On the Ground

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3/30

On Thursday the art historian Maria Gough packed an impressive body of research on Malevich into a lecture that was as prim as its title: “Architecture As Such.” Were the Moscow Mules at the reception a bland choice, or is Suprematism also just a bit basic?

3/31

The graduating class threw a farewell 6 on 7. They brought back loved elements such as free food, a mariachi band, and an ice luge. Faculty witnessed students in their natural habitat as they spilled alcohol on the #paprika carpet.

4/01

Judging from the attire at prom, the only spices architects have in their pantry are salt and pepper.

4/02

Prom hangover, beautiful day.

4/03

Career fair in the air. Students increase their chance of getting a job by wearing a blazer.

Classy Affairs

This week, in conjunction with the theme of Taboo, OTG wandered the studio floors asking students about their challenges in studio and what is at stake in their projects, which had the unintended consequence of several mini panic attacks. Below are some of their responses.

First Years

“How estranged can we make a homeless population through architecture?”

“1000 square feet is hard to work with.”

“The fucking site is a huge blockade.”

“Ensuring that what we’re building is flexible enough to accommodate many different means of living yet is not just a blank slate.”

“The true test might be when our clients open their front door for the first time and say ‘What the fuck?’”

“A lot is at stake. No, literally a lot.”

Second Years

“One challenge is to find a vision, and to avoid genericism at an urban scale.”

“The migrant population in Lowell had a large role in shaping the city, so how can our design address some of their socio-economic issues?”

“There are more stakeholders at the urban scale. The shift in scale also applies to time, you have to consider much more of the past and future.

“We are grappling with switching between looking through the eyes of an architect/planner to a citizen.”

Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk

“A big question that we are dealing with is how can the design of affordable workforce housing contribute positively to the public realm?”

Francine Houben

“What is the role of a New York City library in the 21st century? At the same time as the rise of digital information and technologies, libraries have also become more social. How can the library typology evolve to accommodate that shift?”

Tatiana Bilbao

“What is the future of public space and recreation in Mexico City?”

“How to convey a vision for a better future while also acknowledging the grit that exists in the society. Figuring out an architecture that builds on rather than wiping away. If I can’t convey that grit, then my project could potentially be applied to anywhere rather than be site specific to Mexico City.”

Patrick Bellew/Andy Bow

“We are dealing with environmental issues in the design of a sake brewery in Kyoto. What does sustainability actually mean and how to represent that without divorcing them from the architecture?”

“What’s at stake is a shitty building.”

Keller Easterling

“Nobody knows”

“Flipping the narrative on existing patterns on preconceived notions of migration.”

“The question of audience. Who are we doing this for?”

“The fate of 55 million people.”

“These obstacles are currently being worked on;  they are not overcome yet.”

Pier Vittorio Aureli

“What are the issues of domestic space? Challenging conventions of domesticity is harder than you think. Forcing people to live collectively is not easy.”

“What’s at stake is nothing and everything.”

Articles

If you’re vegan or at least buy cage free eggs, Co.Design has an article on what it means to be an “ethically engaged architect.”

https://www.fastcodesign.com/90107669/do-you-know-who-builds-your-design-heres-why-you-should

GTFO

The much anticipated Apartment Crawl is happening again this Friday, ushering in another weekend of drinking and unproductivity.

If you’re in NYC this weekend, check out John Hejduk’s Jan Palach memorial, which is currently installed outside of the Cooper Union in conjunction with the exhibition inside, Hélène Binet – John Hejduk Works. The exhibition runs through April 29th, but the memorial will stay up until June 11th.