Suspended Music Project
Yesterday we worked on a project in pairs to make something inspired by the rhythm and emotion of music.
My partner and I worked really well together which I was really happy for. We designed our piece with a central twisting black core and neon green arms reaching out of it. Between the twisted core and the stretching arms, the piece has a lot of movement to it which really makes it feel like music.
The neon arms have clear jagged plastic on the bottoms of them which move in the air, giving the piece even more motion.
At the end of each arm is a small water bottle (provided as a drink for the hot day but we used it as a material as well) with more green mesh extending out. The arms really serve to reach out and pull you in to the piece, just like music lures you in.
The center has aluminum foil spiraling around it like a vortex.
And in the very center of the black mesh is a foil circle suspended like a heart, giving the piece even more beat and personality.
“If architecture is frozen music then is music melted architecture?” -Mark
Throwback Thursday: Pink Apartment Model
Welcome to my first Throwback Thursday post!
If you aren’t already familiar, “Throwback Thursday” is a social media “tradition” to post old photos on Thursday.
I thought it would be fitting to throw it back to my first architectural model today, my Pink Apartment!
Be sure to check out the original post for the full project description!
Looking forward to next week’s Throwback Thursday post! Which project do you think I’ll feature then?
This post is part of a series nicknamed My SLO Summer. It’s about my time at Cal Poly’s Summer Architecture Career Workshop, a four week hands-on experience about what it’s like to study architecture. You can see the entire series here.
Materials Project
Mark and the RAs loved my double cube. I think what made it so successful is how you could tell that they go together no matter where you set them yet they’re each unique and contrasting.
For today’s project, we were given a bunch of materials (cardboard, aluminum foil, string, paper clips, rubber bands, metal mesh, and uncooked spaghetti noodles) to make, well, anything!
Long story short, my project uses cardboard and aluminum foil to play with light and colors.
I made two tubes out of cardboard lined with aluminum foil. The tube on the left has a flap at the end that you can open and close by pulling the string. It reflects light from the rainbow pattern on the bottom of the box through the tube. The tube on the right also reflects light from the rainbow and you can move it left and right to see the different colors.
I took a very different approach than many of my other classmates and I’m not too crazy about how the outside of the structure turned out, kind of like a big cardboard tank. But I learned a lot about developing ideas and managing my time. My peers were amazed by it but I’ll be excited to see how Mark and the RAs respond to it tomorrow morning.
Perspective Lesson
For our drawing lesson today, we learned about perspective! Yay my favorite!
Our homework assignment was to draw our dorm room.
Photo quality, eh? It was fun to experiment with my new pencils and shading.
Wonder what we’ll be doing tomorrow…
Cube
Our second assignment was to make a cube.
We talked about cubeness, the parts and characteristics of a cube, and then went to our studios.
We were given a template and I colored the extra paper to accentuate the faces, edges, and vertices of the cube. (My geometry teacher would be so proud!!)
Tuesday morning we reviewed our cubes and then got our next assignment: to make more cubes!! Using two colors and focusing on space and opposition, we set out to work!
Here are my cubes before the glue finished drying:
The one on the left is very square and textural, opposed by the one on the left which is rounded and springy.
Tomorrow morning we’ll review the double cubes and then get our next assignment!
Towels
Mark gave us our first assignment Sunday night: to draw a towel.
I went for a simple approach, drawing the outline of the towel and adding the detail of the fabric stitching.
In Studio the next morning, we were divided into two groups to arrange our towels into a wall presentation.
We organized the drawings by how neatly folded or crumpled the towels were. At the last minute I had the idea to write TOWEL with the string they had given us.
We finished just in time and then sat down while Mark and the TAs evaluated our work.
Monday night we were assigned to draw another towel using what we had learned in our drawing lesson. Here’s my second towel:
Honestly, I was surprised by how realistic my towel looked. Something about the beachy air and architectural surroundings is bringing out the artist in me!
Motivation Monday: Fearless Creativity
Good morning everyone!
We made it through an eventful first night in the dorms complete with a power outage and a massive game of Apples to Apples. We’ve all drawn our towels and collected our special things for our first morning in the studio and I’m kick-the-covers-off excited!
For the next four weeks, I’ll be sharing both the projects I do in the workshop and the experience I have living and learning at Cal Poly.
But for those of you who still have dim eyes and shaggy tails, here’s some Monday motivation:
Aside from our excitement, I’m sure we’re all feeling a little bit nervous about making good first impressions, being away from home, and impressing the professors. So let’s start out this week with some fearless creativity to launch us into our mutual dream of becoming architects!
This post is part of a series nicknamed My SLO Summer. It’s about my time at Cal Poly’s Summer Architecture Career Workshop, a four week hands-on experience about what it’s like to study architecture. You can see the entire series here.
My SLO Summer: my experience at Cal Poly’s Summer Architecture Career Workshop
Hello everyone!
I have very exciting news to share today!! Over the next four weeks I’ll be participating in Cal Poly’s Summer Architecture Career Workshop. I’ll be blogging about the projects I do and my experience here in San Luis Obispo (or SLO as the locals often call it). These posts will all be in a series right here on If Walls Could Dream called “My SLO Summer“. You can access it at any time by simply clicking the “My SLO Summer” button at the top of the page or by clicking the “My SLO Summer” logo at the right.
I’m so excited for this amazing opportunity to grow in my architectural abilities and find out if studying architecture is truly the best fit for me. And I’m so glad that you all can share this journey with me!
This post is part of a series nicknamed My SLO Summer. It’s about my time at Cal Poly’s Summer Architecture Career Workshop, a four week hands-on experience about what it’s like to study architecture. You can see the entire series here.
How To Become an Architect
So you want to be an architect?
Well there are a few steps you have to fulfill before you can practice architecture.
First you must meet the EDUCATION requirement.
This means you have to earn a degree from a NAAB (National Architectural Accrediting Board) accredited program, for example the Bachelors of Architecture (B.Arch) or Masters of Architecture (M.Arch)
Second you must meet the EXPERIENCE requirement
This includes completing the Intern Development Program (IDP) by working as an intern for an architectural firm
Third you must meet the EXAMINATION requirement
This is when you take the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) which tests your knowledge and skills so you can practice architecture independently
Now you can be LICENCED by a local jurisdiction and CERTIFIED by the NCARB (National Council of Architectural Registration Boards)
Any questions? Leave me a comment below!
*this is just an overview of the steps to becoming an architect in the US, be sure to research the details of each program before committing yourself to this major