#architalk

This post is part of the #ArchiTalks series in which a group of architect bloggers all write about the same topic. This month’s theme is “Tool” I hope you’ll check out the links at the bottom of the page to read the other posts.  

 SHARPEN YOUR TOOLS

In one of my first posts on this blog, I outlined a series of steps for Designing Your Process. In part two of that series, I wrote about the importance of Sharpening Your Tools as an integral step in developing a Process. The thesis of my previous post is that your understanding of your "Tool" is directly linked to how well you can use it. Tools are drivers of Process, which leads to Product. "Keeping the axe sharp" makes the job of cutting the tree down easier.

 Over the last several months, I've spent a lot of time learning about the "tools" of podcasting. In case you're wondering, here's my setup:

Home Studio:

Microphone: Blue Yeti with Pop Filter

Recording / Editing Software: GarageBand

Intro Music: Premium Beat 

Website host: Squarespace

I wanted to get into podcasting with as little front end cost as possible. I did a lot of research on various microphones, but ultimately settled on the Blue Yeti. It looks super cool (of course I got the Blackout Edition) and the sound is awesome. I use Garageband because it came with my laptop. I spent somewhere around $20 for my "intro music" so that everything is nice and legal, and I used promo codes from other podcasts to get a discount at SquareSpace to host the site. Wherever possible, I will look for "open box" deals, or refurbished electronics. I am not a professional audio engineer, so I'm not looking for pro-studio quality equipment. I want to be able to create a quality Product, but I have to be realistic about the level of quality I'm aiming for and the listeners expect. This got me up an running for less than $200 and allowed me to begin experimenting with the tools to see what I could make. 

This setup was great to get me started, but this year I have added a few new toys:

Alternate Recording Methods:

Field Recording: Zoom H2N

Long Distance Recording: Skype + Ecamm Call Recorder

As cool as the Yeti is, it is a little cumbersome to haul it, my laptop, and everything else out to someone's office / house/ wherever we might be recording. So, I started looking at digital recorders to minimize the setup. The Zoom H2N cut down on what I have to haul around and made setup much quicker. The audio is not as great as the Yeti, but I can clean it up in post very easily. I've also started connecting with people outside of Charleston, and I have recently started doing more calls over Skype. The Ecamm call recorder is super easy and used by a lot of other professional podcasts. 

CONVERSATION STARTER

Since I'm not a world famous (or locally famous) architect, building this podcast has been a bit of a challenge. The guest I invite to the show are people that I purposefully pursued, because I knew we could have a mutually interesting conversation about "Culture, Craft, and Community". But, a lot of people are hesitant to "go on record" if they don't know me. Now that I have a few more episodes under my belt, I'm getting better at structuring the conversations and helping people feel comfortable and willing to talk. I'm learning how to engage their perspective and allow them to share their insight and expertise. Ultimately, it's about learning how to ask better questions. As I gain a better understanding of these tools, my Process evolves and improves. 

It really doesn't matter what brand of microphone I have or what software I use. What resonates with the audience is a genuine curiosity and passion for my conversation with the guests. That's the most important tool in shed. The same is true of any project I work on. So many of my recent conversations have focused on the importance of good communication skills, whether graphical or verbal. Having these conversations allows me the opportunity to continually explore how to communicate my passion about Design with a variety audiences. I'm continually "sharpening my tools." I've learned a tremendous amount in the past few months and I am extremely excited to continue this project. I truly appreciate the support and feedback from everyone along the way. 

Make sure to check out the links below for other architects' perspective on "Tools." 

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Bob Borson - Life of An Architect (@bobborson) http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/the-tools-of-an-architect/

Jes Stafford - MODwelling (@modarchitect) One Essential Tool

Michael LaValley - Evolving Architect (@archivalley) Why An Architect's Voice Is Their Most Important Tool

Emily Grandstaff-Rice - Emily Grandstaff-Rice FAIA (@egrfaia) Tools for Learning

Greg Croft - Sage Leaf Group (@croft_gregory) Tools...

