Well as you may already be aware, I am a freshman here at Northeastern, and am very happy with my life here in Boston thus far. It has been an adjustment leaving home and my very big family (being one of 6 kids by the way). I am very close with my parents and siblings and it is strange to be away from them for so long sometimes, but to be honest, the time has gone by so fast and I've been so busy that sometimes you forget that you are "away." And already I've formed my own little "family" in Boston.

My roommates and I

I have to admit that as everyone does, I was nervous about the living situation in a college dorm (even though I had shared one room with two of sisters so I was very experienced with living with other girls and coordinating bathroom schedules). But, I am in a forced triple that has its own bathroom, so while the space can be tight at times, I feel really comfortable in my room, and I get along with my roommates really well. They ended up being some of my best friends here.


Although, I have to say it has been nice to be home this past weekend for Thanksgiving. Having my own bed, room, and space again is a comfort that doesn't get old. I've gotten to hang out with all the people I've grown up with since elementary school. My town and high school are pretty small so you know everyone, and most people since you were really young; this made it hard to adjust at first to meeting all these new people everyday and trying for form friendships so quickly. Although, while its really nice to come home to that security and friendships, I am happy to be back, to see all the people that I've gotten close with over these past three months, and even to go back to the hustle and bustle of the day to day classes.

Some cousins and siblings at Thanksgiving

I'm an architecture major, and for those of you that don't know, that comes with 30 hour weekends at the studio working on projects, plenty of all-nighters, and more drawings and images than you know what to do with. But I love it so far. I've always been really hands-on and and loved art since I was little, so I find it really exciting to be able to sketch, draw, and make models all the time. We've done a lot of really interesting projects so far, and considering I knew very little about architecture before I arrived at NU, I've learned so much.

The last few weeks have been really busy for me, but mostly with a lot of fun activities. For my roommate's birthday last week, we went out with a group of sixteen or seventeen to the North End for dinner. We ate at Trattoria il Panino-this really, really small one roomed restaurant. It was a very fun time; the food was excellent-maybe the best pasta I've had. And we stopped at Mike's Pastries for desert (which in my opinion can never be a bad thing).

This week I'm starting my new project for my studio. The assignment is to design a museum space, with a focus on natural lighting through windows and a stair to join the rooms, for two paintings: Saint Luke Painting the Virgin and Child and The Daughters of Edward Darley Bolt, which I went to go see at the Museum of Fine Arts. I'm excited to see the end result with all the new computer software we'll be using to render it.

Last night was the Beanpot-which for those of you that don't know is a hockey tournament between Harvard, BC, BU, and Northeastern in the TD Banknorth Garden. It was nice to see how packed the NU section of the stadium was, full of black and red spirit, especially in comparison to the other university's nearly empty sections. And despite our loss to Harvard, it was a very fun time!

It's hard to believe the semester is already about halfway over. I had my first midterm last friday, and I'm moving along on my studio project for digital representation. We actually started using rendering programs on the computer to add light and shadow to the virtual three-dimensional model we made, which is really exciting to see.

(image of my design)

There's been a lot going on for the past few weeks too. For Mardi Gras, Stetson East dining hall was opened late full of traditional foods, dessert, decorations, music, favors, etc. and games that encouraged a lot of student involvement. A lot of students came out to enjoy the festivities.

Next weekend, I'm looking forward to my intramural soccer game; I'm on a co-ed team with students from my building, which is really fun. We play in Cabot gym almost every weekend, and it's nice to just get my feet to a ball once in a while after playing soccer for about thirteen years.

Next Saturday also is my residence hall's dodgeball tournament arranged by the hall President, which should be interesting considering I know very little about how to play.

And soon enough, break will have begun. I'm really excited to go home and see my friends and family. I haven't been home since classes started again at the beginning of January, so it has been at least six weeks. Can't wait!

Hope everyone's semester and midterms are going well!

I'm really excited to be home this week. It's been nice to relax some and get to spend time with family and friends. I was able to celebrate my mom's birthday with a small family get-together Sunday and go with my sisters and brother ice skating, which was very fun. I look forward to visiting with my aunts, uncles, and cousins this week too.

I've also been able to catch up on some summer internship applications. I've been researching architectural firms around the New Haven area in hopes of finding a position that will allow to gain some experience with and further understanding of sustainable design projects. It's been really helpful for me to be going through this process while taking the required Co-op class this semester. It has been very informative in terms of resumes, cover letters, and interviewing. We also have had older students and representatives from architectural firms within the Boston area come in and discuss their experiences with the Co-op process.

