Archinect - University of Toronto (Kelly)

Full Circle / Done

2008-01-16T21:31:04-05:00

2.5 Years later.
In one week I've survived the Sea of Black and travelling 80mph in a ditch 10' below the Trans Can.
Bull on trial.
"I once chose a site this big"
Black Sea

Manitoba Sublime
Testing out some of the thesis.

One foot out

2008-01-09T17:05:16-05:00

Gist of the thesis

I'll see your Albany and raise you a Brasilia

2007-11-12T16:22:32-05:00

Where Harrison got Albany

Best elevation ever Chillin' in the Super Quads

Omage to Oscar

2007-11-12T16:02:00-05:00

A week in the Copan

Thank you Eduardo and Karen.

Resources Canada

2007-10-30T22:05:34-04:00

Just a Recent Discovery

Rio

2007-08-31T11:47:17-04:00

Rio.
The city where the extremely wealthy live "down-the-hill" and the extremely poor live "on-the-hill" (with the exception of Oscar). Moveable louvres everywhere, Concrete spans over 100,000 seats + Social housing snaking up a hillside. Big Stadium + Beer Delivery Men Oscar's 1st commission : an orphanage Oscar's Pad....apologies on orientation Before...... After Best in Rio. MMM Roberto.

Dieste

2007-08-28T11:55:04-04:00

An hour on the bus, and a 2 mile hike up a Uruguayan country road took us to Dieste's lovely little church. As the local Catholic school's gym class ran laps around the building, we stood silently admiring what a single withe of brick can do.

BA + Corb

2007-08-21T15:24:33-04:00

BA impressed.
Meat, Leather, Futbol + Avenues.
La Boca wedges itself into a rapidly deteriorating locale, annually repainting itself a bright yellow to exacerbate the contrast between the have-nots and Arge futbol's elite. Maradona is god, his t-shirt empire guarantees his sanctity.
In La Plata, Corb's solitary SA project ramped itself into my heart. Curves in plan, movable louvres and solitary steps garnered the local arch school 8 of my tourist dollars.
LA assessing her next step

The (not so) Open City

2007-07-08T18:42:16-04:00

Poetic tales of dunes, bricks and triangulating trusses motivated a search for U of Valpo´s very own design build heaven. The reality of barbed wire and guard dogs (we were technically trespassing) fortified an unplanned landscape of oddly beautiful, unfinished and accretional structures housing a handful of professors and their small cars. Our guide, a local stray, led us around. West´ern influences Our guide

Valpo ... (not in Indiana)

2007-07-08T18:16:56-04:00

Valparaiso; a port town stuck onto the side of a cliff frequented by hippies, punks, sailors and transvestites......also seems to serve as a Fort Lauderdale for South America´s stray dog population. Improvised trolleys carry the weary uphill, nearer Neruda´s hood and Cerro´s smelling of bbq, fresh paint and dog remains. Ascensor where our oranges come from

Company Towns II : $ 8 Milk

2007-06-14T16:42:40-04:00

Exxon, Shell, ConocoPhillips...the usual suspects fly-in for a two day PR stunt, eager to appease the local Natives and lure the Feds into buying a radius of Canada's newest pipeline. The Mackenzie Basin, an area the size of Mexico, empties into Arctic waters atop 30-year Gas reserves. Inuvik, a Federal creation of ~3500 Inuit and "Southerners", positions itself to transition from a welfare economy into a BIG OIL cash cow.
Meanwhile in Tuk, men hunting Polar Bear, Grizzly + Muskox with teams of dogs watch Choppers whisk Rig Pigs to offshore platforms overhead.
All is changing.

