Week 7: Video Review

The two videos I chose for this assignment are:

Prairie Style (Frank Lloyd Wright)

Architecture: The Science of Design

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

For the Prairie Style (Frank Lloyd Wright) video, some of the key concepts that I learned were of the following, I learned what a prairie style home is, being that I have never heard of one before. When thinking about a prairie, I think of a large area of level grassland and when relating to the prairie style house with long horizontal bands it makes sense why they would call them prairie style homes. Another key concepts I learned was how Frank Lloyd Wright was so influential in his designing of houses, basically changing the way that we look at homes and how we should venture out of the “box-like” living. For Frank Lloyd Wright being influential, they talked about in the video how he influenced other architects in creating over the top unique open floor plan homes and it has really changed the ways in which we design homes nowadays. Another key concept I learned from the video was that this style of homes allowed rooms to flow into each other rather than being segregated off, and when you think about it started the open concept idea. With the open floor plans, the video described how all of the rooms in this style flow together, not being boxed off allowing for the house to be more open and connected.

For the Architecture: The Science of Design video, some of the key concepts that I learned were of the following, I learned that skyscrapers move especially in windy conditions. While I know wind can be powerful at times, I would never have guessed that wind could push something that is made up of strong steel beams and concrete. They describe in the video that if a building is poorly designed, the wind can cause motion sickness, stop the elevators and even damage the structure, I am shocked to learn that this is actually a thing that architects have to take into account when designing a skyscraper. Another key concept that I learned from this video was that they create a smaller scale model of the building they are going to build and its surroundings and they use artificial wind to test how it would hold up in similar conditions. While another key concept I learned about in this video was smart homes, I’ve heard of learning thermostats and motion censored lights, but learning how a house can completely control everything and basically run itself is a little bit interesting and scary in a way. I think with the way that technology is moving in todays world, we will see much more of smart home technology coming out in the future.


2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

These videos relate to the readings in the text because while they talk about similar topics addressed in the book about architecture, the book covers more of a definition based approach to architecture describing building methods such steel frame, reinforced concrete, suspension and cable, while also talking about many famous architectural structures such as bridges like the golden gate bridge or famous buildings like the Sydney Opera House and the Taj Mahal. The videos were able to show more interesting things like a visual walkthrough of a Frank Lloyd Wright home or the construction and design methods behind building a skyscraper. While the reading in the book is very informative on architecture, the visual learning of actually watching a skyscraper being built or the steps in designing one, like testing if the building can hold up in strong winds, can better the learning experience about architecture. Overall I think the videos and the reading in the text covered the same topic of architecture but just in a different way and showing different things.


3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of Architecture?

My opinion of the films were very positive because the videos were able to explain in depth with visuals and interesting facts about architecture and even the history of architecture. The first video that I watched about prairie style homes talked more about the history of architecture and what Frank Lloyd Wright had done to change the way we construct homes. As for the second video about the science of design. I personally really liked this video because it shared some very interesting facts about design and architecture that I would not have known unless watching this video or researching about it. These videos definitely added depth to the understanding of architecture because they provided new and interesting information behind architecture and with visual information you are not just hearing or reading about architecture, you are getting a hands on learning experience which allows you to really get an in-depth insight on what architecture really is.


4. Why did you choose the films that you watched?

For the first video, Prairie Style (Frank Lloyd Wright), I chose this video because I am very familiar with the name Frank Lloyd Wright and have seen some of the houses that he has designed in person. I was interested in finding out what a prairie style was, being that I had never heard of it before and was actually quite shocked to learn that it represents what it means, a long horizontal band, much like a prairie field. For the second video, Architecture: The Science of Design, I chose this video because I am fascinated by buildings and the steps that have to be taken to create amazing pieces of architecture such as skyscrapers. I learned a few new facts from this video that were very interesting and probably would have never known unless watching this video.