Why you should attend AIA SF NEXT Conference Nov 12 + 13

by Rosa Sheng, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

In 3 weeks, AIA SF is hosting the "NEXT" Conference on November 12 & 13th in San Francisco. What is NEXT? And THAT is precisely the question the event will be addressing. 

“The word “revolution” is especially apt today. Now, more than ever, the world is changing. How people design and make things is not just evolving, but being completely disrupted again. We’re on the cusp of a new (and very real) revolution: It’s the “Era of Connection.”

How will people design and make things in the future? It’s helpful to take a look at the past in order to understand the major changes that are on the horizon.”

— Phil Bernstein, FAIA for "Line, Shape, Space" by Autodesk

Coming off of the last EQxD "U" Workshop: Architecture And... we had in-depth conversations about debunking the myths of traditional practice while exploring meaning and influence through the lens of 4 distinct multidisciplinary practitioners. 

The AIA SF NEXT Conference is a unique opportunity to extend and expand the conversation about how the professional practice of Architecture will need to adapt to the needs of our rapidly changing society that is affected by advancements in technology, transitions in commerce and availability of land and natural resources.

Day 1 will feature a Placemaking Deep Dive on November 12th at the Exploratorium, which is a continuation of the highly successful Placemaking Summit that occurred earlier this year.  The day includes interactive panel sessions and networking opportunities with leaders in the Placemaking movement; Urban planners, Professors, Government Agencies, and Activists.

• Rethinking Space, Place, and Our Built Environment
• PLACEMAKING / Stabilizing Neighborhoods
• Urban Placemaking: Views from the Academy and Practice

Day 2 will begin with "The New Frontiers of Design", a keynote presentation from Paola Antonelli, curator of MOMA New York. The remainder of the day will feature 12 insightful seminar options within 3 tracks: Design, Business and Technology with 50+ diverse speakers including Architects, Engineers, Scientists, Urban Planners, City of SF Supervisor, Sustainability Experts, and Software Developers, and Entrepreneurs. For the full schedule of seminars, you can visit the website. Some noteworthy titles include: 

• Using the Sciences to Enlarge the Way Designers Think About Design
• Enlightened Environments: Integrating Digital Technology Experiences into Architectural Design
• Equity in Action: Co-Creating Space for Social Change

Based on Equity by Design's successful workshop Negotiation is your Power Tool,  I will be co-presenting a 60 minute workshop Innovative Negotiation: The Art and Science of Making the Deal at 2:30pm with Elizabeth Tippin, Esq., general counsel for design professional firms and Joan Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law at UC Hastings and author of several publications and journal articles on women's advancement in the workplace.

There will also be the AIA SF Annual Member's Business Meeting and Party on Friday Evening from 6-9pm (which is free for AIA SF Members). It will be a great opportunity to continue the conversation of how we can better engage, advocate, and promote the profession beyond Architects in the "Era of Connections". 

So in summary, here are the reasons why you should attend the AIASF Next Conference

• A great opportunity to engage in conversation with the AEC community and beyond about expanding the influence of Architecture and Design .
• A variety of stimulating and diverse seminar topics tailored to your interests and goals 
• Flexibility: You can choose the Placemaking Deep Dive or The Next Conference or BOTH!
• Earn up to 8 LU's for AIA Continuing Education
• Your conference fees support AIASF's future programs and strategic goals.
• If you don't have time in your schedule on those dates, there is a PREVIEW on Oct 28th
• There is an AMAZING line up of speakers (and many women leaders as well!) that you don't want to miss.

• AIA Community Partners receive AIA Member Registration Discounts

EQxD U Workshop 4: Architecture And... Debunking "Traditional Architecture Practice"

Interview by Susan Kolber

On Thursday Equity by Design is hosting it’s final workshop of the year EQxD U Workshop 4: Architecture And at AIA SF 6-8:30. Register Now!  

Our panelists EB Min (EM), Laura Crescimano (LC), Peter Wilson (PW) , and Robert Yuen (RY) are all creating innovative practices and businesses within the realm of Architecture. Before our workshop, EQxD gathers the panelists for a group discussion to learn about each other's work. Our panel this Thursday will have limited time, so this provides a more in depth perspective on the panelists’ journeys within architecture. Check out our interview with Robert Yuen from last week here. Their conversation revealed, more than anything, that a “traditional architecture practice,” is a misnomer and  that practicing architecture can be uniquely shaped to your passions and interests.

Can you tell us more about your path to architecture? Why did you choose to study Architecture?

EM: My undergraduate degrees were in art history and studio art. I went to Architecture Grad School not knowing what else I ought to do. I have a similar background to a lot of people who go into Architecture--I was really into art and science. After grad school I thought I wasn’t going to be an architect. Then I went to work for Topher Delaney and Andrea Cochran who are landscape architects, and at the time they had a design build firm together. I worked at a few other firms before them, and it was so terrible I could not imagine doing that work the rest of my life. They were the reason I stayed in the practice at all. I think it was such an eye opener on how you could practice. They taught me that I could really take all the things I was interested in art, materials, and art history and combine it with design.

