Roadtrip (7)! - University of Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning

The UB School of Architecture and Planning already had some good lectures (I keep forgetting about this school for some reason, must be a mental block thing) but I am excited about Dan Rockhill and SANAA and think Xu Bing would be very interesting.

Here is the schedule including some items that we have already missed, just to rub it in that they have a lecture series too:

Oh, and they also have selected past lectures online for you to be viewing (Quicktime) online. Yay!

Fall 2009

Lectures

All Lectures begin at 5:30 pm in Crosby 301 unless otherwise noted.

• 09.09.09 Molo

  Stephanie Forsythe and Todd McAllen, of Molo, founded the critically-acclaimed, collaborative design and production studio which is based in Vancouver, known for its materials research and explorationof space-making designs.
  

09.11.09 Simon Harel

Simon Harel has written extensively about cities and is currently engaged in research on homelessness. He is a Professor in Literary Studies at the University of Quebec in Montreal.


09.30.09 Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects

Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam are architects working in practice in Atlanta. The designers of several significant award-winning libraries and educational buildings, their work has been widely published and received numerous awards.

10.09.09 Dan Rockhill

Dan Rockhill is an architect and Director of Studio 804 – a program that enables architects and students to design and build houses and public buildings.The Rockhill lecture will be held at 12:30 p.m. in 301 Crosby Hall.


10.13.09 SANAA

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have been working collaboratively under the name SANAA since1995. Their most recent work includes the 2009 Serpentine Pavilion in the UK. This lecture will be held at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery at 6 p.m.

10.28.09 Maryann Thompson

An architect and landscape architect based in Boston, Maryann Thompson has designed a series of significant public buildings as well as notable new landscapes.

11.09.09 Xu Bing

Xu Bing’s artistic practice is an exploration of language. He studied printmaking at of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, where he is currently Vice President. This lecture will take place at the Center for Fine Arts at 6:30 p.m.

11.18.09 Johannes Stiefel, McHale Fellow

Johannes Stiefel is a founder of Stiefel Kramer Architects - a design studio that is based in Vienna and Zurich. He recently won a major design competition for a new public space in Switzerland. He is the 2009-10 McHale Fellow at UB SA&P.

Cleveland Design Competition III - goes live

I have found that holding my breathe doesn't really make things move faster or occur sooner regardless of what idioms you may hear. This is why I am extremely very excited to announce that registration and the official launch of the third Cleveland Design Competition happens(ed) today, October 5th.

The timeline is already in place and as a slight teaser the scope of the project will include the Lakefront Rail Station, a major component of the 3C rail line, the Medical Mart project and Cleveland's foray into the model sustainable city it claims to want to become.

I for one, am extremely excited.

EXTREMELY.

...and I am going to throw down the gauntlet. If you are an architect/designer and claim to give the slightest crap about Cleveland's future but can't be bothered to take the time to even help a team on a competition hoping to elevate not only the image of the city but the discussion of how we can make our place better through experimenting with design, you need to stop telling people that you are a designer who cares about Cleveland. Action or words buckos.

Action or words.

See you at the awards ceremony.

updated image - ed

Roadtrip (6)! John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto.

To be completely fair my first warning of any Fall Lecture series happened because Daniels was kind enough to send me an email which turned my regular crummy day into a wonderful one. It reminded me of a couple truths. That Fall is awesome because of all the upcoming lectures, that Daniels not only has an amazing lecture series but keeps people informed about them and that no matter how hard I try, I will never get my alma mater to put me on an email list so I may as well go to another school and try there.

Toronto has a warm place in my heart and I am already listing the excuses to return. This lecture series offers some fine possibilities. For those of you wondering, no, I will not carpool with you to a lecture series across the border. I am less humorous than a border guard and don't have time for your "jeez, I hope my roommate wasn't wearing this coat" humor when we get to the crossing. Also I want time to do some exploring and shopping.

And yes, there is even a Brown Bag Lecture Series. Eat your friggin' heart out.

