Tessellations

These are repeating patterns, which fills the page without over-lapping or leaving any gaps. Squares, Triangles and Hexagons are the only regular shapes which tessellate by themselves

Squares have 4 equal sides

Image from: Shapes that tessellate

Triangles have 3 equal sides

Image from: Shapes that tessellate

Hexagons have 6 equal sides

Image from: Shapes that tessellate

The limiting factor with brickwork is the 65mm. If a shape is bigger than this, it can not be cut from a single stretcher

Image drawn by Anne Dec '10

A hexagon could be created from two bricks,
but an isosceles triangle is tiny.
Even the parallelogram is a bit too small

Brickwork designed by Anne Dec '10

Notice it takes 3 cut-bricks to fill a stretcher
But more importantly, bricks aren't made in this shape!
So it's best to leave this one to the Tilers

The maths behind tessellations will help you when designing brickwork patterns, especially when identifying the Unit-Shape, Lines of Symmetry and Rotation

Image from ngfl-cymru.org

To learn more about Tessellations, click Interactive Program Go to Starter Activity then Main Session Part 1 and Part 2

Inception

I have just watched this movie,
but I might have to see it again...

Image from Google Search

Found this game, but as usual
I don't know how to stay alive



To Access game, click image below or Mind Crime

Image from Nolan Fans

This is an interesting sketch of a maze.
Look carefully and it turns into an impossibility

Image from Architecture of the mind

Click image to enlarge

Buy the book

The following text was taken from the Introduction of this book. Published by Seven Dials in 2000

This book is intended for all those interested in our built environment. Our aim has been to cover all aspects of brick, presenting examples of excellent building from all over the world to demonstrate its capabilities, provide the technical principles of brickwork and, hopefully, to inspire both professional and amateur builders and architects. We hope to have written a study that is less lopsided than other books on the subject. From the late 19th century onwards, literature on brick has frequently been nationally biased, with each country presenting their own architecture as the epitome of brick building.

Now that the l980s have seen concrete seriously discredited as a building material, brick architecture is being re-evaluated and once more admired for its warmth and human scale. We hope this book will go some way towards aiding this process.

How would you describe this piece of writing?

Descriptive, Instructive, Persuasive, Informative,
Promotional, Anti-Foreigners

Plums and Plumbers

Image from: How Stuff Works

Image from Wikipedia

The word Plumb and the chemical symbol, Pb comes from Plumbum, the Latin word for Lead, which is classed as a heavy metal

This is a poisonous substance, like Mercury, which damages the nervous system and causes brain disorders

Plums, on the other hand, are sweet, tasty and often made into jam

A Plumb-bob or a Plummet is a weight, usually with a pointed tip
on the bottom. This is suspended from string to act as a vertical line

Such tools have been used since
the Ancient Egyptians and were made from lead

Image from: European Spas

In Ancient Rome, sophisticated networks of pipes were built to provide hot and cold water for the bath houses

The word 'plumber' comes from the latin because these pipes were made of lead

The Only True Bond

The following text was taken from page 19 of this book. Reprinted by Kessinger Publishers 2008

Old English bond consists of alternate courses of headers and stretchers, while Flemish consists of alternate headers and stretchers in each course. Old English is the only true bond, the other bonds (and there are several) being merely arrangements to please the eye. Gwilt, referring to bonds, remarks in his 'Encyclopedia of Architecture':

"Previous to the reign of William and Mary, all the brick buildings in this island were constructed in what is called English bond; and subsequent to the reign in question, when in buildings as in many other cases, Dutch fashions were introduced, we regret to say much to the injury of our houses’ strength, the workmen have become so infatuated with what is called Flemish bond that it is difficult to drive them out of it. To the introduction of the latter has been attributed (in many cases with justice) the splitting of walls into two thicknesses; to prevent which expedients have been adopted which would be altogether unnecessary if a return to the general use of English bond could be established."

How would you describe this piece of writing?

Descriptive, Instructive, Persuasive, Informative, Xenophobic, Argumentative, Incorrect, Archaic,
Anti-Flemish, Biased ...

50 Great Buildings

Image from RIBA

Exhibition at Trent University
Goldsmith Street, Nottingham
31st Jan to 11th Feb

This major touring exhibition, from the Royal Institute of British Architects, showcases innovative and enduring architecture from the swinging sixties onwards. It will be hosted in the University's Newton building and will reveal how architectural creativity is shaped by context, place, culture, social and political trends of the time and in turn, shapes the identity of local places and spaces.

For further information, click local BBC

Insert Pictures

Mazes

Garden mazes are usually built from hedges, but there are examples made from wooden fences and even masonry

Image from Wikipedia

Missouri Botanical Gardens

Image from Travelpod.com

Monash Maze, Australia

Image from Australian Traveler.net

Kryal Castle, Australia

The aim is usually to find your way to the centre
and then back out again, without too much damage

Image from Southwillard.com

Some mazes are flat, or 2-Dimensional

Image from Geograph.org

Kentwell Hall, Suffolk

Since they are often geometric in design, the pattern of a maze can easily be converted to brickwork

Brickwork designed by Anne Dec '10

If you follow the cream bricks, there is a path through the panel, from left to right

Image from History of Mazes

It was adapted from this picture

If you follow the blue line, it starts bottom-left and ends in the centre