Archinect - University of Illinois Chicago (Matthew)

A Final Post

2014-09-04T14:45:00-04:00

This will be the final post of this blog.

It has been a long run here on the Archinect School Blog . Though my posts slowed to a near stand still in this last year, I did not want to just let it fade away without saying anything.

The choice of today to post my final post is not random. I finished my schooling (perhaps forever) at UIC earlier this year graduating with an M.Arch and the MAD-Crit. Today I changed sides of the desk, so to speak, and started teaching my first studio at UW-Milwaukee SARUP, my undergrad alma mater for anyone keeping track.

So this is it. The end. But before I sign off, there are a few thank yous to take care of.

Thank You to Archinect, its editors, contributors and readers (even the trolls). I think that what is happening here is very important as a sounding board on which the profession and academia come together, for better or for worse.

Thank You to UIC, the faculty, administration, and students. Never a dull moment at that school.

And final, to my Classmat...

Nearing the End

2014-05-04T11:33:00-04:00

Though I have not been posting to this blog much lately, it is not due to lack of writing. In fact I writing is almost all I have been doing as I near the end of my Masters of Arts in Design Criticism. I have not been around the studios as much this year, leaving me less to update everyone on, as far as architecture goes. Also everyone should start migrating over to Catlan's blog, the newest UIC blogger.

After 20 of the last 23 years spent in some sort of formal education, I only have a few days and one graduation left. After that I will be retiring this blog and moving on... just not sure where to yet. More on all of that later.

As far as what I have been doing for the last few months. The focus of my writing has been on the relationship between the public, architecture, and architects in the Information Age. I have specifically looked at the shift in culture which has lead to the rise of Web 2.0 and the culture which it now conversely produces. In this set of writings I focus on ...

TONIGHT! Lecture | Steve Everett

2014-01-27T14:18:51-05:00

Brave the cold tonight, and come to see our new Dean, Steve Everett.

Jan.27 2014

5:30pm

1100 A+D Studios (formerly AA building)

Reception 6:30pm

Final Semester

2014-01-24T20:24:49-05:00

After four years of undergrad and nearly four of grad school , the end is nigh.

As I am not around the school much anymore, I have not had as much to post on this blog in the last semester or so. I spend most of my time at home writing, punctuated with the occasional competition outside of school.

With the end of school will come many many major changes for me. Though I am hoping to stay in Chicago, the job prospects are not particularly appealing.

My hope is to play the balancing act of one foot in academia teaching and one in the profession, practicing. We will see how that goes.

As soon as there is more to report. I will let you all know.

Stay Warm. Thanks for reading.

Spatial and Cultural Implications of The Twilight Zone

2013-11-13T18:21:00-05:00

I apologize for the long silence. This semester has been like no other I have ever had as I am no longer working on Architecture, per se. Currently, I am finishing up the final coarse work for the Masters of Art and Design Criticism.

What this means is that I am rarely around the school. At this point, I spend more time on campus TAing than attending class. With most of my work being done from home. Something I have never experienced.

So what am I doing with no studio, and all of that "spare time?" Well, I have kept quite busy with competitions, writing, attending events and galleries, as well as sleeping more than in previous years. I must say, my health has drastically improved.

I do have one main class, taught by Judith K. De Jong, entitled Commodity and Delight. In this small (4 students) class, we discuss the spaces of leisure, from parks to malls to stadia.

The main product of the class being a research paper. In an attempt to wrap this paper into my larg...

Lecture | Greg Lynn

2013-09-19T22:42:09-04:00

First lecture of the school year. Be there.

September 26
5:30pm • 1100 A+D Studios

Greg Lynn
Owner, Greg Lynn FORM, Los Angeles

Witnessing Novelty

2013-09-11T23:14:25-04:00

Witnessing Novelty is a tumblr maintained by... I am really not sure. But it is definitely someone within UIC. The unexplained, untitled phone snaps, are a ground level view of the work from the school, abstractly presented. It seems to be regularly updated with old and new work. Stop by, you may even see some familiar work.

...or you'll find some weird stuff like this.

Cheers!

Fall 2013 Graduate Open House

2013-09-04T15:16:12-04:00

Come One! Come All! Come anyone interested in earning and M.Arch or MAD-Crit at UIC.

October 4, 2013
4:30*–7:30pm
A+D Studios Building (Formerly AA)
845 West Harrison Street

"The School of Architecture promotes architecture as a cultural practice of organizing information, of intelligently identifying and deploying patterns—conceptual, visual, structural, behavioral, and material—in the world. Its programs prepare graduates to project all scales of these spatial and organizational patterns through the systematic development of an aesthetic attitude, a technical confidence, and a theoretical opportunism."

