DESIGNING ing ing ing

My perception of  our section's activity  seems to run the spectrum from  arbitrary casual scribbles, tedious  premature focus,  to finally no perceptible activity at all.

We all have developed different approaches to design "creativity" and this is just fine, who among us will challenge the ZAHA , FRANK  or SANTIAGO regarding the means that they use to conceive of their architecture. The big difference here is that you are developing personal design sensibilities under the structure of a design course and along with this comes a certain amount of accountability. 

Crits and pinups and blogs need to focus  on what you designed, how you designed , and why you designed. It is best to be as open and transparent as possible,  be redundant if necessary as you SHOW  and TELL. Leave NOTHING to chance. (note the annotations on ZAHA's and FRANK's sketches below(

Remember the pinup and your blog by January 30th should address the following issues as related to your Crop/ Site Combination:

1  Function

2 Site

3 Expression

4 Development

5 Articulation

6 Arrangement

7 Organization 

8 Three Developed concept alternatives

What are the attributes for  each of the above items? I don't need to list them, you are able to determine them.

 

Great Graphics in Rhet's Section

Take a look at the site analysis drawings in Rhet's Section this is the quality of drawings I would like to see for next monday's pin-up for each of the 8 items.

Expedite ... Expedite ... Expedite ...

The is stocked, you have a glimmer of what YOU see as a way to proceed.

Are you ready to commence with the next Items on the schedule?

JUST FOR CLARIFICATION…

Take a look at the Schedule for Problem #1, I announced earlier, the tasks, listed for the day should be accomplished before studio that day.

Note the Just in Time Discussions taking place in RM 114  I will too desk crits those days before 2:00 and after 3:00

Week 3   (m-1/23) Function, site, expression, Develop/articulate

                 Just in Time Discussion… 2:00 – 3.00 RM 114 … 

                 GOOD OLD CHING

  (w-1/25) Arrangement/organization 

                  (f-1/27)Develop 3 concept alternatives

                   Just in Time Discussion… 2:00 – 3.00 RM 114 … 

                  CODE ISSUES

Week 4   (m-1/30)Pin-up critique; show Selected concept; Site and spatial concepts;

                                 Finalized space-planning solution

                  (w-2/01)Discovering structural patterns /Begin structural concept model

                  Just in Time Discussion… 2:00 – 3.00 RM 114 … 

                  GRID to STRUCTURE

                  (f-2/03) Continue crafting model of structural concept

THE PIN-UP scheduled for January 30^th should address the following issues as related to your Crop/ Site Combination:

1  Function

2 Site

3 Expression

4Development

5 Articulation

6 Arrangement

7 Organization 

8 Three Developed concept alternatives

This is THE time to trust your intuition. Role play look at the Project Brief, Spatial requirements and relate them to YOUR CROP/SITE does every thing seem right, It may work for Wheat BUT NOT Cranberries. Think it through first in a narrative form then a diagram finally into a graphic representation of the spatial requirements. Only after these archived steps should you start sketching on a concept alternatives. 

Prairie Forms- Vintage Martens Studio Section -Traditional Means

FRIDAY the 13th...be careful!

Partial Schedule:

Week 1    
(f-1/13) Issue Problem 1, Assign Research Topics

Week 2   
(m-1/16) University Holiday
(w-1/18) Research: “Stocking the Bank”  &  “Opportunities I see”
( f-1/20) Student Presentations: “Stocking the Bank” & “Opportunities I see”

The decisions you make today  will stay with you until Spring Break, so make good ones.  
I will place sign up sheets on my desk.

To make this an orderly process:

First (at 1:30 pm)"Stocking the Bank" research, There are 22 relevant topics listed at the end of the problem statement. Individuals are to pick a topic they are interested and feel comfortable addressing, and sign-up to present information on one of that topic. (have a back up or two in mind if someone els picks "yours")

Second (also at 1:30 pm) if individuals want to submit additional Crop/Site proposals adding to the eight I have prepared, I will review and approve them while the "stocking research signup" is taking place  

Third (at 2:00 pm) I will post the Crops/Sites List  you will see that there are two name slots for each site and a Y or N  slot (answering the question …  Is this a team? (AGAIN have a back up or two in mind if someone els picks "yours")

Wednesday is a work day where another concept is added… "Opportunities I see" ...  You have been stocking the bank, you have a crop and site, you have studied the problem statement and although you've not actually started to design you at least have thought about it.  The "Opportunities I see"  exercise …  gives you a chance to express those early thoughts through any means .. song, dance, poetry, prose,  images (this is still an individual effort).

