Humanities Homework Help

1. . in your own words, write a letter to a friend* who has never seen the building and does not have a photo of it before them. In your letter describe for them in very specific detail what the building looks like and what it says to you personally. Your response should be at least 250 words. (Please do a search on the internet for Santa Maria Novella church. I would like you to notice how everything in this structure is a celebration of circle and square. It was designed by Alberti (1404-1472) and illustrates the ideals that the ancient Roman Vitruvius (c. 80–70 BCE-c. 15 BC) wrote about architecture.)
2. Respond substantively to the posts of at least two other people in the class. A substantive post advances our conversation and is at least 100 words in length.

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Tracie McCullough

Dear Friend,

I am writing to tell you about an incredible building I saw today in Newark, Ohio. This building, technically named the Longaberger Building, is often referred to as the Big Basket Building because it looks like just that – an enormous picnic basket. The Longaberger company is a manufacturer of handmade maple wood baskets and actually designed the building themselves to look like their biggest selling item. The design was then implemented by architecture planning and engineering firms, and the building opened in 1997 to house 225 employees of the Longaberger headquarters.

The building itself is considered environmentally friendly in that the cherry wood is from the company’s own supply and was also harvested and shaped by them. In addition, 30,000 of the total 180,000 square feet, is an atrium that provides natural light to ensure minimal electricity being used during the day. The windows are placed in the indentations of the basket’s weave and the two basket handles total 150 tons and contain a heating mechanism to avoid ice forming on them and damaging the atrium below.

It could be said that the style of this building is somewhat of a novelty architecture used for advertising purposes, but I certainly see it as an earth-resting building. The basket does not seem to have any type of relationship with its foundation, but instead the land is more of a platform for the building to be displayed. It is as if the building is simply sitting on the grass giving the illusion of a picnic basket in the park which gave me a peaceful feeling when viewing it. I hope one day you have the privilege of seeing this architectural vision for yourself.

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Afaf Abu Hantash

Dear RJ,

Hope you are doing very well.

I would like to give you an idea about a unique palace, The Palace of Versailles. It is the place where you can see art and nature are perfectly combined, created by King Louis XIV. The Palace of Versailles is one of the most important landmarks in French history and is rated as a UNESCO World Heritage. The palace of Versailles was a reflection of high power and the statue of royalty. The King wanted it to be looked majestic and mesmerizing, so he employed that time the best architects to build it.

The Palace contains 2,300 rooms, and it has one special big room called the Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces), which is one of the most famous rooms in the world. It marked off by the repetition of the large windows – which expresses the fundamental values of Baroque art, and it has a beautiful design of decorative art. It flanked from one side by a garden filled with all sorts of orange trees, green grass, and very beautiful colored flowers. It has a lot of spectacular fountains which were installed to enjoy the guests.

There is the chapel of Versailles, and it has a Gothic style with a narrow and high nave, stained glass, and vaulted ceiling. Also, it has the Royal Opera of Versailles, which is the main theatre in the Palace, made almost entirely of wood, painted to resemble marble in a technique known as faux marble. I believe there are a lot of other amazing rooms and arts in the Palace of Versailles which is hard to list them all in this letter. Millions of people visit the Palace of Versailles each year.