AIA Membership Elevation

Hi there.  I just wanted to share with you that once you become licensed you must complete a hardcopy application called the "Architect Membership Elevation Form" in order to achieve AIA status in the AIA.  I thought that by inputting my license information into my profile on the AIA website that this would be the only step necessary.  Only when I went to renew my dues did I realize they still had me as Associate AIA and that this was the only way to update your membership.  Seems a little redundant, as I said I already submitted my license number, but they require a photocopy of your state license document.  Guess I will take care of that on Monday!

Academics Y'all

So sometimes I write academic stuff. So sometimes I edit journals. Here are some examples here:
I promise I will be less boring in my next post.

MA Thesis

In this thesis, the concepts of administration and bureaucracy are argued to be far more important on a personal level than any sort of material possession. By studying the aspects of administration and its subtle, mundane yet somehow bizarre logic, "Please Complete The Form" weaves together a story of laws, lies, perceptions, aspirations and an early morning wrecking ball which sought to destroy a legacy.

"The moment a name is written on a form, administrative space has been entered. Within this paper space, a person is only what they have self-identified, common symbols arranged in such a manner to indicate existence. The form is a dividing line between the personal and the individual within a strict machine: the individual being the physical embodiment of statistical data, the personal serving as something more mystical, more human. Though being human seems to be the lesser concern, as forms, and indeed the spaces which hold and process them, have a different understanding of the living and the dead. By simply miswriting information, one could technically live forever, or never exist, or be in two places at once, which results in a strange kind of immortality, particularly when it has to come to a lawsuit."

(For the full thesis, see below)

PleaseCompleteThe Form.Final

The Accidental Iconoclasts

“Art cannot be criticized because every mistake is a new creation”: this is the poster-dogma of self named street artist “Mr. Brainwash” for his first UK show, a reinvention of his premier show in L.A., Life is Beautiful (Old Sorting Office, New Oxford Street, Bloomsbury, London). Initially the spray painted image invokes an avant garde battle cry, however this call to arms may actually be an act self-defence, given the artist’s backstory. Mr. Brainwash came into the public eye via the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) . Mixing the mythologies of Emperor Claudius and Darth Vader, an odd but otherwise harmless shop-owner becomes seduced by hype, media, and the benefits of being a dangerous Street Artist via his cousin, the artist Space Invader. To mark the metamorphosis, Thierry Guetta changes his name to “Mr. Brainwash” and via a large public show, betrays the Street Art community by stealing their ideas to gain notoriety. At the end of the film the viewer, like the other artists, is meant to mix revulsion and indignation at the commercial success of Mr. Brainwash. He is portrayed as someone who never truly suffered for his art or developed a style, a fraud. We’re meant to be mad not because he made money, but because he cheated.

(For the full article, see below)

FINALTheJudgementofIslington-21.pdf

Diamond Rock Stars and The People Who Watch Them

The Shard as we know it now, indivisible from the Southwark skyline, is a both a sign of the times and very much not. The most telling aspect of the building may not be the construction or layout, but in how it simultaneously orients and divides the profession of architecture. From conception to critique, it is both a fore-runner of possible trends and the beginning of the end for a particular kind of architectural persona. The building makes a defining statement about what it means to be "corporate" in a media-savvy and somewhat tech-oppressive environment. Indeed more than any other of Renzo Piano’s work or even Irvine Sellar’s (the man behind Sellar Property Group) investments, the Shard requires something more to be successful: the Shard needs love or better yet, envy. In its raw ambition, the Shard wants to be as photo-friendly as any other tourist spot in London, however there are elements that are preventing the architecture achieving this, elements that boil down to how the Shard is viewed by "us" and "them" .

(For the full article, see below)

Diamond-Rock-Stars-and-the-People-Who-Watch-Them-Final.pdf

A Perfectly Imagined Ruin

“I knew that good like bad, becomes a routine, that the temporary tends to endure, that what is external permeates to the inside, and that the mask, given time, comes to be the face itself.”

When Marguerite Yourcenar wrote the above in 1951 she was referencing the personal struggle of a man who eventually becomes the tyrant he was only pretending to be. Though specific in its imagining, this quote recalls another from Fredrich Nietzsche “Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself.” Between these two reflections we can begin to identify a theme: the modern dilemma of labeling. As technology becomes faster, better, more malleable, as influence becomes vast, exotic, tenuous, it seems that to make a mark, to be remembered, requires a fantastic amount of self-assurance. Doubt is for dreams, regret is for memoirs and in the introduction at least, there can be no room for confusion: this is me. That self-assertion is as much about defining what you are as much as what you are not, often resulting in a simplistic ego that may not fit the intent. To become an icon, the modern author must assume whatever they pretend to be and Architects, as part of the authorial community, are not excused. Within the twentieth century in particular, the labeling of architects became the most vastly altered element of the field. Though one site in particular seems to be as philosophically challenging to labels as its designer (the subject of Yourcenar’s novel) was: The Villa Adriana.

(For the full article, see below)

FINALVILLAADRIANA1.pdf

Errrhhhhmmaaahhgerd Peeerrrblishing

Hey guys! Not to be too self-promoting, which is the most obnoxious thing for a blog to be, but I actually got PAID to WRITE something that I'm passionate about. For this I am extremely excited.

After I got the check I was so blown away I called the cockney-accented man whom I absolutely adore and told him:

"Get your coat baby I'm taking you out - anywhere you want."
"Anywhere?"
"Yes."
"Nando's. I want to go to Nando's."
"...really?"
"I'm a simple man. I love chicken and chips."