Raised 'Utilidors' : Sewage + Suspicious Water elevated above permafrost (grade) and lined with Heat Trace

Gas Field

Cleaning + Filleting
Whitefish Drying

Company Towns

2007-06-08T16:43:31-04:00

A week in Fort Mac.
An anthill of activity; the 1/2 tonne majority strains ill-equipped infrastructures and resides in $400K trailer homes. Syncrude excavates 250,000 barrels a day, while the rest of BIG Oil is racing to dig their feet in. Monstrous CAT's move around like the Big Loader Toy, hauling 80 tonnes of Muskeg to reveal 60 meters of Oilsand beneath; a reserve on par with Saudi Arabia. The city expects %500 growth in 20 years, with no where to grown, no roads to service growth and no infrastructure to sustain it. 'Shadow Populations' of Saskites, Chinese and Indians live in stacked pre-fab 'Camps' fortified with company trucks and pre-burned forests. Nouveau Riche Rednecks sink capital into Crotch Rockets, 4 Wheelers, '4-Bys' and the DC Shoe aesthetic.....all rapidly depreciating assets. PTI Group Work Camp Reserve Housing $400K Trailer + $40K Hummer 40' tall sulphur blocks

Williamson Option Studio

2007-05-29T18:08:15-04:00

Gatehouse for Serra's Shift.
King City, Ontario

This Summer's Endevour

2007-05-29T17:42:08-04:00

What I'll be up to for July + August

Winnipeg + Back

2007-05-23T22:31:43-04:00

Falling Barns, Ketchup Chips, Hated Monoliths, and Prime Ribs.
Winnipeg + Surrounds in 3 days

Reed Option Studio; Cape Cod

2007-05-23T22:07:39-04:00

Landscape Option Studio
Fixing Forces : Remediation + Reuse of the MMR

The Department of Defense’s desire to consolidate and streamline homeland operations has resulted in the reduction of existing land uses and the decommissioning of very large, often urban tracts of lands. The Base Re-alignment Commission (BRAC) has assigned installations with large parcels of lands, multiple military tenants, access to large scale logistic infrastructure and geographic significance to absorb the activities of neighboring facilities. Decades of training and use have left facilities marked for de-commissioning contaminated and prescriptively marked; acres of airfields, depots, ranges and rail yards requiring remediation and resurfacing to provide opportunities for infiltration and occupation by new activities and programmes.

CDRN Conference

2007-05-23T21:53:49-04:00

A week with the Hundigger Beam Processor in Vancouver yielded a warped grid and a 36-piece count.

Pong

2006-10-28T15:43:56-04:00

Gallery's new show on Chinese urbanism brought an enormous asset to the building; a Ping Pong table. The Chinese students seem to gravitate towards it, seeking other avenues of domination. From a brief viewing it seems to me it comes down to grip [refer to image] and rubber boots [super jumpy model], if you've got both you're likely to win.

Seattle and Blandcouver

2006-09-15T20:36:23-04:00

Recent jaunt West brought about a viewing of fish throwing and diagrids. Remmy's atrium delighted as much as Erickson's Opus. Gehry's EMP is a total dog, and the space needle resembles Montreal's Big O on a pole. Capitol Hill bowling, however, resembled no lane I've ever slid on.

French Alliances

2006-04-22T12:23:00-04:00

After receiving editorial heckles this morning, I felt obliged to post photos of said heckler amongst the gallery showing of our Comprehensive Studio's work at the local Alliance FranÃ§aise. A brief sampling...

Casa de Shapia

2006-02-17T15:58:36-05:00

My Cooper cohorts decided to torture and impress me by sending images of their Portuguese exploits. Jesung enjoys Shapes, up lighting and stairs to no where.

Architecture Against Itself

2006-02-17T13:16:01-05:00

Well, who would have thought a bunch of aged, tired, stressed and hung-over architecture students could man handle a group of young, undergraduate phys-ed students on ice?
6-1 the final. Canada couldn't even manage that against Germany. A,L+D is 2-0 with solid goal tending, defensive prowess and strong board-play.

El Fin

2006-01-16T23:56:33-05:00

3.5 years of torture result in two days of chaos.
My 3 stars fo the thesis reviews are as follows;
3rd star:
Diane Lewis: Citing Goebbels : “When I hear the word ”˜culture' I reach for my gun.”
Followed by citing Lang : “When I hear the word ”˜culture' I reach for my checkbook.”
2nd star:
Mason White: Immediately following Lewis' quotations......"When I hear the word checkbook I reach for my gun.” Now that's a Tar Heel.
1st star:
Diane Lewis:
She just doesn't quit; unless your building's program involves breast augmentation.