Critique: Bubble Club Sofa
While out clubbing for my best friends 25th birthday, his "Quarter Life Crisis Party", I had the unfortunate opportunity to sit on
Phillipe Starck's Bubble Club Sofa at Star Room in the Hamptons. The V.I.P. outdoor tables were all furnished with these uncomfortable plastic Barbi chairs.
Though, the design and craft is innovative and pretty, aesthetic was truly overpowering function. They are made of roto-molded polypropylene, which is very lightweight, formed to recall the Chesterfield style. Rotational molding allows the polypropylene to have consistent wall thickness, stress-free corners and a lightweight, durable build. In otherwords, your eyes tell you "soft and cushiony", yet your ass tells you "hard, rigid, and DAMN that hurt!"
So unless Barbi returns my phone calls, im keeping clear of these pricey back breakers.
Does NY really need more stadiums?
Ok, this blog, more than an opinion writen down as a paragraph has the intention of asking all of you guys your opinion on all the new plans for new stadiums and sports facilities for NY.
Maybe we could even discuss many points of view.
I haven't been able to make up my mind. I don't know if I agree or not with all the new proposals for these huge developments that will require so much money invested in facilities that already exist and service the city.
I don't know if I'm being pessimistic, but as as Architect, I fell like there are many more needs to be fulfilled rather than creating these kind of projects that could bring lots of money to some people, but certainly won't make the areas where they are projected accessible and open 24/7.
Also, is it just me or the idea of having the 2012 Olympics in NYC seems a bit forced and therefore all these plans for new sports facilities are being pushed so much?
What about housing for the city?
I don't know, maybe I'm having a hard time understanding why moneymaking influences the creation of Architectural spaces so much.
Wasn't Architecture supposed to be there for the creation of habitable spaces to service human beings???
Oh well, hopefully we'll come up with nice opinions and ideas about this.
matt k
on a side note
matt k
that was not the serious blog i was spoke to you about.
in the future i will write a serious blog concering some of the topics i wrote about in a serious manner in ways which they are detrimental to the current methodologies of archtiectural schooling. skeetskeetskeet
clindiesel aka da professa aka salsa caliente
secrets of my success
so here is my first post from cliff lin aka clindiesel aka da professa aka salsa caliente. so like cesar aka CaAP or however u spell it aka da godfatha, i have recently graduated njit and joined the work force in manhattan. my views on work? it is a means to an end supposing that one wishes to continue on in the field of architecture. having said that i would like to offer some tips to help those still fighting the good fight and struggling in school ahem john im. actually he already follows a lot of these tips so nevermind john. the first one is crucial. ok here goes.
1. GO TO NJIT
they will let anyone in. and they'll give anyone a degree. consider this. i took 4-5 classes a semester and out of those classes i probably only went to one of them on a semi-consistent basis. the other ones eh one of them maybe half the time i would go then the other 2 or 3 i would only go twice a semester to take exams n hand stuff in. somehow that just doesn't add up.
2. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FANCY COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND RENDERINGS
almost every professor nowadays is a sucker for some kind of fancy rendering. so if u can manage to come up with some hot looking renderings majority of the time they will probably be in your favor. however, along with these fancy renderings, some verbose language is required as well. see item number 3.
3. USE BIG WORDS AND MAKE WORDS UP THAT SEEM REAL BUT PEOPLE AREN'T REALLY SURE IF THEY ARE OR NOT
phenomenology, tectonicality, totalitarianism etc etc. architects seem to like to make up new words that people aren't sure if they're in the dictionary or not. so if u combine two words say axis and parametric and come up with parametricallyaxiality they'll be sure to be like huh? is that true? is that a word? must be sounded cool n fancy. however a caveat to this item, words of such nature must be said in a certain manner a la item number 4.
4. SPEAK IN A CONFIDENT INTELLIGENT MANNER AS IF YOU COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE WRONG
this is probably THE most crucial element in one's path to the darkside. if one speaks on a similar level as the ones teaching them then they cannot possible be fouled by the evil darkside force shock powers. what? oh architecture. yeah if one has a vocabulary and aptitude capable of convoluting the professors then it is possible to argue defend and slaughter them like animals. i hate them! oh wait what. i digress.
hmm am i missing anything else. oh yeah if NJIT is the path one decides to take, be sure to take all of gabrielle esperdy's classes she is the best teacher hands down at njit eventho she will rip off ur nutsack if u hand in a paper late or don't do the readings. and biggup to matt k aka frenchie aka pink lady aka wiseass aka da dvdbootlegga. how's that for a post. i seriously doubt it anyone will read this or actually use these tips towards any kind of degree. so far i think its only worked for me.
clindiesel aka da professa aka salsa caliente pizzout
CaAp's Intro
This entry will be a sort of introduction rather then a commentary on some architectural specimen. My name is Cesar A. Parra, aka “da Godfatha”. I am a recent graduate from NJIT. As of September 2004 I have joined the working world of Architecture. For those of you that are still in school, I suggest you stay in school for as long as possible. If I could get paid to go to school I would do it at a drop of a dime. Unfortunately I haven’t met anyone that has offered to pay for me to get more degrees. Enough about me, you will get to know me and my views in my future entries into this Blog.
I’d like to thank our host Matt Klein. He’s been “geekin” over this blog since its mental conception. As much fun Matt is he happens to be a closet geek. Still though he has given us a stage where our voices can be heard here In my opinion it is not only wanted but very much needed. I believe we need new blood and new ways of maneuvering through our Architecture society. Thanks Matt.
For those of you that like to read there is a new architectural magazine I just picked up this weekend. The magazine is called, “Volume”. It isn’t your ordinary architectural magazine. I have yet to read the entire issue but what I have read is really interesting and outside the mundane as far as subject matter. You should be able to pick it up at your local architectural magazine store. I picked mine up at Urban Center located on Madison.
Finally I’d like to congratulate fellow alumnus Ralph Justo, aka “Mr. Santi” and future alumnus Maria Espino, aka “Giggles”. These two have now entered upon a new plateau in there lives. They are the parents of a new healthy baby girl. The only detail I have is that her name is Daniel Justo. Welcome Daniel. You have arrived at a time where there is turbulence and chaos however with the youth there is hope. With hope there is the promise of a better way.
Sorry no pictures in this blog, it is my first and I wrote it on the fly. Next time it will be much better, I promise.
R. Vinoly attempts to teach
The other day I received a pamphlet on the new class Rafael Vinoly will be teaching this September. I thought it was an interesting concept, (although I’m sure it has been done before), and took a look at his website. It was literally a digital copy of the pamphlet, so I didn’t learn anything new. The class is structured to incorporate the professional aspect of architecture, as well as the educational process involved. This site will attempt to link the chasm that exists between the two. The class is free, but you have to be accepted either by working on a fake project in his office or the sometimes effective method of brown-nosing. The applicant must either be in the architectural education field, or a gainfully-employed “slave to the grind.” Two classes are currently offered: the research class and the architectural training. This is definately a great idea and the potential to produce amazing architects through this process is huge. I'd really like to hear back from someone who is planning to attend. I'd be interested to know how Vinoly runs it, and if it holds true to his marketing. It seems like a fun and stimulating endeavor. Or, is he just playing the game, and getting fresh meat to steal new ideas from (i.e. David Childs)?
Microphone check 1 2, 1 2
first test
its groundbreaking people, this is the first test to revolutionize Architecture Schooling.
TESTING testing one two one TWO