LC: I was always engaged in the built environment, and I was training in Architecture, but it wasn’t presupposed to me to go down the traditional path. I pursued a masters in Architecture. My basis for architecture was believing that the role of an architect was to see multiple perspectives and synthesize across disciplines. I did research and had a fellowship to study protest spaces around the world. Then I moved to San Francisco and started working at Gensler. I did not understand how it would all come together, but the underpinning [of my focus] was the urban, the public realm, the ideas around civic and political nature of what brings us together, but with a deep interest in what that means in space. I worked at Gensler and tested out a lot--I got to experience working on urban design, architecture, market strategy and more.

What are some tools you took away from working at design firms that you applied to your practice?

PW: If you can try and work for a good quality company there you’ll pick up skills and see how people operate.

EM: For me what I got from working with Topher and Andrea, I worked for them for three years, was not how to run a business, but about how to talk about design with clients and get what you want. That is something you never learn in school, and that I would have never learned if I had not been in their office. I learned early on the way to get projects to become the projects you want. They also had a level of fearlessness about doing things. Topher would say we are going to create this, and I want you to call around and figure out how we’re going to build it. This was pre internet, so I would go through the yellow pages and ask people, “can you help build a giant dinosaur topiary.” At that office, there was a lot of, “I want to do this, let’s make some calls, and figure out if it can be done.” It was never a no we can’t do that.

Laura Crescimano's SITELAB Urban Studio developed the programming, architectural framework, and public realm for the 5M project on a 4 acre parcel in San Francisco. 

LC: I learned that being business minded doesn’t have to be counter to being quality design minded. I believed that even in school when I felt like we were being taught we were not supposed to speak of money.  Proactivity is always good no matter what. Learn from all the parts even if you are not in love with it. I learned about good practices around billing. For example, end your billing cycle early, so clients receive the bill on the first of the month. Firms like Gensler have a lot of resources so you can get involved. Even outside of your project, if there is a pro bono project you want to be on, there are ways you can get involved. It is the way to succeed internally and learn if you want to go external.

How important is your network now that you have your own firm?

LC: It is important to have a network that is not doing the same thing you’re doing. I do not do residential architecture, but I have a few friends who I think are great designers who I always refer residential clients to.  I also have friends who have small businesses that have nothing to do with design, and we learn about management  from each other.

Why did you start your own practice?

EM: I always knew I wanted my own practice someday. I could not imagine working for somebody else past a certain point because I just wanted to do my thing! I think inherently you just know who you are. But it is weird, because my father at some point said to me, “I’m very surprised you have your own business. I never thought you would like business stuff.” It is not like I love business stuff, but it goes hand in hand if you want to do your own thing.

My business partner is Jeff Day… We have this practice in Omaha and here in San Francisco, and we did something that is a little unusual. I got my first project on my own when I was 27 which is nuts now as I look back on it. But it’s part of that “just say yes and you will figure it out.”

LC: For me, my founding story for Site Lab was doing the hard work and being at the right place at the right time. I was ready to move after realizing a large company was not the right fit for me, and I also think it is harder for women to succeed in larger corporate structures. I was lucky enough to be introduced to my partner Evan Rose. He was 15 years my senior, so he had already done so much. We were a complementary fit, and we believed in the same things. He was in New York and needed someone on the ground who could do the leg work. He had more experience and credibility with clients, so we made a great fit in terms of what we could offer each other. We were very lucky we started our business with a paying client. We grew incrementally and out from that project.  I never would have thought I was ready if I was just asked, “are you ready to do this right now?”

Now I am a sole proprietor, because Evan passed away this summer. I am navigating what that looks like, but it’s amazing because I feel like I got a second Masters degree. I acquired all this training on the job when I received this opportunity. Take the risk, take advantage of the opportunity and make the most of it and then figure it out when it comes time to the next phase.

Min | Day's "The Chartboost Parklet" furniture allows for flexible and playful work space opportunities for this fast growing tech company. 

Min | Day does a variety of projects types, why have you have taken a more varied approach? Why did you want to go into furniture design?

EM: I think at some point you have to imagine the situation you want to be in, the people you want to be with, and not just the work you want to do. I think it helps lead you to the thing you want to do. I think of it very akin to when people ask me, “What kind of Architecture do you do?” And I want to say, “We do awesome Architecture!”  But people want to know if you do schools, houses and you’re like, “I’ll do anything--it just actually matters if I like the clients, the program, and the team involved. That matters much more than the type of project.”

I got very interested in doing furniture because I found something striking while I was listening to a lecture about modular fabrication and prefab as those topics were getting “big.”  This was a while ago. And all these Architects got so bent out of shape. Their concerns felt insecure. The reaction made me think about the discussion between product and process. Architects deliver a process and services. Min | Day is really interested in furniture because it is a product, and at the same time the furniture has a way of interacting with people. Furniture still addresses a lot of the design issues we were quite interested in. It comes from a totally different direction. And Frankly, I am person who gets really bored. So I like to take on many different challenges.
 

Wilson Associates is a Developer, Design, Build family run firm. This is an apartment building they developed in Oakland, CA. 

What are the benefits of a design build practice?

PW: As a designer, contractor you don’t have to do all the drawings and you capture 50% of the profit. Architects gave up being the contractor. Frank Lloyd Wright sent out Schindler to LA to build those houses. By being the contractor you’re in control. For the one thing the client can’t play you off against the contractor. You can also change and adjust as you go along.