The Western Town | A Theory of Aggregation

2013-09-04T11:13:00-04:00

The culmination of a long research process "The Western Town: A Theory of Aggregation" looks at, none other than, the western towns of the United States.

Edited by a former UIC Faculty, currently of the ETH Future Cities Labratory in Singapore, Alex Lehnerer, the book includes a forward by our current director Robert E. Somol, and text from former UIC students Jared Macken and Jayne Kelley (Kelley is also currently Faculty at UIC).

Along with looking at 25 real Western cities, the book also looks at some of the towns built for western movies; to include A Fistful of Dollars (1964), High Plains Drifter (1973), Rio Bravo (1959) and many more.

Edited Alex Lehnerer, ETH Zurich,

foreword by Robert E. Somol

texts by Jayne Kelley, Alex Lehnerer, Jared Macken, Lorenzo Stieger

English
2013. about 144 pages, 100 ills
24.00 x 32.00 cm
bound
ISBN 978-3-7757-3659-6

AIA Chicago Student Award | Ryan Hernandez

2013-08-27T00:48:18-04:00

Close on Kevin Pazik's heels for the AIA Student Award was fellow recent grad Ryan Hernandez. Her project focused on the oft ignored built environment of the graveyard, and was awarded an Honorable Mention.

Ash Park Cemetery by Ryan Hernandez

"The faceted and torquing geometry lends itself to a graphic hatching patten, which creates depth. The hatching is then deployed across corners to create an illusion about a 3D object, obscuring the perception of the figures. The triangulated forms created are nested into one another to produce a field. The upper portion of the form creates a canopy overhead. The legs remain thin and create a more interactive space underneath. Directly beneath the forms, the viewer is able to see the interior of each form. The soft interior contrasts the hard edges of the exterior and delivers a different experience each time viewed. The figures are created out of human ash and cement and produce a continuous field.
The site, in New Orleans, spec...

AIA Chicago Student Award | Kevin Pazik

2013-08-27T00:36:17-04:00

We are going to start this school year with some rapid fire posts and a look back at some events from this summer.

Perhaps of most note, where the large number of Awards won by UIC Students and Faculty in the last few months. As mentioned, Faculty Thomas Kelly, will be shooting off to Rome in about a week to fulfill his Rome Prize. My good friend and often partner in crime Evgeniya Plotnikova was the recipient of this years Harold Schiff Design Fellowship (maybe more on that if I can get some images from her). Another of my classmates Maged Guerguis, was the second place winner of the SOM Traveling Fellowship.

On the undergrad front, recent graduate Kevin Pazik was the winner of this years AIA Chicago Student Award. Here is a look at his project.

Nine Little Worlds by Kevin Pazik

Architecture and landscapes have the power to displace natural geography by manufacturing place. Even when imitating local conditions, architecture and landscapes are simply fabricated...

Beginning of the End

2013-08-27T00:14:20-04:00

Today was the my last first day of school. This will be my eighth year of school in the last ten years (there was a break in there for the War). As I am essentially done with my M.Arch curriculum, I will not have any design classes this year. The next two semesters will be focused on writing as I finish up my Masters of Art and Design Criticism, MAD-Crit.

Most of the people I called my class, many of which have been featured on this blog, have scattered to places near and far in search of work. From Singapore to New York, it would seem that job prospects are looking up.

To the great credit of UIC, I can say that I am not the same person I was when I started Grad School three years ago. I love architecture more than ever, yet I am ten fold critical of the built environment. I see the world not just with the eye of someone interested in buildings and how they work, but rather as someone that sees the cultural and political implications of the world we create. This is ...

CLOUDZ WATCHING

2013-07-26T18:33:00-04:00

Cloudz Watching, is a new tumblr started by those with interests in the young Midwest Architecture scene centered around the faculty and students of UIC, UK, Michigan and Ohio State, with a little love from the LA crowd. Cloudz Watching is a mix of theory, unbuilt work, and general musing focused on short written pieces. Check out the piece I wrote, "#POP" from a few weeks back.

http://cloudwatching.net/

Figure Ground to Figure Section - Shifa Virani

DOUBLE STORY | Nayereh Pater-Rov

2013-06-26T01:29:00-04:00

Some Work

DOUBLE STORY | Nayereh Pater-Rov

The size of the suburban house has grown in various ways and for many reasons throughout the development of the suburb. This project is interested in the growth of interior walls in such that it creates spaces which are beneficial for a specific alternative personality. In this investigation, it is the character of a hoarder. The spaces created for the life of the hoarder creates moments of duality in such that the architecture is designed through contortions and an interest in creating a double surface in which each scenario (suburban family and hoarder) benefit from.

