Analysis of Balmori's Design Works - Term Paper Example

ANALYSIS OF BALMORI’S DESIGN WORKS Course: Student’s Name: Instructor: Date: ANALYSIS OF BALMORI’S DESIGN WORKS Abstract The most important aspect of any landscape design work is that it should take into consideration all the principles of design which are: balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, and unity. These should be incorporated in any piece of artistry work of landscape type which the paper set to analyse and find out in Balmori’s pieces of work which include: “The Garden That Climbs The Stairs”, The Sejong City Pat, Repsol-YPF Headquarters, and Campa De Los Ingileses Park. It has been found out that these four items posted by Balmori in her website majorly adopted the representational type of landscape art and the impressionistic type of landscape art. Therefore landscape has been found out to be a good tool in shaping our environment as it is also interdisciplinary. Introduction It cannot be overemphasised the importance of design principles. In the analysis of Balmori’s works, what really will be guiding us are the principles as they are depicted in her four pieces of art work of landscape in this site http://www.b.com/. According to Cuorson (2005), the said principles make a given piece of work to be presentable, hence liked by many or they can make a given piece of work to be out of place, thus making it not presentable thereby not being liked by many. The presentability of a piece of work, whether done on paper or on the real ground as the actual landscape, would endear many to that piece of work. This would therefore enable the designer to gain popularity and earn more jobs. Principles of design encompass the idea of balance in a picture or on the ground as one does the landscaping. Balance can either be asymmetrical or symmetrical. Striking a good balance in a piece of work creates harmony in such work (Cuorson 2005). The other important principle is the rhythm which can be said to be an easy connected path along which someone follows as he or she admires the piece of art. Another important principle is the one of emphasis which is normally used to draw most viewers’ attention. As explained by Waymark, (2003) it is normally referred to as the point of focus and is often achieved through the use of contrast or repetition in a piece of artwork be it on the ground or on a piece of paper. The fourth principle is called the principle of unity. This is brought about by the use of patterns and varieties in a picture. Lastly, the principle of proportion is of significance in any piece of artwork as it creates normally in such artwork as it tries to bring out the relationship between objects or their parts in accordance to the whole. All these principles are always employed in building what Le Corbusier referred to as the Radiant City. In fact, Le Corbusier style promoted the utility of the parks by building high-rise building around them (Tugare 2001). This ensured the non interference with the parks and at the same time making use of the buildings in the city. However our discussion is based only on the landscaping matter. Discussion “The Garden That Climbs The Stairs” The first piece of artwork presented to us by Balmori is “The Garden That Climbs The Stairs”. The use of colours in depicting different kinds of flowers has given this garden a splendid look. This is more pronounced as the garden seems to accompany one as he or she climbs up the staircase. The colours used in painting the stairs and those employed in presenting the people walking up and down the stairs are also different from those of flowers in the garden. This creates contrast, thus depicting balance in the picture. The continuous climbing and meandering garden up the stairs and the stairs themselves create a rhythm in this picture, thus we can categorically report that all the design principles were taken into consideration while presenting this picture. This is why the picture looks magnanimous. Indeed, the positioning of the garden as it meanders up the stairs in any position one stands tends to divide the stair into two equal parts which gives it a symmetrical balance which serves to create both proportionality and balance which therefore makes for a well thought out design. This garden is both natural and designed. Natural in the sense that plants (flowers) cannot in any way be created by any artist or designer. They must just be planted from the existing seeds or plant cuttings (Wilson, & Richard 1979). Designed in the sense that the garden has been established on the staircase, a scenario which one would not have imagined. Together with the nicely kept lawns at the base of the stairs and the strategically placed wooden flower vases on the alleys, the design present to us all the planting, and architectonic design works. ‘The Sejong City Pat’ In this second picture, Balmori presents to us a city which is well planned but depicted with green colour only. Whenever one is presented with this picture or finds itself in this kind of set up, one would be amazed by the serene