twothree.us

I wish I had more time to read… But here’s a list of the top 10 books I read this year that I’d recommend to my friends. Let me know you’re reads!

Best Learning Architecture Book: ok. there were a lot, but this series were recommended by a project manager and gave the most ‘ah ha’ moments Black and Decker Complete Guide to Wiring: 2008

Best Architecture Theory Book: Community and Privacy by Chirstopher Alexander and Serge Chermayeff 1963

Best Architecture Where I Admire the Author Book: Archipelago by Richard Williams 2009

continue reading…

My focus on this next blog entry::  The start of a new blog and a discussion on Generalist vs. Specialists (from a sample GRE’s issue essay prompt).  “In our time, specialists of all kinds are highly overrated.  We need more generalists — people who can provide broad perspectives.”  

But first, let me share my 2nd cousin’s (Douglas) facebook post:  Sheep Hearding with LED lights.   We watched it at our staff retreat yesterday.  A perfect example of the question I’ve been toying with:  Which path should I be on?  The specialists (sheep herding with LED lights) or the  generalists (sheep herders).  I thought I went into Architecture to be a specialist, to specialize in designing buildings.  Now that I am here, I realize, I’m just a generalists within the profession, because each specific building type holds detailed information.  

Dick Williams told me the architecture profession, and architecture education is trending towards specialization.  I ran across this Princeton article earlier this week that supports this idea that architectural education is shifting to specialization.  I have been advised to take my graduate education as a calling to be more of a generalist and share the knowledge of architecture etudes (the French word for study), especially since I grew up in an architecture company.   Can I specialize in being a generalist?  Do I have enough technical skills to share?  The sample response GRE level 6 essay favors generalisation: ”Not only may over-specialization be dangerous in terms of the truth, purity and cohesion of knowledge, but it can also serve to drown moral or universal issues.”  The data, the technology, project management, IPD all new information changes have been stretching our profession.  We cannot lose the arts, the meaning of architecture to this change of specialization.  Rather the theory of architecture must be captured and taught or the profession will die.  Architects are the conductors to an orchestra.  If everyone specializes in an instrument, can the lack of a conductor continue to create haunting music?  A few must concentrate on being the generalists.  I have found much guidance through AIA Arizona.  This is my calling to help share the technical data, the information, and the knowledge of the architecture profession and building construction industry.  

This is why I am going for an information management degree to open and tie together the technical data of architecture (specialization) to design (technique) and to the architecture profession (generalists- business, career, balance).  My theory is that if our profession can learn to harness the knowledge and dialogue of the specialists with to promoting good design and architecture — we all find our Csikszentmihalyi flow in our profession. 

I am on a mission to figure out how to “correctly” connect with other social media architects, and organizations such as Be2Camp, to find a stronger community that can share these thoughts so I can help the profession.   I just tried writing my first comment on Serena’s Tumbler.  But I must believe that blogs will add to existentialism.  Where ideas can be added to, morphed, and changed.  And like Architecture, you just have to start somewhere.   Plus — if your idea is not big enough, you wouldn’t want to share (an idea from the Carl Bass Autodesk University lecture)  The purpose of this blog is to record the path I’m on, and who and what affected the design and direction. Suad Mahmuljin directed this You Tube Video from our Arizona Assoc. AIA group.  He added a quote I now believe in from Leonardo DaVinci:  ”I have been impressed with the urgency of doing.  Knowledge is not enough; we must apply.  Being willing is not enough. We must Do.” 

We got a new Associate AIA Arizona program!   Almost… at least the hard part is done — the behind the scenes stuff that could potentially put our project on hold, or slow it up has been hopefully talked about, thought through.  Now comes the other part — seeing if the idea sticks.   But so far so good — spent the past week talking to lots of Associates and have started to task the Associates to speak to architects, contractors, and engineers at our various AIA events– and all seems on track!  It’s becoming easier and easier to take an idea and implement it through a group of people.  It mimics the architecture design process quite well.  Pre-Design (PD)– to research what is possible, your due diligence .  Schematic Design (SD) – brainstorm all ideas (which is the process we’re going to open up to all AEC we can talk to).  

This idea came from our AIA Arizona vice president Tina Litteral.  We had coffee to discuss my move back to Tucson and she said, since I was down there, I might as well help tie Tucson back to Phoenix. Long story short a new program, “How Is It Done” was birthed.   It is emerging as the following (after a weeks of skyping, meeting with AIA Arizona staff, fun dinners, AIA holiday parties)  We’re ready to launch and add another success to the architects in the state of Arizona:

How is IT Done?

• How is Architecture Done?
• What things are architect’s missing from working with the (Architecture Engineering Construction) AEC community?
• What are Interns missing?
• What guidance can the AIA (Young Architects Forum) YAF give to the Associates?
• How can we start meaningful conversations with our contractors, project managers, head designers, professors, younger interns?
• How can we start implementing some of the Web 2.0 tools the AIA Arizona has been setting up? 

