Polo Tit

Portfolios: Blog 6

2008-05-14T17:09:51Z

A website for inspiration: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea5l143.htm

]]> When we started to think about what presentation type we wanted to use there was almost no question in our minds that we wanted to do a portfolio. I had never really done an official portfolio before so I decided to Google it and see what came up. The very first search result was the website that posted above. This website is very helpful because it talks primarily about portfolios from a student’s perspective. It begins by defining portfolios and goes into great detail of the uses of the portfolio.

This website includes information that is well thought out and organized. It has specific information about what types of portfolios are used and what they contain. This information is very helpful for someone who has never done a portfolio.

Another great thing about this website is that it includes the benefits and shows what a portfolio can add to your project. It even contains other resources, including books and other websites, that will help you along your way to making a portfolio. This website is a source for which I found a majority of my inspiration.

We also had to think about the format of our portfolio and what we wanted it to look like which was very important to us.

Then I found the website: http://www.coroflot.com/public/help_portfolio_tips.asp

This website primarily dealt with the format of portfolios and how to catch the reader’s eye. This is probably the most important thing about a portfolio. It had multiple tips to improve your portfolio, and it was short and to the point. This as well as the other website were great for finding inspiration.

Blog Prompt 3: Revisited

2008-05-13T21:02:50Z

The topic: Environmental Sustainability

]]> While I was starting to research my Millennium Goal, I found a lot of projects dealing with environmental sustainability. It was interesting to me that environmental sustainability is such a broad topic. There are so many projects to chose from, large and small scale. Then, when I really thought into it, I realized that environmental sustainability isn’t very specific. It can deal with recycling all the way into alleviating slum development in third world countries. Any way you look at it, the priorities for environmental sustainability may be different but each project is equally important.

Before taking this class I had already taken inspiration from many people on the topic of recycling. The main reason for this is because my idol is John Mayer. He has been working for the cause for many years, and has been trying to use his popularity to inspire people to recycle as well as other things. Over the years he has been producing things such as reusable shopping bags made from recycled goods, using unique artwork to make them more appealing. He has also been developing a way to lessen the environmental effects of touring such as overuse of tour buses which emit massive amounts of harmful exhaust. Another thing he is working on is finding a more effective way to recycle the waste left behind at concert venues. He is taking part in the nationwide environmental benefit called Live Earth along with many other famous artists. All of these things make me respect him more and more and allows me to be inspired by his music and his influence on the environment.

I also take inspiration from my parents on a daily basis. I am originally from Utah and I lived in a very large house with more electronics than NASA it seemed like. Over the years, when environmental talk came around they started to realize that their lifestyle was detrimental to the environment. They explored options for using less energy and they finally decided to install solar panels. The solar panels now nearly completely gather all of the energy that our electronics use. This is amazing to me because they had to make no sacrifice in their lifestyle to do this. The solar panels were expensive, but it is only a one time cost. After buying the solar panels, they will save money on the electric bill and they will be helping the environment at the same time. They are now working on recycling as much of the trash they produce as they can. Both of my parents are also my role models for this reason as well as many other reasons.

Another thing I take inspiration from is the person who decides to make their small part by carpooling to work, or by throwing their garbage in the trash instead of on the ground. The thing I wish for is that more people would make this decision, and find inspiration from someone or something to allow them to make that decision. It is interesting for me to think that I make the right decision because of the fact that I am a fan of John Mayer, and I follow his career constantly. I do feel that it is possible for everyone to find this in some way shape or form, and this inspiration is found everywhere I just don’t think people are looking for it. I wasn’t looking for it when I found it, I just came across it. I am grateful for this because sometimes I feel like I can make a difference.

