The final blogger post - site is moving, update your links and rss feeds!

For those of you who typically get to this blog site from a bookmark or rss feed we have moved our blog to another service in order for it to flow more "smoothly" with the overall TOIstudio website.

You can find the page here: TOIstudio/blog

We will be working hard to finish the migration to the new website and make it look clean and easy to navigate so please bear with me a bit while we work the kinks out.

Thanks and see you on the other side!

TOIstudio becomes a company

In the past month or so I have taken steps to launch TOIstudio as an Architecture, Planning, Design Research and Fabrication Firm. Hitting up the social media campaign (facebook, google+, etc.) is all new world for me. The many hats of trying to start up an Architecture office means wearing many hats, sometimes simultaneously and I am not entirely sure my skull is the proper shape for that. I admit, I have been really lucky in that I have had the privilege of working under some very strong mentors and with some extremely talented people.

The reasoning for the schism of trying to run my own shop it not a reflection upon the firms I have worked with or for but rather my desire to pursue a different sort of client or project than typically offered at these more traditional firms. I have to admit, I also miss the collaborative studio environment that I trained for Architecture in and believe that the model could be applied to the professional sphere.

With that in mind TOIstudio (the name reflects an appreciation of the surrealist movement made most palpable by Rene Margritte's painting "The Treachery of Images") has hung out the shingle so to speak and I will be documenting and sharing what is occurring in a multitude of ways.

First off, the blog will become a place for longer and hopefully more thoughtful diatribes upon the running of a business, architecture or design in general. There will be some project postmortem's, a bit of discussion of what is going on in the office or the shop and general responses to design culture as a whole.

The TOIstudio facebook page will be for taken quick snapshots of projects and process and will work as fodder for more cogent posting here. It is easy to post to and add a quick photo with caption so I will use it for it strengths. More importantly as a social media engine it allows me to share who I am also collaborating with very quickly. I am working under the assumption of "a rising tide lifts all boats" mentality. I work with enough hardworking and creative people that I feel that sharing accolades and exposure is a good for them as well as myself.

So I appreciate you taking the time to read this and join me on this journey. Here's to seeing how it pans out.

For those of you wondering what sort of projects TOIstudio works on, I enjoy practically any sort of project in which the client has a vested interest and is willing to take part in the design process. It is a lot of work, but I prefer jobs when everyone has some skin (meant in this definition as effort) in the project. That way success is more personal and we can move past the egos and personal opinions a bit quicker and figure out what the real problem is that we are trying to solve. Again, more on that eventually as well.

COLDscapes written up in Cleveland Magazine

There was a brief yet very nice write up about the COLDscapes project and installation in a recent pressing of Cleveland Magazine where I have a really stupid line at the end. Oh well, any press is good press I suppose.

Cold Comforts (the article) via Cleveland Magazine.

Cleveland Artist Spotlight

Cleveland Artist Spotlight: Dru McKeown

Super nice write up about my artistic endeavors, if such actions could be called such things, via Creative Compass (supported by the Community Patnership for Arts and Culture). I would like to thank them (Creative Workforce) a ton more and I don't properly know how to do so. The work they do has really been extremely helpful to myself. For once in my life I feel more in control and more in step with what I want to accomplish as an architect, as a researcher and as a designer than I ever did working in any of the firms I had spent time in previously (not that they were bad places, but I rarely got the opportunity to spend efforts on worthwhile endeavors).

Believe it or not, I truly understand how lucky I am to be able to spend my time doing things that I find worthy of expending my time upon and how fantastically lucky I am to be given these opportunities, working with the people I am working with, doing/making the things I am doing/making and being a part of a city that I truly love. It is all hearts and stars from here on out (to some extent).

I wish I could tell folks it was all hard work or what not, but really, it was the determination and vision of people with more tenacity than myself who make the opportunity for me doing what I want/need to to do possible. I want to thank the folks at Cuyahoga Arts & Culture for this chance to do something so much bigger than myself, whether working with people who couldn't really afford an architect/builder or just giving me a chance to donate my time and vision to a community, I thank you.

