If This Doesn't Change Your Mind, I Don't Know What Will

Phoenix Central Library: Thinking in Section

Phoenix Central Library, originally uploaded by postpanglossian.

So it's been a while since my last post, and I thought that I would jot down some thoughts.

As I sit here in Phoenix Airport, I am reminded of the Phoenix Public Library and how that library works as a whole. As thoughts run through my head as I design my own library, I think of my largest issue: thinking in section. In this building, Bruder uses section to accomplish the following: "structural light", double height ceilings, light entering the building, and a general idea of space. I was trying to find a section of this building, but I can't seem to find one in the google-world. From what I remember, the entrance is on the south side, which is completely closed off to the southern directional heat. The northern side is where the reading room and a large curtain wall with sun shades is located. As far as other orientation of staff, and other library needs, I am not so sure as to how the building functions. I do know that the structure of the roof is a very interesting. Bruder's idea of "Structural Light" is something that can only be discovered in section. As seen in the image above, the columns clearly do not touch the roof. Instead, there is a circular window which allows light into the building and enhances the concept of these columns that do not touch the top. In order to make this column work, Bruder splits the load into four sections a long a grid, and in the middle, in the column which receives all of load of the roof above.

The idea of this "Structural Light" is very similar to my concept of floor "sky-lights". Where the column comes up, through the study carrel, the floor turns to glass, allowing light to the lower level and also a feeling of lightness in the same area of structure.

Unfortunately, that's all the time I have here in Phoenix.

Charles Renfro: Humor In Architecture

Last week I went to see Charles Renfro speak at MIT as a part of their lecture series. Honestly, one of the best lectures that I have ever been to.  I have been to quite a few, and this was by far the best. He was a very nice, humorous and light hearted guy. Very well spoken, and definitely knew what he was doing. I have tremendous respect for this man. 

Anyways, after the lecture, I went up to talk to Chuck about some of his designs and concepts. Due to the fact that he was so light-hearted, I thought to myself, does humor play a part is their designs? So that's what I decided to ask him... His response was something that pleased me because I like to think I am pretty funny... He mentioned that the firm was looking for an architect a few years ago, and they put an ad out that simply said, "5 years experience. Funny". He talked about how somethings that seem impossible, they make possible through design. Chaz also said that, yes humor does strive them to create something beautiful and something that may not be seen by everyone else. Very interesting. 

An example of this is the Blur building expo. He said that there are so many buildings concerned with facades ad oriented to certain views, and they wanted to do something very different: No Facade. No views from the interior. you walk onto the lake to see nothing but mist. 

I was looking at some of their other stuff trying to find a little bit of humor and the first thing that I came across was this: A light sock. Full of crystals. Taking the place of a chandelier. In the shape of genitals. Balls. 

Storrow Lines

Storrow Lines, originally uploaded by termeern.

This was my spiral bridge

This was my spiral bridge, originally uploaded by termeern.

This was a final model of my bridge project. There will be more to come. it's a conceptual model at 3/32"= 1' scale. Check it out. There will be more to explain later.

Lightline

Lightline, originally uploaded by termeern.

So, Today, I was looking through my photos and I came across this one.

This was taken nearly 5 years ago, and I must say that it was this photograph that inspired me to get more into photography. I took this not knowing exactly what I was doing, but just being experimental. I was 15 years old, messing with a point and shoot Konica Minolta.

This was taken as I was volunteering at YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in Tijuana, Mexico where I was a counselor and a part of the worship band. I actually took this on a day trip to Coronado Island while waiting for the driver to get gas in the van. As a tripod, I used the sill of the window in the van, rolled down the window and took this. There was no Photoshop used to enhance the image, but I do think that it was an amazing photo, and one worthy of being noted as the photo that inspired me to become the best artist possible.

This photograph was actually published in a photography quarterly magazine under the category "use of lines".

I think that this is a great composition that I just stumbled across because of the bright colors, use of horizontal lines, the "ghost" of the car, the diagonal lines off to the right, and the depth of the telephone poles and sense of a horizon.

This is me saying how I am in awe of how the amateur, young and naive artist in me, still inspires the thought and urge for me to become ever better to try to accomplish this same thing.

n.tm

New Photos

Twenty-Five Cent Phone Call, originally uploaded by termeern.

I really like this photo. Check the new ones out.

Equilibrium in the Human Body

This was the first project of the semester, and I must say that I was indeed impressed with the assignment. It dealt with equilibrium and balance through tension and compression. 

The beginning stages were taking a board and some rope, and seeing how the board acted in tension and compression. My initial thought was to take on the human figure and compare the board to yoga and different balancing acts of the human figure. 

