The American Institute of Architects Central State Region Awards for Excellence in Design were presented to nine exemplary architects or architectural firms at the Gala Awards Ceremony in Tulsa, OK. AIA Central states Region award-winning projects represented the three categories considered by the jury: Architects, Interior Architecture, and Urban Design. Thirteen award winning entries were selected from 147 submissions by a prestigious jury, which convened in Chicago this past August.
This afternoon provided a much needed break from the marathon meetings that have characterized the last few weeks, and the walk back from the lighting studio revealed a tranquil stride in my gait. It was however, at once and immediately suppressed upon returning to the office by the four co-workers I share my “pod” with. Naturally, not wanting to kill the buzz that two hours in a dark room with ambient light leaves one with, I contentiously combated their intense level of decibel with the ever increasing volume of Sigur Ros piping through the cord connecting my computer to my head.
I have much to do. But on this Friday afternoon the headphones, Icelandic tunes, and Boulevard are making strikingly strong arguments against checking off the vexatious to-do’s that will forever give order to the typical work day.
A few images of the Cologne Modern Art Museum by Peter Zumthor, a beautiful interplay between historic and contemporary structures. Zumthor is able to meld the old and new with what appears to be minimal effort. The proportion and articulation of the new masonry against the existing structure proves to be another Zumthor exercise in thoughtful restraint.
Just when I was thinking about giving up cynicism and sarcastic wit, a hilarious yet poignant TED talk by James Howard Kunstler. The tragedy of suburbia
For more James Howard Kunstler check out his weekly blog postings at Clusterfuck Nation or visit his homepage.
I’ve recently finished reading Chip and Dan Heath’s new book, Made to Stick. As the book’s subtitle, Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, suggests the concepts in the book could be a powerful tool for anyone in the business of communicating ideas.
One section of the book that I found particularly thought provoking was on Generative Analogies, i.e analogies that generate a desired behavior. The brothers Heath use the example of Disney, and their use of a theater metaphor in hiring employees for their theme parks.
…Disney call its employees “cast members.” This metaphor of employees as cast members in a theatrical production is communicated consistently throughout the organization: Cast members don’t interview for a job, the audition for a role. When they are walking around the park they are, on stage…jobs are performances and uniforms are costumes.
All design processes reach a point of stagnation when you seem to be trying to solve the same problem continually with no noticeable progress. This happens for a number of reasons, but there are two that stand out in my head.
The first is a lack of new information. Just as our bodies need food and nutrients to continually sustain ourselves, design concepts need a steady flow of new information to move forward. I see a common misconception that design concepts exist autonomously from the day to day practical hurdles of a project. These things are seen as obstacles, something to over come or possibly hide. However, spending a day or two digging up answers to the unresolved practical questions can be critical in pushing a big idea forward. How much does this material cost? What are the code requirements? Where will the mechanical systems be placed? The answers to these question usually make key decisions for you, either by confirming an unknown or by ruling out an unrealistic possibility.
While I can’t mention the client just yet, I thought I’d post a snippet about the building I’m currently working on, the Boley Building at 12th and Walnut in downtown Kansas City. The Boley Building was designed by famed Kansas City architect Louis Curtiss and constructed in 1908 for Charles Boley and the Boley Clothing Co. While the facts are not totally clear it is commonly accepted that the Boley Building was one of the first examples of curtain wall construction in the world (click here for info on curtain wall construction). Also, it was the first use of rolled steel columns in building construction, as opposed to steel plates riveted together to form at I shape.
Last Wednesday I found myself, after a four hour long team meeting and marathon design session, with my head spinning, wondering where all of our initial ideas had gone. Many of you have been in similar situations, in academia and in professional practice alike. You’re two thirds through the design process and suddenly you’re entire design concept is dismantled piece by piece right before your eyes and you’re left scrambling to make something work. This happens for many different reasons depending on the project and office, so to speculate on a single cause would be in vain. However, I see a lot of concepts and ideas being reversed, not because they are terrible ideas, but because they are either not thought out or not appropriate for the specific design problem. It’s a misconception to think that the schematic design phase is a free for all, where ideas have no repercussions, and anything and everything is subject to change. This usually leads to watered down, undeveloped, and mediocre design solutions and can generally be avoided by making smart decisions upfront.