Daniels Fall 2009 Lecture Series: WHAT'S THE PLAN?

Michael Maltzan "SPLAT" 09/16/2009 Einar Jarmund "Lost in Nature - The Architecture of Jarmund / Vigsnaes" 09/22/2009 Nine critical architects and designers "The Roadshow: Architectural Landscapes of Canada: TONIGHT - RM 103" 09/28/2009 Dan Graham "Works Between Art and Architecture" 10/05/2009 Monica Ponce de Leon "Disciplinary Transgressions" 10/06/2009 Richard M. Sommer "Dean's Inaugural Lecture" 10/27/2009 Oren Safdie "Private Jokes, Public Places" 10/28/2009 Georges Farhat "Territorial Anamorphosis: Topographic Perspective and Land Institutions in 17th c. France" 11/03/2009 Walter J. Hood "Sampling Landscapes" 11/10/2009 Laurent Gutierrez "The Production of a Territory and the Territory of Production" 11/19/2009 Roger Ulrich "Sick Rooms" 11/24/2009

2009-10 Brown Bag Lecture Series Laurent Stalder "New Work" 10/08/2009 Kevin Fennell "Recent Work" 11/04/2009 Cristina Goberna "Architectural Agonism" 11/17/2009 Gregory Moore "Recent Work" 12/01/2009 Marta Malé-Alemany "Recent Work" 01/21/2010 Elisa Silva "Recent Work" 02/16/2010 Philippe Morel "Recent Work" 03/16/2010 Taymoore Balbaa "Recent Work" 04/01/2010

Architecture for Humanity: Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) Rebuilding Appeal

Architecture for Humanity is responding to Typhoon Ketsana-Ondoy, which has affected the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia. Millions of people have been displaced, with the threat of more typhoons on their way possibly affecting even more people. We are raising funds for transitional and permanent reconstruction of areas affected. Please note this funding will be focused on longer-term recovery rather than emergency relief.

DONATE HERE http://www.architectureforhumanity.org/updates/2009-10-01-typhoon-ketsana-ondoy-rebuilding-appeal

Here’s how we can make an impact:

$10,000 will provide a rebuilding team for six months on the ground.
$20,000 will provide a team in two or more countries.
$50,000 will build a clinic or school.
$100,000 will build multiple community structures.

If we raise less than $10,000 then we will distribute it to local groups focused on reconstruction of affected communities.

After the 2004 South Asia Tsunami we raised close to $500,000, which enabled Architecture for Humanity to build community facilities and homes in more than 20 villages in India and Sri Lanka.

Can’t Donate?

1. Offer your services – link to offer services
2. Tweet this: Support Architecture for Humanity's Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) Rebuilding Appeal: http://bit.ly/3oYvyq
3. Update your Facebook status with: Support Architecture for Humanity’s Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) Rebuilding Appeal: http://bit.ly/3oYvyq
4. Email 10 friends.
5. Host a bake sale (Over $200K was raised through bake sales and lemonade stands during the 2004 Tsunami).

Thank You,

All of us at Architecture for Humanity

Lake Erie Boat Float

Lake Erie Boat Float
Saturday, Oct. 3rd, 2009
Boat Launch at Edgewater State Park Beach
9am

In 2003 Marcus Eriksen sailed down the Mississippi River on a plastic raft called Bottle Rocket

In 2008 he sailed across the Pacific Ocean on a raft made of 15,000 plastic bottles called JUNK

In 2009 he will sail Lake Erie on a raft made of bottles called The COLA-HOGA!

Come and cheer on all the folks who built their very own recycled rafts as they take to the high um... Lake and bring back their rafts for responsible recycling.

the Bike Rack Event

the Bike Rack

Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009

1951 West 26th Street, Suite 101, Cleveland, OH 44113

5.30 - 9pm

30 artists (including the yours truly as part of a Cleveland "Dream Team" with David Jurca and Guari Torgalkar) from across Greater Cleveland submitted public art ideas for the facade of a new bike station planned for downtown Cleveland. The submissions were reviewed and winners were chosen by community stakeholders from the Gateway and East 4th Street neighborhood.