This investigation went so far, and then I started looking at more complex forms such as couples yoga. This was a good investigation because it was two people relying solely on one persons balance. I saw something very important link to both regular yoga and couples yoga and that was that they both had a central core to the balance and that they both transferred the weight down and through the core in able to balance. I looked at points of tension and compression in the bodies to get to these shapes. It was quite interesting how this act was made. 

After much discussing with my professor, I decided to veer away from the human figure because it was too restricting, and I could make something a lot more intricate if I were to stray from this. 

I decided that trying to balance these figures in such a manner that they balanced on a balance point, stretching to achieve a center of balance. I decided to make three separate figures, which interlocked to achieve balance. The images below is the final model, which stretches the span to achieve a central balance point dispersing the weight to make the bottom, arching structure to balance. I tried to stack them high, but was unable to as it would be top heavy and topple over, so I kept it low and still had a horizontal component to balance the side weight. 

In conclusion, this project is turning into a bridge, and as of right now, I am happy with the way this one turned out, but a little stumped as to know where to go from here. Take a look. 

Seven Years Later: WTC 9/11

NYC: World Trade Center, originally uploaded by wallyg.

"The original World Trade Center was a complex of seven buildings, comprising of 13.4 million square feet of office space (almost 4% of Manhattan's entire office inventory). All of the original buildings in the complex were destroyed in the September 11, 2001, attacks: 1 WTC, 2 WTC (North and South Towers) and 7 WTC collapsed; 3 WTC (Marriott Hotel) was crushed by the collapses of 1 WTC and 2 WTC; and 4 WTC, 5 WTC, and 6 WTC were damaged beyond repair and later demolished.

The concept of a World Trade Center complex originated with Nelson and David Rockefeller in the 1950s as an attempt to revitalize lower Manhattan. The initial proposed site on the East River was later moved to the lower west side. The complex towers were designed by Minoru Yamasaki with Antonio Brittiochi in one of the most striking American implementations of the architectural ethic of Le Corbusier, as well as the seminal expression of Yamasaki's gothic modernist tendencies.

In 1966, construction began under the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey with a groundbreaking that razed 13 square blocks of low rise buildings, some of which predated the US Civil War. In December 1970, tenants moved into One World Trade Center. Tenants first moved into Two World Trade Center in January 1972, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 4, 1973.

Although the towers became a New York icon, they were not without their flaws. Initially conceived as a complex dedicated to organizations directly involved in "world trade," they failed to attract the anticipated clientele, instead housing various governmental organizations initially. It wasn't until the 1980s when an increasing number of private companies--mostly Wall Street firms--became tenants. The trade center's "superblock", which replaced a more traditional, dense neighborhood, was regarded by many critics as an inhospitable environment that disrupted the intricate flows of traffic typical of Manhattan.

Still, the Towers had their admirers. For those who deemed it cold and sterile, there were just as many who appreciated its sheer immensity. Each of the twin towers had 110 stories. 1 WTC (the North Tower, which featured a massive 360 ft high TV antenna, added in 1978, and the highest restauarant in the world--"Windows on the World) stood 1,368 feet (417 m) high, and 2 WTC (the South Tower, which contained the observation deck) was 1,362 feet (415 m) high. The length and breadth of the towers were 208 feet (63.4 m) x 208 feet (63.4 m). When completed, 1 WTC became the tallest building in the world, unseating the Empire State Building, and 2 WTC became the 2nd tallest. This was a briefly held title, though, as the 1450 foot Sears Tower was already being constructed. On any given day, some 50,000 people worked in the towers with another 200,000 passing through as visitors.

What the towers lacked in architectural aestheticism, they made up for with engineering innovation. Faced with the difficulties of building to unprecedented heights, chief engineer Leslie Robertson employed an innovative structural model: a rigid "hollow tube" of closely spaced steel columns with floor trusses extending across to a central core. The columns, finished with a silver-colored aluminum alloy, were 18 3/4" wide and set only 22" apart, making the towers appear from afar to have no windows at all. Also unique to the engineering design were its core and elevator system. It was the first to use sky lobbies--floors where commuters can switch from an express elevator to a local elevator. The local elevators were stacked on top of each other within the same shaft. Worried that the intense air pressure created by the buildings' high speed elevators might buckle conventional shafts, engineers designed a solution using a drywall system fixed to the reinforced steel core.

In 2007, The World Trade Center was ranked #19 on the AIA 150 America's Favorite Architecture list."

