kretchitecture

Pinning down exactly what in the built environment dictates or defines or represents or influences or embodies or symbolizes who I am was not an easy task, nor am I certain that I still found proper examples specific enough to who I am to make it determinable that these do in fact define, influence, or symbolize who I am, especially because they are public things, frameworks, clockworks, and phenomena.
Also, the examples I have provided are so varied that one might think I Googled “random� and took the first dozen or so pictures that came up. Perhaps this is the necessary evidence to show that these are in fact specific to me myself and I. However, many of these are also applicable to my friends, hence my difficulty claiming that these help others and myself understand… myself. Hmm.
Anywho, here are images and supporting texts of the built environment that affect who I am..

I am a huge movie quote fan, I like to drop them at appropriate, and sometimes inappropriate times. One quote I really enjoy though is from 'Hitch" when he says, "You can't know where you're going, unless you know where you've been.." My reason for liking this is because it is applicable to so many situations. In this instance for example, early dwellings served as 'guinea pigs' for peoples to follow, showing us methods that were efficient in the ways of protection, comfort, sustainability, and progression.


These show two different approaches to designing a village, both based on different criteria, both influencing the methods used today.

An example of a combination of how the two villages shown above may have influenced is a city that I have spent a lot of time in and one that has a lot of meaning to me, the city of San Diego. Built on the Pacific shoreline near the Rockies, this city functions wonderfully, and is a prime example of cities as we (typically) picture them today. It's original meaning was lost centuries ago, but many scholars maintain that it translates in German as "Whale's Vagina."

This is not the case for more than half of the world's population who live at or below the poverty line (for their respective countries, a small amount of countries but some none-the-less live in complete poverty). Their image of a city is undoubtedly different from the image of San Diego. My brother asked me why I included the following pictures in an entry about who I am personally. I told him this class is making me realize how design goes hand-in-hand with so much more than we think. Its impact spreads out further than we can see or touch, but that doesn't mean its impact (positively or negatively) isn't felt by those who you may never have contact with. As hard as it is, we all, designer or not, need to consider how we can make a difference for those who are in dire need of one.
This epidemic is world-wide. In Tokyo, in India, and even in the cities of our southern neighbors in Buenos Aries Brazil.



I could go on forever about this, but I found an interesting photo online that was written on a sidewalk in Africa.

What makes America #1? Are we #1? Who makes that decision?..... What is so great about the U.S.?

Bringing it back to me though...
The city that has impacted my life the most, in more ways than I could possibly begin to list is Minneapolis. Isn't it funny how we always hear about the negatives of the city; the shootings, the gangs, the failing school systems, yet when looking at it from afar (in this case from the Weisman Bridge over Washington Ave.) the city always glows with promise and potential? Maybe some attention needs to be given to facts such as the 30+ Fortune 500 Companies who have their headquarters in Minneapolis, a city of 55sq. miles, whereas San Diego has only 3 F.500 companies in a city of over 310sq. miles. Things are seen in black and white too often based on what context is being considered...

She is beautiful though isn't she?

And how could I possibly leave out my home away from home?

Another local building that I have spent many hours within and traveling to and from. Watching the Wild here and playing in the High School State Hockey Tourney here are two things that every Minnesota should try to experience. It was rated the best hockey rink in the nation... if you want to see beautiful architecture check it out.

Ladies and gents, the "X"

I thought I would give a quick shout-out to Bauer hockey, who's skates have kept me from receiving a broken foot (knock on wood) while propelling me to hockey stardom (kidding) for the last 9 years of my life.

Bauer Vapor XXXX: $519, Ozayr's beard: priceless.

Of course, being a physical sport, hockey has put me in the ER a few too many times... enough to piss my parents off over the medical bills haha.

MRI's, CAT Scans, stitches.... nice.

The only other time I have been in a hospitol for reasons partaining to myself was when I was born on April 21, 1987 at St. Joseph's Hospitol in St. Paul.

Above is the coolest sundial I've ever seen. It's on the "K.F.A." building at UW-River Falls. While attending there, I tried numerous times to understand it but never figured it out. I spent an hour there once to see what I noticed, and it made me realize A) that I was wasting my time B) that time flies by.... just like my favorite car, the Lamborghini Murcielago.

Sometimes however, I like to kick back and get away from the cities. I am a city boy but damn do I love being in nature. The fresh air, the natural smells and noises, the wildlife... nothing can duplicate what nature presents you with. I really enjoy camping with my friends and/or family, and taking the canoes up to the BWCA for 4 or 5 days and really getting back in touch with nature. It clenses you like nothing else can.

When thinking about how these designed elements play roles in what I can and cannot do while venturing into the wilderness, I realized there are things humans have little or no control over in such environments that also dictate what one can and cannot do in the wild.
A spider web and a hornets nest are signs instructing us to not pass by or disturb them.


In other cases, such as an eagle's nest, things in the designed environment can attract us to them.

In still other instances, naturally designed elements can provide us with new places to explore, like a beaver dam.

But being in college, I definately like to party and go to concerts, meet new people, stay out late, etc...


Above is a picture of Red Rocks auditorium. It was carved into the bluffs just outside of Denver, Colorado and I strongly advise going out there for a concert, even if you don't like the band.

My favorite thing to do at a party, besides talking/dancing with ladies, is beer pong.

And if Uncle Sam tells you to do something - you do it!

I thought a little on what outside of my direct environment impacts my life. Obviously my cell phone, my iPod, my laptop and things on it.. this is the "Tech Generation" isn't it? For the sake of keeping this blog less than novel length, I tried to find something that linked the technology we rely on every day, that again, was outside of what I see every day. I feel a satellite meets that criteria splendidly. Transmiting signals and taking images while traveling on the power of gravity and under the control of a few (wo)men thousands upon thousands of miles away.

And finally, but certainly not least..

..no designed physical element can better show who we are than when we look into a mirror.

FYI: I am slowly figuring out how to make a good looking blog, I apologize for the organization of this.. I hope to get it more accurate within the next few entries.