Year in Review

Well, this year was interesting. This was my first semester back in teh US from Finalnd, and being apartof a studio who has had a passion to get things done. I have had my struggles this semester, it being the last full semester I will have, trying to get work done for 2 studios, study for LEED, getting ready for Thesis, and finding an internship. I will have to say that this has been one of my toughest, outside of 2nd year. The only difference for this semester was almost everthing has had equal importance. At the beginning of this semester, i came back with a different outlook on studio, but a lost feeling too over and I couldn't seem to get back. They call this Reverse Culture Shock. I felt like my deisgns weren't as good as the others. I guess this came from studying with students in finland who were basically coming into this enviornment with the same reasons and starting new. We were all on the same page, no expectations from anyone. IARC felt different though, all the feelings and expections came back to me and my feelings towards students were the same but they all seemed to have changed while i was away. So this crippled me in a way that i didnt know how to fix. But finally towards the middle of the semester I started to find myself again and designed with my passion I had before I left but with the experience of studying abroad. I took my strengths and ran with them. I feel like because of this the High School project and the Studio project were very sucessful, not souly because of me but because our studio worked together to get them done. We all worked, not just certain people but the class worked and finished what we started. "Leave a place better than you found it" - Patrick Lucas, and i feel we have achieved this.

We are done with the Studio redesign. I am very proud of what we have accomplished with this new design; community, identity, sharing, fun fun fun, and many other things. We have gotten quite a few of compliments about our space. They tell me that they wish that they could do this to their space, they love how open it is, and they come in just to feel the space. I am hoping that in the future they will do this for all the studios, where they will be able to have openess and community again, like it used to be back in first year.

Open space

Our studio is not that useful for us. For our last project we are Redesigning our studio to make the space for more collaboration within the studios. Taking down the walls will also create more light in the space opening it up. With the combination of the 2 (collaboration and light in the space) will significantly, i believe, raise the productivity within the studio class.

We are getting everything set up, putting up the walls. This is the screen that we are using to seperate our space with the walkway. (Hands up everyone)

We are all trying to get all this complete before Tuesday.

Studio

This is before we started on our space. We are redesigning it to make it a useful space.

Tour of Studio

Northern Guilford High School students came to tour our studio space and the campus. Our class had 3 groups that we split into. Shannon, Doug, Rachel W., Jovana, and Myself were in a group together working on pictures that we hung up in our studio space. We started with a word for them to draw from.

We have been working diligently to get this studio together and in working order. and it is getting there. 

Nest...?

Jovana and I spoke with Patrick yesterday about our work. It was a good conversation even though we are having to rethink the elements that we have in the space now. Our project had many curves and i would say elements that really had no purpose but to be there. It was a little crazy inside. We discussed creating some elements similar but using horizontal and vertical only to see what we come up with. What we have now is not really nesting, but more of a lot of "stuff" going on. Patrick brought to our attention that we want the each space to nest in one another or be connected to one another, instead of every nest being seperate. Right now Jovana and I are working to bring the vertical and horizontal lines into the space without being over powering, and connecting the spaces of the reception (core of the nest, the glue to hold it all together) and the reading space, nook, poetry, entrance, and presentation.

FAVORITE QUOTE][COURAGE TO TEACH

My favorite part of the book, is not a quote rather it is a though.  In the first chapter he mentions his mentors.  And as he is speaking about them he comes to a realization of how he has had mentors in the past.  He tells us that throughout his life, during critical moments, he has had someone there to guide him in a way that would make him a stronger person and a better teacher.  However he came to a point in his life that where he was waiting for a mentor to come along and guide him through this problem.  But the mentor never came.  Later he came to realize that instead of a mentor coming his way, he was the one who had to be the mentor.  This got him through this part of his life a different way than in the past but was equally effective.  

When i was reading about this, it brought me back to helping the first years at the beginning of the semester.  As we are in our last year of school, we are used to having upper years to turn to to encourage us to keep going.  However this is not the case.  We are now the upper year and we need to do what they did for us and mentor the younger group and encourage them to get through this program.  While critiquing the first years i realized that i have learned a lot through the years and if i did not have the chance to work with them, i probably would have not looked at all i have learned and not have focused on what makes me a strong designer.