So it has already been over a week since spring break...hard to believe how fast this semester is going. I really enjoyed my time at home, and I can't wait to go back.

With only about a month left of classes (and some warmer weather coming-hopefully), there's a lot going on. In the next couple weeks, I will be be completing my room selection for the fall. My roommate and I went on the housing tour last week, which I thought was very helpful. For those of you in the selection process that have any questions or uncertainty regarding where you'd want to live next year, it is definitely worth the hour and a half to make next year's living situation the best it can be.

We also have class selection coming up. Luckily for me, the architecture program is very structured and I don't need to worry much about picking any of my classes for next year. The administration groups the students alphabetically into Division A and B, and creates class schedules for them for the five years they will be here. The only choices that need to be made during this time are for your electives or classes for minors.

There are also some fun activities coming up as well. The honors freshman dorms - Kennedy Hall and West Village F - will be putting on a talent show next Monday, which is sure to be a good time. And the Honors Evening is coming up on the 31st, which is a night for upperclass students to present their honors projects and celebrate with a ceremony and dinner.

I am also going to be starting my final project in studio this week. We will be designing a cafe for the area by the Christian Science Center. I'm excited to integrate all the software we've learned in digital representation thus far to create the final product.

As the semester is already drawing to a close, there has been a lot of activities going on around campus in addition to the building of final coursework. On Monday, I attended the 5th Annual Honors evening with many of my fellow honors students. It was very interesting to see all the Junior and Senior projects that NU students have completed. I was impressed with the caliber of research that was presented throughout. The ceremony and dinner was a great time as well. I found Professor Setta's address to be a very intriguing spin on applying traditional religious values from various cultures to modern society.

With the warmer weather coming too, its been nice to get out into the city and explore a little more. Being in my first year, I am still getting to know the city, and it's exciting to visit many new areas.

I've been busy with my studio work for digital representation. I've been developing my concept for a cafe in the Christian Science Center Plaza. We've gone on site visits to see other outdoor seasonal cafes that exist throughout the city. We were able to go to Boston Seaport to explore some beautiful cafes that opened right onto the river. It was inspiring to see how they handled siting within such an urban setting to essentially create a landscape that enforced a sense of "nature."

It's hard to believe that in three days I will be done with my freshman year. There's been so much going on in the past few weeks of the semesters. I've really had to buckle down the past few days on my digital representation project for my presentation on Wednesday. I've probably racked up over fifty or sixty hours on it this week alone, which has been really difficult with the nice weathering luring everybody outside.

Last week I got a little reprieve though; my friends and I went to a Tristan Prettyman concert at the Paradise Rock Club, which is right near BU's campus. So not only did I get to enjoy a great show, but I got to see a little of BU's campus. I hadn't really seen much of their campus before, but I found that it is much different than the Northeastern campus--much more spread out. Seeing this made me appreciate the fact that we have a very centralized campus even more. (I personally didn't like the idea of taking the T to class or having the university spread throughout the city buildings.)

Tomorrow also is the University's Sustainability Forum, which will talk about NU's carbon footprint, sustainable development measures, and future plans for improvement. To me, it is really exciting to see more and more universities around the country making strides to a more environmentally-friendly approach within their infrastructure. After learning so much in my environmental studies classes about how many problems the world's facing in terms of global climate change and how drastic improvements can be made by taking what seem to be such minor steps, it is really encouraging to see such an event taking place.

So I've already been home for break for over a week. It's been really nice to be able to spend time with my family, and couple friends (most aren't home from their schools yet). I've even started my summer job already, so I'll be able to save some for spending money next year. I am already missing school and everyone there though.

I recently got a comment from an accepted student who raised a lot of very good questions that I'm sure are shared by the majority of accepted students, so I thought I'd share them and my answers here.

*"Have you really had to do the famous all nighters for your arch classes?"
I personally have never had to pull an all-nighter, but I'm really disciplined with pacing myself and my workload. I'll sacrifice a lot of my time consistently to successfully finish my projects. I would stay in the studio for manual til 3:00 or 3:30 in the morning some nights (on the weekends too!) cause I had so much to do and it was impossible for me to do a good job and finish it in a night. But, it really is dependent on how long you procrastinate and how quickly you work. The majority of students have been forced to stay up all night to finish some sort of project though, especially before final crits on the final projects.

*"Do you feel like you have really good quality professors?"
Most of them were really really good, and I really enjoyed their classes. My manual representation professor was great looking back, and it's nice in the studios cause you get to spend so a lot of one-on-one time with them that you really build rapport and get really comfortable (you're even on a strictly first-name basis, that's how they introduce and refer to themselves). It makes for a very collaborative environment where you really get a lot out of the courses.
Outside of architecture, I've been talking environmental classes, and I've been impressed with the caliber of the professors. They all have been really active in important research and social movements.