Join us on Thursday, October 1, at 5:30pm, to view all the entries and see an installation by the winning artists, Scott Stibich and Mark A. Reigelman II.

-spoiler, the Cleveland "Dream Team" wasn't chosen. Still gonna show up and check out the winners though. Oh sweet victory, will thous't land upon my lips?

Sacred Architecture Tour - St. James - recap

The MarJ and I went on a tour of St. James which was hosted by Tim Barett, an architectural historian in Cleveland, who gave a presentation on the history and detailing of St. James which is currently being ordered to close by the Cleveland Diocese.

The city of Lakewood, in which St. James resides, is currently attempting to pass legislation amending the city's historic preservation law to include protecting the interior of historical properties (not just public ones) that "have traditionally served the public". Needless to say the legal issues are at best a sticky wicket.

The church however, even though it displays some damage, is quite breathtaking inside and it is a true marvel to believe that a structure such as this exists. The quality of materials (as pointed out by Mr. Barett) is exceptional and the detailing and thought that went into the design are extraordinary.

St. James is scheduled to be closed in 2010 which may possibly forever take a part of Cleveland/Lakewood history along with it. I suggest if you have the time and inclination to stop in and take a peek around. It is well worth the trip.

resources:

onelakewood blog post re: legislation

cleveland.com re: Lakewood fight

the legislation itself (.pdf)

The Bridge Project Recap

If you had spent the last week living under a rock in complete denial of interweb communications or the sun perhaps you had missed out on the Bridge Project an injection of Ingenuity Fest which took place on the streetcar level of the Detroit Superior (Veteran's Memorial) Bridge and hosted the fifth Pecha Kucha Cleveland. There was quite a bit going on and from 4pm to midnight (Friday) and noon to midnight (Saturday) the bridge became the hot new public space of Cleveland.

There was something quite wonderous about the transformation, not the least of which was the studied interventions coordinated by the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative which were intentional pedestrian spaces intended to capture and challenge public interaction and flow. The Bridge came alive Friday night when I was there and turned into the sort of pulsing urban area that makes Cleveland feel like a lively city. From the intimate lighting creating areas of romance and sharing, to the impromptu (for the bridge) fireworks show after the Indian's game, to the constant arrival and departure of the hooting crowds sharing a ride on the conference bike the darkened space never felt nefarious or dangerous or the least bit intimidating. The MarJ and I reminisced upon a time in Portland when we crossed the Morrison Bridge(?) on foot on the way to meet a friend for dinner which gave us an amazing vantage of Portland but wasn't very crowded. I don't think we ever truly felt anything but cold and wet (it was raining), tired (those bridges are LONG!) and amazed at the view. There is something about bridges that offer some of the very best views of a city.

Bridges embolden some very interesting ideas. They demarcate the physical (and usually psychological) barriers between two regions (noticeable in Cleveland as the constant struggle between the vastly superior West Side and that Other Side) and allow typically unhindered vistas along shorelines or gorges typically aligned with major boulevards (necessitating the crossing). They are the physical manifestation of the idea of joining two separate and distinct entities and of overcoming barriers (sadly an idea not touched on often enough) and can be very beautiful, very utilitarian, both or neither but always intentional and purposeful.

So what did we learn from this, our night-time excursion along a path not open to public for decades (at afternoon hours)? We learned that Cleveland has some postcard views, that hearing the cars rumble overhead with the river rushing by below is unnerving but the concrete and steel are reassuring, that if you have something so singular and amazing such as that bridge level, that it needs to be celebrated and shared, and that Cleveland is acres of unutilized potential of river and lake shore and space whose only hinderer is our lack of imagination and our hesitancy to try to do something new and different.

