a short conversation on building models...

online this morning, i had this interchange about models in the design process with callie mitchell, 2005 grad from iarc. pay attention to the post, folks!

learning spaces slide show

this is a copy of the slideshow i presented in late january focusing on learning spaces and the work of my third year studio. all of the images represented herein are student work or were uploaded from the web through a search on 23 january 2012 with the search terms "learning spaces."

stewart brand : how buildings learn

my students in third year studio and i are greatly enjoying the writings of STEWART BRAND. with great illustrations and salient examples, brand's HOW BUILDINGS LEARN forms part of the intellectual backdrop for a studio about LEARNING SPACES : SPACES THAT LEARN. together, we're looking at two library spaces on campus, querying the image and content for libraries in the future.

studio work continues

headed toward spring break...but the students continue to press forward in teams of three as they work on JENGA 3.0. kara koy + cassie bradfield gather around their physical model, squaring up their ideas...

means of egress

what i learned in studio today : a swimming pool is NOT a means of egress...even when your concept is leap.

http://www.cypruspaphosvillas.com/Marilena_Sunset_Villa_No-1/images/61l.jpg

feng shui cube : new york times

the sleeping space doubles as a night-time lantern.

during the day, mr. liu occupies the top of the cube. PHOTO CREDITS: joe fletcher, new york times

it's always nice when a project similar to the one you're teaching in studio appears in the NEW YORK TIMES...and that was the case today, with this terrific office/sleeping cube for a new york loft apartment. read more about it in the times.

jenga 1.0

austin's work deals with the a of GROOVE. this axonometric demonstrates how the two objects he design work together to manifest the concept.


kacie's board (the second of two) pulls together the various drawing elements + deliverables to tell us about the concept, WELL UP....a beautiful, cohesive presentation.



anna shows success with the first of three models due. students have been taking advantage of our woodshop, their own skills at their drawing boards, and our digital making facility, CAMstudio.

based on the classic board game, jenga, my section of this year's second year studio works toward designing very small residential units (300-500SF)....with some great success. check out the work of kacie leisure, anna berendt, and austin loman on their blogs.

kit of parts

for studio this week, students presented their proposals for the KIT OF PARTS project....JENGA 1.0, in which they elaborated three kits in three spaces. claire and i reviewed, along with the class, 36 projects on friday....36 more to come on monday.

because iar202 is a writing intensive course, students have been working on their WRITING as part of the design process. read corry's post and abigail's to get some sense of the work they are doing in this regard. claire and i selected their work to feature downstairs near the faculty offices...

where do good ideas come from?

nosing around online during this snow day led me to the work of STEVEN JOHNSON...he has written a couple of books about thinking and design and creativity. claire and i looked through a couple of his postings on youtube. clearly he's a brilliant sketcher and idea man...check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU&feature=related

check out his blog here.

the semester begins, second year studio

[in the photo, our "middle" pragmatists are raising hands...one a bit tentatively, those to the left represent the conservers while those standing right assume the role of originators.]

under the organizing principle whole > sum of its parts, the second year studio began this morning with an assessment of strengths for the students via the change style indicator. this rubric helps groups of people to learn who are originators, conservers, and pragmatists. for designers, this is an imperative lesson to learn. as teams assemble, one wants to be sure to balance the boat in the studio. the results from our class? MANY MORE originators than conservers, in a proportion of 3:1. of the 24 students and two teachers, only five people stood to the left of the pragmatists. i'm way at the originator end, while my erstwhile teaching assistant, claire keane stands to the right (third in the photo) in the line up.

originators value NOT following the rules + bucking the system....i'm not quite sure what this holds as far as the semester.

the RANCH project begins

on wednesday, the students in my studio class gathered to measure the home of randy mcmanus. randy purchased the house a couple of years ago and has given a new lease on life to the 1959 commencement house, designed by woman's college students and greensboro architect edward loewenstein. this student project will focus on the public and private zones within the house. stay tuned for further developments.

measuring up the BUNGALOW

willing homeowner cecelia thompson graciously opened the doors to her home for our BUNGALOW project. an avid cook and blogger, cecelia's dining room seemed an appropriate foray for our studio on residential design. check out cecelia's very cool cooking + food blog, modmealsonmendenhall.com