And so begins the first year with TOIstudio as a "for profit" organization. With my first client being a property owner that needs an architect who is willing to help tear off a roof, in a community that needs a bit of help forming an identity in a city that wants to come back swingin'. Nothing would make me happier than being an underdog in a leaky/cold studio to someone who makes it actually work. It has been a long time since purpose has truly fired this heart up, I can't wait to tackle the next obstacle that wants to bring me down.

Picking up a new mallet on the morrow. A bigger hammer usually gets the job done.

COLDscapes Exhibit Opening & Book Release - 2013.11.15

So while we have been organizing the shop/gearing up for assembly of the COLDscapes pavilion (and trying to make the shop leak less in this incredible wet fall/winter transition) the good folks at the CUDC have been busy putting together the Opening Reception and it is now official.

COLDscapes Opening Reception

Nov. 15, 2013

Star Plaza, Cleveland, Ohio

5-7pm

Where you can see the winners of the 2013 COLDscapes Competition and get your very own copy of the new Urban Infill book.

See you folks there!

COLDscapes underway

Yesterday the first shipment of materials for the COLDscapes installation arrived at the shop from the mill.

We are gearing up for the installation. Pasquale and Derek from the CUDC dropped by to check out the newly arrived parts.

Date of the opening reception is November 15th, 2013 in Star Plaza. Keep the date open.

I'm not a huge fan of demolition work...

There, I've said it. Maybe I don't like the "clutter" and the way that things constantly end up getting stacked right in the way of where you will probably want to move the scaffolding next and all that, maybe it is because when you are up on a roof you KNOW the decking below is soft you start thinking how it isn't really the 14' fall that is going to hurt, it is going to be when you land on the pile of debris (probably mostly broken nails below) that is what will potentially bring the pain. It is definitely easier when you are with a capable crew.

It is even better when you are with the building owner.

Spent yesterday with a client doing quite a bit of exploratory demolition of a very large building he is taking over. This meant we were mostly concerned with roof issues and buttoning up the building nice and tight to make it through the fast arriving winter. Like any good problem solvers we immediately attacked the worst portion which is slated for patching this week, but I learned quite a bit.

1) I never bring enough water.
2) Working with an owner and walking them through not only the issues of the building but also re-prioritizing the project as a whole to align with the clients overall needs is key.
3) Having a client who is vested in their building and community can be ridiculously rewarding. Not only because they understand the long term value of doing things correctly but when they get their own hands dirty and start peeling away 50 years of band aids they understand exactly why the patch it and forget it technique doesn't work. Besides having some leak issues we are now potentially facing some structural issues due to water infiltration at the parapets. However, this particular client isn't flinching at the numbers, he is more concerned about getting it fixed the right way to the building can be activated and contribute to the community instead of being a foreboding dark monster holding court at the entry to the neighborhood.
4) Flat roofs without a maintenance plan in place are the worst ideas in the world. Flat roofs look nice, they create buildings with nice profiles and allow the maximum occupied height to be attained within a zoning envelope but if you don't have someone regularly checking your flashing at the parapets, roof penetrations (because you have them) and general condition (due to Man's natural enemy, the Sun) you are going to have problems. If you let these problems "go" you are in for a world of hurt as flat roofs generally allow leaks to migrated horizontally through the decking/sub structure as water finds the easiest path down, sometimes right through your walls. And that's when your lintels start to go.
5) It is really easy to feel overwhelmed. The trick is small manageable goals. If that means throwing a clean out party to de-clutter a space, then lets order some cheap pizza, get a dumpster and glove up. Afterwards we can pop a cold one, sit in the newly cleaned space and go, "Yup, we got this handled" as we brainstorm on the best way to use a newly reclaimed giant chunk of building.

