Recent Thoughts on Continuing Education

My yesterday was spent trolling the halls of the state capitol with my architect peers as we promoted such notions as mandated continuing education, more quickly renewed building codes, student loan debt forgiveness, among other things.  I hadn't given our shtick much thought prior to the day or even during the day as we ushered into representatives offices with our pamphlets, relying heavily on my cohorts to execute the delivery (my brain has been very inaccessible lately, I think coming off 2 years of chronic insomnia has finally caught up with me).

However, now that I am on the verge of slumber, my mind has finally awoken (side note, why is it that I can go an entire day half asleep and then by the time 10:00pm rolls around I am suddenly wide awake?  This happens all too often.).  I am stuck on a thought a new coworker of mine has placed in my cranium earlier this afternoon.  He is licensed in two states other than mine own, both of which require their own versions of continuing education.  He mentioned how he earns his credits via free webinars online, etc. and he casually noted how many continuing education programs are merely a 15 minute powerpoint followed by 40 minutes of product promotion.  There is no way for the jurisdiction to oversee all the continuing education programs, so we rely on the provider's dedication and honesty in providing these credits sans proprietary influence.  Of the 10 or so credits I have observed in the past 6 months, I can think of maybe one that I would feel comfortable not flagging.  Most recently, I noted a "1-hour" continuing education presentation that lasted 15 minutes. "Looks like we have some time, mind if I tell you about our latest products?"

My point with this is I am wondering if passing a bill for continuing education in Pennsylvania is useful at all.  It seems like I would rather spend my time conducting my own research, as many architects must do in advancing their projects, than sitting through some product rep's spiel, which may not contain any useful or even accurate information!

Is there some other way we can enforce continuing education besides tabulating widely diverse credit hours?  My mind turns to the governing body that mandates the licensing process for us in the first place... NCARB.  Perhaps NCARB should be the sole provider of continuing education.  They already have a pretty good library of monographs with quizzes that qualify for continuing education credits.  I don't know how regularly they are updated, though.

I'll have to ponder this more at a later time.

Adventures in Office Sitting

As my contract was drawing to a close, I was starting to get nervous. Not that I hadn't saved enough to be alright financially, more like "what am I going to do once this job is over?". I could go to Hawaii (where my brother lives) until something else crops up. Or back to Europe to, as is the parlance of our times, "dick around". Or I could stay in New York and go back to writing full time. In the end, none of these were selected.

I'm pleased to say I have a full time job as an Associate Architect at an international firm. Which is nice, because for a while, it was a little like that scene in "The Princess Bride" where Wesley describes his life on the pirate ship. 

"Good night. Good work. I'll most likely kill you in the morning"

Now with that load off my shoulders. I can begin phase 2 of my plan which is, of course, to become the Dread Pirate Roberts. 

You might even like being together, and if you don't, it won't be forever

So as the course of true-love never did run smooth: the position I'm in now is a contract, and as with all contracts, eventually it has to end. Will this mean I return to the world of architectural theory full time, or stick with my 50/50 relationship with a continuation? Only time will tell. However, I feel like I should take this time to bring up two completely unrelated things that have been swirling around in my brain as of late.

#1) The reason why I think Architectural Theory is important:

For years I've been told "Architectural Theory isn't real architecture". Which, I understand as a statement, but don't really get. Like, alright, Theory has nothing to do with line weights (unless you are writing the most esoteric thesis ever) or construction schedules (unless you count Violet Le-Duc). But what it does, what is really does is allow people to have a conversation about design which doesn't put the past on a pedestal. It takes architecture out of the feeling one might have towards a museum piece: to be viewed with appreciation and nothing else. Theory allows for educated, legitimate rejection of selfish work. A conversation.