EM: That’s an interesting model because not everyone is suited for that design build model. I’m not suited for that model. If you understand you can capture the whole process and you can deliver that--that’s great.

What do you want the legacy of your practice to be?

PW: It is a difficult thing right now. I have data on the oldest architecture firms, because in my experience the architects I admire when they die their firms disappear. I believe our next generation will be different from what we have done. I hope the firm continues to the next generation. But on the other hand if it does not work that’s okay too.

---

This week at AIASF, don't miss our last EQxD "U" Workshop of the year!

EQxD "U" Workshop 4 ! Architecture AND...Exploring Meaning & Influence by way of Multidisciplinary Practice.

Thursday, October 22, 2015 from 6pm - 8:30pm @AIASF 130 Sutter St, San Francisco

We will explore alternate models of practice that expand the avenues of influence for architects. Less than 50% of all respondents to the 2014 Equity in Architecture Survey stated that they were satisfied with their current job situation. A large number responded that they were interested in alternative career paths. Rather than leave architecture behind completely - and have the profession lose ever more talent to other fields - how we can cultivate expansive multidisciplinary practices that are innovative, exploratory, and meaningful? 

The workshop will feature four professionals who have taken their work beyond the traditional boundaries of the field. After a review of key survey findings on the topic we will hear from the panelists about their paths, entrepreneurial thinking, and lessons learned in a question and answer session. This will be followed by design thinking exercises to guide us in thinking freely and widely about our career futures and the new kinds of practices we can create. Gain the courage and knowledge to turn your interests and ideas into a new work reality at our workshop!

10/22/15 Architecture AND… Workshop Agenda
Networking & Refreshments 6pm - 6:15pm
Introductions/Welcome 6:15 - 6:25pm
Panel Discussion 6:25 - 7:15pm
Break/Transition 7:15 - 7:20pm
Design Thinking Exercises 7:20 - 8:10pm
Conclusions 8:10 - 8:30pm

NOMA RISE 2015 - Social Justice by Design

by Rosa Sheng, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

This past Friday, I was invited by the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) to deliver the opening Keynote at NOMA RISE 2015 - Social Justice by Design -  the 43rd Annual International Conference was hosted by the NOMA Louisiana Chapter in New Orleans (aka NOLA).  "While the design profession has seen a shift towards a more socially-conscious practice in recent years, NOMA has always been an organization centered around community engagement and social justice through the design process. With that in mind, this year, we are challenging our members and partners to rise in support of diversity in the profession and design justice in our communities." 

I was greeted with a warm southern welcome by the host chapter NOMA Louisiana at their reception on Thursday night. There were many friendly familiar faces in the room - the twitterati who I have engaged in meaningful "virtual" conversation, but have only met in person the first time that evening. During my visit, I also got to enjoy some of the sites, sounds and food of The Big Easy during my "30 hour" adventure near the French Quarter.

On Friday morning, I was honored to share the work of Equity by Design for the keynote session. "We are the Champions! Citizen Architect" from last week's #Architalks blog challenge served as a point of inspiration and call to action for all attendees. Kevin Holland, NOMA National President 2015-2016, gave a powerful opening that emphasized the need for action beyond discourse to improve the dire social landscape of our communities. He cited a story of racial profiling and the unjust arrest of Lyle Dotson that happened during an architecture tour of the French Quarter with a group of Ball State University architecture students and two faculty members.  Most of us are privileged that we would never need to worry about being arrested while walking through the French Quarter alone. It begs a deeper conversation about racism and social justice in our society.

The giant whale of inequity and social injustice is ominous. Divided, the task seems daunting to overcome these challenges. In order to make progress, we need to band together and share the responsibility of moving the needle. Equity is Everyone's issue on many different levels and it is all tied together; where we live, how we live, the quality of public vs. private spaces, who gets access and who is the advocate for designing these places. In order to inspire the next generation, we need to share our stories, our design work, our impact in our communities by communicating, documenting, recognizing, participating and advocating. We have compiled a Storify recap of the amazing topics, speakers, projects (like Project Pipeline), and people that make NOMA the phenomenal organization it is today. I shared the tools that we have used to spread the Equity in Architecture findings that has launched a parallel movement for equitable practice and talent retention. I encourage everyone to join twitter, LInked In, etc so that we can continue to engage in conversation and inspire the future generations of leaders that will come.

According to the US Census, by 2045, the minority population will become the majority. And in 2023, the student population will have reached this tipping point. How will we reframe our profession to engage and retain talent that will serve the transition of population and community demographics. Cultural awareness, competence and equitable practice will be important skills to learn; it is critical that we leverage this opportunity to convey the value of design in creating meaningful, influential and just environments where we live.

---

This week at AIASF, don't miss our last EQxD "U" Workshop of the year!

EQxD "U" Workshop 4 ! Architecture AND...Exploring Meaning & Influence by way of Multidisciplinary Practice.

