The design elements, they are everywhere!

        If you take a look at the world around you, virtually all structures are composed of circles, groups (or groves) and stacks.  This last Friday we took a field trip around campus, to "activate history." We were sent out to see where we could find these fundamental elements of design inside our universe that is the campus of UNCG.

As we ventured around we saw that there were stacks, groves and circles all over campus.  We passed by the Curry Building, I noticed the steps which are stacks. Then as we continued on I began to think of other places I had seen theses design elements at work. I thought of Washington D.C. with the iconic steps of the Lincoln Memorial but also the memorial has a line of columns which are a grove.




       
Then that led me to the columns that are out side the Jackson Library. Then as I was looking at this space I realized that the entry way was a round space, so this could also be a circle but there are many examples of circles around campus. There are the stone circles that appear at high traffic areas along college ave. Then again I was thinking about where are circles, I thought of the streets in Paris where the road ciricles the Arc De Triomphe.  

Circles, Groves, and Stacks appear again and again throughout history. These elements of design are so fundamental to any structure. Not only are they ascetically pleasing they are based on nature, and in the end nature is a large source of inspiration. 

Then we were posed the question "do environments influence rituals or do rituals influence environments?" My answer is it depends on the ritual and environment. For the Egyptians, the rituals involving the sun influenced the building of temples. But then on the other hand here on UNCG's campus the circles on college ave ( ie. the environment) guide us along the walk way, instead of people just walking over the grass and onto college ave. 

Other Pictures were from....

Lincoln Memorial- http://www.visitingdc.com/images/lincoln-memorial-picture.jpg

Arc De Triomphe- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx81nKft5g5E4Rj7BQBJv0shLCoRbyiiX8DYXTw9nqeXaJ7LCe0AL6Xx7kDVf6_fnith86Y-Tc75PXV58PAunNuPc-j9eNhwl8rjQUcr4w541PPFFZJ0H1iFxMxxJ0e9K-fdY0P4vRHMA/s1600/paris+1.jpg