What was your first experience with architecture like?
Lou Kahn was pushed into an open stove and saw the light, Frank Gehry played with blocks until his head was fried.
I played with legos and all that, but I think my first experiences with taking an environment into my own hands came from making levels in the computer game, DOOM. These were made with a proprietary version of CAD, and were called WAD files. These levels were 3D worlds that I built and applied materials to (like animated GIF fire) and then my Dad would log onto a BBS (early internet multi-player server) via dial-up and kill some monsters in the levels I had made.
I also remember playing SIM City and SIM Farm and other plan-view games and generating fences for my livestock and filling in the landscape. SIM Tower was section view... raking in the cash developing a high rise.
Most of my early design memories are digital, how about yourself?
When I was about 4 or 5, my mom got out a copy of the brochure/ floor plan of our brand-new tract house. I recall being able to read it, and see that it reflected the layout and rooms of our house.
Watching my dad turn our single-wide trailer into a ranch house complete with foundations, an overbuilt stick framed roof, an addition on the back equivalent to the size of the original single-wide, a garage and other outbuildings. You can't even tell it was a trailer from the outside. The only evidence is in the crawlspace and the attic. I think experiencing this as I was growing up has made me very curious to how buildings and objects are constructed and detailed, especially additions.
1 - finding books of mid-century house plans in a box we bought at a rural county auction. red cloth covered large format bound book, drawings all printed on newsprint, yellowed. each plan with its own stylized ink-drawn rendering suggesting the life that could be lived in it. i studied, memorized, and copied these plans for a couple of years. at about the same time, though, i was 'designing' cars, mostly in side elevation. i had learned to draft and split time drafting each.
2 - realizing that i was a pretty good hand at sitting in front of a building and drawing a portrait of it. i drew and sold pencil/colored pencil and pencil/pastel drawings of landmarks around our little historic town - the churches, the women's club, the bank, etc.
while i didn't figure out how these two things related (or didn't relate, exactly) by 8 i had figured out that architecture was something someone could do and that it was what i wanted.
I should add that I made a pretty elaborate series of tree houses in the 5 to 7 age period. It's cool that some of you have experiences seeing your house being constructed as a child, a friend of mine designed and built an addition to his house and watching his kids learn as they helped with small jobs was an experience in itself.
My DOOM level experience was ages 8-11
My first architectural project was in High School, for an executive at Lockheed Martin who needed sketches for a Baptist church. I provided the sketches, I never got paid... (I still think the sketches turned out pretty good) but it was a good experience and I got a hold of my first set of plans.
I was an art major at UCLA and took an elective my first year, an architectural history class in American modern design taught by Thomas Hines...heavy on California mid-century work by Neutra, Schindler, Wright, Harris, Ain, etc. I was hooked. Applied to three undergrad programs within a month of finishing the class.
I did your typical building with blocks/legos - making cushion forts, sandbox cities, etc..., but the turning point for me was in 5th grade when I discovered a massive comprehensive volume on the work of Gaudi in our school's library. I poured over that book (and another book on Picasso) that entire year.
When I first moved to Finland, I saw very modernist type buildings and unique uses of materials.
Then, my family moved to Canada and started to look for a new house- thats what really started it for me. I began to learn everything about real estate and started to draw homes and floor plans during the third grade. Ever since then, I've been fascinated by technology in architecture and sustainable design.
Your First Time
What was your first experience with architecture like?
Lou Kahn was pushed into an open stove and saw the light, Frank Gehry played with blocks until his head was fried.
I played with legos and all that, but I think my first experiences with taking an environment into my own hands came from making levels in the computer game, DOOM. These were made with a proprietary version of CAD, and were called WAD files. These levels were 3D worlds that I built and applied materials to (like animated GIF fire) and then my Dad would log onto a BBS (early internet multi-player server) via dial-up and kill some monsters in the levels I had made.
I also remember playing SIM City and SIM Farm and other plan-view games and generating fences for my livestock and filling in the landscape. SIM Tower was section view... raking in the cash developing a high rise.
