Back to School!

The deets:

When: Starting on October 21-st

Where: Tel Aviv University [that would be referred to as TAU, because it sounds cooler] 

What: Bachelor of Architecture [that would be shortened to B.ARCH in any further reference]

Since these are the last days before a 5-year-long period of cramming, cardboard-cutting and gluing, test-taking, and construction-site-watching, I decided to spend them in the most appropriate way - by doing absolutely nothing. Bothered by the thought of wasting precious time, the idea evolved into "watching a lot of college-related movies". And what is a goal without a list?

Mona Lisa Smile

Art related, portraying the 50's, and starring my two favorite Julia's [Julia Roberts, and Julia Stiles] this movie is a must-see.

Starter For Ten:

A little reminder that book-smarts isn't enough.

An Education:

Since I'll probably be the youngest in my class, this film passed the bar as well. 

Which university-related movie is your favorite?

Do you have a plan?

The Planning Corridor

A plan is a path that gets you from point A to point B; theoretically at least. In reality though, you might have to stop and think about your plot -perhaps you want to just keep going forward, perhaps you want to pull out new resources along the way, or perhaps you want to abandon in all together. 

The planning corridor lets you see your course, and asses its length. Its sterile walls act like a scrapbook / inspiration board / pining board for everything you might need along the way. Once in a while you can stop and take a sit on the built-in stools. The seats are also storage spaces. If, in any stage, you decide that the plan doesn't work, that it cannot be improved and must be abandoned, you can hop out of the window (in a completely non-suicidal way). 

The Planning Corridor, a design by Juliette Gold 

The Planning Corridor, a design by Juliette Gold

The Planning Corridor, a design by Juliette Gold

The Planning Corridor, a design by Juliette Gold

Have you even abandoned a plan? 

The Social Roof

Who the H are all these people in my town?

We stroll around the streets, eyes locked to the screens of our cells, unaware of the existence of anyone else. Oh, there are other people living in our hometown? Who would have thought. Please allow me to present every loner's nightmare: The Social Roof. 

The Social Roof, a design by Juliette Gold

The Social Roof, a design by Juliette Gold

The Social Roof, a design by Juliette Gold

Placing a roof in space appears to be enough to define a location. The roof claims the space under it to be its own and consequently, a compound is created. 

The model depicts a roof, joined to a streetlight. The roof itself can be folded or stretched out - making the space is covers alterable. When open, the roof provides a shelter from the rain. The water drips from the roof to little tunnels, and then streamed to a fountain. 

The roof creates an ecologically-responsible public domain that can be utilized for social gatherings and meetings. So let's get to know each other while it rains. 

The Social Roof, an illustration by Juliette Gold

Do you know the people who live in your town? Would you like to have opportunities to get to know them better? 

Step #1: image - part 5

"Aspiration", rather than "perspiration"

To read the rest of the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

When I was twelve, I declared that I wanted to become an architect. I contemplated a 12-year long plan in my head, and I refused to stir from it in either direction. And, according to what my mom tells me, I was a real B about it as well. I was a little, annoying stubborn mule, who lived by the mantra "either build or die". As I became older, and luckily a teensy bit wiser, I started re-evaluating my decision. After exposing myself to other fields and possibilities, and falling in love with them as well, I decided to aspire for a goal, rather than gallop to a narrow dot [please note the stubborn mule reference]. 

"Juliette Goal":

• I want my work to affect and inspire people
• I want diversity; I want to focus on a new project or a new theme every now and then.
• I don't want my work to be  monotonous
• I want to visit new places and experience new things as part of my work
• I want to challenge myself and make myself think 

Architecture fits that outline. But so do many other fields. I know that I want to build, but now I see a whole array of ways to get to that point. So if I am no longer a mule ... perhaps I could be a ... bird? 

Photo source: Pinterest

Which path do you prefer? The straight line, or the maze? 