Thursday, October 22, 2015 from 6pm - 8:30pm @AIASF 130 Sutter St, San Francisco

We will explore alternate models of practice that expand the avenues of influence for architects. More than 50% of all respondents to the 2014 Equity in Architecture Survey stated that they were dissatisfied with their current job situation. A large number responded that they were interested in alternative career paths. Rather than leave architecture behind completely - and have the profession lose ever more talent to other fields - how we can cultivate expansive multidisciplinary practices that are innovative, exploratory, and meaningful? 

The workshop will feature four professionals who have taken their work beyond the traditional boundaries of the field. After a review of key survey findings on the topic we will hear from the panelists about their paths, entrepreneurial thinking, and lessons learned in a question and answer session. This will be followed by design thinking exercises to guide us in thinking freely and widely about our career futures and the new kinds of practices we can create. Gain the courage and knowledge to turn your interests and ideas into a new work reality at our workshop!

10/22/15 Architecture AND… Workshop Agenda
Networking & Refreshments 6pm - 6:15pm
Introductions/Welcome 6:15 - 6:25pm
Panel Discussion 6:25 - 7:15pm
Break/Transition 7:15 - 7:20pm
Design Thinking Exercises 7:20 - 8:10pm
Conclusions 8:10 - 8:30pm

We are the Champions! Citizen Architects

By Rosa Sheng, AIA

Happy Columbus (& Indegenous People's) Day! #Architalks is back and no. 13 happens to be the topic of the "Citizen Architect" thanks to yours truly for suggesting it and Bob Borson with our lovely democratic voting process for allowing it to be chosen. 

What is a Citizen Architect anyway? I am not quite sure how the term first evolved. If you Google it, here is what the internet came up with:

Citizen Architect: Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio is a documentary film  on the late Architect Samuel Mockbee and the radical educational design/build program known as the Rural Studio that had its debut on January 1, 2010.

AIA Citizen Architect is a 2008 Resolution celebrating service of civically engaged architects and advocating for more architects within the Institute to engage in civic participation at all levels. This is an excerpt from the AIA website.

The Citizen Architect uses his/her insights, talents, training, and experience to contribute meaningfully, beyond self, to the improvement of the community and human condition. The Citizen Architect stays informed on local, state, and federal issues, and makes time for service to the community. The Citizen Architect advocates for higher living standards, the creation of a sustainable environment, quality of life, and the greater good. The Citizen Architect seeks to advocate for the broader purposes of architecture through civic activism, writing and publishing, by gaining appointment to boards and commissions, and through elective office at all levels of government.

Aside from Google, I also think of work in the realm of humanitarian relief related design like Architecture for Humanity founded by Cameron Sinclair and Kate Stohr as well as the many Citizen Architects involved in Public Interest Design and Impact Design movements. 

So beyond these examples of what a Citizen Architect did/does and what a Citizen Architect could do, I would like to give you my own interpretation: mic and cue the music please...

“We Are The Champions” (lyrics by Queen)

I’ve paid my dues
Time after time
I’ve done my sentence
But committed no crime
And bad mistakes
I’ve made a few
I’ve had my share of sand
Kicked in my face
But I’ve come through

And we mean to go on and on and on and on

We are the champions - my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting
Till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
’Cause we are the champions of the World”

— Freddie Mercury

The lyrics to this epically amazing song by Queen's Freddie Mercury have so many layers of meaning. I will share just a few here. (I have included this version from Jimmy Fallon's diverse talent to put you in the right mindset.) 

In the Equity by Design conversations, we have talked about solutions to the bleak survey results regarding advancement.  Based on our research findings and understanding of the pinch points, there are currently many phases in your architectural career to become disenfranchised and lose your way. This happened to me, despite early successes and without any idea that there were others who had or currently have similar challenges. 

In the course of reading for solutions to the road blocks of advancement (structural or implicit bias), I came across examples inspiring the concept. of the Champion. "Women, Work and the Art of Gender Judo" an article in the Washington Post written by Joan C. Williams, a professor of law at UC Hastings sites that studies indicate women are more successful at negotiation when they are authentically advocating for others (individuals, or the greater good of a larger group). Additionally, studies have shown that women who self promote are not viewed favorably by other women and to some degree men as well. In order to get around this bias, Williams suggests finding advocates who will help support your case or promote your achievements to support your advancement. She calls this forming a "posse". I like to think of these people as "Champions" (compliments of Mr. Mercury's inspiring ballad and mic drop.) This concept can be applied to a larger audience to advocate for our profession, including those historically marginalized.

So Are Champions mentors? And are Mentors champions? The main differentiator for Champions is that they are actively and openly advocating for you and others. They are going to bat for you and they have vested interest in your success. They can be your clients, your "report to", your firm Principals, your peer colleagues, your consultants, and even general contractors that you engage on projects. They can even be people you meet thru social media who are endorsing you, your company, your cause.

The Hall of Justice was modeled after the Cincinnati Museum Center

And a further spin on Citizen Architect and Champions is the modern day superhero. Does the Hall of Justice and the Superfriends come to mind? Not necessarily your marvel comic incarnation, but a worthy do-gooder who cares about changing the world, improving the lives of others and making a difference. Because isn't that one of the reasons we all wanted to become Architects in the first place? 

