Teddy Cruz Lecture

http://www.spatialagency.net/2010/07/28/teddycruzphotolisbetharboe-960x640.jpg

I attended the Teddy Cruz lecture last night at PSU and it was not your typical architecture discussion.  Well it was long and about half way through I was getting antsy, but it spoke about the design of something much different than architecture.

Mr. Cruz first spoke of the tensions and flows of both people and materials between his home of San Diego and Mexican boarder town Tiajana.  He used his 2008 Biennale installation as a way of illustrating this dialogue.  The installation is a cross-section starting and ending at both towns and looks at how the terrain, fabric and culture changes as you move from one to the other.  The most shocking for me were the Long Steel piles that are at the boarder.  I had no idea that they extended out into the water as they do.  I was also unaware of all the shanty towns and slums that exist in Tiajana that are constructed of San Diego's trash (garage doors, tires, etc.)  and seeing the track homes built on stills was an incredible site.   Its ironic that the people living in these slums aspire to have the McMansions of their neighbors to the north.  In a sad way they think that large homes will bring them happiness, yet in the meantime if they could build them they would become this foreign object sticking out like a sore thumb in their culture.

http://www.projetosurbanos.com.br/arquivos/teddycruz01.jpg

Cruz's solution although not the most aesthetically beautiful, is a very inspiring solution.  He sought out ways for the time being to make their lives a little bit better and structured with a very architectural solution.  The use of simple inexpensive trusses help create a frame work that makes the construction of these slums safer and more generative.  He realizes this isn't a permanent solution, but offers it as a means to cope in the mean time.  If I had not seen the rest of the lecture I would have though very well that this isnt a good solution, but for Mr. Cruz I feel like it is a solution to buy him some time while he works at the political side of the  problem.

The interesting thing about this lecture was that its focus was not primarily on the design of architecture.  He is clearly an architect who is interested in redesigning the way we get things done.  He is out there talking with developers, the government, the people, and looking for solutions that work for those truly in a need.

This lecture made me start to think, their will always be an architect to design banks, schools, offices towers, pavillions, museums, etc...  but what architects will be left to design for the disregarded parts of the world.  Should I be using my gift of design to build structures for clients who have access to a vast number of architects, or should I be using my gift to help those who can not afford design services?  This is a tricky dilemma because like them I still want to be able to live comfortably and have a roof over my head.  Maybe the answer will become more clear as I make the transition from student to professional.  Hopefully it wont be too late.

A BUILDING CULTURE: Brian Cavanugh Lecture

Yesterday's lunch time lecture by Brian Cavanugh of ABC was quite enjoyable.  Although the projects presented were not doing anything too out of the ordinary,  they still possessed a quality that made the design concepts very clear.  This was most evident in the plans.

He opened up with saying that the mission of the firm was to execute projects keeping in mind that they are architects first and foremost and that when they design they are looking for an architectural solution. (sorry if i miss interpreted this).  Basically meaning, we go to school to become architects lets not forget the certain skill sets we have acquired, hence distinguishing them from the utilitarian architect that just makes space because he has to.

It is debatable if ABC actually holds up to this statement because architecture is subjective, but I think that this mission is something important to remember as we make the leap from student to professional.  The architectural market has been reduced to most projects needing to meet strict budgets and tight schedules and in the end creates a legacy of built projects that are not very distinguished.

He also mentioned that his firm approaches all project without any predisposition about the site, program, etc...  It is through a rigorous amount of research that they arrive at a solution.  I heard this type of process before from other architects and I wonder how do we turn of the intuitive switch in our heads when we begin a project.  It is so hard to approach a project with an open mind because as designer when we are presented with a problem we quickly begin thinking of a solution.  It never surprises me when I look back through my sketch book once I have finished a project and see how different my first schemes look from the final.

How can we cope with these strong feelings and urges to say, "yes! I have the solution"?  I think research will prove or disprove these assumptions we make, either allowing the project to progress more smoothly or difficult.  I think it is time and experience that will allow us to honestly say that we arrive at a solution that was non biased, but ultimately as designer we have to weigh what is important and not important and therefore that is arguably the process of us being biased.  

Lasly, I really enjoyed the addition they did for the Seattle residence.  By designing around such a large dinning table demand from their client, they ended up creating an interesting dynamic between the home and its side yard.  Good work.  I look forward to seeing more work from ABC.

Urban Ecology and Conservation Symposium

Today I was lucky enough to be an attendee of the 9th annual Urban Ecology and Conservation Symposium.  It consisted of grouped 10 minute long presentations followed with a short question answer session.   The morning lectures were mainly focused on preservation of habitat and land values.  Although the subject matter was of interest and fascinating, like setting up systems for characterizing and rating existing habitat, I saw little opportunities of applying this new knowledge to my thesis.  I guess intuitively by choosing an urban site to develop you are saving/preserving the existing habitat.  My thesis would agree that it is very important that we first develop urbanized areas before preceding into habitat areas.

One of the lecture that will forever remember was entitled, "Solutions from the underground: How mushrooms can help save the world."  Paul Stamets, a Pacific NW native spoke about the important "sacrificial" role that fungi play in the ecosystem.  Often times we think of ourselves as being the superior organism, yet I have come to find that fungi are way more resilient than we will ever be.

I found it fascinating that in some cases fungi are found having a symbiotic relationship with tree root systems, increasing their network for absorption and fighting off diseases.  They have even made it possible for some trees to grow with very little exposure to sunlight.  Other studies have shown that Fungi are not only intelligent, but are capable of learning and are able to retain this learned information.

Wouldn't it be great if new urban architecture could insert itself into the fabric like a fungi on the forest floor?  It could increase connection, fight off threats, filter out impurities, and when its task was over simply be reabsorbed into the ground it once sprouted from.  Im not sure what this architecture would look like, or what systems passive or active would be required to achieve this but I find in intriguing thinking of ways architecture could become sacrificial and selfless.

Paul Stamets: Click to view Ted Talk