Bryan Boyer catches up with Formlessfinder, winner of the Peoples' Choice Award, to talk about the how and the why of innovative architecture. He writes "Archinect is excited to begin this experiment in extending the contribution of the PS1 YAP competition: more ideas, more discourse, more visibility for the competitors, and ultimately more meaning. We’re interested in a very basic question: how might the spread of entries to the PS1 competition be used as a way to better understand the state of American architecture at this moment?"

Bryan explores the differences between the entries by MASS Design Group and Formlessfinder "The good news is that underpinning these two manifestations of architectural ambition is a singular hopefulness. The differences arise when these teams attempt to connect their own aspirations for an architecture capable of making an impact with more specific thoughts about where that impact is most likely to happen, why it needs to happen, and how it might be best accomplished."

In the coming weeks we will be rolling out some new features on Archinect, including, but not at all limited to, Groups and our new Blog Network. Until then, we don't have an appropriate place for a group/studio blog, so when our friend Jump asked us about setting up a blog for his studio at Keio University in Tokyo, we had to figure something out quick. For the time being, you will be able to follow his blog in the Firm Profiles section, before it gets moved to the forthcoming Groups section and added to the Blog Network. We will also announce new posts here to the news, so stay posted, and enjoy this first post.

jump begins with a post about the state of Japan post-disaster(s). Recent events have obviously affected the agenda for the semester's studies and instead of housing, students are focusing on more broadly understanding dealing with disaster. As he writes:

So, students are looking at emergency housing, post-traumatic stress disorder, accommodating the dead (mass burials in a country that does not believe in burial at all), preparing Tokyo for the next power outage (metro tokyo has a population of 30 million people - on the night of march 11 a lot of them were not able to go home because the trains were stopped and there was nowhere to go) and for the next earthquake (again with 30 million people, where do the emergency shelters go?) , dealing with the massive amounts of wreckage, relocating the displaced, rebuilding economies. Some of the projects are architecture, some are planning, some are product design, and some are landscape architecture

HandsumCa$hMoneyYo  is excited "one of the reasons that I have been poking around archinect with more frequency recently is because I suspected that it might be one of the better sources for digging up nuggets on the ongoing situation in Japan.  And for whatever it's worth, I'll share a couple of off-the-beaten-path sources that I have found occasionally helpful"

Orhan Ayyüce asks Urban Camping Anyone? dpr-barcelona wonders "the reflection that comes to our mind is to think if "designed urban camping" is the new solution to low-cost-shelter needs or if they will keep just as speculative proposals. Ideas anyone?" While eric chavkin writes "I remember Glen Small's interventionist  'urban odyssey' . The student designed and fabricated tents  were  transported by bicycles all over Los Angeles. One of the student urban camp-site was in Century City...Myself I am nostalgic for those times and freedom, and I can envision a colorful  flash mob-type camp-ins as a subvert tactic.... with cameras of course." For more on the National Park Service's plans which prompted Orhan's question see.

AJ Writing Prize judge Alan Berman explained what he believes are the vital ingredients to outstanding architectural writing. Given thinks "This guy speaks the truth. Unfortunately the battle is long over and the people in charge of schools today aren't going to just listen to the opposition for no reason, so we play the waiting game." However, nanis.iyado believes  "Architectural writing should aid everyone’s understanding of buildings and assist architects to design better ones." I think this is a very dangerous statement in many ways. There are, I think, different forms of writing. And different types have different uses."

In response to the news that Goettsch Partners won the Master Plan Competition for Guangzhou, China, won and done williams posted "That may be the worst urban design I have seen since 1963. Sunken plazas, 120 foot right-of-ways, seas of paving, good lord - did these guys not live through the 20th century?!"

Schools/School Blogs
Mike Taylor at UBC once again finds himself almost a year behind in posts. He begins by updating us on September 2010.  He also highlights a recent studio taught by Tony Robins, a Vancouver-based architect who has been in practice for over 20 years, called ‘Exploring Space’. The studio was taught with another young, local architect, James Eidse. Mike had to create a 1:1 installation for the class.

