Graphic Standards

Make Hit Phlegm James Dankovich Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture

Susan C. Piedmont-Palladino (Chair) Paul F. Emmons Marcia Feuerstein

9/30/09 Alexandria, VA Keywords: Architecture, Surrealism, Chance

Copyright James Dankovich

Chapter 1: Waking Life

Chapter 3: Surreality

Surrealism Graph 1

Chapter 2: Dream Life

Chapter 1: Waking Life Precedents P 3

Falls Church City P 4

Introduction Graphic Standards P 24

Building Site P 25

Copyright Information P 28

Waking Life: Just as a surrealist poet used paper, pen, and ink, the surreal architect would still find it necessary to use structure, tools, and materials. The surreal poet may reject grammar but must still use language, otherwise he would no longer be making poetry. In this light, the same poet does not rearrange the letters of a word and the architect does not design steps that are impassible. Using this concept a surreal architect cannot question the need for a staircase or toilet. The elements that define the work as a building must be considered rationally. These elements are covered in this section, the Waking Life. The items included herein are representative of conscience acts of design, among them: research, analysis, site study, etc.

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Chapter 1: Waking Life Precedents P 3 Art

Precedents


Graphic Standards P 24

Building Site P 25


Surrealism began as a literary movement and found its way into the fine arts. Salvador Dali was considered one of the foremost surrealist painters while Pollock, more closely associated with Abstract Expressionism, used what I consider a surrealist method for many of his works. Fair Use Fig. 1

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

Fair Use Fig. 2

No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock

Architecture Whether extremely deliberate or as a result of cultural differences, surreal imagery can be seen in architecture, whether the design is by someone from the surrealist school or not.

Public Domain

photo of the Dali Museum by Andris

Fig. 3

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Public Domain Fig. 4

photo of the Erechteum by LevineDS

Chapter 1: Waking Life Precedents P 3 Falls Church City P 4 Falls Church City The City of Falls Church is a village that has been swallowed up by the suburban sprawl around Washington, D.C. The city has been haphazardly urbanizing, constructing 4 - 8 story buildings along its main street, West Broad Street. This series of photos records the major buildings along the West Broad Corridor, which is the 'Downtown' of Falls Church.

Falls Church City Graphic Standards P 24

Various Photographs by James Dankovich

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Building Site P 25


Chapter 1: Waking Life Precedents P 3 Building Site


Site Studies Graphic Standards P 24

Building Site P 25


SI

TE

The project site is 430 West Broad Street in Falls Church Virginia.

Public Domain Fig. 5

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Site Aerial from Goggle Maps




Building Site P 25


Building Site from Front (Broad Street) Between two newer buildings, the the site currently has a two story home is used as a leather working business.

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Photograph by James Dankovich




Building Site P 25


Photo Key

Building Site from Rear The site has 55' of street frontage and is 200' deep.

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Building Site P 25



Site Model

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Chapter 1: Waking Life

Graphic Standards

Precedents P 3 Falls Church City P 4 Graphic Standards

Graphic Standards P 24

Building Site P 25


Architectural Graphic Standards is a manual published for architects and others in the construction industry to refer to as a guide for common construction types, design, and drawing symbols. The manual covers a large range of building concerns including stairs, elevators, and waterclosets. Information is given as a broad overview sometimes with suggestions for further information. I chose to use this resource as a reference for the elements of architecture that I could not do without. The elements that were earlier described to 'define the work as a building.'

Used with Permission Fig. 6

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Collage of Graphic Standards Pages by James Dankovich

Chapter 1: Waking Life Precedents P 3 Falls Church City P 4 Graphic Standards

Graphic Standards Graphic Standards P 24

Building Site P 25


This model is of the centralized core concept using the rational precedents from Architectural Graphic Standards to fulfill a rational need of the building, circulation and plumbing. This model also inspired the outograph treatment of the original house which is explained in Chapter 2.

Detail of Ground Floor Core by James Dankovich

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Core Model by James Dankovich