Tag Archives: University of Texas Libraries

Interior Design Research Tools: Research Design Connections Archive

For part three of our installment of interior design research tools, we’re highlighting the incredible ease of use of the Research Design Connections Archive (RDC), one of the many paid subscriptions that UT Libraries maintains on behalf of University of Texas students, faculty and staff. Containing over 1,800 archived articles and blog posts, RDC offers a wide array of search tools that you can utilize to craft even the most specific results possible.

Unique to this database is its attention to these combination options. A special emphasis is put on behavior and special populations, two factors that are seminal to the design experience, but are sometimes overlooked in favor of trends or stylistic features. A specific setting is also offered as an option to narrow your search, which presents monumental ease if you’re zooming into a specific category of design.

Perhaps my favorite trait about this database are the links under the search bar. Instead of simply stating the titles of articles as their headline, they pose the question they explored in order to facilitate a design conversation. I am continuously thinking in questions: what is the most suitable material for a bar countertop in a high-traffic restaurant? How much energy goes into maintaining a temperature-controlled art gallery? How much pattern is too much pattern? I truly appreciate RDC’s database organization, which grasps exactly how designers are thinking whilst performing research.

Though there are hundreds of electronic research tools available for designers, we hope that our assessment of three that we find especially helpful: IIDA Knowledge Center, InformeDesign, and Research Design Connections Archive – helps you in navigating the endless foray of knowledge that can sometimes complicate or hinder the research process.

Why Digital Research Matters: An Insight into Open Access

When I arrived at work on Monday, I performed tasks as usual, including monitoring our Twitter feed to promote any articles that were pertinent to the clientele that we serve here at the Architecture & Planning Library. However, with the commencement of Open Access Week 2013, I was particularly searching for commentary that reflected the importance of open access in research. That’s why when my eyes skimmed over the following 140-character headline, I couldn’t click the associated link fast enough:

Hours of research went into this one — UT is naming more buildings after donors, less after faculty than ever before: http://bit.ly/1azwbsh

The above is a feature by The Daily Texan‘s Bobby Blanchard, and one that was immediately captivating, largely because of its relevance to architecture as a viable tool for marketing and promotion.

Though the topic is certainly contentious, Bobby’s article highlights just how much information can be extracted from sources that are openly accessible to the public. I briefly messaged Bobby to see where he obtained most of his information, and he referred to the Texas Exes website and subsets of the University of Texas at Austin site. He also checked out a book from PCL – Brick by Golden Brick by Margaret C. Berry (also available in our Reference Collection here at the Architecture & Planning Library) – to piece each building together into a cohesive collection. It’s incredible that the digital connectivity in our world – a connectivity that is almost passive because of its prolific nature – can give us the ability to gather a conclusive set of information and, in turn, create a new set of data that becomes readily accessible as well.

A screen grab from Bobby’s article shows how his research was translated into a visual form of communication.

Though most of Bobby’s digital resources were not scholarly publications on an open access platform, his findings give insight into how digitally accessible information has the potential to be monumentally influential in the field of research. Bobby’s article could easily serve as an excellent base for an intensive research venture focused on how philanthropy affects college campuses across the nation, and lead into comparative studies between public and private institutions. The ability for this information to be presented in an online article that can be accessed with the click of a mouse across the world is a staggering thought, a modern-day ability that would have only existed in a dream world no more than a few decades ago.

I firmly believe that the library in its most historic form will never become obsolete. And I fully recognize the inherent credibility issues with open-access platforms, which are displayed and discussed in another article by The Daily Texan. However, the overarching goal of open access research – “the practice of providing unrestricted access via the Internet to peer-reviewed scholarly research” (via Wikipedia) – is one that keeps up with our fast-paced, time-restrictive, and increasingly digital world. With Bobby’s article as a student example, information that’s a click away has the potential to spur research that affects myriad disciplines across the world.

You can access Bobby’s original article here.
If you’re a Twitter-a-holic like the rest of us, you can follow Bobby at @bobbycblanchard and The Daily Texan at @thedailytexan. 

The University of Texas Libraries are only halfway through their week-long celebration of Open Access! Find out which campus events you can still attend here.

Interested in learning more about the history of the UT campus? Titles with content similar to Brick by Golden Brick include The Texas Book, The Texas Book Two, and The University of Texas at Austin: An Architectural Tour.

Journal Feature: Interiors & Sources

In honor of Open Access Week, this week’s journal feature ties in our October-long celebration of interior design with the aspect of community. Our past journal features have largely focused on periodicals that highlight the holistic finished product of a design, including project summaries and architectural drawings. This week’s feature, however, zooms into the pieces that make a cohesive design happen: its materials.