*"I know the arch major is pretty structured - do you have room for electives or a minor?"
Yes, you definitely will have room for electives and a minor, but pick your courses carefully in advance. I'm glad I decided early about my minor cause I've been able to work with my schedule to fit everything I need in. Keep in mind too, the university as a whole has gen. ed. requirements so they have to allow some time in your schedule to fit in those, but if you have a lot of those credits already with transfer credits (from AP or whatever else), then you can pick whichever classes you need for a minor or just what you want to take. You can also pick gen. ed. requirement classes that also fulfill credits towards your minor.

*"I'll be coming in with 30 transfer credits ... did you have/do you know anyone who's had experience with transferring credits? Hard? Easy?"
I actually came in which about 24 transfer credits from AP tests and a college level course I took my senior year. It really wasn't bad, I don't even remember if I had to do anything or if it was done for me. So I guess it couldn't have been too grueling.

*"I'm really interested in sustainability and environmental design.. and I think I read on one of your blog entries that you are too! Is there a class focusing on that? Do you get to sort of do specialized projects to fit your interests?"
As a freshman I haven't really had the opportunity to work on very specialized projects yet, cause I'm still developing my skill sets and learning about the field more generally. But it seems like later, as you progress, you can take more liberty to develop projects in a way that interests you. For now though, we are more focused on general design issues, schemes, and reasoning. I have been learning soo much though in my environmental classes, and have found the links to architecture really common and prominent. As I get farther it seems I will have the opportunities to really take project in directions that I want to go.

*"Could you tell me a little bit about the benefits [of the honors program] and what you really like about it? Also, are there things you don't like about the program?"
Well, housing is the first thing that comes to mind. In the honors programs one of the biggest perks is that honors student get much nicer housing, especially as freshman (also dependent on how much you want to spend). There are also a lot of opportunities in the honors programs to do extra projects, service activities, or cultural activities. This year I have gotten a lot of tickets to a wide range of events through the honors program as a greatly reduced rate.

*"Do kids go into the city a lot, or mostly stay on campus?"
We definitely go into the city all the time. The thing about NU that I love, more than with other city schools, is that we have a very welcoming, comforting campus that we can stay on if we want to escape from the commotion of the city. But we are in such a central location, that really is beautiful...we are walking distance to so many places and just a T ride away from soo many more. You start to realize how small the city is by the end of the year....in the beginning I was so overwhelmed by it all. But our last week here, a couple girlfriends and I went out to dinner in the North End (the Italian part) and bumped into four different groups of friends on the same street corner, definitely a lot smaller than you think at first. But I really love it, cause the cultural and social aspects of the city is really diverse and active. It's nice to just go take a walk and explore a new area, cause there are so many beautiful areas.

*"Being in honors, and doing architecture, do you have time for clubs and just hanging out with friends?"
Time is definitely my biggest hinderance. I'm not involved in nearly as many things as I'd like to be because I devote so much time to my studio work. Some relaxed, stress-free activity is necessary, its just that any free time I do have is usually after 10 or 11 pm, and obviously student groups don't meet that late. Next year I'm definitely going to try to become more involved with at least a couple activities. Also though, I do have work study for 10 hours a week, so if I didn't have that I'd probably have much more time during the day for clubs and stuff.

Hope seeing this can give some student insight to accepted students, or even students thinking about applying in the future. Feel free to ask any other questions, I really enjoy answering them cause I know how the anticipation and uncertainty feels when considering schools...I went through it all just last year.

I've been really busy with my summer job thus far. It's hard to believe I've been home for a nearly a month already; before I know it I will be back in Boston! Which is good, cause I already am missing the city, friends, and NU! In a few more weeks, I'm definitely going to be anxious to get back into the swing of the school year.
What little downtime I've had I've been trying to work with the architecture software that I had so far, just to gain some familiarity with the products that I will either need next year or for co-op in a few semesters (it looks good to have a good understanding of a lot of different software programs on your resume!).
Feel free to ask any questions or leave comments; I'd be happy to respond and help in any way I can!

It's a few weeks in, and everyone is already back in the swing of things. I have been working steadily on the current studio project, which is designing a boathouse and cafe space for a site on the Fort Point Channel (right next to the Children's Museum). There's been a lot to consider, and it has been slightly overwhelming at times. But I'm excited to try to figure out the logistics and find the right execution of a final product.