Double Story Personalities: [Top] Hoarder Mass, [Bottom] Suburb Family Mass

Growth Series: This series looks at the expansion of the suburban house through various methods and increments. These tests explore the limit to which the suburban house can grow before it meets its threshold, or "moment of explosion.

Chosen Growth Series: By expanding both...

Breaking the Silence

2013-06-14T01:11:40-04:00

Please do not misconstrue my long silence as a lack of activity.

Among other things since the end of the school year, about 4 weeks ago, I have moved to LA for the summer to work with a friend. I am enjoying the sun (I work outside in everyday). Especially considering that it looks like summer might just take a pass on Chicago this year. I will be back to UIC in the fall to finish my Masters of Art and Design Criticism.

As far as this blog goes, I do have a great deal of work to post. I need to get write ups from my, now former, classmates, but everyone is just a little burnt. As for my own final project (it was actually a team project) I have had to hold up on publishing it as it was up for certain awards, and I did not want to in inadvertently disqualify our entry. I will still be holding it back for a moment while we get it all in order for a true debut. I will give one look at it though, but that's all I'm going to give you.

Most likely due to my...

2013YES

2013-05-09T03:38:58-04:00

And we're done!

With final reviews wrapping up today another year of school has closed. Much more on that soon.

After a long silence I will be starting a long series of post on projects from this semester, and perhaps a retrospective of the past three years.

Until then, everyone should stop by our Year End Show this Friday. It is one of the best chances to get a sense of the school.

Year End Show

Friday May 10

5:00-7:30pm

UIC AA Building

845 W. Harrison Street

Rome Prize | Thomas Kelley

2013-04-20T00:49:45-04:00

UIC at it again with the Rome Prize!

Congratulations to Thomas Kelley.

His work can be found here. Here is a quick look at Thomas' recent undergrad students' works at UIC.

Exactly Wrong - Robert Becker

This is the Second Rome Prize won by SOA@UIC Faculty in the last three years with Sean Lally's win in Landscape Architecture.

In other news... Did anyone come to see Michael Webb? One the best lectures I have ever attended. Genius !

Lecture | Michael Webb

2013-04-15T20:50:37-04:00

Lecture
April 16
6pm • 1100 A+A

Michael Webb
Professor, The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, Cooper Union
New York

Open House

2013-04-09T12:16:09-04:00

I just wanted to give a shout out to all of the Accepted Grads that came (an didn't come) to the Open House this last weekend. It was great to meet you all, and I hope every had an enlightening time. I always enjoy the open houses as they help me reflect on why I go to UIC. For any of you that are still on the fence, I will once again refer to this post.

It essentially explains the Ideology of the school, and exactly the reason I am here.

The view from Cannon.

Also a thanks to JGMA, SOM, and Cannon for letting us all take a look at your offices.

Douglas A. Garofalo Fellowship | Candidate Public Presentations

2013-03-30T15:48:25-04:00

The UIC School of Architecture is proud to announce the three finalists in the inaugural search of the Douglas A. Garofalo Fellowship for the 2013–2014 academic year. Named in honor of architect and educator Doug Garofalo (1958–2011), this newly established nine-month teaching fellowship provides emerging designers the opportunity to teach studio and seminar courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs and conduct independent design research. The fellowship also includes a public event in the spring.

Each candidate will give a public presentation in room 1100 of the Art and Architecture Building. We welcome you to attend:

Tuesday, April 2, 12pm
Andrew Holder

Wednesday, April 3, 12pm
Tiffany Wey

Monday, April 8, 12pm
Molly Hunker

Lecture:Mirko Zardini

2013-03-08T18:58:26-05:00

MONDAY NIGHT

Mirko Zardini
Director and Chief Curator, Canadian Centre for Architecture
Montreal

Lecture
March 11
6pm • 1100 A+A

The Risk of Failure

2013-02-28T10:43:17-05:00

In a recent article of betterymagazine.com our Interim Dean Robert Somol posses a question to an OSA architectural network workshop and students from the Manchester School of Architecture.

Somol asks, "How do we mobilize the risk of failure in a world that demands security?"

