LEFT: Hennessey & Ingall's in Space 15 Twenty // RIGHT: Digital Fabrications cover

The last book I bought was Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques by Lisa Iwamoto. It was somewhat of an impulse buy when I was walking around Hollywood and stumbled across Hennessey & Ingall’s new location in Space 15 Twenty, a small campus of brick warehouse buildings with small boutique shops hosted by Urban Outfitters (project was managed by local Taalman Koch Architects). Naturally I was interested in this one because Lisa Iwamoto was a professor at Berkeley while I was there, and although I never had her as a teacher, I had heard her crit and my friends had done some pretty cool work with her, including their shortlisted 2007 P.S.1 competition entry (I was also one of many enlisted to help assemble the presentation model and do a little dancing for the animation).

In her book, she offers 35 mini case studies in “one-to-one scale experimentation” including some commonly-known projects like the Georgia Tech atrium installation, GSD pupper theater, BP gas station, dragonfly, and also Tokyo airspace (which I did a report on for Alice Kimm’s Sp ’09 seminar). The discussion through various construction logics – sectioning, tesselating, folding, contouring, and forming – is a good introduction to digital fabrication techniques for a curious newbie like me. Some projects I found particularly interesting were SHoP’s brick curtain wall panels at 290 Mullberry Street in New York (I liked the idea of propagating a standard brick across an unconventional field), the faceted BP gas station by Office dA and Johnston Marklee (like Koning Eizenberg says, architecture isn’t just for special occasions), and PATTERNS composite, ribbed shell structures (reminds me of EMERGENT’S work in integrating surface and spline). Reading this book even made me reconsider the lasercut model I made for my last studio at USC. I think I may redo it in acrylic and have something nice to add to the portfolio.

More recently, with two Borders gift cards burning a hole in my wallet, I decided to find a new good read from Borders (they, like Barnes & Noble, have a pretty banal selection of architecture books). But, I figured their online selection might be a bit better. After an hour or so of sifting through endless webpages on Frank Lloyd Wright or generic books on treehouses, I actually found something interesting: Yes is More: An Archicomic on Architectural Evolution, a monograph released last November from Bjarke Ingels closely relating BIG’s work and approach to the changing forces of pop culture. Other things I considered getting were a few back issues of Pamphlet, the 2003 year’s compilation from Detail Magazine, and Delirious New York. Hopefully I will be able to get a good summer (architecture) read or two in this year. I still have $15 left on my gift card!

Yes is More: an Archicomic on Architectural Evolution

Rendering from MAPT with specular bloom

Here’s my try at applying it in Photoshop to one of the images from the Who’s Next competition. I chose the window, courtyard opening, and the spots with direct sunlight / burnout to apply the effect.

Original render from Mini-Courtyard House

Render with specular bloom

I also like the use of slight desaturation and imposed color gradients, I will have to do some experimenting soon…

Brisac Gonzalez and Space Group

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Like with a previous interview, this firm was young and didn’t have licensed architects but they did have 5 full-time staff. The design-build collaboration meant they associated with another architecture office that performed as project managers. I realized I hadn’t even considered it before: what work could I do without being licensed? Some research online says that in California, a licensed engineer or architect must sign plans submitted for a building permit, but there are exceptions for “exempt structures,” specifically “single family dwellings of conventional wood frame construction not more than two stories and basement in height,” or “multiple dwellings containing not more than four dwelling units of wood frame construction on any lawfully divided lot,” or “garages or other structures appurtenant to single-family dwelling or multiple dwellings not more than two stories and basement in height” (appurtenant? something added to another, an appendage to something larger), or some farm structures.

I need to get out there and find people who want really cool garages! Just kidding. But it’s nice to know sometime between now and when I’m licensed, when I’m ready, there’s the possibility of some projects to get my feet wet.

Cool garage wall by Koning Eizenberg Architecture

I’m not sure whether this is good or bad. I would probably say it is neither. But I do know they are playing the new Star Trek movie this Thursday, so I’m going to go!

The Grove poster

Amphitheater and water taxi dock

Site plan

In 2006, the landscape/architect team of Hargreaves Associates and Michael Maltzan Architecture won the design competition with California State Parks for the development of the former 32-acre rail yard into an urban park. (FYI for all USC SOA people, Maltzan is also doing the addition to the Seeley Mudd bldg where we had our yearly orientations). Today, if the original schedule has stayed true, the team should be nearing the end of construction documents with a planned opening date of May 2012 for the first phase. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any definite news on the project’s progress. I liked the gradient of program and treatment of nature from one end of the site to the other – all natural wetlands on the northeast to purely functional recreational park space on the southwest interface with the city.

Actually, the future of Los Angeles’ public urban space looks pretty bright once this and other initiatives are realized: “Park 101″ would cap part of the 101 freeway with a park and “Bringing Back Broadway” seeks to restore the historic theater district and add a streetcar system. All intend to increase mobility and livability in downtown Los Angeles by making pedestrian-friendly connections where there are none now.

In the meantime, there is a minimal, interim LA State Historic Park that seems to serve the community well as a flexible open space. There are grass fields with some trees, picnic tables, a telescope, an interpretive history installation, and a decomposed granite path that loops around the park’s perimeter. The park is also used as an event space. Fellow downtown dwellers have probably seen an ad card or two for the upcoming HARD LA MIA concert on July 17th (and like me, balked at buying a $60 ticket). The park is uncrowded and clean, populated mostly by joggers and their dogs. It feels like a very large, suburban tract park minus the playground. But the draw of coming here really, is the view. In a surreal moment, you are standing in a quiet, sprawling open field with the entire Los Angeles skyline juxtaposed on the horizon. Surprisingly, it made me wonder if an urban design and architecture overhaul would detract from the unique experience.

Click on any photo to enlarge. For more photos, see my flickr set.

Skyline from LA State Historic Park

LEFT: Park map for upcoming MIA concert // RIGHT: Bird on sunflower in cornfield