we've been blessed...

with a gift. I'm not sure that I even have to specify what these are, but I will say that Jim was gracious enough to bestow us with the recipe. Nick is the first amongst our studio to attempt their preparation and after a thorough sampling, I can say without hesitation that they were a complete success.

Look out for a copy of the recipe in your inbox. There are some more nuanced details which Nick has suggested that I am waiting to tack on as an addendum. My personal recommendation is to partner them with butter and honey. Benissimo!

Build Update

Our current build project is the Green's house in the next town over, Long Beach, MS. This is about 1,000 square feet. It was designed by the group last spring, construction began in the summer. When we picked up, it had just passed its hurricane strap inspection, so we finished sheathing the house in osb, random frame work like facia and drywall nailers, and putting the water proofing layers on the outside. Currently the Tyvek and roof underlayment are complete. Construction has temporarily halted until some more funds are gathered. The next step is to put on the metal roof.

Also in the news.
We spent a few days rebuilding a section of our driveway. So we learned fun things about working with concrete. Like building forms, working with concrete truck, skreeting/floating it, and cutting control joints.

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looks like you've got a challenge...

I saw this and thought of the bathroom installment in the Bungalow. I guess they super-sized your concept? We should make it bigger...

here's the link:
http://www.archdaily.com/77487/bhuis-hoogte-twee-architecten/

The Traveler

To: Matt
From: Tray

kübe + mirror = skyspace

To: Evan
From: Tray

pro bono publico

These are my responses to the first two assignments we were given for Professional Practice with Markus Bonauer. The goal was to produce an annotated "Personal Manifesto for Growth" a la Bruce Mau as well as develop a mission statement, job posting, and biography for your hypothetical/future architecture firm. I think it goes without saying that maatrevan was close at heart as I wrote what I did. I would greatly value your input on these writings as I think they're a direct reflection of the practice we've developed amongst us. I would also challenge you to think about it on your own and see how your responses compare. It was much more difficult than I had originally estimated, but was highly rewarding. I think it's imperative to be able to vocalize your thoughts in a medium such as this, both now as a student and eventually as a professional...or a collection of professionals. thesis?

tropicaNO

In other news, I don't think the girl who occupies my desk from last year much likes my fruit stickers. What a shame...

competition.

Here is a link to the competition that we will be participating in for the semester:

http://www.aias.org/kawneer/index.php

Paola was very committed to the idea of us participating in an active competition so that we could have the potential to submit our entry for recognition. She has also established the requirement that we develop two proposals amongst the four us because she thinks that it will facilitate a more generative process because the designs will not only push against each other but the division of the work will also allow us to more quickly come to decisions rather than all four of us stressing over the same minute detail. We have decided to actively participate in both of the designs rather than divide ourselves into two teams. As for the difference in the two designs, we're playing around with the idea of establishing a site in both a rural and urban context. Both are faced with deficient school conditions, but deal with two very different sets of problems. We're struggling now with whether or not we site the project in a location that is attempting to initiate school reform, but simply doesn't have the facilities or in a place that just has low standards of education in general. It seems to make sense that we'd site in a location that has the initiative and motivation to make a change to ensure it's "success." At the same time though, we've asked/challenge ourselves with this: "can architecture instigate a change in curriculum as well as preconceptions of education as a community endeavor."

There are some obvious technicalities that we are immediately wary of, but will try to approach it optimistically. The first of these is the requirement of Kawneer's products in our design towards a LEED certification. We have established a common desire to take a more passivhaus approach towards the sustainability factor, but like Jim told me last year, these elements are becoming the status quo and like egress and building codes will become something that just goes without saying.

We're very excited about the potential of working with children in development of the design. Harry has already established a connection who can give us access to one of the local elementary schools. We plan to interview the kids as well as the staff in an effort to produce something that will be actually be functional to its more important users.


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kübe

This is the prompt we were given by the MES Studio (Margharita, Gene, and Heiner) for the first week. Remind you a little of first year? The diagram is a bit deceiving in terms of what they were expecting, but predominately the results were very similar. This idea of ascension as a general progression from light to dark seemed to be the overriding theme and was evident in the designs.






