Question of Pedagogy, Part 3. Having taught second-year design studio for half of my academic life, I have always wondered how first year design exercises would benefit by being extended into architecture, thus having students learn the foundations of design and architecture sequentially, but through a single project.
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Question of Pedagogy, Part 2
Question of Pedagogy, Part 2. Rarely have I wavered from my interest in teaching the discipline of architecture, one that is historically defined as a spatial art form. But on the few occasions that I have, it was because students took their research into such innovative and compelling directions that I could only lend them my full support.
Question of Pedagogy, Part 1
Question of Pedagogy, Part 1. As a student, I remember fondly our first studio day of the semester. It was always magic and full of promise. The faculty member would introduce her or himself, describe the expected requirements for a healthy studio culture, and proceed to share thoughts on the pedagogical intentions offered by the program’s brief.
Culinary memories from Switzerland: THE canapé
Culinary memories from Switzerland: THE canapé. Sandwiches are a ubiquitous food staple around the world. From their official inception with John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718–1792)—who had requested that his valet prepare a “piece of meat tucked between two pieces of bread” —to contemporary fast food franchises specializing in oversized, fully loaded footlong versions, each country’s identity includes some sort of bread butterflied and filled with delectable indigenous ingredients (melted cheese, cold and grilled meats, vegetables, yogurt, spicy mayonnaise, and even peanut butter and jelly). Perhaps one day, in this cornucopia of world sandwiches, one might be included as a food item on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
What does built-in cabinetry have to do with architecture?
What does built-in cabinetry have to do with architecture?.There is always a practical answer to the program of a room so that “one’s sense of well-being takes priority over any theoretical concerns.” One way to investigate this is to learn how to design furniture and built-in cabinetwork to enhance the program. For many students, this exercise is eye opening, especially in the early years of their architecture studies.
Why Model Sketching? Part 2
Why Model Sketching? Part 2. As a student attending Cooper Union, I vividly remember the first time I saw one of my peers “sketch” in model form. While I was well versed in sketching through drawing, and was particularly fond of diagraming concepts to develop ideas, I was surprised by this new method of allowing ideas to emerge like in a sketch, but within a three-dimensional context. There was something seamless between idea and representation, between thinking, seeing, and how the hand dances while crafting the model. I was hooked and wanted to explore this new process.
Architectural Education: about conceptual diagraming
Architectural Education: about conceptual diagraming. I cannot count the number times I’ve listened to colleagues and former professors of mine promote the idea that learning about architecture begins by confronting Architecture (yes, with a capital A) with one’s prejudices about what constitutes a building. While I often question this pedagogical approach, especially as a way to initiate students to architecture—possibly denying their “suburban” autobiography—I favor that any learning about architecture (yes, with a lower-case a) should be, first and foremost, about finding a strong ethic, method of self-reflection, and empathy toward creating an art form based on space making.
Continue reading Architectural Education: about conceptual diagramingMemories of The New York Sunday Times
Memories of The New York Sunday Times. There is something rewarding about the world wide web (www), it is instantaneous and research resourcing can be done in the snap-of-a-finger from the comfort of any prosthetic digital device. Fondly called in the early 1990s, the World-Wide Wait (as the new superhighway of cyberspace), I remember when searching was nicknamed “surfing,” to be rapidly replaced by to Google or googling as in “to use Google, the internet search engine, to find information on a person or thing . . .”
Breakfast bread pudding ham cups
Breakfast bread pudding ham cups. Breakfast will always be special and, as I’ve said before, the variety of items that constitute the day’s first meal remains endless. However, while I most often return to my favorite selections, I do find myself wanting to try new ways to cook, present, and interpret breakfast staples. Recently, I came across an innovative way to use three basic ingredients: bread, eggs, and ham.
What does the choice of furniture have to do with architecture?
What does the choice of furniture have to do with architecture? In recent years, I have proposed a loft renovation project for my second-year architecture studio students, with an emphasis on interior design principles that extend to the selection of furniture and the detailing of cabinetwork.
Continue reading What does the choice of furniture have to do with architecture?