Keith Palma - Architect's Trace (@cogitatedesign) Tool

Jeff Echols - Architect Of The Internet (@Jeff_Echols) The Best Tool In Your Toolbox

Lora Teagarden - L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC) The Tools That Help Make #AREsketches

Jeremiah Russell, AIA - ROGUE Architecture (@rogue_architect) tools #architalks

Eric T. Faulkner - Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome) Architools - Mind Over Matter

Meghana Joshi - IRA Consultants, LLC (@MeghanaIRA) Tools of an Architect #Architalks 17

Michael LaValley - Evolving Architect (@archivalley) Why An Architect's Voice Is Their Most Important Tool

Eric Wittman - intern[life] (@rico_w) it's ok, i have a [pen]

Jarod Hall - di'velept (@divelept) Something Old and Something New

Jeffrey A Pelletier - Board & Vellum (@boardandvellum) Helpful tools found within an Architecture blog

Kyu Young Kim - Palo Alto Design Studio (@sokokyu) Super Tool

Jared W. Smith - Architect OWL (@ArchitectOWL) Construction: An Architect's Learning Tool

Keith Palma - Architect's Trace (@cogitatedesign) (CTRL A) (Command-A)- Edit

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This post is part of the #ArchiTalks series in which Bob Borson of Life of an Architect selects a theme and a group of us (architects who also blog) all post on the same day and promote each other’s blogs. This month’s theme is “My First Project.” I hope you’ll check out the links at the bottom of the page to learn about others' "First Project"...

  Johnsonville, South Carolina is a small town located in Florence County, a few hours from Charleston in a region know as the Pee Dee. Like many small towns in the south, it has suffered form loss of industry and population decline since the mid twentieth century. When I was in graduate school, I spent my first year studying at the Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston (CACC). During our spring semester, we had a service learning studio that partnered with the city leadership and various stakeholders to develop a comprehensive vision for the future of the city. It was certainly not a very exciting project on paper, and I know that several of my classmates were not thrilled about the prospect of spending an entire semester working on a small town. This was not exactly going to yield a lot of sexy renderings for the portfolio. This remains one of my favorite projects of all time and it had a huge impact on my career as an architect and how I view the role of Design in building Community. 

ACADEMY vs PRACTICE

I took about 3 years off between undergraduate and graduate school; I wanted to spend some time working and make sure that I really wanted to pursue my license and focus on a career as an architect. I worked at a small firm, but we put out a high volume of work every year in a variety of markets. It was not super high end design work, but I had plenty of opportunity to be significantly involved in all aspects of the projects I was working on. I was able to complete about 95% of my IDP requirements and I was able to make the mental “transition” into the realities of the working world. I think this time working helped me bring a level of focus and a strong work ethic to graduate school that was absent from many of my peers who went “straight through” from undergrad. I also had plenty of exposure to the “real world” problems that are typically absent from academic exercises (codes, low budgets, engineers, etc). I made a conscious decision that graduate school would be a time where I pursued coursework that reflected my interests and aspirations for my career. In undergrad, there are so many course requirements that you spend most of the time checking boxes simply to fulfill the curriculum. Part of the reason I chose to study at the CACC was that it is a “hybrid” program that includes opportunities for internships with local firms. The courses are also taught by local professionals, not just academic faculty. It is a program “grounded” in practice, but still actively seeking to advance the profession and the academy. 

My second semester of grad school happened to coincide with 150th Anniversary of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In celebration of this milestone, the AIA had a nation wide initiative where they sponsored community planning / visioning charrettes in every state. South Carolina hosted 5 charrettes in partnership with the SC Mayors Institute and the South Carolina Design Arts Partnership. Initially, the students at the CACC were only supposed to do the background research in preparation for the workshop, which took place over a weekend in January. Local architects and other volunteers came to Johnsonville during the workshop to help develop ideas and work with residents on developing a vision for the future. However, after a coupe of days, there was still a lot of work to do. There were some great ideas generated during the charrette, but the town was not in a position where they had the resources or expertise to pursue them. So, we continued to work for the rest of the semester. 

