Main Project Plans and Inspiration

When exploring my aesthetic for the upcoming project I hit a few roadblocks. However, after exploring the idea of a mind map I was able to determine my desired aesthetic, Brutalism. This certain aesthetic was a major design movement stemming all over the world but especially in Eastern Europe and Russia after World War Two. 

Brutalism utilizes simple block shapes and exposed concrete to portray an intense feel when viewing the buildings. From personal experience I have seen lots of Brutalsim in cities like Prague, Berlin, and New York City. I find it very interesting from a historical and visual perspective and want to explore it more for my final project. A certain brutalist building I saw myself was the TV tower in Prague, Czech Republic. 

After seeing this building I was very eager to further explore the brutalist aesthetic and inspirations. These buildings often have very interesting interiors that often utilize exposed concrete sections and exposed material. In addition, it is very interesting how many war torn cities in Eastern Europe sprouted up from the rubble of World War 2 and implemented this Brutalist architecture. 

Interestingly enough, the Engineering Center at CU Boulder utilizes many aesthetics that relate to Brutalism. Notice that the engineering center has very exposed, rough, and sharp edges that seem to dominate the skyline of Boulder. Right when I visited Boulder the first time, I noticed the Engineering Building standing out a lot. 

For my final project, I want to explore how the Brutalist exterior can be emphasized in interior design. I am hoping to create some sort of lamp that utilizes concrete, rebar, and sharp edges. My project is in its very initial stages but there are a few things I would like to implement in my design. The first being some sort of warm light that can almost add a bit of light to the often dark brutalist interiors. Also, I want to use some sort of exposed rebar in my concrete design to emphasize the “built from rubble” aesthetic brutalist interiors often have. With that being said, I would also be interested in spray painting the back and front faces of this large scale lamp. I remember that there were some very influential and interesting spray painted art on the Berlin Wall that I would like to incorporate into my design in some way. 

Some sort of painting like this would look phenomenal on my lamp especially with some warm lighting passing through the room. 

My project is still very much in the early stages but I am very happy with my chosen aesthetic and overall vision of the lamp. In the future weeks I will further explore brutalist interiors and try to solidify how the lamp will become integrated with the rebar and concrete. In addition, I will be exploring light fixtures to see how I can best create a warm environment in a rather cold room. 

Citation

https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/politics/30th-anniversary-of-the-fall-of-the-wall-young-germans-talk-about-the-wall

https://www.colorado.edu/engineering/contact-us

https://fibreguard.com/blog/how-to-embrace-brutalist-interiors-with-fibreguards-high-performance-fabrics

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C5%BDi%C5%BEkov_TV_tower,_Prague.jpg

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160606-ten-beautiful-brutalist-buildings