And while the looming dread of unemployment is the dark cloud hovering over an otherwise cheerful woman. I think maybe it's time to decide that a career isn't necessarily what other people tell you should want. What can I say, almost 10 years after I started studying architecture I'm still a Venturist.

There's a scene in "Room with a View" where a dreamy blonde turns over all the pictures in a room and writes a question mark on the back. If I was going to do that, it would now be an ampersand. But then again, the image would probably be enough for that. Or at least it would be for now.

See the article here.
http://www.saturatedspace.org/

I gotta go - chicken and chips is calling.

Drafting Standards from NCS

When I first learned, years ago, that the AIA had come up with a system for Auto-CAD layers, I thought it was super nerdy of them.  However, having bounced around to a few different firms, I subsequently find it incredibly helpful and logical.  The AIA, or NCS, format is thorough but concise.  In an effort to start establishing my own CAD standards, be they layers or titles blocks or symbols, etc., I am starting to look into this a bit more.  So far, I have found a number of free PDF downloads that kind of give you a taste of this organizational nerdiness (you can find the PDF's at this NCS website).  I think the comprehensive list of layers and such may be a part of the license package that costs upwards of $400.  I think for my personal purposes, I can get away with creating the few layers and standards that I need by myself.

As a side note, I started looking into CAD standards because I'd like to start getting into projects on my own.  I have some small projects that don't really require a lot of drafting, but I'd like to get more actual work, which of course involves drafting.  Analyzing my options for CAD software, it would seem that my MacBook Pro is too old (in spite of its upgrades) to accept any current CAD or BIM software.  And even if it could, that would cost somewhere around $2,000 - $4,000.  But since I can't install the current software (they don't sell older software, they only let you buy the current stuff), I'd have to buy a new computer which would also probably cost $1,000 - $2,000.  So to do some small drafting gig on the side, I would have an immediate initial bullet to bite of somewhere between $3,000 - $6,000.  Um, for that pocket piece I could get new living room and dining room furniture!

However, I remembered that I still have AutoCAD 2006 from school on my old desktop computer, which I booted up today and am tickled to say that it runs swimmingly.  I'm going to play around with it the next few weeks and see if it will suffice for my purposes.

HARB - Pros and Cons

What is your experience with, or thoughts regarding, Historic Architectural Review Boards?  I have limited direct experience with them personally, but have heard and read and indirectly experienced several different perspectives.

Lately, my thoughts have been that they are a positive feature of a community, because in my own community there has been a lot of discussion about possibly forming an Historic District, which is exciting to me.  In my mind, the HARB would consist of passionate and compassionate board members who have knowledge for and unbiased appreciation of the local historic architecture.

A recent discussion with a colleague who is very much anti-HARB made me realize that what I imagine and what actually comes to fruition with the boards are not one in the same.

Ideally, HARB would guide and educate property-owners in the maintenance and aesthetics of their properties.  However, what more often seems to be the case is HARB becomes another money-grab hoop that designers, owners and builders have to jump through, and to perhaps an ineffectual end.

After listening to my colleague's argument and reflecting on the stories cataloged in my brain, I have to say that HARB is a great idea in theory, but it is poorly executed in practice.

What do you think about HARB?  What are your pros and cons?

Pro

• Maintenance of neighborhood character
• Guidance for property-owners on creating historically accurate improvements
• 
  

Con

• Board members may or may not have the expertise to offer actual guidance
• Board members may have very finite or subjective grounds for approval
• The owner's added cost of preparing for HARB reviews and permitting
• 
  

Some last minute stops before we're lost at sea again.

So now that my grad school thesis is turned in I decided to reward myself in the dorkiest way possible: by going to visit museums. The cockney man I love was not able to come with me so it was kind of interesting getting involved in London's history spots without someone I can ask a bevy of questions to.

 

Questions like: "Is marmite an actual food or is used just for torture?" or "Do people in England really think that Ben Franklin was a serial killer?" But here we go:

 

Stop 1) The Handel Museum

 

 

 

Did you know that Jimmy Hendrix and Handel lived in the same row home in west London? Because I didn't. And honestly, that is kind of the only architectural interest of this house. Not to be dismissive to the museum, or it's staff, who were lovely. But unless you're super into Hanoverians, Harpsichords or dope-ass wigs. It's a row-home that has a very nice open spaces and a flat in the attic. I'd skip it. Though the restaurant in the little courtyard out back is nice.

 

 

 

Stop 2) The Dickens Museum

 

 

 

The Dickens Museum on the other hand is much more interesting and maybe because as a person, Dickens is just more interesting. Handel was incredibly private but Dickens may have been the human equivalent of a Chihuahua high on cocaine: the dude had some energy.  The house itself is what a respectable Victorian home should be, and for that, it's interesting. It's lush, but compact, pretentious but not insincere. As someone who only recently started to get into cooking I can state that the kitchens were fascinating, particularly the sinks which seemed to have been a huge piece of stone carved into the shape of a utility sink.

 

Yet what I liked best about this museum was that it felt like the home that a writer would live in. It was comfortable but bright. Secluded but not isolated. It was the home of someone who works from home.

 

Off-topic: he was not cool to his wife. but then again she was loopy on drugs. also kind of dumb. Seriously look it up. Somebody hit a mid-life crisis wall hard.

 

 

 

SPEAKING OF WIVES!!!! 

