Back in June, as part of Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects, Sean Joyner connected with Demar Matthews a recent M.Arch graduate of Woodbury University, and they chatted about his rigorous investigation of Black architectural aesthetics in America.
Xavi Freeman was impressed "This young man is on the right track. I remember receiving and witnessing harsh critiques ...I'd often try to attach some semblance of Blackness to a project as an afterthought so I commend this bolder approach"!
Plus, Katherine Guimapang highlighted the thesis of Olga Zakharova, a recent M.Arch graduate of Princeton University School of Architecture. midlander commented
"it's striking how much the work seems to revive the neorationalism of rossi just after it seemed totally irrelevant and unloved. i'm curious if that was intentional - ir maybe focusing on italian renaissance spaces automatically leads to this result...nice job anyway. the de chiroco sense of emptied cities is very suited to these times."
Following the killings of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, a collection of architecture, design, and built environment groups issued memos commenting on the volatile situation. Perhaps no surprise, but both b3tadine[sutures] and Donna Sink felt that AIA Minnesota's response was far superior to that of AIA National’s.
A 15-story Passive House certified housing complex designed by New York City-based Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, is considered the largest Passive House certified building in North America as well as the largest Passive House affordable housing complex on the continent. While the Passive House creds are nice, Thomas Wensing thinks architects need to wrestle with larger structural challenges "in order to address inequities in housing we have to work from a different paradigm. Housing is a human right, and it is a valid argument to take the profit motive out of affordable housing projects altogether".
Gensler has launched Blox, a new digital design tool that aims to supercharge design workflows. moniosierra believed that "With GoogleX's Flux turned into a BIM add-in rather than a game-changing AI-powered package it had initially been touted to be, this is a welcome addition to the field."
midlander admitted "seems like a nice tool that could save dozens of hours of work on some projects" but was ultimately skeptical "I expect this will get added to the long list of technical solutions that pretend to do much more ambitious things than they actually can."
Data from both Procore / Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the United States Census Bureau indicates that in June construction activity began to return to pre-pandemic levels. That being said, the May ABI had architecture firms reporting a steep decline in billings for the third consecutive month and June’s ABI score of 40.0 "means that the majority of architecture firms still saw their billings decline" though "the pace of that decline slowed significantly."
For their part thisisnotmyname suspected that any "return" may in fact "just be people finishing projects that were already underway. The real amount of slowdown will not be known until the accumulated pre-Covid work is completed and PPP money for wages is used up."
Shaftesbury Theatre in London, UK by Bennetts Associates and Meinel Optical Sciences Research Lab at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ by Richärd Kennedy Architects are just two of the latest top images (in no particular order) from the Archinect Pinterest board Fancy Facades.
R.I.P Christo. wurdan freo eulogized "Really love his (and jeanne claude's) work. Even more impressive is that they self funded every project. He will be missed."
Atelier RZLBD shared a new project 100 Series* / Tar Pits: To LACMA with love** which they described as a "homage to Peter Zumthor, Chris Burden, and Woody Allen".
Diana Erazo has spent this pandemic working on their LEED and Passive House Certification. Meanwhile Justin Crane passed his California Supplemental Exam!
Mitch McEwen reflected on The Paradox of Pausing reiterating "Pause does not mean do nothing. Pause means connect, reflect, think-- it means so much potential and care."
Are you interested in an at least partially remote position?
Otherwise, if you are more a studio/technical managerial type, consider applying to be; Manager of Digital Technology (BIM) at EskewDumezRipple, a triple hatted/triple threat Project Manager, Specifications Writer and Quality Control Manager at Douglas Pancake Architects, Inc or Studio Manager at Laney LA.
The San Antonio Express-News reported that the University of Texas at San Antonio School of Architecture and the San Antonio Independent School District have joined forces to create a new construction, architecture, and design academy, which will allow students to graduate from high school with up to 42 college credit hours in construction science or architecture, paid by SAISD.
If you missed the initial broadcast, Dr. Sechaba Maape’s June 25th presentation ‘Drawing Creepy Places Representing liminal space of Kuruman’ is archived here.
Dr. Maape explores "forms of representations that engage ritual spaces...the significance of these places as liminal spaces...the need for better understanding these spaces in relation to our contemporary global crises, and the role of representation of these spaces towards deeper forms of habitation."
Associate Professor Derek Ham, Ph.D. was appointed as the department head of Art + Design at the North Carolina State University College of Design. Ham has taught at the College of Design since June 2015 and was recently promoted from assistant professor.
yarchitect hasn’t posted in years but was hoping to reconnect and get some guidance regarding next steps, professionally.
"I feel out of touch, as I have spent the last few years nose-down and working... I have also not worked at a large firm since 2004...I'm trying to look outside of my little circle to gain some perspective...a great team. But I think over the past few years, he has just aged. He's a boomer. And it is now really showing...he did fund the firm initially...He does bring value. Is it 50/50? no. not even close." archinine echoed others "sounds like this guy is dead weight at this point." midlander concluded "The fundamental problem...is that you're sort of blending together two separate issues...The solution to both is going to require an open discussion with your partner - and it may lead you to conclude the partnership should end. Don't rule that out before discussing things. You're both managing partners; it's not incumbent on you to fully figure out the business plans yourself."
atelier nobody haz a happy! from seeing someone pay it forward as it were. citizen agreed "What a great feeling to see that training bear fruit." Everyday Architect advised "make sure she knows she did well. Also, make sure the leadership and/or her supervisors know she did well too."
Finally, over at COVID-19 Lay-off Thread folks chatted about whether one should take a vacation during an economic crisis/pandemic, forced vs voluntary PTO, employee classification/working conditions and other related matters. code started things off by suggesting that there are "no vacations until this recession is over...From 2010 > 2016, I did not take a vacation" which most agreed was a "terrible policy--for both employee and employer".
In fact to the contrary, many (at least those still employed) have been encouraged to use PTO, whether it simply to help with cashflow or for their own "emotional and mental health". code tried to clarify that their lack of vacations was a result of being (mis)classified as a "1099 temp from 2010 > 2015" and doing what one had to, to survive. However, that didn’t cut it for alot of folks, as tduds countered "Given that I didn't do that, and I also survived, I question the wisdom of suggesting the next generation follows your seemingly masochistic lead." Later on square. made a related point "if you're consistently working 50 hours+ a week, your project/office isn't being managed well. typical buildings some how get built in a normal work week, architects just prefer to be martyrs and work for free."
Mónica Belevan & Alonso Toledo released The Occupancy Manifesto. To wit;
"postcovid, typological transformation will be all about usage, not image...Typology, as we understand it —that is to say, as you’ve been taught to understand it— is imprecision. The content of a skyscraper is undisclosed, hermetic...With usage as our new benchmark for analysis, we propose a new metric for architecture, by situating it on two main axes: the amount of people who will occupy a given space, and the duration of their stay."
They start things off by plotting five distinct spatial programs in a Programmatic Catalogue and promise to document the "complete progression...publicly...here, on LapsusLima.com" of this, an ongoing project.
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