SMALL AT LARGE

HI YI XU

HI YI XU

HUI YI XU

I HAVE SPENT MY CAREER USING PATTERNS. PATTERNS GIVE FORMS FOR ORGANIZATION, AND IF YOU ARE A SKILLED DESIGNER YOU CAN MANIPULATE THE PATTERN TO FULFILL THE FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM. OBVIOUSLY THE FUNCTION WORKS BETTER WITH A PATTERN THAT MADES THE DESIGN ALL FLOW TOGETHER . THIS GETS INTO THE CHICKEN AND EGG THING WITH FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION. IT IS AN ENDLESS DEBATE. FOR SOME THE BUBBLE DIAGRAM AND BREAKDOWN OF PROGRAM RELATIONSHIPS BECOMES PARAMOUNT. IF YOU CAN HANDLE THE PATTERN AT THE SAME TIME IT ALL RELATES. THERE ARE MANY THAT DO NOT HAVE THAT SKILL AND GET FRUSTRATED WITH THOSE THAT DO, THUS BRANDING THEM AS FORM LOVERS WITH NO FUNCTIONAL CONCERNS WHICH IS TRUE SOMETIMES, BUT NOT APPLICABLE TO THE ALL INCLUSIVE DESIGNERS.

WHAT WAS ONCE A GRID OR MODULAR HAS EVOLVED TO COMPLICATED IMAGES INSPIRED BY NATURE OR ANYTHING LIKE A BROKEN VASE OR PILE OF TWISTED STEEL. PATTERNS HAVE BEEN MY KEY TO KEEPING AHEAD OF THE PACK IN ARCHITECTURE, NOW EVERYBODY IS USING THEM. IN LECTURES I SHOW A PICTURE OF A HUMAN HAND WITH OVERLAYS OF BONES, MUSCLES, TENDONS, ARTERIES, VEINS, ETC. FOR DEMONSTRATING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN FORM AND FUNCTION. REFINEMENTS OF MANIPULATING THE PATTERN IS OFTEN LACKING, BUT THAT WILL BE DISCOVERED AS WELL. IT IS EASY TO TEACH AND THE NEW COMPUTER PROGRAMS ARE ADAPTING.

THIS LAST FALL IN 2010 MATT BANAR AND I WERE TEAMED UP TO TEACH A CLASS OF THIRTY GRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY IN SAN FRANCISCO. WE DIVIDED THE CLASS IN HALF AND TAUGHT IN DIFFERENT WAYS. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE WAS THE HIGH RISE RESULTS AT THE END OF THE TERM. WE HAD THE SWITCHED STUDENTS FOR LOW RISE ON THE SAME SITE INITIALLY, WE ALLOWED INDIVIDUAL EXPLORATION OF THE METHODS THAT WERE GIVEN THE STUDENTS , AND MADE THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR SITE AND BUILDING PROGRAMS.

MESHHAL ALBUTHIE

WISITSAN DISYAWONGS , MATTHEW BARAN INSTRUCTOR

HEEYA SON, PERFORMING ARTS COMPLEX

I BEING A GREEN ARCHITECT PROFESSOR, FAILED IN EFFORTS TO TURN THE BUILDINGS GREEN. PROBABLY BECAUSE I POUNDED AWAY ON THE OVERALL DESIGN . BY THE TIME THE STUDENTS ADDRESSES THE GREEN ISSUES IT IS AN AN AFTERTHOUGHT RATHER THAN AN INTEGRATED WHOLE. OH SURE, THERE WERE THE TURBINE GENERATORS, AND RECYCLED MATERIALS, BUT THE FANTASTIC PLANTING SYSTEMS , WATER COLLECTION AND RECYCLING SYSTEMS AVAILABLE WERE IGNORED. THE WHOLE IDEA THAT A BUILDING OR COMPLEX SHOULD BE COVERED WITH VEGETATION IS STILL IGNORED. I AM NOT SURE WHY, THE SCHOOL INCLUDES GREEN, BUT DOING IT RIGHT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT , SKILL AND TIME. GRADUATE STUDENTS ARE IN A HURRY? I WAS IN A CONCRETE BLOCK HOUSE RECENTLY THAT HAD ALL THE EXTERIOR WALLS COVERED WITH VINES, BESIDES BEING SUSTAINABLE IT SOOTHED THE SOUL.

IT IS SO EASY TO LEARN IN AN ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT WITH CONDENSED RESEARCH AND DEBATING THEORIES. WHAT A WONDERFUL TIME. ALL TOO SOON THE STUDENTS ARE IN THE REAL WORLD AND WILL LEARN RESTRICTIONS BIG TIME. OUR STUDENTS WERE MOSTLY FOREIGN, WITH DEGREES FROM THEIR HOME LANDS. A NUMBER OF THE SKILLED DESIGNERS WERE ASIAN. THE STUDENTS ARE THRILLED WITH THE ADVENTURESOME SPIRIT OF THE BUILDINGS BEING BUILT AT HOME . A NEW ERA THAT IS BACKED UP WITH THE ECONOMICS AND DEMANDS OF THEIR COUNTRIES.

SPORTS CENTER, BOMI KIM

HONG CHEN, MATTHEW BARAN INSTRUCTOR

HSUAN CHEN

PRESENT COMPUTER PROGRAMS ALLOW ENDLESS FORM INVESTIGATIONS. BUT “WHERE IS THE BEEF” APPLIES BEHIND-THE FACADES, BUT TO THE STUDENTS CREDIT THE INTERIORS ARE GETTING BETTER. MOST HIGH RISES ARE FACADES WITH LAYERS OF FLOORS SIMILAR TO MIES. BUT THERE ARE EXPLORATIONS OF CARVING OUT THE INTERIORS.

THE WHOLE VISUAL PATTERN THING NEEDS TO BE BACKED UP WITH HOLISTIC FUNCTIONAL DEEPTH. GRADUATE STUDENTS, ARRIVE WITH CLUTTERED MINDS OF YEARS WITH VARIOUS PROFESSORS, I INTRODUCE MY APPROACH AND THEY RESPOND BY PUTTING TOGETHER A PACKAGE ON A BUILDING AND SITE IN SEVEN WEEKS. IT IS ALL PART OF THE SCMORAGUS BOARD OF EDUCATION BUILDING UP TO AN ARCHITECTURAL PHILOSOPHY.