MS+ME tour

I took a tour yesterday, with the AIAS. It was part of a co-operative roup of architecture, graphic design, and industrial design students with a few professionals mixed in. They have a bi-weekly tour schedule this Fall that looks extremely interesting. Unfortunately, most of the meetings are on Tuesday nights, and I have Cottle’s class then. So I’ll only be able to make the two Thursday evening tours. Last night, of which, was Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects. As one of Atlanta’s most, if not the most, prestigious design firm, it was exciting to walk through their studio and  revel in the organized chaos within.

Some of the highlights:

Merrill was our tour guide, she took us through some models of unbuilt projects (a few of which will be exhibited at the Eyedrum soon for an “Un-built Atlanta” exhibit). We walked by their model building room, aptly called ‘the pit’ where two SPSU grad students were happily working with MSME’s traditional cornea-seering white model board. We went over the drawings, renderings, and brick prototypes for their new Yale Health Services building. They had not done a hospital building in twenty years, so they hired over thirty consultants and partnered with another Atlanta firm for the project. And finally we talked about design process, competitions, and commissions. She noted that they use Rhino for modeling and contract out most of their 3D printing, although they will soon be in the market for a machine of their own. And they publically enter lots of competitions, large and small, to expand their design horizons. They’ve historically ended with an award ratio of about 1 in 12. Pretty good when you’re up against all the other big names in the business!

Overall, I was extremely impressed with their office, their building, Merrill as an incredibly approachable and knowledgeable individual, and their work. Its incredible to have this kind of talent working just a few miles from campus . . . even though Mack did note that they might soon be in the market for a studio in NY. Perhaps near Harvard, where he’s worked since 2000 as the Kajima Adjunct Professor of Architecture.

 

last night of freedom

It’s the night before architecture school and all through the house, not a creature was stirring . . . . except for my stackable washer/dryer that is rattling a hole into the drywall. But seriously, if I want out, this is it. Otherwise, it’s two years to the right and straight on till morning. So what a better celebrity blurb to stumble upon tonight than Eisenmen’s recent quote in the New York Observer:

If you were a son of mine, I wouldn’t want you to be an architect,” the septuagenarian told this reporter, “because it’s a tough way to be in the world. Look, my son who graduated from law school three years ago makes more than I do after 40 years of working.”

Real estate development anyone? Seriously though, doesn’t he look like the fatherly type? Almost Cosby-ish with that button up and corded sweater? If one of the more famous architects of our time thinks the profession is not good enough for his kids, then why should I think its even close to a good idea for me?

The only thing I might could come up with quickly is flexibility. The ability to work in planning, law, construction, real estate, graphics, and all sorts of other unrelated disciplines in accordance with what your current client is interested in without having to amass all those degrees. And the opportunity to meet new groups of people with varying interests and life experiences with each project. What other type of firm can claim almost any topic under the sun as research?

Or at least I hope those are good enough reasons to keep me entertained for my next 40+, low paying years . . .

 

Instant Urbanism, Basel

Where I would like to be now:

Instant Urbansim, in Basel.

“Tracing the theories of the Situationists in contemporary architecture and urban design”

Includes work from:

Lucy Orta (France),

Santiago Cirugeda (Spain),

EXYZT (France),

Srdjan Jovanovic Weiss (Netherlands),

NL architects (Netherlands),

IAN+ (Italy),

PPAG (Austria),

“Instant urbanism will also exhibit concepts and projects that redefine the city as a site for play and appropriation by way of constructing situations. Both new urban research and built projects will touch upon the idea of high-speed urbanism – with an emphasis on self-planning and urban occupations.”

And ooh! the derive is back!

” Two installations will give a contemporary slant to the dérive: a practice employed by the Situationists for investigating the increasingly fragmented cityscape on the basis of disorientation and intuitive explorations.”

“To the outside world the consistency of architecture is a given, from which you deviate at your own peril – which is ironic since it would be much better, and much more interesting, for the world at large if there were more deviations.” Rem Koolhaas

Also, the Situationist strategy of détournement – alienating and recontextualising aesthetic elements in order to draw attention to the ways in which our use of space is conditioned:

Diller and Scofidio,

Bernard Tschumi,

Observatorium , and

Atelier Bow Wow

comes into play – re-programming architecture and activating spaces for previously inconceivable uses.