Architecture List | Best Architectural Schools

An architectural career is both, demanding and challenging and involves a creative as well as a technical education. To be a top, professional architect one needs to learn the skills, techniques and computer aided software by attaining an education of the highest quality. Listed below are some of the best architectural school in America today.

Westwood College

Westwood College of Technology is committed to ensuring success in the career that you pursue. The Computer-Aided Design Program (CAD) is one of the best in the country and will help you to acquire the skills needed for a profitable architectural career. One of the top architectural schools, it boasts of rewarding hands-on-experience with training of the recently released AutoCad, combined with interesting lecture sessions and a rich laboratory environment. The programs offered are Associate CAD and Architectural Drafting.

Lincoln Tech

Lincoln Tech's Architectural Drafting Design and CAD Technology program is one of the best in the country where you are taught the essentials needed to function as a draftsperson. It emphasizes on developing specific drafting skills and helps you to build a solid foundation on which to begin your architectural drafting career. The Diploma program focuses on a full range of technologies to prepare you to work as an entry-level drafting technician. With hands-on traditional table techniques along with up-to-date computer aided drafting (CAD) techniques for designing residential and commercial buildings, you will soon not only be designing but will see your dreams to fruition with an education at Lincoln Tech. The programs offered at this top architectural school are...

Associate Degree in Architectural Drafting Design & CAD technology

Diploma Program in Architectural Drafting Design & CAD technology

NewSchool of Architecture & Design

The NewSchool of Architecture & Design located in San Diego, California offers a holistic view of teaching and will make you change the way you view the world. NewSchool known as one of the most innovative and best architectural schools in the country strives to meet the ever evolving dynamics of the architecture profession by providing an instructional program that explores a student's artistic passion and transforms it into professional excellence. NewSchool is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) as well as the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) and grants Bachelors and Masters degrees. The programs offered are

Bachelor of Architecture

Bachelor of Arts in Architecture

Executive Master

Master of Architecture

Master of Science in Architecture

Pennsylvania Institute of Technology

There are two main programs offered at the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology.

Associate - Architectural/Civil Engineering - teaches the students the basics of building design and construction as well as the unique and complex elements that are a part of this field. The courses offered are Architecture Design, Structural Design and Construction Technology with an emphasis on Computer-Aided Design, materials and methods of construction and building codes. While Mathematics, physical and applied sciences, project management, and basic communication skills are fundamental elements in the program, advanced courses present opportunities to solve complex technical problems.

The degree program in Computer-Aided Design Technology (CAD) was developed especially for students planning to start their careers with CAD software. This program provides comprehensive skills and knowledge necessary for the development of accurate computer-aided graphics, design and drafting applications. It also focuses on the use of several CAD applications such as AutoCAD, Architectural Desktop and Microstation coupled with graphic theory and the related fundamentals of technical design.

Cornell University

The architecture department at Cornell is regarded as one of the most prestigious in the world today and offers some excellent programs in undergraduate and masters of architecture. Cornell University has one of the oldest and most respected schools of architecture in the United States. With a tradition of more than 130 years, they not only strive to offer the best architectural education available but also continue to evolve, to meet current and future challenges.

William Brister - http://www.architecturaldesign.tv - All about Architecture

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Architecture List | A Gem of Spanish Colonial Architecture in the Philippines

Hidden away in northern Luzon is Vigan, the oldest surviving city of Spanish architecture in the Philippines. Antique churches, official buildings, and residences, cobbled narrow streets, and horse-drawn calesas (carriages) all take us back to the old colonial era.

In earlier times, before the arrival of the Spanish, Chinese junks used to visit and Vigan was a major trading port.

In 1572 Captain Juan de Salcedo landed at Vigan with a party of Spanish soldiers. He conquered the area and then went on to conquer much of northern Luzon. In 1574 he returned and set about creating a township complete with charming plazas, municipal buildings and luxurious mansions for the ruling elite.

These buildings have survived the passing of the centuries and, unlike much of the Spanish period architecture in Manila, it has not been damaged during the battles of World War II. Vigan is now officially listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Perhaps the best way to imbibe the ambience of the old quarter of Vigan is to wander the streets, especially Mena Crisologo Street, early in the morning when the diffused light transforms the old colonial buildings and the calesas into a scene reminiscent of the 1600s.

The white-walled St Paul's Cathedral dates only from the nineteenth century but is an example of the famous "earthquake Baroque" style of church architecture, built to withstand the typhoons and earthquakes which are all too frequent in the Philippines. The cathedral's facade features a pair of fu dogs, reflecting Vigan's Chinese heritage.

The Palacio del Arzobispado (Archbishop's Palace) dates from the eighteenth century. Inside is the Museo Nueva Segovia with old portraits, ecclesiastical artefacts and a throneroom, showing the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by the archbishops in the Spanish era.

The Ayala Museum occupies a beautiful old colonial house and was once the residence of Padre José Burgos, one of the nationalist martyrs executed by the Spanish in 1872. The Museum contains Burgos memorabilia, rooms furnished in the period style, and artefacts from the surrounding province.

In Vigan's old quarter there are three other old mansions worthy of a visit: the Crisologo Old House, the Syquia Mansion, and the Quema House. These are furnished in the old style and are full of polished narra wood furniture, paintings and everyday objects. The Quema House also features sliding capiz shell windows.

The Governor's Mansion is now a private residence but its beautiful old external facade in a quiet, shady street is definitely worth the effort to see.

Now that Vigan is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, there is a plan in place to protect the Spanish architectural heritage for future generations of visitors and residents to enjoy.

Violeta Quisora writes for the Fabulous Philippines website. To learn more about Vigan, visit http://www.fabulousphilippines.com/vigan.html .

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Architecture List | Enterprise Architecture

Historically, little thought has been given to creating or maintaining strategic architectures for business enterprises. As the competitive landscape continues to put pressure on organizations to be more efficient, the process of implementing unified Enterprise Architecture will become an essential part of any business. This paper covers the definition of Enterprise Architecture, provides a description of how it should be utilized to tightly couple business processes and goals to information systems, and how to create an architecture that is able to be supported.

Enterprise Architecture:

Enterprise Architecture is a tool that aids businesses by allowing managers to see and think about smaller functions within the whole of the business. A common phrase used to describe an Enterprise Architecture is a set of "living documents" that are short, simple, and easy to understand. Enterprise Architecture is a relationship between processes and goals that allow businesses to organize, assess, and implement changes based on a set of "blueprints." These blueprints vary based on what is needed. For example, a company setting up an Enterprise Architecture could have three, four, or five different sets of blueprints for various reasons, such as one for product assessment, one for consumer reports, and so on. Not only is Enterprise Architecture a set of blueprints, it is the actual work behind those plans. Implementation is required for the architecture to be built and maintained, as all the plans and actions must be integrated so that proper managers can view needed material in its relationship to other factors.

After building upon the blueprints and integrating all the processes and goals, the proper questions may be asked. These questions are what bring about change that may improve and maintain a business.