Earlier on in the studio, I volunteered to be the studio liaison between the local AIA champions and our professors at the CACC. This also meant that I was the one coordinating our presentations in PowerPoint and eventually, that I would be the one giving the presentation at the charrette(s). I enjoy public speaking (as long as I am somewhat prepared) so it was a great fit and I enjoyed it very much. I was the “kickoff” speaker at the charrette and the presentation was very well received. We had an entire class of grad students and a few undergrads focused solely on this presentation, so we came in ready to roll. Giving the presentation was easy because we had such a thorough base of information to pull from. 

COMMUNITY 101

This project was my first exposure to “community design” and the community charrette process. We received charrette facilitator training and learned to apply these skills by actually working with a struggling community as they tried to imagine a brighter future for their town and their children. It was incredibly impactful for me to see the genuine appreciation and gratitude from the townspeople for all of our collective work. We returned multiple times throughout the semester (even once after we were technically done) to present our continually evolving design. Each time there more and more people and the excitement in the community continued to grow. I had never worked on a project like this before. We were actively engaging users and stakeholders, we were designing “in public” and receiving immediate feedback from the town residents. It was extremely challenging, but it was very rewarding to see that our work was directly influencing the leadership of the city. Our proposal identified a series of issues both evident and latent that were affecting the town. We proposed a series of principals to guide the redevelopment process, and a series of strategies to tackle specific problems. Since ultimately, this was a design studio, we also designed a series of conceptual projects that responded to the proposed strategies. It was still very much a critical, analytical project - but we were forced to make it accessible, relatable, and usable for a small, rural town. While we did produce some "pretty pictures" to get them excited, we made sure that the images we showed were attainable and realistic. 

The great thing is - they listened! After we finished our work, the city received funding from a local foundation to build a new library. We had suggested that they put a new library downtown and link it to the existing school campuses through pedestrian infrastructure. This would allow it be more of a community center. Initially the developer wanted to put the library outside of town on cheaper land, but the Mayor actually fought back and said no! The new library did not end up in our “dream” location in town, but it is close to town and walkable for residents and students. They also followed our suggestion to incorporate a community health clinic at the local high school, to improve access to healthcare for local residents. It’s a pre-engineered metal building, so it’s certainly not going to win any design awards. But, its presence has been a major benefit to the community and I have heard they are currently trying to expand. 

EXPANDING ARCHITECTURE

This project showed me a whole new world of practice for architects. Whether you think of it as Community Design, Social Impact Design, or Public Interest Design, the general ethos of working “WITH, not FOR” and putting Design in service of the “Other 95%” is critical to the success of these types of projects. After this semester, I took another series of courses where I was able to participate in several additional community charrettes through the SC Mayors Institute. I volunteered with the Design Arts Partnership on several initiatives after I finished graduate school, until the program was suspended due to budget cuts during the recession. Eventually I went back to school and got a second Masters Degree while studying Community + Design. It is hard to understate the impact of this project on me personally and professionally. In many ways, I see this blog and podcast as a continuation of my research and work in community design that was inspired by this one project in grad school. It wasn’t my “first” project by a long shot. But, it was the first one to truly resonate with my personal aspirations and dreams. 

Can you identify a project or a moment that changed your perspective or your life? I’d love to hear about it. 

Check out the other entries: 

Lora Teagarden - L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC) #ArchiTalks: My first project

Eric T. Faulkner - Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome) The First One -- A Tale of Two Projects

Rosa Sheng - Equity by Design (@EquityxDesign) Why every project is my "First"

Eric Wittman - intern[life] (@rico_w) [first] project [worst] crit

Emily Grandstaff-Rice - Emily Grandstaff-Rice AIA (@egraia) Project Me

Jarod Hall - di'velept (@divelept) Define First?

Anthony Richardson - That Architecture Student (@thatarchstudent) my first project

Kyu Young Kim - Palo Alto Design Studio (@sokokyu) My First Project – The Contemporary Cottage

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