What did it for ME!

Scraphouse: Image by Public Architecture

Ahhh... Public Architecture

I remember seeing the name and thinking to myself. You know what, that is exactly how I would say it. I came across this amazing group of people while I was in UVa. It was my forth year and I had finally decided to do the externship program because I had gotten some money together and I wanted to find a firm or organization that really wanted to take on the challenge of building for the 90% of people who can not afford to even think of a well design shelter, or park or anything that can improve their quality of life. And there it was Public Architecture in San Francisco. Relatively new in Jan. 2007 but they had been integral in one of my favorite project ever: the ScrapHouse.
The most fantastic project I have ever seen. Every time, I feel uninspired all I do is get on their website and just look at that house. Granted I did not see it and touch it with my own hands, but mannn... would I have loved to. It is made out of recycled everything. It is fantastic.

I mean awesomeness does not begin to describe all that I feel about this project but needless to say I was honored when they invited me to come to San Francisco. I met with John Cary and John Peterson (recipients of 2009 designers of the year by contract magazine), Liz Ogbu I mean really impressive fantastic people who have chosen what they want to do and do it so well. I had so much fun and I learnt so much from them, that week was one of the best in my professional life. I knew that was what I wanted to do. So if you don't know, ladies and gentlemen of the design world. Now you do!
http://www.publicarchitecture.org/

But now, I am having a small crisis of interest. Not that I can not do both. After all I am super human. But I have yet again met a fantastic group of people that work for the Institute for International Education: the organizers of the Fulbright Scholarship amongst other things. And I would love love love to work for them because what they do in terms of bringing exceptional people together with large companies together in order to give them an opportunity to further their education in the states, is fantastic. They have a couple of openings and I have applied and taken the steps that I need to take. And, wow, it would be so great if I get to work there and work my way up. I would eventually travel all over the world, meeting different people, students. It would be an absolute dream come true.

I mean: it may not be architecture, but the I would be having an impact day in and day out. And country hoping: anyday, anyday at all. So leave me a comment, what would you do if there were two things that you wanted to pursue and have you ever gone through it before.

An Idea: Contemporary African Urban Energy: Architectural advocacy for efficiency and sufficiency in African Cities

I was struck recently when I went on BBC.com's news page when I saw that the South African government and I am proud to say, host of 2010s World Cup and World Forum on how football can help to alleviate racism and xenophia, had decided not to offer one of the foremost respected advocates for peace, the Dalai Lama, a visa to attend the Forum. I mean the best of the world peace proponents were supposed to be there, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela (organized by his grandson), the former president of Finland Martti Ahtisaari and Queen Rania of Jordan (who I must say I completely admire, a beautiful strong willed woman). I mean what were they thinking. Representatives of the Chinese government had already made it clear that allowing the Dalai Lama to come would hurt relationship with South Africa but the South African government was in complete denial saying that the Chinese influence had nothing to do with the decision talking about the focus would switch from South Africa to Tibet. What?!

I love South Africa, I have visited there several times, and this is a classic case of African governance and how due to the need to do business (or whatever happens between governments in closed door--for our own protection of cause), makes some decisions that may be fine for the short term have long and difficult consequences. Can anyone say colonization, yes I said it the C word. A contemporary country with fantastic contemporary cities like Pretoria doing very well but somehow can not reconcile the things that may not have tangible effects on the society with its own history and the difficulties that brought it to where it is now. The question then becomes: what does this have to do with architecture. Well... the face value answer is.. nothing, nothing at all.

But the more subtle similarity is this: architecture seeks to deny itself the foundation of its societal impact. Like everything else it borders the line between commodity and human right. There are architects and builder because there is a market for it, everybody needs a place to live that will not end up killing them. Let us focus on sustainable architecture and the current push in more North America, Europe and all over the world to move towards design and implementing homes, offices, building that harness energy store it and even recycle it more efficiently. So how within that discussion there the idea of a "smart grid" has been included. Centralizing a idea that at least from my perspective seek independence. A lesson that is being learn through the mistakes of the current inefficient grid giving the control of energy resources to private entities and governments.

These same governments and entities, are directly given influence over our everyday. So if the Chinese government says no to the Dalai Lama, then the South African government says no. If the government of Ghana decides to sell power to its neighbors while there are rolling power outages in our cities then you and I, my aunts, uncles and brothers, that do not live in certain parts of the city, live with rationed power. At the end of the day, there has to be a new idea for the contemporary African city to move us for the post colonial, constantly on the cusp, to thriving citizens. GDPs are fantastic, and they can be measured but we must believe that the quality of life of the citizenry can be a better indicator of development in contemporary African cities. Lets not forget that numbers and model can be shifted. And since architects and builders are part of that development, because we can measure infustracture, homes, business: we can also enable the citizenry.