And while there is much about the profession that needs to be fixed, who do you propose will go about fixing it? So, as a Citizen Architect, I suggest we expand the definition and that each of us has a responsibility to ourselves and the profession to take action to improve Architecture and Practice.  In the Shel Silverstein poem that I often reference about a little girl who claims she will eat an enormous whale by herself, she completes her task in 89 years by herself. If she had only known to ask others to be her Champion, to take a bite or two of the whale with her, she could have finished her daunting challenge much earlier.

At the AIA Women's Leadership Summit last month at our panel session "Defining the Problem, Crafting Solutions" we asked the participants to answer these two questions: 

1. What are 2 things that you would like to change about yourself? your firm? the profession at large?
2. What would you prescribe as a plan of action to make that happen?

Here are 5 things to kickstart equitable practice in action today:

1. Embrace Technology - Leverage technology and social media to share our stories of Practice, promote resources, strengthen communication and support each other's initiatives for change. Join Twitter. Follow your champions. Update your Linked In Profile. Start a Blog.
2. Document, Document, Document - Take notes, Take photos, keep good records of projects, conferences, meetings, etc that will help tell your story. Submit your records to BWAF DNA. Write blog entries about events immediately after they happen and link to reference tools and resources. (Don't have the time to start your own blog? Write a guest blog for the Equity by Design blog!)
3. Recognize - Help extract notable and inspirational women in architecture and write a Wikipedia entry so that we can create a legacy. Write about women contemporaries in architecture that you admire. Use the WiKiD guide developed by Justine Clark's Team at Parlour. Collaborate with other groups like SheHeroes.Org to expand our storytelling beyond our profession. 
4. Participate - If you don't see a panel with diverse participants including women and or people of color, speak up AND submit for future panels. Get on the selection committees that determine panels and awards. If you don't see women being recognized for awards or listed on project teams receiving awards, speak up AND submit for future recognition. You have to be in it, to win it. Buy your lottery ticket as proclaimed by Julia Donoho, AIA
5. Advocate - Take action, start a group, start an initiative, start something that will move the needle. Use the Parlour Guides to Equitable Practice as a reference tool. Find others to build your tribe who will support you. Mentor future leaders and bring them with you. Become a Champion: be an advocate not only for underdogs, but for our whole profession. Celebrate and convey the value and power of design in everyone's lives. Equity is for Everyone, and Architecture is for Everyone.

So I challenge you to be a Champion for yourself, for others around you, your communities, and our worthy profession. We can be agents of change, but we can't do it alone. Get connected, find your Champions, be a Champion, because WE are the Champions...of the World.

Here are my Champions, writing their take on Citizen Architect for #Architalks No. 13. Enjoy and please let them know who sent you! 

Bob Borson - Life of An Architect (@bobborson)
Citizen Architect ... Seems Redundant

Matthew Stanfield - FiELD9: architecture (@FiELD9arch)
Citizinen Architect

Marica McKeel - Studio MM (@ArchitectMM)
Good Citizen Architect

Jeff Echols - Architect Of The Internet (@Jeff_Echols)
What Does it Mean to be a Citizen Architect?

Lee Calisti, AIA - Think Architect (@LeeCalisti)
small town citizen architect

Lora Teagarden - L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC)
#ArchiTalks: The everyday citizen architect

Jeremiah Russell, AIA - ROGUE Architecture (@rogue_architect)
Citizen Architect: #architalks

Jes Stafford - Modus Operandi Design (@modarchitect)
Architect as Citizen

Eric T. Faulkner - Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome)
My Hero - Citizen Architect

Meghana Joshi - IRA Consultants, LLC (@MeghanaIRA)
Meet Jane Doe, Citizen Architect

Amy Kalar - ArchiMom (@AmyKalar)
Architalks #13: How Can I Be But Just What I Am?

Stephen Ramos - BUILDINGS ARE COOL (@sramos_BAC)
Help with South Carolina's Recovery Efforts

brady ernst - Soapbox Architect (@bradyernstAIA)
Senior Citizen, Architect

Brian Paletz - The Emerging Architect (@bpaletz)
Citizen Architect

Tara Imani - Tara Imani Designs, LLC (@Parthenon1)
Citizen Starchitect' is not an Oxymoron

Jonathan Brown - Proto-Architecture (@mondo_tiki_man)
Citizen Architect - Form out of Time

Eric Wittman - intern[life] (@rico_w)
[cake decorating] to [citizen architect]

Sharon George - Architecture By George (@sharonraigeorge)
Citizen Architect #ArchiTalks

Emily Grandstaff-Rice - Emily Grandstaff-Rice AIA (@egraia)
Citizen of Architecture

Daniel Beck - The Architect's Checklist (@archchecklist)
Protecting the Client - 3 Ways to be a Citizen Architect

Jarod Hall - di'velept (@divelept)
Citizen Developer??

Greg Croft - Sage Leaf Group (@croft_gregory)
Citizen Architect

Courtney Casburn Brett - Casburn Brett (@CasburnBrett)
“Citizen Architect” + Four Other Practice Models Changing Architecture

Jeffrey A Pelletier - Board & Vellum (@boardandvellum)
How Architects Can Be Model Citizens

Aaron Bowman - Product & Process (@PP_Podcast)
Citizen Architect: The Last Responder

Samantha Raburn - The Aspiring Architect (@TheAspiringArch)
Inspiring a Citizen Architect

Jeff Echols - Architect Of The Internet (@Jeff_Echols)
What Does it Mean to be a Citizen Architect?