An Architecture Cycle:

When establishing an Enterprise Architecture, all aspects need to be incorporated into one place. It is this assimilation that allows managers to begin questioning. Often, this process is a cycle with four phases. First, an architect receives input about new strategies, goals, and processes that may not be performing properly. Next, the architect must look at any further implications and connect those to the received input. Third, the architect makes alterations based on the input and wider implications. Lastly, the process starts all over again. Overall, this cycle gives the architect the opportunity to assess all areas of the business, including some that may have been overlooked, and make changes that will best suit the organization.

Organizing Business Processes and Informational Systems:

Once organized, an architect will assess the alignment of business processes to informational systems. Simply put, an architect translates the information that is transferring from process to applications and vice versa. The architect determines if the results are in-line with goals, and so on. Proper organization allows the architect to translate and even determine where translation is needed.

Creating an Enterprise Architecture:

Enterprise Architectures are not developed in a day, and in order to set up an Enterprise Architecture, an organization needs to establish a series of steps.

The specifics of the individual Enterprise Architecture will differ among businesses. However, listed below are six general steps for creating an Enterprise Architecture:

1. Assess Current State & Agree on Deficiency:

To create an Enterprise Architecture, it takes one or more persons to determine the need for such an architecture. The Enterprise Architect, usually the one who suggests the architecture and ultimately builds it, assesses the different variables that demonstrate a need for change.

2. Select a Framework, Platform and Methodology:

The selected framework should fit the individual needs of the business, the goals and desired results of the organization, as well as a course of action that suits both the architect and managers.

3. Select Tools:

Keeping track of the integration of the processes and documentations may require the utilization of various tools. Appropriate tools will store all the information in a repository that will allow managers to access the needed materials.

4. Organize, Organize,
Organize:

Whichever type of organization an architect chooses, it is important to remember that this is the most time-consuming and important step. One suggestion for a type of organization is Business Functional Domains & Sub Domains over a unified architecture. Another method for organization is to build the models of the existing system as they are improved

5. Utilize the Architecture:

Although the architecture may not be complete, the business should begin to use it. It is designed to fit the organization; therefore, the architect should make sure that the managers start to utilize its benefits as soon as possible.

6. Maintain & Build Upon the Architecture:

Once the foundation for the architecture is done, the business should maintain and build upon the architecture, and in order to do so, a methodology should be selected. A methodology will allow managers and workers to function with the same goals in mind, improving results. In addition to maintaining results, the right methodology allows a business to expand the architecture's uses to fit the organization's needs.

Initiating and Supporting an Enterprise Architecture:

When initiating an Enterprise Architecture, one must survey the existing environment, talk to representative users, read existing documentation, and study current systems. It is critical to seek inherent problems the enterprise has in accomplishing the tasks it needs to perform in order to be successful. This is accomplished by boiling down the potentially large amounts data gathered and abstract the findings into the conceptual diagrams. One must aggregate important policies and standards into a cohesive and broadly applicable guidance document. Applying some well-known patterns and a few of the favorite concepts will evolve working documents into drafts and eventually into the proposed architecture. Educated and armed, one is able to lobby superiors, peers, and subordinates to aid in implementing the architecture.

To support an Enterprise Architecture, certain tools are relied upon that will aid in the integration and execution of the architecture. These tools should provide the opportunity to view all diagrams, documentations, and processes. Although analyzing and designing processes are still left to be done, assembling and tracking the various relationships will be managed by using a tool.

About Patrick A. Spencer:

Patrick A. Spencer is a Delivery Manager in the IT Solutions group at ITX Corp. Mr. Spencer plays a key role in the analysis, architecture, design and deployment of major applications for clients in a variety of industries.

About ITX Corp:

ITX Corp is a business consulting and technology solutions firm focused in nine practice areas including Business Performance, Internet Marketing, IT Staffing, IT Solution Strategies and Implementation, Technical Services, Internet Services, and Technology Research. To learn more about what ITX can do for you visit our website at http://www.itx.net or contact us at (800) 600-7785.

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Architecture List | How to Renovate a Listed Building in France and Access to Grants

Many people dream of purchasing a dilapidated chateau, mill or 16th century cottage and lovingly restoring it to its former glory with style and taste. While this idle daydream absolutely has the potential to become a reality, it does require careful planning as there are strict regulations governing the preservation and renovation of properties classed as "monuments historiques". Don't be put off - if you do your homework, that shabby chateau in Charente can be yours!

In France, 'grade-listed' buildings belong to one of two categories: it can be listed as a monument historique (historic monument) or on the more prestigious "inventaire supplementaire des monuments historiques". For properties in both categories, you are required to obtain official approval from the Ministry of Culture before embarking upon any renovation projects, in compliance with article 9 of the law of 31st December 1913. Listed buildings are protected by "le service departemental de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine" (SDAP for short) - this roughly translates as the "departmental office for Architecture and Heritage". The SDAP is an inter-departmental government service with links to the Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Culture and Communication. It has a number of roles, dealing with architecture, cultural heritage, landscapes and urban development, and, broadly speaking, exists to ensure the preservation and protection of buildings of architectural and cultural interest. The SDAP aims to promote well-integrated, environmentally sound architecture and urban planning, providing an advisory service to town planners in the development of urban projects, overseeing the application of legislation regarding listed buildings and protected areas, and give an architectural opinion regarding requests for planning permission.

Once you have successfully purchased your listed building and drafted plans for your refurbishment work, you will need to go about obtaining a permit. The process is notoriously lengthy - between one and four months - so be prepared for a long wait between submitting your proposal, receiving an answer and beginning work on your new home. It is useful to know that you may well also be able to benefit from one of a number of grants available. The sum that you will be granted depends on the category into which your building falls; for example, for buildings listed as "monuments historiques", while there is in theory no limit to the amount that you can request, around 35% of the cost of the renovation work will generally be covered by the state. It certain cases, however, this figure can be as high as 50% - for example, for an owner with limited income. For buildings included on the "inventaire supplementaire des monuments historiques", you can you will be granted on average around 15% of the total cost of the renovation. As with buildings classed as monuments historiques, in certain cases this figure can rise to around 30%. The maximum sum that can be awarded is 40% of renovation costs. In both cases, the owner must fund at least 20% of works - in other words, the grant must not be higher than 80% of the total cost. Normally, you will receive the money as the works progress - you will be reimbursed upon submission of invoices that you have paid. In order to access these grants, you should contact the Direction regionale des affaires culturelles (DRAC).

In conclusion, buying and renovating a historic building in France is possible no matter what your budget - it just requires careful thought and planning.

Sextant French property is a network of more than 100 estate agents in France offering a selection of 6000 French property for sale.

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Architecture List | Toronto's Architectural Festival

You may have figured out by now that I am bit of an architecture buff. Well, the great thing is, since 2000 Toronto has its very own free-access architecture weekend where you can get access to more than 140 interesting buildings, many of which are usually closed to the public.

It's a great event and it's grown every year, both in attendance and buildings to visit. This year Doors Open will be held on May 28 and 29, 2005. Locals and visitors alike enjoy getting first-hand access to some of Toronto's unique architectural gems. Here is an interview with Kristen Juschkewitsch, (Acting) Supervisor, Museums and Heritage Services, for the City of Toronto's Culture Department.

