What do you consider a good critique, or a critique at all for that matter?
The word critique can be generally defined as an act of criticism, or an outside perspective / comment towards another’s work. The sessions of directing and indirect critiquing are the foundation of our learning and development, not only architecturally but in life. Through my experience I have seen the individuals that tend grow the most are those most open minded to criticism. No one wants to be picked and prodded to the point of personal disgust or embarrassment, this creates a nearly impossible environment for one to learn and more importantly, listen. Simply meaning that the approach of the one giving the crit is as important to the one receiving it. What I believe to be the key to getting the most of our subjective field of study is to simply open our minds for listening and closing our fears of taking critiques personally. It is with this mental strength and attribute that we separate ourselves from the careers of more technical and practical bases.
As with most things in life, the more time you put in to something the more you will get out of it. Bringing almost anything and everything to the table during a projects early development can not only show obvious past progression and effort, but it can be used as a key tool for future progression.
Critiques are not an environment for solutions, but more an environment to uncover and create problems. They create the uncomfortable zone for our minds to digest a perspective not of our own. When we are uncomfortable we tend to think differently, and when we think differently it is likely good things will come of it.
This is merely my own opinion of why we go through what we go through in our academic, and for some, professional career of choice. Since we know firsthand that opinions in architecture our some of the strongest out there, what might yours be?
Thursday, September 29, 2011
By Erik Illies
As the stress from school builds our priorities can shift from working to create the best to working to get it done. Hopefully when that happens we can at least recognize the moral infraction being committed, even if we are unable or unwilling to correct it. Regardless, the result is devoid of emotion (positive/ negative) until we assign emotion to it. And often times it is a result of the perspective we take.
So that's what this is about... perspective. Every experience is defined by its perspective, and the perspective is usually a reflection of our emotions. But I like to think that the mirror can work both ways and that our emotions can become reflections of the way we choose to look at things. So far, however, these shifts in perspective are always retrospective, which is okay.
I've rambled too long, I'm lost in my own thoughts now and am typing as randomly as I'm thinking. All I can feel or think are fragments of the chaos inside my head. Never ending chaos that haunts my dreams and impedes clear thought. Fatigue is compounds the madness I see when I close my eyes.
Right now my perspective is from a chair in front of a desk in a studio in a building of a university that I am ready to graduate from, again. But eventually I'll be somewhere else, hopefully happier because of the chair I'm in now. But happiness, or at least some change of emotion doesn't have to wait until I'm gone from here because it is happening right now. I just shifted my perspective to appreciate the aggravation and frustration I'm feeling right now, because I am optimistic it will help me in the future. Already, I hate this chair and desk and studio a lot less. Simply realizing this and saying it is enough to shift my perspective. Imagine how often we don't look at things from another point of view... how many thoughts and feelings could have been different. Be careful of the slippery slope of past speculation.
I also like to believe in the power of optimism. Almost always, things can be better. More often than not, things aren't really bad to begin with (depending on your perspective): insert snare and symbol rim-shot! How great would it be to live life with the greatest possible outcome in mind all the time. Why is it even a notion to have to imagine that kind of life?
I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore, I just know I want them to be happy thoughts. I'll never quiet the loud noises going on in my head, but if I change my way of looking at them just so I might find that I've been listening to beautiful music all along. Looking for the station tuner, trying to dial in a bright blue sunshiny day!
As the stress from school builds our priorities can shift from working to create the best to working to get it done. Hopefully when that happens we can at least recognize the moral infraction being committed, even if we are unable or unwilling to correct it. Regardless, the result is devoid of emotion (positive/ negative) until we assign emotion to it. And often times it is a result of the perspective we take.
So that's what this is about... perspective. Every experience is defined by its perspective, and the perspective is usually a reflection of our emotions. But I like to think that the mirror can work both ways and that our emotions can become reflections of the way we choose to look at things. So far, however, these shifts in perspective are always retrospective, which is okay.
