Three Contractors

Three contractors were visiting a tourist attraction on the same day. One was from New York, another from Texas, and the third from the Florida
.
At the end of the tour, the guard asked them what they did for a living. When they all replied that they were contractors, the guard said, "Hey, we need one of the rear fences redone. Why don't you guys take a look at it and give me a bid?" So, off they went to check it out.

First to step up was the Florida contractor. He took out his tape measure and pencil, did some measuring and said, "Well, I figure the job will run about $900. $400 for materials, $400 for my crew, and $100 profit for me."

Next was the Texas contractor. He also took out his tape measure and pencil, did some quick figuring and said, "Looks like I can do this job for $700. $300 for materials, $300 for my crew, and $100 profit for me."

Without so much as moving, the New York contractor said, "$2,700."

The guard, incredulous, looked at him and said, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?"

"Easy," he said. "$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you and we hire the guy from Texas."

Daniel Libeskind's Spiral Museum

A Blow, Perhaps Fatal, for Libeskind's Spiral in London
By ALAN RIDING




ONDON, July 27 ˜ Eight years after the Victoria and Albert Museum chose Daniel Libeskind's radical design for a modern extension, the building still exists only on paper. Now, for the third time, the museum has been refused public money for the project, and it looks increasingly unlikely that the Spiral, as the extension is called, will ever be built.

In theory its striking tumbling-boxes look is not the issue. But from the moment the Spiral was chosen over seven competing designs in 1996, it has stirred passionate debate here, dividing traditionalists from those eager to see London embrace avant-garde architecture. And inevitably this controversy has shadowed the museum's arduous search for financing. The project's estimated cost started out at $72 million (in today's dollars) and rose to $160 million this spring before Mr. Libeskind found ways to reduce it to $110 million to improve its financing prospects.

The museum's choice of Mr. Libeskind's design was certainly daring. At the time this Polish-born American architect was largely unknown. Three years later he won international acclaim for the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Since then his master plan for ground zero has made him a household name in New York. But his new fame may not suffice to save the Spiral.

So far private donors have pledged $55 million, and the museum was gambling that a grant of public money would encourage more private contributions. But last week the Heritage Lottery Fund turned down its request for $27 million. And with no other government or private money in view, the Spiral's fate may well be sealed when the museum's trustees meet here on Sept. 16.

Mark Jones, the museum's director, has fought long and hard for the Libeskind extension, but he conceded that the lottery fund's decision "seriously jeopardizes the future of the Spiral." And he added: "London badly needs great contemporary architecture. I believe the Spiral would be a symbol of London's pre-eminence in design. Let's hope a private donor can be found."

Mr. Libeskind was more sanguine. "Of course it was a disappointment," he said in a telephone interview from Denver, where he is building an extension to the Denver Art Museum. "Cultural projects have always been difficult if they have some boldness to them. But being the optimist that I am, I think this will be built ultimately. Of course, it needs government funding."

But this seems improbable, and some London newspapers have already begun to write obituaries for a project that would have been, if realized, the city's first major work of contemporary architecture associated with a cultural institution.

Some people will celebrate the demise of what they considered a shocking addition to the Victorian facades on the Exhibition Road side of the museum. William Rees-Mogg, a former editor of The Times of London, wrote somewhat hyperbolically in 1996 that its construction would be "a disaster for the Victoria and Albert Museum in particular and for civilization in general." And opposition to the Spiral remains virulent.

Others, including some leading British architecture critics, applauded the museum's audacity. English Heritage, a government watchdog body, said the Spiral "is a superb design of outstanding innovation and could herald a watershed in public taste." No less crucially, in November 1998, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea gave the Spiral its planning permission. What was missing was money.

By the late 1990's, a plan to use profits from a new national lottery toward "good causes" was helping to renovate the Royal Opera House, the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery and to transform an abandoned power plant into the Tate Modern. But the Victoria and Albert was slow to apply for lottery money. When it finally did so in 2000, the Millennium Commission turned it down on the ground that the Spiral was "insufficiently distinctive."

Still, from the day he succeeded Alan Borg as director in May 2001, Mr. Jones has embraced the Spiral as a symbol of the museum's commitment to both contemporary design and the decorative arts. "The V.&A. was founded to show the best of contemporary design to inspire Britain's creative industries," Mr. Jones said in an interview. "The Spiral would give us a new exciting space to do this in a building which is itself outstanding and an inspiration."

Meanwhile, he set about modernizing the museum, not only by dropping entrance charges and organizing crowd-pulling shows like "Art Deco 1910-1939" and "Vivienne Westwood" but also with structural changes. New British Galleries, costing $55 million, including $31.7 million in lottery funds, were inaugurated late in 2001. A new Islamic Gallery, paid for with a $9.7 million private donation, will open in 2006. And new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries are planned for 2009 at a cost of $45 million.

But the Spiral was stalled, even though it had the support of the government. The government does not control the bodies that since 1995 have given $10 billion in lottery money to some 160,000 cultural projects of all sizes. And over the winter it became apparent that only a lottery grant could get the Spiral off the ground. When the Arts Council of England refused a request for $9 million in February, the museum looked to the Heritage Lottery Fund as its best hope for rescuing the project.

After cost estimates grew to $160 million, Mr. Libeskind found a way of reducing its price tag, to encourage a positive response from the fund.

"I'm not interested in building an eight-year-old building in London," he said. "The building has evolved, it hasn't remained static. I dropped the heavy tiles. It will now have ceramic. It has been value engineered in a very contemporary way. It has become more flexible as the V.&A. programs have evolved. But it is no less bold and exciting. It has the same mission: how do you open this museum to a new public?"

Had the Heritage Lottery Fund approved the Spiral grant, the museum would have needed just $28 million more to complete the project. Instead the fund, which has distributed $5.8 billion in the last decade, gave $27 million to Oxford's Ashmolean Museum and $19.8 million to restore a canal in the Cotswolds. Carole Souter, the fund's director, said the board decided that while "both imaginative and technically impressive," the Spiral would not deliver major heritage benefits.

Mr. Jones was perplexed. "The V.&A. is one of the greatest guardians of the nation's heritage," he said, noting that the Spiral would extend the museum's historic mission into the future.

