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[jseagriff]

Blog 19

On our Journey from the Colosseum to the Eiffel Tower we have seen so many architectural masterpieces from the ancient world to the modern era and I don't think there could have been better places to start and end our journey. The Colosseum, a testament to Rome's imperial might, resonates with history, hosting gladiatorial spectacles for centuries. While, the Eiffel Tower, a symbol of Paris, embodies architectural innovation and the spirit of the modern age. These structures built 1800 years apart really show the same thing, human ingenuity, progress, and perseverance. These iconic structures bring people from across the globe to witness the legacy and the grit of the Ancient Romans or the artistic talents of 19th century Parisians, and to me stand as a symbol of hope that one day (in a long long time) when I'm gone maybe we can all leave a legacy behind that future generations will be inspired by.

[jseagriff]

Blog 16 - January 20th

I believe that the Madrid Rio Park was a great investment for the city of Madrid. The massive park not only brings the community together, but reduces carbon emissions. While $15 billion is a crazy amount of money to spend on a park I believe that the city will benefit greatly from it. My biggest takeaway from this course was the importance of bringing communities together and how by bringing people together we can make our world a safer more sustainable place to live. By encouraging community members to use this park you are not only fostering community or reducing emissions from vehicles on the highway, you are making your city a better, more healthy, place to live, work and visit.

[jseagriff]

Blog 5

Both structures attached above show Alberti's ideal of "Harmony of Proportions". Both Structures have left to right symmetry and both are broken up in thirds. The first structure is broken up in thirds from top to bottom and the second from side to side.

[jseagriff]

Blog 3 - January 7

The two structures I would like to compare are the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona. The Trevi Fountain and the Piazza Navona are both iconic landmarks in Rome, they showcase distinct facets of the city's architectural and artistic richness. Piazza Navona, with its grand Baroque architecture and lively atmosphere, is a bustling public square adorned with fountains and sculptures. In contrast, the Trevi Fountain is a masterpiece of rococo design, featuring a colossal sculptural composition centered around the majestic sea god Neptune. While Piazza Navona is a dynamic social hub, Trevi Fountain captivates with its mythological allure. Together, they epitomize Rome's ability to seamlessly blend history, art, and vibrant public spaces, captivating visitors with their unique charms.

[jseagriff]

Blog 10

I thought this piece of art at Foundation Maeght was particularly interesting. I really liked how something so abstract could be juxtapose to a scene so natural. This image just stuck with me because of how beautiful the landscape was surrounding the museum and how the environment really was not part of the artwork but has become a great backdrop.

[jseagriff]

Blog 9 - January 13

After visiting the Nice Meridia district it is clear to see that architects and engineers today are really trying to have a positive impact on our environment. I think the new emphasis on the importance of greenspace is much needed in our world full of concrete cities. I think another amazing part of Nice Meridia is the fact that they are designing it so that people can walk or take public transportation to get anywhere they need to go, which will reduce the need for cars and lower emissions. The last thing that the architects of Nice Meridia have done that gives me hope for the future is their use of renewable energy like solar and wind power.

[jseagriff]

Blog 8 - January 12

Italy was absolutely amazing!!! My favorite structure that we saw in Italy was most definitely the Colosseum. The fact that the structure has stood for almost 2000 years and has outlived empires really blows my mind. I do wish we had more time to spend exploring at the Colosseum (I guess I'll just have to go back). Even though the Colosseum was my favorite structure, my favorite city was Florence. I thought that Florence was stunning and the view from the Duomo was truly remarkable.

As for my goals for this trip I hit all of them in Italy. I worked on my Italian, saw some amazing structures, tried new foods, saw the Vatican, and even made some new friends.

[jseagriff]

Blog #1/January 5th - First Impressions

1. A huge difference in the built environment between the US and Italy that I noticed today was the size of the roadways. The roads in Italy are much narrower leading to smaller vehicles and more traffic both on the streets and sidewalks.

2. Another difference I noticed today was that almost every restaurant we walked past had outdoor dining. Outdoor dining is very hard to find in the US, especially in metropolitan areas.

3. The last difference I noticed today was the age of buildings. For example today we went to the Colosseum, which is almost 2000 years old and is surrounded by structures constructed during the Roman Empire. Most historic landmarks in the United States are only a few hundred years old (if that). I really think that preserving landmarks dating back to the Romans is extremely important because it not only allows people of today to interact with the structure, but gives us a glimpse in to how people hundreds if not thousands of years ago interacted with the same space.

[jseagriff]

Goals for our Jterm trip

My five goals for our trip to Italy, Spain, and France are:

To work on my Italian - I took four years of Italian in high school and I can't wait to see how much of it I remember

Learn more about some of Europe's most famous structures - I have always been interested in architecture and Europe has some of the most iconic and timeless structures in the world. My goal is to learn as much as I can about them while we are on our trip so that I can tell my friends and family back home the stories some of the structures we visited and studied

Try new things - while we are abroad I really want to immerse myself in the culture of the cities that we are staying. I want to try new foods I would never be able to try in the US, go to museums, explore the city, and meet new people.

Visit the Vatican - One of my bucket list items is to see the Vatican, as a Roman Catholic I believe that the Vatican is a place I need to see at some point in my life, and what better time than when I'm in Rome during the epiphany.

Make friends with the students on our trip- I really hope that throughout our travels our class gets close. Over my last Jterm trip our class got really close and most of us still hang out now, two years later. It was hard to get close during our prep seminar just due to the fact that we only met once a week, but I think after a month making memories travelling across Europe together we will all become great friends

[jseagriff]

My favorite building on campus

My favorite building on campus is KOBC. My favorite part of the building is the atrium. To me the atrium is the best place on campus to study or get work done because of all the natural light coming in from the dome on the roof along with the windows at the rear of the building. The atrium is a great place to get together with groups to do projects and to study for exams with classmates Another part of KOBC that I like are the pillars in the front. I think the pillars give the building a great sense of scale and shows how truly massive the building is. Another great part of KOBC is the fountain. It is a great place to sit outside and enjoy lunch, do homework, meet with classmates, or even just to sit and enjoy some of the beautiful North Carolina weather.