Regardless, a new client is on the boards. A very large commercial building, probably going to be on the radar for the next 10 years as we tackle bit by bit and actually will probably continually pull my back on this guy for a while as we clean it out and fix it up. Which is great, because if I had to deal with this building as a project in the space of a year (design to Construction Documents) I wouldn't be able to do it properly. The building sits in what I consider, a very prominent location, in a cute little inner-ring suburb with some great neighbors and harbors some fantastic potential, if only because the owner sees the value in the dang thing.

Plus we can see the Cleveland skyline from the roof, framed fantastically by the surrounding buildings and trees.

I'm excited. Sore as heck today, but excited.

Hang on, website is going through some cha cha cha cha cha changes.

We are currently undergoing some big changes including an attempt to update the clunky website we have been using for a while. Reasons are varied, mostly because we are undergoing a rebranding effort as TOIstudio has entered the professional Architecture foray.

So buckle up. We will be trying a whole new mess of options with the new site so things will be popping up and being taken down and I am sure a ton of links will be broken so please hang tight.

We are working towards cleaner, simpler and more engaging. Lots of buzzwords there that will require some iterations to get right.

Designers are their own worst clients, I am sure.

TOIstudio gearing up for fabrication of COLDstudio Snowball Pavilion for 2013 Winter deployment

Lots of things have been happening at the ol' TOIstudio homestead translating to the recent all quiet on the social media front.

The Kent State Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative has hired TOIstudio as design/fabrication consultant for the installation of the COLDstudio Competition Display Pavilion (We have been calling it COLDscapes). What began as graduate studio project has evolved into an actual physical and deployable structure.

The intent of the COLD Competition was to explore ideas to improve "livability" in cold weather cities. Ideas from protective structures to events and techniques to activate public space were explored resulting in over 80 international entries, and 3 selected winners.  The COLDstudio graduate program (of which I was an invited juror) explored creating temporary display pavilions that would illustrate cold weather living. The idea is to promote active urbanism even in inclement weather.

The selected pavilion design to display the selected competition entries is based on the design by KSU CUDC graduate student's Pasquale Esposito and Timothy Larke's "Snowball Pavilion" for the COLDstudio semester project.

COLD Studio | SNOWBALL PAVILION from KSU CUDC on Vimeo.

The CUDC team, headed by David Jurca with graduate students Pasquale Esposito and Derek Behm, in collaboration with TOIstudio are currently finessing the design to be installed for 29 days starting November 15th, 2013 in Star Plaza (1302 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, OH). The updated design remains honest to the original intent and thoughts of the team's initial proposal with some minor tweaking to increase success of functionality, constructability and deployment.

The new pavilion is being modeled in Rhino by the students and will be fabricated from CNC milled plywood mechanically fastened together for create the pavilion shell and is being studied via drawing and 3d modeling (because it is a design project). We hope to be pre-assembling the structure in the new (and undergoing renovation) Shop that TOIstudio will be moving fabrication into (more on that whole project/process later).

Assembled test model - lets us sort out which connections we still need to figure out

TOIstudio's role so far has been limited to lightly finessing the design in response to the site/use (the student team is doing all the heavy lifting) and sorting out construction issues/details in preparation for creating mill cutsheets and assembly/fabrication. We hope to preassemble the structure into "components" (you can call them "chunks") which will be delivered to the site for final assembly, almost like a large puzzle with van sized portions already figured out with the end goal of deploying the entire pavilion on site in one day. Currently we have the pavilion designed to be assembled into 12 components (which should easily fit in a van or on a trailer) and optimism remains high.  Best case scenario is that it will snow the day after the pavilion goes up.

More news on this project as it continues. So far it has been a blast and I am really excited with the process and cannot wait to start putting the full sized structure together.

Getting There

It is all about the process.

I was wandering through this blog a while back and realized that despite my very first post this thing has become primarily my day planner. Not for all the amazing events I go to and am a big deal at, but really for just the interesting things happening around town that I figured would be fun to go to if you were an art/environmental/design/food/beer nerd (eg me). Also, this thing got way less personal, albeit with brief moments of deeply personal bits and pieces left out there for really no reason.