(site for which I'm designing a boathouse and cafe)

I've had a lot other events and activities going on as well. There's an honors student council meeting is this evening, where I've joined the events committee. Already students have organized a campus wide game of capture the flag taking place Saturday, which should be a fun break during the weekend.

The AIAS group is also hosting a Design Forum event in the African American Institute Thursday evening. Architecture professors will be bringing in presentations of projects they've worked on to share with students where interaction and questions are encouraged.

I'm also really excited to have a couple friends from home visiting this weekend. We'll get to do all the 'typical tourist' activities and see all the sights and sounds of Boston. (I'm sure there will be some pictures in the next post!)

Please feel free to post and questions or comments about any aspects of NU life. I look forward to reading and responding to them!

My schedule has been pretty crazy for the past couple of weeks. I have my final crit on Monday for my boathouse project, which means a lot of studio time this weekend. I've been trying to pace myself, so as not to get too overwhelmed, but we'll see how it goes. It's nice to actually have the choice as well between digital and manual representation for all aspects of our presentation, meaning we can either draw by hand or on the computer.

I also went home for the holiday weekend, which was nice to see family and friends. I was able to relax and not think about classes too much.

Hopefully I can get out of the studio at some point this weekend and enjoy some of the homecoming festivities. I have tickets to An Evening with John Stewart (in association with NUVotes on Friday in Matthew's Arena, which I'm really excited for! And Saturday is the first home hockey game against BC, which is always a good time.
Hard to believe it's already halfway through October! Time's going by so fast.

Please feel free to leave any comments or questions!

Midterms are officially over (still awaiting grades though!), and there's been a slight lull in my workload for the moment. I'm enjoying the newfound free time immensely; I just have no idea what to do the extra hour I find in my day...I guess that's what architecture does to you.

Everybody I know is really excited for this weekend, being Halloween! And the weather for the weekend is supposed to pretty warm. Over last weekend, my roommate and I ventured into Cambridge near MIT to check out The Garment District to try to find costumes. It was a really pretty area, and a very nice walk in the warm weather.

I also just had an AIAS meeting, where it was announced that the architecture student body would be forming a large group to give a presentation to the architecture department on the issues we have found with the studio and curriculum. It'd be nice to see some of the changes the students think would really help our experience at Northeastern come to fruition (and maybe see some of the rumored 'promises' for the studio, like much needed vending machines when we are in there at 3 am).

So I just got back this evening from a trip to UCONN! Nearly all of my closest friends from home go there, and it was so much fun to reunite with everyone I haven't seen since summer vacation. When everybody gets together (though cliche) its like we never left, which its really nice. We all just slip right back into our normal group dynamic.
It was also really nice to escape the city for a few days (despite the never-ending rain). The campus is such a contrast to Northeastern's considering the student populations are very close. UCONN is much more expansive and sprawling, meaning everything is a pretty far walk. The buildings are all really similar too --very collegiate-looking brick facade, making it all the more difficult to navigate in the dark when I arrived. And its set in Storrs, where there is much more green spaces, trees, even horses!

I also have my mid-review for my second design project in studio - a library for the community of Southie - coming up Wednesday. An outside juror will be coming in to give us feedback on our designs. There's a lot more to consider this time around, especially considering this is our first true multi-level building. So tomorrow will definitely be a day in the studio to finish up computer drawings and modeling.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, it seems likes everything's already drawing to a close. I already had my mid-review for the library I've been working on in my studio. We had an architect come in voluntarily to critique our project thus far, which is typical for crits. We give a quick presentation on what we have thus far and share the work we have produced over the past few weeks...models, plans, sections, renderings, diagrams, etc. Then we receive feedback on the positives of our scheme as well as the negatives, helping us to gain a fresh perspective on the work we have produced. This is helpful in the creative process and producing new ideas. Having at least two crits per project for the past three semesters has also helped me to be more comfortable speaking publicly.

Basically my life for the past couple weeks has occurred primarily in the studio. Everyone's pretty much been frantically trying to finish all the requirements for the final presentation we are giving on our library design on Monday...including very time-consuming models. On top of the 7 to infinite hours I'm spending in the studio a day, I've been trying to finish up a group project for structures and a term paper for 19th century architecture.
Architecture majors quickly learn that studio takes precedence over other classes (as much as the professors of those other classes hate to hear it). But in comparison to the work load for studio, those classes can essentially be pushed aside until necessary, when there is an assignment due or exam scheduled. Studio is definitely also the most important in gaining the skills necessary for the profession, so I guess it makes sense that we put that on the top of our list.