"It's not that I need another museum project," Mr. Libeskind said. "I've got four museums in North America. I've got new museums in Milan, Prague and Dresden. But I believe in this process. I believe it is so important for this institution and for the spirit of London, which is, after all, a great city. Who knows, maybe in the 21st century a building like this could be done with private funding. I don't think it should, but who knows?"

The expectation in museum circles, however, is that if no major new private contribution turns up in the next few weeks, the museum trustees will abandon the Spiral in September.

"You know, it's funny," Mr. Libeskind said, "a lot of people in America say, `When I went to London I looked for the Spiral.' Well, it hasn't been built yet. The irony is that it has been around, people refer to it and relate to it. The only thing that is missing is the building."

7 words you simply must know

(from msn.com)

British novelist Evelyn Waugh once said, "One forgets words as one forgets names. One's vocabulary needs constant fertilisation or it will die." Editors at MSN Encarta picked some of their favorite words to nourish your vocabulary. Some of them you may even use.

1. Defenestrate : "throw somebody or something out of window: to throw something or somebody out of a window (formal or humorous)"
It is quite entertaining to defenestrate paper airplanes.

2. Antipodes:
1. "places at opposite sides of world: places at opposite sides of the world from each other, or the areas at the side of the world opposite from a given place"
2. "opposites: two points, places, or things that are diametrically opposite each other"
One could say that Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli and Warren "Potsie" Weber are antipodes.

3. Hallux: "first digit on the foot: the big toe on the human foot, or the first digit on the hind foot of some mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians (technical)"
The ballerina had her hallux insured for $10 million!

4. Otiose: 
   1. "not effective: with no useful result or practical purpose" 
  2. "worthless: with little or no value" 
   3. "lazy: unwilling or uninterested in working or being active (archaic)"
Will e-mail render traditional letter writing otiose? Let's hope not.

5. Pellucid: 
   1. "clear in meaning: easy to understand or clear in meaning (formal)"
   2. "transparent: allowing all or most light to pass through (literary)" 
The police officer's warning was pellucid: drivers must go the speed limit in the school zone.

6. Borborygmus: "stomach rumble: the rumbling sounds made by the movement of gases in the stomach and intestine (technical)"
If you lay your head on someone's stomach, you are likely to hear borborygmus.

7. Embrangle: "perplex somebody: to confuse, perplex, or entangle somebody or something (archaic)"
As Lord Needlebottom attempted to explain the rules of cricket, his American friends became more and more embrangled.

My Architect: A Son's Journey

Salk Institute for Biological Studies designed by Louis Khan

I remember the first time I saw the movie "The Fountainhead" some years ago. I liked it a lot. I liked it not because it had a good story or that the quality of the film was superb. In fact I'd take the book version over the movie version anytime of the day. The real reason why I liked it was simply because it's a movie about an architect doing architecture.

Well thank goodness it is far from being the last movie in that vein with the showing of the movie "My Architect: A Son's Journey".  In fact, with the appearances of a number of notable architects in the movie, like I.M. Pei, Philip Johnson, Frank Gehry and others, it just might be a little bit better.

I've first heard about this documentary by Louis Khan's son about his father when it was nominated for an award in the recently concluded Academy Awards. It was soon released afterwards in a very limited run, probably because only the most "hardcore" architect types would be the only ones who would want to see it.

Well, my willingness to drive for almost 5 hours one way to the only movie house showing it that was closest to my city would probably merit me an invitation to the "hardcore" architect's hall of fame. Sadly, the trip was cut short as the movie theater was forced to ship the film back to its producers posthaste. Apparently there weren't enough architects in the state of Florida to make it profitable. My heart of course was broken.

Fortunately, before my grief drove me to begin carving the words "I *heart* architecture" onto my chest with the tip of a 30x40 triangle, the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects has announced the showing of the said movie during its annual convention. They will even be serving popcorn and soda to those who will come to see it. Salvation. Needless to say, I'm there.

Here's the official synopsis of the movie:

MY ARCHITECT is a tale of love and art, betrayal and forgiveness -- in which the illegitimate son of a legendary artist undertakes a five year, worldwide exploration to understand his long-dead father.

Louis I. Kahn, who died in 1974, is considered by many architectural historians to have been the most important architect of the second half of the twentieth century. A Jewish immigrant who overcame poverty and the effects of a devastating childhood accident, Kahn created a handful of intensely powerful and spiritual buildings -- geometric compositions of brick, concrete and light -- which, in the words of one critic, “change your life.”

While Kahn's artistic legacy was an uncompromising search for truth and clarity, his personal life was filled with secrets and chaos: He died, bankrupt and unidentified, in the men's room in Penn Station, New York, leaving behind three families -- one with his wife of many years and two with women with whom he'd had long-term affairs. In MY ARCHITECT, the child of one of these extra-marital relationships, Kahn's only son Nathaniel, sets out on an epic journey to reconcile the life and work of this mysterious, contradictory man.

The riveting narrative leads us from the subterranean corridors of Penn Station to the roiling streets of Bangladesh (where Kahn built the astonishing Capital), and from the coast of New England to the inner sanctums of Jerusalem politics. Along the way, we encounter a series of characters that are by turns fascinating, hilarious, adoring and critical: from the cabbies who drove Kahn around his native Philadelphia, to former lovers and clients, to the rarified heights of the world's most celebrated architects -- Frank Gehry, I.M. Pei and Philip Johnson among them.

In MY ARCHITECT, the filmmaker reveals the haunting beauty of his father's monumental creations and takes us deep within his own divided family, uncovering a world of prejudice, intrigue and the myths that haunt parents and children. In a documentary with the emotional impact of a dramatic feature film (including an original orchestral score), Nathaniel's personal journey becomes a universal investigation of identity, a celebration of art and ultimately, of life itself.

Building Collapses in Divisoria: An Architectural Whodunit

The Victim

Friday at around 10:30 a.m. in the morning, an 8-story building had begun to lean precariously over Padre Rada Street, Tondo at the very heart of Dvisoria.

6 hours later, at 4:40 p.m., it had completely collapsed as it dove face first onto the concrete street.

Now it lies broken and shattered.

Dead.