I've rambled too long, I'm lost in my own thoughts now and am typing as randomly as I'm thinking. All I can feel or think are fragments of the chaos inside my head. Never ending chaos that haunts my dreams and impedes clear thought. Fatigue is compounds the madness I see when I close my eyes.
Right now my perspective is from a chair in front of a desk in a studio in a building of a university that I am ready to graduate from, again. But eventually I'll be somewhere else, hopefully happier because of the chair I'm in now. But happiness, or at least some change of emotion doesn't have to wait until I'm gone from here because it is happening right now. I just shifted my perspective to appreciate the aggravation and frustration I'm feeling right now, because I am optimistic it will help me in the future. Already, I hate this chair and desk and studio a lot less. Simply realizing this and saying it is enough to shift my perspective. Imagine how often we don't look at things from another point of view... how many thoughts and feelings could have been different. Be careful of the slippery slope of past speculation.
I also like to believe in the power of optimism. Almost always, things can be better. More often than not, things aren't really bad to begin with (depending on your perspective): insert snare and symbol rim-shot! How great would it be to live life with the greatest possible outcome in mind all the time. Why is it even a notion to have to imagine that kind of life?
I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore, I just know I want them to be happy thoughts. I'll never quiet the loud noises going on in my head, but if I change my way of looking at them just so I might find that I've been listening to beautiful music all along. Looking for the station tuner, trying to dial in a bright blue sunshiny day!
Fire, Laser, and Dust
By Andrew Wyne
If there is one thing you should know about while attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) and studying architecture is that there is a Digital Fabrication Lab (DFL). On most projects you will end up making a model, whether it is a mass model or finish model, and that takes time to cut material. At SIUC we have a nifty machine that can cut most any type of material in seconds. The cardboard that would have taken five hours to cut out will now only take twenty minutes to cut out. It is easy, simple, and worth the money for the amount of time that you save.
http://siucfablab.wordpress.com/ is the website that will help guide you through the process of getting a time slot scheduled, as well as providing a template for the laser cutter. You need the AutoCAD template so the laser cutter can know what to cut out. The laser cutter has the ability to cut out 24”x12” sheet of material, anything from plexiglas to cardboard to wood. It can handle up to 1/4” thick material. There are many different scales set up on the template that are usual for models (i.e. 1/16”=1’0”) and you take your full scale drawings and place them into the designated boxes on the template. There are also different layers for cutting and scoring. Some layers are also designated for cutting before others. The system is easy use and is well explained. There is also a staff of student workers that are available to help with AutoCAD and the laser cutter.
As the laser cutter cuts there is no fire, yes it is a laser, but that could usually be worked around and not something you have to worry about. But being a laser it will char the edges and you may need to sand and/or paint your model in the end, which is not a bad tradeoff for the amount of money you will end up saving in the end. The above website has everything you need with information about the whole process as well as resources.
Now, there is a cost. There is a small fee to counter the cost to maintain the laser cutter. The cost is $0.75 a minute for the first fifteen minutes and then $0.50 a minute after that. The LFD is open in the evenings. Please consult the website for specific times and details.
If there is one thing you should know about while attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) and studying architecture is that there is a Digital Fabrication Lab (DFL). On most projects you will end up making a model, whether it is a mass model or finish model, and that takes time to cut material. At SIUC we have a nifty machine that can cut most any type of material in seconds. The cardboard that would have taken five hours to cut out will now only take twenty minutes to cut out. It is easy, simple, and worth the money for the amount of time that you save.
http://siucfablab.wordpress.com/ is the website that will help guide you through the process of getting a time slot scheduled, as well as providing a template for the laser cutter. You need the AutoCAD template so the laser cutter can know what to cut out. The laser cutter has the ability to cut out 24”x12” sheet of material, anything from plexiglas to cardboard to wood. It can handle up to 1/4” thick material. There are many different scales set up on the template that are usual for models (i.e. 1/16”=1’0”) and you take your full scale drawings and place them into the designated boxes on the template. There are also different layers for cutting and scoring. Some layers are also designated for cutting before others. The system is easy use and is well explained. There is also a staff of student workers that are available to help with AutoCAD and the laser cutter.