Dadaism's form of modernism has made it so "ugly" isn't a credible argument against architecture. What Theory does is create a language which can allow for a nuanced understanding of:

A) What architecture is

B) What architects do

Sometimes I think my personal interest in this field comes from the sake of always hating Frank Lloyd Wright's kitchens. I've ranted about his kitchens before, but I'll do so again because it illustrates my point. FLW was a genius, but he was also a dude who never cooked a day in his life. From childhood on, he either had a woman or a professional chef cooking for him. He had no clue whatsoever how much space is needed to cook a turkey and it shows. But the mythos of Wright is so strong the assumption that everything he did was flawless is almost cannon. What flaws he has are boiled down to his personal life, which, to me, is just a variation on a theme. He was bullying to women who bored him, so he made spaces that just reinforce the idea that "cool women" are only cool because they act like men.  He wanted a Jeffersonian utopia but only one where everything looked like an etch-a-sketch print-out and everyone was square-jawed with middle-class aspirations. Before theory, I don't think I would have had the chops, or the cojones to come out and say the most scandalous statement I can imagine for architects : Frank Lloyd Wright is ok.

Be rebellious. Hate something dexterously. Read Theory.

#2) The Secret Legacy of C.B.J. Snyder 

Speaking of old white dudes, C.B.J Snyder is highly underrated. He oversaw the construction of over 400 schools in New York City with most of his buildings still standing, many now classified as NYC landmarks. He made revolutionary strides in children's welfare in school space, HVAC and promoting public education. Charismatic and likable, he was elected to the school board by an almost unanimous vote. 

There's a care to his buildings, a uniformity which was clearly created with the best of intentions. High ceilings, classrooms that are usually 28' by 22', clerestory windows into the hallways and lovely entrances. Further, he arranged that the air conditioning would be adjacent, if not directly through the closets, which meant by the time the children had to go home, their (often) wool coats would be dry. 

There are some things that are bizarre in his work though. For instance, in some of the high-schools there are "boy's gyms" and "girl's gyms", but only locker rooms/showers for the boys. Presumably this is because girls weren't going to get physical enough to work up a sweat? Or some belief that women are shocked by nakedness, even among each other? Or maybe there was something there about clothing for women being more difficult to take off. Who knows, could be any or all of those reasons.

In either case, check out his work. As it stands, I may write a blog post soon about the history of public school buildings. There's an interesting history there, one that is influenced deeply by politics, even today.  

That's it from New York - over to you Pennsylvania!

It's Beginning to look a lot like...something

"You're going to love New York at Christmas!"

This was the refrain I heard over and over again in taking the contract I have now. And for a long time I was kind of 'meh' on that aspect. The city looked nice enough, sure, but nothing spectacular. 

That is until today when I went to the Frick Reference Library for research and then walked down Lexington Ave to exchange a sweater. (Side note: Banana Republic, your stuff this season boxy and huge. I'm not an XS in this or any other universe).

As I meandered down the street, new purchase in hand, the snow was falling, the still-up holidays lights were twinkling, and the displays were both elaborate and delicate. Capitalism was on its best behavior AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. 

Department store displays are a thing this time of the year. Here and everywhere. Though this kind of tradition seems to fit well with New York Architecture. The clean lines and almost endlessness of, especially Mid-town, brings the eye naturally to this level. (Because god-forbid you make eye contact with someone on the street). Eitherway, it seems plate glass essentially invented window shopping, and by the 1860s New York had caught the fever. 

By 1900, window displays were the most beautiful bare-knuckle boxing match you could get walking down the street. Each one had to outdo the other. The best part, from a design point of view, is that there is absolutely no pressure to be timeless. They can be saccharine or gimmicky, abstract or obscure. Indeed the ones I saw barely had any merchandise on display at all. It's an event, a public one, one that brings people to the store which is 90% of the work. 

One could follow the tradition globally, from Selfridges, to the affect of display on Bon Marche to what it looks like in places like India or China. In either case, holiday window displays are a crafted, paper-leather art that is, if nothing else, attractive. Even if it promotes, not really avarice, but a light kind of wanting.

Walking around today also reminded me that New York, as a city, is changing rapidly. 