I'm already about halfway through with my winter break, and I've been able to relax and celebrate the holidays with my family. I even was snowed in for a few days earlier in the week, giving me the perfect excuse to sleep and watch movies, a luxury much appreciated.

I also celebrated with friends with a small Christmas party, which included all the cliche activities...cookie swaps, secret santa exchanges, and all the classic movies. It was nice way to reunite with all my friends from home that I hadn't seen since Thanksgiving.

I'm still looking for to returning to school though; I should have a lot going on this semester. I will be applying for my first co-op position that I will be starting the spring semester of 2009, which means portfolio and resume preparations. I also will be applying for the study abroad program in Rome for the Fall of next year, an exciting part of the architecture program here at NU. And when I come back, my schedule allows for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to be nearly entirely free of classes (all the architecture classes are now on Tuesday/Thursdays for me), so I will be looking to find a part-time job somewhere, most likely off-campus. I also have my Honors seminar to look forward to. So far all my honor courses have been really interesting and exciting and I'm sure this will be no different. It's on a topic I have no real background in: the history of espionage, taught by Professor Burds. But I'm excited to take an elective that's different from anything I've taken at NU thus far; in the past I've focused on environmental science/studies courses.

One week in to the spring semester and it feels like I never left. Everything just picked up right where it left off. I even have the same professor for my history course (20th Century Architecture and Urbanism) as I did last semester; it's actually my third time in Professor Maulsby's class. It's nice in this type of course to build a rapport with a professor you like; it helps with understanding what is expected for tests, papers, etc.

In studio we are already nearly finished with our first assignment: an analysis of a given school, which is a precedent to the project of designing an urban school that we will be developing throughout various stages throughout the semester. So far the dynamics of my section (students and the professor alike) seems to be working really well, and I'm looking forward to a good semester.

I also got a work study job in the enrollment services office as a receptionist two days a week. It's a very quite office, and so far I don't many responsibilities, which allows me to keep up on readings for my courses.

I'm also really excited for next weekend. Four of friends from home are still on their winter break and are able to come up to visit. We will get to do all the 'tourist' activities throughout Boston; I just hope the the weather isn't too frigid!

The past couple weeks have flown by. I had friends come visit from UCONN, which was a lot of fun. They got to see all the fun parts of living in the city. We went to Quincy Market and Fanueil Hall for the day and had lunch; (they were all really excited to buy all the Boston-themed tourist memorabilia). We also were able to venture into the North End for a bit, despite the frigid cold, to show them that area.
I also am finishing up the second phase of my semester-long studio project of designing a school. We have our classroom module designs due Friday. This phase of the project had us focus on a single classroom unit and how the spaces and zones can be created with various material and structural applications, for instance, focuses on the thick wall and the separation of the spaces in section.
I also attended an information session for the study abroad program. I will be beginning the application process as soon as possible essentially, the deadline being February 10th. Exploring the website on the program at the La Magia Institute, I was excited to see how close to the center of Rome we will be studying, just a short walk from the Campidoglio and the Roman Forum.

(A google image of the housing along the river in Rome.)

So my schedule the past couple of weeks has been packed to say the least with a 20th Century Architecture midterm and an ongoing Structures: Tectonics project that requires us to design a small watchtower and all the wood-framing for it. We will be not only producing construction documents, but also a physical basswood model. Studio work has picked up as we get farther into the semester as well. We are currently working on mapping and analyzing the site for our school design, which is located in the South End between Washington St. and Harrison Ave. It's one of the most interesting sites I think we have looked at thus far; it has a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial spaces within a relatively small zone. And I've been finding it really interesting to examine the existing conditions as much as we are, looking at building program, typology, materiality, circulation, etc. We have never taken site analysis to this depth before, and its been both challenging and interesting. We have been producing numerous diagrams digitally, and now manually, as well a diagram projection model (meaning we will be extracting patterns from the site to try to generate ideas about the form our building design will take in relation to the surroundings).

(some images from the very snowy site visit we took last week).

On top of all this, the architecture department organizes a lecture series almost every Monday night that the undergrad students are required to attend. In the past these lectures were sometimes a struggle to sit through after a long day of classes; however, they have taken on a new format that seems to be working much better where the speaker links all the works they discuss with a unifying theme. Monday's was by Rahul Mehrotra of RMA Architects on his work in Bombay/Mumbai, covering several different ideas from his wide range of work on a large number of projects. He discussed his work on preserving the Taj Mahal and the importance of understanding both preservation and new construction. He also shared one of the most original project types that I have seen, where he worked to design a living community for elephants and their caretakers outside the city where they work.
With what little time I've had this past weekend, I was able to go dinner at a really great thai restaurant with probably about fifteen friends for my roommates birthday. It was really nice to get all these people in one room for a couple hours considering how difficult it's been to visit because everyone's schedules are so conflicting this year, as course loads have picked up significantly and a lot of students (particularly in business and engineering) have started co-op already.

