floating pool in new york

this project - a quarter century in the making - is headed up the eastern seaboard from new orleans to new york. tonight, the barge is passing myrtle beach and steaming up the north carolina coast.

linear distortion - part ii

Abstraction today is no longer that of the map, the double, the mirror or the concept. Simulation is no longer that of a territory, a referential being or substance. It is the generation of models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal. The territory no longer precedes the map, nor survives it. Henceforth, it is the map that precedes the territory

baudrillard
simulacra and simulation

linear distortion

since my project is dealing with lines and their distortions, it is critical to examine how people experience and perceive those distortions. as i began to research these perceptions, i stumbled across a site called radical cartography which examines the earth in different ways. below is a map and description from the author which illustrates how one form is perceived in a multitide of ways - none of the current mapping typologies agree on the exact form of south america. their perceptions, or more acurately, interpretations, of the data each yield a different result which is only evident when they are compared.




PROJECTION STUDY Bill Rankin, 1999

A simple overlay makes the point that even satellite views of the globe are projections like any other. And given that there is no undistorted two-dimensional representation of a curved three-dimensional surface, one should ask whether "distortion" is even a useful category.

And yet the shape of South America is stable; like letterforms, or the word "tree," it is not any one shape in particular, but a set of relationships.

philippe stark's house in a box

Although this artifact was created over a decade ago, I think it is still very relevant to our recent discussions on the microhouse. Stark addresses how one can disseminate quality architecture to the general public at a price that is reasonable. A whole generation of houses were available by mail through the Sears Roebuck catalog in the early 20th century, and that paradigm is arguably just as relevant now at the beginning of the 21st century.

From a lecture by Stark to the GSD in October 1997:

The Starck House (3 Suisses) [1994] is the best architecture I ever made, definitely the most advanced architecture. It doesn't look like something by Jean Nouvel or Zaha Hadid - it looks a little classic for the most advanced prototype of the modern house. This is because sometimes the modernity is not in the design, but somewhere else, and it's in the "somewhere else" that it's interesting. Lots of good architects make lots of beautiful architecture. You can call them - they have all money problems, so they will be very happy to work for you. But a lot of these good architects will design only a big thing, beautiful and costly. But now, especially in Europe, you can buy a house that costs $100,000 that looks like bullshit. And a young couple will work all their lives to pay for this bullshit. Retired people will have worked all their lives to pay for this bullshit. That's why I have to find a way to say, "OK, every twenty minutes people buy a house like that at $100,000 with 1,500 square feet. Abomination."

And I said, "OK, I shall take the same budget, the same measurement, the same program, and I shall show that there can be something else." In the U.S. and in France you can make a cheap wood house with a strong image. This was intended to be the best design you can get by mail order; it was a solution to oblige the big companies to change their designs. This design caused a big scandal in Europe. I received pressure to not do it. That's why this house is not architecture but political action, not about architecture but about people. Now I am only interested in doing something like that. The main idea was just to make it different and more honest and more human than the bullshit they sell every twenty minutes. When you have a good idea, try in all ways to make the best things for the most people possible. If you succeed, that means the idea was good. Popular is elegant, and rare is vulgar.







Wooden box including hammer, Philippe Starck's notes, blueprints, notebook, flag, and videotape. For 3 Suisses. Stamped "Starck chez 3 Suisses 1994 N° 501." Box: 3 ⅜ x 31 1⁄2 x 24 ⅜ in. (8.6 x 80 x 61.9 cm) Literature Bendedikt Taschen, ed., Starck, Cologne, 2000, pp. 28-33

microhouse

progress model of convex / concave typology : second iteration

i feel as it the cap walls at either end and roof structure should both have a more muted geometry. the rails provided by the wall geometries will create a dynamic roof in of themselves. in the previous iteration, an entire wall was glass. now, i am more unsure of how to approach fenestration and glazing. maybe either as a discrete field pattern, or a voids punching through the exterior skin. if the exterior skin's outer layer was translucent with a plenum, then the form would have a cohesive appearance until the user turn on a light on the interior. That light could filter through the skin and reveal the location of the interior glazing.

not for the faint of heart

as a very special treat for the weekend, i stumbled across something to appeal to the salacious nature of the clemson school of architecture. please, cover the eyes of your children.

i present : furniture porn.





all right ... get your minds out of the gutter and get back to your studio work.

cac-c : new site on meeting street

University drops controversial location for architecture school
By JAMES T. HAMMOND
Excerpt from The State

Clemson University has abandoned a vacant lot in a historic Charleston residential neighborhood as the site to build an architecture school, and will pay $5.1 million for a different property on the more commercial Meeting Street for the new facility.