 

Stop 3) Hampton Court Palace

 

 

 This was a place I had been dying to get to all year but like going the post-office, I hadn't found time. Well not anymore. Instead I took the noon train from Waterloo to Kingston-Upon-Thames. If one had been part of Henry VIII's court one would have taken a boat there (or back depending on if you were going to get your head cut off). But I'm rabble at best, so it's public transport for this kid.

 

The story of Hampton court is actually a tale of two buildings. The first one being the Renaissance Palace of a certain Cardinal Wolsey who had both sense and power, but not quiet enough as it would turn out. The other being Christopher Wren's palace for William and Mary on the other side. Both are really interesting in their aesthetics mostly because they're doing the same thing: promoting pleasure.

 

Henry the VIII's pleasure was grand, open air dining, dancing and spectacle. Sexy ladies and their scandalous French hoods. mrrrowww.

 

William of Orange's pleasure was a quiet evening and a good book, maybe a meal with a few good friends. He was a homebody.

 

And the layouts reflect this. The original Hampton Court is open and solid the addition is quiet and delicate.

 

However, more than anything else it feels like a palace. The only comparison I can think of at this scale is, rather uncreatively, Versailles. But Versailles is a consistent design plan. ALL of it feels ostentatious and dictated by strict protocol, and it all boils down to the king as an other-worldly creation.  This is not to say that Hampton Court lacks that sense of force of personality, but that the personalities there are not as exacting in what they want their design to be. If Versailles is an exacting and coordinated dance, then Hampton Court is a waltz. It's got rules, but they're pretty easy to follow.

 

Maybe this has something to do with the inconsistencies of power for both of the main residents. Henry had only come to the throne because his father had beaten Richard III, William only had it because he married a nice girl who didn't have any brothers. (Not to mention both he and his wife had the ghost of Charles I haunting their every move). Versailles is absolutely sure that their power is unending, Hampton Court wants to prove that they are powerful in the here and now.

 

 

 

Though I think my favorite part of the whole palace was the influence of Henry's Wives or as I call them:

 

- Catherine "Everyone Forgets I'm a Blonde" of Aragon

- Anne "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" Boleyn

- Jane "Something in Sheep's Clothing" Seymour

- Anne "It's what's on the inside that counts" of Cleeves

- Katherine "Pics or it didn't happen" Howard

- Catherine "Just get me out of here" Parr

 

Ahhh Henry, you may have been a horrible monster but you were never boring.

NCARB Certificate

I just wanted to share some timeline information with you.  My initial license (in PA) was issued at the end of May.  I just received in the mail today my NCARB certificate.  I don't recall the date on it, but I remember the letter that accompanied it was dated August 12.  Anyway, so for those of you working towards initial licensure, there are some milestone type figures for you!

"You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" - France Adventures Part II

So skedaddling south, we find ourselves in Marseilles. Strange, but somehow like able Marseilles.

I had been to Marseilles once before and I'd be lying if I said that I loved every minute of it in 2011.

For the full survey - read here - Marseilles - 2011

 Marseilles, in a simplistic way, is a bizarro-land version of Paris. The architecture is reminiscent of a sort of second-empire, kind-of neoclassical that seems synonymous with the boulevard but with all the grandeur surgically removed. Marseilles is neither the center of the world, but neither is it completely obscure. It is, after all, the second largest city in France. However, there is something about the city that is both incredibly French and completely not. It is not the beret-wearing, french-bread-toting, bicycle-riding France that was made famous in movies like Sabrina or anything starring Maurice Chevalier. No, this is the France of Dumas, a revenge seeking, almost north-African setting which has a certain sun-drenched, slightly menacing feeling. Like a card game with people you don't know: the interaction could go either way.

A great description of Marseilles as it was (and a little bit of how it is now) can be found in the writings of Walter Benjamin, particularly 'On Hashish'.

Walter Benjamin - On Hashish


I highly recommend reading this with a scotch and cigar because minor vices are the bread and butter of such writing. But I digress.

BUILDINGS!

If you read my previous post on Marseilles you will be able to tell that

1) I thought the Zaha Building was at least interesting

2) I was not all that impressed with the Unite D'Habitation

To quote Willy Wonka

"Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it."

1) The Zaha building does feel like something out of the not-too distant future, in the sense that is not something that belongs in Marseilles. Upon second analysis, the structure feels like something that was conceived in a studio in London (after someone spent a weekend in Marseilles) and in no way relates to anything doing with the micro culture of the city. One of my colleagues who seems to have dedicated her life to hating Hadid's plan for Istanbul could not say enough bad things about the building, and for the most part, yeah. There are a lot of problems with it, though I stick by my assessment that to ignore it, is to ignore it on purpose.

2) Ok, so to be clear, I'm not ready to drink the Kool-aid on all Le Corbusier buildings yet, but when I first saw the Unite, it was as someone passing through: This time I got to stay there and it made all the difference. The genius of the Unite is in the sections and the details. Each unit is, relatively, pretty small but they don't feel so. The steps are done in such a way that a baby's hands could crawl up stair unassisted. There is a drop-box for staples (Bread, Milk, Cheese) that one can order from the store on the mid-floor. It feels like the kind of place that a child would want to grow up. Which makes sense, given it the design's post-war intentions. 

What I was wrong about before is the notion of subtlety. Where the Zaha building is indeed striking, what it is not is particularly clever. If we are to compare these two buildings (which we shouldn't necessarily do, as they are completely different programs but ehh...) it is a battle of 'Shock and Awe' vs 'Indie Cred', Britney Spears vs Bon Iver. Corporate vs Hipster, with all the obnoxious associations that connect those notions.