 
The Suspects
 
1. The designers - Is this a case of incompetence? Was someone negligent? Was someone sleeping on the job? 

2. The builders - Poor execution? Did they misinterpret the plans? Did they cut too many corners? Did they cheat on the materials?  

3. Rapid progress - Did multiple construction projects around the building cause its foundation to weaken?

4. The building officials - Did someone turn a blind eye to something? Was someone corrupt? Did they not do their  job?

Or.......  did they all work together? 

UP TFA: Finalist in Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards

On its second year, the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (of the Philippines) Awards or the TAYO Awards, sponsored by the National Youth Commission (NYC), will hold its awarding ceremony tomorrow. Out of the 20 finalists, 2 are from the University of the Philippines -- UP Mu Sigma Phi Fraternity and UP Task Force Arki. The UP Mu Sigma Phi, the first fraternity organized and recognized by the UP College of Medicine, was cited for its medical missions. On the other hand, UP Task Force Arki was noted for its pabahay assistance in Tondo (in cooperation with SAPSPA).

About TAYO

The NYC together with the Office of Senator Kiko Pangilinan hopes that the search will serve to recognize, reward and encourage the outstanding achievements of youth organizations in the service of their communities and the country.

By recognizing the contributions of these groups, TAYO emphasizes how unity and the collective effort among the youth promote nation building while setting a high standard for the kind of service young Filipinos provide.

The TAYO covers the accomplishments of organizations from the following categories: Business, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship; Capability-Building and Education; Communications and Media; Community Development; Culture and the Arts; Environmental Protection and Conservation; Information Technology and Public Health.

UP TFA on National Television

Early this morning, the TAYO Awards Finalists were guested in the show "Breakfast" hosted by the NYC Chairman Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV. Representing UP TFA is this year's chairperson Paolo Aguilar, who they claim to be a look-a-like of Wuzzup Wuzzup's Tadjock Archie Alemania. During the interview, Aguilar expressed, "...architectural services are not only for people who can afford it." It will not be a surprise if UP TFA will make it to the top ten as its kind of public service was truly unique. Its advocacy is timely. Its mobilization is tested. Its dedication is genuine. It was just a brief tv exposure and a short interview and only a few things were said about the org, but it surely made me proud to say I , as a past member, was part of the achievement.

For further announcements, visit NYC's website

Patterns of Exploitation

The following editorial was published in 1991 in the out-of-print periodical, Progressive Architecture. It was again republished in 2000 because the incident that sparked the article was repeated in a different school--another all-nighter, another car accident, another death. I am posting it here again because sadly it is still as relevant as before.

Last semester, a student at an architecture school, who had been putting in long hours to complete his final project, drove home to change for the jury, lost control of his car, and was killed. One wants to say that such a senseless loss was an isolated incident. But for those of us who survived architecture school-"five-year fraternity hazing," as one architect recently called it-we know that abuses of the body and mind were legion and that any one of us, exposed to the same hazard near the end of a semester, could have suffered the fate of that student.

Some schools of architecture have begun to acknowledge the pressure placed on students and the concomitant risks that go with it. A few schools have even taken steps to change the situation: coordinating assignment due dates, for example, or providing psychological counseling on demand. Such efforts are commendable, but they mostly address the symptoms rather than the underlying causes of students' exhaustion and overwork.

That may be because the reasons are complex and deep-rooted in the profession. First, there is the fraternity aspect of architecture, where the pressure on students and interns, in particular, becomes a kind of rite of passage or, less generously, a weeding out of those unfit for membership in the club. Then there is the macho approach that sees students and recent graduates in need of toughening up if they are to make it in this field. Finally, there is the romanticized image of the architect-as-suffering-artist, which, if less overt, remains widespread in the schools and, as it is internalized by students, may inhibit them from protesting their conditions.

At issue is not the value or even the necessity of hard work, commitment, or dedication. There has never been, and probably never will be, a lack of that among students and recent graduates who are serious about becoming architects. The question is: When do we cross the fine line between hard work and exploitation? The answer, I think, depends upon who is to gain from the extra effort.

For example, some schools have begun to reduce the length of semesters, in part to save money on utility costs. That, combined with the need to cover more material within the architecture curricula, can greatly add to the time pressures on students. It is difficult to see how this benefits students or, put another way, it is easy to see how students' willingness to work hard can be abused.

Taking advantage of such willingness becomes even greater once these students graduate and take entry-level jobs in offices. Here, architects with the greatest reputations are sometimes the worst offenders, allowing students and recent graduates, for instance to work for little or no pay. The irony is that such treatment of employees may, in the long run, harm a firm. Some offices, according to an architecture professor who studies such matters, have not adopted computer technology because of the plentiful supply of inexpensive labor from students and recent graduates.

Exploitation thus becomes institutionalized: Some firms come to depend upon overworked, underpaid staff to survive, and they resist even talking about the problem. One dean of architecture mentioned the exploiting of employees as a topic that should be addressed; "That was the only subject they never got around to discussing," he says.

The architecture profession, of course, is not alone in mistreating its young. The medical profession is probably worse, for its formalized internship programs, intended to give recent graduates a full range of experience, also force them into working unconscionably long hours for relatively low pay. One difference is that the medical profession, in part forced by the life-or-death errors that exhausted interns can make, has begun to openly discuss and seriously address the problem.

This can be a life-or-death issue for the architecture profession as well, not only individually but also collectively. Once exploitation becomes part of the culture of a group, it tends to perpetuate itself, just as abused youths are more likely to become abusive parents. It also tends to color all relationships. How much does the mistreatment that architects accept from developers, for example, have to do with the tacit acceptance of such behavior within the profession's own ranks?

Resolving the problem will require further effort by faculty and administrators at schools, more teeth in the pertinent section of the architect's code of ethics, and a stronger stigma being attached to the exploitation of employees. But most of all, it will demand that students and recent graduates simply not take it anymore.

On Writing Well

The secret to good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that’s already in the verb…there are a thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of the sentence.
 
How can we achieve such freedom from clutter? The answer is to clear our heads of clutter. Clear thinking becomes clear writing, one can’t exist without the other.
 
Writers must therefore constantly ask, what am I trying to say? Surprisingly often they don’t know. Then they must look at what they have written and ask: have I said it? Look for the clutter in your writing and prune it ruthlessly. Be grateful for everything you can throw away.
 
