It's Final Defense Season!

Master of Architecture candidate Justin Poczatek makes the final defense of his thesis entitled "Behavior and Architecture" in the school gallery. Professor Davey's Kid Architecture Camp for High School students attended the presentation. The students asked many great questions of Justin, who handled his defense like a pro!

New Graduate Studio!

Installation just completed yesterday on the new furniture systems for the graduate studio at SIUC! Students will have professional workspaces with secure storage and cabinets. Shown in the background are the new cabinets. In the foreground, a standard studio setup for a graduate student at SIUC. Tables include integrated electrical connections. Internet connections are also available. Since campus uses wireless internet, these are not installed in the workstations. New solar shades remain on order for the studio. They will replace the blinds, that, as you can see by this image, are in need of replacement.

This image looks toward the east wall in the studio. Thirty workstations await the arrival of the next class on Monday, June 14! Twenty eight new Master of Architecture students begin their studies this summer.

Transparency in Buildings

While researching different ways to bring people into the hotel we have planned for studio, some things came to mind. What pulls people in? How can the building, as a whole, pull people in from the street? One major characteristic that drew my attention was a quote from Richard Rogers- "buildings which are full of light, light in weight and which are flexible......can [allow you to]read how the building is put together." Some examples are in building facades, exposed mechanical and structural systems, partial height partition walls, and screens, to name a few. The way each of these aspects helps show how a building works, and how it is able to withstand forces of nature, but also how even a floor plan layout can move people in and around spaces and bring people together -- all of these are aspects of transparency in buildings.

Recently in many "green" buildings, structure is exposed to avoid waste in materials. Where an acoustical drop ceiling used to be hung to cover mechanical systems and structure, now they are left exposed, as in our graduate studio. External stairs, escalators, elevators and moving sidewalks show onlookers how people move throughout the building. People can see the "guts" of a building and visually realize the work that goes into it. After seeing the size of some of the ductwork and mechanical equipment, they might even begin to realize the amount of power that is needed to run one of these systems. This "inside out" approach will help reduce materials, give texture to the building and draw people in by enticing them with a view of the inner workings.

There is a lot that goes into constructing a building. Why not celebrate this by exposing as much as possible? This will also allow for some pretty dramatic lighting as well as shadows in the evening.
--Robert Hildreth, M. Arch. Student

Healthcare Architecture

Healthcare architecture is something that is frowned upon by many of the professors here at SIU. And why shouldn’t it be shunned in a school setting? Hospital design adheres to more codes than most professional architects care to learn, they’re too sterile to really get “down and dirty” in designing, and they’re associated with so many negative feelings already, why put students through a project that’s not any fun?

These are all valid points. Yes, there are lots of codes, yes they must be somewhat sterile, and yes, they have negative connotations. But wait, why are we here? Most students are asked that the first year they’re here, and most all of us give that same canned response “to improve something blah blah blah”. Alright, so let’s learn some codes. Being able to adhere to these “so restrictive” codes will not only make us better designers, but set us apart from other graduates entering the workforce.
“But they’re so sterile.” Yeah, they’re sterile, but that doesn’t mean white walls and padded rooms. Hospitals today are opening their windows, planting healing gardens and making use of daylight in a way that hospitals have never seen. And with environmental design so prominent, daylighting, natural ventilation and “greenery” are all making a huge “comeback” (for lack of a better word).
“But hospitals are just boxes of negative space.” Again, you’re right. But, going back to day one, aren’t we, as designers, challenging ourselves to improve spaces, to make them more enjoyable? Then why aren’t we doing it?

I was talking to some of the other grads about this same topic, and they response was that hospitals were bland, that they don’t give you the opportunity to design. There’s a trend in hospital design that notices that there’s not much difference on the patient side of things between a hospital and a hotel. Anyone reading this can think of multiples of awesome hotels, why not hospitals?

We’re here to learn to design so we can solve problems later on. The fact that this project type is actively avoided proves to me that it has problems. Can we do anything about it?
-- Jason Epley, M. Arch. student

Thesis Proposal: A New School of Architecture at SIUC

Architects are often influenced by their past and present surroundings when designing a project. In order to have the best solution to a given problem, the environment must be conducive to different design approaches through exploration and research. Giving students a facility that encourages group collaboration and a firm foundation for their studies would allow them the opportunity to form their own view of the architecture field from their experiences here at Southern Illinois University.

