Archinect Blog is Featured Blog

Our blog for archinect.com is the featured school blog for this week. This is something I have been doing with four other M.ARCH2 students. An image from the blog circulates on the main page as well as on the school blog page.
Check it out here: http://www.archinect.com or here: http://www.archinect.com/schoolblog/index.php

Yona Friedman Presentation

My theory course is turning out to be really interesting with relevance to both my tech seminar and the urban research in studio. Once again, its examining the role that systems theory and the increasing influence computerized networks had on art and architecture of 60s and 70s. Last week's topic was interactivity and semi-connected systems. This week's topic: the network. Discussions included Mark Wigley's essay Network Fever as well as class presentations on Team X and the Metabolists. I presented the work of Yona Friedman focusing on his Mobile Urbanism and plan for Paris. Mobility for Friedman was an inclusive, adaptable system that could provide for individual preference and situate it into a collective without conflicts. The infrastructure for this was a large space frame over Paris to hold isolated housing units. This was supplemented by a virtual infrastructure of probabilities, and statistical analysis to construct a direct interface for occupants. The architect would become obsolete and the computer would configure everyone's apartment according to the input they would provide. Meanwhile growth issues would be solved by juxtaposing a second layer over the city.

While his work would later influence Archigram and the Metabolists, the ideas never seemed to be adequately thought through- a provocative view on urbanism and the role of the individual but far from a potential solution.

Archinect Blog is up

Myself and three other M.ARCH2 students have started a school blog through the site archinect.com. It will give us an opportunity to present our experiences with the program to other architects and students. I will continue to keep this blog up. The archinect blog will most likely become a dialogue between the four of us about the particularities of the program. Here's the link: http://www.archinect.com/schoolblog/blog.php?id=C0_410_39

Winter Schedule Finalized

The last pieces of the puzzle fell in to place today with a few surprises. I will have three courses this quarter: Madrid Studio with Thom Mayne, Tech Seminar with David Erdman, and a Critical Studies seminar with Marcelyn Gow. I had considered passing on the Tech course this quarter considering how demanding they are but upon attending the introduction this morning it proved to be to big of an opportunity. Our project this quarter will become a full scale storefront installations on Hollywood Blvd. The project will bring enormous exposure to not only our individual portfolios but the entire school program. So it will be great to be a part of it. The final installation is in May and this will also carry over as a independent study next quarter. The project is a continuation of the glow studies of the summer quarter but adding new complexities of scale and site. For the first time we will also be working with interactive technologies, programming the installation to respond to people that approach it. The course is taught by David Erdman of SERVO and so we will also get the chance to work with some of the consultants SERVO has used for their installations.

Lastly, the critical studies course should be a nice complement to this project. It is taught by a partner at SERVO, Marcelyn Gow. The subject matter focuses on the rise of the computer and networking technology in art and architecture of the 1960s and 70s as well as their contemporary influences. Many of the artists I hadn't heard of but architects included were Archigram, the Japanese Metabolists and the THINK exhibit by Charles and Ray Eames. (image above of the interactive 1960s Pepsi Pavilion)

Winter Quarter Begins

Today was the start of classes and the lottery for the winter architecture studios. Since we elected to take a full studio with Thom Mayne (instead of a seminar as scheduled) I wasn't affected. I did attend and it was interesting to hear to the proposals. All of the course outlines are posted online here: http://www.aud.ucla.edu/~jkies/W07Outlines/W07Outlines.htm
For this quarter I am required to take two electives along with my studio. I'm leaning towards the two theory courses taught by Gow and Speaks, although the Tech course by Erdman is very enticing. Unfortunately, the two week studio trip to Europe in February makes a tech course tough.

Fall Erdman Studio- Final Presentation

These are from presentations I sat in on at the end of last quarter. The studio was taught by David Erdman who also taught the Tech Seminar in the Summer Quarter. As with that class, this studio began with minimal surface geometry growing through a process of accumulation to develop a mixed-use high rise in Singapore. The goal was to maximize area on a minimal footprint while questioning the archetype and image of the tower. Groups considered constraints such as conveyance systems, and structural footprints but they seemed to take a backseat to the imagined spatial possibilities from non-orthogonal, gridless organizations.