1. 27 Feb


     

  2. 31 Oct


    I really like this project because it’s basis is reclaiming the public space, for exactly that: PUBLIC SPACE. I don’t think that it’s real statement is to ‘get rid of vehicles’ but it is about creating a public environment in a dense environment. These are temporary public spaces, but they are definitely an IN YOUR FACE statement that is inclusive of the community and their surroundings. . Another reason why I think that this is important because a lot of times there are people who don’t know what is legal and what is illegal. This is a legal movement and they have found ways around the system to create a public statement. There are many people who want to reclaim public space, but aren’t sure how to do so.   (via PARK(ing) Day | Rebar Art & Design Studio | San Francisco)

    I really like this project because it’s basis is reclaiming the public space, for exactly that: PUBLIC SPACE. I don’t think that it’s real statement is to ‘get rid of vehicles’ but it is about creating a public environment in a dense environment. These are temporary public spaces, but they are definitely an IN YOUR FACE statement that is inclusive of the community and their surroundings.

    .

    Another reason why I think that this is important because a lot of times there are people who don’t know what is legal and what is illegal. This is a legal movement and they have found ways around the system to create a public statement. There are many people who want to reclaim public space, but aren’t sure how to do so.  

    (via PARK(ing) Day | Rebar Art & Design Studio | San Francisco)

     

  3. 13 Oct


    Teddy Cruz talks on Occupy and the change that we should demand.

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    “We demand that institutions of power rethink themselves together with communities;
    We demand that the municipalities rethink their own fragmented bureaucratic silos and resources;
    We demand accountability of municipalities to invest in marginal neighborhoods;
    We demand the political and economic tools to develop our neighborhoods incrementally.  We demand the political support to temporarily activate vacant spaces and to incubate new social organizations;
    We demand the restructuring of tax credits, subsidy financing, and zoning codes to enable small and inclusive development;
    We demand the power to deny developments that do not plan for social and economic benefit;
    We demand the re-invention of housing beyond abstract units;  We demand the rethinking of lending practices;  We demand the taxing and accountability of the wealthy 1%;
    We demand intelligent public spending on education, culture, and transportation;
    We demand other forms of property, and the valuation of memory and social relationships;
    We demand the right to culture and education, not as expendable commodities but as civic responsibilities;
    We demand a new political language that includes public culture”

     

  4. 4 Oct



    Examining activism in architecture to explore how architecture can help shape social conditions so we can help others understand how they are a part of architecture just as much as they are a part of their social condition.

    The dilemma for every architect is how to advance our profession and our communities with our talents rather than our talents being used to compromise them. The concept of using our profession for the ultimate good.

    A large thing to tackle at this point is the question of ‘what is good architecture’. Architecture is ‘good’ when it provides for the person in the most aesthetic matter. If architecture, by nature, is an interactive experience, then how can we activate people to do good for each other while being good architecture. A structure has the ability to convey a message very similarly to the way that art can convey a message.

    As a social art, architecture must be made where it is and out of what exists there. Let’s leave behind materials, but think about the culture that is in immediate need of space. And how to inform these people about the surroundings and their built culture. Also to bring to light social matters at hand.”

    — nicholas ter meer [thesis concept]
     

  5. 4 Oct


    This is an image of a homeless man who is sleeps outside in the winter.  .  He was innovative in creating a bag/system which attaches to an exhausted from a building, and sleeps inside of it to keep warm.  .  I think that I am drawn to this image because he is making something happen for himself. He isn’t bothering anyone besides the fact that he is sleeping in a bad on the sidewalk. He is utilizing his someone else’s waste to make his life a little more tolerable. He is also, in some way, hacking the system. He isn’t doing anything illegal [or at least that I know of] therefore, the police officer [pictured at bottom] shouldn’t have any reason to kick him out of anywhere. Lastly, the man has sparked a thought about how this can be used in an architectural sense. 

    This is an image of a homeless man who is sleeps outside in the winter. 

    . 

    He was innovative in creating a bag/system which attaches to an exhausted from a building, and sleeps inside of it to keep warm. 

    . 

    I think that I am drawn to this image because he is making something happen for himself. He isn’t bothering anyone besides the fact that he is sleeping in a bad on the sidewalk. He is utilizing his someone else’s waste to make his life a little more tolerable. He is also, in some way, hacking the system. He isn’t doing anything illegal [or at least that I know of] therefore, the police officer [pictured at bottom] shouldn’t have any reason to kick him out of anywhere. Lastly, the man has sparked a thought about how this can be used in an architectural sense. 

     

  6. 4 Oct


    *text on the bottom right says* . “This is a story all about how your life got flipped, turned upside down. This is an exploration about what it means to be a designer in today’s world. While analyzing the past, present and, potentially, future role of the architect, we argue that the role must change to serve the community and the needs of the immediate culture. Learning from history and understanding how communal the role of the architect initially was, we look at where the vision has strayed and how we can get it back on track. In the process, we learn about the effects that buildings, and lack-of-buildings, have on a specific site and how the role of the architect, or designer, is an active one and should be viewed as a communal role, not a money-making scheme.” . The use for this image with the book in the hands was created to show that here we are, designers, for the community. It is symbolic of saying, “here we are. here’s what we should be doing…” The hands are outstretched over a street and hopefully someone will grab it. 

    *text on the bottom right says*

    .

    “This is a story all about how your life got flipped, turned upside down. This is an exploration about what it means to be a designer in today’s world. While analyzing the past, present and, potentially, future role of the architect, we argue that the role must change to serve the community and the needs of the immediate culture. Learning from history and understanding how communal the role of the architect initially was, we look at where the vision has strayed and how we can get it back on track. In the process, we learn about the effects that buildings, and lack-of-buildings, have on a specific site and how the role of the architect, or designer, is an active one and should be viewed as a communal role, not a money-making scheme.”

    .

    The use for this image with the book in the hands was created to show that here we are, designers, for the community. It is symbolic of saying, “here we are. here’s what we should be doing…” The hands are outstretched over a street and hopefully someone will grab it.