Last year, Clemson announced that it would build a $7 million modern building as a permanent home for its Charleston architecture program, which has been in Charleston since 1988. The site was in the middle of a block of George Street in the historic Ansonborough District.

While the lot given to Clemson by the city of Charleston was vacant, most of the structures on the street were historic houses in use as residences.

In July 2005, when the city and Clemson officials announced the plans for the new school, neighbors already had mobilized to protest the plan. There followed a year of bitter opposition by residents.

On Monday, Clemson trustees voted to purchase property at 292-296 Meeting Street, at the corner of George and Meeting Streets. The property currently has a 5,600-square-foot brick building and a two-story wooden “single house” of 2,350 square feet. The Clemson University Foundation will purchase the property for the asking price of $5.6 million and sell it to the state university for the appraised value of $5.1 million.

The change of plans marks the end of a bitter fight between the university and the neighborhood .

“I can’t believe the way Clemson officials conducted themselves,” said Albert Weinrich, an electrical engineer who lives at 1 George Street. “They didn’t understand Charleston, its culture or its architectural heritage. It was like they were from another planet.”

Weinrich said the modern glass structure that had been planned for the school had nothing in common with the surroundings of a neighborhood that prizes its historic character.

Robin Denny, Clemson’s spokeswoman, said the new site was selected in part because of the community opposition to the original site. Plus, she said, the commercial Meeting Street site will offer better visibility for the architecture school. And the lot is larger and will better accommodate the needs of the school, she said.

Weinrich said he believes the new location will damp opposition from neighbors of the original site, “if they do a reasonable design, appropriate for Charleston in size, mass and style.”

The new site is about half a block from the original site.

“The city expects that Clemson will build something excellent,” said Michael Maher, director of the Charleston Civic Design Center. He did not know any details of Clemson’s plans for the new site.

Plans to construct the architecture school were made with great fanfare last year, including the news of a $1 million gift from the estate of Countess Alicia Spaulding Paolozzi, a founder of Charleston’s Spoleto Festival, and the gift of the property from Charleston.

Mayor Joe Riley said last year that the property he was conveying to Clemson was an ideal location for the architecture school.

“The dear people outside don’t yet understand that, but they will,” he said.

Riley could not be reached for comment on Monday.

north carolina musuem of art expansion

This October, the North Carolina Musuem of Art will break ground for a $138 million expansion on its 164-acre campus in Raleigh, NC. New York City-based Thomas Phifer and Partners has designed a new 127,000-square-foot building to house the institution’s permanent collection.

When completed in 2009, the single-story Phifer pavilion will be a long, low rectangular volume clad in a seamless skin of satin finished stainless steel that appears to dematerialize into soft reflections of the landscape, topped by a “flying carpet”-like skylit roof plane.

The undulating roof line will echo the surrounding hills. A system of rhythmic vaults and coffers developed by the Phifer office in collaboration with lighting consultant Fisher Marantz Stone of New York and daylight engineers at Ove Arup of London, bring nature inside the entire building by capturing daylight through highly-engineered, glass-enclosed occuli. A unique system at the skylight glass in each oculus controls the light falling through the coffers. Elements within the glasswork can be dialed up or down to block, filter, and softly direct the light that is allowed into the galleries.

With white oak floors and pale, plastered, 16-foot walls throughout, more than 65,000 total square feet of exhibition galleries will be suffused with controlled natural light and supplemental artificial light as needed.

retire and return to college

Retiring to the college life - World & Nation

wind shaped pavilion

The Wind Shaped Pavilion is a design proposal for a large fabric structure that can be used as a public or private pavilion. As a lightweight fabric structure, the wind slowly and randomly rotates each of the six segments around a central open support frame. This continually alters the shape of the pavilion, while at the same time generating electrical power for its nighttime illumination.

army depot adopts camo roof?

