TITLE: Elements vs. Space In Architecture.

NAME: FADI AREF ABU-FARHA.
COUNTRY: JORDAN.

EMAIL: mrdino@hotmail.com
WEBPAGE: N/A

TOPIC: Architecture
COPYRIGHT: I SUBMIT TO THE STANDARD RAYTRACING COMPETITION COPYRIGHT.
JPGFILE: elements.jpg
ZIPFILE: elements.zip
RENDERER USED: 
    BMRT 2.6 h beta -18 using Global Illumination (Monte Carlo).


TOOLS USED: 
    Rhinoceros 1 , RhinoMan Standard version , Adobe Illustrator , Adobe
Photoshop .

RENDER TIME: 
    1hr. 38 min. 57 sec.


HARDWARE USED: 
    Intel PIII 866MHz , 384MB RAM.

IMAGE DESCREPTION : 
  The composition is very simple which relys on a deep concept that Architecture
is how to create a SPACE , you may have noticed that there are two 
parts in this image : The Coloured one and The Greyed one .
When i started my brainstorming , i wanted something to be deep (inspired by the
dictionary put in topic page) and to have some irony , a contrast between the
idea 
of assempling major ELEMENTS of Architecture and the idea of Architecture (SPACE
CREATOR) .
The major ELEMENTS of Architecture in the first part (coloured one) are : a Wall
 (divider) , Columns (structure) , a Window (Elevation), Arches & Keystone
(Building Construction), Lentils (Details),Doors , Niches , Stairs (Vertical
Circulation) , Dome (Shell) , Trees (to give a human scale) , .....etc.
But such a combination couldn't help creating a successful space rather than
creating an image , Unlike the Sunken Podium (in Greys) that surrounds the
elements which defined a very clear and successful space (something like a
Theater or Forum) , accessed through small steps , the shape of that sunken
podium which happens to be a square emphasized on the form and made clear the
very strongly defined centric space ornamented with geometric islamic patterns
in tiling .

The Contrast between Colored part and Grayed part was made to deceive the
beholder to think that Elements of Architecture was meant by this image not the
other part ,here where irony becomes the major subject discussed in the image ,
to give a message of the idea that Architecture is not only about Image and
aesthetics , but also about a deeper concept of Utility & Function , to create
a space for an activity .

The trend or movement chosen in the image is Post-Modern Architecture inspired
by the work of Aldo Rossi , who once said that "Architecture is the Theater of
Life" , where we are the actors , and the buildings are the backstage ,  here
in my image i intended to make the sunken podium look like a thater and the
elements as backstaging part , as an abstract for Rossi's quote .
PS : The image in the wall painting is a roman mosaic work found in city of
Madaba of Jordan , which pictures an old christian temple in the city . 


DESCRIPTION OF HOW THIS IMAGE WAS CREATED: 

       
       Sunken Podium was made with a very simple geomtry so was the coloured
wall , starting from a sketch to a 2D image in illustrator , modelling to
shading with matte shaders and rendering . The only imported part was the trees
, gained from www.3dcafe.com . To give a sense of abstraction i took off its
leaves , they were used to give a sense of scale too , which is a must in every
architectural presentation .
The rendering was the most difficult part , using Global Illumination option in
BMRT , which takes most of the time of the work !! To make it as realistic as
any sketch model architects make .