Reexamine every sentence you put on paper. Is every word doing new work? Can any thought be expressed with more economy? Is anything pompous or prententious or faddish? Are you carrying on to something useless just because you think it’s beautiful?
 
Simplify, simplify.
 
***
 
Style is who you are. You only need to be true to yourself to find it gradually emerging from under the accumulated clutter and debris, growing more distinctive everyday. Just as it takes time to find yourself as a person, it takes time to find yourself as a stylist, and even then your style will change as you grow  older.
 
Express who you are. Relax and say what you want to say.
 
-- condensed from the book On Writing Well, by William Zisner
 
 
Read it again, and see that it’s true for design as well.

New Urbanism: An Introduction

New Urbanism is the most important planning movement this century, and is about creating a better future for us all. It is an international movement to reform the design of the built environment, and is about raising our quality of life and standard of living by creating better places to live. New Urbanism is the revival of our lost art of place-making, and is essentially a re-ordering of the built environment into the form of complete cities, towns, villages, and neighborhoods - the way communities have been built for centuries around the world. New Urbanism involves fixing and infilling cities, as well as the creation of compact new towns and villages. 



New Urbanism promotes the creation and restoration of diverse, walkable, compact, vibrant, mixed-use communities composed of the same components as conventional development, but assembled in a more integrated fashion, in the form of complete communities. These contain housing, work places, shops, entertainment, schools, parks, and civic facilities essential to the daily lives of the residents, all within easy walking distance of each other. New Urbanism promotes the increased use of trains and light rail, instead of more highways and roads. Urban living is rapidly becoming the new hip and modern way to live for people of all ages. Currently, there are over 500 New Urbanist projects planned or under construction in the United States alone, half of which are in historic urban centers.
 
The principles of New Urbanism can be applied increasingly to projects at the full range of scales from a single building to an entire community.
 
1. Walkability
 
Most things within a 10-minute walk of home and work-Pedestrian friendly street design (buildings close to street; porches, windows & doors; tree-lined streets; on street parking; hidden parking lots; garages in rear lane; narrow, slow speed streets) -Pedestrian streets free of cars in special cases
 
2. Connectivity
 
Interconnected street grid network disperses traffic & eases walking-A hierarchy of narrow streets, boulevards, and alleys-High quality pedestrian network and public realm makes walking pleasurable
 
3. Mixed-Use & Diversity
 
A mix of shops, offices, apartments, and homes on site. Mixed-use within neighborhoods, within blocks, and within buildings-Diversity of people - of ages, classes, cultures, and races
 
4. Mixed Housing 
 
A range of types, sizes and prices in closer proximity
 
5. Quality Architecture & Urban Design 
 
Emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human comfort, and creating a sense of place; Special placement of civic uses and sites within community. Human scale architecture & beautiful surroundings nourish the human spirit
 
6. Traditional Neighborhood Structure
 
Discernable center and edge-Public space at center-Importance of quality public realm; public open space designed as civic art-Contains a range of uses and densities within 10-minute walk-Transect planning: Highest densities at town center; progressively less dense towards the edge. The transect is an analytical system that conceptualizes mutually reinforcing elements, creating a series of specific natural habitats and/or urban lifestyle settings. The Transect integrates environmental methodology for habitat assessment with zoning methodology for community design. The professional boundary between the natural and man-made disappears, enabling environmentalists to asses the design of the human habitat and the urbanists to support the viability of nature. This urban-to-rural transect hierarchy has appropriate building and street types for each area along the continuum.
 
7. Increased Density
 
More buildings, residences, shops, and services closer together for ease of walking, to enable a more efficient use of services and resources, and to create a more convenient, enjoyable place to live.-New Urbanism design principles are applied at the full range of densities from small towns, to large cities
 
8. Smart Transportation
 
A network of high-quality trains connecting cities, towns, and neighborhoods together-Pedestrian-friendly design that encourages a greater use of bicycles, rollerblades, scooters, and walking as daily transportation
 
9. Sustainability
 
Minimal environmental impact of development and its operations-Eco-friendly technologies, respect for ecology and value of natural systems-Energy efficiency-Less use of finite fuels-More local production-More walking, less driving
 
10. Quality of Life
 
Taken together these add up to a high quality of life well worth living, and create places that enrich, uplift, and inspire the human spirit.

Sustainable Design Innovations

The lecture, entitled Sustainable Design Innovations for Tomorrow's Communities, was held July 16, 2004 at the Social Science Building of the Ateneo University in Katipunan Quezon City. The main speaker, Max. O. Lindegger, a Director at Ecological Solutions, Pty. Ltd. and the founding Director of the International Global Village Network, is an ecological community developer and consultant with an engineering background. 

In his lecture and slide presentation, Lindegger described a number of alternative communities in rural, suburban, and urban areas in Oceania, Europe, and the Americas, including the World Habitat Award winning Crystal Waters in subtropical Eastern Australia.  He also explained concepts such as the restoration of brownfield sites, urban and suburban infill, rammed earth construction, solar energy, wastewater recycling, permaculture, and other sustainable design innovations.  All in all, he emphasized a holistic approach to sustainable design, to address both social and spiritual needs in addition to the universal need for clean air, water, land and food. Finally, Lindegger shared his dream of an integrated suburban and rural culture that essentially lives within its means.  Lindegger ended his lecture with an invitation to contact or visit him at Crystal Waters.  
 

 
The lecture was organized by the United Architects of the Philippines Green Architecture Movement, the Philippine Business for the Environment, and the Ateneo University Environmental Science Department. 

Arkiboks Banned!

I haven't been able to visit Arkiboks for a while because I was out of state. You'd think that with the advent of mobile computing and the internet accessing a site from anywhere shouldn't be a problem. Well it was.

I was up in the state of Tennessee and the network I was using was managed by the Tennessee Board of Education. Apparently the Arkiboks site has been blocked because it was deemed inappropriate.

Here's the message that popped up when I tried going to the Arkiboks site:

http://www.arkiboks.blogspot.com/ has been identified as inappropriate and blocked by your Tennessee Department of Education Internet Usage Policy.
Access to web sites that have been identified as providing inappropriate content will be blocked. This determination is based upon various content categories. Content identified as inappropriate includes:

- adult-oriented material,

- extremist-militant material,

- racist or hate-oriented material, and

- incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority (seditious material).

