Archinect - Hampton University (Mark)

KFC dreams

2009-12-31T19:13:53-05:00

Well I survived this year, actually I lived this year. After looking back at photos and past blogs I’ve written in various forums, it has been an eventful year. Thesis has been a rollercoaster of a ride. I managed to reclaim the information from the Nor’easter and the rest I just had to take the hit. I’m approaching my final semester here at Hampton and I have mixed feelings about leaving. Maybe if we were in better economic times I would be in a better state of mind. I told a professor how I got this great job lined up after graduation, buttering him up for the punch line.

Prof: “So where is this great place you speak of?”

Me: “KFC, biscuit baker, $7.50 an hour plus benefits after 4 years of employment.”

I found it really funny, he didn’t. I received this lecture about how you just have to work hard and move to better regions. I nodded my head, thinking to myself that is what I have Archinect for. They tell me all the great places where people are getting laid-off. I love t...

A single tear moment

2009-11-13T15:54:46-05:00

I’ll start at the beginning. I entered my thesis year in September. I started off the semester digging back through the last four years to understand what I wanted to research, trying my best to tackle issues that I investigated through my projects. I narrowed my issue down to how to provide temporary infrastructure to informal communities to further reduce their ecological footprint. My trip to the Philippines last winter had a profound effect on me. Strolling around the slums of Manila absorbing the sounds and smells of the shanties not romanticizing about what we could learn from them but just accepting the facts about their living conditions. So……the semester continues. I choose a site to tackle in the Makati district of Metro Manila. The settlement is on one of the tributaries pouring into the Pasig River, which is on the brink of being pronounced dead by the ecologist of the Philippines due to the pollution distribution of the factories and the effluent of 200k+ families livin...

Gearing up

2009-08-10T22:29:42-04:00

I’m currently trying to cover all bases at the moment to provide myself with as many open doors as possible. I’m approaching my final year and I know it will be the most difficult but most rewarding year here at Hampton. We are required to have an internship during the summer prior to entering thesis but I was a victim of the recession, my ‘ship’ ran out of gas and I was laid off. I needed to get away from design and clear my head. Luckily I live near a beach so getting away was not that hard and a little beach v-ball and surf really did the job.

After my brief hiatus it was time to figure out a plan. So now I’m preparing a grad school portfolio that I didn’t think I would need, sent out sample portfolios to local firms, and catching up on thesis reading material.
I’m now seriously looking into Grad school to maximize my options next May. I have narrowed my schools to UVA to work with John Quale and Auburn to work with D.K. Ruth. I like the direction both schools are moving to...

Guilt Feelings

2009-01-30T23:01:06-05:00

Our program is going through accreditation this semester so it has been a hectic one. If anybody has experienced this please post, I’m looking forward to it. One benefit to the accreditation is the school has offered a class to design new mobile pin-up spaces called, NITRO. Sweet class. Any studio spent all day in the woodshop is a winner in my opinion. My creative juices have been pouring all over this studio because our deadline is spring break. So it is moving very rapidly as opposed to Studio. Studio is moving very slowly as guilt feelings build inside. We are designing a new architecture school for Hampton and I think it’s the new Head of the Department’s idea to generate dialog for a new architecture building at the University. Here he is.

Before returning this semester, I took a trip to the Philippines. I returned asking why more architects don’t design for the “other 90%.” I witnessed some of the worst poverty I have ever seen in Manila. Walking the squatter projects was ...

November, already!!

2008-11-16T23:36:43-05:00

Frustration has hit an all time high for me this semester. I’ve been too focused on extracurricular activities for most of the semester and I’m now just getting into the meat of my studio project. Come to think of it this is my first post of the semester…geez time does fly.

an image of the chaos

I’ve been trying to apply John Maeda’s rules of simplicity to my project mainly S.H.E. (Shrink, Hide, and Embody) but it feels like I’m adding more than I actually took away. I’ve been looking at this project for four days non-stop and I think I’ve just been farting out ideas instead of “adding the meaningful.” I’m wrapping up for toady and I hope to let the thoughts sink in. Hopefully it will come to me in my dreams.

