I don’t often go back to an old project (not a nostalgic type, really), but I got called up by my favorite ex-studioprof to put together a panel for an upcoming exhibit at the Toronto Pearson Airport: the revisioning of the Toronto City Airport. Having had the option-studio back in 3B studio (2ish years ago) based on this brief, I had a chance to look over my old work while laying them out for display.
oh yeah, that’s me! /read more
I don’t really know.
BIG dropped into town and Vancouver’s design scene got a taste of the Danish phenom. Packing the Chan Centre for the Performing arts with a house full of black-donning archie-types (ok, not all black, just dim lighting), Bjarke spoke of his latest projects around the world, as well as delving into the current tower proposal for Vancouver on Beach and Howe. An impressive panoply of work and competition wins for a relatively young architect (yeah, we all know that).
But is this the future? /read more
Thinking out loud with sketches for an architectural competition I left unfinished. This was during the uproar of the #OWS; been thinking about the future. How can we propose fanciful extraterrestrial tourism when our own planet is falling apart?
I suggest here that instead of building hotels on the moon, we should construct large, hulking spaceships that the 1% can afford to shove the 99% in, and send them towards (or in the general direction of) the moon. Good riddance. A new class of moon-refugees. High society can shove it to everyone else. Throw them a silk-gloved finger from the luxury of Earth. /read more
After a load of projects compressed into 8-10 hour sessions, I got through the entrance examination for the Vienna University of Applied Arts: Institute of Architecture and capped off the long days with a personal interview with Hani Rashid (of Asymptote Architecture). Whew!
I have to say it was really tiring and really pushed for quick thinking, but I managed to whip out some novel work and I’m pretty satisfied with the results. My fingers are numb from drafting, twisting metal and tying seemingly endless thread knots, but this final entrance examination was an uplifting experience (though, as Rashid pointed out, an outmoded tradition from another era) and closes off my Masters applications with a huge BANG (and a Euro-trip!)
update: and I’m in!
Three weeks of late night portfolio-making alongside hours of overtime made for a tiring ordeal, but the portfolio is done, the bags (and toolbox) packed, and three weeks of Europe awaits.
The University of Applied Arts: Institute of Architecture hosts an entrance exam workshop from 02/24-26 (they previously only had dates in September, so this was definitely fortunate), and after that, me and Shirley will be making a trek to Berlin and London for some relaxation and sightseeing (mainly eating).
School’s out for the last time. My architecture undergraduate degree is as good as done and employment is waiting for me in Vancouver before graduate school. All in all, a good five years of design headaches and internships travelling around the world. Five years well spent!
I have curated out my school work (as I leave that stage of my life…for now) to focus on a more refined blog, so hit up commacomma.com to catch my architectural work. more changes to come!
on friday, i had the opportunity to help out at a photoshoot by Steve King of NAKAHOUSE by XTEN, and i ended up being pulled in by the crew to model in a model’s (very beautiful) home! /read more