i had such a great time with the family in hk/ japan. here's a tidbit of an archi-find in hakone: woods of net by tezuka architects. photo credit to lily who travelled with us too!
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Today, we started a programming exercise - collective effort was realized and a matrix of color blocks were created. Twas labor-intensive but much was conceived in the process. Now, back to the computer.

& here's my mild summer mix.
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campus design in progress - LEDs included :] it makes working late a bit more enlivening.
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Recently, we decided to hit up UCLA's Archi School during lunch hour. Afterall, it's only 10 minutes drive away and we are in need of inspiration! What struck me after walking through the immense display of student works was a feeling of I wouldn't describe as boredom, but that architecture is leveling out. There were the usual Zaha-looking forms, the mapping exercises, parametric explorations and then more form-making exercises. Then, we saw it, the digital technology class display. My coworker/ former UCLA student told me that's a class students take in addition to studio, and it's a LOT of work. The results spoke for themselves...we were awestruck.
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An impressive parking garage that redefines a seemingly stringent/ boring program and introduces magnificent structure & daylighting to a fine piece of architecture. H&deM did it again.
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A concrete pod materialized with the use of hay stacks, which when cured, was ingested by Paulina the cow -- a nature-inspired, process-driven project.
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i've been away forever. i guess adulthood and the working world have slowly eaten up my energy. being an architect is tough tough tough!!! u probably will burst out in laughter if i say the most exciting thing that happened at work was me visiting a construction site. yes, a construction site... xo mui
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the long-awaited Beijing airport - by foster + partners. >>hong kong chek lap kok has definitely met its own competition
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ZUMTHOR'S mastery of material use and light to create powerful/ memorable spaces undeniably makes him one of the most gifted architects in the world. THE reason why you can barely find any books on his works is because of his belief that architecture must be experienced first hand. His writings, however, are very compelling [ and easy ] reads and I recommend his book "Thinking Architecture" to anyone who is waiting to be inspired. >Kolumba source:www.0lll.com
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I'VE been meaning to put this up for months. BRAD PITT hit it right this time. The project caught my eye with the bright pink colour and the concept of tangram that allows these seemingly rigid temporary structures to achieve formal flexibility. I really do love the simplicity of the idea and how these tents render at night..! * * * THE last time I saw Brad Pitt in real person was probably 4 years ago, when I came face to face with Frank Gehry. It was a special afternoon in which starchitects from around the world gathered to discuss about the future of Los Angeles. The Downtown LA Symposium I believe it was called. At the reception, I made a beeline towards Gehry and asked for an autograph [ remember, i was still a nerd ] and his reply was, "OH no no... you should ask HIM for an autograph instead!" and he addressed the man standing right next to him that was, who else but Brad Pitt himself? At that moment, I was literally in touching distance from the sexiest man on earth. What followed after was somewhat embarrassing and I shall not dwell into it. But since then Brad Pitt made much effort in promoting the field of architecture and here, I shall thank him for that. >help build homes in New Orleans source:www.makeitrightnola.org
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IT'S been a horribly busy month. The office's school project reaching 100% Construction Documents and having to make last minute adjustments pushed me to the edge of living hell. Luckily, things are over and the holidays arrived, my brother flew in from Toronto and here I am finding some free time to read about out-of-work architecture. AND to no surprise >>Dean Ma accepted yet another interview. Ma Qingyun came all the way from China to Los Angeles two years ago, and began asserting great changes to my school as a new dean. He promotes community and the sharing of ideas, and he never misses a Friday happy hour [ a tradition that he started as well ]. I have to say i'm looking forward to the day when the piece of paper i received on graduation becomes something i can be seriously proud of. >>read the interview >>MADA s.p.a.m. source:archinect
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WE had a conversation at lunch. It was about architecture. We don't talk about this a lot since we are, alas, architects, and we find screwed-up relationships and sports and food a lot more interesting.

HE said, architecture is a weird profession because the better you are, the less you get paid. The more effort you put into generating a good design, the less willing people are to pay for it. Very few people pay for good design nowadays. Not just that. The personal attention to detail has vanished and people turn to generic solutions, aka mass production.

THE other he said, look at 'suburbia'. The endless repetition of boring contractor houses and people competing merely through size not design. Wasting money and resources on lawns and maintaining the ginormous house. At that point, he picked up the fork on the table and jabbed it into his eye and swirled it around so hard it became a squishy mess.

OR so he said he would.

>>keep off the grass

source: land+living

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AFTER a 13-hour >>work day [n pondering how much time ive wasted], i decided to add a little twist to my daily life and mark today as the beginning of my postings. thanks must be given to dbdbking for letting me stumble upon such a great finding. enjoy.
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