I tried the whole "online community of rabble rousers" bit and found that mostly discouraging. Betwixt the undercurrents of racism/sexism/classism that is evident when every other statement is "I'm not _(biased)_ some of my best friends are _(some sort of distinguishable other group)_" or just blatant stupid/ignorant hatred (see most of the comments on Cleveland.com, if you dare) one can get pretty fed up with the armchair quarterbacks bitching about their world view being threatened by people actually doing things. And the internet is great for that. For people who want to just sit back and bitch about things not going their way. You really don't need much, some vitriol, an internet connection and some way to transcribe your insanity into text and/or photographs. There is the path of least resistance and I dub thee "the internet".

Whatev.

So I am taking back this blog a big. No more daily planner for me (although I will probably mention some things coming up it should not be the bulk of the postings), not that anyone reads this, I think most of my traffic comes from Russian porn mirror sites or something stupid like that. Luckily I have reached a point in my life where taking back my voice is easy. I used to be slightly concerned with what the bosses or "powers that be" would think of my little windmill tilting. The Breuer Tower thing didn't exactly go over well at the old place, not that it was mentioned to my face, just conversations in passing. Can't bite the hand that feeds you, I guess, even if you are being fed poisoned oats (or at least the old moldy bits no one else wants).

Happily the new place of employ is giving me the power to be myself. Not that it is free reign to go out and say malicious and stupid things, but I suppose they sort of understand that the crazy guy in the corner is going to vent somewhere and you may as well let him attempt to curate it into some sort of solidified and slightly comprehensive statement of values instead of thinking he just has tourettes. So the office is giving me a day off a week (sans pay, which is fine as I keep my medical) to work on projects I deem interesting. They are mostly art installations or research or maybe even some sort of architecture/planning things that may turn into big enough projects to shepherd back into the office.

You may ask "Why? Why would anyone put up with your shit, Dru? Why would anyone let you work on side projects when you could be cranking away in the office full time, making your magic equate bonus billable hours galore?" 

"Because I am that awesome." would be my reply. Although what it really means is that some architecture firms find value in staff working on research/exploratory projects on the side and have found the perfect chance to exploit my personal ambition as a marketing tool with the low, low price of me just not being in the office one day a week.

So I get a 3 day weekend to work on things and the office gets me for 4 days relatively undistracted.

Win-mutha-f-er-win.

What this means is that my weekends should be pretty packed of me accomplishing great things. Which it isn't. I admit this weekend in particular I sat on my buttocks playing SimCity (sucks) watching some Rhino tutorial videos, sketching some quick connection details and fretting about my weight instead of actually doing much. I have also become completely freaked by the laser cutter sitting in my home office hoping to be assembled and have a home found for it. It takes up my whole side table and makes the office feel half as big.

I'm freaking out on the inside.

Regardless, things are looking up.

I have a laser cutter. Half the battle right there in making awesome stuff. Also the Creative Workforce Fellowship has given me some street cred maybe and oh yeah...

I passed my final ARE exam, meaning I am a full growed up architect. Check it.

I, Dru (andrew) McKeown, am an Architect (in the great state of Ohio)

The above could not legally have been stated aloud before. Not allowed to be aloud. Now, perfectly legal. I have stamps and bidness cards and all the accoutrement thereof. Not an intern, etc, an actual Architect. Huzzah.

So, I'm taking back the street. More inane ramblings to come.

Happy Independence Day!

While the Declaration of Independence was written on the 2nd, it was actually ratified on the 4th (which we celebrate).

As a nation we are constantly undergoing change, re-evaluating ourselves, attempting to grow, be better, be a symbol of hope for the world. Lately (we can't even say that really) our politics seem to blind us to a binary expectation of how our systems work. "You are either for us or against us", seems to be the common mantra chanted from AM radio and cable TV. Somehow we are spending an awful lot of time trying to undermine everyone else's opinion instead of taking a serious consideration of what the real questions are.

This Holiday, as we grill and sun and drink and eventually watch explosions in the night sky, reminiscent of the blood spilled for our freedoms, lets take some time to enjoy our family, our friends, loved ones, pets, the crowds at the park and how lucky we are to be citizens of a nation that so many of us are proud of.