Spring break is so close now, only a couple days! But there are still a million and one things to do between now and then. I have a presentation tomorrow in my history for espionage seminar on the WWII Anglo-Soviet parachute agents of Operation 'Pickaxe,' which I found to be a interesting because it's a side of World War II that is not portrayed in any standard history courses.
I also have been plugging along with studio work. We are concluding our site analysis officially on Friday, which has consisted of a lot of diagramming and modeling of various observations and conclusions about the site for the elementary school we will be designing. We have started to think about the programming of schools in general as well as how these organizational strategies will work within the site, considering all of the analysis we have already completed.
Last week I finished up with probably the biggest project of the semester for my Structures (Tectonics) course. After learning about light wood construction, we were to design a small watchtower following a number of design constraints, such as a cantilevered roof and second story. We then were to complete construction drawings and finally a VERY time consuming model of all the frame work. Though it took several long nights to finish, I was happy with the results. It is definitely a project that I want to feature in my portfolio.
Speaking of which, I've been working really hard to finalize my portfolio (to at least as final as a portfolio can get as we are always finishing new work) and my resume for the application process to find a summer internship. The prospects are not looking promising at the moment though, considering the economy. Most likely, I will have something only part-time and probably unpaid. Still, its worth the effort if I'm able to get some firm experience before I start to apply for co-op for next spring.
So, per usual, I've had a lot going on the past couple weeks, and needless to say spring break is looking really good, even if I'm just going home to Connecticut. I'm probably gonna have to budget in sometime though to keep up with work for several classes. Still, to be able to catch up on some rest and relaxation and see friends and family is much needed.

For it being just a couple days after break, there's a lot going on. I was able use the week off to play catch-up with updating and finalizing my resume and portfolio. I sent those out to a couple firms close to home in New Haven in search for a summer internship, but the timing is not great. The market for any job in architecture is not promising at the moment, but I'm just looking to get any experience I can before I have to start applying for my January co-op next year.

Overall though, my break was pretty relaxing. I got to just be home with family and friends, somewhat away from the stresses of school, which was most definitely needed. I also get to look forward to friends from home coming to visit this weekend, so I'll be able to show them around the city (in much warmer weather than last time they visited). So that's something to look forward to to get me through my rather stressful week.

I have a presentation in my espionage seminar on the autobiography of Markus Wolf (known as the 'man without a face') who was East Germany's greatest spymaster for over thirty years. It was a really interesting topic that I had no real prior knowledge of. But I also had another 350 page book to read for that class, in addition to a 20th century history reading summary, studio work, and working on a structures project, so needless to say I didn't get to enjoy it to its fullest extent. The project for my structures course is producing the construction documents for a masonry wall (showing in section the foundation, masonry structure, window openings, floor joists, interior finishes, etc.) But this will also feature a green roof design, which helps to incorporate the course's focus on sustainability. We had a guest lecture on the design and construction of green roofs, and we also spent the last class period discussing the various components and their organization.

Coincidentally, the lecture on Monday for the School of Architecture's lecture series dealt a great deal with green roofs. Richard Cook, one of the architects working on the Bank of America building in Bryant Park. The lecture discussed the 'eco-skyscraper' in terms of sustainability, creating a comfortable and productive work space for employees, and how it addresses the streetscape and existing structure. He also introduced the sustainable project he and his firm just won for office buildings, which I believe will be on Congress St. in Boston. The submitted project for the competition looked particularly interesting in, not only that it had a series of expansive green roofs that covered the various building types, but also it's form is very different from the building's already making up Boston's skyline.

I'm aware that admitted students will now be making their decisions about which university they will be attending next year, so as always, feel free to ask any questions you may have!

It's hard to believe the semester is already nearing a close, but I can feel the time crunch finally setting in. I just got assigned today my final project for Structures II:Tectonics, for which, in small groups we will be completing an extensive set of drawings (and eventually a presentation) analyzing one of the buildings that we have touched on in class to answer the question of how the structure and other systems engender the design process. We will be required to produce axonometric drawings to explain the enclosure system, structural system, and interior spaces, in addition to a sectional axonometric through the building showing all the construction layers. I will be working with the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco by Renzo Piano, which features an impressive green roof structure.

