Architecture

[Appleseed]

Well, let's keep in mind Mayne is 10+ years older, and didn't start getting major commissions until he was at the age that Neil is now. All the MUFG, HL23, and Endevour projects add up.

So, you're LA, ya? SCIarc, UCLA, or 'SC?

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

Just got back from a weekend at the beach away from the internet/etc and was perusing archdaily. This stuck out as a fascinating idea, but maybe not such a good one for a house... It's a really interesting idea, using different opacity screens to modulate privacy and light in different parts of the home.

[LINK]

[Appleseed]

Personally I would find that super disorienting. Are they really different opacity, or just different size perf?

Either way, I'd rather be modulated by Nouvel's Institut du Monde Arabe

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

different size and position I believe. From the article:

It became apparent that the proximity of the home to the road presented a challenge of separation between spaces. So we decided to create a sense of distance with the concept of looking through fog. This concept breaks up the visual range, without creating a solid barrier. Using the concept of filtering an image, we adjusted the level of visual information penetrating through multiple layers, creating an effect similar to looking though fog . . .

. . . we separated the private room by using perforated metal screens, each one of a unique pattern, and they were arranged to very specific locations. By overlapping the perforated metal, a moiré pattern is formed, which creates a screening effect, similar to fog. The moiré pattern constantly changes according to the angle of the viewer, and it creates a twinkling pattern at night. Moreover, the light pattern is filtered onto the wall, the floors, and the ceiling and creates a softening effect like under water."

the effect is ridiculously gorgeous.

However, despite being gorgeous, I could imagine it working much better in perhaps an office environment? Especially if you started layering it with highly translucent polycarb or glass for acoustic dampening. Pretty fantastic looking and a neat idea at the least...

[mr.invincible]

who goes to UCLA for arch?

i do. although for undergrad. but had tom mayne as a juror for my last project. and sylvia lavin.

almost shitted in my pants.

as a fun fact - my friend told me denari takes a long time to piss.

and yes. thom mayne does look like steve jobs. if only he wore a black turtleneck.

[FranklinCosgrove]

^ I thought you graduated already?

[mr.invincible]

oops, my mistake.

I meant to say, "I DID".

[Protocol]

Anybody heard of Francisco Salamone before?

Stumbled on his architecture at some photography exhibition showing some of Esteban Pastorino Diaz's work.

The first image is one of the photos in the exhibition.

[FranklinCosgrove]

Went to visit Falling Water yesterday. Figured since I'm home for break and live kind of nearby I might as well check it out. House was nice. It seems pretty dated now but still interesting. Best thing by far is the site. Really good location. I feel like as long as you don't fuck it up, building any house there would be awesome. It's in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere Pennsylvania though. Nothing but crappy houses and trailer parks for miles before you reach it.

The place has been commercialized like no other. There is a whole 'welcome center' that you need to go through before reaching the house. You can't even go look at it before paying and getting a tour guide. Plus, they got mad at me for not having made a reservation for a tour online. While you wait for the tour they have a cafe with overpriced food, a gift shop that sells the most ridiculous FLW stuff. Like thousands of dollars for a pen with his signature on it or something. T-shirts with his face on them. Stupid. It's amazing that FLW has managed to completely commercialize himself to the point that people arn't really paying for his designs anymore. They're paying for him and this persona he has created of this genius architect beyond compare. Rather impressive in its own way but I was still pretty disgusted by the whole thing. No other architect has been able to do that besides probably Frank Gehry which I expect to only get worse.

The tour itself was also pretty poor. I kind of expected this though since I knew they wouldn't be talking about the house on the same level as someone currently working in the field. I did, however, expect more than just FLW dick sucking and terrible jokes. It wasn't presented as interesting design because of how the space worked or material choices or whatever, it was presented as great because FLW is the one who did it. That was the whole vibe of the tour. The end of the tour was them leading us into the garage, which they converted into a mini theatre room, and not even subtly asked for money.

Anyways, willing to discuss more if people have any comments or whatever. Also, If anyone wants all the pictures I took I can send them your way. Just PM me or something.

[Appleseed]

I went to an open house event at his Robie house this summer. Sounds like the exact opposite experience. Docent's were pretty cool, and well versed. Most were not in the field, but really dug the work and had been volunteering as preservationists at various FLW sites in the Chicago area. You did have to buy tickets, but there was an open bar and unrestricted access to all parts of the house. A lot of the rooms had been restored, but I think the lower library room was still unfinished as they were still raising funds. Didn't take a ton of pictures, liked the neighborhood.

