De la passion française face à la raison américaine

I have always been melancholic for this time I haven’t known in which the great masters of architecture had only rarely been trained in architecture studies : silversmith, carpenter, stone cutter… Architecture at that time was not about practice or discipline, but about the transmission about almost what was an artisan’s knowledge.

I had always thought that in Paris, since architecture studies had left the beaux arts, and then had been unfortunately forced into the undergraduate/graduate (licence/master in french, that is only 5 years) system, we had lost the passion and the ardor, that pushed to come not only students that hesitated with law school but came here because it sounded fun, but the Vocation with capital V.

My experience as an exchange architecture student for a year at Georgia Tech made me moderate my judgment a little bit. //

A conversation with Dean Alan Balfour

The 60th anniversary of the East Architecture Building brings about many changes within the college. I had the privilege to sit down with Dean Alan Balfour, who will be stepping down as Dean and stepping up as professor and scholar within the College, to discuss these changes and the legacy he is leaving behind.

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A Letter From David Lake

From David Lake, principal of Lake | Flato architects, to Dean Balfour and the COA community: //

a yellow jackets’ journey home: jeff sheppard lecture review

Last Wednesday, September 14^th, the College of Architecture hosted its very own COA alum, Jeffrey Sheppard, current principal architect of Roth Sheppard Architects in Denver, Colorado. A part of the ‘future PRACTICE Lecture Series,” Sheppard’s lecture titled ‘Ideation; From Parti’ to Reality,’ discussed a range of design projects as they related to an architectural language that he developed that provided for the function of the design through experimenting with new methodologies to approaching architecture. //

where to eat? [results]

Last fall we posted a brief survey asking people where they preferred to find their calories. Here are some of reader’s recommendations for the best places to: //

coa alumni network? [part 2]

To follow up to my first post on the CoA alumni I did some research. As it turns out, there are a FEW tools out there for connecting students with alumni and MANY for helping students look for jobs – but finding them required a bit of digging and using them as an architecture student did not lend the most fruitful of results. [SoA alumni map complements of Teri Nagel] //

Who do you want to see in a lecture boxing match next year?

gray_matter(s) wants to hear who would be your dream guest lecturer if we had the chance to bring them to you. This year we had B.I.G. Who could be next?

coa alumni network?

This past weekend I went up to NYC for interviews. While there I learned of three Tech grads that were working in different firms in the city - DS+R, BIG and Grimshaw – too bad I didn’t know about them before I arrived. [image courtesy of graduating class 1950] //

ghost stories

There was a pane of glass. Or four. Three feet wide and seven feet tall. A set of glass doors at the center, as transparent and as essentially opaque as the surrounding windows. //

where it begins: Studio Culture Part. II

Before penetrating deep into the heart of the studio culture concerns in the COA, we should look into how the College of Architecture defines studio culture: GA Tech Studio Culture Document By first defining Tech’s publicly defined ideal studio, we can, then, address how it compares to the actual studio culture today. [photography by patricia andre] //

Senior Light Show_Industrial Design

The first project of senior design studio culminates in a show that is planned and executed by the students themselves. The reception is open to all, and invitations are sent to professionals in Atlanta. This year the turnout was impressive, and the work was excellent. More projects after the jump. //

Where the Ladies At? [Part 3 - faculty rank + hire]

The School of Architecture needs more women faculty. Compared to the rest of the Accredited Colleges of Architecture and to US Universities in general the SOA has the lowest female faculty figures. //

Dear COA, Why don’t you love me? Sincerely, The south lawn.

[guest = anthony payne ] Last week, gazing out the window past the coffee cart whilst eagerly awaiting my mediterranean turkey and hummus sandwich (toasted thanks), it occurred to me how underutilized the south facing porch and lawn are. On a beautiful fall day, why are we sitting inside a conditioned space (that is frequently freezing) instead of bathing in the shadow patterns of Nader Tehrani’s A Change of State? //

Sonic Generator, Oct 7 at COA Auditorium

Founded in 2006, Sonic Generator is the contemporary music ensemble-in-residence at Georgia Tech dedicated to using technology to transform the ways in which we compose, perform, and listen to music. The performance will be held at the Reinsch-Pierce Family Auditorium at 8pm on Oct 7, Thursday. The concert is sponsored by the College of Architecture. The college invites all attendees to a concert reception in the courtyard in front of the auditorium, beginning at 6 p.m.

The performance on Thursday features Jessica Peek Sherwood (flute), Ted Gurch (clarinet), Kevin Lyons (trumpet), Helen Hwaya Kim (violin), Brad Ritchie (cello), Tom Sherwood (percussion), Tim Whitehead (piano), Nathan Davis (conductor), Jason Freeman (electronics), and Amber Boardman (video). More information, including program notes, can found here.

where the ladies at? [part 2 - college figures]

It is interesting, but not surprising, that the COA faculty gender figures track those for profession.

COA [18% women] faculty employment is now less than Tech’s [21% women]. COA [44% women] student enrollment is more balanced than the rest of the Tech’s [29% women]. //