1. Please give us a brief overview of the annual "Doors Open Toronto" event. When is it held, what type of event is it?

One weekend, once a year in May, over 100 Toronto buildings open their doors for free inviting residents and tourists to step inside. The 2-day event, taking place Saturday and Sunday, May 28 & 29, celebrates Toronto's architecture, urban design, cultural spaces and places. Visitors can explore places of worship, roof gardens, industrial sites, police stations, historic houses, campuses, transportation hugs, architects' offices, theatres, contemporary structures, urban landmarks and more.

This year, 148 extraordinary buildings are taking part and many of the participating buildings are not normally open to the public. Most venues organize guided tours, special exhibits or activities to enrich the experience. Doors Open Toronto is designed to appeal to an audience with different interests, cultural backgrounds and ages. The event is a success because not only does it allow Torontonians the opportunity to express extraordinary enthusiasm for their city, but also it taps into people's interest in architecture, history and allows them to be part of their community.

Visit http://www.doorsopen.org for complete details.

2. Please tell us a bit about the history of "Doors Open". Who came up with the idea, how did it come about?

Karen Black, Manager of Museums and Heritage Services, City of Toronto Culture Division and Jane French, Project Manager, Doors Open Toronto, brought Doors Open to Toronto. Developed as a millennium project for May 2000 and modeled on Doors Open Days in Scotland, Doors Open Toronto was the first of its kind in North America.

Doors Open Toronto is a signature event of the City of Toronto Culture Division, which is committed to the development and promotion of arts and culture in the city. The event relies on the support of its sponsors, partners and volunteers in the community. Without this level of support Doors Open Toronto wouldn't be the success it is today.

3. How has the event evolved since the beginning? And how big is the attendance? Please give us some of the facts and figures.

In its first year, Doors Open Toronto attracted over 70,000 visitors to 96 buildings. Over the past five years, there has been a steady climb in attendance due to the event's growing popularity. In 2004 over 185,000 visits were logged at 155 of the Doors Open Toronto participating locations. These figures clearly show that the Doors Open weekend has struck a chord with Torontonians and visitors alike.

The success of Doors Open Toronto can be measured in a variety of ways. As I mentioned, the number of participating buildings has grown from 96 in the first year to 155 last May. Also, architects, developers, leaders in education, business, cultural, recreational and faith communities from around the city now approach us wanting to participate.

Doors Open Toronto has inspired programs throughout Ontario with the launch of Doors Open Ontario by the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 2002. The Heritage Canada Foundation has encouraged communities across Canada, including St. John's and Calgary, in developing their own Doors Open programs.

In October 2003 Open House New York was launched with generous acknowledgement from organizers of the influential role played by Doors Open Toronto. The First Annual Doors Open Denver was also a huge success this past April.

4. What type of buildings does it include and how many? Are these buildings accessible at other times of year?

The program allows visitors free access to architecturally and/or culturally significant properties that are either not usually open to the public, or would normally charge an entrance fee. Buildings are selected based on a number of criteria developed by the City's Culture Division including buildings of architectural and/or historic significance, not normally open to the public; sites that are open to the public to some degree i.e. theatres, places of worship, museums, etc. are required to provide behind-the-scenes access and/or enhanced interpretive programming; significant interior spaces with original design and/or successful adaptive re-use features and buildings representing the cultural diversity of Toronto

The roster of buildings reflects Toronto's built heritage and cultural diversity, ranging from War of 1812-era structures to a modern mosque and environmentally progressive 'green' buildings. We have 148 buildings across the city opening their doors this year. For a complete list of buildings visit the official Doors Open Toronto website at http://www.doorsopen.org

5. You have added quite a few new buildings for 2005. Please tell us some of the highlights.

New buildings are introduced each year, which keeps the interest high among residents and tourists alike. This year, Doors Open Toronto welcomes 26 new buildings including the Canadian National Institute for the Blind's recently opened state-of-the-art facility, Toronto's newest police station, 51 Division, the Hare Krishna Temple, Upper Canada College, the exquisite Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir (near 427 and Finch) and the Bay at Queen, featuring a special exhibit and architectural tours.

6. Doors Open has teamed up with Metamorphosis - Toronto's Festival of Transformation and the Arts. Please give us more information about that.

Doors Open Toronto is pleased to partner with Metamorphosis - Toronto's Festival of Transformation and the Arts. This year, during the Doors Open Toronto weekend, a number of Doors Open Toronto venues will be animated with music, theatre, art and dance inspired by the theme of transformation. Also, giant stilt-walking puppets representing five major Toronto cultural institutions act as the chorus in The Space Between, a new work by Toronto's Clay & Paper Theatre, which will be performed on Nathan Phillips Square. This production, featuring live music, invites the audience to contemplate the role of art, our values and the myths that shape us. For a complete list of Metamorphosis performances go to http://www.doorsopen.org/about/news.htm

7. You also have a special highlight on buildings that have been transformed. What types of transformations are we talking about?

This year, Doors Open Toronto puts a special spotlight on buildings that have been structurally and, in some cases, spiritually transformed to celebrate its partnership with Metamorphosis - Toronto's Festival of Transformation and the Arts. I've listed a few of the many buildings on this year's roster that have undergone transformations below. To find out more about these buildings, visit the "Buildings to Visit" section of the Doors Open Toronto web site: http://www.doorsopen.org

51 Division (former gasworks from 1899)

Beaty & Armstrong Row House (Toronto's Old Town First Mennonite Mission)
Canadian Opera Company (originally Consumers' Gas Company's Purifying House No. 2, Standard Woollen Mills and Dalton's, a manufacturer of foods and household goods)

Cedar Ridge Creative Centre (originally the summer home for the Charles C. Cummings family)

Courthouse Market Grille (former York County Courthouse; later Arts & Letters Club)

Design Exchange (former Toronto Stock Exchange building)

Market Gallery (originally Council Chamber of Toronto's 1845 City Hall)

Moriyama & Teshima (originally 1923 service station; later brewery outlet and drapery showroom)

Parc Downsview Parc (former aircraft manufacturing buildings)

Riwoche Tibetan Buddhist Temple (former Heintzman Piano Company)

Steam Whistle Brewing, The Roundhouse (former Roundhouse for Toronto's railways)

Tarragon Theatre (former cribbage board factory)

The Great Hall (originally West End YMCA)

8. What other forums and events are part of Doors Open?

There are two free public events leading up to the Doors Open Toronto weekend. The public is invited to join us for Waiting for Toronto: What Makes for a Clean and Beautiful City? a free public forum at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts on Wed. May 25 at 7:30 p.m. and at the Royal Ontario Museum for the Doors Open Toronto Launch on Friday, May 27 at 6 p.m. For complete details visit our website.

9. What is the cost of attending Doors Open Toronto?

Doors Open Toronto is a FREE event. There is no fee to participate.

10. Do I need to pre-book or obtain tickets?

No pre-registration or tickets are required. Please note: building hours vary but most buildings are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on one or both days. It's important to confirm times for each site when planning your route.