As I was in the waking stages of my day, I saw this building and thought to myself, Rem is The Man. Rem Koolhaas and his practice, OMA, designed this new skyscraper proposed for New York City's Madison Square Park area to be completed by the year 2010. It's quite remarkable. 

*it's the silver building in the middle, leaning to the left 

Rem Koolhaas has been defying gravity for quite some time. A while back, I referred Rem Koolhas as a person who I would love to meet and just have coffee and a quality brain-picking session. With his projects around the world, he has stayed very consistent in building magnificent structures. This, being OMA and Rem's first building in NYC, will be very interesting how the public reacts to his work. Many people don't know the architect of many skyscrapers, but they are capable of saying, "Wow, that's interesting. How does that work?" 

And that's exactly what he wants to do. 

It'll be nice to see Rem's structure on the NYC skyline. I look forward to it. 

Breakfast

Breakfast
Originally uploaded by termeern

This was the first breakfast that I made in the apartment. Mom would be proud!

This is me bragging a little...

Click on the image to see it bigger and then from there you can see all of my pictures! 

New Apartment and Thank You!

First of all, I want to thank my family for everything. I wasn't able to send out individual thank you notes, but I wanted to thank all of those who came to Menudo Day. I really enjoyed seeing all of you! Tio Jose, thanks for taking me out to lunch and for the gifts. Tia Lupe, thank you so much for the plates, silverware, and all of the stuff for my kitchen! It looks great! Thank you all so much for everything! 

Just a little introduction, this is where I like to publish my thoughts, photos, and some architecture thoughts and information. I like to update it as much as possible and you can keep track of me and what I am up to. It's a good way to get into the mind of Nick... 

As for today, I am just posting some pictures of the new apartment because I promised most of you. Karen, I think that you would like it here, I wish that you were here so that we can decorate it together, but I guess this will do for now! Haha. 

Check them out guys! 

New Pictures

Claremont Depot, originally uploaded by termeern.

Check them out... They were just on a random walk around Claremont...

Final days at home. The 5 days until back in Boston...

2008 American Architecture Awards

I was looking at this article, and I thought that you would want to peek at it also... 

It's amazing. The things that people are coming up with. 

I came up with the conclusion that my goal in life is to win the Pritzker Prize. 

Anyways, take a look at the 2008 American Architecture Awards. They are pretty amazing. 

Real Green Architecture

So I was reading this article this morning, and I was so inspired to create some better source of green architecture. I also thought how much you must know about ecology to be able to construct and design a building like this. 

This article was an interview with William McDonough, the architect of the Ford Motor Company complex in Dearborn, Michigan which is known for it's create way to store rain water and cool and heat the space naturally. 

McDonough is known for his "cradle to cradle" design. "Cradle to Cradle is a protocol I've developed with a German chemist, Michael Braungart. We characterize things as either being part of nature—biological nutrients—or being part of technology , which we call technical nutrients. We look at the world through these two lenses and we say, let the things that are designed to go back to soil, like textiles and clothing, be designed in order to be returned safely to soil, to restore it. But the cars and the computers … [should be] designed to go back into closed cycles for technology."

It's quite amazing to see a man who sees "green architecture" and takes it to the most literal state. By taking it so literal, he actually puts greenery and vegetation on his structures. The above image is a concept model of McDonough's, which shows plants growing on some sort of structure. He shows that the building doesn't need to be a negative space, but more of a "living structure".

His concept of "touching the earth lightly" reminds me very much so of the works of Glenn Murcutt, and his approach to a structure. I think that one of the major differences between the two is that Murcutt can achieve this on a smaller scale and a way more literal state. I once heard that only one of Murcutts homes has an air conditioning unit, which was put in by the home owner, and was used once: the day of installment to test the unit. Murcutt's approach isn't to replace the green on which the structure is on, but to preserve the land as if his structure were not even there. 

All this to be said that it made me think about more green architecture, and how I can make a change in both architecture and the world. 

Remember: buildings release more carbon emissions into the air than anything else. Let's change that. 

n.tm

 

 

 

MoMA: One Color, and Different Shades of Grey

MoMA, originally uploaded by termeern.

I saw this a while ago in New York City, and I just stumbled across this picture. This was one of the most amazing things I had seen. These lights completely eliminated and sort of color on anything. Colors were completely dissipated by these lights. It was absolutely amazing.

And... I uploaded some new pictures. Some new, some old. Check them out!

n.tm

IwamotoScott Architecture: SCI-Arc

So, this is something that I really wanted to go to, but unfortunately I am not going to be able to make it as I am going to be in Lake Arrowhead, CA for my sister's wedding. 

