Studio Process: Future City_01_Architecture as the Infrastructure

Very dense morning fog. It was so eerie seeing people walking in the distance. They were like ghosts.

It is good to be back! There is always a certain energy in the building at the beginning of the semester, but just give it a week or two. As expected, It is the start of a new project and we're thrown right into the 'process'. Thankfully, it feels right on beat and very much of a smooth transition back into studio culture.

This semester the studio project has to deal with future cities. Future cities? Contemporary cities dealing with density and how these densely urban areas function, grow and impact our society. It is very much a visionary project with a goal being to re-think the city -- to imagine how the architecture of a bunch of individual structures begin to become so dense that their spatial overlaps begins to blur the line between being architecture and urban infrastructure.

Example:  Rome v. Las Vegas

Figure ground drawing of Rome

If we look at Rome, we notice how dense the city is and how the buildings are creating space. From the drawing you really cannot tell the front from the back. The pedestrians get more of an experience from the city because the city is literally having more to offer.

Figure ground drawing of Las Vegas

Now, look at Las Vegas. It doesn't take an architect (or an architecture major) to see Vegas is all about the strip. The infrastructure is making the city rather than the city making the infrastructure.

I think It will be beneficial for me to document my process. It allows me to recall and reinforce important topics discussed and It gives the you guys (the readers) my 'perspective' of a future city.  

"As the global population increases, out cities grow larger. This growth is accompanied by population and demographic changes, skyrocketing real-estate costs, sprawl, encroachment of green space, increased air and sound pollution, traffic standstills, and inadequate housing. Are our cities as efficient as they could be? There exists inefficiencies in spatial usage and spatial qualities within the urban fabric from abandoned buildings and lots to buildings that are empty for more than 12 hours a day. What if a city could adapt quickly to turn those inefficiencies into opportunities and find a new ideal state?"
-Winy Mas, The Why Factory

CAD or hand drafting?

 

Frank Lloyd Wright drafting

A new semester is about to start and a certain topic that always comes-up is about rendering software or how we did the images on the last project. Once you get past first-year, a lot of the students are struggling to decide between hand drawings or doing work on a CAD software. As students progress through the program, there tends to be a lot less hand drawings and a lot more computer work. I mean, It is kind of understood that most (if not all) drawings used on final presentations are going to be CAD generated. Sadly, that is just how it usually goes down. I love, love hand drawings and I often do a hybrid of computer work and hand drawings in projects. After asking around, most students tend to fall back on what they know, especially during crunch time and the deadline quickly approaching. I can't really blame them. It all comes down to turning-in work you know you can produce or risk turning-in something you may not complete.
  
I am not here to say you should use hand drawings rather than CAD -- that's not the point. I do feel hand drawing isn't utilized as much these days and is a very important communication tool to learn and use. But, I also feel the evolution of architecture is dependent on technology and the software is nothing more than just another tool in the bag to use as a conduit to best express an idea. I know a lot of older professors curse the use of computers in architecture. I am sure the majority of us wouldn't want to visit a doctor if the doctor was taught and practices the same medical practice used in the 1950's, right?

Why do we always speak of hand sketching with such nostalgia? First, hand sketching is such a romantic notion. We see technology everywhere and seeing a hand drawing reminds us of bringing things back to basics. Hand sketching will always play an important role in design. It is the designer's go-to when we need to get an idea out and just 'play around' with, but that is usually where it stops. The designer has to make a decision early on that they are going to use hand drawings on their final board. Why? Because hand drawings take time and it is very difficult to fix a mistake (especially when working with drafting pens or colored pencils). CAD has a built-in 'F-it' button that we love to press because it makes our mistakes go bye-bye with a press of the button. But, CAD drawings aren't necessarily much faster either. I can easily spend five hours working on details on a drawing and most people couldn't notice much of a difference than five hours before. 

Both hand-drawing and CAD drawings take time and require layers on layers of detail. You can easily spend just as much time on one style as you can on another. Deciding which style to use is just a matter of considering how much time you can allow and how the style will work with other drawings if there are others.

"You are God..."

I believe we're all familiar with the Architect from The Matrix.

"You are god. You are able to create something from nothing..."

I have heard at least three different versions of this statement throughout my architectural education. I have even listened to one of my professors compare us (god) to the architect in The Matrix and how Neo (Neo - new) is the latest iteration in the design process. It is in our name: Archi- first, original, archetype; Tect- technician. Ultimately, at our core we are creators. We are able to sit at a desk with a piece of paper and a lead holder and just design. Then, we take what is sketched and create. To create something from nothing does seem 'god-like'. 

