Domain: Boundary in the Architectural World: February 2013

27 February 2013

Model Photo Editing Using Photoshop Elements

In an attempt to reiterate, yet again, on my portfolio design, today I started to edit some photographs of models from the projects which will be included in my future portfolio. Using Photoshop Elements and some very useful and expertly crafted tutorial videos, courtesy of http://www.alexhogrefe.com/, I was able to greatly improve on the quality of the images which will begin to be assembled in the portfolio compilation.

Below you will find both the original images which were used and the Photoshop enhanced photos which I created using those images and the magic of Photoshop.

Cuyahoga River Research Center Project - Kent, Ohio
Second Year Project - 1st Semester

Photoshop Enhancement

Aerial View of Cleveland Media Center Project - Cleveland, Ohio
Second Year Project - 2nd Semester

Photoshop Enhancement

Cleveland Media Center Project - Cleveland, Ohio
Second Year Project - 2nd Semester

Photoshop Enhancement

Tarsitano Winery Expansion Project - Conneaut, Ohio
Third Year Project - 1st Semester

Photoshop Enhancement

Recreation and Cultural Center - Treemont, Ohio
Second Year Project - 2nd Semester

Photoshop Enhancement

Cubic Expansion and Extension Project - Abstract Model and Site
First Year Project - 1st Semester

Photoshop Enhancement

26 February 2013

Siena, Italy

This past Friday we took our second school oriented field trip to the city of Siena, Italy for our Reading Cities class. Siena is an important city for architecture in Italy due to its many monuments which display the medieval gothic style, a style which was not particularly common in Italy. Unlike our last school trip where we rode the Frecciarossa train into Rome, this time we took a bus from the train station for the hour and fifteen minute ride into Siena. I can't honestly say that I cared that much for Siena, although that sentiment is likely deeply, and possibly unfairly influenced by the cold, rainy weather we encountered while touring the city. Nonetheless, there were a number of significant architectural pieces there which were quite interesting such as the Palazzo Pubblico, Torre del Mangia, the Piazza del Campo, the Siena Cathedral, and the Monte dei Paschi di Siena. The Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia are the location of the governmental seat of Siena and are situated as the focal point of the Piazza del Campo, the most important open public space in Siena. This open space is one of the first in the world which was designed with the void space of the square as the focal point with the buildings being formed around the open space. This results in the maintaining of the shell shaped piazza which is still present today. The Siena Cathedral is a building full of architectural mistakes, but one which is still charming in its own right. The alternating white and black banding present throughout the interior of the church and on the secondary facades and tower are quite unique and represent the symbolic colors of the city which are said to be derived from the horses of the founders of Siena. Interestingly enough, the Siena Cathedral was originally planned to be the largest cathedral in the world at the time, but money ran out to continue construction and so the cathedral which stands as the monument of Siena today is actually an unfinished one which is merely the transept of the original design. Finally, the Monte dei Pashi di Siena is the oldest surviving bank in the world which is present in the Piazza Salimbeni in Siena.

While there are these elements which I mentioned to view here, I would say if anyone was to visit Siena it could probably be given its proper due in three good hours and then could be moved on from without feeling as though any significant element was missed. The photos to follow document the trip. Enjoy!