Just checkin in...to get the motor rolling

2008-08-13T08:42:36-04:00

I visited NY recently to find some inspiration. I've been a huge fan of LTL's work and I set an agenda to see some of their work in NY. To my dissappointment most of them were closed. Well except Dash Dogs, which is now a taco stand. I stopped by Tides but I could barely get in because they to were closed. I had to ask the workers if I could take some quick pictures while they were working. Ini Ani and Fluff were closed as well. I'm coming up again this week for 4 days to find more inspiration. Is Xing still open? Is there any new LTL works in NY that I dont know of yet. If any one has any info I would appreciate it. Does anybody know whats going on with the storfefront for architecture and arts? It's closed too. BTW the people at PRADA are a**holes, I just wanted to take a quick picture of the sweet steps.
Here are some pictures from my recent summer trips.

Blacksburg, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

NY in a Day

NY in a Day pt. 2

Panama

almost there

2008-05-03T12:05:55-04:00

Tons of videos but no time to edit them until my final paper is finished. I recently presented my final proposal for our Norfolk courthouse project, which I have to admit went well compared to last semesters Rubik’s cube bashing, which to this day I feel is a valid programming tool. As always there are some things that must be “expanded” on. I haven’t blogged in a while and I felt the need to participate. I’m posting images of my courthouse project from midterm to final….well minus my final model. We are currently taking turns to get access to the site model to take pictures. I will be leaving for Panama on the 13th to study its urban fabric for our summer studio. I’m definitely looking forward to sketching in some warm weather and hopefully catch some Caribbean waves. Until next time……

courthouse pictures

Rubik's cube bash

Praha

2008-03-16T23:15:29-04:00

It’s been a week since my return from Prague and I didn’t really get the chance to sit back and reflect on my trip. As many of you can relate I got right back on my studio project. It was prying me on the flight to Praha and back. The trip was an amazing experience. The people were quite friendly, despite the fact that they didn’t speak English or that we didn’t speak their native tongue. Communicating came down to simple hand gestures. We ventured out of Praha to the small town of Terezin, a former Jewish concentration camp. It was quite different observing these events from a museum. Terezin reminded one of how ugly we can be to each other. It makes you think if buildings as weapons. How could an architect in good conscience design something to kill? It was definitely a moving experience.

Praha has an awesome public transportation program. We were able to navigate the inner core of the city quite easily. I was comparing how I get around in my own city compared to Praha and I not...

Prague and Gateways

2008-02-29T01:26:42-05:00

I leave for Prague on Saturday to spend my spring break in the cold. I’m traveling with 15 other students from mixed years ranging from 2nd to thesis students. Hope fully we will get to see all everything our proposed itinerary.

SUNDAY, MARCH 2
MALA STRANA / SMALL QUARTER* (Fodor’s p. 61)
• Valdstejnsky palac + garden – do not miss (Fodor’s p. 138, Both are free! Palace open Sat & Sunday 10-5. Gardens closed except April-Oct.)
• Terraced gardens (Furstenberska, Palffyho, Kolovratska, Ledeburska), $
• After the Valdstejn palace + the garden, and walk thoroughly that part of town Small Quarter (Mala Strana). It is probably the most charming part of the city. See the churches in this part of town, park Kampa, try to walk the streets around the Charles bridge and walk up the hill maybe not just Nerudova street, which is the most famous one. You can also see the American embassy here.
(If you want to see inside the Tynsky chram / Tyn Church in the Old Town, doors open 30 minute...

First Pass

2008-02-19T09:01:06-05:00

Currently:

On my third pass at my courthouse building, well third serious form consideration of the many quick study models. Plans, Elev, Sections, Concept refinement, blah blah….studio stuff

Making a matrix, collecting product samples, testing materials, and writing my design proposal for my ReViroments research class.

Theory paper on “what is my definition of a city”

Pro Bono Paper for Professional Practice

Student interviews_always fun

Presentations on 02_25_08

Prague on 03_01_08 for sketching, urban studies, and drinking

Time: Swamped

Mood: Wouldn’t have it any other way. Sweet.

I leave you with Mine and Mitchell Hubbell’s Courthouse Study and a 4th year intervie with Danielle Key, norman Pierce, Rob Shepard, and Brandon Clarke about their recent trip to Rome and Tunisia.

Welcome to Bemis

2008-02-03T02:20:30-05:00

We are currently learning how to design a courthouse this semester. We were asked to pick a precedent courthouse to analyze and are now on our way to so to do some site analysis. The ball has started to roll. I have been filming and recruiting camera men in my cause but so far I’m solo. I also forgot to mention that I will be traveling to Prague for a credit class from March 1-8. So look forward to some international video blogging. We also will be traveling to Panama in May from the 14-25 as part of our required travel studio. I plan on brining my board for some Atlantic and Pacific Rim waves. Things are looking up for our program. Maybe it’s the thought of warm weather coming soon.
Virginia Prize recently passed. For those who don’t know Virginia prize is a competition held among the three schools of architecture in Hampton, UVA, and Virginia Tech. Two of them are nationally ranked, one is #1. Talk about competition. My entry was picked for the local scholarship award and will be...