Coming up soon too, I will have a paper for 20th Century Architecture and Urbanism different from previous assignments. Looking at the Holyoke Center in Cambridge and Boston City Hall, we will be analyzing the structure according to our own perceptions and background knowledge in the various architectural movements and themes of the 20th century; we will not simply be producing a research paper on the buildings. On Saturday I went to Harvard to visit the Holyoke Center, which was a modernist building engaging with Harvard Square, flowing out into its plaza space before the entrance. It had very nice outdoor spaces; unfortunately, I was only able to gain access to the small court on the ground level in the interior.

On Friday we have our mid-review for the final stage of our school design project. I finally have a form and program orientation that seems to work well for the site after extensive analysis and many, many models. I'm close to pushing past the conceptual portion of the design process to start working on the more tangible, pragmatical components of the process, which is the part I tend to be more comfortable with.

This weekend I also was able to visit the ICA, which itself is a gorgeous place to visit, located on the waterfront with great views of Boston. But, even more exciting with the 'Supply and Demand' exhibit, featuring the rather extensive works (I think there was something like 250 pieces) of Shepard Fairey, now commonly known for the Obama campaign posters. I was taken aback by how powerful some of his works could be, especially his large murals. I really enjoyed his work on so many levels, from just the craft of these really intricate collage images to his projections on his own perspectives on culture and the abuse of power in society. As the weather starts to feel more like spring and anxiety sets in about upcoming exams and deadlines, it's nice to escape, even if just for a couple hours, from campus to just get a change of scenery.

(views out from the ICA)

As always, feel free to ask any questions you may have!

The past couple weeks have been a blur because with finals and deadlines for projects; its just been one thing after another on my 'to do list.' I can't believe I'm already in the home stretch with just two weeks to go before I go home for the summer. I just had my 20th Century Architecture final on Tuesday, which basically required me to memorize an endless number of buildings and all the background information on them. We also had a preliminary crit for the final project in my Structures:Tectonics class working on analyzing the California Academy of Sciences by Renzo Piano. I've made multiple 3D models of the building from the research my group has done in order to produce various drawings to present our conclusions about the building.

In studio, everything's finally coming together. I'm at the stage in my elementary school design where I'm able figure out the details like window placement, materiality, landscaping, etc. For this coming Tuesday we will have to show the instructor new drawings and models that will basically serve as a dry run for our final crit, which will be on the 24th, the last day of finals week (meaning for the next two weeks I will essentially be living in the studio).

I was able to enjoy some of the recent sunshine and warm weather today though, as my 20th Century class took a trip to visit the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard, which is the only building LeCorbusier designed in North America. It was a nice culmination to the semester (as our final is done and all that's left are two papers to turn in); it basically served as the summarizing work of this extremely influential architect with which we have spent considerable time with in class.



(The Carpenter Center)

I also was able to sneak away last week to go to a Bruins game against Tampa, which was really fun. I had never been to game before and only to TDBanknorth Gardens one other time for the Beanpot last year. It was good to get off campus and do something new to break up the incessant work that everybody's had lately.
As always feel free to ask any questions!

It's hard to believe I only have 2 more days left until my final crit for studio, and so much left to do in that time. I haven't really had time to do much of anything else. I've been working in the studio for atleast 12 hours a day for nearly the past week, and still may have to pull an all-night before my deadline on Friday. As one of friends was talking about last night at about 3 a.m., this time of year is when architecture 'doesn't seem so glamorous.' And yet, I still rather be sleepless in the studio that studying for anything else, so I guess it all works out.

I move home on Friday afternoon right after my critique, so Friday definitely will be a very busy, very exhausting day. But I'm really excited to be going home, especially since I haven't seen my family since spring break. It'll be so nice to not have anything to do for a few day before I start my summer job.

Hope finals are going well for everybody!

It's hard to believe I only have 2 more days left until my final crit for studio, and so much left to do in that time. I haven't really had time to do much of anything else. I've been working in the studio for atleast 12 hours a day for nearly the past week, and still may have to pull an all-night before my deadline on Friday. As one of friends was talking about last night at about 3 a.m., this time of year is when architecture 'doesn't seem so glamorous.' And yet, I still rather be sleepless in the studio that studying for anything else, so I guess it all works out.

I move home on Friday afternoon right after my critique, so Friday definitely will be a very busy, very exhausting day. But I'm really excited to be going home, especially since I haven't seen my family since spring break. It'll be so nice to not have anything to do for a few day before I start my summer job.

Hope finals are going well for everybody!