I almost laughed myself to tears when I read the message. It was funny, no doubt about it. On the other hand though, as I eventually gained my composure and gave myself a few seconds to think, you can say that it's a little disturbing as well.

I can only speak for myself but I would like to think that one of the main reasons most people post here in Arkiboks is to share what they know. We might call it something like a system of peer-to-peer education. It is the ultimate irony then for Arkiboks to be deemed inappropriate by an educational institution.

Hopefully it is our thought provoking posts more than our sometimes not so civil decorum in the comments sections that makes us deserving of this unusual distinction.

Bok Doc # 1: First Jobs

Bok Talk # 1 was successfully held last July 10, 2004 at Starbucks Café, The Podium, Ortigas from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Six people -- Pon, Johannes, Raymond, Lems, Manny, Clarice, and Mark attended the discussion. It consisted of three parts: introduction, sharing and summary of common issues.

(Note: We had no recorder so the following is based on my notes – it’s a subjective documentation -- please correct me if I misquoted anyone, or if you want to add anything. Those who weren't able to attend, feel free to share you first job experiences. Scroll down to Part 3 if you just want to read the summary)

PART 1: Introduction
The participants introduced themselves stated their expectations.

Johannes, employed in a government office, said he expected the group to make a stand.

Raymond, self-employed/freelance architect, said that being a young architect is an uphill battle. Quoting another architect, he said “kinakain yung mga bata” in this profession. Bok Talk, he said, was a way to share one another’s experiences.

Lems, who works in a construction firm, said it could be a “support group” – tulong-tulong sa isa’t isa.

Manny, who works in a consulting firm, saw it as a friendly exchange of ideas, where people could voice out their emotions.

Mark, self-confessed bum (and planning to get a masters degree abroad soon), said “I’m one of those architecture will save the world people.” He was frustrated by his education, and wanted to be with people who cared about what they do.

Clarice, the youngest in the group, said she expected to learn from her “ates and kuyas.” “I want to save the world, but one step at a time.” She expects the group to grow.

Pon recounted how arkiboks was first formed. It was initially planned to be a newsletter-type website, but it became a blog instead, because it was the easiest to start and was self-sustaining. Bok Talk is an extension of the concept of arkiboks – the expression and sharing of ideas.

PART 2: Sharing

Johannes, volunteer moderator, asked everyone to share their experience on their first job, with the following guide questions: (1)How did you get your first job? (2)What were your expectations? Were they met? (3)What did you do on your first day? (4)What were your memorable experiences? (5)What were the lessons that you learned?

Raymond

His dad is an architect, so he was influenced early on to go into the profession. Technically, his first job was with his dad. Typical of Chinese family businesses, he was expected to work there. His dad said, “o, graduate ka na – trabaho ka na dito.” He was given a time card and assigned to do manual drafting. “Nakakaantok pag drafting…matipid kami, so naturally ventilated yung room...mainit.” The “masayang part” was going to the site. His first site visit was a residential project – where he learned how to walk along C-joists. He was going, “okay, san ako aapak?”…and he learned that you shouldn’t stop in the middle. His first lessons on the site were: mind your balance, and be alert. He says though, “if you work for relatives, you take things for granted – I realized I won’t learn as much.” When business took a downturn, he decided to work for another firm.

Lems

He got his job through texting the boss, a former professor of his. It so happened there was an opening. The boss was busy on the day he went to the office, so he got interviewed in the boss’ car. Initially he didn’t want to go into construction. “Tinutulugan ko talaga yan nung college.” He was assigned to do structural plans first. He didn’t know how to do CAD, so he had to learn from officemates. From structural plans, he got to join bidding conferences and do as-built plans. Eight months into the job, he was assigned to manage construction projects like restaurants and retail shops. He experienced eating with laborers, and sampling dishes like “pancit canton na hinalo sa mami at kanin.” He also experienced spending the night at the construction site. He grew to like construction work. He says it’s a challenge to maintain the workers and deal with clients. “Mahirap din maningil,” he says. He eventually decided to put up a construction company with some acquaintances.

Manny

After graduation, a friend called him up if he could do Photoshop work for their design firm, on a contractual basis. He agreed, but when he got there he was also assigned to do other work. After two weeks, he transferred to another design firm, the office of which was right across where he worked. He was assigned to do design schemes, which would be sent to the head architect’s house at the end of the day. The drawings would then come back to him with red marks, much like a design plate. Eventually he was assigned to go to the site. “Minsan hindi mo talaga alam kung anong gagawin mo” he says. He learned to have the initiative to do things, and be more creative. He went to the site every week, but realized later “kelangan pala magpaalam” because the boss was wondering where he was. He decided to leave because he wanted to learn more.

Mark

Mark recounted his first job working in the family’s hardware store. It was put up by his father, who studied architecture in Mapua. His father would give him Sir Banister Fletcher’s “History of Architecture” to read during his free time, as if it was a pocketbook. “After five minutes, lumuluha na yung mga mata ko!” Because of his experience in the hardware store, he entered college with knowledge of materials – but not how to put them together. During his summers in college, he apprenticed with some prominent architects. In one firm, he was “tagakutkot ng print sa tracing paper.” There was also a span of two months where he did nothing but schedules of beams and girders. He also worked for a planning firm, whose head he wrote an article about, as a “visionary.” He was happy to be in the firm, especially since he got to work with a bunch of people who really loved their job. He was disillusioned in a major way, however, as he realized that the ‘visionary’ he admired was really a fraud – “a profiteer pretending to be a prophet.”