Tel Aviv University Spring Semester Lectures

The famed lawn is trimmed and pretty, and the stock of coffee cups is refreshed - Tel Aviv University is ready to open the Spring semester. These news may come as a downer to the already-overworked students. However, for those of us who have already graduated, or those who are anxiously trying to get in, it's quite a joyful notice. Why, you ask? TAU's School of Architecture is planning to host numerous lectures and events this semester:

Sunday 22.04

Dani Karavan, artist
Fastlicht Auditorium, Mexico Building, 7:00 PM

Sunday 29.04

Prof. Arch Stephen Kieran, Kieran-Timberlake Architects, Philadelphia
Fastlicht Auditorium, Mexico Building, 7:00 PM

Wednesday 02.05

Architectural Education 2: Discussion on Education Methods in the Design Studio
With ASOA studio instructors: Prof. Arch Amnon Baror,
Dr. Arch. Talia Margalit, Dr. Arch. Efrat Lieberthal, Dr. Arch. Noam Austerlitz, Arch. Ayala Ronel, Arch. Tula Amir
Hall 206A, Mexico Building, 4:00 PM

Sunday 06.05

Prof. Arch. Dan Eytan, Eytan Architects
A film by Matan Guggenheim on the occasion of Dan Eytan’s 80th birthday and a lecture
Fastlicht Auditorium, Mexico Building, 7:00 PM

Sunday 13.05

The David Azrieli Lecture:
Prof. Arch. Wolf D. Prix, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Vienna
Bar Shira Auditorium, 7:30 PM

Sunday 20.05

Arch. Brendan Macfarlane, Jakob-Macfarlane Architects, Paris
Fastlicht Auditorium, Mexico Building, 7:00 PM

Wednesday 30.05

Architectural Education 3: Sustainable and Green Architecture
Hall 206A, Mexico Building, 4:00 PM

Sunday 10.06

Prof. Arch. Terry Knight, MIT, Cambridge, MA
Fastlicht Auditorium, Mexico Building, 7:00 P

ADMISSION IS FREE / and we,  as the brochure puts it," ARE CORDIALLY INVITED".

My calendar is already marked!Hope to see you there.

My Take On: Buildings

An exciting building …

An exciting building would be a structure that has a presence – a building that intrigues the person, invites him to peek in, and that has an immediate influence on the visitor. I think a visit to a successful building should leave a memory. The visitor should be able to recall how he felt when he first entered it, how he wanted to react and to behave. The building should have some effect on the everyday conduct of the visitor.

Do you agree? Disagree? How do you define an exciting building? 

Krzysztof Wodiczko at Tel Aviv University

On January 15 the artist Krzysztof Wodiczko gave a lecture at Tel Aviv University about his work. And I, being the architecture geek that I am, obviously attended [and took notes shamelessly, I admit with a sly smile]  

So, first, a quick intro:

Krzysztof Wodiczko (born 1943 is Warsaw, Poland) is a video mapping artist with a long history of creation behind him. His works are large-scale and site-specific and deal with social issues such as memory, trauma, immigration, alienation, and human rights. His projections usually feature real people and share their stories. He now teaches at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. 

One project that I especially liked was a public projection on the façade of the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland (2006).

The project reveals the illegal immigrants in Switzerland. As they share their sometimes horrible experiences, their identities remain secret and all we can see is a few pairs of legs. This position – sitting on top of buildings with their legs hanging down, Wodiczko says, is stereotypically common for the immigrants. I think this design is strong and moving. It gives people to opportunity to open up and tell the truth as it is, without risking exposing their identity and involving themselves in any consequences.

I also find the choice of the location of the work quite genius. The screening on top of the Kunstmuseum –Switzerland's most prominent art museum, a palace of culture even - presents the sometimes inhumane experiences with an interesting sense of irony.  

Are you familiar with Wodiczko's work? What do you think about this project?

Sources:

http://www.interrogative.org

http://www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch/

What is a city? (To My Very Biased, Tel-Aviv-Adoring Eye)

The location that we decide to set our lives at influences a lot more that solely our postal code. In spite of our biggest egoistic fantasies, we (as individuals) do not change the city, but it influences us.

In "What is a City", LEWIS MUMFORD writes that "A city is a theater of social action".

The set of the play, though ever evolving, is permanent and determined for us by architects and urban planners. The city's arrangement creates its atmosphere, and its architectural landmarks build symbols and traditions. Once we put those things together, we get a culture, a stereotype even, of our city.

Now, we come into the picture – the dwellers – the actors. Why are we actors, you wonder? Because we naturally try to fit into out surrounding; we try to live up to the "image" of the city; eventually, we become a personification of it. 

How do you describe a city? What is your favorite city or town? What do you love about it?