Which brings up our next topic. The European Capital of Culture.

'The European Capital of Culture' is an honor that has been created to promote cities in the EU which maybe have been ignored in the past, cities that are not necessarily on your typical tourist route. Some examples of previous years include: Porto, Salamanca, Lille, Liverpool, Turku, Cork & Bruges.

This designation results in various urbanization projects and in the case of Marseilles one might relate the followings buildings.

- Vieux Port by Norman Foster

- MuCEM Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations) by Rudy Ricciotti

- Villa Méditerranée by Stefano Boeri

Each of these buildings feel particular of this age and intent, which means that it may be a little too early to tell how these buildings are going to age. I could give my thoughts, but if Marseilles has taught me anything, it is that jumping too quickly to conclusions and opinions can result often in having to jump back from them. But for the sake of it:

- Like.
- Like.
- Meh.

As the end of the trip drew near, I was excited to return to London, even with it's miserable weather and soot. This feeling was somewhat deterred when I was almost vomited on when the tube reached the Covent Garden Station. (Which is what I get for being on the tube at 11:59 on a Friday). Upon my east-London flat, my counterpart went in for a hug and in a moment of hesitation, asked what happened on my journey: "People" I replied hopelessly. "And Buildings" which was when the smile returned. Then I took a shower with that regionally appropriate soap that dries your skin and dreamed of warmer weather.  

Complimentary NCARB Certification

Hi there.  I just wanted to post what I did not realize was an added bonus to getting your initial license.  NCARB offers complimentary certificates after you get your first license.  I thought I would have to apply and submit the appropriate fees, which was a major deterrent after already dropping like $2k on exams, extensions and applications and such.

Though I am not certain if I will ever need to be licensed in other jurisdictions, and therefore maintain my NCARB certificate every year, I won't say no to a free one now!  I think it expires late in 2014.  Maybe some doors will open between now and then that will make it a seemingly wise investment.  I have heard both sides of it - it's a waste of money, or it is the best investment you can make in your career (after licensure, exams, etc. etc.).

Any thoughts?  For now I will use the NCARB acronym in my email signature but that is about all I will be getting out of it for now!

One for you, one for youtube.

So I realize that I haven't shared like, any videos of my sorted adventures. Let's fix that now.

Tate Modern - London

 

Hills in Derbyshire

Lyme House, Derbyshire

Chatsworth House Picture Gallery

Kedleston Hall Ballroom

Edinburgh Castle View

 

Dunnottar Castle - Exterior

Dunnottar Castle - Interior

For me, for me, for me, formidable

I have just returned from the south of France and man does London weather look downright miserable in comparison. Now granted, I am not adept at warm temperatures. In fact, anytime it gets about 80 I start fearing for immediate implosion, but after several months of what seems to be the perpetual mid-November weather of England, a Mediterranean trip could not be turned down. Our first stop was Lyon, which is in the southern central part of France and home to some of my favorite street art. Including one which told me (in English) that : "Life is too short for soft porn". Thanks. Gross.

But what I found most interesting in Lyon were the three following places:

 1) Jean Nouvel's extension of the Lyon Opera House -  I liked it, for whatever that's worth. It's trying to be epic and sophisticated but in a contemporary fashion. Much like the loud break-dancing teenagers outside the opera house, it's an attempt at taking something historic and making it contemporary. Though the real success is how it meets the public space adjacent to it.

2) Le Village de Etats Unis (and corresponding murals) - This odd area of the city was designed almost entirely by Tony Garnier, and as such has an almost Utopian feel to it. Originally this was built, as the name implies, for Americans who had served in WWI, built between the years of 1920 and 1935, as affordable housing it's a remembrance of its time. Both beautiful and just a little off.

3) Halle Tony Garnier - You may be able to guess who designed this one. Sadly we couldn't go inside, but the exterior was quite lovely. In fact, I would venture to say it is the nicest slaughterhouse I've ever been to. TAKE THAT SMITHFIELD MARKETS!

After we left Lyon we made our way to La Tourette, or more formally, 'Sainte Marie de La Tourette'. Which is a Dominican monastery outside of Lyon, about 30 min by car. If you're reading this blog, I'm making a general assumption that you are aware of Le Corbusier and his subsequent effect on architecture both modern and contemporary. But for me personally, I always hated the work of Le Corbusier. I know that's blasphemy, but we're being honest here. For years I thought his work was enormously over-rated and, as little as it matters in the grand scheme of architecture, ugly. This ugliness comes from what I perceived as a lazy style of baton brut, clumsy forms and ideas which are overly political for someone who finds himself 'convieniently Swiss' every time a war breaks out. He may have had Sigfried Gideon and Colin Rowe in his pocket (which are indeed, pretty good gets), but not me.

Though I always found my hatred of this ugliness to be contradictory, I mean I loved (and still do love) Robert Venturi's work, and that is about as ugly as ugly gets. Why then so much Corb-hate? I suppose it's because I saw it as claiming to be more than it is, the product of a really good spin artist and a figure just arrogant and articulate enough to be believable. That is until I saw La Tourette. Cliche as it sounds, I think the monastery may have started to make a believer out of me. Do I think it's my favorite building of all time? No. Not even close. But being there, walking around, staying in one of the cells, I get it. There are theorists who believe that Le Corbusier's work was done in such a manner to make it more photogenic. I'm going to have to disagree. In photos La Tourette looks like a massive, miserable block of a building. Solid, impenetrable, unfeeling. But I guess what I never realized, not fully anyway, is just how hollow and empty the courtyard of the building seems to be, how green, how, well, peaceful. It should be noted that just about a 2 min walk away from the entrance of La Tourette is a graveyard. As the woman who runs the monastery stated 'it's a wonderful place to be deceased' and yeah, in a weird way, you feel almost like a ghost in La Tourette. It feels ancient, and you are merely the earth-bound shell of blood and bone holding, like a egg in a nest, a soul which emerges, fully formed upon your death. Or maybe that's the wine talking. Either way, it was better than I expected.