Clarice

She got her job in a large architectural firm through referrals by her dad’s friends. Her first lesson: “contacts are important, but at the end of the day, you want to feel that your worth is based on what you can do.” She described the firm as “very corporate.” She felt it was mostly a production firm, however, whose bread and butter was doing working drawings for design consultants. For three months she was assigned to do CAD. “I have a short attention span. After three months, burn-out na ako sa CAD.” It happened there was an opening for a specs writer. She took it, because people said “specs writing was not for everyone.” (In other words, “no one else could take this shit.”) For another three months she stared at MS Word, day in and day out. She did learn a lot about materials, and got to establish contacts with suppliers. She was expecting to learn about all the aspects of architecture, so when she heard a design team was going to be formed, she asked her boss if she could join it. Her boss said yes, but it took a long time to materialize, so she decided to quit. She transferred to a landscape architecture firm. It was not as exciting as architecture, (“kasi halaman, di ba?”) but she tried to learn as much as she could about landscaping, even memorizing the names of some plants. She was happier there. “A big firm will give you the prestige, but a small firm will give you the training.”

Pon

She wanted to have a “transition” job, so she chose to work in a government office because it would be more “relaxed” compared to a private firm. The boss assigned her to do the drawings for a new school building. This project enabled her to experience the whole architectural process from design to construction. The 8-5 schedule of the office (with no overtime) also allowed her to do other things like learn how to do websites, take up a sculpture class, and enroll in a few units for a postgraduate course. What she missed, though, was brainstorming design as a group, like what she did in college, since their design team rarely met. When the school building was done, she decided to try other things, and applied for another job in a magazine.

Johannes

He went to work for a design firm he had really high expectations of. He lasted only six months however. “I wasn’t really happy…isa lang ang kaibigan ko.” He was assigned to do drafting, with little design work. He was looking for a master-apprentice relationship. His expectations were crushed. “For the first six months, I saw the boss only once.” He tried to look for other mentors in the company, but the head architect was a “really cranky guy,” and there was this specs writer who “had her own kingdom.” He realized “wala na yung ok na tao dun” that he had heard of before. He did learn a lot, but felt he couldn’t grow there and decided to transfer to another office. In this office, most people had families, and the culture was different. “ Walang B.I.” He was also a draftsman, but he also got the opportunity to do design – as well as learn the different trades like plumbing, electrical and mechanical aspects. He also got to go to the site and talk with clients. He still works there.


PART 3: ISSUES

1. The experiences shared were diverse – from a working in a big corporate firm, a government office, a small firm, to working for your father. Surprisingly, no one brought up pay. Everyone acknowledged that the first job is not really about the pay, but of experience and how much you can learn. It was taken for granted that you can’t really expect much at the start. Somebody did mention that in some cases, people can get exploited – some apprentices have to work for year before they get paid.

2. Is it better to work in a big firm or small firm? In a big firm, hierarchy is more established. Some small firms tend to be family firms. Participants agreed that it’s good to experience both. It really depends on the person: Some feel more comfortable in a hierarchy that they can ascend step by step, and some feel more comfortable in a small firm, especially if they like the people. In a big firm, if you hate your boss it’s easier to avoid him. In a big firm, the work tends to get more specialized, while in a small firm, you need to know all aspects. It depends on the bosses, but big firms sometimes do delegate design work to junior architects or draftsmen. The culture of firms also tends to be based on the management style or personality of the owner.

3. Most expressed their desire for finding a good mentor. What is a good mentor? Someone who actually cared about your progress as a designer; someone whom you are accountable to and vice versa. Someone who was open to suggestions, encouraged you to think, and would ask you questions like: are you challenged? Do you need room for growth?. Someone who would say “I want to see what you can do with this,” not “do it this way.” Someone who did not want to stop learning themselves. Finding a mentor is a process of finding someone you have a connection with, with similar interests and goals. Establishing rapport, trust, and open communication is important. Someone voiced out though that “it’s hard to find credible mentors.” Participants agreed that a mentor doesn’t necessarily have to be a boss; he or she could be a coworker. Maybe a mentor doesn’t even have to be an architect. He doesn’t even have to be a genius, or be that good – you might even learn from his incompetence. What if you can’t find a mentor? You have to fend for yourself – learn from experience, read a lot. You can establish a sense of credibility for yourself , some form of accomplishment, because in time you might become a mentor yourself. At some stage, you might outgrow your mentor.

4. On learning: one said that in order to learn “you really have to find it for yourself; if you only take what’s coming then you're not going to get it.” One needs to try different things, and take risks. You might lose something along the way, but you’ll learn. It’s ideal to experience a project from start to finish, dealing with all the aspects, rather than just focusing on drafting or specs writing. When projects become large in scale however, it’s difficult to achieve this. One big project can easily stretch to five years or more, and as an employee you might come in at different stages. A house might be a good first project, because of the smaller scale.

5. How did their experience in their first job change their perspective? For some, it made them want to do more. ‘If you can’t get somebody to do it right, then do it yourself.’ It was a challenge to become better. One said he wanted to try to make the business system more efficient and effective.

6. So how do you make the most of your first job? Some thoughts: “earn your self-worth and know what’s it’s worth.” “Know what you want.” “Go where you are most comfortable.” Even if it’s the smallest task, do it well and try to find a sense of dignity in what you are doing. “Live the life.” If you choose to be an architect, know the risks and what’ll you’ll get (like low pay). “Find your niche.” “Design is overrated -- if everyone was a designer, would anything get built?”

Sustainable Design Innovations for Tomorrow’s Communities

Friday, July 16, 2004, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Social Sciences Bldg. Conference Rm. 1 & 2 (1st Bldg. from Gate 3) Ateneo University, Katipunan Q.C.

ABOUT THE LECTURE
The lecture describes principles and applications of Sustainable Design for human habitats and settlements to create environments where people live, work and play in balance with nature. It implements holistic living systems which are ecologically sustainable, economically viable, and socially just, using leading edge techniques in energy, road design, solid waste, water and wastewater management. Examples are the World Habitat award-winning Crystal Waters Village and other EcoVillage Models.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Max. O. Lindegger is Director at Ecological Solutions, Pty. Ltd. established in 1991, to design and create holistic living systems and developments. He is a designer of ecological communities and sustainable systems of international repute with 20 years experience and leadership in the field. He is Founding Director of the International Global Village Network. He was awarded the (Australian) Prime Minister’s Centenary Medal for “distinguished achievement in the field of developing sustainable communities” in 2003.