NG][SKETCHES

NG][MEDIA CENTER

We were able to decide what we wanted for our final project with the Middle School or the High School.  I chose to work on the Media Center in the High School.  Jovana and i are working together to come up with some ideas to bring into the Media Center.  Jovana went one day without me because i had the flu at the time.  A couple of days later i was well enough to go on my own and get some pictures and talk with the Media Center workers.  They were extremely excited about everything that we came up with thus far, and also gave us some ideas for the space.  They told us their likes and dislikes about the space.  For Example, they liked the lighting in the space.  They say that it works with what the library is for, and that is reading.  The light in the space does not come in too strong to see.  And the artificial light is well organized to give light where need be.  However they do not like the central desk because of the single level that  the stand on everyday.  They would like to have a raised floor to give a better view around and better ergonomics.  The nook in the space is like a focal point of the room, it is the only part of the media center that has color and is almost closed in.  This could use some work, for example, the students put on poetry readings and also other performances, and the media center workers would like to see the nook into good use.  They would like to see a stage or an internet cafe in that area.  We are also looking at the individual seating area that student rarely use, because most of the time the students come in larger groups for projects in their classes for research or a quite place to work.  We are mainly focusing on these areas, Central desk, nook and individual seating but we are also addressing some of the other problems that occur in the space.

NORTHERN GUILFORD][HIGH SCHOOL

Our design project is based out of the Northern Guildford Middle School and High School. We took a small field trip down there to see what the school were like. Brooke and I got there about the same time, right at9:00. We went to the office to sign in and the lady knew we were coming and let us sign in. Then some others came as well. We were waiting and waiting but no Patrick and the rest of the class. Finally the office worker called the middle school and said that they were there and not the high school. It was so funny. The on our way to the Middle School (which is right next door) we got lost in the parking lot. You would think that it would be easy to find the place but both the cars that were at the high school got lost getting to the middle school. As were were walking through the middle school with Bryan. He couldn't answer all of our questions. We were thinking that maybe he didn't know anything about it. In this building though there was way too much natural light coming into the space, with classrooms and other rooms that did not need that much sunlight. We say that we want a lot of natural light coming through, but i think i might have changed my mind. Unless you do it right.

The High school was better. Some of the design made a little more sense. The natural light in some areas were ok, like the Media Center. It was the right amount of light, but unfortunately in other places like the computer lab, it was too much. So much glare on the computer screens made it difficult to see what you were looking at.

Atlanta

The first day in Atlanta the class went to HOK, Herman Miller, and Lord.Aeck.Sargent. At Herman Miller, they had a great presentation about going into work, and what to expect once we got a job. He talked to us about money and the degrees of moving up. It was very helpful and useful information. We also got to walk around and look at the showroom that they had there.

Next we went to Lord.Aeck.Sargent. Almost everyone got lost getting to this place because we were given the wrong directions. So that was twice that our car was late. Atlanta was hard to navigate because of all that construction going on. Well at Lord Aeck and Sargent they mainly spoke about restoration. It was a great presentation if you were interested in that, i know some people were, but i felt too hungry to really listen to what they were saying, because we had to miss lunch (not a good idea). But i was able to get some notes and drawings about it.
Our final stop of the day was HOK. HOK was a great place, one of the women that were speaking spoke about the social aspect of design, and that is what i am interested in, because i like to design the way people use the space (a little different way than usual designers). I wasn't able to speak with her because we had to rush to take a tour. But i was able to get some information about it.

That night was the first night that we could go out and do things around Atlanta. So our room wanted to get something to eat finally. Unfortunately i started feeling really sick and couldn't enjoy myself as much as i wanted. The restaurant that we ate at was an italian place but more expensive that we hoped it would be. We got back to the room early about 6 or 7 and i just layed in bed with a a fever and the entire night i was tossing and turning not being about to sleep.

The next day our class went to Knoll and Perkins and Will. That day we were able to have lunch. I was running a fever that entire day. I was really excited about Perkins and Will and what they had to offer. So maybe i can try to get an internship with the one in Charlotte. That place was really nice. It looked like a house but it turned out to be an entire design firm.

Trip down to Atlanta

This past Sunday through Tuesday, the 4th year's went on a trip to Atlanta. We were going for networking opportunities and to see how the design world looks from the inside. It was a great trip. Starting out Brooke, Susan, Jackie, and myself all rode down together on Sunday, we left as soon as church was over. The roads and the streets were clear, except for a little sleeting and raining. But as we got down the road the roads got a lot clearer without rain or snow, but we knew it was coming. Towards the middle of South Carolina is when the snow started. And it got bad quick. We didn't even know if we would be able to make it down there. But we kept on, and kept contemplating on whether we should at least stop at another hotel on the way down or not. Brooke and I called some of the others that were already down there to ask and what was going on there and trying to figure out the best thing to do. But they did not seem that concerned about us and we were wondering why, because it was so bad where we were. Because of the ice and the traffic it took us 9 hours to get to the Hotel, rather than 6 hours. As soon as we got there we realized why no one was concerned about us on our way down. It was because there was nothing on the ground in Atlanta. All the roads were clear, most of the snow was melted and there was hardly any ice on the roads. It was almost like there wasn't even a snow storm that come through. So after the trip down we all went to bed because of the stress of driving down. The next morning we all got up and went to the firms that were planned for the day.