11. How do I obtain a program guide?

The Doors Open Toronto official Program Guide will be included in the Toronto Star's "What's On" section on Thursday, May 19. After May 24, the program guides will also be available (in limited quantities) at all participating Doors Open Toronto venues, Toronto Public Library branches, Toronto City Hall and the civic centres, lead-up events and at the Doors Open Toronto Weekend Information Centre in the CBC Broadcasting Centre.

12. You also offer family-friendly programs. Please tell us more about that.

Some locations that are participating in Doors Open Toronto offer engaging family-friendly programs for kids. For example the Canadian Opera Company has organized a couple of performances throughout the weekend - On Saturday, May 28, the Zellers Ensemble Studio School Tour presents Hansel and Gretel at 11:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. On Sunday, May 29, the Zellers Ensemble Studio School Tour presents The Brothers Grimm at 11:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Performances are free, with tickets available one hour in advance of each performance. Kids can also visit the special children's area with dress up, face painting and more. The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art is featuring hands-on clay programs for kids of all ages and The Bay at Queen is offering family-sketching activities.

Thanks, Kristen. I know where I'll be heading the weekend of May 28 and 29...

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions(http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.

Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest(http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.

"Life is a Journey ­ Explore New Horizons".

The interview with photos is published at Travel and Transitions - Interviews

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Architecture List | Your Architecture Questions Answered

Have you ever looked at a building and thought it was a miracle that something so intricate could ever be designed by man? Architecture plays a vital role in everything we see, touch or feel. Our homes are designed with protection and comfort in mind. The eye is pleased by the soaring arches and beautiful designs using stone, wood, metal or glass.

It is both an art and a science that has taken mankind through the centuries. From the first crudely constructed structures to the dizzying heights of skyscrapers, humanity has been shaped and nurtured with it. In this article we will discuss the history of architecture and some of the basic questions you may have regarding this great blend of art, form, science and function.

What are the different types of architecture?

There are many types of architects. But to be more specific, the architects specialize in different areas. All usually have the same background of a Bachelor's degree but some chose not to design buildings. A landscape architect specializes in shaping nature.

The "green" architect designs homes and buildings to conserve energy and help protect the Earth's resources. Some architects work only on historic preservation. There are many areas in which an architect can focus his or her talents.

What are some of the most famous examples of great architecture?

Just to keep the list brief but duly notable, we will list only the major examples of architecture through the ages. The Neolithic period gave us the dwellings at Skara Brae. The Ancient period gave us the pyramids in Egypt, the Temple of Hera in Greece and the Indian Hindu temples of Somanathapura.

You also can not forget the Cistine Chapel, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. If you are a fan of Modern architecture then you probably are familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Waters in Pennsylvania.

What are some of the top schools for architecture?

Depending on the style of architecture you wish to pursue, there are many great colleges and universities in the United States that can offer fabulous opportunities to learn it. The top five for a Bachelor's degree in it are: Cornell University, Rice University, Syracuse University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Keep in mind that rankings do not mean that your chosen school does not have a fine program. These are just a few of the colleges on the list.

How long will my degree take?

No one can give you an exact time that you will complete your degree within. If you continue through school until you have achieved a Master's degree and finished your internship, you are looking at around six to eight years. It can be more or less depending on your class load and how easy you pass the classes and tests to acquire your license.

What do I need to know in order to design my own home?

All home designs start with a vision about how you want your house to look. After you have decided what look you are trying to obtain, you need to start thinking about having someone who knows structural codes come in and help you. There are many house designing programs that can help you design your own home. You can always talk with a builder and take a look at his or her plans and modify them.

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Intention Architecture - An Architecture With No Boundary - A Future For the Internet

Back in 1996 I 'discovered' a software architecture which I called Intention Architecture. Back then it was just another way to develop software that would make it manageable to write complex software. However my inspiration of coming up with Intention Architecture was bound to the very fundamental behavioural nature of human being and to the nature of human mind.

You see each one of us gets motivated into doing different things in daily life, in our social and professional life. Our motives generate our requirements e.g. my motive can be to be the best fresh food supplier. This simple motive can generate several requirements for me e.g. to make it easy for farmers to bring items to me, to manage inventory, to manage presentation etc. While in real life these requirements are met, we are not conscious how the outcome of one requirement influences the outcome of another. But none the less it is always the case

In software sphere of course the requirements are tangled and one influences another e.g. The way list of farmer names displayed in the company administration will influence how I locate the supplier of some specific food item etc... Depending on the situation and responsibility of the developers this can open a can of issues like memory constrain, responsiveness', user friendliness etc. Each such issue will turn around some distinct resources /data items like 'list of farmer names', 'list of foods for each farmer',.' memory size' etc.

Intention architecture would allow dealing with each of the issues in terms of original requirement e.g. requirement to 'display the list of names of the farmers ' is slow ' which would allow to locate the actual instruction that the requirement generates for example the allocation of memory. Without intention architecture such findings will be part of debugging the program code- what intention architecture allows is to break each requirement into a single sequence of small chunks of code in terms of use cases for the software. This way two different requirements may have two different series of chunks - where some chunks may be common. At the time of development also the developer can actually refer to the requirement as a reference point. The ability to refer to the requirement within the code also goes with events like clicking the button -so even the user actions are bound with requirement. I donor quite understand why this simple concept has not been widely accepted in the software industry.

A major drive towards Intention Architecture is the notion which is not new in software called "separation of concern" along with use case dialog reuse. However Intention Architecture has given away a number of concepts and values which are valid in the wider context of reality. I list those characteristics of Intention Architecture below and you can make the judgement whether the constructs opens up new view of reality for you.

The dictionary meaning of the word architecture is a master plan.

In software architecture, the architecture is the plan of progressing from motives to requirement to actions. Intention Architecture accomplishes this faithfully by bringing following constructs.

1 containment: a collection of terms with values Containment also provides action = intention + data. What it means containment will have certain terms having data values and intentions like e.g. find the maximum of value. The action is actual invocation of intention or function on those data values- which is function invocation within certain scope.

2. Intention Flow: a sequence of containments -

3. Value Transfer: in software are the computational flow or transfer values of variables

4. Flow Resolution: A flow in the software sense produces a desired result in the last containment of its sequence.

5. Background -flow of computation -through containments result in background to visit next containment.

The fundamental departure of Intention Architecture from the mainstream computing is reliance on the user requirement as the main spin for computation. In a typical graphical interface situation this will mean the events will tie up the requirement and use cases to containments which would represent 'listeners' in the traditional sense.

The above 5 characteristics are the building blocks of Intention Architecture.

The above five also represent something fundamental that people do - whether in business or in games -in daily life.

So if we try to map the above 5 precepts of intention architecture to reality outside software we shall come up with the following:

1. Containment is equivalent to human ability /nature of focussing to a limited few things at a time, isolating them from the rest.

2. Intention flow is equivalent to man's perception of things in flow and ability to summarise and perceive a series of containments as a whole...

3. Value transfer is the transfer of meaning of terms from one instance of containment to another.

4. Flow resolution corresponds to human way of arriving at a conclusion by sequential step through a series of containments

5. The background corresponds to the human ability to build background knowledge by learning meaning of terms in containments the being experiences.

