We haven’t posted a new blog for a while so here is one to keep you up to date about the organization. Forum 2010 was held in Toronto, Canada where five (5) members got to attend and enjoy the city. It was amazing and we all had a great time. The city is rich in culture and diversity and it is definitely different from Ruston. The amount of architecture was constant throughout the city where it seems to be flourishing. Definitely have to think about Toronto for job possibilities.

We encourage those who are in AIAS to become more active and help spread the organization around to those who aren’t in the organization. It will definitely help on a resume and it helps students become educated about the different opportunities that are out there in the profession. We have a meeting coming up Tuesday January 11, 2011 in room 318 at 7:00 pm. Please join us as we continue to talk about the organization and the upcoming events.

AIAS Secretary

Blake Aaron

Hope to see you all there!

The meeting will be at 8:30p on Tuesday, March 16^th in Hale Hall room 318. I know, it’s late, but what architecture student isn’t used to late classes, late nights, late submissions…you get the picture. You can RSVP to the event on Facebook here. If you have any questions or concerns, let us know. Our contact information is under the who are we? tab. You can also find any of our officers at their studio desks on the second and third floors of Hale Hall.

Hope to see you there!

*UPDATE* I forgot to mention when I first posted this; after the meeting we will be watching the film “Helvetica.” The following summary was taken directly from the film’s website, www.helveticafilm.com.

Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which celebrated its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.

The following link is to the Helvetica‘s trailer at IMDB.com

http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi2961047577/

yum yum!

Kevin Singh has been teaching at Louisiana Tech since 2006. He has earned a Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design, and a Minor in Landscape Architecture from Ball State University. He continued his education at Auburn earning a Master of Building Construction (Design-Build Option) and a Minor in Community Planning. Kevin is the Director of the Community Design Assistance Center here in the Louisiana Tech University School of Architecture, and recently (this past break) lectured on Community Design Centers at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) convention in New Orleans.

Due to the structures class in 318 tonight, the lecture may start a few minutes late. We’ll keep you updated, and we hope to see you there!

Farnsworth House in autumn.

Trust Builders

This is a great event to sign up for! The Louisiana Tech University Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) is working on a long term, neighborhood redevelopment project in the neighborhood just south of campus, called South of California Avenue (SOCA). SOCA is planning to do an event similar to The Big Event that Tech does, but once a month instead of once a year. This monthly event will be geared toward helping individuals in the SOCA community clean up their yards, paint porches, cut grass, etc.

What’s in it for you? Well, besides getting that great feeling you get when you do something to help out other individuals, you’ll get hours credited toward the 400 internship hours you need to graduate!

Newsletter Committee

We’ve mentioned in the past there would be a newsletter for the SOA. If you’re interested in graphic design, interviewing professors and students, writing articles or anything else that goes along with putting together a newsletter, then this committee is for you! We had our first meeting today in the AIAS office. The next one will be within the next few weeks.

Fundraising Committee

We still need people to sign up for this group. Being a member of the fundraising committee, you would brainstorm ideas on how to raise money for the AIAS or other organizations we decide to donate to. This includes HABITECH 10 and even some national organizations.

Studio Culture

This is a big one. Studio Culture is a kind of rule book to show how we as students should be treated by the SOA. It enables us to voice our opinions as students to the SOA. This committee is set to write out our studio culture for the AIAS to keep on record. It is something that architecture schools across the nation have set out to do, and we need members to sign up and write out our Studio Culture.

These are examples of a few things you can sign up for. If you’re interested in any of these, or others, the sign up sheets are outside of the AIAS office in Hale Hall. (first floor, just past the elevator)

Jennifer Risley: President

Andrew Joiner: Vice President

Aaron Coriell: Secretary

Lindsey Briceno: Treasurer

David Guzman: Public Relations

We are all available on Facebook

By phone: (318) 257-5254

Email: latechaias@hotmail.com

Most, not all, architecture firms have some type of pin-up area, a meeting room to discuss design problems, or just a large work table down the center of a studio space for everyone in the office to work around. What about the people working for companies such as Paypal or Emergence Capital. No, they don’t require the same programmatic elements that design firms do, but do the offices of these types of businesses have to be boring? Of course not, at least not if they hire good architects.

Where are we going with this? Facebook Have you ever wondered where these people work? We all visit the website everyday, but have never thought about the people that make it happen, much less where they work. Well, they’re offices are similar to the offices of the previously mentioned companies, and they are in no way “boring.” Each office was design by the San Francisco based firm Studio O+A.

Studio O+A was founded in 1991 by Primo Orpilla and Verda Alexander. The firm specializes in office environments. In their words, “Studio O+A creates office environments that set a standard for design…”  Their client list reads over 70 companies, including Levi Strauss & Company, Facebook, Paypal, and the list goes on. The firm has been mentioned in Contract Magazine, VMSD, Frame, and many other publications which you could find at their website.

So, let’s get to the fun part…pictures. These are photographs of the new Facebook headquarters. More on this can be found at:

ArchDaily

or

Studio O+A

These recycling bins are located on the second and third floors of Hale Hall and the thirteenth floor of Wyly Tower. So, please recycle all chipboard, cardboard, plastic, and aluminum scraps. Also cans, bottles, cookie and other junk food containers.

[side note] –Your health and wellness is important to the SOA. We do not condone the consumption of any unhealthy foods, drinks, or other edible substances. Though, we do insist you recycle the containers in which they are packaged.–