I would hope we can put aside our bickering and concentrate on the real problems we face. Education, meaningful employment, keeping healthy, our inclusion in an international economy, etc. In the meanwhile I would just like to wish every a safe holiday, enjoy your day off from work, enjoy your friends, your family and if you are lucky enough to have Friday off as well, a long 4 day weekend.

Lets relax for a bit. We can get back to the grind, the anger, soon enough.

Happy 4th of July and lets hope the rain stays away so we can all enjoy a fantastic display.

2013 Creative Workforce Fellowship Video + Spontaneous Interventions.

Not to toot my own horn (although using the word "toot" is quite fun), the Creative Workforce Fellowship Video has been posted online where I talk about the Greening Gordon Square project. The videographer, Paul Sobota" did a great job in editing all my blather into something slightly cogent.

Dru McKeown from CPAC on Vimeo.

This has been the first long-term research project that I have had the ability to undertake within the Northeast Ohio community and has allowed me to identify just how important I find research of our built environment and how integral it is to become in my future work.

Recently a poster for the project was included in the Spontaneous Interventions: design actions for the common good exhibition in Chicago (May - Sept, 2013). The exhibition is an American extension of the recent 13th Venice Bienniale. It's the big poster, smack in the middle of the wall. you should be able to pick it out by the outline of Cuyahoga County. Take that Lake Michigan!

You can find more (and continuously-ish updated) information on the Greening Gordon Square webpage.

pARTy in Gordon Square - 2013.06.08

pARTy in Gordon Square
Saturday, June 8th, 2013
West 65th and Detroit Ave.
Gordon Square Arts District
Cleveland, Ohio
2-11pm

Tons of events, food, food trucks, etc. While down there you can see the remains of the Binoceros (2011) installation and the Greening Gordon Square (2012) installation which is still under study (which didn't make the map/flier/etc.)

Schedule via GordonSquare.org

Join us for pARTy in Gordon Square Day  6/8/2013!

Grab a printed sheet of this schedule & guide w/ map at the information booth and use this website to navigate the events as well. Below are digital copies to help you plan & get familiar with our community.

Download the pARTy in Gordon Square Day 2013 Program Guide & Map

PDF of 2013 Guide & Map 

Front page Guide JPEG 

Back page Map JPEG

DATE/TIME	EVENT
06/08/2013 10:00 am - 8:00 pm	EcoCle 6507 Detroit Ave. – Eco CLE, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	FREE Classic Cartoons at Capitol Theatre Capitol Theatre, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 10:00 am - 5:30 pm	Shuttles to University Circle for Parade the Circle Lolly the Trolley Trips to Parade the Circle, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 10:00 am - 6:00 pm	Sustainable and Local CPT Parking Lot – Urban Sustainability, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 10:00 am - 2:00 pm	Talespinner and Face Painting Capitol Theatre, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm	Watch Parade the Circle CPT East Store Front, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm	Kilbane Town Tour 7200 Detroit Ave. Craciun Berry Funeral Home, Cleveland, Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Arts Exhibit CPT Parish Hall 78th Street Studios Galleries, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm	CLE the Best Location in the Nation - Gordon Square Arcade The Arcade 6516 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Cleveland Designs 6501 Detroit Ave. – Zone Ward Office, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm	CPT Backstage Tours CPT Gordon Square, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 11:00 pm	CPT Beer Garden CPT Parking Lot – Urban Sustainability, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Food Trucks West 64th & Detoit Ave., Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm	GSAD information station CPT West Performance Installation, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Haiku Mistress The Church at CPT, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Health Mobile West 67th Street – NWT Stage, Cleveland, Ohio Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Historic Walking Tour 1390 W. 65th – Outside Capitol Theatre, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm	Housing Tours 1390 W. 65th – Outside Capitol Theatre, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Live Music on the Street 6501 Detroit Ave. Zone Office, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Near West Theatre Stage Near West Theatre, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Neighborhood Family Practice West 67th Street, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Reddstone Beer Garden 6702 Detroit Ave., Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Spaces Gallery Exhibit: PULL!  CPT East Store Front, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Superman’s “The Planet”  6706 Detroit Ave., Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Zygote Press The Arcade 6516 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio
06/08/2013 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Art House, Inc Art House, Inc, Cleveland Ohio
06/08/2013 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	Kilbane Town Tour 7200 Detroit Ave. Craciun Berry Funeral Home, Cleveland, Ohio