Michele Grace Hottel - Michele Grace Hottel, Architect (@mghottel)
"CITIZEN ARCHITECT"

EQxD Architecture And... Entrepreneur Robert Yuen

an interview by Susan Kolber

On 10/22 EQxD will be hosting our final workshop of the year EQxD U Workshop 4: Architecture And... at AIA SF. As architecture has become increasingly dynamic with shifting economies, technology, and environments,  entrepreneurs within the field are discovering innovative ways to create and inspire our built environment. Leading up to our workshop EQxD will be highlighting insights from our exciting “Architecture And…” panelists. Robert Yuen (RY) founder and president of Section Cut, a website providing curated design resources, shares his experience and passion for curated design information in the age of information overload, Section Cut’s vision and team dynamics,  leveraging the many skill sets of architects, and exciting trends in robotics and construction.

Robert Yuen, founder of Section Cut, will be speaking 10/22 on EQxD Architecture And... panel. 

Has the culture of innovation in San Francisco and the Bay Area influenced your pursuit in non traditional architecture practices?
(RY) It’s part of my personal nature, I like things that are on the fringe. Being around San Francisco, being around the culture of startups, being around a lot of new innovation did push me harder to execute on Section Cut.

Have you pursued tech funding to grow Section Cut?
(RY) Absolutely, we are currently about to start our first seed round. It was important to me to prove that Section Cut was a worthwhile endeavor which is why we did not seek funding at the very beginning. It was in our best interest to prove the concept first, grow our user base, and now seek funding as we are ready to fuel the growth.
 

Can you explain the Section Cut's team dynamics and processes, how do you decide content? How often is the team virtually meeting/ corresponding? What is your favorite Section Cut Podcast?
(RY) At Section Cut we are a team of four, and we all have very specific responsibilities. All content comes from my partner and co-founder Dan Weissman, and his official title is Director of Content. He not only facilitates all of the scheduling of content, but also production. [Check out the Section Cut team here] 

The project itself started in 2012 right after my post graduate degree at the University of Michigan. From the beginning we knew that Section Cut would be a remote project where all the partners would not be in the same location. We have had mandatory meetings twice a week on  Wednesday evenings and Sunday evenings. We’ve been doing that since 2012. We have tried a lot of different management software, because one of the biggest hurdles of running a virtual office is staying organized. It’s really important because we don’t sit next to each other. We don’t have those small chats to remind, to prod ourselves on what we need to do.  Staying organized and transparent has always been a top priority to run Section Cut smoothly.

One of my favorite of the Section Cut Podcasts is an interview of Malcolm McCullough. He was a professor of mine at University of Michigan and is an extraordinarily intelligent man. The interview is great, not only because he is a great instructor, but the interview itself has a lot to do with why Section Cut exists and speaks to our purpose. He talks about information glut, and the need for curatorial information as a designer and architect, so we can make better cities by being better curators and better builders.

Consulting is an attractive pursuit for architect entrepreneurs. Can you go into more detail on what you consult on and how you developed those skills? 
(RY)  I fell upon consulting based on necessity--I wanted more time on Section Cut. It was hard to work on Section Cut as a project while being fully employed at a firm. I naturally moved into consulting as a way to buy me time. Once you start thinking about the other skill sets that can be of use, there is a lot an architect can offer from branding exercises, marketing exercises, critiquing informational packages...there is a lot you can do! I’ve worked in many arenas, but I’ve fell back into mostly client representation. A lot of clients don’t understand architecture or the construction administration phase. The clients are in the middle of their house being renovated, the architects are proposing things, and the clients want another opinion to validate their architect. The clients may not have the experience to really understand if they are making the right decision. I can usually come in and fill in the gaps, vouching that the opinion of the architect is good or not good. A lot of clients want to learn more about architecture, but they're usually on a tight schedule, architects are on a tight schedule, so I can fill in as an information provider and direct the client if they have questions.

You have extensive knowledge and experience with robotics and 3D printing, what new technologies excite you? Can you provide a few examples of how you think robotics, scanning, 3D printing, will change architecture and construction/
 (RY) I think what's most exciting to me is what’s in the realm of robotics, and to be more precise:  robotics in the field of construction, less so in architecture. Robotics in the more traditional sense, like robotic arms in the automotive industry, have around for a long time. Right now, the cost of labor is still very low, so it's still hard to justify the use of expensive robotics in construction. However, it’s only a matter of time when the cost of technology will continue to drop and the cost of labor will go up. I think a lot of the interesting work architects are doing now with automation, with robotics, with digital fabrication, with digital technologies is not that new, the technology has actually been around. In most cases architects are repurposing. I think in general the history of architecture has been that way, usually innovation happens in the health industry, or engineering and the sciences, architecture finds ways to repurpose technology.

