Friday, February 26, 2010

2 Down, 1 to Go


Today was the last day of critiques. Daniel presented, and of course they loved it. It was quite interesting because he was one of two 4th year students. The other four presentations were made by pre-architecture/ architectural foundations studios. It is really amazing to see how far we have come, and also to be able to sit in front of a project and know exactly how to make it better, when to stop, when the proportions are fitting for certain scales, etc. I am actually looking forward to our next project, where we are to tackle thermal baths in the canals from what I've been hearing. 

Tomorrow morning we are going on another school sponsored study tour to Sweden and Finland. Everyone seems pretty excited. It will be a chance for me to break out of my shell maybe - I don't know anyone in the group I was put in. I'm excited for my own reasons. I have never been to a Steven Holl building, and now I get to. I am not sure of the internet availability over there, but I will try to post if at all possible. Of course you know by now I love useless information, and more importantly I like to spread the knowledge. So, here some interesting facts about Sweden and Finland.

Sweden
  • the 21st most visited country in the world
  • official name - "The Kingdom of Sweden"
  • All the Tsars of Russia until the last one, Nicholas II, were of Swedish Viking descent
  • Sweden has the highest number of McDonald's per capita in Europe
  • Swedish Inventions: astronomical lens, zipper, marine propellor, refrigerator, computer mouse and the pace-maker.
  • ABBA
  • IKEA
Finalnd
  • 25% of land mass lies above arctic circle
  • 180,000 islands in Finalnd
  • Home of Santa Claus (Debated)
  • Last regions of Europe to adopt Christianity
  • home of Nokia
  • Donald Duck comics were banned because Donald is pantless
  • 1.8 million saunas in Finland
Until then, Hej, Hej.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Studio + Brewery

So it's been a while since I last posted something on the blog, and since Matt has become addicted to World of War Craft, I decided to go ahead and catch those that care up with our status. We just completed assignment two of three in studio and are now in the review process. Matt had his today and mine is scheduled for Friday morning. (Matt's went well by the way) It is a different review process than we are used to but nonetheless it works well without keeping everybody at school all day. We experienced some different projects, and as we have stated before, UT has taught us well. Unlike UT, fellow students are encouraged to give critique and ask questions. We saw our share of blobitechtecture as well as some solid projects. It was an experience to say the least.



Matts Project

Daniel's Project

Anyways, enough about architecture and on to something more interesting, The Brewery. We visited the Carlsberg brewery this past weekend and had a blast. The tour was self-guided and very informative to say the least. We discovered the defintion of alcoholic after reading about beer consumption during the Renaissance, up to 10 liters a day due to the salty foods. After being reassured in our personal consumption we continued finding several interesting labels that have developed over the years. I am not sure that we should post some of them due to the anit-semitic associations after WWII. The tour ended with two beers included in your ticket price. We were allowed to taste their base line beer as well as their "gourmet" beer. I think our favorite was the Jacobsen Brown Ale, but the regular Carlsberg was no better than last years left over Christmas party beer.



The weather has gotten a little warmer too,which means rain instead of snow but nonetheless it is warmer. We have also discovered what could be the demise of America if implemented in our grocery stores. The automatic money counter/change dispenser. Basically, the cashier does't have to think much and simply puts the bills in a machine that does all the math for him/ her and even spits out the correct change for the customer. We did not even want to know what caliber of employee this would result in. The Chik-fil-a cult might spread, or better yet UT dining.



Thus far the trip has been amazing, and it's hard to believe that we have been here over a month. From the classes to the train, it is unique and enjoyable experience for the both of us I think. We are preparing to go to Sweden and Finland this weekend for a week long study tour in which we get to experience some more Scandinavian architecture. Matt has been working on the best way to gel his hair so that he fits in with the natives a little better. Although him being 9 feet tall and blonde makes him practically to that point, but hey its his life. Anyways, I'm sure our six viewers are tired of listening to me ramble on so I will stop for the night, but thank you guys for the support and we will post some more when we return from our tour.


Oh, Here is a shout out to Wina. Stick with it and can't wait to see you in the spring.