I've been out less than two weeks and I've already been working at my summer job full time for over a week. There hasn't been too much resting yet since classes ended, I jumped at the chance to get to work early so I can start to save up money for the fall when I will be abroad in Rome. It's really hard to believe I'm leaving so soon, just a couple months. I've been working on getting all the paperwork together, like my student VISA and flight forms, etc. There's a lot to arrange and get squared away before I can leave. I'm still waiting to hear on more information about the actual program. I haven't received the package from La Magia Institute yet, but I've attached a link to the school's site on the housing. We will be living in a converted convent on the Tiber River! It's all really exciting, and I still haven't really processed it all yet. I'm going to be visiting all these amazing places for a whole semester!

http://www.lamagiainstitute.com/Pages/La%20Magia%20Services/Apartments/Student%20Housing/Santa%20Maria%20in%20Cappella/SM%20in%20Cappella.htm

Please feel free to ask any question or leave comments!

A few days ago I got offered a full time position at my internship at Fletcher Thompson, Inc. for the rest of the summer! Apparently, they just landed a big project that'll keep me busy with work right up until I leave for Rome in the fall. My responsibilities there have increased over the past few weeks as well, as I start to get a feel for what is expected. For the past few days, I've been working on developing site plans for two high schools that are proposing renovations by using composite aerial images and maps, including building footprints, topography contours, groundcover and treelines, street maps, etc. I also am acting as a 'liason' -so it's been called- between the firm and a consultant company for the design of a playground for an elementary school, working to compile and develop a set of drawings and images to submit to the state for approval. It's all very exciting, and I'm learning a lot. Most of my work is on AutoCAD, and I've already gotten a lot faster at it.

On top of this, I've been working at my summer job on weekends and I'm about to start going there a few nights during the week too, so my schedule's been pretty full. But I did manage to sneak away a couple weeks ago for a short weekend retreat. I arranged for some friends from Northeastern and a couple friends from home to take a camping trip at Hammonassett State Park in CT, which was a really great time. It was great to relax with everybody and enjoy the beach and sun for a couple days.

I'm also hoping to go to the Guggenheim within the next month or so to see the exhibit on Frank Lloyd Wright's life works. I looked into it the other day and it seems like an opportunity that I definitely don't want to miss out on considering how close I am to NYC. Because my work schedule doesn't allow for any extended vacation, I'm hoping these little trips will help my keep my sanity this summer.

Time's going by so fast its hard to believe the summer's halfway over. I just mailed my application for my visa for the fall. This semester in Rome has always seemed so far away; it's really hard to believe it only weeks away now. There's still a lot of paperwork and planning to do in the meantime, but it's gonna be time to leave so soon!

(Hammonassett Beach)

As always, feel free to ask any questions

I'm entering week four now in my mandatory semester abroad in Rome to continue studying architecture. I really can't think of a better place to do so, everything is incredible...has some historical importance and is just gorgeous.

I was very much exhausting during the first week or so (between jet-lag and the very packed orientation schedule), but I was able to do things like sit in the Pantheon for hours just sketching…and I’ve been at least probably like a dozen times already. It’s so close to studio and its just amazing, no other words for it.

I came in with this kinda stereotypical image of what everything would be like, but I figured I was just being ignorant…it really is so much like I pictured. The streets wind in a maze-like web, with a conglomerate of richly colored buildings packed into the city blocks. The hues are so rich, so much orange and yellows. You can see the history in each building’s façade, the peeling away and eroding of time as the paint fades or chips away to reveal the layers beneath. There are so many balconies and terraces covered with potted plants, so many brightly colored shutters pushed open, so many rooftop gardens, so many ivy-covered walls. There’s such a history, a past that is so evident in everywhere you look, its very moving and humbling all at once. Everything has a significance, a past that just seems to full. I don’t know how I won’t leave here without a significance perspective gained for my architectural future and cultural awareness, even historical awareness. Rome is an ancient city, there’s no confusion there. It represents so much, and its painted across the urban fabric of the city. I honestly don’t know how to capture it, for my initial impressions are far better than I imagined. It makes you realize how small your life is when you look at structures that are from over two thousands years ago, but are still enjoyed today for their romantic appeal.

It’s a city of evolution, one thing piled a top another. And I really imagined more contemporary buildings, more of a touch from the hand of the 21st century. But it truly seems pure, it is represented by the ancient, the medieval, the renaissance, and the baroque…it doesn’t seem to go much farther past that. I guess why mess with an urbanism and an architectural culture that has worked for centuries to foster a successful urban space for the public masses.