For the latest edition of the Student Works: series Archinect featured work by two AA Visiting Schools one held in Athens & the other in Istanbul. Completed prior to the recent OccupyGezi unrest, Noise De-Former (one of the projects from the Istanbul school) "aimed to materialize the fluctuating noise levels in Taksim Square by creating an interface which can regulate noise, enabling a more comfortable environment for the public resting in Gezi Park".

News
Inspired by a recent discussion re: the Influence of Robert Venturi on Louis Kahn Orhan Ayyüce; highlighted a significant thesis by then Master of Science in Architecture candidate Sam Rodell in Washington State University completed in 2008. In the thesis Mr. Rodell, "considers the question of how Louis Kahn’s development as an architect was shaped by the influences of Robert Venturi. The personal and professional interaction between these two historically significant architects began late in Kahn’s career and early in Venturi’s".

Quondam pointed out that he  posted the same link on 24 July 2012 within The Philadelphia School, deterritorialized thread. Quondam went on to argue "The thesis, while a good read and informative, nevertheless does not live up to its title. I counted only three actual examples of Venturi influence on Kahn". For tammuz x it seemed, "looking at the comparative examples, whatever influence Venturi had on Kahn, that influence did not so much transfer a philosophical outlook on architecture as might be inferred from that essay".

UrbanToronto.ca reported that "a newly updated plan for the Mirvish+Gehry development on King Street West was released by developerProjectcore this week...It will see nothing less than the entire remake of part of King Street West between Simcoe and John. Three Gehry towers will replace low-rise brick warehouse office buildings and the Princess of Wales Theatre".

Differing with some commentators Fred Scharmen opined "I think these are incredibly elegant, I really love the way they meet the sky and the ground”. Thayer-D added "The first one is kind of attractive.  Maybe it's the proportions between the peeling onion base and the rectalinear shaft, but it's a nice balance.  It would have been very nice as a replacement for the World Trade Center in New York.  Symbolic of rebirth".

Relatedly, Eray Çaylı, (a PhD Candidate in Architectural History and Theory, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London) published an essay "Taksim Square and Gezi Park Protests: Designing a Common Present, Future, and Past".

Orhan Ayyüce took the opportunity to link to a "Alain Badiou on the Uprising in Turkey and Beyond".

Bustler.net published a "stunning entry to the architectural competition for the new public library building in the city of Setúbal, Portugal" by Portuguese architecture firm AND-RÉ.
observant believed "This design is unique, sculptural, and very ceremoniously set up in a public space with that gate.  From looking at the drawings, it appears to be a solid on the exterior yet has floor to ceiling glazing in the interior circular opening toward the interior court.  I wonder if this is programmatic, for the collection, or practical, for controlling the light"?.

Firms/Blogs/Work Updates
Alec Perkins an intern working for Tatiana Bilbao's office spent a day visiting Coyoacan (one of 16 delegaciones in Mexico City). Stops included the Viveros de Coyoacan, Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul and later in day Diego Rivera’s museum, Ananhuacalli. Of the museum Mr. Perkins wrote "based heavily on both indigenous pyramid temples and a bit of 1930s modernism. It’s an ugly building, built heavily and omnimously of volcanic rock. The first floor feels like a tomb- it was designed to feel like the spiritual underworld".

citizen commented "That museum building is interesting.  I wouldn't concur with ‘ugly,’ though it ain't beautiful either.  But it does have a certain muscular order to it... reminds me a little of Furness's work".

Air Ops: A Retroactive Platform for Energy Exchange [Recipient of the 2013 James Templeton Kelley Prize for Best M.Arch I Thesis at Harvard Graduate School of Design] by James Leng and Folded View by Amrou Said are just two of the recent projects to be found in the post Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Student Work" Pinterest Board.

"Got that dream Job!....be careful what you wish for" was the title of the first post over at ohhh_architecture’s new blog. ohhh_architecture describes the impetus for the blog "Needing to vent? and maybe get some outside perspective...I sure do" and provided a disclaimer "My first blog, will not respond to hurtful/negative remarks, will delete if I can, might answer some questions....will not disclose personal or professional details,....we are all learning this game...different strokes for different folks, be nice =)". Alexander Morley is excited "Looking forward to hearing more! Juicy archi-gossip!" while bowling_ball added "Wow, this story already hits very close to home. I've seriously pondered doing this as well. Can't wait to read more".

