END: 2011 / BEGIN:2012

Gifts for Architects

Happy Holidays to all!!!

It's Christmas time! A time to spend with loved ones discussing the wonders life has to offer. It's also a great time to look back at the year and note areas in your life that have improved or still need improvement. One should also reminisce and be thankful for all no matter what you may or may not believe in.

And yes, it's also a time for giving. For those who love gift giving, this time can become quite stressful especially when it's time to find a gift for an architect friend or lover. Architects are complicated individuals who are very particular when it comes to their possessions. Over at Matters of Taste  the author, who is a former architect himself, provides a very useful list of 10 things to five, or not give, an Architect.  You should all make your way over to the blog. A very comical response is given to each suggestion.  

The list goes as follows:

DO GIVE: 

Garments 

Things for recording inspiration  

Building fragments 

Books on Architecture you've never heard of

Interesting looking cookware

Toys

DO NOT GIVE: 

Electronics

Books on Architecture you've heard of 

Coffee- or tea making devices 

Sports-related gifts

Do you guys agree with this list? Are there other things you can think of that an Architect might enjoy?

Bob Borson from Life of An Architect also came up with a pretty interesting list for What to get an Architect for Christmas. Check it out for your amusment. 

Tomorrow

I've hit a wall, taller than I’ve ever hit before. It happens every so often, a moment where I realize I’ve reached the end of my current plateau. This plateau is a metaphor, representing a composite platform of my current skills, abilities, methods, approaches, beliefs, philosophies, ideals, and accomplishments. Engaging this wall is always disorienting. It seems like there’s virtually no way to begin scaling this surface. It is void of articulation, seemingly infinite in width & height, and white with a sheen just glossy enough to recognize my own blurred reflection...

Dreamality

Dreamality

This song always makes me think of the season’s turning. The vibe is very conclusive yet forth-looking; a consistently reoccurring theme in our lives, which reminds us to stop and smell the flowers, but to always keep pushing forward. The further you push, the more pleasurable those flowers become. No good has ever come without hard work and determination. I suggest taking a moment to stop what you are doing, to take a deep breath, and think for a moment about where you are, how you’ve gotten here, where you want to be, and what it will take to get there.

SC 

Blog it Architects!

Turns out blogging matters for Architects. Frank Lloyd Wright had one and so did Le Corbusier, however it's tough creating a successful blog. For some great rules, check out this article by Derek, Rules for an Architect's Blog, which came from Life of An Architect.

Here are three rules from the article which I thought were pretty important:

6. Share
Share as much as you can. Don’t worry about sharing information with competitors. As my business partner, Christian told me recently, if our competitors start copying us, then it just means we need to step up our game.

7. Have an Opinion
Not everyone will agree with you. That’s fine. If we aren’t critical of our profession then it will never improve. However, complaining is easy. Provide as many solutions as criticisms.

8. Be Helpful
When you learn something, share it. Many people have helped us. We’re just passing it along.

In the article it says that Louis Kahn never started a blog because he thought the internet exposure would lead to his multiple families finding out about each other.  Wow.

People need Architects - and not just to design

Mike from The SomeChum Drum explains why Architects are important not just for their designs but also for their presence. Very amusing article that you need to check out!

What I Miss Most About Working With Architects

I need more juice....

With three weeks left of the spring semester I'm ready to call it quits. I'm tired of school, tired of the projects and just tired in general. Many others feel the same way so I know I'm not alone. Could this be a result of the environment we are in; the direction we are asked to follow- or simply, could it be that we just lost our creative juice?

Below are the Top 10 Ways to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing, and as you can see, I've managed to cross three items off the list.

10. Plan Ahead 

09. Set some weird rules 

08. Think inside the box 

07. Don't stress about being truly original 

06. Stay motivated with side projects

05. Change up your morning routine 

04. Get some exercise

03. Stop working Mid-thought

02. Get some sleep

01. Know when to take time off

Becoming Usefully Unique

If nothing is original, and our efforts are actually an accumulation of many borrowed ideas, we should at least acknowledge what those ideas are, and who they are coming from.

Sweet & Salty

MVRDV : Shenzhen, China

Simple lofting gestures are used to celebrate special moments within this corporation office building including: double height entry space, leisure and dining hall level, and executive offices.

A "sun protection" system was developed by slanting the walls of each level outward, mimicking the 35 - 55 degree angle of the sun.

Crafty & Selective design implementation makes this Architecture a humble yet well-characterized building. Remember : Dessert is sweeter after you've eaten all yo salty vegetables...

You are a smart man, Jobs!

"Your time is limitless so don't waste it living someone else's life. 

Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of others opinions. Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. 

And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition; 

they somehow already know what you truly want to become.  

Everything else is secondary." 

Steve Jobs
Co-founder and CEO of Apple

Pay attention young designers

29 Things that all young designers need to know

Check out this great article that Doug Bartow, principal of id29, and his colleagues put together. It includes some very useful advice that can benefit designers of all ages and skill levels. You may think you have a good understanding of what you are doing or trying to accomplish but sometimes you just need articles like this to help guide you along the way.

Lessons for young Designers

10 Lessons for Young Designers by John Jay


I recently came across this list of very power lessons we all should embed into our brains. We all can benefit from this list so print it, post it and read it at least three times a day. 

I want you all to succeed!