Interiors & Sources, a monthly American publication, puts the spotlight on manufacturers and how their products are applied to interior projects. In the September 2013 issue, Interiors & Sources highlights pro-bono work around the country, nonprofit companies that are creating real change, and designs that have the ability to pull people away from their smartphone-ridden lives.

One of the September features is on Connie Duckworth’s Azru Studio Hope, a textile company that employs women in rural Afghanistan. Azru Studio Hope provides women with looms in their homes to create hand-woven rugs for both residential and commercial use, designed by notable figures such as Frank Gehry and Michael Graves. In a tumultuous country that struggles with gender equality, these women are now viewed as viable economic units to their families, and are reviving native craft techniques in the process. In addition to a stabilizing income, Azru Studio Hope’s social contract with its employees helps educate their children, gives pregnant mothers-to-be access to medical assistance, and, above all, creates a stable, centric community.

In addition to incredible nonprofit ventures in the design sector, Interiors & Sources highlights materials and their creative application to interiors. Flooring, unique ceramic tiles, wall coverings, technology, and more are explored, giving insight into new styles, trends, and case studies, including Harlem’s Hamilton Grange Teen Center. Each section finds unique ways to tie product and design goals back to the overarching theme: community.

Interiors & Sources journals are typically less than 100 pages and give a great month-by-month assessment of what’s happening in the world of design materials today. Though each spread was incredibly informative and full of sage advice for designers, perhaps our favorite quote came directly from the editor herself, Erika Templeton:

“…designers spend most of their time working through the chaos of day-to-day life, affecting real change and facing challenges that ultimately lead to a better way of living.”

And we couldn’t agree more! From one community to the next, designers – functioning as a tight-knit community themselves – are making real change in ways that resonate beyond material selection and a set of drawings.

What an incredible industry to be a part of!

Explore our selection of the most recent issues of Interiors & Sources in Battle Hall’s Reading Room.
Call Number: NK 1700 I64 September 2013 v. 29 no. 9

Journal Feature: Frame

This week’s journal feature highlights Frame, a European bi-monthly design periodical. The most recent September/October 2013 issue offers two-page quick-spreads of noteworthy designs from around the world, ranging from an illuminated night club in Portugal, a historic hotel in Malaysia, and the transformation of a power station to a cultural center in the Netherlands. In addition, Frame’s pages are studded with competitions and installations, often documenting the creative process behind unveiled designs with pictures, sketches, and models.

In the Features section, selected projects of specific architects and design firms are explored in depth, delving into the design process and project goals through interviews with the designers themselves, including two separate teams of brothers located in New York City. A portion of this issue’s Features section is dedicated to design in Brooklyn, showcasing projects that adhere to local roots and pay special attention to where their materials are sourced from. This spread brings forth the reclaim and reuse trend that has taken hold in recent years, and gives spectacular depth into the ethos of designers who value quality in modern craft.

Frame also showcases pioneers of eclectic design in their Portrait section, or those that don’t fit easily into one broad category of creative ingenuity. Paying tribute to the London-based designer Faye Toogood, the inspiration behind the “Get Raw” cover of this issue, Frame explores the diverse skill set and dynamic design ideas behind those who practice in a cross-discpline environment. Once again, through interviews, stunning photography, and vital artist quotes, Frame offers invaluable insight into the minds of those who have made design their livelihood.

The Reports section offers the same depth and insight as the designer interviews, but with product manufacturers and craftsmen that are so key to the realization of designs. Cotton, handcrafted wood, acoustic panelling, and more are brought to focus, their innovative design applications exposed. For designers, keeping up to speed with the most cutting-edge products available is essential, and Frame offers a behind-the-scenes insight into what drives the creativity of those in the manufacturing realm.

The 224-page issue of Frame is full of captivating curiosities and a wealth of design inspiration. Each page is inviting and educational; even the advertisements take you on a miniature design journey that often left me subconsciously envisioning the perfect space for a product to shine. Frame‘s unusual depth into the diverse world of design practitioners, transcending the realms of interior design and architecture into industrial design and installation art, is showcase of the beauty behind myriad creative individuals working towards a common goal: great design.

The September/October issue of Frame, along with four more of the most recent bi-monthly issues, are available for use in our Reading Room. There’s a good chance you might find me sitting at a nearby table, still flipping through each page… if that’s the case, just ask me to share – I promise I will!

Call Number: NK 1700 F73 no. 94

For more of everything Frame, keep up with them on Facebook or Twitter.

