What is Architecture?

Architecture is a quest for the true form of a structure, or in the words of Louis Kahn “the search for what a building wants to be.” In those simple six words Kahn largely summed up the world that is Architecture. It is a quest to bring your design as close to the form of a building as possible. Form and design are often used interchangeably in architecture, but they have strikingly different meanings

To quote Kahn again,”Form is ‘what.’ Design is ‘how.’” Form is the inherent qualities that make something what it is. Design is the physical manifestation of those ideas. Take Car for example. Today there are thousands of cars on the road. They are all different, and yet even if we haven’t seen a particular model before, we know intuitively that it is a car. Whether it’s a three ton Roll’s Royce, or a 1,500 pound Mini they are all designs of Car. Car is the idea in the mind that connects them all together. Every car on the road is a design, an attempt at the perfect form that is Car, but it is a measurable thing, and therefore cannot compare to the form. The same is true for all building and their forms.

For me, this quest for “what a building wants to be” is based around the human experience. Good buildings are not designed for Architectural Record. They are designed for the people that experience them. The path to the true form of a building lies in the way people inhabit and interact with it. It is essentially tied to the emotions invoked with in them; their dreams, aspirations, and desires.

Lets try that again…

Its not everyday your school makes the front page of CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News by lunchtime, but it seems like Virginia Tech is starting to develop a knack for it. Last time it was for the criminal digressions of our famed quarterback. This time it was a lesser known felon, Charles Morva who made headlines today after his escape from the local hospital and murder of a police officer spurred Tech to cancel the first day of classes. Talk about a way to start the year…

Heard it on the Newsvine

I discovered Newsvine this week. If you’re not already familiar with it, you should definitely check it out. It really has the potential to totally change the news industry with its grass roots approach that gives power back to the people. The basic concept is pretty simple. All Newsvine does is publish every story that comes across the AP wire. Ok, so there�s nothing revolutionary about that, but hang on a second, and I’ll tell you what is.

Newsvine doesn’t have any editors choosing what it publishes. Instead it gives that power to the users. Let me say that again. Instead it gives the power to you. Once you register with the site, you can vote for any story, and your votes determine where and how the story appears. But that’s not all. Not only do users choose what stories are displayed, they also can link outside stories for users to reviews and write articles of their own.

Now I know Newsvine isn’t the first to do this. Sites like Digg and Delicous pioneered this user control approach, but unlike sites with their limited appeal in the Tech market I think Newsvine has the potential to reach the masses in the same way that popular social websites like Facebook, and My Space have. Its widespread focus on all news (not just tech) and its intuitive and friendly interface set it above the rest. So go ahead and check it out.

Raging Roads

Alexandria is such an invigorating town. I spent my entire day down their doing site analysis for my thesis project, and I came home with that refreshed, fulfilled feeling you get when you spend a relaxing day outside in the sun. I can�t wait until I move down to Blacksburg next week and won’t have to drive everywhere. I am so tired of sitting in traffic surrounded by “music injected metal boxes.”

I really think that the steadily worsening road rage we’re experiencing in America is a product of how cars serve to dehumanize the landscape. Just last night I had some blonde girl in a Mercedes blare her horn at my dad and I for at least 30 seconds. Why? Because he realized he was taking the wrong exit when he was halfway onto the ramp. All he did was turn on his blinker and slide back into the right travel lane, and cut her off a little. He didn’t do it maliciously. He just got mixed up with where he was.

If we had been on foot he would have simply apologized for almost bumping into her and continued on his way, but that is impossible with the speed and isolation of the American highway. Its top easy to forget that that car in front of you crawling along at 10 below is a real person with their own worries, problems, and preoccupations. Next time you find yourself getting pissed at a car that cut you off, take a second to picture the person that’s driving it. They’re a person just like you.

Pigskin on the Brain

It’s that time of year again. All the major conferences are holding their media junkets and releasing their preseason polls. Players are packing their bags for the start of fall training next week. The 2007 football season is just around the corner, and I can’t wait. Its an important year for my Hokies and I�ve been counting down the days for months.

It’s a season of question marks for Virginia Tech this go around. We lost a dozen players to the draft and the latest Vick to his own stupidity. Gone is the cool and seasoned leadership of players like Jeff King and Daryl Tapp. To top it off we’ve got a 3 way battle for the starting quarterback slot between Sean Glennon, Cory Holt, and Ike Whitaker.

For me this season is about exceeding expectations and proving that Tech is a legitimate top 20 team. Most of the polls have us placed in the high teens or low twenties, because of all the question marks. We need to prove them wrong, if Tech is ever going to be considered a true powerhouse. We can’t afford a repeat of 2003 when we started 6-0 and then lost 5 of our last 7.

With the recent commitment of star quarterback Tyrone Taylor, Tech has a promising future, but it�s going to be several years before he’s ready to play. Until then Tech needs to prove that they can take on the big boys and maintain the respect they’ve earned during their first two seasons in the ACC. This is the season to do that.