Most of my early design memories are digital, how about yourself?
When I was about 4 or 5, my mom got out a copy of the brochure/ floor plan of our brand-new tract house. I recall being able to read it, and see that it reflected the layout and rooms of our house.
Watching my dad turn our single-wide trailer into a ranch house complete with foundations, an overbuilt stick framed roof, an addition on the back equivalent to the size of the original single-wide, a garage and other outbuildings. You can't even tell it was a trailer from the outside. The only evidence is in the crawlspace and the attic. I think experiencing this as I was growing up has made me very curious to how buildings and objects are constructed and detailed, especially additions.
Age 4: Built a lego house and my grandma kept that house for a couple of days and hid it from me so that I wouldn't take apart the "masterpiece".
Age 9-12: Drew complex apartment details and was told by an architecture student that I drew better than her college mates.
Age 15-18: Built and furnished SIMS houses and put them on the web for people to download.An average house was downloaded by 2,000 people.
Age 19-23: Praised by professors for being so sophisticated and creative despite my (serious) lack of discipline.
Age 24: Unemployed, broke and taking the steps towards a career change.
probably two-fold for me:
1 - finding books of mid-century house plans in a box we bought at a rural county auction. red cloth covered large format bound book, drawings all printed on newsprint, yellowed. each plan with its own stylized ink-drawn rendering suggesting the life that could be lived in it. i studied, memorized, and copied these plans for a couple of years. at about the same time, though, i was 'designing' cars, mostly in side elevation. i had learned to draft and split time drafting each.
2 - realizing that i was a pretty good hand at sitting in front of a building and drawing a portrait of it. i drew and sold pencil/colored pencil and pencil/pastel drawings of landmarks around our little historic town - the churches, the women's club, the bank, etc.
while i didn't figure out how these two things related (or didn't relate, exactly) by 8 i had figured out that architecture was something someone could do and that it was what i wanted.
She was three years older than me and we took a shortcut through the woods and............oh................uuuuh....................never mind.
Reading Fountainhead by Ayn Rand when I was 4. Mind. Blown. I can't wait to start high school btw.
I'm naming my first born Howard Roarke regardless of baby's sex. lolz
driving thru the hollywood hills, checking out rich people's garages
wooden blocks, legos, tinker toys (small and the super large 'life size' ones) and erector sets -- ages 3-10
then refinishing the basement with my dad in early teens
then seeing some published work of hh richardson and rm hunt and taking two year of drafting (mechanical then CAD) + drawing classes in high school
I should add that I made a pretty elaborate series of tree houses in the 5 to 7 age period. It's cool that some of you have experiences seeing your house being constructed as a child, a friend of mine designed and built an addition to his house and watching his kids learn as they helped with small jobs was an experience in itself.
My DOOM level experience was ages 8-11
My first architectural project was in High School, for an executive at Lockheed Martin who needed sketches for a Baptist church. I provided the sketches, I never got paid... (I still think the sketches turned out pretty good) but it was a good experience and I got a hold of my first set of plans.
I was an art major at UCLA and took an elective my first year, an architectural history class in American modern design taught by Thomas Hines...heavy on California mid-century work by Neutra, Schindler, Wright, Harris, Ain, etc. I was hooked. Applied to three undergrad programs within a month of finishing the class.
Thanks Thomas!
I did your typical building with blocks/legos - making cushion forts, sandbox cities, etc..., but the turning point for me was in 5th grade when I discovered a massive comprehensive volume on the work of Gaudi in our school's library. I poured over that book (and another book on Picasso) that entire year.
When I first moved to Finland, I saw very modernist type buildings and unique uses of materials.
Then, my family moved to Canada and started to look for a new house- thats what really started it for me. I began to learn everything about real estate and started to draw homes and floor plans during the third grade. Ever since then, I've been fascinated by technology in architecture and sustainable design.
spare car parts+legos+erector sets+g.i. joes+ watching mcgyver=me
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