Presentations Number Two

2008-05-06T18:31:21Z

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb

]]> Let me start this blog by saying I hate Moveable Type at the moment. I was typing up my blog last night for an hour and a half or so and was nearly finished when I clicked something mid type that made the web browser click back about five web pages…I exploded. I knew I would make it back to an empty new entry page. I sat there and swore for a few minutes while my roommate sat next to me confused. I was afraid to tell him why I was so angry because he had recently told me that I should type it in Microsoft Word first and then copy and paste it because the same thing had happened to him. He would have loved to say I told you so, but I wouldn’t give him the opportunity. I put down my computer for the night to keep myself from throwing it against the wall. Anyways, now my blog is late. Mercy please?
The presentation that caught my eye in the last recitation was another group doing environmental sustainability. I know my last blog was on the same goal but I find it so interesting, and each group presenting it had something new and interesting to say. The group that I liked was the group that was less interested in presenting their data and more interested to making it available for us to learn ourselves. They merely gave a description of what there project was and showed us how we could learn more. I liked the way they presented and they had interesting info too.
The first thing they touched on was air pollution. I was completely unaware that a lot of the devices they showed existed and I never knew about them. I had no idea there were things on gas pumps that stopped gasoline fumes from entering the air. The next thing the focused on was water sanitation. Our group focused a lot on water sanitation and it was good to hear another group present it because I learned even more about it through them. The most interesting solution to poor water sanitation is UV disinfection. Although it is hard to do this to millions of gallons of water it a very effective way to clean water. The next thing they focused on was ways to stop wasting energy. They focused mainly on biofuels which are good for the environment but drive up the prices and cost a lot for the government to produce which surprised me. All of these ideas though are being tested to achieve environmental sustainability.
Basically all of the topics presented were technologies. Technology can be good and bad in our environment. When we explore technologies it is important that there will be no negative long term effects. There has to be a balance of technology and just plain sacrifice in order to achieve environmental sustainability.

Presentations

2008-04-24T19:13:49Z

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

]]> From the presentations that I have seen and from doing my own project, I have learned a lot of shocking information. It's actually scary to think about what goes on in our world that we don't realize without researching it. We would have no idea about the deteriorating state of the earth without it being constantly talked about in the media. We would also have no idea of the millions that live in poverty for that matter. After hearing the research people have done and after doing my own I would be lying if I wasn't shocked and overcome with a feeling of guilt.

For this blog I won't focus on poverty, but a topic that is also very important in our world: recycling.

The statistics of the amount of waste produced in our country is mind bottling (like when your thoughts are flying around in your head like they're trapped in bottle - Blades of Glory). The one thing that I am very happy about is our societies sudden urge to take recycling seriously. Products are being made from recycled materials, and they themselves are recycled. Events that draw massive amounts of waste like concerts and other public events are being cleaned up with the trash being recycled. These are actually majors steps in cleaning up our environment.

Another thing thats is nice to see is sustainable developments.

Every one of these that is completed takes us one step closer to creating these communities primarily and actually make a sustainable world. Who knows how realistic that is but I would definitely like to think optimistically. It would most likely take large amount of solar panels and wind generators, there may not be enough room on this planet. We as people that live on this planet definitely need to start taking these hings seriously though. Disastrous changes may not happen to our planet in our lifetime but definitely will in the lives of our children, and our children's children.

Possible Titles...

2008-04-01T17:48:57Z

I'm not sure how long this blog response should be, coming up with three titles ended up being harder than I imagined. It's hard to find titles that are interesting, direct, and clever. On the other hand, making them too clever can sometimes come off as cheap and unprofesional so I guess this response is more challenging than I originally imagined...

]]>

I think I will try to make each title suggestion distinctly different not to come up with an official title but to come up with the idea we want to follow to find the title that best fits our intentions.

1. Architect-User Designed Low-Income Housing in Pune

At first this title seems wordy and long but it actually accurately sums up the entire project. This would be my suggestion of something direct and to the point. It sounds profeesional but it also sounds somewhat like the title of an article in a newspaper which I don't know if like. Although, something shorter would be inaccurate in describing the full intention of the project.

2. Pratima Joshi: Female Homelessness Solution in Pune

I keep trying to find shorter examples but seem to fall short at every attempt. This title would focus more on the architect Pratima Joshi, but that is not the entire intention of our project. Our project is also interested in explaining how these dwelling units are created in conjunction with the user and they have a major part in the construction and design. I would like to incorporate that into the title because it is what makes our project more interesting and it is unusual for a homeless user to have input on their housing. The other thing important about our project is that this housing is not free and the user is expected to keep it maintained. I just have to decide which of these points is the MOST important because I obviously can't include all of it in the title.