From the Pocono (Pennsylvania) Record
01 October 2006

Tobyhanna Army Depot environmentalists believe they are the first to plant a garden on the roof of a Department of Defense building. Funding from the Joint Services Initiative allowed depot officials to install a vegetative green roof on one wing of the headquarters building this summer.

The Joint Services Initiative provides funding for projects that would save money, positively impact the environment and be transferable across the services. The demonstration project is part of a plan to improve the energy performance of buildings, reduce storm water runoff, extend roof life and contribute to a healthier environment.

A green roof, as the name implies, is a roof covered in plants. Workers covered the 14,141-square-foot roof space with about 1,500 pre-planted modules — recycled black plastic trays measuring 4 feet long, 2 feet wide and 4 inches deep. Sixteen plants were placed in each module at the nursery and cared for until they were shipped here.

"We asked for sedum perennials because they are drought and flood resistant, retain water, and have shallow root systems. Sedum is a low-maintenance shrub that does well in this climate," said Mike Parrent, pollution prevention program manager, Industrial Risk Management Directorate.

The green roof technology offers a flexible and modular design that can be adjusted and rearranged after installation. Modules can be moved to deal with a maintenance issue and then put back in place.

"Anytime you can save the government money and cut back on energy consumption, especially in this day and age, it's a plus," Didier said. "Research suggests we can expect up to a 30-percent reduction in energy costs down the road."

Reports also claim a green roof will extend the life of the existing rubber roof covering. Didier indicated the rubber roof is reported to last up to three times longer than the stone ballast it replaced. The stone was removed and will be used in a variety of depot projects.

"Ultraviolet rays break down the rubber and sealants on ballast-type roofs," said Don Rusnak, engineering technician for the Public Works Directorate. The green roof modules should provide better protection once the plants spread out and cover the area, he said.

Shortly after the project was completed, Didier noticed a marked difference in temperature from the green roof and the control roof. At the time, he estimated it was 80 degrees on the green roof and close to 120 on the rock ballast [control] roof.

Soil and dense vegetation cover have a great insulation value, according to the Maryland Department of Environment Web site. Working together, the two elements enhance the energy efficiency of a building and reduce noise. Department documents also noted that the vegetation cover protects the roof from direct sun exposure and prevents the roof surface from heating up.The growing media, plants and layers of trapped air in a green roof system serve as sound insulators. The modular system can be installed on any new or existing roof surface in good condition with structural capacity.

EMD personnel worked closely with the Public Works Directorate's Engineering Division, which manages all depot facilities to include one million square feet of flat roofs.

death of ARCHITECTURE

Hanley Wood has purchased Architecture and Architectural Lighting from VNU Business Media, Inc. Architecture will immediately be merged into Hanley Woods's newest launch, Architect, which debuts in October.

There will be some editorial shifts and changes in both publications if for no other reason than geography. Hanley Wood is based in DC while the VNU offices are headquartered in New York.

There will be some editorial shifts and changes in both publications if for no other reason than geography. Hanley Wood is based in Washington, DC, and VNU offices are headquartered in New York City. Architect's editor-in-chief Ned Cramer said that," the PA Awards will live on. The jury for this year's PA Awards will be meeting as planned, next week, and the results of their deliberations will appear in the January 2007 issue of Architect."

Designer Abbott Miller of Pentagram is creating the graphics. Hanley Wood will simultaneously launch Architect Online, a parallel web-based publication.

placemaking in the digital world

Is MySpace a Place?

louis sullivan at one hundred and fifty

c. 1899 stair baluster from from louis sullivan's schlesinger + mayer department store, now known as carson pirie scott. cast iron with traces of copper plating. thirty-nine inches in height , ten inches in width. available from michael fitzsimmons for sixty-five hundred dollars.

in commemoration of sullivan's sesquicentennial, fair oaks workshop is manufacturing reproductions from several of sullivan's buildings. the artifact is copper-plated cast aluminum, finished with an antique patina. they are available for about four hundred dollars.

it would be magnificent to own an artifact from a famous building, and it would be a centerpiece to be sure. but its tragic when you realize that the buildings of the modern movement and beyond are devoid of such artistic elements. there is nothing from the works of mies or johnson that you could hang on your wall as a centerpiece. the concept of architectural salvage will fade over the next thirty years as the craftmanship evident in the built environment is exhausted.