Greg Evans at Knowlton School of Architecture also had back to back posts this week. First, looking back on the Exit Reviews of his G3 class. His project explored Melody Genres and polyvalent, melodic architecture. Then he wrote about his seminar with Professor Karen Lewis called "Diagrammatic" The seminar focused on the history of diagramming in architecture and he wrote a paper for it, entitled It's probably not a datascape, which he shared.

Lian at Harvard's GSD posted the images and reports from a recent visit to the radiologist for broken bones. The visit prompted her to reflect: "The images are more obviously compelling than the text, but it's the text that the physicians work from, more the images. All the translations that occur from specialist to specialist, from one mode of representation to another...is it a familiar scenario?"

People
Sloane Brown's project The Street in the Tower is a multi-use building that takes a new spin on the ‘tower in the park’ to maximize real estate value, light, and views.

Jyotsna Sivaguru's project Rethinking Borders redefines borders through architecture, using connectivity as the main theme.

Discussion Threads
Thread Central discussed NCARB certification and state licensure reciprocity.

Orhan Ayyüce wants to discuss "Gin Fizz Urbanism". The term alludes to "urban developments based around urban shopping centers replacing truly open public spaces." He asks what else this terminology could mean? jmanganelli responds "Not naturally sustainable urbanism: needs gin & fizz --- only works when trumped up with the euphoria of fresh financing, "newness", investment potential, high SES, quiet segregation and once the gin and fizz runs its course, the development becomes a carcas" emergency exit wound suggested "Orhan, if you haven't already read it, you might be interested in "You Have to Pay for the Public Life", an essay by Charles Moore first published within Perspecta 9/10, 1965." In reponse to emergency exit wound's suggestions Orhan posts a quick quote;

"A chain of Disneylands would have a disquieting effect not unlike that of the new transcontinental chains of the identical motels that weigh the tired traveler with the hopelessness of driving all day to arrive at a place just like the one he started from. One can hope , too, for the day when the gradual loss of differentiated place, the gradual emergence of the gray no-places and the inundation of the places of special significance, will cause the slumbering citizenry to awaken, to demand to spend its money to have a public life."

el jeffe (gene parmesan) would like to know if there is research on "low-e glazing coatings interfere with radio/cell phone reception?"

J. James R. posts some images from Japan 3 months later. He then goes on to say "It's certainly amazing compared to how other countries cope with disaster. Katrina, as a cheap example, has never been fully cleaned up. There's still neighborhoods and buildings around ripped to shreds." jump then posts some links regarding more info on the situation post-disasters in Japan "if folks are interested, here is a you-tube post from architecture for humanity person on the ground talking about a possible reconstruction project.  the series of videos records the clean up and the plans for the future very nicely. while i am at it, for more info on what AFH is up to in the region in general check out this link."

Finally, e_style's office (30 people, mid-size institutional work) is looking for new software for our basic database. It needs to have a good contacts function and architecture project specific set up for tracking projects and CA (so transmittals, submittals and so forth). What do offices use for this? Would you recommend it? Jumperman18 offers up "Newforma worked well at my old office". Yet J. James R. thinks "Access. Why spend money on something 4/5ths of your office will not keep updated or even bother using?"

Additionally
During the 2010 Architecture Biennale in Venice, it became clear that thousands of inspiring, vacant public buildings in the Netherlands have the potential to be reused for creative entrepreneurship and innovation. With the two-year master’s program Vacant NL, the Sandberg Institute is realizing its ambition to train designers, craftsmen and scientists to become specialists in the temporary use of buildings and other spaces. Directed by landscape architect Ronald Rietveld and philosopher Erik Rietveld, the program revolves around design research on the potential of vacant spaces. Insights and solutions from different fields of knowledge are combined to address the topic in an integrated manner. Several unique buildings are available for experimentation and for making site-specific design interventions. Without doubt, what the Netherlands needs in the current decade is a multidisciplinary team of talented specialists in temporary reuse of buildings and other spaces. The challenge posed by Vacant NL calls for a range of visionary, unorthodox and unsolicited interventions. Design and build the impossible! Via Volume