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!