transparency : a good place to begin

images from http://helios.hampshire.edu/~tlHA/index.html

yesterday in class, suzanne and i remarked on some common themes or through-threads in your esquisse presentations. we saw that many of you captured a sense of inquiry about transparency in your work…and it’s interesting to think of that idea on several levels: [1] physical transparency in the materials you will investigate (as early as next week!) in your projects; [2] spatial transparency as you work to make your buildings legible to their inhabitants; and [3] organizational transparency, which we take to mean good communication through and about your work as we continue forward from our starting point.

trans·par·en·cy 

from the late sixteenth century with roots in medieval latin
root word [trans·par·ent] transparere “shine through” parere "appear"

we liked both of these definitions…
easily seen through : allowing light to pass through with little or no interruption or distortion so that objects on the other side can be clearly seen
obvious and easy to recognize : clearly recognizable

...remembering, of course, that transparent + translucent are two different, but related, descriptors for materials

trans·lu·cent
letting light through diffusely : allowing light to pass through, but only diffusely, so that objects on the other side cannot be clearly distinguished

this caused us to think about the idea of clarity in what we do and represent….a theme to which we will return time and again during the course of the semester.

you’re not the only students with an interest in transparency. karen koehler + thom long (hampshire college), led a class to examine the idea of transparency in architecture. at the end of the course, students compiled an architectural journal [0242/january08] to investigate through words and images about this strong imprint on architecture through time.  we heartily recommend you have a look at this beautifully designed site, replete with information.

cheers,  

--patrick