Currently the architecture facilities at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are lacking in facility resources for students. The students are unable to congregate and exchange ideas comfortably. Quigley Hall has been renovated many times to adapt to the growing needs of its users. However, after all of the rearranging, the building is still disorganized and does not give the students the proper environment to immerse themselves in design. With the addition of the architectural graduate program, new spaces are needed for the growing population of students. This proposal will discuss the proposal of a new facility dedicated to architecture students, interior design students, and industrial design students both at the undergraduate and graduate level.

In order to create a successful work environment for students and faculty, it needs to be understood what are essential tools is promoting successful design in a university setting The process of design education will be examined to determine which educational approaches are commonly used for a school of architecture. Higher education facilities and their impact on the university community will be discussed as well. This project will investigate other institutions that have a similar program and compare how issues were resolved surrounding their campus facilities and resources. Topics such as the facility’s relation to the existing campus and community, technology resources, green design initiatives, possibility for growth, student interaction, teaching styles, and schools of architectural thought will all be discussed.
-- Laura Widholm, M. Arch. Student

Libeskind to Design “City on Water” in Belgrade

Although it has its preliminary name, “City on Water”, city officials are looking at the project as an opportunity for a big investment in very center of the city of Belgrade and on the bank of the Danube River.

The master plan dictates a building of 2,200,000 square meters of business and residential areas, situated on land covering 96 hectares. The project includes not only new interesting skyscrapers but also Jan Gehl’s plan to revitalize the space within this city. Many green areas and parks will be added to the city, as well as major limitations on car traffic, so that pedestrians and cyclists could be given an advantage.



This common trend in today’s urbanism of bringing the people and cities closer to water would make Belgrade a favorable location for future investments and visits.

It is the first time these two architects are working together and that work has been done simultaneously on this project as one project. Collaboration has been very close so that everything has been included in the master plan that was suggested by both architects. This created development strategy, which is now a major vision for this project. 85 hectares of developed land and 11 developed on the water basin. The plan is divided between 30% for residential area, 30% for business area, with the remaining intended for green and water areas, roads and infrastructure.

The project will be carried out in phases. There will be five phases and they will be in five years length depending on needs and market. The future City on Water will be located on the right bank of the Danube River, in the place where Port of Belgrade is currently located. Besides residential and business facilities, there will also be cultural facilities, congress centre, school, nursery, and hotels.

The skyscraper, designed as a jewel in which two rivers, the Danube and the Sava, meet will be 250 meters tall. Everything is planned as a fusion of strategies of sustainable development, authentic Belgrade and Belgrade full of life. The project should employ around 100,000 people, out of which 45,000 would be newly employed labor.
-- Damir Sisirak, M. Arch. Student from Slovenia

Images from Studio Daniel Libeskind: Belgrade

Trump Tower Chicago -- One Student's Opinion

The Trump Tower in Chicago has residential, retail and hotel space, much of it unsold or waiting to be rented or leased. The riverfront walks are to be opend soon and hopefully the landscaping will follow, adding what could be the only highlight of this highly publicized building. It is the largest building to be built in North America since the Sears Tower (now Willis Tower). Even with its huge size, this new building adds little to the skyline because it doesn't make much of a statement. Its blue glass just reflects the buildings around it and in the evening can give off some nice colors from the setting sun. Yet it still can't compare to the Hancock, the Smurfit-Stone building, or the new Aqua building. These buildings make a bold statement and show you what they're made of. The Trump Tower has some setbacks to give it form and shape, but the building just looks like a Sketchup extrusion. From some vantage points it can look extremely fat and overbearing, while from others it can look slender, reaching for the sky. And an afterthought at the top is the antennae. It's out of scale and adds little to the buildings overall look and feel. There is some space on the terraces (green roofs) where there are plantings and concrete pavers for people to enjoy the outdoors. The only problem is that they are at such a height that the winds won't allow you to enjoy a conversation, a cigarette for those who smoke, or even the fresh air. The winds whip by so quickly that the plantings lay down flat on the pavers. Even the heavy concrete pavers had to be anchored down to keep them from blowing away. Overall this building optimizes the site and more attention was placed on the interiors and their materials than the exterior shapes and the way it could fit into the evolving Chicago skyline.
--Robert Hildreth, M. Arch. Student