Leedscape Design blogged about China's Forgotten Maoist Architecture. Specifically, "A tour of China’s last remaining enclave of old-school social governance and architecture: Nanjiecun Village, Henan". Alexander Morley answered one of the questions posed "You ask: Surely there is nowhere left in Mainland China where one can trulylive and breathe the form and function of Maoist architecture? In Beijing at least, I believe you can do this in essentially every single hutong of the city, for the current state of the dense, overpopulated, and subdivided courtyard homes today are almostentirely a result of Maoist policy and planning. It may not be a form that is immediately recognizable to the examples of the Soviet Union or communist-era brutalism, but this is China, and it plays by different rules".

Schools/Blogs
Over at his own blog Alexander Morley a student at Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, who is on a summer fellowship (of groundwork and research) in Beijing, gave  a brief snapshot of a quick layover he had in Tokyo on my way to China. Donna Sink offered thanks, "Another lovely tour.  Thank you especially for that picture of the fin attachment detail!".

Meanwhile, Patrick Beseda a school blogger for University of Colorado, Denver sheepishly admits he is taking a summer studio course. The cool news is that for the project he and his classmates "are designing and building a microhouse called FOUNDhouse. It's 150 sf, made with the structural system from wikihouse then added components to make it fully inhabitable".

SDR sensibly pointed out "those tiny fingers at the KD joints of the frame are not appropriate for plywood, or any other sheet goods save some kind of high--density resin -- as I see it.  Just because the CNC can cut it doesn't mean it's appropriately detailed ! But you knew that.  Can't the joint be redesigned so than no part is smaller in width than the thickness of the material (or better yet, no less than 1" or 25 mm) ?" to which Mr. Beseda responded "Unless I missed some any joint that sees any load is at least 22mm (using 18mm sheet material). I see what you're saying though. It would be worth it to do some stress testing on those little fingers; they're looking a little thin all of a sudden :) We've got a calibration test piece ready to go this week. There's definitely room in the frame geometry to beef those up though, no reason not to I guess. Good eye!"...

studiostumpo just started a blog to document their time at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. In post # 1 studiostumpo explained "My name is Francesco and I am an architecture student (from Venezuela) living in Boston interested in all fields of design. I am currently in undergraduate school at Wentworth Institute of Technology".

Discussions
superspace wanted to know, who uses Grasshopper extensively on their offices in the first place? gwharton and Aaron Plewke both answered in the affirmative. Mr. Plewke wrote "We use these tools extensively at SOM.  At a basic level, most designers here are capable of working with grasshopper and other parametric tools.  We also have a digital design group -- architects within the firm that are experts at various aspects of digital design process.  To hazard a guess, I'd say that more than half to three-quarters of our Architecture projects (ie, not interiors or urban design), utilize parametric tools and processes".

IamGray shared "The first office I worked at used it extensively. In fact I'd say it was absolutely critical for the types of projects they were doing...Parametricism is a very real aspect to the work of many "real-world" firms and my grasshopper-expert friends who are gainfully employed by SOM, Foster, Arup, and the like are a testament to that...Also, are schools really over-emphasiszing parametric design?...My own educational history alone refutes that".

washingtonian had a question regarding designing a rainscreen "question is, since this is an unconditioned shed do I still need a proper breathable membrane behind it? I saw an example of another shed which simply used roofing felt as the membrane and was trying to get some feedback on whether this might perform well enough. Of course cost is an issue too". Instead of answering Rusty! wanted to know "What's the point of a rainscreen on an unconditioned structure?" 

Miles Jaffe continued "As Rusty noted, the conditions necessitating a rainscreen do not exist in your application...Board and batten, clapboard, shiplap and shingles are all time tested and proven water barriers that don't need a membrane or sheathing...And why anyone would want the costly maintenance of exterior paint - especially on a shed - is a mystery. Painting the outside after installation will leave the inside unprotected and exacerbate cupping and movement...All in all, a really bad, wasteful idea fraught with problems".

After reading some negative comments from a previous employer on their hours sign-of bowling_ball vented "there's no recourse for interns in such situations, nor is there the opportunity for interns to formally comment on employers or mentors (unless I'm mistaken, I'm new to this).  The reality is that my employer was a nightmare, with more than half the staff leaving over the last year, and my former boss is a petty tyrant who still can't take responsibility for any of it. Sorry.  I thought I had put this all behind me".

b3tadine[sutures] helpfully offers "oh, there's recourse; put their name on here, or email it to me and i'll give them a call" geezertect‘s concluded "guess the lesson is to get your hours signed off before quitting.  A lot of employers (any line of work) take it personally when someone leaves, even though they are amazed when a fired employee also takes it personally.  Rank has its privileges.  One more reason not to work for someone else if you can help it".