Catasterist » architecture

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Kirsten — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:17:28 +0000

The new Gehry Technologies advisory board. Yes, a couple of people aren’t pictured, but still, what the hell? Especially since these people are going to “save architecture” according to the Architect’s Newspaper article. Unbelievable.

The Inside Story

Kirsten — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:38:23 +0000

If there’s anything I love more than plan view (hello, Google Earth!), it’s section view. Sections of buildings are a pain to draw for the same reason they are so amazing—they really explain how the building works, what holds it up, how it connects to the ground, how the different parts are attached, and how the different levels related to each other. So much information! Section view seems to be catching on beyond architecture, too. Witness:

Scandybars: sections of candy bars scanned to reveal the delicious innards

Cigar Feet: slices through cigars to reveal the subtle distinctions in wrapping and contents

Cutting Open Toothpaste: the secret of striped toothpaste revealed!

Plus all the great books featuring urban cross-sections like kate Ascher’s Anatomy of A City and David Macaulay’s Underground, among many others.

They are amazing combinations of x-ray specs, dissection, and architectural sections. What other objects can we slice open and look inside?

Sound Advice

Kirsten — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:06:02 +0000

Architecture students, listen up! Some solid advice here:

http://www.archdaily.com/168451/design-studio-top-10-things-you-should-know/

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PS: the Project Neon iPhone app was submitted to Apple! Here’s hoping for a swift and positive review from Cupertino…

Tiny Worlds All Around Us

Kirsten — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:52:25 +0000

These building vignettes made of found object by Toronto photographer David Trautrimas are pretty rad. Take a look over on the great Junk Culture blog.

I’m heading out tonight to visit the until recently missing 3rd Candela Structure, way up in the Adirondacks. There will be so much driving this weekend, but I’m really excited to see number three out in the woods, a long way from Flushing.

It’s been a crazy week with Project Neon app testing, starting to get ready for the Project Neon show on Friday September 23rd, 7-10p (will you be at the opening?) at the City Reliquary (yeah, hopefully they’ll add it to their website soon!) and more. Oy, September is always a busy month. I guess catch up on sleep in October!

Clean Up

Kirsten — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 15:15:16 +0000

I’m cleaning out my inbox, my drafts folder, and my Springpad account, and so here is a list of miscellany gathered from here and there for your edification and amusement—

Though wood has been the default material for homes in North America and elsewhere (though some places with a dearth of wood have traditionally preferred stone or other materials), it’s difficult to build a wooden house in a big city, as fire codes make it nearly impossible, which is too bad as wood has many things to recommend it: it’s easy to modify and repair, it’s a good insulator, and it has a fantastic range of texture and color.

Despite the dearth of contemporary wooden homes here, examples survive, and have a wonderful warmth and idiosyncrasy against the backdrop of the city of bricks & steel. Here is a blog is documenting New York’s surviving examples, with wonderful comparisons to historic photos:

http://woodenhouseproject.com/

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Man, I wish I had known about this site during architecture school:
http://www.thistothat.com/
But now I know! I’m off to glue things…

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I haven’t yet seen an alternative to incandescent bulbs that knocked my socks off (I’d rather retreat to candles & kerosene than use most of them), largely for one reason: quality of light. Until I see a compact fluorescent or LED that does, I’ll minimize their use in my own home. I tried a “full spectrum” CFL, and it gave off a terrible, sickly cold light. Yuck. If the quality of their light doesn’t bother you so much, here are some nicely designed ones:

A brain bulb!:
http://www.solovyovdesign.by/en/portfolio/node-1290168462/?group_id=163

The famous (and lovely) Plumen bulb:
http://www.plumenshopus.com/products/plumen-001

A solar-chargable LED light designed for people who use kerosene:
http://www.nokero.com

I really hate the look of this bulb (too steampunk for my taste), but I know a lot of people like it:
http://cooperhewitt.org/blog/2011/08/24/how-design-thinking-led-beautiful-led-lamp

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A cool printer that prints onto anything, not just paper:

http://www.petapixel.com/2011/06/06/a-digital-camera-that-magically-prints-onto-any-flat-surface/

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A tiny garden for the yardless:

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/another_tiny_garden_by_another_studio_for_design_19688.asp

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An interesting project from one of my favorite architects, Peter Zumthor, for a secular retreat:

http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/23253/zumthors-secular-retreat/

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“Your Rainbow Panorama,” a joyful architecture project from artist Olafur Eliasson:

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/14812/olafur-eliasson-your-rainbow-panorama-now-complete.html

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A round-up of fictional—some very fictional—New York apartments from TV and the movies:

http://gothamist.com/2011/05/10/nyc_as_seen_on_tv_top_5_worst.php

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OK, that’s enough for now. I’m going to get back to finishing up Project Neon work now. Enjoy your weekend!

