Anish Agrawal September 29, 2011 The Dimensions of art Dr.

Grace Stone-ender, inside the Roger Williams National Memorial, North Main Street This seventeenth century stone-ender is an astonishing form of architecture which is supremely functional. The colonists built stone enders which made use of timber and stone that were in abundance in the area. This medieval house was timber-framed, one and a half stories in height, with one room and a loft. It seems almost absurdly logical to state that architecture must concern space-for what else, by definition, is architecture? A mindboggling fact about this stone-ender is that it sheltered 15-20 people and that single room served as everything required in a house. Even animals could be kept inside the room. The design was extremely concerned about the space. The loft was used as storage as well as sleeping place for the children. An architectural design should take into account its context or environment. To handle the extreme winter, the design was made energy efficient with minimal glass on its north-facing side. The roof was slanted to cut the wind from the bad weather from the northeast. On the south, there was a small glass window which could be covered in the summer and then uncovered to catch sunlight in midwinter, when it still provided considerable warmth. The etching on the window was made out of lead. The chimney system inside the house was like several small fires which made it very energy efficient. The way the designer used the laws of physics accommodating natural phenomena rather than adding technological devices, is praiseworthy.

Providence Athenaeum, Benefit Street Looking at the exterior of the Providence Athenaeum, I expected that it would not be very spacious. Walls were coming out and it was built in the very early Greek Revival style. It looked like a post-and-lintel structure. But the interior of the building amazed me. The interior was remarkable to house the librarys very large collection of books in a relatively limited area of floor space. A kind of loft was built in where the books were arranged in columns of walls. Between every two walls, there was a desk and a chair where people can sit and study. The way the space was used was noteworthy. While entering the Athenaeum, I failed to notice the stairway, which took you to the lower level of the Athenaeum. Noticing that fact, I realized how skillfully the architect has utilized the space. An addition was made on the south side of the Atheneum which made it more spacious. Observing the addition from the outside, I comprehended that the color of concrete used for the original Atheneum was different from the color of the concrete used for the new addition. There was a contrast between the two which made it a little absurd. The architecture had not taken into account its context or environment. It was different from the nearby buildings.