Two cool robotic projects include:

1. There is an interesting project in the Netherlands where Autodesk and robot company MX3D are completely 3-D printing a bridge It will a great proof of concept when it’s complete and not just an academic research project.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3047350/this-robot-can-3-d-print-a-steel-bridge-in-mid-air#10

2. ICD/ITKE 2015 Pavilion at the University of Stuttgart
http://www.archdaily.com/770516/icd-itke-research-pavilion-2014-15-icd-itke-university-of-stuttgart

Robert Yuen

Founder and CEO, Section Cut, RYRD

Robert Yuen is the co-founder and CEO of Section Cut and founder of RYRD (Robert Yuen Research + Design). Trained as an architect, Robert’s design practice has developed over 6 years into a dual focus on architectural services and web-based entrepreneurship. Robert earned his March from the University of Michigan, as well as an MS in Architecture specialized in the use of digital technologies with industrial multi-axis robotics. Robert is currently focused on Section Cut, a web-based community committed to empowering designers and demystifying design culture to the larger public. SC is a crowd-sourced, curated collection of design resources and objects with an educational agenda.

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Don't Miss EQxD "U" Workshop 4 ! Architecture AND...Exploring Meaning & Influence by way of Multidisciplinary Practice.

Thursday, October 22, 2015 from 6pm - 8:30pm @AIASF 130 Sutter St, San Francisco

We will explore alternate models of practice that expand the avenues of influence for architects. More than 50% of all respondents to the 2014 Equity in Architecture Survey stated that they were dissatisfied with their current job situation. A large number responded that they were interested in alternative career paths. Rather than leave architecture behind completely - and have the profession lose ever more talent to other fields - how we can cultivate expansive multidisciplinary practices that are innovative, exploratory, and meaningful? 

The workshop will feature four professionals who have taken their work beyond the traditional boundaries of the field. After a review of key survey findings on the topic we will hear from the panelists about their paths, entrepreneurial thinking, and lessons learned in a question and answer session. This will be followed by design thinking exercises to guide us in thinking freely and widely about our career futures and the new kinds of practices we can create. Gain the courage and knowledge to turn your interests and ideas into a new work reality at our workshop!

10/22/15 Architecture AND… Workshop Agenda
Networking & Refreshments 6pm - 6:15pm
Introductions/Welcome 6:15 - 6:25pm
Panel Discussion 6:25 - 7:15pm
Break/Transition 7:15 - 7:20pm
Design Thinking Exercises 7:20 - 8:10pm
Conclusions 8:10 - 8:30pm

EQxD Architecture And... the MeetWall

Interview by Susan Kolber

Leading up to the EQxD U Workshop 4: Architecture And 10/22 AIA SF , EQxD will explore architects, designers and firms pursuing multidisciplinary paths. In April of this year San Francisco hosted an experimental three day prototyping festival to re-imagine the city's, "civic spine," Market Street.  The Market Street Prototyping Festival was an incredible collaboration between the San Francisco Planning Department, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the Knight Foundation. They sponsored the event and an international idea competition encouraged everyone from citizens, makers, artists, architects, engineers, performers to submit ideas to help create spaces and activities that would invigorate Market Street and connect the communities surrounding it.
Ideas were selected for their, "creativity, sense of community, potential to make Market Street a more vibrant public space and ability to identify Market Street as uniquely San Francisco." The event was a huge success and inspired endless participation as pedestrians walked, learned, played, spun, looked, and met strangers at each prototype. The festival's ideas and results are helping shape the actual Better Market Street urban renovation project the city is pursuing. While several San Francisco architecture firms' ideas were selected and fabricated, the festival truly embraced and supported ideas from people and collaborations of all backgrounds.  Check out the selected projects here. 
 

Market Street Prototyping Frestival: The MeetWall

One prototype that peaked the curiosity of many pedestrians was the MeetWall.  Inspired by the opportunity to participate in the Market Street Prototyping Festival, three colleagues, Louise Deguine, Matt Bowles, and Chad Kellogg who at the time were all working at a San Francisco based architecture firm wanted to encourage more interaction between strangers on Market Street. They submitted an idea called The MeetWall, "an interactive intervention," which would use Kinect sensors to detect people as they approached the wall and signal the wall of tiles to open and allow people to see each other.
After their project was selected the team spent 5 months after work, in between classes, and on weekends figuring out how they were going to fabricate the wall and have the tiles move as people moved around the wall.  The experimental nature of the festival allowed participants to submit ideas without knowing the fine-print of how it was going to come together. This trust in and support of participants allowed for highly imaginative projects like the MeetWall to manifest. As designers and architects Deguine, Bowles and Kellogg  used their architectural experience and learned many new skills including how to program and work with electronics in order to make the wall come alive. The team collaborated with consultants Michael Chamoures and Paul Tiplady on the electronic system, and they also helped build the wall which was composed of hundreds of pieces.  Deguine an intern at the time they submitted the idea returned to Paris to continue her architectural studies, so the team worked remotely on different aspects of the wall. Bowles and Kellogg spent months designing and fabricating the moving tiles after work most days.  Deguine focussed on the electronics and programing of the wall. The project came together and was a popular attraction as participants stopped, jumped, waved, and danced in front of the sensor and watched the wall of tiles mimic their movements. Watch the MeetWall interaction. Louise Deguine (LD) shared her insights on the project in an interview below. She is currently completing her Masters in Digital Knowledge at École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris-Malaquais in France. 

