Before I archive this blog (for now at least), I decided I should write one final post just in case someone of the future comes across this little piece of history and wonders what the hell happened.

A decent amount of time has passed yet it still seems recent in my mind that I said good bye to Kent State in May, graduating with a B.S. in Architecture.  Our final comprehensive studio wrapped up nicely and, considering the circumstances all we were asked to do, I'm fairly proud of what we accomplished that semester.  The process was a very difficult but worthwhile eye opener.  You can view the main result of that project, our design development drawing set, here.  After we completed our work at Kent, my project partner Chris Schoenlein and I had an opportunity to take our work to the University of Kentucky College of Design and participate in a design charrette they hosted with Gregory Romine and Martin Summers.  The entire experience was fantastic and the results of that weekend should be published on Axis Facades' website soon.  I'll leave the direct link in the comments when it shows up.

Since May I've been taking my time figuring out what I want to do next.  Especially in regards to the lasting recession and current state of the architecture industry, jumping into a grad program seemed like a thoughtless, bad move.  Instead, I've been taking time to reconnect with friends and family and enjoy a slower pace of life for a bit.  Time that I've now realized I desperately needed.  

At this point I have no idea where my future is headed.  It very well may not be in the direction of licensing, and with luck the next few years of experiences will help me decide what's best for me.  You can take a look at a portfolio of selected undergraduate works of mine here.  

Thanks for reading over the past couple of years and look for a new Kent State blogger here on Archinect in the near future!

Well no surprise but I owe you an apology. Soon after my last post my hard drive crashed and due to that tragedy, so did I. It's interesting how the demise of my personal computer felt way too personal...like I was also broken. But I suppose that in this digital world, feeling that kind of... View full entry

A little tidbit from the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.DO YOU HAVE A CLEVELAND STORY TO TELL? Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative is organizing a StorySlam on February, 24th at the Cleveland Institute of Art's Coventry Center to gather place-based stories to include... View full entry

We're about one month deep in the IDC project now, and after a few different working schemes, I think our project is progressing in a solid direction. The project location is Washington D.C. On the Anacostia river waterfront within the The Yards currently being developed by Forest City as part of... View full entry

Wowww, in true school blogger fashion I completely dropped the ball on posting last semester. However, if I may formulate an excuse, I knew if I tried I wouldn't post anything other than cynical, jaded rants...and regret them later. For my devout readers to be brought up to speed...there isn't... View full entry

I hate school. I'm stressed to the max. I don't know if anyone else gets to their fourth grueling year of school and feels as "over it" as I do (senioritis I suppose), but watching the deadline for dropping all my classes consequence-free come and go during the first all nighter of the semester... View full entry

He told me that most people he brings there are less than excited about the place; they simply don't understand and probably find his enthusiasm cheesy. But I was bursting. I hadn't been off the plane for more than an hour and the first thing I saw after exiting the train station was a mountain... View full entry

Around the end of this past semester a giant inflatable torus was brought to life on the Kent State campus, a product of the Operative Detailing seminar led by Jason Turnidge. Since I was in Italy, I couldn't be there at that time, however much to my delight, the big plastic fun house was... View full entry

With a little over a week to go in Italy, instead of soaking up every last minute of our time here, we are all scrambling to produce a project for reviews on tuesday (or wednesday?.....shit.) Concurrently, a competition, Usa Firenze (see that, a play on words), has been announced in collaboration... View full entry

In between jet setting across Europe, I've been devoting (some) time to my studio's proposed project for Florence, a new Mediatheque located within the walls of the Fortezza da Basso. From the syllabus, under the guidance of Alberto Francini. //"The new mediatheque will have to become an asset to... View full entry

This semester has been a strong test of my general approval of architecture, and more specifically, my place within it. Of course, I'm not talking physical architecture here, but rather the industry, practice, and teaching of architecture. To sum it up neatly, I've realized for myself, like so... View full entry

Any attempt at writing a cohesive narrative at this point would be fruitless, therefore I'll save myself the trouble and resort to a bullet-point list of updates. The following takes place between January 16th and March 2nd, 2010. > Began class six (quick) weeks ago with Kent's Florence... View full entry

For someone who has never been abroad (okay, I've visited Canada but we can all agree that hardly counts), studying in Italy this semester is a big change. And being transplanted from cow-town Ohio, maybe even more so. Orientation week started Monday. This is meant to help us in our transition to... View full entry

Greetings from Florence! The group arrived yesterday and may I say, Florence is incredible. Yet, I'm convinced it's an allusion, a convincing and meticulously fabricated movie set. It will be interesting to see how my impressions of the city change as my knowledge grows. Maybe I'll get around to... View full entry

We were only able to release one issue of t r a c e this semester. It is somewhat of a disappointment, but it's hard when we as a group are unsupported, underfunded, and attempting to actually do something outside of the studio bubble. So to everyone who did devote time to our cause, thank you... View full entry

I have no idea what 'Loop' we are technically working on currently in this project. If I had to guess, I would say I'm in the loop where one swirls around in a confused stupor, much like a giant toilet bowl, before being deposited into a heap of disappointment and well, shit. I've pretty much... View full entry

Where this is going:World renowned gastronomic scientist Ferran Adrià, chef at elBulli, (considered by many to be the best restaurant in the world and called "the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine on the planet") calls for your collaboration on his newest venture - the growth of... View full entry

I woke this morning after four hours of uncommon sleep. A little final Photoshop then arranging and mounting of my presentation and for once in a long time my project was actually complete for jury reviews. The sensation is unrivaled, and I missed it immensely. Third year studios here negotiate... View full entry

Many students in third year are just trying to make it to Italy next semester at this point, and yet contrary to what seems the current standard, I'm incredibly excited about the work I'll be producing and the work our studio section is doing. Possibly even more so than at other schools(?)... View full entry

So now I take the reigns. I suppose I'll begin by introducing myself. I'm a third year student in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent State University. I'm in the Honors College here as well as devoting some of my time to our student organizations > AIAS, CASU, and t r... View full entry