Omayra Rivera Crespo

I have just participated as a panelist in architect Omayra Rivera Crespo’s presentation of her doctoral thesis at the Centro para Puerto Rico, next to architects Andres Mignucci and Carlos Muniz and planner Lucilla Marvel. Omayra’s thesis, titled Procesos de Participación: Proyectar, Construir y Habitar La Vivienda Contemporánea is extremely relevant and its release, long overdue. Doubting about the degree of my contribution to the subject matter, coupled with a deep reflection on my aspirations as an architect (with two professional licenses, I still do not consider myself, a bonafide architect), I realized that I had something to add to her proposal. But even though this is my blog, this entry is all about Omayra.

She’s a young idealist, a third generation utopian and a wonderful human being.  Her original parti has not dwindled a bit and after nearly a decade, working and writing in Barcelona, she has produced an academic work that will prove to be a must in any housing guru’s library that respects him/herself. Her investigative prose flows naturally, encouraging further study, inviting readers to look up new themes and renowned working class heroes. At first, I was worried that she would be just another commie activist, enfant-terrible, playing the social responsibility siren’s song.  But her scream is real, it is viral, it is gutsy. Omayra will be a major force in our profession, inspiring new generations with this publication. In fact, at VA.MOS, we have been compelled to add to our work, a new Living Lab enterprise project based on her presentation tonight.

60’s social and localized activism, arte povera and frugal architecture have resurfaced as the zeitgeist in her thesis, updating the social-worker background of our profession. It’s Back-to-the-future meets True Grit. I am so honored that she included me in her opening night. (Thanks Omayra, and may God always guide you!). 

2012:Start-up Year

So here we are:2012.  We have a new agenda for this coming year. We have started two new ventures- VA.MOS and DA^TA.  VA.MOS stands for Vivienda Asequible. Modelos de Oportunidades Sustentables and DA^TA represents Department of Available Technology and Architecture. The second group was created to support the technology needs for the first one. Makes sense, right?

VA.MOS is a non-profit enterprise aimed at identifying accessible housing opportunities within urban contexts, especially hyper-dense environments, while concentrating efforts on the poorer communities.  While there are many efforts around this theme, VA.MOS combines grassroot movements, existing government housing development programs, for-profit ventures and social media to pursue enriched housing models for lower income families and individuals.

DA^TA, on the other hand, aims at identifying available technology to empower new housing opportunity efforts. Computer applications such as lot locators, GIS trackers, inter- and intra- community movement maps through the use of SIM cards, and access to bank-government-realtors intelligentsia are a few of the resources available to accessible housing sponsors, largely underutilized.  We aim through DATA, to reach those resources and steer them to enhance processes.

We have just scraped the surface with these two groups, while attempting to give Architecture for Humanity (Puerto Rico), a second wind. With a new operating model, and a paradigm shift aimed at responding to our particular geographical and social contexts, AFH-PR will concentrate its efforts on serving existing not-for-profit organizations. AFH-PR is now considered an international group by the Central Office and as such, will benefit from a focused point of view aimed at localized problems.

So there is a lot of work ahead.  If you would like to learn more, just let us know!

Arquitectura en los Medios

Recently, I attended a presentation titled Arquitectura en los Medios, held at the lobby of the School of Architecture of the University of Puerto Rico.  The panel, moderated by architect Eliot M. Santos and composed by architects Astrid Díaz, Francisco Martínez and Oscar Oliver proved to be an eye-opener for those young voices that aspire to expand the role of the architect beyond the  four walls of our practice.