Elbert Whitfield on "Stations"

2008-01-18T00:40:26-05:00

My video blogs will compromise of mostly interviews until studio and desk crits begin to take off. I will try not to edit these recordings in order to give you the real experience not a scripted one. It's wierd when you film people. Their posture changes and tones of voices become more refined. Not true with Elbert but he was nervous.
The first week back usually entails registration problems and re-awakenings from the winter break; which I’m currently experiencing. I'm not in studio as of today but I sure hope to be by tommorrow morning. In the mean time I decide to expand Hampton’s studio classroom even more by launching "Bemis Thoughts"
They are a collection of Hampton student blogs linked to each other, one from each year. Feel free to explore their thoughts as well. If anybody can recommend an affordable movie editing software I would appreciate it. I ‘m currently using Windows movie maker. The bare minimum. I would like some more editing options but my studio software must c...

Re-visiting Richmond, VA by Olanrewaju Ajibola and Mark Matel

2008-01-07T19:26:33-05:00

Hey archinect. Thanks for the support for this blog experiment. Any criticism is welcome to improving the quality of the video and audio of the blogs. This is a challenge for me and I welcome the upcoming hurdles. So your input would be greatly appreciated.

I recently took a trip to Richmond, Virginia to meet up with a classmate. Along the way I stopped by Jamestown and Mechanicsville, VA to see two buildings designed by local architect Carlton Abbott. The Archaearium in Jamestown, VA is a museum housing the original foundations of the storehouse of the original colony of Jamestown. It also houses the remains of two original settlers of Jamestown, hence why I had to Bogart the two interior pictures I have. No pictures interior pictures allowed. This building floats above the remains… sort of removing it from the site. And is clad in copper to reflect the trade of copper during Jamestown’s fledgling years.

The Second building I visited is the Polegreen church Mechanicsville, Vir...

a tentatio

2008-01-03T19:00:55-05:00

DC remedy

2007-12-31T13:44:18-05:00

I decide to leave town on Thursday to get away form the hustle and bustle of car dependency and shopping strip escapades of suburbia life. A friend and I decided to go to DC and just lolly gag around. I just needed to see some buildings. Architecture and I had a falling out this semester and I had a love affair with graphic communication. I think it was more of a lust thing but it felt good. I just love the instant gratification that graphics can give you. My lack of interest in architecture isn’t too healthy seeing as I’m an arch major. The trip remedied my slight sickness and helped myself and architecture get reacquainted. I sketched a bit or “eye hand candy” as I like to call it. It seems that I remember these places acutely as I craft the image. Weather the sketch is good or bad I still walk away with an imprint in my head that a photo can’t give. I can still walk the Pope_Leighey house down to the last brick. It cost Pope $7,100 to build that house. FLW charged a whopping $500...

Sleeper Keeper

2007-12-25T19:18:07-05:00

It's been a while. What I assumed to be an easy semester turned out to be quite a challenge. Here are one of the few projects that I'll be posting with the small amount of free time I have over the break. The "Sleeper Keeper." We were to design and build a shelter that would house one tenant for a single night. The shelter had to maintain a temperature above 60 degrees through the night. We used compacted newspaper and a hypocaust system with heated bricks inserted into the floors to. provide the heat. All materials must be recycable or reclaimed. All of the components of the shelter had to be prefabricated and constructed in an hour. We finished 12 minutes over. It was a very challenging project having to manage nine other people to work, assign tasks, manage studio, 9 personalities and egos including mine. We started rough with the mock build flopping due to "developer" needs. We failed to meet certain project criteria and basically had to start over with a new cladding system....

2 cents

2007-10-17T23:17:50-04:00

The solar decathlon was a blast. However, it was extremely crowded and taking pictures was a hassle. Trying to get right angles while 20 other people are taking a tour with you is a pain. I did get to speak with the Maryland and Lawrence Tech students intensively. They were quite excited and more than willing to share their building experiences. I was envious of their grueling but rewarding beast they just conquered. The other schools were overcrowded and were moving the masses like cattle through the houses. I have read some of the critiques from the other decathlon topic and I wish to put my 2 cents in. From a student perspective I can appreciate the “many” flaws that I saw. Looking at details and wondering why they were done a specific way taught me what not to do. Some of them would definitely leak. The buildings were made of simple forms and were to adhere to certain “code and guidelines.” I was not able to get into Germany’s entry but I don’t understand why they won the ...

