Antique carpet stretchers. A colleague of mine once said that I am a collector of collections. A flattering statement that I take with great pride, as in a certain way, his comment validates my interest in collecting distinct objects that I have an emotional connection with. Some of my collections may be called material culture, a term that refers “to the physical objects that people create, use, and value within a specific society.”
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Swiss white wine glasses. There are myriad vessels from which we are accustomed to taste the elixirs of the gods or savor sophisticated cocktails. If one enjoys even the slightest sophistication in life you know that glasses can be categorized by shape, size, and intended use.
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Robert Slutzky. In my second year at the EPFL, the idea of learning architecture through precedents filtered from the appreciation of vernacular buildings to an immersion with visiting guest professors.
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Art by Mike Goodlett. Mike Goodlett’s (1958-2021) art has fascinated me from the day I first laid eyes on one of his panorama shadow boxes featured at a Gallery Hop in Lexington, KY. I was mesmerized by the piece and immediately returned to the gallery to purchase it. It had to be mine!
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Leonardo Ricci. This blog concludes my thoughts on mentors, the three who have made me who I am as an architect and educator. Following blogs on two of my professors, Robert Slutzky at the EPFL and Raimund Abraham during my year at The Cooper Union (Cooper), I want conclude with Leonardo Ricci who I met as a colleague at the University of Kentucky.
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Student critiques in architecture. Reflecting on my life as an educator, I perceive three important phases in the evolution of my teaching methods, and how, retrospectively, they have mirrored significant shifts in how students learn. As an introduction, let’s delve into the three phases.
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Vegetable pasta for the spring. Although the temperature remains mild for an end of May, I wanted to take advantage of the bounties of fresh vegetables and cook a delicious, quick, and easy vegetable-based pasta dish.
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Leonardo Ricci: how to project in architecture. Leonardo Ricci: how to project in architecture.I have written many blogs to assist students in furthering their intellectual curiosity. These blogs elucidate content that addresses a number of issues they encounter during regular design studio time.
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Carlo Scarpa, Venice entrance pavilion. Over the years, I have noticed that small, unobtrusive interventions are no longer discussed. Many of the intellectual riddles—especially in academia—now focus on the plethora of new, unexpected, bizarre, and even the fashionably ugly. If this is true, it is sad that what is now understood as architecture often no longer relates to how, in particular, small works of excellence contribute to the built environment.
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How to become an architect? As Covid-19 is well past, students and their parents have resumed visiting university campuses. To my delight, students are showing a growing interest in architecture programs.
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