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!
For those of you students that are considering studying abroad or are in search of the right program, a new partnership between UT and the University of Oslo in Norway has been finalized. Translation: students can spend a summer, semester, or year in Oslo and receive UT credit!
Interested in learning more about the programs available? An info session will be held Thursday, October 10th from 3:30-4:45pm at BUR 337. For more information, please email Peter Hess, Department Chair of Germanic Studies, at phess@austin.utexas.edu.
We hope this opportunity excites you as much as it does us!
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!
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 Interventionsshowcases 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
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)
Thanks to Gregory Street, one of our Library Student Supervisors, the Archive has begun collecting records of the UT chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS).
As he was busy packing up for his six-month residency at the firm Overland Partners, Gregory, the outgoing President of NOMAS, took time to make a special donation to the Alexander Architectural Archive. NOMAS was incredibly active this year, building their membership, conducting a service project for Mendez Middle School, and holding a “napkin sketch” competition. Such sketches often represent the seeds of designs that are later manifested in great buildings. This competition was NOMAS’ way of bringing together all programs and communities in the School while raising awareness of their organization. The result is a unique representation of student, faculty and staff work.
During one of our morning breaks, I asked Gregory what NOMAS planned to do with the sketches. We also discussed the importance of student organizations, and how it is difficult for members to ensure continuity and sustained knowledge for their leadership. That’s where the archive comes in! Especially during this era of centennial celebrations, we have seen a rise in scholars asking for information about the early days of programs and student life. Student organization records reflect what students deem most valuable at a particular time in their education and their professions. They reflect the work of future leaders. Gregory recognizes the value of his organization’s work, and his effort in donating the NOMAS napkin sketch competition documentation is very fitting, serving as the seed of the NOMAS chapter archive and future collaborations with the University of Texas Libraries. We look forward to supporting our student organizations and see a great future for NOMAS!
CURTAINS is a multi-site installation, exhibition, and publication event designed to explore the use of fabrics in contemporary art and architecture—not in the form of rigid tensile structures, nor in the form of cladding or upholstery, but in their more relaxed, natural forms: curtains associated with windows, yes, but also defining and activating spaces indoors and out, billowing overhead as canopies, catching and using wind like sails, creating shade, diffusing light, holding color in their folds, filtering views, absorbing sound, showing the wind, and making theater of the everyday.
The organizers will invite up to four artists/architects who choose a UT location to fabricate and install their proposals. A larger selection of the proposals received, considered solely on their artistic merits, will be published in the 19th volume of the award-winning book series CENTER: Architecture and Design in America as well as exhibited at the Mebane Gallery of Goldsmith Hall on the University of Texas campus entitled “Curtains.” The launch of CENTER 19: Curtains and the opening of the Curtains exhibition, with a keynote address by the artist Christo and an address by Petra Blaisse, is scheduled for October 18, 2013.
Round One of Proposals are due no later than March 14, 2013.
Wednesday, March 7th, the University of Texas School of Architecture’s Spring Lecture Series will feature Chris Meister. Chris recently published his book James Riely Gordon: his courthouses and other public architecture. Chris’ research took him near and far, but he spent a significant amount of time investigating Gordon’s core collection held at the Alexander Architectural Archive. In conjunction with the lecture, which will be held in Goldsmith Lecture Hall 3.120 at 5pm, the Archive will open its doors from 10am to 4pm that day to share some Gordon gems. The open house will also extend after Chris’ lecture, from 6 to 7pm.
The Gordon collection is an amazing resource and Chris has done a fine job scratching the surface for scholarship. Gordon was also an early proponent of copyright, passive energy design, professional associations, and the development of building codes in NYC.
Event: Research + Pizza features Matt Fajkus talking about his research in sustainable architecture. The event is free and open to the public. When: Noon, Wednesday, October 5 Where: The University of Texas at Austin, Perry-Castañeda Library, Room 2.500 (map). Background: The University of Texas Libraries second installment of Research + Pizza features School of Architecture professor Matt Fajkus who will talk about the Thermal Lab and sustainable architectural design strategies, focusing on building envelopes and efficient facade systems.
Fajkus’s research informed his part in the collaborative design of the Home Research Lab, built as part of the Pecan Street Smart Grid experiment to integrate scientific research with sustainable living strategies for the public. Free Pizza (while it lasts) generously provided to attendees by program supporter Austin’s Pizza. Research + Pizza is a lunchtime lecture series featuring research presentations by faculty from across the university.
Many remember Hal Box as an architect, dean, and visionary for architectural education, but Hal was also a great champion of libraries. He had a keen understanding that strong architecture programs are built on solid foundations. For Hal, this foundation included an architecture library, close at hand, where students and faculty could browse and check out books.
In January 2010, we were busily preparing for the School of Architecture centennial. As the school’s library, we were in effect preparing for our own grand anniversary, so I asked Hal if he wouldn’t mind providing an oral history. He graciously agreed and this is how I learned about Hal’s love and respect for libraries.
Hal’s experience with libraries started in early childhood when he attended East Texas State Teacher’s College training school for his elementary education. He lived two blocks from campus and on his walk home would stop at the college library. Hal described this building as similar to the University of Texas’ first library, Battle Hall, with a grand stairway leading to the second floor reading room. Hal spent many hours doing his homework in this space, and received great encouragement from its librarian.