I chose a bit of a different approach, emphasizing the role of the horizon as a bounding element within the hierarchy that was referenced in the prompt. Gene suggested the following relationship that I found very poignant: earth as 1, horizon as 3, and the sky as infinity. In this system, the 3 implies a constrained movement between a determinate number of points. Additionally, he said that work achieves a "poetic" position when the "means becomes the content." A little different than your standard "form follows function," but I liked the potential inherent in this. Starting with a single plane, I made a series of folds to establish the implied volume of a cube. Hence, the process establishes the form itself (or the means becomes the content).

This being my first experience in the metal shop, you can imagine the feeling of success I possessed as the final product came out. But, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't spoiled slightly when I came to the realization that Matt produced essentially the same thing in the second semester of our first year! In all seriousness, it was a really rewarding process. I enjoyed getting the chance to weld and manipulate the metal using the break. Also...the junkyard is incredible. The piece I used was over six feet long and it cost merely $10. Benissimo!

The French Quarter

Kyle and I decided that yesterday would be a good day to make our first trip into New Orleans. We plan on visiting a different district of the city each time we visit and after turning off the gps, the french quarter is what we ended up in.

The first place we spent time was the St. Louis cemetery which we spotted while driving in and parked next to for the day.
The Cemetery takes up 3 city blocks and is located between government housing projects, the interstate, and ironically an RV park.



The cemetery reminded me one I saw in Haiti over the summer in the city of Grand Goave, where the new orphanage I worked on is going to be built. The contrast is interesting, the Haitians obviously lack the influence of Thomas Jefferson's grid ordinance. Funeral processions are also a common thread between the two places, parades led by brass bands and filled with hired mourners.



Every time we passed the cemetery in Grand Goave I would refer to it as the subdivision of the dead, because of the fact that for many the house they occupy when dead is comparable to the one they occupy while alive. The graves were actually about the half the size here.




After this we walked towards the French Quarter. We came upon several street performers. Many sections of N-S streets would be closed and full of people while the E-W streets remained open for traffic. We sat down and listened to this family band for a while.



Then we began meeting some people. New Orleans was one of the most polite cities that I have ever been to. I didn't meet a rude person the whole time I was there. Many people went out of their way to say hello or offer their help. I am also a big fan of the New Orleans accent. This fellow we met while watching the street band. He asked me to take a picture of him throwing away his now warm beer. He said he wanted use it as evidence in his case against the lady he was sitting next to. For some reason he said it was her fault his beer went warm. So I took a video which he said was even better than a photograph. We then showed it to his friend and successfully sued her for another beer. There are some people who simply need to be met.



We then somehow found ourselves on Bourbon Street which we wanted to avoid. But it turns out that labor day weekend is a big gay pride festival called Southern Decadence. So we investigated and found a vast array of leather, feathers, and very short shorts.



Then we began my favorite portion of the day, exploring the poor area that surrounding the French Quarter. There was alot of beautiful abandonment and over growth. There were many times Kyle would turn to me and simply say "nature is winning." Portions of sidewalk would have only a narrow path through the weeds and unkept grass.




We passed by this address, 1010 1/2. The occupant found a way to inhabit the space between the buildings.



We found my favorite one of Banky's pieces in the city. He came 3 years after the hurricane, saying his work was a commentary on the state of recovery. Much of his work has been covered with gray paint by a self appointed vigilante who people refer to as "the gray ghost". This piece was covered with a sheet of plexiglass. The building owner must have been one of the few who realized that the value of his building had doubled because of the fact it had been vandalized.



We then continued walking through the marginalized community surrounding the French Quarter, wondering how much houses cost, and commenting on which ones we would like to live in. We then ran into this nice man. He asked us if we wanted to take a family picture for him and said it was a once in a life time opportunity. So we did. He then told us about the nice picture that was on the wall of the house next to him. He probably didn't know who Banksy was, he simply observed that most people who passed by liked to photograph this pretty picture.




In closing a city is the people who live inside of it. We will return, I can't wait to meet more of the city.

In other news, I found a working, antique underwood typewriter on craigslist today for only $25. I'm picking up it up tomorrow.

