. Architecture without context isn’t actually Architecture Architecture without people is just an elaborate form of drainage Architecture without passion is pointless Architecture without effort is seldom worth the effort Architecture without fear is frightening Architecture without the pressure of mediocrity is sublimely irrelevant Architecture without weakness isn’t human Architecture without direction is aimless Architecture without relevance is oppressively irrelevant … Read More
Architecture in 2031
In 2031, I am a practicing Architect “putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.” Building Information Modeling, commonly known as B.I.M., seemed to promise a better way to design the built environment. Each trade working on the project could tap into the virtual model to add and … Read More
Dear Svehn
Dear Svehn, We need to talk. I’ve been working as your intern architect for 5 weeks now and I’ve been noticing this very disturbing trend. You see, the longer I work for you, the more I feel like things are… off. I’ve been asking around to my other friends and they inform me that things are not normal. 1. … Read More
Maybe I would be stronger than I am
If I were to sit with myself for a while at this table, I would tell me that it didn’t go the way I thought it would. I was young, and looked so thin, and sure of my ideas in that over-sized flannel shirt. With the world in front of me, believing I had the purest thoughts, standing cleanly aligned … Read More
Thank you Public Plaza
. Thank you public plaza, for being so unnecessarily spacious, and for allowing me to park so far away from the entrance. I probably needed to walk that extra 30 minutes during my lunch hour on my way to the DMV. Thank you public plaza, for changing levels occasionally, just to keep me alert. Thank you public plaza, for your simple paving pattern articulated … Read More
Architects Anonymous
“Go on” Richard said “It’s time”. Richard had only been my sponsor for a few days, but we’d known each other since we were in Design studio together. Man, I was wild in school. My thesis project was unnerving. All angles, and patterns and overly complex order, with a poetic sense of place. The project was completely uninhabitable, but striking. The final crit. … Read More
Real Architecture hangs in a Museum
Real Architecture hangs in museums. Challenging the viewer. Bringing into question the status quo. Real Architecture is crafted from polymers and vinyl toys into the shape of societies resolve. But, it wavers, spreads itself about a stretched canvas of time and place, and reminds us of what we could have been. Real Architecture wraps itself around the fabric of the city and insists on … Read More
Rules for Surviving Studio
Architecture is hard, and your classes are going to be hard too. In fact, Architectural Studio 301 is going to break you. V.I.U.* isn’t interested in cranking out a profession full of p###ies. So, Studio 301 is going ride you hard and put you away wet. Then they’re going to call for a spot crit.. You can pin that sh#t up … Read More
Lars can’t sleep
Lars always worked too hard, trying to impress his boss. At 10pm on most days, Lars would be closing up his programs, and shutting down the computer. He’d dump the files onto his portable drive, just in case he wanted to touch up some of the details later that night. Svehn would usually be in early, looking over the interns shoulders … Read More
Architectural Behavior Disorder
. We didn’t know what to expect when we first met Dr. Kendricks. I mean, you don’t picture your life going this way. You’re supposed to get married, get a dog, buy a house, and start having kids. You imagine soccer games, and peanut butter sandwiches, and amusement parks. Sure, you know you’ll need to “man-up” and be the adult. You’ll need … Read More
The horror…the order
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I found him. Honestly, I didn’t even think I would find him, and I didn’t really care. It was just a job. The company wanted me to bring him in, so I’d go bring him in. Kahn had gone rogue long ago. He was lost somewhere up river doing God knows what. The … Read More
How to draw a line
How to draw a line Take the pen in your hand Now, imagine straightness Think of multiple possible connections Imagine placements between separate points, and connections between Take time Hold a stillness within ink and move forward but slowly Visualize the end as you begin draw, breathe Represent, in linear form, a path of discovery Mark the conviction of your ideals And, use … Read More