Paulistano Uncovered

Here's a blast from the past.  My winning entry in the Paulistano Uncovered design competition from 2009.  Still proud of it.

Pinterest as a Design Tool

Architects get inspired by other designers' work.

While the ethical architect does not copy, it would be disingenuous to say we aren't affected in some way or another (even if only at the subconscious, intuitive level) when we see the work of other architects.  Sometimes it's details, sometimes scale, sometimes proportions.  Sometimes it's just how someone else solved a problem, addressed a condition, that we have faced ourselves.  At the very least, architects (and designers, in general) are a strongly visual group.

This is where Pinterest, my latest Internet obsession, comes in.  For those unfamiliar with the site (www.pinterest.com), Pinterest starts from the premise that when you see something interesting on the Internet, you "pin" it to one of your boards.  Appropriately enough, the artifact indicating your pin is an image.  That image generally serves as a link to an outside website.

Think of it as magazine clippings meeting your Internet Explorer Favorites on steroids.  What is valuable to the designer is the treasure trove of imagery and design that has already caught someone else's attention enough to merit being pinned to one of their boards.

My Pinterest design flirtation started innocently enough.  I would seek out images of the work of the late John Hejduk, or maybe see what David Adjaye was up to.  The progressed into a trip through the works of other, lesser-known, architects whose work I likely would never have heard of otherwise.  if you're wondering what I mean, visit my Architecture board.  Check out the work of SB Architects.  Or the beautiful, modern Signal Shed cabin by Ryan Lingard.

I will warn you, though.  Like Facebook, Pinterest can be a time-consuming black hole, an addiction to which can make you forget you have friends, family, even pets.  Don't overdo it!

Go-To Books for Architects and Designers - 30 January 2012

For the next installment in my list of go-to books for architects and designers, I offer Architect's Handbook of Construction Detailing, by David Kent Ballast. 

Here, Ballast, who has also authored numerous ARE study guides (including the ones that helped me study for my exams), presents a fairly exhaustive series of construction details ranging from concrete and masonry to doors and windows, and finish details.  Additionally, each component is listed by CSI number, which helps the architect create  list of specifications necessary for the detail and for the project.  What keeps this book from being just a series of details is with each detail, Ballast lists not only the individual components of the detail but also detailing considerations, required coordination and things like likely failure points.  The nerd in me jumps in joy at each detail!