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The Week in Pictures

I will summarize my week in 5 pictures or 10,000 words (depending on how you do the math).




I now live by the ocean. I like this very much. Everyday I drive or bike along side of it whenever i go anywhere. I enjoy thinking of myself, a small point, along side of this large homogenous mass. Its humbling to think of the contrast.



I found this abandoned pool. There are still many empty slabs that used to be houses alongside of the ocean. Some things are most beautiful when left to ruin. Often this isn't by choice.



We have a studio potluck once a week, in attendance are the South Coast students, family members, and studio neighbors. This week i made a key lime pie. Kyle made a beer butt chicken (to do so you shove a beer can up the chickens butt and bake in the oven).



Similar to Terry's studio, the first week's design project is something small and executable. This is how complete strangers become family in a very short time. We designed seating for the studio fire pit. However the day after we started building a tree fell on what we had done so far. On the plus side, after we chainsaw the tree into pieces tomorrow morning, we will have fire wood for the semester.



Our current build project is finishing the house that the summer group started. This week we worked on putting in nailers for the drywall and finishing the OSB sheathing on the envelope. I spent most of my time working on the roof. I really enjoyed bring in such a raw building environment, everything exposed and unfinished, the day filled with power tools, chalk lines, and nail guns. My safety glasses make it look like I have a unibrow in this picture.

-Tray

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Institute for Cultural Anthropology (Revisited)

I must admit that I was a little disappointed with my final work from our ICA project last semester. The basic ideas were there, but I did not have enough time to fully develop crucial elements of the building. This became evident when I was compiling my portfolio early this summer...especially when my ICA project was stacked behind our primitive hut competition...a Maatrevan gem!

In regards to process, I decided to model the ICA in Rhino. As much as I tried to ignore my recently acquired software this summer, I finally accepted that they will be essential tools in my studies next year. I found inspiration from drawings and renderings on ArchDaily...


The above drawings (from a project called Brittle by Nicolas Fayad) are interesting to me for several reasons. I really like the layers of information in the rhino/cad drawing...there is a lot of activity going on. It reminds me of Tray's ICA drawing in a way, each silhouette contains information and tells a story about the building. I also like the rendering because it is not about giving a photorealistic impression of the building. I think that unless you spend a lot of time tweaking on V-Ray, photorealistic renderings look terrible. This rendering is very simple and I like the fact that it could be mistaken for a physical model.

In this spirit, I began modeling my ICA. Here are the results:



I found that Rhino is an extremely useful tool for 3D modeling and making quick decisions. However, I could only use it late in the design process. It was extremely difficult for me to generate design with the software. On the several occasions where I had to figure out a certain space in the building, I reverted to pencil and paper and subsequently modeled in Rhino. Nothing beats some good old fashioned patina!

Please let me know what you think of the work... Do the drawings and renderings help you understand the building better?

e/l studio extravaganza

i'm posting some photos of the models i made during my time with e/l studio this summer. the first is 1/8" scale and is made using 2-ply museum board. the second is a sectional model at 1/2" scale as is a combination of foam core (for the interior partitions and the bearing walls on the foundation level) and basswood.

the project is a residence for mark's (the principal) parents in wildwood, new jersey. it's sited directly adjacent to an 18-unit motel built in the 1950's that his parents also own. here is more info:

http://www.elstudioarch.com/projects/Jade_Residence/#JE_VIEW_FROM_SOUTH_EAST.jpg

with love,
e

Barn

I passed this barn the other day as I was driving home. (Matt, it will be on your right as you take quillen/jones mill rd coming away from fountain inn towards scuffletown.) The barn caught my attention because of the juxtaposition of the different materials, block, sheet metal, and wood. The sideways course of block form vents on the sides. I would love to know if the slanted wooden walls serve some functional purpose or are purely aesthetic. I took Kyle to see it when he came to Greenville the day before we left to drive down to Mississippi. I brought my slr camera to take some pictures, but when i got there I realized that I left my memory card on my desk at home. So this picture was taken with my cell phone. We didn't go in because its right beside the road and there was a house directly across the street.

-Tray