 

Though the skylights sticking out of the chapel are stupid looking from the exterior. That I'm never going to change my mind on.

The next step was the provincial town of Arles. Arles is the kind of place that you feel a Diane Lane movie should be set. You know the one I'm talking about, like a middle-aged woman moves to a small town in Europe after her crippling divorce to discover herself and along the way meets a gardener or like a mechanic or a wine merchant or whatever who teaches her to love again.

As a side note, I'm going to list words I hate that are used in movies such as this:

- Sensual
- Lover
- Wit and Wisdom (together, the words are perfectly fine apart)
- Rediscovering herself

Ugh - kill me.

However, to the best of my knowledge Lifetime has never actally filmed a movie in Arles, so I allowed myself the freedom to like it. And it is, really, really charming. Maybe it was the sun, maybe it was the entire pizza I ate by myself, but the connection of provincial, ancient and accessible just gets me every time. Sometimes I suspect that going to these places as an American means that you're going to see these places differently. In the US if there are 'charming winding streets' they are usually artificial and conceived of a Richard Sennett inspired urbanist, which is fine, by the way. But there is a kind of obsolete usefulness to these streets, like stubbornly using a type writer from the 1920s, even if the damn thing barely works. They have problems, they're not practical, but what can I say? Oh, let's just let 1990s Meg Ryan do it for me?

Stay tuned for next time when we talk about Marseilles, Unite D'habitation and various other sundries.

Initial License

For future reference, I thought I would take this opportunity to document this phase in the process.  I submitted my application for initial license on May 3 via USPS.  On May 28, I logged into the Department of State's website to check and see if I had be listed as registered yet, as I had done every day since May 3.  I was delighted to see that on May 28 my license was issued and the information was updated on the DOS website.  At present, May 30, I have not received the hardcopy in the mail yet.  If they sent it out on May 28, it is conceivable that I will receive it tomorrow.

As a side note, in PA, licenses expire at the end of June every 2 years.  I was curious how it would work for me with my initial license being issued so close to this renewal deadline.  As it turns out, they basically gave me the rest of 2013 so my license was issued May 28, 2013 and doesn't expire until June  30, 2015.  Now, as to whether or not there is some sort of additional pro-rated fee, I am yet to be made aware of it.

Additionally, on May 20 I submitted for AIA National's Jason Pettigrew Memorial ARE Scholarship.  The eligibility requirements are that you are either an NCARB record holder in good standing, or an Associate AIA member in good standing.  Since, once again, the timing is close, I'm not sure if I am any longer one of those things, or if it matters since that is what I was when I submitted the paperwork. Anyway, what I wanted to share was that my NCARB record was set to expire tomorrow, May 31, 2013.  I was reluctant to renew it, because I don't NEED the NCARB record any more, now that I have my license and it is a $75 fee.  However, once I entered in my new license number, it waived the renewal fee and offered me congrats on becoming an RA.  Now they are going to send me information to get the NCARB certificate, which I am still on the fence about.  That fee is significantly more per year than $75.  I think it is in excess of $200.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some fun facts before they fade into "I don't remember...."

Initial Licensure

I am pleased to officially report that I have submitted my application for initial licensure to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  The process is pretty simple... complete your NCARB record, pass all the exams, fill out the application, write a check for the $40 fee and mail it in with the application.  I sent in the application last Friday (8 days ago), we'll see how long it takes for the state to send the license.  I believe all architect licenses in Pennsylvania are renewed in the month of June, so depending upon when they get around to actually issuing the license, I may have to renew like immediately.

I am not certain how the AIA upgrade works.  I have heard rumors that they let you ride out the rest of the year on your Associate dues, but bumped up to AIA member status.  I am also not certain if I need to complete CEU's for the first partial year.  If I do, it shouldn't be a problem because I have been completing CEU's since I learned what they were, in an effort to score more IDP credit as well as just because I am going to have to anyway, might as well get in the habit of updating my AIA transcript!

Code of Ethics: the AIA's "Prime Directive"

On some days, when the player-hating ways of the industry seem to wear more heavily, my brain conjures up new analogies between the struggles we face in the day to day, and the pleasures we employ after hours.  Today, that analogy was Star Trek with its Prime Directive and the AIA with its Code of Ethics.

While many of us AIA members (Starfleet officers) & AIA Associate members (cadets) honor and value the Code of Ethics (Prime Directive), and understand what it strives to protect in the construction industry (Alpha Quadrant... well, universe), there are those among us of a different professional affiliation (non-Federation species/civilizations) who do not understand and therefore do not seek to honor the code (Prime Directive).  It is our struggle to not only serve and protect the public's health, safety, and welfare while simultaneously creating attractive, sustainable, functional & economically attainable design, but to resist the pressures from other related industries to defy our own code.  (e.g. the Kazon who insist on entitlement to Voyager's technology and that Voyager "share" it with the "rest" of the Delta Quadrant)

Most notably, as in all series of Star Trek, there becomes a climax in the plot where the Prime Directive's black-and-white instruction becomes blurry or gray.  Similarly, there are times when the AIA's Code of Ethics seems unappreciative of the "changing climate" we face in the wake of a national recession.