Solar Decathalon

2007-10-11T15:02:09-04:00

Is anybody going to the solar decathlon this weekend? We are required to go by our Building science class but I'm sure it will be fun.

Have a blast. It's good for you

2007-10-03T10:56:19-04:00

It’s been a hectic five weeks. Following our public transportation exercise we were to analyze three sites where we would be designing a bus stop. Our building site is in Norfolk, Virginia, one of the seven cities that make up Hampton Roads. It is the most “urban” out of the seven. They are starting construction to build a light rail to connect two of the major cities in the area, Virginia Beach and Norfolk. So our job was to analyze the site and state our findings. My group and I decided to do an abstract site analysis to convey our discoveries. One of our discoveries was a gap on one of the sites. A social, physical, and physiological barrier. A railroad track divides our site from…..well to be blunt, the black neighborhood and the white neighborhood. As soon as you crossed the track the environment changes but the building context remained the same. The buildings still address the street as well as define public spaces but the stark contrast between the up keeping and retail was ...

It has begun

2007-09-09T22:25:18-04:00

The season has begun. We lost two faculty members last year but we gained two as well, Paula Loomis and Sarah Robertson. I look forward to working with the both of them sometime during my time here. It’s been a hectic week with schedule changes, book purchases, and the architecture adrenaline is high. I’m pretty sure it’s the same environment across the board in architecture schools. I ‘am taking Intermediate Arch Design with Daisy Williams and Paula Loomis, Building Science II with David Peronnet, and Graphic Design with Joseph Martin. A light schedule this semester thanks to being a transfer student as my general courses are all completed. I can focus more on studio this semester and possibly some extra curricular activities or a new hobby. We had our annual welcome back lecture where the faculty members introduce themselves and spread a little knowledge of what we can expect this year. I think I will be pulling many all nighters this year because third year is known as the “zappe...

summer days

2007-05-29T17:27:53-04:00

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer for those who are on break from school already. I’m certainly taking advantage of the much needed break. My summer break will be a little short this year due summer school. Structures. It should be fun as the class is only six weeks long. Not the usual 10 week long haul. But the class allowed me to push my trip to Europe back to august, which will be a nice vacation before school starts.

Looking forward to a new semester. We lost two faculty members but that means we are getting two more. Even though I never had the two as professors it will be nice to get two new viewpoints in the program. The alumni are taking an active role to help improve the program. I don’t know what they have up their sleeves but any help would be much appreciated. The semester ended well for me. I walked out with more questions than answers, which is good. It leaves me time to soak in all the basic design skills I learned this year and narrow down the direction I wa...

Aquatotter

2007-05-06T16:02:55-04:00

Brandon and I rocking it out. I was the "Paparazzi of the event"

The aquatotter is an annual project done by the Building Science I class every spring semester. They are to design an “aquatotter,” build another teams design, then take the boats out into the James River, and then switch boats in the middle of the river. The event draws quite a crowd every year and this year was no exception. There were quite a few accidents with a student badly cutting his hand but he was okay after the whole incident. The others were caught on tape and pics.

The Pictures

Here are the links to the full length clips of the videos

Team JACK-E's video

Building Science Video

Last hurdle

2007-04-28T14:24:47-04:00

I'm currently working on the last portion of our Project Packet for Phoebus. I thought I would update you guys on how things are going.

Here are some of the physical models from the third year online presentation.

I also completed my Portfolio case and the re-presentation of some of my work.

I will elaborate more on our facade studies as soon as I finish the packet.

Thesis presentations are on Monday and I hope to sit in and listen to the presentations.

Come Critique 3rd Year Final Projects

2007-04-26T17:53:24-04:00

+- got to it before I did but better late than Never.