FREE REGISTRATION
Pls. confirm attendance to tel. no. 8245209 / 09195063891 / archadejesus@yahoo.com
Arch. Amado P. de Jesus, Jr., Founding Chairman and Member, Green Architecture Movement, United Architects of the Philippines

Name the CCP Building

The Cultural Center of the Philippines is holding a search for a new name for its main building, ending on July 31. The submitted name must be that of a person, living or dead, or an institution that would embody the nature of the CCP. It could also be an acronym, pet name, or abstract concept related to arts and culture.

It should be in harmony with the CCP's programs and the CCP Development plan, which has been initiated by the Cultural Center's president, Nestor O. Jardin. The Plan seeks to transform the CCP Complex into the country's major cultural, ecological and tourism landmark, and to broaden and strengthen public participation in the arts. For more information, call 832-1125, loc l113.

images from bok talk

from left to right: the secretary (pon), the moderator (johannes), and the bored audience (raymond) 


hahaha! 


smile! 


hmmm... 


fraud fraud fraud!!! 

bok talk update

TULOY! meet @ Nina for lunch (third floor, Podium), 12 noon. dessert lang yung kaya ko, ha :) bring your own money for lunch (unless may ibang volunteer sponsor diyan). bok talk will start 1:30 -- text me to confirm venue..we might do it at Nina, if we get a good spot, or a cafe downstairs.

Moving On

With the release of the results last Wednesday, the suspense thriller that is the Board Exam has now ended, and so somehow, the much-heated blog discussion regarding this subject can also be officially put to rest. Well at least, until the next installment of the Nightmare on Board Exam Street comes. When that time comes, raves and rantings about the Board Exam will again resurface, and so will the perennial mystery question: “Did he pass?”

Also, with the release of the results, I also have lifted my self-imposed hiatus from uploading articles. To those who are keeping track, it has been around 3 weeks since my last (long) blogger article, and 2 weeks since my last comment. Someone in the message board has also commented that there has not been much activity for the past week or so. Not that I’m saying that I am the cause of these, but I find it a little interesting that simultaneous to my recluse, the non-activity also happened. In his personal blog, Johannes (or at least to be technically-correct, in fairness to “Anonymous”, someone who claims to be “Johannes”) would refer to this symptoms to “slacking”.

But I am not slacking. At least, I don’t think I am.

I have been busy the past 2 weeks, not just with my academic works, but also with my other extra co-curricular activities. This includes, among others, finishing our group’s final reports from last semester, doing desktop wallpapers doodles, fine-tuning a paper to be presented at a convention (hopefully), watching movies both on the big and small screen, and continuing to follow-up respondents for my informal, non-sanctioned research about student orgs. I also found time to attend the dramatic script-writing workshop that Nap posted about a week ago.

I also have some 2-3 articles already lined up, although they are just lined up, with splashes of incoherent topic sentences here and there. Originally, when I started blogging, I have made it a point of uploading at least 1 one article per week. Just to keep my mind and writing skills sharp.

But Board Exam came. And then my article about it. And then the reactions from all sides. Since there was too much activity at that time, I decided to just sit back and watch the show unfold. Also, since the Board Exam results haven’t released yet, I figured that no one will pay good attention to any new topic that might be brought up since the “hot” item is still the Board Exam.

That sounds like a nice justification for “slacking”. But what really pushed me to “slack” was the feeling that I’m getting from the audience here that they do not want to hear “negative news”. For those that are updated to the goings-on around here, you may notice that some people have commented that I’m too pessimistic, that my articles are somewhat depressing in tone, and that I delve into the problem too much, that I do not actually do anything to help solve that problem.

And although I have tried to explain why my writing is such, and that I am actually doing something about it, people still get the impression that I’m too cynical to do anything productive, and that I want others to join me in my world of misery.

I then began to think that maybe my style of writing is not suitable here, that maybe the brooding tone of my articles does not sit too well with the audience in this blogspace. I’m not actually saying that these people do not like my writing (nobody has yet stated that explicitly, thankfully); it’s just that they do not prefer to hear negative thoughts. It’s like some sort of paranoia creeping into me, that I’m feeling everyone is against me. Maybe I had watched too many conspiracy theory movies.

And so, I decided to stop uploading my articles for a while.

I also took these two weeks of non-blog activity as an opportunity to reflect on the following:
Were my articles really that depressing? And if it were really depressing, then how would you have preferred to have it said, such that the message gets across while still maintaining a happy disposition? Are my methods of communication poor such that people do not get my message across even if I have explained it already in simple phrases?

I have considered writing my articles more cheerfully, ala a typical Disney cartoon, complete with happy, fairy tale endings. But then, that would have lessen the impact of the message I’m trying to convey. It’s like having the Godfather trilogy end with Michael Corleone still being the head of the Mafia Empire, and he and his wife, Kay Adams Mitchelson, getting back together, and that his daughter, Mary Corleone, and his step-nephew, Vinnie Corleone, get married, and have babies who will be the future Godfathers.

In the end of my so-called reflection, I came to the conclusion that maybe I’m just indeed paranoid. And that all this rambling is just an excuse to post yet another long article just to irritate Mr./Ms. Anonymous.

I also came to the assessment that blogging is NOT the best way to have a decent discussion about certain topics, especially the touchy ones (like the recent one about the UAP compulsory membership thing). The facial expressions, the tone, the hand gestures and the body language that come with saying what you have to say are lost in a conglomeration of expression-less words. Also, since the comments do not come instantaneously, there is much time lost in between replies, such that a topic may become stale even before people have commented on it.

And when you have not come to know in totality the person who wrote the article, you are more likely to misunderstand him/her, because your interpretation of the words that are appearing in the screen are based on your perspective, and NOT on the writer’s perspective. If you are in a jolly mood that day, like for example, learning that you passed the board exam, then you will see the article in a more positive light. If you are in a bad mood that day, like for example, learning that you flunked the board exam, then you will see the article in a gloomy light. The discussions will even reach a higher pitch if people who are involved in the discussions use aliases which do not reveal their true identities.

But nevertheless, best way or not, this blogger is still an appealing venue for people to sound off what’s on their mind. They may not be the best thoughts that are popping out of their noggin, but still, ideas are ideas, and no matter how you deny it, they give us variety. Whether that variety is good or not, now that, is a good subject for debate in itself.