February 2013 Reading List Recap / Public Transit for the WIN

I know most of the time these "hey, look what I just read list" come across as self aggrandizing attempts to gloat about perceived intelligence and I'm not expecting to write many very amazing reviews unless a particular tome intrigues me, however I have a lot of new commute time on my hands and if I can prove that there is a great value in a relaxed commute, then perhaps some value can be extracted from my (hope to be) monthly asides.

A little backstory. I hate commuting to work. Sort of. I hate driving to work. I commute from Lakewood (on the near West Side of Cleveland to Shaker Square, on the far East Side of Cleveland, typically at 25-35 minute drive, depending on weather, local traffic, construction, level of aggression, etc. The only way to really access Shaker Square is through some particular neighborhoods that the city and/or ODOT don't really care about the smoothness of the roads. There are some crazy potholes. I don't particularly like my car, but I think attempting to drive it around/over such large road obstacles is stupid on my part. So I started taking the public transit, which typical consists of a 10 minute bus ride, 10 minute train ride and a 15 minute light rail ride (with around 10 minutes wait time) which equates to a standard 45 minute one way trip. Double that to come home and I now have an extra hour and half to finally read all the books stacking up on my desk. I was amazed at how much I tore through.

I need to come up with a rating system, suggestions are welcome.

Feb. 2013

In order of been read:

Walkable City: Jeff Speck

Overall this book typically preaches to the choir and while the most interesting and useful portions are not why a walk-able city is important, it is how to attempt to accomplish the goals of a walk-able downtown (whether dense enough to be a major city or a suburban downtown). And the foot notes. I love good foot notes, it basically creates another reading list to go through. I already ordered a couple books mentioned in Walkable City to read. Most of the arguments are good, but should be common sense. 7/10

CLOG 4 - Renders 9/10

CLOG 5 - National Mall 9/10

I am a huge fan of most journals. Usually. CLOG is excellent. I cannot stress this enough, whether it is due to the editors selecting such great content or how the journals are organized around a singular topic, CLOG seems to be a ridiculous success. Damn you Kyle. Great job.

Writing About Architecture - Alexandra Lange

An attempt to exercise instruction of critical writing about architecture doubles as an interesting traipse through classic criticism (Mumford, Olmsted, Jacobs) and dissection of technique. While it will probably not make you a great architecture critic overnight it may just give you a better array of tools for understanding buildings, if you are into that sort of thing. It is a quick read, makes you want to pick up more Mumford and will probably help you with writing overall (maybe, I am admittedly not exhibiting much improvement). Easy to read in short bursts I was capable of picking up and putting the book down during natural break points (when my train reached my stop).  8/10

LOG 23

Log, an architecture journal. At times obtuse and difficult to get through, however my first exposure to Kwinter (swoon!) so I continue to order and read (I am behind by 5 issues or so) to discover more great essayists. At times extremely self referential and long winded (Hays, I'm assuming you are paid by the word) it is still a nice diversion into theory and, at times, absurdity. 7/10

The Landscape Urbanism Reader - Charles Waldheim, editor

You know that book you know you should have read forever ago that is sitting on your shelf mocking you? Yeah, this was mine. I finally finished it, having read it in fits and starts over the course of five years. It is a great primer on what should have been a basic understanding of site investigation/articulation in architecture school (but wasn't). I wish I hadn't put finishing this book off as long as I had, you should pick it up and read it (over the course of half a decade or so). 9/10

Refabricating Architecture: How Manufacturing Mehodologies are Poised to Transform Building Construction - Kieran/Timberlake