3. Pune Homeless Female Oriented Housing

So far, I may like this one the best. It's between 1 and 3 for me right now. I know it does not explain many of the points I listed above, but I think it has the best feeling after doing the research that we have done thus far. I feel obligated to put the word female in the title because it really is one of the main focuses of the project which i feel is unusual for India. I am leaving out the fact that they are also user designed but I feel it may not be as important although I am definitely undecided on that.

Definition of I in the Built Environment

2008-03-06T16:30:02Z

How does the built environment affect me? Hmmm...where do I even start.

]]> I suppose the appropriate place to start is where I grew up: Salt Lake City, Utah.

I realize this picture does not show the built environment (except maybe the road running through the front), but this is what so much of Utah looks like that I feel it accurately describes the environment.

Telling people that I am from Utah is similar to telling someone that you are form Luxembourg, because no one really knows anyone from Utah similalry to the fact that no one really knows anyone from Luxembourg. I am actually suspicious that Luxembourg doesn't even exist. Another funny thing about Utah is that I feel like it is very underrated. It is stuck in this stereotype of having really odd people that live there. The people can be occasionally odd but harmless. I would pick the people of Salt Lake before the people of New York or St. Louis, or any big city for that matter. The scenery is huge and gorgeous, I miss the mountains every day. The weather is far superior to Minneapolis and living here for one winter makes Salt Lake seem oh so perfect. The built environment made it possible for me to live in that beauty part of the world.

I grew up in a house in the mountains about ten minutes outside Salt Lake City. In my opion, my house is architecturally gorgeous. I would show a picture of it but the file was lost when the infamous Daniel Gonzales broke into my house and stole my many belongings including my laptop but I suppose that is irrelevant to the topic. I never really appreciated my house until I moved away and then returned. My parents were brilliant in the design process along with the architect. My house, although only ten minutes from the city, is still very secluded which I think adds to the dramatic effect of visiting my house. This is where my place in the built environment begins.

I have been thinking a lot lately after looking into my term project about how lucky I am. If I really think about it, it actually makes me feel a little guilty. I read all of these statistics about India and Africa, and it is overwhelming to me that people live in those situations. They live in an environment that is overpopulated and in poverty. When I think of my built environment and then there built environment, I struggle to find any similarities. This is where the feeling of guilt comes in. The area I live in is underpopulated and a great place to live, yet these people halfway around the world struggle in a deteriorating unsustainable environment.

Of course the situation is complicated, but lets think simply and unrealistic for a moment. Why are those people living there when there is a much better environment to be living in, such as the acres of open space around my house in Utah? I am aware of the possibility of that sounding completely ignorant but I find it to be more of a legitimate question than people think.

I feel that the built environment in which you live in defines you. It is the space in which nearly every aspect of your life takes place. The built environment, being nearly every aspect of my life, made it possible for me to go to school my whole life as well as allow me to enjoy the life I have lived so far. Now i realize that I could have just as easily been born on India or Africa. I have thought my whole life to not try and think too much about things I can't control, which I still agree with. I can't control that I was born here, but I do have control over whether or not I can try and make a change and help the people that are less fortunate. The hard part is trying to decide where to begin.

The built environment affects me in the way that it has given me a place on this earth. A place that defines me by the charactersitics of society which ultimately is shaped by the built environment. The idea that I live here and the unfortunate people who live in slms live there is a very ignorant way to look at things and I feel like I have been doing that my whole life. The built environment that I live in allows me to think that way because I am fortunate and I overloook the bigger picture. I had grown comfortable in relatively easy life. Finally my eyes have been opened and I'm being weened off of this feeling of total comfort.

