LAND 2510 1st Edition Exam 1 Study Guide Lectures 1 13 Lecture 1 August 18 Introduction Why study the history of the built environment Understand the tremendous impact of human culture on our environment Learn from the accomplishments of the past Build a toolkit of time tested forms principles and design strategies Recover lost knowledge Appreciate the diversity and richness of human culture as well as universal core human needs and desires Develop environmental literacy Inspiration and hope for the future Lecture 2 August 20 Concepts and terms for studying the history of the built environment 1 Environment The circumstances objects or conditions in which something is surrounded The complex of physical chemical and biotic factors that act upon an organism or an ecological community Environment modified by human culture No human necessary 2 Landscape A picture representing a view of natural inland scenery The art of depicting such scenery A portion or territory that can be viewed at one time from one place Environment modified by human culture Environment Landscape 3 Culture The integrated pattern of human knowledge belief and behavior that depends upon the human capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations The customary beliefs social forms and material traits of a social group The set of shared values attitudes goals and practices that characterizes a social group Forms of cultural expressions o o o o o o o Language Painting and drawing Song music Dance Stories Rules laws Landscape 4 Society An enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another A community nation or broad grouping of people having common traditions institutions and collective activities and interests Society culture Society class o A group sharing the same economic or social status o Wealth political status or rank vocation profession culture Culture people must fulfill the destiny that the gods have assigned them or people should be free to determine their own destiny 5 Cosmos An orderly harmonious systematic universe An understanding of the world that makes sense 6 Cosmology A theory of doctrine describing the natural order of the universe A general description of the origin structure and space time relationships of the world or of the universe 7 Mandala A Hindu or Buddhist graphic symbol of the universe usually a circle enclosing a square with a deity on each side A graphic symbol usually in the form of a circle divided into four separate sections Lecture 3 August 22 History Myth and Landscape 1 Framework and vocabulary for discussing environmental design Plan cut a horizontal slice through the building a few feet above ground level Then imagine taking off the top portion and looking down to the ground plane Section imagine taking a vertical slice of the building Then remove one half of the building and look through the vertical cut Elevation standing outside the building and looking straight at it Spatial organization three dimensional patterns and organization of space in a landscape like the arrangement of rooms in a house Symmetry a design with balanced proportions Axis the center line of an arrangement the view or sight line Hierarchy the impression that one building is more important than the others Asymmetry no symmetry Focal point directs someone s view in a particular way Views vistas used when analyzing spatial organizations Environments are designed to create specific views Repetition of elements can help people know how to move through the environment Topography the shape of the ground plane and its height or depth Vegetation individual plants or groups of plants or a naturally occurring plant community Circulation roads trails canals paths and walks Water fountains pools cascades irrigation systems streams ponds lakes Site furnishings non habitable constructed features or small scale elements that may be functional decorative or both 2 Myth A traditional story of past events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain practices beliefs or natural phenomena Long long ago Circular time repetition and rhythm events repeat An eternal cycle that must be maintained Oral culture spoken word picture song dance ritual 3 History A chronological record of significant events often including an explanation of causes A branch of knowledge that records and explains past events On July 4 1776 Linear time time flows in one direction from past to present A chronology or timeline Literate culture stories recorded and transmitted through reading of written word 4 Pre modern societies before 1500 CE Agrarian economy centered on growing and trade of food Rural low level of urbanization Homogenous little social differentiation or specialization Literate no written language or most people cannot read or write Static little change over long periods of time Focused on continuity sustainability Hierarchy king or high priest top council priesthood often part of the royal family nobles merchants and artisans commoners farmers and slaves bottom o Commoners made up most of hierarchy Example Sitting Bull 5 Marking historical time Periods or ages broad spans of time characterized by more or less consistent patterns in social organization cultural expression and technology Certain technological events alter the balance of economic political and military power They disrupt the relationships between social groups and result in new social orders and new geographies Epochs or eras even broader spans of time characterized by broader patterns in social organization cultural expression and technology o Pre history pre modern antiquity modern post modern Some events alter the cosmos They disrupt the relationships between heaven and earth humans and the rest of the universe 6 Modern societies 1500 1940s Highly differentiated social roles Highly specialized and interconnected division of labor Urban most people not involved in growing food Literate and have mass media newspapers TV etc A colure that stresses the continual push for progress The continual push for progress is a central goal of modern societies Example Andrew Carnegie Lecture 4 August 25 Landscapes of Prehistory 1 Post modern culture 1970 now Emphasis on individualism freedom and personal liberty Technologies that promote globalization of economies knowledge and social networks Space and time are fluid dynamic and changeable like a