GEOMETRICAL DESIGN TUITION from first principles. Laurie Smith THEGEOMETRICALDESIGNWORKS

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1 GEOMETRICAL DESIGN TUITION from first principles Laurie Smith

2 THE GEOMETRICAL DESIGN WORKS devoted to geometrical learning

3 Morning Glory Nautilus shell Bumble Bee nest GEOMETRICAL DESIGN ONE TO ONE STUDY A residential, one to one, practical course providing an introduction to the spatial language of geometry, recognising its presence in nature, above, and demonstrating how geometrical methods were used to generate harmonic proportions in the design of historic buildings. The programme is flexible and can be tailored to individual requirements to provide, for example, a geometrical analysis of your own historic building plans in search of the original geometrical design. The course duration is optional, a day, a weekend or mid-week if you wish, by mutual agreement. All meals are provided and special diets can be catered for. Travel by your own transport or be met from public transport. 1

4 2 VENUE Church Lodge is at the centre of the village of Sutcombe in North Devon, adjacent to Grade II* Saint Andrews church from which it takes it s name. The house, built in 1935 to replace an older house on the same site, is simple and unpretentious, a place for relaxed study at a personal pace, see photographs. There is a small double bedroom (not en suite). The programme will take place in the study (which has computers and a collection of books on architecture), the dining room (where larger drawing takes place on an 8 x 4 foot board on the table), in the sitting room and, weather permitting, in the open air. LOCATION and ACCESS Sutcombe is 5 miles from the market town of Holsworthy, close to the Devon Cornwall border. A route map to Sutcombe will be provided if travelling by your own transport. Exeter (50 miles away) is the nearest rail station. Holsworthy (5 miles away) is the nearest National coach stop. Church Lodge

5 TUITION You will work one to one with Laurie Smith. He has given talks on geometrical building design at Lincoln Cathedral to the Cathedral Preservation Society, the Cathedral Guides and on the Cathedral Maths and Technology Day for local schools. He has also spoken at the Carpenters Fellowship annual Frame Conferences at Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings, The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, The Chiltern Open Air Museum, Cressing Temple Historic Knights Templar Site and at the Welsh National Folk Museum. His geometrical design articles have been published in the Mortice and Tenon (the UK Carpenters Fellowship journal of Traditional Timber Frame Carpentry), Timber Framing (journal of the Timber Framers Guild, USA), RICS Conservation Journal, Essex Archaeology and History, The Montgomeryshire Collections, Vernacular Architecture and more recently in two books: chapter 1 in Timber Framing Fundamentals published by the Timber Framers Guild, USA, and chapter 2 in Built from Below published by Routledge jointly on behalf of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain and the Vernacular Architecture Group. TIMETABLE A suggested timetable is ~ arrive Friday evening, three half day study sessions on Saturday am, Saturday pm and Sunday am ~ depart Sunday pm. However, the topics and time scales are flexible and can be tailored to fit your individual preferences and the time that you have available. All meals are prepared by Hilary Smith Vegetarian and special diets can be catered for 3

6 4 SATURDAY am Geometry in Nature Thinking Geometrically Point - Line - Plane Compass Edge Scribe Circularity and Angularity Spatial Relationships Vitruvius Proportion and Dimension Ad Triangulum Ad Quadratum SATURDAY pm Exploring the fundamental geometries, The Five Circles The Daisy Wheel The Whirling Squares The Golden Rectangle The Logarithmic Spiral Root 2 and Root 3 Rectangles Pentagon and Pentagram Geometrical symbols and their application in historic building design. SUNDAY am The daisy wheel symbol at Ely Cathedral, below left, where construction began in 1181, is the module from which the nave and arcades were designed. The five circle symbol at Tŷ Mawr (Great House), below right, an aisled hall built at Castle Caereinion in Montgomeryshire, Wales in 1460, is the module from which the house was designed. Using manual compass geometry and the modules we will design the cathedral s Romanesque floor plan and Tŷ Mawr s plan, elevation and spere post locations. Ely Cathedral Tŷ Mawr

7 FEES Fees are variable depending on duration of study but around 250 inclusive for tuition, all meals and refreshments from Friday (arrival) to Sunday (departure). CONTACT Church Lodge, Sutcombe, Holsworthy, Devon EX22 7PW, UK LONDON BRISTOL EXETER Sutcombe

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