MIT Architects to Unveil Building Made of Digital Water at 2008 World Expo

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s news room announced plans by its architects and engineers to unveil The Digital Water Pavilion at the 2008 World Expo in Zaragoza, Spain. The Pavilion is said to include a café, an exhibition area and public spaces.

The Digital Water Pavilion will be made of liquid curtains for walls that will have the capability to be programmed to show images and messages. Another spectacular feature is the digital water walls will automatically part open when

 it senses an object approaching.

Carlo Ratti, head of MIT’s SENSEable City Laboratory gives an example of understanding the concept of digital water walls:

“To understand the concept of digital water, imagine something like an inkjet printer on a large scale, which controls droplets of falling water.”

A row of closely spaced solenoid valves along a pipe suspended in the air, make up the “water walls” used in the structure. A computer will control the valves opening and closing at a high frequency. This will produce a curtain of falling water. Water and air will create a pattern of pixels. The display becomes a one-bit-deep digital exhibit that will constantly scroll downward.

“You could throw a ball at the wall, and then see an open circle drop down to meet it precisely where and when its trajectory intersected the water surface. And, with suitable programming, touching the water surface at any point can propagate patterns horizontally, along the wall, to other locations,” explains head of MIT’s Design Laboratory, William J. Mitchell.

Covered by a thin layer of water, the roof of the pavilion will be support by pistons that will move up and down. In the case of too much wind, the roof will lower. Another astonishing fact is when the pavilion is closed; the roof will fall to the ground and the exhibit will disappear.

This Digital Water Pavilion will definitely be a sight to see in 2008.

...read more ⇒

The Nameless Architects of Mesa Verde

A bigger cave dwelling community existed in Walnut Canyon, Colorado. The architects then carved through 600 feet of the canyon eventually joining the Little Colorado River. The walls expose limestone deposits in the cliffs. There is also cococino sandstone. The complex has more rooms but aren’t perched high on the canyon. The amazing Sinaguans have constructed this marvel.

The early Sinaguans built pit houses. The houses built later were similar to pueblo architecture. They subsisted on hunting and farming. Their communities were always built near the water source. They have also developed their techniques to shape the landscape around them. They seem to have lived in a tightly knit community. Their culture and spirituality are shown in the petroglyphs on their walls. Some of these petroglyphs resemble crop circles.

Not much is known on what happened to these people. The Spanish called them Sinagua from the word that means without water. They must have observed that these people left their dwellings once the water supply runs out. Other speculations include the communities left their towns for spiritual reasons. I am more inclined to believe that they left because of water. There is a Sinaguan petroglyph that looks like a snafu traveling inwards a square. It probably means a spring or some source of water like a subterranean spring. Perhaps the concentric circle means water the square petroglyph means the life source of a dwelling. There are many other symbols that are shamanic proving that the Sinaguans had high spirituality.

...read more ⇒

Sacramento, CA Architects Career Guide: Training, Salary Facts, and More

What You Need to Know to Become an Architect in California’s Capitol City

It stretches across acres. It kisses the sky. It builds against a backdrop that has watched it transform from huts to cabins, to castles to skyscrapers. Architecture is everywhere and ever-evolving. And believe it or not, the world depends on architecture for comfort and warmth, but most importantly, for safety. No other state in the nation requires a higher level of safety in its structures than the state of California. Residents of California’s most heavily populated cities don’t have to worry about protection from freezing temperatures or fierce winds. They are more concerned with wildfires and earthquakes. Sure, visual design is an important aspect of architecture in Sacramento too, but a sound and super reinforced structure is the most important aspect of all.

Sacramento Architecture and Earthquakes
While places like San Francisco and Los Angeles are likely to experience the most damaging earthquakes—thanks to the San Andreas Fault, places to the south like Newport Beach and places to the north like Sacramento, almost always experience aftershocks. These aftershocks can cause structures to shake, squeak, and sway, but with superior architecture and engineering, Sacramento structures can become virtually earthquake proof. So what does this mean for aspiring Sacramento architects? For starters, architects in Sacramento have their work cut out for them. Sacramento architecture firms are well aware of this, which is one of the reasons Sacramento architects currently earn more per year than architects in the nations top cities for architecture. These include New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston. Sacramento architects even earn more than architects in Los Angeles, where earthquakes are more likely to occur.

...read more ⇒

Earning Potential and Career Outlook for Architects

Architects plan, design, and observe construction of facilities used for human occupancy and of other structures. They consult with clients, plan layouts of buildings, prepare drawings of proposed buildings, write specifications, and prepare scale and full-sized drawings.

Architects also may help clients to obtain bids, select a contractor, and negotiate the construction contract, and they also visit construction sites to ensure that the work is being completed according to specification. There are approximately 102,000 architects working in the United

 States.