I will have to expand on this later, as I must make haste for a previous engagement!

Candy is Dandy, But Brickers are Quicker

I love living in London. There, I said it. It's not just because there is a vast network of design, architecture, culture, music, art, whatevs. No, it is a city that seems to be keenly aware of all mid-twenties' flaws and interests. First we'll talk social, then we'll talk architecture.

1)  The bars close about midnight.
At first this seems like a terrible idea, I mean aren't you going to make more money after people get really, really drunk at 11:30? England says 'No. You are drunk. Go home.' and shuffles the group out the door. Sure there are clubs that stay open later, and I'd be lying if I hadn't been to several of them.

 (including one in Bethnal Green that looked like a haunted house. I've been trying to find it since then and that club is like a darker, spookier Brigadoon. No one knows what I'm talking about. But I've seen it, I was there)

However, like a responsible friend, the city remind you that a lot of things done after midnight are really, really bad ideas. Kudos.

2) OMG Food.
Dude, I can't even. I have lost my ability to even. All even has forthwith left the premises. There is a stereotype about British Food being bland and terrible and that's just not true (except in the case of Sainsbury's Pastys. I'm sorry. They're awful). You get everything. Let me say that again: OOOOOVVVEEERRRYYYTHIIIING. And now that I've found a carryout website for my area, the chances of me turning into this are more likely than ever.

So why bring these aspects up? Isn't this an architecture blog? Why are you talking about your overeating and drinking you hedonistic, hippopotamic land mass? I'm getting there, hold on.

In my adventures around the city I have come across some pretty good bars that are in honest-to-God beautiful buildings. Knowledge which I will now share with you. So see below for my list of the best architecturally themed bars in London:

1) The Corner Room
Town Hall Hotel, Patriot Square, E2 9NF, E2
If you want to go somewhere to feel like you run the British empire then check out the Corner Room. The Town Hall Hotel is exactly what it sounds like. Previously a civic center it was abandoned for a number of years before it was taken over and re-vamped into a hotel. The private room is in an old hearing chambers and screams 'damndable inconvenience this First World War what what!'

2) One Marylebone
1 Marylebone Rd, NW1 4AQ, NW1
Originally designed by the famous Architect John Soane, this former church now serves as an event venue/sometimes restaurant/sometimes bar which has a pretty flexible interior space. As their website states: "It was the most expensive, and externally the most architecturally distinguished of [Soane's] three churches...Apart from the loss of the original chancel and most of the original fittings, the basic structure of Soane’s church survives complete, and is of national architectural and historical significance."

3) Architectural Association Bar
36 Bedford Square, WC1
This may be a little bit biased as it's literally the closest bar to my School, but it can't be beat for student prices and has a pretty decent selection. Located on the second floor on a refurbished Georgian house in the last full Georgian-era square in London, the AA bar might not be the most glamorous but it has always got an interesting exhibition on and as an architecture school, a space layout to be proud of.

4) The Shoreditch
145 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JE
We may be seeing a pattern here. Old buildings refitted with new bars: not this one. I'll get real with you here: There are better bars in Shoreditch, there are better bars in Hackney, there are better bars in Hoxton but as an architecture bar, I do like this one. It seems that between 2006 and 2011 there was an obsession with shipping containers as architecture, the blame for which I place directly on to 'Yes is More' and just as wood paneling screams of some kind of Mad-men-esque mid-century California modernist ideal so does this bar say 'It was 2013 and I was listening to Animal Collective and The Weekend on my shuffle while this Dude-bro was yaking on and on about his organic urban bee-farming project.' Just put on your 60$ flannel shirt and get with the Zeitgeist. I promise you, 40 years from now people will think it was cool. Whatever that means.

 5) River Cafe
Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, W6 9HA
I should start off by clarifying: I am specific kind of poor right now. Not 'I'm starving' poor. Not 'I don't know where my next paycheck is coming from' poor. Not real poor. I'm the kind of poor where you get really pretty before you go out so you can charm someone into buying you drinks based solely on your appearance. It's something that I like to call 'Con-man' poor and while it shames me to admit it, it works. That being said, the River Cafe is the kind place that is so expensive looking it makes a drifter-fly-by-night-Carney like me nervous. It's a 2008 Richard Rogers/Stuart Forbes set-up so while vaguely reminiscent of an Ikea, it's less meatball and more money ball.

6) Coq D'Argent
Central Boulevard, Blythe Valley Business Park, B90 8AG
If you're more of James Stirling quasi Post-modern fan, then the Coq D'Argent roof deck is a great place for you. The word for this building is 'Unsubtle' so you will be able to spot it from a ways away. Some people love it, others hate it, but regardless of preference you can't deny it's got style. Nestled deep in the financial district you can get a great view of the city and the river from one of the weirdest, most wonderful buildings in London. And I will fight anyone who says different.

So that's all I've got for now. Is it a complete list? No, of course not. In fact there is a woeful lacking of 'Pubs' which are the most ubiquitous and comforting of all English Bars. Just take these as a recommendation if you like buildings and liquor in the same place.

E-Verify

I just learned about this new statute signed into PA law that requires all public works contractors (and subs) involved in projects over $25,000 to use E-Verify.  From what I understand, E-Verify is this online system that basically confirms your work eligibility in the U.S.  The intention is to ensure all American jobs go to American (or legally-employable non-American) workers, for public construction projects, for all the typical reason you could imagine.  It is also my understanding that not all states have adopted this statute.  For PA, this statute takes effect for contracts signed on and after January 1, 2013.