As the laser cutter cuts there is no fire, yes it is a laser, but that could usually be worked around and not something you have to worry about. But being a laser it will char the edges and you may need to sand and/or paint your model in the end, which is not a bad tradeoff for the amount of money you will end up saving in the end. The above website has everything you need with information about the whole process as well as resources.
Now, there is a cost. There is a small fee to counter the cost to maintain the laser cutter. The cost is $0.75 a minute for the first fifteen minutes and then $0.50 a minute after that. The LFD is open in the evenings. Please consult the website for specific times and details.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The way we work will change.
By Jason Skidmore
The recent release of Design Review Mobile for the iPad and iPhone has sparked my interest in how technology is being used within the industry and how it may change the industry. This puts BIM in the hands of those in the field so they can review things on the go. Previously AutoCADWS was the premiere mobile app to review documents on. This just didn’t suffice for those who use BIM software. The amount of information and ease of access to information in this way is incredible. In my mind, someone in the office can change the building while a person in the field gets the revisions in real time. Advancements in technology have always enabled us to do things quicker and more efficiently. Holding an iPad is much easier than holding any other media that could possibly be used to view the same information. If a company can take the software being developed for the iPad and iPhone and integrate it into the way they do business, I think it will help them cope with the changes that are imminently coming to the world of computers. It not only is easier to use products like the iPad it also will eventually save a company money by decreasing the amount of traditional paper plots. I believe eventually everything we do on paper will be more easily done digitally. Red marking, sketching, modeling, collaboration, etc… If you can name an aspect of design, technology most likely has an answer for it. Another piece of technology that is picking up steam in the industry is cloud computing. An example would be Autodesk Project Neon. This enables a person to send a 3D view from Revit to Autodesk to have it rendered quickly without using any resources from your personal work station. This is important because it frees up your computer for other tasks instead of waiting for hours for a rendering to complete. I have not used this product yet personally, but I plan on using it sometime this Fall. Some other cloud based products Autodesk offers are; eTransmit, Project Freewheel, Project Galileo, Project Photofly, Project Spark, and Project Quickshare. All of these cloud based softwares are definitely worth looking into and at the least, trying out.
http://labs.autodesk.com/aec/
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/design-review-mobile/id459112753?mt=8
The recent release of Design Review Mobile for the iPad and iPhone has sparked my interest in how technology is being used within the industry and how it may change the industry. This puts BIM in the hands of those in the field so they can review things on the go. Previously AutoCADWS was the premiere mobile app to review documents on. This just didn’t suffice for those who use BIM software. The amount of information and ease of access to information in this way is incredible. In my mind, someone in the office can change the building while a person in the field gets the revisions in real time. Advancements in technology have always enabled us to do things quicker and more efficiently. Holding an iPad is much easier than holding any other media that could possibly be used to view the same information. If a company can take the software being developed for the iPad and iPhone and integrate it into the way they do business, I think it will help them cope with the changes that are imminently coming to the world of computers. It not only is easier to use products like the iPad it also will eventually save a company money by decreasing the amount of traditional paper plots. I believe eventually everything we do on paper will be more easily done digitally. Red marking, sketching, modeling, collaboration, etc… If you can name an aspect of design, technology most likely has an answer for it. Another piece of technology that is picking up steam in the industry is cloud computing. An example would be Autodesk Project Neon. This enables a person to send a 3D view from Revit to Autodesk to have it rendered quickly without using any resources from your personal work station. This is important because it frees up your computer for other tasks instead of waiting for hours for a rendering to complete. I have not used this product yet personally, but I plan on using it sometime this Fall. Some other cloud based products Autodesk offers are; eTransmit, Project Freewheel, Project Galileo, Project Photofly, Project Spark, and Project Quickshare. All of these cloud based softwares are definitely worth looking into and at the least, trying out.
