For the latest edition of Working out of the Box, Archinect talked with Miguel McKelvey, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer at WeWork. He just so happened to study architecture at University of Oregon with Paul Petrunia, Archinect's founder!

Mr. McKelvey explains "I have applied what I learned in architecture to pretty much every aspect of building a business - and for the right person, I would make the argument that architecture is a better preparation for being an entrepreneur than business school is".

Meanwhile edition #6 of Screen/Print an experiment in translation across media, highlights MONU's 19th issue, Greater Urbanism.

News

Archinect contributors / Parsons MArch students Ayesha Ghosh and Alex Stewart attended a panel discussion regarding MoMA expansion and Folk Museum demolition. The event was hosted jointly by the Architectural League, the Municipal Art Society, and the AIA's New York chapter and everyone in the audience missed the State of the Union address.

Ayesha and Alex reported "Diller lauded the building’s resistance to change as one of its strengths but noted that the expansion was an intensive surgery of the entire MoMA campus that could not accommodate the bespoke nature of the FAM".

Peyton Westlake commented "I actually like Taniguchi's MoMA and the FAM separately. The issue is when the MoMA starts to grow like a virus, homogenizing the area...And lastly, that DS+R rendering of a saved FAM making the rounds".

Emily Kemper posted an article about the Canadian company Dirtt Environmental Solutions which claims to be reducing construction-related waste with its 3D modeling software and "made-to-order building materials that snap into place".

She asks "Is this as innovative as it sounds?  Is there a comparable solution on the market?  Would you consider using such a product in your designs?” TedTedTed replied “I have used it in limited amounts for office build-outs, as well as very extensive use in a medical office.  There are plenty of pros and cons".

Steven Ward believed "nice designs and nice client interface, but they're still a partition company, in my mind. they're just pitching it in an appealing way and trying to change their market scope...which is certainly worth something".

Our respected friend, long-time Archinect contributor and founder of DSGN AGNC, Quilian Riano, has been named today as one of three winners of the 2014 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in the Arts, this year focusing on design.

For Xenakis it was "Good to see you and Teddy Cruz are working on these solutions for the trans border region...I now live in Oakland, and with the increasing inequality in income vs increasing housing costs, I see a need to solve similar emerging problems".

Phillip Oltermann spoke with some Berliners who hope plans for Germany's tallest residential tower (off Alexanderplatz) has a 'Bilbao effect', which commentator archinet felt was "grossssssssss".

Firms/Blogs/Work Updates

Recently, Charles Allred worked on "Met 3 Miami - Woven Facade Application" while Radu Lupu (currently in Cleveland, Ohio) worked on "Innerbelt Bridge - Painting inspections".

Architect-and-Friends said hello and introduced themselves.

Inverted Warehouse / Townhouse in New York, NY by Dean/Wolf Architects and East Village Penthouse in New York, NY by Turett Collaborative Architects were just two of the projects featured in the latest post Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Interiors" Pinterest Board.

School/Blogs
Lian Chikako Chang went back to GSD to watch "If You Build It," directed by Patrick Creadon (2012), a film about the origins of Studio H's design/build education. The film led her to reflect on "architecture, education--or, you know, the economic and cultural future of America".

In response Thomas Wensing argued "I went to this movie and I think you have to be more critical than you are". Quilian Riano chimed in "I havent seen the movie (perhaps wont) but am very interested in these broader discussions...However, I also find it unproductive to have such an overreaching critique as not allowing any work to take place...That means to take a hard and critical look at any cultural production that is looking at space and has a ‘political ambition".

Over at his GSAPP affiliated schoolblog, jesusmaldonado admitted "I kind of fell off the blogging wagon last semester". For his first post since November 2013, he shared some "overly simplified bulletpoints" culled from his notes taken during Alejandro Zaera-Polo’s visit.

In 2014 Brendan Callandar, an M.ARCH Student at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Canada, completed Woodlands Community Garden Shed. The project was a partnership by UBC architecture students and the Woodlands Community Garden Club.
 

Discussions
Shreya created a thread to discuss Faking your idp hours. 

Non Sequitur offered some personal experience "My (Canadian) provincial board checked every-one of my log-book submissions and they did not hesitate to call if they had any questions. ..I doubt the people who seriously cheat on their logs are plentiful. Too many careers at stake...Citizen & Pete above have it right".

On the other hand b3tadine[sutures] suggested "as long as the ‘stick’ approach is applied to interns, where none exists for firms failing to provide their interns with the necessary hours to complete IDP, there will always, always be a ‘gray reporting’ in IDP".

To which Gregory Walker replied

"beta brings up a fair point though: if you're 7 days shy of finishing off something... oh, say the 3A - Bidding and Negotiation (which has 120 hours of requirement, a hard thing to get for some interns) area... and your employer sticks you on a new project which is going to having you running hard for the next 6-12 months on nothing but other experience in other sections, how are you going to get those hours? there's no mandate for them to weave it in; the employer could be a jack-arse and not give you the opportunity since it's not billable for the project they want, etc. in short, it's not in your control...do you quit and find another firm willing to give you those hours? do you wait 6-12 months, even if it'll be held against you in a personnel review that you're not registered yet? or do you fake those hours"?

file added, especially as "there is a parallel universe in which many employers bristle at the institutionalized idea that students coming out of accredited architecture programs STILL require years and years of continuing education and training in the workplace...I know quite a few people in the industry who go out of their way to avoid hiring people who are subject to the IDP process".

Saint in the City was looking for advice regarding use of "cover boards or applied protection coating in terms of durability and appearance"?

Miles Jaffe answered "I've never done it but have considered a masonry board product for a similar application. It can be parged to finish. Probably need a water barrier over the insulation, too". He also questioned "I don't understand the reason for insulating the perimeter of a buried foundation wall. Trying to keep the ground warm"? 

Saint in the City clarified "the reason for discussing exterior-side foundation wall insulation is that is outperforms the interior methods such as the one you are suggesting...So to solve the protection / cover board problem would be great since it's the simple, performing scheme.  But faux stucco just ain't cool".

gruen continued "I think the slab edge detail is critical, because even though it's small, it's exposed to the air (not to the earth). And, the concrete does go inside of the building, so while the exposed edge is small, it acts as a huge heat sink to pull heat out of the building".  

Finally, gruen had a question but only for experienced small firm principals. Specifically, about selling arch, not wasting time and more basically, How do you sell your services?

Off the top, citizen agreed "Stop the up-front work, for the reasons you state". DMS-USA takes the approach  "Like the Johnny Cash song; One Piece At A Time". As for "How do I sell my services?  Hmm.. Not sure what you mean, there.  I explain the value I offer to the clients (knowledge of codes, construction methods, costs, where to spend, where to save, how I can enhance their living experience).  As far as getting the jobs?  Heck.. That happens so many ways, I'm not really sure"!