AES
242.00
/
622.

00
History
of
World
Architecture
2
 
 

 
 


Spring
2011

Instructor:
Prof.
Sean
Weiss

Section
leaders:
Analisa
Bacall,
Lori
Beppu,
Chelsea
Bruner,
Bretaigne
Walliser



Sketchbook
Assignment
#2
–
Chinese
Garden
Court
(Astor
Court),
Metropolitan
Museum
of

Art

Issued:
Tuesday,
March
22nd,
in
section

Due:
Tuesday,
April
5th:
sketchbook
due
at
the
beginning
of
section;
a
typed
copy
of
your
short

answers
must
be
uploaded
through
SafeAssign
located
under
Assignments
in
Blackboard.

Note:

When
submitting
your
document,
format
your
document
title
with
the
assignment
name
followed

by
the
first
initial
of
your
first
name
and
your
entire
last
name.
Using
Professor
Weiss
as
an

example,
this
will
be:
Sketchbook
1
SWeiss.doc.
Make
sure
that
your
document
extension
is
“.doc”

and
not

“.docx”



Site
and
Directions:
The
Chinese
Garden
Court
(Astor
Court),
the
design
of
which
is
based
on
a

courtyard
in
The
Garden
of
the
Master
of
the
Fishing
Nets
in
Suzhou,
China,
and
was
completed
in

1981.
The
Court
includes
four
components:
the
garden,
the
covered
walkway,
the
reception
hall
(Ming

Room),
and
the
half­pavilion
(Ting
Pavilion).
You
need
to
include
all
of
these
components
in
your

analysis.

It
is
installed
in
the
Metropolitan
Museum
of
Art,
1000
Fifth
Avenue
at
82nd
Street.
Use
the
main

entrance
on
82nd
Street.
When
you
enter
the
Great
Hall,
walk
towards
the
grand
staircase
to
the
2nd

floor.
Pay
what
you
wish
for
admission.
Turn
left
after
the
admission
desk,
before
the
grand

staircase
to
the
2nd
floor.

Second
Floor
Plan



Chinese
Garden
Court

(Astor
Court)







Purpose
and
Goals:
The
overall
goal
of
this
assignment
is
to
help
you
learn
to
analyze
architectural

form
for
meaning.
This
assignment
will
help
you
understand
how
the
Chinese
Garden
Court

illustrates
aspects
of
Chinese
architecture
discussed
in
class
and
in
your
readings.



Materials:
8.5”
x
11”
Strathmore
sketchbook,
with
perforated
edges,
or
any
sketchbook
of
normal

size
that
you
enjoy
working
in;
soft
pencils,
colored
pencils,
watercolors,
or
other
tools
useful
for

sketching.




Method:
Observe,
record,
and
analyze
(in
your
sketchbook)
the
Patio,
using
sketches
and
directed

note
taking.
Plan
to
spend
some
time
at
the
museum
so
that
you
are
able
to
think
about
your

drawings
and
written
answers
to
the
questions
below.
Be
vivid
in
your
descriptions.
Label
your

drawings
above
or
adjacent
to
the
relevant
sketches,
and
please,
use
legible
handwriting.
All

material
must
be
your
own.
Upload
the
written
portion
of
the
assignment
to
Blackboard
as

instructed
above.


No
Research
is
Permitted:
Please
do
not
consult
or
use
any
materials
from
the
museum,
any

written
sources,
or
sources
online.

The
purpose
of
the
assignment
is
for
you
to
develop
your
own

skills
in
analyzing
architecture.
If
you
look
at
a
written
source,
you
will
likely
not
do
the
assignment

properly,
and
your
assignment
will
not
be
accepted.
You
may
only
use
your
own
lecture
notes
as

needed.



Academic
Honesty:
Remember
that
all
forms
of
plagiarism
are
strictly
prohibited,
per
the

regulations
laid
out
in
the
CUNY
Policy
on
Academic
Integrity
located
on
the
CCNY
Academic

Services
website.
Your
written
work
must
be
in
your
own
words.
Plagiarized
work
will
be
reported

to
the
CCNY
Academic
Integrity
Committee.



1.
Plan
and
Use

Required
sketches:
1)
complete
floor
plan
indicating
landscape
elements
in
the
garden,
half­pavilion,

the
covered
walkway,
and
the
reception
hall

Answer
these
questions
in
at
least
150
words
in
the
document
you
submit
through
SafeAssign:




What
kind
of
space
is
this?
What
purpose
did
it
serve,
and
where
did
it
originate?
What
are
the
focal

points
of
the
court,
and
how
does
the
layout
accentuate
these
features?
How
do
the
elements
of
the

architecture
and
the
garden
interact?





2.
Materials
and
Methods
of
Construction

Required
sketches:
3)
one
detail
of
an
architectural
joinery
element
4)
elevation
of
the
half­pavilion

(Ting
pavilion)

Answer
these
questions
in
at
least
150
words
in
the
document
you
submit
through
SafeAssign:




What
methods
of
construction
are
used
and
what
are
some
of
the
materials
used?

What
are
the

individual
elements
of
the
landscape,
and
how,
taken
together,
do
these
methods
define
the
space?

How
do
the
plan,
section,
and
choice
of
materials
relate
this
room
to
the
site?
How
might
a
similar

garden
be
experienced
differently
as
an
outdoor
courtyard
in
Southern
China?





3.
Literati,
Gardens,
and
Ming
Society

Required
sketch:

6)
perspective
drawing
which
juxtaposes
architectural
and
landscape
elements

Answer
these
questions
in
at
least
150
words
in
the
document
you
submit
through
SafeAssign:




Answer
the
following
questions
by
applying
what
we
have
studied
in
lecture
on
the
gardens
of
the

literati
to
the
Astor
Court.
Who
were
the
literati?
Why
did
they
develop
gardens
in
Suzhou
such
as

the
Garden
of
the
Master
of
the
Fishing
Nets?
How
do
the
architectural
and
garden
elements
of
the

Astor
Court
reflect
the
desires
and
social
standing
of
the
literati?
What
other
elements
in
the
Astor

Court
not
yet
mentioned
feed
into
these
desires?