http://labs.autodesk.com/aec/
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/design-review-mobile/id459112753?mt=8
Bart Prince
By Dempson Haney
Bart prince’s life began in New Mexico on June 24, 1947. His fascination for Wright’s architecture fueled his desire to become an architect, and thus had decided his field of study. From 1965 to 1970, Prince attended Arizona State University School of Architecture. While in the middle of his third year design studio, he was given the option of advancing to the second semester of fourth year studio. Up to this point, never has this taken place at Arizona State University. During his senior days, he won the Weaver and Drover competition, designing a high rise multi use structure that stretched across the Black Canyon Freeway in Phoenix, Arizona. It was this honor that awarded him the opportunity to work for Cwmbran Development Corporation in Wales over the summer. After his return, he spent the next year fabricating his thesis. While over in Wales, Prince had compiled a 65 page book of his analysis on Cwmbran’s existing conditions, socially, politically, and physically. His next notion was that the social fabrication of the New Town Centre was in adequate after Great Britain’s approach to new cities development. Prince wrote, “Social life cannot be regulated to any fixed pattern.” He wanted a more organic solution that promoted growth and evolution. He then began to derive his solution and record it through ink and wash drawings. When Prince returned to Arizona he met Bruce Goff. Goff had been lecturing at Arizona and quickly noticed Prince’s work. Bruce was then to Prince as what Sullivan was to Wright. After the death of Bruce Goff in 1988, Prince then begins his solo partnership, only to hire occasionally to complete projects.
Prince’s work takes on a highly organic form, very fluid like. His work is like the remains of prehistoric marine life fossilized within the western American deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and California to the rolling plains of Colorado, Idaho, and even Ohio. At one glance the one can see the influence of Wright’s later work. Bart Prince also practices the use of total design with built in furniture, light fixtures, and non-traditional use of building materials. Like Wright, he stays true to the material’s natural elements. Wood is not painted over but rather exposed and showcased as a piece of finely polished furniture. The most interesting aspect of his work is how form follows structure or vice versa. The form of his buildings are structurally driven and showcased as skilled carpentry. The atmosphere conceived within his interior spaces, directly correlates with that of its exterior. This technique erases the heavy line separating the two.
Mead, Christopher Curtis., Bart Prince, and Michele M. Penhall. The Architecture of Bart Prince: a Pragmatics of Place. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2010. Print.
Bart Prince - Architect. Web. 28 Sept. 2011..
Bart prince’s life began in New Mexico on June 24, 1947. His fascination for Wright’s architecture fueled his desire to become an architect, and thus had decided his field of study. From 1965 to 1970, Prince attended Arizona State University School of Architecture. While in the middle of his third year design studio, he was given the option of advancing to the second semester of fourth year studio. Up to this point, never has this taken place at Arizona State University. During his senior days, he won the Weaver and Drover competition, designing a high rise multi use structure that stretched across the Black Canyon Freeway in Phoenix, Arizona. It was this honor that awarded him the opportunity to work for Cwmbran Development Corporation in Wales over the summer. After his return, he spent the next year fabricating his thesis. While over in Wales, Prince had compiled a 65 page book of his analysis on Cwmbran’s existing conditions, socially, politically, and physically. His next notion was that the social fabrication of the New Town Centre was in adequate after Great Britain’s approach to new cities development. Prince wrote, “Social life cannot be regulated to any fixed pattern.” He wanted a more organic solution that promoted growth and evolution. He then began to derive his solution and record it through ink and wash drawings. When Prince returned to Arizona he met Bruce Goff. Goff had been lecturing at Arizona and quickly noticed Prince’s work. Bruce was then to Prince as what Sullivan was to Wright. After the death of Bruce Goff in 1988, Prince then begins his solo partnership, only to hire occasionally to complete projects.
Prince’s work takes on a highly organic form, very fluid like. His work is like the remains of prehistoric marine life fossilized within the western American deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and California to the rolling plains of Colorado, Idaho, and even Ohio. At one glance the one can see the influence of Wright’s later work. Bart Prince also practices the use of total design with built in furniture, light fixtures, and non-traditional use of building materials. Like Wright, he stays true to the material’s natural elements. Wood is not painted over but rather exposed and showcased as a piece of finely polished furniture. The most interesting aspect of his work is how form follows structure or vice versa. The form of his buildings are structurally driven and showcased as skilled carpentry. The atmosphere conceived within his interior spaces, directly correlates with that of its exterior. This technique erases the heavy line separating the two.