I was recently heartbroken over the loss of the Five Pointz street art in Queens. It was an exterior gallery the likes of which had never been before. But it's been torn down in favor of two milquetoast condo towers. It would seem this is the kind of display which does not last. One that doesn't own anything. Buying property in New York is "a good investment" again. Which means the dirtier, grittier, and frankly more interesting places are going the way of the pee-soaked dodo. 

Right now I'm living on the Lower East Side, which encourages me to have a complicated relationship with gentrification. I can deride it's social impacts, selfish neo-liberal agenda, and subsequent racial homogeneity all day long, don't get me started. However there's that a part of me that also really likes fancy donut shops, artisanal cocktails, nice woodwork at a brunch table and antropologie. It's a conundrum. 

So really it boils down to this: at some point New York had to make a choice. Was it going to be the city of Storefronts or Display Windows? 

One option offers the blaring neon that shoots out into the dark street like a prayer to an unfeeling god. The hymn humming "Sadie's Discount Liquors". The other is bright, confident and staged. Heralding the kind of place that would never accept someone like Sadie or her wholesale booze. 

I like Sadie. But more and more it seems the moneyed of New York don't. It's not unreasonable, it's just disappointing. 

AIA PA's Design Awards

I had the opportunity to attend AIA PA's Design Awards night at the Barnes Foundation in Philly last week.  I'm not sure if I had "low" expectations or simply "no" expectations, but let me tell you - I had a blast!  The Barnes itself is a righteous visit, with extensive galleries and crazy cool architectural features.  But even more interesting is the story about Dr. Barnes, and luckily my cohorts and I caught the last architectural tour for the evening and got the inside scoop on him.  I'll let you uncover that one yourself.  But alas, here are some quick pics of the place.


First stop on the tour, a conference room.  Not super glamorous, but a stop nonetheless!  I didn't feel right (and probably would have gotten scolded) taking pics in the galleries, so most of these shots are nondramatic spaces.

Some sleek office space...

Code compliant doesn't haven't to be lame and boring:

Some of the awards were given outside and 'twas a bit of a chill in that November air.  I can't say I could feel the warmth of the fire, but it may have imparted a psychological warmth... or maybe that was the three glasses of wine..

And of course, tons of awards!

In the City that never sleeps...

So I haven't slept (fully) in approximately 6 days. Why? Because it turns out at 29, my body decided that it was high-time for me to enjoy the glory and grandeur of literally the worst sinus infection of my life. Especially as this is the week I am currently without health insurance. Awesome. Though as my lymph glands swelled to the size of limes and my temples felt like a bullet was going through them, I found out that seething, agonizing pain can actually get incredibly boring after a few days. Chugging back pain killers and antibiotics, I decided to go out into the world and distract myself. In that light, I present: RETLY'S TOUR OF THE EAST SIDE (while almost blacking out from pain).

Stop 1) Nom Wah Tea Parlor 

Not a particularly stunning piece of interior design, but one that I have a particular kind of affection for. The Nom Wah Tea Parlor on Doyers Street is over 90 years old. Though it has had its up and downs, it has the eerie, almost medicinal quality of space that I love in Chinatown. Plus great Dim Sum at low, low prices.

You may have seen it in a lot of TV shows and movies, including 'Premium Rush', 'Smash', Various Food Network spots and the Jeremy Irons/Glenn Close movie 'Reversal of Fortune'.

Stop 2) The New Museum

It's not the same for me without the giant, rainbow "Hell Yeah" on the outside of the building, but still a nice place to visit. Especially out on the top most terrace, which gives a fantastic view of Mid-town Manhattan. For me, the New Museum is a hard sell, it's kind of like the baby MoMA, and as such the exhibitions are the dominant feature in the space. Every time is different: either love it or hate it. Though one thing that stays true: my love of their bathrooms. 