We have grown literally afraid to be poor. We despise anyone who elects to be poor in order to simplify and save his inner life. If he does not join the general scramble and pant with the money-making street, we deem him spiritless and lacking in ambition. ~William James

Pursuing a Place Where I Feel I Don't Fit In

2008-02-28T01:13:18Z

The idea of being released from the 'architecture school' is not only a difficult idea to grasp but it also seams rather dreamy in the eyes of an architecture student. How can I say that my opinion doesn't mater without meaning that i I am not willing and possibly able to try and make a change? Anyways, I know that wasn't the question so I will move on. From my limited 2 year experience of architecture here at the U of M I have found that I haven't really studied arechitecture yet. Now before anybody quickly cuts me off to say I don't know what true architecture is I will may an attempt to back that statement up. I do understand that studying architecture isnt simply looking at buildings and past architects as do I understand that there is a bigger idea than simply designing a building when you are an architect. I know that there are meanings behind the design beyond function, such as it's meaning to its user(s) and society, as well as its place in the world we live in. This I understand, but on the other hand I feel we have veered slightly of course and we do not look at it simply enough. One thing I would like to express is the recent quiz in which the comment was made that we are steering more towards cheaper and faster in designing buildings. Whether or not I interpereted the question right I would like to coment on it. In the world of being an architect I feel like not every architect has the luxury of not thinking cheaper and faster. In the perfect world we would all be a famous architect with a million dollar client but I feel the reality is much different. Now, I do not mean that i agree with designs that are not thought out and quickly built, especially when the environment is not taken into account which is probably my biggest concern when dealing with this topic. A design can be acquired that is cheap and quick to build, but it must be thought out. There is such a thing as a cheap and quick design that is efficient that attempts to be environmentally suitable. Granted I do not know this design but the design that I assume this statement was made about is the design that does not attempt to find this idea. It is cheap and easy because the designer is underpaid and doesn't care probably. This seems somewhat like rambling to me too so I'll try to get back to the point. If I were free to come up with my own program, I would have more research and hands on work on designing and not looking so philosophically at everything all the time. Designs are real, they can be understood (although sometimes up for interpretation obviously). I spent time in ARCH 1281 and I felt that some projects such as designing coats made of paper that were conceptual interpretaions of a building were confusing and unimportant. I am not trying to offend anyone but I feel that I really want to get started coming up with my own design ideas and stop staring at architecture philosophically and conceptually. I like my hands on classes such as ARCH 3611 and LA 1301. I have loved those classes and done well in them because I am interested. I know you don't want to do everything in life and I understand that but I took Architectural History before 1750 with Leon Satkowski which was painful as hell but I still understood the importance and didn't complain. I hate being frustrated with not wanting to fit into the population of professors and influences in the College of Design when I want to pursue a design career when I grow up. In my perfect world I would drop the philosophical ideas for a little while to do some hands on designing, with direct contact with people that do it for a living and take things a little more literally. I understand this may be unrealistic but it is my ideal and perfect world to the best of my knowledge at this point in time.

]]> At the end of the day one blog made me feel better. I don't know who wrote and why...and I don't care. I just glanced at the only entry I could see and didn't look any further to avoid possible dissapointment.

"Always spoil some of your time in useless activities,
Indeed that is most productive."

http://skdangi.blogspot.com/2006/10/ttying-my-hands-on-quotes.html

Jaywalkers

2008-02-14T18:28:33Z

]]> I find myself annoyed whenever I hop into my car to go somewhere. It's almost as if I can't make it through one stop light without hitting my brakes and having to pull a NASCAR evasive manuver to avoid hitting some kid listening to his iPod. Although I do understand that we live on a college campus, it is almos as if these people are not worried about being run over by a car. This also confuses me because I have almost been hit on numerous occasions by lead footed drivers whille crossing legally. Jaywalking is indeed illegal, although not enforced which I somewhat understand due to the fact that it would be an all day job to hand out citations. I do understand why someone would want to cross the street because it is more conveniant but I don't understand why someone would step out in front of a car assuming it will stop. There are tons of deaths each year by people crossing the street, and a large percentage are on campuses. I plead with anybody reading this, save your life and make it easier for the rest of us to drive. Stick to using the walk sign.