Alexander's School Blog on Archinect:
The Architectural Venn Diagram
A new adventure begins as we finish one chapter; we hope to share our story with you.
We are graduates of Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
Artefact Inc. Architects, Bethlehem, PA, US, Intern Architect
Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, US, MArch, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
Graduated with Honors
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, US, BA in Architecture
Minor in History
Certificate in Global Citizenship
Graduated Phi Beta Kappa with High Honors
2013 Steedman Summer Travel Fellowship, Grant
Awarded annually to one student in the Washington University Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design, the fellowship supports summer travel and investigation of an architectural topic of the student's choosing. Recipients are selected by the Steedman Fellowship Governing Committee on the basis of their proposed study outline, portfolio of work, and academic achievement, and must present their research to the student body in the fall.
As the graduate level recipient, I spent the summer of 2013 in China to study the organizational strategies and social life of traditional urban neighborhoods, specifically the Hutong alleys in Beijing and the Lilong lanes in Shanghai. Engaging in hours of on-site observation, I simultaneously researched the history of Chinese architecture and urbanism at local institutions while I built upon my network of contacts in the two cities. I was fortunate in my time to meet with a diverse array of local residents, real estate agents, architects, planners, conservationists, academics, and expatriates to analyze and better understand the complexities of these neighborhoods and the role that China’s current development model plays in their uncertain future.
The final body of work includes a 39 page treatise on the relevance of the Beijing Hutong and the Shanghai Lilong in China's current urbanization. Through three vignettes that critique Chinese neo-liberal policy, density laws, and security of tenure, I provide a window into the history, life, vitality, development, transformation, informalization, and reformalization of these incredible urban nodes. I argue for their continued existence as they provide the very residential framework that China needs to sustain itself with its swelling migrant population.
Williams Prize for Outstanding Writing in Art & Architecture, Award
Established in 1908 by Edward H. Williams, professor of geology and mechanical engineering, the Williams Prizes, which range from $200 to $1000, recognize outstanding work in writing by a student in his or her respective field of study at Lehigh University.
Lehigh University Presidential Scholar, Scholarship
The President’s Scholar Program recognizes outstanding academic achievement by undergraduate students by providing a fifth year of study free of tuition. This benefit is intended to give students an opportunity to undertake an advanced project of a scholarly or creative nature that does not lead to a degree.