We are going to launch this new program at our Construction Party — where already 30 people are going to be attending!   So – got to get to work.

The Associate Newsletter just got sent out and from much editing help from Alex, the AIA Arizona Communications Director — it looks good!   Alex’s really helping me to be more concise and communicate much more clearer.  Hopefully, I can flush out all the words and ideas out here in my blog — so the drafts upon drafts can easily be plucked out, when I need to re-call and help others join me on my journey of change.   Therefore, I have been doing enough research — and I am just going to jump into blogging — here’s the past few blogs I want to mimic: honesty, learning, adapting… Penelope Trunk , Social Media Today

Greetings! Greetings! Happy holidays to all! Paper parties – (bi-annual) Together, Associates accomplish the task doing paper work for IDP, A.R.E., grants and resumes Architecture Panel Discussions – Created to help the public learn about architecture/architecture education Town Hall YouTube Video Response to Strategic Plan –  Created to tell National we have to just “do” – Directed by Suad Mahmuljin, Assoc. AIA   Started a Facebook Group (115+ people) and Twitter Hashtag (#AsAzAIA) – Created to help organize events, communicate information and connect members. Licensure or other Exam Help -  Offered free study sessions, Architecture Registration Exam (A.R.E.) seminars, A.R.E. tutoring on the weekends. (Check the AIA Arizona calendar for future events).   Comradeship/Mentorship – Held monthly Associate lunches, created an Associate group for the IIDA Couture Competition, had particpation in volleyball tournaments, art, lecture meet-ups and at the AIAS West Quad conference.   We are well into planning events for 2010! We are in the works to start a new seminar series called “How Is It Done,” with seminars topics ranging from “How do you do design build” to “How do you get drawing passed the through the city?”   So many questions, so little employment opportunities, and so little time! Let’s all ban together and help make the new year greater than the last, and we will make Arizona the best state to be an Emerging Professional.  Leslie Tom |  Associate AIA AIA Arizona Associate Director the architecture company architecture, planning, LEED, BIM T 520-622-4506 | F 520-620-6097 P.S. Congratulations to the nine Central Arizona Architecture Foundation A.R.E. grant winners and to the AIA staff for winning an AIA grant to fund part of our Associate Conference 2010!   What a wave of change we rode this year with the State of Arizona finally requiring the electronic IDP and the A.R.E. 4.0 transition all alongside a crazy economy! With challenges come opportunities, and this past year many Associates stood up and donated their time and energy to the profession. Together, with the AIA, we rode the wave to make the process of licensure easier for the next person while figuring out architecture and moving into the Information Age. Here is a brief list of this past year’s accomplishments…

Involvement Opportunities AIA Arizona values the voice of Associate members and would like to see at least one Associate member on every committee. Check out the list of committees and see if any fit with your interests. Email Tina Litteral, Hon. AIA, CAE, if you would like to learn more information about when each committee meets, etc.   Licensure | A.R.E. Information   Free study sessions - the Phoenix Metro Associates have organized Friday study sessions for those that are getting ready or in the process of taking their exams. The next sessions will be held on December 11, 2009 and December 18, 2009, from 1pm to 5pm at the AIA Arizona office. Check the calendar (events in blue) for future study sessions.   A.R.E. Programming, Planning and Practice Seminar – Jan 12, 14 and 19 at Orcutt|Winslow Partnership. Click here to register. A.R.E. Structural Systems Seminar – Every Tuesday and Thursday from the last week in January until the first week of March. Details and registration to come! A.R.E. Tutoring – A.R.E. 911 is helping to tutor on Building Systems Saturday, March 6, 13, and 20 from 10am-4pm at the AIA Arizona office. If you are interested, email Leslie Tom, Assoc. AIA. Paper Parties – Knock out all of your paper work for IDP and the A.R.E. on Saturday, March 27th, from 2pm-5pm in each of the AIA offices.   Comradeship | Mentorship End of the Year Construction Party – Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 12pm. RSVP to Charnissa Moore. Click here for details.   IIDA Fashion Competition – Join the competition to make a couture gown from interior materials. Contact Karla Grijalva for more information. IIDA Fashion Show – Cheer on fellow Associates at the IIDA Couture Competition fashion show held of February 11, 2009 at the Phoenix Art Museum. More information to follow. Phoenix Metro Associate Lunch – Held every 3rd Thursday of the month. Next lunch will be held on Thursday, January 21, 2009 from 12pm to 1pm at Casey Moores (850 S. Ash Avenue, Tempe). RSVP to Charnissa Moore. Southern Arizona Associate Lunch – Held the 2nd Tuesday every other month. The next lunch will be held on Tuesday, January 12, 2009 from 12pm to 1pm at Chipolte at Grant & Swan, Tucson. RSVP to Donna McQuery.   National Associate Committee News “For better or worse, this fall’s edition of Associate News was the last issue that will be emailed to you directly or published on the AIA Web site (at least for now); also the direct email version of the National Associate Committee’s (NAC) fall 2009 architecture and design journal “Forward 209″ was also the last that will be emailed to you directly (for now). Both publications are now linked on the Emerging Professionals FaceBook group in case you did not receive those emails. These changes, and others, are a result of upcoming reductions in both budget and staff support from the Institute. The NAC will continue to contribute the same content through the new “AIArchitect,” since that will be changing to a biweekly format. Currently, with the energy and momentum of Associate News, our hope is to transition to a blog, where both content and reaction to content can be more dynamic. Until these changes are fully implemented, the NAC will continue to operate as it has. The 18 regional directors will continue to represent the concerns of their region’s associate members. As a committee, the NAC will continue to be the voice of the 20% of the institute who make up the 18K+ members who are “Associate AIA.” Jonathan Matthew Taylor, AIA, LEED A.P. 2009 NAC Chair, & Associate Director-elect AIA National Associates Committee   Newly Lincensed Congratulations to the following members on becoming licensed!… Justin Gregonis, AIA Luis Cruz-Martinez, AIA Scott Trimmer, AIA Todd Kuenning, AIA