This is a complete paper-wood structure built but IwamaotoScott Architecture which is based in San Francisco. They really did a great job in creating this cloud like form that just fills this room. I love how these images portray that this structure would be ongoing if it weren't for the walls. I love how this room seems as though it is cutting, and showing us just a segment of this huge cloud structure. It is quite amazing to see something like this.

 

Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to make it to the opening ceremonies and lecture, but I am definitely going to make my way to one of my favorite places in Los Angeles, SCI-Arc to see this. There will be more of my own pictures to come.

P.S. Can someone please go to the lecture and take notes???? Thanks! 

n.tm

LED: America's A Changin'

Fluorescent bulbs are taking over. Many business are finding that LED bulbs are brighter, last longer, and lower costs. That makes for a win-win-win situation. Why didn't we think of this earlier? It's hard to believe that LED bulbs have been on the rise since about 2003, and people are just starting to realize that they are better and more resourceful. Buildings like the Empire State Building are making the transition to LED bulbs. It makes more sense for everyone, except the bulb companies. GE, Sylvania, and Philips are the three biggest bulb providers in the U.S., and they can be hurting when people start to realize that they can pay the same price for a LED or halogen bulb and make it last 50 to 100 times longer. Even compact fluorescent bulbs have taken the incandescent bulbs over because they use less than one-third of energy. 

Let's look on the brighter side (no pun intended). The United States is finally realizing that we are responsible for so much of the energy used. Germany is the leading country in Green Architecture. Germany has been on top of being resourceful. They will pay the extra money for an architect like Norman Foster to come in and make sure that things are taken care of the green way. It's time for America to realize that it's our turn to make a change. It's been done in so many countries, and we put it on the back burner and focused on war and other things.  We are coming around a bend where we are realizing that it's the little things that make the smaller differences, but we are still yet to discover that in order to save money and our earth, it takes an initial cost such as the Heart Tower by Norman Foster. 

Anyways, it's nice to see some change in our country, and see that we are trying for a better place. 

n.tm 

I (heart) NY: Photos

I (heart) NY, originally uploaded by termeern.

Last night, between the hours of twelve and two, I was in Mt. Baldy taking these very creative pictures. I had some fun, and hopefully you will enjoy looking at them.

Hope: Photos

Hope, originally uploaded by termeern.

I like this. Simply long exposure at night. There will definitely be more of these on the Flickr site soon.

n.tm

A Man Worth Talking To: Rem Koolhaas

So I read this article eariler this week, and I thought nothing but great things about him. For those of you who don't know, Rem Koolhaas is one is the most famous architects of our time. He has built some amazing structures and the thing that I love the most about him, is that he is completely modest, down to earth and is very confident about his words. 

Rem Koolhaas is great. His work is great, and you can see why it is great by the way that he talks about himself and his work. When asked about Star Architects, and how is name is mentioned in this category, he says that his work isn't different from some other work that other smaller architects have produced. His work isn't much different. This is good, but almost too modest... He is great, and I have even more respect for him and his work now. 

Every question that was posed to Rem was answered with great confidence and in full detail. Check it out. 

n.tm

"Phantom Hotel" Back!

Recently, the Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea has been started construction again! This amazing hotel has been vacant for quite sometime now and I am oh so glad that they are starting work on it again. 

This amazing 105-storey building is back under construction after 16 years of being vacant. An Egyptian company recently purchased the building and started working on the top floors of the building. The Egyptian company has dreams for the building such as communication towers on the top of the building; ironically, the North Korean government doesn't allow their citizens cell phones... 

The communist North began constructing this building in 1987 to compete with South Korea as they held the 1988 Summer Olympics. In 1992, the project was put on hold as the economy began to go under. The cost of revamping this building is estimated $2 billion dollars (about 10% of North Korea's annual economic output). 

This building is quite amazing and it really is a shame that it has taken this long for it to be completed. This could be a turning point in the North's economy and a turn in their architectural stance as a country. 

I'm glad this is coming back! 

n.tm

Read more about the "Hotel of Doom"

NEW PHOTOS!!!

Wood In The Desert, originally uploaded by termeern.

Flickr site has been updated! Tons of new great photos! Check them out...


Just click on the picture.


n.tm

Wood Structure

SCI-Arc, originally uploaded by termeern.

I went to SCI-Arc in December, as I always do when I am in the area, to check out what they are doing with their work. It inspires me to be a lot more creative than Wentworth encourages me to be. I saw this structure and couldn't help but be amazed. From my understanding, this was one semester class that constructed this structure.

