In the Community Build studio, the beginning of February has been eventful. We are currently moving towards a February 18th deadline as we work to synthesize our many ideas and narrow down our final group design to be proposed to the city. Most of the studio met yesterday to compare sketches and study models, then split into two groups to further develop two of our ideas for today’s studio class. The goal is to finalize the general design today, and then split into more focused development groups, including focuses on joinery, budget, structure, seating, materiality, and narrative. As we move forward with design decisions, I am excited about the ideas being presented and hopeful that they will be received well next week, fitting the needs of the community. Once the design is approved, the fun starts with shop drawings, construction documents, fabrication, and the build!
While the studio is busy and developing, other classes are moving right along as well. In Bradford Watson’s history class, the graduate students are working on their respective research proposals to be presented this Friday. Last week, the class did another walking tour of Charleston, exploring the neighborhoods, rich architectural history, and the impact of time, expansion, and water level on the city.
Outside of class, things have been busy as well. This past weekend, some of the studio members made a very quick trip to Clemson and got to see Clemson beat Duke in basketball. We also enjoyed watching the Eagles win the Super Bowl (go birds)! With work picking up, it was good to take advantage of a little bit of free time and enjoy each other’s company outside of the classroom. However, even while being a few hours away from the Cigar Factory, we still managed to notice details in a pavilion and have some conversations about design, structural connections, and the scale of our project. I’m convinced that part of being an architecture student means always having your studio project in the back of your mind!