While I do not foresee much impact on my day-to-day with this particular new statute, I can see where other firms with larger and public sector projects might find some initial delays.  I don't know if you need to do E-Verify every time you start a new contract, every year, or what the case may be.  My first reaction is that it is probably something that could be seamlessly incorporated into the hiring process.  Particularly considering some of the other more involved requirements for public sector projects, e.g. all on-site individuals involved in the construction of a public school must have their fingerprints taken and on record.

I need to look into more issues like these, but I just heard about this and thought I would share quickly!

All my Victorians in the house say 'Whaaaatt?!'

What's that you say? You want to hear MORE about Museums in London? Well. Give the people what they want.

London Museums Part II: Al and Vicky want to party with you

Ahhh Queen Victoria, is there any more confusing idol for modern women? On the one hand you were the unquestionably dominant ruler of a vast empire (granted, a lot of people in that empire were not interested in you ruling them, but still). On the other hand, you were a big supporter of a woman's place being squarely in the home, idealizing womanhood as being submissive, delicate, passive and pure. The idea that a person is either 'pure' or 'fallen' just doesn't sit right with me: placing the value of a human life on whether or not they put out is not only unfair, it's also untrue. 

Also, the period Queen Victoria came to be the symbolic representation of produced some of the weirdest, most incorrect takes on history. See the death of Horatio Nelson. Yet, this period also some of the greatest contributions to literature the world has ever seen. What to do, what to do? Do we hate Victorians for their general characterization of being ethno-centric, tree-cutting, whore-mongering, bizzarre, repressed and even sometimes unbelievably rascist/sexist jerks? Or do we celebrate their industry, their imagination, their thirst for knowledge and their belief in social reform and improving the lives of the poor? To quote John Green "Stupid History. Always resisting simplistic understanding".

So it's with this state of mind that we look at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The V&A had originally gotten it's start in the 1850s with the intent that the "decorative arts" may improve the life of the common workers in London. For a while the collection moved from venue to venue until it found it's permanent home near Hyde Park, where it stands today. To date, it is the world's largest museum dedicated to the "decorative arts" which we will find means basically whatever you want it to.

I had been interested in visiting this museum for quite some time, but for some reason, something had always came up on the day of and I'd have to cancel. That is until a cold October day when class was suddenly cancelled and I had nothing else to do. A few tube stops later I entered the belly of the beast.

It's a really extraordinary place, not only as a collection of decorative arts, but for how many people are there. Seriously, this place was like a circus. If you are the kind of person who is into the hushed awe of an empty museum then this is not the place for you. Kids, adults, everybody, they're all over the place. And for good reason, in what other museum can you see Edwardian Gowns next to a display about 'Gothic Lolitas' or enormous cast reproductions of Trajan's column next to some beautiful little Korean bowls.  I think what I enjoyed most was the cast rooms, not only for the sculptures, but for the scale. It's three stories high and you can follow everything from top to bottom.

Though points need to be given to Tipu's tiger, which is a bizzare contraption that I think could serve as a very good metaphor for the museum as a whole.

Weird? Yes...but also kind of cool.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: The V&A. Weird...but in a cool way.

So What Exactly Do You Do in Grad School?

Good Question. For the past 5 days (that is, ever since I got back to London) I have been hauled up in my apartment writing term papers that were due today. They have since been turned in and I can feel a brief respite of freedom until tomorrow, when Term 2 starts. I'm not going to put the entire papers up, but I'm going to put a few on here to give you a taste:


Paper 1 - The Accidental Iconoclasts for the class: Aesthetics, Architecture, History
Trailer: IN A WORLD...where Street Art was being systematically lost ONE MAN...was irrelevant because this is a choice we make as a community.

“Art cannot be criticized because every mistake is a new creation”: this is the poster-dogma of self named Street Artist “Mr. Brainwash” for his first UK show, a reinvention of his premier show in L.A., Life is Beautiful (Old Sorting Office, New Oxford Street, Bloomsbury, London). Initially the stenciled image invokes an avant garde battle cry; yet this call to arms may actually be an act self-defense, given the Artist’s back-story. Mr. Brainwash came into the public eye via the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010). Mixing the mythologies of Emperor Claudius and Darth Vader, an odd but otherwise harmless shop-owner becomes seduced by hype, media, and the benefits of being a dangerous Street Artist via his cousin, the Artist Space Invader. To mark the metamorphosis, Thierry Guetta changes his name to “Mr. Brainwash” and via a large public show, betrays the Street Art community by stealing their ideas to gain notoriety. At the end of the film the viewer, like the other Artists, is meant to mix revulsion and indignation at the commercial success of Mr. Brainwash. He is portrayed as someone who never truly suffered for his Art or developed a style - a fraud. We’re meant to be mad not because he made money, but because he cheated.

....Then some stuff gets explained....

The last, more diplomatic statement prompts a discussion about Art in a truly public sphere and by proxy references some very old concerns regarding aesthetics, the kind which were addressed by Immanuel Kant and challenged by Marcel Duchamp. Questions like: ‘Should we protect Art we don’t like because it speaks to our culture?’ ‘Is Art only ever really Art when viewed inside a gallery?’ and the worst of all possible questions: ‘Is it beautiful?’ With these heavy-handed intellectual debates in the mix, the removal of Street Art or Graffiti Writing might be a topic that an environmental employee for the local council may not be qualified to answer with satisfaction to the Art community. As stated by a spokesman for Transport for London in 2007: “Our graffiti removal teams are staffed by professional cleaners, not professional Art critics.” 