The above sort of correspondence maps the software architecture to human basic instincts and gives a starting point of modelling human behaviour through Intention Architecture.

Designers of future internet can take some hints from this correspondence and can get some directions for future development.

If we assume every internet page is a focus i.e. containment with a collection of intentions and terms, the links between pages can act as intentions and search engines will be smarter by knowing the flow of those pages as defined in content and by mapping the intentions of those pages to the intentions of the user. Search engine can virtually act as a match maker of motives and intentions from people in different parts of the world [between author and reader of a page] and can navigate through pages which are pre-linked with intention flows that match the intentions of the user.

This will also mean search result by two people with two backgrounds will be different if their motives and intentions are different e.g. a business man and a student looking for a good place to eat will get different results because their motives and intentions and liking are different.

So far what has stopped the existing Internet technology to become smarter in the above sense is that total absence of the user's requirement and background in the computational model. In a future article I shall go deeper into this aspect and why intentions can be a good resource in the world of computation where reuse and separation of concerns are two very important pillars of software industry and its advancement.

On the other hand the new findings in noetic science reveal startling facts which will compel us not to ignore human intentions because after all they are the drivers of our actions. You can read all about the new findings from http://www.noetic.org.

Pronab Pal has been a software architect and developer working through his own company Visual Analytics for the last 23 years. Nowa days he specialises in Web Infrastructure set up and web developments and web security. Intention Architecture had been Pronobs pet project back in the mid to late ninetees. Pronab lives in Canberra with one son a daughter and his wife. Pronab holds two masters degrees one in Applied Mathematics and another in Computer science.
Pronob also devote his spare time in helping people develop their own motives and intentions into fruitful actions through http://lifeff.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pronab_Pal

Back in 1996 I 'discovered' a software architecture which I called Intention Architecture. Back then it was just another way to develop software that would make it manageable to write complex software. However my inspiration of coming up with Intention Architecture was bound to the very fundamental behavioural nature of human being and to the nature of human mind.

You see each one of us gets motivated into doing different things in daily life, in our social and professional life. Our motives generate our requirements e.g. my motive can be to be the best fresh food supplier. This simple motive can generate several requirements for me e.g. to make it easy for farmers to bring items to me, to manage inventory, to manage presentation etc. While in real life these requirements are met, we are not conscious how the outcome of one requirement influences the outcome of another. But none the less it is always the case

In software sphere of course the requirements are tangled and one influences another e.g. The way list of farmer names displayed in the company administration will influence how I locate the supplier of some specific food item etc... Depending on the situation and responsibility of the developers this can open a can of issues like memory constrain, responsiveness', user friendliness etc. Each such issue will turn around some distinct resources /data items like 'list of farmer names', 'list of foods for each farmer',.' memory size' etc.

Intention architecture would allow dealing with each of the issues in terms of original requirement e.g. requirement to 'display the list of names of the farmers ' is slow ' which would allow to locate the actual instruction that the requirement generates for example the allocation of memory. Without intention architecture such findings will be part of debugging the program code- what intention architecture allows is to break each requirement into a single sequence of small chunks of code in terms of use cases for the software. This way two different requirements may have two different series of chunks - where some chunks may be common. At the time of development also the developer can actually refer to the requirement as a reference point. The ability to refer to the requirement within the code also goes with events like clicking the button -so even the user actions are bound with requirement. I donor quite understand why this simple concept has not been widely accepted in the software industry.

A major drive towards Intention Architecture is the notion which is not new in software called "separation of concern" along with use case dialog reuse. However Intention Architecture has given away a number of concepts and values which are valid in the wider context of reality. I list those characteristics of Intention Architecture below and you can make the judgement whether the constructs opens up new view of reality for you.

The dictionary meaning of the word architecture is a master plan.

In software architecture, the architecture is the plan of progressing from motives to requirement to actions. Intention Architecture accomplishes this faithfully by bringing following constructs.

1 containment: a collection of terms with values Containment also provides action = intention + data. What it means containment will have certain terms having data values and intentions like e.g. find the maximum of value. The action is actual invocation of intention or function on those data values- which is function invocation within certain scope.

2. Intention Flow: a sequence of containments -

3. Value Transfer: in software are the computational flow or transfer values of variables

4. Flow Resolution: A flow in the software sense produces a desired result in the last containment of its sequence.

5. Background -flow of computation -through containments result in background to visit next containment.

The fundamental departure of Intention Architecture from the mainstream computing is reliance on the user requirement as the main spin for computation. In a typical graphical interface situation this will mean the events will tie up the requirement and use cases to containments which would represent 'listeners' in the traditional sense.

The above 5 characteristics are the building blocks of Intention Architecture.

The above five also represent something fundamental that people do - whether in business or in games -in daily life.

So if we try to map the above 5 precepts of intention architecture to reality outside software we shall come up with the following:

1. Containment is equivalent to human ability /nature of focussing to a limited few things at a time, isolating them from the rest.

2. Intention flow is equivalent to man's perception of things in flow and ability to summarise and perceive a series of containments as a whole...

3. Value transfer is the transfer of meaning of terms from one instance of containment to another.

4. Flow resolution corresponds to human way of arriving at a conclusion by sequential step through a series of containments

5. The background corresponds to the human ability to build background knowledge by learning meaning of terms in containments the being experiences.

The above sort of correspondence maps the software architecture to human basic instincts and gives a starting point of modelling human behaviour through Intention Architecture.

Designers of future internet can take some hints from this correspondence and can get some directions for future development.

If we assume every internet page is a focus i.e. containment with a collection of intentions and terms, the links between pages can act as intentions and search engines will be smarter by knowing the flow of those pages as defined in content and by mapping the intentions of those pages to the intentions of the user. Search engine can virtually act as a match maker of motives and intentions from people in different parts of the world [between author and reader of a page] and can navigate through pages which are pre-linked with intention flows that match the intentions of the user.

This will also mean search result by two people with two backgrounds will be different if their motives and intentions are different e.g. a business man and a student looking for a good place to eat will get different results because their motives and intentions and liking are different.

So far what has stopped the existing Internet technology to become smarter in the above sense is that total absence of the user's requirement and background in the computational model. In a future article I shall go deeper into this aspect and why intentions can be a good resource in the world of computation where reuse and separation of concerns are two very important pillars of software industry and its advancement.

On the other hand the new findings in noetic science reveal startling facts which will compel us not to ignore human intentions because after all they are the drivers of our actions. You can read all about the new findings from http://www.noetic.org.

Pronab Pal has been a software architect and developer working through his own company Visual Analytics for the last 23 years. Nowa days he specialises in Web Infrastructure set up and web developments and web security. Intention Architecture had been Pronobs pet project back in the mid to late ninetees. Pronab lives in Canberra with one son a daughter and his wife. Pronab holds two masters degrees one in Applied Mathematics and another in Computer science.
Pronob also devote his spare time in helping people develop their own motives and intentions into fruitful actions through http://lifeff.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pronab_Pal

Trump SoHo Opens

When an out-of-scale glass tower in one of New York City's most popular neighborhoods opens, does it make a sound?