Architects earned a median annual salary of $55,470 in 2001, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $35,520 annually, while the highest 10 percent earned $89,240 or more.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reports that the starting annual salary for graduates of schools of architecture working during their internship before licensing was approximately $30,000 in 2002.

Well-established architects who are partners in an architectural firm or who have their own businesses generally earn much more than salaried employees. According to the AIA, partners in very large firms can earn $132,000 or more a year. Most employers offer such fringe benefits as health insurance, sick and vacation pay, and retirement plans.

Architects normally work a 40-hour week. There may be a number of times when they will have to work overtime, especially when under pressure to complete an assignment. Self-employed architects work less regular hours and often meet with clients in their homes or offices during the evening. Architects usually work in comfortable offices, but they may spend a considerable amount of time outside the office visiting clients or viewing the progress of a particular job in the field. Their routines usually vary considerably.

...read more ⇒

Architects of Time Production Notes

Building the Idea

From concept through deployment, this is how The Architects of Time interactive video tour of Art Deco buildings and their history was created.

FACT:
100% of the travel involved in making this project in Los Angeles was done on public transportation via METRO.

1. Pre Production:

Research, Writing, Planning

The concept was to create an interactive documentary series covering some of the beautiful Art Deco Architecture in Los Angeles and demenstrate how the design of that architecture was influenced srongly by the emerging dependence of society on the automobile.

The challenges that confronted the project were few but the biggest challenge, that of no budget to work with, proved difficult to overcome.

The first step was to choose the buildings which would be covered in the Documentary. First the building had to qualify as Art Deco. By using resources on-line including The LA Conservancy and the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles I was able to locate a number of buildings throughout LA.

The next step invoved some footwork, for each of the buildings were visited (this was all done using public transportation) and analyzed as to wether they could be videotaped. Some are now obstructed by Advertising logos, some have been altered drastically from their original design, and in some cases, the buildings have sadly been demolished.

The available buildings were then researched for facts, figures and images. (a wealth of which were found on the Los Angeles Public Libraries Database) A short script was then written highlighting several key aspects of each building in relation to the over-all theme of the project.

The project was now ready for filming to begin.

2. Production: Shooting the Buildings

...read more ⇒

How to Become an Architect: Education for Architects in Ohio

Want to start a career that is both rewarding and challenging? Starting a career as an architect can open up many various employment opportunities. Architects have many different tasks they must accomplish on a daily basis. The career can be challenging, stressful, and very rewarding all at the same time. Read further if you think you have what it takes to start a career as an architect in Ohio and how to seek education needed for this profession. Learn what basic tasks you will need to do as an architect.

Job Description for Architects

As an architect you will be in charge of designing buildings, assisting in plan sites, work on building maintenance, building restorations, and they use their knowledge in many other jobs and tasks. To be a successful architect you will need to work very hard and have certain traits that are needed in this profession. Architects are very sufficient in high levels of math. Calculus and trigonometry are crucial for architect jobs everywhere. Having good drawing skills is a very valuable trait to have when wanting to become an architect.

Becoming an architect is quite a difficult profession to pursue overall. Generally architects have to have at least five years of college. You must expect to fail at times in this career. Many architects deal with frequent pressure for deadlines, new challenges, and various competition. This career is very rewarding and can be extremely beneficial if you are passionate in this career field. You want to have both love for architecture and art, which is a key element to having a successful career as an architect.

Education for Architects in Ohio

...read more ⇒

Prominent Architects in Phoenix

Working with outstanding Phoenix real estate agents is one of the best ways to find the perfect Phoenix homes that will best meet you and your family’s needs. Once a Phoenix realtor understands the type of property you wish to purchase, he or she will apply that criteria when searching every Phoenix real estate listing until the best property matches are found, thus saving you time and money. As you begin settling in, you will have ample opportunities to explore this beautiful city. Phoenix is home to several prominent architects whose talent is on display in remarkable buildings in Phoenix that they have designed.

Phoenix-based Gould Evans Associates, LC + Wendell Burnett Architects were honored with the 2007 American Institute Honor Awards for Architecture for their design of the Palo Verde Library/Maryvale Community Center owned by the City of Phoenix. The connection of the mind and body was used as a design theme that features two equally sized “volumes,” which are lit at the bottom and top, so you can see the activity going on inside from the outside. The library is housed in one side, and the gymnasium in the other. Care was taken to incorporate “green” building products, including floor tile made from recycled tires and cork, while walls were made from oriented strand board made from recycled wood. Formaldehyde-free insulation was also used.

The award-winning Phoenix architectural firm of richard + bauer Architecture was the design organization that created the Meinel Optical Science Research Building for the University of Arizona in Tuscon. Principals James Richard, Kelly Bauer, and Stephen Kennedy’s building features a concrete wall that is covered with red-bronze copper treatment to relate in tone to bricks used on the campus. To give the feeling of a darkroom, openings allow light into the building, and the light plays off the rooms within. For their work on this important building, richard + bauer Architecture were also awarded the 2007 American Institute of Architects Honor Award.