The thought of being clever enough to plan for the rapid design and deployment of prefabricated design units seems like a rather clever (albeit tried and admittedly failed) however an entire tome dedicated to this idea, comparing buildings to aircraft manufacturing seems not only a stretch but at times attempts to remove the entire "soul" of architecture. While it takes a long warm-up to get to the pitch (specific examples Kieran/Timberlake have attempted to deploy) the results ring shallow (how about those mixed metaphors?). There is what seems to be very little product for the amount of research going into what is basically prefab systems added to what seems to be repetitive points and imagery. Corb did it better. 5/10

LTL: Intensities - Lewis, Tsurumaki, Lewis

Continuing on their trajectory of putting together writings that make rigorous, tactile, craft-centric designers hate their desk jobs, LTL follows up Opportunistic Architecture with a piece showcasing more detail, more thought and more work. If you are not happy in your job, do not read this book. DO NOT GET THIS, it will depress you, that somewhere out there, all the thoughtfulness and care you wish you could take the time to put into the project, is being done, not by you. I borrowed this book, read it, and immediately unfriended the guy who let me borrow it. Not really. It is a great book, a fine example of what really succinct and clever design solutions could look like, if only given the chance. I digress, buy this book, show it to your boss, make them read it, ask them why you aren't allowed to question everything, the program, the process, the assembly and intent. If they can't answer you, quit and find a better job, or start your own firm. Life is too short to pretend you don't care. When I grow up, I want to be LTL. 12/10

TOIstudio: clarifying the hunt for new studio space

This is my first weekend in 3.5 months that I am not studying for an ARE (Architect Registration Exam). I was somehow under the impression that if I spaced them 2 weeks apart I could get through the entire mess without losing momentum.

I was sick of em after the third exam, which is when I got my first fail. I don't know what I botched up as it was a vignette. I probably misread something, however the results give very imprecise instructions as how to improve. "Do better next time, sucker", basically. However, I did manage to wade through all 7 in 3.5 months including over the holidays and travels and whatnot. I'm just waiting on the results from the very last exam taken last week. Whatever, I have been working in offices since 2003, having the license really doesn't do much for me at this juncture, it isn't like I am doing "architecture" on the side (I am not, if anyone is interested, no architecture to see here!). Legally I am not sure if the title Intern Architect is appropriate  To be honest I don't care what you call me, as long as I can do work that I find interesting and is of a high caliber  I'm not hung up on titles much, I would rather get stuff done.

Bringing the exams to somewhat of a close (for 5 months at least) has allowed me to ratchet up the hunt for a new space. I would love to define "new space" better then just that but my discussions with some various CDC Economic Development teams has allowed me to self clarify that I don't really know so much what I want, I will just know it when I see it. After working in Detroit Shoreway on various installations I do admit I really like that community. The CDC is very active and Councilman Matt Zone seems truly interested in engaging citizens in arts, culture, education, etc. Sort of community development via groundswell in lieu of gentrification. I appreciate that. That being said I love Lakewood. The amenities are fantastic, the city is small, dense and completely walkable. It is as bikeable as most of the local cities (urban biking wise, although it could improve) and there is a tremendous local flavor to bars, restaurants, retail and business. Ohio City is another area I am hoping to start looking into. Graham Veysey may not have been the first to re-invest in the area not centered on West 25th, but the new Transformer Station and Rising Star Coffee would be the sort of dream neighbors I personally covet.

Today is really the first day I get to have a realtor drag me around to look at some properties. I am hoping to find a great art studio space in which I can set up a small design office, work with wood, metal and composites (light fabrication if you want to call it that) and construct some mock-ups or assemble installations before hauling them off to the site. I am also planning on having a few+ open houses a year. The studio would be fantastic if it could be collaborative and if it were located in a neighborhood that would be open to the idea of public installations on residual space. And I would like to live on the property to keep an eye on it but also so when I get home from work I can jump into some coveralls and go to town making stuff. Proximity = success to me. So, in a nutshell, living space (2-3 bedrooms, 1.5 bath, kitchen/living space, shop area (1ksf), office/gallery (500sf), parking for van, small van, motorcycle and space for a trailor in an inner suburb to Cleveland on the West Side, hopefully super close to transit and other art/design nerds. And close to a great bar, having that "third space", that is required. I would love a small area to garden. I don't mind shoveling too much snow and the MarJ and I are still on the fence about childrens, soooooo no idea how local schools plays into this yet.

