Criticism recieved at intensive wrap up

At the intensive conclusion we presented our preliminary proposals for exploration both to Heinrich Hermann our instructor, as well as to three additional visiting critics:

As I sat down and listened to the three classmates of mine who preceded me, I started to think deeply about my project. Periods of reflection often follow periods of frantic production, and I find that some of the best idea development comes when you turn off your mind to conscious thought and realize your intent, even at the expense of the work already produced.

What I had thought was about an intertwining of shelter-engage-outreach going into the presentation quickly morphed into another set of ideas.

The critics were very interested in how the project was to manifest itself architecturally, and were less concerned with the stated objectives of how I wanted the building to interact as a piece of social space.

So I thought about the ideas and decided that my project, the center for refugee acculturation, was to act as a semipermeable membrane which would allow different compounds varying degrees of access across its varied barriers. This is a decent idea, but in no way had any bearing on what I was showing on the projection screen.

As a result the criticism was fairly harsh, and because my ideas were scattered, so was the criticism:

Below is a summary of the criticism: Much thanks to Tim Riffle for taking notes for me during the intensive:



Below is a printed transcript of the image above, not all the comments make sense now, just as they were occasionally non-sequitur during the review. Others astound me with their profound simplicity.

Preliminary Thesis:

• What is project about? Filtration of what?
• What is the architectural vehicle?
• Representation of where people come from -- how they filter in
• Means to study vehicle - translation to arch terms
• spacial gray scale
• Need to accommodate difference
  
• Find own place due to comfort and tradition
  
• Is filtration the right word?
• opposite of filtration?
• Not truly open system
• broken with patterns of past immigration issues
• creation of zone / buffer - has identity
• crossing the border is substitute for something else
• receiver
  
• Point where dissident Russians flow thru - something like your project
• Exposure to American life
• Mini melting pot
• learn from each other
• Place where American public can meet immigrants
• best architectural metaphor
• engagement of individual / community / systems
• vast program
• places of engagement
• Other immigration areas
• Public / Private
• Idea of Shared amenities
  
• Test in other ways to see if vehicle works
• Relationships to other communities
• Sociological / physiological levels
• perceiving space loss leading to uprooting
• adjustment of value system
• what is best site for building?
• Is city best spot?
• Develop understanding and implement
• Maybe dense urban isn't right
• concept of reciprocity - balance of needs
• what are necessity / needs
• (van likes work of Hirshburg)