primarily be beneficial for pinpointing which section of architecture is best aligned with my thesis and for building my fluency with architectural jargon (yay).
You write extremely well! But I was just commenting to share this quote. I thought you might find it interesting hahaha:
ReplyDelete"To cover the planet with glass would fit perfectly the cynicism of contemporary architecture. A school, a hospital, or a media center are all variations on the same theme: transparency, neutrality, uniformity. These massive, fluid buildings are conceived without any need to know what they will house. They could be here as much as anywhere else. What to do with all the office towers at La Défense in Paris, the apartment blocks of Lyon’s La Part Dieu, or the shopping complexes of EuraLille? The expression 'flambant neuf' [brand new] perfectly captures their destiny. A Scottish traveler testifies to the unique attraction of the power of fire, speaking after rebels had burned the Hôtel de Ville in Paris in May, 1871: 'Never could I have imagined anything so beautiful. It’s superb. I won’t deny that the people of the Commune are frightful rogues. But what artists! And they were not even aware of their own masterpiece! [...] I have seen the ruins of Amalfi bathed in the azure swells of the Mediterranean, and the ruins of the Tung-hoor temples in Punjab. I’ve seen Rome and many other things. But nothing can compare to what I have seen here tonight before my very eyes.'"