Upcoming Event: Open Access Week

From October 21-25, The UT Libraries are participating in the national celebration of Open Access (OA) Week. “Open Access” refers to the free, immediate, and online access to scholarly research, as well as the right to use the information as needed. OA Week was initially created to “promote Open Access as a new norm in scholarship and research”, and is now in its sixth year.

The Libraries will sponsor an event each day of OA Week that reaches out to different campus communities. This is your chance to learn about Open Access and how it may affect any research you pursue!

Here’s a brief look at the daily schedule:

Monday, October 21: Wikipedia Edit-a-thon
Tuesday, October 22: Open Access Panel Discussion
Wednesday, October 23: Open Educational Resources: Past, Present, Future?
Thursday, October 24: RIP: A Remix Manifesto Movie Screening
Friday, October 25: Open Access Scholarly Publishing with Texas Digital Library

Follow UT Libraries’ blog for the most up-to-date information on this special week! A full lineup of events can be found here. All events are free, open to the public, and food and drink will be available to attendees while they last.

As OA Week approaches, we encourage you to refer to a recent editorial by The Daily Texan for more information on Open Access.

We hope to see you all at these phenomenal events next week!

Journal Feature: Architectural Record

To continue our interior design focus throughout October, we’ve selected Architectural Record as this week’s journal feature. Though likely more widely recognized in the American design world versus those we highlighted in last week’s post, we felt Architectural Record was a great periodical to feature this week because of their most recent issue: Record Interiors 2013.

This issue embraces all things interior, ranging from studies on 2013 restaurants, offices, and residences to product briefs on kitchen and bath tiles. Regardless of the issue, Architectural Record always does a fantastic job of integrating drawings, costs, product specifications, and exceptional photography into the summary of each space they feature.

We highly recommend looking through September’s issue, as well as keeping up with the subscription we receive in the Reading Room for detailed articles on beautiful spaces, design trends, and building technology. We’re always happy to continuously offer our journal subscriptions to our students as resources – free of cost!

Call Number: NA 1 A6 v.201 No.9

Happy reading!

You Are Here: Austin Represent

On October 15th, UT Libraries will be hosting You Are Here: Austin Represent, an exhibition that offers the unique opportunity to learn about Austin cartography collections at the University of Texas. This is your chance to get up close and personal with select maps from from the PCL Map CollectionWalter Geology Library, and our very own Alexander Architectural Archive.

Come swing by the PCL Map Room from 11:30am-1:30pm to explore these incredible collections and witness our city’s development over time. Did we mention that FREE pizza is provided while supplies last?!

We hope to see you there!

Journal Feature: AMC Le moniteur architecture

In honor of the upcoming 101 Years of Interior Design Celebration in late October, our journal feature this week showcases some of 2013’s best interior projects. AMC Le moniteur architecture is a French language periodical that the Architecture & Planning Library receives monthly, and the delivery of their special annual publication came at an apt time!

If you’re not versed in French, no worries – AMC is full of large-scale drawings and beautiful photographs, which is universal for any language. This special issue features office, tourism, retail, and restaurant projects with innovative and striking interiors. My first thought while flipping through the pages: if I had consistently looked through journals during my studios as an undergraduate, my designs would have been so much more influenced by modern worldly trends! It’s hard to not feel inspired by each and every project.

Our Reading Room’s east wall is lined with periodicals from across the globe focusing on interior design, architecture, planning, sustainable design, historic preservation, construction technology, and beyond. We encourage you to flip through one (or two… or twelve) to get an in-depth look at what’s happening in the design world today!

If you’re interested in more great interior design periodicals, we also highly recommend Project Russia, a journal from Russia (no kidding). This month’s issue revolves around the possibility that design may be entering another age of exciting change. The articles are in English, too!

AMC Le moniter architecture Call Number: NA 1048.6A673
Project Russia Call Number: NA 1188 P764

New Arrival: Going Public

As major societies shift from the industrial age to an age of information, the field of architecture is faced with the challenge of adapting to the increasingly rapid exchange of ideas and ease of communication. Although designing for and implementing the latest technologies in buildings is a key response, public architecture is taking to the streets – literally – to help support the needs of individuals and communities today.

Public architecture can be considered a “countermovement” focused on utilizing public spaces to bring people together in the joint activity of sharing experiences. Going Public: Public Architecture, Urbanism and Interventions showcases a wealth of innovative solutions in cities and landscapes across the globe that are geared towards increasing our experiences with our surroundings.

Topics and projects include urban renewal, public shelter, interactive installations, and the creation and definition of new spaces to fit contemporary needs. Public architecture is even redefining traditional and preconceived stereotypes of spaces; for example, have you ever been to a 24-hour, open-air library before? You can visit one – and several other worldly examples of bold public creations – by flipping through the striking photographs within this book.

