Archinect - Columbia GSAPP M. Arch I (Jesús Mariel Maldonado)

AZP::Welcome back

2014-01-29T20:09:28-05:00

Hey Archinect,

I kind of fell off the blogging wagon last semester. Things got kind of crazy. But here are some updates...

--New Laptop: Get one before you start a graduate program! Having the ability to work at school in the library, outside of studio is essential!

Recently, BIG and Irma Boom came to Columbia to lecture. Alejandro Zaera-Polo (AZP) is here now. Tough guy to understand, and even tougher perhaps to decipher through his thick Spanish accent, so I'll try to write short, overly simplified bulletpoints.

He says:

--The theory of the facade is in danger.

--The facade mediates between public and private, but it also does

--The facade could crystallize the technical, cultural, political processes within the building.

--I want to understand the technical processes of the facade.

(Shows example of facade unit and entire building)

--We draw simple lines for mullions, but the object itself is represented by complex ridges, gaskets, drainage channels--devices that affect the way the fac...

update and a model

2013-11-15T01:21:57-05:00

Archinect! Too much has happened since j last saw you guys. Here are some screenshots of my model of the Jewish Museum for our representation class. I just wanted to abstract the skin and light properties of the building. I tried to exaggerate these qualities by white etching on black acrylic and red/hot pink base/roofs, with opaque windows. I don't know how to use a lot of photoshop so most of these are just cropped images.

Construction

Elevation

Object

Detail

Model with about six iPhones inside lighting it up! (Thank you Jesse, Brendan, Benjamin, Racheta, etc.)

Other side

Lava lamp building

At night with the moon in the background!

Project Two | Athlete | Redux | Toymaker | Sleeping | Project 3

2013-10-12T21:53:23-04:00

Breakdown count increased from four to eight since the last time I updated.
I am having a difficult time at the school, but trying to keep a positive attitude throughout the experience. It's just not coming easy to me and that's fine.

I'm going to stick to a couple photos and pictures.

Project two was designing a bathroom. Here's a board from mine.

Athlete: Petra Blaise

I think the most interesting work I have seen so far: she discussed her projects that were in landscape architecture and interior design.

Beautiful tapestry design.

Piranesi Day

Toymaker: Giancarlo Mazzanti

Creates modular objects that serves the poor.

Midtown Redux

Discussion of the poorly-conceived Manhattan Midtown rezoning plan. This is horrible by the way; they found no buildings worthy of preservation.}

Us making a site model for project three. Onward!

Jacques Herzog, Vishaan Chakrabarti's Urban Manifesto, First Review and Le Corbusier's Buttcheeks

2013-09-21T10:30:00-04:00

I had no idea what I was getting into here. I have already had like four emotional breakdowns as I get software after idea after criticism after recitation after class thrown on my plate.

Sick second year model (Rafi Segal Studio)

Except for Friday morning, where I purposely slept in (not going to apologize for needing sleep), I've been getting in around 8 or 9 AM and leaving at midnight or so. At first this much work was upsetting because I realized I'm a lazy dude compared to most people here, but then I realized I liked what I did and I got over it. I don't have to come in unless I want to. I mean, look at what's happened over the past few days!

Jacques Herzog came. Grete was excited.

He attempted to encapsulate his work within major themes: simplicity, ornament, art. I think the practice of trying to go back and construct a narrative with buzzwords was a little awkward, but hey we got to see a lot of cool pictures. Here they are with some funny quotes:

...

Smiling at too many options, Humanism, and a shell: the first two days of GSAPP M.Arch I.

2013-09-05T15:52:00-04:00

Hey there Archinect,

It has been a pretty jam-packed few days here at the GSAPP for me, as I tried to secure a good gig and do bureaucratic stuff. Recently, we were introduced to the options students are "globally" pummeled with in an "informal," "rigorous" and "critical" way. GSAPP's four favorite buzzwords.

Should read: "welcome to another world"

At the GSAPP, professors contest for your attention in their courses by showing their offerings through professional presentations that rigorously describe the course aims and prior work. Mostly everything from second semester on in the M.Arch program is chosen by you through a lottery system. I attended the Visual Studies and Building Tech electives, where there were at least 40 courses alone. There is no way to condense the nearly 3 hours worth of presentations, but this a summary of the courses that I remember:

understanding Computational Fluid Dynamics and Finite Element Analysis software in engaging with a structural engineer...

Wahoo! New school year.

2013-08-27T19:43:01-04:00

Avery Hall, the gorgeous building that houses Columbia's architecture department.

I am just about to begin my first year at Columbia pursuing my Master of Architecture. I actually came from a biochemistry background and have less preparation in architecture than others. From the bench-top science to CAD monkey, I chose to study architecture after enjoying GSD Career Discovery 2012. I enjoy the iterative process of design and the technical detailing of a project. I grew up in Mexico for a bit and then largely lived and went to college in Texas. Needless to say, I have been shocked by the density of New York City. I get lost at least twice a day. It's terrific and so stimulating.

I registered for classes today and found out my studio professor will be Pep Avilés. He is an architect/historian hybrid who was trained at Princeton and in Barcelona. My three other classes (History, Visualization, and Building Tech.) are all predetermined, but I hope at some point I can begin to exp...