Upcoming NYC Events

Here are some upcoming events of note for those in and around NYC.

MOVING TOWARD UTOPIA: What King of City Lies Ahead?
PANELISTS INCLUDE: Tom Angotti, Nancy Levinson, & Bill Menking
Moderated By David Smiley

Wednesday, April 14th
6:30PM
James Room
4th Floor Barnard Hall
(West 117th St and Broadway)

A new concept of the city has emerged among contemporary urbanists. Architects and planners now frame the city not as a set of independently regulated functions but as a mesh of landscapes, spaces, and policies. Streets, paths, parks, and infrastructure are elements of a constantly shifting system that joins the particularities of place and overarching social goals. In this new environment, planning tactics, management techniques, policy goals, and fiscal strategies continuously interact. Building on the Fall 2009 "Rights of Way" symposium, “Moving Toward Utopia” addresses questions of power, health, equity, and ecology that confront and are fueled by new design strategies. “Moving Toward Utopia” will bring together a distinguished group of urban thinkers to examine the implications of new approaches to the design of public spaces. What kind of city lies ahead?

Information: (212) 854-2037

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Minds in the Gutter: Storm Water Management in New York City
...a viewing of the selected designs and
a panel discussion among expert dreamers and do-ers
in the field of stormwater management.

April 22, 2010, 6:30pm
Museum of the City of New York

Click through for tickets!
S.W.I.M. members call 917.492.3395 to enter at MCNY member rate!

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FAST TRASH: Roosevelt Island‘s Pneumatic Tubes and the Future of Cities
April 22 – May 23, 2010
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 22, 6 – 9pm

Roosevelt Island’s idiosyncratic underground garbage disposal suggests alternate futures for New York City’s infrastructure.

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The Changing State of the Design Press: Now What?

When: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM MONDAY, APRIL 26

Where: At The Center

There’s no question that the platforms for architectural dialogue are in flux. While some design publications are shrinking or even disappearing, other media outlets are using technology to broaden their reach. Design critics and journalists can use web sites, blogs, e-newsletters, and other forms of communication to talk about anything, from practice to technology. The mainstream press is even increasing its design-related reportage, supported by growing interest in such topics as sustainability, innovation, and urban planning. How do we navigate our current media landscape? To prepare for what’s now and what’s next, Oculus editor Kristen Richards will moderate a panel of editors from top publications who will discuss ongoing shifts in the design media and readership; how these changes are influencing the type and content of traditional print publications; the rise of new publications and new audiences; and the influence of blogs and on-line magazines.

Moderator:
Kristen Richards, editor, Oculus and www.ArchNewsNow.com

Panelists:
Julie V. Iovine, Executive Editor, Architects Newspaper
Michael Sorkin, Principal, Michael Sorkin Studio, writer/editor/design critic
John Hill, A Daily Dose of Architecture
Robert Ivy, Editor-in-Chief, Architectural Record

Organized by: AIA NY Marketing & PR Committee and the Oculus Committee

Sponsored by: Hausman LLC

AE 19: Structural Decoration

A couple recent bridge designs make me wonder about the symbiosis of structure and decoration in designing for long spans. Engineering expression in bridges certainly isn't new, but the traditional means of expression have been elements like arches, beams, and suspension cables. Think of the Brooklyn Bridge without its cables, its structural expression. As impossible as ignoring the Gothic stonework of its piers. But the two bridges below, and other recent examples, merge architecture and engineering to create unique expressions where the lines between structure and decoration have disappeared.


[Yale Hill House Bridges | image source]

First is the to-be-realized Yale Hill House Bridges by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and Guy Nordenson and Associates. The latter describes the design of the two bridges as such:

Each pedestrian bridge consists of two 3ft 6in steel plate girders which comprise the primary structure of the bridge as well as its railings. The plate girders have 1/4in-thick corrugated, perforated webs. The corrugation depth or "amplitude" of the web is trapezoidal in plan and varies between 2in and 6in across the span to enhance the structural stability of the web and to brace the top compression flange of the girder. The corrugation, therefore, allows for a thinner web and less bracing material. The corrugation also creates a varying pattern of light and shadow when the girders are viewed at an angle. The perforations in the web are diamond-shaped to generate a lattice-like appearance that recalls the original wood lattice canal bridges designed by a local architect Ithiel Towne in 1820. The perforations also help to reduce the weight of the structure.

[Yale Hill House Bridges | image source]

So what looks like a decorative guardrail is in fact a structural member, and an important one in that its shape and perforation increase performance and reduce weight from additional members that are now deemed unnecessary. An of course these pieces create dramatic effects for fairly small bridges.


[Bridge, La Roche-sur-Yon | image source]

Another design merging architecture and engineering, spotted at ArchDaily, is a footbridge recently completed in Roche-sur-Yon, France by Bernard Tschumi Architects and Hugh Dutton Associates (HDA Paris). They describe the bridge as such:

The intention...was to demonstrate an integration of an original structural system with an architectural concept developed from urban scale research of neighborhood identity and carried through the expression of the minutest details.

[Bridge, La Roche-sur-Yon | image source]

The bridge is experienced as a walk through a lattice-like tube. From the exterior it reads like a solid tube or an ethereal object, depending on ones relationship to the bridge. (Check out the PDF press release for many more images.) HDA was responsible for the engineering on the project, though their role as local architects probably aided in fusing the two usually distinct realms of architecture and engineering.

I think this apparent trend of engineering merging with architectural surfaces and decoration is not limited to bridges, much less pedestrian ones. It's found in buildings of many types, though what is special here is the openness that is possible with footbridges; space only needs to be contained for safety not for climate-control. Space then flows through the bridge openings, designed as much for structural performance as for formal appearance.

Today's archidose #407

Herzog & De Meuron TEA, originally uploaded by Héctor Guerra (Pritzker prize to SANAA!!!! ;))))).

TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes in Canary Islands, Spain by Herzog & de Meuron, 2008.

To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:

:: Join and add photos to the archidose pool, and/or
:: Tag your photos archidose

Monday, Monday

My weekly page update:

This week's dose features One Shelley Street in Sydney, Australia by Clive Wilkinson Architects:


The featured past dose is The Art Wall in Surry Hills, Australia by Dale Jones-Evans Architects:


This week's book review is eVolo #02: Skyscrapers of the Future edited by Carlo Aiello:


Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

Drawing ARCHITECTURE
A collection of drawings that Nikita, an architectural student, likes. (added to sidebar under blogs::architecture)

Student Architecture and Design Inititative (SADI)
"A non-profit organization that will inventory, recognize, celebrate, and promote the outstanding work of student architects and designers around the globe." (added to sidebar under architectural links::organizations)

over,under
The "collective random thoughts" of Boston-based multi-disciplinary studio for architecture, urban design, interiors, graphic identity and publications over,under. (added to sidebar under blogs::offices)

50 Most Amazing Architectural Photography Blogs
Lists like this seem to pop up every other week, featuring the same old sites in a ploy to drive traffic to a site. Usually I shy away from linking to them, but there's a number of sites here that I'm not familiar with, so I'm breaking my own rules.