Congratulations to all those hard working folks at the County Engineer's office, CUDC, Ingenuity, etc, who put on a great event. I can only hope that more was awoken in our hearts than a mere desire to walk a great path once and that we can begin to really see and activate/create the potential that does exist here before it is too late. I know I am not the only one of limited patience.

St. James Architectural Tour

St. James Architectural Tour

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

17514 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, Ohio 44107

3pm

Mr. Tim Barett, architectural historian, will be giving a tour and presentation on St. James before St. James is closed by the Cleveland Catholic Diocese. This is a follow up tour to an April Tour that drew an estimated 500 visitors.

Come see a part of our architectural and cultural identity before it is lost forever.

Bring a camera.

Cleveland.com article

Roadtrip (5)! University of Detroit Mercy SoA Lectures

University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture 2009-10 Lecture Series

The University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture is pleased to present this year'sfunded lecture series entitled "National Exchange + Regional CO-Labor". This series will focus on regional economies, national networks and multi-disciplinary approach to design as a operative wor(sic).

Amy Green Deines, AIA Assoc.

Chair, Lecture Series

Associate Professor

Rossetti Lecture

October 7 Gino Rossetti, Rossetti Associates, UDM Alumni

"40 years of fun"

Reception and Exhibition @ 5:00 @ Genevieve Fisk Lerenger Architecture Center

GLFEA Lecture

In Collaboration with Cranbrook Academy of Art + NOMA Detroit Lecture

November 13 Walter Hood, Hood Design, Oakland, California

"Urban Landscapes + Provocations"

NOMA Reception @ 5:00 @ Genevieve Fisk Lerenger Architecture Center

Gensler + Master of Community Development Program Lecture

January 13 Design Center Panel and Lecture, Cleveland + Detroit

"Design Centers as Operative Change"

Participants:

Detroit Collaborative Design Center, Dan Pitera, Director

Cleveland Urban Design Center, Terri Swartz, Urban Planner

Detroit Community Design Center, Craig Wilkins, Director

HOK Toronto Lecture

February 10 Evan Webber, HOK Toronto

Toronto, Canada

"Transposed Experience, the necessity of autobiography?"

Dichotomy Lecture

in Collaboration with Lawrence Technological University, College of Architecture and Design

March 25 Julie Snow

"Title"

Lecture @ 7:00 p.m. | Lawrence Technological University, College of Architecture and Design Auditorium, A-200, 1.800.CALL LTU

University of Detroit Mercy

Faculty Lectures

Stephen Vogel, September 18

Allegra Pitera, October 9

Amy Deines Green, November 20

Noah Resnick, December 4

Wladek Fuchs, February 26

Lectures begin @ 6:00 p.m. and take place in the Genevieve Fisk Lorenger Architecture Center in the School of Architecture, unless otherwise noted. The lecture space is located in the Warren Lorenger Building on the McNichols Campus at the corner of Livernois and McNichols. Use the Livernois Campus Entrance.

Continuing education credits are offered for these events. For more information, please call the UDM School of Architecture at 313.993.1532 or visit our website at arch.udmercy.edu

Pecha Kucha Night, Cleveland: Vol V.

Pecha Kucha Night Cleveland Vol. V.

Friday, September 25th, 2009

@ Subway/Streetcar Level of the Detroit Superior/Veteran's Memorial Bridge

8.20pm

Free

Join us for PechaKucha Night's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY in Cleveland in the Catacombs and Entire Span of the Subway/Streetcar Level of the Detroit Superior Bridge. On Friday, September 25th, 2009, at 8:20pm, PechaKucha Night Cleveland - Volume 5 helps kick off the TWO DAY “2009 Bridge Project” (http://www.cudc.kent.edu/blog/?p=522). Photos of where the event will be taking place can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pkncleveland/. One of the main entrances, and location of PechaKucha Night, is located in the Northeastern parking lot at the Cuyahoga County Engineers Office (on the Superior Viaduct across from SPACES Gallery). While presentations do not start until 8:20pm, we encourage you to show up at least an hour early to experience all that the 3112 foot long bridge , built in 1918, has to offer. 14 local creatives will present their work, ideas, and obsessions in a series of short presentations on art, fashion, food, architecture, film, furniture, music, and photography. Space will be tight so be sure to come early and enjoy a few beverages prior to being inspired, influenced, confused, provoked, and probably slightly intoxicated by the wonderfully variegated topic mix. Keep an eye on the list of presenters - we will be updating it over the next few weeks. If you are interesting in presenting at a future PechaKucha Night, have a venue idea, or just questions in general, please contact us at pkncleveland@gmail.com. See ya on the 25th! Cheers, Mike Christoff & Raseem Parker pkncleveland@gmail.com

