Architecture's Potential Impact on the Worker's of Foxconn

By Jason Skidmore














One of the worst work environments in the world is found at many of the factories owned and operated by Foxconn. The Taiwanese company makes components for many of the gadgets that the world lusts over. This lust has created a demand for products that leaves the company with no choice but to work their employees to the point of exhaustion and/or “replace the workers with robots” according to the Guardian newspaper. The treatment of the employees has been described as “labor camps”. An article by Rueters cites that at least 13 workers committed suicide in 2010 alone. Not only are the work hours unendurable, but the workers usually live close to the factory in dormitories that many of us across the pond wouldn't live in during our early college years. This is life for many of the workers employed by Foxconn. I beg the question, “Can architecture solve this problem and increase the quality of life for these workers?”

The answer to this question in my humble opinion is, “YES!” Architects are suppose to solve problems. The problem at Foxconn is not only a work condition problem, it is a living condition problem. A problem that needs solved. The only solution to this point has been to install nets on the facilities to catch suicidal workers. This is just not a solution to the problem. A problem that with great design can be solved. Imagine life for these people if they loved their surroundings. If they had the amenities available to them that the workers of Google's headquarters have. They may not care to work 18 hours a day in those situations. This is just not the case. These people deserve surroundings that they can enjoy and can lift their spirits every day. A total redesign of the dormitories along with the factory itself might make bring these conditions from darkness into light and in the process save lives. A great article on this issue can be found in Wired's March 2011 edition. The article is entitled, “1 Million Workers. 90 Million iPhones. 17 Suicides. Who’s to Blame?”

Introduction and Interests...

By Micah Jacobson

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Micah Jacobson. I am the tutor for the structures 1 and 2 courses. I am here working on the M.Arch degree. I came from Columbia, MO a year ago where I completed a B.S. in Civil Engineering. My experience in engineering and architecture has led me to pick a thesis project that relates to both.

Structure, in architecture, is what resists the external and internal forced caused by loads on a building. These loads include, but are not limited to, the weight of the building, the occupants, wind, rain, snow, earthquake and storms. Structure can come in many different forms and materials. In many modern buildings the structure is hidden, as if the building needed no skeleton. This neglects a multitude of possibilities that the design of structure can add to architecture.

Structure can be used to define spaces, create openings and can increase or decrease the depth and density of the space. It also plays a key role in the geometry and grid of a building. A building expresses its true nature when the structure is expressed and celebrated. Structure should be analyzed not only as a means to physically support the architecture, but to play a key role in the experience of the architecture.

Once upon a time the architect and engineer were one in the same. With the progression of the profession the two emerged as separate specialties and now are often times looked at as two distinct and different professions. For my thesis project I will undertake to merge the two into one complete design process and to investigate the contributions of structure, and structural engineering, to the world of architecture.

Studio intro.....

By Sean Hartman

The first week of classes have come and gone. There are many new faces to welcome into the undergraduate program, graduate program and to the faculty. They bring many new teaching methods and techniques to the program. As the semester started we quickly found out what we anticipated of having separate studios working on two different projects was thrown out the door. Instead of working on two separate projects we found out that the whole studio would be working on one project. With this said the positive side to this is that it gives different views and different though processes to our project. I look forward to see what other changes are brought to the Graduate program. Things can only get better from here! This year will be a great year.

On another note, I am currently looking to do my thesis on Advanced Trauma Center Reorganization to improve time on which patrons receive medical attention and to help improve response times on the victims that have sustained life threatening injuries from an accident. I will also be looking into placing a small version trauma center underneath helipads on the hospitals to improve response time of the victims who are life flighted to the hospital. I would like to see if this is possible and how we would go about implementing this type of trauma center into hospitals. I look forward to see where this project takes me as I continue my research on this topic.

Studio Update...