Astrid, perhaps the most experienced of the panelists, shared her beginnings, her disappointments, her joys and her enthusiasm.  She is mostly known for her work urging the general public to learn about natural disasters, through TV, radio and printed media. Originally hired to produce 13 Cápsulas de Arquitectura for the Government’s TV station, she mischievously smiled at the audience when she admitted that she is now in her 14^th season at WIPR.  Francisco, editor of Arqui-Tec, probably the only bonafide commercial architectural magazine in PR, explained how the thirst for a periodical that documented local architecture led him and a couple of friends, while still at school (UPR) to start that venture.  Oscar, from his perspective, shared with us how he reacted to emerging proposals for new periodicals mostly sponsored by university programs, with a strong editorial approach to architecture as an activity that is cerebral and physical at the same time.  Paraphrasing Brunelleschi, “Architecture begins with the drawing…”  Oscar has contributed to Polimorfo (ArqPoli) and is now Editor-in-Chief for Entorno, the CAAPPR’s magazine. Eliot, brilliant in his conducting of the conversatorio as always, announced that his radio program “Arquitectura Hoy” reached its 100^th radiocast at WKAQ, during the past month of July, as scheduled. Starting in January, a new version of his enlightening program starts at RadioUniversidad.  Enhorabuena! From his end, he shared how exciting it was to watch a growing population of adept listeners and participants in sponsored architectural walking tours, as the result of his passion for architecture as a communicating tool.

I believe that for those of us who were there, it was a great opportunity to be with friends and start exchanging ideas on the future of architecture through media ventures.  I urge Paco Rodríguez, dean of the School of Architecture, to schedule a second part of this conversatorio and invite architect Rafael Marxuach and others to dwell on their vision on new social media enterprises and opportunities. Working on a university course on Architecture and Social Media, I have experienced the immense power behind the social phenomena of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, CafePress, and other venues in the field of architecture.  Definitely, I would like to see that this open discussion is expanded to include this angle.

All media is relevant in today’s dog-eat-dog world.  During these difficult times, architects should revisit the origins of the profession, based in genuine communication and stretch those beginnings to new frontiers.  It could be as simple as hitting a keyboard or speaking our minds in front of a microphone.  My God, where is that “enter” key?

Food for Thought

I definitely have learned this year, that not only a great education brings you the perfect job opportunity, but that that you also need to pinpoint it from among several options that may show up at a designated time. Having the skills to outperform any competitor in this fiercely fought profession does not guarantee success.  Several Leadership traits need to be honed in, in order to come out ahead in the race for better job opportunities:

1-     Be alert. Respond fast.  Sometimes, great jobs or projects show up in categorized lists, only to be missed for some foolish reason. Respond if you feel there is enough time left to be heard.

2-     Be truthful. Never be deceptive.  Be thankful that you are being considered for that new breakthrough project and you will be able to put your best foot forward.

3-     Think out-of-the-box.  Innovate, complement others by moving one step ahead and lead the way to new and exciting livingwealth.  You are expected to come up with that “i-don’t-know-what” that will make a difference in the lives of many.

4-     Join exciting groups. Biophylia teaches us that we love the company of other living creatures, including animal and vegetative species.  That in itself is a great reason not to muse alone.  You do not need to be a mad scientist working in the depths of a Frankenstein basement.  Join others in the quest for success.

5-     Share your thoughts and seek feedback.  Be ready to argue in favor of your ideas, but be receptive to differing views.  By merging all knowledge, we can win.

Let’s end these lines, by encouraging others to assimilate what great designers and great managers are made of, but be sensitive to lack of understanding also.  Our profession requires synchronized minds and hands to excel.  It’s a strange match, as we all learned when we were in kindergarden.

Livingwealth

As I do every Saturday morning, I browse over the Construction Section of the newspaper, wishing to find that breakthrough project (for sale or rent) worthy of our citizens.  Behind every article, tasteless apartments and houses shine through our impotence.  I believe that every project is a priceless opportunity to pursue the ultimate boundary: Great Design.  So you can imagine my dismay over thousands of living units that kill our cities and our spirits.  Three-bedroom residences with baths, living-dining areas, a kitchen and maybe a balcony adorn our senses with tons of boring anticipation. What is the purpose of a living room these days? What is that 36-inch by 72-inch balcony for? Every project promises paradise with no money down, heaven with deferred payments, nirvana including closing costs bonuses.

 

My theory is that, although it is true that we are in the midst of critical times, people are simply hartos of tired solutions but are not offered real living-style choices.  Architects do not seem to grasp the role of leaders in an industry that hardly even attempts to find out what we are made of.  The construction industry is made up of engineers and they desperately need us. Architecture is not a panacea, I know.  But we don’t help our cause by spitting out cookie-cut units where the main design feature is the balcony railing or the new exposed penthouse spiral stair.