...Then some more stuff happens..

The public sphere’s responsibility regarding Street Art is littered with tactile and delicate issues. Asking a government, especially government officials, to endorse Artwork that they themselves have not commissioned or had input on is highly impractical in the current media-savvy and salacious sound-bite environment. Further, there is the darkly practical issue of cost. If a government is responsible for maintaining a piece of Art, then the funding for that maintenance will come from taxes. Using taxes to pay for Art is a debate which is as prickly as it is tedious. So the easiest solution seems to be the one that Councils have started using, leaving it up to an eventual public complaint and/or private ownership.

...Then even more stuff happens..

Putting the public in charge of Street Art’s fate has a systematic logic and an inherent contradiction. An outraged public laments over the loss of Artwork and decry the officials who carried out the execution, but this is the same public who complained and asked for the work to be removed in the first place. ‘Public opinion’ therefore is a wily entity, as real as it is mythological. It makes ‘the public’ seem like a homogenous being, rather than a vast collection of entities. As if the ‘Third Estate’ the ‘Hoi Polloi’ the ‘Unwashed Masses’ were a group in constant agreement. What’s more, ‘public opinion’ can lead to the same problems that face the councils now; Art that is deemed not worth protection because no one asked for it and deserving removal when it becomes an ‘eyesore’, except this time we are without a party to blame. This is particularly dangerous for new Artists, as public shock is a very old enemy to aesthetic innovation yet rarely has singular public complaint of ‘eye-sore’ meant the Art’s destruction. If an individual grievance was the only means of determining the course of Art History then we might be today without the Pre-Raphaelites, the Impressionists or basically anything by Van Gogh.Then again, Dante Gabriel Rossetti didn’t paint Bocca Baciata on the side of a building, which makes this current problem a new take on a very old theme. For the councils it seemed to be damned if you do, damned if you don’t and opting for the better solution they turn to the camera and say “Britain, You Decide!” hoping that the fabled force can make a thoughtful choice.  

Then there is a conclusion. A SECRET conclusion.

I really enjoyed writing this one. If nothing else because I got to tromp around East London with a camera and a sense of purpose. The other paper is certainly dryer, and with a more academic lean - what do I mean? Well let's give you a taste:

The Villa Adriana is an outlier of Architectural history, not only as a collection of structures in a site but also for the vastly different ways it can be interpreted. Depending on the author, the Villa could be cast as the experimental workshop of a genius or the grotesque fantasy of a despot, an idyllic center for learning, or a junk pile of hedonism. UNESCO World Heritage describes the site as: “Many structures... arranged without any overall plan”.It appears in The Classical Tradition as “a paradigm in what might be considered the landscape of allusion”while Baedeker’s Guide to Italy takes a much more neutral assessment, describing it simply as an “Imperial summer residence". The Villa’s ability to inspire ambivalence is what makes it exceptional, a quality not lost on those who reference it. If we use the Villa Adriana as a case study example of the sometimes inaccurate self-labeling of the Architect (especially the labels of Architect/Engineer and Bricoleur) then two prominent figures are self-evident, Le Corbusier and Colin Rowe. Both writers use the Villa Adriana as a paradigm of excellence in Architecture and planning (via Vers Une Architecture and Collision City and the Politics of Bricolage respectively). However, that is where the similarities stop. Le Corbusier, looking for a traceable lineage to justify his work, alluded to the Villa as a prime example of moral, geometric and rational planning. While Rowe, aiming to contradict and reinterpret the former’s manifesto, saw it as the fusion of fragmented objects with competing agendas. By looking at how these two authors use the Villa Adriana to construct their arguments, it becomes easier to understand the problems with their self-identification; specifically by studying the philosophies that produced the labels, the authors’ analysis of the Villa and the media representation that they chose to depict their findings.

....then a lot of stuff happens...

Though their Architectural solutions are arguably timeless, in choosing their self-applied labels, Colin Rowe and Le Corbusier define themselves within the context of twentieth century mind frame. In choosing self-apply their own labels, rather than allowing the reader to decide, they are cemented by their criticism. Le Corbusier writes as a Modernist, authoritative in intent and language. Rowe writes as a quasi-post-modern/quasi-phenomenological critic, ambiguous in his prose. The earlier writer was still witnessing the aftermath of World War I, coming out of the tradition of Architectural eclecticism while maintaining a growing interest in abstraction and Freudian psychology. The later was writing from the perspective of a post-war, post-pop, post-rationalist scholar knowing from historical precedent that manifestos are inherently flawed.  Le Corbusier had learned from movements like the Italian Futurists that plan-based, decoration-less construction would not be marketable ideas without a dynastic lineage. He could not sever his work from the past such as Antonio Sant’Elia had done, but neither could he afford to alienate potential clients with a sense of haughty supremacy, like Adolf Loos. Rowe had a distinct advantage to his analysis, as he knew what Le Corbusier would eventually become, that he would shed the white machine aesthetic in favor of rough textures and bright colors later in his career; that the early Modern worldview was overly idealistic. The Architect/Engineer is looking to sell his goods and the Bricoleur is someone living in the aftermath. Neither of the world-views is completely incorrect because both authors have determined what being “correct” means.

  

Then there is a conclusion. Ooooohhh graaaddd schooool seeeecreeeeetttsssss.