Finally on Friday 1/20 ...Student Presentations: “Stocking the Bank” & “Opportunities I see” … will happen in a space with a digital projector. The problem statements  suggests a PowerPoint presentation . Please designate a single studio laptop for the purpose of preloading all of the presentations prior to the event there are only 180 min for 170 min of prevention (10 min per student) so make this work with smooth transitions prior to the event. 

ARCHITALK!

One thing that happens in studio (at least in mine), I often am fielding questions on the fly and shouting out answers that may not be heard by all. This semester, my multimodal form of communication is my attempt to solve this problem.

I look at the problem statement , tasks and schedule and say "What on earth do I mean here?" ,  "If I can't understand it who will?" 

Architects are a jargon driven group, we have developed a shorthand lingo that is not universally understandable. Sure there are things we need to say that haven't been said before, we forget that these terms are not universally known (we our semester cloistered in the studio  and on the chance that we escape and talk to regular people we need to translate what we know into a common understandable terms and concepts.)

I will make a good faith effort to stay out in front of the studio to provide timely clear guidance. (Was that a pledge? It sure sounded like it.)

SKETCHBOOKS!

Don't get me wrong... I have nothing against sketchbooks. I love them I horde them I have several banker's boxes of ones that are full and several that are empty, My deal with Arts Materials DONT SELL ME PAPER! ( I need to use the paper I own first). I am a member of the Design Communications Association, it is a group of educators and authors whose concern it is to foster design graphics, I also follow several online groups:
"EVERYDAY MATTERS"
a group started by danny gregory dedicated to sketching and journaling the traditional way ... http://dannygregory.com/

"URBAN SKETCHERS"
dedicated to fostering the art of on-location drawing ...
http://www.urbansketchers.org/

"MOLESKINERIE"
lauding the consumption of the famous Moleskine  line of products for visual and verbal expression...
http://www.moleskinerie.com/

"ROZ STENDAHL"
an amazing individual from the Twin Cities who Sketches up a storm ...
http://rozwoundup.typepad.com/roz_wound_up/sketching/

I hope the thing you notice here is that i websites and  blogs enable the great work of these individuals and groups to be seen by all of us...  it is a fusion deal between traditional and digital means that makes this work. These folks are expressing them selves traditionally and instead of keeping their work to them selves, they are sharing it digitally.  Ok, you can't touch and smell it but you can see a approximation of it and what I've see is great!

BLOGS!

I posted the following on the Student Facebook Group : 2009 NDSU Arch 771 Design Sutdio's "The Fargo'Town & Gown District Study".
With face to face studios, Blackboard, and our blogs not to mention email and cell phone texting and conversations, we just can't figure out which mode we should use to communicate any more. That is an apology of sorts for the lack of activity on this group. For those none student members there has been action in our studio.
Go to my blog to index the student's blogs.. http://seeksolveshow.blogspot.com/ (From Fall 2009)
If I could interject an observation regarding studio as it NOW is versus as at was when I left it back in 2003.. nothing appears to be happening.. YES it is all in those folding contraptions called laptop computers but the information seems" classified".
For years the studio culture included learning from your peers.. MAYBE NOT SO MUCH ANY MORE... except at the final presentation when it is too late. My studio is using blogs, where students post and comment on their work in progress any one can comment. This harkens back to my wondering around 3rd year studio when I was teaching in second year removed but also involved.
Blogs are free and "open to the public" ( if set up that way). Faculty can require weekly or even daily postings and layout ground rules making the blog a gauge of process not presentation. Blogs used this way become analogous to a pile of tracing paper (something that only Steve Martens uses these days). Students can establish a blog and use it from studio to studio and beyond as an archive.
Ok that all was a bit harsh and as Fall Semester reached its conclusion the desks did start revealing what was happening. This still doesn't change my opinion about the need for STUDIO BLOGS.