Check out the responses and conversation here, and let's hear what everyone has to say about it.

FreshMeat/Possible Mediums

2013-02-19T11:59:00-05:00

There has been a flurry of activity over at the FreshMeat website this year, and in the last week a handful of interesting articles have popped up.

First is the Possible Mediums: Rapid Reactions.

"This post will consist of our experience and interactions at Possible Mediums." In the article we get a look at the conference at Knowlton from three UIC perspectives.

As well as a look at Possible Mediums there are also a handful of studio updates from the undergrads; including a look at last semesters Cemetery Studio led by Grant Gibson.

”The goal of this studio is to design a place for the remains of the dead. A simple and direct, yet extremely conflicted request."

Also take look through some of this semesters progress in the studio blogs.

Cheers

FreshMeat + Knowlton + Archizines

2013-01-30T23:47:00-05:00

OHIO PEOPLE!

Fresh Meat, UIC's Architecture Journal is coming your way!

"Fresh Meat has been invited by One: Twelve, the Knowlton School of Architecture’s student journal, to join them in a panel—titled Little Architectures: Publishing, Prose, and Practice—that will prelude the opening of the Archizines exhibition there on Friday, February 1. Fresh Meat and One: Twelve will each present a topic—on authorship and collaboration respectively—followed by a panel discussion with Elias Redstone of Archizines, and Brandon Clifford of MIT and Matter Design. The discussion will be concluded with the ARCHIZINES exhibit opening and reception.

On the next day, both One:Twelve and Fresh Meat will collaborate on the design and production of a “mini-publication” that will engage the same topics discussed at the ARCHIZINES LIVE EVENT.

For more information, check out their post on One: Twelve’s website."

Portfolio Day 2013

2013-01-26T13:25:49-05:00

Come One, Come All

Friday, February 1

6-730pm

Studio Zago

2013-01-16T02:28:00-05:00

And we are back, and this is our last semester of Architecture school, ever.

After a long semester of research into the form and techniques of Incusion, we start our journey into the application of those technique to achieve "Novel Effects."

What exactly those Effects are... I will let you know in a few months. I can venture to say that they will aspire to be political/economical/polemical to some degree.

Our project will be designed on the site of the, now closed, Fisk Power Plant in the Pilson neighborhood of Chicago. We are in the initial research phase of site analysis and program discussion, but the project aims to have larger urban implications, to possibly include city policy.

One of the main focuses of the class is that we are not hoping to bring the level of Abstraction down to the standards of build-able Reality, but rather, promote Reality to the intellectual level of Abstraction. Essentially, to not dismiss Abstraction for the "truth" of Reality. The end...

Looking In Climbing Up

2013-01-11T17:42:00-05:00

I don't believe I ever posted this project.

This was a competition entry for the ComEd Powerful Design Competition here in Chicago. The brief was to design a new Lineworker training facility for ComEd, a power distribution company.

This was our Second Place entry.

Team-

Matthew Messner, Evgeniya Plotnikova, Matthew Schneider, Maureen Rahman

The concept of our design was to wrap the classrooms, administration and a public learning area around a dynamic indoor hands on training area. As trainees climbed the indoor poles they would come up to the level of the class rooms and circulation of the building.

Cheers

Studio Berlin 2012

2013-01-08T22:50:07-05:00

In true Studio Berlin fashion, this last summer's group has put together a short film on their escapades throughout Europe. Enjoy!

A GO GO

2013-01-03T15:18:00-05:00

As promised here is a look at the final product from Sam Jacob and Jimenez Lai's Repitition Studio.

But First. I wanted to thank everyone for reading this blog and making it one of the Top 12 blogs on Archinect. Very Awesome. Thank You.

For the mid-term I investigated the idea of the conflation of Section, Plan and Scale though a model and a large drawings. Patterns and Architectural drawing conventions were used to create an Architectural Drawing of a Non-Architecture.

The Final was a distillation process of lessons learned from the earlier work to produce an Architecture. Color was taken out of the equation to bring the drawings closer to more normative conventions, but pattern was still used as a means of defining territories within the project.

Programmatically, the building is comprised of large urban mansions and more dense "couch houses." Its perforated cubic form is suspended above its site.

Thanks for checking it out.

...

Final Push

2012-12-07T04:00:21-05:00

Only a few days left in the semester.

Finals one Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Third Year Grad finals will be all day Wednesday. Mine in the Afternoon.

Stop by and take a look.

Here is a peak at one of my drawings.