“Exploring this small prototyping scale allowed us to detach ourselves from most of the constraints that one can meet as an architect, and to focus mostly on the kinetic aspect of the project. Having the opportunity to test the MeetWall with the public was great and will inspire our future architectural projects. ”

— Louise Deguine

MeetWall participants move in front of the Kinect Sensor and the wall of tiles open and close as it reacts to their movements. 

The MeetWall was composed of 150 fabricated tiles that could rotate at various angles.  photo by Eugene Lee

How did your team figure out how to make the wall move? 
(LD) The main questions that arose after we got selected in October was first to figure out how to make the wall move, and secondly to have it react to its environment. The wall is composed of about 150 tiles that can rotate independently. Each tile contains a small servo-motor, and receives a signal from a microcontroller connected to a raspberry pi, which is collecting and processing data from a computer. The computer is running a program in processing, using the Kinect data as a dynamic input.
How it reacts- the software part:
We considered our wall as a screen made of pixels. Each pixel corresponds to a tile, so we have a 8x19 resolution screen. Each pixel depends on the opening of the tile, and it goes from 0° to 90°. If you compare it to a grayscale value, 0° corresponds to white and 90° to black.
The Kinect sensor scans the street with infrared. Using the Kinect and the Simple-OpenNI library, we collected data like the body center mass point and the skeleton joints position of each person in the street. We used those coordinates to design a dynamic pattern determining the rotation value of each tile, or if you prefer, the value of each pixel of our screen.
How it moves- the hardware part:
Each tile is composed of a mechanism that allows it to move with its servo motor's mechanical rotation. The design of these tiles is the result of several constraints, in which we tried to answer in the most optimized way. 
The first constraint was the budget. We used plexiglas for the tile structure, a cheap material but robust enough to handle the tile's function. We chose to laser cut it because it allows accuracy and serial production in a very simple way. Our second constraint was that our three-dimensional object was built from two-dimensional components. The third constraint was creating a design that could be easily assembled because we had so many tiles and would need help putting them together. 

How did this project allow you to experiment/ explore architecture in a new way? 
(LD)  Once we were selected we asked ourselves: what is the project about? architecture? art? urban furniture? Matt Bowles, Chad Kellogg and I are all engaged in architecture, and it maybe surprising that we proposed such a small scale project; but for me, architecture is first about giving a special experience to people with their built environment. 
Exploring this small prototyping scale allowed us to detach ourselves from most of the constraints that one can meet as an architect, and to focus mostly on the kinetic aspect of the project. Having the opportunity to test the wall with the public was great and will inspire our future architectural projects. It allowed us to observe the kind of intuitive interaction that one can have with an object, without instruction. It also showed that the more simple this interaction is, the better it catches attention.
The second question we explored was how new technologies can be introduced into a design project. We noticed that technology, when it is used in an interactive way can bring people together, and not only through social networks! 

What kind of reactions did people on Market Street have with the MeetWall? Did their reactions surprise you?
(LD) The first type of reaction we saw was a person would stop, stare at the screen and look at other people interacting with it and wonder until they would understand by themselves that the wall is moving with them. Then they would start playing with it. 
The second type would look for us and ask us what it was. As soon as they knew that they could play with it, they would stay and have fun. 
In those two situations, what was enjoyable but also very surprising is that people would start moving and dancing without any shyness, and quite unconsciously. We could see them lose their inhibition and start to feel more comfortable. In this sense, we were happy to reach the main goal of our project, which was to encourage people to slow down, take the time to enjoy public space around them, and finally allow some good conditions for kinder social interactions. 

How will this inspire your architectural studies?
(LD) This experience inspired me for several reasons that will definitely influence the rest of my studies. I had the opportunity to learn a lot during this project: computer programming, electronics, networks, project management, and also how physical constraints can be so basic and so concrete at the same time. The inspiration I get from all this learning is that I want to make more in order to learn more!

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Don't Miss EQxD "U" Workshop 4 !

Architecture AND...Exploring Meaning & Influence by way of Multidisciplinary Practice

Thursday, October 22, 2015 from 6pm - 8:30pm @AIASF 130 Sutter St, San Francisco

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We will explore alternate models of practice that expand the avenues of influence for architects. More than 50% of all respondents to the 2014 Equity in Architecture Survey stated that they were dissatisfied with their current job situation. A large number responded that they were interested in alternative career paths. Rather than leave architecture behind completely - and have the profession lose ever more talent to other fields - how we can cultivate expansive multidisciplinary practices that are innovative, exploratory, and meaningful? 

The workshop will feature four professionals who have taken their work beyond the traditional boundaries of the field. After a review of key survey findings on the topic we will hear from the panelists about their paths, entrepreneurial thinking, and lessons learned in a question and answer session. This will be followed by design thinking exercises to guide us in thinking freely and widely about our career futures and the new kinds of practices we can create. Gain the courage and knowledge to turn your interests and ideas into a new work reality at our workshop!

10/22/15 Architecture AND… Workshop Agenda
Networking & Refreshments 6pm - 6:15pm
Introductions/Welcome 6:15 - 6:25pm
Panel Discussion 6:25 - 7:15pm
Break/Transition 7:15 - 7:20pm
Design Thinking Exercises 7:20 - 8:10pm
Conclusions 8:10 - 8:30pm