In Graduate Studio

A few weeks ago the graduate students embarked on their first project of the semester. The professors teaching the class are Stewart Wessel and Thomas McPeek. The project is for a local winery located near Carlyle, Illinois and the students traveled to meet the potential client August 26. The clients, Doug and Jodie Palm, have a passion for winemaking and have already produced wine from their first crop last year. They expect to expand their business to include a few more acres of vines as well as an entertaining facility to host guests and eventually banquets. Currently the couple and their two kids live on the property but eventually plan on finding other accommodations.

Doug Palm gave a detailed vision of what he imagines the winery will be in the next five or ten years. He has divided it into three stages. The first stage includes remodeling his basement to have its own exterior entrance in order to have wine tastings for the public. In addition, Palm would like to have gathering spaces for guests both indoors and outdoors. In the second stage of the development, the current house on the property would become a tasting hall and small restaurant facility to accommodate 100-150 guests. Also the outdoor dining area would be enlarged to take advantage of the spectacular views. With more guests coming to the winery, the production facilities would also have to grow significantly. In the third stage, a banquet facility that could entertain up to 500 guests would be added to the property.

The Palms did not seem discouraged by the fact that there are competing wineries in the area. In fact, they were excited to be considered part of the southern Illinois 'wine trail' and believe having wineries nearby will bring in more business. Doug and Jodie Palm were very enthusiastic during the meeting with the students. They know what they personally have in mind but would like to see the students' visions.

--Laura Widholm, M. Arch. Student

International Potluck 2009

After finishing my work with no waste of time I headed towards the Alumni Lounge of Student Recreational Center around 6 P.M. last Thursday (September 10th) for a special event in town, there was potluck and in addition, it was International Potluck organized by International Students and Scholars (ISS).

With a bunch of people from different countries gathered together for diverse food and fun, the environment turned out to be a very amusing and pleasurable. People from different countries participated in it including Nepal, India, Japan, China and many more. Each country’s people prepared some food which was a specialty and traditional in their own country and served to the people from different parts of the world. People were seen talking about foods so curiously and some were even seen serving to their own friends who were still waiting in queue to have the food. Some type of foods served by different countries were “Chana Curry” with “Bitten Rice” by Nepalese, “Fried Rice” by Indians, “Sushi” by Japanese, “Chicken” by Srilankan, and so on. The Program was sponsored by ISS with some amount of funds to buy stuffs for each participating country.

Everybody was invited to this event and more than expected came. People had to wait a little longer to get to the food table! But, everyone seemed to be enjoying very much despite of long wait. With the video of International Festival 2008, projected on one side and with really delicious food in front, it was apparent that everyone was busy enjoying the moment. Though the program was scheduled for up to 8 P.M., Dinner program was over by around 7:30 P.M. and after that people just enjoyed talking, music and some dance.

At the end of the day, the event was a success and I personally feel that it was a nice moment to remember in future from SIUC which I enjoyed a lot. Thanks to International Students and Scholars (ISS), and these type of programs of bringing peoples from different countries together should be promoted.
-- Namrata Shrestha, M. Arch. Student from Nepal

The Green Debate

To be, or not to be… Green.
This is a topic that has been bothering me for awhile, and I thought I’d make a post on the blog to get other people’s opinions on it. Being “Green”, “Sustainable”, “Smart” are all buzzwords lately, and for as many words as there are for it, there are ideas on how to “be,” whether it’s good environmental design, or the use of “smart technology.” I guess this is more geared to smart technology, ranging from solar panels to computerized building systems, as I hope that good environmental design should always at least be considered. I’ve heard time and time again in crits that “the technology just isn’t there yet”, or “let’s just wait until technology gets better.” These are just a couple of quotes from practicing architects. As up and coming architects whose jobs will be to specify the use, or gently urge our clients to use these technologies, we need to decide for ourselves if the benefits outweigh the costs. As the generation that has been given the job of “saving the planet,” do we just “wait for technology to get better” or do we use these technologies knowing that they won’t pay off, but maybe it will push technology just a little bit further with each project? Sure, the cost effective answer is to wait -- wait until technology gets better and cheaper. The problem is that this same answer was used 30-40 years ago during the energy crisis of the 70s. We waited. Not until technology got better, or cheaper, but until the problem got worse. So, do we wait? Do we hope that the problem goes away for the next 40 years until our kids are old enough to be faced with the problem? I took a little bit more biased position than I intended, but I want to hear other thoughts. Are there good reasons to wait?
--Jason Epley, M. Arch. Student

Deep in the Heart of Texas!

