At long last…

I enter the final segment of this wondrous journey that is known as secondary education.  I begin each morning, rousing to a cold sweat onset by the nightmares of post-college life.  What will I do?  What will I become?  Might I get fat? Anywho, all talk of the distant future can wait, for now, I will outline the upcoming semester.

Spring Semester 2014

ARCH 704 — Architecture Design Studio // Cecil Balmond

My final architectural studio is taught by Cecil Balmond and Ezio Blasetti.  The focus is on emergent forms in non-linear computational design.  We will be working to design an art conscious building program at Kensington Gardens in Hyde Park, London.  The concern of the design will be about the relationship of art, formation, architecture, and sculpture.  The methodology to arrive at the design of this conference center/art gallery is through investigation of non-linear systems.  To do this, we will delve into algorithmic design methodologies which will be written in programming code, most likely python language or java language.  This design process is a great step away from my personal approach to making architecture, and I am interested in seeing where it will take me.

ARCH 712 — New Urban Ideology: Ways of Being Politically Innovative with Architecture // Srdjan Jovanovic Weiss

Quite a long title for this seminar.  The intent of this course is to understand how political agendas and cultural ideologies can shape, affect and transform our built environment.  We will study political forces of the 20th century: Stalinism, Nazism, Socialism, Communism, etc.  As a class we will produce a graphic novel, in which each of us will contribute an individual story on topics of our choosing.

ARCH 765 — Project Management  // Chip Arena

This class is about, you guessed it, project management.  The idea is to understand the logistical, contractual and behavioral concerns that surround managing an architectural project.  A pretty straightforward class, but one that will be informative for me, especially as I exit the fantastic realm of academia.

ARCH 772 — Professional Practice // Philip Ryan

The goal, I assume, is to learn what is need to be a successful professional in the field of architecture.  We will review job application materials: portfolio, resume, cover letter, references.  Also, we will discuss salary negotiation, IDP, and other relevant topics that will prep us for the first five years of our professional careers.