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Sep '06 - Nov '06

 
  • Twisted Schmisted

    By kirabelle9
    Nov 12, '06 12:49 PM EST

    a couple weeks ago i attended the tall buildings conference at IIT entitled "Thinking Outside the Box: Tapered, Tilted, Twisted". i think i got suckered into it by the key names in the program- DANIEL LIBESKIND, JEANNE GANG, KEN YEANG, ZAHA HADID. haha and after zaha's name there was something written really small- "parter". nonetheless, it was a good lineup. and get this-- only $20 for students! what a steal, how can i pass it up?

    so i walk in, register, and am handed the conference booklet with this on the cover:

    image

    these are projects in milan fiera- libeskind, hadid, and isozaki. i looked at it, mouth opened, and immediately thought of a project that i had JUST finished in my 3dstudiomax class..

    image

    their buildings look like my friggin sponges! which made me realize something about all these twisted towers.. if you take off the bend or twist modifier in 3ds what do you get? yeah, a glass and steel box. its a bit disturbing.. and i normally enjoy libeskind's work, but come on.. he doesnt even resolve the problem of fire stairs in this project (the one thats bent over).

    image

    his building looks like a tired person slumped over with a stick shoved down their back. when he had it up on the screen i just wanted to photoshop the firestair core out of there.

    also in the exhibit they had was a matrix of building floor plate geometries. it was basically a chart that allows you to pick and choose shapes for the bottom and top floors- so.. voiilllaaa!!! another twisted tower! how NOT amazing. it's like a technological craze saying "hey! look what i can do with glass and steel!" i mean yes, it's great how far we've come with construction and building technology, but it's gotten to the point where it seems like its an unspoken competition between starchitects on whose building can limbo best.

    and i dont want to generalize the entire conference because i did really enjoy jeanne gang's presentation on aqua tower and also mad studio's little talk on their project in mississauga. but man.. with those other twisted projects..enough is enough. soon we'll take aerial photographs of dubai and china and just see a land of corkscrews and drill bits.

    but in the end, i have to admit.. i get starchitectstruck pretty easily. my studiomates and i couldnt resist getting a picture with libeskind.

    kinda.

    image

    thanks to chrissy- the lovely girl with the hat- for this picture.

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  • the blossoming relationship i have with the laser cutter

    By kirabelle9
    Oct 9, '06 8:06 AM EST

    u of i might be behind on this bc i know other schools have had a laser cutter for a few years now, but we just got a couple this year. and oh man, i fell in love at first use. the first date i had with the laser cutter was accompanied by the lab tech.. kind of awkward, but i guess he had to... View full entry



  • site model and...

    By kirabelle9
    Sep 26, '06 9:26 AM EST

    i didnt realize how big my site model was going to be until i actually built it. and ive actually never built a base for a site model myself bc its always been a class thing, and usually one of the guys takes that duty. but i decided to not build the traditional base. my boyfriend is in... View full entry



  • and thesis year begins...

    By kirabelle9
    Sep 11, '06 6:28 PM EST

    Oh thesis... dear thesis... I don't know why architecture students can't claim residency in studio. We just go back to our apartments to sleep. It's fun so far though- it's like a little party in here everyday- a thesis party. ha, riiigghhtt.. im surprised theres only a few of us that are actually... View full entry



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