The 265 pages are filled with designs that can truly challenge the way you imagine the future of public spaces. I don’t know about you, but visually traveling the world via a series of inventive public spaces sounds like a wonderful experience to me!

Interested in reading the title discussed above? Click the Library of Congress Call Number link below to check its availability status.

Robert Klanten et al. Going Public: Public Architecture, Urbanism and Interventions. Berlin: Gestalten, 2012.
Call Number: 9050.5 G65 2012

For a list of recent Architecture & Planning Library arrivals over the past few weeks, please visit our Recent Arrivals feed.

Wait – a Library Isn’t Just a Library?

Many students perceive a library solely as place to read, study, or perform research for their school-assigned projects. As an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I shared this sentiment; I rarely encountered projects in my specific courses that required me to do extensive research, and so the stacks that surrounded me while I studied and wrote papers went largely unnoticed.

Now, as a first-year UT graduate student and Graduate Research Assistant at the Architecture & Planning Library, I feel like I am getting a second opportunity to explore the riches that lie within the walls of a library. In some ways, I almost feel like many of the undergraduates using the library for the first time: in awe and slightly overwhelmed at the sheer amount of information that’s accessible. How had I never come across or searched on my own for a goldmine like this before?

My first stop in my exploratory journey to better familiarize myself with the Architecture & Planning Library was only a few feet to the right of the circulation desk: the New Books table. This table is full of recently published, newly purchased books, which are updated on most Tuesdays. Martha, the Architecture and Planning Librarian (if you haven’t met her before, absolutely seek her out – she’s an amazing resource!), instructed me to pick out whatever looked interesting. As I sifted through books ranging from The Collected Letters of A. W. N. Pugin to Europe’s Changing Geography, I settled upon a clean, white, modern-looking hardcover, whose spine was simply adorned with the word “Architecture” in pale blue text.

I had ended up selecting volume one of four in a series entitled Meuser Architekten / Building and Projects 1995-2010, written by the principals of Mueser Architekten, a comprehensive design firm based in Berlin, Germany, with work done across the world.  Volume one focuses on Architecture, as expected; the other three encompass Interior Design, Diplomatic Missions, and Exhibitions/Signage.

Mueser Architekten: Architecture offers valuable insights into the philosophy and influences behind the firm’s modern design practice in Europe and Asia, focusing on three topics: urban construction, prefabrication, and conservation. In addition to summaries, photographs, and drawings of both their built and conceptual work, the Mueser principals preface each topic with beautifully arranged and thoughtful essays commenting on how they perceive their world, all while bringing in personal anecdotes and discourse from other experts in the field. Their written work touches on hot topics such as new construction materials, sustainability, the goals of modern architecture practice, conservation rationales and their morality, and more – and keep in mind, this is just volume one of four!

Architecture is a fascinating profession in the sense that it’s a career of continuous learning. Being versed in architectural history is imperative to its practice, yet history is also being written as we speak by today’s practitioners. Year after year, the field of architecture and design is always full of new interpretations, goals, conditions, perceptions of beauty and form; it’s never a static field, and that is certainly part of its draw.

It’s incredible how insight into professional practice and theory can influence your own design thinking and standards. Bold claims on new or controversial topics can help you develop your own personal design ethos, which has the potential to define you throughout your entire career. Mueser Architekten’s volume set offers up such claims, and whether or not you agree with all of them (I certainly didn’t!), they stimulate thinking through articulate and conversational writing. For example:

Truly modern construction methods must address the deficits of previous generations of builders and continue to spin the thread of history rather than scheming to come up with sensational architectural gimmicks. There is more at stake than who gets to appear on the covers of glossy magazines. (V.1, p. 42)

Clear claims such as these are found woven into each essay, and all of them made me consider both specific trends as well as the bigger picture of modern architecture as it’s practiced today. And to think, my total mind journey started just by picking up a book on a table that I’d never seen before – who would have thought?

As a newcomer to this library and university, my advice to all users of the Architecture & Planning Library is to explore beyond its preconceived boundaries. Bored with your assigned reading or struggling to make headway on your paper? Head to the New Books table or even the stacks. Pick out something that catches your eye. It just may end up being a source of inspiration.

Interested in reading the title discussed above?
Meuser Architekten GmbH. Meuser Architekten: Buildings and Projects 1995-2010. Berlin: DOM Publishers, 2011.
Here is the Library of Congress Call Number: NA 200 M48 2011 (click on the link to check its availability status)

For a list of recent Architecture & Planning Library arrivals over the past few weeks, please visit our Recent Arrivals feed.