The thing that I love about this structure is that it is continuous and almost seems as though the wall intersects something that was already there. Also, this structure sits beneath the air conditioning vents and looks as if the concept could possibly how the air moves through the space, and it is built to emphasize the air movement. This structure reminds me of a Zaha Hadid lecture that I went to. She said that fluidity is her main concert for her projects, and I couldn't help but notice that this was so very fluid in every way. Wood is a hard material, yet you can manipulate is to act how you want, and that's exactly what these students did.

Fluid. Manipulatable. Wood. Amazing.

n.tm

Frank Gehry: Trick Me At Least

Frank Gehry: Stumped Yet Again

I read both of these articles and in watching the clips, I wasn't convinced that he had any idea what he was doing in the design process. Frank Gehry is mostly known for his work on the Guggenheim Museum in Spain as well as his Walt Disney Concert Hall here in Los Angeles, but the Serpentine Pavilion in England may be his last work in the country. He states that people know him in the country, but they just don't like him as an architect. 

First of all, Gehry needed to build this for a little more than a dry climate. It rains in England. People don't like to walk in the rain. Cover your structure a little better, or at least have an idea as to where the water will run off. Secondly, stick to what you know works. The self proclaimed concept of "fish" isn't evident in this project whatsoever. Lastly, try to come up with a better concept than the gardens. I understand how you can build to the surroundings, and try to abstract them as a whole, but I would have tried to make it a little more of a priority in the initial phases of design. 

Gehry presents his project as if it were completely foreign to him. It seems as though he picked up some bass wood, threw it on the ground, then said, team, do something with that. Or maybe he was playing with some Jenga with his associates and said, wow guys, that DOES look cool... pass it on to the next guy. 

Just not convincing enough. 

n.tm

4th.

American Flag
Originally uploaded by revtoddf@sbcglobal.net

Happy Fourth of July.

Celebrating the return of my dad from Afghanistan and the Fourth.

I like this.

Inlet, originally uploaded by termeern.

Of all my pictures taken in Mexico, this is definitely one of my favorite. It's just got good color. What more can I say? It's nature. It's colorful. It's just good. I like it.

Back home to CA today!

n.tm

Catholicism in Mexico

Jesus, originally uploaded by termeern.

In my Mexican travels, I have learned a lot about the culture of the indigenous Mexicans and the Spaniards. The indigenous Mexicans, or indians, had a holy number of four which was represented by the cross. The four pointed symbol was a sign of the sun and its four movements during the day: morning, mid-day, afternoon, and night. When the Spaniards came to this native land, they originally thought that this land had been conquered due to the fact that they thought that Catholicism had already reached them.

In a land of people that fought for so long to keep their individuality against European cultures and religions, Catholicism is a major part of the current culture. When learning more about the indians and how they were conquered, it saddens me to think of how these Spaniards forced this onto the people and forced their culture onto a new people.

Diego Rivera was very indifferent about the Catholic Church and what it stood for in Mexico. Rivera's stance was that they raped the Indians of their belief system and forced their own upon them. Rivera thought that the Catholic Church was to blame for the downfall of Mexico. Rivera was a openly large supporter of the Socialist party, and he said that the corrupt Church was going to tear down the country as a whole. He thought that throughout the years, the Church has only brought turmoil over the land. It brought nothing but , tears, hurt, pain, separation, and death since Catholicism first came to this wonderful land.

If this is what some Mexicans see the Catholic Church as, why is it so loved? Just a thought...

n.tm

Courtyard

Courtyard
Originally uploaded by termeern

This is one of my favorite photos that I have taken while being in Mexico.

This photo captures everything that I wanted in a courtyard. It is an example of how the courtyard is a minimal structure and how it shouldn't be the focus of any picture but the courtyard frames the sky.

The is a photo of the ancient Mayan ruins. This was a very typical house in their culture. The climate where the ruins are is very nice with temperatures in the mid 70s all year around. When climbing the Pyramid of The Sun, it was very clear how important the sun and the sky was to these people. The Sun was a very important part of the lifestyle in this culture. They models their houses to have a central courtyard in which the sun would enter and you would be able to see the light.

When asked, "did theses houses have windows on the exterior?" the answer was simply, "no, they had no need. They always put a central courtyard".

In this photo, is it very easy to understand how this simple structure meets the sky and more importantly, how the sky meets the household.

n.tm

Mexico City

Eje Central, Downtown Mexico City, 2006.
Originally uploaded by Dante Busquets

Mexico City, here I come.

I have come to rest, relax, and learn.

Architecture posts and photos are soon to come.