Hampton 3rd Year critique

Please leave your comments HERE

Many thanks to Professor Derek Ham and Professor Daisy O'lice Williams for pushing our program to new Horizons. Good Luck to all the 3rd year students.

old skool help

2007-04-10T17:00:16-04:00

Have any of you ever colored on Vellum? I mean thorough rendering with colored pencil. Do I color on the top or underside? Would prisma color markers be better? I have my sections down on vellum but I don't want to mess up. I tried some practice runs on scrap vellum but I cant get the deep tones I want without hammering my colored pencil into the vellum. Is there a better method? Where are all the old skool renderers out there? I want to photoshop render them but the directions specifically ask for hand render. I don't mind the work but I want it to look "sexy."

Anchor Leg

2007-04-06T18:51:15-04:00

It's that last lap and it couldn't be anymore of a relief. That last hurdle grows taller or shorter depending on the energy boost I will get in these next couple of weeks. We have been sketching our ideas and Phoebus in the past week so here are some excerpts from my sketchbook.

Trying out new logos

So here it is. What a hurdle.

Due on April 18 at 11AM

Live-Works

Thoroughly coordinated plans and sections
Beautifully rendered elevations
Final Three

Physical or digital model of sites with context
Set of bird’s eye perspectives and/or axons of area
Set of street perspectives of area
Corner Buildings:

Two street elevations, line drawings by hand, of one building at ¼”=1’ scale
One basic street and wall section showing 6’ into each new corner building, rendered drawing by hand at ½”=1’ scale
Two street elevations of second building, consisting of:
One line drawing by hand at ¼”=1’ scale
One rendered drawing by hand at ½”=1’ scale

Due on April 25 at 4PM (to D. Pero...

Field trip/getting dirty

2007-03-31T12:50:33-04:00

Our class is currently doing a project in Phoebus, Virginia to accompany what UDA proposed. We are designing different types of mixed used units to show the residents of Phoebus a little diversity. We would like to let them know that there are options instead of some of the "Plain Jane" units that were proposed.
Our professors decided to take us on a little field trip to show us some examples. We strolled down the city of Norfolk, Virginia where UDA also provided a master plan. I have been seeing a lot of UDA lately but I heard that they won't build in Virginia Beach. Thats what I heard from the architect grape vine in my area.

Base, middle, and top are clearly defined

Squeezed in

This one is leaning

This is a theater. The entrance is clearly defined thorough the proportion

We had to goof off a little...

I think the US post office are using these to promote their new Star Wars stamp.

Hmmmm. looks interesting. The facade in the reflection is too.

a tourist in my home tow...

The calm before the storm

2007-03-24T13:17:05-04:00

Ah....finally I get to a computer. Since the death of my laptop I have been scrambling like crazy to backtrack all of my work from studio and my various other classes. Sleepless nights and lots of Ginseng is what has kept me alive this past week. My NY trip was very interesting but I was unable to see the three schools I wanted to visit due to security issues but I did get to go to the Moma, Folk museum, and the Guggenheim. Unfortunately all of my pictures are gone along with my laptop but I did get one sketch in at Washighton square park. I believe this is where the famous skateboard scene in KIDS was shot. Back-up is now my favorite friend since my tragedy.
It's hard to take a vacation with non-archi-interested people because everytime i wanted to sketch I would get the "Hurry up man, we dont have all day you know." So this probably will be the last time I drag 6 of my friends to vacation but it still was quite an experience
My luck that my studio buddies had most of the fil...

Curve Balls

2007-03-18T18:55:37-04:00

No laptop. No back up. No files. No ANALYSIS work. No PORTFOLIO work. No DISNEY work. No Pictures. Thanks laptop of mine for all the good memories but why did you have to completely crash and take my work with you so early? You couldn’t hold on until May huh? Well….. Life moves on, so here is to you! It’s going to be a long haul until the end of the semester. I read this in someones sketch book and I think it applies right about now.

"Don't complain 50% don't care and the other 50% are glad its not them."

catalyst

2007-03-08T18:00:27-05:00

In my endeavors to be more active in my community I took a role to help educate local contractors to be more sensitive to existing structures. At my local surf spot condominiums are being built out of scale. Three story monsters are overshadowing lots that hold 1 to 2 story homes. This neighborhood is one of the few in Virginia Beach that offer high density and a semi-okay urban fabric. Sadly I found out that only a year prior I helped design a pair of condominiums for a contractor that destroyed some of the urban fabric of this community. Even though I don’t live in this part of town I want to compensate for my actions. Since my research began in high-density communities I have been looking for an opportunity to implement some of my ideas. I found out through a neighborhood league wanted to stop these condos from going up via my boss. They wanted to show the contractors that they can still build these condos but at an acceptable scale. My boss and I came up with diagrams to...