HALFTIME

The semester is now over and it marks the half-way point of our time here at H.U. As a class, we have all come a long way from the days of just trying to figure out how to use a scale. This was proven at our final review, as many of us including myself, were not too happy with the final outcome of our last project. The fact that we can be upset with our production and/or unsatisfied with our design after working on it for almost 2 intense months, really shows the passion and desire of perfection that our class strives for.

As for our review, there wasn't any of us that wanted to get up in front of our distinguished guests and jury, not because we feared that we were going to get eaten alive, but because we knew that there was still so much more we wanted to illustrate and display in our presentations. There's a saying in Bemis, "if I only had one more day...", but honestly I could have used another week at least. I guess as an architect in training, I'm learning that whatever time limit may be set on a project, no matter what phase I am in or I'm suppose to be in, I still want to continue evolving my design. The guild project is case in point. I wasn't happy with my final design and because I spent so long trying to perfect it, other areas of design (ie. interior space, board composition) were neglected and therefor lacking.

During the gallery critiques, my professors came to me to tell me that my project was selected for a formal presentation just moments after Dr. Sanchez had a million negative things to say about my project. I shouldn't really say "negative", because every comment made is a comment that I can build upon and grow from. I also agreed with everything she said too. However, this was by no means a confidence builder and knowing just how brutal our professors can be, I wasn't looking forward to the formal presentation in front of professionals in the field that are outside of the Bemis bubble. Fortunately for me, I think that the guests had a little more to drink than just juice ; ) because they were the nicest jury ever! They all had very nice things to say about my presentation as well as my fellow colleagues. I just hope those opinions are reflected in my grades !o!

Talkin Bout My Girl

I have been in a serious committed relationship for the past three and a half years and I can honestly say that I’m still happy. Three years might not seem like a long time to some, but I have known her for a lot longer. I first met her when I was a little boy. We use to play Legos together and we would color and draw all the time. At that time, I had no idea how much of an impact she made on my life.
About the time I went away to college is when our relationship became official. It’s also the time when we would spend every moment of our lives together and I mean, every moment. I can say that our relationship is a special one, but it’s no different than any other relationship. There are times when we are chill and times when we are busy. There are times when we smile and times when we cry. There are also times when we hate each other as much as we love each another. That’s usually the time when I try to walk away and try to take a break from her. However, I have realized that even when we aren’t together, I’m constantly thinking of her and everywhere I go I’m constantly reminded of her. No matter what, I always come back to her even though she is high maintenance, very expensive and bad for my health at times. I can’t help but to stay up all hours of the night doing her, and when I wake up in the morning we will continue where we left off the night before. And I’ve been told that I do her well!
I would like to take this time to thank her for help defining who I am. I promise I will always continue to make our relationship grow and try to be the best man for you. Thank you and I promise that I will always love you Architecture.

MODEL MADNESS

So the semester is coming to an end and it’s hard to believe that we are at the half way mark for 3rd year. If I could sum up this semester with two words, they would be model madness. From the start, our first project set the pace as we had to craft a model and then another model and another. A pattern would soon form where at the end of every studio session our class was told one of the following: for next class a model is due, you need to make another model, two models are due by next class, model, model, and model. Due to this model intensive semester, I personally have learned some valuable skills and tricks to improve my craftsmanship. An addition, I can honestly say that the class, as a whole, has improved their model making skills and that would be credited to the fine tutelage of our professors. Therefore, I have created a “value” list of what I have learned this past semester in regards to modeling:

Cardboard $2 - $3 a sheet
Chipboard $1 - $2 a sheet
Foam board $3 - $8 (size varies)
Mat board $6 -$9 a sheet
Corrugated board $2 - $4 a sheet
Special Paper types $1 - $7 (varies)
Sobo/Tacky glue $6 a bottle
X-acto knife $4
X-acto blades $3 a pack
Metal ruler $8 - $12 (size varies)
Cutting mat $10 -$24 (size varies)
Balsa/Bass wood $10 - $30 a project
Professor Williams’ facial expression
when she picks up an ugly model Priceless!!!

static vs. dynamic

is the turning torso really turning?

calatrava does a great job designing a purly static structure that appears to be in motion.

Does the St. Mary Axe fit/relates to its context or does it seem as if it just landed from somewhere out of space?

The Hearst Tower is a great example of stereotomic elements vs. tectonic elements. Is the tectonics winning?