Chapter 2-3 poetics of space

In chapter 2, House and Universe, it goes over the way the house and the outside world coincide together. My favorite quote in this chapter is, "on snowy days, the house is old. It is as though it were living in the past of centuries gone by." (Page 41). As I was reading this I couldn't help but think of a snowy day and imagining the way it feels. Even though we were not living during the times with no electricity and living in log cabins, we can still imagine what it must have been like on those cold and snowy days during those times. Earlier on page 40 he points out, "The absence of struggle is often the case of the winter housed in literature." And he goes on to say, "It gives a single color to the entire universe," The snow reduces the outside world to simplicity. And the struggles of the world are subsided.

In chapter 3, Drawers, Chest and Wardrobes, It talks about how things are put together and how they are used for their own reasons. My favorite quote from this section is, "The world would get along getter if pots and covers could always stay together." (pg. 83) I thought this was quite amusing. He got this form an old proverb. He suggests that writers let us read their treasure boxes. This is their place of keeping what is on their minds and they let us in. They let us in their day dreams and their desires. This goes back to the proverb I mentioned earlier, with pots and covers. Everyone has a cover with for their own "box". But will they let us in to see what is inside. This goes back to what he says on page 78, "A wardrobe's inner space is also intimate space, space that is not open to just anyone." This is a safe place for order for treasures for things to be touched by not just anyone.

roots

FAVORITE TEACHER][MS. CRABTREE

In high school I started taking design classes, drafting, art and interior design. One teacher in particular stood out against the rest; my interior design teacher, Ms. Crabtree. From the time I started her classes she has helped me and taught me all she knew about interior design and was always there to talk to and to encourage me through all I did. Everyday before classes started in the morning I would talk to her about everything, school, things outside of school going on, and so on. There is a time that I can still remember to this day, she encouraged me to go after my dreams. I don’t know if she even remembers telling me this. One day I was talking to her about what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told her that I wanted to become an architect. She replied by telling me that when she was young that she wanted to become an architect, but everyone discouraged her to follow her dream, so she became and interior designer instead, not meaning that was bad but just not her dream. She told me that I could do anything I wanted. Since then I chase after my dreams everyday and plan to keeping following them and my goals that I set before myself.

LEARNING][TEACHING

Yesterday the Patrick's 4th year class had the chance to put into action some learning styles. We were able to use Learning by Teaching. We went to the first year’s studio and had desk critiques with them then we presented in front of their entire class. I had the opportunity to critique Kristina's, Tristan's, and Brittany's work. Each of their projects were unique and very well crafted. I enjoyed looking at what they came up with and the reasoning behind their designs. Kristina had a model of contrast. She chose to use board that was dark on one side and white on the other. She put 2 triangles on the edges. The reasoning behind that was because there were 2 points to her story. I suggested to her to think about literally having 2 points on your project, and think about changing the colors around to lead the eye from one side to the next. Tristan had hierarchy for his model. I really enjoyed this one because it seemed so delicate yet so powerful. With him a girl Vanessa and I talked to him about thinking of how you will approach with pathway, whether it will be moving away from you or coming from the other direction coming right over you. Brittany was the last one I spoke with, the model that I felt strongly about was her balance model. She had these stairs that went up and every other one was white or black. I suggested that she thing about the direction the model was moving in and think about the different shapes that can be made from the story. My over all opinion about the whole thing was that it was very helpful for me and for each of them. I would have to say I probably got as much out of it as they did. It made me think of different ways to look at the projects that are put in front of us each year and for the years to come.

MATH][FAVORTIE SUBJECT

My favorite subject in school growing up was Math. Most people did not like math, they probably even hated it. For me I loved it. There were times when I would get overwhelmed with it, but the reality of it was I loved thinking about solving problems. Algebra was one of my favorites because it is all problem solving using a formula to the get answer. If you use the formula right you will always get the right answer, but one mistake can ruin the entire equation. Its almost like taking a risk, but with math.

FAVORITE QUOTE][POETIC OF SPACE

"our houses are no longer aware of the storms of the outside universe."

This quote intrigued me. When i read it, i realized that i haven't thought of things like that before. Our houses, they stand through the storms. But this also relates to our memories. Throughout the times in our houses and homes we have so many memories. Things might happen in our lives, good and bad but because of the the way our mind generates what happens our memories will always stand. A couple of lines down it speaks about a tile blowing off the roof and kills a passer-by in the street. The way that i interpreted this was through our memories, bad things can happen to people we know or don't know but the memory still stands tall.

BETA][ CALCULUS

This is my post!!