Sep '06 - Oct '07
Today was our first day of studio. I think many of us were still in the daze of late summer, so hearing all of the statistics and information that Laura Kurgan gave in her studio presentation made me dizzy. It's all good though- I'm in a great studio with really smart, fun students who I think will all make the learning experience fun and interesting for the semester. Laura is also great- she is the only professor out of everyone teaching housing who is bringing in the concept of grant funding and money in a very real sense. Her current project provides the structure for the studio, though it's very open to expore other interpretations.
As an architecture student, I've been really interested in the notion of participatory design, which is a relatively new design term. The fact that we're working off the model of more statistically or evidenced-based design is fascinating, because it can go in many ways. It's incredibly political, and I think Laura is going to introduce that to the housing studio at Columbia in a way that maybe hasn't been done before. I was turned off by more top-down approaches to urbanism, which I sensed in some of the design studio presentations, so I'm looking forward to the fact that Laura's studio will maybe bring in this notion into the design of architecture.
The question of money- is rarely discussed in school. Why do architects have so little say when it comes to the bottom line? I know I am being naive, but so many friends of mine who are working architects are frustrated. maybe they should all become consultants.
miki
2 Comments
I find it amazing how clients managed to budget juuuussstttt enough to build essentially a legal, enclosed shelter with maybe some allowance for reveals and $300 light fixtures. Their numbers consistently fell short of the cost of any decent attempt at architecture. Clients differ, of course, but the sort of knowledge involved with super-tight budgeting seems to be shared.
We absolutely need to squeeze a course on real estate financing into the general undergrad curriculum. I think it would help interns get a sense of their value, which is probably the best way to help increase it.
I'm curious to talk to any M.Arch students who've taken the real estate finance course (part 1 at least).
that sounds pretty awesome, bringing in the issue of money into the studio.
i wish such subjects were tackled in our first studios here at umich.
maybe they will be.
but not as early as you guys.
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