nature of the its picturesque. This is because green colour is often used to depict restful situations, respect and well-being. It is for sure the colour of life. Given that Balmori used this colour to present a plan of a new city which was at its inception stage, the picture put the planners in a mood of thinking that the young town would have the capacity to grow and expand indefinitely. Green itself is the colour which creates balance. The city therefore inspires hope just by looking at its plan from the inception. By using it, it gives this piece of work the sense of balance which brings harmony. The balance is also achieved by the way Balmori fixed his paths and roads intertwining them between strategically, well proportionately placed buildings. Balmori has captured the ideas of Le Corbusier modern city planning. She blended the aesthetic and the planning of the buildings together creating a new urbanism ideals in his presentation (Duchscherer,Paul & Douglas 1995). However, the use of green to depict every background in the picture becomes monotonous. Even though Balmori wanted to create an impression of a live city, she would have incorporated some colours to bring normalcy. Worth criticizing in this Balmori’s work is the use of too much light such that one may think that the light signifies a dry hot spell in this environment. This makes the situation look paradoxical given the fact that plenty of green do not thrive in a hostile / dry environment. Otherwise for the sake of design, this piece of work was well thought out due to the fact that the picture has presented to any interested party in the town’s development nearly all the principles of design. The main aim of this design has been achieved if what Balmori presented to us was anything to go by. This is due to the fact that any upcoming city must try to present both the accessibility aspect; which is part of the infrastructure, environmental aspect, and the physical amenities which need to be included in any city planning; all these have been captured by this design by Mr. Balmori. I just see a modern city, without any unplanned structure cropping up, in this piece of presentation by Balmori. ‘Repsol-YPF Headquarters’ In all fairness, headquarters should depict prestige. For this matter, even their plans and designs should denote prestige. Balmori has presented to us in the design the artistry work of the modern time. We are treated to a bird’s eye view of the headquarters building which enables us to view and analyse the building plan and its surrounding. The bird’s eye view enables us to see the top of a one acre public plaza which has been treated with patterns and motifs embedded throughout the plaza’s surface. It also enables us to view the building in a more critical manner as this kind of placement creates a picture that is taller than it is wide. For sure this has presented the building in a manner that allow us to view even the vehicles which are presented as moving along the roads nearby. The different colours used in the plaza surface bring contrast to the picture which creates rhythm and unity. They also resonate well with the cultural history of the site as they echo Pampas’ cultures. Balmori has taken into consideration the Le Corbuiers’ planning which makes the picture to have a New Urbanism tough. An ideal, which is common to many city planning nowadays (Waymark, 2003). This is because he has blended the ecological reserves’ flora with his embankments along the roads. Balmori’s work has brought forth all the principles of design. Something which endears the admirers to her works. ‘ Campa De Los Ingileses Park’ This fourth piece of artwork of Balmori presented to us in her website is intriguing in the sense that it enables us to see the splendour of the park at night. The defining rhythm and unity of the piece of work is created by the rails beside the working paths and the paths themselves. This picturesque is reinforced by the stairs, terraces, ramps, and walls which tend to complement one another as they flow into one another to sculpt a park that integrates into Deusto Bridge, Mazarredo, and the plaza Euskadi with the surrounding buildings with one important feature being the Nervion River, thus bringing all the features into a seamless urban experience. Together with the nicely kept lawn and the strategically planted trees of different species, the picture presents to us all the planting, architectonic and sculptural design work (Weitze & Karen 1984). The balance and proportion are created by the general arrangement of the layout of the design whereby the buildings are rightly put in their places just as the trees and the paths are juxtaposed in this kind of design (Tinniswood, & Adrian. 