This past week graduate students as well as the senior interior design studio took a trip down south to Texas. The agenda included Dallas and Austin as the cities of interest. Our upcoming project (a boutique hotel) is situated in Dallas so we were able to do detailed site studies as well as check out the local architecture. We headed to the Stockyards in Dallas, checked out a W Hotel, toured the new Cowboys football stadium (shown above), and enjoyed the Kimball Art Museum. We were also given a fantastic tour of the architecture firm HKS. After two days in Dallas we were off to Austin for two more office visits with Noack Little Architects and Interior Design and PageSouthernlandPage. Each firm was vastly different in scale and management opening our eyes to the different avenues we have when choosing employment opportunities. Another one of the exciting points of the visit to Austin was checking out the University of Texas architecture program. which is the largest in the nation. We headed home Saturday evening to regroup and now we’re back to designing!

--Laura Stock, M. Arch. Student

More images from Texas:

Summer 2009 Graduate Studio

This past summer the third class of graduate architecture students began their pursuit of the Master of Architecture degree! The class is currently working and putting in the extra hours to ensure the NAAB accreditation for the Master of Architecture program. The class of 15 graduate students took Architecture 550: Regional Architecture Studio. The classes were divided into two section taught by Dr. Michael Brazley and Professor Robert Swenson. Each section had a different project, Dr. Brazley’s section focused on a hi-rise mixed-use design located in either Chicago, IL or Louisville, KY. Professor Swenson’s class focused on a math, science and fine arts academy to service the areas of Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Western Missouri.

Professor Robert Swenson’s section took a few field trips this semester. The goal of the these trips were to visit the Illinois Math and Science Academy (Aurora, Il), Arkansas Math and Science Academy( Hot Springs, AR), and Brehm Preparatory School( Carbondale, IL). This gave the students an idea of the project they faced for the semester. The trip also included visits to the William Clinton Presidential Library (Little Rock, AR), the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio River (Cairo, IL), trips to study the areas of Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Southesast Missouri, and individual travel to student’s respective sites.

Dr. Brazley’s class traveled to Chicago, IL this summer. They spent a few days visiting, studying, and scrutinizing, sites in Chicago. They then proceeded to choose a site based on each students individual decision on which site offered the best solution to their design problem. While in Chicago they also visited a few Chicago firms. This gives the students a perspective of how the practice of architecture is implemented. Often times students can become blind to the “real world” practice of architecture while they are immersed and engulfed into their respective semester projects. All of this summer’s Studio Projects are displayed in Quigley Hall on the 1st floor for the next few weeks. Feel free to come in and take a look at what the students are up to!

--Jason Kubichan, M. Arch. Student

The Town Square: Highland, Illinois

This image shows the thesis project of Matt Highlander, a graduate student in the Master of Architecture program at SIUC. This image is a poster session image created to describe the project. Thesis projects are completed in the summer semester. Click the image to enlarge it for better viewing. In his words:

"My architectural thesis revolves around the Town Square. In today's society, one of the many problems that urban planners have is urban sprawl. Many towns no longer have a center where people can meet and city functions can be held in an outdoor space. Instead, new buildings pop up on the outskirts of town annd draw away from what was once the city square.
My project site is in Highland, Illinois. Highland has an excellent town square but it is lacking something that can sustain it as a primary destination for the town. It is my belief that a mixed-use residential building would be a great asset to the square and create a landmark for the town. "

In the graduate architecture program at SIUC, students complete a thesis related to the upper Mississippi River delta region. Each thesis project is selected by the student and proposed to the faculty. The graduate student then forms a committee of 3-5 faculty members to serve as critics of the project while the student completes the work.