By Erik Illies

Productive day on site today for my studio class. Our project location is downtown East St. Louis and has probably more issues than potential... but that's the challenge! Admittedly, I had some preconceived notions about this project specifically because of the site location, and now that we've toured the area and met with a local developer I feel pretty much the same. I live about 15 minutes from East Side, and used to drive into downtown at night with friends for fun. That being said, we weren't the smartest teenagers. The whole point was to get the thrill of adrenaline from driving into the scariest place we knew. Stop signs were meaningless, unless you were picking up some cheap weed or blow. Most of the time there were other cars slowly driving around almost seeming lost, but they aren't... they circle blocks of their territory waiting for someone to pull up to their corner and stop. Anytime you stopped on the street shadows would start to move and the wandering cars would quickly catch to you or throw it in reverse to "see what you want". We knew this going in and would play a little game with the drug dealers by slowly creeping to a curb or stop sign for just long enough to get their attention, and as soon as the reverse lights came on we were gone. This was all good and sufficiently excited us from the ever present element of danger, until the time they got out of they're car.

It was the beginning of any normal "urban jungle safari" and we hadn't gotten very far into the "bad neighborhoods". I felt relatively safe still since the streets were still lit and traffic was somewhat constant... that was the big mistake of the first mistake of continuing to tempt chance in this area. The next mistake was not paying attention to the g-ride cutlass that had been following us since we pulled off the highway. And the bigger still mistake was stopping at the stop sign. I had no idea anything was "up" until I saw the cutlass in my peripheral vision very close to my car. It pulled up close and at an angle to try and block us. Almost just as quickly some people started moving out of the shadows of buildings and down the sidewalk toward us. I hadn't yet decided to panic because the normal routine was "we would play like we were interested in making a deal, and then flake and they would recede", and I thought that as soon as I started to move again they would assume they made a mistake. It was no mistake, they wanted the car! I made instant eye contact with the passenger and glanced quickly enough to notice the 3 other guys in the car with him as I was starting to pull away. But by this time the people of the shadows were in the street in front of my car and along side of us. The passenger never blinked while opening his door and starting to step out toward us, and I don't think I blinked either while I shifted into reverse to get the hell out of there. For whatever reason they didn't chase, but three of the four of them were already out of their car by the time I was spinning my car around in the other direction. We had to assume they wanted the car because as we were making a neat 3 point turn in the middle of this street we clearly saw the guns they had in hand.

That was about 10 years ago now, and I still feel like an idiot for making those trips. Seriously, who the hell am I to play a game with what those people called life? It would be easy to say they shouldn't have been there selling drugs or jacking cars in the first place, and I should have been able to freely drive through their neighborhood at 3am, but I started the story admitting that I knew what we were getting into. I am totally to blame for that incident and don't make excuses for it, besides the fact I was young and very dumb. The more I think about that night, and the kinds of lives some people in East St. Louis have to/ or maybe even choose to live, the more I understand how ignorant I am to that world. Even after living nearby for over 25 years I can't relate to them and never will. Oh well, now I can make it up to them by offering an irresponsible development program that no one intends to follow up with.

Cave Hill Cemetary

By Joel Wallace



Below is an opening excerpt from a paper of mine in the fall of 2010. It is about a place that has both architectural and spiritual influence that can be felt, almost literally, as you enter it’s gates. Should you ever drive through my home of Louisville, KY., I hope you will take the time to visit it….

Within an area of rebuilding eclectic scenery in Louisville Kentucky, lies a piece of historic pride, pure beauty, and sacred ground. Cave Hill National Cemetery is recognized not only by local Louisvillians, but also by the National Registry of Historic Places for which it was added in 1979. From early stages of transformation from farmland to monumental garden, Cave Hill has always been seen as a place of elevating spirit. Upon entry, mature trees and winding pathways set the tone for what will appear as nearly 300 acres of undisturbed, perfectly honed nature within its fenced perimeter. The design of cemetery comes from a garden concept that was captured and executed by civil Engineer Edmond Francis Lee in the year 1846. If only the historic grounds could talk to what they have endured during their many years of settlement prior to that of their current condition. This property has seen farmers, flirtatious endeavors of quarrying stone, and has even housed the city’s Pest House, and isolated home for those suffering from eruptive and contagious disease. These transformations have only added to the story behind this sacredly respected part of city and what it means to those who frequent it. Whether it is for the burying of a loved one, or a peaceful stroll to forget life’s tensions, Cave Hill is truly a calming place that surrounds you with a pure sense of self by the experience of life, death, and everywhere in between.