Mead, Christopher Curtis., Bart Prince, and Michele M. Penhall. The Architecture of Bart Prince: a Pragmatics of Place. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2010. Print.
Bart Prince - Architect. Web. 28 Sept. 2011.
Design Mishaps
By Audrey Treece
As design professionals, we will have a lot of responsibility. All of our decisions will not only influence the space aesthetically but will also influence the people that use those spaces. Things can be easily overlooked and something that may seem like a good idea could turn out to be a disaster.
I came across an article the other day on cnn.com about a recently completed $105 million courthouse in Franklin County, Ohio. The building contains a really unique glass staircase that aesthetically completes the design and was put in place with innocent intentions. The designer, however, did not think about half of the population that would be using the space. Women and I suppose men for whatever reason, that choose to wear dresses or skirts cannot use the staircase due to the transparent nature of the material. Those who wear skirts are warned by the courthouse security about the problem and encourage those persons to avoid using the staircase. A female judge, who works at the courthouse, has said that even though she chooses to wear skirts and dresses, she does not trust people to be mature and/or with today’s technology, she doesn’t trust cell phones with cameras. She fears that she will end up on the internet by just innocently walking up or down the stairs at her place of employment. On the other hand, some women are still using the staircase with the hopes that people will be mature about the situation.
I have to admit that even though I am female and sometimes where skirts and dresses, I am not sure that I would have thought about this being an issue during the design process. This just goes to show how easily things can turn into a disaster by not thinking through a design problem.
A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor, Dr. Kathryn H. Anthony, has started a website called Disadvantaged by Design where her goal and research is, “to challenge and change design education and practice, inspiring faculty and professional architects to create more humane learning and working environments. Her work stresses the critical importance of designing for diversity and creating spaces for people.” (www.disadvantagedbydesign.com)
I encourage everyone to visit and frequent this website to see what is happening out in the profession that unintentionally affects people who will use our designs.
If you want to read more about the glass staircase visit: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/09/glass-staircase-not-dress-friendly/.
As design professionals, we will have a lot of responsibility. All of our decisions will not only influence the space aesthetically but will also influence the people that use those spaces. Things can be easily overlooked and something that may seem like a good idea could turn out to be a disaster.
I came across an article the other day on cnn.com about a recently completed $105 million courthouse in Franklin County, Ohio. The building contains a really unique glass staircase that aesthetically completes the design and was put in place with innocent intentions. The designer, however, did not think about half of the population that would be using the space. Women and I suppose men for whatever reason, that choose to wear dresses or skirts cannot use the staircase due to the transparent nature of the material. Those who wear skirts are warned by the courthouse security about the problem and encourage those persons to avoid using the staircase. A female judge, who works at the courthouse, has said that even though she chooses to wear skirts and dresses, she does not trust people to be mature and/or with today’s technology, she doesn’t trust cell phones with cameras. She fears that she will end up on the internet by just innocently walking up or down the stairs at her place of employment. On the other hand, some women are still using the staircase with the hopes that people will be mature about the situation.
I have to admit that even though I am female and sometimes where skirts and dresses, I am not sure that I would have thought about this being an issue during the design process. This just goes to show how easily things can turn into a disaster by not thinking through a design problem.
A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor, Dr. Kathryn H. Anthony, has started a website called Disadvantaged by Design where her goal and research is, “to challenge and change design education and practice, inspiring faculty and professional architects to create more humane learning and working environments. Her work stresses the critical importance of designing for diversity and creating spaces for people.” (www.disadvantagedbydesign.com)
I encourage everyone to visit and frequent this website to see what is happening out in the profession that unintentionally affects people who will use our designs.
If you want to read more about the glass staircase visit: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/09/glass-staircase-not-dress-friendly/.
HISTORIC NEWARI SETTLEMENT: KIRTIPUR, NEPAL Continue………..