I digress. This evening I spent two and a half hours making turkey noodle soup (I am feeling pretty ill and really wanted soup!). I took the time to make fresh noodles, broth and the little turkey meatballs. By the end of it all I didn't realize how much time I spent preparing soup. After I was able to reflect on how much I had done and the time spent making soup I said to myself, "I created something from nothing." So, I view this whole "You are god" ego-petting speech as just a romantic notion. I mean, doctors were able to bring an uncle of mine back from being dead. Granted he didn't last much longer, but surely that is a hell of a lot more god-like than creating something from nothing? Women push a living person out of themselves! WTF?! Just saying that is insane to me! I consider that a lot more 'god-like'! But, that also is creating something from nothing. Well, maybe not nooothing. There was a little somethin'-somethin' for that to happen...


I digress. What I really wanted this post to be about it is that were are all our own god/master architect. Each person is able to create and design our own universe how we want. This all comes down to design and creating. Some results may take longer, but every move is a direct result of a design decision we have made. Nothing is ever perfect the first time around. Neo was not the first design of the architect in The Matrix. Well, the first time he was, but the Neo we all know and love was the sixth design. As designers, we take our iterations and learn about what works and what doesn't and make a new (Neo) design. I think If you can take a good/bad situation and learn about about what and why (all data) something happened, then that is just being more the wiser.

Did we just design ourselves into a dependent bubble?

Kids these days with their mobile tel-lee-phone and their tweeters with their gimme-gimme-gimme-now-now-now. Lazy-spoiled brats! Back in my day...  

It is difficult to go anywhere without noticing someone on some kind of electronic device. Hell, I am on one now. I kind of need to be using an electronic device to communicate with anyone these days. I need a computer to check important personal accounts and to do my work. Even an amount of my leisure time is spent on YouTube or looking through Pinterest. We have advanced so much with technology that we're starting to not design libraries in schools (That is kind of scary to say). My most recent educational project was designing a high school. We were shut down at the hint of mentioning a library in the program. The director pulled out his smartphone saying "This is my library. I have the world at my fingertips!" Also, three to four years ago my own high school announced they were renovating the library into.... a cafe... I spent many, many minutes in that library and now it is a cafe?! The books in the library were so random and seldom relevant to anything I needed to research, but that is a tangent I should probably refrain from going towards.

(Video is of Louis C.K on Conan O'Brian talking about his plane experience )

I get it! We get information so much faster, with more choices and with great quality. Wait a couple of years and it will get even better! We also start becoming impatient because we are accustomed to instant gratification. Does instant gratification contribute to anxiety? I think so. You could make a drinking game on how many times a person refreshes a page when you're next to someone checking their Facebook on a slow connection. Any little notification 'ping' or highlight and the person is right back on the screen. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people are on their phone or pad during a meal. It is fine if you're by yourself, but at least have enough respect to give your company your attention (little rant, sorry). A lot of people just don't know how to be alone with themselves. That is a pretty tough pill to swallow when you can't stand being alone with yourself. It is almost comical that if you have done something wrong in jail they put you alone with yourself as a punishment.

I suppose today would be one of the worst days to try to be independent from technology because it is the start of the work week and everyone is trying to get back into the routine. I am not saying be totally independent, but just a having little alone time throughout the day dedicated to something that makes you happy.

Pursuit of perfection

Jiro Ono, sushi master

I was suppose to be in bed three hours ago. Three and a half hours of cleaning a turkey, making a brine and preparing stock.The kitchen was freezing and there was a warm bed next to a cozy fireplace waiting for me. Could have all of that waited until morning? Of course it could. It is nearing 4 am and I am exhausted. For those three and a half hours nothing mattered and I was just focusing on achieving perfection. I never notice how I get into this meditation-like 'zone', but I know it well. It is the same unawareness I get when I am building, designing or shooting. The pursuit of perfection is what gets me up at 3:30 in the morning to get to the studio and what keeps me up hours after I was suppose to be sleeping. It is a dedication to craft and the pursuit of perfection.

Kyudo.

It is all about perfection for me. How can I do one-something as perfectly as I possibly can? Will I ever reach perfection? No, I do not believe I will ever reach perfection in anything. I could shoot an arrow everyday for the rest of my life and will probably never attain an absolute perfection. I do not believe perfection is ever meant to be attained. It feels like reaching up and trying to grab the moon. So, why bother if you can't attain perfection? I believe it is the discipline, commitment to the craft and pure pleasure that drives people to put aside their comfort to reach a higher level of meditation. It is not about doing something as quickly as you can to finish a goal, but more about having the pride to perform each individual task as perfectly as you possibly can to accumulate towards a goal. It is really easy to notice how much someone takes pride in their craft. I know I may feel (and look) like crap after, but emotionally and spiritually I feel content. This pursuit of perfection will always make me strive for better. I feel there would be nothing more to advance if I ever reach perfection. With the weekend approaching, I hope everyone gets to set aside some time to immerse yourself in something that brings your great pride and joy.