Nicholas Korody talked with Michael Rotondi, a man of deeply-held spiritual convictions, about his spiritual practice and how it affects his architectural and educational practices.

To wit;

"What you learn from the Buddhists, the Tibetan Buddhists in particular, is that you work on yourself first and foremost because the healthier you are the healthier you are going to make everybody in your sphere of influence….Most importantly for me, architecture is a pretext for the relationships that you can begin to construct and develop over time. Life is one architecture in my world...I see my role as an architect and the role that architecture has in the world is much different."

Some readers (Tim W) cautioned "mentoring of students in muddy thinking early on" questioning the practical utility of "pseudoscience, spiritual mash-ups". Most others, saw (at least) some value in an "open mind" or at least "model agnosticism".

Plus, Evan Chakroff shared his thoughts on a visit to Cuba. The trip included stops at National Schools of Art, Las Ruinas  by Joaquin Galvan, Casa de Los Comonautos by Antonio Quintana and the "Tourist Apartheids" of Sandals Varadero Resort or Plaza Vieja.

News
NPR looked into how one mobile home community created a co-op and bought its own land. b3tadine[sutures] got a bit misty eyed "That this exists in Minnesota doesn't surprise me in the least. I think this is so important...Just a wonderful story, with remarkable potential."

Orhan Ayyüce highlighted an interview with elusive writer Mike Davis in Boom California. Chemex loves "The (rarer these days) leftist urban thinkers. They always have a myopic view, but it's much needed humanism."

AIA released "a ground-breaking study" into the preferences, habits and attitudes of architects in their roles as specifiers of building products. The Architect’s Journey to Specification assesses the cultural, technical, and informational influences in the choices made by America’s building design professionals. Everyday Intern was a bit confused "Not sure why though, this is pretty much a press release saying what has been known in the industry for a long time. Any manufacturer who hasn't heard these things already is not listening."

Three Views / A House in Tehran, Iran by New Wave Architecture (Lida Almassian / Shahin Heidari) and Chapel, Rainforest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon by Method Design Architecture + Urbanism are just two of the projects found on the latest Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Concrete" Pinterest Board.

friend opined "that fuksas space (Nardini Research Centre and Auditorium in Vicenza, Italy by Studio Fuksas) is a hot mess."

Firms/Work Updates
Mitch McEwen reflected on The White Flight from American Democracy which is at "the core of the post-truth era." She ends with a call for "software programmers, GIS whizzes, economists, planners, anthropologists, architects, graphic designers and more working up a storm".

The following discussion touches on DC, gentrification, redlining, suburban demographics and the notion of "privatization of the presidency".

For those of you looking for employment in Los Angeles, Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects is hiring for a Project Architect

For something a little more non-traditional/New Media, Archinect is hiring for two roles; an in-house position Project Manager out of the Pasadena office. Or a Community Manager where hiring remotely, might be considered.

De Matos Ryan is nearing completion of a mixed-use development on Penrose Street south of Elephant and Castle in Southwark.

Recently Dimitri Damiel Kim, worked on + One Park: Coming Soon #urbangardening #urbanlandscapes #diyproject #modular and Gacanti Swastika worked on Seashells Villas, Nusa Lembongan, Bali, back in 2016.

School/Blogs
Jamie Evelyn Goldsborough, currently a Master of Architecture + Master of Arts Design Criticism graduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, looked forward to the year ahead. With some guidance from Maria Popova, of Brain Pickings.

SCI-Arc announced an upcoming exhibit José Oubrerie’s Chapel of Mosquitoes opening February 3, 2017. Oubrerie’s Chapel of Mosquitoes synthesizes the opposite spatial investigations of two of the architect’s most significant works: the 1986 French Cultural Center in Damascus and the 1992 Miller House in Lexington, Kentucky.

Discussions/Threads
leriotdelac is interested in Learning computational design, has dabbled a bit with Grasshopper, but wants to go deeper. SpatialSojourner and randomized advised "tinkering...understanding the underlying logic of the software" gual went further "learn real programming. python is probably fine to begin with." Similarly AdrianFGA strongly recommends "you learn algorithmics".

jla-x wondered what to do when a client "keeps refering to me as a landscape architect or an architect". Even though they have been gently corrected more than once. Although citizen believes "that any charge of misrepresentation as a licensed individual would have to be based on your actions and products" b3tadine[sutures] suggested taking no chances "mail, not email, certified letter stating the above."

Finally, Everyday Intern started Show us your caulk! senjohnblutarsky is hoping "Are we allowed to include various types of sealant?" Everyday Intern Has no problem with the thread "morphing to include other screw ups, weird fixes, etc."