By Jabina Shrestha
Kirtipur as a fort town was established according to “Sadhya Kosh Saar” i.e. water-body on the outer periphery, fort wall. The Kirtipur town was designed in the social hierarchy according to which; the Pradhans and Amatyas (ministers) lived in the central Layaku (palace complex). Similarly, other trades-men & service men were radiating to outward zone. Jyapus (farmers), Manandhars (oil-pressers), and Tandukaars (royal palanquin-bearers) were placed on the outskirts.
During the Malla rule, the defense wall was constructed around the wall with 12 main entrances/gates. Prior to 12th century there was another defense wall that falls within the present wall and confines a smaller areas of the upper portion and surrounds gwa-pukhu, nayaga choga, manatwa, chilancho and bhariya-pukhu. This shows that Kirtipur was a growing city but after 1987 as the built up areas increased and houses began to be built on cultivating land, the fortified walls were destroyed to accommodate denser population. The green belt around the city not only protected it from foreign invasion but also gave firewood to the people. The density of trees helped in balancing the environmental ecology, thus giving healthy and safe life to the civilians.
The whole site is classified as monumental zone, traditional residential zone, new development zone, eco- zone, educational zone, service zone and new housing zone. The monumental zone includes the areas of Bagh Bhairav Temple, Chilancho Stupa and Uma-Maheshwor Temple. The traditional residential zone includes the surrounding periphery revealing some of the traditional character in buildings around the monumental zone, which can also be termed as transitional zone. The new development zone is the area of Naya-Bazaar where the encroachment of modern construction is rapid and excessive. This is the mixed zone of residential and commercial purposes. Then is the Eco-zone with open spaces and dense trees, which have balance the ecology of that place. The area towards the east of Kirtipur hill where exits the Tribhuvan University is termed as the educational zone. The area with the public services like telecom office, water supply office, electricity office and municipal offices are designated as service zone. As the population of the town is rising and in few years, the people will be searching new destination for dwellings, the area near to Kirtipur valley like Panga, Nagaon can be termed as new housing zone.
Kirtipur as a fort town was established according to “Sadhya Kosh Saar” i.e. water-body on the outer periphery, fort wall. The Kirtipur town was designed in the social hierarchy according to which; the Pradhans and Amatyas (ministers) lived in the central Layaku (palace complex). Similarly, other trades-men & service men were radiating to outward zone. Jyapus (farmers), Manandhars (oil-pressers), and Tandukaars (royal palanquin-bearers) were placed on the outskirts.
During the Malla rule, the defense wall was constructed around the wall with 12 main entrances/gates. Prior to 12th century there was another defense wall that falls within the present wall and confines a smaller areas of the upper portion and surrounds gwa-pukhu, nayaga choga, manatwa, chilancho and bhariya-pukhu. This shows that Kirtipur was a growing city but after 1987 as the built up areas increased and houses began to be built on cultivating land, the fortified walls were destroyed to accommodate denser population. The green belt around the city not only protected it from foreign invasion but also gave firewood to the people. The density of trees helped in balancing the environmental ecology, thus giving healthy and safe life to the civilians.
The whole site is classified as monumental zone, traditional residential zone, new development zone, eco- zone, educational zone, service zone and new housing zone. The monumental zone includes the areas of Bagh Bhairav Temple, Chilancho Stupa and Uma-Maheshwor Temple. The traditional residential zone includes the surrounding periphery revealing some of the traditional character in buildings around the monumental zone, which can also be termed as transitional zone. The new development zone is the area of Naya-Bazaar where the encroachment of modern construction is rapid and excessive. This is the mixed zone of residential and commercial purposes. Then is the Eco-zone with open spaces and dense trees, which have balance the ecology of that place. The area towards the east of Kirtipur hill where exits the Tribhuvan University is termed as the educational zone. The area with the public services like telecom office, water supply office, electricity office and municipal offices are designated as service zone. As the population of the town is rising and in few years, the people will be searching new destination for dwellings, the area near to Kirtipur valley like Panga, Nagaon can be termed as new housing zone.
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