Looking for a Job? AIA Arizona has a job board with the latest jobs! Also, if you’re a member of AIA Arizona, you can post your resume for free. Find out more here.   Charnissa Moore – AIA Arizona Membership Coordinator Leslie Tom, Assoc. AIA- AIA Arizona Associate Director Andrea Lucarelli, Assoc. AIA – AIA Phoenix Metro Associate Director Nisha Babu, Assoc. AIA  – AIA Southern Arizona Associate Director Qian Dong- ASU AIAS President Levi Naas – UA AIAS President

I love learning new words.  Especially when it’s an urban word.  Who knew those bumpy asphalt slashes that cause a noise when you drive over too far on the highway shoulder had a name?  But they do, Rumble Strips. Even though I thought the NPR story this morning called them Rumple Stripes — which seemed a lot more  Grimm Brothers fantastical.

Which makes sense right?  The definition of rumple is v. tr. To wrinkle or form into folds or creases.   But no Rumble strips is just onomonopia, as you bumble over a vibrating wake up call or in the immortal words of Michael Buffer, “Let’s get ready to rumble!” and go for a road trip.  Anyone?

My goal is to use this blog as a space to discover ideas and figure out how to help make a positive impact on the AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) profession in practice, process, and philosophy.   From the book, Made to Stick, this blog functions to capture the threads of thoughts, so along with others — see my blogroll – so we can weave a rope in the AEC industry to change and save the poetics of our built environment.  My first blog entry shall be a barge of “thank you’s” to the many people who helped define the discussion.

::Architecture + Technology::

Thanks to my Project Manager, Andrew Abernathy for helping me to start a wordpress blog, and prior to that – set up my own domain.  Andrew also has helped introduce me to the Web 2.0 paradigm.  In fact, he’s made our mom & pop shop design firm at The Architecture Company be a Web 2.0 savvy place.   We now successfully use wikis, forums, and no longer cheat with our BIM models.  We’re even now collaborating with Kea Elliot, a design firm in the United Kingdom – on projects – passing Revit models across the oceans.  So thanks to my mom, dad, and architecture shop (esp. Jake Boen) — for teaching me architecture:    Variances, International Building Codes and Zoning Codes, Schematic, Design Development, to Construction Documents, Construction Admin and building construction (thx Roel Construction for the hands on tutoring for how buildings are put together)– yes I now know where to turn for questions.

::Talking about AEC+ WEb2.0::

It takes much time and energy and experimentation to get everyone to hum the same song.  Thanks to Paul Wilkinson – for the facebook tutoring and conversations, Lorna Parsons – for how she started her blog inspiration, Su Butcher- for being so helpful and friendly,  Be2Camp - for bringing all the AEC community together in Web 2.0.

::Experimenting with AEC + Web 2.0::

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a great organization and platform for gaining experiences.  From overcoming AIAS insecurities to now helping AIA Arizona, I am grateful for an organization that can be the glue to promote change and help teach how to be leaders.

Our goal set forth this year, as Associate Director for AIA Arizona was to get Arizona to be the best place for an architectural intern.   The numerous talks with Dick Williams and his book Archipelago armed me the leadership and philosophies such as objectivism and existentialism to bridge the theories of school and bring forth the science and art dialogue into our Internship.  Coupled with forward thinking staff members and information and communication technologies (ITC), amazing Associate AIA friendships, terrific AIA Arizona staff, and Frank Lloyd Wright pool parties (yes I am so fortunate to have found on Craigslist a FLW guest house), was the recipe to make Arizona the change agents for the architecture + building industry.

Web 2.0 tools along with help of AIA Arizona and be2camp “unconferences” we have had  twiterfalls at our Associate conference, now 115 Facebook fans for our Associate group, and a You Tube video response to the 2010-2015 Strategic AIA Plan and Town Hall.  There is a meeting set up in December with AIA Arizona to figure out how to connect us more!  For all that have helped me to realize… the blogoshpere is a way to help make a difference for the AEC community, thank you.  Here’s to discovery!