Blog Post 2: Circles, Groups, and Stacks

Circles, groups,and stacks are important elements of design because humans have always organized items in these ways. Circular forms represent the containment of that which is precious, or of great importance. Grouping is an automatic function of the human brain that allows us to catergorize items as similar and recognize those that are dissimilar. Stacking represents the human desire to gather and store daily neccessities and to reach toward the heavens by immulating the form of mountains and volcanoes.

Because humans have used circles, groups, and stacks intuitively as a way to organize and designate that which is important, it is only natural that these elements are the basis for design. Built environments use these elements to designate importance, worship, government, daily life, etc, and we associate these elements with specific rituals in certain contexts. The question of whether rituals influence environments, or environments influence rituals is a chicken and egg question. The short answer is, yes. There are rituals that are performed because of the environment AND there are environments created to suit rituals. Additionally, some ritualistic environments evolve to better suit the ritual, which, in turn, sometimes causes the ritual to be altered.

I have never thought about design in terms of these three intuitive and simplistic design elements. But after discussing it in class and looking for them in built environments, I better understand them as a universal way for humans to catergorize and organize that which we see, use, and value.

The following are some examples of these design elements in built environments around the UNCG campus. In looking for these elements, I very quickly realized they are seldom used singularly.

Circle

I am using this image of the library entrance as an example of a circle. The important thing inside the circle is the entrance. The (semi) circle on the front of the building indicates where the entrance is by appearing different from the rest of the building; not only is it circular but it is a different material from the rest of the building and is painted a different color.

There is also the element of grouping (grove) in this entryway.

Grouping

This is my example of grouping (grove). These are (steam?) stacks on top of the Sullivan Science Building. The building is very tall and it is interesting that this grove is atop it. The stacks, themselves, are a little squatty but the orientation of them makes them a very interesting grove.

One can not ignore the fact that these are also circular. 

Stacking

This building (attached to the Sullivan Science Building) looks like a modern zigurat. For us, building upward is a way to utilize the most square footage for a given amount of land. Even so,  it is easy to see the same form that ancient cultures used in building stepped towers.

Circles,groups. stacks

The clock tower is the built object on campus that I feel best embodies the three basic design elements. The tower is encircled by a low, brick wall. The brick wall has designated places where a person can walk through it and enter the circle to continue on their path. The clocktower is supported by a grove of brick columns that are at least two stories tall. The second story of the clocktower serves as a circle in which the stacks of bells are housed. The roof of the clocktower is stacked in a pyramid shape, further emphasizing the importance and centrality of this built environment.