This is part of the http://www.clevelandbridgeproject.com/ and you should all come and check it out not only because it is fun but if you don't then everyone you know will be talking about really cool stuff and you will have to stand off to the side and just sort of nod and grunt like you know what is going on but deep down you feel alone and slightly afraid and suddenly hungry for burritos.

True story.

BridgeProject: Where the West Side meets the East Side! Will there be any survivors!?!

BrdgeProject

Friday, September 25th and Saturday, September 26th, 2009

on THE Detroit-Superior Bridge (Lower Level)

2433 Superior Viaduct

Friday: 4pm - midnight

Saturday: 12noon - midnight

The Bridge Project is a collaboration between Ingenuity, Pop Up City | KSU Urban Design Collaborative and All Go Signs, with participation by Cleveland Public Art, the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization, and many others. For more information, please call 216.357.3437.

Schedule of FUN

Directions:

Access:

Eastern Entrance: W10 & W Superiror – above the RTA waterfront line stop in the Flats.

Western Entrances: 2 from the County Engineer parking lots on the Viaduct & 1 at Massimo da Milano at W25 & Detroit.

Roadtrip (4)! University of Pennsylvania Design Fall Lecture Series

PennDesign has posted their fall lecture series (actually a while ago but I have been slow on the uptick, sorry!) and while I fear this school falls outside my Cleveland drivable radius I find no reason that I can't plan a nice trip to Philly that happens to coincide with some fun lecture. Planning to learn while on vacation, we are completely shattering the image of architect as non-geeks now, aren't we? (wait, did that image exist?)

DISCUSSIONS

IN LEADERSHIP:

THOUGHT,

POLICY,

DESIGN

fall

2009

THOUGHT

POLICY

Wed 09 sept 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson Upper Gallery

JON CALAME

Divided Cities: Beirut, Belfast,

Jerusalem, Mostar, and Nicosia

Minerva Partners

Mon 21 Sept 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson b1

Stephen Kieran

Dwelling

Kieran Timberlake Associates

Thu 24 sept 2009 / 5:30PM / Meyerson B3

NINA KATCHADOURIAN

Fine Arts Senior Critic

TH U 01 Oc t 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson b1

TRENT LETHCO

Reshaping the City: New Visions for Urban Transport

Arup

Mon 12 Oc t 2009 / 6:00 pm / Meyerson Upper Gallery

João Gomes da Silva

Recent Work

Atelier Global; sponsored by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Wed 14 Oc t 2009 / 5:30pm / Meyerson Upper Gallery

JOHN YAU

Visiting Fine Arts Critic

Thu 15 Oc t 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson B1

ELEN DUNHAM -JONES

Retrofitting Suburbia

Georgia Institute of Technology

Mon 19 Oc t 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson B3

EEL CO HO FTMAN

LAND / SCAPE / ARCHITECTURE

GROSS.MAX

Thu 29 Oc t 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson B1

Paolo Bürgi

The Landscape Project:

Between Rediscovery and Intervention

Studio Bürgi

Thu 05 Nov 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson B1

FUMIHI KOMAKI *

Maki and Associates

Wed 11 Nov 2009 / 6:00pm / AIA Philadelphia, 117 South 17th ST , Suite 200

RANDAL MASON

The Once and Future New York:

Historic Preservation and the Modern City

University of Pennsylvania School of Design

Thu 12 Nov 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson B1

GARY LAWRENCE

Mitigation, Adaptation, and Resilience:

Preparation for a Chaotic Climate Future

Arup

Mon 16 Nov 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson B1

Geoff Manaugh

The Turbulence Biennial

BLDGBLOG, Wired Magazine

Thu 19 Nov 2009 / 5:30pm / Meyerson B3

OLAF BREUNING

Visiting Artist

Thu 19 Nov 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson B1

JOSEPH RYKWERT

What Makes Your Eye Judicious?