1999). This makes it really spectacular given that it's a scene depicting the night. The dark/ black colours have been used in the background to emphasize the ideal situation at night as the bright colours used to dot the dark background to present us with the elaborate lighting of the park in a manner that creates a nostalgic aura. It therefore shows us that Balmori took cognizance of all the design principles thereby presenting to us a complete work in this piece of art. This is due to the fact that her piece of work blends well with background makings one to have a feel of the landscape even if the work is presented in a night setting. Balmori as well blended both the public park landscaping type and the gardening in this piece of work which is also emphasised by Grampp, (1990) as an appropriate aspect in landscaping. This makes it presentable such that both the designer and the natural part of the landscaping is brought forward to represent a whole landscape in one setting. What the four items of Balmori reveal It is important to note from the onset that landscaping is a multifaceted kind of a profession. This is because it does not only seem to involve one discipline for it to be successful. This is due to the fact that it focuses in the integrated landscape planning and specific garden designs of the landscape elements. These include environmental, aesthetic and architectural part of landscaping. From Balmori’s works, we can learn that landscaping goes beyond just setting up the land to look tidy. For example, one must have the necessary acumen of doing gardening or presenting the gardening facts in a well presentable manner. In her piece of work of “The Garden That Climbs The Stairs” we see how she has presented the garden splendidly up the staircase. Flowers of different colours planted in this garden, in a meticulous manner depict a well versed gardener with experience in his work (Downing, 1969). This means that Balmori could have been having a team which include persons with such techniques, or he could be having such skills to have come up with such a splendid work. Another important aspect which is needed in landscaping is the geographical skills. Such that one could read and interpret his or her map well for the benefit of establishing a good landscape. Balmori’s work presents us with a well finished piece. Architectural skills are also needed in landscaping. In her work, Repsol-YPF Headquarters, we can see a splendid work of architect. Which cannot go without mentioning. Types of landscape used by Balmori Even though there are several landscape types, Balmori chooses to use only two; which are the representational landscape art and the impressionistic landscape art. In the representational landscape art, focuses on the naturally occurring scenery (Jirousek 1995). Just natural beauty. This brings about the realistic pictures of the object and it tends to be the most basic genre which is common in many landscape works . This can be affirmed by the most natural of her works on this site called ‘The Sejong City Pat’. The green colour just gives it the natural touch hence the message which he wanted to convey (Downing, 1969). According to (Jirousek 1995) the impressionistic Landscape art is achieved mainly by incorporating bright or unnatural colours in the scene to create a stunning image from nature. This the landscaper do with the help of her artistic abilities. It has been achieved by this picture of Campa De Los Ingileses Park. Conclusion Landscaping is a multifaceted kind of a profession. This is because it does not only seem to involve one discipline for it to be successful. It must focus in the integrated landscape planning and specific garden designs of the landscape elements. This actually is what has been presented to us by Balmori. Landscaping would only achieve its objectives if all the design principles are taken into consideration presentation of the landscape plans. It is therefore, good to note that good landscaping help in adding aesthetic value to the environment. References Balmori (n.d) http://www.balmori.com/portfolio/the-garden-that-climbs-the-stairs# http://www.balmori.com/portfolio/campa-de-los-ingleses-park Cuorson B. 2005. The Saratoga landscape architects:a horticultural master plan for 'The Battery' at the tip of Manhattan in New York. Downing, A. 1969. The Architecture of Country Houses.New York: Dover Publications, Duchscherer,Paul & Douglas Keister. 1995. The Bungalow: America’s Arts and Crafts Home.New York: Penguin Studio. Foster, Gerald. 1992. A Field Guide to the Architecture of the Home.Boston: Houghton Mifflin & Co. Grampp, C. 1990. Social Meanings of Residential Gardens, In Francis, M., and Hester Jr., T. (Eds.) The Meaning of Gardens, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts:London, England. Jirousek, C. 1995. Principles of Design. Retrieved on 28 May 2013 from: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/simon/Desktop/Principles%20of%20Design.htm Gustafson,Guthrie and Nichol from Seattle. 2001. Lurie garden at Millennium park downtown Chicago with Landscape architects Tinniswood, & Adrian. 1999. The Arts and Crafts House. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications. Todd, A. 2013. What Are the Three Types of Landscape Art? Retrieved on 28 May 2013 from: http://www.ehow.com/info_12153012_three-types-landscape-art.html Tugare A. .2001. 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