In the late 1950s, as a young professional working with James Pratt, Hal became interested in developing a firm library, explaining “There were no architecture schools in Dallas and the public library didn’t have much on architecture.” Hal gained an early understanding of both the value and cost of an architecture library, as the firm spent a lot of money on journals. They built this library in their conference room and he even had his son catalog it! “That was really the first library I built.”
In 1971 Hal started the architecture school at UT Arlington in a small house off campus. It was about a quarter mile walk from the main library to the studio and the architecture books were shelved throughout three floors, so it was very difficult for them to use. A gift from the father of faculty member Peter Woods- a collection of grand Beaux Arts folios- inspired Hal to transform a small classroom into a library for his school. He obtained a $1,000 grant from the Texas Society of Architects and started to build the collection. His unorthodox collection plan also consisted of each faculty member checking out the maximum number of books from the main University Library and reshelving them all in his new library. The Head Librarian found out about it and called Hal. Hal recalled his response:
“Why don’t you come over and we’ll talk about it. He [the librarian] was just as angry as could be. I told him this is what we’re going to do. Architecture was not like history or English where you check out a book and in two weeks you read it. You want to browse through a whole lot of books, it’s mainly visual, and you had to be close to them because you want to use them while you are in studio. You’re not going to check them out for a week and take them home. You’re going to go over to the library and look up Aalto or Corbu and see how they did something and then proceed from there. Well then, he understood and we continued there.”
Hal secured a new building for the program and made sure that its design included both a library and slide collection. It was his good fortune that the director of the Fort Worth Museum of Art was married to a librarian, so he quickly hired her to oversee the library. “I think it was about that time we convinced the general library to establish a branch library.” (Hal then decided to “hire a young PhD from Berkeley” to help develop the library and slide collection. These collections were so important that despite not having money to bring him in for an interview, Hal hired Jay Henry sight unseen to conduct this work.)
In 1976, during his interview for Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas, Hal and a friend visited the Battle Hall library, which then housed a variety of subjects including architecture and planning. Earlier in 1973, architecture’s collections were transferred to Battle Hall. Hal and his friend compared their experiences as students using the architecture library. Hal’s library had a dedicated librarian and was just doors away from his studio, while his frustrated friend couldn’t find (browse) any architecture books because they were mixed in with other non-architecture subjects. Hal soon learned that there was great discussion of consolidating branch libraries into the Perry Casteñeda Library when it would open in 1977, further dispersing the services and collections from its School.
Harwell Hamilton Harris, Hal Box & donor David Barrow reviewing the newly acquired Harris archive.
In preparation of his meeting with UT President Lorene Rogers, Hal made a list of what the School needed, specifying the necessity its own branch library. Hal believe that “the library is more than just a bunch of books, it’s a place with services.” As part of his signing agreement, Battle Hall and Sutton became part of the School of Architecture’s campus when he became Dean. Hal continued to make it a priority to keep the library close by. In 1980, Battle Hall became home to the Architecture & Planning Library branch and the architectural drawings collection, now known as the Alexander Architectural Archive.
During this time, Hal initiated the renovation of the buildings on his architecture campus. Hal decided not to continue with the Battle Hall renovation because among other things, it would have displaced too much valuable stacks space. Even in my last meeting with Hal, he still struggled with the renovation of the University’s first library building.
“Libraries are sources of power… that knowledge they hold is power.” As Dean, Hal understood the constraints of a library budget and that the library did not have its own alumni from which to draw support. Also in his experience, the school could not recruit against Harvard because it didn’t have the research collections to support scholarship.
“One of my objectives, after I realized that this needed to be more than a professional school… [was that] it needed to involve the whole discipline of architecture- so we’re not just training professionals, we’re developing scholars… we’re developing people who will be active within the community. So it really started when we signed our first PhD… [and began] building a collection that would be vital to scholars. It was a very distinct objective to make this happen in the school, and that, just like a scientist… he’s got to have a laboratory. [If we could achieve this] we would be a major source for scholarship, and I think that has happened.”
As a member of the library council, Hal motioned for and pushed through a library fee for each student. He knew that it wasn’t much, but it helped a bit. Hal was also very hands-on with the library and archive. He chuckled when he told me about how he and Molly Malone single handedly moved the drawings from Blake Alexander’s closet in Goldsmith to Battle Hall, in preparation for the Goldsmith renovation. Through his many contacts, Hal was also instrumental in helping to obtain archival collections such as that of Howard Meyer, or Harwell Hamilton Harris, or finding funding for the purchase of the James Riely Gordon collection among others. As Dean, he even funded the early curators and until his death he was serving on the University of Texas Libraries Advisory Council.
More recently, Hal was enthusiastic about new technologies for teaching and research. He enjoyed learning about the great online resources the library offers, while at the same time found that there is still relatively very little published digitally in architecture. As Hal was preparing to close down his office at the School of Architecture, he offered the papers and books he had amassed over the years to the Architecture & Planning Library. We are grateful that we had the chance to thank him and to let him know how valuable many of these books will be to our collections.
Hal's books awaiting to be processed
From childhood, Hal was inspired by the architecture of libraries and their librarians, as a professional, he valued a firm library, and as a scholar he built his own personal library. For the University of Texas, he started and developed a branch library from the ground up in Arlington and in Austin secured a strong branch research library and archive close to his School. Hal understood and valued libraries from all perspectives. One of his fondest memories was in the library as a University of Texas architecture student in 1946. “Most students concentrated near the recent periodicals. They went there right away when they got a design problem. It was a good place. It was a happy place.”
Blog from the University of Texas Architecture and Planning Library