University of Pennsylvania School of Design

Mon 30 Nov 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson Upper Gallery

JERY VANEYCK

West 8: Urban (and) Landscape

West 8

Thu 03 dec 2009 / 5:30pm /Meyerson B3

DAVID HUMPHREY

Visiting Artist

Thu 03 dec 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson B1

NICHOLAS NEGROPONTE *

IPD Seminar

MIT Media Lab

Mon 07 dec 2009 / 6:00pm / Meyerson B1

DAVID LEATHERBAROW

Sense and Non-Sense in

Contemporary Architecture

University of Pennsylvania School of Design

much prettier lecture list (pdf)

2009 PARKing Day Cleveland Recap

So another PARKing day has come and gone.

In local news the Cleveland PARKing Group did indeed set up a nice little park on Prospect Ave. and East 4th. The above photo was taken minutes after a Cleveland Peace Officer driving a Downtown Cleveland Alliance truck informed us that we were violating some law. Not seen in the photo are the two solar cookers we put together and some other accoutrement that was to be added to spice up the party. Next year.

The officer whom asked us to vacate wasn't sure which law(s) we were violating was but he was getting antsy and in my experience an "antsy" official who believes he is doing "the right thing" and happens to be "armed" gets you right about to the point where you have to weigh whether you had anything to do for the rest of the weekend or your willingness to pack it up and say "yessir, right away sir, you're the boss sir". The information we were given was that street parking spaces are not to be occupied by pedestrians and that we were a "distraction" (I don't know to whom or what...).

An interesting sidenote, the vast majority of passerbys (80%) were really excited/happy/supportive of what we were doing and appreciated the effort. Of those quite a few mentioned that their only concern was that the city may not approve (of sitting in a park? No one was 100% clear on that). What was clear was that a better understanding of what the rules and regs are are necessary and in hindsight other action should be taken.

Summation:

There is a lot of hesitancy to do things outside of some strangely construed "comfort zone", not that sitting on some grass is really all that outstanding but to quite a few citizens and this particular police officer this event was. This causes hesitancy of action that is truly unnecessary. If some action that causes no harm and violates no law is undertaken then the only risk is of being asked (politely at first) to cease. Fine. This doesn't mean that every nuance of action to be accomplished has to be ordained under an umbrella of fear, it means that the boundaries are a flexing item to be bent and pushed and discovered. We were asked to pack it up and leave which this time we did. No harm, no foul.

I did learn though that for events such as PARKing day I will have to clear the following weekend so that I can safely inquire as to what the possible legal infraction is, what charge shall be levied and what the possible punishment would be so as to actually discover where the boundary of legality is. Last year the parking officer had no problem (nor this year when one walked past us) so without actually receiving the citation I am unsure as to which law we were violating. I asked the officer and he was unsure, which should have been a dead give-away that no citation was going to be issued, instead there was just some "badge-bullying".

Next year I will plan better and if a citation is issued I will share with the class just which really stupid law happens to be in the books. If the officer was under the impression that legal action was taking place which really wasn't then I truly feel sorry for him. Either his procedure manual was unclear or his instructions were, either way I am sure he had much more pressing matters then a bunch of dummies sitting on some lawn chairs.

Now if it was Sunday and there was a home Browns game we could have been sitting anywhere and probably drinking beer but that whole dichotomy is a discussion for another day.

Oh, if anyone knows which possible laws were being broken, we would love to know. Seriously. Knowing is half the battle.