Origami Ceiling

Kirsten — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:42:37 +0000

Usually when “cool” and “drop ceiling” share a sentance, they are conjoined by the word “not,” as in “Drop ceilings are not cool.” Sustainable design firm MIO has changed that. I’ve seen other designy ceiling tiles, but none as elegant as these. I’m not sure how durable the material is (send me a design sample, MIO?), but they not only look great, they even fit in standard drop ceiling frames, and they’re affordable ($98 for twenty-four 2′x2′ tiles from one of four invertible patterns). I’m not sure what they envision you doing with lights, vents, etc., but I’m ready to do a little stealth redecorating here late one night…

A Shared Professional Interest

Kirsten — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:58:37 +0000

Alas, all too much of this new blog, Inside the Law School Scam, rings very true for architecture school as well. Is it terrible that I’ve begun regretting architecture school? When I list out the things I was taught, the list seems vanishingly small next to the giant pile of money I continue endeavoring to repay.

Regrets are painful and embarrassing, but probably a necessary part of repairing the damage, yes? Would I have been happier with a degree from a different school (I sometimes think a place like RISD or Cranbrook would have suited me better, though left me similarly indebted)? Should I have embarked on my own course of study? Should I have somehow gained more experience & education before entering grad school? All pointless questions, of course, because Should I go to Architecture School? And if so, which one? are not questions I will have to face again.

I do not, of course, 100% regret those four years of my life−I met many wonderful fellow students (who, alas, I have mostly been pretty terrible about keeping in touch with), I learned how to stay awake all night, I got a much-needed break from New York, I got to spend some time exploring the magical campus of Harvard, I was forced to teach myself a ton, and yes, there were a few classes that taught me some things.

The point of regret is to change your behavior for the future. I can’t quite piece together how this should affect whether I bother with the huge undertaking of licensing (I was all set to do it awhile back, but have since leaned the other direction), how to craft a career, how to repair my demolished finances. Unfortunately, the feeling that I made such a miscalculation has shaken my faith in my ability to design a good life for myself.

Could there be a way to leverage all the blood, sweat, tears, and dollars I invested?

So Many

Kirsten — Sat, 14 May 2011 16:52:26 +0000

Do you know about All the Buildings in New York? James Gulliver Hancock is drawing, as the project name says, all the buildings in New York. Wow. It takes so long to draw even a quick sketch of one building–drawing is a slow, meditative act. I love his drawings and am definitely planning to buy one, just can’t decide which.

He’s having a show opening this Wednesday May 18th at 7pm. It’s at 119 Ludlow Street in the lower level, and while I don’t know that I can make the opening, I’m definitely going to check it out. You should, too!

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In Project Neon news:

Don’t forget to visit the Project Neon Kickstarter page! Time is ticking away, and if the goal isn’t met by May 30th, I don’t get any money, the iPhone app doesn’t happen, and I don’t get to mail out the cool rewards. So please give what you can, whether that’s $10 or $100 and help spread the word by emailing it to a couple of friends who might be interested or posting it to a blog or two. Thanks! And a big double plus thank you to all the fantastic backers who have already pledged.
In case you’ve missed it, there’s a new post weekly over at the Project Neon blog. A new one just went up last night.
On Saturday May 21st I’ll be presenting Project Neon at the Kick It! Half-Day Mini Conference of Ideas in Action in Bed-Stuy. I’ll be bringing a New York neon game with prizes and the audience gets to vote on their favorite project, which will be awarded a cash prize from part of the ticket proceeds. Get your tickets here.
Project Neon now has a Twitter stream at heyprojectneon. It’s mostly cell phone pix of small signs I come across when I don’t have my camera with me.

Virtually the Best

Kirsten — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:48:20 +0000

The NAI (Netherlands Architecture Institute) is so great. They have created the coolest stamps ever (well, except maybe for these) and the first augmented reality thing I’ve seen that’s really appealing. Hold a stamp up to your webcam and you’ll see a rendering of an unbuilt Dutch building floating above the stamp. Amazing. Let’s do this in the U.S.!

Think Small

Kirsten — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:02:23 +0000

First, a big thank you to all the Project Neon donors. And if you haven’t donated yet, get on over to Kickstarter—you don’t want to miss out on these great rewards. The Kickstarter campaign ends May 30th, so what are you waiting for?

Shortly after the Project Neon Kickstarter campaign ends, a really cool show opens at the Museum of Arts and Design. It’s called Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities, and it features some cool stuff, including the work of an artist whose sculptures I’ve long wanted to see in person: Alan Wolfson. His work is meticulously detailed and each sculpture does an amazing job of capturing the essence of a slice (time- and space-wise) of New York, though he does take a few artistic liberties with details. I think this show may only have one piece of his (Canal St. Cross-Section, shown below), but one is better than none, so I’m definitely going to go check it out. I wish I could make models one tenth this good. And the other stuff in the show looks pretty intersting, too. I’m a little worried that four themes are three too many for a show like this, but I’ll report back. See you there?