Stop 3) The Four Seasons Bar

Getting classy as a mother-****er up in here. Mies van de Rohe at his Mies-iest. The arm chairs line up with the window structures. Of course they do. That nerd. The room is a classic golden proportion with leather, wood and bronzed metal and that's it. It's the classic, sophisticated environment that just screams "capitalism".

Ugh. Beautiful. 

Also, if you're interested in why the walls have no paintings, I would check out Simon Schama's "The Power of Art" about Mark Rothko. There is a story there mis amigos. 

 

Stop 4) The Frick Collection

So out of the money frying pan and into the money fire. I know we've talked about the Frick reference library before but man oh man, that house is crazy. Though there are some of the most famous Rembrandts and Vermeers Art History provides, the key to the collection is the Whistlers. Architecturally, it is a literal embarrassment of riches. 

Welp, that's it for now. God willing this sinus infection nonsense ends before I am driven crazy by the pain. Aleve, don't fail me now. 

The New Adventures of Old New York

So as mentioned on the previous post, I now live in New York. Apparently. That's the thing with looking for a job. You starve forever and then WHAM! You're in different state, you have to be at a certain place at the same time everyday and you live on top of a holistic medicine outlet in Chinatown.

It's now Friday night which means my first week at a new job is at its close. After a glass of wine, a long soak, realizing I have no blowdryer, going out to buy a blowdryer, getting distracted, getting dumplings, finally remembering to buy the blowdryer, getting back to my apartment and blowdrying my hair, I am ready for bed.

In this first week the question I keep getting from friends and family is: "What's it like?" and for right now: I don't really know. It's strange but familiar. Big but close knit. Lonely but not as unkind as I thought it would be. All and all I think it's too soon to tell. I think I've moved to this metropolis at the same time when many of my associates have decided to pack it in. Singing the refrain of "I just want to get out of New York" which, while refreshingly honest, does kind of put a damper on the excitement I would otherwise be feeling for a brand-new adventure. Personally, I'm excited to have a sense of independence again, even if it's in a place as weird and overwhelming as this.

But that's enough about that boring, personal malarkey. Let's get to the real meat of this blog: BUILDINGS.

I've decided to just start posting interesting architectural examples I come across in my day to day work, which usually involves site surveying all across the 5 boroughs. Most of the sites I work on are fairly nondescript, so I'm going to skip over them and get right to a few places I've been to this week which deserve a larger audience.

NUMBER 1: Baruchim Ha Ba'im. Also known as the Synagogue for the Arts, the Civic Center Synagogue

Probably one of the most interesting religious buildings I've seen in a long time. This Synagogue was built in 1967 and has some of that trademark formal optimism. Like a funkier I.M. Pei. Like a funnier Louis Kahn.  The architecture feels like it comes from that version of the past where the future was going to be awesome. 

NUMBER 2: The Merchant's House

   

The Merchant's House Museum is an often overlooked little gem in NoHo. Apparently the youngest daughter of a well to do merchant was cast a rough lot in love, never got married and kept the house as a pristine remembrance of better times (a la 1858) even as the area crumbled around her. I find stories like these always fascinating because  

A) They come from a time when it's like "Oh you don't have a man to take ownership of you, you know like property? I guess you're an embarrassment. Let's all pity you." 

Which...just...so...many..questions..there... and 

B) It's not "period" furniture. This is the furniture. Like, all of it. That biz is rare.  

Architecturally it's not all that unique for the era, but it's nice to find a place that is so untouched. Plus in October they dress it up like you're going to a funeral, it's a unique experience. 

NUMBER 3: The Stained Glass Windows on the Bronx Zoo Station

Not architecture, I know, but I found this series of stained glass windows on the 5 train going up through the Bronx to be charming and lovely. They were designed by Naomi Campbell (not the one you're thinking of) and produced in 2006. There's an article about it HERE. They are brief and beautiful. The kind of drawings a kid might do about the animals from the zoo, but with a sophisticated hand. 

Ok - I think that's it for now. Stay cool and stay tuned for more New York City finds.