Today's archidose #406

Here are some photos of the Manhufe Parking Lot in Matosinhos, Portugal by Guilherme Machado Vaz, 2009. (Previously.) Photographs are by z.z.

To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:

:: Join and add photos to the archidose pool, and/or
:: Tag your photos archidose

28 days to go...

...until the unveiling of some wild and wacky architecture at Expo 2010 Shanghai. The theme of "'Better City, Better Life,' represent[s] the common wish of the whole humankind for a better living in future urban environments." Regardless of the theme, most of the country pavilions are explorations of architectural innovation, like Thomas Heatherwick's UK pavilion:


[UK Pavilion, detail | image source]

The general idea of expos is that the national pavilions are expressions of the country, their culture, innovation, knowledge, etc. So what does the US pavilion by Canadian architect Clive Grout say (besides "who the heck is Clive Grout?")?


[US Pavilion, rendering | image source]

A number of sustainable features are included, though they don't seem to impact the form of the building as much as symbolism. According to the pavilion's web page, the "bold and simple shape of the USA Pavilion shadows that of an eagle with open wings, a creature that is uninhibited by boundaries. ... the eagle has been designed with its wings open as a gesture to welcome guests into the Pavilion." So the pavilion is rhetoric over architectural innovation, business as usual, even in regards to the private sourcing of a very public project, as described in this Architect's Newspaper article. Its location near an entry gate, and the fact its the US pavilion, will guarantee a high number of visitors (projections call for 60 million), but the design hold little promise in impressing them, especially in regards to the other pavilions.

Today's archidose #405

Here are some photos of the Mesa Del Sol Town Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico by Antoine Predock Architect, 2008. Photos are by jarrod_arq1, who has many more photos in his flickr set on the building.

To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:

:: Join and add photos to the archidose pool, and/or
:: Tag your photos archidose

Candide Round Table

A week from today I will be participating in a round table discussion timed to the launch of Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge. The panel focuses on knowledge, writing, and architectural publishing, among other things. I'll be alongside 306090's Emily Abruzzo, Yale's Nina Rappaport, and Columbia's Kazys Varnelis. Between now and then I need to work on de-jangling my public speaking nerves, come up with a brief slideshow on why I do my blog and weekly web page, and think about the questions posed in the press release below. If you attend the discussion be sure to say hi!

8 April, Thursday, 6-8pm
The Glass Corner, Room 206
25 East 13th Street

In an age of seemingly ubiquitous information, data and networks:
What is knowledge?In an age of self-publication and blogs:
Can peer review ensure quality?
Why should architects write when what they do best is design?

Hosted by William R. Morrish, 
Dean, Parsons, School of Constructed Environments
Moderated by Susanne Schindler, 
Editor, Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge

Panelists:
Emily Abruzzo, Editor, 306090, Frequent SCE visiting faculty.
John Hill, Writer and Editor, A Daily Dose of Architecture
Nina Rappaport, Publications Director, Yale School of Architecture, Frequent SCE visiting faculty.
Kazys Varnelis, Director, Network Architecture Lab, Columbia University

–
Candide. Journal for Architectural Knowledge
is a peer-reviewed German-English language periodical edited by the Department of Architecture Theory, Faculty of Architecture at RWTH Aachen University, Germany.

For questions or review copies, contact Susanne Schindler
schindler@theorie.arch.rwth-aachen.de

Book Review: Storefront Newsprints

Storefront Newsprints: 1982-2009 by Storefront for Art and Architecture
Storefront Books, 2009
2-volume paperback with slip case, 1,000 pages



Anybody who has visited the Storefront for Art and Architecture has probably walked away with a folded piece of newsprint with details on the exhibition on display. Since my first visit in 1997 I've amassed quite a few, storing them in a shoebox with pamphlets from other museums and venues I've visited in New York City and beyond. The Storefront newsprints have a way of standing out from the rest, in large part from the material they are printed on as well as the monochrome graphics employed. They are anachronistic without being reactionary. They recall a time before ink-jet printers and digital publishing, a time of literal cut-and-paste graphic design and printing in local copy shops. Yet the newsprint is a consistent medium in the nearly 30-year Storefront history, spanning a time of great changes arising from digital technologies, be it graphic design, publishing, or architecture. That Storefront continues to use the format points to a desire to keep in mind the organization's origins, even as it grows in scope and influence beyond the confines of 97 Kenmare Street.



Storefront Newsprints collects over 150 of the newsletters from its early days on Prince Street to last year, reprinted in two volumes nicely packaged in a black slip case. This is book as historical artifact, focused on what could be considered Storefront's unintentional archive. Not all of the text in the reprints is legible (essays by Lebbeus Woods, Michael Webb, and Vito Acconci are reprinted in easy-to-read format), but it is the images, layouts, and most of all the subject matter that rises to the fore while perusing the collection.

Storefront Newsprints comes at the end of Joseph Grima's three-year directorship. Heading for Italy and Domus, he followed Sarah Herda, who is now at the helm of the Graham Foundation in Chicago after her eight-years at Storefront. Before them founder Kyong Park directed the space's exhibitions, and Grima's interview with him is particularly revealing about the organization and its newsprints. As the Storefront searches for Grima's replacement, the past tenuousness of its existence seems to have given way to a widespread appreciation of the organizations, its space (restored in 2008), and its place within the broader architectural community. The influence of its programs reaches beyond its 868sf home (PDF link), but the newsprints are unique artifacts for those able to visit the gallery in person...and now for those willing to spend $49.

US: or at Storefront Bookstore

Extracts of local distance

Extracts of local distance is a project by Benjamin Maus, Frederic Gmeiner and Thorsten Posselt. "Countless fragments of existing architectural photography are merged into multilayered shapes. The resulting collages introduce a third abstract point of view next to the original ones of architect and photographer." Take a look at the project video:

Extracts of Local Distance from STOESELTNTPRO on Vimeo.

Now take a look at one of the finished pieces:


[Elbberg Campus, top with detail below | image source]

The project, Elbberg Campus by BRT Architekten was featured on my weekly page in 2004:





The original photographer is Klaus Frahm, though I'm not sure if the three photos from my feature are the ones used for manipulation. Pieces of the wood louvers, curling metal facade, and wood decking can be seen in the collage, taking the space between the buildings and making it 100 times more dynamic. The image recalls Zaha Hadid's paintings, but it also makes me think of exploded diagrams, where pieces are pulled away from their final location for ease of understanding. In a sense these collages do the same thing, they extract information from the architectural photography and isolate individual pieces for regrouping into something new yet still recalling the original. Do the technique and its result have the potential to reorient how architects design space? Or are they just a commentary on the fairly consistent world of architectural photography today? Whatever their influence, they are striking images that I'm sure most architects would love to have gracing their walls.