[FranklinCosgrove]

^^ That's the kind of experience I wish I had at Falling Water. Just a free exploration of the house mixed with stories of the construction/design issues from people who were genuinely interested in architecture.

[thomas_collins]

A little late, but Merry Christmas anyway, Architecture thread!

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

Putting my portfolio for my M.Arch app. in the mail tomorrow (today)... wish me luck sufu!

[Appleseed]

^ GL, couldn't rep. Where are you applying?

[CMYK]

thought you guys might be into this:

was looking at the Hella Jongerius's 300 project

I need to learn how to embed video sorry in advance!

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

^ GL, couldn't rep. Where are you applying?

just University of Oregon for now. I live in portland with my girlfriend we plan on being here long term, so heading to Eugene for a year and then finishing up my last two years in Portland is too convenient to pass up, even if it's not the school of my dreams...

If I don't get in, however, I'll be re-applying next year to a MUCH larger pool. I grew up in the northeast and wouldn't mind being back there for a few years, so we'll see.

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone.

[Appleseed]

Eugene is not so bad. I lived there for 21 years. And got my B.Arch from the UO. (0)

Lot of good memories in Lawrence Hall. Didn't have an op. to do any of the program at the Portland campus, but the majority of the Masters kids do, and my friends who went seemed to enjoy their studios up there.

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

Yeah, I have to admit I'm not wild about moving down to Eugene after spending the past 6 years in portland, but it's only for the summer + a year, so I'm not too worried.

The new renovation of the White Stag in pdx is nice, I've got a few friends who are there right now and they like it. My brother also got his masters in Eugene almost ten years ago, so a lot of the info I have is from him. Basically it seems like a serviceable (i don't mean that in a negative way) school, but design-wise is sort of lacking in direction. His biggest complaint was tenured studio instructors who'd been teaching the same thing for ten or fifteeen years. I'm hoping that's changed a bit by now...

anyhow, I'm excited!

edit, and just so I post something not entirely about myself, here's an interesting interview with Sharon Zukin.

I want her new book...

[Appleseed]

Well, I learned a lot of good fundamentals while there, but a lot of the more progressive faculty got squeezed out when Theodoropolus took over as Dean. I don't know who is running the show now, but the program (in Eugene espc.) seemed to be a bit regressive from 05-10.

It sounds like you are in the M.Arch 1 program? 2 or 3 years, right? Expect alot of your classes to be mixed with Undergrads. Something that fundamentally bothered me about my B.Arch was the fact that all of the upper level arch classes (studio and reg.) were mixed grad/undergrad, to the point where I felt like I should be getting both degrees.

That said, I finished in 4, didn't want to work anywhere PNW really, so went directly into the grad program at SCI-arc. Talk about a 180. My advice would be to bust your ass, try and get studio instructors who are teaching something other than just the UO dogma, (trombe wall? check! porte-cochère? check! Wood rainscreen detail? check! project concept that relates your building to the life cycle of the salmon watershed? check, check check!) and try to show up the undergrads that'll have a year or two experience on you.

[Appleseed]

Bump / Plug / Free booze-

http://aplusd.org/exhibitions-current

[FranklinCosgrove]

All I do is show up on Saturday and I get in with free booze?

[Appleseed]

Like magic-

[mr.invincible]

Cosgrow you showing up?

i might go with my architecture peeps

i was going to apply to m.arch last year but i bummed out. doing it full force this year fo sho

[FranklinCosgrove]

Like magic-

Are you a wizard?

[madstaxbro]

Anybody have good examples of flagstones being utilized in walkways? Seen it in some Western masonry but I've yet to see any contemporary structures apart from libraries.

[FranklinCosgrove]

Yo Appleseed. Sorry I couldn't make it to your thing. I got busy and wasn't able to get away. Hope it went well. Maybe we'll have to do an arch meetup one of these days. In the rotating bar on top of the Bonaventure. Then make our way to the Bradbury building to reenact Bladerunner. Who knows, maybe after we could hit up the Eames House to push each other on the tree swing.

[Appleseed]

No stress FranklinCosgrove, show went real well. Back to reality now. Always down for an arch. meet up. We can smoke a joint at CalTrans and go wallride Disney Hall.

Some prelim. pics from the show:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/taiyo_watanabe/sets/72157626045550446/with/5443599035/

[FranklinCosgrove]

Just started a 16 hour CNC file. Lol Architecture. Whats your longest Appleseed? This one is takin' the cake for me.

[FranklinCosgrove]

All you dudes that applied for schools. You start hearing back yet?

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

I'm supposed to hear sometime this month... Nothing yet. I'll go check the mail though, now that you mention it.