Thermal Delight

By Dempson Haney



“Thermal Delight in Architecture” is a little black book that can be found at 710 and in the hands of those within Arc481 Environmental Systems and Design. This book is a light read, one that myself finished in just two hours. It was written by Lisa Herchong. When designing a soar building, she found the reference of examples scarce. She then set out to publish this book that would dab into many aspects, theory, and case study of the attributes of thermal energy.

The first chapter is titled “Necessity”. These first pages talk about life and its thermal need. Starting with mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and then humans; it explains comfort zones and how it affects our lives and body.

The next chapter is “Delight”. It was here she describes the temperature (or thermal) fluctuation as a human’s means of refreshment and recreation. Thermal does not restrictively refer to the warmer side of our senses, but also the cooler. “People like to hang a lantern or wind chime under the roof of the veranda. The lightly swaying lantern gives a suggestion of refreshing wind and coolness.” (Herchong 25) This anecdote suggests a psychological reference of our thermal behavior.

Following Delight is “Affection”. It is here she begins to touch base on how thermal interacts with the physical environment of architecture and urban design. She mentions the inglenook, gazebo, porch swing, and what role they played in this thermal interaction. There is also an account of an anthropologist, his family; and what it was like to move from a home with central heat to one where each room needed to be heated via fireplace or salamander. Another precedent is the social center of Japanese hot baths. These baths are similar to Roman baths. Herchong elaborates on their function and how they become a part of their daily routine.

The final chapter in the book is “Sacredness”. Herchong isn’t just talking about the religious complications of thermal transfer. Sacredness also refers to the daily lives of those who interact with a particle form of thermal transfer. One case study is Karen Terry’s home in Sante Fe, designed by avid Wright. “a passively solar-heated house may go through an air temperature flux as great as 20 degrees per day. People learn to live with this flux by putting on a sweater of moving to the part of the house with the most desirable conditions.” (Herchong 56) It also mentions that Karin maintains a sort of migration strategy with her home. It states that thermal comfort is sometimes a luxury and even a status symbol in different parts of the world. One account states that during the medieval times, an Islamic Sultan’s throne was cooled thought evaporation using elaborate fountain systems to create a heat barrier or curtain. Today some of the coolest places in India are stone temples.

My small blog does not do this book justice. There is just so much packed within this small and inexpensive book. You may not be able to write a report on it but you can learn where to start with it. Simply buying this book for the list of sources in the notes is worth the pocket change. Because it touches base on various religions, culture, and regions it is a great way to diverse your knowledge on this particular topic and easy with it being all in one place.

Jobs and Salary

By Andrew Wyne

So you have decided to become an architect? In doing a little digging, I have found some statistics and information that you may want to consider as you complete your undergraduate courses. The job description of an architect is different then what is usually perceived and the qualifications for the job changes the expected salary of an architect. Architecture is more than just designing buildings and few people actually design huge buildings by themselves. It is a difficult profession. Below are a few numbers and statistics of starting architects’ salaries and what is to be expected.

“Median annual wages of wage-and-salary architects were $70,320 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $53,480 and $91,870. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $41,320, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $119,220. Those just starting their internships can expect to earn considerably less.” (http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos038.htm#earnings)

Notice the above statistic is referring to licensed architects. An architecture student must complete graduate school in order to become licensed. Undergraduate level architecture graduates are paid considerably less. Another source supports the theory that entry level architects make about half of the $70,320 salary listed above. Less experience correlates with less pay. (http://www1.salary.com/Architect-I-salary.html)

Another thing to consider is whether you love architecture or if it is simply a job to pay the bills. It is said that the architects that love their work have a higher success rate and earn a higher salary. It is not simply going to work and doing a good job, but being able to work harder than everyone else. Successful architects devote time outside of the job by buying endless amounts of books and magazines about architecture. They even plan their vacations around the projects on which they are working.

One last helpful hint about the business of architecture; never burn any bridges with anyone you know in the field of architecture. You never know when they may be a connection to a job or project and can often offer hints and advice on how to succeed in architecture. So to put it all simply: work hard, love what you are doing, and play nice.

(http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/architects-salary-wanna-know/) this is a link to a blog of helpful advice.