 

New housing models need to be promoted particularly when, even in the Legislature, what constitutes “a family” is being debated.  As architects, it’s time to roll-up our sleeves and work towards a new housing model, where we can enjoy just plain old livingwealth.  I have been guilty in the past of promoting “saturday-morning-construction-section-houses” but intend to mend off my sins by pledging to a shift in paradigm.  Let’s have serious conversations with developers (if you can find one these days) and offer our wisdom.

 

We are design apostles. Start preaching.

 

 

 

ngrams by Google

Through TED, I found out about ngrams. What a great discovery! As you know, Google is leading the Guttenberg Project in an attempt to digitize all written documents that have covered this blessed planet.  They estimate that out of the 129 million books ever published, they have completed around 5 million.  So it figures, that every word since the 1800s, have been stored in some computer. Their computer.  When you type in a word, they know exactly where and when it  was published.  Harvard geeks at this point concluded that you could actually compare frequency of use of certain words in what they describe as the basis for culturonomics.  Great so far, right?.  Well, I thought I’d give it a try with some architects and found out quite interesting facts.  Not that I can do much with this info but at least it is something worth blogging about and definitely break ice at an Engineers’ Convention.  Below are two runs on some architects and their comparative relevance for published authors.

Regarding dead architects, Le Corbusier is the winner by a mile stretch while among the live ones, and to my surprise, Sir Norman Foster leads the pack over Richard Meier and a distant third Frank Gehry.  I could swear that Frank would have clobbered all of them.  This is by the way, in English publications. So I turned out to check what happens when I switch to German publications. What I expected occured: Rem Koolhaas is king.  This is all for now. Don’t forget to google “ngrams” and start running your own ngrams and helping culturonomics takeoff.

Frugal Architecture

Frugal architecture focuses on the residual, making the best possible use of natural and local materials, and recycling what can be salvaged: an architecture of under-consumption rather than consumption or over-consumption Buildings constructed using leftover materials and limited resources and budgets are important due to their vast potential and positive social effects. In fact these buildings are economically accessible even to the poorest communities, often directly involved in the construction process, offering them the opportunity to learn and experiment.

Frugal architecture is an international phenomenon, though not yet globalized: it does not reproduce at the planetary scale a single, hegemonous model, but defers to locally available resources and the needs of the community.

Contemporary art, above all in its Italian and American versions of Arte Povera and Process Art as well as the host of “environmental” hypotheses, has often blazed a trail for architecture and in any case provided invaluable ideas.

The Design Industry is now demonstrating growing attention to sustainable production: industries and designers are proposing objects and furnishings that are produced by reusing existing elements, using eco-compatible or recycled materials.

Green Blades of Grass

The Multilevel Parking Building at Aguadilla Mall starts its final construction phase.  The fiberglass reinforced precast concrete fins are being welded in place, anticipating the conclusion of the-18 month project.  F&R Construction is in charge of the project being inspected by CRCE Inc.

Our firm designed the new structure as the “front yard” of a big huge house.  Conceptually, it gave us a much needed parti, to come up with a nontraditional façade. The  $7.2 million dollar project is one month ahead of schedule and promises to be an icon in the western coast of Puerto Rico.  As an advance report, we include a few photographs and later we will issue an entire article as we get closer to opening day.

download fournierarquitectura portfolio

Twin Houses

About six years ago, I was asked by a former classmate at Georgia Tech and former partner at SPAZIO Design Studio to come up with two houses to be built at the site of a single family home.  The site was large enough to be segregated into equal plots.  The way the project was approached involved designing two houses that could be complementary in looks, siting and relevance, albeit different. The project became known as Twin Houses.  The residences are located on Doncella Street (32-34) at Punta Las Marias.  After the usual debates that architects and developers generate (the developer is an architect also!), a successful project was finally concluded, after construction permits were acrobatically issued.  Then, one day after a few long months trying to sell the houses (each one had a price tag of $800,000.00), the new owners finally moved in.

I just recently went by to see the neighborhood, after sharing with my wife, a huge “carne empanada” at Che’s and felt at ease that the houses had weathered so well.  Proof of living showed up everywhere: small bikes on the carports, loosely hung draperies on the wrong places, residues of rain-channeled dirt on the parapets:  perfect project.  The houses look dignified and real.  Its only Architecture. Its only Architecture