...read more ⇒

Understanding the American Institute of Architects and the Society of American Registered Architects

Introduction to the Two Most Influential Architectural Organizations in the United States

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a remarkably underutilized organization with resources available to help architects, architecture students and architectural clients find relevant resources and information. The AIA works in a variety of different ways to connect the public, architecture students and architects with one another as well. The organization sponsors public symposiums and lectures, funds student competitions and provides forums and listings for connecting clients with architectural designers. The AIA also grants annual awards to outstanding practitioners and for design excellence in particular building designs. To support its work, the AIA relies on membership contributions from over 75,000 members – including architecture students and professionals from all over the country.

A regional branch of the American Institute of Architects is an ideal place to find out more about architects, architecture and architectural lectures and events in specific area. The AIA has evolved its mission considerably since it was originally established over a century ago to set standards for consistency and ethical practice in the field of architecture. Currently, the AIA is as much concerned with raising public awareness of architecture and the importance of civic space as it is with providing quality control within the discipline of architecture.

In part, this shift in focus came about due to concerns raised in the middle of the 20th Century by notable scholars such as Hannah Arendt and Jane Jacobs, who were concerned with the decline of city streets and the disappearance of civic spaces brought on by the increased popularity of the automobile and other modern developments. As architects and urban designers shifted their focus to address these issues, so did the AIA – extending its reach beyond architects and to the public, addressing issues of civic design and shared spaces.

...read more ⇒

Experiment Lets Architects See Through Disabled Eyes

Recently for one day Dallas, TX architects sat in wheelchairs and experienced all the struggles and frustrations of the disabled to see what it would be like to maneuver around non-disabled friendly buildings.

The workshop was part of a one-day “Wheelathon” sponsored by the American Institute of Architects’

Dallas chapter.

“Lesson number one was that the minimum building requirements set down in law are just that: minimum,” said writer Brendan M. Case. “Bob Shaw, a principal with F & S Partners, Inc., who was one of the participants (in the Wheelathon), said they could always be better and that as architects it would be worth exploring ways to exceed those minimums.”

Other pointers included that the minimum width allowed for doorways should not only accommodate wheelchairs but leave room for error. One participant observed that copiers should be comfortably low for someone in a wheelchair, though architects don’t manufacture those. Wheelchair ramps should also have flat spots for resting.

Todd Howard of T. Howard & Associates sent nearly all his employees out for a spin in a wheelchair in the office and in public.

The result was that participants experienced firsthand the reasons for the guidelines, he said.

“The worst part about being in a wheelchair is the physical pieces I keep losing of myself,” said Victoria. “But I’d rate my contentment level at nine-plus.”

She urges everyone who is healthy to save money.

According to research people with disabilities have three to four times more health problems but many don’t know they have these problems because they don’t have a regular doctor to monitor their health. Some impairment appears to be linked to other problems at even higher rates. The most common complaint is having new fatigue, weaknesses, and no energy. These problems often progress to the point where the patient can no longer complete household chores or other tasks.

It is important to seek outside help to accommodate these changes. The recommended treatment is to do less, not try to work through them.

...read more ⇒

Opportunities in Landscape Design - the Benefits and Pay of Landscape Architects

Landscape architects plan and design areas such as highways, housing communities, college campuses, commercial centers, recreation facilities, and nature conservation areas. They work to balance beauty and function in developed outdoor areas. There are approximately 22,000 landscape architects employed in the United States.

Salaries for landscape architects vary depending on the employer, work experience, location, and whether they are paid a straight salary or earn a percentage of a firm’s profits.

According to 2001 data from the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual salary for landscape architects was $46,710. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $28,640 and the highest paid 10 percent earned over $79,580. The average salary for those working with the federal government was generally higher than average, at $62,824 a year.

Benefits also vary depending on the employer but usually include health insurance coverage, paid vacation time, and sick leave. Many landscape architects work for small landscaping firms or are self-employed. These workers generally receive fewer benefits than those who work for large organizations.

Landscape architects spend much of their time in the field gathering information at the work site. They also spend time in the office, drafting plans and designs. Those working for larger organizations may have to travel further away to work sites.

Work hours are generally regular, except during periods of increased business or when nearing a project deadline. Hours vary for self-employed workers because they determine their own schedules.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the employment of landscape architects is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through 2010. The increase in demand for landscape architects is a result of several factors: a boom in the construction industry, the need to refurbish existing sites, and the increase in city and environmental planning and historic preservation. In addition, many job openings are expected to result from the need to replace experienced workers who leave the field.

...read more ⇒