Studio wraps up in a week of a half. One thing I am trying to keep in mind is the small vignette of life in Dhaka afforded to me during my week there. It isn't enough, it never is, but every reminder of the reality on the ground there helps. Here is a matter of... Continue Reading →
As final projects and presentations descend upon me these posts will include more past work. Today I look at a project from 2007, a wonderful design/build opportunity to construct a park installation in Belmullet, Ireland. The studio was run by Travis Price, an architect working in Washington DC. There were about 11 people in the... Continue Reading →
Another very long week in studio. Here are a few photos from two years back, from a project attempting to map how I read a book and turned a page. This work led to the reading chair mentioned in previous posts.
In West Philadelphia the Belmont neighborhood is defined by Lancaster Ave to the south, 40th St to the east, Belmont Ave to the west and the Septa tracks to the north. These four borders give definition to a place and a neighborhood. Depending on who you ask, this area could be considered part of Mantua, and... Continue Reading →
Rankings periodically come out listing various cities and countries in terms of GDP or "gross national happiness" or other measure of the quality of life. The process is inherently reductive and tries to judge widely different contexts against the same measure. GDP is the simplest means of comparison, roughly calculating the sum total of economic... Continue Reading →
I've thought about how a printed and bound portfolio represents a body of work as compared to a blog, and I prefer the open ended and incremental nature of a blog. Both have the somewhat awkward convention of reverse chronology, unable to show progression or evolution of ideas (the problem is especially apparent with the... Continue Reading →
As part of a class on Historic Preservation Economics, I am part of a team looking at the 1894 Engine 46 Firehouse, a steakhouse in its latest life up until 2006 when the proprietor allegedly ran into gambling trouble and forfeited all his assets (most of the restaurant). The Southwark Historical Society has a... Continue Reading →
What is an underspecified system? Orkan Telhan's class Visual Epistemology takes a look at artwork and installations with very specific properties. These systems must be intentionally incomplete, change over time, have some sort of agency and performace, and respond to some external force or input. I used the Waterfall Swing and Reading chair as examples. The waterfall... Continue Reading →
Another project from Landscape/Urbanism Case Studies, this time in New York City's harbor. A chain of floating levees would serve as pedestrian paths and also convert tidal currents into electrical currents. During a storm event the turbines would close and the levees would rise with the storm surge. This project completed with Rebecca Fischman and Tadashi Kikuno
A few pictures from the past few days. A Friday review means burnt out or distracted students. This DIY bike tool station saved me late Thursday night as my bike wheel had a slow flat. The tools are protected by cables and by the watchful eyes of indebted bikers. More shots of brick's surprisingly... Continue Reading →
Adam Achrati 