(via PYTR 75)

Pritzker Musing

It's virtually impossible to write about The Pritzker Architecture Prize without discussing what other people are saying about the newest recipient. Coverage is fast and furious (see yesterday's ArchNewsNow for a few links and Google News for many more), and questions of "are they worthy" seem to take precedence over other concerns. This year's winners, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (aka SANAA), are known for minimal, ethereal designs of glass, metal and concrete. This fact is seen by James S. Russell (Bloomberg) as a disservice "at a time of profound challenges in the field." That they are the second duo (after Herzog & de Meuron) and Sejima is the second woman (after Zaha Hadid) to win the coveted prize is mentioned in just about all coverage (Cityscapes), and Christopher Hawthorne (LA Times) focuses on the former. While he quotes how the jury believes "it is virtually impossible to untangle which individual is responsible for what aspect of a particular project," there is one thing missing from this and other coverage: the individual practices of Sejima and Nishizawa that exist alongside SANAA.

The collaborative aspect of SANAA that Hawthorne and the jury praises is certainly nothing new, but that each retains their own individual practice is very unique. Many partnerships splinter as two or more designers and their egos do battle. Thom Mayne received the prize in 2005, but for a long time Morphosis was him and Michael Rotondi, who formed ROTO Architects in 1995. It's cliche but oftentimes true to say that a firm does not have room for more than one great designer. I think SANAA manage by allowing their own practices to exist and be treated equally; SANAA does not take precedence over the others, even though the commissions may get more press. But what is also important about this three-part structure, and is something that makes their choice for the Pritzker a little more complicated, is how the projects of each practice are not so easily distinguishable from the others. To be sure SANAA's commissions tend to be larger, but the minimalism, pristine surfaces and complex spaces are present in all their output. The award is given to Sejima and Nishizawa, but it can also be seen as a validation of all their work, whichever name gets the formal credit.

Previous Sejima/Nishizawa/SANAA coverage on my web pages:

:: Dior Building (Sejima)
:: Moriyama House (Nishizawa)
:: New Museum of Contemporary Art (SANAA, building)
:: New Museum of Contemporary Art (SANAA, project)
:: Onishi Hall (Sejima)
:: Rolex Learning Center (SANAA)
:: SANAA Houses (Sejima, Nishizawa, SANAA)
:: SHIFT: SANAA and the New Museum (SANAA)

03-31 Correction: Christopher Hawthorne does indeed mention the separate practices of Sejima and Nishizawa: "Both continue to operate their own smaller, separate firms."

Monday, Monday

My weekly page update:

This week's dose features Kirkwood Public Library in Wilmington, Delaware by ikon.5 architects:


The featured past dose is Clinton Library in Little Rock, Arkansas by Polshek Partnership:


This week's book review is Hunch 13: Consensus edited by Salomon Frausto:


Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize
The $100,000 prize goes to SANAA, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa. (More coverage to follow.)

Architectural Braindump
"The ever-changing profession of architecture." (added to sidebar under blogs::architecture)

architecture for the masses
Blog of Populous, the firm formerly known as HOK Sport. (added to sidebar under blogs::offices/architects)

arkinet
"Sharing architecture - connecting architects." (added to sidebar under blogs::architecture)

Today's archidose #404

London Olympics 2012, originally uploaded by Manuel.A.69.

The View Tube for the London Olympics 2012 in London, England, 2009. Please comment if you know the architect responsible for the View Tube's design.

To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:

:: Join and add photos to the archidose pool, and/or
:: Tag your photos archidose

Rising Currents and Open Piers

On Monday the first section of Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1, opened to the public, and on Wednesday the exhibition Rising Currents: Projects for New York's Waterfront opened at MoMA. The first is a six-acre portion of an 85-acre park that stretches from roughly Atlantic Avenue on the south to the Brooklyn Bridge on the north (see interactive map) along the East River. The second consists of artists-in-residence at P.S.1 addressing the challenge of sea levels rising from global climate change. So how do we reconcile these apparently opposite ways of thinking about New York's waterfront, when issues of public space (short term) and eco-sustainability (long term) are both seen as important?


[Brooklyn Bridge Park Opening | image source]

Brooklyn Bridge Park is the result of a post-industrial landscape shaped by storage and shipping. The park can be seen as the successor to the warehouses that lasted about a century. But if predictions for rising water levels come true, the waterfront's use as a park would have an even shorter lifespan. The Brooklyn Height Promenade overlooking the park will be okay, but the playgrounds and other features designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh would become submerged by the East River. But can lessons from the MoMA exhibition be applied to the design before it's complete? Or will infrastructure addressing rising waters address this and other stretches of New York City shoreline?


[Rising Currents Zones | image source]

Brooklyn Bridge Park sits just north of Zone 4 above, to the right of Zone 0. These and the other zones correspond to the teams developing suitable responses for each; all are based on research by Guy Nordenson and others for Palisades Bay, the New York/New Jersey Upper Bay area. All the responses run counter the traditional, muscular ways of dealing with this sort of infrastructure, i.e. the levees of New Orleans. Holding back the rising currents is not the name of the game. Instead learning from nature's processes and utilizing "soft" infrastructure are the means of exploration for the different contexts.

So how does public space, especially that alongside the city's waterways, change as we move forward? A post at the MoMA exhibition blog by NYC Parks & Rec Commissioner Adrian Benepe starts to address this issue:

"the proposals represent some innovative ways to create new realms of public space, places that are not traditional parks, but rather are flexible zones of water and land and plants and animals. We currently tend to look at parks as distinct from other urban forms, with fences, walls, planted buffers— different vocabularies of building materials. While each team has proposed concepts very different from the others, they all redefine the interaction of streets, parks, seawalls, canals, piers, and even the harbor itself."

So Brooklyn Bridge Park's interaction with the East River would then be the logical place for addressing a rise in the water level. The hard edge of Pier 1 may give way to a soft zone that allows the rising waters to be dealt with in some manner besides holding it back. If one thing is clear from the exhibition, New York City's solutions to rising sea levels will be a combination of approaches implemented in a multitude of areas. There is no single fix for one area; and even if there were, the ignorance of other shorelines and the interdependence of them all is irresponsible. We'll see if the exhibition shapes Brooklyn Bridge and other NYC park projects as talk about rising sea levels moves from conviction that it is a problem to practical solutions for the future.

Today's archidose #403

casa em santa teresa, arq. angelo bucci, rio de janeiro, 2008, originally uploaded by m correia campos.

Casa em Santa Teresa in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil by Angelo Bucci (spbr), 2008

To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:

:: Join and add photos to the archidose pool, and/or
:: Tag your photos archidose

Formique #2

Formique is an ongoing series that comments on contemporary architecture that ignores some of the basic human, environmental and other concerns that architecture should address, all in the name of formal invention.


[166 Perry Street by Asymptote Architecture | image source]

A story in NY Daily News on Asymptote Architecture's first ground-up building in Manhattan at 166 Perry Street in the West Village is aptly titled Reflect On This! One thing the faceted glass curtain wall reflects is the sky, which makes me want to quote Eartheasy's post on a side effect of such a thing: "Birds often strike windows because they see a reflection of clouds, sky or trees which gives the mistaken impression that they are flying into open air." The prevalence of all-glass exterior facades is mind-boggling when one takes into consideration the avoidable harm to our fine-feathered friends. Very few architects actually address this concern (Studio Gang comes to mind), and in the case of 166 Perry Street the privacy of the residents trumps the lives of birds.