Even the comments on this story... seem to miss the idea, but to each his own thoughts. A lot to take in most definitely... but leave a comment.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/permanent-camping.php
image from Treehugger

energy sufficient and efficient housing is IMPORTANT

So I'm on the internet looking at various things catching up on websites that I used to visit regularly and I realize something as I look at showcase after showcase of a new design for a new house that is energy independent and it hits me. So many think that these projects are starting points when in fact they are the very ends to the argument and the discussions that are not being had about these very same interventions.

That is: we as the general populace that do not seek governance politics or even corporate dominance have to have a healthy distrust of those who do, because like history teaches us over and over again, that quest to be the best, to build and sell the best product, hire the best minds shifts to profit and loss, bonuses and greed and unfortunately the people that suffer worst of all are the people who are in it to get to where they need to be in the world and are satisfied (or not... its a personal choice) with making sure the families are happy and provided for, period. But my point is, Energy has become fundamental... well not become it has always been fundamental since we discovered how to manipulate it... it has further driven everything that we do. So what happens when a few of the world's so called "leaders" want to squeeze each other and play who will blink first with crushing embargoes on food and energy (necessities). The general polluce at least for the developing world suffers through the rolling black out, lack of food and clean drinking water.

What these designs show us, is that, we may have given way too much power to our governing entities, at the end of the day we decide what is going to happen so why not make more of an effort to control the way we use the single most influential thing in our world that governs our everyday. Our energy, especially in our own homes. I mean if you are ever on dwell.com, there are countless projects that have been designed to capture, store, reuse and manipulate our natural energy. And it has become as easy as getting a computer or walking into you local public library and find out how it works and who can provide it for you. The day of information allows this to happen. So why not, get off the grid, so that the next time the government that you elected to keep the peace and make you secure sides with and angers another government and gets some embargo placed on you and your neighbor all you do is ride it out and find a way to stay sane.

This of cause is not the be all end all. There are several issues that I can think of that can affect my little kumbaya, world peace moment, but it is about time that people everywhere realize that energy should not be a commodity, especially if development is what we all want (and peace). It should be a right just as the sun rises every morning and is there whether we turn it on or off.

my two cents.

Mistakes I made as an undergrad

For the most part I went through my four years at the university of virginia thinking to myself, my lord... all this work, why am I here, what am I doing? This is very interesting? mmm... thats fantastic. I think i completely missed the boat... I was in a prestigious school surrounded by faculty that were the movers and shakers in my industry that were respected and well, hind sight is 50/50 am I right. There is so much that I should have done and so much I should have pushed for and the messed up part is that I only realize this now.

yes people this is another self involved commentary but I promise it is my last. I do not want to be as vain as I seem. So after this I am shifting my focus.

I mean it is amazing to see what I left behind versus what my issues were. I completely failed to see while I was doing my bachelor's the importance of where I was and all I want to do now is to go back. I am not too pride full to admit that I made a terrible mistake and I see why things are not coming together as I have wanted. But you know what. It is time to change that.

So to my professors and fellow A-Schoolers (Class of 2007)

I am writing because it has taken me years to realize this after going through the motions with my experiences in the University of Virginia: looking to what had happened instead of my own role in shaping what should have happened. I realize that I made some decision and even conducted myself in a manner that made it hard to reconcile my words with my actions. I see that cycle repeating over and over and over again and so I am writing this to apologize for putting you in that position and to recognize what I had done myself in an effort to change that about myself. I have never been too proud to admit that I need to change so, I will start from there.
I should have been doing all that I could to make life long connections with the most talented professionals I have ever had the honor of being around but instead I was flaky and terribly inconsistent. I do not request or want anything from you but a chance to reach the perceptions that you have about me, maybe so I can start to change them. You all offered me something invaluable and I was to consumed in God knows what to see it. Opportunity after opportunity I had, but somehow, I stood waving at the cars as they passed by semester after semester.

So for me, these are my steps... or I can call it my penance. It may be a harsh word but I owe to my parents, myself, my professors and the friends that I should have had to do this.
- A private hand written letter to each of my professors
- A complete porfolio of my work in each studio class starting with my 2nd year, 1st semester: bond and mailed to each professor (I am not asking for a grade or even a comment) it is what I have to do.

I have to complete this by the end of this year 2009, by Dec. 30th 2009. And I hold only me accountable. Time has been lost and I have to make sure that this never happens again because the great thing about being a teacher is the idea that you can share and give and expose regardless of the acception.

My Professors:
Jason Johnson
Anselmo Canfora
William Williams
Peter Waldman
Phoebe Crisman (my advisor)

Now I understand why they say that those are to be the best years of your life. The mind is a terrible thing to waste.