And just by writing this article, somehow I have reinforced to myself that blogging is indeed appealing, and that it is a nice venue to sound off what’s on my mind. And that it doesn’t matter whether people agree with your viewpoint or not, or that you cannot form a consensus regarding a topic. There are other venues to do that, like for example, this bok talk that’s coming up tomorrow. Now that’s a better way of discussion. Face to face. Comment as they come, with no delays. No aliases. No hidden identities. Unless someone comes with a mask.

And so, I’ve decided to lift my self-imposed work stoppage, and continue to upload articles. I cannot guarantee that I will change the brooding tone of my writing, nor can I guarantee that I will not ruffle the feathers of the readers. What I can guarantee though is that they will be long, since the brain is just churning out ideas so fast that it seems to be a waste not to put them in writing.

So let this serve to be a warning for all those people who do not like long blogs. Because it will be long.

.

UAP Membership is Mandatory

Section 40 of Republic Act 9266 is the provision that makes it mandatory for all registered architects to become a member of the board of architectures's duly accredited professional organization which is currently the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP). I am posting the section verbatim as a point of discussion for everyone, hopefully it will lead to a better understanding of why and how this section came to be:

SEC. 40.Integration of the Architecture Profession. - The Architecture
profession shall be integrated into one (1) national organization which
shall be accredited by the Board, subject to the approval by the
Commission, as the integrated and accredited professional organization of
architects: Provided, however, That such an organization shall be
registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as a non-profit,
non-stock corporation to be governed by by-laws providing for a democratic
election of its officials. An architect duly registered with the Board
shall automatically become a member of the integrated and accredited
professional organization of architects and shall receive the benefits and
privileges provided for in this Act upon payment of the required fees
and dues. Membership in the integrated and accredited professional
organization of architects shall not be a bar to membership in other
associations of architects.

UP Graduates: Rage Against the UAP Pledge

It's true. Some UP board passers including people from my batch as I recall had refused to stand up and do the UAP pledge during the oath taking.

However, this phenomena was never really confined just within my batch. Word about UP graduates doing this act had been heard of even before and surely way after my batchmates had done so.

The prevailing reason was because they wanted to show that they had a choice in wether to join UAP or not. Some of them even said that they will eventually join UAP but just not during the oath taking to emphasize their right to choose.

So strong were some people's feelings in doing this act of defiance that it was never really a spur of the moment thing. A lot of the people who refused to stand for the UAP pledge had been talking about wanting to do so long before they had even taken the board exam.

Board exam review classes were oftentimes the venue for these "rebels" to espouse their cause and maybe attempt to add to their ranks.

It wasn't really clear to me if it was required of one to join the UAP during the oathtaking then since I don't know of any law that says so. However, the integration of the UAP pledge in the oath taking ceremony is somehow a very clear sign that it is required. It is not required by law though since it is also quite clear that there is no formal penalty if one decides to do a sitdown instead of doing the pledge.

The penalty has been more towards the majority of oath takers along with their family and friends who just want to experience a dignified ceremony. I must admit, the protesters do take something away from the dignity of the occasion as they sit down instead of just politely obliging standing up at least and just not mouthing off the pledge. No, that wouldn't be dramatic enough they seem to think. A sit down is more the fashion of the day for them.

The UAP pledge of course as done in past oath takings was more a de facto requirement by nature since the majority of practicing architectural professionals are members. Professional peer pressure so to speak.

Sadly for the UAP, a lot of the newly minted architects are not easily swayed by peer pressure and remain chapterless long after the last cake of the oath taking ceremony is eaten. This attrition had lead to the decline of a number of UAP chapters in many ways.

I see this as a terrible development. Personally, I think that being a UAP member and being a part of it's growth and development into professional relevancy can possibly be one of the most professional things a Filipino architect will ever do in his lifetime.

Now that the membership to the UAP is clearly mandatory as stated by RA9266, I wonder how some people would react to this. It does give more teeth to requiring architects to join the UAP but on the other hand it has given more substance to the argument of not having the freedom of choice in doing so.

Architecture Licensure Examination Results Released

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 446 out of 1,130 passed the Architect Licensure Examination given by the Board of Architecture in Manila last June 2004.
The members of the Board of Architecture who gave the licensure examination are Arch. Eugene G. Gan, Chairman; Arch. Fernando L. Santos and Arch. Miguel R. Caluza , Members.
Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of
Registration will start on Wednesday, July 14, 2004 but not later than August 3, 2004. Those who will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community Tax Certificate (cedula), 2 pieces passport size picture (colored with white background and complete nametag), 1 piece 1” x 1” picture (colored with white background and complete nametag), 2 sets of metered documentary stamps, and 1 short brown envelope with name and profession; and to pay the Initial Registration Fee of P400 and Annual Registration Fee of P300 for 2004-2007. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered professionals.
The oathtaking ceremony of the successful examinees in the said examination as well as
the previous ones who have not taken their Oath of Professional will be held before the Board on Monday, August 9, 2004 at 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon at the Fiesta Pavilion, Manila Hotel, One Rizal Park, Manila.
Pursuant to Section 40 of Republic Act 9266, mandatory registration for membership with
the United Architects of the Philippines, Inc. (UAP), will start on Wednesday, July 14, 2004.

And here are your top 10 placers:

1 NINO JUSTALERO RAMORES 83.30
2 PRIMIER SIEGFRIED BATO SOLAJES 83.20
3 JEREMIAH GACOSTA ABUEVA 82.30
4 EMMANUEL VILLALUNA QUIMSON 82.10
5 CARLO LUIS CABATINGAN GANZON 81.90
6 EMERSON NOEL AYTONA LEGASPI 81.60
MICHAEL AHYIN WONG 81.60
7 BRYAN SHELDON CINCO YU 81.40
8 TECHIE ROSE OROZCO ESPIRITU 81.30
DAVE PAREDES LICERIO 81.30
ANDRE FREDERIC ALINSASAGUIN PALUGA 81.30
9 DAISY SALVADOR PAULINO 81.00
ANDRES PERFECTO VIDAD SANTIAGO 81.00
10 ROEL LAROZA ABIERA 80.90

Congratulations to all of you!

Click here to see the complete list of successful examinees.

AAAHH! We passed!

Congrats sa lahat. Saturday: Bok Talk-slash-Celebration Party?