Starting the search, lets see what we can find. I'll try to be the best neighbor ever, but I will not loan out tools, sorry folks.

2013 CPAC Fellowship - Thank you Cuyahoga County, I hope I can live up to your expectations

I found out a while back, November maybe, that I had been selected as a finalist for the 2013 Community Partnership for Arts and Culture Community Workforce Fellowship. I did my best to keep it under wraps until the final awards ceremony last week at MOCA when it became a bit more real (I had to walk on a small stage, accept a certificate and get out of there without falling over myself). The honor is amazing so I want to take some time and effort and put out there exactly what this may mean. For those you not interested in self exploration of the creative process or whatever, this isn't the post for you.

I have been very lucky in this "creative career" trajectory and while I am humbled by the recognition (which is very nice!) and the grant (to be used for doing "more stuff") I am well aware that this could not have happened without whatever force connected me to so many talented and driven people that pushed me to do more then just punch a clock and never be satisfied with "good enough". I'm not going to name drop, but those of you whom know of which I speak, well, know.

TOIstudio started as an experiment in sorting out why a math and science nerd such as myself loved the act of design. Not just of creation, but what was behind the creation. While many failed experiments (which could be construed as set backs) occurred, most of the time they created a pool of knowledge of what didn't work which at times can be more useful then what does work. Nowadays TOIstudio is just a name to hide behind so that I don't have to brand anything with myself. It is an acute acknowledgement that I work horribly in a vacuum, that I would rather collaborate and have meaningful discussions about making things and how people move about within them, then not. I enjoy being challenged and frustrated, enraged at times, so that I feel the blood in my ears as I work to prove out a vision. It is my way to ride the coattails of very talented people and suck any and all knowledge from them that I can. The very marrow of existence (I haven't seen that movie in a while).

So.

What does the fellowship mean, exactly? That I cannot quite answer. Yet. To me it is a stepping stone, a way to set up a strong foundation to continue research in design without many of the normal constraints. It gives me a voice. It gives me some very appreciated financial backing. It gives me some confidence that what I am doing could be interesting to someone else (which I admit is pretty exhilarating).

For those of you paying attention, way back in 2007 by first attempt at a shop flooded in some freak rainstorm. I was located in Midtown and the space  have a very poorly designed sanitary/storm clean out (eg lacking a closure device or cap) and my space flooded  destroying quite a bit of equipment, belongings and momentum. The idea was to build a shop/gallery space to give architects a creative outlet through more personal art then buildings. That idea still holds somewhat.

Fast forward to 2012 and the nice fellow who was letting me squat in his shop while we put together BookBox decides he has had enough of civilization and moves out West to Montana to teach architecture. To be fair it is beautiful out there and the school appears to have a decent program that he finds happiness at. Apparently. So another shop closes down.

Now the beginnings of 2013 encroach. I am finishing up my first pass at the Architecture Registration Exams and am currently looking at a new space for a shop. Someplace to live, work and create a gallery space in. My big plans have changed little so far, the dreams just seem more, reasonable. CPAC has given me more momentum however, more focus. Maybe a stronger voice. Either way it is humbling and scary. All I can think about is letting down the strangers who had enough interest in my work to tell me to keep going, keep digging and making and testing. And playing.

I'm scared to death of screwing up. Which is fine though, it means I'm on the right track.

Thanks Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, Cleveland, Community Partnership for Arts and Culture.

Thanks to those that let me hang out with them and their process, frustration and creation.

Thanks to those who put up with me and what I do.

I look forward to making more stuff. Thanks.